64th Regiment
New York State Volunteer Infantry

The Trip South

On December 10, 1861 one of the newly minted warriors dispatched a final epistle from Elmira: "We start at 5 P.M. It is now about 1...We have just been down to dinner and got our rations for 3 days. They consist of two loaves of bread, about a pound and a half of beaf or mutten. We have some of your butter, Mother, to eat on our journey... (The issuance of 3 days rations during the next 31/2 bloodstained years would not include any of mother's butter and would portend far more ominous events on the horizon.)

We are plentifully provided for and most to mutch. So we have the darndest load you ever saw men carry. I will bet you would not think half of us could carry them.

My best respects to all, good bye.

Henry sends his best to all, Lute (Lewis C. Sheldon) sends his to his folks & to all who know him"¹ Only 5 weeks later the same pen would write: "It don't seem possible that Lute is dead, no I can't make it seem so...He died without a struggle."² (In another 10 months between the Maryland hamlet of Sharpsburg and a creek with the odd name Antietam, in a sunken farm lane forever after called the bloody lane, Henry would meet a far more violent death.)

"The hole Redgment seems to feel please to gow, they all want to get down to Dixey."¹

In December by 5:00 P.M. the sun would be setting and thus by the time the Northern Central Railroad cars started rolling toward the Susquehanna River Valley and their rendevous with history, the regiment would not have noticed any of the landmarks along their way which would influence their lives during the impending struggle.

The Northern Central Railroad through Harrisburg to Baltimore would not only deliver the eager farmers turned fighters this December night but would serve as one of their principal conduits of supplies during the coming years. As the railroad wound down the Susquehanna Valley, it crossed bridges in the city of Harrisburg and the little towns of Columbia and Wrightsville. As the iron horse with its blue-clad human cargo crossed these critical links between north and south could any of the dozing men from Cattaraugus County have predicted that in another 1 and ½ years an invading grey army would have these very bridges as its objective.³ Could they have envisioned that they would be contesting that assault on these bridges in a wheat field near the hamlet of Gettysburg, about 40 miles to the west of the railroad tracks over which they were rolling south?

But, on this December night, wheat fields were still a source of feed for their stock and bread for the table (after a trip to a mill on Cattaraugus Creek, said to be the best mill creek in the County).

In Baltimore, they de-trained and with loaded weapons marched through the streets where bands of "plug-uglies" were reported to be lying in wait to attack them, but the reception was instead friendly as they were intercepted at the depot by generous-hearted women with sandwiches and hot coffee.⁴

Many delays on the short trip from Baltimore to Washington meant another night on another train and thus their first exposure to the Capitol City was after daybreak on the 12^th. Decades later one remembered that: "For miles we could see the grand outlines of the capitol building, and as we approached, its granduer and beauty grew upon us. Perhaps it seemed more grand and beautiful to us because its possession was at the that time seriously threatened, for the rebel flag could plainly be seen at their outpost at Arlington from its unfinished dome."⁵

As a regiment they would now move by foot (with two boat rides in the next few months) over countless miles of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania countryside. Only those lucky enough to obtain a furlough or the many unlucky casualties in their elite ranks would again move by rail during the coming bullet-riddled disease-afflicted years.

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The first mention of the 64^th Regiment, NYSV in the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies is in a tabulated report of the sick in the several divisions and brigades of the Army of the Potomac.¹

While this report is dated Feb. 6, 1862, the statistics contained therein must have been reported between Dec. 12, 1861 and Jan. 7, 1862 since the 64^th is reported as a provisional Brigade in Casey's Division. Although no other records place them in Casey's Division, this must refer to the brief period of time they were encamped north of the city of Washington at what they called Camp R.E. Fenton.

Disease was frequently a worse enemy of the Union Army than their grey clad adversaries. During the entire war 199, 720 died from disease, in camps, hospitals, or at home.² One hundred and nineteen of these were from the ranks of the 64^th.³ Fox uses insurance company actuarial tables to show that 32,000 of the 199,720 would have died in peacetime thus attributing the excess to the fatal vicissitudes of a soldier's life.⁴

The tabulation by Charles S. Tripler, Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac, shows 161 of the Cattaraugus Regiment on the sick list.⁵ However, Dr. Tripler cautions that these tables show the whole number of sick in the regiments, whether in quarters or hospital, as reported by the medical officers. Of the men thus reported more than one half are affected with trivial complaints, that could scarcely justify their being left behind in case the Army should be put in motion.⁶ A letter from Camp Fenton shows that of the 161 listed in the report: There is only five sick to the Redgiment, that is out in the hospitals, outside of the redment.⁷

Dr. Tripler observed that the sick report is seriously increased by the number of venereal cases, some of which were received from California (the reference is to the State of California, not Camp California in VA where the 64^th would make its home briefly); others contracted here.⁸ Even though a member of the 64^th recalled in later years that While stationed at Camp Fenton our men had a grand opportunity for visiting the many places of interest at our National Capitol and availed themselves of it to the fullest extent,⁹ it would be wrong to conclude that these places of interest included establishments where venereal diseases could have been contracted. Dr. Tripler must have been referring to regiments other than the Cattaraugus men since in addition to their moral rectitude, the incubation period for any known venereal disease would not have caused signs or symptoms to appear in such a short period of time.

While the beginning of the dual war (disease and the Confederate Army) occurred at Camp Fenton, not a lot more of note occurred here. They drilled and policed the grounds and were visited by Congressman R.E. Fenton on Christmas Day. Fenton used the occasion to make a speech thanking them for naming their camp after him.¹⁰ Fenton, a radical Republican who represented the district of which Cattaraugus County was a part, would earn a strong reputation as a friend of the Union soldier by consistently supporting bills to expedite or increase military benefits and by investigating alleged frauds in the letting of army contracts. In 1864, Fenton would be elected Governor of NY with much help from absentee ballots of soldiers.¹¹

All that one soldier recorded about this interlude was the presentation of the regimental colors from the Cattaraugus County Board of Supervisors and that while here the boys got mad at our sutler and tore his tent down one night and scattered some of his things.¹² This incident was recalled in greater detail by another veteran 34 years later: There was no lack of pedlars of all kinds, sharpers trying to get the boy's money. Besides the sutlers that were allowed to set up their shops amongst us took to charging large prices. After a while the boys grew tired and took it upon them to retaliate a bit. There was an artillery camp near us where we obtained a good long rope. The rope happened to get noosed around the sutlers' tent in the shape of an ox bow one night. At a signal the rope was caused to tighten up and the sutlers tent was immediately demoralized. He left camp and future sutlers were caused to be more careful how they used the green 'boys in blue.'¹³

They, like all soldiers in all wars spent much time speculating about what their mission would be, at times believing they would be assigned to Burnside's expedition to the southern coast or New Orleans but hoping that they would remain with the Army of the Potomac.¹⁴

Three days before they crossed the bridge into Virginia, one of the impatient warriors observed that things are quiet on the Potomac and have been. My opinion is that it is a calm before the storm that is soon to break forth in all its fury. We have waited impatiently for the dance to commence in good earnest.¹⁵ The dance was still a few months away but the band was tuning up at a dance pavilion which would be called Fair Oaks or Seven Pines. The name you gave to the waltz would depend on whether your dancing outfit was Blue or Grey.

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