Battle of New Berne
Harper's Weekly Articles
The following is transcribed from Harper's Weekly: A Journal of Civilization, dated April 5, 1862:
This operation is thus described by the Herald correspondent:
The point at which the troops landed is the mouth of Slocum's Creek, about twelve miles below Newbern, by water and seventeen by land. The Patuxent, Captain Bennett, the flag-ship of General Reno, was the first to enter the creek, General Reno's brigade having the honor of the advance. The Twenty-first Massachusetts regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Clark, was on board the Patuxent, and was to have landed first, according to the programme, but the steamer Alice Price, with General Burnside and the Fifty-first New York regiment, glided suddenly by the Patuxent, and ran up as near as possible to the beach, when the color-bearer of the regiment fearlessly jumped overboard into some four feet of water, and holding the flag up over his head waded ashore. Reaching terra firma the flag was unfurled, and the Stars and Stripes once more floated over that portion of North Carolina. Colonel Ferrero followed into the water -- an example which his whole regiment soon imitated -- and in a few minutes his whole command was ashore. Almost at the same time, and within a briefer period than it takes to narrate it, the other regiments followed, and the water was soon a swarm men wading ashore, and of launches filled with troops fromt he vessels further out in the stream. I must not omit to mention that the Pilot Boy, the flag-ship of General Foster, also ran in shore, and the troops on board (Twenty-fifth Massachusetts) likewise jumped into the water. With such alacrity was the landing effected, that in less than an hour the greater portion of the division was ashore.
It was now about half past seven o'clock (on the morning of the 14th), and a sharp firing ahead denoted that our skirmishers had encountered the enemy. Rapidly forming, the different regiments assumed their positions in their brigades, and the division marched to the attack. General Burnside rode forward, and as the battery or breast-work came in sight across a wide field, a shot was fired from one its guns. The missile, which proved to be a shell, struck within ten feet of the General and his staff, but, not exploding, bounced along the ground, splashing the party with mud.
General Foster, whose brigade had advanced by the stage road, rapidly formed his regiments in line of battle in the fringe of woods skirting the edge of the field before the breast-work; the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts, Colonel Stevenson, on the extreme right; the Twenty-fifth Massachusetts, Colonel Upton, next, with its left resting on the road; the Twenty-ninth Massachusetts, Colonel Lee, next with right resting on the road, and the Twenty-third Massachusetts, Colonel Kurtz, on the brigade left, with the Tenth Connecticut in reserve. To support this line against the eighteen or twenty guns of the enemy's battery our forces had only a few pieces of artillery. The rest was on the way, but did not reach the field in time to participated in the fight. The disposition of our artillery in support of General Foster's position was as follows: On the extreme right Executive Officer McCook's battery of boat howitzers from the navy, manned by Lieutenants McCook, Hammond, Daniels, and Tillotson, with marines and a detachment of the Union Coast Guard. In the centre, and near the road, a 12-pounder steel gun from the Cossack, manned by Captain Bennett, his second mate, Mr. Stroud (captain of the gun), and twenty of the ship's crew. On the left Captain Dayton's battery, from the transport Highlander.
After the first gun the enemy run their flag defiantly up over the ramparts and opened very briskly with round shot, grape, canister, and shell. Their infantry were stretched out the entire length of the work between the river and railroad, and kept up an incessant fire with musketry.
Their fire was replied to with equal vigor by the brigade. When it had taken up its position, and leaving them engaged, let me return to the operations of the Second and Third brigades, under Generals Reno and Parke.
The Second Brigade, consisting of the Twenty-first Massachusetts, Lieutenant-Colonel Clark; Fifty-first New York, Colonel Ferrero; Fifty-first Pennsylvania, Colonel Hartsruft, and Ninth New Jersey, took the railroad and proceeded along the enemy's right flank. It is somewhat remarkable that the maneuvers of the battle were nearly the same as those of the fight at Roanoke Island. The point at which the intrenchment crossed the railroad was strongly defended by a series of redoubts and rifle pits, while a subsequent examination revealed the fact that beyond these redoubts the breast-work was continued nearly a mile and a half, making the entire length of the defenses about three miles. The operations of our forces, however, were confined to that only between the river and the railroad track.
The Third Brigade, under General Parke, took up a position on the front, between the First and Second brigades.
