Sandy Hook, August 1861; Revisited

     I decided to retro-fit one of my earlier web pages and chose the 'Sandy Hook' page to start.  ("History > 1861 > Sandy Hook").  The idea is to update my earlier web pages with css code, to match the current page designs.  The Sandy Hook page was short, and I thought I could finish it over a weekend. But with new material to be added it proved to be more challenging.

     The regt. camped at Sandy Hook, MD for about a week, Aug. 24 - Sept. 3rd 1861.  As the page stood, the most noteworthy event in camp during this week at Sandy Hook was the arrival of state issued uniform coats and hats.  For most of the men, the apparel didn't fit, and regimental historian Charles E. Davis, jr. had fun describing the results,

"the person who selected the sizes was under the impression that every man from Massachusetts had a head like Daniel Webster"

      In contrast to the quiet at Sandy Hook, there was a lot of shooting  going on up river at Harper's Ferry where companies K & I were posted.  There were two alarms of note; one on Aug. 24th, the day the regt. arrived, the other on September 2nd.  The new material describes these 'engagements' with divergent terms.

     One man wrote of the former, it was a "fruitless alarm," while another said "we kept up a fire all night."  Inconsistencies appear in descriptions of the latter engagement too.  So, who was more accurate in their reporting?  That's when I noticed subtle attitudes in the soldiers' letters that corresponded to the company they belonged to. (as in Co. B, Co. I or Co. K)

     There was a jealous rivalry going on between the Boston Companies and the other companies during the first year or so of service and the letters subtly reflect this.  A Company K man, reporting from the Maryland side of the Potomac, opposite Harper's Ferry, describes events in a pretty straight forward manner. -- The captain commanding, spotted some rebel cavalry in the town, and called for re-enforcements from the ranks camped at Sandy Hook a mile and 1/2 away.   The writer called the affair a "fruitless alarm."  But one of the re-enforcements, a Co. B man, (from Boston) adds a bit more excitement when describing the event,

"we all rushed out pell-mell... to the rescue of our comrades.. They kept up a fire all night, but no one else was hurt on our side."

    The tone of these last comments can be attributed to the excitement of the soldiers on both sides early in the war.  The regt. had only been out 3 weeks, and they were eager to enter the fray.  But could there also be a touch of bragging in the letter, as the boys from Boston, "rush to the rescue of our comrades." The two companies at the ferry were from the so called 'country towns' of Marlboro and Westboro.  

     If there was a fire kept up all night, the boys were probably shooting at phantoms as evidence suggests this was indeed a 'false alarm.'   And the boys of the 13th were a bit 'trigger happy' at this time.

"The gallant 13th kept up a constant fire on the few inhabitants of Harper's Ferry, suspecting or affecting to suspect them of being rebels." 

     So wrote Harper's Ferry Historian Joseph Barry.

     There was another more serious skirmish on Sept. 2nd which is called "Beller's Mill" although no official reports were made of the engagement.   Both sides claimed to have killed several of the enemy.    Again the accounts of the event are somewhat sketchy.  Evidence suggests Co. I & K were attacked by elements of Turner Ashby's cavalry, when they ventured a couple miles into Virginia, to confiscate supplies at a mill.   Only one man in the 13th was wounded, George Brown, of Co. I.  Turner Ashby wrote in a letter to the Conf. Adj. Gen'ls office in September,

"I had occasional skirmishes with the enemy in this vicinity, ...having only 1 man wounded, and he doing well.  I have killed several of them each time." 

         In contrast, Joseph Barry wrote about this engagement,

"a rebel soldier named Jones was killed near the graveyard, a bullet having penetrated through the palm of his hand and then into his stomach."

     The rivalry between companies becomes evident again when a Company I man describes the event to a friend in the hometown of Marlboro,  

"The 4th Battalion (from Boston) are not used any better than the other companies, and, perhaps, not as well as Co. I, which undoubtedly stands at the head of the Regiment as the best company."

