A Grand Terrible Drama: From Gettysburg to Petersburg: The Civil War Letters of Charles Wellington Reed 9780823295036

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':4 Grand Terrible Dramma"

The North's Civil War Series Paul A. Cimbala, series editor

1. Anita Palladino, ed., Diary ofa Yankee Engineer: The Civil war Diary ofjohn Westervelt. 2. Herman Belz, Abraham Lincoln, Constitutionalism, and Equal Rights in the Civil war Era. 3. Earl Hess, Liberty, Virtue, and Progress: Northerners and Their war for the Union. Second revised edition, with a new introduction by the author. 4. William L. Burton, Melting Pot Soldiers: The Union's Ethnic Regiments. 5. Hans L. Trefousse, Carl Schurz: A Biography. 6. Stephen W. Sears, ed., Mr. Dunn Browne's Experiences in the Army: The Civil war Letters ofSamuel W Fiske. 7. Jean H. Baker, Affairs ofParty: The Political Culture of Northern Democrats in the Mid-Nineteenth Century. 8. Frank L. Klement, The Limits ofDissent: Clement L. Vallandigham and the Civil war. With a new introduction by Steven K. Rogstad. 9. Lawrence N. Powell, New Masters: Northern Planters during the Civil war and Reconstruction. 10. John Carpenter, Sword and Olive Branch: Oliver Otis Howard. 11. Thomas F. Schwartz, ed., "For a Vast Future Also": Essays .from the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association. 12. Mark De Wolfe Howe, ed., Touched with Fire: Civil war Letters and Diary of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. With a new introduction by David Burton. 13. Harold Adams Small, ed., The Road to Richmond: The Civil war Memoirs ofMajor Abner R. Small ofthe Sixteenth Maine Volunteers. With a new introduction by Earl J. Hess.

~Grand

Terrible Dramma" From Gettysburg to Petersburg: The Civil War Letters of Charles Wellington Reed

Edited by Eric A. Campbell

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY PRESS New York, 2000

Illustrated by Reed's Civil W'llr Sketches

Copyright © 2000 by Eric A. Campbell All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meam-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission ofthe publisher. The North's Civil War, No. 14 ISSN 1089-8719

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reed, Charles Wellington, 1841-1926. ''A grand terrible dramma'': from Gettysburg to Petersburg: the Civil War letters of Charles Wellington Reed I illustrated by Reed's Civil War sketches; edited by Eric A. Campbell.- 1st ed. p. em.- (The North's Civil War; no. 14) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-8232-1971-2 (hardcover) ISBN O-i232-1972-0 (pbk.) 1. Reed, Charles Wellington, 1841-1926- Correspondence. 2. United States. Army. Massachusetts Light Artillery Battery, 9th (1862-1865)- History. 3. United States- History- Civil War, 1861-1865- Personal narratives. 4.MassachusettsHistory-Civl War, 1861-1865- Personal narratives. 5. United States - History- Civil War, 1861-1865 -Artillery operations. 6. Massachusetts- History- Civil War, 1861-1865- Artillery operations. 7. Soldiers- Massachusetts- Correspondence. 8. Musicians- Massachusetts--Correspondence. 9. ArtistsMassachusetts- Correspondence. 10. United States- HistoryCivil War, 1861-1865- Pictorial works. I. Title: Grand terrible dramma. II. Campbell, Eric A. IIi. Title. IV. Series. E513.8 oth .R44 2000 973.7'444-dc21 00-037587

00 01 02 03 04 54 3 2 1 First Edition

To the true beacons in my life, my wife, Heather, and daughter, Sarah Evylene. Also

To the gentleman who created the works contained within, Charles Wellington Reed (I84I-I926)

Contents

Acknowledgments Abbreviations Illustration Credit Abbr. Editor's Note Introduction 1 2

3 4

5 6 7

8 9

10 11

12

tx xv xvt xvtt xxt "that gift ofdrawing from the life around him" Charles Wellington Reed, 1841-1862 I 1 '1 have been looking about for situations to suit me" Summer 1862 I 7 '1 am enrolled in the service ofthe United States" Mustering In: The Making of a Soldier I 13 "! . .. made these old Virginia hills echo and resound with my good bugle" In the Washington Defenses I 63 "the severest fought battle ofthe war" The Gettysburg Campaign I 107 '1 must speak the truth we did suffer" The Fall and Winter of 1863 I 123 "the experience I shall gain ... will help me all the more" Winter Quarters, 1863-1864 I 157 "there has been terrible fighting day and night" The Overland Campaign I 207 "mud, mud, mud . .. but our course is progressing gloriously" Petersburg I 231 "have been out all day, surveying the new lines" Service with the Topographical Engineers I 287 "it was the grandest military display I ever witnessed" The Last Encampment: Mustering Out I 317 "one ofthe most famous 'characters' in Boston" Charles Reed, Civilian I 329

Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Bibliography Index

TheA1edalof!lonorl343 The Minneapolis Journal Article I 355 The Boston Journal Article I 367 Fifth Corps Afedal of!lonor Ceremony I 375 The Woburn Sword Return Ceremony I 381 385 397

Acknowledgments

Completion of this work could not have been possible without the assistance, guidance, and support of many others, to whom I am deeply indebted. Throughout this long process I was constantly amazed and delighted by the large number of individuals who so willingly and enthusiastically rendered aid. With so many people providing assistance it is inevitable that I will fail to mention everyone, so I apologize to those individuals who may have been inadvertently missed but whose efforts are appreciated nonetheless. Foremost among those I wish to thank are my parents, H. Lee and Marie Campbell, who instilled my love of history and constantly nurtured it. It was they who took me on my first trip to Gettysburg (and dozens followed). Those trips, along with visits to numerous other historic sites, the purchase of numerous books, and countless other ways expanded my knowledge and appreciation of our past. Their encouragement, guidance, and limitless support have been invaluable, not only on this project but also in life. My mother, now a retired college English professor, also provided excellent editorial and grammatical comments. The service of many individuals proved invaluable, including the Daly family of Potomac, Maryland (Ernest, Jane A., Delores, and Rich), who graciously allowed me access to and use of the four Charles Reed letters in their possession and also background information on their ancestor Leopold Abreu. Thanks are also due to Deborah Fitts, a reporter for the Civil Wttr News, for putting me in contact with the Daly family. Lynn Nichols of Boulder, Colorado, provided useful proofreading, along with constant encouragement and friendship. Both William Sweeny and Tom Smith, from Woburn, Massachusetts, were extremely helpful in furnishing information on Charles Reed's hometown and its residents. Mr. Sweeny's tireless research efforts into Reed's family is especially appreciated. The original research by Lee Harrington of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, on John Bigelow was exix

tremely useful. By making available the numerous unpublished letters and other manuscript sources he uncovered, Mr. Harrington not only saved me countless hours of research but also gave me better insight into and understanding of the man whom Reed so willingly risked his life to save at Gettysburg. Though I have conducted research on many levels and subjects as a Park Service historian, I was relatively inexperienced in the world of genealogy when I started this project. Making this task easier were several individuals who provided numerous and useful sources on Charles Reed's background and family ancestry. Among them were John and Rebecca Ingalls of Lynn, Massachusetts, Betty Logue from Woburn, Ann Cameron of the Burlington, Massachusetts, Public Library, Phillis Homeyer of the Boston Music Company, Louis Beattie from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rebecka Persson and Patricia Figueroa of the Boston Athenaeum, Jennifer Talpa and Brenda M. Lawson of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and Marc L. Donatiello of the Princeton Public Library. It has been my privilege and honor to meet and work with the many dedicated professionals at the numerous archives and other repositories I have visited during my research. In nearly every case, these people were extremely knowledgeable, courteous, and helpful in finding the sometimes obscure sources I was seeking. More often than not they went above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to assist. These include Michael Musick, Michael Myer, and Stuart Buder at the National Archives, Jeffrey M. Flannery in the Manuscript Reading Room of the Library of Congress, Margaret M. Sherry and Jennifer Bowden of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library, Peter Harrington, curator of the AnneS. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University, James E. Fahey and Dana Essigman, Military Division, History Research and Museum, Massachusetts National Guard, Patrice Donoghue of the Harvard University Archives, Steven Hill, formerly the director of the Massachusetts State House Flag Project, Boston, Chris Calkins (Historian) and Jimmy Blankenship (supervisory park ranger), both of Petersburg National Battlefield Park, Gertruda Daneau of the Norwell (Massachusetts) Historical Society, John J. Lyons at the Brockton City Hall, Wanda S. McDowell of the Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site, David Keough, Michael Winey, and Louise Arnold-Friend, United States Military Historic Institute, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I am esX

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

pecially grateful to Ms. Arnold-Friend, who made me aware of Fordham University Press and encouraged me to submit my manuscript to them. I would also like to commend J. Michael Comeau, archivist at the Massachusetts Archives at Columbia Point, who was instrumental in getting me started down the long road of Reed's family lineage and made available that institute's primary source material on the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. Also of special note are the services of Daniel Lorello, associate archivist at the New York State Archives and Records Administration, and Craig Williams, senior curator at the New York State Museum, for their selfless efforts in finding and photographing maps by Charles Reed in the voluminous Gouverneur K. Warren Papers. During my many years of research on the Ninth Massachusetts Battery I have had the privilege of meeting many descendants of soldiers who served in that unit. All of them willingly shared any material they had available, all of which contributed in some way to this project. These individuals are the late Dr. Francis C. Tucker (Corp. Francis Tucker's namesake), Freeport, Illinois, the late Robert Erickson, Lynn, Massachusetts, Janet Smith, Upland, Indiana, Elinore Brigham, Worcester, Massachusetts, Gen Touchton, Pace, Florida, Jane Brooks and Pelham Clement (son of Pvt. A. B. C. Clement), Peter Trudeau, Farmington, New York, and Lynn Nichols, Boulder, Colorado, who tirelessly tracked down information on Corp. Francis Tucker. Many people took an avid interest in this project upon learning about it and provided whatever assistance they could. These included Paul F. Meuse, Bodega Bay, California (who photographed and provided me free use of several pieces of Charles Reed artwork), Steve Sanders, San Leandro, California, Susan Knost, Albany, New York, Arthur W Washburn, Lexington, Massachusetts, Russell and Phyllis Gillpartick, Brockton, Massachusetts, Elliot Levy, Lorrie Farr and Noel Coonce (members of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery reenactment group), David McGlaughlin, Springfield, Pennsylvania, Dr. Thomas Desjardin, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Mark V. Stuart, Medford, Massachusetts, Joan Grover, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and Edmond T. Girard, Lynn, Massachusetts. It has been my pleasure to speak to numerous Civil War Round Tables and other similar organizations over the years. One of the best is the Eastern Pennsylvania Civil War Round Table in Allentown. Many of its members, whom I consider ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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good friends, willingly assisted with this book, including Jeffery Stocker, who gave editorial, publication, and legal advice, Mike Snyder, and Edward Root. AB a park ranger historian at Gettysburg National Military Park I have had the privilege of working with many fine historians and co-workers, whom I also consider very close friends. Among those who assisted me on the project are D. Scott Hartwig, one of the Park Service's best historians and an excellent mentor, Kathy Harrison, whose knowledge of the battle and the Gettysburg battlefield are unexcelled, the late John Andrews, who provided invaluable advice throughout my career and who is sorely missed at the park, John Stoudt, Rebecca Lyons, John Heiser, Gregory Coco, Karl ton Smith, and Pamela Neil. Gettysburg NMP is blessed to have a unique service to offer the public: the Licensed Battlefield Guides. This group is laden with many talented and enthusiastic historians who offer the best available tour of the batde. Those LBGs who provided me aid in this work are Roy Frampton, who introduced me to the Charles W Reed Collection in the Library of Congress, Wayne Motts, Jim Clouse, Tim Smith, Dr. Charles Fennell, Edward Guy, Trisha Murphy, Dave Friend, Debra Novotny, Dave Richards, William Neil, and Sarah Walters. Lester "Bud" Beirbower, one of the park's most dedicated volunteers, also helped in this undertaking. I also wish to thank former park ranger turned wildlife inspector Richard ("War. It's Damn Inconvenient") Porvin for his assistance and friendship. Several computer-related problems plagued the project but were ably solved by J. Cameron Campbell (my brother), Dennis Shaulis, Richard Carr, and Robert Carr. They will never fully comprehend my gratitude for their ability to understand and work in the esoteric world of computers. This book allowed me to work with some of the best historians in the profession. William A. Frassanito, the premier historian on Civil War photography, graciously allowed the use of a photograph from his private collection. Carol Reardon of Penn State University and the Press's reviewer, gave me inestimable editorial and publication advice. Two former chief historians of the National Park Service gave me excellent counsel throughout the entire process. These gentlemen were Harry Pfanz, one of the premier historians on Gettysburg, and Ed Bears, whose knowledge of the Civil War is surpassed only by his incredible memory and limitless energy. xii

"A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

The personnel at Fordham University Press made my introduction to the world of publishing much less onerous. In particular, these include Paul A. Cimbala, Jacqueline L. Phil potts, and Anthony Chiffolo. I would especially like to note the work ofTrudie Calvert, copy editor, who brought my humble efforts to a professional level. Last and most important, I wish to express my gratitude to my family. I mentioned above the assistance of my parents and brother. The support and aid of my in-laws, Edwin and Evelyn Ahn, was also unfailing. When I began this work I never conceived the great length of time that would be required to complete it. Bearing the brunt of this burden were my wife, Heather, and daughter, Sarah. Though too young to understand, the assistance of my daughter was priceless. Her unconditional love, affection, and wonderment of life provided me much needed diversion and perspective. Through it all, my wife has unfailingly supported my efforts in many ways. Her direct assistance included proofreading and providing editorial commentary and logistical advice, along with completing numerous other thankless tasks. More important, her unending patience was unsurpassed, as she sacrificed countless hours without complaint while I was away on research trips or was squirreled away at the computer. Without her counsel, friendship, and support this project would have never reached completion.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I xiii

Abbreviations

ASKB

BP BPL

GA

GNMP LC

MACP

MSSM

MSR

NA

NYSL

OR

PUL

Regiments and Armories ofMassachusetts USAMHI

WPL

xiv

Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, John Hay Library, Brown Universiry, Providence, Rhode Island. John B. Bachelder Papers, New Hampshire Historical Sociery, Concord, New Hampshire. Rare Manuscripts and Special Collections, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts. Glennon Archives, Woburn Public Library, Woburn, Massachusetts. Getrysburg National Military Park, Getrysburg, Pennsylvania. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Massachusetts Archives at Columbia Point Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil mlr, 8 vols. Brookline, Mass.: Riverdale Press, 1935. Military Service Record (from the National Archives and Record Administration, Washington, D.C.) National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. New York State Library. Albany, New York, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Gouverneur Kemble Warren Papers, 1848-82, cs 10668. U.S. War Department, The mlr ofthe Rebellion: A Compilation ofthe Official Records ofthe Union and Confederate Armies. 128 vols. Washington, D. C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880-1901. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Manuscripts Divisions, Princeton Universiry Library, Princeton, Charles Winslow, ed., Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts: A Historical Narrative ofthe Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. Boston: WW Potter, 1903. United States Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army History Collection. Woburn Public Library, Woburn, Massachusetts.

Illustration Credit Abbreviations

The following abbreviations are used in the illustration credits. ASKB

GA

LC

NYSL

PUL

Regiments and Armories ofMassachusetts USAMHI

Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, John Hay Library, Brown University Library, Providence, Rhode Island. Glennon Archives, Woburn Public Library, Woburn, Massachusetts. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Manuscripts Division Charles W Reed Collection New York State Library, Albany, New York. Manuscripts and Special Collections Gouverneur Kemble Warren Papers, 1848-1882, CS10668 Princeton University Library, Princeton, New Jersey. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Manuscripts Division Charles W Reed Album Regiments and Armories ofMassachusetts, An Historical Narrative ofthe Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, Charles

Winslow Hall, ed., (Boston: W W Potter, 1903). United States Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army History Collection

I

XV

Editor's Note

The following work is almost entirely that of Charles Wellington Reed. In undertaking this work I decided immediately to let his words and artwork speak for themselves. Thus, in editing this book, I have attempted to keep my narrative, along with any grammatical and textual corrections, to a m1n1mum. My original idea was to publish the letters and sketches of Charles Reed in their entirety, but the enormous scope of his work (180 letters and over 250 drawings) made such a design both unwieldy and counterproductive. Feeling that the strength of Reed's genius lay in his masterful artwork, I decided that some editing of his correspondence was necessary. Therefore, some material in the letters, which I considered to be of marginal importance or routine in nature, has been marked in brackets [ ] and summarized. An extremely small percentage of his words have been omitted and marked with ellipses (... ). The narrative passages I have provided are intended to make Reed's letters more meaningful and to allow the work to flow more smoothly. They appear where significant gaps in his correspondence make it difficult to follow his experiences or to provide clarification on the myriad of complicated events occurring around him. All the transcriptions were taken from the original letters, which were written mostly in ink. I attempted to remain as faithful as possible to Reed's original writing, bur this was a difficult task for several reasons. Nearly all of the letters are written on both sides of a single sheet that was folded in half, thus producing a four-page letter. Though his handwriting was fairly readable, Reed had a frustrating habit of writing in the margins or, as was common for that time, crosshatching (writing vertically over a previously written page), thus producing a five- or even sixpage letter from a single sheet. I placed all writings that ap-

xvii

peared within the margins at the bottom of each letter as a postscript. Reed's spelling and punctuation also proved challenging. To avoid the annoying correction brackets and insertions of the word sic, I attempted to keep my editorial corrections to a minimum. The letters, therefore, appear exactly as Reed wrote them, with three exceptions. First, if a word was so badly misspelled or wrongly used that it made the meaning of the sentence unintelligible, I provided a correction, in brackets, next to the original word. Second, Reed, as was very common at the time, was extremely loose with his punctuation, especially in the interchangeable use of commas and periods. To make his writings flow more smoothly, I have used clarifying punctuation. Another common practice Reed followed was simply not to use a period to signal the end of a sentence. This made it very difficult to separate sentences, especially when he did not capitalize the beginning of the next sentence. In these cases I inserted a period in brackets ([.]). Third, sections of some letters have been summarized and marked by brackets []. In such cases I attempted to list all of the subjects Reed wrote about in these sections in a more economical fashion. Certain passages in these sections were so enlightening that I included them as direct quotations within brackets. In an attempt to make Reed's letters more meaningful I have identified the persons and events he mentions by providing annotations with each letter. Unfortunately, information on some individuals and occurrences could not be located, though an attempt was made in every case. The annotations also provide additional information or correct errors concerning events or individuals mentioned by Reed. Several additional sources, which complement the letters, merited inclusion in their entirety and are published in the five appendixes that follow the main text. Charles Wellington Reed's artwork was a predominant part of his life, and I have attempted to reflect this fact throughout the book. The sketches he drew during the war not only complemented his letters but are an integral part of thenarrative. This is especially true when Reed recorded in his drawings events he did not describe in his correspondence. His sketches literally add "vision'' to his literary "voice." An enormous number of his Civil War sketches still survive.

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I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Nearly all of the sketches Reed drew during his service appear in the book. The few not included were either untitled, their subject matter could not be determined, or they were extremely rough, undated drafts. All of the illustrations included in this work were placed as nearly as possible in their correct chronological sequence, though in some cases this proved difficult because many of the drawings were not dated. Furthermore, Reed did not attempt to arrange his artwork in anything approaching a chronological or topical order. Thus the surviving sketches are intermixed in the collections in which they are stored. All of the drawings that appear in this work are from the wartime period, with the exception of a few postwar sketches that are specifically noted as such. The illustrations also appear with Reed's original captions, though he did have a frustrating habit of providing postwar titles to many of his wartime sketches. I chose not to include the majority of Reed's excellent postwar art, for it did not lie within the scope of this work. We are indeed fortunate that the majority of his wartime letters and illustrations have survived. Together his words and masterful drawings provide the modern reader with an unparalleled opportunity to understand the Civil War through the perspective of an exceptional and talented young man.

EDITOR'S NOTE

I xix

Introduction

An early twentieth-century history of Massachusetts volunteers in the Civil War described Charles Reed as follows: The subject of this sketch [is] ... Charles Wellington Reed, artist and delineator, a most exact and faithful American reproducer of incidents and actions of the great Civil War.... During [his] service he delineated many localities, actions, incidents of soldier life, etc., which he was fortunately able to preserve, and are of the greatest interest to all who study the history of the War of the Rebellion and the services of the volunteer forces of the republic. 1 Indeed, we are fortunate that Charles Reed and his family preserved his Civil War sketches and writings. This extensive and unique collection, consisting of over 180 letters and hundreds of drawings, covers Reed's period of service (186265) and provides the modern reader a wealth of information on the role of the Union army in the eastern theater, the events and occurrences in the life of the Civil War soldier, and the war in general. Although the vast majority of these letters and sketches have been in the public domain for over seventy years, the collection has, inexplicably, been nearly forgotten. 2 And so too, in many ways, has Charles Wellington Reed. This oversight is especially baffiing, considering the high quality of Reed's artwork These sketches capture a wide variety of subjects and events to which he was not only an eyewitness but also a participant. The quality of Reed's drawing certainly can be considered on a par with that of Edwin Forbes, Alfred Waud, and other famous newspaper artists of the day. The hundreds of letters he penned during the war also chronicle a plethora of both common and incredible historic incidents and include insightful commentary on those experiences. Yet they too have rarely been quoted or used by Civil War historians.

1 Charles W. Winslow Hall, ed., Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts: An Historical Narrative of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (Boston: W. W. Potter, 190 1), pp. 533-34.

2 The Civil War letters and sketches of Charles Wellington Reed are preserved in two repositories. The principal collection, including 154 letters or letter fragments and nearly all of the sketches, was donated by Reed's niece to the Library of Congress in 1928. A smaller collection, consisting of 28 letters, is stored in the Special Collections branch of Princeton University Library. Though some of Reed's sketches illustrate a variety of books on the Civil War, the vast majority of his artwork has never been published. Except for small portions of Reed's letters quoted in a few books and articles, his letters have been virtually ignored by Civil War scholars.

xxi

3 John D. Billings, Hardtack and Coffee, or the Unwritten Story of Army Life (Boston: George M. Smith, 1887). This book, which contains over two hundred illustrations by Reed, including six color plates, was an immediate best-seller when it was first published and has been reprinted at least six times over the years.

4 Charles Reed to mother and sister Helen, July 6, 1863, LC.

5 Reed to sister Helen, November 8, 1862, LC.

6 Reed to mother and sister Helen, July 6, 1863, LC.

7 Reed to sister Emma, March 2, 1864, PUL; Reed to mother, August 13, 1863, LC.

xxii

After the war Reed illustrated one of the classic books on the Civil War soldier, the best-seller Hardtack and Coffee (1887), 3 and was also awarded the Medal of Honor in 1895 for "gallantry at the battle of Gettysburg." It is obvious that Charles Wellington Reed was an extraordinary individual in many ways. Nowhere is this more evident than in his Civil War letters. Reed's correspondence is very articulate. His writings chronicle events, from the most common to the extraordinary, with simple yet thoughtful eloquence. One of the most historically significant events he participated in was the Battle of Gettysburg. Reed's narration places the reader in the middle of the battle: "such a shrieking, hissing, seathing I never dreamed was imagineable. it seemed as though it must be the work of the very devil himself. ___ their fire about this time was tremendous[.] there were five Batterys of us in a line ... besides other artillery in different positions the roar of which was deafening[.]" 4 Reed's letters also convey the more mundane aspects of soldier life, such as the everyday struggle of the Civil War soldier to keep warm: "it is altogether out of the question to get any comfort from the fires out side, for you are freezing in the back while you try to get warmth in front. at the same time get your feet wet in the slosh, and undergo a partial suffocation from the smoke and at last give it up as a 'bad job' [.] "5 To Reed the war seemed a great adventure, giving him a chance to travel, visit sites he had only read about, and be a witness to what he realized was a great event in history. Not only did he witness it, but Reed recorded much of what he saw, both in his writings and his artwork, illustrating most of his letters and filling several large sketchbooks throughout the war. Reed even temporarily became a combat artist just before the battle of Gettysburg: "at the foot of the hill on which we took position were Major Gen Sickles headquarters under a tree. we halted here a few minutes giveing me time to take a scetch of him. one of his Aids was already wounded by a piece of shell in the back and a surgeon was doing it up." 6 A month later he expressed his awareness of history in a letter to his mother: "I feel amply repayed with haveing my life spared and with what I see out here and would'nt have missed being in at the battle of Gettysburg for ten thousand dollars not a cent less." 7

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Reed was also extremely insightful. As an example, following the above passage on Gettysburg, he added: but [I] am not over and about particular about being in another [battle] of the same style, but ifl was sure it was to be the last fight of the war and a crowning victory I would go in happy as a [small sketch of a clam] we shall probably never see such hot work as long as we are in the service, so be under no anxiety on that score[.] 8

As the war approached its fourth summer in 1864, most people were hopeful the fighting would soon end. Reed not only realized what lay ahead but also prophesied on the importance of the events that fall: "I have not the slightest doubt but that we shall be gloriously successful this comeing campaign. There will be hard fighting without doubt. many assert that our next battle will eclipse all others in magnitude and slaughter, but that remains to be seen. the comeing presidential election will have great weight with us 'old Abe' must retain his seat at all costs[.]" 9 Such statements make it clear that Charles Reed understood how momentous were the issues for which he was fighting. Despite the discouraging Union defeats of 1862, when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law in January 1863, Reed simply commented, "the prospect of our ultimate success seems better than ever. we now know what we are fighting for, and that's what half did'nt or would'nt know before." 10 After Gettysburg, his first exposure to combat, Reed eloquently described the revelation he experienced: During the din of battle my feelings were curious and various but the one idea I entertained could not be shaken off until the fight had ceased for the day. it appeared to be a grand terrible dramma we were enacting and the idea of being hit or killed never occurred to me. but when I saw the dead, wounded, and mutilated pouring out their lifes blood groaning and crying piteously for assistance then the terrible sense of the reality came upon me in full force. the novelty had vanished. I could only turn my thoughts to him who see's and controls all, with silent thanks-giveings and weep for the many, many dead and maimed[.]! 1

8 Reed to mother, August 13, 1863, LC.

9 Reed to sister Helen, April 4, 1864, LC.

10 Reed to sister Helen, January 9, 1863, LC.

11 Reed to sister Emma, August 14, 1863, PUL.

Charles Reed had many talents. Besides his artistic ability, he also had a skill for music. Reed was the first bugler of INTRODUCTION

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12 Charles W. Reed obituary, Boston Globe, April 30, 1926.

13 Reed to mother, February 10, 1863, January 23, 1865, LC.

14 Reed to mother, December 5, 1864, LC.

15 Reed to mother, December 12, 1863, LC.

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his battery and also "had a splendid [singing] voice." 12 His subtle sense of humor is also evident throughout his correspondence. Throughout the war Reed used his abilities wisely, for he was extremely industrious and was always seeking ways to advance his talents. He used his artistic skills to complete numerous projects during his service, including three major lithographs. These pieces sold by the hundreds to his battery mates and fellow comrades, netting him a profit of hundreds of dollars, far above his monthly pay of thirteen dollars. Reed was constantly seeking ways to better himself, and his letters are filled with such statements as "I shall improve every opportunity to draw all I can and study otherwise I do not intend to think my time was wasted while I was out here" and "you may rest assured that I look for improving every opportunity." 13 Even when he attained a goal, Reed continued to look ahead. Such was the case after he had been transferred to the topographical engineers in the late fall of 1864, when he wrote: "I find I know very little about this business, yet I hope to learn and improve accordingly. As you say, when the right time comes trust me to keep my eyes clear." 14 Though he did not have the benefit of any formal higher education, Reed's intelligence is evident. He was conversant in three languages: English, Spanish, and French. He also had a working knowledge of some forms of higher mathematics, such as geometry, which he used when assigned to the topographical engineers. Reed also revealed his maturity in his stoic endurance of the sufferings of the Civil War soldier. One of the few times he did despair came after passing through the hardships of the Mine Run Campaign (November 26-December 1, 1863). Yet following a brief description of his ordeal, Reed also wrote, "show this to no one as it is not my habit to complain[.] I have lived through it but there are others who wo'nt god help them[.]" 15 His letters and later actions also reveal that Reed was personally modest. Though he cared a great deal about what others thought of his talents and accomplishments, he was not boastful. His actions at Gettysburg are an excellent example. Though he performed a heroic deed, for which he was later awarded the Medal of Honor, Reed barely described the incident in a letter home and never mentioned it to his messmates. Even when he was awarded the medal years later,

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

the newspaper stated that Reed "took his well-earned fame with diffidence ... and the hearty congratulations to heart." 16 Though Charles Reed was an extraordinary individual, in many other ways he also represented the average American soldier who served during the Civil War. When he enlisted in August 1862, Reed was twenty-one years old, just slightly younger than the typical Union soldier (twenty-five years old). Like the majority of his comrades, Reed was literate, native-born, and white. 17 Physically, Reed was slightly taller (5 feet, 11 inches) and heavier (ISO pounds) than the average soldier, who was 5 feet, 8 inches and 143 pounds. Reed's "light" complexion, blue eyes, and "light" hair, however, matched the most prevalent groups in those categories. 18 From a religious standpoint, Charles Reed was much like his Northern brethren, whose beliefs were of the "practical, unobtrusive" style. Though his denomination is unknown, Reed's letters make it obvious that he not overtly religious yet still believed in a higher beingY Like many youth his age, Reed was naive concerning war. Despite his serious side, he had an overwhelming sense of adventure about the conflict and the events in which he participated. An excellent example occurred at Gettysburg, when Reed described his feelings just before entering combat for the first time: "I must say I was surprised at myself in not experienceing more fear than I did as it was it seemed more like going to some game or review[.]" 20 More surprising is that even after Reed became a veteran, having experienced the horrors of the 1864 Overland Campaign and months of trench life outside of Petersburg, his sense of thrill toward combat remained. In recounting the Battle of Peeble's Farm (September 29-0ctober 2, 1864), which he witnessed from a distance but did not participate in, Reed penned, "every preparation was made for a big fight in case our lines were broken and obliged to fall back, but no such luck happened[.] "21 His attitude was entirely the opposite of that found in most two-year veterans, who would consider themselves lucky if they did not have to enter combat. In many other ways, however, Reed was similar to the typical youth of his time, or any other period throughout history. Being independent for the first time, Reed chafed under the natural yet annoying nurturing habits of his mother, writing bitingly, "it is all nonsense your fretting yourself about INTRODUCTION

16 Reed to mother and sister Helen, July 6, 1863, LC; William B. Hammond to Charles Reed, September 18, 1895, LC; "Artist Reed, Given Medal of Honor by US Government For His Brave Deed At Gettysburg,' Boston Daily Globe, August 13, 1895.

17 Bell Irvin Wiley, The Life of Billy Yank (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1952), pp. 303,

307, 313.

18 Charles W. Reed MSR, NA; Gregory A. Coco, The Civil War Infantryman (Gettysburg: Thomas Publications, 1996), p. 7; Description of Reed in Letter, Order, Descriptive, Morning Report Book, Ninth Battery, NA. 19 Wiley, Life of Billy Yank, p. 262; Reed to sister Emma, August 14, 1863, PUL; Reed to sister Helen, October 8, 1863, LC. Though Reed's funeral service was Episcopalian, there is no other evidence that he was a member of this church. Indeed, in a background information sheet which he filled out for the Grand Army of the Republic, Reed requested "G.A.R. services' for his funeral, not Episcopal. 20 Reed to mother and sister Helen, July 6, 1863, LC.

21 Reed to sister Helen, October 3, 1864, LC.

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22 Reed to mother, August 13, 1863, LC.

23 Reed to Leopold Abreu, August 30, 1863, Ernest L. Daly Collection, Potomac, Md.

24 Reed to niece Gracie, January 3, 1863, and Reed to mother, January 30, 1863, LC.

25 Reed to sister Emma, March 8, 1865, PUL.

26 Charles W. Reed obituary, Boston Globe, April 30, 1926.

xxvi

me as you do[.]" Reed finally rebelled against her persistent worrying, dictating "now I do' nt want you running and sending to every boddy and crying me up in every town as you have, just make up your mind that I can take care of mysel£" 22 Also typical for his age was his enjoyment of the camaraderie and pleasures of youth. Naturally missing the social gatherings of civilian life that he used to delight in, Reed wrote to a former schoolmate, "what are you up to, any concerts, parties, moonlight promenades[.] write me about them wont you?" 23 Despite the hardships of army life, however, Reed and his comrades found ways to entertain themselves. Singing was one. Reed wrote to his niece in January 1863 that "I am about forming a quartetre to enjoy our evenings with. it is very pleasant to have a quiet little sing now and then." After the first big snowfall that winter, Reed remarked, "we have had a first rate time snow balling[.]" 24 After more than two and a half years of military service, however, he sorely missed the ease and diversions of civilian life. The following statement to his sister in March 1865 reminds us that Reed and his fellow soldiers always thought of themselves as civilians first: "Do you attend any of the dancing parties. I think I could doubly enjoy them now.... they used to be in vogue in Boston before I left. I attended some enjoying them immensely." Yet in this same letter Reed commented on how the war had changed him and his attitude toward some former pleasures: "So yo[u] have have been having sleighing all along[.] I can't say I envy you, as my experience here in the army has given me a decided aversion to snow as I also think it would you home people if you were obliged to lay out and sleep in it." 25 Though the following vivid description of Charles Wellington Reed was written much later in his life, it gives us an excellent portrayal of the Massachusetts youth who marched off to war in the late summer of 1862: "he was just bubbling over with life and energy ... was the incarnation of youthful heartinesss and enthusiasm .... Tall ... good looking, hearty oflaugh was 'Charlie' Reed, and vitally active in his physical being." 26 It was this youthfulness, along with his naivete, personal bravery, talent, and eye for detail that allowed Charles Reed to capture such important and intense moments of history through his words and sketches. A postwar newspaper special on Reed stated this sentiment best:

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

It is not exactly easy to draw pictures while bullets are hissing about the ears of a soldier at the front. But if one has the gift of the artist and can get a chance to sketch at all the "notes" that he jots down on the spot are of first rate value as an interpretation to the noncombatant of the actual conditions under which wars are fought. A Boston artist has several little sketch books in which there are many pictures, some of them but half drawn, which give a pictorial record of his army experiencesY

There were many individuals who were grateful for Reed's talents. Chief among them were his comrades, especially John D. Billings, author of Hardtack and Coffee. Billings stated his feelings in the book's introduction: "I am under obligation to many veterans... especially Comrade Charles W. Reed, for his truthful and spirited illustrations. The large number of sketches which he brought from the field in 1865 has enabled him to reproduce with telling effect many sights and scenes once very familiar to the veterans of the Union armies, which cannot fail to recall stirring experiences in their soldier's life." 28 We also should be grateful. Though most of us are not "veterans," it is possible for us to comprehend those "stirring experiences" through the words and drawings of Charles W. Reed which follow.

INTRODUCTION

27 "Old Battlefield Sketches-A Boston Artist's War Book," Boston Sunday Herald Magazine, May 29,

1910.

28 Billings, Hardtack and Coffee, p. vi.

I xxvii

~Grand

Terrible Dramma"

The only known wartime photograph of Charles Wellington Reed. Written on the cover, it reads in part: "C. W. Reed, ChfTrumpetor 9th Mass. Battery Vols & Topographical Engineers with Genl G K Wtzrren com'dg 5th Corps ... The half inch oak frame was worn offcarrying it in the saddle from Aug 2, 1862 to june 6th 1865 C. W. Reed. " (LC)

II Charles Wellington Reed,

"... that gift ofdrawing from the life around him.

1841-1862

,

B

orn in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on April1, 1841, Charles Wellington Reed was the third child of Joseph and Roxanna Richardson Reed. Though the family history was rich, the Reeds could only be considered a moderate to middle-class family. 1 The Reed family homestead was located approximately ten miles north of Boston near Woburn, along the road from that town's meetinghouse to Lexington. Because of their location, it is not surprising that some of Reed's ancestors, including his grandfather James Reed, witnessed and participated in the first battles of the Revolution at Lexington and Concord. Military service continued in the family when one of Reed's uncles, another James Reed, fought during the War of 1812. 2 Charles Reed's father, Joseph Reed, was born September 9, 1787, on the family homestead. Joseph at first worked at the family mill and farm before becoming an innholder and gatekeeper on the Middlesex Turnpike at Burlington. Joseph Reed married twice. With his first wife, Marah Walker, whom he married on September 3, 1811, he raised six children during a nineteen-year marriage. Charles Reed's half-brothers and half-sisters were Abagail (May 16, 1812), Marah (February 5, 1814), John (April24, 1816), Joseph (September 17, 1818), Elizabeth (February 7, 1821), and Sarah (November 25, 1825). 3 Tragedy struck Joseph Reed on November 13, 1830, when his wife, Marah, died. 4 Just over a year later, however, on November 22, 1831, Joseph Reed married again, to Roxanna Richardson of Woburn, who was seventeen years his junior. 5 Of the two families, Charles's maternal side had a much richer heritage. The Richardsons were related, though distantly, to several prominent families, including the Massachusetts Adams family (which produced two United States presidents), and to the country's fourteenth president, Franklin Pierce. 6 The tradition of military service also apparently extended to the Richardsons. According to family history, on that same

1 Listing of Reed family genealogy, LC; Charles Reed MSR, NA. Reed's military service record and pension record list his year of birth as 1841. His age listed in 1850 and 1860 federal censuses also correspond with that year. Yet his marriage record, certificate of death, obituary, gravestone, and cemetery records list his year of birth as 1842. Because the earliest records all indicate 1841, I have chosen to accept that as the correct date. 2 John E. Fogelberg, Burlington, Part of a Greater Chronicle (Burlington: Mass.: Burlington Historical Society, 1976), pp. 213, 214, 467; Jacob W. Reed, History of the Reed Family in Europe and America (Boston: John Wilson and Son, 1861), p. 470; Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Boston: Wright & Potter 1905), p. 16. The homestead and farm remained in the Reed family for 165 years until it was sold in 1904. Acme Sand and Gravel Company bought it after World War I and removed thousands of tons of gravel from it in the years following. The old home was moved in 1948 to make room for Route 128 and was destroyed by fire shortly thereafter. (Fogelberg, Burlington, p. 214). 3 Reed, History of the Reed Family, p. 471; Fogelberg, Burlington, p. 214; Listing of Reed family genealogy, Charles W. Reed Collection, LC. Joseph and Marah's last child, Shepard, died in infancy. 4 Reed, History of the Reed Family, p. 471. 5 Listing of Reed family genealogy, LC; "Samuel Tilton Villa Notes," WPL. 6 Betty Dickson Logue Family Tree, Woburn Massachusetts.

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7 Hall, ed., Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts, p. 533. This story states that Isaac Richardson not only responded to the alarm of the approaching British troops but was wounded at Lexington. No records can be found to confirm this account.

8 Listing of Reed family genealogy, LC; "Samuel Tilton Villa Notes," WPL; Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 88: 16 7, MACP. Unfortunately, the records of this period are sparse or nonexistent; thus, many of the details concerning the Reeds and their everyday life are unknown. As an example, what occupation Joseph took up to support this new family is a mystery. Also unknown is whether Joseph and Roxanna continued to raise his youngest children from his first marriage (Joseph, age thirteen, Elizabeth, age ten, and Sarah, age six) or left them with his older brother James on the Reed family homestead. Helen was born in Boston, so Joseph and Roxanna probably moved to that area just after their wedding.

9 Listing of Reed family genealogy, LC; 1877 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Class Book, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Archives and Special Collections, Cambridge, Mass. p. 53. 10 Listing of Reed family genealogy, LC.

lllbid.

2

April morning in 1775, Charles Reed's maternal grandfather, Isaac Richardson, responded to the alarm to meet the British troops on the Lexington common.? The courtship of Joseph Reed and Roxanna Richardson was rather short as they were married just over a year after the death of]oseph's first wife. Several reasons could explain their rapid marriage. Attempting to raise six children, including four teenagers and two under the age of ten, and to support his family was probably a daunting task for Joseph. The obvious lack of companionship must have also weighed heavily on him. The most important reason, however, was the birth of Joseph and Roxanna's first child, Helen Geraldine, on June 1, 1832, just seven months after their wedding. Joseph and Roxanna moved from the Woburn area to Boston shortly after their marriage. 8 The family continued to grow when their second child, Emma Genvera, was born onJuly6, 1834. 9 Bythe 1840s the family had moved across the Charles River to Charlestown. What prompted this move is also unknown, but Joseph, Roxanna, and at least two children made up the household when their next child arrived. Charles Wellington Reed was born in Charlestown on April 1, 1841. He was the first Charles in the Reed family, though he received his middle name from his paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Wellington. Though he had six half-brothers and sisters from his father's previous marriage, it is doubtful Charles knew them well. They were much older, being between seventeen and thirty years his senior, and lived miles away. It is also doubtful that Charles was very close to his father, who was fifty-four when his youngest son was born. More than likely Charles was raised by, and was therefore much more attached to, his mother and sisters. 1°Charles was also probably attached to his younger brother, James, who was born in February 1846. This joy was short-lived, however, for Joseph and Roxanna's youngest child died at the age of three on August 24, 1849. 11 Around this time the family returned to Woburn. Several factors might have contributed to the move. James's death, along with that ofJoseph's oldest brother, James Reed, on November 29, 1844, might have influenced the decision. James had operated the family homestead and mills for years, and though his son Edward eventually took over the family farm, he was only twenty-one years old at the time of his father's death and might have needed the assistance of his uncle.

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Joseph and Roxanna Reed had relocated their family to Woburn by 1850. Joseph's occupation is not known, though he was probably working as a farmer. By this time the household had dwindled to Joseph, Roxanna, and their immediate children, Helen, Emma, and Charles. This move also brought the family closer to the Reed homestead and back to the town in which Roxanna Richardson Reed's family had extremely strong ties and a rich heritage. 12 Located twelve miles north-northwest of Boston, Woburn was one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts, having been settled in 1642. Charles Reed's maternal ancestors were heavily involved with the creation ofWoburn, as three of the seven founding fathers were Richardsons. 13 On the eve of the Civil War Woburn was a thriving community with a population of 6,287. The town included 1,074 dwelling houses, over ten schools, six churches, five newspapers, four libraries, and two secondary schools. Woburn's main industry was leather manufacturing, and it was one of the primary tanning centers of Massachusetts. 14 By nineteenth-century standards, when it was common for a person to be born, raised, schooled, married, and to die in the same town or community, Charles Reed did not have a stable childhood. Before the age of ten Charles had been uprooted and moved to new surroundings. Not only did the future hold even more moves for Charles, but so too a worsening family environment, which he could not have foreseen. But Woburn gave Charles Wellington Reed the closest thing he ever had to a "childhood home." 15 Though Charles was not a native ofWoburn, he formed an attachment to the town and its people, having spent the greater part of his youth there. His family had probably moved to Woburn by 1850, and there Charles began his formal education in one of the town's primary schools. It was here that he, "while very young developed that gift of drawing from the life around him." 16 Though Reed was lefthanded, which was unusual in right-handed dominated midnineteenth-century society, he was allowed to remain that way. It was also probably near this time that Reed acquired his interest in, and developed a skill for, music. 17 Reed made many friends during these years. Proof of his attachment to Woburn was the loyalty and closeness to these boyhood friends, whom he wrote to or mentioned repeatedly throughout his wartime correspondence. A£ Charles grew up, his immediate family dwindled, for his sisters beCHARLES WELLINGTON REED

12 185D U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA, Reed, History of the Reed Family, p. 470. The exact date of their move back to Woburn is not known. The first indication was the appearance of the family in the 1850 census. 13 Betty Dickson Logue Family Tree; "Founding fathers Viewed Woburn as Divinely Theirs," Woburn Advocate, October 8, 1992; The Americana Encyclopedia, 29: p 90; Dictionary of American Biography, 18: 449-52; "A Chronological History of Woburn," WPL Internet Homepage, p. 6; Mark Herlihy "Woburn Historical Profile," Woburn Guide and Directory (N.p, n.d.), p. 162. The three Richardsons who helped found Woburn were brothers, Ezekiel, Samuel, and Thomas. Charles Reed's maternal ancestors were descendents of Ezekiel. The Richardsons were also related to some of Woburn's most famous citizens, including Loammi Baldwin (horticulturist and engineer for whom the Baldwin apple is named). Baldwin's son Loammi (1770-1807, the father of civil engineering in the United States), and Benjamin Thompson (known as Count Rumford, a noted physicist, scientist, author, and inventor). 14 "A Chronological History of Woburn," WPL Internet Homepage, pp. 6-7; Herlihy "Woburn Historical Profile," pp. 162, 163; "A History of Woburn," The Woburn Book (Woburn, Mass: Bay State Community, 1995). 15 Ibid. Charles's age is listed as nine in the 1850 census. 16 1850 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA; Hall, ed., Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts, p. 533. 17 Charles Reed to Leopold Abreu, January 4, 1864, Ernest L. Daly Collection.

