UPTON’S BRIGADE AT THE “BLOODY ANGLE.”
After drawings Ijy a participant.
opened "by the officers or file-closers, who served the ammunition to the men. The writer fired four hundred rounds of ammunition, and many others as many or more. In this manner a continuous and rapid fire was maintained, to which for a while the enemy replied with vigor.
Finding that we were not to be driven back, the Confederates began to use more discretion, exposing themselves but little, using the loop-holes in their works to fire through, and at times placing the muzzles of their rifles on the top logs, seizing the trigger and small of the stock, and elevating the breech with one hand sufficiently to reach us. During the day a section of Cowan’s battery took position behind us, sending shell after shell close over our heads, to explode inside the Confederate works. In like manner Coehorn mortars eight hundred yards in our rear sent their shells with admirable precision gracefully curving over us. Sometimes the enemy’s fire would slacken, and the moments would become so monotonous that something had to be done to stir them up. Then some resolute fellow would seize a fence-rail or piece of abatis, and, creeping close to the breastworks, thrust it over among the enemy, and then drop on the ground to avoid the volley that was sure to follow. A daring lieutenant in one of our left companies leaped upon the breastworks, took a rifle that was handed to him, and discharged it among the foe. In like manner he discharged another, and was in the act of firing a third shot when his cap flew up in the air, and his body pitched headlong among the enemy.
On several occasions squads of disheartened Con-
bullets of both antagonists, lay unworked with their muzzles projecting over the enemy’s works, and their wheels half sunk in the mud. Between the lines and near at hand lay the horses of these guns, completely riddled. The dead and wounded were torn to pieces by the canister as it swept the ground where they had fallen. The mud was halfway to our knees, and by our constant movement the fallen were almost buried at our feet. We now backed off from the breastwork a few yards, abandoning for a while the two 12-pounders, but still keeping up a fusillade. We soon closed up our shattered ranks and the brigade settled down again to its task. Our fire was now directed at the top of the breastworks, and woe be to the head or hand that appeared above it. In the mean time the New Jersey brigade, Colonel W. H. Penrose, went into action on our right, and the Third Brigade, General Eustis’s, was hard at work. The Vermont brigade, under Colonel Lewis A. Grant, which had been sent to Barlow’s assistance, was now at the Angle, and General Wheaton’s brigade was deep in the struggle. The Second and Third divisions of the Sixth Corps were also ready to take part. . . .
Our losses were frightful. What remained of many different regiments that had come to our support had concentrated at this point, and had planted their tattered colors upon a slight rise of ground close to the Angle, where they stayed during the latter part of the day.
To keep up the supply of ammunition, pack-mules were brought into use, each animal carrying three thousand rounds. The boxes were dropped close behind the troops engaged, where they were quickly
NARRATIVE OF EVENTS.
Both Warren’s and Burnside’s troops cooperated in the attack headed by Hancock at the “ Bloody Angle.” Warren was quickly repulsed. Burnside made repeated attacks during the day. General R. B. Potter’s division carried the enemy’s works and was driven out again, but subsequently established connection with Hancock’s line. The divisions of Generals O. B. Wilcox and Thomas L. Crittenden (formerly commanding a corps under Rosecrans in the West) advanced their lines by assault and intrenched close to the enemy’s works. Six days, May 12 to 18, were passed by Grant in manceuvering and waiting for reinforcements. On the 19th, Ewell’s corps attacked Grant’s right flank, but was repulsed. On the
MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN C. ROBINSON, U. S. V. Wounded at Spotsylvania.
federates raised pieces of shelter-tents above the works as a flag of truce; upon our slacking fire and calling to them to come in, they would immediately jump the breastworks and surrender. One party of twenty or thirty thus signified their willingness to submit; but owing to the fact that their comrades occasionally took advantage of the cessation to get a volley into us, it was some time before we concluded to give them a chance. With leveled pieces we called to them to come in. Springing upon the breastworks in a body, they stood for an instant panic-stricken at the terrible array before them; that momentary delay was the signal for their destruction. While we, with our fingers pressing the trigger, shouted to them to jump, their troops, massed in the rear, poured a volley into them, killing or wounding all but a few, who dropped with the rest and crawled in under our pieces, while we instantly began firing.
The battle, which during the morning raged with more or less violence on the right and left of this position, gradually slackened, and attention was concentrated upon the Angle. So continuous and heavy was our fire that the head logs of the breastworks were cut and torn until they resembled hickory brooms. Several large oak-trees, which grew just in the rear of the works, were completely gnawed off by our converging fire, and about 3 o’clock in the day fell among the enemy with a loud crash. . . .
BREVET MAJOR-GEN. EMORY UPTON, TJ. S. A. From a photograph.
was dense at first, was intensified by each discharge of artillery to such an extent that the accuracy of our aim became very uncertain, but nevertheless we kept up the fire in the supposed direction of the enemy. Meanwhile they were crawling forward under cover of the smoke, until, reaching a certain point, and raising their usual yell, they charged gallantly up to the very muzzles of our pieces and reoccupied the Angle.
Upon reaching the breastwork, the Confederates for a few moments had the advantage of us, and made good use of their rifles. Our men went down by the score ; all the artillery horses were down; the gallant Upton was the only mounted officer in sight. Hat in hand, he bravely cheered his men, and begged them to “hold this point.” All of his staff had been either killed, wounded, or dismounted.
At this moment, and while the open ground in rear of the Confederate works was choked with troops, a section of Battery C, 5th United States Artillery, under Lieutenant Richard Metcalf, was brought into action and increased the carnage by opening at short range with double charges of canister. This staggered the apparently exultant enemy. In the maze of the moment these guns were run up by hand close to the famous Angle, and fired again and again, and they were only abandoned when all the drivers and cannoneers had fallen. The battle was now at white heat.
The rain continued to fall, and clouds of smoke hung over the scene. Like leeches we stuck to the work, determined by our fire to keep the enemy from rising up. Captain John D. Fish, of Upton’s staff, who had until this time performed valuable service in conveying ammunition to the gunners, fell, pierced by a bullet. This brave officer seemed to court death as he rode back and forth between the caissons and cannoneers with stands of canister under his “ gum ”coat. “ Give it to them, boys! I ’ll bring you the canister,” said he; and as he turned to cheer the gunners, he fell from his horse mortally wounded. In a few moments the two brass pieces of the 5th Artillery, cut and hacked by the
253