Showing posts with label Caissons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caissons. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Diary of Private Theodore Reichardt, Monday, June 30, 1862

Battle of Glendale Farm. This battle is known by five different names: White Oak Swamp, Glendale Farm, Golding's Farm, Turkey Bend, and of Charles City Road. At daybreak we formed in line of battle. The enemy appeared shortly after. The battle opened at different points. (Every one recollects the delay of our retreat on that day, in covering our extensive trains, which occupied seventeen miles length of road.) At three o'clock P. M. the rear of the trains passed by, just in time, as we were attacked immediately after. The battle lasted until night. Sergeant Hammond, Seidlinger, and Slocum were wounded. Battery B, Pennsylvania Artillery, was taken by the rebels, right in our front. The gunboats participated in the battle. We fell back at midnight, leaving our dead and wounded on the field. Our battery carried their wounded off, but left one caisson behind, a lynchpin giving way. No other could be found during the excitement.

SOURCE: Theodore Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery, pp. 50-1

Friday, September 4, 2026

Diary of Private Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Sunday, December 21, 1862

Oxford. Reveille earlier than usual; orders to hold in readiness to march, such orders being anticipated. 7 A. M. the whole Division took up the line of march back toward Oxford. Hitched up. The caisson fell in the train, but the pieces with the 59th Indiana, Colonel Alexander, were left for a rear guard. The Division passed by 9 A. M. but as the train could not take all of the commissary stores and cotton at headquarters, we had to lay there all day hitched up, waiting for the trains to return from Oxford. They arrived at 4 P. M., loaded, and started back as soon as possible. We were ordered to hitch up, as we could hear the drums beat for roll call on the right of us; supposed to be Logan's Division. We fell in rear of 59th about 8 P. M., leaving the place all quiet, the Rebs making slight demonstrations upon the infantry during the day notwithstanding. Pushed silently along towards Oxford, proceeded toward our old camping ground. Brought into line by Lieutenant Clark on the right of the road in the flat. Captain Dillon went up to the old camp. The caisson drivers being already on the start, after pitching their tents and again striking, we passed up the hill again, on the top of which, countermanded again, unhitched and left the horses at the bottom. Laid down at 1 Α. Μ.

SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 20

Monday, March 30, 2026

Diary of Private Jenkin Lloyd Jones: Tuesday, November 25, 1862

Moscow. Orders were sent to Captain to have two best non-commissioned officers to report at Colonel Powell's headquarters by 8 A. M. Sergt. A. J. Hood and Corporal Hauxhurst were sent, acting as orderlies. Tent moved back. The whole camp policed. 2 o'clock the howitzers (3rd and 5th pieces) were ordered out on picket duty without caissons, one extra horse.

SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 14

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Diary of Private Jenkin Lloyd Jones: Sunday, September 21, 1862

Rienzi. Was another repetition of that a week ago only on a little larger scale. The horses were harnessed at 1 A. M. and we went out on the Ripley road three quarters of a mile, laid there half an hour waiting for the enemy, then filed left on our drilling ground, drilled half an hour, then came home and unharnessed. Received new gun carriages and caissons in the afternoon. Report of another great battle at Iuka in which 1000 of our men were killed in twenty-five minutes. Colonel Murphy of the 8th put under arrest for withdrawing his men. Stood guard duty.

SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 6-7