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013 708 897 6 O 
 
 Hollinger 
 
 pH 8.5 
 
 Mill Run F3.1719 
 
The 
 
 Fourth Massachusetts 
 Cavalry 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Closing Scenes of the War 
 
 for the Maintenance 
 
 of the Union 
 
 (4: 
 
 nj4 
 
 From Richmond 
 to Appomattox 
 
 \ I i \'>-r.'\ .Xf> ' '1 'T Tl 1 \ ^U- 
 
 
 
 L^ 
 
J 
 
 
 
 i 
 
Col. Arnold A. Rand 
 
 4th Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry 
 
t 
 
The Battle at High Bridge 
 
 by 
 Major Edward T. lUnive, I'. S. \'. 
 
 The life of the American Cavah-\- is ahnost coeval with that of 
 the American people. Laws were passed for the formation of a 
 mounted furce in lti48. when the colony of Massachusetts Bay had 
 not yet attained its majority. Twenty-seven years later, in 1675, 
 when the war with ]vIetacomet ( King Philip) broke out there were 
 five troops of cavalry, which in point of equipment. (li>ci]iline and 
 appearance, had received the commendation of European officers 
 who had' seen them. 
 
 Captain Prentice's troop formed a part of Maj(tr-( General 
 W'inslnw's army, which fought at Xarrangansett I-'ort. It jjartici- 
 pated in the terrible march and the awful battle which ensued. Of 
 that battle, the latest and most exhaustive of its historians says: 
 
 "This must be classed as one of the most gloritnis victories 
 ever achieved in our history, and considering con{liti(^ns. as dis- 
 playing heroism both in stubborn ])atience and dashing intrepidity 
 never excelled in American warfare." 
 
 So much for the first great battle in which Massachusetts 
 cavalry took an honorable part. I may be pardoned for referring 
 to it in this paper, on account of the singular coincidence, that in 
 one of the last, and unquestionably one of the most brilliant actions 
 ever fought in America — the Battle at High Bridge — Massachu- 
 setts horsemen accomplished a very difficult thing: they suc- 
 ceeded in adding a yet deeper lustre to the laurels which have 
 ever adorned the standards of the American Cavalry. 
 
 The story of the fight near High Bridge. X'irginia. is but an 
 account of an obscure skirmish, if the numbers engaged and its 
 duration be solely considered; judged., however, by the fierce int'-n- 
 sitv of the struggle, and the carnage, together with the results, 
 which alone, yet amply, justified the apparent madness of the at- 
 tack, it is seen to be one of the most notal)le of the achievements of 
 these heroic days; for it led to the culmination of the campaign and 
 
 5 
 
end (if llic war. at AppinnaUox. It was called by .Mr. lla\ and .Mr. 
 Xicolav, in their history of .\l)raliain Lincoln, tlic most gallant and 
 pathetic battle of the war. 
 
 The Fourth Regiment of Alassachnsetts Cavalry had been sub- 
 jected to a training and discii)line which caused it to develop rapidly 
 into one of the finest cavalry regiments in the army. The officers 
 were nearly all veteran soldiers, educated in the hard school of 
 war. .\ large proportion of the men in the ranks had seen service, 
 and the rank and tile, as a whole, pro\ed to be such as any officer 
 might be proud to lead. 
 
 The cjuality of the regiment is easily accounted f(^r, when it is 
 considered that its first colonel left the lasting imj^ress of himself 
 upon it : that colonel was Arnold A. Rand. 
 
 I'Vom the very beginning of its service in the field, the regiment 
 had the hard fortune to be cut up into detachments and details for 
 special duty. This was probably due to the good opinion enter- 
 tained of it by the general ; but it was very trying and disappoint- 
 ing to the colonel, and to all who had hoped to be serving, as earlier 
 orders — too soon coimtermanded — directed, with Sheridan. 
 
