Eighth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers
Company A, Inc.
Colt State Park 1996 Event Report
Colt State Park
Bristol, Rhode Island
June 7-9, 1996
June 13th, 1864
Stone Chapel
South of Cold Harbor, Virginia
Dear Friends,
I take this chance to pen you a note, since I know not when such
opportunity will fall my way again. We have been fighting and moving
for several days, and are most thoroughly tired. We are now resting in
an area of broad open meadows in the hot sun with little shade, but we
are resting.
We arrived here near a place called Stone Chapel, and established
our camps on Friday evening. There had been some fog and drizzle falling
during the march, but it ceased on our work for the camps.We had a good
wide company street this once, with the 9th Mass as our neighbors,
since one company failed to show in camp, so ours was a boulevard. We
trickled into camp from the march all evening, sung around the fire
with our mess, and turned in.
Morning revielle awoke us at the hour of six, and the day was already
hazy and humid. We got our breakfast coffee and bacon and breads. A
local farmer, a Union man, was leading his Devon cow from company to
company, giving milk to any soldier who could procure it from the
udder, sonce he was busy steadying the front end, with the wide horns
and disturbed behavior of the beast from all the rough handling. It
made a fine treat to our coffee, great thanks.
We were formed for a rough parade to access the strength of the
battalion present. We were combined with the 25th Mass. under Capt. Bob
Burbank, bringing our company to two full platoons, under Capt. Kurtz's
command. We found we were also joined by the remainder of the decimated
10th Mass. and other companies in the battalion included the 124 NY,
54th Mass., Andrews Sharpshooters (22nd Mass.), 9th Mass., 2nd RI, and
several others.
After a bit, about 10 on the clock, we were formed as a company and
moved off to relieve the other boys on picket. Just to our south, a
road between two stone walls was the line of contention between the
Rebs and us, the rebs pushing for it, and us defending. So we put in
some time at the wall hurling lead at those foolish enough to receive
it for some time. At one point, Capt. Kurtz went forward, white
handkerchief on the tip of his sword, in order to arrange a temporary
truce so that we might remove the wounded from between the lines. This
done, we all went back to work. We were skirmishing with the assistance
of our friends, Capt. Hobbs and the Andrews Sharpshooters, which we all
did well together, until we were eventually relieved as well. The day
was excessively hot, this dixie's land is too extreme, and we marched
back to camp, drank gallons of water, and ate a small noon meal.
Having just caught our breath, we were ordered to arms again, only
this time, it was a bigger affair. The main body of the rebels had
formed to our front. So we deployed and defended our wall in force,
then moved over it, flushing the rebels before us. They used their
artillery on us, and the rout was on, our men running back about a half
a mile for cover, and then reformed. The Col. was able to get the mob
under control and back in line for a second push with the help of the
officers and non-comissioned, but with the exact same results. Again,
we reformed and moved forward, and thrice the run was on, men
skedaddling all over. Pvt. Dan Liska tried to run from the ranks, but
ran slam into the 1st.Sgt. and that attempt was thwarted. The advance
was not tried again, and as the battle slowed, the rebels had moved
their line to the objective, much closer to our lines. I must be honest
to tell you that I believe the objective to be the shade under the
trees lining both sides of that road and walls, nothing more, and
nothing less, and once the rebels had it, they were content to let us
go back to camp, collapse, and rest, and draw more ammunition for
tomorrow.
On our street, the men slowly swung into motion for a special
occasion we were to host that evening, a reception honoring hte
nuptuals of our Capt. Devon Kurtz and his bride Miss Tracy Roy. The
preparations were taking all shapes as a pot luck celebration was
planned. We erected a long trestle table in the street, and prepared a
multitude of interseting fare on the fires and in our tents. At the
appointed hour of 7 in the evening, our many invited guests also
arrived bearing much more to laden our table. The Captain and his Lady
made theire appearance, and our company was formed by Lt. Bob Boucher
in two ranks facing, muskets and bayonets crossed in an arch. The
couple was bid to "pass in review", which they solemnly did, and then
were pelted with rice from the ranks, as tradition requires, then led
us to the buffet table.
Our friends from the 1st. Maryland arrived with banjo, guitar, and
bones, and provided music for the festivities. All was quite happy to
toast the couple, and the evening raced away with the social scene.
Near the hour for retreat, we sang around the camp fire as our guests,
one by one, and two by two, took their leave. Then we all turned into
our bed rolls for a night's rest, God willing.
Sunday morning also dawned hot and hazy in this cursed south land,
and we arose to get some coffee and bacon, and soon settled down, many
of us to our habit of a small divine service on our company street. We
each took turns reading appropriate psalms from the prayer book, taking
time to observe His Sabbath and renew our faith once more.
