DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE DOINGS OF COMPANY A, FIFTIETH REGIMENT N. G., S. N. Y., WHILE PERFORMING ONE HUNDRED DAYS' DUTY AT ELMIRA. NEW YORK. Taken from the Diary of one of its Members. In pursuance of Orders as follows: General Head-Quarters State of New York, } Adjutant General's Office, } Albany, Aug. 28th, 1864. } Special Orders, No. 348.
By order of the Commander-in-Chief, JOHN T. SPRAGUE, Adjutant General. Head-Quarters 50th Regiment N. G., S. N. Y. } Trumansburg, N. Y., Aug. 27th, 1864. } Special Orders, No. 3.
By order of COL. HENRY D. BARTO, Commanding 50th Reg't N. G., S. N. Y. Lewis Halsey, Adjutant. Company A, 50th Regiment National Guard, State of New York, started at 9 o'clock on the morning of the second day of September, 1864,
We reached Elmira at 2 P. M. on the same day, and were immediately marched to our quarters at Barracks No. 1, afterwards called the Substitute Camp. At 3½ P. M. we were mustered into the United States service as Company L, 58th Regiment N. G., S. N. Y., Col. R. P. Wisner commanding, and the same evening, on the requisition of our Captain, we drew the following articles of clothing, arms and equipments, to each man:
The arms served us were of the Enfield pattern, known as rifled muskets, and were said to have been taken off of a rebel blockade-runner, One can scarcely imagine the ridiculous picture our boys made as they tried on their new clothes, so generously given them by "Uncle Sam." Here in one corner you might see a six-footer striving in vain to induce a pair of pants, by hard pulling and stretching, to reach below his knees, but finding no virtue in perseverance, he seizes the coat and finds to his dismay the same difficulty with the sleeves that he found with the pants—namely, too short. As he sits studying over his misfortune, he is hailed by another fellow just his counterpart, hobbling across the floor with a pair of pants so long that they threaten to trip him at every step. But, O, dear! Look at that perfect picture of despair; a fellow who at home wears a number five boot, trying to make a pair of number ten shoes stay on his feet. Presently, however, a man is found whose fortune has dealt to him a pair of "gun-boats" a size too small, immediately, with true yankee spirit, a trade is made, and each is satisfied that he has made the best of the But what ails that fellow over yonder? He looks as if he had lost his last friend, and never expected to have another. We rush up to enquire the cause of his discomforture, but our anxiety is turned into laughter, when we behold him who had been congratulating himself on making such a fine appearance in a suit of blue; brushing off the threads and dust, and picking up one thread which seemed to be very long, but only producing the more thread by the greater picking, our fine fellow finds that he has ventilated the entire side of one of his trowsers legs. Hark! the Orderly cries "fall in for rations;" although we may not yet be perfectly acquainted with all orders pertaining particularly to camp life, yet all seem to understand this one. With a good appetite after our fun, we start for the mess-house. Some hungry man behind us as we march along, hopes the beef steak will be tender, and the potatoes well done, while another hints he does not like eggs too hard boiled, and Our duty When a squad of substitutes was to be taken to the front, one or two commissioned officers were usually detached, together with a compliment of non-commissioned officers and privates, sufficient to carefully guard against desertions on their way. Ordinary freight cars were used for transportation, into which were crowded from 35 to 40 men, allowing five men in each car as a guard. It was a shameful way of treating human beings, crowded together for two days with barely room to move in, and being required to assume all manner of positions at night in order to get a little rest. Although These transports were often condemned, or at least unsafe vessels in the employ of the Government, with no conveniences for the accommodation of the number of men crowded on them. The writer had the misfortune to be on one of these miserable crafts. On the night of Friday, Sept. 9th, we left Baltimore with 1100 men, en route for City Point, on an old condemned English emigrant steamer. We were 55 hours making the trip (more than twice as long as we should have been), and twice the vessel was turned to be run ashore, as she leaked so badly, and the pumps giving out for a time, it was feared by her commander the water might put out the fires under the boilers, and at no time could the old tub be kept on an even keel. There were only a few casks of water, and no provisions of any kind on board. The rations But to return to our camp at Elmira. Our