The National tribune., 1899-06-22
HOW BUTLER CAPTURED NEW YORK
He Held II for Law and Order During Election Day in
November, 1861.

| ''v'sueet, ioVf'
| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In war
| times very many incidents and accidents
| relating to army life never got in ''the
papers" and that part of history is only
treasured by the boys who had taken an
| active part. AS we read of the Southern
sentiments expressed in the North from the
newspapers and from the private letters
! from our friends at home, many were the
expressions from the loyal boys at the
| front, IF we could only turn our guns
North for n little while, we could then re-
| turn and wipe out the Confederacy in a
| jiffy.'
On Nov. 2, 1864, part of our battery
lthe 4th- n. j. lay i'll position near Fort
Harrison, Va, the remainder being in
camp about a mile away. About 10 o'clock
that night, Lieut.. Jas. B. Morris came to our
quarters, where We had Just turned in out
| of the rain to get "A few hours sleep, and
ordered us to pack UP" and be very quiet
| about it, Not so easily done, with our
traps a mile away, but by IL o'clock we
were on the move, no lights allowed, and
dark as the proverbial stack of black cats,
and raining hard, through mud, cold and
wet-"wet means thoroughly wet and
uncomfortable.
The morning found us hungry and wet
and without ratiOIS about a mile from
Bermuda Hundred. Just how we got
there has always been n mystery to me,
passing through timber sections where the
axles of our cannOnS and caissons blaZed
the trees on either side. The elements
were in proper condition for the removal of
artillery; the storm, darkness and mud
deadened the sound, which could, under
favorable conditions, have been heard
many miles by lying down and placing
the ear upon the ground.
We remained in camp in shelter of the
woods and the next night, Nov. 3, little
before II O'Clock, were on the move to the
landing at Bermuda Hundred, and our
horses. guns and carriage equipments
were safely slowed on board transports
Col. Langdon's battery, 1st L. s., Co. NJ,
was with us. We were known and desig
mated as Buffers Pets"
On board transports we dropped to sleep
the first in four nights. We were DELAYED
about an hour by running aground at the
Jamestown Sandbar No further DELAYS
or incidents occurred until we reached the
Atlantic Docks at Brookline on the morning
of Nov. Z, where we unloaded in the rain as
usual, and were at once ordered to Fort
Hamilton, our pieces remaining at Atlantic
Docks, covered with Virginia mud, and for
a week or more we had not an opportunity
to clean up and shave and get our best
bib and tucker on.
We were not a very presentable crowd,
and had the sympathy of the kid-gloyed
soldiers at the Fort that it must be perfectly
horrible at the front. We returned at night
and got our battery fhe 4th n. J } on board
the ferry boat Peconic, and, with one COM
pany of infantry of the 14Sth n. Y, were
packed like sardines in box.
Tuesday, Nov. 8, was election day at
New York, and with the expectation of a
general election riot in the city, following
the draft riots of '63, rebel organizations
and Northern rebel sympathiZers had come
to the city to rule or ruin. For that reason
We were "harnessed up and hitched in"
and ready to fire our first round in less than
one minute after landing.
Buffers plans were well laid, and in con-
slant communication from all points, and
it was rumored that 5000 had been sent
from the front, those who had seen service,
with orders TO land at any time and place,
and sweep the streets with grape and
We were confined 90 hours on what we
termed the Jersey prison ship Peconic,
with orders for immediate service, which
would have been given with will if we
were all to have been strung up to the lamp
posts of the city for our bravery the very
next minute.
With Gen. Butler and staff at the Hoff-
man House, and two light batteries and
two companies of infantry from the front
parading outside of the city, on ferry boats,
was how New York was captured on cleo
ton day of 1864, and held peaceably for
number of days after-J. p. CRAYON,
4th \. j battery, Rockaway, n. j.