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18 1852 Register of Marriages for Stoneham, Massachusetts and Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 88:617, both at MACP.

19 1860 U.S. Census for Boston, Ward Four, NA; 1860 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA. Reed and his mother apparently lived at Temple Street in the city's fourth ward. Elizabeth Flanders was married to John Flanders, a successful shoe manufacturer in Woburn. In that same 1860 census, Joseph Reed, who was seventy-two by this time, was listed as a laborer. One possible reason for the separation of Reed's parents might have been the wide age difference. Roxanna Reed was fifty-four in 1860. 20 Biographic, Military Service and Mortuary Statement Record for Grand Army of the Republic, Reed Collection, LC.

21 1860 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA; Listing of Reed family genealogy, LC.

4

gan to marry and move away, Emma in 1852, followed by Helen in 1855. 18 But the instability of his family prevented Reed from laying down permanent roots in Woburn. Though again there are many missing details, it was during this time that Joseph and Roxanna Reed separated. Why this occurred, whether it was amicable, and if the breakup was officially recognized by the state are all unknown. But the end result was that by 1860 Charles Reed and his mother had moved back to Boston. Joseph Reed remained in Woburn, moving in with his fourth child, Elizabeth W Flanders, and her family. 19 The final years of Charles's schooling would be completed in Boston at Old Phillips and English High. Despite his inconsistent family life and numerous changes in schools (Charlestown, Woburn, Boston) he apparently matured into a stable adult. As his wartime letters reveal, Reed was intelligent and well schooled, as well as articulate, industrious, eager, and observant. His transient childhood had also made him wise beyond his years. Of foremost importance, however, was his talent for both art and music. 20 The overwhelming majority of Reed's surviving Civil War letters were written to his mother and two sisters. Roxanna Richardson Reed was fifty-six by the summer 1862. This independent mother of four had more influence on Charles Wellington Reed than any other person. Roxanna Reed had experienced many hardships, including the loss of a child Games) and separation from her husband. That year she faced another difficult separation. Her youngest child, and the last still living at home, was not only leaving but would soon face the dangers of war. Yet through it all this self-reliant women had survived, managing in the process to raise and educate three children. 21 As Charles Reed's letters indicate, his mother was able to survive and prosper in the male-dominated mid-nineteenthcentury world. Roxanna Richardson obviously worried about her offspring, as any mother would, but still allowed them to follow their own course. That all of her children enjoyed success of their own speaks volumes about their mother. Helen Geraldine Tilton was Charles's oldest sibling, being thirty in 1862. Helen had married Samuel Tilton of Exeter, New Hampshire, on July 2, 1855. Tilton, who was thirty-eight in 1862, had established a successful millinery in Boston, dealing in imported silks, ribbons, and women's headdresses. Though the couple settled in Woburn, living in

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

what was known as the Tilton Villa on New Boston Street, they also spent a fair amount of time in Exeter. Their only child, Grace May Tilton, was born there on May 5, 1856. As the letters indicate, "Gracie" was Reed's favorite among his nieces and nephews. Though Samuel and Helen Tilton lived in Woburn, by 1862 they had begun construction of a new home on Beacon Street in Boston. Samuel's business by this time was netting him a large profit, for the 1860 federal census listed his real estate and personal property at $20,000. They moved into their new home in early 1863. 22 Emma Genvera Gowing, the youngest of Charles Reed's siblings, married Ames Gowing of South Reading, Massachusetts, on September 2, 1852. They also settled in the Woburn area and began to raise a family. The couple's first child, Earle Harley Gowing, was born July 10, 1853. By 1862 Emma had delivered two more children, both boys: Charles Howard Gowing (April15, 1860) and Henry Ames Gowing Quly 8, 1861). As was all too common, however, the Gowings suffered the loss of a child. Henry was born prematurely and died on September 1, less than two months later. Ames, who was thirty-six in 1862, supported his family well. The 1860 U.S. census lists his occupation as a butcher with personal and real estate valued at $5,500.23 As Reed's letters make clear, his family was very close and an important part of his life, despite the falling-out with their father. Whatever the cause of this separation, it was nearly complete. Of the over 180 surviving letters written by Charles Reed during the war, none were addressed to his father, nor is there a mention of}oseph Reed in any of them. It was his mother, sisters, their families, and his upbringing that would sustain Charles Reed during the two and a half years of hardships, boredom, and danger he experienced during the Civil War.

CHARLES WELLINGTON REED

22 Ibid.; Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 88:167, MACP; 1860 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA; "Tilton Villa Notes," WPL.

23 1852 Register of Marriages for Stoneham, Massachusetts, MACP; 1877 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Class Book, p. 53; Edward F. Johnson, ed., Woburn Records of Births, Deaths and Marriages, 1640-1873 (N.p.: Andrews, Critter, 1890), Vol. 1; 1860 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA.

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A sample ofa typical Reed letter

21 Summer 1862

"I have been looking about for situations to suit me"

I

n May 1862, Charles Wellington Reed had just passed his twenty-first birthday and was approaching a crossroads in his life. His formal schooling and his adolescence were near an end. The rest ofhis life, with its serious respomibilities and decisiom, was before him. The earliest existing letters by Reed were penned during this time period He still lived and attended school in Boston and, apparently, both his mother and sister Helen were away. Roxanna Reed was probably in Woburn, while Helen was visiting her in-laws, the Tiltom, in Exeter, New Hampshire. (See W. Hall, ed., Regiments and Armories ofMassachusetts, p. 553). Ma chere soeur Helen 1 Boston May 23d I receive your "kind" favor last Monday, through the kindnes ofMrTilton2 forwhich I am truly obliged[.] also the copy book and charcoal[.] I rejoice that you are improving in your health and hope for your spedy recovery. "slow and shure" is a very good thing to talk about, but at this time of the year, a speedy one is much more to be desired[.] I am pretty well contented now, were it not for my study during the day time, and Mr Tilton evenings, I should be quite lonesome. I miss Mother as it is[.] Mr Baillot3 has made a change in the time of his class from afternoon to evenings which is very disagreable in every sense of the word, particularly for my eyes, one of which has been inflamed for the past week from the effects of some soda sparkling in it, so Mr Tilton is left to his own resorces 3 evenings in the week. I do mean to imply that I am his only resource for amusement[.] I presume he has given you a good description of our Theatre experience last week, better than I could have done. I enjoyed it excedingly. a good subject for a Man of my years (wa'nt it[?]

1 Helen and her husband, Samuel Tilton, were apparently living in Woburn at this time although, as Reed's letters mention, the Tiltons moved to the Boston area later that year. See "Tilton Villa Notes" WPL; Listing of Reed family genealogy, Charles W. Reed Collection, LC.

2 Reed refers to Samuel Tilton, his brother-in-law. Tilton was born in June 1824 in Exeter, New Hampshire. See listing of Reed family genealogy, LC. 3 Apparently "Mr. Baillot" was one of Reed's school teachers or tutors who lived in Concord, Massachusetts. No one matching this name or similar spelling, however, was located in the U.S. census records for Massachusetts and therefore his exact identity could not be established. 4 William G. Brownlow (1805-77) was

a figure of national prominence. Born in Virginia but raised in eastern Tennessee, he was a strong advocate of the Union. He made these views well known as a minister, author, and finally as the editor of several Tennessee newspapers (Tennessee Whig, Jonesboro Whig and Independent and Knoxville Whig). With the secession of the Southern States, including Tennessee, Brownlow continued to promote preservation of

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the Union in his editorials. Eventually his paper was shut down and he was arrested for refusing allegiance to the Confederate government. Eventually released, Brownlow embarked on an extensive lecture tour throughout the North. His speeches, one of which Reed mentions here, were on his experiences and his attitude toward preservation of the Union and were well received. With the fall of Tennessee to Union forces in the fall of 1863, Brownlow returned and was elected governor in 1865, then senator in 1869 (See DAB, 3: 177-78) 5 Monsieur Sorrel could not be identified. 6 The Hudsons were the Hon. Edward W. and Mrs. Sarah S. Hudson of Woburn. Edward, born in Boston in 1816, had been a journalist in New York before moving to Woburn in 1861. Though he had some of the largest landholdings in the area and was independently wealthy, Hudson was "singularly modest and retiring in his nature." He and his wife lived at the Horn Pond House estate, overlooking Horn Pond. Hudson continued to live in Woburn until his death on March 27, 1894. Reed would soon become more closely associated with the Hudsons, as his future letters describe. See 1865 Massachusetts State Census for Woburn, MACP; Edward W. Hudson obituary, Woburn Journal, March 30,

last evening we went to see "Parson Brownlow4 ofTenn, a glorious reception the Bostonians gave him, it was an event ever to be remembered, and one in which I shall always take pleasure in recalling to memory[.] I have answered all my letters but one, and that, not being of a regular correspondence I shall take my time for it[.] I hope you will improve the opportunity to correspond avec Monsieur Sorrel,5 for the benifit of such an one, would be pretty much on your side don't you think so? I am going to Woburn to night and intend visiting the Hudsons. 6 (haveing an invitation ala paternelle)[.] Remember me, and give my regards to Mary, Totty and Graciel aussie notre grand pere at mere and oblige your ever affectionate brother[.] Charles , . soon" ecnre P.S. remember me to George8 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

7 Mary is probably Mary McDonate, who was listed as a twenty-three-year-old servant of the Tiltons in the 1860 Census. "Totty" cannot be identified. Gracie was Samuel and Helen Tilton's only child, Grace May Tilton. Reed's niece was born on May 5, 1856, in Exeter, New Hamp'fhire. (Tilton Villa Notes," GA.)

8 George might possibly be George U. Tilton, who was Samuel Tilton's cousin. The 1850 census records for Exeter, New Hampshire, listed George as a nine-year-old son of Joseph Tilton, Samuel's uncle. This would have made George and Reed very close in age and thus possible friends.

1894.

As the next letter indicates, Reed carried through on his plan to visit Edward and Sarah Hudson in Woburn. With school at an end, Reed enjoyed his last summer as a youth, visiting friends, traveling, and honing his artistic talents. Dear Helen, Boston July 2d I have been expecting a letter from you for the last three weeks. you owe me one, however it is a gratification to hear that you are improving so nicely[.] I have enjoyed myselffor the last three weeks exceedingly[.] I have been at Mr Hudsons. (Mother has told you about it probably)[.] taking scetches of his house in diferent positions, also small vistas and views, which are to be seen from his house and grounds, after the style of those you may have seen in Harpers 1 ofMP. Willis' house and grounds some time ago, and have a small scetch book most full of them, which I am to coppy off on nice paper and finish them in indian ink,

1 Harper's Weekly: Journal of Civilization was a popular illustrated newspaper. Printed in New York City by Harper and Brothers publishing house, the paper was one of the few 8

"A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

and Mr H is going to have them bound in a book to keep on his Parlor Table (think of that)[.] I am also making a map of his grounds for the purpose of having the names of all the trees (which I shall dot out) affixed thereon. he has a great variety over a thousand in all I should judge. 2 I had strawberries, delicious ones every day since I have been [here], they have more than they can pick and they give quantities of them away[.] 0, I have had a glorious time went out boating every day so I have quite a muscle, and my face and hands are sunburned to my satisfaction. the saturday before I came away they gave a little entertainment which I enjoyed much[.] I came down last Monday, met Mr Tilton, went out to Cambridge with him, and spent the evening with Mr Wells[.p I stoped over night there. the next morning I went with Samuel to see the house[.] 4 I was surprised as well as pleased with the rapidity with which it had gone on. after that I made a call on Miss Bacheldos and met Miss Leach and Miss Dale5 Springfield Mass. I had a splendid reception I assure you[.] one thought I had gone to the War, another, that I was sick, and one said I was probably flirting with the Country "Muchacha'' but showing them my scetch book and stating my object in going out, they changed their tune, but this is nonsense. I passed a~ pleasant evening[.] To day I return to Woburn, and Willie Engard6 (a nephew ofMr Husdons) and myself are going to take one ofMr Hs horses and English buggy and ride over to Concord early tomorrow morning and stop until saturday[.] shall return to Boston Monday next to go to work on my scetches[.] give my regards to grandma & grandpa7 Mary and Gracie! please write and have gracie write Your Affectionate Brother Charles

3 Mr. Wells could not be identified. 4 The house to which Reed refers was probably the home Samuel and Helen Tilton were building on Beacon Street in Boston. 5 Reed mentions Miss Bacheldos, Miss Leach and Miss Dale numerous times throughout his correspondence, but, none could be identified. 6 Edward Hudson's nephew, William Engard, age 15, of Philadelphia, and his sister Louisa, 13, apparently were temporarily living with their uncle and aunt in Woburn. They appeared in the 1860 census as members of the Hudson household. 7 Reed probably refers to Roxanna Richardson Reed's parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Richardson. Reed's mother was born in Woburn, and it seems that Reed did not have much contact with his father's relatives. See Record of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 88: 167, MACP.

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national publications of that period. Marking a new wave of journalism, the paper supplemented its text with numerous illustrations and engravings to convey the news. See Leslie's Illustrated Civil War (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1992), pp. vii, viii. 2 The Hudson estate was located on Canal Street. In the early to mid-1800s the house was a hotel and tavern along the Middlesex Canal and was considered one of the more beautiful locations of Woburn. Thus it naturally became a summer resort for the elite of Boston. An article on the estate in Woburn Journal, August 5th, 1881, stated: "The view from the hotel was a charming one .... The pond lay alike a great mirror in the laps of rock ribbed and wood-capped hills .... Its bosom was covered with craft-sail boats, canoes, and side-wheel propellers, scores of which on almost any summer day, and especially on moonlight summer evenings, could be seen gliding over the blue waters of the beautiful pond." SUMMER 1862

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As the summer days passed, Charles Reed concentrated on his foture life and career. By this time the American Civil Ular had been ragingfor over a year. The hopes that the fighting would be over quickly had faded, yet most people still believed the war would not last much longer. Searching for a way to use his artistic and musical skills and having been unsuccessful in seeking other employment, Reed began to see military service as an opportunity. Feeling his service wouldprobably not last much more than a year, Charles discussed this idea in the following letter to Helen.

Captain Achille De Vecchi

1 Achille De Vecchi was a twenty-sixyear-old Italian army officer on leave from his native army. A "fine looking, portly man," De Vecchi was born in Milan, Italy, in 1836 and had obtained military experience under Giuseppe Garibaldi. During the Civil War De Vecchi had earlier served on the staff of Brig. Gen. J. H. Lane in Missouri. Later he organized and commanded two of the batteries attached to the Kansas Brigade during the early fighting in Missouri and was wounded slightly during a skirmish near Fort Scott on September 1, 1861. When the brigade was disbanded in 1862, De Vecchi went to Boston to obtain another command and at the time of this letter he was organizing the Ninth Massachusetts Battery, Light Artillery. De Vecchi would command the battery until January 29, 1863, when he resigned, seeing no more service during the war. He died on November 10, 1897 (Levi Baker, History of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery [South Framingham, Mass.: Lakeview Press, 1888], p. 8; Achille De Vecchi MSR and Pension Record, Archille De Vecchi, NA. 2 Giuseppe Garibaldi was a wellknown Italian free-dom fighter. He had recently led the overthrow of the Bourbon dictatorship in his native land and had earlier been involved in fighting in Latin America. At the outbreak of the Civil War he had been 10

Dear Sister Boston July 23 I am still in the City not having returned since I sent you my last letter therefore I shall not receive your answer until tomorrow, when I return to Woburn[.] During my sojurn here I have been looking about for situations to suit me in the Army. through the kindness of a friend I have been favored with a letter of introductions from another gentleman to a Captain de Vecchi 1 an Italian who served in the Italian war with Garibaldi 2 and has also served under our flagg[.] he is forming a battery of Artillery here and offers me the position of Chief Bugler[.] the pay will be $21 00 a month3 and I shall receive $145.00 in advance 100 of which is the Mass bounty, and 25.00, a quarter of the Government bounty and a months pay in advance[.] I shall have a horse to myself and equipments complete should wear a sabre and would be quartered with the staff officers and sargent and quarter-master sargent, have plenty time to scetch and Etc[.] should not go away from here for three months[.] but he wants me to enlist at once, as he wants the men to learn the bugle calls immediately. I am discouraged in regard to getting any other kind of employment to do, in fact, I can do nothing unless I have a room to myself. Speaking to Mr Tilton about it he didnt want me to enlist until I heard from you. the only dark side to the question is I shall have to enter for three years or the war, stand my chance of returning with the rest. give my love to Gracie and a kiss and remember me kindly to the rest[.] Your affectionate brother Charles

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

[Editor's Note: last page written in different handwriting].

offered the rank of major general by the United States govern-ment. Garibaldi refused, however, seeking a higher position and also because of the Lincoln administration's vague stand on the question of emancipation for the slaves, which Garibaldi supported (Philip Fragaso, "Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Civil War," Civil War Times Illustrated [November, 1977], pp. 5-8, 42-44.)

What do you think of it. It seems to me a great chanche but if ya think of something better let us knowe[.] We want you to answer this so he can get it tomarrow morning[.] We want your opinion about it but ya think it is better than Chesters4 chance[.] the only objection seems to be the risk and the enlisting but the war must be finished up this winter I think[.] with love Samue/ 5

3 The normal pay for a private was $13 a month.

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4 Chester could not be identified.

5 This was Samuel Tilton, Helen's husband.

SUMMER 1862

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{Above) Recruiting Office Boston (Right) ''5'hMass Regt on Boston Common on way to Washington. " The Fifth Massachusetts Infantry was a nine-month outfit recruited in August 1862. According to Reed's caption the regiment was on its way to Washington D. C. in August, though it was not officially mustered into service until September. The unit spent its entire term ofservice along the North Carolina coast before being mustered out on july 2, 1863 (SeeMSSM, J.p. 3 00). (LC) (Right, below) "First Camp at Lynfield recruiting 1862. "(LC)

31 Mustering in:

'1 am enrolled in the service ofthe United States"

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H

ving apparently searched unsuccessfUlly for employment and seeking the best opportunity to advance his skills, Charles Reed decided to join the United States Army less than two weeks after he wrote the previous letter. Though it is not indicated in any letters, we must assume he had also discussed the idea with his mother and received her blessings. Feeling that the position offered by Captain De Vecchi would be the best he could obtain, Reed traveled to the recruiting office in Malden, just north ofBoston, and enlisted as a bugler with the Ninth Massachusetts Battery on August 2, 1862, for three years or the end ofthe war. Though the rank ofbugler was equivalent only to that ofprivate, Reed probably felt that the added benefit ofhaving a horse, messing with the noncommissioned of fleers, and, most important, ample time to sketch outweighed the lower pay. The military recorded his height as "5 feet, 11 inches, " his complexion as "light, "and his eyes "blue. "Reed listed his occupation as "Lithographer. " Thus began the greatest adventure ofCharles Wellington Reed's life. (See Letter, Order, Descriptive, Morning Report Book, Ninth Battery, NA.) Dear Helen Camp Lyinfield' Aug 3!11862 At last I am enrolled in the service of the United States. every thing has gone on satisfactorily so far, with the exception of the beans, we had this morning, and they were smoked to perfection, which caused a very pleasant state of feelings for the next two hours after eating[.] we have an excelent Camp here. close by the Rail Road very good, clear, cool water, and plenty of trees for shade, but above all a beautiful pond on the left of our Camp, where we bath in the morning between 5 & 6 AM , which is a luxury I assure you. last evening our Battery changed its positions, from the Main Camp, to a field adjoining where we are all by ourselves[.] during the brustle and confusion of moveing, I lost my silver mouthpiece to my Bugle, and informing my Comrade of it they MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

1 The battery assembled at Camp Stanton, Lynfield, Massachusetts. The camp, named in honor of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, was one of the numerous military camps set up around the Boston area. Lynfield is located approximately twelve miles north of downtown Boston. See Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 9; William Schouler, A History of Massachusetts in the Civil War (Boston: E. P. Dutton, 1868), p. 340.

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2 Ames, Emma, and Harley Gowing were Reed's brother-in-law, sister, and nephew respectively. Harley, age nine, was the oldest of Ames and Emma's children (1860 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA). 3 "Tommy" was probably Thomas C. Eaton, from Woburn, a boyhood friend of Reed's. The 1860 census lists Thomas Eaton as a twenty-one-yearold clerk.

4 Frederick M. Smith was a private in Company K, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry. He was a twenty-threeyear-old trader from Woburn who enlisted on July 27, 1862, and served with the regiment until his discharge for disability on February 16, 1863. The Woburn Company was Company K, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, and was made up mostly of men from Woburn. (MSSM, 4: 105).

5 John I. Richardson, Roxanna Reed's brother, a forty-four-year-old mason from Woburn, enlisted on July 22, 1862, and was captain of Company K. He served with the unit until his discharge for disability on March 29, 1864. (MSSM, 4:104; John Richardson MSR and Pension Record, NA). 6 Camp Meigs was in Readville, Massachusetts, approximately twenty miles from Camp Stanton. 7 Henry could not be identified.

showed considerable interest in assisting me to find it[.] I found it the next morning over on the old grounds. I must stop, we are going to service, out in the grove x x x x x ?ill this is the first opportunity I have had since I commenced this, of resumeing. Emma Ames & Harlef came down to see me last Tuesday, and brought me some things. Mother has been out here and spent the forenoon. Tuesday the Woburn quota came, with the addition of three men, which made a full company. Tommy3 and Tottie gave me quite a pleasant surprise, the same day they came down with Fred Smith who belongs to the Woburn Company[.] 4 uncle John 5 is Captain. they have fared pretty hard since they have been here, haveing had no rations given them until last evening. a great many of them went home to get something, passing the lines very easily haveing no uniforms on. on Dress parade the other evening our Inspecting Major complimented us very highly, saying we were the best looking set of men on the field[.] I do not think we shall get away for a month or two for I saw an advertisement in the paper for horses, and it is said in Camp that we are to change our Camp to Readville, 6 and if that is the case we may be around here for two months, and I shall hope to get a furlough. dont know whether I shall get one long enough to come to Exeter or not. I wish you could come and see us in camp here before we go away. I saw Mr Tiltons, Henry7 out here yesterday and felt assured he had a letter for me, but being on Battalion driles could not speak with him[.] when it was over I looked for him but he was gone and left no word[.] I should like to hear from you soon and hope to see you soon give my love to Gracie, remember to the rest [No signature] LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

1 "Last Wednesday" would have been August 6, 1862. Apparently this was the last letter, which Reed started on August 3 but did not finish until August 7.

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Camp Stanfield Camp Stanton Dear Helen Lynfield Aug 11 I was somewhat surprised to hear by Mr Tilton that you had not received my letter, which I wrote last Wednesday, 1 and a little vexed to, have you received it yet? Mr Tilton did not take me completely by surprise. I expected to see him out here Friday but at the time he presented himself he was far from my thoughts. I was glad to see him,

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

and wished you had been with him. are you not comeing down to see me, at Camp[.] It was reported to the papers this morning that we are going to Anapolis immediately, but I place no reliance in any reports I hear now[.] one of the men said yesterday if he saw one man killing another he wouldnt believe he saw it[.] This day is the warmest day I have experienced since I have been in Camp, and I find a Danelocklwhich Emma brought down very acceptable I assure you. Mother, Emma & Ames came to see me yesterday and brought more things. the Camp was crowded with visiters, yesterday and all my attempts to write you were useless. among them (the visitors I mean) were Mr Winn, Otis & Susie, Mr Lathe and Johnnie Reed, 3 and a number of other Woburn people[.] I am very glad you are makeing me a sewing case, for I wanted to carry away something from you. If you come down, bring Gracie with you[.] Yesterday we were Mustered into U.S. service, and all the Officers are ranked to the Companys satisfaction. there was an attempt to put in Officers, other than the men desired, and to reduce the rank of those already in office but the men would'nt stand it, and some 130 men were going to step out of the ranks, and not be mustered in unless we had the Officers of our choice, which would have broken up the Battery altogether. the Officers seeing the men so determined, had to aceede, to the joy of the whole Battery(.]4 write soon if you can and direct as above[.] I will write you as soon as we make a change in our Camp[.] give my regards to all your affectionate brother

Capt. john Richardson, Company K, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry. (GA)

2 A "Danelock" was apparently some type of headgear or clothing.

3 Timothy Winn, age forty-five, from Woburn, a tanner and currier in the leather business, was apparently very good at his trade for he had accumulated a fortune. He and his wife, Abigail, had two children, Otis, eighteen, a clerk, and Susie, thirteen. Mr. Lathe was probably John Leathe, a sixty-two-year-old farmer from Woburn. Reed's half-sister Marah (or Mary) had married Leathe in 1832. Johnnie Reed was John and Marah Leathe's twenty-eight-year-old son. For some unexplained reason Reed's halfbrother took the last name of Reed instead of Leathe (1860 U.S. Census, for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA; Listing of Reed family genealogy, Reed Collection, LC; M. W. Carleton, History of the Reeds and Winns, (Woburn, Mass.: A. T. Carter 1883, pp. 27-28). 4 Reed's description of this incident is the only reference I could find to it, for it is not mentioned in the battery's history or in any other letters from members of the battery which I have seen.

Charles LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

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(Right) "Boston Common en route to Readville." (LC)

1 Just as Reed had earlier predicted, the battery moved to Camp Meigs in Readville, Massachusetts, on August 14. Readville was located along the Providence and Boston Railroad, approximately eleven miles south· southwest of downtown Boston. Camp Meigs became the battery's home for nearly three weeks. There was some confusion over the name of the military camp in Readville. Many of the men thought it was named Camp Sigel, in honor of Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel, a former German soldier who supported the Lincoln administration and com· manded Union forces in Missouri and later in the East. The actual name of the post was Camp Meigs, in honor of Brig. Gen. Montgomery Meigs, quartermaster general of the army. Readville no longer exits, but is part of the Hyde Park section of Boston. The town was located at the intersection of Milton Street (Route 135) and Hyde Park Avenue, approximately three miles east of Dedham. (Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 17; Map of Dedham/Camp Meigs area, microfilm, West Roxbury Historical Society.) 2 Reed was required to know and perform numerous bugle calls, which set the routine of daily camp life for soldiers, controlling their every action from dawn to dusk. The call "Assembly' woke the men up, "Reveille' readied them for roll call, followed by "Stable Call," "Breakfast Call,' "Sick Call,' "Watering Call," and "Fatigue Call." Other calls throughout the day dealt with the drilling of the battery, such as "Drill Call' and "Boots and Saddles.' "Dinner Call," followed by "Retreat,' "Assembly of the Guard,' "Tattoo,' and "Taps' ended the daily routine. Besides these, Reed also had to know all the calls required for maneuvering the battery on the march

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Camp Sigel 1 Dear Sister Helen Readville Aug 20m At last I have an opportunity to write you. it is with the greatest difficulty one can get a chance to write. little small tents and someone continualy running in and out, and yesterday I worked harder trying to get a letter written to Phila, than I ever did in any like attempt before[.] had my inkstand upset half a doz times, and was called away more than twice that number of times[.] I regret that I could not come out last Saturday. I had not thought of asking for a furlough until this week Friday or Saturday, but that new order from Washington not allowing any furloughs to exceede four hours will spoil all my calculations. Mr Tilton said you wanted me to wait until I received my new clothes[.] I dont believe you said so, However I dont like it at all. I think as I am situated now clothes are the last things to think of[.] I have not spoke of my playing to you for I never thought of it [.] when I entered the Battery I did not know a single Artillery call but now know most of them by heart[.] as soon as the other Buglers learn I shall have nothing to do but see that the calls are played at the proper hours 2 I have been highly complimented on my playing[.] We have no Chaplain appointed for our Battery yet I dont know whether we are to have one or not[.] last Sunday we marched ove[r] to Fairmount to Church and back again seven miles in all. next Sunday if I am here I intend to go to the Episcopal Church at Dedham. I am going to try to come to Exeter [to] see you soon as I can[.] it is impossible to tell whether I can come or not but shall try my best to[.] I want a solid scetch book and a portfilio to keep it, and my scetches in, very much[.] "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

I am going to take a scetch of the Camp for the Captain. he will sent it to his brother in England[.] I only wish I had good material to draw it on[.] Yesterday we had a rousing time raising a flagg and pole. the men were drawn up in a square and the flagg went up amid nine roaring cheers, and a saluate with muskets. In the evening we had a foot race among the soldiers in a riding park which was made and fenced of[f] during the day. it was decidedly anniveirsy. we are expecting our horses every day then we shall have gay times. To day we have gone through the usual routine. This afternoon some wooden sabres arrived and us nonCommissioned officers commenced learning the Sabre exercise. by the way us N.C. Officers3 have dubed together and put in 75 cts a piece a week and taking our pick of the Gov' stores[.] we fare most sumtuously[.] we have a table like the Captains[.] MrTilton can describe it to you. I must now stop[.] write soon and direct CWReed 9'hMass Batery Camp Sigel, Readvill Mass Adios

and in battle. See Billings, Hardtack and Coffee, pp. 164-97.

3 Though Reed was technically a private, he was enjoying all the benefits of a noncommissioned officer.

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Camp sigel aug 24 Dear Emma Readville Mass I regret that it will be impossible for me to come to Woburn, as an order arrived here last week from Washington, putting a stop to long furloughs and not allowing any to excede four hours, which will veto my calculations entirely. We have also been [ordered] to Washington as soon as we can get away, and it was thought we were to start Monday

MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

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1 The "sargent major" of the battery was Orderly Sgt. George H. Prescott, a twenty-five-year-old teamster from Boston, who enlisted on July 22, 1862. He served with the battery throughout most of the war, being promoted to second lieutenant in August 1863. In the fall of 1864 Prescott's health began to fail and he was eventually discharged for disability on December 26 of that year. The "Quarter master" Reed mentioned was Sgt. James W. Reed, Jr., age twenty-three, who enlisted July 26, 1862. A clerk from West Roxbury, Reed served with the battery for most of the war. Wounded at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, he was soon after promoted to second lieutenant. Like Sergeant Prescott, Reed also fell ill in late 1864, which forced his resignation and discharge on January 16, 1865, (MSSM, 5:4631. 2 This is mostly likely a reference to the At/antic Monthly.

1 Reed and his comrades moved again on September 3, this time for Washington, D.C. This trip took four days (September 3-7) as the battery traveled by rail and boat to the nation's capitaL During the war, Washington became a gigantic military complex, eventually being ringed by massive fortifications, and was home to thousands of troops located at various temporary camps. Camp Seymour was one of the larger temporary camps, being a field nearly a square mile in size and situated on East Capitol Hill, about one and a half miles east of the CapitoL It was named for either Horatio Seymour, war-time governor of New York, or Union general Truman Seymour (Baker, History of the Ninth, pp. 1921; Mark M. Boatner, Ill, Civil War Dictionary [New York: David McKay, 19591. p. 733).

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(tomarrow) but Captain says we cannot possibly get away before next week Monday. I hope I shall see you Ames and the children here before we go[.] I think you might have come out as well as not, the day you were in. Our new tent arrived[.] it is the same sise as the Officers and we have it floored and is occupied by only three[.] Sargent Major, Quarter master 1 and myself[.] it is a splendid one. the Captain liked it so much that he said, when we went away he should take it for himself, but the Major says he "dont see it''[.) we shall probably keep it as there is an extra one in the store house[.] I received a letter which you intended for Mother I suppose, as it was all about silk dresses. [Reed will send the letter on tomorrow and states "I wish I had an Atlantic2 to read" and asks that they bring one if they visit]. I remain you Aff'te brother Charles RARE BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Camp Seymour 1 Dear Helen east of Capitol Washington D.C. I presume you think it about time to hear from me. so do I to? after leaving you at Readville we passed through some very pleasant Country[.] one of the brakes broke during the afternoon which delayed us a short time. arriving at Providence Con 2 we made a short stop there. what part of it, I saw, I thought very beautiful. a magnificent Depot, and a beautiful sheet of water on the right with an enclosure or promenade all around it which looked decidedly foreign [.] leaving Providence we arrived at Groton Conn a little after dark, where we took the Steamboat for N.Y. after getting our horses and baggage on board, we waited for the ten o clock train to arrived. it finaly arrived and of[ f) we went. it being a splendid moonlight evening I remained on deck until nearly one

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

"Camp at Readeville Mass. " (LC)

then (to use a nautical expression) "turned in[.]" I was awakened by the Captain in the Morning by poking his head in my Stateroom window he cried, "Charle, Chari, de great Eastern, de great eastern, "3 never haveing seen said Vessel, I turned out double quick and ran forward to get a glimpe of her, through the mist which cleared away as we neared her. we passed within fifty yards of her had a very good view[.] I must say I was disapointed with her for I expected (as did all the rest) to see a much larger Vessel. a gentleman remarked that we should go on board to apreciate her grandeur. the scenery along the sound was beautiful, parts of it. we arrived at N .Y at 7. a.m. and passed immediately over to Jersey City (not Brooklyn, as I wrote Mother) left the latter City at 2 p.m. arrived at the Delaware river opposite Philadelphia at 7. p.m. crossed over about 9 partook of a splendid Colation in the Soldiers Refreshment Rooms. 4 stayed here until Midnight. it was between this city and Batimore that we all came near looseing our lives. a car containing horses, third from the front ran of[f] the track near the middle of the bridge over Gunpowder creek ripping off the sleepers and splintering the planking for a quarter of a Mile. when the bottom of the car gave way. down came the horses, one jumped into the river anothers legs were broken and had to be killed[.] after liberating the horses and pitching the car of[f] the track we started on again. arrived at Baltimore late in the afternoon. it was here that discovered to my discomfiture then I had lost my pocket-book containing all the money I had. we slept on the floor of the Depot that night. started next day at noon for Washington. we halted within one mile of the Capitol between four and five p.m. no Camp or Baracks being in readines for us, we had to sleep on the open platform by the R.R. that night (Saturday)[.] Sunday we made a march to the old Camping occupied by all the Artillery last Winter and where M'Clellan reviewed his forty thousand MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

2 Reed probably meant to write Rhode Island, not Connecticut.

3 The Great Eastern, built in Thames, England, between 1854 and 1858, was the world's largest ship at this time. It was later employed to lay cable, including the first transatlantic telegraphic cable in 1866. The ship was broken up in 1888 (see Dictionary of American History, 2:414). 4 Philadelphia was a city popular with Union soldiers, in part because of the special treatment they received from the local citizenry. In 1861 , as units from New York and the New England states passed through the city toward Washington, local citizens organized and established facilities to greet the Union troops and offer them refreshment. Several "Refreshment Saloons" were thus created and would offer the passing troops bountiful meals, washing facilities, writing materials with free postage, and other amenities (Frank H. Taylor, Philadelphia in the Civil War, 18611865 [Philadelphia: Dunlap, 1913]. pp. 206-13).

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5 Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, age thirty·seven, was the creator and commander of the Army of the Potomac. In July 1861, alter the disastrous Union defeat at First Manassas, McClellan was given command of all the Union forces around Washington, D.C., and was later promoted to commander in chief of the entire army. A brilliant organizer, McClellan created the Army of the Potomac, which became the principal Union army in the eastern theater of the war. McClellan conducted numerous troop reviews, including the one mentioned by Reed, which occurred on September 24, 1861, and was attended by President Lincoln, other government officials, and foreign dignitaries. At the time of this letter, McClellan was moving his army through central Maryland in an attempt to repel a Confederate invasion that would eventually end at Sharpsburg, Maryland. See Ezra J. Warner, Generals in Blue: Lives of Union Commanders (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964), pp. 290-92; E. B. Long, The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac, 1861-65 (New York: Doubleday, 1971), pp. 264-65.

men last fall[.]S it is situated east of the Capitol, and contains over a thousand acres. it is a beautiful Camping ground in fair and calm weather but the least wind starts up clouds of dust so that after being out a few minutes it is a dificult job to distinguish the color of our uniforms. we have just had a welcome shower of an hours duration. I am enjoyin good health now. how are you getting along. more next Your affectionate brother Charles N.B. give my love to Gracie and best regards to all the rest[.] my address CWReed C.B. 9th Mass Batery Camp Seymour Wash D.C. will writ Emma tomarrow or next day[.] P.S. if you have not left Boston have Mother send me a pair of Suspenders (white ones) which she will find in my trunk in the attic. and oblige yours Charles LiBRARY oF CoNGREss

Camp Seymour Sept sm Dear Mother one mile from Washington We arrived here day before yesterday[.] slept on the ground that night near our horses and being very tired slept soundly. yesterday we marched to this Camp and by noon had our tents pitched and about two p.m. had some hard bread and coffee which was the first we had for eighteen hours. it tasted good I assure you[.] We did not arrive here as soon as we might, on account of some accidents which occured on our way. [Reed recounts the railroad accident over Gunpowder Creek, writing, "one of the cars containing horses ran of{f] the track on the bridge ... just as it touched the other side the bottom gave way... . the planking on the bridge (which was a third of a mile long) was torn up nearly the whole length, and the sleepers where the car first started of{ f], were twisted completely round. it was certainly a miracle, that we were not all thrown into the river[.]"] we started on again, and arrived in Balti late in the afternoon, where I discovered I had lost my pocket-book containing all my money twelve 20

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dols in all. I miss it most assuredly, and am obliged to borrow which I detest doing. I wish you would send me small bill, a Gov0 ' one if you have it or aN .Y. one, as mass money is at a discount here. 1 at the present time I am unfortunate enough to be in debt to the amount of $3.75 but it is for personal property, that is some satisfaction. I wish you would make up a box of something and put in a box of guava jel, and my pistol holster, which you will find in a box under my tool chest in the attic. some old fashion molasses gingerbread would be very acceptable. we had a splendid reception in Phil• and ate supper at the soldiers refreshment room[.] I saw no one that I knew there. I send you a picture of the Capitol as it looke from our Camp[.] Your affectionate son Charles direct every thing to CWReed Capt de Vecchi 9lh Mass Batery Washington D.C. LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

I At the time of the Civil War the currency system in the United States was extremely complicated. Not only did the federal government issue currency, but so did most states, many banks, railroad lines, and companies. The value of each bill depended on where it was issued and the financial situation of the issuer.

Camp Seymour Sept 11 !h Dear Emma east of Capitol Washington D.C. As I have given Mother and Helen all the general details of my journey I deem it unneccessary do so for you. Will describe a few incidents of Camp life. we arrived at this camp last Sunday, perfectly white with dust, a decidedly disagreable comodaty, with which we are plentifully supplied. yesterday it rained, at first we hailed it with joy, but in the morning we changed our tune. it was very amuseing to observe the perplexity in which the men were, being in a perfect state of undecision, as to which was the best, the Mud or, dust[.] I am as undecided as the rest, but at last have arrived at this decision, that both said mud and dust are worse than the other[.] day before yesterday I went over to the Hospital which is in the field, about quarter of a Mile from our encampment and endured the painful operation of haveing my tooth pulled. the Surgeon was decidedly rough telling one man to hold my head, and me to sit still as he was in a hurry to eat his dinner. the tooth broke at the first pull and the roots had to be dug out. my mouth was lacerated in a fearful manner. you would have thought three teeth had been drawn at least from appearances[.] the men were greatly incensed when I showed my my mouth, and swore they would maul him (the Surgeon) if they had the opportunity, however I have survived

MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

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I This bridge, so named for its tremendous length, spanned the Potomac River from southwest Washington to Arlington Heights (Benjamin Cooling and Walton Owen, Mr. Lincoln's Forts [Shippensburg, Pa.: White Maine, 19881, p. 26).

2 The Keystone Independent Battery was raised and organized in Philadelphia in August 1862 as a twelve-month unit. It was soon ordered to the Washington, D.C. defenses and was eventually attached to the same division as the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. The units' association was ended in late June 1863, just before Gettysburg. The Keystone Battery was mustered out of service on August 20, 1863 (Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion [Des Moines: 1908]. p. 1576). 3 Fortress Monroe was one of the few fortifications in the South that the U.S. military retained control of when the war began. Located on the eastern tip of the peninsula formed by the York and James Rivers, Fortress Monroe was a vital link in the naval blockade as a fuel station and had been the point of debarkation and supply base for the Army of the Potomac during its Peninsula Campaign against Richmond that spring (Long, Civil War Day by Day, pp. 63, 84, 89, 191). 4 The McClellan saddle, an adaptation of a Hungarian-made saddle with modifications from other European designs, was created by George B. McClellan in the 1850s, when he was serving in the army on a fact-finding mission to Europe. The saddle became the standard issue for the army's horse cavalry throughout that branch's existence (Stephen Sears, George B. McClellan: The Young Napoleon [New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1988], pp. 47-48). 5 This lieutenant was George W. Foster, a twenty-seven-year-Did salesman from Charlestown, Massachusetts, when he was commissioned on August 10, 1862. He recruited and enlisted many men in the battery and commanded its center section. He served with the battery throughout the war, eventually being promoted to first lieutenant on July 20, 1863 (MSSM, 5:457). 6 The Adams Express Company was a commercial freight company that

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it, and am now doing well, and today ate my rations as well "as any other man[.]" On the evening of our arrival, forty Thousand soldiers passed over Long bridge' near Washington on their way to the upper Potomac. there is a Philadelphia Battery on the field here called the Keystone Artillery[.p been here three weeks, containing many fine fellows. Yesterday two N .Y. Regiments arrived The style ofthis sketch suggests that it here, remained here all night, and to day is probably a postwar started for Fortress Monroe[.p drawing. The subI have a very fine horse, call him ject, no doubt, was Seleim. to day we received our Saddles inspired by Reed's bridles Etc Etc. a splendid McClellan own experiences with the army surgeon, Saddle,4 also our Sabres and a large sised described in his Colts Revolver. the one Mr Tilton gave September 11, 1862 I carry about me most of the time, and letter to Emma. both when mounted. (LC) I have lost besides my pocket-book my water proof cape coat which was presented me by the 2d Lieutenant5 at Readville. the [one] he parted with it so readily was becasue it was so heavy and bungling, and as I have already found it so I consider it a small loss[.] the one I have at home is worth three of it[.] should like to have it sent on, if you have not sent the box I spoke of to Mother, also a pair ofsuspenders which Mother will find in my trunk in the attic. they are white ones[.] I should like some of your plain gingerbread very much. have some Lemons sent, and some postage stamps three cent ones, as it is very dificult to get them here, which is the very last thing your humbl ser'vr can think of. send by Adams Ex6 and direct the box to Charles W Reed C. B. 9ili Mass Battery Camp Seymour east of Capitol Washrn all that is neccessary to put on the letters is my name 9.m Mass Battery Washington D.C. as they always come direct[.] Ask Ames to give Willie Engard my regards and tell him I will write him in a day or two[.] give my regards to all my friends and receive my love for you, Mother, Harlie, Howard/ and all the rest, and write soon from you[r] affec'•e brother

Charles RARE BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

I "A GRAND TERRIBLE DRAMMA" I

worked in cooperation with the railroad industry. It was one of the largest freight companies in the world and operated in every major city, town, and military camp where the army was located. The company was commonly used by soldiers, their families, and the U.S. government to haul everything imaginable, including mail, personal belongings, even the remains of slain soldiers (Gregory Coco, "A Strange and Blighted Land," Gettysburg: The Aftermath of a Battle [Gettysburg: Thomas Publications, 1995], p. 240). 7 Howard was Charles Howard Gowing, Emma's second youngest child. He was born on April 15, 1860, in Woburn. At times in his correspondence, Reed referred to this nephew as "Charlie." See listing of Reed family genealogy, Reed Collection, LC.

