Part 6

On the 4th of December, 1863, the troops were ordered into Winter quarters, as nothing more could be done that Winter. The railroad was guarded from Alexandria to Brandy Station by the 1st corps, the main line extending from Culpepper to the Rapidan. Camps were now laid out in regular order, each brigade by itself, the 1st brigade encamping on the plantation of John Minor Botts, one of Virginia's noblest sons, who, at the commencement of the war, refused to aid in breaking up the Union formed by Washington and his compeers, one of the best governments the world ever saw. Because he would not aid in bringing civil war, and aid in slaughtering thousands of innocent men, he was for three months confined in Libby Prison by the rebel leader, his daughter sharing his confinement with him without a murmur. He was finally released on parole, and was now residing at his mansion near Brandy Station. Trees were felled by the men and comfortable Winter quarters built. As far as the eye could reach were seen the tents of the Potomac army, occupying several miles of ground; the 6th corps on the extreme right, near Hazel River; the 5th corps on the left. Tents were soon built, the crevices filled with mud, and a shanty built of stones, the whole covered with shelters, three or four tenting with each other. Give a soldier a knife, and with a few articles a tent will soon be built. Brandy Station, a place heretofore but little known, was now the base of supplies for the army, trains running as far as Culpepper, where the Cavalry were encamped. Corduroy roads were built, fatigue parties being sent out each day under competent officers. Large store houses were built, and thousands of bushels of grain stored for the horses and mules. During the Summer the troops had nothing to eat on the march but hard-tack, sugar and coffee. Extra rations were now issued, some of the men faring better than at home. Rations were issued every five days of hard-tack, soft bread, sugar, coffee, beef, pork, pepper, salt, beans, dried apples, potatoes and onions, the government always feeding the men well while lying in camp. Furloughs were now granted the men for ten days, some two hundred going each day. The people home had seen so many soldiers that they were tired of them; a great many that were Copperheads, afraid to come themselves, entertained no respect for the boys in blue, but turned a cold shoulder to them. They cared not though, as long as they had done their duty at the front, and despised the sneaking Copperhead as not worthy of notice. Camp life was now entered upon by the men with activity, knowing that spring would open with a hard campaign. Drills were again in order, inspections and reviews. Brandy Station was thronged with visitors from the North, who looked with wonder upon the magnificent array of men, that for the past three years had been battling for union and for liberty. The armies must again be recruited for the spring campaign; great inducements were held out to the men, and furloughs suddenly stopped. Any soldier that would re-enlist for three years would receive three hundred dollars bounty and thirty-five days furlough; all other furloughs were stopped. The men anxious to see home, and thinking that the war would soon be over, re-enlisted in large numbers, receiving their bounty and furlough. Nearly the whole of the 87th Pennsylvania in the 3d division re-enlisted; this was the finest drilled regiment in the service, their term of enlistment expiring in the spring. The mails were now running regular once each day. The paymasters arriving, the troops were paid in full and the sutlers patronized largely. President Lincoln now issued a call for three hundred thousand more men. In view of the large bounties offered, a great many worthless men enlisted, soon after deserting; the most of them were caught and were sent back to the headquarters of the different divisions, and placed under arrest. A Provost Guard was formed at each division headquarters, composed of picked men of the regiments, consisting of one hundred men, five Sergeants and eight Corporals, whose duties were to guard all prisoners, and in time of action to keep up all stragglers, and while lying in camp to guard headquarters. Court Martials were now in session, and each man under arrest was tried, and if found guilty of any misdemeanor was immediately sentenced and placed in confinement until the sentence was carried into effect. Some were sentenced to hard labor, some to forfeit their pay, and various other sentences according to the decision of the court.

Lee was now encamped in the vicinity of Madison Court House, his main force in a dense wilderness, and comfortably quartered in log houses, each army picketing the Rapidan, whose swollen waters would not permit crossing at this time of the year. Occasionally a small force of cavalry was sent out to reconnoitre, but failed to draw any portion of the enemy from their entrenchments. The headquarters of Gen. Meade were on a hill and tastefully arranged, near Brandy Station. A new signal corps was organized; several from the 14th were detached and placed on duty in this corps. This branch of service was of great use to the army, as orders could be signalized with rapidity from one part of the army to the other. Sutlers were in abundance at Brandy Station, erecting shanties for their goods. Shoemaker shops, watch making and ambrotype galleries were built, and Brandy Station soon became a thriving town. The 14th was encamped in an old rebel camp, the men using their old houses, refitting them as good as new. As none but re-enlisted men were allowed furloughs, the rest of the men contented themselves with passing their time in camp with various amusements, playing match games of base ball when not on duty. The Rapidan was strongly picketed, details from the regiments made every three days. The 14th now numbered but six hundred men for duty, three hundred and fifty less than when the regiment left New Jersey. Nearly one hundred had died; sixteen had been killed by battle; some were on detached service; some in hospitals, and, sad to say, numbers had deserted. Gen. Morris was on leave of absence, his place being filled by Colonel Truex, acting Brig. General. Several ladies now visited the army, the most of them officers' wives, remaining until the spring campaign commenced.

