DEATH OP CAPT. ISAAC D. KENYON. 663 establish a line of telegraph from City Point to Fort Powhattan; when sixteen were captured by Wade Hampton in a raid within our lines after beef. The Twenty-first had been almost constantly exposed, and during these weeks had lost six killed and thirty wounded. Among the wounded were Capt. Isaac D. Kenyon and Lieut. Walter P. Long. The former was struck in the shoulder; and the hurt proved mortal a few days thereafter. He was young, ardent, and enterprising; and, when the war began, was engaged in mercantile pursuits in Voluntown. "His young comrades called on him to lead them; and he closed his business and accepted the call; and thenceforth, on every battle-field and in every camp, he was the same courteous, brave, and humane soldier, having a tender care for the comfort of his men; an excellent disciplinarian, who inspired them with a pride of subordination, and at the same time taught them to think; and a patriotic citizen, who instilled into their minds the principles of freedom and love of country, and set them an heroic example in the sacrifice of even life itself. Peace to his ashes!"" Narrative by Dr. Harvey Campbell of Voluntown. CHAPTER XXXIX. Still in Front of Petersburg. - Demonstration on the Left. - The Fourteenth. - Advance of Butler. Chaffin's Bluff.- Capture of Fort Harrison. The Eighth and Twen ty-first. The Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, and Twenty-ninth on the Right. - Rebel Repulse. Casualties. — Attack on Terry's Line. - Repulse. - Counter - Attack. — Death of Major H. W. Camp. - Hawley's Brigade on the Darbytown Road. - The Twenty-ninth as Skirmishers. - The Second and Fourteenth on Hatcher's Run Hawley's Division at New York. - The First Artillery. - Butler fails to capture Fort Fisher. Terry takes it by Storm. JEN. GRANT resolved, towards the end of September, on a further advance in the direction. of Richmond from Butler's front; and, in order to cause the weakening of forces on the rebel left, he ordered another demonstration by Warren and Hancock. This was successful, and the enemy gave ground. The Fourteenth Connecticut was in a brigade of observation, stationed at Prince George's Court House. Here it remained until Sept. 26, when the 2d Corps moved to the right to relieve the 10th and 18th Corps. On the afternoon of the 28th, Butler faced his army to the right, and moved in the evening towards the James. At nine in the evening, the 18th Corps had arrived at Aiken's Landing, and the 10th had crossed the Appomattox, and was hurrying forward. At two in the morning, the 18th Corps began moving over the pontoon-bridge; and by four they were all over, massed in column by division, and moving up the Varina Road, on familiar ground. The Eleventh Connecticut, being detached for artillery-service, remained at Bermuda Hundred. Lieut. W. P. Long of the Twenty-first wrote, "The gallant 1st Division of the 18th Corps swept up the hill, which brought them in contact with the enemy's skir mishers. These, however, were pressed steadily back about THE EIGHTH HEAD A STORMING COLUMN. 665 four miles, to their main line of works, thrown up al、ng the crest of a hill, a strong position by nature, where they had a large square fort mounting about eight guns, and surrounded by a ditch ten feet deep, with perpendicular sides. From this, on either side, stretched a heavy rifle-pit, intersected with small redoubts mounting one or two guns, and which enfiladed our approach in every direction. Just before our line of battle was formed, seven companies of the regiment, with our commanding officer, then Capt., now Lieut.-Col., J. F. Brown, were sent out as skirmishers on the left of the line, where, gallantly led by Capt. Brown, they pressed the enemy back in the face of a heavy fire even to their stronghold. The remaining three companies, with our colors, kept on with the column." The Eighth furnished two companies for skirmishers, while the rest of the regiment headed the storming column. This was a gallant charge across nearly a mile of open field to Chaffin's Bluff. The new recruits vied with veterans. Now the muzzles of the rebel guns frowned from Fort Harrison directly in the front; now little puffs of smoke revealed an alert foe, and the batteries showered destruction upon the advancing column; now the Eighth deployed in line of battle, and, closely followed by the rest of the division, dashed away over the field. It was a fearful distance to traverse such a field under such a fire. "Without a moment's delay, the brigade moved to the position assigned it, and advanced through a dense slashing, and under a heavy artillery-fire, to the assault. The enemy's gunboats, in the mean time, dropped down the James, and threw a heavy cross-fire into the assaulting columns. No halt was made, however, until the troops reached a slight cover at the foot of the hill, on which was situated the main work of the enemy, and less than a hundred yards from it. A moment was spent here in resting and re-forming the men; and then with a shout they rushed into the ditch, and over the parapet; and Fort Harrison, with its garrison, and armament of twenty-two pieces of heavy ordnance, fell into the hands of the 1st Division of the 18th Corps." 