No. 198. Report of Captain John R. Waterhouse, One hundred and fourteenth Pennsylvania Infantry.1
HDQRS. COMPANY F, 114TH REGIMENT PENNSYLVANIA VOLS.,
April 6, 1865.
LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to report that the regiment, under command of Captain H. M. Eddy, was ordered to report to General Benham, commanding outer fortifications, City Point Va., about 8 a. m., the 2nd instant. About 11 a. m., the 2nd instant, the regiment was ordered to Meade’s Station and reported to General Collis. The regiment stacked arms near the Avery house, awaiting orders, and was ordered about 2 o’clock to Fort Sedgwick by General Collis and deployed in line of battle on the left of Fort Sedgwick. We were subsequently ordered to advance over the line of breast-works by Brevet Brigadier-General Collis to reach Battery Gregg, which the rebels threatened to retake. In doing this we charged over the line of breastworks immediately in front of Fort Sedgwick, the field being enfiladed by the defenses of Fort Mahone, in possession of the rebels, who kept a murderous fire upon our line, killing and wounding thirty officers and men, among whom was Captain Eddy, commanding the regiment. At the same time many of our troops belonging to the Ninth Corps fled to the rear at the advance of the rebels, the greater part of the regiment with the colors having safely reached the inside of Fort Gregg, compelling the rebels to run back under cover of Fort Mahone, and kept a fire upon the rebel fortifications upon our front and left of Fort Gregg, behind a travels and remained until about 10.30 p. m., when I rejoined the rest of the regiment inside of the fort. then finding myself the superior officer present I assumed command of the regiment. the firing of the enemy ceased soon after, which led to the impression that some movement on the part of the enemy was on foot. The sky began to be illuminated by fires in the direction of the city. About 4 o’clock General Collis ordered me to have the regiment ready to move at a moment’s notice and suspend all firing while a reconnaissance was made on Fort Mahone, which was found deserted at 4.30 a. m. I then deployed the regiment as skirmishers, by ordered of General Collis, who informed us that an advance was to be made on the enemy’s line and to direct the advance in the direction of the fires and to retreat firing if we should meet with too strong opposition . General Collis at the same time ordered the colors of the regiment to remain with the rest of the troops. At 4. 45 a. m., precisely, we advanced and reached the outskirts of the city before daylight, without meeting with any opposition. We could not raise our colors over the city, having left them with the rest of the troops by order of General Collis.
The regiment behaved splendidly during these operations. A national color of a regiment was found deserted by its regiment in Fort Gregg and sent to General Collis by the regiment.
Captain Crawford remained in the rear and did not rejoin the regiment until its return to City Point. Lieutenant Watson remained in the rear with several men of the regiment and returned to Fort Sedgwick to see after some rations, without authority, and rejoined the regiment at 4.30 a. m. 3rd instant, on the skirmish line. Captain Richardson was absent in the evening of the 2nd instant, but rejoined the regiment
about 3 a. m. 3rd instant. The regiment remained in Petersburg about two hours, having had nothing to eat for twenty-four hours on its march to City Point, where we arrived about 5 p. m. 3rd instant.
The list of killed and wounded are as follows:*
I am, very respectfully, yours, &c.,
JOHN R. WATERHOUSE,
Captain Commanding Company F, 114th Pa. Vols., City Point, Va.
Lieutenant AUGUSTS W. FIX,
Acting Adjutant, 114th Pennsylvania Volunteers.
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*Embodied in table, p. 590
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Source:
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), pp. 1099-1100 ↩