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
However, shortly after midnight, sounds were heard on the picket
line, indicating some unusual movement behind the Confederate works.
When, at daybreak, the various skirmishers moved forward in eager
rivalry, they found the Confederates gone. Captain Allaire, leading
his company of the 133d New York, was the first to enter the works;
the regiment itself and the 8th New Hampshire followed closely,
and the colors of the 8th were the first to mount the parapet,
where they were planted by Paine. On the left bank, this honor
fell to the 53d Massachusetts. But in truth the surge was so nearly
simultaneous that the whole line of entrenchments on both sides of
the bayou, from right to left, was crossed almost at the same
instant.
It was nine o'clock on Monday night when Taylor learned of Grover's
movements and position, as narrated in the next chapter. Taylor
at once began to move out of the lines of Bisland and to direct
his attention to Grover in order to secure a retreat. Just before
daylight Green, to whom, with his 5th Texas, Waller's battalion,
and West's section of Semmes's battery, Taylor had given the more
than usually delicate task of covering the rear, marched off the
ground, leaving nothing behind save one 24-pounder siege gun and
a disabled howitzer of Cornay's battery.
Without losing an instant the pursuit of the retreating Confederates
was begun, Weitzel leading the way, and was conducted with vigor
and with scarcely a halt, notwithstanding the energetic opposition
of the Confederate rear-guard, until early in the afternoon, just
beyond Franklin, Emory's advance guard, under Paine, following the
bayou road, ran into Grover's under Dwight, approaching from the
opposite direction. Weitzel, having entered Franklin without
opposition, kept the left-hand or cut-off road until he came to
the burnt bridge over the Choupique, by which, as will presently
be seen, the Confederates had escaped.
Gooding, after occupying the works in his front, crossed the Teche
by a bridge to the west bank and fell into Emory's column behind
Ingraham. The _Clifton_, as soon as the obstructions could be
removed, got under way and moved up the bayou abreast with the
advance of the army.
The losses of the Nineteenth Army Corps in this its first battle
were 3 officers and 37 men killed, 8 officers and 176 men wounded;
in all 224. The 38th Massachusetts headed the list with 6 killed
and 29 wounded, and Gooding's brigade, to which this regiment
belonged, reported 87 casualties, or 38 per cent. of the whole.
In the six light batteries 15 horses were killed and 12 wounded,
and one caisson of the 1st Maine was upset and lost in crossing
the Teche to go into action.
The losses of the Confederates have never been reported and no
means are known to exist for estimating them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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