     The web page is better now.  I added more letters, found and added Turner Ashby's letter regarding his activities at this time, [from the Official Records], and discovered traces of the subtle friction between companies beginning to show up in these early letters home.  One other quote in particular stood out, from a soldier's letter to his mother.  I added the quote to the footer at the bottom of the page.  (The old page designs  don't have a footer).

"The Colonel says we will all be home in three months."

Here's the new link:
Camp at Sandy Hook

An Experiment - Feedback welcomed

While preparing another blog post for this site, (which I'm juggling with my website) and lamenting the lack of posts lately, an idea occurred to me.

We are nearing the 150th Anniversary of the formation of the 13th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment.  Militia groups began forming in April and May, 1861.  In June, the original 5 rifle companies reported to Fort Independence, Boston Harbor.  They mustered into federal service as the 13th Mass. in July.

 With all the soldiers' letters I have, I could 'blog' the war in real time.   That is, I could post a letter from the rank and file of the '13th Mass.' on the date which it was actually written, -- only 150 years later.

If successful, I could probably keep this up until September 2012, at which time the amount of letters might drop off somewhat significantly. (But it has the potential to go on longer).  I thought the idea was sound.  
 
My website contains many of these materials already, but it might be interesting to follow them along in 'real time.'  Of course, I would include materials not on the website, and continue with other regular blog posts.

Those of you who happen to read this, leave a comment and let me know what you think!

The 13th Mass., at 2nd Bull Run

There's a new web page up at my website.  The page contains 13th Mass., soldiers' letters and memoirs of their experiences at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run.  I've had some of these materials for a long time, and I always wanted to share them with a wider audience.  This is a milestone for my site.  This is the point in the history of the regiment where many original recruits left, one way or another.  Second Bull Run was the first major engagement for the unit.  Forty men were killed, about 200 wounded.  About five hundred went into the fight.

Here's whats on the page.

An overlong introduction  but there are maps! - apologies ahead of time.  Then the source material.

1. Excerpts from the regimental history by Charles E. Davis, (with pictures & maps!).
2. A short piece on Major Jacob Parker Gould who was the senior regimental officer on the field.
3. Westboro Transcript (hometown newspaper).  A letter from Capt. Hovey, Co. K listing casualties.
4. Sergeant Austin Stearns account of the action.  (with pictures !)  Stearns memoirs have been around since the mid 1970's, so its a well referenced source, but he provides a good overall description of the chaos on the field.
5. Letter of Lt. Charles B. Fox to his father.  (Co's I & K) Fox expresses his discouragement in the conduct of the war, and the difficulty of service.
6. Letter of Lyman Low, Co. B.  Low's long account of the battle was published in the 13th Regt. Association Circulars in 1911, but I don't think many historians have seen it.  The Circulars are over 1,000 pages of material, and the letter does not reference 2nd Bull Run in the title.  He describes the death and wounding of several comrades and the chaos at the stone bridge.
7. Letter of Capt. Joseph Cary, Co. B, of his companies losses in the engagement.  From the Boston Herald. (previously available on the defunct website "Letters of the Civil War.")
8. The Three Ponies of Company B.  A story of the death of Charles Mills, and Albert Curtis, on the battlefield; from the regimental history, followed by a brief (1915) letter of their 3rd comrade, Michael Ayers. (with pictures).
9. Letter of John B. Noyes, Co. B.  Another long descriptive letter from John Noyes describing the campaign, and what he saw on the battlefield. (with pictures and maps!).
10. Letter of George Henry Hill, Co. B.  Un published letter shared with me by a family descendant.  Hill describes the experience of being under fire in the heat of battle. (with picture).
11. Roxbury City Gazette (hometown newspaper).  The regular correspondent for the 13th Mass, from Roxbury describes the companies experiences in the campaign.  (Previously posted on the defunct website, "Letters of the Civil War." )(picture of Lt. Colburn).
12. Two letters of James Ramsey, Co. E.  Shared with me by descendants.  Ramsey was taken prisoner on the battlefield and describes his treatment at the field hospital.  He compares this with the shabby treatment he gets later in Washington, D.C. (picture  of James included).
13. Sam Webster's account of the battle.  Another well known source from the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. (with pictures).
14. George F. D. Paine's well known story from the 13th Regt. Association Circulars, "How I Left Bull Run Battlefield."  Paine's narrative is so gripping it is quoted on the brigade's historical marker at Manassas National Battlefield Park. (with pictures).
15. Letter of John B. Noyes.  A second letter, written from a hospital, well after the battle, when Noyes was recuperating from wounds received at Antietam.  He criticizes the conduct of several specific 13th Mass officers in the engagement. He was mad ! (pictures of the rascals included).
16. Charles E. Davis, Jr.'s horrific account of his experience in the battle; lying wounded on the field for a week; and then receiving  worse than lousy treatment from one of the surgeons at Carver Hospital in Washington DC.  It goes on from there too...  Davis went on to write the regimental history of the 13th Mass.  (with pictures!)
17. List of men killed during this campaign.

