HISTORY OF THE SIXTY-FOURTH NEW YORK VOLS
FROM JUNE 1ST, 1862, TO JULY 2ND, 1862
The terrible ordeal which the 64th Regt. had passed through during the battles of "Seven Pines" and "Fair Oaks," May 31st and June 1st 1862, involving a loss in killed and wounded of nearly 200 was an early experience that few had anticipated or even dreamed of. It was their introduction into pitched battle, and right nobly did they perform their duty and maintain their record as among the very best soldiers of the Army of the Potomac.
After burying their dead and caring for the wounded, the Regt. formed camp and prepared temporary quarters upon a portion of the very field upon which the previous sanguinary and fatal contests had taken place.
Immediately subsequent to the results at Fair Oaks, the 64th was transferred to the Brigade under command of Gen. Wm. H. FRENCH, in which were also the 52nd, 57th and 66th New York Vols., the 63rd Pennsylvania and 2nd Delaware Regts. During the time intervening from June 1st to the 27th, our Regt. was subjected to constant details for picket duty at the extreme front. Skirmishes with the enemy were of frequent occurrence during this period, and hardly a day passed but what our camp was subjected to the fire of the Rebel artillery.
For more than twenty days from June 1st the Regt. was continuously under standing orders to be in line of battle from in readiness for battle at any time of day or night. From the fact 3 to 5 o'clock every morning, and constantly under orders to be that only a few hundred yards of distance divided the two great armies, and that ours was menacing the very capitol of the Confederacy, less than six miles away, it can be at once appreciated that our troops were occupying a most important as well as a very dangerous position. No serious or fatal casualties resulted to either officers or men during the twenty odd days the Regt. were encamped so near to the Rebel capitol.
However, on the 26th day of June the rebels made an unexpected and very severe general attack upon the right of our main line, under Gen. Fitz John PORTER. And right here I desire to recite an interesting incident which occurred upon the afternoon of June 27th. The 64th, or at least quite a portion of it was doing duty at the extreme front, on the outer picket line. The battle in front of PORTER had been raging for several hours. All at once a lull in the firing occurred, and in its stead, along the entire opposing front was distinctly heard the vociferous yell and cheer of the Rebel soldiers. Following closely upon this manifestation of the enemy in our front was plainly and clearly heard the hurrahs of our own men all along the battle line in our rear. The brass bands of our army were also brought into requisition, and the inspiring strains of their music caught the ear of our soldiery from one end of the line to the other, and cheer upon cheer was again and again repeated.
What the occasion was for such manifestations of cheerfulness on the part of both armies was a conundrum not easily solved by our boys on picket. That some important event had occurred was evident, but what it was no one upon the picket line had been advised. There was hope, leading almost to belief, by some, that a truce had been declared between the rival armies - that our fighting days were numbered and that soon peace would be declared. But not so. It was quickly developed that the occasion of the rebel yell was caused by the successful attack being made upon our right. by JACKSON, who had just reinforced the enemy with 15,000 fresh troops. And the hurrahs and music on the part of our forces was simply a piece of strategy, designed to put new life, courage, confidence and enthusiasm into the ranks of our wearied, brave and valiant comrades.
Our boys on picket were very soon relieved and ordered back to join the Brigade, which was under orders to march at once to the support of PORTER's troops, then fiercely fighting at Gaines Mills several miles distant, where they arrived just in time to reinforce the veterans of the 5th Corps, and to check what threatened to be a serious disaster to those heroic comrades. After darkness had closed the contest of the day at that point our troops were ordered back to Fair Oaks, reaching there in the early morning of the 28th, but only to prepare for a retreating movement to the James River.
It may be well to state at this point in our brief history, that the original design of Gen. MCCLELLAN (as was subsequedtly [sic] developed) was to have ordered a general advance upon the Rebel capitol at about this date. The Rebel army, however, had just been largely reinforced, and had assumed the offensive, making their first attack upon Porter's front on the right of our extended battle line and across the Chickahomony [sic] from the main portion of our army. The result of the contest at that point had been so uncertain and our army being in a very precarious situation, with our base of supplies at White House, York River, most seriously threatened wit this new move of the ememy [sic] together with the fact that our promised and expected reinforcements were not forthcoming, led at once to the determination of a retrograde movement to the James River, instead of an onward march against the Rebel hosts at Richmond.
The first knowledge we had of a contemplated "charge of base" involving an abandonment of our position at Fair Oaks and a retrograde march of the entire army to Harrison's Landing, was on June 27th. Down to this date the entire Army of the Potomac had been embued with the firm confidence of defeating the Rebel army and capturing Richmond. In fact our march up the Peninsula, from Fortress Monroe to Fair Oaks had been a triumphal series of battles and successes, and every private soldier, as well as officer, had no notion of defeat, but of success at every move; and the old 64th was always prominent and active at every dangerous and important contest.
On the morning of June 28th the order to break camp was regretfully and sorrowfully complied with. Our transportation being limited, our surplus stores, provisions, forage, arms, baggage, etc. were directed to be totally destroyed to prevent their aid and assistance to the enemy.
