David Wright Judd

“ All along the Potomac, on either side; up and down the Peninsula; amid the swamps of the Chickahominy; on the sunny banks of the James River, and on the sandy shores of the Rappahannock—in little groves, on sandy hillocks; in fields, and by the road-side—are seen the silent resting places of our patriotic dead. The green pine waves over them, chanting mournful dirges to the piping winds; the new-grown grass clusters around them; the sweet fragrance of the summer’s flowers is wafted over them, and the birds warble their notes of song among them ”

“ You left your homes from the rendezvous at Elmira two years ago, with about nine hundred men; you return to us with three hundred and fifty, all told; your colors and your flags rent and torn by shell and shot of the enemy in bloody strife, tell a truer tale of your sacrifices, your [341] achievements and your patriotism, than any language can portray. Yes, you have by that flag and your deeds of valor, erected a prouder monument, a more enduring fame, than would be perpetuated by the loftiest mausoleum that the genius of man could erect. ”

“ It is a brave and noble thing when a soldier, burning with love of country and cheered on by the presence and sympathy of comrades in arms, rushes [136] into the conflict, and at the cannon’s mouth breasts the storm of death; but braver and nobler far, when the picket guard, knowing that each moment lengthens the distance between him and friends, and makes more certain his slaughter or capture by an insolent and cruel foe, stands calmly waiting his fate, rather than betray his trust and compromise the safety of an army. ”

“ To the left and rear of this, is the corn-field through which the Irish Brigade so gallantly charged, when Sumner went to the relief of Hooker. The mangled corpses lie in heaps among the tall, bare stalks, shorn of their leaves, as if by a hail-storm. One long row of rebel dead lie in the outskirts of the field, almost as straight, and regular, as if they had fallen at dress parade. They were drawn up here to resist the charging party, who, reserving their fire until reaching the corn, then discharged a volley, which bore down almost the whole line. ”

“ Upon your march you were assailed, day after day, with desperate fury, by men of the same race and nation, skilfully massed and led. Under every disadvantage of number, and necessarily of position also, you have, in every conflict, beaten back your foes with enormous slaughter. Your conduct ranks you among the celebrated armies of history. No one will now question that each of you may always with pride say, “I belong to the Army of the Potomac.”
You have reached the new base, complete in organization and unimpaired in spirit. The enemy may, at any time, attack you. ”

“ And though ‘the pomp and circumstance of war’ are, to woman’s timid nature, but other terms for death and desolation, this banner is the assurance of our sympathy with the cause of Liberty and our Country. Bear it forth with you in the heat of battle, where each soldier may fix his eye upon it, and if it comes back riddled with bullets and defaced with smoke, we shall know that a traitor has answered with his life for every stain upon it. ”

“ Unacquainted with the arts of war, with patriot hearts you rushed to the rescue of your country from impending ruin and desolation; and first in deadly conflict at Lewinsville, you proved that your valor, your patriotism and your skill, were equal to the trying emergencies through which you were called to pass. At Yorktown, the place of final victory to our arms under the immortal Washington, you seemed to be inspired by his spirit and nobly, bravely, proved yourselves soldiers worthy the high and holy cause you were defending. ”

“ I cannot promise you a glorious and safe return of this Banner, but I think that I can, in behalf of every man in these ranks, declare that death shall be welcome sooner than its dishonor. Storms may disfigure it, shot may pierce and rend its silken folds, brave blood may wet and stain its blue and gold, but the men of the Ontario Regiment will guard it with their lives ”

“ In the rear rode the gallant Mansfield, who, tired of inactivity, had exchanged the ease of court duty at the capital for the command of Banks’ Corps, fresh from the gory fields of Cedar Mountain and Bull Run. Hither was he come to uncover to the storm his head, now silvered o’er by the frosts of nearly sixty winters, and die while cheering forward his men on a charge. And there too was the courageous Hooker, deploying far away to the right his battle-scarred veterans. ”

“ You return with thinned ranks, and diminished numbers, the glorious remnant of a noble band, whose bravery and skill have been displayed on almost every battle-field, from the scene where the great contest for our independence was closed, to the last deadly conflict around Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Each one of you has brought home his tale of thrilling incident or noble daring, which will be repeated from hearthstone to hearthstone, and from generation to generation, as long as the name of America shall be known among men. ”

“ The Brigadier General Commanding the Third Brigade, cannot part with the Thirty-third New York Volunteers, without expressing to the officers and men of that gallant Regiment, who have fought under his eye and command with so much honor and distinction, his regret at our separation, his well wishes for your future.
No words can express what you all must feel—the sense of having fought nobly for our country, and suffered bravely for the cause. The memory of those who have fallen is tenderly cherished, and your Brigade Commander bids you “God Speed” in anything you may undertake in the future. ”

“ Yet it is a consolation that the sacrifice so costly has been made for a cause, precious above price, for the defence of constitutional and legitimate Government, against the assaults of a hateful and hated rebellion in arms. And there is the further consolation, that no one who has been taken from your ranks has died the death of a traitor or of a deserter, or as a coward running from the fate which overtook him; but that loyally, manfully, gallantly, all have stood with their comrades, and have met their destiny as a true soldier loves to meet it, with his face toward the foe. ”