1 1 Official Report of Lieut.-Col. Brown. CHAPTER XXXIX. Still in Front of Petersburg. - Demonstration on the Left. - The Fourteenth. - Advance of Butler. Chaffin's Bluff. - Capture of Fort Harrison. - The Eighth and Twenty-first. The Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, and Twenty-ninth on the Right. - Rebel Repulse. Casualties. - Attack on Terry's Line. - Repulse. - Counter-Attack. Death of Major H. W. Camp. - Hawley's Brigade on the Darbytown Road. - The Twenty-ninth as Skirmishers. - The Second and Fourteenth on Hatcher's Run. Hawley's Division at New York. - The First Artillery. - Butler fails to capture Fort Fisher. Terry takes it by Storm. - EN. GRANT resolved, towards the end of September, on a further advance in the direction of Richmond from Butler's front; and, in order to cause the weakening of forces on the rebel left, he ordered another demonstration by Warren and Hancock. This was successful, and the enemy gave ground. The Fourteenth Connecticut was in a brigade of observation, stationed at Prince George's Court House. Here it remained until Sept. 26, when the 2d Corps moved to the right to relieve the 10th and 18th Corps. On the afternoon of the 28th, Butler faced his army to the right, and moved in the evening towards the James. At nine in the evening, the 18th Corps had arrived at Aiken's Landing, and the 10th had crossed the Appomattox, and was hurrying forward. At two in the morning, the 18th Corps began moving over the pontoon-bridge; and by four they were all over, massed in column by division, and moving up the Varina Road, on familiar ground. The Eleventh Connecticut, being detached for artillery-service, remained at Bermuda Hundred. Lieut. W. P. Long of the Twenty-first wrote, "The gallant 1st Division of the 18th Corps swept up the hill, which brought them in contact with the enemy's skir mishers. These, however, were pressed steadily back about THE EIGHTH HEAD A STORMING COLUMN. - 665 four miles, to their main line of works, thrown up al、ng the crest of a hill, a strong position by nature, where they had a large square fort mounting about eight guns, and surrounded by a ditch ten feet deep, with perpendicular sides. From this, on either side, stretched a heavy rifle-pit, intersected with small redoubts mounting one or two guns, and which enfiladed our approach in every direction. Just before our line of battle was formed, seven companies of the regiment, with our commanding officer, then Capt., now Lieut.-Col., J. F. Brown, were sent out as skirmishers on the left of the line, where, gallantly led by Capt. Brown, they pressed the enemy back in the face of a heavy fire even to their stronghold. The remaining three companies, with our colors, kept on with the column." The Eighth furnished two companies for skirmishers, while the rest of the regiment headed the storming column. This was a gallant charge across nearly a mile of open field to Chaffin's Bluff. The new recruits vied with veterans. Now the muzzles of the rebel guns frowned from Fort Harrison directly in the front; now little puffs of smoke revealed an alert foe, and the batteries showered destruction upon the advancing column; now the Eighth deployed in line of battle, and, closely followed by the rest of the division, dashed away over the field. It was a fearful distance to traverse such a field under such a fire. "Without a moment's delay, the brigade moved to the position assigned it, and advanced through a dense slashing, and under a heavy artillery-fire, to the assault. The enemy's gunboats, in the mean time, dropped down the James, and threw a heavy cross-fire into the assaulting columns. No halt was made, however, until the troops reached a slight cover at the foot of the hill, on which was situated the main work of the enemy, and less than a hundred yards from it. A moment was spent here in resting and re-forming the men; and then with a shout they rushed into the ditch, and over the parapet; and Fort Harrison, with its garrison, and armament of twenty-two pieces of heavy ordnance, fell into the hands of the 1st Division of the 18th Corps." 1 1 Official Report of Lieut.-Col. Brown. |