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Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at | |
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LAST DAYS OF THE REBELLION. | |
THE SECOND NEW YORK CAVALRY | |
(HARRIS' LIGHT) | |
AT APPOMATTOX STATION AND APPOMATTOX COURT | |
HOUSE, APRIL 8 and 9, 1865. | |
BY | |
ALANSON M. RANDOL | |
_Major First U. S. Artillery (late Colonel Second New York | |
Cavalry), Bvt. Brig-General, U. S. Vols._ | |
ALCATRAZ ISLAND, CAL., | |
1886. | |
LAST DAYS OF THE REBELLION. | |
During the winter of 1864-5 the Second New York (Harris' Light) Cavalry | |
was in winter quarters near Winchester, Va., on the Romney pike. Alanson | |
M. Randol, Captain First United States Artillery, was colonel of the | |
regiment, which, with the First Connecticut, Second Ohio, and Third New | |
Jersey, constituted the first brigade, third division, cavalry corps. The | |
division was commanded by General George A. Custer; the brigade by A. C. | |
M. Pennington, Captain Second United States Artillery, Colonel Third New | |
Jersey Cavalry. On the 27th of February, 1865, the divisions of Merritt | |
and Custer, with the batteries of Miller (Fourth United States Artillery) | |
and Woodruff (Second United States Artillery), all under command of | |
General Sheridan, left their winter quarters in and around Winchester, | |
and, after a series of splendid victories, and unsurpassed marches and | |
fortunes, joined the Army of the Potomac in front of Petersburg on the | |
27th of March. The Second New York Cavalry shared largely in the glories | |
and miseries of this great and successful raid. At Five Forks, Deep Creek, | |
and Sailors Creek, it not only maintained its gallant and meritorious | |
record, but added to its great renown. At the gentle and joyous passage | |
of arms at Appomattox Station, on the 8th of April, it reached the climax | |
of its glory, and, by its deeds of daring, touched the pinnacle of fame. | |
On that day it performed prodigies of valor, and achieved successes as | |
pregnant with good results as any single action of the war. By forcing a | |
passage through the rebel lines and heading off Lee's army, it contributed | |
largely to the result that followed the next day--the surrender of the | |
Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. | |
* * * * * | |
On the night of the 7th of April we camped on Buffalo River. Moving at an | |
early hour on the 8th, we crossed the Lynchburg Railroad at Prospect | |
Station, and headed for Appomattox Station, where it was expected we would | |
strike, if not intercept, Lee's retreating, disintegrating army. The trail | |
was fresh and the chase hot. Joy beamed in every eye, for all felt that | |
the end was drawing near, and we earnestly hoped that ours might be the | |
glorious opportunity of striking the final blow. About noon the regiment | |
was detached to capture a force of the enemy said to be at one of the | |
crossings of the Appomattox. Some few hundreds, unarmed, half-starved, | |
stragglers, with no fight in them, were found, and turned over to the | |
Provost Marshall. Resuming its place in the column, I received orders to | |
report with the regiment to General Custer, who was at its head. Reporting | |
in compliance with this order, General Custer informed me that his scouts | |
had reported three large trains of cars at Appomattox Station, loaded with | |
supplies for the rebel army; that he expected to have made a junction | |
with Merritt's division near this point; that his orders were to wait here | |
till Merritt joined him; that he had not heard from him since morning, and | |
had sent an officer to communicate with him, but if he did not hear from | |
him in half an hour, he wished me to take my regiment and capture the | |
trains of cars, and, if possible, reach and hold the pike to Lynchburg. | |
While talking, the whistle of the locomotive was distinctly but faintly | |
heard, and the column was at once moved forward, the Second New York in | |
advance. As we neared the station the whistles became more and more | |
distinct, and a scout reported the trains rapidly unloading, and that the | |
advance of the rebel army was passing through Appomattox Court House. | |
Although Custer's orders were to make a junction with Merritt before | |
coming in contact with the enemy, here was a chance to strike a decisive | |
blow, which, if successful, would add to his renown and glory, and if not, | |
Merritt would soon be up to help him out of the scrape. Our excitement was | |
intense, but subdued. All saw the vital importance of heading off the | |
enemy. Another whistle, nearer and clearer, and another scout decided the | |
question. I was ordered to move rapidly to Appomattox Station, seize the | |
trains there, and, if possible, get possession of the Lynchburg pike. | |
General Custer rode up alongside of me and, laying his hand on my | |
shoulder, said, "Go in, old fellow, don't let anything stop you; now is | |
the chance for your stars. Whoop 'em up; I'll be after you." The regiment | |
