History of the Dewitt guard, company A, 50th regiment National guard, state of New York Part 3

_Resolved_, That the proceedings be signed by our Captain, and a copy thereof be furnished the relatives of the deceased, and also for publication in the village papers.

P. J. PARTENHEIMER, _Capt, Com'd'g_.

WILLIAM GLENNY, _Sec'y_.

M. E. ELMENDORF, Dentist, enlisted June 30th, 1854. Mr. Elmendorf was a first-cla.s.s soldier and a tip-top fellow generally. Was particularly celebrated as a fine shot, taking a prize at each of the target shoots while a member. Was an active, energetic young man, and very readily became master of his profession, and is now a Dental Surgeon of considerable note in the city of New York.

LOT S. HINDS, Currier, enlisted July 12th, 1854. Was a good, attentive soldier and a faithful member; served some years with the Company; removed from our village to Danby, where he now resides. Has a son in the United States army.

J. S. PUTNAM, Hotel keeper, enlisted July 12th, 1854. Was a resident but a short time.

IRA M. GARDNER, Mason, enlisted September 18th, 1855. Mr. Gardner served faithfully his seven years, and received an honorable discharge. He has always resided in Ithaca, is a good citizen, a respected man, and a first-cla.s.s mechanic.

WILLIAM H. HAMMOND, Gas Plumber, enlisted September 23d, 1855. Served his full time and was honorably discharged. Held the office of Company standard-bearer for some years. Was also armory keeper, keeping the guns and equipage in perfect order. We believe the State honestly indebted to him for services rendered, for which he ought to have his pay.

WILLIAM V. BROWN, Currier, enlisted September 26th, 1855. Mr. Brown was celebrated for the great amount of artistic and thoroughly grand music as produced by himself on the ba.s.s drum. He was Company musician, and remained with them as long as he was a citizen of the place. He is now a resident of Union Springs. "_Big Bill Brown, the Drummer_" will long be remembered with grat.i.tude by all those connected with the Company during his members.h.i.+p.

K. S. VAN VOORHEES, Master Mechanic, enlisted July ----, 1854. Colonel Van Voorhees entered the militia service of the State in Feb., 1835, joining the first Company New York Cadets, which was attached as a flank Company to the 2d Regiment N. Y. S. Artillery, (doing duty as Infantry,) and known as the Governor's Guard. In the spring of 1839 he was promoted from Orderly Sergeant, and commissioned as Captain of the Company by Gov. W. H. Seward, he having been unanimously elected to that position by the members of the Company. In the spring of 1840 he was presented with an elegant sword bearing the following inscription:

Presented to

CAPT. K. S. VAN VOORHEES,

BY THE FIRST COMPANY NEW YORK CADETS, AS A TOKEN OF ESTEEM AND RESPECT.

New York, April 16th, 1840.

In the Fall of 1840 he visited Ithaca, and having concluded to make this place his permanent residence, he forwarded to New York his resignation in the Spring of 1841. After his removal to this place, he lent his a.s.sistance to the drilling and instruction of the Old Ithaca Guard until they were disbanded.

Upon the most urgent solicitations of both officers and men, he consented to become one of the members of the DeWitt Guard. He, possessing probably the greatest amount of military knowledge of any person in the district, was secured by the Company as instructor, and immediately elected Orderly Sergeant. This he did simply as an accommodation, having gained all the military honors he cared to have bestowed upon him before coming to Ithaca.

For us to bestow any compliments upon him in this sketch is perfectly uncalled for, as we produce the following record in place of further remarks:

At the breaking out of the Rebellion he was prevented from entering the service of his country by a severe bodily injury which he had received a few months before; but in the Fall of 1862 he had so far recovered from his lameness, that he ventured to accept the position of Lieutenant Colonel of a Regiment then organizing at Binghamton, N. Y., and afterwards known as the 137th New York Volunteers, to which position he was chosen by the unanimous vote of the War Committee of the 24th Senatorial District.

He immediately entered upon the duty, in connection with Colonel David Ireland, of organizing and disciplining the Regiment, and getting it ready for active service in the field. The want of any knowledge of military tactics by either officers or men, rendered the labor of instructing and drilling the Regiment very arduous, the most of which was performed by Lt. Col. Van Voorhees, Col. Ireland attending to the administrative affairs of the Regiment. Previous to the Regiment's leaving for the seat of war, Lt. Col. Van Voorhees was presented by his friends at Ithaca with a fine horse and set of horse equipments. The Regiment was mustered into the U. S. service on the 25th September, and left for Was.h.i.+ngton on the 27th, arriving there on the 30th, and were immediately forwarded to Harper's Ferry, Va., by way of Fredericksburgh, Md.; arriving at Harper's Ferry on the 3d October, where they remained until the 10th December, having in the meantime made two important reconnoissances under Gen. Gregg--one to Charlestown and the other to Winchester, Va.