The 64th formed a portion of the rear guard to our retreating forces, and was constantly menaced and attacked by the pursuing Rebels. The first sharp engagement occurred at Peach Orchard, a couple of miles distant from Fair Oaks. Here we were fiercely attacked, but by dint of hard and earnest fighting the enemy were fairly and repeatedly repulsed and held at bay for several hours. At Savage Station our rear guard were again overtaken and hotly attacked. Here the 64th was among the troops that gave battle to the pursuing Rebels, and held them successfully back until nightfall. At this point a very large supply of army stores were held, and to avoid their falling into possession of the enemy they were ordered burned and destroyed during the progress of the fight. After the contest had ended and night had again spread her mantle over the field, our Regt. was detailed for picket duty at the extreme rear, and so left until the main body of our army were well advanced on their march. About midnight retreating orders were again given them, which involved an all night tramp to overtake the main force which had taken up position at White Oak Swamp. Soon after the arrival of our brigade at that point, and early in the afternoon of the 30th the enemy made a very spirited and fierce attack upon our position with artillery, throwing shot, shell and short pieces of railroad iron with astonishingly careless presumption.
At this point and in an open field in advance of our rear guard had been packed the night before and early that morning a large number of the army transportation wagons. At the time of the attack many of the teams were detached from the wagons and being led to water at an adjacent stream. not a few of the shot and shells from the enemy guns reached into this open field creating havoc and panic combined, and for a time it was a question of whether any portion of our transportation could be saved. But the old 64th was at the rear with other tried and true comrades, and it was not long before the enemy were challenged and given successul [sic] battle. They were held at bay and checked in their onward march until night again closed the scene.
In the mean time our wagon trains were put in motion and rolled rapidly towards our new base. An incident long to be remembered, by at least one member of the 64th, occurred at the opening of the furious artillery battle of white Oak Swamp. Our boys had "stacked-arms" for the time being, and were enjoying limited refreshments in the way of hot coffee and hard tack, when all of a sudden and without note or warning of any kind, several rebel batteries upon the opposite side of the swamp, which had been placed there very quietly, opened fire all at once and with such an impetuous and deafening roar as to scare and scatter in every direction our detached horses and mules which were at the time being watered at different points along our shore of the swamp. One detachment of mules numbering 300 or 400 made a break up through that part of the field occupied by the 64th boys. In their mad and frightened rush some of them came in contact with our "stacked arms" causing them to fly and tumble in every direction, while officers and men sought refuge and safety in the rear of neighboring trees and stumps. It was at this time that one of our guns was thrown with such force against the person of Ona STILLWELLL, Co. B, as to break one of his arms and to otherwise disable him, and many of the other boys made narrow escapes from being run over and trampled under foot by the furious beasts.
It has always been a matter of expectation that all of us would necessarily confront the ordinary fates of war and take the consequences thereof, but to be charged upon and run down by a pack of frightened army mules was something entirely unlooked for. It was surely a wild and exciting episode in our army life. With the terrific moaning, whistling and screaching [sic] shells from the enemy's batteries bursting upon all sides of us together with the scampering rush of the frightened mules running madly through our battle lines, forcing everything in their pathway and trampling under foot any and all who failed to dodge them, made a scene of the most frightful character, and long to be remembered.
It did not take long however to restore good order in the ranks, and sooner than it has taken me to pen the record of that eventful field, our boys had "recovered arms" and were again in line of battle, ready for any emergency except another mad charge by a troop of our own crazy, wild and maddened army beasts.
The regiment having remained on duty as a portion of the rear guard on picket line, until such time as our main force was well in position at Glendale, was relieved and took upits [sic] line of march for the latter point during the night following.
The 64th was again engaged in the contest at Glendale in the way of skirmishing, picketing and guarding our rear. From this point our brigade were marched forward to Malvem Hill, where several regiments assumed important and conspicuous positions in the terrible and bloody contest of that memorable battle field.
From the battle of Malvem Hill to Harrison's Landing on the night of July 1st the movements of our brigade were uneventful. The occupancy of our new base of supplies upon the north bank of the James River, after such an important, memorable and dangerous period as the 64th had just passed through was highly appreciated by officers and men alike, as here much needed rest and sleep could be quietly indulged in.
Since the close of the battle at Fair Oaks, on the evening of June 1st the operations and services of our regiment had been constant, important and especially dangerous. During the five days and nights preceding their arrival at Harrison's Landing, no opportunity for rest or sleep had been allowed them. Their rule of service had been marching, fighting, skirmishing and picketing during the day and up to midnight, and then a tramp from that time on until early morning of the following day or until they had again joined the main force of the army, where they formed a portion of the rear guard, thus allowing the great bulk of our forces to move forward to new positions.
Too much praise cannot be given to Col. Thomas J. PARKER, the commandant of our regiment during the period covered by these pencilings. He was every inch a soldier and displayed unusual tact and courage throughout. The staff and line officers each and every one cheerfully, bravely and intelligently seconded the efforts and aims of the Colonel in every detail. The rank and file were ever ready to respond to the call of duty, and with the most earnest enthusiasm and valor, obeyed the orders of their officers, whether upon the line of dress parade in a quiet camp or at the front, engaged in the most sanguinary contest with the bravest and best equipped troops in the Rebel army.
The losses of the 64th from June 25th to July 2nd, 1862, the actual time involved in what is know as "The Seven Days Battle", on the retreat to Harrison's Landing, was one officer and ten enlisted men wounded, and twenty-seven enlisted men captured and missing.
W.W. HENRY,
Introduction
From a Regiment of State Militia to Active Service in the Field
From Yorktown To And Including The Battle of Fair Oaks
From Harrison's Landing to Washington, D.C.
Roster of Field, Staff and Band, 1892 Reunion
Roster of Non-Commisioned Officers and Privates, 1892 Reunion