 .At the opening of the last campaign, the first and third batta- 
 lions were in \ irginia. Three scjuadrrns, with the held and stafif, 
 were attached to the headciuarters of General Ord, commanding the 
 .\rm}- of the James ; two were at the headquarters of the Twenty- 
 fourth, and two at those of the Twenty-fifth Army corps. (Jne was 
 at Fort .Magruder, where it had been for many months, doing nut- 
 post and picket duty and engaged in scouting and raiding. The 
 second battalion was in active service in South Carolina and I'dorida. 
 
 iJefore the spring campaign opened, the command of the regi- 
 ment had passed to Francis Washburn of LancastcM*. a member of 
 a famil}- distinguished for its ])ul)lic services. This young gentle- 
 man was a patrician in the best sense of the word. With tlie most 
 brilliant prospects in life. he. like his brother, left all to serve the 
 Republic, and both drew "the gret prize o' death in battle." 
 
 In physical proportions, in personal beauty, in superb daring, 
 in high-minded devotion to every duty, he was the ideal of a cav- 
 alr\- leader, and a worthy successor to the lirst regimental com- 
 mander. 
 
 ( )ne of the worst features of the internal economx' ot our 
 armies during the civil war. was the detailing of officers and men 
 individualK- from fi'diting regiments; the otficers to serve on stafl, 
 
ihe men ioy orderlies, wa^cmers. hospilal ser\ice aiul oilier sT)ecial 
 (luties wliieli redueed the fii^lilinj^' streni^lli lo a miiiiiiimii compared 
 willi what it should ha\'e heeii. I'rohahK' llu' >ame cu^lom would 
 rule now. 
 
 ( )wini;- to this pernicious, altlmui^h al the time una\oidal)le sys- 
 tem, as well as to the ordinary casualties of the service, the three 
 squadrons of the I'ourth Cavalry under the immediate conunand 
 of Colonel Washburn at the begiiining of active >ervice. liad been 
 reduced to one hundred and hft\- men. 
 
 ( )r(lers were issued on the 27th of March to l)reak cam]), ])rc- 
 ])aratory to the resumption of movements atjainst the hues of com- 
 munication between the besieged cities and their sources of supj)ly. 
 Richmond and Petersburg were evacuated on the third of 
 April, (General Lee moving swdftly toward Amelia. The I'ederal 
 armies marched at once in hot pursuit, the .\rm\' of the James tak- 
 ing the general direction of the Lynchburg railroad, reaching 
 lUirkesville on the evening of A])ril .Ith. That same evening, Lee 
 left Amelia Court house, pushing rajjidly in the direction of High 
 Bridge, a long trestle over the Aj^pomattox near Farmville. Could 
 he reach this bridge, cross and destroy it, he might hope to succeed 
 in gaining the mountains beyond Lynchburg. 
 
 The Army of the James instantly changed direction in pursuit. 
 Lee's objective point became evident, and (General ( )rd determined 
 to destroy the bridge, if it were possible to accomi)lisli this, l)efore 
 Lee could reach it. To this end, he detached Colonel Washburn, 
 with the three .squadrons of his own cavalry, now reduced by fur- 
 ther details to thirteen officers and sixty-seven troojjers, together 
 with two small regiments cf infantry, and directed him to push on 
 ra])i(lly and burn the bridge. 
 
 Information had been received through scouts that the struc- 
 ture was not defended bv aii}' fortifications whatever. Re])iM-ts also 
 came in that the Confederates were l)adly demoralized. In conse- 
 quence of these stories, which would appear to have been acce])ted 
 as fullv re1ial)le at liead(|uarters, Washburn was ordered to at- 
 tack any force which he might meet, as it would certainl\- fall a\\a\ 
 before him. 
 
 It was a perilous order to give Washburn, for hi> \alor was 
 ever the better part of his discretion. 
 
 Some of our generals seem to have been strangely misled as to 
 the spirit of the Confederates remaining in' arms. Never had they 
 
f(Hii;lU ini'i\' tiercel) lliaii in tlio-^f l;i>l days of the stnig-gle. Their 
 skeleton battalions threw themselves upon otu' heavy lines at Sailor's 
 Creek as desperately as they char.ixed under Pickett and Edward 
 Johnson at (lett}sl)ui-^-. and their artillery was never more 
 superbl}^ served than when they were attacked in flank by 
 Greo:g:'s brijjade on the sexenth ol Ai)ril, when that g^eneral was 
 made prisoner and his brigade driven in comi^lete discomfiture 
 by the famous Washington Artillery of New Orleans. 
 