duties were about the same thing every day; doing guard duty when it came our turn for detail, with the diversion of an occasional squad to the front. This began to be an old story to us, and we had to use our best endeavors to get up some little excitement to break the monotony of camp routine. On the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 10th, orders were issued to our Regiment to move to Barracks No. 3, without delay. It was a rainy day, and all felt more like staying quietly in the barracks than like packing up and moving; yet go we must, and go we did. The last squad left at 8 o'clock in the evening. Tents, of which each Company had twelve, including one officer's wall tent, were pitched for the night, and all made themselves as comfortable as possible. We also built a cook-house capable of seating our entire Company, and furnished it with a good stove and such other apparatus as was necessary to carry on our culinary operations. We were indeed the envy of the entire Brigade, and it is undoubtedly true that by our own exertions we possessed the best arrangement for promoting our own comfort of any Company on the ground. We were enabled by our advantages to provide all the variety possible with the rations served us. There was hardly a day but we were supplied with some delicacy by the kindness of our officers, that was not on the regular bill of fare. Indeed, our Table d'Hote gained such a notoriety, that in less than two weeks we had some of the staff officers as Our principal duty at Barracks 3, or the rebel camp, as commonly called, although the correct name was Camp Chemung, was to guard the rebel prisoners confined at this post. Almost every day, however, men were detailed and sent off on extra duty. The prison was formed of a stockade built of boards 14 feet long, placed perpendicularly on a fence frame, having the posts on the outside, thereby giving a perfectly smooth surface on the inside, quite impossible to scale. There were two entrances to the enclosure, one called the Main Gate, which was placed on front, and was the principal means of entrance, the other was called the Rear Gate, and placed at the rear of the prison on the river bank. All around this stockade, four feet from the top, there was a platform and railing for the guard to walk on, with sentry boxes about 240 feet apart. Besides the guard "on the fence," there was a line of sentinels on the ground outside There were about 300 men detailed for duty each day. These consisted of eight commissioned officers, 32 non-commissioned officers, and 260 privates. This number was distributed to four different positions, allowing an equal number of officers to each, but the men were apportioned to each post according to the amount of duty to be done. The guard was formed and reviewed each morning at 8 o'clock, preparatory to going on The field officer of the day was accustomed to make a complete tour of the camp during the day, and usually visited each guard post at least once during the night. Whenever he was seen approaching any of the principal posts, the entire guard had to be turned out in order to be inspected and reviewed by him. During the night, from 8 o'clock in the evening until 6 in the morning, every half hour was called by the guard on the fence, at the same time giving the number of each post and the word "All's well." The prisoners were divided into companies, each company being under the charge of an officer detailed for that purpose. Roll was called morning and evening, at one of which the officer was required to be present and to make a daily report to the commandant of the post. Two meals per day were given the prisoners, one at Several large and commodious hospitals were provided for the sick, arranged with all possible convenience, and attended by a corps of competent Surgeons. One might draw a grand comparison between the way in which our men were treated in the different prisons of the South, and the treatment of rebels at the hands of our Government. We who have seen the worn-out, hobbling rebel prisoner, go forth exchanged, after a few months' imprisonment, a strong and healthy man, cannot but feel the contrast when we see old friends, who, months ago were freed from Southern prisons, even now unable to stand the burden of any daily toil, and still wearing in their deep-lined faces the marks of past hardships. And when we think of those who once filled the vacant places in our homes and in our hearts, who might now be with us but for such hardships, we can reflect only with shuddering upon On the morning of Friday, Oct. 7th, one of the guard on the outside of the fence discovered a hole, through which it was evident some of the prisoners had escaped. The alarm was given, but it was too late. On investigation there