Here's the link:   http://13thmass.org/1862/second_bull_run.html

Looking Forward

     I thought hard for a topic to post in December for the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday, but nothing came to mind.  Last year I posted on Private John B. Noyes’s pleasant holiday experiences in Hancock, Maryland during the winter of 1861-62.   In mid-December fellow blogger and author, James Schmidt, linked to this post from his own blog, which I highly recommend.   http://civilwarmed.blogspot.com/

     A new post referencing Christmas in 1862 would have been pretty grim, considering it followed the disastrous battle of Fredericksburg. 

On that day in 1862, Private Sam Webster of Co. D wrote;

 “Our Christmas Dinner is half broiled beef and hard bread.” 

      That was all he mentioned of Christmas.  Private Noyes, was home in Boston recovering from wounds received at Antietam, so I have no letters from him to reference.  He probably had a happy Christmas.   Warren Freeman of Company A, wrote a letter to his father 'from the field' on Christmas Day, but didn’t mention Christmas at all; 

“I was sick some days before we left Brook’s Station, but marched with the regiment the first day, and on the second day rode in an ambulance on account of the swelling of my lower limbs.  When we arrived at Fredericksburg the sick were put in a barn near the river; here we found some corn-stalks and made our-selves tolerably comfortable on them, with the addition of our blankets; but about midnight, after the battle, we were turned out of the barn into the field, as the barn was wanted for the badly wounded.  We kept our cornstalks, however, and lay on the frozen ground two nights and one day.  The field was covered all over with wounded men groaning and calling for water; some attempted to crawl on their bellies to the river side for a drop of water to relieve their thirst.  In the course of two days, these wounded men were carried away and we were put in the barn again; here we suffered terribly from the cold, as we had no way to warm ourselves.”

 These passages don’t exactly jump out and  say, “MERRY CHRISTMAS !”

     I was still immersed in the battle of 2^nd Bull Run, and didn’t wish to post on that subject for the holiday, so I ended up waiting until January to post something new.

     This year, being the 150^th anniversary of the war, the subject is receiving more attention than usual in different media outlets. I’m hoping the added attention will draw some more interest to my blog and website during these anniversary years.  I’m very excited about posting the latest page to the website, which consists entirely of 13^th Mass. soldiers’ letters and recollections of what they experienced August 30^th, 1862 at the 2^nd Battle of Bull Run;  their first major engagement.  The text for the page is finished, but it will take a short while to add the maps and images which I want to accompany the narrative.  I think of my website as a sort of ‘illustrated history’ of the regiment.  To me at least, finding appropriate pictures and portraits to go with the text is one of the more satisfying tasks in building the website.

     To try and drum up a little bit of interest, here’s a pre-view of what’s coming. 