On the 10th December the 12th Army Corps, to which the 137th Regiment had been attached, left Harper's Ferry at the time of Burnside's unsuccessful attack on Fredericksburgh, and having marched to Dumfries, Va., were, in consequence of Burnside's repulse, marched back to Fairfax Station, where they remained until the 17th January, 1863, when they were again ordered forward, Burnside intending to make another attack on Fredericksburgh, but failed on account of the mud.

The 12th Corps having reached Stafford Court House, the Brigade to which the 137th was attached was ordered to Aquia Creek, where they remained until the 26th April, when they commenced their march to Chancellorsville, which they reached on the 29th of April. On the 30th the 12th Corps was ordered forward to feel the enemy's position, and finding them in strong force returned to camp, where they commenced throwing up earthworks, the 137th using bayonets for picks and tin plates for shovels. In the subsequent battles the Regiment maintained its position in the trenches until they were entered by the enemy from the right, (the right flank of the army having been turned by the giving way of the 11th Corps,) when they were ordered to retire, which they did in good order. As this was the first battle in which the Regiment was engaged, some anxiety was felt by the officers as to the mettle of their men; but their conduct on this occasion was such as to give no further uneasiness. After the battle the Regiment returned to Aquia Creek, where it remained until the 13th June, when it commenced its march to Gettysburg, and on the 2d and 3d July was closely and hotly engaged with the invader.

Late in the afternoon of the 2d July the whole of the 12th Corps, with the exception of Green's Brigade, was sent to support the left of the line, which was closely pressed; they had scarcely gone when Stonewall Jackson's old Corps, seven thousand strong, under Ewell, charged our right, which was defended by only Green's Brigade of New York troops less than two thousand strong; but so obstinate was the defence, that the enemy did not succeed in breaking our lines; heavy firing was kept up nearly all night. About four o'clock of the morning of the 3d, the enemy again advanced to the charge but was again repulsed, and a heavy and constant fire was kept up until half past ten, when the enemy retired. The loss of the 137th was four officers and forty-one men killed, and three officers and sixty-four men wounded. Lt. Col. Van Voorhees was slightly wounded twice during the action.

After the battle and the escape of Lee's army across the Potomac, the army again encamped on the banks of the Rappahannock and afterwards on the banks of the Rappidan, when, on the 23d September, immediately after the battle of Chickamauga, the 11th and 12th Corps under Hooker were ordered to Tennessee, where they arrived in the fore part of October. In the latter part of that month Hooker was ordered by Grant to open communication between Bridgport, Ala., and Chattanooga, Tenn., by the way of White Side, along the line of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. The army of the c.u.mberland being besieged in Chattanooga and dest.i.tute of provisions, it became necessary to secure a shorter line of communication, or the place would have to be abandoned with the loss of all the artillery and trains, as there were no animals left to draw them away. On the 28th of October the 11th Corps under Gen. Howard, followed by a part of Geary's Division of the 12th Corps, all under the command of Gen. Hooker, debouched into Lookout Valley, and for six miles marched in plain view of the rebels who occupied the summit and sides of the mountain, and who could almost count the men in the ranks. On encamping for the night, the 11th Corps was about two and a half miles in advance of Geary's Division, which, being observed by the enemy, they determined to surprise and capture Geary's Division; and accordingly two Divisions of Longstreet's Corps were ordered to the attack. They came in between the 11th Corps and Geary's Division, and while one Division took up a position to prevent reinforcements from being sent to Gen. Geary, the other advanced to the attack, which came near being a surprise, the attack being made about midnight. Gen. Geary had with him at the time but four Regiments and two sections of a battery. The 111th Pennsylvania succeeded in getting into line, and the 137th New York were but partly in line when the enemy opened fire upon them at less than fifty yards distance. These two Regiments bore the whole brunt of the battle, which lasted over two hours; the other two Regiments were placed in position to protect the right flank and rear, leaving the left flank exposed.

Early in the action Gen. Green, commanding the Brigade, was wounded, and Col. Ireland of the 137 Regiment being senior Colonel, the command of the Brigade devolved upon him, leaving the command of the Regiment to Lt. Col. Van Voorhees. The enemy finding the left unprotected, moved a part of their force to the left, and came down on the left and rear of the 137th, but Col. Van Voorhees immediately placed his three left Companies perpendicular to the rear facing them to the left, and facing the rear rank of four other Companies to the rear, the Regiment kept up such a vigorous and well directed fire to the front, flank and rear, as finally to beat back the enemy and cause his retreat, though not till nearly every cartridge in the Regiment was expended.