were found to be 16 prisoners missing. They had made a tunnel about four feet under ground and sixty odd feet long, large enough to allow a man to crawl through. The night in which they made their escape was very dark and stormy, and taking advantage of this, they completed their excavation, crawled through, and were free. This mode of escape was afterwards often tried, but the above is the only instance in which any reward was obtained for the great amount of work thus expended. A fellow put into practical operation one day a novel method of escaping. It was customary on the death of any of the rebels, to carry them to the dead-house; here the bodies were placed in coffins, marked, and a register kept. From the prison Our camp life was beginning to be very monotonous. Each day the same routine was observed, and we were at our wit's end to produce some sort of amusement. We were provided, however, with the following incident which served us as a fund for some days: On the night of October 15th, all the camps being quiet, and no sound coming through the still night air, save the steady tread of the guard, or the hoarse, hollow cough of the prisoners, at 11 o'clock we were all suddenly aroused from our slumbers by the report of the alarm gun, the long roll soon followed and instantly the officers were out ordering the men quickly into line, each Company was marched on the parade ground on a In pursuance of orders received a day or two previous, our Regiment, together with the entire Messrs. Tolles and Burritt came over from Ithaca, reaching camp the morning of October 20th, to take views in and about the camps, they succeeded in getting a great many fine views of the different positions occupied by the troops. At inspection on the morning of October 23d, orders were issued to each Regiment, to hold themselves in readiness to fall in at a moment's notice. It was understood that Governor Seymour was in the city and would visit the different camps during the day. It being unknown at what time we would have to fall in, our boys went about the camp with their equipments on, ready to take their places in line at the first call. In the afternoon at 3 o'clock the roll was sounded and our Regiment was soon in line, presently Gov. Seymour and a few members of his staff, accompanied by some of the post officers, passed and were saluted by the Regiment; there was no pretentious show of any kind, merely a recognition On the evening of October 24th, our boys arranged one of their characteristic performances—a minstrel show. We had indeed acquired a great reputation during our life in camp for being possessed of an inexhaustible store of fun, and had the material for engaging in anything that might offer which could be turned into a source of amusement. On the evening mentioned we built a staging of rather large dimensions of material furnished us by the Quarter-Master of the Regiment, sticking bayonets in the ground with a candle placed in them to serve as foot-lights, seats were provided for our audience, and every convenience added as far as possible in order to make our entertainments popular. We were richly rewarded on this occasion as our performances had been growing very much in favor, and on this night many came up from the city in carriages until we had an audience of which many a more worthy showman might have been proud. It would be impossible to enumerate all the sources of fun that were introduced and carried out, but it is sufficient to say that there was not The 2d of November was a great day among the different Regiments stationed at Elmira. A grand review had been ordered to come off at noon, to consist of all the troops not on duty, to be reviewed by General Diven and staff. There were nine Regiments and two Batteries on the field, viz: the 12th Regulars, 1st V. R. C., the 54th, 56th, 58th, 77th, 98th, 99th, 102d Regiments N. G., the 4th Regulars, and Rochester Batteries. The line was formed at noon, on the large field in the rear of the regular parade ground. Soon after, General Diven and staff came on the ground, receiving the customary salute from the Batteries. We were marched in review, first at common time, then at quick time. After going through some minor evolutions, we were dismissed, reaching our camps just before 6 o'clock. Everything passed off well, and the reviewing officers expressed themselves highly satisfied with the appearance of the men, and their proficiency in drill. There were about 4,500 men of all grades, who took part in the review, and those who witnessed It was now drawing near the time when a great many of the Regiments were to be mustered out of service, having served the time for which they enlisted. On the 3d of November the 54th Regiment was mustered out, and left for home. On the 5th, the 