Dear Mother Camp Seymour Sept 16.lh I received your very welcome letter yesterday not because of the money although it was truly acceptable and arrived safe bur for the pleasure of hearing from home. I am at present enjoying good health, although a little sore in the back from the effects of an ugly fall from my horse, which is very young and unused to the saddle, my neck is quite well, also the place in my mouth where the tooth was extracted[.] To day I changed my horse for one more docile and manageable[.] he is a splendid black Charger. I like him very much[.] he rides as easy as a rocking chair [.] it has been rainy to day so I have been unable to take a scetch of the camp from the point I want to, but will endeavor to finish one in the morning in time to mail it[.] I am glad that you spoke of the stensil plate, for I did not receive mine and need one very much. if you could get one without the ink and brush, for I have both, I wish you would. I would like it like this about this sise or a trifle larger CHA'S W. REED C.B. 9rn MASS BATTERY so as to have it distinct[.] be sure and have the C.B. and 9 Mass Barry the same distance from the name as I have made it, and send soon as possible[.] how did you like Mrs and Miss Bacheldor. 1 I wrote to Lizzie2 Sunday, also to Willie Engard last week. have you called at the Hudsons yet or seen Mrs Hudson. It is so denced dirty and dusty here, that when I receive the box, I shall take the things out of my Valise and send it to you with my new uniform, and when I wear the Gov'"' one out you can send it to me, and I will draw pay for the Gov"' one. there is considerable talk about staying here all winter, and some say we shall be sent back to baltimore MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

1 Mrs. and Miss Bachelder might have been related to the "Miss Bacheldos" Reed mentioned in his July 2, 1862, letter to Helen. Neither could be identified. 2 Lizzie could not be identified.

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3 This New Hampshire regiment could not be identified. 4 This was the Keystone Battery Reed mentioned in his September 11, 1862, letter to Emma. 5 In the Battle of South Mountain, which occurred west of Frederick, Maryland, on September 14, 1862, McClellan's Army of the Potomac forced its way through the mountain passes held by elements of the Army of Northern Virginia. This engagement led to the Battle of Antietam. 6 Maj. Gen. Jesse Reno, age forty, commanded the Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac, at South Mountain and was killed at Fox's Gap. An 1846 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Reno served with the army his entire career, winning two brevets for gallantry during the Mexican War. Promoted to brigadier general in November 1861, Reno commanded a brigade of troops along the North Carolina coast during the early stages of the war. In August 1862, he was promoted to major general and commanded the Ninth Corps through Second Manassas and until his death at South Mountain (Warner, Generals in Blue, pp. 394-95).

1 The Capitol building had originally been constructed in 1800 but was burned in 1814 by the British. After its reconstruction in 1819, additions had been made throughout the intervening years, the largest being in the 1850s and 1860s. At the time of Reed's visit the building was at long last nearing completion. The most obvious sign of this work was the building's missing dome. The original dome had been removed, and only the base of the new one was in place at the beginning of the war. Other work in progress included the placement of a hundred Corinthian columns and completion of interior of the marble wings. Most of the work, including the completion of the imposing dome, was finished by 1863 (Margaret Leech, Reveille in Washington, 18601865 [New York: Harper Brothers, 1941]. pp. 5-6; Judy Duffield, William Kramer, and Cynthia Sheppard,

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on guard duty but I do not place much credence in either story. A New Hamshire Regt3 encamped beside us, Sunday but were ordered away today. the Phila Batter4 will go away soon for Arlington Heights. I don't seem to realise that I am any nearer to danger here, than we were at Readville. on our way here we passed over ground that the Rebels have since passed over[.] there was a general rejoicing over the late Victories at Hagerstown5 this morning, although the Captain mourned the loss of General Reno, 6 whom he was aquainted with[.] he said he was one of our best Generals. I have not time to scetch my horse[.] will send one next time. write soon wont you, Your affectionate son Charles LIBRARY OF CoNGREss

D ear Emma Camp Seymour Sept 19 I received yours of the 15m yesterday afternoon with much pleasure. I had just returned from a tramp to Washington where we had been to get some Cannon and caissons[.] it was the first time I have been in the City. we entered passing the Capitol which is a splendid structure, and will have an imposeing appearance when finished. 1 but the surroundings are very inferior being shanties and mean looking brick houses, inhabited by Irish Dutch and Negros [.] entering Penn Avenue on the other side, I was very much surprised I assure you, for I expected to see a magnificent thoroughfare, with grand edifices Etc Etc. it will not compare with the upper part of Hanover st the greater part of the buildings being wooden, pigs running about, and geese and duck innumerable. there appears to have been no advancement at

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

all in arcitecture[.] every thing haveing an old and revolutionary appearance. arriving at the arsenal which is situated on the river, it did not present a very tidy appearance owing probably to the constant demand of arms munitions of war. 2 as we were about starting we had quite an accident severely wounding two men, and bruising three others badly. 3 the horse on the last caisson as they were comeing through the gate became unmanageable and started as though a shell had struck in their midst, comeing in colision with the cannon which was a short distance ahead[.] the drivers were thrown right and left were not not hurt much, but a man on the caisson jumping before they struck was run over by both wheels, and a Sarg't catching hold of a horse to stop him was draged oflf], and the next horse running against his, threw him down on him. I thought when I saw it he was killed but fortuneately in both cases no bones were broken. the man that was run over was left at the arsenal Hospital and the Sarg't despite all entreaties to remain rode back to Camp with us. he received every attention possible. he will be able for duty in three or four days[.] we have sent the ambulance in for the other man this morning. We are going to change our Camp Monday, to Camp Chase on the other side of the river (in Virginia) under command Brigadier Gen Briggs[.] 4 direct letters hereto fore and tell Mother to direct hers as you do, simply to Wash'm[.] tell her I will write to her as soon as we are in our new Camp. I am going to write to Jaques and perhaps I may see him as we pass through Wash'tn next Monday[.]5The men are in good spirits this morning from the effects of the Glorious news. 6 we shall have further particulars this evening. I have just rec'd your Woburn Budget,? also the box which Mother sent on the I5ill[.] every thing all right. do not sent the things I wrote about until you hear from me in the other camp. have you or Ames seen Willie Engard lately[.] give my regards to him and my love to all yours your affectionate brother Charles RARE

Washington, D.C.: The Complete Guide [New York: Random House: 1982], pp. 77-78). 2 The arsenal was located at Greenleaf Point, at the confluence of the East Branch and Potomac Rivers.

3 Pvt. John A. Folsom, age thirty-four, a swing driver, was badly injured and never returned to the battery. A brush maker from Chelsea before the war, he had enlisted on July 25, 1862, and was discharged for disability on January 20, 1863. The sergeant Reed mentions was Joseph Akerman, of the sixth detachment. A thirty-year-old Boston policeman, he had enlisted on August 8, 1862. Akerman had seen previous military service with the Second Massachusetts Battery and, though not an officer, became a natural leader. He had helped organize the first drilling of the men and had done much to teach the battery the fine art of artillery practice. Though he returned to camp and remained with the battery, Akerman was eventually discharged for disability on April 2, 1863. (MSSM, 5: 454, 457). 4 Camp Chase was set up on Arlington Heights, across the Potomac River from Washington. Brig. Gen. Henry Briggs, thirty-eight, was a politician turned soldier from Lanesboro, Massachusetts. Briggs had seen combat during the Peninsula Campaign in the spring of 1862. Wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines, he spent the rest of the war at various assignments within the defenses of Washington (Warner, Generals in Blue, pp. 44-45). 5 Jaques Gowing, Ames Gowing's younger brother, was a private in Company A, Twenty-first Massachusetts Regiment. A thirty-one-year-old butcher from Winchendon, Gowing had enlisted on August 21, 1861. Unless Jaques was temporarily detached from his regiment, Reed probably did not see him, for the Twenty-first Massachusetts belonged to the Ninth Corps, which was currently with the Army of the Potomac near Sharpsburg, Maryland. After expiration of his term, Jaques reenlisted on January 1, 1864. He later served in the Thirty-sixth and Fifty-sixth Massachusetts Infantry regiments before being mustered out on June 22, 1865 (MSSM, 2:599, 3:762, 4: 782).

BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS,

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

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6 The "Glorious news" to which Reed refers was undoubtedly the first reports about the Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg). fought on September 17, 1862. The Army of the Potomac had fought the Army of Northern Virginia to a stalemate during the bloodiest single day of the war. In fighting that lasted most of the day, repeated Union assaults drove in but did not break the Confederate line. When it was over nearly twenty-three thousand men had become casualties. Though the Confederate line had held, this battle effectively ended their invasion (Long, Civil War Day by Day, pp. 267-68. 7 The Woburn Budget was one of the town's major newspapers. 1 On September 22 the Ninth Massachusetts Battery was ordered across the Potomac River and into Virginia, where it was assigned to the defenses of Camp Chase, Arlington Heights, directly across from the capital. The camp was on the land owned by Confederate general Robert E. Lee (Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 24).

Camp Chase 1 Sept 22 Ma chere seur Helen Arlington Heights I received your very welcome letter of the l?ili on the 20'h at midi[.] we were just preparing to move to our new Camp, and being on the saddle most of the afternoon I did not have an opportuninty to that afternoon as I wished to, but intended to do so that next day (Sunday)[.] Sunday morning most of our baggage was sent over, and I put my Valise aboard without thinking to reserve my writing material, thus depriving myself of the means to write which was the case of the rest[.] We started this morning about eleven a.m. passing through Wash' and over Long Bridge, arriveing at this Camp, little after noon. talk about dust! you should see it here[.] we were so enveloped in it that we could hardly see each other, however I enjoyed the journey, for I was sent here and there to see if every thing was all right Etc. and haveing a good black horse, as easy as a cradle (I have named him Seleim) I was not fatigued in the least. it took all the afternoon to get settled here. I have just had supper, and enjoyed a ciggarette, and am now writing you on a barrel head. Guidon 2 myself and the second Bugler3 have a large wall tent all by ourselves in the rear of the Captains, which is satisfactory to all of us makeing ourselves at home in either[.] Captain, Lieutenants, Sargt Major, Quartermaster, Guidon and myself, mess together in a tent to our left, haveing all the luxuries of the season such as roast beef, veal, mutton, chickens, soups all kinds of good fruits Etc, Etc, and live as well as any one could desire[.] We are now under command of Brig Gen Briggs[.] thers five or six thousand Infantry and another battery here, - - the scene which now presents it0"

2 A guidon was a small, swallow-tail national flag which was used to identify each battery. This word was also used to signify the soldier who carried the flag, which in the battery was Francis Quaranti, a twenty-twoyear-old student from Boston. Quaranti was a recent immigrant from Italy, and his knowledge of English was apparently poor, for he was discharged on November 7, 1862, for that reason (MSSM, 5:463). 3 The second bugler was Henry F. Nash, age twenty-eight, a bookmaker from North Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, Nash left the battery because of illness and never returned. He mustered out on May 20, 1865, at Frederick, Maryland (MSSM, 5:462).

26

"A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

self is charming, immence camp fires and thousands of tents iluminated forming a charming picture I assure you. altogether I rather like camp life. the box Mother sent I received (all right,) last thursday. a Harpers weekly would be very acceptable now and then. I have marked my dictionary and all my small things. Captain still continues to call his horse Solomon. he sends his regards to you. I will send you a picture in my next. I don't want you to feel nervous or anxious about me in the least, for it benifits no one, and only hurts you. I am at present feeling very well indeed. give my love to Gracie, and all Votre, frere Charles LIBRARY oF CoNGRESs

"Camp Chase De Vecchis' Battery. " The caption provided for this sketch is not in Charles Reed's handwriting. After the war, Reed allowed his sketchbooks to be inspected by the editors ofthe Bartles and Leaders series for possible publication. Apparently these editors provided many captions for sketches that lacked identification. (LC) \.

Camp Chace Dear Mother Arlington Heights Sept 23 I have received the box. I received your letter Wednesday noon, and Thursday no box appearing I began to [be] a little doubtful about its comeing at al, when an idea struck me[.] I would send in to the Ex office by Dr Trask1 who goes in every day on buisines for the commissary. so I gave him an order, and to my joy, the first thing that was handed out of MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

I Dr. Trask evidently worked with the United States Sanitary Commission, a nongovernment organization that worked with the army to provide the soldiers with food, medical care, and other physical comforts.

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2 See September 19, 1862, letter to Emma.

3 Forts Scott, Cass, Cocoran, and Albany were all constructed in 1861 as part of the initial defenses of the capital. Such forts were usually high· banked, sloped earthen walls with platforms constructed for several pieces of heavy artillery. Normally inside were magazines, bombproofs, and barracks (Cooling and Owen, Lincoln's Forts, pp. 87-89, 92-94,

100, 104). 4 The Thirty-seventh Massachusetts Infantry was raised and mustered into service in August and September 1862. That fall it was assigned to the Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac, with which it served the remainder of the war (MSSM, 3: 769-70).

the team was my box! immediately all hands volunteered to help me open it but "I didn't see it" as the saying is, for I have learnt a lesson here and that is, look out for No 1. for nobody else will. so I told them that I could take care of it, and after the bustle was over I opened it. the felt hat was a "god send", the spurs were gQ.Qd ones, I like them very much. Emmas cakes tasted good I assure you, the pears, apples and lemons were all in good condition with two exceptions[.] I gave some to the Captain and Lieutenant and to a sick Sargent, the one I spoke of in Emmas letter. 2 the sardines and jelly I have not opened yet shall do so to day[.] the cakes and crackers came in very well yesterday on the march from camp Seymour, here. for all articles I am truly obliged, and hope I shall have another box, and in it should like my old rubber coat, suspenders, a gQ.Qd durable pocket knife, and about six feet of steel spring, out of an old hoop skirt (have it covered with cloth,) and any thing else you have a mind to send[.] drect 9m Mass Battery Capt de Vecchi Washington D.C. write me at the same time so that I may send in to the office for it as soon as it arrives. letters directed the same with Camp Chase added will reach me safely. we are at present under the command of Brigadier Gen Briggs and located within range of four forts[.] fort Scott to our left forts Cass and Cocoran to our right and fort Albany3 in our rear. it is said that in the space of four miles around here there are three hundred thousand troops. the 37'h Mass Reg4 is encamped within fifty rods of us[.] the weather is very pleasant and warm. now and then very dusty it was so dusty comeing over here that at times, we could scarcely see each other[.] I have not received and answer from Miss Bacheldor yet nor from Willie Engard[.] will you call at the Bugett office and see if he has written[.] have you seen any of them lately or the Bacheldors[.] give my regards to all of them[.] how are you getting along with your affairs at home. I received a letter from Helen last Saturday and answered it last evening[.] how is the house getting along. 0 send me some postage stamps put in some one cent ones and I wil send you some papers from here. The mail has just arrived and I have received a letter from Miss Bacheldor, and a Woburn Budget I dont know who to thank for it, however I feel very thankful[.] I am very well and hope you are give my love to Emma and folks[.] write soon, your affectionate son Charles LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

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I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Dear Mother Camp Chase Arlington Heights Sept 30th I thank you for yours of the 26th which I received this afternoon. why did'nt you send me some postage stamps[.] I expected some in this letter. I am sadly in need of them. it is almost an impossibility to procure them here in camp[.] I have been obliged to borrow, for my last four letters. no one will take pay for them, as they prefer to have them returned. I received Emma' letter, also one from Miss Bacheldor at the same time. I enjoyed a fine treat reading them. the stensil plate came all right, for which I am truly obliged. I immediately went to work marking my property personal, to my satisfaction. it is about the right sise. I am very well satisfied with it[.] I hope you will answer this immediately and send the stamps and a Government note the same amount as the last you sent which will last me until next pay day and more to as I have a one of it left now, after I have squared up what I was in debt which I have done. next pay day will come at the end of next month when I will send you twenty[.] my pay will only be twenty six, as the new law which recently passed only allows the same pay to each trumpeter[.] also four guns to a Battery and only two Lieutenants, Sarg'ts and Coporals in proportion, and the paper stated that all who had been mustered in previously would be mustered out but as nothing has been done as yet about it. 1 I am in hopes we will remain as we are. Mr Nash the second Bugler has been replaced in the ranks for his confounded lazynes[.] he would' nt practise and the consequence was he always made blunders[.] so all the duty devolved uppon me, in camp and in the field. the Captain was in a rage about it, and appointed another man in his place who has had experience and we get along charmingly together. 2 I received Willie Engard' letter the next day after I forwarded yours also the Budget but nothing else[.] I cant imagine what he meant by sending "something else," you wrote about. how is Mrs Hudson[.] I heard she and the family are to spend the winter in Philadelphia this winter. give my regards to all my friends and except my love[.] your affectionate son Charles LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

1 No such law was passed by the Federal government. More than likely, it was either a Massachusetts state law or just rumor, as all the batteries remained at six guns each with their full complement of officers.

2 Nash was replaced as second bugler by Orin Reynolds, age thirty· nine, who was a bootmaker from Stoughton, Massachusetts, before he enlisted. He served with the battery until September 1863, when he was afflicted with intermittent fever, internal piles, and chronic dysentery. He remained in military hospitals throughout the remainder of the war (MSSM, 5:463).

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1 President Lincoln had been very frustrated by General McClellan's lack of action since the Battle of Antietam. At this time the Army of the Potomac was still near Sharpsburg and Harpers Ferry, along the Potomac River. At this same time there was a minor expedition from Centreville to Warrenton, which might have been the movement Reed refers to here (Long, Civil War Day by Day, p. 272). 2 Reed's uncle John Richardson belonged to this regiment (see August 3, 1862, letter to Helen). At this time the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry was guarding the Maryland shore of the Potomac River from Edward's Ferry to Conrad Ferry (Dyer, Compendium. p. 1263). 3 The Eleventh New Hampshire saw extensive service during the war. Mustered in on September 2, 1862, the regiment was assigned to the Washington defenses before joining the Ninth Corps that fall. The regiment remained with the Ninth Corps the remainder of the war, 30

Dear Emma Camp Chase Arlington heights Sep' 30 I have now to thank you for yours which I received to day with Mothers. I was wondering why you do not write before but it takes longer time for them to reach me than it does for them to get to you for I see by the date that you answered immediately. I am glad that you find time to ride and with a good horse to, and if you like it as I do advise you to improve the time[.] last night we were in quite a comotion here. orders came about ten in the evening after we were all asleep to start in the morning to reinforce McClellan 1 and take a possition so as to cut of[f] a retreat of the enemy while he attacked them at another point. the cooks were arroused and set to work to cook three days rations. worked hard all night at it[.] the men were uproarious and cheered most vociferously as 11 o.c. was the time set for starting[.] I concluded to have my sleep out so went to sleep again but was only to glad to get up about four, they kept up such continual racket. by eight a.m. I had packed up all my things but writing material[.] we were to leave every thing with the U.S. Quarter master, and carry only our over coats and blankets. I was glad just sitting down to write to Mother when word came that the Artillery was not included in the order. so we spread out again [.] the last of the infantry went away this morning about ten thousand in all. I have not found the 39 Mass Regl yet it may be here somewhere but no one knows its whereabouts[.] I hope I shall find it. I found a friend in the N.H. 11 !h_3 this week[.] he is an intimate friend ofTommie Eaton' and introduced himself[.] Tom haveing writen about me to him[.]

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

we are in the same Brigade[.] tell Tommie that we have found each other[.] I have seen him four or five times in Woburn before when I lived in Woburn[.] We may stop here some time and perhaps we may be placed in some of the forts so tell Mother to send the box soon as possible and send some card board which she will find in my box ofPortifolios in. I want to write some in a handier shape than I now have it[.] fold it up about eight inches square half a sheet of it will be sufficient[.] I shall send my Valise to Boston to MrTiltons store[.] tell Mother to look out for [it] in a few days. give regards to all the folks, and remember me in Concord[.] I am in good health and hope you are all enjoying the same blessing[.] Your affectionate brother

seeing service along the Virginia coast, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and eventually Virginia again (ibid., 1315).

Charles RARE BooKs

AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS,

P RIN CETON UNIVE RSITY L I BRARY

Camp Chase Oct 2d Ma cher cher soeur Helene Arlington Heights Jer a midi je reisue votre lettre dele 27'hI bre avec bocoup plaiser. 1 [Reed writes that he also received six other letters, including two from his Mother. T he others were from Emma, Willie Engard, "Miss Bacheldor," and "Miss Engard. ofPhila containing nearly nine pages [.] 2 what do you think of that."] I have such a numerous correspondence that I am obliged to use a little strategy in order to receive them one at a time occasionaly two or three. so by writing one a day I get along quite easily[.] dont you think I ought to improve at that rate? - Last week I had quite a pleasant surprise. a fine looking sargent of a N .H. Reg come up to me and inquired for LieuMUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

I Bad French for ' Yesterday noon I reread your letter of the 27th S(eptem)ber with much pleasure." 2 Belle Engard of Philadelphia was apparently related to Willie Engard, though their exact relationship cannot be determined.

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3 Alexander H. Whitaker was a twentyyear-old bookkeeper from Roxbury, Massachusetts. When the war began in 1861 he attempted to join the service but was turned away because of his age. In 1862 he assisted in the raising of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery and was rewarded with a commission as first lieutenant. He commanded the left section of the battery (guns number 5 and 6). He was even-tempered and a strict disciplinarian and seemingly at times overly harsh, yet mostly he was reasonable with his men (Baker, History of the Ninth, pp. 223-24; John Bigelow to John Bachelder, n.d.,

BPJ. 4 Joseph A. Modica, age twenty-two, enlisted as a sergeant in Company D, Eleventh New Hampshire, on August 13, 1862. He served with the regiment throughout the entire war, being promoted to lieutenant on July 1, 1863, and breveted to captain in 1865 for "gallant and meritorious conduct before Petersburg, Va." on April 2, 1865. Modica was discharged in June 1865 (Joseph A. Modica MSR,

NAJ. 5 Thomas Eaton from Woburn (see August 3, 1862, letter to Helen). 6 McClellan and the Army of the Potomac were located near Sharpsburg, Maryland, still recuperating from the Battle of Antietam. McClellan was constantly complaining that he needed more men and time to reorganize, thus this order for more troops. 7 It is not clear whether this statement refers to DeVecchi losing guns earlier in the war while serving out west or to the Union armies in general. 8 Fairfax Court House, Virginia. 9 The Twelfth New Hampshire Regiment was mustered into service on September 10, 1862, and was immediately assigned to the defenses of Washington. It joined the Army of the Potomac that fall. The regiment participated in all the campaigns up to and including Gettysburg before being assigned to the Army of the James in April 1864. It served with this army for the remainder of the war (Dyer, Compendium, p. 1315).

32

tenant Whittaker3 or Mr Reed. I asked which Mr Reed the quarter Master or another Mr Reed with whom you are well aquainted. he replied the C. B. I told him that I was that important personage whereupon he grasped my hand quite cordially and asked if I remembered Joe Modecai[.] 4 I was pleased to see him to meet him I mean, I assure you[.] he has just reed a letter from Tom5 stating that we had joined the same Brigade that he was attached to. we enjoyed a very pleasant chat about old times Etc and [illegible word] some good times together, but we are now seperated. Sunday night an order came for us to reinforce McClellan. 6 by morning we were all ready to start. we were to leave every thing but our coats and blankets which appeared decidedly serious. I had packed all my writing material and were just sitting down to write when the Captain arrived from the City informing us that artillery was not included in the order. the infantry went numbering nearly ten thousand and Joe with them but as we are in the same brigade we expect to meet soon. I cannot account for it, but I did not experience the slitest degree of fear or backwardness about going nor do I think as seriously about the dangers we are to encounter as I did before leaving Mass. we are not sufficiently well drilled to do any actual good in a battle and the Captain says he will not lose any more pieces for want of drill[.)? so we shall probably remain in this vicinity for a month or more[.] the rainy season commences next month so if we should remain here a month we will be obliged to remain all winter for the roads will be impassable on account of the rain and mud. the other day fifteen Rebel scouts were marched by here[.] taken about fourteen miles from here beond Fairfax[.] 8 they looked rough being nearly white with dust and wearing no particular uniform[.] yesterday five more were brought in looking harder than the others[.] New Regts still continue to come in the 12'h N.H. 9 arrived here day before yesterday[.] I happened to be riding out about a mile from here and returning I overtook a sarg'' who had been left behind[.] he inquired the way to camp[.] I invited hime to hop on behind, and took him into camp. we do have jolly times in camp here an your friend says I should like to meet him very much. I ride out in very direction sometimes accompanied by my good friend the Guidon (who is an ltalien and understands french portigese spanish perfectly.) and sometimes with the 1" Bugler of the Philadelphia Battery[.] our next promenade will be to the Arlington house formerly the Mansion of the Rebel Gen

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Lee[.] 10 I am told it is a beautiful place[.] we are encamped on the ground formerly owned by him now confiscated[.] [Reed writes of rejecting the use of a portable writing desk for they are not convenient. He also mentions the need for stationery, as he only has five sheets left.] Now cher Helen do not think for an instant that your letters are not interesting, for I read them attentively and apprecate them much every your affectionate brother Charles P.S. remember me to all-

10 Arlington was the ancestral home of Robert E. Lee's wife, Mary Custis Lee, who was the granddaughter of Martha Washington. It became the home of the Lees until the outbreak of the war when Virginia seceded. The government confiscated the property, which later became the burial grounds for Union dead during the war; and then Arlington National Cemetery.

LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

[Editor's Note: The sketch that accompanied the following letter appears to have been subsequently cut offfrom the top ofthe page. Most ofthe letter is in the Library ofCongress collection, but the sketch and the top sentences of the second page are located in the Charles Reed Letters at Princeton University. They are placed here in their correct sequence.}

(Left) Lt. Alexander Whitaker. (USAMHI)

(PUL)

Camp Chase Oct 7m Dear Mother Arlington Heights Yours of the 3d reached me yesterday also Emmas. I received the box at the same time. the contents were all safe, according to your list[.] the treasury note (5) came in Emmas all right. the letter with the stamp and one you posted at the time you sent the box were both received. for all the above favours I am extremely obliged[.] [section from Princeton University Collection] that knife was magnificant almost to good to be used here. the apples and pears were delicious[.] Captain and Lieutenants came in last evening and helped me MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

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33

1 Mrs. Martin was obviously a neighbor or friend of Mrs. Reed's.

2 Johnny is probably Johnnie Martin (see December 3, 1862, letter to mother). Apparently Johnny was the son of Mrs. Martin.

dis-... [Library of Congress letter. The top line of the page has been cut off.] cake and mints I shall have a grand time over to day[.] give Mrs Martin 1 my most since thanks for her kind remembrance with my regards and remember me to Johny. 2 If you intend sending another box, wait until you hear from Helen, and send her the enclosed note without delay. send me a half pint of sweet oil, a few raisons and the Bristol board (also sonte red cord 1/8 & a 1116tlr of an inch in never mind the cord I can get it here. the other figure in the scetch we have made us a bedon th[e] letter is the Guidon[.l like this with ' 111 1 stead a piece out of boards and covering it slats and filling it up with stra~-up with our rubber blankets[.] it makes a very convenient seat, couch, and lounge[.] my horse suits me very well[.] not quite fast enough and I may change when the new horses arrive. I have now a good table and seats and could'nt be situated more comfortably. Now for the Profs[.] [Reed writes of his travels to Boston, Concord, Cambridge, and Woburn in the beginning ofJuly, just before he enlisted. During these trips he visited Samuel Tilton, Willie Engard, the Hudsons, and "Freman." 3 He discusses a sale of furniture between his mother and a "Mr. Baillot."] must close to get this in the mail[.] your affectionate son Charles

,

3 Freeman Richardson, Roxanna Richardson's younger brother, was born October 4, 1811, apparently lived in Louisiana before the war, and at one time was a professor (listing of Reed family genealogy, LC).

LiBRARY OF CoNGRESS

Dear Emma Camp Chase Arlington Heights Oct 9Ih I received yours of the third with Mothers and the box on Monday last. the box was opened on long bridge to see that it contained no liquor. all boxes are not opened however, my first one was not opened and I might not have another opened 34

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

once in a dozen times. its according to what kind of a guard they have on. if it is an old one they let them slide, but if it is a new one, they want to show their importance by stoping any thing and every thing and examineing every nook and corner. as soon [as] they [are] used to it a little they find there is not so much fun in it and relax their viligence a little but overhaul everything that goes any distance out[.] I have been inquireing all around for the Woburn boys but with no success. You do'nt know what Surgeon they are under do you? I received three papers from Willie Engard yesterday the Budget N.Y. Herald and Frank Leslie[.]! Budget offun. I see by the W.B. that the 39m are near Edward's ferry2 on picket duty. Walter certainly had a narrow escape[.p did he write about any of those that went from Woburn in that Reg''? what part of the country is he in now. 4 how are Aunt Nancy folks 5 getting along. remember me to them, and tell me what Freman's up to. what is the weather up north now warm or cold. it is decidedly pleasant here. we have had no rain since we have been here. the only things I find fault with is the infernal dust which is three four and five inches deep, and the immense quantities of flies, four times as thick as I every saw them at your house. We have a most magnificent moon here, more beautiful than I every saw it elsewhere giveing sufficent light to read common print[.] we do'nt pretend to light our candle unles we are going [to] write. Another lot of prisoners went by night before last which makes four lots that have been taken to the City since we have been here[.] one lot numbered one hundred and ten[.] hard looking customers truly. We have been quite alone here for the past week all the infantry going away as soon as they arrive[.] this afternoon the 13.!h..N.H. Regt6 came in very good looking fellows they had a band with them and are full of fight. the N.H. and Maine soldiers are said to be splendid fighters. Taps are sounding sos good night[.] 11 ill; It has been raining since last evening, which is very welcome, being deliciously cool. last night after dark, the sky in the direction of Fairfax Court House was illuminated evidently by an immense conflagration, which lasted until late this morning. some thought it might be stores of some kind? Sigel8 has been in readiness there to move at any moment since the Sill and may have been up to something ere this?

MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

1 Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, much like Harper's Weekly, was a popular illustrated newspaper. Based in New York City, the paper was first published in 1855. Frank Leslie (1821-80) was one of the pioneer publishers and wood engravers of his era (Leslie's Illustrated Civil War, pp. vii-viii).

2 Edward's Ferry, an important fording point across the Potomac River, was located approximately twenty-five miles northwest of Washington. 3 Walter C. Thompson, a private in Company D, Thirteenth Massachusetts Infantry, a childhood friend of Reed's, was an eighteen-year-old clerk from Woburn when he enlisted on July 20, 1861. He would see much hard service throughout the war. The "narrow escape" Reed refers to was probably the involvement of Thompson's regiment at the Battle of Antietam, where it was engaged through the famous Cornfield and near the Dunker Church, losing approximately 45 percent of its strength. Thompson would be wounded three times during the war, at Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862), at Spotsylvania (May 1864), and near Petersburg (June 1864). He was eventually promoted to sergeant before he was mustered out on August 1, 1864 (Walter Thompson MSR, NA; MSSM, 2: 95). 4 The Thirteenth Massachusetts was encamped near Sharpsburg, Maryland.

5 This is probably Nancy E. Richardson, the wife of John Richardson, Reed's uncle. The 1860 U.S. Census for Woburn listed her as a thirty-four-year-old housewife and mother of four children. 6 The Thirteenth New Hampshire Regiment was mustered into service on September 20, 1862, and was assigned to the capital defenses. Throughout the war the regiment served with the Army of the Potomac, the Union operations along the North Carolina coast, and eventually the Army of the James (Dyer, Compendium, pp. 1315-16). 7 Fairfax Court House was approximately thirteen miles from Arlington. Despite an extensive search through the Official Records and Washington area newspapers, the cause of the "immense conflagration" Reed mentions here could not be

I

35

determined. More than likely, Reed's theory about the fire being "stores" is correct. The newspapers were full of many rumors about Confederate movements and the appearance of Confederate general Joseph Johnson marching on Manassas. Apparently, military stores were destroyed in preparation for an expected move, a common occurrence during the war. 8 Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel commanded the Eleventh Corps, which was stationed in the Fairfax Court House and Centreville area as a unit of observation. A German-born revolutionary, Sigel, age thirty-eight, was forced to flee his native country shortly after the 1848 uprisings there. Because he had previous military experience, he volunteered at the outbreak of the Civil War and served in various positions in Missouri throughout 1861 and early 1862. President Lincoln's policy of naming leaders of various foreign-born communities to high military posts led to Sigel's promotion to major general in May 1862. He saw some service in the Shenandoah Valley before he was given command of the Eleventh Corps. Poor health forced him to step down in early 1863, but by 1864 he was given command of the Department of West Virginia. While in this position Sigel led a force through the Shenandoah Valley and was routed by a Confederate force at the Battle of New Market in May. He was relieved of command shortly thereafter (Stewart Sifakis, Who Was Who in the Civil War [New York: Facts on File, 19881. pp. 371-72). 9 The Union garrison at Harpers Ferry had surrendered September 15, 1862, during the Antietam Campaign. The Army of the Potomac's headquarters moved there the day

This morning five Regiments and a Battery left here for Harpers ferry9 leaveing only the N.H. Reg' and the Phila Battery here, we may go somewhere soon. I shall send my valise next tuesday I think without fail. I pass my time very pleasantly I assure you. we ride out most every day visiting the diferent Camps around here. I am going to see Perley Griffin, 10 next time I got out. he is in the N.Y. 6'h Battery about two miles from here. [Reed writes again of his travels around Boston, Woburn, and Concord and his dealings with "Mr. Baillot."] Did Mother [mail] that little note to Helen? tell Mother to send a few onions in the box. what does it cost to get a box here[.] John Sullivan" had to pay $1.75 for a little box here, as it was not paid in Boston the Ex Co give out word that they take soldiers pk' ge for half price, at that rate I should (175) think they might make money. I must now answer Helens letter which I received tuesday, yesterday. my love and respects to all[.] your affecttionate brother Charles P.S. Ten Rebel prisoners have just passed by not one of them haveing anything in the shape of a uniform on[.] RARE BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Reed wrote this letter, October 9, and every available unit from the capital defenses had been ordered out to reinforce General McClellan for his anticipated move into Virginia.

10 Perley Griffin, age twenty-one, was a native of Woburn and was a private in the Sixth New York Battery. The 1860 census for Woburn listed him as a nineteen-year-old student. He enlisted on June 29, 1861, and served his three-year term, being mustered out June 29, 1864. The Sixth New York Light Artillery was mustered in June 1861 and was assigned throughout the war to either the defenses of Washington or the Army of the Potomac (Perley Griffin MSR, NA; Dyer, Compendium, p. 1397). 11 John H. Sullivan, age twenty, was a clerk from Somerville, Massachusetts, when he joined the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. He served with the battery throughout the war, being promoted to corporal on March 30, 1864. Reed and his family apparently knew Sullivan well before the war, as subsequent letters will reveal (John Sullivan MSR, NA).

Dear Helen Camp Chase Arlington Heights Oct 12m Yours of the 6!h and sm have been received. it has been raining since friday night. I rather like it, for it has settled the abominable dust, and is deliciously cool but is now growing quite cold. the Band which accompanied the 13'h N.H. Reg that arrived here Thursday is playing Sacred Music. the first I have heard since I have been out here, it is splendid. we have some good sing quite often. [Reed writes of searching for Woburn acquaintances in various military units and discusses 36

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

the dimensions of a box he wants sent to him. "I am in need of paper very much and wish you would send me some such as as I have written to you on (blue check) and envelopes with my intial." He compliments the pens Helen sent him.] A regiment from Wisconson came in yesterday principaly germans a fine set of men they were marching along as fresh as though they had just started. very unlike others who generaly come in very fatigued. 1 early yesterday morning five Regets and two Batterys went away to Harpers ferry or vicinity. last week there was some talk about going to Fairfax Court House but its all over now. we are almost alone here now only the Phila Battery and the N.H. Regt bur tomarrow there will be more comeing in[.] ten Rebel prisoners passed by here to day no two of them haveing a dress alike[.] Mother gets along pretty well with Mr Baillot dont she? I think any other women would stand a hard chance[.] Friday night from dark until late in the morning there was an immense conflagration in the direction of Fairfax[.] Sigel was ready four days ago to move as any moment he may have been up to something. have you seen any thing about him the papers lately. when do you leave Exeter? Friday I had quite a Gall[o]pin time. I rode out with a new horse who is very hard bitted in the company with the Guidon who' horse is very unsteady and kept bumping into mine which my horse did' nt like and started ahead which brought up the Guidon on the run. my horse started like a shot, off went my cap and off went my stirrups, and off went our horses decidedly against our will. we traveled two miles about as quick as I ever traveled in my life. ifl had not riden bareback every day since I have been out here I could never have kept on. but I did hang on and at last brought us in a ten foot bank within MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

I This Wisconsin regiment could not be identified.

I

37

half a mile of Georgetown. getting my feet on the stirrups again I put the horse back again about as quickly as we came. found my cap and rode back to camp all right[.] but you ought to have seen the folks stand round when we first started[.] your aff't brother Charles LiBRARY OF CoNGRESS

1 "W.C." might be Pvt. George W. Carter, a twenty-one-year-old artist from Boston before he enlisted in the battery. Because they were the same age and shared an interest in art, they may have known each other before the war. Carter served with the battery throughout the war, and was wounded on June 18, 1864, near Petersburg, Virginia (MSSM, 5:455). 2 Reed is probably referring to a device of recent invention which supposedly purified water, or a water filterer, as John Billings called it in Hardtack and Coffee (p. 273). According to Billings, the device was a fifteen-inch tube with a metal mouthpiece on one end and a section chamber with a filter on the other. Though apparently popular with the men when they first enlisted, the devices were rarely used. Billings wrote, "It is possible that I used this instrument half a dozen times, though I do not recall a single instance." 3 Tommy is probably Thomas Eaton (see August 3, 1862, letter to Helen). 4 This was probably John and Elizabeth Flanders from Woburn. Elizabeth was Reed's half-sister, who married John Flanders in 1832. The 1860 U.S. Census lists John, age forty-nine, as a shoe manufacturer, Elizabeth, thirty-nine, as a housewife, and six children, Mara, twenty, Elmira, eighteen, John, fifteen, Charles, thirteen, William, ten and Warner, five. Also living with the Flanders in 1860 was Joseph Reed, Charles Reed's father (1860 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachussetts, NA; Listing of Reed family genealogy, LC).

38

Camp Chase Oct 22d Dear Mother Arlington Heights I received yours of the 18th Monday and the box Tuesday for which I am truly grateful. [He describes the contents in the box and the condition of each item, including grapes, cardboard, and oil. He also received stationery, which he stated, "I am delighted with[.] I shall write like fun now." He also wrote, "the raisons are 'tip top" "I am munching some now"w.c. 1 and "the sardines I shall reserve until we make a march and if we do march it will be into winter quarters."] the tube I use only when I go any distance from camp and not likely to find good water but here we have very good water. 2 my rubber coat is short and not full enough in the skirts when I am mounted[.] I shall dispose of it if I can to advantage. ifl think I shall need another will write so in my next[.] I should like some sock knit with long legs[.] I shall write to Helen to make me a set of undercloths of red flannel. I shall not need any thing of the sort for three or four weeks[.] [Reed congratulates his mother on successfully dealing with "Mr. Baillot" and notes that he received a letter from Helen and another from "Miss Bacheldor."] to day I have now four letters to answer I wrote to Willie to day, which will go with this.

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

I have a Photograph of the Captain which I enclose to you take good care of it, want you? what is Tommy up to[.p have you seen him lately or the Flanders's4 lately[.] remember me to them[.] Is the weather getting cool north. it is very cold here, nights, the last rwo we had quite heavy frosts. it has been blowing here to day enough to tear every thing to fritters, but has somewhat subsided now[.] The Brigade Surgeon was here to day and went through a thourough vaccination of the whole Battery Officers and alP so we are all right in that line[.] write soon to your affectionate son Charles LIBRARY OF CoNGREss

5 Vaccination was becoming a more common medical practice at the time of the Civil War, though most of the general population had not been given this preventive treatment against smallpox. Apparently, army regulations required each recruit be vaccinated, though it was usually administered once the units came under Federal control and not in their own states. For the most part, the rules were followed closely enough to prevent large-scale infection (George Worthington Adams, Doctors in Blue [New York: H. Wolf, 1952]. pp. 21920).

1 On the morning of October 27 the battery moved again, to the opposite side of the capital. The trip, though short, was far from comfortable. Camp Barry was an artillery camp of instruction set up northeast of Washington, D.C., and named after Brig. Gen. William Barry (see note 5). It was located along the Bladensburg Road about one and a half miles beyond the city limits (Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 26).

Camp Barry Dear Sister Emma Washington D.C. Nov. 1" It has been impossible for me to write before[.] We have been moveing hither and thither for the past week. first we were ordered to report to Gen. Heintzleman2 which the Capt. did, and we were all packed up rwo days ready to start only waiting to get some new guns we were expecting. then orders came to stop where we were, and report as usual to Gen Wright. 3 next day there was a rumor that we were going back to Capitol Hill, and perhaps go in winter quarter there. I did not place much reliance on it at the time, but Saturday (last) Captain came to me and said we would march monday morning, and that in the morning a number of tents (mine included) would go over with a detachment. next morning was drisly, and by the time we had our tent struck it began to pour 'right smart." (I had barely time to get my things under shelter)[.] when it rains here, it does rain, no half way about it, I assure you, and in half an hour every thing was mud, and soon a number of men came rushing into the tent where I 1

MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

2 Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman, age fifty-seven, was a career soldier having graduated from West Point in 1826 and been breveted for gallantry during the Mexican War. Promoted rapidly at the beginning of the war to brigadier and then major general, Heintzelman saw extensive action at First Manassas (where he was wounded), the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days, and Second Manassas. He would spend the rest of the war employed in various duties including commanding troops in the Washington defenses. At the time of this writing he commanded the defenses of the capital (Warner, Generals in Blue, pp. 227-28). 3 Col. Dexter Wright commanded the Fifteenth Connecticut Infantry and eventually the First Brigade, Casey's division, Military District of Washington (Dyer, Compendium, p.

329). 4 The Tenth Massachusetts Battery was mustered into service on September 9, 1862. It joined the Army of the Potomac just after Gettysburg and remained with it throughout the war. 39

The Eleventh Massachusetts Battery was mustered into service on August 25, 1862, as a nine-month unit. It served its entire existence in the defenses of Washington. It mustered out of service on May 25, 1863, though it was retained as a Massachusetts Volunteer Militia unit and assisted in suppressing the New York City draft riot in July 1863. This unit also became the nucleus for a new Eleventh Massachusetts Battery, which was mustered into service on January 2, 1864, for three years. The Seventeenth New York Artillery Battery was mustered into service on August 26, 1862, and was immediately sent to Washington, D.C. It remained in the defenses of the capital until July 1864, when it was ordered to join the Army of the James near Petersburg, Virginia, where it served for the remainder of the war. Battery H, First Rode Island, was mustered into service in October 1862 and was soon assigned to the defenses of Washington. In April 1864 the battery joined the Army of the Potomac and saw action at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania before being ordered back to the defenses of Washington. It again joined the Army of the Potomac in January 1865 and served with it until the end of the war. Reed probably referred to the Second Connecticut Battery, mustered into service in September 1862 and ordered to Washington, D.C., in October. It joined the Army of the Potomac in June and saw its first action at Gettysburg. The battery was reassigned to the capital defenses before being ordered to New Orleans in January 1864. Throughout the rest of the war the battery saw extensive service in Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida before it was mustered out on August 9, 1865. The "two new" batteries Reed mentioned could not be identified (MSSM, 5: 467-468, 479, 486; Dyer, Compendium, pp. 1007-8, 1400, 1633). 5 Brig. Gen. William F. Barry, age fortyfour, had graduated from West Point in 1838 and served in the regular army until the outbreak of the Civil War. He saw action at First Manassas and was promoted to brigadier general on August 20, 1861. Under McClellan's command, Barry was charged with organizing the ordnance of the Army of the Potomac. He took an active role in the Peninsula Campaign in 1862 before being transferred back to Washington as chief of artillery of the capital's 40

was, stating that that had been "drownded out" for the water went wherever it took a notion to. and a number of horses stood in water and mud up to their bodies. It was a dismal day if there ever was one. it was impossible to write the tent was so crowded and I had sent all my reading matter over to the new camp in the first load so the best I could do was to excerise my grinning powers. the next morning the rain not haveing ceased as we hoped it would we were obliged to saddle up not feling very spirited, and started about 9.a.m. we recrossed long bridge, the Potomac being in a furore, and yellow with mud[.] passing through Washington up Penn Avenue and arrived at this camp about noon. it stopt raining shortly but the wind continuing it dried up the mud in an incredibl[e] short time. we have had very fine weather and a good moon ever since. it is the pretiest camp we have been in or seen since I have been out here[.] there are nine Batteries here and one more to come when I expect we shall be formed into a Reg'' of Artillery[.] there are three Mass Bat'rys 9ill, 1Oill and 11 ill, two from N.Y. one R.I. one Conn, and two new ones 4 that came in last night and this morning I have not acertained where they come from yet. We are under command of Gen Barry[.] 5 Thursday we were inspected by him, and to day (Sunday) were inspected again by the Major comdefenses. In 1864 he was assigned as chief of artillery for the Military Division of Mississippi and participated in all the campaigns leading to the capture of Atlanta and the March to the Sea. Barry was eventually promoted to major general (Warner, Generals in Blue, pp. 22-23). 6 This may have been Maj. John Albert Monroe, First Rhode Island Artillery. Monroe, age twenty-seven, was a rising star in the artillery branch of service. He enlisted as a second lieutenant in Battery A, First Rhode Island Artillery on June 6, 1861, and was promoted to first lieutenant on July 13, 1861 and then to captain of Battery D, First Rhode Island on September 7, 1861. By October 1862, Monroe was a major and in command of Camp Barry. On December 4, 1862, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Monroe later saw service in the Army of the Potomac, commanding the Artillery Brigade of the Second Corps (November-December, 1863), an assignment with the Artillery Reserve (spring 1864) and finally commanding the Ninth Corps Artillery Brigade (July-October 1864). He mustered out of service on October 5, 1864 (John Albert Monroe MSR, NA). 7 1st Lt. Christopher Erickson, age twenty-seven, was a native of Norway. He had traveled to America at the age of nineteen in 1854. A cabinetmaker from Boston, Erickson had gained artillery experience in the state militia before the war and assisted in raising the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. As a reward for his efforts, he was commissioned its senior lieutenant on July 31, 1862. The battery's historian, Sgt. Levi Baker, recalled that "Lieut. Erickson was a man of high moral character, and his religious life was bright; others felt its warming influence." The battery's future commander, Capt. John Bigelow, later called Erickson "an excellent officer, capable and energetic, and ambition only for the well being and good conduct of his men." Though Reed was obviously not impressed by Erickson at this time, his attitude toward this officer later changed. When a controversy over command of the battery surfaced in January 1863, Erickson was Reed's preference for a commander (also see Reed's February 10, 1863, letter to his mother). (Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 219; John Bigelow to John Bachelder, n.d., BP).