left the column at a slow trot, which became faster and faster until we | |
caught sight of the cars, which were preparing to move away, when, with a | |
cheer, we charged down on the station, capturing in an instant the three | |
trains of cars, with the force guarding them. I called for engineers and | |
firemen to take charge of the trains, when at least a dozen of my men | |
around me offered their services. I chose the number required, and ordered | |
the trains to be run to the rear, where I afterwards learned they were | |
claimed as captures by General Ord's corps. The cars were loaded with | |
commissary stores, a portion of which had been unloaded, on which the | |
rebel advance were regaling themselves when we pounced so unexpectedly | |
down on them. | |
While the regiment was rallying after the charge, the enemy opened on it a | |
fierce fire from all kinds of guns--field and siege--which, however, did | |
but little damage, as the regiment was screened from the enemy's sight by | |
a dense woods. I at once sent notification to General Custer and Colonel | |
Pennington of my success, moved forward--my advance busily | |
skirmishing--and followed with the regiment in line of battle, mounted. | |
The advance was soon checked by the enemy formed behind hastily | |
constructed intrenchments in a dense wood of the second growth of pine. | |
Flushed with success and eager to gain the Lynchburg pike, along which | |
immense wagon and siege trains were rapidly moving, the regiment was | |
ordered to charge. Three times did it try to break through the enemy's | |
lines, but failed. Colonel Pennington arrived on the field with the rest | |
of the brigade, when, altogether, a rush was made, but it failed. Then | |
Custer, with the whole division, tried it, but he, too, failed. Charge and | |
charge again, was now the order, but it was done in driblets, without | |
organization and in great disorder. General Custer was here, there, and | |
everywhere, urging the men forward with cheers and oaths. The great prize | |
was so nearly in his grasp that it seemed a pity to lose it; but the rebel | |
infantry held on hard and fast, while his artillery belched out death and | |
destruction on every side of us. Merritt and night were fast coming on, so | |
as soon as a force, however small, was organized, it was hurled forward, | |
only to recoil in confusion and loss. Confident that this mode of fighting | |
would not bring us success, and fearful lest the enemy should assume the | |
offensive, which, in our disorganized state, must result in disaster, I | |
went to General Custer soon after dark, and said to him that if he would | |
let me get my regiment together, I could break through the rebel line. He | |
excitedly replied, "Never mind your regiment; take anything and everything | |
you can find, horse-holders and all, and break through: we must get hold | |
of the pike to-night." Acting on this order, a force was soon organized by | |
me, composed chiefly of the Second New York, but in part of other | |
regiments, undistinguishable in the darkness. With this I made a charge | |
down a narrow lane, which led to an open field where the rebel artillery | |
was posted. As the charging column debouched from the woods, six bright | |
lights suddenly flashed directly before us. A toronado of canister-shot | |
swept over our heads, and the next instant we were in the battery. The | |
line was broken, and the enemy routed. Custer, with the whole division, | |
now pressed through the gap pell-mell, in hot pursuit, halting for neither | |
prisoners nor guns, until the road to Lynchburg, crowded with wagons and | |
artillery, was in our possession. We then turned short to the right and | |
headed for the Appomattox Court House; but just before reaching it we | |
discovered the thousands of camp fires of the rebel army, and the pursuit | |
was checked. The enemy had gone into camp, in fancied security that his | |
route to Lynchburg was still open before him; and he little dreamed that | |
our cavalry had planted itself directly across his path, until some of our | |
men dashed into Appomattox Court House, where, unfortunately, Lieutenant | |
Colonel Root, of the Fifteenth New York Cavalry, was instantly killed by a | |
picket guard. After we had seized the road, we were joined by other | |
divisions of the cavalry corps which came to our assistance, but too late | |
to take part in the fight. | |
Owing to the night attack, our regiments were so mixed up that it took | |
hours to reorganize them. When this was effected, we marched near to the | |
railroad station and bivouacked. | |
That night was passed in great anxiety. We threw ourselves on the ground | |
to rest, but not to sleep. We knew that the infantry was hastening to our | |
assistance, but unless they joined us before sunrise, our cavalry line | |
would be brushed away, and the rebels would escape after all our hard work | |
to head them off from Lynchburg. About daybreak I was aroused by loud | |
hurrahs, and was told that Ord's corps was coming up rapidly, and forming | |
in rear of our cavalry. Soon after we were in the saddle and moving | |
