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| Official newsletter of the 14th Tennessee Co. B Volunteers | ||||
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| Official newsletter of the 14th Tennessee Co. B Volunteers | ||||
Headquarters Company B, 14th Tennessee Vol. Inf'y. Lenhardt's Brigade Army of Northern Virginia
Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by this regiment in the recent short campaign:
This past weekend the company was ordered to rendezvous with Lenhardt's Brigade at Lagooon Valley at Vacaville. This officer left his post Friday afternoon at 2:30, and was soon stuck behind the numerous baggage trains clogging the roads as many forces had apparently decamped for field deployment. After a tortuous 4 hour journey, I arrived at the camp after dark. There was one other member of the company present, Pvt. Fuzie, who was granted an overnight pass to visit his wife who lived nearby. Two more members were expected that night, but this officer knew them to be caught further behind the trains than he had been.
There was no expectation of assembling the company before the morning. Therefore, a retreat to a hot meal with members of the 15th Alabama Regmt'l Field Hospital was undertaken, followed by a solo night-time deployment at the Ranch Motel. A first-rate hot breakfast put the CC in fine shape to lead the company on Saturday morning, and he arrived back at camp at about 8:00 to find Pvt. Downs and Pvt. Ryan both in camp. When the Company assembled on Saturday morning, it consisted of Pvt. Downs, Pvt. Fuzie, Pvt. Garmire, Pvt. Ryan, the other Pvt. Fuzie, and Lt. Claytor. We offered our services to Captain Sylvester of the 5th Texas, and formed a platoon or squad within that company. Your writer acted as Capt. Sylvester's second-in-command.
The first engagement of the day found the combined 5th/14th deployed in a forward position behind heavy cover on the far right of the field. We would come to know this side of the battle field well over the next two days. Off to our right, our cavalry was skirmishing with a Union cavalry force trying to feel our flank. We were under arms and under cover, ready to strike the left flank of any assaulting Union force, when we were ordered forward to "stir something up". We pushed forward across a clear field, wheeled right and advanced across a bridge over a creek. Once across we became engaged on our right by cavalry, to our front by sharpshooters, and by long range artillery. In crossing, we flanked a force of dismounted cavalry from their protected posistion in the creek bed. They retreated back to their main line, and we were soon supported on our left by the Virginia Division, which pushed forward.
Casualties were heavy on both sides, but continuous pressure on the Union line from all fronts became unresistable as we swept over the high ground on our left front. The Federals broke and we swept forward, seizing the high ground and stabilizing our lines as the Federals withdrew to their camps. Later in the aftrenoon, the combined 5th/14th was ordered forward as skirmishers. The Federal infantry was not deployed, leaving an entire battery in line and unsupported. As we were scattered and freely took cover, the Federal canister fire proved ineffective. We thus moved to within the very teeth of the Federal artillery line, peppering the artillerymen with intense rifle fire as they ran for cover or stood to their rammers and sponges to recieve our impending charge.
At that moment, the Federal infantry, which had been coming up in a column, was deployed in line of battle and surged to the support of their beleaguered artilley bretheren. Our lone combined company, deployed as skirmishers, was not a sufficient force to carry the battery and then recieve the charge of an entire Federal battalion. Nor could we reasonably hope to hold our ground, as all support was far to the rear across the creek. We therefore determined to buy as much time for the deployment of our reserves as possible, and began a slow, begrudging withdrawl as skirmishers. Captain Sylvester commanded the right of our line, and the writer commanded the left end. We withdrew slowly, taking a heavy toll on the advancing Yanks in killed and wounded. We also took our own casualties, some of who had to be left to the advancing Federal forces due to the swift nature of our retrograde movement. As wounded and killed members dropped out of line, we contracted our line towards the right, shortening it but holding to the high ground on our right as long as possible. It soon became apparent that the Brigade Staff intended not to hold the high ground, but rather to hold the creek and the fords.