In the latter part of December, a man named Armprister from the 3d division was found guilty of desertion. He was sentenced to have his head shaved, a board placed on his back marked utterly worthless, and to be drummed out of camp. Such scenes were not common, this being the first occurrence of the kind in our division. Capt. Allstrum of Co. G, 14th N.J., was appointed Provost Marshal of the division. His duty was to see that all military rules were obeyed; that all sutlers and purveyors were licensed, and to confiscate all rebel property that was fortunate enough to fall into our hands. The discipline of the army was now perfect, everything arranged and in perfect order; one grand master mind at the head; the people North forming no idea how everything was conducted, and with what precision each order was executed by the men. A revival now spread throughout camp, and many became converted. Chaplain Rose, of the 14th New Jersey, by his exertions organized prayer meetings each evening, and through his means a greater part of the men were led to seek God. Regimental churches were built of logs, covered with tents furnished by the Sanitary Commission, and tracts, books and papers distributed daily by men interested in the cause. A great many that were converted were killed in the ensuing battles of the coming campaign, which was destined to be the hardest ever witnessed. Tools were furnished the men in abundance, and tents and churches rapidly erected. A pioneer corps was also organized for each brigade. The tools were packed in boxes, and carried on mules, slung across their backs. During active service they were to march ahead of the troops, clearing the way; also to bridge streams and ditches; build officers' tents, and to make themselves useful in various ways. The troops were now taught to maneuver by brigades and divisions; each afternoon was brigade drill and dress parade, the officers and men presenting a fine appearance, having lain in camp long enough to get fixed up. Clothing was issued in abundance, and everything that was needed for an army was forwarded to the men. Boxes were sent from home, but each one was examined by the Provost Marshal to see if liquor was concealed therein; the men were not allowed any. If the friends at home saw fit to send it for sickness, it was taken from them and used by the headquarters officers. Various dodges were resorted to by the men to obtain whiskey; packages of flour were sent, with a small flask concealed in the inside, which was eagerly drank by them, as rum of any kind was a luxury.

The month of December had nearly passed, and the holidays were rapidly approaching; the cold storms of winter kept the men pretty close, the weather being too bad to permit drilling. Christmas and New Years were very dull, the men receiving two months pay and new clothing, and the officers drinking their good whiskey.

Gen. Carr's headquarters were in a large white house, opposite John Minor Botts', two miles from Brandy Station, and about a quarter of a mile from the division. As there were several ladies visiting the Potomac army, a grand ball was given and preparations made accordingly. An addition was built to the house by men detailed from the division and everything was arranged in perfect order; the room was handsomely decorated with flags and evergreens. The night of January 25, 1864, the ball was given, and everything passed off pleasantly; it was very largely attended, but the privates were not allowed to enter; the ladies were elegantly dressed. The 1st New Jersey Brigade Band, and 87th Pennsylvania were engaged, and the music was excellent. The tickets were ten dollars; dancing was kept up until morning; the supper was magnificent, costing two thousand dollars; cooks were sent from Washington, and everything that could be had; trains of cars coming up during the afternoon loaded with officers bringing their ladies with them. The leading generals of the Potomac army were present, the most prominent among them being Meade, Warren, Hancock, French and others. They enjoyed themselves very well, but the most of them were better at fighting than at dancing.