The 137th (who lost nearly one-third of their number in killed and wounded) was highly complimented for their coolness and courage in this engagement. Gen. Geary in a speech delivered to the Regiment at the time of its muster-out, used the following language in regard to their conduct on this occasion: "I have at all times and in all places given you the credit of saving my Division from rout or capture at Wauhatchie.

As I pa.s.sed down your rear and observed the vigorous attack that was made upon you, I exclaimed, 'My G.o.d, if the 137th gives way all is lost.' But thanks to the coolness, skill and courage of your commanding officer, and to your own determined will, you maintained your ground n.o.bly, and the enemy was driven back to his mountain den."

Gen. Howard, in a speech at Philadelphia, characterized this battle as "the wonderful night's revel at Wauhatchie;" and the rebel papers and dispatches acknowledged a serious defeat and heavy loss. Col. Van Voorhees was severely wounded during the action, but refused to leave the field to have his wound dressed until the action was over and all danger of its renewal had pa.s.sed.

Col. Van Voorhees being at home recovering from his wound, was not with his Regiment in their "battle above the clouds," in which it maintained its reputation, being the first to enter the enemy's works upon Lookout Mountain. Col. Van Voorhees rejoined his Regiment in January, and led it in all the battles of the Atlanta campaign, which commenced on the 2d day of May and ended by the capture of Atlanta on the 2d day of September, being four months of almost continuous fighting. The first battle was that of Mill Creek Gap, May 8th, in which Geary's Division drove the rebels into their works on the summit of Taylor's Ridge. The next was the battle of Resacca, May 15th, in which the Regiment lost several in wounded. The next was the battle of Dallas, or New Hope Church, on the 25th of May; here Hooker's Corps lost heavily. One line of the enemy's works was carried just at night, and they driven about a mile into a second line of works which was not carried owing to the darkness; but a position was taken and a line of works established within a stone's throw of the enemy's line. The Regiment remained here eight days under a constant fire, and without any shelter from the weather. On the 5th June the enemy was found to have evacuated his works, and it was supposed had crossed the Chattahoochie River; the men needing rest the enemy was not followed. The army was moved forward a few miles and put into camp for rest.

On the 7th June, Col. Van Voorhees being officer of the day and having charge of the picket line, discovered the enemy's position; their line extending from Kenesaw Mountain to Lost Mountain, a distance of eight miles. He made a written report of the fact to Gen. Geary, who immediately sent for him and discredited the report, stating that he did not believe there was a rebel soldier this side of the Chattahoochie; he however said he would send up the report. On the 8th June Gen. Sherman telegraphed to the Secretary of War that "his cavalry had that day discovered the enemy's position, and that his right rested on Kenesaw Mountain and his left on Lost Mountain," thus confirming Col. Van Voorhees' report made the day previous.

On the 15th June the Regiment was moved forward to the foot of Pine k.n.o.b, (which was occupied by the enemy,) where they threw up works for the artillery who sh.e.l.led the hill, one result of which was the killing of Gen. Polk of the rebel army. On the same day the Division moved forward to the attack of Pine k.n.o.b; several lines of rifle pits were carried, but the main works were very formidable and were not carried. A line of works were built the same night within a hundred yards of the enemy's line, and heavy skirmis.h.i.+ng kept up on the 16th, and on the morning of the 17th the enemy was found to have evacuated his works. The Regiment lost two killed and twenty wounded. The enemy was immediately pursued and found in a new position before noon of the same day. In advancing to support a battery the Regiment lost one man killed and one wounded. On the morning of the 19th the enemy was found to have again abandoned his works, but was found strongly entrenched two miles to the rear. From this time up to the 5th July, when the enemy retreated across the Chattahoochie, it was one continued series of battles, skirmishes, and changes of position.

On the 22d June the 137th Regiment, in connection with the 111th Pennsylvania, were highly complimented by Gen. Hooker for their bravery in obtaining possession of a commanding position which was strongly defended by the enemy.

No forward movement was made from the 7th to the 17th July, the army needing rest and clothing; but on the 17th it again moved forward and crossed the Chattahoochie River. On the 19th the 137th was thrown out as skirmishers, and came upon the enemy's skirmishers at Peach Tree Creek, four miles from Atlanta. The day being excessively warm, and Col. Van Voorhees' duties as commander of the skirmish line very arduous, he was prostrated by the heat and over exertion, acquiring a disability from which he has not yet fully recovered.