     Private Lyman Low, Co. B:

"The little knoll or rise of ground opposite our center and right was quickly chosen by a few of our men as a position of advantage, but they speedily retired, for the place proved to be untenable. I believe all were wounded.  I well recollect that Albert Morse was among them, and particularly do I remember the scowl on his face as he fell and viewed his wounds.  At another point I observed Lieut. Thomas J. Little (afterwards captain in the Massachusetts Heavy Artillery) as he suddenly turned to the rear, with hands covering his mouth and chin, from which blood was copiously flowing.  Among the very first to fall was a comrade directly in front of me.  I saw a piece of his scalp drop from the back of his head; he went down in a heap, and as his face came into view it showed that the fatal bullet had entered the center of his forehead. He was bathed in blood, which rose high from his wound, falling back over his face.  I was never able to ascertain who it was, though I have always thought it might have been Fred Williams, who was killed in the battle, and stood beside me when the fighting began."

     Private George F. D. Paine, Co. A:

"Our boys dropped like tenpins before an expert player.  Ten feet to my left the tall sergeant of Company F sank down in a heap, shot squarely through the head. I saw the brain ooze out.  My left hand mate whirled, shot through the shoulder. F. went down with a bullet through the face.  S. was swearing "like mad," shot through the thigh.  A man I did not recognize dropped just in front.  I heard the bullets chug into his body; it seemed half a dozen struck him.  I shall never forget the look on his face as he turned over and died."

From Private Charles E. Davis, Jr. :

"The surgeon who first examined my wounds made them construct a frame over the bed and cover it with gauze, to keep the flies out. The second one, with no particular purpose in view, lifted a corner of the gauze and let in upon me no end of flies, whereupon I called him some kind of a fool and he remonstrated at my use of profanity and gave me a lecture, saying he would see me again on this subject, but took no pains to adjust the gauze or rid me of the flies.  He made no examination of my wounds, nor showed any interest in me until the following morning when he came to announce that I must have my arm taken off in order to save my life.  I told him I would see him damned first before I would submit to such an operation.

     "Very well," said he, "if you won't allow us to do anything to save your life, you had better prepare to die."

     It seems that this man had "experienced" religion and was baptized about six weeks before, the only effect of which was the removal of any solicitude he may have felt, as a physician, in the saving of life.  Perhaps the baptismal water was stale.  I had felt something moving under my shoulders and made complaint, but he said it was nonsense and suggested to the nurse that my mind was giving way.  This made me excited and that seemed to confirm his opinion.  I quieted down and then he was sure I was insane.  In the meantime I could plainly feel the movement under my shoulders.  It is a fearful thing to be thought insane, and each remark you make considered confirmation.  It was a terrible moment to me.  At last I shouted, "For God's sake, will no one lift me up and see."  The man on the next bed called another, and they lifted me into a sitting position, pulled down a sheet and blanket, uncovering a nest of young rats, whereupon the doctor and nurse walked away, showing no interest in the result."

      That's all for now, hope to write more soon.  Best wishes to all for a healthy and prosperous new year.

Charles Roundy Manuscript

     Whether you believe in spirits or not it sometimes seems that the soldiers of the 13^th Mass periodically look in on me.

 

     The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center [AHEC] in Carlisle, Pennsylvania has in its collection of ‘13^th Mass’ materials ‘Charles Roundy’s hand-written manuscript “Recollections of the Civil War.”  Roundy (Company F) illustrated his stories with charming color illustrations throughout this one of a kind book.  Ten years ago a friend provided me with black and white photocopies of the manuscript made on a visit to Carlisle.  The copies have too much contrast  and don’t do justice to the color illustrations, but it’s still a great resource to have.

     Several memorable scenes from the history of the regiment are vividly described, with a personal flair that captures the emotions of the time.  These include, “How I enlisted,”  “The 4^th Battalion of Rifles of Boston,” “We Leave Fort Independence for the Front,” “The John Brown Bell,” and one of the funniest camp stories I’ve read, “A Secret for 16 Years.”    The secret for 16 years, was a secret for another 8 years with me, for alas, my copy of the manuscript was missing a page - the one with the end to this story.  Not until I was determined to include it on my website, did I contact Carlisle to see if anyone could provide me with the missing page.  They sent the missing page, and they included color scans of some of the prominent illustrations for use on my website! 