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

manding in his absence, 6 and received compliments from both. I wrote to you that I would write to Jaques but did not have time to before starting for Arlington Heights. I like Captain as well as ever but was disapointed in Lieut Ericson[.)? he is altogether to smart and not smart enough. have they heard from Walter lately? I must now close and answer Mother letter. I am in good health, and reamin ever[.] Your affectionate brother Charles PS remember me to all and give my love to Howard and Harlie Charles RARE BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Lt. Christopher Erickson. (Courtesy ofRobert E. Erickson and Edmund T. Girard)

Dear Mother Camp Barry Washington D.C. Nov 3d Yours of the 25'h and 27'h have been duly received there being an interval of two day between them. We are in Maryland again, about a mile from the Capital this side ofWashington. we left Camp Chase Arlington Heights Vir, last Mon day morning in a drenching rain and arrived here about noon looking more like traveling mud heaps than guns and caisons. but it ceased raining shortly after we arrived which gave the men an opportunity to pitch their tents, a strong wind blowing at the time the mud dried up in an incredible short time. the changes are very sudden here. we have had very pleasant weather since (it blew rather cold today though raising clouds of dust)[.] [Reed lists the other batteries in the camp, writing, "there are nine Batteries here now and one more expected." He mentions that General Barry commands the camp, which he considers to be "the prettiest camp we have MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

I 41

1 Reed probably means that he is not homesick.

2 Dr. Ephraim Cutter, age forty, was a distinguished physician from Woburn. After graduating from Yale in 1852 he went on to earn degrees from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Cutter practiced medicine until1875 but continued to conduct research and create inventions. By the time of his death in 1917, Cutter was well· known and respected throughout the international medical field. Dr. Cutter's wife was Rebecca Sullivan, John Sullivan's sister ("Noted Food Expert Passed Away, Dr. Ephraim Cutter was born in Woburn," Woburn Daily Times, April26, 1917).

been in, or seen, since we have been out here haveing a very good prospect and trees in abundance."] it is very pleasant here and I enjoy it very much, and have had no desire to return to remain yet, but should like to come to Boston for a day or two. 1 I am enjoying as good health as I ever did and now weigh 150 lbs haveing gained eight lbs since I have been out here[.] Mr Ephraim Cutter M.D. 2 ofWoburn brother in law to Johnie Sullivan has visited our Camp several times. he wished me to look out for Johnie who is now sick with the jaundice, but improving[.] he gave me a letter of introduction to some friends of his, in Washington telling me I should be welcome any time I chose to call, and in case Johnie should grow worse to inform them. I believe he returned to day. I did not see him, or I should have given him your address as he offered to carry any message I might like to send to my folks or friends[.] if he returned (for I was out on drill when John expected him here this morning and do not know whether he has started or not) you might call on him in Woburn. when you go ther and he can inform you how he found us here, give him my respects. I wrote to Helen and Emma the first of the week and to Miss Bacheldor. I presume you are settled in Boston now arent you? what do you find to do to pass the time. We are getting pretty efficient in drill now, but not enough so to venture in action yet we may not see any until next spring. we have had one inspection by our General and received some compliments. I enclose a Photograph of Franceso the Guidon my comrade. please preserve it among my others and oblige me much, write soon to your affectionate son Charles P.S. give my regards to Mrs Martin and remember me to Johnie LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

Dear Sister Helen Camp Barry North ofWashington D.C. At last I have an opportunity to answer yours of the I4ill[.] it is truly the first I have had, for at that time we were under marching orders. at first we were ordered to join Heintzleman afterward back to be attached to Gen Wrights brigade and finely ordered over here, under General Barry, whose name the camp bears[.] it is the nicst camp we have been in or seen out this way[.] it is situated on the slope of a succession of 42

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

hills commanding quite a prospect. a branch of the Po to mad to our left, Capitol Hill (our old camping ground) in front, and the City about a mile to left. the Capitol looming up above everything. we have splendid water here a large clear spring, which is inexhaustible[.] There are six Batteries here[.] Capt de Vecchi being in command of all, he being the senior Captain, and I expect to be made chief Bugler, (there being twelve Buglers) in a few days. Capt say[s] he will have them all report to me and placed under my supervision, what will you think of that! eh. Yesterday I was in the city al day. we went to the arsenal to change our guns, for Napoleon guns which do terrible execution, with canister grape shot, and shell they are a very choice gun, 2 the government being very particular who they give them to [.] [Reed lists the other batteries in the camp.] there is a rumor about, that we may stop here all winter, also that we may go south, to Newbern or New Orleans. 3 we Shall remain here two or three weeks sure. It is very cold here nights[.] we have had very heavy frosts and twice the water in pails was skimed with ice in the morning. I wish you would (if you are able) make me an under shirt and pr draws of red flannel, draws to tie about the bottoms and 27 inches around the waist. it would be so nice to have them from you, and tell Mary if she wants me to remember her she must sew on them, and have Gracie sew on the buttons. [He thanks Helen for the box she sent and then writes, "We have been moveing about so I have not had time to finish a good picture of Camp Seymour[.] I have commenced it." He also notes that he drew several sketches of Camp Chase and "I hope I shall be able to finish some for you and Mother now." He then comments on Helen's health.] I am enjoying better health than I have had for the past year and have gained eight pounds since I MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

1 The branch to which Reed refers was called the East Branch River during the Civil War and is today the Anacostia River (Leech, Reveille in Washington, frontispiece). 2 The Napoleon, or Model 1857 twelve-pounder field gun, was a smoothbore artillery piece developed in France in the 1850s and named for Emperor Napoleon Ill. It was a rugged, powerful weapon capable of firing a twelve-pound solid shot to a maximum range of 1,680 yards or a variety of explosive types of ammunition at shorter ranges. Although its range was much shorter than that of the rifled artillery pieces of that time, the Napoleon proved to be a most effective killer of infantry when firing canister at close range. It was considered the mainstay artillery piece for both armies during the war, comprising nearly 40 percent of the guns in use by July 1863. Artillery ammunition in the Civil War consisted of several different types. Solid shot was simply a solid ball or bolt of iron; its weight in pounds designated the caliber of the gun. Shell was a hollow shot filled with gunpowder, ignited by a fuse cut to various lengths. Shrapnel or spherical case shot was also a hollow shot but filled with musket balls and a small bursting charge, also ignited by a fuse. Canister was a tin cylinder filled with twenty-seven iron balls packed in sawdust; upon firing, the cylinder disintegrated, spewing the balls like a giant shotgun shell. See Dean Thomas, Cannons: An Introduction to Civil War Artillery (Gettysburg: Thomas Publications, 1985), pp. 16-17, 28. 3 New Bern, North Carolina, was a major Confederate seaport that had been captured by Union forces in March 1862. Constant skirmishing

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took place near there as Confederate forces attempted to limit the Union breakthrough from threatening vital railroad supply lines further inland. New Orleans, Louisiana, captured by Union forces in April 1862, had been held under occupation since that time. Union troops were being massed there for future operations against Confederate strongholds located upstream on the Mississippi River. See Long, Civil War Day by Day, pp. 184-85, 203-4.

1 The Sibley tent was invented by Henry Sibley in 185 7, and took the shape of a giant Indian tepee, being eighteen feet in diameter and twelve feet high. It could shelter a dozen soldiers but was practical only for permanent camps because it was so cumbersome and was not used in field service by the end of 1862 (Billings, Hardtack and Coffee, pp. 6-4 7).

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have been out here. tell Gracie to write me by all means and I will answer, as I have five other letters to answer (for I got decidedly behind hand being without paper)[.] I will close give love and regards to all and write soon[.] your affectionate brother Charles LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Dear Sister Helen Camp Barry Washington D.C. Nove sm Saturday evening I received yours of the 3d on the 6ili and should have replied that evening but it was to cold. the next day yesterday, it snowed all day to average depth of four inches and strong wind prevailing at the same time made it bitter cold. our poor horses suffered much, being in the open air with only a blanket on and that the wind would blow of[f] occasionaly. I managed with the aid of bits of rope to keep mine on. I hav[e] always used it for myself nights and this was the first occasion I had cause to put it on the horse over night, and this morning it was saturated with mud where he had lain down[.] I shall make a good thick blanket for such occasions out of oat bags which we have an abundance of, and wash out the other and use it[.] but I hope it will soon be decided whether we shall stop here or not or where we shall winter for then we shall have stables built for our horses, and Sibley tents 1 and Stoves for ourselves. we have been talking it over and think we shall buy a little stove next monday if we do'nt have the use of it a week. old residents here, say they do not recolect such a storm, at this time of the year before. to day would have been quite pleasent had it not been for the melting snow underneath, which has almost entirely disapeared but left in its place, that intolerable mud. the changes are sudden here very, and generaly go by extremes.

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

this morning we had quite a pleasant time snow-balling. it is altogether out of the question to get any comfort from the fires out side, for you are freezing in the back while you try to get warmth in front. at the same time get your feet wet in the slosh, and undergo a partial suffocation from the smoke and at last give it up as a "bad job[.]" I am now quite comfortabe with two woolen shirts, a jacket, blouse, and overcoat on. we shall be all right w[h]e[n] we get our stove. Francesco the Guidon has been discharged for not understanding english well enough and in his place a Mr Chapin2 ofN. H. a young man of excelent morals. I am pleased with the change for Francisco was lazy dirty and conceited. there are a number ofltalians to be discharged for the same thing[.] To day we made bunk of boards, a foot deep and filled it full of straw for all three of us thereby haveing the benefit of each others blankets, and will be as comfortable and warm as a bug in a rug[.] By the way Mr Reynolds the 2d Trumpeter received a huge box filled with all sorts of goodies. we had a grand time over it among them some of the best dough-nuts I ever eat. so I want Grand rna Tilton and Auntie Rye3 to make me some for Thanks giveing and some some Molases cookies, for they are rich eating[.] give lots oflove to Gracie but tel her if she do' nt help out I wont send any more pictures and the next letter you send tell her to send one of her hearty merrie laughs in it[.] [Reed discusses measurements of shirts and drawers he wants sent] A Major of artillery4 arriveing here from the field has taken command and gives his Bugler the Chief Buglership. I do' nt know what pay I shall have as we have not received service pay yet but expect to this month[.] I have not seen the President, as I do not go to the City very often. I have received all the papers you have sent me and am truly obliged for them[.] I wish I had an Atlantic to read this afternoon[.] The Sutler will not ad much to their riches from what they get from me[.] I have noticed just one instance where a man has shown signs of"being tired" more than once but I regret to say there were a number who perhaps might if they had the opportunity[.] I will do as you request with pleasure in regard to distributing Othelo's sayings. I will endeavor to write Aunty Rye something and enclose it in yours[.] give regards and love to all and oblige your affectionate brother Charles LIBRARY OF CoNGREss

MUSTERING IN: THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

2 Corp. Joseph A. Chapin was a twenty-three-year- RARE BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS,

5 This was probably Battery 32, located on the opposite, or eastern, side of the Weldon and Petersburg Railroad. The fortifications constructed by both armies around Petersburg were the most extensive of the entire war. The Army of the Potomac alone built approximately thirty miles of entrenchments by the time the campaign ended. Cowles, comp., Atlas, Plate LXVII.9, shows the "double line of forts." 6 Reed is referring to the upcoming presidential election in which the former commander of the Army of the Potomac, George McClellan, was running as the Democratic candidate in opposition to Abraham Lincoln. Most of the Union soldiers, including Reed, favored Lincoln.

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

5 Fort Duchesne on the Weldon R.R. very warm[.] we worked hard all day and got up a fine board house. just finished when we were ordered to march[.] relieved the 1 ph Mass Battery at fort Howard' right of the RR[.] THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1864 Fort Howard near Weldon R.R. worked hard all day on a new chateau and clearing out rubbish left by the noble lllh their camp being decidedly filthy. the ground under the bunks being green with mould[.] FRIDAY 7 Fort Howard near the Weldon R.R. still very warm[.] rode down to fort Duchesne[.] the caisons changed camp back ofYellow house. called on Barrett at Commissary and Tucker, 2 5m Bat who was very unwell[.] SATURDAY 8 Fort Howard on the Weldon R.R. called out early our pickuet line to be advanzed and an attack expected popping all day. the rebs attackaf our picquet at sundown and drove them back. already for em in case they came further[.] SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1864 Fort Howard on the Weldon R.R. tried my hand at baked beans last night, with good success. usual Sunday inspection[.] suffered from the cold last night[.] MONDAY 10 Fort Howard near the Weldon R.R. extremely cold last night[.] TUESDAY 11 Fort Howard near the Weldon R.R or Warrens sta[.p

WEDNESDAY

1 Fort Howard was named after Lt. Col. Henry Howard, Second Maryland Volunteers, who was killed on July 30, 1864, during an assault on the Confederate lines. The fort was located on Bailey's Road, approximately two and a half miles directly south of Petersburg and two miles from Fort Dushane (OR, 42: pt. 2, p. 827; Cowles, comp., Atlas, Plates XL and LXXVII). 2 This was probably John C. Tucker, bugler in the Fifth Massachusetts Battery. Tucker was a twenty-five-yearold druggist from Amesbury when he enlisted on October 30, 1861. He served out his term of service, being mustered out just two weeks after Reed saw him, on October 31, 1864. No detailed information is available on Tucker's illness (MSSM, 5:410). 3 Warren Station was one of the stops along the U.S. Military Railroad. This railroad was built by the army engineers during the siege and was extended as the Union lines grew. Though it was constructed quickly and had no grading except for ravines or steep rises, the railroad proved invaluable in supplying the army during the siege.

[Editor's Note: Reed made no diary entries from October 12 to 14, 1864.] PETERSBURG

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15, 1864 Fort Howard near Weldon RR[.] during morning went over to Hd Qn and saw guard mount[.] called to see Tuck at Hospital and Barrett at Commssary[.] five recruits arrived for us[.] received roll of drawing paper[.] SUNDAY 16 Fort Howard near the Weldon R.R. Barrett came over to breakfast, beans. usual Sunday inspection[.] letter, papers dictionary and tea from Mother. wrote to Eunie[.] MONDAY 17 Fort Howard near Weldon R.R. drill at the pieces[.] letter from Mother with stamps[.] OCTOBER

1 Captain Augustus F. Martin commanded the Third Massachusetts Battery. 2 Col. Charles S. Wainwright, age thirty-seven, was a wealthy farmer from New York when the war began. Joining the First New York Light Artillery in 1861, Wainwright worked his way up through the ranks, eventually being promoted to chief of artillery, First Corps, by the fall of 1862. When the First Corps was disbanded during the army's reorganization in the spring of 1864, Wainwright took over command of the Fifth Corps artillery and led it throughout the rest of the war (Hunt and Brown, Brevet Brigadier Generals, p. 641; Sifakis, Who Was Who in the Civil War, p. 682). 3 Martin was wounded on May 8, 1864, during the early stages of the Battle of Spotsylvania at Laurel Hill. Shortly after the engagement on the Weldon Railroad he, along with the rest of the Third Massachusetts Battery, was mustered out of service (MSSM, 5:378). 4 Martin was chief of artillery, Fifth Corps, from just before the Gettysburg Campaign in June 1863 until March 23, 1864, when Wainwright replaced him (OR, 27: pt. 1, p. 162).

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Dear Mother Fort Howard near Weldon R.R. Va Oct 17m \64 I received your welcome letter of the I4ili to day. yesterday I received the papers with tea, also the dictionary which I like very much, accept my grateful thanks. The day before I received the roll of drawing paper with scetch and the day before that I got the papers containing the ginger, tea, Etc with notes appertaining to the picture ofWeldon R.R. and a great amount of information about Capt Martin. 1 now I think I can enlighten you a little, about said Martin and his assumed commands. since our battery has been attached to the 5m Corps, Col. Wainwright2 has been chief of Artillery to the corps, and Capt Martin has not been so. in fact he has only commanded his battery on this campaign, received a slight wound during the first part of it, and went home, and returned to the field, just as his battery was going home, to go with it. 3 He did have command of the 5m corps artillery at one time, but it was before we had anything to do with the corps. 4 As for his placing us in position at the Weldon R.R. fight, I know better. we went in by order of Col Wainwright[.] Capt Martin called at the battery some four or five days after the fight, and that was the first and last time I ever saw him. during the fighting I saw Gen Warren, Gen's Griffin, Ayres and Crawford, 5 with their staff officers and Col Wainwright came around now and then giving us orders about our firing whether rapid or slow and where to fire. I saw nothing of any other officers giving us any instruction whatever, however I can put him in a corner somewhere and let you know. 6 I do not like it in him making such airy assertions. I will get me a drawing board made and set myself to work at it, and when I get ready to group I will take it to Gen. Ayres and get the necessary information in regard to the disposition of the forces[.] You must not be so uneasy about

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Mosier[.] he will get the subscribers if they are to be got, I assure you. he says so himself as the Regt. is now situated with Sheridan in the valley it is impossible to hurry matters, so we must wait patiently the issue. [He gives her more orders for delivering lithographs.] I hope Capt Bigelow's health will improve but am surprised at his small weight. five days ago I weighed at the commissary 161 pounds. that is pretty fair is' nt it? I do not think I was ever better in health than on this campaign. we do have pretty cold nights here, but I mannage to keep comfortable although there is a vast amount of complaint from others[.] We have straightened our lines on the left, with some succesfull fighting, but instead of sending us, out with the corps, we were sent up here on the right of the R.R. near where the 2d corps joins our corps. this is the part of the line where the 9'h corps ocupied. I did not send that $50.00 as we have had not Ex documents yet so I enclose $20.00 in this and will send the rest next time I write[.] let Bufford go ahead with those Gettysburgs as soon as he pleases. Lieut Milton does not want any india proof Gettysburgs now[.] he says does not know what to do with what he has got yet he has five in all. Foster is to mean to apreciate any thing of the sort, and Reed has gone home on sick furlough I do not think either he or Prescott will come back? take my advice and not visit Whitneys and Prescotts familys[.] WhitneyB is a drunken sut and Prescott is a rough. has Catain B. been over to Helens yet? Now this $50.00 I am sending you. you will invest in Governement $100.00 dollar bond won't you? [ He lists more lithograph orders and addresses for delivery.] but I must close now remaining as ever your Affectionate son Charles

5 Brig. Gen. Charles Griffin commanded the First Division, Brig. Gen. Romeyn Ayres commanded the Second Division, and Brig. Gen. Samuel Crawford commanded the Third Division, all in the Fifth Corps (OR, 42: pt. 1, pp. 155-57).

6 Reed meant that he could draw Martin into the corner of his sketch of the Weldon Railroad engagement.

7 Reed was on sick leave until January 2, 1865 but then was with the battery only slightly more than two weeks when he was discharged for disability on January 18, 1865. Prescott, who had been reported sick since August 1, 1864, never returned to the battery, being discharged for disability on December 12, 1864 ("Remarks for the Month of January, 1865," in Letter, Order, Descriptive, Morning Report Book, Ninth Battery, NA; MSSM, 5:463). 8 Whitney could have been either Corp. Zimri Whitney (a twenty-threeyear-old shoemaker from Marlboro) or Pvt. James Whitney (a thirty-one-yearold butcher from West Roxbury) (MSSM, 5:465-66).

LIBRARY OF CoNGRESS

Fort Howard near Weldon R.R. cloudy[.] rode over to the 32d Regt' and got bugle mouthpiece and crook. called at 59 2 saw J Eames, J Gowing and Buckie[.p WEDNESDAY 19 Fort Howard near Weldon R.R. took a morning ride around by Meade Hd Q''4 enjoying the fine music at Guard Mount[.] THURSDAY 20 Fort Howard near Weldon RR or Warrens Station[.] letter from Helen and Hebard[.] FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1864 Fort Howard near Weldon R.R. cold and rain all day[.] SATURDAY 22 Fort Howard near Weldon R.R.

1 The Thirty-second Massachusetts Infantry belonged to the Second Brigade, First Division, Fifth Corps, and was located near the future site of Poplar Grove Church. The regiment had been formed in November 1861 and was attached to the Army of the Potomac in July 1862. It served with the Fifth Corps through all the major campaigns (Dyer, Compendium, p. 1260).

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1864

PETERSBURG

2 The Fifty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry was mustered into service in December 1863 and assigned to the Army of the Potomac just before the 1864 campaign began. At the time of this writing the regiment belonged to

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"Hatchers Run. "(LC) ''Armstrong House and Mill Hatchers Creek." (LC)

the Third Brigade, First Division, Ninth Corps, with which it would serve throughout the remainder of the war (Dyer, Compendium, p. 1267). 3 Jaques Gowing belonged to Company A, Twenty·first Massachusetts Infantry, though he might not have been serving with that regiment at this time. Its ranks were seriously reduced by battle losses and the regiment was officially consolidated with the Thirty·sixth Massachusetts Infantry just three days later, on October 21, and Gowing might have already transferred over when Reed visited him (MSSM, 2:782) Buckie could not be identified. 4 Gen. Meade's headquarters was apparently located at the Peebles House, approximately three miles west of Fort Howard. 5 This was probably John Norwood, formerly of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery, who had been discharged on February 1, 1864, because of wounds suffered at Gettysburg. The musket ball that wounded Norwood on July 2, 1863, remained in his right lung the rest of his life. Despite being declared

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SUNDAY 23 Fort Howard near Weldon RR[.] pleasant and warm. inspection in Park and quarters[.] citizen Norwood5 visited us. came for Blaisdale[.] 6 sent my watch home by him. Willis's brother came on visit[.] paper and letter from Mother[.] MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1864 Fort Howard near Weldon R.R. pleasant. drew plans for new battery wagon for Col Wainwright. Gens Warren and Crawford here reforming the line and strengthening the fort[.] TUESDAY 25 Fort Howard near Warrens Station. pleasant. took a morning ride over to guard mount[.] letter from Mother[.]

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

HATCHER's

RuN

Reed's entry ofOctober 25 was the last one he made in his diary. Why he stopped is uncertain, although the increasingly shortened or even missed daily entries through October seem to indicate his interest in maintaining the record had diminished. He also might not have had time to write for beginning on October 26 the battery joined most ofthe Fifth Corps, along with the majority of the Second and Ninth Corps, in a movement around the Confederate right designed to strike at Petersburg's last supply route, the Southside Railroad, and culminating in the engagement at Hatcher's Run (October 27, 1864). In heavy fighting, the Confederates were able to obtain a stalemate and thus effectively end the Union movement. Reed and his comrades were not engaged but covered the withdrawal of Fifth and Second Corps troops (See Trudeau, Last Citadel, pp. 222-7, 230-37, 241-47; Baker, History ofthe Ninth, pp. 147-48.) Dear Mother Camp 9m Mass Battery1 Nov S'h\64 I have just reed your pk'ge of papers of the 30'h[.] the other I rec'd while we were out on the last movement from which we all returned in safety and good spirits. as you have read the full details of the move, it is needless for me to recount them, and as it is so very cold that I can hardly make my benumbed fingers drive my pen. we did not encounter the rebs with our battery owing to the density of the woods. as we fell back we went into position twise to cover the troops falling back, and a nice trap we laid for them, hoping they would follow up but they showed their descretion by not doing so and we returned without having fired a gun. 2 we did not go into line again but encamped on a little knoll near the Yellow house. we erected a stocade about four feet high and were it not for the bleak cold winter that sweeps over us should be very comfortable. some of the troops are making their winter quarters, and we expect to get orders to that effect soon. Fred Kennaston came to me this morning and showed me a letter from his friend who has received her picture and is delighted with it, much to his gratification, also mine. [He sent his watch to Helen via John Norwood and would like it cleaned.] Mosier will sell the pictures at a 1.25 a piece. I do not expect to hear from him untill they are settled out there. I was somewhat aquainted with Major Jones 3 of the 6'h but none of the others. Captain has not arrived here PETERSBURG

three-quarters disabled, Norwood continued to earn a living as an Aetna Insurance agent in Hartford, Connecticut. He died at the age of seventy-six in 1914 (John Norwood Pension Record, NA). 6 Pvt. Ralph C. Blaisdale was inflicted with a chronic case of diarrhea around June 15, 1864, when the battery was crossing the James River. Despite his illness, Blaisdale remained on duty until around August 30, 1864, when he had become too weak to perform his duties. John Norwood apparently took him back to Massachusetts, for according to his pension file Blaisdale was discharged from military service from the U.S. General Hospital in Worcester on May 17, 1865. Blaisdale never recovered from this illness and his disability was declared total. Upon his discharge he immediately began collecting a pension. Slightly over five years later, on December 20, 1870, Ralph Blaisdale died at the age of thirty-two. The administrator of Blaisdale's estate was John Norwood (Ralph C. Baisdale Pension Record, NA). 1 The battery was at Island Camp, near the Globe Tavern, or Yellow House, on the Weldon Railroad (Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 148).

2 Reed is referring to the withdrawal of Union troops from the Hatcher's Run engagement. Though Reed was obviously disappointed in not seeing action during this movement, he and his comrades were not alone, for none of the Fifth Corps batteries fired a shot during this action (OR, 42: pt. 1, p. 543).

3 This was probably Maj. Edward Jones, Sixth New York Heavy Artillery. Jones, age twenty-three, had died on

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October 30 from wounds he received at the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19 (Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 11: 1365).

yet, and I think he will wish he had remained at home for the present if such weather as we have been having for the last four days continues. it has been raining hard, blowing hard, but has now cleared off cold, blowing still. I cant write more it is too deuced cold[.] I hope I can write a better letter soon in comfortable quarters. write soon Affectionately

Charlie I send you a photograph ofJ. Gowings to keep for me, which he gave me when he first came here on the RR[.] Chas ... LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

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10 I Service with the Topographical Engineers

"have been out all day, surveying the new lines"

A

fter nearly two years oftrying to obtain a position in which he could make full use ofhis artistic talents, Charles Reed's efforts finally reached fruition on November 19. Much to his surprise andgratification, Reed was detailed to Fifth Corps Headquarters as an assistant topographical engineer, a position he held for the remainder ofthe war. In the following letter to his mother he described this joyful turn ofevents. Globe Tavern 1 Hd Qrs, 5'h Army Corps Dear Mother Nov. 24th \64 Both your letter and papers with their respective contents were duly received, but although it was raining hard and the weather was as cold and disagreable as it ronld possibly could be, I had a little business on hand that prevented my answering earlier. Now 'cause why?" I am now pleasantly domiciled in a spacious room, up one flight, front, south west corner of the once famous, and now to be historic mansion, Globe Tavern; HdQrs Gen1 Warren 5'h A.C. A. ofP. perhaps better known as the "Yellow house[.]" How's this you'l say; well how does it "appear to seem" to you? Well I'l tell you, as long ago as we were at fort Warren, an old friend of mine Albert Barrett of the 39'h Mass Regt; was detailed to one of the commissary dep' of the corps, and as follows I became at his request a constant visitor, as he furnished me with any article I wished for such as flour, meat potatoes, sugar, tea, meats, candles, Etc, which was truly advantageous for me I assure you, and as you may imagine I lived from that time. every time I went I had to draw a scetch for him[.] these scetches soon came to the notice of his Captain who appropriated them all he could get sight of. consequently I was obliged to duplicate my scetches, and one day I was introduced to the Capt, who took great interest in my scetches, and seemed greatly pleased with some I took for him of his department. he told Barrett that I aught to occupy a

1 The Globe Tavern, a yellow brick building located along the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, was once a tavern or wayside inn and was also known as Yellow House, Six Mile House, and Blick Station. Because of its size and location it was used by the Union army for headquarters throughout the Petersburg siege. See Robert Tilney, My Life in the Army (Philadelphia: Ferris & Leach, Philadelphia, 1912), pp. 128, 133, 135. Sometime that winter, after the Fifth Corps had been assigned elsewhere, elements of the Sixth Corps tore the structure down for building material (Chris Calkins to editor, November 18, 1997).

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2 The man most responsible for getting Reed his long-sought position with the topographical engineers was probably Capt. Henry Hamilton Finley. A native of New York, Finley was living in Michigan when the war began and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry in August 1862. He served with that unit until he resigned on July 31, 1863. Finley eventually received a commission in the regular army as captain, Commissary of Subsistence, with the Fifth Corps on May 18, 1864. He remained with the commissary throughout the remainder of the war, being breveted to major for "gallantry and bravery exhibited in the battle near White Oak road, Virginia on the 31st of March, 1865, in assisting to reform the lines" (Heitman, Historical Register, 1:420; OR, 46: pt. 3, pp. 926, 928).

3 Capt. Emmor B. Cope, age thirty, was a machinist from Copesville, Pennsylvania, when he enlisted in the First Pennsylvania Reserves on June 4, 1861. His technical skills earned him an assignment as a sergeant in the topographical engineers by the fall of 1862, where he served on General Warren's staff. In October 1863, Cope conducted the first official survey of the Gettysburg battlefield (see Cowles, comp., Atlas Plate XL. I). Cope served on Warren's staff for the remainder of the war, being promoted to captain, major, and finally brevet lieutenant colonel. In July 1893, Cope was named the official civil engineer to the Gettysburg Battlefield Commission. His work in this assignment was instrumental in creating Gettysburg National Military Park and is still visible on the battlefield today. In 1922 Cope was appointed the park's first superintendent, a post he held until his death in 1927. See Thomas L. Schaefer, "If You Seek His Monument, Look Around: E. B. Cope and the Gettysburg National Military Park," in Unsung Heroes of Gettysburg: Programs of the Fifth Annual Gettysburg Seminar (Gettysburg: National Park Service, 1996), pp. 107-33.

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position befiting my talents, so I told Barrett to ask him if he had influence at Hd Qrs to help me into the topographical dept which Barrett did that same day and Capt Finlef answeres, certainly I have and will if he wishes it. so next time I goes down there, I carried one of my plans of Gettysburg battle ground, and some larger scetches I had taken. he expresed his pleasure at being able to promote my interests, and next day took them up with my address to Hd Qrs; and a week from that time, (I thought perhaps the thing had "blown over" as I head nothing from it) Lt Milton called me and said that a document had arrived asking if I could be spared from the battery to go to Hd Qrs to work at topographical drawing, and said it would be a nice opening for me, and if I thought I would like to go, he would be glad to help me in any way, although he should [hate] to have me leave the battery as he could not replace my loss. these were his words. so you can judge him to be just what he is a genuine good hearted man. all the battery love him and would sooner have him as commander of the batry than any other man. Well he answered, and three days later he called me and says an order had come detailing me to Capt Cope A.D.C. to Gen Warren, and advised me to go over and learn what the arrangements were and let him know, which I did. I saw Capt Cope3 who is an engineer on Warrens staff who told me I need not come till next day (as it was then raining like mad,) and come over on foot as he would furnish me with horse and kit[.] so I went back and arranged matters and next day reported with my horse and wardrobe. this was three days ago. I have since been at work on the topography of our late movement on the left which will take some days to finnish yet. I will inform you how I progress anon[.] I like [it] here very much and also Capt Cope who is very gentlemanly and kind with his instruction's[.] it took all by surprise. the thing was done so quietly as I said nothing to no one about it thinking that nothing might come of it after all. even now no one knows how it was brought about, and it is better that they should not as it would occasion a great amount of talk so if you mention it you need not say any thing about how it was brought about, merely that I was detailed, which is sufficiant and oblige me[.] I need two pair of thin woolen socks very much as I have only one pair that are serviceable which you sent me last winter. for underclothes I have only those two blue shirts and two pairs white cotton flannel draws. they are sufficiant to keep me comfortable. what I want most are some "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

new socks. I would like a pair of old shoes if you could find any, anywhere[.] perhaps Mr Tilton might have an old pair that he could spare me and you might send them out in a little box with a few apples a bit of cold meat. that is if you contemplate sending me one this winter. a small one will do[.] do not be extravagant about it. do not send any thing that needs cooking, as we have a mess of about a dozen and have our rations cooked for us. a bit of boiled ham I think would be highly appreciated. any thing you may send will be received most gratefully[.] give my best regards to Mr & Mrs Hudson and all there. [He gives her instructions about returning his watch via an acquaintance who works for a nearby sutler.] I am going down to Barretts next Sunday to partake of a turkey dinner. give my love to Helen and Emma and write soon. direct simply Chas W. Reed Hd Q"· 5'h Army Corps care Capt Cope via Washington D.C. Charles LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

"Col Finley's Commissary Hatchers Run 5'h Corp. " Reed's caption to this sketch was more than likely added after the war, as he made a slight error concerning Finley's rank. The man instrumental in getting Reed the position he desired with the Topographical Engineers was probably Captain Henry Finley, Commissary ofSubsistence, Fifth Corps, Army ofthe Potomac. (LC) Capt. Emmor B. Cope. (Courtesy of William A. Frassanito, Early Photography at Gettysburg)

[Editor's Note: The following letterfragment appears to have been written to Helen around this time. The fragment consists ofthe sketch included here and the section ofthe letter written on the reverse side. Apparently the letter was cut up by Helen or some other family member to obtain the sketch.} You have not before intimated that you had a Sunday class, where do you teach? I should like to come home very much this winter, and after we have completed our surveying I shall SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

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try for a furlough[.] Tell Gracie I shall expect her to initiate me a little in the light fantastic, when I return, for I think I should be sadly amise in gracing an asembly after three years in the service. RARE BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONs, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

1 This letter was probably written around November 28, 1864. 2 William B. Hammond, age twentyeight, was a law student when he enlisted in Company A, Thirtieth Pennsylvania, on June 9, 1861. He served with the regiment for three years, being promoted to sergeant in October 1861, and was wounded in the right arm on May 10, 1864, at Spotsylvania Court House. He was mustered out at the expiration of his term on June 13, 1864 but rejoined the military by enlisting in Company M, 198th Pennsylvania Infantry, on October 10, 1864. Apparently he was transferred to the Fifth Corps headquarters staff around the same time as Reed. This assignment was probably owing to his acquaintance with Captain Cope, for both men were from Chester County, Pennsylvania, and they had served together in Company A, Thirtieth Pennsylvania. After his discharge on June 4, 1865, Hammond became a civil engineer, and assisted in the surveying of the Kansas Pacific and Santa Fe Railroad . He spent the last forty years of his life in Baltimore, where he died on December 19, 1919 (William B. Hammond MSR and Pension Record, NA).

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Dear Sister Emma Yellow Tavern Hd Q" 5'h Army Corps 1 Your last and welcome letter was duly received but so long ago I dare not allude to it. but lately I have been singularly averse to letter writing and for the last two months have done less of it than at any time I have been in the army[.] I presume it was on account of our being unsettled, being almost constantly on the move and when we were not, we were momentarily expecting to so it almost amounted to the same thing. but now I am differently situated. as you see above, I am comfortably installed in a pleasant spacious apartment at Hd Q" in the engineering dept under Capt Cope Aide de Camp to Genl Warren commanding 5'h corps[.] for comrades I have one other in the same department Hammond by name and a Pennslyvanian by birth 2 and another young man who is clerk to Col Bankhead, 3 Inspector General of 5 Corps, making three of us. the room is up one flight of stairs, and has two windows facing west and one south, and better than all a genial old fashioned fireplace, which makes us as comfortable as a "bug in a rug" and as the fuel is all cut and brought up for us by the pioneers you can imagine what solid comfort we can take here. I was detailed here a week ago by order ofGenl Warren to Capt Cope A. D.C. and engineer for the corps. I left my horse and equipment at the battery and

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to night have just had a fine horse given me. it is a dappled grey and the best horse I have had in the army. the Genl used to ride him formerly, so you may imagine he is a pretty stylish animal[.] I have just returned from a short jaunt just to try him. I find he is spirited and a good square trotter which just suits me "to aT[.]" Jaques called to see me last Sunday, said he had received a box thanksgiving day, and I was going over to his corps to day and partake of some of the goodies. but early this morning I was surprised to see columns of soldiers passing to the left, which proved to be the first division of the second corps going to relieve the 9'h which soon came in sight and kept streaming along until it had all passed. it was said that the 9'h Corps was going to join Butlers command. 4 how true it is I know not, so you see my "cake was dough" there. I shall make inquiries and if the commissary dept to which Jaques belongs has not moved, I shall endeavor to find him[.] We all feel joyous over Lincoln's reelection I assure you, 5 but I cant imagine what put it into your head that I inclined any way towards Mac who to my knowledge never done any thing of any note for his country[.] 6 I agree with Ames and cant help thinking how insensical those torchlight fandangous must appear to a sensible mind[.] not that I include myself in that class I wish I could have been with you at the supper you allude to. I have written to mother to send me a small box and shall expect some little dainty from you. What the deuce is Walter doing. I expected a letter from him long before this but dam the copperheads. 7 give my love to the boys & all[.] write soon to your affectionate brother Charles RARE

3 Lt. Col. Henry C. Bankhead, age thirty-six, was the assistant inspector general for the Fifth Corps. An 1850 graduate of the United States Military Academy, Bankhead remained in the regular army and was a captain in the Fifth United States Infantry when the war began. Working his way up through the ranks, he served mostly in administrative assignments with various headquarters in the Army of the Potomac throughout the war. For "gallant and meritorious services" at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865, Bankhead was promoted to brevet brigadier general by the war's end. He retired from the military in 1879 and died in 1894 (Hunt and Brown, Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue, p. 29). 4 Jaques Gowing's regiment, the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts, belonged to the First Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Corps, but rather than joining Butler's command north of the Appomattox River, it had been ordered to the right end of the Petersburg siege lines to replace the Second Corps (OR, 42: pt. 1, p. 729). 5 Abraham Lincoln was reelected president of the United States on November 8, 1864, with 55 percent of the vote. He received 76 percent of the soldiers' votes (111 ,887 compared to McClellan's 33,748). (Long, Civil War Day by Day, p. 594). 6 Reed's feelings probably reflect the attitude of the 1862 volunteers more than those of the original1861 volunteers. Those who served under McClellan stilled loved "Little Mac," the man who created the Army of the Potomac. Their loyalty, however, did not outweigh their determination to see the war to a military conclusion, which might have been doubtful if McClellan was elected.

BooKS AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS,

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

7 Copperheads were Northern Democrats who opposed Lincoln's war policy and favored a negotiated peace settlement. They were despised by the soldiers, for their views and policy were directly opposed to the military's goal in the war, which was to subjugate the Confederate military and restore the Union (Boatner, Civil War Dictionary, p. 175).

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Though Reed had been officially detailed to Fifth Corps headquarters as a clerk, his duties were those ofan assistant topographical engineer. Because the assignment was notpermanent, his pay remained the same, though his responsibilities greatly increased Though pleased with his new duty, Reed knew that it could also be a great opportunity. His letters make it obvious that he was willing to learn and was always alertfor any chance to advance his skills.

"Our Room. "(LC)

Yellow House Hd Q" 5'h Army Corps Dec 5'h rh \64 Dear Mother I received yours and Helens of Nov30'h with great pleasure, I assure you. And here let me express my gratitude for the articles which accompained them, which also came so opportunely. they are exactly what I desired. I shall keep both the mittens and gloves[.] the mittens for the severe weather as they cannot be excelled for the extreme comfort one get[s] with them, and the gloves for moderate weather. You must thank the maker of the mittens for me[.] Altogether it was a most agreable surprise as I did not expect such a prompt return[.] I wrote to Helen the day after I wrote you so tell her I am waiting her answer to reply to both of hers in one. That A. D.C. which appears to bother you so much stands for Aid de Camp[.] About that picture of the Weldon R.R., when 292

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we have finnished up all surveys of this Summers campaign, and if then we should be situated as we now are, I promise you to take hold of it and complete it, to your satisfaction[.] I enjoy the hotel life much. it is furnished as comfortable a soldier could have it. we have a real beadstead and mattrass; which with a plentiful amount of blankets, makes that concern perfect, that is to us. next each one of us has a table to himself, with the necessary stool, one chair with a back to it. the room has three windows two are of glass, the third closed up with a shelter tent. the plastering has been knocked off in two or three places, two perforations made by a cannon shott passing through it the first sunday we came here. 1 add to all this a charming fireplace throwing out its ruddy and cheerfull warmth, and you have it complete. that is with two comrades one a Philadelphian the other a New Yorker and the third, your humble sv't a Bostonian. But now it seems we are doomed not to enjoy long this pleasant abode, for the 6'h Corps has began to arrive here relieving our corps[.] one division (Crawfords) having been relieved to day, and gone to the rear, the other division I presume will be soon relieved, then comes our change. we may go into another house if the General takes one for his head quarters. I have been out all day with Capt Cope and my comrade surveying the ground which our corps is to occupy some mile or two in the rear. whether this is to be a permanent location, is of course mere conjecture, however you may get the little box ready for wherever we are I shall get it sooner or later. if you can get me a pair of light shooes I shall like it very much, to wear when I am not riding, as my boots are rather uncomfortable to keep on in the house. I shall never get another pair of such high top boots again. I have had enough of them since I have been out here. There are about eighteen (including us two) and the mail agents) who mess together. we have for cook a member of the 32d Regiment Mass, who does very well, considering that he has only government rations to get up for us. now and then one of us three get something extra in the shape of meat or butter, which the cook does up for us allowing him a share. we get bean rations with which we have our regular beans and rest assured that they are cooked as only a massachusetts inhabitant can. When I am competent to fill a higher position you may believe I will get it (I find I know very little about this business, yet I hope to learn and improve accordingly. As you say, when the right time comes trust me to keep my eyes clear. I like Capt Cope much and ifl sueSERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

1 Reed is referring to the fighting there on August 21, 1863.

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"Map Showing condition of Union Lines October 27, 1864. " This map, drawn by Charles W Reed, depicts the area southwest ofPetersburg and appears in the Official Records (Volume 42, part 1, page 436). It also serves as an excellent example ofthe type of finished work Reed was producing as an assistant topographical engineer. Most of the "surveying" work Reed mentioned (see December 5, 1864, letter to mother) was probably ofa rougher, less refined nature. (NYSL)

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ceed in suiting him I know he will help me as he is very kind and gentlemanly. also my comrade in trade who is detailed like myself is a fine fellow from Penn' a. he has a good knowledge of the world and is likewise inteligent thus making a very amiable companion. being detailed as I am I draw my pay and clothing from the battery as formerly. I will learn if I am entitled to any more pay and inform you. [He requests a dozen paper choker collars he asks if she has been to Woburn lately, and wants her to pass on his regards to friends] But I will now close, with my love to Helen and Emma and yourself, remaining as ever you affectionate son Charles LIBRARY OF CoNGREss

RAm Reed's prediction that Fifth Corps headquarters would not remain long at Globe Tavern was correct, for even as he penned the last letter preparations were under way for a large-scale movement. The arrival of the Sixth Corps on December 4, signaled the reliefofthe Fifth Corps from the siege lines to conduct a massive raid to the south ofPetersburg.

