On the Road to Bentonville

Header of 3/25/1865 Daily Evening Express to accompany Lieut. Marshall's letter

Lieut. James H. Marshall
(79th PA Officers Oval)

While I lack the time now for an in-depth series of posts, I would like to at least observe the 150th anniversary of the Carolinas Campaign by providing two accounts from the 79th Pennsylvania in the two weeks leading up to the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina.  Bentonville stands out as one of three battles (including Perryville and Chickamauga) in which the Lancaster County Regiment took around 30-40% casualties.  For background on this campaign, I refer you to Craig Swain's daily blog posts about the army's movements.  Note that the 79th Pennsylvania was in the First Division of the Fourteenth Corps.

Since crossing the Savannah River at Sister's Ferry on February 5, 1865, the 79th Pennsylvania and the rest of General Sherman's army cut off their line of communication to move aggressive through South Carolina.  Upon reestablishing communication on March 11, when the regiment reached Fayetteville, North Carolina, Lieut. James H. Marshall took the time write his first letter in several weeks for publication in the Daily Evening Express. 

Marshall essentially copied his diary to cover events of each day of the five week interval.  He reported that the "health of the regiment has been good," gave details on the march, and listed the names of soldiers captured while foraging.  Read the full letter, published in the March 25, 1865, Daily Evening Express here.

Picking up where Marshall left off, I'll excerpt a week's worth of diary entries from Sgt. William T. Clark (whose diary is in the collections of the Lancaster County Historical Society).  Clark recorded the regiment's movements as it marched forth from Fayetteville:

Sgt. William T. Clark
(Rick Abel Collection)

Sun., March 12th

Get my clothes washed for the first time since Feb. 17th. One boat has reached us from Wilmington & more are coming. Mail goes out at 1½ P.M. I write to Sister Agnes. Last night drew & issued some captured rice & 900 lbs. F. beef & this morning some tobacco. 1st Luke paid me 35 cts. due me for coffee for Capt. Nixdorf. Sergt. Rutt, Corp. Witmer, & Priv. Campbell of Co. “H” were captured on the 10th, the latter wounded near Fayetteville.

Mon., March 13th

Move at 7 A.M., cross river on pontoon bridge below burnt bridge & move on the Raleigh Road 2 miles & camp. Reb. pickets short distance in front. We expect to remain 3 or 4 days for clothing & rations. 2 Reb boats were captured here. Several boats come up from Wilmington tonight. Drew & issued 100 lbs. corn meal & 900 lbs. F. beef. Traded my mare for colt, black, with heavy mane & tail. Very small ears, small white spot between ears & eyes, hind feet white close to hoofs, & right hip down.

Tues., March 14th

New York & Phila. papers of the 3rd received today. Drew & issued tobacco. Sent in Provisions Return for 15 days, commencing 1st March & ending 15th for 287 men. Wrote to Father a brief sketch of our campaign. We have been out 54 days & marched 395 miles. Lieut. James H. Marshall, Major Locher & some Officers from Brig. Hd. Qrs. took the band & serenaded Gen. Sherman, who said, among things, that in 3 days we would connect with Gen. Schofield.

Wed., March 15th

20th Corps moves out this morning leaving its 2nd Div. in charge of their Corps trains. We nove at 10 A.M., our Brigade in advance & upon the Raleigh Road. Lieut. Russell visited me this morning Drew & issued 2 days rations & bought 5 pounds coffee for Lieut. James H. Marshall at 47 cts. pr. lb. amt. to 2.35$ & 1.00$ due me amt. to 3.35$. He gave me 5.$, thus leaving a balance in his favor of 1.65$. Lieut. Russell renews the acquaintance of Capt. McCaskey & Lieut. Marshall. They had formerly been schoolmates in Lancaster, Pa. I accompany him to his Regt. & take dinner with him. Country level today—soil sandy. Forage sufficient for animals, very little for man. Some Artillery firing on our right. We camp 12½ miles from Fayetteville, having marched 11 miles. Day wet. Rebels reported in our front in heavy force.

Thurs., March 16th

Move at 9 A.M. on the Raleigh Road, our Brigade in rear. I move up to the front, where Cavalry are skirmishing with Rebs. They have left one line of works. Road very bad. At John C. Smith's s plantation the skirmish merges with a fight. 1st & 3rd Divs. of 20th Corps relieved Cavalry. Artillery is freely used. Rebs are kept busy in front while one Brigade is sent upon their right flank, throwing them into confusion, capturing 4 pieces of Artillery & 100 prisoners. Many are killed and wounded. J. C. Smith's residence is used as a hospital. Cape Fear River runs nearly parallel with this road. Reb right rests upon the river. Johnston is in command of Rebel forces. Report says he has 2 Corps’. This is called the Battle of Averasboro. The 1st South Carolina Heavy Artillery are armed with muskets. Many of them were killed, wounded & captured. They were at Charleston untill its evacuation. Our 2nd Div. and 1st Brig, of our Div. were engaged this P.M. Drove the Rebs 6 miles & then quiet down for the night. Day wet. Our loss in killed & wounded is.