     Roundy’s writing is round-a-bout.  It’s folksy, plain spoken, and very entertaining!  “I kept as mum as a Hippopotamus,” he writes in one instance, and at another “This is a longer preliminary than I meant to make when I began this, and ‘tis like the story of the city boy telling his chum about a snake he saw while on a visit to the country.  “he said the snake was all tail but his head.”  My story thus far seems to be all head and but little tail.”

      The larger part of his “Retrospection,” is commentary on military leadership and his participation in General John Pope’s summer campaign of 1862.  “Pope’s retreat” comes up time and again in the manuscript.  General Pope’s blundering, no doubt, left a lasting impression on Charles Roundy.   In June of this year I began building the web page for 13thmass.org that describes Pope’s Retreat, but I didn’t plan to use Roundy’s recollections. 

     I know his manuscript confuses some dates, (which I can verify from other sources), and his musings can ramble.  I discredited its value and found it too confusing to follow.  My planned web page ended with a brief account of the 2^nd battle of Bull Run on August 30^th 1862.  But I think Charles Roundy, Co., F, wherever he is, had other ideas. 

     My web page grew as I familiarized myself with the campaign.  Several stories were added, along with maps and descriptions of complicated military maneuvers.  At the last minute I decided to remove the account of the battle of 2^nd Bull Run and save it for later.  The page would end with accounts of the engagement at Thoroughfare Gap on August 28, 1862. 

     In mid November, after six months of reading, research, study, writing and editing my new page, “Pope’s Retreat,” was ready to post on-line.  I had some technical tasks to finish - format the table of contents, check links, and add links to the site map page, but the content was finally finished - and Charles Roundy’s retrospection wasn’t included.  The week I planned to post the page I received this message:

     “Good Day, I've recently become interested in my boyfriend's family tree which contains members of the Roundy family.  I'm fairly certain that Charles Roundy mentioned numerous times on your website is a direct ancestor.

      I'd be interested in finding out if any of Charles' writings are either in print or if they are on display somewhere?” 

I received a similar request from another person a couple of days earlier.

     I’ve had a copy of Roundy’s manuscript for 10 years.  Some of Roundy’s stories have been posted on my website for the past 2 ½ years.  In all this time I have never had an inquiry about the man or his writings.  But the very week I was planning to post my new web page on Pope’s Retreat, after 6 months of research and writing, I received, not one, but two inquiries, for the Charles Roundy Manuscript.

    Two visitors to my website wanted to know more about Charles and his writings.  This piqued my curiosity, so I pulled out the manuscript, which I hadn’t read in a while, and revisited his accounts of Pope’s Campaign.

     By now, I was very familiar with the events of that two week period in 1862, when General John Pope retreated from the line of the Rapidan River to the line of the Rappahannock River, and then, to Bull Run.  Suddenly Roundy’s descriptions made sense to me.  I understood what he was describing.  I realized its value was in the summary of the campaign rather than as an introduction to the campaign, which is why I had discredited it as a source.  His account was a perfect ‘wrap-up’ of events; so I added it.

     It could just be a coincidence.  Or, was Roundy reaching out across the great divide to give me a nudge or two, to look his way?

     I still think the march he describes and attributes to August the 26^th is more likely the withdrawal of August 18^th, but why argue with him at this point?  After all, he was there, and it doesn’t make his account any less interesting or insightful.

For my readers I end this post with Roundy’s account of General George Lucas Hartsuff’s encounter with company F cook, George Atkinson.  You can find more of his stories at my website, including "A Secret for Sixteen Years."  Site Map - 13thmass.org  Click on the link and scroll down the page to soldiers letters, and look for Roundy.

 General Hartsuff and the Baked Beans

     We had a fine camp – and when General Hartsuff arrived to take command of the Brigade it happened on a Sunday morning that he strolled down the Company Street of Company F.  Just then the air was filled with the fragrance of Yankee Baked Beans.  For our Cook – Atkinson – surnamed “Greasy Cook” was taking them up from the trench where they had been baking all night, and they did smell good.

     The General following his nose and the smell, found a man very busy lifting great Kettles from the trench where they had lain buried up in live coals, and wishing to make himself agreeable he remarked, “Well – but those beans do smell good” – “ Wonder if I could get a taste of them?”