Such was the disposition of our troops. The engagement regularly opened about eight o'clock, when the First Brigade bore the brunt of the battle. General Foster rode fearlessly along giving his orders, and was several times exposed to the hottest of the fire. His aids, too, shared the danger, and one of them, Lieutenant Pendleton, narrowly escaped injury, if not death, from a bullet which passed through his coat sleeve, just grazing the arm. The Massachusetts Twenty-fourth, on the right had soon to regret the wounding of two of their officers, Major Stevenson and Adjutant Horton, the former by a ball in the leg, the latter by a ball in the shoulder. Early in the engagement the Massachusetts Twenty-third lost Lieutenant-Colonel Merritt, who was struck by a cannon-ball, which carried away one side of his body, and lacerated his form in a horrible manner. The proportion of officers killed and wounded during the entire fight was quite large. The Twenty-seventh Massachusetts seemed for some reason to be more exposed to the fire of the enemy, and with ammunition expended, and a large loss, were withdrawn. The Tenth Connecticut, until now in reserve, was ordered to their support, and as they fell back took their place; moving to the front with great alacrity, and opening fire with vigor. The Tenth was finally compelled to retire through want of ammunition, and the Eleventh Connecticut took their place. To the First Brigade belongs the credit of having so long and attentively engaged the battery while the Second and Third executed the brilliant maneuvre of flanking the enemy's right, of which I have not to speak.
When it became evident that the First Brigade was capable of carrying on the fight in front, the Third, which had been supporting it, was ordered, with the exception of the Eleventh Connecticut, to support the Second in the flank movement. Accordingly the Eighth Connecticut, Fourth Rhode Island, and Fifth Rhode Island regiments withdrew a shot distance into the woods, and defiling to the left came out upon the railroad, and going forward came in the rear of the Third Brigade.
This portion of the field of operations was immediately under the command of General Reno, and to him was allotted the task of the flank movement already referred to, and which he so brilliantly and successfully accomplished.
It may be well here to state that when the idea of flanking was entertained it was not known that the line of intrenchment extended beyond, or, if it did, much beyond the railroad. When the troops attempted the movement, consequently, of getting in the rear, they discovered not the mere obstacle of swamp or marsh, but also of a series of redoubts and rifle-pits, which defended the immediate vicinity of the track. Our attack in from had so far been confined to the right, near the river, where one of the water batteries had reversed its guns, and was assisting in the defense of the breast-work by an enfilading, or, more properly, diagonal fire upon our troops. The great body of the enemy was consequently here posted, and the flank movement came near resulting in a perfect surprise, though they rapidly reinforced the redoubts as soon as they discovered the approach on that side.
Having drawn out in line of battle, the Second Brigade returned the fire of the enemy vigorously, who, from the rifle-pits and behind the screening edges of the redoubts, were picking off our men with deadly certainty at every shot. But we have to boast of our sharp-shooters also, as many a rebel in these same rifle-pits and behind the enemy entrenchments, whose death-wound was in the head, amply testified.
At last the word was given to charge, and the Massachusetts Twenty-first, which was on the left, succeeded in getting four companies within the enemy's position. The New York Fifty-first, supported the movement; while the Ninth New Jersey, Fifty-first Pennsylvania, Eighth Connecticut, and Fourth and Fifth Rhode Island assailed the work at various points. The four companies of the Massachusetts Twenty-first were far in advance of the others into the intrenchment, and, driving the rebels before them, had attempted to reverse the guns, when repulsed by a strong reinforcement of the enemy, who suddenly charged from a little ravine or hollow just in the rear, and with their overwhelming numbers drove them out, making a few prisoners. Our repulse was but momentary. Re-forming the Massachusetts Twenty-first, New York Fifty-first, Fourth Rhode Island, and the Ninth New Jersey, with the Fifth Rhode Island in reserve, returned the assault, and after another gallant charge, another desperate resistance of the enemy, a hand-to-hand contest over the ramparts of the intrenchment, in which our forces at one time actually reversed its purpose, and used it as a breast-work for their own protection; while they kept the rebels at bay inside, they drove the enemy cut, and at the point of the bayonet chased them back out of sight. The victory was won with the loss of nearly seventy killed and two hundred and fifty wounded -- a heavy one when it is taken into consideration that of the two brigades only six regiments and one battalion were engaged. The fire of the enemy was terrific, and embraced all the varieties of missile. General Reno and General Parke admirable conducted the whole maneuvering, and with their aids and staff were exposed to no inconsiderable danger.
When the word to charge was given on the left the cheers with which it was received were heard over on the right, and instantly the First Brigade emerged from its position along the edge of the woods, and, dashing across the fields, assailed the enemy at the very muzzles of their guns. But the retreat of their forces on the flank had inspired all with a panic, and they most ingloriously fled, leaving their cannon unspiked, a number of horses, the caissons, and the unexpended ammunition. They contrived, however, to bear off the greater portion of their killed and wounded; so that is is impossible to form an approximate estimate of their loss, though it can not fall far short of our own.