56th, 77th, and 99th Regiments were also dismissed from service, and each set out for their respective homes. This made our duties very much harder, as no troops were furnished in place of those leaving; consequently those who remained had to do double duty. We did not mind that much, however, as we knew our time would soon come for going home; although it would be near the middle of December before our 100 days were completed, yet our time was out with that of the remainder of the Regiment, who were mustered in some 20 days before we were. The evening of November 16th was occupied by our Company in giving an oyster supper as a complimentary entertainment to the officers of the Regiment. The table was set and supper It was fully expected by the authorities that the Regiment would be relieved from duty by the 20th of November, but all hopes of reaching home before the first of the following month were given up, for we certainly could not be spared until some Regiment should come to take our place, as there were barely men enough to do the duty required, and even those were virtually over-worked. It made little difference with us, however, as we had some time yet to serve, but then we had expected to be relieved from duty the same as the rest of the command to which we were attached, and felt some little disappointment at the delay. All were anxious to be home at Thanksgiving, the 24th of November, to eat the time-honored roast turkey and plum pudding, but we found it was of no use to raise any expectations, as they were not to be realized. We were not forgotten, however. After many disappointments and vexatious delays, orders were issued on the 1st of December to the effect that any Company having the proper papers drawn up and showing no deficiency as regarded equipments, should be mustered out on the 2d day of December, or as soon thereafter as all necessary papers were completed. You may imagine that a great amount of writing was done during that night, as the next morning found us ready for the mustering officer. Quite early in the morning we began to pack up and make preparations to break camp. At 10 A. M. the Captain was in possession of the Quarter-Master's and Ordinance officers' receipts for arms, accoutrements and camp equipage returned, and at 11 A. M. we were mustered out of the United States service, having been Uncle Sam's boys in blue just ninety-two days. We soon after set off for the Depot with what baggage At about 7 o'clock we were in sight of home and soon at the Depot, here we were received by a large number of citizens and marched directly to the Armory where we were welcomed home in a short speech by M. R. Barnard, neatly responded to by Captain Blood, after which we separated to don a citizen's attire and citizen's employment. Although our three months' work, in the mere point of dollars and cents, was a loss to every man, yet I doubt if there is one who regrets having spent this much time in the government service. Each man received a regular discharge which in years hence he may refer to with somewhat of pride at the thought of having done even his mite in serving his country and contributed a little towards suppressing the rebellion. We were regularly enlisted in the United States army, and subject in every particular to the same treatment and usage as any of the men in the government employ. Our duty, it is true, was not attended with any of the dangers which accompanied the duties of the men in the field, yet it was work that had to be done, and could be It may Every man had a pride in keeping everything in and about our quarters scrupulously clean. Our cook-house, with all its cooking apparatus, presented the appearance of a model kitchen, and each tent was swept and arranged with all the care that could have been taken by a tidy house-wife. In appearance and proficiency of drill, as a Company, we soon attained a place second to none, and which we easily retained against all competitors. Through the exertions and faithfulness of our officers, we had the pleasure of receiving from Our officers were ever watchful to promote the comfort and best interest of the men, striving in a hundred different ways to lighten the duties imposed on the men, providing everything in their power to relieve the sick, besides, at a personal expense, contributing many articles of food or camp furniture, so that, by their exertions, the irksomeness of our duties was destroyed, and every man considered it more of a pleasure than an obligation to obey their commands. We were sorry to part with many of our own Regiment, as well as members of other commands with whom we had formed an acquaintance, much to our profit, but our work had been done, and we were honorably discharged, returning home feeling that the time had been well spent, and with no regrets that we had been in the United States service for three months. December 26th a delegation of the Company attended the funeral of M. G. Phillips, a late member. January 5th.