Chancellorsville
2 May 1863
Chancellorsville – for our ancestors
it was probably a source of frustration in the historic accounts – in that it
would be the 11th Corps and the German Regiments that New York
newspapers would affix the blame for the problems that day. Yet, the historic records associated with the
regiment, written in German and thereby overlooked for many, many years,
indicate that the 74th did its duty in efforts to hold back the
overwhelming number of Confederates that hit the Union’s 11th Corps.
Our Ancestors had established a line
along the Orange Turnpike facing south where it meets with the Orange Plank
Road ( in the map on the left it is the junction that is right above the “ll”
in Chancellor). Bret, seen in the
picture above and to the right, is pointing out where the 74th was
at on the 2nd of May.
Bret showing the painting that visitors
can see outside of the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor’s Center and
Bookstore. The picture on the right
shows the location of Deven’s First Division of the 11th Corps, who
just so happened to have with them a reporter for the New York Times – the
reporter being the one to raise the issue of the “flying Dutchman.”
Back in 1863, the Turnpike was much
narrower – probably no more than 20-30 feet wide and in the area of the
existing State highway see in these to pictures. The picture on the right is the general
location that the 74th was at on the 2nd. Some sources have the regiment a bit further
to the West (See O’Reilly Mapset and Report of General Schimmelfennig) south of
Talley’s Farm and that would place the left of the regiment at where the club
of shrubs are located in the median strip in the picture on the left below.
Throughout the day, Schimmelfennig and
his regiments had skirmishers out in front of the Turnpike. Those men saw a large body of Confederate
soldiers moving to the West and in front of the turnpike. This information was repeatedly relayed to
General Howard, who dismissed it as being an overreaction by the soldiers. Howard informed Schimmelfennig’s Adjutant,
Major Schleiter, “to tell General Schimmelfennig to stop reconnoitering and
remain in the position assigned to him.[1]” Further efforts to warn the aloof and
arrogant Howard fell on deaf ears. Yet,
Schimmelfennig and Schurz made as many preparations as they could. They spread the regiments out along the Turnpike;
put out a skirmishing line; unlimbered artillery of the 13th NY
Light Battery along the pike; and placed one of Dilger’s 1st Ohio on
just north of the Turnpike at the Wilderness Church.
In front of the men lay a thicket of
woods, brush and brambles. One of the
officers of the 74th was sent down the Plank Road and encountered a
large number of Confederate soldiers – he came racing back with bullets chasing
him and his stead. His men started to
prepare for the evening, the knapsacks down off their shoulders and the
campfires started for the evening meal.
At about 5 p.m., Con. General
Jackson’s 25,000 men slammed into the right flank of the Union Army and into
the out numbered 1st Division of the 11th Corps. The 1st Division gave way quickly,
out manned and outgunned, and the artillery raced down the Turnpike in an
uncontrollable effort that sent confusion into the ranks of the 2nd
and 3rd Divisions. Efforts
were made to reestablish a line that the 74th and the 61st
Ohio could maintain, but the sudden swelling of the line with the 1st
and 2nd Divisions made the task nearly impossible.
Col. Von Hartung took the men that he
could command and retreated a short distance to the east to the clearing
adjacent to the Wilderness Church. About
fifty feet in front of the rifle pit – presumably at the very right of the
picture above, a close up of the battlefield painting noted earlier, stood
General Howard. Von Hartung’s report
notes that: “I found Major General
Howard, who was crying, “Stop; face about; do not retreat any further!” [2]
Howard shouted a lot that day,
including the following observed by 1st Sgt James Peabody of Company
B, 61st Ohio: “As we emerged
from the woods into an open field, I saw a sight I shall never forget as long as
I live. There were regiments, brigades
and divisions completely disorganized and scattered; in the midst was General
Howard and staff, or part of it; on the extreme right of that scattered line
was a small body of men – which I afterward learned was McLean’s Brigade of the
First Division – making a desperate attempt to check the advance of the
enemy. I saw General Howard swinging his
revolver in his left hand – he had no right hand – and when I had gotten close
to him, he was crying out, “Halt! Halt! I’m ruined, I’m ruined; I’ll shoot if
you don’t stop. I’m ruined, I’m ruined,”
over and over again.”[3]
Von Hartung, noting that following the
“advice” and direction of General Howard would result in ruin for the men who did
so, rallied as many troops as he could at the rifle pits along the area noted
here with the trees and stump. Hartung
comments in his official report that the 119th and the 68th
New York were two regiments that rallied near this point. Other men joined them, and apparently one of
those was Private Ernest Bender of the 153rd PA Vol. Infantry – part
of the 1st Division – memorialized wit this flag left by his 3rd
Great Grandson and held aloft by Lexie – a 74th descendant.
Von Hartung continues to point out in
his report, that the group that rallied here managed to halt the Confederate
advances for a brief period of time – this taking place at about 7 p.m. What is interesting is that the O’Reilly map
noted above, does not show the location of the 74th, but does denote
the location of the two regiments Von Hartung references at a rally point
further to the East. The National Park
painting places this holding action on the far edges of the field here adjacent
to the rebuilt Wilderness Church. We’ll
wait till Bret’s much-needed book comes out to settle where this occurred.
The Confederates soon overwhelmed Von
Hartung and his men. Dilger’s Battery
had assisted the small group of the 11th that had attempted to stem
the Confederate’s advance, but soon it and the infantry retreated. Eventually, the entire 11th Corps
would rally near General Hooker’s headquarters.
Singled out by the regiment’s commander for their duty as color bearers
were:
§ Sgt. George Ekert, color bearer
§ Sgt. Henry Bender, Company A
§ Sgt. George Nissel, Company D
§ Sgt. Joseph Frey, Company G
§ Sgt. W. Kruger, Company B
Sadly the commanders of the 11th
Corps were not allowed to publish their reports in the press, nor were any
efforts by General Howard made to correct the “flying Dutchman” story that
began circulating in the New York newspapers and quickly repeated
elsewhere. This refusal to allow the
officers to explain what occurred caused a significant rift within the Army of
the Potomac and one that Howard was attempting to address early in the
summer. Our ancestors did their
damnedest that day to warn the commanding general of the Confederate flanking
maneuver, to prepare for it within what little latitude they were given, and
then to deal with the ramifications of the poor generalling of Mr. Howard. Unfortunately, they and the other members of
the 11th Corps would become the scapegoats for the mistakes made by
Howard on the field.