Nothing occurred to disturb the dull monotony of camp life during those long Winter months, everything going on as usual; re-enlisted men returning, others going in their places. On the morning of February 6th, the troops received marching orders, to pack up with three days' rations and hold themselves in readiness to move, as a reconnoissance in force was ordered to find out the whereabouts of Lee's main force. At five o'clock in the afternoon the command was given to start; the 3d corps commanded by Gen. Birney, Gen. French being home on leave of absence. The Provost Guard and 122d Ohio were left to guard the camp and headquarters; the 3d division in advance; raining hard. The weather had been very pleasant for some time, until orders were given to move, when a storm suddenly came up and continued for three days. The first corps met and engaged the enemy at Culpepper Ford, and after a brisk engagement of several hours, our forces retired, being unable to cross the river. The reconnoissance discovered Lee in position, his line extending from the Rapidan to Orange Court House. The troops marched eight miles, remaining in line of battle two days south of Culpepper, when they returned to their old quarters, the 1st corps losing about two hundred men in killed and wounded, but bringing in several prisoners with them. All was again quiet in camp; everything dull. On the 25th the paymaster again arrived, paying the men two months' pay. Colonel Cook from New Jersey was present, taking home for the soldiers thousands of dollars. The division was now reviewed by Gen. French, near Brandy Station, several ladies being present; it was composed of three brigades, numbering six thousand men. On the 28th, the weather being extremely fine, a reconnoissance was again ordered by the 6th corps, moving out early in the morning with three days' rations; the other corps were ordered to hold themselves in readiness if needed. Nothing, however, was discovered, the enemy refusing to leave their entrenchments; on the 3d of March the corps returned, having been gone three days.

On the 29th of March the regiment was again mustered in for pay by Col. Truex; every two months was muster, this being the eleventh time since our enlistment. The men were formed in line, and their arms and accoutrements examined, each man answering to his name; if not accounted for he could not be mustered, nor could he receive his pay.

In view of the coming campaign, it was found necessary by the authorities at Washington to place at the head of the army a general, giving him full command of all the forces then in our armies, to rank as Lieutenant General. Congress was for some time unable to decide which of our generals was the most competent. General Grant, then in command of the southwestern army was finally chosen, and ordered to report immediately at Washington. The hero of Vicksburg, of Port Hudson, and of Pittsburg Landing, was placed in chief command, with a commission as Lieutenant General, wearing three stars.

From an early period in the rebellion Grant had been impressed with the idea that active and continuous operations of all troops that could be brought into the field, regardless of season and weather, were necessary for a speedy termination of the war. The past two years had led us to believe that the resources of the enemy and his numerical strength were far inferior to ours, but as an offset to this, we had a vast territory hostile to the government to garrison, and long lines of river and railroad communications to protect to enable us to supply the operating armies. The army in the east and west had thus far acted independently and without concert, like a baulky team, no two ever pulling together, enabling the enemy to use to great advantage his inferior lines of communication for transporting troops from east to west, re-enforcing the army most vigorously pressed, and enabling them to furlough large numbers during seasons of inactivity on our part, to go to their homes and do the work of producing for the support of their armies. It was now the firm conviction of our leading men that no peace could be had that would be stable and conducive to the happiness of the people, both North and South, until the military power of the South was entirely broken.

On the 16th of March General Grant arrived at Brandy Station and proceeded immediately to the headquarters of Gen. Meade. After reviewing the different corps, he rapidly re-organized the army. The 3d corps was broken up, and placed in different corps; our division was placed in the 6th corps as 3d division; the 14th had been in the 3d corps eight months; what had been an organization so long was now no more. Gen. French was relieved from the front and ordered to report at Washington, and placed in command of the troops near Baltimore. The Potomac army now consisted of but three corps, 2d, 5th and 6th, of thirty thousand each. The 2d corps was commanded by Hancock; the 5th by Warren, and the 6th by Sedgwick; General Meade still retained his position as commander of the Potomac army, receiving his orders from Grant. Sherman was placed in chief command in the southwest, and proved himself a successful commander.

The 3d division, which heretofore consisted of three brigades, was now formed in two brigades; the 1st was commanded by General Morris, consisting of the 14th New Jersey, 10th Vermont, 106th and 151st New York, and 87th Pennsylvania. The 2nd brigade was commanded by Col. Keifer, afterwards Brigadier General, and composed of the 110th, 122d and 126th Ohio regiments, the only western troops in the Potomac army; the 6th Maryland, 67th and 138th Pennsylvania troops, now commanded by General Prince, the former commander of the 2d division, General Carr reporting at Washington. The officers all met at headquarters preparatory to the breaking up of the corps, and indulged in a jolly time; groups were taken by artists, and after spending the day in mirth, they returned to their quarters at night. Birney's old division lay in camp near the 6th corps; they were ordered to join the 2d corps, and our division to take their camp and join the 6th corps. Gen. Prince was relieved, and General Ricketts placed in command of the division. Heavy rains now came on and the order to change camp was countermanded until April 1, when the division moved. The 14th regiment had built a new camp, every tent on a line, and each one of an exact size; pine trees were planted, and it was decided by General Meade to be the handsomest camp in the Potomac army. The men were very sorry to leave, and some of them threatened to burn their tents; the quarters we were to occupy were in a poor place, far from the main road and very lonesome, but as soldiers we were accustomed to such things, often putting up tents and then compelled to leave them in a hurry.

