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Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Army Life in a Black Regiment, Chapter 1: Introductory. (search)
the blacks, and had always felt a wish to be associated with them; had read the scanty accounts of General Hunter's abortive regiment, and had heard rumors of General Saxton's renewed efforts. But the prevalent tone of public sentiment was still opposed to any such attempts; the government kept very shy of the experiment, and it own raising, and in a regiment to which I was already much attached. It did not seem desirable to exchange a certainty for an uncertainty; for who knew but General Saxton might yet be thwarted in his efforts by the pro-slavery influence that had still so much weight at Headquarters? It would be intolerable to go out to South C a mere plantation-guard or a day-school in uniform. I therefore obtained from the War Department, through Governor Andrew, permission to go and report to General Saxton, without at once resigning my captaincy. Fortunately it took but a few days in South Carolina to make it clear that all was right, and the return steamer too
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Army Life in a Black Regiment, chapter 2 (search)
t, with its stately houses amid Southern foliage. Reporting to General Saxton, I had the luck to encounter a company of my destined command, ble to my eyes as if I had been a turkey. I saw them mustered; General Saxton talked to them a little, in his direct, manly way; they gave cld that step over leagues of waves. It is a holiday wherever General Saxton's proclamation reaches. The chilly sunshine and the pale blue n that we read them the instructions of the Secretary of War to General Saxton, promising them the full pay of soldiers. They only half belieda men seem more bold and manly, as they undoubtedly do. To-day General Saxton has returned from Fernandina with seventy-six recruits, and theday brought a visit from Major-General Hunter and his staff, by General Saxton's invitation,--the former having just arrived in the Departmentnd told them that he wished there were fifty thousand of them. General Saxton spoke to them afterwards, and said that fifty thousand-muskets
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Army Life in a Black Regiment, Chapter 3: up the St. Mary's. (search)
ur plans, by not finally deciding on any until we should get outside the bar. This was happily approved by my superior officers, Major-General Hunter and Brigadier-General Saxton; and I was accordingly permitted to take three steamers, with four hundred and sixty-two officers and men, and two or three invited guests, and go down tery. Corporal Sutton was urgent to go on and complete the enterprise. All my impulses said the same thing; but then I had the most explicit injunctions from General Saxton to risk as little as possible in this first enterprise, because of the fatal effect on public sentiment of even an honorable defeat. We had now an honorable naval officers had previously disinterred, and then steamed back to Beaufort. Arriving there at sunrise (February 2, 1863), I made my way with Dr. Rogers to General Saxton's bedroom, and laid before him the keys and shackles of the slave prison, with my report of the good conduct of the men, _ as Dr. Rogers remarked, a message f
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Army Life in a Black Regiment, Chapter 4: up the St. John's. (search)
up the St. John's. There was not much stirring in the Department of the South early in 1863, and the St. Mary's expedition had afforded a new sensation. Of course the few officers of colored troops, and a larger number who wished to become such, were urgent for further experiments in the same line; and the Florida tax-commissioners were urgent likewise. I well remember the morning when, after some preliminary correspondence, I steamed down from Beaufort, S. C., to Hilton Head, with General Saxton, Judge S., and one or two others, to have an interview on the matter with Major-General Hunter, then commanding the Department. Hilton Head, in those days, seemed always like some foreign military station in the tropics. The long, low, white buildings, with piazzas and verandas on the waterside; the general impression of heat and lassitude, existence appearing to pulsate only with the sea-breeze; the sandy, almost impassable streets; and the firm, level beach, on which everybody wal
Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5. (ed. Frank Moore), chapter 52 (search)
Doc. 52.-fight at Harper's Ferry, Va. General Saxton's report. To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War: sir: I have the honor to report that in obedience to your instructions, I assumed command of the forces at Harper's Ferry on the twenty-sixth of May. I found Colonel Miles occupying the place with one company of the Maryland P. H. brigade. He had pushed forward that morning a battalion, composed of the First District of Columbia regiment and Eleventh regiment Pennsylvania volun, Assistant Adjutant-General; Capt. J. C. Anderson and U. Dahlgren, additional aids-decamp; Major George W. Bruin, volunteer aid, and Mr. Thorndyke, of the Eighth Missouri regiment, who volunteered his services on this occasion. Lieut. Daniels, with his naval battery of Dahlgren guns on Maryland Heights, two thousand feet above the level of the sea, did splendid service throughout the entire siege. Very respectfully, your obed't serv't, R. Saxton, Brigadier-General United States Volunteers.
Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5. (ed. Frank Moore), chapter 97 (search)
nry M. Binney, Captain and Aid-de-Camp to Colonel D. S. Miles, Commanding Division. New-York times narrative. Another serious reverse has overtaken the National arms. Harper's Ferry, the Union strong-hold on the Upper Potomac, has been overwhelmed by the rebel hordes, and on Monday morning, September fifteenth, at eight o'clock, surrendered, after three days fighting. About the commencement of the month, Col. Dixon H. Miles, of Bull Run memory, who succeeded General Sigel (Gen. Saxton's successor) to the command of the post, began to apprehend a forward movement by the enemy. On Monday, September first, the Eighty-seventh Ohio, Colonel Banning, was sent down with two howitzers to the vicinity of Noland's Ferry, to prevent their crossing. They took up a position on the Maryland side of the canal, which runs parallel with the river. The enemy appeared and succeeded in crossing, when Colonel Banning destroyed the canal-bridge, killed five of the enemy, and withdrew bef
Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5. (ed. Frank Moore), chapter 127 (search)
nry M. Binney, Captain and Aid-de-Camp to Colonel D. S. Miles, Commanding Division. New-York times narrative. Another serious reverse has overtaken the National arms. Harper's Ferry, the Union strong-hold on the Upper Potomac, has been overwhelmed by the rebel hordes, and on Monday morning, September fifteenth, at eight o'clock, surrendered, after three days fighting. About the commencement of the month, Col. Dixon H. Miles, of Bull Run memory, who succeeded General Sigel (Gen. Saxton's successor) to the command of the post, began to apprehend a forward movement by the enemy. On Monday, September first, the Eighty-seventh Ohio, Colonel Banning, was sent down with two howitzers to the vicinity of Noland's Ferry, to prevent their crossing. They took up a position on the Maryland side of the canal, which runs parallel with the river. The enemy appeared and succeeded in crossing, when Colonel Banning destroyed the canal-bridge, killed five of the enemy, and withdrew bef
Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 6. (ed. Frank Moore), chapter 142 (search)
Doc. 132.-recapture of Jacksonville, Fla. Report of General Saxton. Beaufort, S. C., March 14, 1863. Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War: sir: I have the honor to report, that the expedition which I sent up the St. John's River, Fla., consisting of the First regiment of South-Carolina volunteers, Colonel T. W. Higginson commanding, and a portion of tile Second South-Carolina volunteers, under Col. Montgomery, captured and took possession of Jacksonville, on Tuesday, the tenth instant. As I stated in my last report to you, the object of this expedition was to occupy Jacksonville, and make it the base of operations for arming the negroes, and securing, in this way, possession of the entire State of Florida. It gives me pleasure to report, that so far the objects of the expedition have been fully accomplished. The town is completely in our possession, and many prisoners. There has been constant skirmishing going on for several days and in every action the negro t
Emilio, Luis F., History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry , 1863-1865, Chapter 11: Seige of Charleston (search)
release without equivalent was made by the enemy of thirty persons,—chaplains, surgeons, and some women. General Schimmelfennig, who had removed district headquarters from Folly to Morris Island August 2, on September 4 departed North, when General Saxton took command. The next day the Fifty-sixth and One Hundred and Fifty-seventh New York arrived; and Col. Charles H. Van Wyck of the Fifty-sixth assumed command of Morris Island, relieving Colonel Gurney. Captain Homans, with Company A, havingme prisoners were exchanged, and two thousand suits of clothing and many packages were sent to our prisoners. We received clothing and tobacco for the Confederate officers from Charleston people. Brig.-Gen. E. P. Scammon on the 4th relieved General Saxton of the district command, and reviewed the Morris Island troops on the 6th. We had twenty-four officers and seven hundred and twenty-six enlisted men of the regiment present for duty at the several posts on this date. For some time the fre
Joseph T. Derry , A. M. , Author of School History of the United States; Story of the Confederate War, etc., Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 6, Georgia (ed. Clement Anselm Evans), Chapter 5: (search)
nteers (colored), and in November a company of it was employed on an expedition up the rivers and lagoons of Georgia between St. Simon's and Fernandina. This was led by Col. O. T. Beard of New York, Rev. Mansfield French, chaplain, and Charles T. Trowbridge, captain. The expedition made thirteen different landings, had skirmishes at King's bay and Spaulding's, and destroyed nine salt works, together with $20,000 worth of horses, salt, corn, rice, etc., which could not be carried away. Gen. R. Saxton reported that the negroes fought bravely, and he recommended that a number of light-draught steamers should be sent up the Georgia streams, each carrying 100 negro soldiers and extra arms, and that the whistle should be sounded at landings to call in the slaves, who should be enlisted and armed. The boat would then proceed as before until, he said, we should very soon have occupation of the whole country. A few days later a similar expedition was made up the Doboy river, and a sawmill
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