THE HICKSFORD

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Beginning on December 7, the entire Fifth Corps, augmented by a division from the Second Corps and a division ofcavalry (approximately 26,500 troops) began marching southward down the jerusalem Plank Road. The objective ofthis raid was to cripple the Petersburg defenders' southernmost supply lines, especially goods from North Carolina being transported by rail and wagon. The Weldon or Hicksford Raid lasted six days (December 7-13), covered over one hundred miles round-trip, destroyed sixteen miles of the Weldon Railroad, and wrought severe devastation on the civilian population south ofPetersburg. All this was accomplished in harsh and at times severe weather, including extreme cold, constant rain, and an ice and sleet storm on December I 0. Reed's following letters add some details to this expedition, along with further and unexpected hardships he encountered at the conclusion ofthe raid (See OR, 42: pt. 1, pp. 44349.) Dear Mother

Hd Q" S'h A. C. Dec 28'h Your welcome letter of the 25'h I have just received, containing the receipt for the Ex box. it is the third letter I have received from you since we returned from that raid of our corps[,] the particulars I will write more of in my next. Iregret that I could not write earlier as I aught to have done, but this is the reason[.] When we returned we did not make our hd,qrs again at the Yellow house as I expected, but encamped the whole corps outside the rear lines[.] hd,qrs, located themselves near the jerusalem plank road. the next day a wall tent was erected for our office tent where we finnished up our surveys which we had taken during the raid. said tent [we] were going to occupy but our calculations were spoiled the next day, by the general converting it into a mess tent temporarily it was said, while another was being built oflogs. so we waited thinking it would not take any length of time to do so, and deferred doing any writing until we could be comfortable in the tent again. but more than a week elapsed and the mess room was not done, and we were suffering from the cold exposure as we had no tent at all, and as we could' nt stand it any longer, we set to work on a log house for ourselves and there being only two of us it necessarily took a long time to complete it[.] but yesterday we finnished it, even to the chimney whis is a "virginy one" made of sticks and clay, and congratulated ourselves on the comfort we'd take in it. SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

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1 Charles B. Winn was a private in the Eleventh Massachusetts Battery. Winn was a twenty-six-year-Did clerk from Woburn when he enlisted on October 17, 1864. He served with the battery until it was mustered out of service on June 16, 1865. Charles was probably a cousin of Otis Winn, also of Woburn, whom Reed mentioned in his correspondence. Capt. Edward J. Jones commanded the Eleventh Massachusetts Battery. A forty-one-year-Did constable from Boston, Jones was commissioned on August 25, 1862. He was breveted to major of U.S. Volunteers on March 25, 1865, and was mustered out of service at the end of the war (MSSM, 5:490-94). 2 Captain Bigelow had returned from his extended sick leave while the Fifth Corps was conducting the Hicksford Raid. He was officially breveted to the rank of major for "gallant service during the operations in front of Petersburg, Va," on February 16, 1865, though word of his promotion was obviously known in advance (John Bigelow MSR, NAJ.

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but were to much fatigued to write last night, so took a rest and enjoyed our fire. but this morning were again upset. when we first came here, every little department made their camp regardless of order and as nothing was said about it, we concluded if we got in line with others we were all right. but it seems that now after everyone is settled the officers or rather the Genl, takes it into his head to have some system about his camp, and ordered some three doz tents to be moved to a locality that pleased him better. unfortunately our tent was one of the number, so we have all our work to do over again, and intended to set about it tomorrow but it is now pouring down in torrants and probably will for some days. if the weather permits we shall immediately commence our work and by another week to be settled permanently then I will answer all the letters I have received from you all. I received my watch all right, it goes well, and the mittens and stockings I got just in time before we started on the raid. I see you spell Capt Copes name, Cape which is not right[.] it is Capt Cope. you probably took my style of o's which I confess I am rather careless about. Charlie Winn is in the eleventh (11) Mass battery Capt Jones, 1 not in our battery. I have seen him but twise[.] I may have made this mistake in my letter to Belle. If you have an old pair of stout gloves you might send them with the gaiters as I have completely worn out the cloth one[s] you sent me last[.] I meant to have sent for a knife soon enough to have it come out in the box but it will do in the next. I lost the one Helen sent me a year ago on this last raid. I was sorry to lose it after carrying it so long. it was hardly heavy enough for a soldier[.] Capt Bigelow (brevet Major) has returned to the battery and I have seen him[.F he was much pleased with my situation, and gave me a splendid drawing book and some good advise last Christmas eve, when I called at the batery which is very near here. I do not send you the desired scetch this time as my hands as spoiled for drawing for some days to come by the unusual hard work they have been subjected to of late[.] but remain as ever your affectionate son Charles LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

Dear Mother Hd , Q", 5'\ Army Corps Jan. 11\65 I received your welcome letter of the 6'h last evening[.] I had began to think you were waiting for me to write again

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before you wrote. It is with pleasure I now can inform you that our new domicile is completed, also that it is far superior to any I have had heretofore as regards comfort and sise. annexed enclosed you will find a representation of the "interior[.]" I have the same comrade that I had at the Yellow house of course (IE) wm H. Hammond ofWest Chester, Chester County, Penna. he was a law student before entering the army, and is now serving in his fourth year. Now if this description is not lucid enough I will endeavor to get his birth day down next time. Our house was completed four or five days ago. we have a good board floor which is a rarity here, and the walls and gable ends are papered with grain bags. we purchased a stove rather than be bothered with putting up another chimney for the day had to be toted near half a mile and the weather was rough snowing, raining, blowing and freezing, and we were bound to get into the hut as soon as possible for we were getting heartily tired of building, tearing down moving and rebuilding shanties and this is the sixth house that I have helped to erect this fall. to day the carpenter put up a table for us, and a shelf which completes the arrangements of the interior[.] Captain Bigelow left here for home this morning. he was discharged about the time I wrote my last to you. also Lieut Prescott. 1 Lieut Reed has returned from his furough, and orderly sergeant G. Murraf is promoted to a lieutenancy, and wm Park of So Boston to first or orderly sergeant[.] I received the box the same day that we moved into our new house to the joy of both of us, as we made a good ammusement of it. its contents were in first rate condition, not a thing jamed or broken. it was a larger box than I expected .... the only thing wanting to make the thing perfect was to know who were the donners. [He describes the contents of the box, including pastry, pickles, ketchup, sewing case, slippers, apples, and gaiters, and asks about family friends.] We are situated right comfortable I assure you. day before yesterday I went out and surveyed the camps of the 3d Division to locate them on a map[.] yesterday it rained furiously[.] to day I surveyed the Artillery encampments of our corps and located them on the map of our position. The yarn in the mittens came all right, the gloves you sent me I wore the inside of them the palms and fingers completely of[ f) so they dropt of my hands[.] this was done having and handling the timber of the two houses we built. I think you had better get those gauntlet gloves of Mrs Martin and send them out to me as I shall want a good pair of that description to use SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

1 Lt. George Prescott had been absent sick since August, and was discharged for disability on December 16, 1864 (MSSM, 5:463). 2 George Murray, a twenty-eight-yearold Boston plumber, enlisted as a sergeant in the Ninth Massachusetts Battery on July 17, 1862. He was commissioned second lieutenant on December 17, 1864, and then, on January 1, 1865, promoted to first lieutenant. Murray was mustered out, along with the rest of the battery, in June 1865 (ibid., p. 461).

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when I am out surveying and to wear home.... The only thing I need now is a cap[.] my hat is wearing out it has worn over a a year now and done good servise as have my top boots[.] they will last this winter out I think finely, then I shall want a pair of high shoes. give my love to Helen and Emma and write soon to your affectionate son Charles LiBRARY OF CoNGRESS

(PUL)

"The last ofMr Hudson's fomous ketchup with a fomous army hash. " (LC)

My Dear Sister 1 Hd,Qrs, 5'h A.C. Jan 12'h 1865 Yours of the 9'h has just been handed me, and I hasten to reply, begging your pardon for not answering yours of Dec 12'h which I rec'd after returning from our famous raid down south towards N. Carolina. we had a jollie time during the six days we were out. it was a section of country never before visited by our forces, consequently, it was rich in products, such as soldiers can most truly appreciate. we subsisted chiefly on the enemy hominy poultry and fresh meats in abundance. the first three days out it was as unpleasant as it only can be

1 This letter was written to Helen Tilton.

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in Virginia when it takes the notion. on the morning of the fourth day out, we awoke to find every thing appertaining to nature wearing a crystallized armor, with an effect truly enchanting in its gorgeous replendence. but one was soon recalled to his senses by the numbing intense cold and the impliability of frozen garments[.] also the rather unpleasant sullen, boom of a saucy reb howitzer, however as we were to return that morning and would have no surveying to do, we finished up a chicken in fine style and spirits. The General, after seeing all the infantry pass by, and taking a look at the cavalry forming our rear guard, who were being followed up by a pack of promiscous beggarly rebs bent on doing all the mischief they could, finaly star-[ted] off at a trott which was kept up until he halted for the night. we made the journey back in three days by easy stages but as our corps had been relieved by the 6'h Corps, we made our camp on new ground in reserve, and have just got right comfortably settled for the winter, have a roomy comodious house nicely floored and every convenience a soldier [could] wish for, it being the best arranged affaire I have ever had the pleasure to reside in since I've been in the army. And as good luck would have it your box arrived here the very day we moved in. what a jollification we had over it. but one thing was wanting, which was, the names or a kind word or two to designate the donners of the different articles, which you omitted to send and which doubly endears them to the recepient, and strengthens those tender ties between us brothers and sisters seperated for so long a time. 2 however I now have them before me in your last, and now return my thanks to you all. every thing was in excelent condition. that little sewing case was [illegible word], just the article complete. make my compliments to Miss Wells 3 with my thanks for her marvelous participation in said article. I enclose a scetch for her, the subject of which you give in yours of the 9'h[.] Give my thanks to MrTilton, not forgetting Auntie Rye, with my respects[.] Most assuredly I shall have time to read this winter, although I have almost instant employment throughout the day the evenings and Sundays we have to ourselves, and I shall be pleased to receive that interesting little journal you speak of During a move our duty is to survey and map out the course our corps goes over. 4 while we are in camp, that is, since we've been here, we have surveyed and located the different brigades in the different divisions[.] also the camps of the artillery and picket lines. I am at present occupied in taking a part of three maps SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

2 In Hardtack and Coffee, John Billings writes of boxes sent from home: "The neighborhood generally was interested when it became known that a box was making up to send to a soldier, and each one must contribute some token of kindly remembrance, or the enjoyment of the far-away boy in blue .... It added greatly to the pleasures of the [soldier receiving the box] to come now and then upon a nicely wrapped package, labelled 'From Mary,' 'From Cousin John,' and perhaps a dozen other relatives, neighbors, school-mates or shopmates, most of which contributions were delicious surprises, and many of them accompanied by notes of personal regard and good-wishes" (pp. 218-19, 221). 3 Miss Wells could not be identified, though she was probably the Mary Wells mentioned by Reed previously (see January 28, 1864, diary entry).

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4 An example of the maps produced by the Fifth Corps topographical engineers of the Hicksford Raid can be found in OR, 42:, pt. 1, pp. 448, 449.

5 "The Artison" must have been a newspaper, though its origin and other details concerning its publication could not be found.

and making one large one of them. There was a little paper (the Artison)S containing the note paper which interested us some with its special illusion. did you notice it before you sent it. give Gracie a heartie embrace and a kiss for me and write soon to your affectionate brother Charlie

LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

1 This letter was written to Emma Gowing.

2 Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wright, age forty-four, commanded the Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac. An 1841 graduate of West Point, Wright had spent his entire prewar army service with the Corps of Engineers. He was present at First Manassas and moved quickly through the ranks, being promoted to brigadier general in September 1861. After briefly commanding the Department of the Ohio, Wright was ordered east to join the Army of the Potomac. He led a division of the Sixth Corps from Gettysburg through the 1864 Overland Campaign. Following the death of Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick on May 12, 1864, Wright was given command of the corps and promoted to major general. Wright led the Sixth Corps throughout the remainder of the war, including the rest of the Overland Campaign, Petersburg, and in the Shenandoah Valley under General Sheridan (Warner, Generals in Blue, pp. 575-76).

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Hd Qrs 5th Army Corps My Dear Sister 1 Jan. 13'h 1865 I was gladened by the reception of your last on our return from the raid toward Weldon, but could not answer it immediately as I much wished to on account of our being left out in the cold at that time[.] our Yellow House being then occupied by Gen. Wrights 2 staff on the 6'h Corps. our hd q" located themselves in the vicinity of the Jerusalem plank road to the rear, as I suppose in reserve. [He recounts the hardships of being without shelter, building a hut, and then being forced to move.] our Capt. then told us to take it easy and he would have a detail put us up a good affair and we had better line in it. but as it would take considerable time for the pioneers to complete jobs already on hand, we went into the woods and cut out our timber, fitted it, had it carted in and set it up ourselves. then a detail was obtained, and a nice board floor was made also door and frame, and we moved in, and at this time highly pleased, for the new mansion was far superior to any I have occupied during my stay in the army. the another piece of good luck came to us in the shape of my box. it arriving the same day we moved in, was' nt that jollie? the manner in which your pastry disapeared testified for their goodness, also those apples in the box of cookies must have come from you, thank you heartily. but now the

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edibles are all gone, with the exception of some of the apples. We have no news of interest here, Gen. Warren if [is] off on furlough, the corps is commanded in his absence by Brig Gen Crawford. Capt Bigelow is discharged and gone home. he gave me a splendid drawing book, Christmas day. I presume Lieut Milton will get the captainsy of the battery. I was aquainted with J. G. Flagg and Miss Allen3 before their marriage. Helen writes that she has heard from Tottie also that Mina4 was on a visit to Boston at present. I[n] my new situation, I have constant employment from morning till night. the evenings we have to ourselves retiring when we please and might do the same thing about rising but we generaly are up to get things fired up before breakfast. we have all our meals cooked for us[.] on the march our duty is to survey the route passed over by our corps and scetch down the topography of the country. on the raid we had plenty of poultry fresh meats, apples, sweet potatoes subsisting principaly on the rebs and they were better provided for than I thought they could be[.] I have not seen Jaques since we left the the yellow house. I shall endeavor to ride down to Meade's station, 5 where I think he said I should find him. I have seen Charlie Winn twise. he appeared to enjoy our life very well[.] he is now in position we [where] he will learn that sounds of hostile missiles, as Jones Battery is in position near the Apomatox. 6 give my respects to Ames and love to Harlie and Howard and write soon as I am now situated so that I can answer all letters "immejitly[.]" your affectionate brother Charles

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3 John Gardner Flagg married Maria Malville Allen on August 13, 1863. Reed and Flagg were probably well acquainted as they were born only one day apart, April1 and 2, 1841, respectively, and lived in the same town as children. Both Flagg and Maria Allen were residents of Woburn, of which Flagg's family was one of the earliest settlers of Woburn and Allen's father was the Honorable Stephen M. Allen ("John G. Flagg," Middlesex Journal, October 16, 1908). 4 Mina could not be identified.

5 Meade's Station was one of the many stops on the U.S. Military Railroad, constructed behind the Union lines at Petersburg.

6 The Eleventh Massachusetts Battery was stationed at Fort McGilvery, along the right end of the Union line near the Appomattox River. The fort was named in honor of Reed's old brigade commander Col. Freeman McGilvery, who had died on September 3, 1864, from complications of a slight wound he had suffered two weeks before while in action near Deep Bottom (MSSM 5: 486; Freeman McGilvery MSR, NA).

BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS,

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Hd .Q" .5th Army Corps Dear Mother before Petersburg Jan 23d I received your last of the 16'h three days ago with much pleasure and accompanying it was the cap, cover, and gauntlet gloves, all in good condition[.] previous to this I received the pk' g, by kindness of Lieut Foster, containing my gaiter, knife, and gloves, safely[.] for all this kindness I am every grateful. That bird you refer to is a veritable reality, being no more or less than a tame pigeon, who pays us a flying visit occasionaly regulating his time according to the way he gets treated. he is visiting some one else at present. We are indeed most comfortablly situated and our bed or bunk as we term it is right comfortable only when it raines, or rather pours down in Virginia, there is a particular spot that is just over my head that lets the water through drop by drop on my face which is not at all welcome unles early in the morning, when I'm not averse to it. In regard to our meals we have them cooked for us, but not brought to us. but what is better we have a dining apartment a few rods off denominated the mess tent to which we repair to refresh the inner man, with such comidities as Uncle Sam designs to bestow upon us, his devoted nephews. Gen. Warren makes himself personaly visible, among us occasionaly, and looks over to this or that twists his moustachios and departs[.] he has been absent nearly a month on furlough. we are expecting his return daily, also the appearance of the paymaster. it is reported that we will be payed off the first of Febuary. About the scetch of the Weldon RRAction. I discovered the other day that I was likely to be disapointed about doing it mysel£ it was in this wise. one of the batteryman came down to see me a few nights ago, and during the conversation he remarked that Richard Holland was getting up a picture of the Weldon R.R. affair to have it lithographed. I saw at once that my hopes were dashed unles something was devised but said nothing[.] after learning all I could on the subject and after he was gone, I sat down to think, and came to the conclusion that we both could not make the same subject with any chance of success. also if I did make one I could not have time to dispose of them when completed. also that rather than lose the chance to make something this winter I had better go over and make arrangements to have a share in the affair. I learned after a short talk with Holland, that he was bound to finnish up his picture and put it through. then I told him that it would'nt pay for 302

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us to be butting against each other with the same picture but we had better do it together on shares. I would draw the figures and he the foliage, and scroll work, and both of us together could secure a wide sale of them. he among the men and myself among its officers around head quarters. he was willing to do that, and is coming down to marrow evening and we are to set about it. now this is the best I can do. I never should have time, as I am now situated with constant employment, to make the picture, and when it was done to go about and canvass it. but now I can attend to my buisiness, and we can finnish it up together and he go about disposing of them when they are done thereby saving me a vast amount of trouble and time which I can not spare, as I am now situated. then again ifl had not gone in with him, he would have had it all to himself and I nothing. I think a thousand copies can be sold out here and that is setting the number very low[.] my comrade gets no extra pay, neither do I. you may rest assured that I look out for improving every opportunity. affectionately Charles LIBRARY oF CoNGREss

HATCHER's RuN oR DABNEY's MILL

The Petersburg front remained relatively quiet until February 5, when Grant ordered a movement southwest ofthe city, against the extreme right of the Confederate line. Attempting to take advantage ofthe good weather during that time, Grant hoped to cut off the Confederate supply route through that area and to capture or destroy their wagon trains being usedfor that purpose. The strikingforce consisted ofall ofthe Fifth Corps and parts of the Second Corps, screened by cavalry. The resulting combat lasted until February 7 and would become known as the Battle ofHatcher's Run or Dabney's Mill. Though relatively small the movement had a huge impact on enlisted men such as Reed, who were forced to give up their simple but effective log huts andface the harsher elements ofwinter. In the following letter Reed related the outcome ofthe movements and the subsequent hardships they faced. (See Trudeau, Last Citadel, pp. 312-22.) Dear Mother Hd Q" 5'h Army Corps A or P Feb. 18'h 1865 I received your last with the two papers, and also the paints three days ago, with much pleasure I assure you. I only regret SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

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1 This word, which was probably "as," was erased by Mrs. Reed, who substituted "and".

2 After advancing to within two miles of Dinwiddie Court House, the Fifth Corps was ordered to fall back and rejoin the Second Corps on the evening of February 5. The Second Corps, positioned to the north near Hatcher's Run, had come under heavy attack that day and Meade wanted to consolidate his forces against further assaults. This march, conducted during severely cold weather, began around 11:00 P.M. and was not completed until nearly 4:00A.M. (Trudeau, Last Citadel, pp. 316-17). 3 The surveying work Reed mentions here may have been used to complete the map of Fifth Corps operations at Hatcher's Run in OR, Vol. 46: pt. 1, p. 262. 4 This exchange, which Reed personally saw, resulted from a confusion of orders. Meade, who was overseeing this Union movement, had ordered both the Second and Fifth Corps to probe for Confederate units who were beyond their fortifications. Warren, misunderstanding the orders, conducted no movement until Meade showed up at his headquarters shortly before noon to straighten out the confusion. Warren's troops were under way by 1:15 P.M. The resulting actions, which Reed briefly describes, occurred mostly around Dabney's Mill, south of Hatcher's Run (Trudeau, Last Citadel, pp. 318-19). 5 Heavy Confederate reinforcements had arrived to check the Union advance. Soon, parts of the Fifth Corps were overwhelmed and panicked troops began to move toward the rear, nearly engulfing some Union reinforcements, including Sixth Corps troops, who were moving

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that it was at that time impossible for me to reply at once as you wished, and as I felt much inclined to do. The paints are precisely what I wished for, and reached me full soon enough as I shall not be able to use them for a week and perhaps not then, unless we have a house put up for us, and 1 my comrade and myself find ourselves again with a house to call our own. for the past two weeks we have been roughing in, quite severely to my thinking. our corps up stakes and started on the 5'h of this month down along the old Weldon R.R., on the Halifax road. had a pretty sharp and succesful skirmish at Rowanty creek, took their breastworks and some prisoners, went on five or six miles, turned about during the night and joined our corps on to the 2d before morning. 2 at daylight we resumed our surveying, which the night had obliged us to discontinue, and surveying the rebel entrenchments which we then occupied. 3 we continued on, along the Vaughn road back to our old lines, then returned to head quarters by Hatchers run, heartily fatigued and immensely sleepy. I had hardly fell asleep when up rides Genl. Meade and orders our corps to advanse4 which it did gallently driving the enemy over a mile and a half, when the cavalry on our left who made a charge and were repulsed, they came flying back, creating a panic in the 3d Div, who also came flying back, and also created a panic among the rest of the corps. but only temporarily and after falling back a short distance, they were again formed by the indomitable courage and bravery of our General Warren, who is never in the rear during an engagement with his corps. the enemy were checked, and driven back again, but during the panic the 6'h corps actualy fired into our corps by mistake, inflicting as heavy a loss if not a greater than the rebs did. I see by some of the papers that the affair is tried to be smoothed over about the 6'h corps firing into us, but it is a fact that our corps will never forget. 5 the next day the attack was to be renewed by us but a very severe storm set in during the night which continued throughout the day, freezing as it fell. that put a stop in hostilities. then our lines were laid out and entrenching and fortifications were commenced. we remained in this locality a week, until the lines were perfected. then the General looked up a place for his head quarters which we removed too. have now been here most a week and no house yet. but we are stopping with the Signal detatchment6 attached to hd q", composed of six fine fellows who extend their hospitality to us until our house is completed, which we shall allow the "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

details to put up for us this time. to day has been the first pleasant day we have had since we have been here. Hammond and myself have been out all day, surveying the new lines, and ground now occupied by our corps and the 2d and have a weeks work before us, if the weather permits us. I am greatly disgusted, that I was so foiled about the completion of my Weldon RR scetch. I can do nothing about it now until we get our house up. then I will endeavor to work on it evenings, if I cant get other time for it. I wrote to Mosier just before we started in this last move and got an answer a few days ago[.] he is somewhere on the other side of the James river. I shall write to him again soon. we are expecting four months pay in a few days, that is the talk about here now. I hope this time we shall have that thing fixed up and done with when you call at Mr and Mrs Hudsons[.] give them my regards. I wrote to Belle before we left the Yellow house and have received no answer yet. this morning I received a good long letter from Helen with papers. give my love to Helen and Emma and write soon to your affectionate son Charles

up in support. Though most of the Fifth Corps, including Reed, were incensed by this "friendly-fire" incident, such occurrences were fairly common in the confusion of combat (ibid., p. 320). 6 The Signal Corps was a relatively new branch of the military when the war began. In an act of Congress passed in March 1863, the corps was organized so that each army corps was assigned a signal corps detachment to be commanded by a captain. Each detachment consisted of approximately thirty-five officers and men. By the 1864 campaign the size of the detachments had dwindled to less than twenty officers and men each. As Reed noted in this letter, the detachment attached to Fifth Corps headquarters consisted of only six officers and men. Still, the Signal Corps was able to cover a wide area, for during the Petersburg Campaign they occupied over seventy stations of observation and established eleven lines of signal communication (Joseph B. Willard, The Signal Corps, United States Army, in the War of the Rebellion [Boston: U.S. Veteran Signal Corps Assoc., 1896), pp. 144-47,

LIBRARY OF CoNGRESS

The engagement at Hatcher's Run was the last Union effort to extend the encirclement ofPetersburg before the final push in late March and early April. Once back in the camps, the men settled down to wait the approach of spring and improved weather. As Reed's following letter indicates, however, the neverending work ofsurveying continuedfor the officers and men of the topographical staff, especially with the addition ofrecording the Fifth Corps' last movement. (See Trudeau, Last Citadel, pp.

292- 93, 382, 386-87).

329.)

HdQrs 5'h Army Corps' Dear Mother March 2d 1864[5]2 I received yours of the 23d ult, a few days ago, but we only moved into our new house until last night. we have been very busy ever since this last move and have yet a weeks work before us of out doors work. it is raining now and has been for the past two weeks more or less consequently it is continualy muddy which makes our occupation any thing but pleasant[.] I went back to the old camp where the artillery remained instead of moving out here with the corps; and have enjoyed their comfortable quarters all this time while we have been out poking about in the mud. I got my pay SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

Signal officer Strap't to a tree in case ofgetting shot." (LC)

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1 The Fifth Corps headquarters was approximately seven miles southwest of Petersburg, along Arthur's Creek or Swamp, near the Vaughan Road (see Cowles, camp., At/as, Plate XCIV.9 and LXVI.9). 2 Because Reed misdated this letter "1864" it is filed in the "March-April 1864" folder in the Library of Congress collection. The letter's heading and contents make it obvious that it was written in 1865. Reed also mis-dated his next three letters (March 8, 9 and 19), and they too were misfiled. 3 Reed was referring to the movement that resulted in the engagement at Hatcher's Run on February 5-7, and the resulting map work he was still completing.

and returned to my abode heartily tired and feeling as blue as a man could, situated as I now am, for what do you think that dolt of a Holland has gone and done? simply this, he has drawn out a scetch from memory of the Weldon fight which took place on the 21 " instead of the 18'h (which was the day I was representing in the act of taking it) and sent it on to Bufford to have it lithographed. so it will be of no use for me now to think of getting mine up, as two similar subjects wont amount to any thing. you see he had plenty of time to do it, as the battery did not move from their quarters, while I have been knocking about this infernal country laying it out in maps, and have'nt got it half done yet. we have surveyed miles and miles when the mud was knee deep for the horses, however I will finnish the picture for my own sake and interest if nothing more. all the troops have not been payed off as yet and I have given copies of those Lithographs of Grant and Sherman to parties to take to their regiments or commands to get subscriptions for them and intend to make something on them. then my comrade Hammond is going to get Capt Cope to procure the photographs of Generals Warren and other corps Generals which we will get Bufford to lith, and as General Warren's picture has not been 306

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"BATTLE OF THE WELDON RAIL-ROAD. " This lithograph by Richard Holland depicts the fighting on August 21, 1865. The view is north/northwest, with the Conftderate lines marked by the distant tree line. For Charles Reed's opinion of this work see the end ofhis May 22, 1864 letter to his mother. (Petersburg National Battlefield Park)

seen in the army he we shall have the exclusive sale of them and many want Warrens. we think we can make a great thing of it[.] I am going to make some money before I get out of this. I wish that Holland any like the spirit of a man about him. it was a dastardly, cowardly and sneaking trick, and shows the true Orthodox principle that's in him and all other of the same class. if it had'nt been for this last confounded movement I could have had mine all done and Bufford would have been at work on it by this time. 3 it is enough to make a saint ugly. You may depend on it I shall do my best to make something and all I can while I remain here. I will send you a fifty dollar bill if you will assure me you will invest it proffitabley for me otherwise I invest it myself. if you will put it out at interest with my other I will give you a separate ten dollar bill to do what you please with which will take about all I have, but I had have it out at interest if I never had a cent here, for its precious little I spend here. some men who were paid off a few days ago have not got a bill to show to day and are around borrowing against next pay day. there are not many out here who deny themselves as I do, and have saved as much of their pay as I have[.] I shall write to Mosier as soon as I complete this[.] I do not think he has been payed SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

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off yet but expect he will be by the 15'h of this month. I will write about .... [The rest of this letter is missing] LIBRARY OF CoNGRESS

Q" 5'h Army Corps

1 This was the Battle of Waynesbourgh, Virginia, fought on March 2, 1865. The remnants of Gen. Jubal Early's Confederate army in the Shenandoah Valley were swept away by Sheridan's powerful Union army. The Northern attack was led by Gen. George A. Custer, who captured two hundred wagons, seventeen flags, and more than a thousand men. Though Early and a small part of his army escaped, this battle effectively ended the long struggle, which had begun in 1861, for control of the Shenandoah Valley (Long, Civil War Day by Day, p. 645). 2 In an attempt to sap the strength of the outnumbered and increasingly demoralized Confederate armies, the War Department issued Special Orders No. 3 on January 4, 1865, which stated that "deserters from the Confederate Army who deliver themselves up to the U.S. forces, will, on taking an oath be ... furnished with subsistence and free transportation to their homes." Further, deserters "who bring arms, horses, mules, or other property into our lines ... will. .. receive in money the highest price such arms, horses, mules, and other property are worth." This offer was made even more inviting by the promise of employment in the "Quartermaster's and other departments of the Army" and not to conscript them into Federal service. This order was reissued on March 4, 1865, and from Reed's description here was at least partially successful (OR, 46: pt. 2, pp. 828·

Hatchers Run near Petersburg Va March 8'h, 1865 Dear Sister Em, Its raining like fun. it has rained almost coninualy since we started out on this last move and from present appearances and past experience one might almost safely say it would rain, rain, rain, drip, drip, splash and no end to the mud, till time never heard of. Another brilliant victory we hear of Sheridan whipped Early, and from all accounts it appears to be all up with that latter gentleman for we hear Early is "bagged" with most of his command amounting to some eighteen thousand, very good if true. 1 A most pleasing sight we are getting acumstomed to nowadays is the squad of reb deserters who pass here daily the majority of them bringing in their arms and equipment, for which they are immediately paid in greenbacks, which it quite an object for them. 2 I accompanied one of the Signal boys to a Signal Station a short time ago and climbing the tree was amply repaid for my pains by a glorious view of the enemy's line and country south west of Petersburg. I took a sketch of a portion of their works taking in their famous lead works, with the aid of a powerful telescope which brought the objects out as plain as ifi were standing with in fifty yards of them. while in the tree I saw a reb, inspection which was done up in style by them in their lines[.] they had a band of music and the wind blowing in our direction we could catch the airs they were playing. I am at present (speaking as army portence) a "widower" for my comrade has gone for fifteen days on furlough. it is realy quite lonesome without him. I should dearly like a furlough and come home for a week or so. what times I'd have has Ames still got the grey horse? Yesterday there was a grand Review of the 3d Division by Gen's Meade and Warren. there was four ambulances freighted with ladies to view the scene, some of the Generals wives and friends who are visiting the army[.] I would like for the fun of it to have the enemy given us an opening just to have seen them "git" or "skedaddle". 3 So you have been having sleighing all along[.] I can't say I envy you, as my ex-

29). 308

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perience here in the army has given me a decided aversion to snow as I also think it would you home people if you were obliged to lay out and sleep in it. but I suppose it wont take long for me to get over that if I were situated to enjoy it as you are. I find my line of business does'nt take me out of the reach of the unfriendly balls but unless I'm with the Captain I have a chance to do a little private dodging, however "five months and a bit" will soon pass away perhaps during that time I shall have the good luck to see the rebellion cave in, then I should be satisfied with army life. Do you attend any of the dancing parties. I think I could doubly enjoy them now. I dontlike public Balls. do they have private Sociables in Woburn[.] they used to be in vogue in Boston before I left. I attended some enjoying them immensely. as they are conducted by a party who are all aquainted and no strangers are admitted which makes it all the more pleasant[.] I am glad to hear Harlie is doing so finely at School. his grandfathers commendation arrays more than a score of some peoples opinions. give my love to Harlie and Howard. I remain as ever your affectionate brother Charlie

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3 This incident was the result of a surprise visit by dignitaries, officers' wives, and family members from Grant's headquarters to the Army of the Potomac. The entourage included Mrs. Grant and the daughter of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Before arriving at the Fifth Corps, via the ambulances Reed mentions here, this party visited the engineers' camp, the hospitals of the Sixth Corps, and the 140-foot-tall signal tower at Fort Fisher. Once at the Fifth Corps, General Warren called out two divisions to pass in review. Theodore Lyman, one of Meade's staff officers, shared Reed's distaste for these unnecessary civilian visits to the front and wrote to his wife: "Your hub, not without growls of a private sort, girded hisself with a sash and ordered the charger saddled. In due time they kim . . . . I took off my cap and was solemonly introduced to twelve distinct ladies, whose names I instantly forgot (ditto those of distinguished gentleman accompanying)' (George Agassiz, ed., Meade's Headquarters 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman [Boston, Atlantic Monthly Press 1922]. p. 314).

BooKs AND SPECIAL CoLLECTIONS,

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Dear Mother Hd.Q".S'h Corps near Hatchers Run Va, March 8'h [Reed instructs her to order fifty prints of General Grant and twenty-five of General Sherman from printers and send them by express because he can make a quick profit of eight to ten dollars.] Have you thought of any thing I can get a furlough on if so write to me before the 20'h of this month. my comrade Hammond has gone home on furlough and I SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

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"Lead Works South WEST of Petersburg inside reb lines. " (LC)

I The following day, Reed wrote again to his mother. Dated March 9, this letter was the only wartime letter by Reed not included in this book; it is extremely short and nearly identical to his March 8, 1865, one.

am all alone. I can work better on my picture I think I can have it done before I get an answer to this. ifl get a furlough I can bring it home. then I am at work on a scetch of a great Signal tower which the signal boys want me to get lithographed, and ifl find them all in for it I'l do it[.] I can make fifty or more dollars on it. I have plenty to do in the mapping line yet, have not yet got all the new ground mapped out[.] Hoping you will give your immediate attention to this I remain as ever your affectionate Son Charles 1 LIBRARY OF CoNGRESS

"Signal Tower near Patrick Sta 160ft." (LC) I Reed was attempting to obtain a furlough for a short visit home. As for the "great preparations," Reed was apparently either repeating a rumor or mistook some other military activity for preparations for a large-scale movement, as nothing of importance

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Dear Mother Hd Q" 5'h Corps March 19'h 1864[5] I have received all three of your last letters one of which contained a note from Mr Bufford which will be of no avail in my case. great preparations are going on here for a ground move, and if we are not moved by the time my comrade gets back and still give furloughs, I think I can get one without extravagant reason[.] 1 my comrade is expected here in three days at the least. I have my Weldon scetch completed2 and have been out all day getting subscriptions, have succeeded verry well to day having obtained one hundred and twenty eight subscribers[.] I shall get two hundred before I send it or bring it or whichever the case may be. by the spirit evinced about it, I can undoubtedly dispose of hundreds when they are lithographed. every one who see officers and all testifY to its truthfullness and appear very desious for me to have it done. I shall either send it on or bring it myself in four days from date so you may expect to see either the picture come posting along or both it and myself in due time. give my love "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

to Helen and Emma and believe me as ever affectionately your son Charles

transpired at this time or appears in the Official Records.

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2 This sketch is not in either the Library of Congress or Princeton University collections.

(Left) "5'h Corps Hd Q'"' March 15, 1865 Gen Wtmen. "{LC) (Below) "17 March St. Patricks Day zi Corps 1865 Hatchers Run Vicinity. "(LC)

Reed obtained his long-sought-after furlough in late March, shortly after he wrote the last letter. Although he was undoubtedly happy to be returning homefor the first time in nearly two years, Reed's absence from the front is unfortunate for the modern reader. Important military events transpired soon after his departure, and thus Reed missed a splendid opportunity to witness and record these critical moments. Shortly after his leave began, the Confiderates made their last desperate, even hopeless attempt to break the siege ofPetersburg by launching a surprise attack on March 25 against the Union fortifications at Fort Stedman, just east ofthe city. Within days of the attack's repulse, Union forces were on the move against the Confiderate right. This push was conducted by cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan, who had recently arrivedfrom the Shenandoah Valley, along with the Fifth and Second Corps. SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

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On April I these forces overwhelmed the Southern defenders along the extreme right end of the Petersburg defenses at Five Forks. Though successful, this victory was not without controversy, for during the height ofbattle Sheridan ordered the removal ofReed's corps commander, Maj. Gen. Gouverneur warren. A series of Union assaults along the overextended Petersburg lines quickly followed. By April 2 the Confederate government evacuated Richmond, which, along with Petersburg, fell to the advancing Union forces the next day. Led by General Lee, the remnants ofthe Confederate army fled westward andfor the next week eluded the pursuing Union forces. By April8, however, the Confederate retreat had been effectively blocked and Lee realized any remaining hope was gone. The following day, on April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered his remaining forces to Grant at Appomattox Court House. While these stirring events were unfolding, Reed was struggling to return to the army from his furlough. His long andfrustrating trip from Boston began on April7 and lasted over a week. The following letter to his mother and the May 23 letter to his sister Helen chronicle his traveling adventures. (See Charles W Reed MSR, NA; Trudeau, Last Citadel, pp. 330, 332, 33454; Catton, Bruce Catton's Civil war, pp. 661-81). Dear Mother

Hd Qrs, 5'h Army Corps Notaway C. H. Va. 1 Apr 22d

1 Nottoway Court House was approximately thirty-seven miles southwest of Petersburg. 2 City Point, located along the James River approximately ten miles northeast of Petersburg, served as the army's headquarters and main supply depot during the siege of the city. 3 One of the Griffin brothers was Perley Griffin, whom Reed mentioned in his October 4, 1862, letter to Emma Gowing. Griffin had served in the Sixth New York Battery from June 1861 until he was mustered out in June 1864. The other brother was probably James H. Griffin, who was listed as a twenty-six-year-old bookkeeper in the 1860 U. S. Census for Woburn. Both of the brothers must have been attached to the army at this time in some civilian capacity IMSSM, 6: 673; 1860 U.S. Census for Woburn, Massachusetts, NA).

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"I still live[.]" I presume you are wondering with all your might what has become of me or why I do'nt write. Well I'l tell you. I've had a hard time of it, getting to the corps, and since then. I arrived at City point2 the next Sunday after leaving you all right, was obliged to remain there two days as there were no cars to go out from there, being all out front. I am greatly indebted to the Griffin brothers ofWoburn, 3 whom I found here, for their kind hospitality, they making my stay there a pleasure which I little anticipated could be found in such a place. all the places of interest were shown me, and to my collection of scetches I added one of Gen. Grants Hd Qrs which is pleasantly located there on a high bluff overlooking the James river. On Tuesday afternoon after siting on a car load of hay five or six hours a train started for Petersburg where we arrived an hour before dark[.] I omitted to mention that at Baltimore I met a friend belonging to 5'h C. Hd qrs of the Signal dept, who was also returning from furlough, so the most tiresome part of my journey passed away quite

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pleasantly. Arriving at Petersburg I learned that Gen. Warren, and his personal staff were there, 4 so I called and saw Capt Cope. he said there was no probability of their returning to the corps and that I might do as I chose about reporting to the 5'h or 9'h corps. he said they had made application from the 9'h for me, but that the Adjutant General of the 5'h had done nothing about it, as he (Capt Cope) expressed his desire to him for me to remain. I told him I would be obliged to go to the 5'h as all my effects were there, whether I went to the 9'h corps or not. 5 I thanked him for his many kindnesses and bade him good bye. I was obliged to remain in Petersburg two days, here as at City point I found friends again, entering a large store on one of the principal streets, I was greeted by Mr. Marsh who used to room with me in Temple st. he is in the firm of Chase & Brown of whom I have spoken to you about. I was handsomely entertained by them during my sojourn there. there was a brigade of heavy Artillery doing provost duty, in which luckily was the 6'h N.Y. Mossier's regt. so I hunted him up. he was glad to see me[.] he had been home on a furlough which was the reason he had not answered my last letter as he did not get it until his return. his information in regard to the reviews was very gratifying. he says that they are safe in Washington and that, he has a man there who will deliver them from there by mail next pay day when he thinks it will be squared up satisfactorily to all parties[.] he says the boys want them just the same the only trouble is the want of money and next pay day will abide that. Thursday night we left Petersburg for Burksville junction arriving there Friday afternoon. found our corps train where we remained over night. the cars go no further than Burksville as a bridge is destroyed just beyond, so the next morning we set out on foot for the corps, which was then at Appomotax Court House nearly fifty miles distant[.] we got within ten miles of the court house, where we learned that the corps had started on its return, and a train of cars we had captured from the rebs, going back towards Farmville where our corps was also reported going we got aboard and had a rough trip back owing to the bad condition of the R.R. the next day Sunday the corps came in at Farmville on the Appomatox river[.] I had a glorious welcome amongst my comrades. I was just a week and three days getting to the corps from Boston. 6 I reported to the Adjutant Gen'l and told him my story. he said he would talk with Gen Griffin 7 and learn his decision about keeping up the SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

4 After being relieved of command at Five Forks, Warren and his staff had been reassigned to the command of all the Union forces around Petersburg (Emerson G. Taylor, Gouverneur Kemble Warren: Life and Letters of an American Soldier [Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1932], p. 228).

5 This passage refers to Reed's returning either to Fifth Corps headquarters or to the Ninth Massachusetts Battery, which had been reassigned to the Ninth Corps. The Fifth Corps was at this time located at Appomattox Court House while the Ninth Corps was at Nottoway Court House (Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 166).