General Grant, having now assumed command, determined to bring the war to a close as soon as possible. As it was too early for a forward movement, the troops were permitted to remain in camp another month. Grant, in consultation with his officers forming their plans for the coming campaign, having every confidence in Meade, they were constantly together. Grant first determined to use the greatest number of troops practicable against the armed forces of the enemy, preventing him from using the same force at different seasons against first one and then the other of our armies, by ordering all armies to move at the same time, he superintending each movement, his headquarters with the Potomac army.

During the month of April, 1864, several men from the division banded together and formed negro minstrels, building a house of logs covered with canvass. Twenty-five cents was charged for admittance; part of the proceeds were for the benefit of the Sanitary Commission; the house was crowded each evening, as it was sometime since the men had seen anything of the kind.

Behind the Union lines there were many bands of guerillas, and a large population that were hostile to the government, making it necessary to guard every foot of road or river used in supplying our armies. In the South a reign of military despotism prevailed which made every man and boy capable of bearing arms a soldier, and those who could not bear arms in the field acted as Provost Guards for collecting deserters and returning them; thus enabling the enemy to bring almost his entire strength in the field. Active preparations were now made on both sides for the campaign which was shortly to open; of the magnitude of the work before us none then knew. The enemy had concentrated the bulk of their forces into two armies, commanded by Generals R. E. Lee and J. E. Johnson, their ablest and best generals. The army of the Southwest, under Sherman, was to oppose Johnson, and the army of the Potomac, under Meade, to oppose Lee, all under the immediate command of Grant. The army commanded by Lee occupied the south bank of the Rapidan, covering and defending Richmond, the rebel capital, against the army of the Potomac. The army under Johnson occupied a strongly entrenched position at Dalton, Ga., covering and defending Atlanta, a place of great importance as a railroad centre, against the armies under Sherman. These two armies and the cities covered and defended by them, were the main objects of the campaign. General Meade was instructed by Grant that Lee's army would be his objective point, and wherever Lee went he must follow. From the position of Lee's forces two different routes presented themselves, one to cross the Rapidan below Lee, moving by his right flank, the other above Lee, moving by his left. Each presented advantages over the other, with corresponding objections; by crossing above, Lee would be cut off from all correspondence with Richmond, or from going North on a raid; but if the army took this route, all we did would have to be done while the rations held out; and it separated us from Butler moving from Fortress Monroe; if we took the other route, Brandy Station could be used as a base of supplies until another was secured on the York or James River. After a long consultation with Meade, Grant decided to take the lower route.

The Potomac army had now lain in quarters five months, the men expecting every day orders to move. The papers North were urging a forward movement, but Grant knew his own plans best and wished no advisers. Three large armies were now to move on Richmond as soon as ordered by Grant; the Potomac army covering Washington and in Lee's immediate front; an army from Fortress Monroe commanded by Butler, and a large force under Seigel to move up the Shenandoah Valley.

The month of April was drawing rapidly to a close, and every preparation had been made for the campaign soon to open. Supplies were forwarded to Brandy Station in vast numbers; wagons packed with ammunition and forage; the troops furnished with clothing and shoes; all condemned horses and mules branded with the letter C and sent to Alexandria to be corralled until sold, and others sent in their places; and all batteries were furnished new guns and new horses, equipped for a hard campaign. It having now been decided by Grant to move across the Rapidan below Lee, preparations were made to start. Orders were sent to all generals commanding different posts, to move not later than May 4, and by one combined movement of all the armies to crush, if possible, the rebellion. The most formidable foe to encounter was the army under Lee; leaving the other armies to the discretion of their commanders but subject to orders, he turned his whole attention to that one point, but as usual issuing and receiving all orders. On the 1st of May the troops were all drawn up in line, and orders read to them as follows: That the campaign was soon to open; that every man must do his duty; that no straggling nor foraging would be allowed, and all private property to be protected. As there were several regiments whose term of service expired soon, they were very reluctant to move, as they had served three years faithfully. Orders were read to them especially, that if any of them were found lurking in the rear or refusing to move forward, they would be immediately shot, and commanders of regiments instructed to see that on a march the troops moved in regular order.