towards the Appomattox Court House road, where the firing was growing | |
lively; but suddenly our direction was changed, and the whole cavalry | |
corps rode at a gallop to the right of our line, passing between the | |
position of the rebels and the rapidly forming masses of our infantry, who | |
greeted us with cheers and shouts of joy as we galloped along their front. | |
At several places we had to "run the gauntlet" of fire from the enemy's | |
guns posted around the Court House, but this only added to the interest | |
of the scene, for we felt it to be the last expiring effort of the enemy | |
to put on a bold front; we knew that we had them this time, and that at | |
last Lee's proud army of Northern Virginia was at our mercy. While moving | |
at almost a charging gait we were suddenly brought to a halt by reports of | |
a surrender. General Sheridan and his staff rode up, and left in hot haste | |
for the Court House; but just after leaving us, they were fired into by a | |
party of rebel cavalry, who also opened fire on us, to which we promptly | |
replied, and soon put them to flight. Our lines were then formed for a | |
charge on the rebel infantry; but while the bugles were sounding the | |
charge, an officer with a white flag rode out from the rebel lines, and we | |
halted. It was fortunate for us that we halted when we did, for had we | |
charged we would have been swept into eternity, as directly in our front | |
was a creek, on the other side of which was a rebel brigade, entrenched, | |
with batteries in position, the guns double shotted with canister. To have | |
charged this formidable array, mounted, would have resulted in almost | |
total annihilation. After we had halted, we were informed that | |
preliminaries were being arranged for the surrender of Lee's whole army. | |
At this news, cheer after cheer rent the air for a few moments, when soon | |
all became as quiet as if nothing unusual had occurred. I rode forward | |
between the lines with Custer and Pennington, and met several old friends | |
among the rebels, who came out to see us. Among them, I remember Lee | |
(Gimlet), of Virginia, and Cowan, of North Carolina. I saw General Cadmus | |
Wilcox just across the creek, walking to and fro with his eyes on the | |
ground, just as was his wont when he was instructor at West Point. I | |
called to him, but he paid no attention, except to glance at me in a | |
hostile manner. | |
While we were thus discussing the probable terms of the surrender, General | |
Lee, in full uniform, accompanied by one of his staff, and General | |
Babcock, of General Grant's staff, rode from the Court House towards our | |
lines. As he passed us, we all raised our caps in salute, which he | |
gracefully returned. | |
Later in the day loud and continuous cheering was heard among the rebels, | |
which was taken up and echoed by our lines until the air was rent with | |
cheers, when all as suddenly subsided. The surrender was a fixed fact, and | |
the rebels were overjoyed at the very liberal terms they had received. Our | |
men, without arms, approached the rebel lines, and divided their rations | |
with the half-starved foe, and engaged in quiet, friendly conversation. | |
There was no bluster nor braggadocia,--nothing but quiet contentment that | |
the rebellion was crushed, and the war ended. In fact, many of the rebels | |
seemed as much pleased as we were. Now and then one would meet a surly, | |
dissatisfied look; but, as a general thing, we met smiling faces and hands | |
eager and ready to grasp our own, especially if they contained anything to | |
eat or drink. After the surrender, I rode over to the Court House with | |
Colonel Pennington and others and visited the house in which the surrender | |
had taken place, in search of some memento of the occasion. We found that | |
everything had been appropriated before our arrival. Mr. Wilmer McLean, in | |
whose house the surrender took place, informed us that on his farm at | |
Manassas the first battle of Bull Run was fought. I asked him to write his | |
name in my diary, for which, much to his surprise. I gave him a dollar. | |
Others did the same, and I was told that he thus received quite a golden | |
harvest. | |
While all of the regiments of the division shared largely in the glories | |
of these two days, none excelled the Second New York Cavalry in its record | |
of great and glorious deeds. Well might its officers and men carry their | |
heads high, and feel elated with pride as they received the | |
congratulations and commendations showered on them from all sides. They | |
felt they had done their duty, and given the "tottering giant" a blow that | |
laid him prostrate at their feet, never, it is to be hoped, to rise again. | |
Transcriber's Note: | |
The following misprints have been corrected: | |
"crowed" corrected to "crowded" (page 7) | |
"on on" corrected to "on" (page 9) | |
"unusal" corrected to "unusual" (page 9) | |
End of Project Gutenberg's Last Days of the Rebellion, by Alanson M. Randol | |
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