 ( )n the morning of tlie sixth, before dawn, Washburn's liltle 
 detachment took up its route, the infantry, especially, being in poor 
 condition for the severe and peculiarly dangerous service to which 
 they were called, for they were exhausted by the forced marches 
 which had been indispensable during the preceding three days. 
 The distance was sixteen miles to Farmville. After having- been 
 two hours or so upon the road, Washburn satisfied himself that 
 the rebel army, moving diagonally toward the Appomattox, had 
 closed in upt)n his rear, cutting him otT from the Army of the 
 James. There were also unmistakable indications that Confeder- 
 ate columns were moving in front of his command, as well as on 
 its flank. The detachment was thus marching practically among 
 divisions of the enemy, who were evidently ignorant of its 
 proximity. 
 
 Meanwhile, General ( )r(l had learned of the movements of the 
 Confederates, and at once despatched Brevet Ikigadier General 
 Theodore Read, atljutant general of the Army of the James, to over- 
 take Washburn and cause him to fall back to the main army. Read, 
 with one orderly, contrived to elude the various bodies of the enemy 
 and finally joined Washburn, just before his command reached the 
 vicinity of the bridge. 
 
 L^])on rcconnoitering the countr\' about the bridge, it was tonnd 
 that the information as to its not being fortified was entirely false. 
 A strong redoul>t mounting four guns ])rotected it, and the ground 
 around it was open, with morasses in front rendering it almost im- 
 possible of access. Washburn considered, however, that a sudden 
 attack on its rear side by cavalry, might be successful. 
 
 In ])ursuance of this plan, he left Read with the infantr\- in a 
 narrow belt of woodland near the lUirkesville road, and moved away 
 to make a detour in order to come upon the rear of the fortification. 
 
 The column Mion reache(l a small stream '^])anne(l by a bridge, 
 the ]ilanks of which had been torn up. I.ii'Utenant Dax'is with the 
 
Col. Francis Washburn 
 
advanced guard, dashed across the stream and laid the planks umk'r 
 sharp fire from a force of dismounted cavalry which occupied low- 
 earthworks on the further side. Washburn soon came up with the 
 main body, and throwing out a line of skirmishers, attacked so vig- 
 orously that after a fight of half an hour's duration, the enemy re- 
 treated toward Farmville. Mere they were reinforced, an, I Wash- 
 burn soon found their numbers so great and their artillerv fire so 
 heavy, that they could not be driven. Moreover there was incessant 
 musketry firing from the place where he had left the infantry, indi- 
 cating an attack upon them, and he thought best to withdraw and go 
 to their support. 
 
 A sharp ride of a few moments brought the cavalry to the 
 scene of action. Had the Btirkesville road been followed for a short 
 distance farther the colunui would have rounded a bend in the road, 
 and come upon a strong body of Confederate cavalry which was 
 moving in the direction of the firing; but at a point in rear of where 
 the fighting was going on. Washburn left the road and led his men 
 through the woods and along the bed of a ravine, then tip a hill, 
 where he halted to learn the state of afifairs. 
 
 The little line of infantry, outflanked and outmimbered, was 
 falling back fighting, pushed by a brigade of disiuounted cavalry, 
 while regiments of horse were galloping up on the flanks and form- 
 ing for a charge. The infantry were clearly exhausted and their 
 ammunition was used up. but W'ashburn. after a short consultation 
 with Read, sent his adjutant to rally tbem. and determined by a 
 furious attack upon the dismounted troops of the enemy, to throw 
 them back on their cavalry and thus, supported by the infantry, to 
 wrest victory from the enemy. He then led the column along the 
 crest of the slope, and forming line, turned to his men and explained 
 his purpose, well knowing what he could expect from the splendid 
 fellows. 
 
 Then Washburn ordered "Forward !" The line trotted down 
 the slope. In a moment came his clear call "Gallop, march ! Charge !" 
 And to the music from the brazen throats of their own trumpets 
 chiming with their fierce battle shout, those seventy-eight Massa- 
 chusetts horsemen hurled theniselves uj:)on the heavy masses of the 
 foe. 
 