—Annual meeting and supper at Captain Esty's. Washington's Birth-day, February 22d, 1865, was duly honored by the Company by a parade. May 28th—Attended the funeral of the late Lieutenant George Fisk. June 27th—Were inspected at Trumansburg by Colonel H. D. Barto. July 7th—A number of members were expelled for violation of By-Laws. Attended the funeral of Captain Bartholemew, at Etna, who was killed in the United States service. August 3d—Attended the funeral of Major Belcher, who died from disease contracted while in the army of the United States. Target shoot August 15th, 1865. The prizes were taken and awarded as follows: 1st. William S. Crittenden—a splendid Revolver, presented by Captain Esty. 2d. Walter C. Steel—a pair of rich, gold-lined Silver Goblets, presented by Lieutenant John C. Hazen. 3d. L. S. Mackey—a beautiful Silver Castor, presented by the Sergeants of the Company. 4th. Sergeant E. M. Finch—an English silver-steel, 5th. Geo. R. Williams—bottle of French Perfumery, presented by Geo. E. Halsey, Esq. 6th. John Young—a magnificent box of Herring, presented by J. B. Taylor & Co. 7th. Geo. M. King—a Glass Pipe, presented by Messrs. J. B. Taylor & Co. After the prizes were awarded, Captain Esty was presented with a magnificent sword, belt, sword-knot and case, by Capt. B. R. Williams, on behalf of the members and ex-members of the Company. The Company was reviewed and inspected by Colonels H. D. Barto and K. S. Van Voorhees, at Trumansburg, Oct. 19th, 1865. January 23d, attended the funeral of Chief-Engineer Joseph Sidney, U. S. N., who died while in the service of his country. We now come in the history of the Company to the dedication of the new Armory and Drill-Room, which are located in the Cornell Library building, and which were dedicated by one of the finest entertainments ever given in Ithaca, February 10th, 1866, at which time the Company were assisted by Miss Louise St. John, Mrs. The entertainment was liberally patronized by the citizens of Ithaca, enabling the Company to cancel a large proportion of the indebtedness incurred in furnishing their Armory. The expenditures of the Company in this direction, and expense attending their exhibition, was six hundred and twenty-eight dollars and fifty-four cents. The present indebtedness of the Company is less than two hundred dollars, which amount they hope to cancel entirely by the profits on the sales of this History. The furniture of the Armory will compare, we think, with any room in the Library. A fine photographic likeness of each of the officers of We have endeavored to give, as we stated at the commencement, a full, true and concise history of the DeWitt Guard, our task is completed; and in closing, we only ask that a generous public will remember the present and former members of this Company, who sacrificed so much for their country in the hour of her peril, and to bestow honor where honor is due. Transcriber's Notes:Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Page 15: "unparalelled" changed to "unparalleled" (to a degree unparalleled). Pages 19, 21: "Chancellorville" changed to "Chancellorsville". Page 19: "Coal Harbor" changed to "Cold Harbor". Page 33: "comrads" changed to "comrades" (the cheers of comrades). Page 37: "seperated" changed to "separated" (separated from his command). Page 38: "commisioned" changed to "commissioned" (was elected and commissioned). Page 40: "excrutiating" changed to "excruciating" (the most excruciating torture). Page 41: "comrad" changed to "comrade" (of our deceased comrade). Page 50: "base" changed to "bass" (on the bass drum). Page 50: "equippage" changed to "equipage" (equipage in perfect order). Page 53: "reconnoisances" changed to "reconnoissances" (two important reconnoissances). Page 105: "accroutrements" changed to "accoutrements" (with gun and accoutrements). Page 115: "opperation" changed to "operation" (in operation day and night). Page 125: "marksman" changed to "marksmen" (marksmen in Tompkins County). Page 137: "excell" changed to "excel" (Few men can excel him). Page 145: "brake" changed to "break" (enough to break down). Page 155: "McNiel" changed to "McNeil". Page 166: "stake" changed to "steak" (the beef steak will be tender). Page 167: "potatoe" changed to "potato" (beef-steak-and-potato). Page 180: "arraigned" changed to "arranged" (our boys arranged). Page 180: "inexhaustable" changed to "inexhaustible" (inexhaustible store of fun). Page 184: "ninty" changed to "ninety" (just ninety-two days). Page 186: "capabilites" changed to "capabilities" (our standard of capabilities). |