One of “Old Rock’s” Brigade1
Editor Journal: Words cannot possibly express to you the full measure of pleasure that has been enjoyed for so many months now by many “old Rebs,” who are yet left in Dixie awaiting final orders to “strike tents” and be ready to cross over the River of Death and rest under the shade of the trees. No one but a participant in those day of heroic sacrifice and suffering can fully appreciate these biographical sketches of the many scenes that tried the patriotism and courage of those who followed our battle cross through so much blood and suffering for four long, weary years.
Reading an article a few days ago from the pen of one of my old brigade, viz., Benning’s [Benning/Field/First/ANV], giving some of the incidents of the fall of Fort Harrison in the fall of 1864, has tempted me to scribble a little myself and give you a few of my own recollections of that event.
Bennings’ [sic, Benning’s][Benning/Field/First/ANV] and Robertson’s [Gregg/Field/First/ANV, the famous Texas Brigade] brigades of infantry had been taken from the trenches in front of Petersburg and sent to the north side of Richmond to protect a line of works stretching out two or three miles north and supporting Fort Harrison, which was near James river. It was a rare treat for us to get a rest from life in the hot trenches and from the constant care of dodging the crack of the sharpshooter’s deadly rifle. It was during that halcyon season of the year (September [1864]) when summer is quickly passing away, and the cool days of autumn are coming in to sweeten the air and give new life to the stagnant blood. We kept up a strong picket line some mile in front of our line of works, and for weeks we kept the enemy fooled as to our real strength. As Mr. [George] McRae says, we soon established a truce between the pickets, so that for several weeks we had no fighting at all.2
What a glorious rest it was for the Johnnies after five months of constant and hard campaigning from the Wilderness, May 5th [1864], till September. My brigade had a most delightful place to camp, a beautiful piece of wooded land, with plenty of shade to shelter us, good springs close by to get drinking and cooking water and a large clear creek close by to bathe in. It was a treat to see how the boys revelled in these matchless luxuries. You could see them sitting here and there under nearly every tree, writing to their “best girl” back in Georgia, or to their precious loved ones at home. Here with plenty of wood and water convenient they could once more enjoy the luxury of a biled shirt.3
And now I wanted to tell of something that was to me the most remarkable thing that I witnessed during the whole war. While here enjoying our rest from war a prayer meeting was started among the private soldiers. It soon began to grow in interest and was taken charge of by two chaplains of the brigade, one a Baptist, of the 17th Georgia, and the other a Methodist, of the 15th Georgia regiment, who is yet living and is the loved and honored pastor of a church at Eatonton, Ga., Rev. W[illiam]. F. Robinson.4
The interest rapidly grew in religious zeal and soon developed into a genuine revival. Many old seasoned vets were happily converted and joined the churches by letter; and at the close of the meeting they all repaired to the creek close by camp and all were baptized by immersion at the same time. Some by the Baptist minister and others by the Methodist, and the impression made on the mind of your scribe, who was not then a member of the church, was that religion is certainly a genuine reality and the work of God. I heard men who had been noted for their extreme wickedness up to that time, shout aloud with the joy’s of the new born soul. But all these happy peaceful scenes were soon to be marred. The enemy by some means, found out how weak our line was. I heard the day before we were attacked by two corps[,] that a captain in charge of the picket line, I believe that he belonged to the 17th Georgia, had deserted and gone over to the enemy, giving away our whole situation. I can’t vouch for this fact, but it was currently reported about camp the day before they attacked. I do know though that at day dawn on the morning of the 29th of September [1864], our line was attacked simultaneously at two points over a mile apart, one in our immediate front by one corps [at New Market Heights] and the other at Fort Harrison.5 We fought them in our front and repulsed three successive charges before breakfast. About this time we were ordered to double-quick to the relief of Fort Harrison, which we did as quick as possible. But alas! when we got in sight of it and while a quarter of a mile distant, the enemy, another corps had already taken it and were pouring over our lines without opposition. We took position as near as possible and gave them all we could for breakfast, but we were soon flanked out of our position. My right was stampeded and your scribe with quite a number of others were taken in out of the wet and in a few days sailed down the James [River] to spend the winter at Point Lookout.6 So I closed my war record there, freezing and starving in cloth tents. I have seen but few of my old regiment since the war, but my heart goes out to them in loving regards, wherever they may be.