As the combined pressure of Federal skirmishers, supported by sharpshooters and cavalry drove us back, the Company broke 10 to 15 yards from the creek and ran to the support of the Virginia Division, which was deployed in line along the creekbed to the right of the bridge. As we flew into the trench were ordered to reassemble to the rear of the creek along a road. Our members, which were dispersed among the Virginians, began running to the rear from the trench, causing the Federal cavalry to think that we had broken for the rear. The Feds spurred their mounts forward, expecting a fox hunt when the they were met at the lip of the creek bed by the entire Virginia Division, which rose in unison and delivered a staggering volley into the very teeth of the Federal force. Terror could clearly be seen in the eyes of each Federal trooper as they all vainly reined in their mounts in a futile attempt to escape the blast of death they could clearly see coming.
The frantic running of Federal horses (most with empty saddles) to their rear stampeded the supporting Federal skirmish line, once again leaving a now forward deployed howitzer unsupported. We prepared to sweep forward to seize this prize when, once again, we were denied our due. The Federals had broken the skirmishers who were supporting the artillery to our left rear. When the Federals took the bridge and moved forward, our company was flanked along with the Virginians. We wheeled left and tore into the attacking Federals, delivering two volleys at close range before charging bayonets and driving them off. This pushed us forward to a position which left us flanked to our right by supporting Federal skirmishers and dismounted cavalry. The infantry that we pushed off slipped to our left, flanking that end of the line, while moe Federals occupied our front. While we received the brunt of this assault, the Virginians rallyed to the rear on the gun-line. We were unsupported, and taking fire from the front and both flanks, and our line of retreat to our main line was cut off. We surrendered to the Federals as a unit. Arriving at the camp area, we were disarmed and ordered to leave most our baggage and equipment. We were then ordered to a parole camp nearby, where we spent the night and we well fed by a fine widow woman who took a strong shine to Pvt. Fuzie.
During the night Pvt. Frazier arrived at the parole camp, apparently captured while straggling. With him were Sgt. Lund and Pvt. Henderson, as well as Pvt. Behem. Some fine actors there told tales of the West, while we drank bust-head in the comfort of a big fine warehouse with a high roof and a fire place. That was our camp that evening. In the morning, we all made a detailed examination of the events of Pickett's Charge, all of this while being fed a fine breakfast of biscuits and bacon and gravy by the Widow, who still seemed sweet on Pvt. Fuzie despite the fact that she threatened his life around 2:00 am if we didn't shut up... She was a right-nice lady though, and invited us all back if we ever get caught in that military district again. Three cheers for Mrs. Fuzie!
We were properly exchanged that morning, and recieved transport back to our own lines. Pvts. Henderson and Behem both took a French Leave during the night, and thus missed the train in the morning. Pvt. Henderson recrossed the lines and returned to the camp later in the morning, in time for assembly and roll call. Pvt. Behem remains AWOL, along with Col Lenhardt, and is subject to arrest by the Provost Marshal. Later in the morning the Company was formed, and together with the 5th Texas under Captain Skinner, we formed a Campaign Division under the Command of Major Bufford, who had arrived during the night.
At about this time the Federals made a bold demonstration to our front, forming up every man available regardless of rank or combatant status, as if on dress parade. This was done to our immediate front, in an effort to deceive us as to their true numbers. A subsequent road march by the Campaign Division allowed a detailed reconaisance to made of the enemy camp. Our report revealed to Lt. Col. Burke near-exact estimates of their troop strength, allowing for the most efficient and expeditious deployment of our forces for the day's engagement, which took place under a fall noon-day sun. As the battle opened the South Carolina rifles were deployed in the swale of the creek to the left of the bridge, which had for some unknown reason been evacuated by the Federals. This was about 100 yards forward of our main gun line.
The Campaign Division and the Virginia Division deployed in a column of Divisions to the right and rear of the bridge. The Yankee infantry battalion charged our skirmishers in the trench, and our Carolinians and Naval troops retreated swiftly to the support of the artillery line.