Hooker's Corps crossed Peach Tree Creek on the night of the 19th; and on the 20th, while moving forward to take up a position, were unexpectedly and fiercely attacked by the enemy in a thick piece of woods. Col. Van Voorhees was ordered to move his Regiment by the right flank and take up a position on the right of another Regiment, and in doing so came almost directly upon the enemy's line of battle. Not knowing the position of the rest of the Brigade owing to the thick underbrush, and fearing that if he fell back the right flank of the Brigade would be exposed, he caused his men to maintain their position, which they did manfully for near half an hour, when he learnt that the rest of the Brigade had fallen back some fifteen minutes before, and that his Regiment was left alone battling with the enemy; he immediately gave orders to fall back, when the Regiment retreated from its dangerous position. Loss eight killed and nineteen wounded. Col. Van Voorhees was suffering at the time with a very high fever, and could with difficulty sit on his horse. Many officers in his condition would have got excused and went to the rear, but he never wanted his Regiment to go into action without him; he became very much attached to it and wished to share all its dangers. On the 22d, being unable to sit up, he was carried to the field hospital; the Surgeon in charge advised him to make application to be sent to the hospital at Chattanooga; this he refused to do, saying, that after all the hards.h.i.+ps and fighting he had gone through with in the campaign, he did not want to be to the rear when Atlanta was taken. He was, however, on the 25th, against his consent, sent to the hospital at Lookout Mountain. He rejoined his Regiment on the 30th August in time to lead it into Atlanta on the 2d September.

After the death of Col. Ireland, which occurred shortly after entering Atlanta, all the officers present with the Regiment signed a pet.i.tion to Gov. Seymour, which was handsomely endorsed by the Brigade and Division Commanders, requesting that Lt. Col. Van Voorhees be commissioned as Colonel of the Regiment. Owing to an unjust order from the War Department that "all Regiments reduced below the minimum number should be deprived of its Colonel," he was unable to get mustered, though Gen.

Geary made a direct and special request of the Secretary of War, which was endorsed by Gen. Sloc.u.m, requesting that he might be mustered into the grade of Colonel as a "reward for his efficiency and gallantry as an officer, his coolness and bravery on the battle-field, and for his general good conduct during the whole of his period of service," but the request was not granted.

The 20th Corps remained in Atlanta until the 15th November, when Gen.

Sherman commenced his celebrated "March to the Sea." His march being entirely unopposed, nothing worthy of note occurred until their arrival near Savannah, December 11th. The 137th having been sent out to feel the enemy's position, were deployed as skirmishers, and soon came upon the enemy's skirmishers who were protected by the ruins of some buildings and by a rice field embankment. A lively fire was kept up for some time, when it was deemed advisable to drive them from their position so as to uncover their front. Col. Van Voorhees gave the order to move forward; so impetuous was the charge that the enemy was quickly driven into his works, and could have been driven out and beyond them--as they were seen to leave after firing one round--but as there was no support at hand, Col. Van Voorhees did not deem it prudent to a.s.sail the fort, which was defended by several heavy guns, and accordingly recalled his men after several had gained the abattis of the fort, and took up a position behind the rice-field embankment formerly held by the rebel skirmishers, within two hundred yards of the rebel fort.

The Regiment remained here until the 21st December, a.s.sisting in the construction of works which could only be done under cover of darkness; the rebel batteries were very active, and the men exposed to a constant sh.e.l.ling; three sh.e.l.ls pa.s.sed through the Quarters of Col. Van Voorhees in one forenoon, and having moved his Quarters to another building, a piece of a sh.e.l.l from a gun-boat pa.s.sed through his room, taking in its way a table at which he had been sitting but a few minutes previous. The Regiment returned from working on a fort about two o'clock of the morning of the 21st, and shortly after signs of the enemy's evacuating the city were observable, when Capt. S. B. Wheelock of the 137th, with ten men, was sent out to reconnoitre the enemy's works. He found the works abandoned with the guns still standing in position. The fact was reported to the Brigade Commander, who immediately ordered the Brigade forward into the enemy's works, and from thence moved directly into the city, arriving there at daybreak, the 137th was the first to enter the city. The Regiment remained in the city doing guard duty until the 27th January, 1865, when it commenced its march through the Carolinas, arriving at Goldsboro, N. C., on the 24th March.

Col. Van Voorhees having been advised by several of the army Surgeons to seek a change of climate for the recovery of his health, which had been much impaired by exposure and the malarial influence of the climate, he left Savannah January 1st, and was not with his Regiment in their march from Savannah to Goldsboro. He left home February 22d to rejoin his Regiment, but did not succeed in reaching it until its arrival at Goldsboro. On the 10th April Sherman again moved forward in the direction of Raleigh, N. C., which place he reached on the 13th April; here the army remained until the 30th April, when it commenced its march for Home, arriving at Alexandria, Va., on the 19th May. The Regiment was mustered out on the 9th June, and ordered to Elmira, N. Y., where it was paid off and discharged on the 18th June, 1865, having been nearly three years in active service.