6 Reed was reunited with his Fifth Corps comrades on Sunday, April 16, 1865. 7 Brig. Gen. Charles Griffin had

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replaced Warren as commander of the Fifth Corps. 8 President Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated April15, 1865. News traveled quickly to the armies, and the soldiers were informed of his death by that evening. The day of mourning Reed mentioned probably occurred on April 19, the day funeral services were held for the late president. whose remains were then to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda until April 20 (long, Civil War Day by Day, pp. 675·79).

surveying department and let me know, but from that day to this I have heard nothing from him. the next day we marched 24 miles went into camp and devoted a day to humilation and prayer on the death of president Lincoln[.] 8 then made another days march to Notaway C. H. where we now are. it is rumored that we start monday and go by way of Richmond to Washington. may not move for months yet[.] I should have written earlier, but I expected to be with the battery before this, and had made up my mind not to write until I was permanently settled either with the battery or at these head quarters[.] I do not understand why they keep so silent about it[.] Hammond is still here with me doing nothing[.] If we do not move monday I shall survey our situation and finnish it well, showing every thing and hand it to Gen Griffin myself. write soon to your affectionate son Charles direct letters as heretofore to these Hd q" LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

0

(Left) now "Ulis'' let him do it. it's the way he makes his living[.} it wont take but a minute Mrs US Grant said. " Reed apparently did not witness the incident he depicted in this sketch as neither Gen. Grant nor Mrs. Grant would not have been at City Point at the time he visited the area. More than likely Reed was simply told ofthis episode, which probably happened between December 1864 and March 1865, which he then decided to use as the focus ofthis drawing. (LC)

\... \-,

(Above) "Grants H 1 ~ " The modest cabin on the right served as Gen. Grant's living quarters during the winter of 1864-65, while he was overseeing the siege operations around Petersburg and Richmond (see Porter, Campaigning with Grant, pp. 329-30). (LC)

314

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(Left) "Nottoway Sta, Vtz. "(LC) (Below) "RR Bridge crossing the Appomattox river at Petersburg{} Burned by Reb Gov'nt. "(LC)

(Left) Appomattox Back Again. " (LC)

SERVICE WITH THE TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS

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(Top) Burkeville JUNC VA." (LC)

(Bottom) 'Jetersville Station Danville & Richmond RR. " (LC)

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III The Last Encampment: Mustering Out

"it was the grandest military display I ever witnessed"

R

eed remained with the Fifth Corps headquarters until May 13, when he was officially relievedfrom his detail andreassigned to the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. By that time he, along with most of the Army of the Potomac, had returned to Washington, D. C Though it is largely ignored in most histories ofthe Civil wtlr, the demobilization ofthe Union troops around Richmond and Petersburg and their subsequent movement to their respective homes was a long and complicated undertaking. For these men the war did not end at Appomattox Court House. Instead, it took weeks, or even months, before they were mustered out ofFederal service and were allowed to return to their loved ones. All ofthese events and constant changes also interrupted Reed's correspondence, creating a gap ofexactly a month between letters. The following letter gives a sense of the numerous obstacles that had to be overcome before the men could be mustered out of service and return to their peacetime occupations. (See Charles W. Reed MSR, NA; Chris M. Calkins, The Final Bivouac: The Surrender Parade at Appomattox and the Disbanding of the Armies, April1 0-May 20, 1865 [Lynchburg, Va.: H. E. Howard, 1988]. Camp 9th Mass Battery Dear Mother Arlington Heights May22d I rode over to Corps Hd Q" this morning and got your letters, which I now answer. I should have written as soon as we arrived here, but it has been raining almost incessantly since we have been here[.] I returned to the Battery five days ago, pursuant to orders, relieving us from further duty at Hd Qrs [.] I have had somewhat a hard time of it since my return to the field. on reaching the 5'h Corps at Appomattox I found that the Capt, having had his horse shot at five forks had taken mine and used him up with hard riding[.] 1 conseTHE LAST ENCAMPMENT: MUSTERING OUT

1 The Battle of Five Forks, fought

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(Top) "Richmond Vtz. "Reed probably made this sketch from the south side ofthe james River. The Virginia State Capitol is visible on the right-center horizon (the large Greek-type structure with a flag raised) just to the left of the two steeples. (LC) (Above) "MANCHESTER PARK ofRichmond. " (LC) 318

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quently I was dismounted with the pleasant prospect of frogging it back to Washington but my comrade very magnanimously insisted on our taking turns at riding his horse, so I rode one day and walked the next walking in all just half the way[.] it was terrible marching and many men died on the way. I consider it most shameful on the part of the authorities or commandants, in racing the different corps at the expense of men's lives, who, have done all that men could do; and have been fortunate enough to survive the danger and horrors of warfare. it certainly does not tend to give the men a very exalted opinion of the officer in charge who threw away lives so uselessly and with apparently with so little remorse. 2 We are as the papers state, truly, pleasantly situated on Arlington heights, and but for the dampening effect of the late continued rain we should have enjoyed life here hugely. providence smiled on us this morning for which I am truly thankful. tomorrow and the next day are the days set for the great grand reviews. 3 if our battery takes part at all, we shall go tomarow. I earnestly hope we we go for it is an occasion or event I wish to witness much. a number of men are detailed making out our papers for our discharge. we shall come to massachusetts and go in camp there to be mustered out of service[.] I think without doubt we shall be on our way home within a week from this date. after the Review, they will commense sending the troops to their respective states previous to discharging. about secureing subscribers for the Weldon scetch I can do nothing on a sure footing with the troops in the field here, but can do much better when we get encamped in Mass, with men that reside in the State. but I can establish or at least endeavor to, agencies with men in other state regiments, unles I can do it on a safe scale I wont do it at all. it is all uncertainty here at present, a regiment is sent, here a brigade is sent off to a great distance perparatory to discharge so you see it is very unsafe to depend on anything at present. I expect Mosiers regiment to arrive here with the 6th corps in t[w]o days and shall arrange matters with him satisfactorily before I leave for home. trust me for arranging every thing as correct as lli possible under circumstances. I like the idea of having that frenchman lithograph the Weldon and shall now do all I can towards facilitating matters to that effect. I have seen Hollands picture. it is so much crowded that it is disporportionate[.] 4 wish I could see a sample of this new mans works[.] for instance something on small figures like THE LAST ENCAMPMENT: MUSTERING OUT

April!, 1865, is the same one in which General Warren was relieved of command of the Fifth Corps. The captain to whom Reed refers was his immediate commander, Capt. Emmor B. Cope.

2 The Fifth Corps began its return march to Washington, D.C., on May 1. At that time it was stationed around Nottoway Court House, west of Petersburg, where Reed had met his comrades after returning from his furlough. The march was made rapidly, and the corps reached Fairfax Station south of the capital on May 11. It had covered over 160 miles in just eleven days (Frank J. Welcher, The Union Army 1861-1865, Organization and Operations, the Eastern Theater, Vol. 1 [Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989] p. 393). 3 With the return of the armies to Washington, government authorities organized a march of the soldiers through the capital, to be reviewed by President Andrew Johnson and other high-ranking officials. This act not only recognized the troops' service but was also a final gesture of the armies before they were disbanded. The Grand Review was held on May 23-24 and included approximately 150,000 men from the armies of the Potomac, Tennessee, and Georgia (Boatner, Civil War Dictionary, p. 351).

4 Reed is referring to Richard Holland's lithographed sketch "Battle of the Weldon Rail-Road."

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5 Apparently Reed was never able to get his Weldon Railroad sketch lithographed, at least not on a large scale, for none are known to exist.

those in my picture[.] I want to get mine up now and shall do all that is possible to that end[.]5 love to Helen Emma hoping you write soon[.] I remain affectionately your son

Charles I have plenty of writing material. LrBRARY OF CoNGRESS

(Above) "Washingtons Hd Qrs Richmond{} Lafoyettes. " Located on Main Street, the "Old Stone House" was the oldest house in Richmond. Probably built in the 1730s, it could have served as George Washington's Headquarters during the Revolution. At the time Reed took made this drawing the building had become the headquarters ofthe Union Provost Marshal. (LC) (Left) "LIBBY." Situated along the james River, Libby was one ofthe most famous Confederate prisons. This converted warehouse held Union officers throughout most ofthe war. (LC) 320

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(Left) "BELLE ISLAND from Oregon Hill. "Established in the summer of 1862, this prisoner ofwar camp was one ofthe most infamous in the South. By the winter of186364 it held as many as 12, 000 Union soldiers, completely overwhelming the available room and supplies. Organ Hill is located west ofRichmond on the north side ofthe james River. (LC)

(Above) "5th Corps passing through Richmond after Appomattox. "It is possible Reed recorded this scene on May 6, 1865, when most ofthe Fifth Corps passed through Richmond during its march back to Washington, D. C. (LC) (Left) "May 5 Fording Matapony. "This sketch was used as a model for an illustration which later appeared in Battles and Leaders (volume 4, page 213). The caption was probably added later, as the date seems incorrect, being too early. (LC) THE LAST ENCAMPMENT: MUSTERING OUT

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"Arlington Heights va Apr 1865. "Reed's caption was probably added after the war, as the date is incorrect, being a month off H e probably did not reach Washington, D. C. until May 11, 1865. (LC)

The last ofReed's wartime letters was to his sister Helen. Because he had not written to her since his return ftom his furlough, over six weeks before, the letter is long and inclusive. He not only describes his trip ftom Boston back to the army, but also eloquently conveys the stirring events that transpired around Washington. Several great Union armies had gathered before officially disbanding, signaling the end to four long years ofwar.

I Reed is undoubtedly referring to the fall of Richmond and Petersburg and the subsequent surrender of Lee's army, all of which occurred during his trip back to the army.

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Camp 9'h Mass Battery Vols., Arlington Heights Dear Sister May 23d 1865 What can you think of me. I own I have been sadly remiss with all my correspondents since my return, having written but two letters to Mother. If you will take into consideration the almost endless marching with its consequent fatigues, you will not censure me too harshly. After leaving you on the 7'h of April and entering the cars I was oblivous to transpiring events until arriving in New York. 1 there having a couple of hours to spare I sauntered over to the fifth avenue Hotel for curiosity's sake. I viewed its interior and exterior satisfying myself on its "nobly'' appearance, then made my exit with one of New York's best cigars feeling myself on a par with some brigadiers I know of and many more I don't know of[.] my next trip was twenty miles down into New Jersey where I alighted during a drishing rain at Elisbeth City. I proceeded to a hotel (which by the way was a miserable one) where I brushed up a bit did not realise my expectations on a dejeuner after which I made the necessary inquires for my partie. the landlord directed me some two miles out on a pleasant road, and as I wished to see as much of the country as possible I walked. I discovered I was getting some way into the interior before I arrived, however I found the

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

house which was a fine stone one with fine shade trees[.] observing a lady standing on the porch I asked if Mr BalF resided there. I felt somewhat concerned when she informed me they had moved from there to the other side of the town. then ensued a little conversation during which I was invited in. was ushered into a delightfuly cool and gorgeous apartment (they live in style, these Jersey people) where I enjoyed a half hours chat with the hostes, during which time a trencher of refreshments was brought in by a lady "of color" for my special benifit. thanks to the ladys good sense, we were not obliged to differ in our sentiments in regard to the war question, and I regret that I was so pressed for time, or I should certainly remained there long enough to have termed it a visit. but with full instructions for finding my friends, I turned from this type of hospitality and made quick time to town, where I got my instructions confirmed by a man in the transportation line at the depot then struck off on a tangent up a street, which judging from its rather rural style of architecture must have been the Beacon st of E. City[.] the distance I traversed was greater "of course" than I anticipated, but I found the house and was subjected to a second disapointment for the biddy who came to the door informed me that "the Miss Ball what once was, was married now[.]" that she did not know of my Miss Ball in question. whereupon I grew a little despondent and think I must have shown it in my counterance as I asked if she could give or obtain me any information of whereabouts of my race of Balls, for she took compassion on my bewildered and deplorable condition, saying she would ask the "mistress." the mistress came down a blooming bride of about eighteen summers, very beautiful, who to my inexpresable delight knew all about my partie and gave me explicit directions how to find them. we had a good laugh over my mornings experience. apologising and thanking madame I went on my way rejoicing, thinking all Elisabeth beautiful. it is certainly an interesting place, but rather overstocked with faminine beauty which would be the only objection one might have in making a long stop there, as it would trouble him some in making a choice. Well I found my partie without difficulty this time about noon where I received a right hearty welcome and enjoyed a charming afternoon there. my mornings jaunt caused no little merriment with them. we talked over old times, discussed scetches, made a few in a album, had music, Etc. I was pleased to notice that they did not horrify their heads with rats, mice, rabbits, THE LAST ENCAMPMENT: MUSTERING OUT

2 This was William Ball, Eunica Ball's father. The 1860 U.S. Census for Elizabeth, New Jersey, listed Ball as a fifty-two-year-old master tailor. His family consisted of his wife, Phibe (forty-nine), his son John (twenty-one), who was also a tailor, a daughter Lyllia (nineteen), and Eunica, who was then fifteen years old.

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(Above) "Washington May 1865 Grand Review. "These rough companion sketches capture the parade oftroops down Pennsylvania Avenue. The fomous Willard Hotel is in the center (with the flag on its roof) and the Capitol building on the for right. It is possible this was the Fifth Corps passing in review, as Reed added the Corps' Maltese Cross emblem to his caption. (LC)

watterfall, Etc, Etc. although their style would have admitted it much better than many instances I have seen. I took my departure in the five P.M. train for Philadelphia with a pressing invitation to come and make a longer stop when the war is over. I arrived in Phila. at eight P.M. made a fashionable call on the Engards at nine, remained an hour or so, then started on the remainder of my journey arriving at Baltimore the next forenoon. was obliged to wait here until four P.M. for the fortress Monroe boat. I here met a man belonging to 5'h Corps Hd Q'' in the Signal dept. we were looking about with rather long faces when we happened to spy each other. it was all right then. the next morning we arrived at fortress monroe, that night at City Point. here we were obliged remain over two days waiting for the cars[.] I found friends here so that the time was passed more plesandy than it would had I not done so[.] Arriving at Petersburg the same fate awaited us as at City Point[.] two more days had to be done up, before we got off. I also found friends here to take care of me[.] I made good use of my time while here seeing all there was

"Furlough. "(LC)

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to be seen. saw sights I will give you an account in a few days at home. Next we had a ride South Side R.R. as far as Burksville, from which place we footed it nearly forty miles out to Apomattox County where we carne up to the S'h Corps, on sunday just one week from the day we arrived at City Point[.] We arrived just as they were starting back. it was anything but consoling to think we had all our journey for naught[.] back we came, passing through Petersburg and Richmond on our way home. the roads were in the worst conceivable condition, and the marching two much forced, many men loosing their lives from over marching and exhaustion[.] I will give you a full description of our sights in and about Richmond also show you some scetches I took about there next week probably, as we are all anticpating an early return to Mass, there to go in camp until discharged. tomarrow the grand Review comences in Washington. we are making preparation to participate[.] its, getting dark I will complete this after the Review[.] Good night Charlie May 25'h\65 By some unaccountable arrangements our Battery did not go in Review day before yesterday. 3 I procurred a pass yesterday and went into the city and saw Shermans Army pass in Review. it was the grandest military display I ever witnessed[.] I wish you could have been here, you would have got an idea THE LAST ENCAMPMENT: MUSTERING OUT

3 The battery probably did not participate in the Grand Review because it had been officially attached to the Ninth Corps, which was no longer a part of the Army of the Potomac.

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4 John Richards could not be identified. 5 Kit could not be identified, but might have been a new domestic servant in Helen's home. It seems likely that Reed had met Kit for the first time during his furlough as this was the only time the name appears in his correspondence.

what an army was[.] fortunately the two days for the Review were unexceptionable, it having rained for five days steadily previous to it, and rained just enough to day to make it disagreeable[.] I would not missed witnessing the Review on any consideration. it was an event ever to be remembered. Tomarrow we turn in all our guns and ordnance stores, retaining nothing nothing but our horses. it is said we are to be Reviewed on Boston Common the first of June by Gov. Andrews, and the way business is hurried up it certainly appears favorable to that end. I have some good news to tell you when I get home that will please you I think, about going to a Scientific School. I could not find John Richards4 to see him the day I went to the City, but shall endeavor to go in when they take the guns in and shall undoubdy find them. the treasurey dept. being closed the days of the Review was the reason I could get no clue to them. Tell Kit5 not to despair of getting that "hard tac" for I have some put away especially for her. have carried them all the way from Nottaway, south of Richmond. The troops are yelling and screeching with joy at the prospect of getting off tomarrow[.] immense fires burning, bands playing, and exploding ammunition. a novel idea is going on every man is placing candles on the outside of every tent[.] thousands upon thousands, cheer upon cheer, resounding and sweling through the night air[.] Oh I wish you could see it. they'r yelling for Reed[.] I must go, phew? Hi Yi Y--i love to Gracie, regards to Kit MrT. direct to 9th Mass battery and write soon to your affectionate brother Charlie LIBRARY OF CoNGRESS

Reed and his comrades ofthe Ninth Massachusetts Battery began the final process ofdisbanding on May 29 when they turned in their guns, horses, and other equipment. On june I, with the welcome order to "Fall in for home, "the men made their final march to the train station in Washington. A two-day trip by rail and boat brought the battery to Boston, "home to many ofour company, almost home to all ofus. " Their return home was somewhat bittersweet, for, much to the men's disappointment, the hoped-for review by Governor Andrew, or any state official never occurred. Nor was any ceremony held to welcome the battery home. Even more frustrating, it took until june 9, six days after their arrival in Boston, before the final bureaucratic red tape was cut and the men were 326

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"Custers bolt & run at Grand Review down Pennsylvania May 25165" One ofthe more famous incidents ofthe Grand Review involved the flamboyant and controversial Maj. Gen. George A . Custer. As he passed the reviewing stand in front of the White House on onlooker apparently tossed a wreath of evergreens and flowers toward the general, startling his horse, which then bolted toward the crowd before Custer reined in the frightened animal. It is unknown if Charles Reed actually witnessed this episode or merely drew this sketch after hearing about it. The date Reed used in his caption is slightly mistaken, as this incident occurred on May 23, not May 25, 1865. (LC)

officially discharged. The Ninth Massachusetts Battery ceased to exist as Sgt. Levi Baker, the unit's historian, remembered, "with a few hurried handshakings and 'Good luck to you, ' ... we scattered, never to meet all together again. " After having served his country for two years, nine months, and thirty days, Charles Wellington Reed was once again a civilian. He was always careful with his money and Spartan in his expenses, and the government owed him $22.88 in unused uniform allowance. Obviously, the war had changed Charles Reedforever. In many ways he was older than his twenty-four years, being a two-year combat veteran who had survived at leastfive major battles and numerous skirmishes. Despite the hardships, Charles Reed had used his wartime experiences "to learn and improve accordingly. " Those skills wouldgo far in guiding him throughout the remainder ofhis life. (See Baker, History ofthe Ninth, p. 181, 188; Charles W. Reed, MSR, NA; Charles Reed to mother, December 5, 1864, Reed Collection, LC).

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This engraving also later appeared in Battles and Leaders (volume 4, p. 178) with a caption which read in part: "Mr. Reed, the artist, belonged to Bigelow's 9'h Massachusetts battery, which .. . was holding the Fredericks-burg road.. . at the place where General Grant made his observation. The troops seen in the background are the 9'h Massachusetts Volunteers. "

,-

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121 Charles Reed, Civilian

"one ofthe most famous 'characters' in Boston"

Reed's obituary paid tribute to his energy and spirit: Charles W Reed was one of the most famous "characters" in Boston ... an all around good fellow, dearly loved by a host of friends .... It was inevitable that such a man should be known to all his friends as "Charlie" Reed, and the implication of youth in that name "Charlie" was exactly appropriate in his case, for he was just bubbling over with life and energy, and ... ready for a frolic .... He was the incarnation of youthful heartiness and enthusiasm all his life. Tall, bearded, good looking, hearty of laugh was "Charlie" Reed, and vitally active in his physical being all his life. 1 On June 9, 1865, Charles Wellington Reed, like millions of other citizen-soldiers, made the drastic adjustment from military life to that of peacetime civilian. Unlike many of his comrades, who had established occupations to which they could return, Reed was faced with beginning a new career. Though not as exciting as his wartime exploits, Charles Reed's postwar accomplishments were just as energetic and fulfilling. Upon leaving the army, Reed, attempting to take advantage of his talents, advertised himself as an artist and set up an office in downtown Boston. 2 How successful Reed was is impossible to determine, though his business must been have satisfactory, for he began living in his studio by 1867 and by 1869 was renting an apartment. 3 During that same year, Charles Reed experienced one of the most important moments of his life. On December 29, 1869, Charles Reed married Rebecca Francis Farwell at the Old Trinity Church in Boston. Rebecca, twenty-five years old, was the daughter ofJohn H. and Elizabeth Farwell of Boston. How Reed and Rebecca met is unknown, though it is possible that Samuel Tilton and the Farwells were acquaintances, for they both hailed from New Hampshire. This union lasted nearly fifty years. Though it

1 Charles W. Reed obituary, Boston Globe, April 30, 1926.

2 Boston City Directory for 1866, 1867,BPL.

3 Ibid, 1866, 1867, 1868, and 1869.

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4 Record of Marriage, 219:175, MACP; Charles W. Reed Pension Record, NA; 1860 U.S. Census for Boston, Fifth Ward, NA. Unfortunately, there are no known photographs of Rebecca Farwell Reed. 5 Boston City Directory 1869 and 1870,BPL.

6 1860 U.S. Census for Boston, Fifth Ward, NA; Boston City Directory, for 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, and 1875, BPL.

7 Boston City Directory, 1871-1922, BPL. The other addresses for Farwell and Reed were 158 Milk Street (1876-77), 7 State Street (1878-79), and 209 Washington Street (1880). 8 Ibid, 1880, BPL; Hall, ed.,

Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts, p. 544; Sketch Books, Reed Collection, LC; Willard De Lue, "Boston and the Globe, First with Illustrations," Boston Globe, June 5, 1959.

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produced no children, it apparently was a very happy one, for over forty-five years later Reed still referred to his spouse as "my blessed wife." 4 The new couple moved into Reed's apartment, where he continued to pursue his artistic career. 5 This unpredictable occupation, however, apparently was of great concern to Reed's new father-in-law. Artists rarely are respected in their own time, and this might have been John Farwell's attitude toward his new son-in-law. Within a year of his marriage, Charles Reed's career path took a drastic turn. Though John Farwell was a printer by trade, he was a man of many talents, including a streak of entrepreneurialism. By 1871 Reed found himself in business with his father-in-law; together they established Farwell and Reed, a wholesale liquor and wine store. 6 Whether Reed liked his new profession is unknown, though he and his father-in-law were apparently successful. Their joint business venture lasted nine years, survived three moves, and gave Charles and Rebecca the means to purchase a house in Atlantic in 1880 that served as their home for the next forty-one years_? That same year Charles Reed returned to his true calling, art. He opened up a studio on School Street and listed himself as a designer. Advertising himself as an artist, Reed began to do free-lance work, covering a wide variety of subjects. A short biographical sketch on Reed noted, "He has been present at, and has illustrated numberless events of social, sporting and public interest in almost every section of the United States." It is obvious from his surviving sketchbooks that Reed traveled extensively, recording sites and scenes from places such as Virginia, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Pennsylvania, among others. He also worked on special contract assignments for the Boston Globe, beginning in the early 1880s. The subject that Reed knew best, however, was the American Civil War, and he would earn himself a welldeserved reputation as a prominent artist of the war. 8 Once he established himself as an artist, Reed's sketches began to adorn numerous publications on the war, including many regimental histories, which came into vogue in the 1880s. His artwork also appeared in several "classic" publications on the war. The most famous of these is probably the series put together in the early 1880s by the Century Magazine. This series was published in its entirety in 1887-88 as Battles and Leaders ofthe Civil War. Reed's artwork also graced

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the pages of Horace Porter's Campaigning with Grant, published in 1897.9 Reed even published a small work of his own. Co-authored by Louis K. Harlow, Bits ofCamp Life (1888) is a small book, heavily illustrated by Reed, which depicts numerous scenes in the everyday life of the common soldier. 10

9 Among others, Reed's artwork appeared in the following regimental histories: George N. Carpenter, History of the Eighth Regiment, Vermont Volunteers 1861-1865 (Boston: Press of Deland & Barta 1886); John L. Parker, History of the Twenty-Second Massachusetts

Sample ofCharles Reed's work in his book, Bits of Camp Life. (Courtesy ofPaul F. Meuse)

Infantry, and Second Company Sharpshooters and the Third Light Battery, in the War of the Rebellion (Boston: Press of Rand Avery, 1887); Baker, History of the Ninth; John Anderson, The Fifty-Seventh Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion (Boston: E. B. Stillings, 1896); Alfred S. Roe, The Ninth New York Heavy Artillery (Worcester, Mass.: N.p., 1899); Johnson and Buel, eds., Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, and Horace Porter, Campaigning with Grant (New York: Century, 1899). Eleven of Reed's sketches appear in volumes 3 and 4 of Battles and Leaders. Other, less well-known works on the Civil War that used Reed's artwork were Charles Carleton Coffin, Marching to Victory (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1889) and Hall, ed., Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts. Coffin's was the second in a three-volume work on the war. For more on Coffin, see Appendix C.

Reed's place in history was cemented by the illustrations he provided for John D. Billings's Hardtack and Co./fee, or the Unwritten Story ofArmy Life (1887). This book, covering seemingly every subject on the life of the Civil War soldier, is considered by many to be a masterpiece of Civil War literature. An immediate best-seller when it was published, it has been reprinted at least six times and contains 211 "truthful and spirited illustrations" by Reed, including six color plates. Many of the sketches were taken from drawings Reed made during the war. The surviving correspondence between Billings and Reed and many rough drawings make it obvious that he spent a great amount of time and effort completing the artwork for the book. The high quality of Reed's work brought him well-earned recognition from both the general public and fellow veterCHARLES REED, CIVILIAN

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10 Charles W. Reed and Louis K. Harlow, Bits of Camp Life (New York: Obpacher Brothers, 1888).

11 "A Valiant Host, Army of the Potomac and Its Gallant Heroes" and "Excellent Model for a Statue," Boston Herald, June 27, 1893; "The Herald's Pictures," Boston Herald, June 28, 1893. Reed was proud of the quality of his artwork and critical of those he felt did not meet his standards. An excellent example comes from Reed's personal copy of History of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery, which he had helped illustrate. On page 58 appears an illustration by fellow battery mate Isaac Eaton. The rather fanciful sketch depicts the battery's last stand at Gettysburg. In the left margin Reed wrote sarcastically, "Isaac F. Eaton say He's AN ARTIST" (the book is in, Box 4, Reed Collection, LC). 12 Charles W. Reed Probate Records, Plymouth County Courthouse, Plymouth, Massachusetts; "1865'Forty-five Years After'-1910," and "Old Battlefield Sketches A Boston Artist's War Book," Sunday Herald, May 29, 1910. The recognition Reed received was limited to the Boston area, so he became somewhat of a local hero. In May 1910, the Boston Herald ran a forty-fifth anniversary special on the end of the war, part of which was devoted to Reed and his artwork. Like many veterans who were prone to exaggeration, Reed related several incidents in the article which were completely untrue. Most of these stories dealt with the 1864 Overland Campaign, and though they made interesting reading, they do not match his description of the incidents in his wartime diary and letters. 13 "Artist Reed Given a Medal by US

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ans. An excellent example was the reaction to a drawing Reed had done of General Grant at Spotsylvania which appeared in the June 27, 1893, edition of the Boston Herald. One reader, in a letter to the editor, wrote, "I was profoundly impressed by the picture of Grant on horseback ... and it suggests to me that here is a sketch that would furnish an excellent model for a spirited statue of our great statesman and soldier." The Herald itself exclaimed: "The picture of Gen. Grant-a spirited likeness of the hero, made on the field of battle, and faithfully producing the pose of the general in the saddle, the careless dress and the nonchalant air when in danger-has not been excelled, even if it has been equalled, by any magazine, and was a subject of deep interest to civilian as well as to soldier. Gen. Miles yesterday pronounced it the most characteristic picture of Gen. Grant that he had ever seen." 11 Reed's talent brought not only him recognition but financial reward as well. Through his hard work and wise investing, he accumulated an estate worth over $12,000 by the time of his death. 12 Some of Reed's wartime accomplishments were also belatedly recognized at this time. On August 13, 1895, he was informed that the government had issued him the Congressional Medal of Honor for "distinguished gallantry at the battle of Gettysburg." 13 (For a detailed account of Reed's Medal of Honor, see Appendix A.) Though this award was the highlight of Reed's military career, he was active in military matters throughout his life. Shortly after the end of the war, Charles Reed enlisted in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia and served in several different units for the next fifteen years. 14 Reed also maintained contact with his former comrades in the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. By 1870 the 9th Battery Associates had been formed, with Reed's former commander-turned-friend John Bigelow serving as its first president. The group met annually and was active well into the 1890s. By 1888 the 9th Massachusetts Battery Association, as it was then known, had had nine presidents, the seventh being Charles W. Reed. 15 The 1884 meeting broached the subject of a monument to be erected on the Gettysburg battlefield. A committee of six was elected to oversee the matter, and Reed was chosen as chairman. While raising money to finance the project, the committee arranged an excursion to Gettysburg to determine "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

the monument's location. On May 19, 1884, nine members of the association, including Reed, traversed the field and marked the location for three memorials. That same year Reed, Bigelow, and John K. Norwood devised a "general design" for the monuments. These designs were then "elaborated" by Reed and finally adopted in 1885. In October of that year the monuments were officially dedicated. 16 One of Charles Reed's most cherished friendships was with John Bigelow. Throughout Bigelow's many moves, first to

Government for His Brave Deed at Gettysburg," Boston Globe, August 13, 1895; Charles W. Reed Medal of Honor File, NA. 14 Hall, ed., Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts, p. 544; Certificates of promotion in Massachusetts Volunteer Militia to Charles W. Reed, May 18, 1867, July 12, 1869, May 18, 1870, and July 26, 1870; Certificates of Discharge in Massachusetts Volunteer Militia to Charles W. Reed, December 30, 1870, October 30, 1876, February 7, 1878, and January 31, 1882; Certificate of Resignation from Charles W. Reed, July 15, 1870, all in Reed Collection, LC. Reed was appointed second lieutenant in both the Third Light Battery and Battery B, First Battalion Light Artillery. He later served as sergeant major and then adjutant of the First Cavalry Battalion. 15 Minutes of January 21 , 1868, meeting, Reed Collection, LC; Baker, History of the Ninth, pp. 205-6. 16 Baker, History of the Ninth, pp. 206-9

Adjutant Charles W. Reed, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. (Regiments and Armories ofMassachusetts)

Philadelphia and then Minneapolis, the two remained close and corresponded regularly. 17 As a token of their friendship, at the February 6, 1888, meeting of the association, Reed CHARLES REED' CIVILIAN

17 John Bigelow Pension Record, NA; John Bigelow to Charles Reed, August 27, 1885 and October I , 1886, LC.

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Though only two letters from Bigelow to Reed survive, it is obvious that they corresponded on a regular basis.

18 Baker, History of the Ninth, p. 258.

19 Bowdion S., Parker, comp., What One Grand Army Post Has Accomplished: History of Edward W. Kinsley Post, No. 113 (Norwood, Mass. Norwood Press, 1913), pp. 76, 77, 93, 99, 113, 122, 126, 128, 142, 174; "Art at the Carnival," clipping from unknown newspaper, unknown date, Reed Collection, LC; Souvenir Twenty Fourth National Encampment, Grand Army of the Republic: Boston, 1890 (Boston: N.p., 1890); Gussie Reese, This They Remembered (Lexington, Ga: Oglethorpe County Chapter 1292, United Daughters of the Confederacy, n.d.), pp. 137-42; Charles Reed obituary, Boston Globe, April 30, 1926; Charles Reed funeral announcement, Boston Globe, May 3, 1926. Reed was a member of Edward W. Kinsley Post 113, Grand Army of the Republic. He also kept in touch with his friends from Woburn who served in Company K, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts Regiment (see Appendix E).

presented Bigelow "with a beautiful water color painting ... showing the final struggle in Trostle's field." This work, "over two years in preparation ... had the criticism and suggestions of a large number of comrades who were in the engagement, and is credited with being the nearest to the truth of anything on canvas." 18 Though art was his profession and passion, Charles Reed was versatile, with other interests, including singing and bicycling. Despite the passage of years, Reed remained "vitally active in his physical being all his life" 19 With the years, however, he lost family members. His father, Joseph Reed, was the first of his immediate family, dying of "old age and paralzsis" on August 14, 1868. Though Reed apparently had never been close to his father, his death must have affected him in some way. A much harder blow came on October 30, 1882, when the person most responsible for his upbringing and character, Roxanna Richardson Reed, died at the age of seventy-six. 20

20 1868 Record of Deaths for Burlington and Record of Deaths, 338: 172, both at MACP.

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His sister Emma Gowing succumbed to "cancer of the stomach" at the age of fifty-eight on February 27, 1893. Her husband, Ames Gowing, had died six years earlier, on July 28, 1887. 21 Reed's oldest sister, Helen Tilton, moved to Exeter, New Hampshire, after the death ofher husband, Samuel, in March 1899. Helen died there in October 190U2 The most difficult loss of all for Charles Reed was the death of his "blessed wife," Rebecca, at the age of seventy-six, in September 1919, three months shy of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Despite this devastating personal tragedy, and maybe because of it, Charles Reed carried on, working on a regular basis until his late seventies. 23 In 1922, at the age of eighty-one, Reed finally retired. Probably looking to escape the hectic city life, Reed sold his Atlantic home of forty-two years and moved to Accord, sixteen miles southeast of Boston. There he purchased a house on Pond Street, next to Accord Pond, to live out the remainder of his life. 24

21 1893 Register of Deaths for Reading, and 1887 Register of Deaths for Reading, both at MACP; 1887 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Class Book, pp. 53, 56. All of Reed's nephews and nieces from Emma outlived him, except the oldest, Earle Gowing, who died in a freak gas explosion in Maine in 1909. 22 Boston City Directory, 1875-94, BPL; Record of Deaths, 492:577, MACP; "Tilton Villa Notes,' WPL. Samuel and Helen lived a comfortable life as his millinery business amassed a fortune. They eventually had homes in Paris, Newport, Rhode Island, and Boston. Their daughter Gracie May Tilton married Gustave Schirmer, founder of the Boston Music Company, in 1885. 23 Charles Reed Pension Record, NA; Cemetery Records, Lot No. 1995, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass.; Boston City Directory, 1919, 1920, 1921 , BPL. Reed had established an art studio at 12 West Street in 1888. He remained there for eighteen years and in 1906 moved his office to Boylston Street. After two years at Winter Street (1908-9), Reed relocated his studio to 110 Tremont Street, where he stayed until 1922 (see Boston City Directory, 18881922). 24 Charles W. Reed obituary, Boston Globe, April 30, 1926; Standard Certificate of Death for Charles W. Reed, Commonwealth of Massachu· setts, copy in Norwell Historical Society. After his retirement, Reed traveled across England on a six· month sketching trip.

(Opposite page) Charles W Reed's design ofthe Ninth Massachusetts Battery monument at Gettysburg. (LC) (Above) Charles W Reed and the 9'h Massachusetts Battery monument on the Gettysburg Battlefield, ca. 1888. (Weaver Collection, LC)

CHARLES REED' CIVILIAN

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Charles Reed's painting ofthe final stand ofthe 9'hMassachusetts Battery at the Trostle farm. (USAMHI)

Reed's health had been good throughout the years. He had, however, like hundreds of thousands of his fellow Union veterans, filed for a pension in the years after the war. These records give us some idea of Charles Reed's state of health and the long-term effects of the war on him. Among the many maladies which he stated he suffered from were "Bronchial trouble, Chills & Fever, alternate Diarrhoea & Constipation with piles [and] Rheumatism."Though some of these claims may have been overstated to increase his chances of receiving a pension, Reed was eventually granted a four-eighteenths disability rating. His original pension of four dollars a month inl892 was slowly increased over the years to forty dollars a 336

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

month by 1916. Despite these disabilities, Reed remained active "up to within a year [of his death] when he had been failing."25 That decline became serious in January 1926, when his intestinal ailment became acute. This malady was complicated by "Myocardial Degeneration." Eventually Reed became an invalid. Death came on April 29, 1926, when he was eightyfive years and twenty-eight days old. 26 As per Reed's earlier requests, his remains were cremated and readied for burial next to his wife at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. The funeral took place on May 2 and was conducted at the cemetery chapel. The number of people Charles Reed had touched throughout his life is evident by those in attendance. According to the Boston Globe account, the Episcopal service was accompanied by singing by members of the Apollo Club. The Globe article continued:

25 Charles Reed Pension Record, NA; Charles W. Reed obituary, Boston Globe, April 30, 1926.

26 Charles Reed Pension Record, NA; Charles W. Reed funeral announcement, Boston Globe, May 3, 1926; Standard Certificate of Death for Charles Reed. The official cause of death was "Myocardial Degeneration [and] Chronic Intestinal nephritis."

T he casket, enshrouded in the American flag, was covered with floral tributes, including a spray of roses from the Apollo Club, a wreath from W 0. and C. H. Taylor of the Boston Globe, a wreath from Edward W Kinsley Post, G.A.R. and [a) ... spray of roses from Wollaston Lodge, A. F.& A.M .... Also on the casket was the Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded Mr. Reed for a rare act of bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg .. .. Another symbol of"Charlie's" many activities and interests was the bugle which he used on the annual runs of the Boston Bicycle Club .... There were delegations from Edward W Kinsley Post, CHARLES REED, CIVILIAN

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(Top) Gravestone of Charles W Reed and his wife, Rebecca FReed, M t. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photograph by the editor) (Above) M edal ofHonor plaque on Charles W Reed's grave, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photograph by the editor)

27 Biographic, Military Service and Mortuary Statement Record for Grand Army of the Republic, Reed Collection, LC; Charles W. Reed funeral announcement, Boston Globe, May 3, 1926. 28 Reed's date of birth is wrong. The majority of the evidence indicates that he was born on April1 , 1841, not 1842. Charles Reed's remains are in Lot 1995 on Elm Avenue of the cemetery grounds. Owned by his wife's family, the lot includes John H. and Elizabeth Jane Brooks Farwell (Reed's in-lawsl, Clara W. Farwell (John

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G.A.R., from which Mr. Reed had been one of the oldest members; from the Boston Bicycle Club, the Apollo Club, the Boston Art Club, and the Boston Globe, for which paper Mr. Reed made many illustrations in years gone byY

The remains of Charles Wellington Reed and those of his wife, Rebecca Farwell Reed, share a single gravestone, which simply reads: CHARLES W. REED

1842- 192628 H IS WIFE REBECCA F. REED

1843-1919

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

This stone is inconspicuous, set among the eighty-six thousand graves contained in 174 acres of the country's first "garden" or "rural" cemetery. The grave site is dwarfed by the massive memorials or stones dedicated to the more famous or wealthy. 29 Yet Reed's grave is very different from most, for it contains a recent addition. Of the millions of American men and women who have served in the country's military forces during its numerous conflicts, from the Civil War through Kosovo, only 3,408 have been awarded the nation's highest award, the Medal of Honor. Charles Wellington Reed is one of those few. Reed was honored in 1988, when the Veterans Administration, at the request of the Congressional Medal ofHonor Society, placed a bronze plaque over his grave. 30 The plaque reads: CHARLES W REED MEDAL OF HONOR BUGLER 9 INDPT BTRY MASS LT ARTY CIVIL WAR APR 1 1842 +APR 29 1926

CHARLES REED, CIVILIAN

and Elizabeth Farwell"s daughter, who died in infancy), Lydia Clapp Farwell (John Farwell's mother), Rebecca Breed Hall (John H. Farwell's sister), George Hall (Rebecca Hall"s husband), Clara Farwell Ingalls (John and Elizabeth Farwell's daughter), Benjamin Ingalls (Clara Farwelllngall's husband), and Granville Ingalls (Benjamin and Clara Ingalls's son). 29 "A Plan of Mt. Auburn Cemetery," Map of cemetery, Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Among the most famous buried at Mt. Auburn are Dorothea Dix, Charles Dana Gibson, Oliver W. Holmes, Winslow Homer, Julia Ward Howe, Henry Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, B. F. Skinner, and Charles Sumner. 30 Editor's correspondence from William Sweeney, October 1, 1997; Cemetery Records, Lot. No. 1995, Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

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Engraving of Charles Reed saving Capt. Bigelow on August 14, 1895. (Boston Globe)

Appendix A

The Medal of Honor

Record and Pension Office, War Department, Washington City, August 16, 1895. Mr. Charles W Reed, Late Bugler, 9th lndpt. Battery, Mass. Lt. Atty., No. 12 West Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Sir: I have the honor to inform you that, by direction of the President and in accordance with the act of Congress approved March 3, 1864, providing for the presentation of medals of honor to such officers, non-commissioned officers and privates as have most distinguished themselves in action, the Acting Secretary of War has awarded you a medal of honor for most distinguished gallantry in action at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1863 .... Very respectfully, F HAinsworth Colonel, U.S. Army 1

1 Medal of Honor file, R. & P. No 424496, "Papers re Award of MEDAL

Thus, over thirty-two years after performing his heroic act in the fields of Abraham Trostle's Pennsylvania farm, Charles Wellington Reed received the nation's highest military honor. Accompanying the medal was the well-deserved recognition not only of Reed's "distinguished bravery and faithfulness to duty at the Battle of Gettysburg" but also his "gallant and faithful ... duty throughout the war. "2 Though long delayed, a common occurrence for Civil War Medals of Honor, the issuance of this award is unique in its own right and reveals much about Charles Reed and the impact he had on others. The Medal of Honor itself was created in March 1862. Throughout the history of the country, the military had honored its soldiers only with certificates or brevet promo-

OF HONOR in case of Charles W. Reed," NA.

2 John Bigelow to Adjutant General, June 19, 1895, Medal of Honor file, NA.

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3 U.S. Department of the Army, Medal of Honor, pp. 4-5, 7, 137-42. The regulations for issuing the medal were tightening by the 1890s because of a rapid increase in applications (sixtyseven medals were issued in 1891, compared to only thirty-three the year before). Though new regulations were not adopted until 1897, the attitude in the army toward issuing the Medal of Honor was far tougher. Secretary of War Joseph B. Doe explained on January 10, 1894, that "Medals of Honor were intended by Congress for officers or men who have ... done something more than what is expected of every faithful soldier, and the mere fact that this expectation has sometimes failed and that all soldiers are not equally faithful, brave and gallant does not entitle an officer or man who simply did his whole duty to an honor of this description" (see Medal of Honor, p. 15).

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tions. The medal set a new standard by which to recognize those soldiers who "distinguished themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities." The medal was issued haphazardly and normally with much delay. Though authorized in 1862, the first medals were not actually issued until March 1863. It was much more common to receive the award years later. Most Civil War veterans who were awarded the Medal of Honor, including Charles W. Reed, received them long after the war. As an example, sixty-six soldiers were awarded the medal for exploits performed during the Gettysburg Campaign. Yet only eighteen, or 27 percent of these medals, were issued during the war. Indeed, forty of these men (60 percent), including Charles Reed, did not receive their medals until the 1890s or later. 3 Not surprisingly, it was John Bigelow who submitted Reed's name for the honor. Because it was a relatively new award, many, including Reed's former commander, were not aware that the medal was still being bestowed after the war. Once informed, Bigelow began the process to forward his former bugler and friend's name for consideration for the medal. Bigelow's letter was as follows: To the Adjutant General, U.S.A. Washington, D.C. June 19th, 1895 Washington D.C. Sir: I desire to present to your consideration as worthy of the "Medal of honor", for distinguished bravery and faithfulness to duty at the Battle of Gettysburg, the name of Charles W Reed Bugler, 9th Lg't Battery, Mass. Vols. I was Captain commanding said Battery in said Battle. After the breaking of the 3rd Corps Lines at the Peach Orchard my command was the last to retire: which it did, pressed by Kershaws skirmishers in front and on the left flank and with Barksdales Brigade marching towards it, 300 yds distant on the right flank, without Infantry support, "firing by prolonge." When the Angle of the Stone Wall, at the Trossle House was reached, Col McGilvery ordered me to halt and hold the enemy in check, sacrificing my Battery if necessary, until he could get some guns in position in my rear, as the lines were open from the foot of Little Round Top to the left of the Second Corps.

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

I did so, saving twenty precious minutes for McGilvery to accomplish his purpose before my Officers, men and horses were shot down by the Enemy coming in on my flanks: not one in my front. Bugler Reed sat by me on his horse, a conspicuous mark, during the trying ordeal. By throwing his horse on his haunches, he saved himself from a volley fired at me by six of Kershaws skirmishers-two of whose bullets struck me; two my horse and two flew wild. He followed me, as my horse turned and when, after going a hundred feet, I fell to the ground, he remained with me, heard the Officers of the 21st Miss. order their men not to fire at me; called my orderly and had him lift me on to his horse; then, taking the reins of both horses in his left hand, with his right hand supporting me in the saddle, took me at a walk into the front of the 6th Maine Battery, which Col McGilvery had placed in position, from 300 to 500 yds in my rear, while it was firing heavily and the shells of the Enemy were breaking all around us. Before I was half way back to the 6th Maine Battery Lieut Dow, commanding, sent an Officer to me, urging me to hurry, as he must commence firing on the men, 21st Miss. who had my Battery. I told him to fire away, I could not hurry; so Dow opened with shell, while we were in his front and with Canister after we had entered. Bugler Reed did not flinch: but steadily supported me: kept the horses at a walk although between the two fires and guided them, so that we entered the Battery between two of the guns that were firing heavily: took me to the Hospital and afterwards, to my own Camp. 4 While I had many Officers and men worthy of any honor, which the government can bestow upon them, for their gallantry on that and other Battle fields, I present the name of Charles W Reed address No. 12 West St. Boston, Mass. for the "Medal of honor" for the reasons given and because he was equally gallant and faithful to duty throughout the war. I remam very respy yrs John Bigelow. late Captain Comd' g 9th Light Batty, Mass Vols.