Co[mpany]. K., 15th [Georgia] Reg[iment]. “Old Rock’s” [Benning’s] Brigade.
Social Circle, Ga.7
SOPO Editor’s Note: This article was transcribed by Google Gemini Pro and reviewed for accuracy by Brett Schulte.
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Source/Notes:
- SOPO Editor’s Note: “Old Rock” was the nickname of Brigadier General Henry L. Benning. ↩
- SOPO Editor’s Note: These two brigades of Field’s Division, Longstreet’s First Corps (at this time commanded by Richard H. Anderson) were Benning’s Georgians as well as the famous Texas Brigade, at this time numbering much fewer than 1,000 men due to all of the years of hard fighting and few new recruits. They had been in the trenches near Petersburg, but their orders brought them north of the James River to protect the outer lines guarding Richmond, including New Market Heights and Fort Harrison. This post, as the author William S. Neel writes, was a relatively easier one than the one they had previously. But little did Neel know at the time this was about to change with Grant’s Fifth Offensive. Check out these maps of The Battle of New Market Heights: September 29, 1864 and The Battle of Fort Harrison: September 29-30, 1864 to see how these battles played out in late September 1864. ↩
- SOPO Editor’s Note: The word as written is “biled.” This was no typo. In the Southern drawl of the 1860s, a “biled shirt” or “boiled shirt” was slang for a clean, white boiled shirt. Men wearing such a shirt were usually a dandy, a man who was not used to hard work. Neel and his fellow soldiers in the 15th had to “bile” their shirts to kill the body lice which had accumulated on their clothing in the weeks and months of hard fighting during the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns. ↩
- SOPO Editor’s Note: As so often happened in the lax data standards of the 19th and early 20th Century, Robinson’s compiled service record (CSR) was filed under William F. Roberson. This is the same man, and I wanted to confirm the different spelling for readers. ↩
- SOPO Editor’s Note: Benning’s Georgia Brigade was on the right end of the New Market Heights line, north of the Union bridgehead at Deep Bottom. The September 29, 1864 Battle of New Market Heights was fought as the Eighteenth Corps’ Black division of USCT troops and the two white divisions of Birney’s 10th Corps attacked this position. Neel was correct in that a corps-sized force attacked them. Controversy has arisen in the present day over whether the Black troops drove the Texas Brigade and supporting forces from their works at New Market Heights, or, as Neel writes here, these Confederate forces heard of the danger to Fort Harrison and were recalled west to try to take it back. See Jimmy Price’s excellent book The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs by the Sword for details. ↩
- SOPO Editor’s Note: Neel and many others of his regiment were taken prisoner, sent down the James and up the Chesapeake Bay, and spent the remainder of the war at the Federal Prisoner of War camp at Point Lookout, Maryland. ↩
- “One of ‘Old Rock’s’ Brigade.” Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal (Atlanta, Georgia). April 28, 1902, p. 8 col. 4-5 ↩
Wow, what a great article – and editor’s notes. I see a letter in my collection written by Spann Jeffers on 30 Sept 1864. It’s very short, as if he were harried, but states:”The enemy attacked our Breastworks near the Drill Room yesterday morning in heavy force and drove us back to the next line of works nearer Richmond.” I have wondered what was happening. Maybe the 7th was in the skirmishes that became New Market Heights?
Lisa,
Meant to reply sooner. The 7th SC Cavalry was on the left flank of the September 29, 1864 Battle of New Market Heights and almost assuredly participated. I’d have to go check casualty records, but I’m nearly positive they were present.
Brett