In giving the military history of Col. Van Voorhees, we have coupled with his also that of the Regiment, as their histories are one. The officers and men of his command have always spoken well of him; they had confidence in him as a commander, and esteemed him highly as a man. He also enjoyed the confidence and respect of his superior officers, especially of Gen. Geary, who placed the utmost confidence in his ability as an officer, usually appointing him officer of the day when more than usual watchfulness was required, saying that he "always felt safe when Col. Van Voorhees was in command of the picket line." This confidence was also shared in by the Regiment, it being generally selected to occupy the most exposed positions, or lead the column when danger was thought to be imminent.

Col. Van Voorhees was several times (on account of the absence of all its field officers) detailed to command the 149th New York, a Syracuse Regiment of which Gen. Barnum, now State Prison Inspector, was Colonel.

On one of these occasions, when about to be relieved and returned to his own Regiment, the following paper was put into his hands, signed by all the officers present with the Regiment:

149TH REG'T N. Y. VOLS., Aquia Landing, Va., June 8th, 1863.

COL. K. S. VAN VOORHEES:

We, the undersigned, officers of this command, take this opportunity of expressing the feelings of each and every one of us, as the time approaches which must sever the relations that have existed between us and you as our commander. We desire to a.s.sure you of our full appreciation of your services, always characterized by kindness and forbearance, and in which the qualities of the gentleman and soldier have commanded our admiration. We desire to thank you for the earnestness and zeal you have exhibited in your endeavors to instruct and better prepare us for the duties devolving upon us, and to a.s.sure you that we shall always remember the past four weeks, in which you have been connected with us, with feelings of satisfaction and pleasure; and taking leave of you, as we are about to do, we earnestly hope that in the future _that_ success may attend you which industry and fidelity always merit.

At the close of the war Lt. Col. Van Voorhees was appointed Colonel by brevet by the President "for gallant and meritorious services in the late campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas."

(_Contributed by Capt. B. R. W._)

JOSEPH ESTY, JR., Clerk, enlisted Sept. 26th, 1855, and was elected Secretary of the Company January 14, 1857. July 28th, 1858, he was first put in the line of promotion by being elected fourth Corporal, and so great was his popularity with the Company, and his knowledge of tactics, that within a trifle over four years from the time of his receiving his chevron as fourth Corporal, he was elected and received his commission as second Lieutenant, (Aug. 25th, 1862,) having filled nearly if not all of the intermediate positions. During the Elmira campaign he was with the Company, steadily refusing to accept of any better fare or accommodations, than the men under his charge received.

While at Barracks No. 1, he invariably accompanied his men to the mess house, and prevented many impositions which officers in charge were in the habit of practicing upon soldiers who were obliged to take their rations in that unsavory inst.i.tution. While the Company were on duty at the rebel prison, no officer did his duty more cheerfully and strictly.

He was never known to plead illness to avoid his turn, and the writer of this sketch has, on more than one occasion, known him to take the turn of other officers who plead illness, when he himself was not fit for duty. On one occasion he attended the officer's drill of the Regiment when he was hardly able to leave his tent, and upon the fact being reported to the Colonel, he was peremptorily ordered to his Quarters, to gain the rest which he would not take voluntarily.

No officer in the Regiment stood higher in the estimation of both officers and men, than did Lieut. Esty; and such was the respect of his own Company for him, that upon their return home and the promotion of Captain Blood to the position he now occupies, Lieut. Esty was (Dec.

26th, 1864) elected Captain.

His reluctance to accept the position, showed that he had no aspirations to rise in rank above his fellows, and it was only upon the urgent entreaties of the officers of the Regiment, and his intimate friends, that he was induced to accept the honor thus thrust upon him; and we venture to say, without any fear of detracting from the worthy merits of his predecessors, that no officer has given more time and money to advance the interest of the Company, than has he--a large proportion of the target prizes for the past two years having been procured by him.

At the meeting for target practice August 15th, 1865, Captain Esty was presented by the Company with a splendid sword and belt, which cost about $120. The Captain was taken completely by surprise, as he had received no hint of the matter, and his overcharged feelings prevented him from making known to the Company how highly he prized the gift; but his pleasure at receiving was not greater than the happiness of the donors, in thus having an opportunity of demonstrating their feelings toward him.