4 It is not known to which hospital Reed took his wounded captain. Though a variety of sources allude to this incident, none are site specific and most are conflicting. Some state that Bigelow was treated in a Fifth Corps field hospital (Reed, Medal of Honor file, NA), others claim it was a Third Corps hospital (John Bigelow Pension Record, NA). Probably Reed took his captain to the closest medical facility. Just behind the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge the Third Corps established its field hospitals in numerous unnamed "houses and barns along the Taneytown Road" (see Duncan, Medical Department, p. 243). A good case can be made that the Michael Frey farm was where Bigelow was initially treated. If Reed and Bigelow traveled directly eastward from McGilvery's line, they would have struck the Taneytown Road near the intersection of Granite School House

Providing eyewitness testimony to this incident was Edwin B. Dow, the former lieutenant and commanding officer of the 6th Maine Battery at Gettysburg.

APPENDIX A

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Lane. Just south of that intersection, on the east side of the road, was the Michael Frey farm. This farmstead was used temporarily as a Third Corps field hospital (Gregory Coco, A Vast Sea of Misery: A History and Guide to the Union and Confederate Field Hospitals at Gettysburg; July 1November 20, 1863 [Gettysburg: Thomas, 1985], p. 66) and also the headquarters of Brig. Gen. Robert 0. Tyler, commander of the Artillery Reserve. The most likely scenario of events was that Bigelow was treated at the Frey farm and then, as he stated in this letter, was released to his own camp because his wounds were not life threatening.

HOOVER&COHN, WILSON W HOOVER. COUNSELLORS AT LAW EUGENE CONN. 99 NASSAU ST. To the Adjutant Genl. U.S.A. New York, August 3rd, 1895 Washington, D.C. Sir:At the battle of Gettysburg, July 2nd, 1863, I was Lieut, commanding the 6th Maine Battery. About 6.30 o'clock P.M., of that day, by command of Lieut. Col. McGilvery, I went into battery on high ground, from four to five hundred yards back of the Tronssle House, to check any further advance towards our lines by Barkesdale's Brigade, which was overrunning and capturing four guns of Bigelow's 9th Mass. Battery in the angle of the stonewall near Tronssle House, it being without any infantry support. As soon as the fire of Bigelow's guns stopped I was ready to open fire, but I saw an officer being brought back on a horse directly in front of my position. I sent forward requesting the party to hurry as I wished to open fire upon the enemy, fearing a charge by them. The wounded officer sent me instructions that he could not change his gait but to open fire irrespective of him, which I did, using however shell in my left section. Our fire effectually stopped any further advance by Barksdale's men. The wounded officer was brought into my battery through the front of my left section, while it was firing. I recognized the wounded man as Captain Bigelow of the 9th Mass. Battery, attended and supported by his Bugler Reed. Reed was holding Captain Bigelow with one hand and directing the movements of his own and Captain Bigelow's horse with the other, at a walk. I was deeply impressed by the devotion and bravery exhibited by Bugler Reed and the heroism and self sacrifice of Captain Bigelow, and cheerfully bear testimony to these facts. Very respectfully,

Edwin B Dow Lieut, commdg. 6th M.B. at Gettysburg5

5 Medal of Honor file, NA.

Just eight days after this letter was written, on August 12, 1895, the acting secretary of war, Joseph B. Doe, approved the application and "By direction of the President" awarded 346

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Charles W. Reed the Medal ofHonor "for most distinguished gallantry in action at the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1863." Doe's endorsement reads in part: "Bugler Reed remained on the field with the Commanding Officer of his Battery who had fallen twice wounded, and while supporting him on his orderly's horse, onto which he had been assisted, guided him safely between two fires into the Union lines." 6 Reed was informed that he had been granted the award by telegram the next morning. The August 13 edition of the Boston Globe recounts Reed's reaction and his modest version of the act of bravery he performed over three decades before.

6 4th Endorsement, War Department, August 12, 1895, directive of Joseph B. Doe, ibid.

The Globe EXTRA! 50'CLOCK ARTIST REED Given a Medal by the US Government For His Brave Deed at Gettysburg Was Only a Boy, But Saved His Captain. Race for Life Before Battery's Guns. After 32 Years His Heroism is Made Public. His Own Story of the Act Modestly Related Did Not Know the Cheers Were Meant for Him at All. The most surprised man in Boston this morning was Charles W Reed. After 32 years the government had awarded him a medal for "most distinguished gallantry at the battle of Gettysburg." APPENDIX A

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7 John H. Kelly was a thirty-nine-yearold bookmaker from North Bridgewater when he enlisted on 348

He didn't know it until he reached his room, and was congratulated by a host of friends. It is only fair to say that Mr Reed took his well-earned fame with diffidence. Also that he took the honor conferred and the hearty congratulations to heart, as his tears showed when describing the part taken by the 9th Massachusetts battery on the second day of the fight. What is more, it can be stated that Mr Reed has never applied for any recognition of his long ride between the confederate and union lines, supporting his wounded captain. At noon today he could only say that Capt Bigelow had told him years ago, "that he intended to have that piece of work recognized, and I imagine he has had a hand in it." Mr Reed has a studio on West st, and is a member ofThe Globe staff of artists. He had not read the telegram when surrounded by friends this morning. After reading it he "kind-ofbroke-down," as he said. Here is his story of how he earned his medal: "I was only a boy, anyway. Let's see, Gettysburg was fought in 63, and when I went in, that was in 61. I was 17, so I was 19 when Capt Bigelow was shot. "The captain was born in Nonantum, and had just graduated from Harvard, and I was just preparing to enter when we started to the front. He was in command of the 9th battery, and I was a bugler. ''All you want to know is about the medal business," continued Mr Reed, "and I am coming right to it. It was the second day of Gettysburg, and the 9th battery was stationed in the 'peach orchard.' "Lee wanted to get Longstreet across to the Baltimore pike, and so when Sickles made that charge there was an opening, and the 'Johnnies' came for us with a rush. Capt Bigelow was told to hold his position, and there we stayed until the last shot in our caissons had been fired. "I remember well an officer riding up and saying to Capt Bigelow: 'Get out just as fast as God will let you.' Then the captain ordered the battery to the rear. "The drivers didn't wait to look for openings in the stone wall, but just took them sidewise, the horses jumping and the guns going over with a tilt on one side and then a crash of rocks and wheels. "Capt Bigelow took the fence, and as bugler I was on his horse's flank. Then came orderly J[ohn] H. Kelley ofMarlboro. 7 "Just about as soon as we got over, I saw the enemy were "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

skirting down the stone wall on our side, and called to the captain to look out. The next minute he leaned forward and fell flat on his back in the field. "He drew himself back to the stone wall and told Kelley and me to go as fast as we could. "Kelley was a great big fellow and as strong as an ox. He had been a blacksmith. I yelled to him to get the captain on his horse. "This he did, like the man he was, and then, holding the captain with one hand and the reins of the orderly's horse with the other, I started for our lines, which had reformed about 1000 yards away. "We started at the stone wall near what is known as Trostles house, and had to cross right in front of one of our own batter-

August 1, 1862. He served with the battery throughout the entire war, being mustered out on June 6, 1865.

ies.

"The officer in command yelled to us to hurry, but the captain was so weak and the orderly's horse so frightened that it was all I could do to keep him on at a walk. "Capt Bigelow was pluck all the way through, and said to me: 'Tell them to commence firing. The batteries are 14 yards apart, and we will try to keep between them.' "Well, we did keep between them, how I don't know. Someway we got to an old barn and there the captain's wounds were taken care of. He had been shot from his left side right through the body, also through the right hand. "To show you how I felt," said Mr Reed in conclusion, "when we got in the lines there was a lot of cheering and I thought it was on account of a charge until a lieutenant came up, and, patting me, said: "You're a brave boy and they are cheering you.' I remember saying right there that I wanted to go home. What is more, I did. "Capt Bigelow recovered and now lives in Minneapolis. That's the whole story.'' During the engagement referred to by Mr Reed the 9th battery lost 69 men out of 100, every officer but one, every sergeant and 80 out of 88 horses.

Though the overall story related here is fairly accurate, there are some mistakes (such as Reed's age and the number of casualties taken by the battery). 8 Most of these are minor and can either be explained by Reed's faulty memory or his inclination for embellishment. Still, this newspaper account gives us the first good recounting of this famous incident from Charles Reed's perspective. APPENDIX A

8 There are other inaccuracies of this article: Reed enlisted in 1862, not 1861; Reed was twenty-two years old at Gettysburg, not nineteen; John Bigelow was born in Brighton, not Nonantum; Longstreet was attempting to get across the Taneytown Road and

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not the Baltimore Pike; Sickles's Third Corps' forward movement to its advanced position on July 2 was simply a march, not a "charge"; John Bigelow was wounded twice: one bullet cut a five-inch gash through the stomach muscles on his right side and the other wounded the little finger on his left hand; Reed's next trip home did not come until he received a furlough in March 1865, nearly twenty months later; the battery's casualties were 28 men killed, wounded, or captured out of 104 officers and men (3 of 4 officers, 6 of 8 sergeants, and 19 enlisted men).

(Right) Portrait photograph of Charles Reed in unknown newspaper.

Other news stories followed, which added even more detail. An unknown newspaper, which Reed saved among his mementos, published the following article on the award. SAVED HIS CAPTAIN AT GETTYSBURG

CI:URLEIJ W. REF.D.

The medal of honor which Charles W Reed, the Boston artist, received from congress, Aug 12, 1896, for "most distinguished gallantry in action" was won by remarkable self-sacrificing bravery at the battle of Gettysburg, where he saved the life of his captain. Mr Reed was a trumpeter in the 9th independent battery from Massachusetts, which was literally shot to pieces in the "peach orchard' while holding its position long enough for a reinforcing line of artillery to be established. This was on July 2, 1863, when the 3d army corps had its line broken in the peach orchard. Capt. John Bigelow's battery, of which Reed was trumpeter, was the last to retire, Gen. Barkesdale's brigade having pushed the Massachusetts battery into the angle at the Trostle house, where the men fought until the last of the 520 rounds of ammunition was gone and the enemy was closing in. "I recall, as if it were only yesterday," says Mr Reid in speaking of his experiences that day, "the shooting of our captain who was a splendid officer and a perfect gentleman. It all came in a moment. His orderly and I saw some of the enemy skirting down a stone all on our side and called to the captain to look out, but [t]he next moment he was hit and fell. "He was not killed and, drawing himself back to the stone wall, told J. W Kelly of Marlboro, the orderly and myself to leave him and get out the best we could. But we didn't do just that. With the aid of Kelly I got Capt Bigelow on Kelly's horse, 350

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gathered all the reins in one hand, keeping the horses close, held up Capt Bigelow with my free arm. "Then we tried to get away. Some of the confederates saw us as we made for the shelter of a little dump of trees, and several of them tried to take us prisoners. They did not fire at once, but tried to pull us from the horses' backs, but were unsuccessful, as the horses kicked and I was able to do some execution with my own and the captain's saber which I placed together in one hand. "We were still struggling when an officer, who saw his men were about to fire, told them not to murder us in cold blood. Then I started the horses toward the northern forces. "We had started at the stone wall, near what is known as Trostle's house, and had to cross right in front of one of our batteries which was already drawn up to fire on the 21st Mississippi. The officer in command of the 6th Maine battery, Edwin C. Dow, saw us, and called to us hurry, as he wanted to open fire, but the captain was so weak and the orderly's horse so frightened that all I could do was keep him on at a walk. Capt Bigelow realized what the delay meant, and told me to tell Lieut Dow to commence firing, and that we would take our chances. 'The guns are 14 yards apart,' he said, 'and we'll try to keep between them.' "How we did keep between those guns as they blazed away I don't know, for shells were singing all around us, but somehow we got into the lines. The captain was at once taken to an old barn where he was cared for, being shot through the left side of the body and also through the right hand." Reed received his Medal of Honor on August 19, 1895. His simple yet eloquent acknowledgment of this award, the nation's highest military honor, probably comes closest to revealing the impact it had upon him. Colonel F H Ainsworth U.S.A. Boston August 19th 1895 Chief Record and Pension Office Washington D.C. Sir I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of August 16th apprising me of the forwarding of the medal of honor, awarded me by the acting Secretary of War, which I have this day received and shall wear with much pride. APPENDIX A

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Believe me Sir, most deeply sensible and grateful for the honor confirmed[.] Very Respectfully yours Charles W Reed late trumpeter 9th Ind'pt Battery Massachusetts Lt Artillery 9

9 Medal of Honor file, NA.

Charles W Reed's Medal of Honor. (LC) 10 Bigelow, Peach Orchard, p. 62; Charles W. Reed to Helen Tilton, March 9, 1863, Reed Collection, LC.

11 "Saved His Captain at Gettysburg," unknown newspaper, unknown date, Reed Collection, LC.

Reed also apparently wrote to the man most responsible for the bestowing of this award, his former commander John Bigelow. The following letter says much about how the relationship between these two men evolved. Almost thirty-three years before, Bigelow had taken over a unit badly in need of discipline. Assigned to the defenses ofWashington, the Ninth Massachusetts Battery was, in the captain's words, "demoralized and unhappy because the men felt they were only playing soldiers, for which they had not enlisted." His subsequent instilling of strict discipline and insistence on the unquestioning obedience of orders was very unpopular with the men, including Reed, who called his new commander "a regular aristocrat" and "worse than any regular that ever breathed." 10 Yet that distrust soon turned into respect, which eventually developed into friendship and loyalty. That loyalty was severely tested at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, and proved so strong that Reed twice disobeyed orders to leave the front, including a direct order from Bigelow to "leave him and get out as best [they] could." Reed furthermore willingly risked his own life to save his commanding officer. John Bigelow never forgot this selfless act by his bugler that had brought two young men from vastly different social backgrounds together and made them friends for life, as the following letter from Bigelow attests: 11 My dear Reed: Minneapolis Augt. 27th '95 Your favor of the 21st is is at hand. I feel that the Government honors itself in honoring You, and that the obligation still remains with myself. Had I been left, where I fell, even though the Mississippians would probably have spared me, Dows (6th Maine) searching canister and shells would not have done so. The Globes illustrated article was very effective newspaper work altho' facts and fancy were somewhat mixed. Please kindly send me that Globe "Extra" 13'h- While I have received copies of the Boston Advertiser, Springfield Republican- and am informed that the Phila Record published

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picture and all. The Evening Journal of this city sent a reporter up to me, post haste, for further particulars, with permission to make as long an article as necessary, and illustrate with the Globe picture-and the Brockton City Hall (8ft X 16ft) picture-a fine 15 in X 30" copy of which I had just rec'd through Hollands kindness. 12 As McGilvery has never rec'd the great credit which is his due, I consented to give him some facts-but not my picture (which he insisted upon having) as it was all your matter. As you say, the reporters write to suit themselves. He told me his article will come our next Saturday. As it should contain some unwritten history in which Maine is interested I hope the reporter will do his work well. I only knew a few years ago that Medals of Honor were being given: and then I did not have Capt Dows address, who was an "Eyewitness of the event." I met him accidentally, in New York in June. My trip took me to Washington. While at the War Dept, visiting old friends, I wrote out the application, and, as soon as Dows statement was filed, I rec'd notice that the award had been made. I hope you will be able to visit us, as you propose. I think you should have copies of the original papers, as filed, and will have them ready for you. This Medal was deservedly given and I extend you my hearty congratulations. You can wear it with feelings of pride Truly Yrs john Bigelow 13

12 When the city hall of Brockton (formerly North Bridgewater), Massachusetts, was constructed in 1894, the city contracted for a series of fifteen paintings depicting the role of its men in the Civil War. Two artists were commissioned to do the work, F. Mortimer Lamb and Reed's old comrade Richard Holland. Most of the paintings are very large, the smallest being 8'2' by 2'9" and the largest measuring 16' by 8'2'. One of largest is the one Bigelow mentions here, the "Ninth Mass. Battery, Battle of Gettysburg, July 1863." Surprisingly, Mortimer Lamb, and not Richard Holland, a former member of the battery, painted this scene. The paintings are still on display today in the building's "grand corridor."

13 Reed Collection, LC.

The August 31, 1895, Saturday Evening Minneapolis journal did publish a lengthy story that contained an account of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery's actions at Gettysburg, a tribute to Col. Freeman McGilvery, and, of course, a detailed description of Charles Reed's act of"distinguished gallantry'' (the article is reproduced in appendix B).

APPENDIX A

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Appendix B

The Mineapolis journal Article

The article that John Bigelow mentioned in his August 27, 1895, letter to Charles Reed (see appendix A) appeared in the August 31, 1895, edition of the Minneapolis Saturday Evening journal. Though better researched and more detailed than the August 13, 1895, Boston Globe article, it too has some minor errors and embellishments, for as both Bigelow and Reed agreed, "the reporters write to suit themselves." While the most glaring errors are noted, the article, as a whole, is fairly accurate. As Bigelow also promised, however, the article also contains "some unwritten history" 1 concerning Freeman McGilvery and his actions on July 2, 1863.

1 John Bigelow to Charles Reed, August 27, 1895, Reed Collection,

LC.

HOW THE BATTLE WAS WON On the parlor of Major John Bigelow's residence on Hennepin avenue, there hangs an oil painting representing two horsemen retiring from a field of battle. One of them is wounded and the other is supporting him. For the brave action that painting portrays, Chas. W Reed, an artist on the Boston Globe, has just been presented with a medal "for most distinguished gallantry at the battle of Gettysburg." The picture, itself was painted by Mr. Reed. Thirty-two years have elapsed since that deed of heroism was performed, but Capt. Bigelow, who owes his life to it, will never forget it and Bugler Reed, whose gallantry has been so tardily rewarded, will not be permitted to forget that, on that day, through a storm of shot and shell, he remained faithful to his trust and his captain. The medal would have been given long ago, but for the fact that Captain, now Major Bigelow, was ignorant of the fact that the government was issuing such medals, and had not, therefore, made report of the case to the war department. Some two or three years ago, he learned of the custom and at once determined to get a medal for Mr. Reed. He needed some one to indorse his application and it was not until early this summer that he met Capt. Dow, of the Sixth Maine artillery, an eye witness of the heroic deed, and secured from him a corAPPENDIX B

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2 Although the losses of the battery

356

roboration of the facts in the case. The documents were then laid before the adjutant general of the army and on the 13th of the present month Mr. Reed, as the Boston Globe says, "was the most surprised man in Boston," by reason of the receipt of a medal which he had never dreamed of receiving. Maj. Bigelow had planned it as a pleasant surprise to his old comrade and never was a surprise more complete. "He didn't know it," continues the Globe, "until he reached his room and was congratulated by a host of friends. It is only fair to say that Mr. Reed took the well earned fame with diffidence. Also that he took the honor conferred and the hearty congratulations to heart, as his tears showed when describing the part taken by the Ninth Massachusetts artillery on the second day of the fight. At noon today he could only say that Major Bigelow had told him years ago that he intended to have that piece of work recognized, and I imagine he has had a hand in it." Mr. Reed then goes on to give an account of the act for which the medal was given to him, but as he is a modest man, he gives all too short a relation of his illustrious performance. As it occurred at one of the most critical points in that stupendous and bloody struggle of Gettysburg, and as both the captain and bugler were members of the Ninth Massachusetts artillery, whose heroic stand on that day, like that of the First Minnesota at another point, was all that stood between the Union army and overwhelming defeat. The Journal has taken some pains to get a full account of the affair, together with the part taken by the battery in the momentous struggle. Part of it has been obtained from Maj. Bigelow and part from authentic accounts which dwell more fully upon the captain's part-he was a captain then-in that day's work than he is inclined to himself. Sometimes in war it happens that fresh recruits fight with the valor and steadiness of veterans. At Valmy, in 1791, green conscripts won the first victory of the French republic, and threw into rout and ruin the veteran grenadiers trained under Frederick the Great. At Waterloo the matchless courage of English boys held the allied position all through that long day against the fierce and determined onslaught of veterans who had marched to victory on a hundred bloody fields. So it was with the Ninth Massachusetts battery at Gettysburg. Never before under fire, they fought with unparalleled intrepidity and coolness; fought infantry and artillery combined without infantry support themselves; fought until with half the company dead or wounded, 2 they were overwhelmed by a wave of Confeder"A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Postwar sketch by Charles Reed portraying his act ofgallantry in saving Capt. Bigelow at Gettysburg, july 2, 1863. The original newspaper illustration was based on this finished piece. (Regiments and Armories of

Massachusetts)

ate infantry and swept out of combat. In all the civil war there was only one other battery which suffered as it did at Gettysburg. Capt. Bigelow, himself, graduating at Harvard in '61, with the "war class," had already seen two years of service and serious wounds, but his command at Gettysburg there received its baptism of fire, and a bloody one it was, too. All through the early part of July 2, the second day of the battle, the battery lay with the artillery reserve of Meade's army behind Cemetery Ridge. In the middle of the afternoon the horses had eaten their oats and the cannoneers were resting beneath the shade of trees, smoking their pipes and playing APPENDIX B

at Gettysburg were not "half the company," they were extremely high for an artillery battery. They represented nearly 50 percent casualties, if one considers that approximately sixty men actually work the guns.

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3 The Confederate forces that struck the Union left on July 2, commanded by Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, consisted of thirteen brigades from three divisions. Their total strength was approximately twenty-one thousand men, not the forty thousand stated here (see Busey and Martin, Regimental Strengths and Losses at Gettysburg, pp. 130, 172).

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cards. Meantime out in front, where the battle raged, Longstreet's 40,000 veterans were slowly and cautiously advancing under cover to overwhelm Sickles' unfortunate line which had been thrust far to the front with its left flank unsupported and "in the air," as military men term such an untenable formation. At the peach orchard his line was broken into a right angle with De Trobriand's brigades facing one way and Burling and Brewster's the other. The attack of 18 brigades of the Confederate army' was concentrated on the six of the Third corps, which held the position. The repose of the artillery was soon disturbed, for an aide galloped up from Gen. Hunt for more batteries. Of the three batteries sent to the front in answer to this summons, Bigelow's was one. The battery, nothing loath, galloped down the old half-hidden road along the rear of Sickles' line of battle toward the angle. On to the front went the men, all along with curiosity, over the very ground where their battery was soon to be annihilated. The pieces were unlimbered in the road east of the peach orchard, where the converging fire of a score of Longstreet's guns made a network of falling shot and shell and whirring bullets, before which Sickles' men fell back in mangled disarray. Before the battery could fire a shot a sergeant was killed and a gunner wounded. When it opened fire the pieces were handled with remarkable coolness and precision. Several Confederate guns were dismantled and at the Rose house, where the fire of the battery was concentrated, the bodies of 100 Confederate dead were buried. Soon the rebel artillery ceased to fire and for a moment hell's hold upon the peach orchard was released. It was but a short respite, however, for three signal guns were fired, and then, with the ear-splitting yell that was ever the Southern battle cry, the splendid infantry brigades ofWofford, Semmes, Barksdale and Kershaw rushed upon the Union lines. On they came, braving such a terrible fire that they fell by thousands, determined to sweep away the remnants of Sickles' battle-scarred brigades. The thin Union line wavered, broke and fell back in two directions, leaving Bigelow's battery alone and unsupported to hold the gap. Directly in front of it the fighting brigades of Kershaw and Semmes leaped a stone wall, halted to reform, not 200 yards away, and swept forward with grand elan, across the front of the battery, to charge little Round Top. Double-shotted cannister tore through their ranks with terrible effect, but nothing daunted, they held on till they reached the woods. "You must hold this position until I can get two batteries on the ridge," was Col. McGilvery's order. Kershaw's brigade

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

threw out a body of sharpshooters which advanced against the battery and followed it to the grim end. Its position was critical in the extreme. It was absolutely alone, 1,000 yards in front of the reforming Union line. Again McGilvery rode up and ordered the battery withdrawn. Capt. Bigelow knew that with Kershaw on his left and Barksdale's victorious brigade on his right to limber up meant the annihilation of the battery. To escape such a fate he retired by prolonge, a movement never before or after attempted during the war. 4 It is a sort of parade ground amusement and is supposed to be used only when infantry supports are at hand. It consists in attaching the pieces to the caissons by rope and retreating firing, the recoil of the guns moving them backward. Gradually the guns moved back in this manner 400 yards, keeping Kershaw's sharpshooting North Carolinians5 back with canister and Barksdale's Mississippians at bay with ricochetting solid shot. At the rear of an open field on the Trostle farm, the battery's retreat was stopped by a stone wall, near the farm buildings. Here there was only a narrow gateway, barely sufficient to pass the limber and one gun at a time. The guns were brought to a standstill in the dooryard of the Trostle house. They might have been withdrawn without great danger, but at this moment Col. McGilvery rode up and told Capt. Bigelow that he must sacrifice his battery to save the army. "There is not an infantry man back of you," were his words, "you must remain and sacrifice your battery, if need be, until I can find some batteries to put in position to cover you." Up the lane on the right, out of range of the guns, came a part of Barksdale's Mississippians, while the North Carolina sharpshooters, advancing along the stone wall on the left, had reached the Trostle barn and opened a destructive fire on the battery. It was 6 o'clock and every moment saved meant much for the salvation of Meade's army. Barksdale's men rushed forward into the very mouths of the cannon, which blew them back with double shotted charges of canister. When the canister was gone case shot and shell were used with the fuses cut short so that they would explode among the enemy not more than 50 yards away. Again and again the intrepid soldiers of the South reformed and advanced upon the battery only to be thrown back in bloody confusion by the terrible fire of those six guns. In an evil moment the left section of the battery, two guns, under Lieut. Milton, became tangled among some boulders and before it could be extricated Kershaw's sharpshooters closed in on the front and Barksdale's men were dangerously APPENDIX B

4 Though not a common maneuver, retire by prolonge was used numerous other times throughout the war. Lt. John Turnbull's Battery, Companies F and K, Third U.S. Artillery, used this maneuver at nearly the same time as Bigelow on July 2. Turnbull's battery was attempting to retreat from the Emmitsburg Road to Cemetery Ridge but was eventually overrun.

5 Brig. Gen. Joseph Kershaw's brigade consisted of soldiers from South Carolina, not North Carolina.

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') t

(

\._L

Engraving of9'h Massachusetts Battery at Gettysburg, which appeared in Minneapolis Journal.

6 Only one of Lieutenant Milton's guns went over the stone wall. The other, in attempting to move through the gateway, upset. Righted "amid a shower of bullets," the gun finally escaped (see John Bigelow to John Bachelder, n.d., BP). 7 John Ligal was a twenty-two-year-old peddler from Boston when he enlisted as a private in the battery on July 28, 1862. After serving throughout the war, Ligal was arrested on June 5, 1865, after an incident just before the battery was mustered out of service. 360

near on the right. Then it was that Capt. Bigelow ordered the two guns to limber up and save themselves. The horses were wounded and so were the men. It was one of those fearful moments when even brave men are glad to take advantage of an honorable opportunity to retreat. The horses, stung to fury by their wounds and the whips of the drivers, scaled the fourfoot stone wall, dragging the guns after them. Over the wall went the first gun like a steeplechaser and hot in its tracks bounded the second. 6 They were safe, but it was the supreme moment with the four remaining guns. Barksdale's men swarmed behind them, climbing upon the caissons and shooting down the cannoneers as they served their smoke enshrouded pieces. Around the guns themselves the few survivors of the battery fought with desperate coolness. Private LegaF brained a Mississippian with the head of an iron rammer, another was killed by a blow from a handspike, as he drew a prisoner to the rear. Blows were given right and left; men struck blindly and grappled and fought like demons. "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

...

Capt. Bigelow is still unscathed, and, seeing that the end has come, orders Bugler Reed to sound the retreat-the sauve qui peut. The moment the notes of the bugle ring out the men turn, and, leaping the wall, run for their lives, surrounded by swarms of Confederates. At that same moment six of Kershaw's men, singling out Bigelow and Reed, fire simultaneously. The bugler catches sight of them just as their fingers press the trigger, and, pulling his horse into its haunches, saves himsel( The captain is not so lucky, however, for two of the bullets strike him and two wound his horse. He is shot through the body and arm and is thrown to the ground. Even in that moment of pain he is happy, for his battery has gained half an hour in that bloody corner, even if his poor remnants are how scurrying to the rear "just as fast as God will let them," in compliance with the text of the last order. "He drew himself back to the stone wall," says Mr. Reed, "and told Orderly Kelly and me to go ahead." They didn't do anything of the kind. Kelly was a great big fellow, strong as an ox. Reed yelled to him to put the captain on his horse. Kelly climbed down from his saddle and lifted APPENDIX B

He was tried by general court martial on the charge of offering violence to a superior officer and found guilty. He was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment (see Baker, History of the Ninth, pp. 184- 93, 248).

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8 Edwin Dow was a lieutenant at the time of the battle. He was promoted to captain on September 1, 1863 (see Reed's February 12, 1864, diary entry).

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the wounded man into his place and then struck out on foot to save his own life, while Reed, supporting the wounded captain with one hand and holding the reins of both horses with the other, set out for the reforming Union lines, 500 yards away. All this had been accomplished in less time than it takes to tell it and almost in the midst of the Southern soldiery. Twenty men raised their rifles and the lives of the two artillery men hung in the balance. "Hold! Don't shoot," ordered Col. Humphreys of the Twenty-first Mississippi, "we can't kill such men." The rifles were lowered and the two horsemen moved on across the battle scared plain. Artillery missiles from both armies tore up the ground about them as they slowly moved toward the battery of the Sixth Maine artillery. Capt. Dow, 8 of the battery, sent word to them to hurry out of the range of his guns so that he could open fire on the Confederates, who were re-forming to storm the new line. He was afraid that he would be overwhelmed while waiting for the two men to get out of the way. Capt. Bigelow sent back word that it was impossible for him to move faster, and requesting Dow to open fire regardless of him. Dow did so, but he ordered the two left guns of his command to use solid shot instead of canister and shell. So calculating their movements as to keep between the ranges of these two guns, which were but 14 yards apart, Bugler Reed with admirable steadiness, directed the horses toward the battery. The solid shot whistled by them, shell and shrapnel struck around them furious blasts, but they finally passed between the guns of the battery and reached a place of safety. Reed had saved his captain. Tour d'Auvergue the immortal first general of the Old Guard, never did a braver act. He has been rewarded by the life-long gratitude of the captain, and now, after 32 years, a medal of honor. A picture representing the retreat was afterward painted by Reed, and a copy of it accompanies this article. The Ninth was largely recruited at Brockton, Mass. That city had just completed a splendid town hall at a cost of more than half a million dollars, and the interior was decorated with pictures which tell the history of the city. The part taken by Brockton in the Civil War is told by pictures representing the deeds of its citizens in the different arms of the service. The artillery is represented by a painting, by Lamb, of the Ninth artillery in action at Gettysburg. The moment chosen for this spirited piece is just after one of the guns has scaled the stone

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

wall and the other is coming on in full gallop to take it in turn. All of the men represented in the picture, a reproduction of which is herewith given, were painted from photographs made during the war. Thus, while the picture has the ideal treatment for a war scene it is filled with real portrait work. The two horsemen in the foreground on the right are Capt. Bigelow and Bugler Reed. It may be passing from the sublime to the ridiculous to call attention to it, but it will be noticed that in Mr. Reed's picture Capt. Bigelow is represented as beardless, while in the Brockton picture his face is adorned with side whiskers. The mistake is Mr. Reed's, and is readily excused by the lapse of 26 years.

-T. M. K. CREDIT TO M'GILVERY An Important Contribution to the History of a Great Battle. In this connection Capt. Bigelow has written a letter to The Journal, in which belays stress upon the fact that after his battery had been annihilated at 6:30 and until 7: 15 there was nothing between the Union army and defeat except a thin line of artillery, which his determined stand had given Col. McGilvery time to collect. As the Confederates remarked in the presence of a wounded man of the Ninth, who lay among them: "Your damned brass guns have caused us trouble enough, and we were bound to get them; but we have no heart to charge a second line of artillery." Had they done so, Gettysburg might have been won by the South instead of the North, and Pickett's splendid sacrifice would never have occurred. For a while Dow's battery was the only one that opposed them, and they could easily have captured it. Gettysburg, like Waterloo, has its "ifs." The major then goes on to call attention to a part of the battle of Gettysburg which has heretofore been glossed over in all accounts. "The foregoing leads me," he writes, "to call attention to a part of the battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, that historians have overlooked or have not understood, viz., to whom alone credit is due for preventing the enemy from discovering and taking advantage of the great gap made in our lines by the divergent movements of Birney's and Humphries' divisions after the breaking of Sickles' angle at the Peach Orchard. The orchard was at least 1,500 yards in front of the position Gen. Meade claimed he expected Sickles' third corps to occupy, which was over some 1, 700 yards, extending from the left of the SecAPPENDIX B

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ond corps to the top of the Round Tops. The Third corps was a small one and the proposed line had so many natural disadvantages that Sickles did not dare to take it but pushed forward to where the ground was more open. He placed Humphries' division along the Emmetsburg road with its right in the air at least 1,000 yards in advance of the left of the Second corps. He connected Birney's division with the left of Humphries, at the Peach Orchard, extending it back by an obtuse angle to the left and rear to the Devil's Den, in front of Little Round Top. "When Sickles' line was broken at the Peach Orchard angle, Longstreet's line was also divided, one half of it being occupied until dark driving Birney and his supports back to the Round Tops, and the remainder, moving at nearly a right angle to the first against Humphries' division, on the Emmetsburg road, crowding it on the front and on its flanks so that it had a hard fight until dark to get back and into our lines in front of the Second corps. "Capt. Randolph, chief of artillery of the Third corps, had been wounded and obliged to leave the field, and Col. McGilvery, commanding the First brigade of artillery reserve, assumed command without orders, just after the break at the Peach Orchard occurred. He left my command the last to withdraw from the cross-roads, between the Peach Orchards and the Round Tops. When I had fallen back without supports, firing by prolonge, and had reached the angle of the stone wall at Trostle's house, he came to me again, ordering me to hold the position at all hazards, sacrificing my command, if necessary, saying the enemy must be checked until he could get some guns in position in my rear, covering my position, for the lines were open from the Round Tops to the Second corps. In a hollow and in the angle of the stone wall which cut me off from retreat, without infantry supports and confronted by Barksdale's invincible Mississippians, my position was an impossible one for artillery to hold, except under direct necessity. My battery, however, delayed the advance of the enemy in its front and saved from 20 to 30 precious minutes for McGilvery before it was silenced. When the end came and I was wounded, my anxiety was relieved when I saw the guns of the Sixth Maine battery in position about 500 yards in my rear. McGilvery had placed it there. On its left he succeeded in stationing Watson's regular battery of six guns and on its right three guns of Phillips' Fifth Massachusetts and two guns ofThompson's First Pennsylvania batteries. In a long opening of nearly a mile, these batteries occupied detached positions. The Twenty-first Mis364

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sissippi, which had run down my battery at Trostle's house, did not venture to charge Dow's battery in front but slipped around to their right, and taking advantage of inequalities in the ground, charged and captured Watson's battery but it was almost immediately recaptured by a New York regiment from Willard's Second corps brigade, which had just come up by Hancock's orders, in response to McGilvery's urgent request for aid. As soon as they came up, leaving Phillip's and Thompson's batteries to protect Willard's advance against Barksdale, McGilvery moved Dow's brigade to the left ofWatson's station, where it was immediately called upon to repel with canister an advance, probably by troops from Wofford's Confederate brigade, and, possibly, the Twenty-first Mississippi. As a second charge was preparing, McGilvery brought two guns of Hart's Fifteenth New York to his assistance, and again the enemy were driven back. Hart's guns were then sent elsewhere, and McGilvery brought Phillips' Fifth Massachusetts battery, with its three remaining guns, to Dow's assistance. Together they repelled a third and final charge of the enemy in their front. Then he sent Dow still further to the left-near the right of Little Round Top-to support the Twelfth corps, which had been brought over from Culp's Hill. This last move made, darkness settled down and the battle stopped for the day. Thompson's guns, which McGilvery had placed in position on the right of Dow's original position, suffered severely, but did for service against the enemy, whose advance was so effectually stopped by the gallantry of the First Minnesota. "I write the above, hoping that Col. Freeman McGilvery, of Maine, who died from wounds received before Petersburg, will receive the great credit which is his due. Without an aide or an orderly, after the break in Sickles' line at Peach Orchard, he was the only field officer who realized and tried to remedy the situation. He was fearless, having his horse shot several times, and was untiring in keeping the enemy from discovering the ever widening and unprotected gap in our lines, made by the diverging movements of Birney's and Humphries' division of Sickles' corps. Except the Sixth Maine battery, which he had fortunately kept in reserve for an emergency and which he was able to promptly send to my assistance, 9 he had to rely on the parts of batteries, broken and disabled, as they came back from the Peach Orchard to help him. He gave new courage to the officers of these and placed and maneuvered them, 21 guns in all, in many different positions, checking every advance oflarge or small bodies of the enemy towards the gap so dangerous to APPENDIX B

9 McGilvery had not kept the Sixth Maine Battery "in reserve," but instead the battery just happened to come to the front at just the right moment. McGilvery quickly, and without proper authority or orders, commandeered the battery for his new artillery line (see Dow's report, OR, 27: pt. 1, p. 897).

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our safety, and effectually concealing, with his artillery, alone, the royal road to victory they had made for themselves and which, for an hour, before it was closed by our troops, lay open to their advance.

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AppendixC

The Boston journal Article

The newspaper article that Charles Reed mentioned in his February 2, 1864, letter to his mother appeared in the July 7, 1863, edition of the Boston journal (page 2, columns 26). Despite Reed's obvious disdain of the account, the article was written by one of the most respected wartime journalists, Charles Carleton Coffin, who used the pen name "Carleton." Many believe that Coffin (1823-96) was the only journalist to cover the entire war. An eyewitness to the Battle of First Manassas, Coffin was almost constantly at the front from then until the close of war. He covered numerous campaigns, including Grant's movements in the western theater from December 1861 through June 1862 (including the capture of Fort Donelson); the Antietam Campaign; the bombardment of Charleston, South Carolina, in April 1863; Gettysburg; Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign; a brief period of the Atlama Campaign; the capture of Richmond; and the ceremonial reraising of the United States flag at Fort Sumter. Some of his telegraphic dispatches to the journal, such as those at Fort Donelson and Charleston, were the first definitive news from the front. Coffin frequently exposed himself in combat and was well known for his zeal in getting copy to his editors to scoop his competitors. His "straight to the mark" writing contrasted markedly with the more common flowery style of the time. Coffin was also not afraid to offer critical commentary on military maneuvers and had an excellent rapport with many of the top military commanders. 1 This is, of course, not to say that Reed's evaluation of the Gettysburg article is incorrect, for Coffin's account has many errors, both factual and sequential. As for his description of the actions of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery, Coffin never APPENDIX

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1 Dictionary of American Biography, S. V. Charles Carlton Coffin; Sifakis, Who Was Who, p. 81. Coffin went on to become a prolific writer, using his wartime correspondence as the basis for seven books, including My Days and Nights on the Battlefield (1864),

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Following the Flag (1865), Four Years of Fighting (1866 and republished as The Boys of '61 in 1881 and 1896), and a series entitled Drumbeat of the Nation, Marching to Victory, Redeeming the Republic, and Freedom Triumphant (1888-1891). Some of Coffin's books, such as Marching to Victory, contain some of Charles Reed's postwar artwork. After the war Coffin traveled the world for sixteen months, describing his experiences in Our New Way Round the World (1869). Coffin's other books included The Seat of Empire (1870), The Boys of '76 (1876), History of Boscawen and Webster (1878), The Story of Liberty (1879), Old Times in the Colonies (1881 ), Building the Nation (1883), biographies of Garfield (1880) and Lincoln (1892), and two novels, Winning His Way (1866) and Caleb Krinkle (1875). Coffin was also a popular lecturer, giving over two thousand addresses during his life. He was also elected to the Boston Assembly, 1884-1885, and to the state senate, 1890. 2 In the article Coffin writes that he was near the Evergreen Cemetery on Cemetery Hill, thus never claiming to be an eyewitness to the actions of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. In a postwar account (Marching to Victory, 1889), Coffin stated that he rode to Little Round Top and watched the battery from a distance. In either case, he was not close enough to hear the conversations that appear in his wartime article.

claimed that he was "in the thickest of the fight." 2 It seems dear from his narrative that the reporter spent most of his time along the Union right, at Cemetery Hill. Obviously he was not dose enough to hear the conversations reported, and the description contains some embellishment. It is also obvious, however, that Coffin interviewed a member, or members, of the battery to tell their story. Overall, Coffin's article was fairly good, considering the extreme time limitations and other constraints he was working under. Below is the segment of Coffin's article that covers the fighting on Thursday, July 2, 1863, and the role of the Ninth Massachusetts Battery at Gettysburg. The first sections of this lengthy article provide an overview of Gettysburg, the surrounding landscape, the movements of the armies in the days leading up to the battle, the fighting on July 1, and the positions of the opposing armies on July 2. Coffin's article continues with a description of the fighting on second day. THE GREAT BATTLES OF GETTYSBURG. The Rebels Utterly Defeated.

UNPARALLELED HEROISM OF OUR TROOPS. Plan of the Battle Ground. From our Special Correspondent

The Battle ofThursday Thursday, July 2 On Thursday morning, when I reach the ground the 5th corps was moving from the Hanover road to the Baltimore pike, the men throwing themselves upon the ground to gain a little rest and sleep after their lone and weary march. Riding up the road I reached the cemetery and had a view of the field over which the great contest was soon to rage. Gen. Howard was there with his staff taking a lunch, knowing that there would be hard work before sundown. There were signs of the approaching storm. Few rebels could be seen; two miles to the north single horsemen were in view galloping furiously over the fields, disappearing in groves, dashing down the road to the town, and again returning. There was 368

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a battery in position north of the railroad and as I looked narrowly at an opening between two thick groves I saw the glistening of bayonets, and a line as if a column of men was marching east toward the thick forest on Rock creek. It was surmised that they were to attack our right upon the wooded hill by advancing directly down Rock creek through the forest. Prisoners captured said that Ewell had sworn a terrible oath to turn our flank if it took his last man. To guard against such a flank movement Slocum has thrown up breastworks from the crest of the hill down to Rock creek. Two batteries were placed in position on hillocks south of the turnpike to throw steel up the creek. Riding along the line south, I found, joining the cemetery, Doubleday's division of the First corps lying in the oak grove. Stannard's Vermont brigade of nine months men were there, the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th regiments, from the mountains ever verdant. The Second corps, Hancock's, was next in line, then the Third, Sickles', extending down to Round Top hill. Sickles had advanced two divisions into the meadow, just east of the Emmettsburg road. On his extreme left was the 9th Massachusetts battery, Capt. Bigelow; close by him was Phillips' battery. Along the line the sharpshooters were at it, over behind the fences along the Emmettsburg road, and the rebels behind the fences and in the fields of waving grain in front of their line. Let us walk along the entire line before the battle begins and see the exact positions of the troops, commencing at Rock creek. On the extreme right are Slocum's 12th corps, Gen. Lockwood's division holding the ground from Rock creek up to the crest of the hill, Gen. Williams' division on the summit, and Gen. Geary's reaching down the western slope through the woods to Wadsworth's and Robinson's divisions of the First corps, which extended to the town. Here, as I have said, the line makes almost a right angle, and instead of walking nearly west, you turn to the south. Then in the cemetery and in the field north of it are the remnants of the Eleventh corps-Gen. Ames' division holding the angle, Schurz and Steinwehr being in the cemetery, with an apple orchard and stone wall for protection. This is our strong position. To take it in front is an impossibility, but if Ewell makes his oath good, to take the wooded hill where Slocum is posted, Howard will be in an unpleasant position, for the hill is nearly as high as the cemetery, and he will then be subject to a fire in front, on his right flank and in his rear. You admire this posiAPPENDIX

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Crude map in C. Coffin's july 7, 1863 Boston journal article.