 For a few moments the air was bright with the flashing of 
 sabres, and shattered by the explosion of carbine and pistol, while 
 screams of rage mingled with the cries of the wounded and all the 
 
 11 
 
hideous sounds of a savage hand-to-hand fight. As all this died 
 away, it was seen that the immediate body of troops which the 
 Innu'th Cavalry had struck was practically annihilated. Their dead 
 and wounded were scattered thickly over the field, wdiile the crowd 
 of prisoners taken was embarrassing to the captors. Driving these 
 before them back toward the hill, to which they must retire to re- 
 form for attack upon the enemy's horse (for Washburn's mere 
 handful of men forbade his leaving any to form the reserve without 
 which cavalry almost never can charge without great risk) they 
 were astounded at the sight which presented itself on the Burkes- 
 ville road. As far as the eye could reach, it was filled with Confed- 
 erate cavalry, and lines of battle were forming as rapidly as possi- 
 ble and advancing swiftly to the aid of their defeated van. 
 
 All hope of victory or of escape from such a field was now 
 utterly gone, but the colonel and his men were mad with the fury of 
 battle, and wild with exultation over the bloody triumph already 
 achieved. But one thought possessed them. The little battalion 
 swept down the slo])e once more, pressing close behind their 
 knightly leader and their blue standard. They crashed through 
 three lines of their advancing enemies, tearing their formation 
 asunder as the tornado cuts its way through the forest. But now% 
 order and coherence were lost, and the troopers mingled with the 
 Confederates in a bitter hand-to-hand struggle. A few scattered 
 fighters were rallied from out this fearful melee by the gallant Cap- 
 tain Hodges, than wdiom a more chivalrous soldier never drew 
 sabre. He led them in a last furious charge, in which he fell, as he 
 would have wished, ■"amid the battle's w'ildest tide." 
 
 By this time, all was lost. Eight of the officers lay dead or 
 wounded upon the field. Three were prisoners, their horses having 
 been kilk'd under tlu-m. The surgeon and chaplain, being non-com- 
 batants, were captured while in attendance u])on the wounded. 
 
 The battle at High Bridge was finished, for (icneral Read 
 had been mortally wounded at the first fire after the infantry had 
 rallied in supi)ort of the cavalry attack, and the two small regiments 
 were overwhelmed and com])elle(l to surrender as soon as the cav- 
 alry had ceased to be a factor. 
 
 ("olonel Washburn had been shot in the mouth and sabred as 
 he fell from his horse. He was found on the field with the other 
 dead and wounded the next day, when the advance of the Army of 
 the James eanie u]). I le wa^ taken to the ho>])ilal at Point of Rock.s 
 
 12 
 
l)ut insisted u])i>n hcins^- scni to his home in .M;iss;ichu--c'tls, where hiC 
 (hed in the arms of his mother. I'.el'ore his death, lie \\a>, at ( iranfs 
 rc(|ucst, brevettod as 15riga(Her General. 
 
 (?i the other officers, Lieutenant Colonel Jenkins was se\eiely 
 wounded, as were Captain Caldwell and Lieutenants jieleher and 
 Thompson. Captains 1 lodges and (Joddard were killed, and Lieu- 
 tenant Davis shot after having been made a ])risoner. for resenting 
 an insult offered him by a rebel ofhcer. The adjutant. Lieutenant 
 Lathrop, after his hor-e had been killed under him. was taken into 
 the woods to be shot. ])eeause his eaptor as.serted that he had slain 
 his brother in the fight. Fortunately a Confederate staff-officer 
 observeil the proceechng. and rescued him from his woukLbe 
 murderer. 
 
 Idappily. the casualties aiuong the enlisted men were much less 
 in proportictn than among the officers. They had to a man fougln 
 with the most des])erate valor, keeping up the struggle after all the 
 officers were down, until absolutely ingulfed in the masses of the 
 enemy. 
 
 In telling of the practical annihilation of a body of troops, the 
 statement that their standard was saved from capture seems almo.st 
 incredible ; yet such was the case in this instance. The color ser- 
 geant, a gallant soldier from Hingham bv the name of Thomas 
 Hickey. had carried the standard tli rough the iKHtest of the l)attle. 
 At the last moment, seeing that it was im]>ossible to save it from 
 capture except by destroying it. he managtxl to elude the enemies 
 who were closing in upon him. and ])utting spurs to his horse, flew 
 towardi a hut which he had (observed in the woods, and threw h.im- 
 self from his charger just as he reacheil it, with his foes close upon 
 him. Rushing it, he thrust his precious battle flag into a fire which 
 was blazing on the hearth. The painted silk flashed u\) in flame, and 
 by the time that his pursuers broke in. it was ashes ! 
 