Almost as soon as that was over, we were called for dress parade,
which was then followed by battalion drill. The object was to prepare
us for the battle tactics planned for this day. Our guns now seem to be
amassed in this locale to help repel the enemy so our advance south
towards Petersburg will not halt. We drilled "By the Right of Companies
to the Front, Right Face, March" to break the battalion line of battle
into companies marching by the right flank to pass each company through
the gap between two guns, then "By Company into Line, March" to
re-establish the line of battle once past the guns. Speed was
imperative if we wanted to roll over our enemy in an unrelenting tide.
No time could be lost passing the guns at the critical time to do so.
And so the drill this late in the war was actually given the full
attention of everyone present wearing blue.
We were dismissed and retired to our street once more, to conduct a
meeting that is our "democratic" way of dealing with army life. Indeed
there are several issues that the men need to decide for ourselves even
in the army, so the meeting was held to decide such things as what
level was the company fund at, how should it be fairly spent, and what
we might want to do with it.
We broke up the meeting and searched for a spot of shade to occupy,
but there were few large enough for the whole company, so most of us
resorted to our tents for protection from the sun. We played checkers,
&c, passed the forenoon, and ate a small cold lunch, and rested some
more.
Then the call did come, and we knew it was that sanguinary hour
again. We formed, marched south across the plains, and took positions
and rested waiting along a hedgerow while our gunners softened up the
battle field, making rifle pits the fast way, and discouraging the
Johnnies from showing themselves. We soon were deployed in battalion
line of battle, and we knew our time was here. We quickly moved
forward, colors to the front, and passed between the guns as drilled,
reformed, and kept moving as if still on parade. Colonel Eams, our
overall commander, would advance the battalion about 10 rods, issue a
battalion volley, advance, fire, advance, fire, and the pressure was
powerfully effective. Nothing could resist that advance, it was
something to behold! The alignment was superb, and the effect deadly.
And the sight of our colors in front, and the Captains in front,
swords pointing the way, was inspiring. The rebels retreated, leaving
us the walls again, but there we took positions and tried to keep back
the rebels. The rebel artillery was pouring it on us, and it was
difficult to raise one's head for the minies in the air. We held but
could not advance from there. Capt. Kurtz was furious, and walked to
the wall, revolver drawn to assist, when right at the base of the wall
in front of him, a ball struck, and removed the walll, piling it all
around him. He was unhurt, but this sign left him in awe. We called him
Stonewall! Soon we were withdrawn by command after such a hard fought
advance. There was little feeling for this direction, but the rebels to
the front would not allow forward progress. This ended the engagement
in a draw.
We were formed in battalion line, blue facing gray, for the final
salutes to each other, then returned to camp. Upon our arrival there,
the paymaster made his appearance. We had been being promised he would
arrive for several days, and there he was. But it did not work out all
the way it should, as you will hear. We were each called to his desk,
and received two months pay owed, each man had some subtracted on the
spot for his various debts, to the company, to the commissary, the
sutler, and the laundress, who was present to receive her due.
Sgt. and Pvt. Liska was docked 18 dollars for loss of a Springfield
rifle each. which they never had drawn, as thiers were Enfields. The
point could not be argued, since the record showed in error that the
company all had drawn Springfields. I thought this quite singular,
since they were the only ones charged in this manner. Probably this has
some relation to the next story. Capt. Kurtz had all of his 138 dollars
distributed for paymentto the sutler for claret, and to the laundress
for services rendered. Such an amount raised some eyebrows, and it may
be the Liska situation was arranged to put some cash in the Captain's
pocket, but no one can say for sure. Another sorry situation involved
Mike Hayes, who approached the table at the end, requesting his pay,
when he was informed that there was no record of his enlistment,
therefor no pay. The unfortunate private insisted, so the officers had
him sign something, which afterwards turned out to be an enlistment for
another three years from today, but still no pay, as he had just been
mustered.
At this point, the battalion command came down to prepare for
movement further south towards Petersburg. We each gathered up the
items we needed to carry, and loaded the remainder in the wagons, and
marched off after the column. We are now resting at the side of the
road, and are hoping that these movements will not be too costly to us,
yet we are excited to be marching towards the enemy after losses and
draws in battle, and not the other way. We are all praying to our God
that these actions will bring an honorable end to this war and Preserve
Our Union. We are all mostly well in health, you might like to know,
those present for duty, and we are faring well in rations now that City
Point is a thriving base of operations. Please write me of news from
home, as I am heartily sick of news of war, and long for some
diversion.
Love
Kim
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