     Atkinson, without looking up replied “not by a damned sight, I am not feeding every damned tramp that comes along.”

     This tickled the General immensely, and he slid away quickly to the Captains tent and doubling up with laughter he told the story.

     Pretty soon the Lieutenant came out and spoke to Atkinson saying, “he felt sorry to lose Atkinson, sorry too that he had done it – sorry for his family – sorry that he was going away and hoped it would be a lesson all his life” etc.

     Atkinson straightened up and said “What in thunder are you talking about? – I’m not going away – wish I was.”

     “Not going away says Morse – well I guess you are, and you are to be sent to the Dry Tortugas* for insulting the General.”

     “What in thunder – I haven’t insulted any General”

     “Yes you have, you insulted General Hartsuff.”

     “General Hartsuff – I never saw General Hartsuff in my life.”

     “Never mind – when he asked you for a taste of your beans you told him that you was’nt feeding every damned tramp that came along did’nt you say so?”

     “Yes. – My God – yes, was that General Hartsuff?  What shall I do,” and down he flopped.

     After enjoying the situation awhile the Lieut. Spoke “Come, Atkinson, better be getting ready, the Dry Tortugas is an awful place, but -”

     “Say – Lieutenant, I did’nt intend to insult the General; and the boys bother me so!  Is’nt there some way that I can get out of this scrape?”

     “Well, I don’t know, – but I would suggest that you take your cleanest – prettiest plate and fill it with beans and some pork – some brown bread, if you have it – wash your face and hands – and go up to the Captains tent and make an humble apology to General Hartsuff and present him the plate of beans – who knows? It may keep you from the Tortugas.”

     Pleased enough – Atkinson set about it, and a more humble man never lived as he begged the General’s pardon, telling of his trials and troubles, etc.

     The General accepted the gift and enjoyed the joke like the good man we afterward found him to be – he shook hands with Atkinson – dispelled the Tortugas fear, and Atkinson went back to his work; - but often spoke of how near he came to a trip to Florida Keys.

*Dry Tortugas, a dreary desolate Convict Station among the Florida Keys.

Pope's Retreat

The new webpage is finally up at 13thmass.org.  The page is long with lots of large pictures so it should scare off any of the few visitors that might be interested in checking it out.

The page covers the history of the "13th Mass" from Aug 9th 1862 - August 28th 1862; from the Battle of Cedar Mountain to the engagement at Thoroughfare Gap. Two days later on August 30th the regiment participated in the 2nd Battle of Bull Run, on Chinn Ridge. I will be devoting an entire page of the website to this subject.

The military situation changed nearly every day during the two week period known as Pope's Retreat. I've added more narration to this page than usual to set the stage for any visitors. There is some repetition in the narration. Events are summarized in the introduction at the top of the page, but repeated in the various page 'sections' in case a visitor jumps around. This way they will still learn what is happening.

It was at times easy to loose sight of the 13th Mass while building the page. I branched out a bit to include bits on the Union Cavalry raid to Verdiersville, the Confederate raid to Catlett's Station, Herman Haupt and the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, and many other topics.

Initially the page went up to August 30th. But I cut out the last section and decided to put it onto the next page. It just seemed like too much.

The new page ends with Charles Roundy's, opinionated reminiscences of Pope's Retreat.  For those of you who believe in spirits,  I think Roundy himself gave me a gentle tap on the shoulder to use this resource - I hadn't planned to use it, except for a short bit, but how I changed my mind is the subject of another blog post.

Here is the link:

http://13thmass.org/1862/popes_retreat.html

Hope you all enjoy it, and with this task at hand completed, I will have more time for regular blog posts !

An Update

This blog is not in full retreat. I still have lots of good stories to tell. I've spent all my spare time the past month, preparing the latest web page for my website, www.13thmass.org. Consequently I haven't posted much here on the blog.