 His life was spared in consideration of his devoted bravery, 
 and he subsequently received a commission from the Governor of 
 the Commonwealth, in recognition oi his heroic det'd. 
 
 The losses of the Confederates in this action were at least a 
 half greater in number than Washburn's whole force. By their own 
 report, there were a hundred killed and wounded, among them a 
 general, one colonel, three majors and a lunuber of officers of lower 
 grade. 
 
 13 
 
Tin.' r.attlc al llii^li I'.ridyc was at rtrst thou^ln to have been a 
 useless sacritice. It was a sacrifice indeed, but it unquestionably 
 hastened the termination of the war, by days, and perhaps weeks. 
 
 After the surrender, Lee's Inspector General said to Ord, 
 
 "To the sharpness of that fight, the cutting off of Lee's army 
 at Appomattox was ])robably owing. So fierce were the charges of 
 Colonel Washburn and his men, and so determined their fighting, 
 that General Lee received the impression that they must be sup- 
 ix^rted by a large part of the army, and that his retrea*^ was cut ofif.'' 
 
 Lee consec|uently halted and began to intrench ; and this delay 
 gave time for Ord to come u]i. and enabled Sheridan to intercept the 
 enemy at Sailor's Creek. 
 
 The Confederate General Rosser said to a member of the regi- 
 ment whom he met after the war : 
 
 "You belonged to the Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry? Give 
 me your hand ! I have been many a day in hot fights. I never saw 
 anything approaching that at Migh Bridge. While your colonel 
 kept his saddle, everything went down before him!" 
 
 The Confederate troops at High Bridge were Rosser's and a 
 ])art of b^itz Hugh Lee's divisions. 
 
 "Was \()ur colonel drunk or crazy this morning, that he at- 
 tacked witli less than one hundred men the best fighting division of 
 the Confederate cavalry?" asked a rebel officer of a wounded cap- 
 tain of the Fourth ; "We have seen hard fighting, but we never 
 heard of anything like this before!" 
 
 The Confederate officers had at first utterly refused to credit 
 the stories of their ])risoners, insisting that the small force would 
 never have fought so fiercely unless it had been the advance of a 
 strong column. 
 
 Grant says in his memoirs. 
 
 "The Confederates took this to be only the advance of a larger 
 column which had headed them off. and so stopped to intrench ; so 
 that this gallant band had checked the ])rogress of a strong detach- 
 ment of the Confederate army. This stoppage of Lee's column no 
 doubt saved to us the trains following." 
 
 14 
 
Major Atherton H. Stevens 
 
 4th Mass. Volunteer Cavalry 
 
The First United States Flag Raised 
 In Richmond After the War. 
 
 By Mrs. Lasalle Corbell Pickett, 
 
 Wife of Major-General George L. Pickett, C. -S. A. 
 
 Thp: first knell of the evacuation of liichmond sounded on 
 Sunday morning while we were on our knees in St. Paul's 
 Church, invoking God's protecting care for our absent loved 
 ones, and blessings on our cause. 
 
 The intense excitement, the tolling of the bells, the hasty 
 parting, the knowledge that all communication would be cut 
 off between us and our loved ones, and the dread, undefined 
 fear in our helplessness and desertion, make a nightmare mem- 
 ory. 
 
 General Ewell had orders for the destruction of the public 
 buildings, which orders our Secretary of War, Gen. .J. C. Breck- 
 enridge, strove earnestly but without avail to have counter- 
 manded. The order, alas! was obeyed beyond the "letter of 
 the law." 
 
 The terrible conflagration was kindled by the Confederate 
 authorities, who applied the torch to the Shockoe warehouse, 
 it, too, being classed among the public buildings because of the 
 tobacco belonging to France and England stored in it. A fresh 
 breeze was blowing from the south ; the fire swept on in its 
 haste and fury over a great area in an almost incredibly short 
 time, and by noon the flames had transformed into a desert 
 waste all the city bounded by Seventh and Fifteenth Streets, 
 and Main Street and the river. One thousand houses were 
 destroyed. The streets were filled with furniture and every 
 description of wares, dashed down to be trampled in the mud or 
 buried where they lay. 
 
