The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-10-07
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
THE SIEGE OF SUFFOLK.

gallant lt.le army for the important services
performed at SUFFOLK Also from a letter OF
Gen. Soueman to Gen. Peck; ! have always .
looked upun ii as q most fortunate thing Tor as /
that Won were enabled 10 hold LonEstreoi nj .
Suffolk" Ia reading SO much about The AZ .
lanta campaign, the march 20 the sea, nashville \
Gettysburg, etc, the younger generation are apt /
10 think that there was but little lighting done \
anywhere else. I'm this article may not give .
proper credit 60 each command. do not de- I
sire TO slight any body OF troops OF claim TOO I
much glory for my own regiment j may also 4
make some errors bur the war has been over /.
more than 20 years and ii we do not forget any /
thing we are exceptionally remarkable men.
The whole town of suffolk WAS not worth the /
life oil one Union soldier There was but one /
street. built up with poor class OF buildings. 4
The peonle were the ankest kind ol rchcls. 4
The town was surrounded by the Dismal
Swamp on one side, the Aansemond River on
another, and a heavy growth OF pine timber
on the west aud south. The distance from
Norfolk was about % miles. The Scab0ard a
Roanoke and the Norfolk and Petersburg Rail-
roads formed a junction here. IL was very
important point for ms, ms IL formed an outpost
and gave great protection 10 our shipping at
Norfolk Further the enemy could not SNUG
Gle goods into North Carolina as well rs they
had been accustomed 10 do before our troops
captured the place.
il was no hard matter Cor private soldier
10 make np his mind that something was going
TO be done when mounted Orderlles were hur-
rying through the camps the officers in CONSUL
tation inspections OF frequent occurrence,
accompanied with company and battalion arm.
Tins was the case with us in the early part OF
April 1852 The FIRST appearance of the rebels
IN our front was on the llth of April whcn
IOngstreets forces came up, drONe ma our PICK
cts after determined Tight IN which several
were Killed and wounded and some prisoners
taken who reported Longsireets strength AT
from - 600 10 10000 men. lie was soon rem
forced with ID. H. Hills command Of about
10000 who were driven out of North Carolina
by Gen. Foster. twas also learned that Long
street came with the intention OF capturing the
place but he found troops equally determined
that he should not.
Gen John A. Dix was in command of the
Department. with headquarters at Fortress
Monroe and Gen. j. j. Peck in command AT
Suffolk Our line of works reached from the
Nansemond River on the north 10 the Dismal
Swamp on the southeast. The dense growth of
timber on the west and southwest was removed,
the logs used 10 strengthen our forts, and the
branches for gabiOns abatis, etc The several
forts were made stronger, and soon heavy siege
guns began 20 arrive The works were all wei
manned There were eight large forts, rs fol
lows: Forts Nansemond, Rosecrans, South
Quay Battery, Mcclellan, Union, Dix, hallec&
and Jericho and several smaller ones, with one
OF the hest lin, of hreastworks built during the
war, under the supervision of Gen. Peck The
river Was patrolled by six OF eight small wooden
gunboats, which did great service, ard on one
or two occasions saved the army from defeat by
preventing the enemy from crossing the river
in our rear Capt. Lawson had command OF the
feet IN the upper river and Capt Gushing be-
low These officers and their brave men have
never yet received the credit due Tor their
services in this siege.
The cunboat Mount Washington was disabled
by a rebel battery placed in sharp bcnd in the
river six or eight miles below Suffolk, called
Fort Hin. 1t was determined TO silence or
capture this battery. The 18th Ind, 5th Conn.
and s9th ~ " were selected for the assaulting
party. We left camp early in the evening and
arrived near the fort Ia advance of the two
other regiments. We Were ordered by Col.
Dobbs to remove the caps from our guns and
get ready for charge. When we reached the
opposite side Of the river we were TO depend on
the bayonet alone to charge from the rear OF the
fort, while the other two regiments Were TO "a
up ia front. it was while waiting for the other
troops that two Of our men, Marder NannOy, OF
Co. Ill. and John w. Bowman, of Co. h, discov-
cred house near by, and they thought that il
would be a nice thing 10 sleep under shingles
once more. SO they quietly slipped away FROM
the ranks went over 10 the house and made
their bed ON the floor and went 20 sleep About
daylight they were awakened by a soldier in
charge of the place, who informed them thai
they had passed the night in the smallpox hos
pital. You can imagine their feelings. They
made tracks for camp 10 change clothing anC
I'll up with "apple jack or something else u
Kill the effects of their fright. They escaped
the disease, but III was not safe for any OF thu
boys 10 say shingles 20 them for some tim
afterward.
The other troops did not arrive in time L
capture the fort that night, and we returned q
camp. The 9Th Conn. aud the s9th y. y, and
= a
ment went out a lew nights afterward and cap
tured the fort with six guns aud about 2)0 pris
OneTs with a loss of two OF three killed am
eight or 10 wounded.
We were constantly being reinforced. Gen
Abercrombie with his division of veterans cam
from Washington, aud was given an inp0Ttan
position near the night OF the line. Supple
were sent in immense quantities. Trains weI
heavily loaded with ordnance stores clothing
TatiOns etc. We had IN a few days about 1000
effective men. The siege lasted % days, and ]
that time there We're several engagements, wit
some loss daily on each side.
April 18Th 90 men OF the 18th Ind. were ser
out 10 iel the enemy's position on the left
the line Of works. After a desperate fight
short duration they were driven back. Apr
Hath JOG men were sent out under Lieut.
I.aWrence aud Hendricks Of whom four me
were wounded IN the engagement that foll0wet
On the l7th Lieuts. Zent and Conrn went Oh
camp aud after some sharp firing they {,
were compelled TO return 10 camp. Three me
were wounded. Lieut.. C0nran died fTO
wounds received that day. lie was brave an
good officer.
A part OF the old 9th Mass was given pos
ton down near the river al the draw-briGgc
where ID had been but for some reason il vi
blown up. why no one knew as there was
more danger Of the enemy getting over Il
river there than anywhere else. The 9th we
always on the alert. aud any attempt Of d
enemy TO cross would have ended in a falul
The 18TH n. y was in Fort Union durii
the siege, aud it, members proved tbemsclv
worthy Of the confidence placed IN them. AZ
nth Pa. Cav. aud the lst y. Y. MID RiGcs "
all the cavalry We had, but as they We
stayeE 4" fron way back we were sat isfc
Batteries y and l., 4th Il. s., aud the 9TH Mas
9Th Wis, and LIST Del. batteries were Of d
regular garrison.
During the I'd and "a Of May the rebels we
getting moro troublesome than usual. Irou
were seut out on all the roads leading from d
town b. feel the enemy. The commands
Hood. French, Pickett gud anderson Oh thl
respective fronts were particularly trOubicsuH
a heavy force was seIt over the river. Aglii
met tho enemy, and after some hard fight
was forced 10 return. Col. Ringgold, oil 1
lO3d n. Y, was among tine killed.
ID was a hard matter TO determine Just vii
the rebels were going 20 do, but on the moI
ing OF the 4th Of May We found that L0ngslr,
with hls whole army was over the Biacllw wat
20 mills away" aud OF. Of our reach. rrOS
were az once ordered 10 follow the retreat