“ You, officers and soldiers of the gallant Thirty-third, in every battle have covered yourselves all over with glory. After the inscription upon your banner, you no less distinguished yourselves for bravery and deeds of noble daring, at the battles of Mechanicsville, White-Oak Swamp, Malvern Hills, the second battle of Bull Run, Antietam and South Mountain, and the battles at Fredericksburg, under the gallant Burnside and Hooker, the last of which was only three weeks ago this day. ”

“ The climate presents that happy medium so conducive to health and enjoyment. The most romantic and picturesque scenery meets the eye in every direction. On the right are seen the wild, mountainous regions of the Virginia Highlands, covered with oak and evergreen, and intersected with deep ravines; on the left, the precipitous Maryland Heights, now white with national tents: in front and beneath, the Potomac and Shenandoah, flowing majestically together, consolidating their energies, as it were, for cutting a channel through the lofty mountain range. ”

“ The merchant who makes more than he spends, increases in riches, and it is the same with a nation. An increase of national debt is no sign of increasing poverty in the people, for this debt may be a simple transfer of only a small portion of the surplus wealth of individuals to the general fund of the commonwealth—an investment in public instead of private stocks.” There is every reason for encouragement, and if we will prosecute the war in which we are now engaged steadily and unflinchingly, victory and a glorious, honorable, and permanent peace will crown our efforts. ”

“ These colors have never been surrendered, have never been repulsed, have never been driven back, have never retreated save at the order of the General Commanding, and when a whole army or the whole force fell back with them. The Thirty-third has never, as a Regiment, fallen back upon compulsion, but has often stopped the current of the enemy’s advance, and has turned the tide of many an unpromising conflict, and saved from the chronicle the record of a loyal defeat. ”

“ A small depression made by a ball, shows it to have once saved his life, but a second bullet, though not perforating the plate and entering his breast, has glanced upward and passing through his chin inflicted a death wound.
Leaving the battle-field with its gastly sights, we arrive at the village of Sharpsburg to find fresh evidences of the conflict. Buildings burned or perforated with minie and shell, churches filled with abandoned confederate wounded, disabled horses running loose about the streets, and knapsacks, guns and equipments thrown away in the hasty flight of their owners. ”

“ Slowly the Second and Fourth Vermont, which were in the skirmish line, fell back, until the enemy had advanced well on towards the guns, when a most sweeping cross fire was poured upon them. At the same time, the Third Vermont, concealed in a ravine close by, rose to their feet, delivering volley after volley, and they were sent back, broken, disorganized and howling to the thickets.
And so the dark masses of men swayed to and fro through the livelong day, neither side gaining any material advantage. ”

“ In the next place, I felt satisfied that this was the place to fight the most decisive battle; because, if we could divide their forces by piercing their lines at one or two points, separating their left from their right, then a vigorous attack by the whole army would succeed in breaking their army in pieces. The enemy had cut a road along the rear of the line of heights, by means of which they connected the two wings of their army, and avoided a long detour around, through a bad country. ”

“ Such brave, heroic fighting as the Union Soldiers performed on that bloody Saturday, has never been surpassed, and will ever redound to the glory of our arms. For nine long hours they stood upon an open plain, exposed to the cross fire of hundreds of hostile cannon, unprotected by shelter of any kind, and fought an enemy concealed in forests, behind breastworks and in rifle-pits. ”

“ You have nobly met the necessities of your bleeding country, and obeyed her every call, until the last hour of your enlistment expired, and may we, your countrymen, catch the spirit of your patriotism and fill up the ranks in our country’s defence. We shall triumph; our country again shall hold her high position among the nations of the earth. The principle, that man is capable of self-government, shall here be maintained. Your example has shown us that no sacrifice is too great ”

“ Your government is strengthening you with the resources of a great people. On this, our Nation’s birthday, we declare to our foes, who are rebels against the best interests of mankind, that this army shall enter the capital of the so-called Confederacy; that our National constitution shall prevail; and that the Union, which can alone insure internal peace and external security to each State, “must and shall be preserved,” cost what it may in time, treasure, and blood.
GEO. B. McCLELLAN.
This stirring address was received with immense enthusiasm by the army. ”

“ As they emerge from the wood to the opening, they are saluted with a rapid fire from the rebel infantry supports, but unmindful of the deluge of iron hail, they push on, clamber up the green glacis, sweep over the parapet, and capture a thirty-two pounder at a bound. Oh! it was a splendid sight to see those gallant fellows rush boldly up to the [298] cannon’s mouth, and snatch victory from the jaws of death.
The artillerists, with the exception of a few who fled, were captured or killed. The supports fell back and formed in line of battle. ”

“ Returning to the road and following on towards Sharpsburg, we come to the little elevation on which several rebel batteries were planted. Numerous are the evidences of the terribleness of our fire, when it was concentrated upon them, as the battle progressed. Dead cannoniers, dead infantrymen, and dead horses; exploded caissons, broken wheels, and fractured limbers; muskets, revolvers, and stilettos; round shot, solid shot and case shot, scattered promiscuously together! Could mortal live under such a concentrated fire? How did they remain and live so long? ”