The new page will cover the history of the unit between August 11, 1862, through August 30, 1862; or, "General John Pope's Virginia Campaign." The campaign climaxed with the 2nd Battle of Bull Run which is a milestone event in the history of the regiment. It was the first major engagement in which the men played an active part, after more than a year of hard service. For many it was the last battle. The regiment did not participate in any heroic charges; but merely a delaying action; outnumbered 10 to 1 and surrounded on 3 sides by the enemy. The encounter bought time for General Pope to pull his lines back to high ground which prevented the capture and destruction of his little Army of Virginia.

The previous webpage ended with 13th Mass. accounts of the Battle of Cedar Mountain. The new page starts off the same way.

Because events changed rapidly from day to day during this campaign, the page requires more exposition than any previous page I've built for the site. The primary sources were quickly added and organized chronologically, last June. These include the usual letters, diary excerpts and articles from my collection. The three subjects the soldiers wrote about in general, were the Battle of Cedar Mountain, the three day artillery duel at the Rappahannock River Railroad Bridge, (Hartsuff's Brigade held a lodgement on the south side of the river) and the arrival of 90 new recruits to the regiment on August 18. This was also the day General Pope retreated from the Rapidan River to the Rappahannock River. The soldiers were mostly in the dark about other events; - and there is so much that happened.

During this time General Lee moved his army to Gordonsville and planned to attack and destroy General Pope's force while it was wedged between two rivers. Logistical matters postponed Lee's attack and Pope escaped. It isn't hard to guess what might have happened had Lee attacked as planned.

Colonel Thornton Brodhead's exciting raid to Verdiersville was a first class adventure worth including on the new page. It is mostly remembered as the raid in which Confederate Cavalier J.E.B. Stuart lost his hat. He was surprised by the large troop of Union Cavalry trotting up the road. Stuart fled so quickly he left behind his trademark plumed hat - which became a casualty of the raid. I particularly enjoyed the part of this tale in which General Robert Toombs recalled his Georgia infantry to camp, - moments before 1,000 Union Cavalrymen splashed across the Rapidan River at the very spot the Georgians were ordered to guard.

Also on this page: Pope's Retreat to the Rappahannock; the Artillery duels along the river; Stuart's Raid to Catlett's Station; (he avenged his hat by capturing Gen'l. Pope's dress uniform); General Sigel's ordeal on the 25th at Sulphur Springs; Stonewall Jackson's famous flank march, (50 miles around Pope's lines) and the sacking of Pope's supply base at Manassas Junction. There is the unraveling of the Union high command at this time; the clogged Orange and Alexandria railroad and Herman Haupt's gallant efforts to to keep the lines running. There is a lot more, you get the idea, and all of this is before the battle itself. My primary source for this narrative is John J. Hennessy's masterful book "Return To Bull Run." I wish I could just quote directly from the book, the story is so well told. I'm supplementing this narrative with other sources as always, but its really just a superb account of the campaign. (I discovered General Gordon's account from the 1860's too).

Consequently, it's taken a lot of time to carefully summarize these events within the context of the regiment's experience. I try very hard for accuracy. The military situation changed so much from day to day, I had to re-organize my source material to keep the story moving forward. The men were usually about a week behind in their news. The page page ends with just a short summary of the battle as described in Charles E. Davis' 1893 regimental history. I intend to devote another page entirely to 13th Mass. soldiers accounts of the battle. (That won't take as long).

In preparing this page, I've developed some more sympathy for General John Pope. I think he was a poor field commander for the most part, but he did a lot of things right, and he was under tremendous political pressure, like all the early Union Generals in the war. What if heavy rain had not forced him to call off his planned offensive on August 23rd? His plan was the same as Gen. Lee's; cross the Rappahannock and assault the enemy's right flank and rear. My dislike for him, and for General McClellan, is due to the large number of lives lost in this campaign, in large part because of ego, or professional jealousy. It was the poor foot soldier who paid the price in blood.

I'm almost done with the text of the new web page. A few pictures will be added next, and then I'll upload to the website, hopefully sooner rather than later. And then, perhaps I'll have more time for the blog ! A very tired adieu. Comments are appreciated.