The Washington herald., 1915-01-24

beholders. II was reared in stockade
roof covered with canvas Its outlines
showed a front projection, with wings
| extending from either side.
SurmOuntlng the porch al the front
was spire sixty feet high. Above the
entrance was the corps badge. a castle,
/ carved m the wood
The chapel would have graced any ave-
nue. of the popuIous cities of the North.
| The designer was Capt NJ. II. McGrath,
Of Company F, who, in after years, be-
came well known as a contractor at Ell
mira. n. Y.
At its dedication this unique house OF
| worship held large audience. which
included many officers of high rank.
The builders of the chapel were COM
| plimented on their work. and the army
photographers lost no time in taking pic
stures Of the building for sale in the army
| and at home.
| Trained Under Mcclellan.
/ AS might be gathered from their chapel
alone. the men Of the Fiftieth New York
Engineers were fine examples of the citi-
! zen soldier.
The regiment came from ChemunG
| County. Elmira was its recruiting head
! quarters. 1t was composed of the me-
| Chanics, farmers, and waternen of South
I western New York. many of whom lived
| along the borders of the Erie Canal. This
sturdy and plastic material made the
regiment a suita BILE body to be trained for
any special purpose. The first colonel
was George II. Stuart, civil engineer Of
| Geneva, whose professional calling was
| factor in determining the work of the
regiment
| On September IS. 1861. the regiment was
mustered into the service of the United
States at EImira. Its original name was
Stuart's Independent Volunteers.
: As the Fifticth New York at Washing
ton on October l.. the command joined
the brigade of Gen. Fitz John Porter in
the newly rcorEanized army of the Po-
/ tOmaC. Gen. Mcclellan detailed it with
the Fifteenth New York for instruction in
engineering work under the tutelagc Of
Lieut.. Col Barton S Alexander, of the
Engineer Corps.
These New York farmers. mechanics.
and Lake sailors were apt pupils. They
were soon constructing roads and build
| ing bridges as we'll as erecting forts in
| and about the defenses of Washington.
Enisting as infantry. the two regiments
were soon thus transformed into an ef-
ficient body Of army artisans.
Building Bridges for the Army.
| One of their first jobs of bridge build
! ing in the field was on McClellan's ad-
vance up the peninsular. where they con-
struCted two l2O-foOt bridges across the
| Chickahominy River at Bottoms Bridge
on May y and - These bridges were
crossed by seVenty-nine regiments OF the
army. 90 wagons, and many batteries.
During the Seven DAYS battles the
axes Of Benhams Brigade kept Jackson
out of the fighting until the battle Of
Malvern Hill. by Telling trees across his
line of march.
On December II. 1862, the Fiftieth New
York Engineers laid the bridges at the
city OF Fredericksburg and suffered from
the fire Of sharpshOOters, losing seven
killed and fifty wounded.
When Hooker began his advance to
ChanCeIlOrsville in the week ending May
l. 1863, the New York Engineers laid four
bridges across the Rappahannock in six
days. by which there crossed 5000 Of
StOneman's Cavalry and the Sixth Corps
under Sedgwick. 1000 men with fifty-five
pieces OF artillery.
The building OF a long bridge across
the Potomac at Edwards Ferry. between
sunset and daylight, June p. 1853. in the
army's march TO Gettysburg. was a re-
markable piece of work. 4 second bridge
was also laid These bridges were taken
up in a single night on June q. and the
engineers caught up with the army on
July /
The winter or 1854 was spent by the
Engineer Brigade with the army at
Brandy Station.
With Grant Across Virginia.
The story Of the engineers labors IN
Grants campaign across Virginia Is one
of great and varied achievement They
built bridges across the Rapidan, the
ChiCkahominy. and the James rivers, and
laid miles of corduroy roads through the
swamps and marshes.
Their Crowning achievement was lay
ing the longest pontOon bridge in history,
by which Grants army crossed the James.
On June Is, when Grants army had
reached the James, the Fiftieth New
York was ordered to bridge the stream at
Coles Ferry. This task was assigned to
Lieut.. Col Ira Spaulding. then in com
mand of the regiment Preparations were
begun at 10 a. IN. The Coles Ferry
end was built by a detachment under
Capt. Walker V. PersOnis and south side
by one under Capt. James II. Mcdonald.
In the center of the stream other de-
tachments worked adjusting pontoons
and RATS When the bridge was sup
posed to be completed. the two center
ends did not meet for space of twenty
feet. The north side was quickly re-
leased from its mOOrings and pulled along
until it covered the gap in midstream,
the north side was gradually filed in
with CordurOys.
BY a M. June Is, the bridge, measur-
ing 1880 feet from end to end, was ready.
The supply trains of the army and 2,SOo
head of cattle. together with division
of troops Immediately began crossing to
the Petersburg side.
The building of such a bridge as this
had not been considered possible by Gen.
I Nrha hn
that Grant was crossing the James by
such a method.
The concluding service of the Fiftieth
New York Engineers in the war was in
clearing the way, bridging streams and
building corduroy roads for the army in
its pursuit of Lee. and in bridging Vir-
ginia rivers for the return of Grants
victorious troops to Washington.
The regiment was mustered out June
IS, 1865, and its members resumed their
wonted occupations.