History of the Nineteenth Army CorpsIrwin, Richard B. (Richard Biddle)
History
History of the Nineteenth Army Corps
Irwin, Richard B. (Richard Biddle)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories; United States. Army. Corps, 19th
The armies of Meade and Sherman were now concentrating on the hills
about Washington, preparatory to passing in review before President
Johnson; and Dwight being ordered to report to Willcox, then
commanding the Ninth Army Corps, and to follow that corps on the
occasion of the review. Willcox inspected the division on the 12th
of May on the parade ground of Fort Bunker Hill.
Sheridan, although he had brought up his cavalry for the great
review, had been ordered to take command in the Southwest, and as
Grant deemed the matter urgent, because of French and Mexican
complications, Sheridan was destined to have no part in the
approaching ceremonies, yet he could not resist the chance of once
more looking at what was left of the infantry that had followed
him in triumph through the Shenandoah. When the men saw him riding
at the side of Willcox, mounted once more upon "Rienzi" and wearing
the same animated smile that had cheered and encouraged them in
the evil hour at Winchester, before the cliffs of Fisher's Hill,
and in the gloom of Cedar Creek, they were not to be restrained
from violating all the solemn proprieties of the occasion, but
broke out into a tumult of cheers.
On the 22d of May, Dwight broke camp near Bladensburg, and, marching
to the plain east of the Capitol, near the Congressional Cemetery,
went into bivouac with the Ninth Corps. Here the men, after their
long and hard field service, gave way to open disgust at hearing
the order read on parade requiring them to appear in white gloves
at the great review. On Tuesday, the 23d of May, the review took
place. The men were up at three, and were inspected at half-past
seven, but it was half-past ten before Dwight took up the line of
march in the rear of the Ninth Corps, followed by the Fifth.
On the 1st of June, 1865, the breaking up began. The 114th and
116th New York were taken from Beal's brigade, and the 133d from
Fessenden's, and ordered to be mustered out of the service of the
United States. The 8th Vermont had already gone to the Sixth Corps
to join the old Vermont brigade. The rest of Dwight's division
embarked on transport steamers, under orders for Savannah, where
they landed on the 4th of June. There they found many of their
comrades of Grover's division.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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