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tion of Howard, for from here he can do what no other man can-he can reach every foot of the enemy's lines, from Ewell, away up in the northeast on Rock creek, to A. P. Hill, across the town at the seminary, to Longstreet, down in front of Round Top. Major Osborn is in command of thirty-four pieces of artillery here. He will wield tremendous power. Lee knows it, and you can see from the preparations along the enemy's lines, the planting of batteries, that here will be a continuous storm of shot and shell. Osborn will receive a concentrated fire. Lee must silence the lips of these thirty-four before he can hope to take and hold our weakest position. Crossing the Youngstown road you come to the 2d corps, Hancock's. Here you are in fields. You see Hayes' division on the right, Gibbons' in the centre, Caldwell's on the left. Hayes is in a grove of small oaks; Gibbons and Caldwell are taking down the rails from the fences and are laying them up for a barricade, and more with shovels are digging a trench for a rifle pit about four rods west of the highest part of the ridge. There are the batteries behind, in position to fire over the men in the trench-to sweep the meadows and fields in front. This is our weakest part of the line-no natural defense, simply a little smooth swell of land, with a clear, unobstructed open field in front; no obstruction, except the fences along the Emmettsburg road, good musket shot distant. Beyond Hancock is Sickles' 3d corps, advanced forty rods from the ridge, lying sheltered by a swell ofland, on which you see a two-story brick house, the home of Mr. Wilson. This is the outline. But inside of this is the Fifth corps, Sykes', and the Sixth, Sedgewick's-moveable pieces, to be used as supports, braces or blocks-timbers to strengthen the weak parts of the building when the storm comes on. You admire the arrangement. In fifteen minutes these two interior forces can be thrown to the extreme right, to the extreme left, or to the angle in the centre. Here also is the reserve artillery, admirably parked, to be brought into use in an instant; and then behind, east of Rock creek, is Pleasanton, with Gregg and Kilpatrick, to prevent any attack on the rear. A few waves of a flag from that small house on the Taneytown road will spread these wings instantly, the right one for a sweep around Ewell, the left one for a longer stretch beyond Round Top, at Longstreet. You are pleased at the concentration of force-its disposition. If Longstreet and Hill combine to sweep over the slight 370

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barriers which Hancock is throwing up, these two blocks can be placed upon the ridge to roll them back. If Ewell and Hill creep down Rock creek under the shade of the grand old oaks, they can be placed with Slocum to make it still more a hill of difficulty to the enemy. The Advance In the afternoon the 3d corps was ordered to advance across the fields and reconnoiter the enemy on the left. Some movements had been noticed in the woods beyond Stevens' run. Sickles advanced near a mile. Bigelow's battery was taken forward nearly to the Emmetsburg road to cover the advance or the recall. It was not the intention of Gen. Meade to bring on the battle, but the enemy was ready, and in reality had begun to move at the time the 3d corps advanced. A battery opened on Longstreet's extreme right. Another and another. The fire ran along the entire front line up to Rev. Dr. Schumaker's house. It was furious. I was at the moment near the cemetery. It rained shot and shell. Knocking over the marble slabs, shattering the iron fences, disemboweling horses, tearing up the graves. The air was full of wild, hideous noises-the low buzz of round shot, whizzing of the elongated rifle bolts, screaming and screeching, the sharp stunning explosions of shells-over head and all around. There was a quick response. In three minutes' time the earth shook with the tremendous concussion of two hundred pieces of artillery. The skirmishers came up and engaged the 3d corps, followed by two lines of the enemy-thirty to forty thousand men. They came with cheers-yells, like Indians sound a warhoop. The men who stood like granite blocks at the apex of the triangle at Chancellorsville against the impetuous dash of Jackson, were not to be easily turned back. They engaged the entire mass of the enemy, holding Longstreet in check till word could be sent to Meade as to what might be expected. While thus holding them a division was detached by Longstreet, which moved upon Sickles's left flank, to get between him and the base of Round Top hill. Ninth Massachussetts Battery "Send up batteries and send up men," was Sickles's request. They were close upon Bigelow's battery. It was its first experience under fire. "I want you to hold on till I can get up two batteries on the APPENDIX

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ridge," said McGilvray, in command of the artillery on the left." "Give them grape and canister," he added. Capt. Bigelow gave them all he had, the last round, and commenced on spherical case. The rebels were desperate. Sickles was pushed back. It was impossible for him to stay so far in front. There was no routno disorder, but a steady, backward movement toward the ridge as orderly as if at dress parade. A rebel battery hastened up and unlimbered close upon Bigelow. He gave them a shot and they limbered up again. The two batteries were not yet up and the Captain and his brave men would not leave. The rebels rushed upon his guns. He blew them from the muzzles, and filled the air with legs, heads and arms. Still they came with demoniac screams, climbing upon his limbers and shooting his horses. Sergeant Dodge went down, killed instantly; also Sergeant Gilson. Lipman, Ferris and Nutting, three of his cannoniers were gone, twenty-two of his men were wounded, and himself shot through the side; also four men missing, yet he held on till McGilvrary got up his two batteries. He brought off five limbers and two of his pieces, dragging them in part by hand! More than half his horses were shot. The rebels seized the four pieces with shouts, waved their flags and came on for new triumphs. But the two batteries, with McGilvray there to superintend them, were doing finely. The division which had some on Sickles' flank received an enfilading fire, and was driven back. Bigelow's guns were recovered. Now is apparent the beauty of Meade's plan. The Fifth arrived the Second was engaged, and Doubleday's division of the first. Hotter grew the fire. The rebels became desperate. As there were no particular signs of an attack in front of Slocum, two of his divisions were sent over. Still the rebels pressed on. The reserve artillery was called for, battery after battery. The Sixth corps, which had just arrived, all weary as they were, moved up with alacrity and became supports. From five P.M. till night the struggle went on. The rebels charged repeatedly upon our lines, but were as often driven back, and then our men improving their opportunity would dash out and gather up prisoners-fifteen hundred were brought in, offsetting our losses of yesterday. They were all from Hill's and Longstreet's commands. Where was Ewell? He was not in sight. We found him suddenly, while the fire on the left was hottest. Our pickets on the right discovered here and there a rebel coming down Rock creek, 372

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and was within musket shot of our lines before discovered. Looking down from his position on the hill, Howard saw them two hundred feet below him, a half mile distant. The guns among the tombs, which had been hurling death far off to the southwest, were wheeled to the northeast, their muzzles depressed, and then with the utmost rapidity from forty pieces there was hurled a continuous storm of shells into the wooded ravine. But Ewell pressed on. He had sworn to break through and reach our rear. His men climbed the steep ascent. Slocum's skirmishers fell back from rock to rock and from tree to tree. But gradually the line of fire crept nearer the top. Another battery now opened south of the turnpike, its line of fire being directly up the creek. Hotter, fiercer grew the musketry, more terrible the cannonades. On the right the rebels rushed up to the rifle pits. There were desperate hand to hand encounters-thrusts with bayonet. Men nerved themselves for desperate efforts. It was the fury of tigers. Foes became impaled on each others bayonets and fell to the ground together. But the line had been so much weakened that notwithstanding Slocum's efforts his extreme right was pushed back a little from the creek. The door was partly opened. There was a little break, and one more vigorous push on the part of Ewell might be fatal. Late at night both parties ceased their efforts and prepared for the morning. Longstreet had failed-Ewell had partly succeeded. The first thing for the morning was to close the Rock creek door and send Ewell back. The 6th corps was moved back to support the 12th corps and the 1st. Two batteries were brought into position, on some rocky hillocks between the Baltimore pike and the Taneytown road, their muzzles pointing north, straight up Rock creek. Ewell, doubtless well pleased that he had gained a foothold, had placed the door ajar and kept his troops on their arms in Slocum's rifle pits. He was within forty rods of the Baltimore pike. If he could gain it then there would be trouble in Meade's camp. All night long in the pale moonbeams shimmering through the leafY branches of the forest the pickets watched each other. Occasionally there were rifle shots-some deadly ones on each side, but the man on either side were then wearied to keep awake over such trifling matters, and they reposed sweetly upon the ground which at daybreak was to be their last earthly resting place, as when in childhood they were soothed to slumber in a mother's arms. All know that at dayAPPENDIX

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light the terrible contest would be renewed, and that thousands would sleep in death; but as I passed along the lines at nightfall I never saw men more cheerful, more determined. It was not the carelessness of the uncertainity-or, rather, the certainty of the morrow, but the calm resolution to yield their lives cheerfully for their country. We who lie down upon our beds at home to quiet slumber know but little of the indurating process which men must undergo before they can sleep so composedly with the conviction on their minds that before another night their. souls will be beyond the scenes of earth, friendsall that makes life desirable will be shut forever from them, and they launched upon the great uncertainty and the unknown. Confidence in themselves and confidence in their leaders were the marked features in the morals of the army that night. They had no fear for the result of the marrow. What deeds of valor were performed! There were many heroes that day.

Coffin's article concludes with "THE GREAT BATTLE OF FRIDAY," which describes the final Confederate attacks of July 3.

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AppendixD

Fifth Corps Medal of Honor Ceremony

The following account of the Medal of Honor presentation Reed described in his September 13, 1864, diary entry appeared in the September 17, 1864, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer (page 2, columns 1-2). It was somewhat ironic yet befitting that Charles Reed would witness this first Medal of Honor presentation conducted by the Army of the Potomac, for little did he realize that almost thirty-one years later he too would receive this same award. For these reasons the article is reproduced here in its entirety, including the "appropriate speches" mentioned by Reed. GALA DAY WITH THE FIFTH CORPS PRESENTATION OF MEDALSHONORS TO THREE GALLANT SOLDIERS.

HEAD-QUARTERS FIFTH ARMY CORPS, SIX MILE HOUSE, Va., Sept. 13, 1864.-0ne of the most interesting performances that ever occurred in the Army of the Potomac, and one that will perhaps have the most beneficial effect upon the men in the field, inciting them to nobler deeds of bravery and daring, if it were possible for an army to be more brave than ours, took place at these head-quarters. The occasion of it was the presentation by Major-General Meade of three medals to three enlisted men for their bravery, in each of them capturing from the Rebels their colors. This was in pursuance of an act of Congress passed some time ago, rewarding enlisted men by presenting them with medals for deeds of valor performed on the field. The spot chosen was General Warren's headquarter's, and, although the order for the presentation did not arrive until eleven o'clock this forenoon, through the exertions of General Warren and his Adjutant-General, Lieutenant Colonel Locke, everything was in readiness by half-past three, at which hour General Craw[f]ord's Division was drawn up in front of head375

quarters, an impromptu platform erected, which was gaily decked off with flags, among which were the captured Rebel flags, bands of music stationed, and everything done to make the occasion one long to be remembered. At four o'clock Generals Meade, Warren and Hancock ascended the platform, Generals Crawford, Ayres, Griffin, Baxter, Hunt and Bragg, with their staffs, standing near, as also a large number of regimental officers. General Warren, in a loud, clear voice, stated the object for which they had thus met together, and called the names of those who were to be honored, desiring them to come forward to the platform. First Sergeant John Shilling, Company H, Third Regiment Delaware Volunteers, who captured a South Carolina flag; private F. C. Anderson, Company H, Eighteenth Massachusetts Veteran Volunteers, who captured the flag of the Twenty-seventh South Carolina, and private George H. Reed, Company E, Eleventh Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers, who captured the flag of the Twenth-fourth North Carolina, came forward to the platform, and presenting arms, came to a shoulder. General Meade then arose and addressed the soldiers as follows:"Officers and Soldiers of the 5th Corps:- I have to day to perform a most pleasant and gratifying duty-to present to certain meritorious non-commissioned officers and privates medals of honor, conferred on them by the War Department, for distinguished conduct on the field of battle, in capturing flags from the enemy. It has been customary in all ages for nations to commemorate and reward the gallantry and devotion of their sons when engaged in the holy cause of defending their country. In the Word of God some of the most beautiful passages of the Psalmist are devoted to commemorating and praising the deeds of the warriors of old; for even the chosen people of God were, in the execution ofHis will, compelled to take up arms and battle for their cause. The histories of the ancient republics of Greece and Rome are filled with accounts of the honors bestowed upon these warriors, crowning them with wreaths of laurels, by triumphal processions, in which were exhibited the trophies and prisoners captured in battle, the whole population turning out to do honor to these heroes. In more modern times nations have adopted various modes of conferring distinctions of military services, by conferring military rank, titles of nobility, estates, and appropriations of money; on the private soldiers medals and other decorations, together 376

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with pensions and endowing institutions, where the aged and disabled soldier can live in comfort and quiet. Nor has our own country been remiss in this respect, notwithstanding the oft-quoted adage that republics are ungrateful. Besides numerous votes of thanks by Congress, the gratitude of our people for the devotion displayed by soldiers on the battlefield has been testified in many ways-States, counties, and cities have presented lands, houses, &c. The fairs devoted to raising funds for the Sanitary Commission have been made the means of honoring the brave and distinguished; and during the session before the last Congress passed a resolution authorizing the Secretary ofWar to confer on distinguished non-commissioned officers and privates medals of honor. This is the first occasion on which the men of this army have been so honored; and I have deemed it proper, through your corps commander, to call you together, that the conferring of this distinction might be witnessed by the comrades of the recipients, and that the inducence of their example might serve to incite others to emulate their worthy conduct. I wished, moreover, to say to you that, although this is the first occasion of the presentation of these medals of honor, I trust, and have reason to believe, the precedent thus made will be soon followed by many other presentations, and that I am now preparing a list of names of enlisted men who have from time to time, since my assuming command of this army, distinguished themselves by acts of gallantry in the field, and whose services have been reported officially to the Department. This list I shall transmit to the Secretary of war, and urge on him justice and expediency of sending medals of honor to all mentioned therein. It has always been my desire promptly to reward the good conduct of the private soldiers of the army. I have always borne testimony to the devotion and bearing of the men of my command, and upon all occasions like the present, where I have had an opportunity to give public expression of my views, I have stated it was to the heroism and gallantry of the private soldiers that our past success in this war was due, and upon which our future success depended. I know, and you know, that, whatever may be the talents or the genius of a commanding general, and however well laid his plans, unless he is sustained by the brave hearts and stout arms of his soldiers, success will not attend his efforts. I therefore take this opportunity, while reminding you of how much depends on the individual exertions of each one of you, to say to you that our countrymen look to you for renewed exertions to unceasing and persistent efforts to overAPPENDIX D

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come our enemies and bring this war to a close; and I trust the medals now presented will serve as incentives to urge you to emulate and surpass the deeds of your comrades now about to be honored. Sergeant John A. Shilling, 3d Delaware, privateS. C. Anderson, 18th Mass. and private Geo. W Reed, 11th Pa. Vol., I now present you with the medals of honor, conferred on you by the Hon. Secretary ofWar, by virtue of the authority of the Congress of the United States, for your conspicuous gallantry and good conduct displayed in capturing on the field of battle flags from the enemy. Take these medals, and wear them with honorable pride. Preserve them and hand them down to your posterity as testimonials of the faithful manner in which you have discharged your duties and served your country in its hour of trials. Accompanying each medal you will find a letter from the Secretary of War, to which you are called to reply in acknowledgement. Your replies, when made, I shall be happy to transmit to the Department. And now, fellow-soldiers of the 5th Corps, let me again urge you to emulate the example of these honored men, and by your future efforts not only deserve similar rewards, but aid in the great work in which we are all engaged-the overcoming of the enemies of our country and the restoration of peace and happiness to the whole land. Dismissing as now useless to discuss all questions as to the origin of this war, we have daily and hourly evidences that it exists, and that it can only be terminated by hard fighting and by determined efforts to overcome the armed foes of the Government. Nor do I think it proper to raise here any questions as to the policy on which this war should be conducted. With these questions, as soldiers, we have nothing to do. Their discussion among you is not only useless, but pernicious. Our policy is to fight and the only question as to the conduct of the war pertinent for us, to discuss is, how best we can defeat those who are in arms with the avowed purpose of destroying that Government under which, for three-quarters of a century, we had lived a united and happy people, almost reaching a point when we would have ranked among the first Powers on the earth. Our duty is to complete submission to the laws, enacted with the consent of the very people who now rebel against them, on the special plea of self-government. This duty is no easy task, as we here present well know; for it is no more than right to admit that our foes fight with bravery and determination worthy of a better cause. But it is a duty which I know you will all discharge at every sacrifice, and I earnestly pray the Ruler of the Universe that in His infinite wisdom and mercy He may so 378

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order events that, through your bravery and devotion to the cause, our enemies may be made to yield, and the cause of truth and justice prevail, so that, peace being restored to the land, the flag of our fathers honored and respected from the St. Lawrence to the Rio Grande, we may be enabled to return to our homes and families, to receive those honors a grateful country is ready to bestow." CHEERS FOR THE GENERAL. Upon the conclusion of the address, General Warren stepped forward and asked the "boys" to give three cheers to show the General they had a heart to appreciate his kindness, which was done, and they were given with a will that must have acquainted the "Johnies" with the fact that something unusual was going on. The band struck up "Hail Columbia," the troops were marched off to their quarters, and General Warren invited his guests to partake of a collation, which was not the least agreeable feature of the proceedings.

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Charles Reed's testimonial to the Capt. Luke Tidd sword return ceremony. (GA)

Appendix£

The Woburn Sword Return Ceremony

On the evening of September 1, 1862, Lt. LukeR. Tidd of Company K, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry, was presented a sword by the citizens ofWoburn, who were "in a state of intense excitement ... [about] the great struggle going on in the South." The blade was inscribed simply: "Lieutenant L. R. Tidd, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts Regiment. From his friends in Woburn." With this sword, Tidd, and the rest of his company, marched off to war. 1 By the summer of 1864, Tidd was a two-year combat veteran and survivor of many encounters with the enemy. Through all of these battles he had faithfully carried his sword, but on August 19, 1864, during the Battle for the Weldon Railroad, Luke Tidd found himself engulfed by an overwhelming Confederate assault. He, along with 245 fellow soldiers of the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, were swept up as prisoners of war. It was here that Tidd was forced to relinquish his sword, turning it over to a member of the Sixth Georgia Infantry. Tidd remained a prisoner until exchanged February 23, 1865. He was commissioned a captain just days before the end of the war, on April3, 1865.2 With the end of hostilities, Luke Tidd returned home to the pursuits of peace, having probably all but given up on ever seeing his sword again. Nineteen years later, in June 1883, however, he was pleasantly surprised by a letter postmarked "Oglethorpe County, Georgia." The letter, addressed to the Postmaster of Woburn, was from B. H. Witcher. It read in part:

1 Woburn Journal, July 13, 1883; "After Many Years," This They Remembered, p. 137.

2 Roe, Thirty-Ninth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, pp. 25355; MSSM, 4: 47, 105.

During the late war, I think in the summer of 1864, near Petersburg, Va., in an engagement as a member of the Sixth Georgia Regiment received from an officer, who had been captured, a sword, which he in turn gave me. When I came home I deposited the sword in the Masonic Lodge at this place, and had forgotten it until recently .... It may be that the owner still survives, and would like to get possession of the sword again, if 381

not for its value, at least for the associations connected with it. If you will give me the information I will send it as instructed. Respectfully, B. H. Witcher3

3 "After Many Years," p. 137.

This offer was symbolic of both the fraternity among soldiers, even former enemies, and the reconciliation that the country as a whole was beginning to experience at that time. The reaction of the citizens ofWoburn was extremely positive and was expressed in a June 11 reply penned by the town's postmaster, W T. Gammer: B. H. Witcher, Esq., My dear Sir-Capt. LukeR. Tidd has called on me and was shown your letter. He feels pleased at the prospect of once more having in his possession the sword presented him by friends. The announcement of the contents of your letter caused quite an excitement in the community. Many persons have called to see it. The reporter has given it to the press of Boston and I think every Sunday paper published it with comments. You will perceive by this that the affair has already quite a notoriety. If you could hear the remarks of the people regarding your kindness and thoughtfulness in thus offering to return the sword, it would, I am sure, well pay you for the trouble you are at. It is the good feeling that actuates the deed rather than the intrinsic value that causes so much public comment. Little fraternal acts like this are doing much good in our country in smoothing over the troubles of the past, and in the end we shall be a happy, and if possible, a more united people than ever before. Let us all strive to do our part. (You certainly are doing your part.). 4

41bid., p. 138.

Witcher received another letter from Charles K. Conn, one ofTidd's fellow soldiers and then currently Woburn's chief of police. Also dated June 11, 1883, the letter read in part: "The feeling among the old soldiers and the people living here at the opening of the late war in regard to your act in offering to return the Captain's sword is greatly appreciated and on its receipt there will be ceremonies appropriate to such an occasion. " 5 Such ceremonies did take place on July 7, 1883, at the residence of Luke Tidd. According to the local paper, the grounds "were brilliantly illuminated with ... lanterns, the evening was fine, and everything was in trim for an agreeable meeting." Witcher had sent the sword by mail, and it was presented to

5 Ibid., pp. 138-39.

382

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

the former Massachusetts captain in front of"a large and jovial assembly" of nearly two hundred guests. 6 The group was addressed by both William Grammer and Charles Conn, who related the events leading to the sword's return. Grammer also recited B. H. Witcher's letter that accompanied the sword. In part it read:

6 Woburn Journal, July 13, 1883.

Thanks for your kindness. . . . I have received several letters from Mass. and all speak so kindly that I begin to think that though a stranger I have a host of friends in the Old Bay State. When I got the sword nearly nineteen years ago, a friend gave me a belt to which the sword was attached, it bears the shield of the State of Ga. As the two have been together so long I thought it best that they remain together, so I send it with the sword. Tell the captain that as I have had both so long I now turn it over to him and thus we unite Ga. and Mass. 7

7 "After Many Years," pp. 138-40.

At this point in the ceremony Nathan Wyman, formerly a lieutenant in Company K, presented the sword to Luke Tidd. The Woburn journal provided an excellent account of the special moment: Nathan Wyman, Esq., ... was chosen to make the presentation address. Almost twenty-one years ago he had, in behalf of the citizens ofWoburn, presented the same sword to the same person in the same community, many members of which were present on both occasions. It was therefore a rare event, and one worthy of being stored up in the memory, as no doubt it will be. 8

8 Woburn Journal, July 13, 1883.

To ensure that this "rare event" was not forgotten, and also to honor B. H. Witcher "for his great kindness and courtesy in returning the sword," a committee was chosen to "prepare a proper testimonial."The committee chose Charles W. Reed to create this "suitably engrossed testimonial." The work was "a pen and ink sketch, embodying the events of the battle [ofWeldon Railroad] and bearing resolutions" decided upon by the committee. The Woburn journal described Reed's completed piece: The sketch represents a Union soldier, true to life, with his gun slung from the shoulder, his cap in hand, as in the act of waving it, standing under a pine tree, facing a typical southerner, with butternut clothing, long beard and hair and slouch hat, APPENDIX E

I

383

91bid., July 13, 1883, May 16, 1884.

10 Charles W. Reed Testimonial, GA.

384

who, facing the boy in blue, stands under a palmetto tree, waving his hat in return. Both figures are life-like. The two soldiers form the sides of the testimonial, while at the top is a graphic presentation of the surrender of the sword on the cart path with the forest, the railroad crossing, the line of defiant confederates and the squads of surprised unionists. Beneath is a representation of the reception of the sword, giving a front view of Tidd's house, lit up with Japanese lanterns, the crowd assembled, who are in the act of cheering as Capt. Tidd receives the sword at the front entrance of his home. 9

A copy of the testimonial was sent to Benjamin Witcher to honor his generosity and thoughtfulness. It also serves as a constant reminder of one small act that served to reconcile former enemies and a once divided nation. The resolution on the testimonial provides a fitting statement to the entire episode: "May the tie which binds Georgia and Massachusetts together never be severed by the sword which now unites us."•o

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

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Index

Abercrombie, John J., 52n3,

104

Barry, William F., 40n5 Battles and Leaders, 181, 226,

321,328,330

Abreu, Leopold Tomas, 86nl; letters to, 125, 134,

Bealton Station, Virginia,

158, 175, 250 Adams, John Q., 143n3

Bethesda Church, Battle of,

Adams Express Company,

22n6 Akerman, Joseph, 25n3, 28 Alcott, Louisa May, 272n4 Allen, John U., 66n3 Ames, Jacob, 272n3, 283 Andrew, Gov. John A., 66n4,

76n2, 78,79-80,90,186,

326 Antietam, Battle of, 25, 26n6 Appomattox River, 315 Arlington, 33nl0 Army of Northern Virginia,

107, 137, 144, 151,207 Army of the James, 231, 276 Army of the Potomac, 20n5,

53n5, 107, 108, 111, 123, 126, 137, 144, 151, 157, 205,207,218,280 Atlanta, Battle of, 251 n3 Ayres, Romeyn, 271 n3, 282 Bachelder, John B., 169n3,

174n3 Ball, Eunica, 72n3, 323-24 Bankhead, Henry C., 29ln3 Banks, Nathaniel P., 96nl Barker, Orville A., 257n1 Barnard, John G., 96n2 Barrett, Albert P., 184n2,

256,264,281,282, 287-88

145 219nl,22~22ln2,239

Bufford & Sons, John H.,

168n2, 174,204,255, 273,278,283,306 Buford, John, 148nl Burke's Station, Virginia, 64, 95 Burksville Junction, Virginia,

313,316

Beverly Ford, Virginia, 189,

205

Burnside, Ambrose, 56n 1,

68, 75n2,204n2,205n2,

Bigelow, John, 79-80, 80,

81, 83, 84-85nnl & 3, 86, 87, 91, 104, 111, 115, 131, 163n3, 181, 185, 19lnl, 196,200,236n6, 238,243,256n2,270, 283,285-86,296n2,297, 300,332,333,342,34445,348-49,350-51, 352-53,355,356,35~

359-62 Billings, John D., xxiv, 331 Blaisdale, Ralph C., 284n6

Boston journal, 174n 1,

367-74

238nl,240n2,253 Burton, HenryS., 184n2,

193 Butler, Benjamin, 73n2,

187n4,210n4,278,279 Camp Barry, 39nl, 41-42,

42-43 Camp Chase, 25n4, 27 Camp Meigs (Camp Sigel),

14n6, 16nl, 19 Camp Seymour, 18nl, 47 Camp Stanton, 8, 13nl Carroll, Charles H., 267n2,

275

Bottom's Bridge, Virginia,

226 Botts, John Minor, 187n5 Brady,James, 188n2, 189,

Carter, George, 38n 1 Casey, Silas, 50n2 Centreville, Virginia, 94, 96-

97,98,102-3,104

190,196, 197-98,246nl Brandy Station, Virginia,

Chamberlain, Joshua L.,

157, 165, 166, 167 Briggs, Henry, 25n4, 26, 28 Bristoe, Campaign, 144-49, 158

Chancellorsville, 208, 209; Battle of, 97 n5 Chantilly, Battle of, 102n5,

232n4

104

Brown, George, 252n2,

276n2

Chapin, Joseph A., 45n2, 48,

60n2,61

Brownlow, William G.,

7-8n4 1

397

Ewell, RichardS., 214n2

Chickamauga, Battle of, 140n5 City Point, Virginia, 312n2 Clement, Alfred B. C., 209 Colcord, Joseph W, 109n4 Cold Harbor, Virginia, 222n4,224,226 Cole, Eleazer, 194n1 Coffin, Charles C., 174n1, 208,367-68n1 Connecticut artillery batteries: znd, 40n4 "Contrabands," 212 Cope, Emmor B., 288n3, 289,290,293-94,313, 317-18 "Copperheads," 109n8, 291n7 Crawford, Samuel, 238n1, 260n1,282,284,301 Custer, George A., 327 Cutter, Dr. Ephraim, 42n2 Dale, Charles R., 109n4 Davis, P. Stearns, 244-45n3 Dawes, William, 100n1, 101-2, 115, 116n12, 118, 232n4,258-59n5,274 De Vecchi, Achille, lOnl, 32, 43,55,60-61,64,65,69, 75n1, 76n2,84n2 Doubleday, Abner, 111 n6 Dow, Edwin B., 179n1, 345, 346,351,352,353,355, 362 Early, Jubal, 308n1 Eaton, Isaac, 259n1 Eaton, Thomas, 14n3, 30, 32 Edward's Ferry, 35n2 Emancipation Proclamation, xx,68n3 Engard, Belle, 31n2, 93 Engard, William ("Willie"), 9n6,93,98 Erickson, Christopher, 40n7, 41,51,53, 76, 77, 78,84, 115n10, 117-18,118 398

Fairfax Courthouse, 35n7, 37 Falls Church, 52 Farwell, John and Elizabeth, 329,330 Farwell, Rebecca, 329, 335, 338 Finley, Henry H., 287-88n2, 289 Fisher, Thomas, 233n5 Fitzhugh, Robert H., 203n1 Flanders, Elizabeth W Reed, 1, 4 Folsom, John A., 25n3 Forbes, Edwin, xviii Fort Buffalo, 53n4, 89 Fort Darling, 277n1 Fort Davis (Fort Warren), 235,241n4,242,244, 245n2, 246, 247, 248, 249,251 Fort Dushane, 265n7, 267, 275n1, 276, 281 Fort Harrison, 278n4 Fort Howard, 281n1 Fort Mahone ("Fort Damnation"), 235 Fort Monroe, 22n3 Fort Ramsey, 50, 51n6 Fort Sedgwick ("Fort Hell"), 234 Fort Wadsworth, 265n4 Foster, George W, 22n5, 78, 81, 88, 89n4, 110n2, 127n2, 171n4,283 Foster, John G., 69n6 Fowle, Elida Rumsey, 57n1, 59,65,92 Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 35n1, 263 Franklin, William B., 81n2 Fredericksburg, Battle of, 61n6,68,81 Gainsville, Virginia, 150 Garibaldi, Giuseppe, 10-11n2

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

Georgia infantry units: 6'\ 380 Gettysburg, Battle of, xix, xx, xxii, 113, 114-15, 116, 117, 117-20, 119, 128, 131, 132, 133, 141, 180, 182,194,200-201,212, 237, 334, 343, 344-45, 346,348-49,350-51, 355,356-66,368-74 Gillson, James F., 180n1 Goldthwait, Charles A., 171n1 Gowing, Ames, 5, 14, 335 Gowing, Charles Howard, 5, 23n7,83 Gowing, Earle Harley, 5, 14 Gowing, Emma G. Reed, 2, 5, 14, 335; letters to, 17, 21,24,30,34,39,47,56, 60, 70,82,86,98, 107, 130, 138, 148, 163, 169, 186,200,239,247,271, 279,290,300,308 Gowing, Jaques, 25n5, 187n1,213,221,226, 268,272,281,283,291, 301 "Grand Review," 319n3, 324-25,325-26 Grant, Ulysses S., 195-96n1, 200,202,208,209,213, 214,215,218,226,232, 248,260,265,275,276, 312,314,328,332 "grayback" (lice), 100n2 Great Eastern, 19n3 Gregg, David, 266n1 Griffin, Charles, 278n2, 282, 313-14n7 Griffin, Perley, 36n10, 178, 312n2 Guinea Station, Virginia, 216n1 Gurney, William, 51n2, 52

Hammond, William B.,

290n2,294,297,305, 308,310,314 Hancock, Winfield S.,

111n6, 112, 376 Hardtack and Coffee, ix, xxiv,

331 Harlow, Louis K., 331 Harper's Weekly, 8n1, 54, 87,

130, 133 Hart, Patrick, 169n1, 177 Hays, Alexander, 83n2, 11112n9,208n4 Heintzelman, Samuel P.,

39n2,81 Heth, Henry, 260 Holland, Richard, 258n3,

273,302-3,306,307, 319,352 Hooker, Joseph, 97n5, 210n4 Howard, Otis 0., 108n2 Hudson, Edward and Sarah, 8n6,9n2,298 Humphreys, Andrew, 208, 275n2 Humphreys, Benjamin G.,

362 Hunt, Henry J., 136n3, 196,

198,202,204,213,358 "Irish Brigade," 112n12 "Iron Brigade," 222n1 Jackson, Thomas "Stonewall," 102n3 Jetersville Station, Virginia, 316 Johnson, Edward, 210n4 Jones, Edward, 285n3 Jones, Edward]., 296n1 Kearny, Philip, 102n5 Kelly, John H., 168, 348n7,

349,350,361-62 Kelly's Ford, 150, 151, 158 Kershaw, Joseph B., 115n8 Kilpatrick, Judson, 124n2,

148, 185n1, 188n1

Kitching, James H., 254n2 laughlin, Milton H., 270n5,

182, 195,203n4,204, 207,213-14,216,223n4, 232n4, 237, 239, 282, 319,325n3,326,336-3~

275 Leathe, John and Marah,

15n3 Lee, Robert E., 33n10, 107,

120,144,145,146,200, 207,209,216,218,221, 269,272,248 Ligal, John, 360n7 Lincoln, Abraham, 20n5, 30,

45,68n3, 196,251n5; 1864 reelection of, 291n5, 314n8 Lincoln, Levi, 274 Lipman, Adolph, 118, 180n1 Longstreet, James, 113, 348,

358 Lyle, Peter, 245n3, 260n5,

273 McClellan, George B., 20n5,

30,32,281n6,291n6 McCoy, Thomas, 277 n3 McDonald, John W., 181n1 McGilvery, Freeman, 113,

114n2, 117, 131, 138, 149, 168n1,200,233n4, 301n6,344,345,346, 353,358,359,363-66 Maine artillery units: 6'\ 233n4,345,351,352, 362-65 Maine infantry units: 16'\ 245n4; 20'\ 275n3 Manassas, Second Battle of, 65; appearance of the battlefield, 147 Martin, Augustus F., 282nn1, 3, and 4 Martin, John ("Johny"), 34 Massachusetts artillery units: 1" Heavy, 214n4; 3'd, 109n7; 5'\ 226, 238n1, 272n4, 281, 364; 9'\ 13,

26n1,94n5, 107,112, 123, 124n3, 142, 151,

346,348,349,350,352, 356, 358, 359, 360, 362-63, 371-72; 10'\ 39n4, 40, 264; ll'h, 40n4, 99, 100, 110n2, 281, 296n1,301n6 Massachusetts infantry units: 1", 11 On5; 2"d, 108, 109n6; 5'\ 12; 9'\ 214n5;

12'\ 109n6, 250; 13'h, 35n3, 59n4, 109n4, 131, 173, 221n4, 223n5, 241n2,245,246,248, 250,258; 15ili, 110n5; 16ili, 110n5; 19ili, 111n5; 20'h, 111n5; 21", 25n5, 213; 32"d, 283n1; 33'd, 109n6; 37ili, 28n4; 39'\ 14n4,30n2,35,97n4, 138n2, 153, 221n4, 223n5,245,248,250, 260n6,273n7,381; Company K, 39'h (Woburn Company), 14n4; 59'h, 283n2 Mattapo River, Virginia,

216n2 Meade, George G., 126n7,

151,200n1,202,204, 208,214,275,304n4, 308, 363; Medal of Honor speech, 375-79 Mechanicsville, Virginia, 221 Meigs, Montgomery, 16n1 Miles, William P., 109n4 Miller, Charles, 164n2 Milton, Richard S., 69n8, 70, 78, 120, 127n2, 170,

172,213,261n8,262, 283,288,301,359,360 Mine Run, Campaign, 15154, 159 Minneapolis Saturday Evening journal, 353, 355-66

INDEX

399

Minnesota infantry: 1", 356, 365 Mississippi infantry units: Nathaniel H. Harris's Brigade (12'h, 16'\ 19'\

Norwood, John, 284n5, 285, 333 Nottaway Court House, Virginia, 312nl, 314,315

48ili),263n3,263,268; 21 ", 345, 351' 362, 364-65; William Barksdale's Brigade, 344, 346,350,352,358-61, 364,365 Modica, Joseph, 32n4 Monroe, John A., 40n6, 203, 204 Morse, Alfred, 110n2, 197, 275n4 Mosier, William H., 255nl, 259n6,271,278,283, 285,305,313,319 Moulton, Henry W, 257nl "Mud March," 75n2 Murfreesboro, Battle of,

68n2 Murray, George, 297n2 Nash, Henry F., 26n3, 29n2 Nason, Paul F., 213n2, 221 New Hampshire infantry units: 11 '\ 30n3; 12'\ 32n9; 13'h, 35n6, 36 New Jersey cavalry units: 1", 78n1 New York artillery units: 6'\ 36n10; 6'h Heavy, 198n2, 254n2,255,257n2, 259n6,267,313; 11m, 203n2; 15'h Heavy, 194n1, 201; 15'h, 217, 233n1, 365; 17'\ 40n4,

89n4 New York Engineers, 50'\

265n8 New York infantry units: 104'\ 245n4 North Anna River, Battle of, 216-18; Jericho Mills, 216,217,221, 224-25, 239 400

Ohio artillery units: 1", Battery H, 183n1 Ohio infantry units: 110'\ 156 Owens, Thomas C., 156 Park, William, 160n2, 297 Pearce, William, 88n3, 186 Peeble's Farm, Battle of, xxii Pennsylvania artillery units: 1", Battery B, 236n1; 1", Batteries C & F, 364, 365; Keystone Battery, 22n2, 24; Reserve Artillery, 196nl Pennsylvania infantry units: 107'\ 245n4; 150'\ 48nl; "Reserves" 81nl, 239nl Petersburg, Virginia, 226, 231, 242; Battle of Dabney's Mill (Hatcher's Run), 303, 304; Battle of Five Forks, 312; Battle of Hatcher's Run, 284, 28 5-86; Battle of Peebles Farm, 276-81; Battle of Reams Station, 264nn2 & 3; Battle of the Crater, 238nl, 252nn1 & 2, 253, 254, 255; Battle ofWeldon Railroad,

260-64,261,263-64, 268,273,279n5,282, 293,306-7, 381; Confederate cattle raid, 272nn1 & 2; "Dictator" ("Petersburg Express"), 249n2; fall of the city, 312; fortifications, 281 n5; Hicksford Raid, 294-95, 298-99; opening assaults against, 231-32,232,240-41;

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"

siege of, 232-312; "Yellow House" (Globe Tavern), 261nl0,262,281,285,

287n1,292,293,300 Philadelphia, appearance of, 93-94;Independence Hall, 93 Philadelphia Inquirer, 375-79 Pierce, Franklin, 1 Porter, Horace, 331 Prescott, George, 18nl, 26, 82n4, 110n2, 127n2, 283n7,297nl Pumunkey River, Virginia, 219 Quaranti, Francis, 26n2, 32, 42,45,60-61 Rappahannock River, Virginia, 138 Reed, Charles W, xxvi, 7, 78,92, 157,232,317, 326,333,335,338,35~

artistic talent, xviii, xxiv, 3, 55, 71, 74, 110, 132, 139n4, 163, 165n4, 168, 171-72, 174, 177, 181, 183, 186, 189, 190, 192, 194,196,198-99,200, 204,206,229,233,237, 238,250,255,257,258, 261,275,278-79,28788, 292-93, 297, 299-300,301,302-3, 304,305,306,308,310, 330-32; birth, 1, 2; bugle calls, 16n2, 58, 193; childhood and youth, 2-4, 5; death, 337; designs Ninth Massachusetts monuments, 33233, 334, 335; enlistment into army, 13; family ancestry, 1-2; friendship with John Bigelow, 332, 333-34; funeral, 337-38; marries, 329; Medal of

Honor, xix, xxi, 115, 332, 339,312,343-53,355, 356, 357, 362-63; music talent, xx-xxi, xxiii, 67, 74, 179, 190, 191, 361; mustered out of service, 32; personality and abilities, xviii-xxiii, 329; physical appearance, xxii, xxiii, 13, 329; post-war career, 329-32, 335; retirement, 335; service with the topographical engineers, 287-317; thriftiness, 307, 327, 331,

362,383-84 Reed, James W., Jr., 18n1, 26, 127n2,283n7,297 Reed, John ("Johnnie"), 15n3 Reed, Joseph, 1, 3, 4, 5, 334 Reed, Roxanna Richardson,

1,4,256,267,270,334; family ancestry, 1-2, 9n7; letters to, 20, 23, 27, 29, 33,38,41,46,50,51,53, 54,57,58,63,65,71,75, 76,78,80,85,88,89,91, 95,99, 103,110,113, 117, 123, 127, 132, 137, 141, 144, 146, 152, 160, 164, 173, 177, 180, 181, 183, 184, 185, 188, 191, 198,202,204,213,221, 227,236,238,245,246, 250,252,256,257,258, 262,266,270,273,278, 282,285,287,292,295, 296,302,303,304,305, 308,309,310,312,317 Reno, Jesse, 24n6 Reynolds, John F., 108n3, 114n5 Reynolds, Orin, 29n2, 48, 124, 136nn1 & 2, 142 Rhode Island artillery units: 1", Battery H, 40n4 Richardson, Freman, 34n3

Richardson, John 1., 14n5,

15,35n5,97,98, 107, 131, 163n3 Richmond, Virginia, 318; Libby Prison, 320; Belle Island Prison, 321 Rittenhouse, Benjamin F., 273n2 Robinson, John C., 131n3 Rock Hill Plantation, Virginia, 210n1, 211 Rosecrans, WilliamS., 69n6,

139-40n5 Sanderson, Lucian J., 216n2 Schirmer, Adolphus, 243n6,

244n1,245,247 Sedgwick, John, 111n7 Semmes, Paul, 118 Seward, William H., 275n2 Sexton, Cornelius F., 260n2 Sheridan, Philip, 308n1,

311,312 Sherman, William T., 251n3,

325 Sickles, Daniel E., 114,

115n7, 116, 348, 358, 363-64 Sigel, Franz, 16n1, 35, 36n8, 37,210n4 Signal Corps, 304n6, 305, 308,310 Simmings, Charles, 178n3 Smith, Frederick, 14n4 Smith, William "Baldy,"

222n4,241n5

Steuart, George H., 210n4 Stuart, J. E. B., 63n1, 66n5,

120, 149 Sullivan, John H., 36nll,

42, 70, 131n2,222 Sykes, George, 149n4 Tay, Cyrus, 170n1, 265 Thompson, Fanny G.,

116n17 Thompson, Walter, 35n3,

108, 115, 143n5, 173, 187,221n4,245,246, 248,258,272n6 Tidd, John E., 170n1, 265 Tidd, LukeR., 381, 382, 383,384 Tileston, James E., 178n2 Tilton, Grace ("Gracie") M., 5, 8n7; letters to, 66, 157,

205 Tilton, Helen G. Reed: birth 2, 4, 335; letters to, 7, 8,

10, 13, 14, 16, 18,26,31, 36,42,44,49,68, 73,84, 93, 101, 129, 135, 142, 161, 171, 195, 197,205, 224,243,250,268,289, 298,322 Tilton, Samuel, 4-5, 7n7, 9n4, 10-11,329,335 Totopotomoy Creek, Virginia, 219,220, 225 Tucker, John C., 281n2, 282 Tucker, Francis C., 170n3,

195n2, 197, 227n1, 250-51 Tucker, William L., 251n1

Snicker's Gap, Virginia,

109n5 South Carolina infantry troops: Joseph B. Kershaw's Brigade, 344,

Turner's Gap, Maryland,

126n5 Tyler, Robert 0., 125n4

345,358-59 South Mountain, Battle of,

24n5 Spotsylvania Court House, Battle of, 210-16, 215, 221n5; "Bloody Angle" or "Mule Shoe," 210n3, 213

United States Christian Commission, 268n1 United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.), 205n3,

210n1,244n2,253

INDEX 1 401

United States Regular artillery units: 1", Battery I, 116n16, 277n1; 4'h, Battery B, 278n3; 5'h, Battery D, 226, 230n3, 261, 273; 5'h, Battery I (Watson's), 365 . United States Sanitary Commission, 241n1 Upton, Charles H., 59n3, 73n4,85,88-89 Upton's Hill, 50n1

115nl0, 116nl5, 118n6 Whitcomb, Frederick, 244n2 Wilderness, Battle of, 20810, 212nnl & 2 Willis, Reuben, 142n2 Winn, Charles B., 296n1, 301 Winn, Otis, 15n3 Witcher, B. H., 381-82, 383,384 Woburn, Massachusetts, 1, 2, 4, 5, 380; description, 3 Wright, Dexter, 39n3 Wright, Horatio G., 300n2 Wyman, Luke F., 107n1 Wyndham, Percy, 78n1

Vaccination, 38, 39n5 Veazey, Wheelock G., 172n3 Vermont infantry units: 16'\ 49n1, 172n3 Virginia Central Railroad, 216,239 Wainwright, Charles S., 282n2,284 Walker, Marah, 1 Warren, Gouverneur K., 217, 219n2,246,248,250, 259,265,275,282,284, 296,299,301,302,304, 306-7,308,311,312, 313n4,375,376,379 Warrenton, Virginia, 122, 130, 151, 187 Warrenton Junction, 128, 151 Washburne, Elihu, 208, 275n2 Washington, George, 51, 52 Washington, D. C.: appearance, 24-25, 48, 65; Capitol, 24nl, 48; Smithsonian Institution, 48n2,50 Waud, Alfred, xviii Waynesbourgh, Battle of, 308n1 West Virginia artillery units: 1", Battery E, 184nl Whitaker, Alexander, 32n3, 33, 78,84n2,92,99, Ill, 402

I "A GRAND, TERRIBLE DRAMMA"