We were posted to the right of the Texans, and our orders were to charge in concert with the entire Brigade upon a given signal, which would be when Pvt. Frazier unfurled the old First National colors of the Brigade. We were sent forward to take the swale to the right of the bridge, in order to threaten the flank of the Federal infantry now occupying the same swale below the bridge. We pushed the Union sharpshooters out of the creek bed to our front, and had only begun to secure the position when this officer was ordered to push the Division forward towards the high ground.
At this point this officer stepped up and out of the trench, shooting the first two Yanks he happened upon with his Navy revolver. He turned back and yelled for the Division to move forward, waving the men forward with his sabre, and exhorting them with various verbal pleas and oaths.
The men fixed bayonets and surged forward, and the Federal skirmishers to our front began to break for the rear. The Yankee cavalry could not break through our cavalry screen in sufficient numbers to harrass us much, and we surged forward towards the blessed high ground on the right and captured a gun as the team was caught up in their traces in a hurried and harried attempt to withdrawl. The enemy to our front were in general retreat when the Yankee battalion that had been occupying the creek bed to our left withdrew from the creek, reformed, wheeled to its right and pitched into our now-exposed left flank.
The left company changed front to receive this charge and repulsed it with great loss to the enemy while the right company held our front. Tennessean and Texan fought side by side regardless of rank as the enemy were slaughtered at the bayonet point. When the bitter hand-to-hand struggle was over, this officer found himself with a smoking and empty revolver in hand, amidst a stout but intermingled line of Texans and Tennesseans who were even now quickly reforming their lines and taking their proper places in the ranks, as though by instinct.
As the remaining enemy withdrew they were hit in their right rear by the Virginians, who had crossed the creek over the bridge as soon as the enemy had vacated the creek bed. This scattered them to an even greater degree so that their retreat became general. At this point, we took the highest ground on the battle field, capturing more artillery men and their animals and equipments and guns and caissons. The Union Commander, Col. Gay, rode forward under a flag of truce and addressed Lt. Col. Burke, saying "it's over, you've bagged us... what's the point..." This officer then stepped forward and asked Col. Gay if he was asking for terms of surrender. Col. Gay rode back to his staff members muttering something about "8 minutes" and then returned, saying that he surrendered his command. I returned to our skirmish line, and went forward to the Federal line, telling their company officers that I had orders from their commander for them to surrender their commands.
Their units were formed and marched to our rear. Their Staff officers were left with ours for interrogation, while we marched the rest back over the bridge to our rear area. Here we disarmed all of their men, and then disarmed their officers as well. We then separated the officers from the men. Their colors were now nothing more than a trophy of war, while the beautiful silken waves of the old Frazier's Legion First National were waving defiantly and victoriously in the early afternoon wind. We sent their colors. along with their officers, back to the camp areas while their men were made to sit in the hot sun while surrounded by ours, who held them at bay with bayonets fixed and rifles cocked full. The shame heaped upon Frazier's Legion on the same ground the previous year had been completely avenged and undone. Thus ended what we expect to be our last engagement of the year, as we have recieved orders from Richmond to go into winter quarters. You are all hereby ordered to go home, try to get to Palmyra if you can. Eat your extra rations when you can, and get fat - mend your gear and marksmanship, and above all RECRUIT!!!
The campaigns have hit us hard, and we are no longer the mighty 1000 man strong regiment we were when we left Clarksville back in 1861... Some of the young'un's back home could be big enough to shoulder a musket by now, and if some of our old commmrades seem well enough to fall back into the ranks then exhort them to come back to the fold. Look for draft dodgers and drag 'em in, and look for patriots that haven't yet known the pleasure of serving. Bring 'em in though. We expect to get together as a Company again on Friday, January 19, in Monterey. Dinner, and drinks etc for a bit of a holiday reunion. This is the night before the NCWA Ball, which those of us who want to stay for can do.
Enjoy your winter quarters assignments, and keep the Home Guard boys and Bushwackers in line. I'll keep in touch via the telegraph in the meantime and keep you all posted on orders. That's all until next time.
All of Which is Respectfully Submitted, Bvt. Capt. K.S. Claytor Commanding, Co. B, 14th Tennessee Inf'y.