Fri., March 17th

Morning clear. Rebs have gone—commenced leaving at sunset yesterday. Their skirmishers were withdrawn at daylight this morning 3rd Div. of 20th Corps moves after them upon Raleigh Road. That town is 37 miles distant. Courier captured whose dispatch said that Johnston should hurry to Raleigh & Lee would give him enough troops. I go 1½ miles on the Raleigh Road & get some lard, then hear that our Corps & 1st Div. of 20th Corps are moving to the right on the Goldsboro Road. This place is 42 miles distant. Rebs have parked & burned their train near Smithfield 3½ miles from their works. Also abandoned many ambulances loaded with wounded. We cross Black River & camp 5 miles out, having marched 7 miles. 2nd Div. in front. Country better, soil sandy.

Sat., March 18th

Move at 6 A.M. on the Goldsboro Road, 2nd Div. in advance. Foragers pass troops & find Rebs 30 miles from Goldsboro and push them back & 27 miles from that town we had sharp skirmishing in which 4 horses were killed by a Rebel shell, & two skirmishers wounded by minnie balls, one man captured. They skedaddled when they saw our line of battle. Forage more plentiful. I get some potatoes & onions & return, finding Div. encamped 27 miles from Goldsboro. That town reported taken by Gen. Schofield. Marched 12 miles.

I'll try to follow up next week by posting letters from the Battle of Bentonville.

The 79th Pennsylvania in the Battle of Perryville: Arrival on the Battlefield

The following narrative tells the story of the Lancaster County Regiment in its first battle, the Battle of Perryville.  It is my attempt to synthesize over a dozen primary source accounts of the 79th Pennsylvania with the story told by Ken Noe in his campaign study Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle.  If not explicitly referenced in the post, sources should be pretty obvious to identify in the "Sources" and "Battle of Perryville" tabs.  

Arrival on the Battlefield 

On the morning of October 8, 1862, the 79th Pennsylvania and the rest of Col. John C. Starkweather's brigade found itself just west of the town of Mackville with the supply wagons of their division, commanded by Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau.  Rousseau's other two brigades had started off around dawn with orders to move towards Gen. Braxton Bragg's Confederates located at Perryville, but Starkweather's men required more time to draw supplies.  Gen. James Jackson's division wouldn't wait for Starkweather and preempted the brigade in the line of march along the Mackville Road, making the 79th Pennsylvania one of the last regiments to arrive on the northern end of the battlefield.

Despite Buell's plans to strike at Bragg, the Confederate commander thought the Union forces he faced to only be a small fragment of the Union army, and ordered a general assault.  The battle opened in the morning as the two sides clashed over possession of a precious pool of water on the drought-stricken landscape.  Bragg's main assault was to take place in the afternoon, starting from the north (where the 79th Pennsylvania was arriving) and unfolding to the south.  

Three miles from the sound of fighting, Starkweather's brigade's march slowed to due to congestion on the road.  Worried about missing another battle and sensing the urgency of the moment, the brigade abandoned the road and cut through fields and woods. Quartermaster Sergeant James H. Marshall recounted, "We had gone but a few miles when heavy cannonading was heard about six miles ahead.  The 'boys' all seemed to rejoice and were afraid it would be over before they would catch up.  Each man seemed to step forward more briskly and no one fell back." 

Corp. William T. Clark of Company B noted, " The country is hilly & very little water to be had. Firing is becoming more regular & with some infantry being engaged. About noon we came near the scene of action, stacked arms & rested.  The battle is raging in front of us."

Finding the left of Rousseau's other brigades, Starkweather positioned his men to to the left (north) and slightly set back from the Union line, and notified Rousseau of his position.  Of this time, Marshall wrote, "About half past two in the afternoon we marched over the fields and stacked arms at the edge of a dense wood, while our artillery commenced shelling the enemy, who appeared only in small squads on our left.  We were soon ordered out of the woods and drawn up in line of battle."

Around 2:30pm, orders came to advance to support the brigade's artillery, and the Lancaster County Regiment formed in line of battle and marched forward.

To be continued in a post tomorrow...

Map of the Battle of Perryville
2:00 PM, October 8, 1862
Drawn by Hal Jesperson (Source)
Based on the maps of Ken Noe's book.

A Camp Nevin Letter from James H. Marshall

Union Army Guard Mounting (Library of Congress)

Today's letter comes from a new soldier, Pvt. James H. Marshall of Company K, 79th Pennsylvania, in a new Lancaster newspaper, the Examiner and Herald.  Although Marshall (bio) was a prominent veteran in Lancaster, you might best relate to as the brother-in-law of William S. and J. P. McCaskey (after whom Lancaster's J. P. McCaskey High School is named).  I'll probably do a biographical post on Marshall sometime in the future on the anniversary of his wedding while home on furlough in May 1863. 

The basic content of the letter introduces us to a company we haven't heard much about, Company K, commanded by Capt. Jacob Gompf.  It was a private in Company K, Bernard Short of Martic Township, who was the first 79th Pennsylvania soldier wounded by a bullet when he lost a finger due to the accidental discharge of his musket.  Marshall continues other correspondents' descriptions of camp life, and mentions a controversy I'll soon address between the colonels of the 77th and 79th Pennsylvania.  The Examiner and Herald editors appended a letter from Captain Gumpf about apparently false rumors that we was to be replaced. 

From the November 20, 1861, Lancaster Examiner and Herald: (alternate link)