 • 19 
 
At iiiglit a satuniHlia began. About dark, tbe Government 
 eoniniissary began the destruction of its stores. Soldiers and 
 citizens gathered in front, catching the liciuor in basins and 
 pitchers; some with their hats and some with tlieir boots. It 
 took but a short time for this to make a manifestation as dread 
 as the flames. Tlie ert)\vd became a liowling mob, so frenzied 
 that the officers of the law had to ilee for their lives, reviving 
 memories of 17S1, when tlie Brittisli under Arnold rode down 
 Kiehmond llilh and, invading tlie city, broke open tlie stores 
 and emptied the provisions and liijuors into the gutters, making 
 even the uninitiated cows and hogs drunk for days. 
 
 All through the night, crowds of men, women, and children 
 traversed the streets, loading themselves with supplies and 
 plunder. At midnight, soldiers drunk with vile liquor, followed 
 by a reckless crowd as drunk as themselves, dashed in the 
 plate-glass windows of the stores, and made a wreck of every- 
 thing. 
 
 About nine o'clock on Monday morning, terrific shell explo- 
 sions, rapid and continuous, added to the terror of the scene, 
 and gave the impression that the city was being shelled by the 
 retreating Confederate army from the south side. But the 
 explosions were soon found to {)roceed from the Government 
 arsenal and laboratory, then in flames. Later in the morning, 
 a merciful Providence caused a lull in tlie breeze. The terrific 
 explosion of the laboratory and of the arsenal caused every 
 window in our home to break. The old plate-glass mirrors, built 
 in the walls, were cracked and shattered. 
 
 Fort Darling was blown up, and later on the rams. It was 
 eight o'clock when the Federal troo})s entered the city. It 
 required the greatest effort to tame down the riotous, crazed 
 mob, and induce them to take part in the struggle to save their 
 own. Tlie firemen, afraid of the soldiers who had obeyed the 
 orders to light the torch, would not listen to any appeals or 
 entreaties, and so the llames were under full headway, fanned 
 by a southern breeze, when the Tnion soldiers came to the 
 rescue. 
 
 The llonring nulls caught fire from the tobacco houses, com- 
 iiiunicatiiig it to Cnvy ami Nhiin streets. Fvery bank was 
 
 2(1 
 
destroyed. The War Departinont was a mass ol' ruins; the 
 Enquirer and Dispatch offices were in aslies ; and tlie county 
 court-house, the American Hotel, and most of the finest stores 
 of the city were ruined. 
 
 Libhy Prison and the I^-esbyterian church escaped. Sucli a 
 reign of terror and pillage, fire and flame, fear and despair! 
 The yelling and howling and swearing and weeping and wailing 
 beggar description. Families houseless and liomeless under the 
 open sky! 
 
 I shall never forget General Weitzel's command, composed 
 exclusively of colored troops, as I saw them through the dense 
 black columns of smoke. General Weitzel had for some time 
 been stationed on the north side of the James River, but a few 
 miles from Richmond, and he had only to march in and take 
 possession. He despatched Major A. H. Stevens of the Fourth 
 Massachusetts cavalry, and Major E. E. Graves of his staff, 
 with about a hundred mounted men, to reconnoitre the roads 
 and works leading to Richmond. They had gone but a little 
 distance into the Confederate lines, when they saw a shabby, 
 old-fashioned carriage, drawn by a pair of lean, lank horses, the 
 occupants waving a white flag. They met this flag-of-truce 
 party at the line of fortifications, just beyond the junction of 
 the Osborne turnpike and New Market road. The carriage 
 contained the mayor of Richmond — Colonel Mayo — Judge Mere- 
 dith of the Supreme Court, and Judge Lyons. The fourth 
 worthy I cannot recall. Judge Lyons, our former minister to 
 England, and one of the representative men of Virginia, made 
 the introductions in his own characteristic way, and then Colonel 
 Mayo, who was in command of the flag-of-truce party, handed 
 to Major Stevens a small slip of wall paper, on which was writ- 
 ten the following : "It is proper to formally surrender to the 
 Federal authorities the city of Richmond, hitherto capital of 
 the Confederate States of America, and the defenses protecting 
 it up to this time." That was all. The document was approved 
 of, and Major Stevens most courteously accepted the terms for 
 his commanding general, to whom it was at once transmitted, 
 and moved his column upon the evacuated city, taking posses- 
 sion and saving it from ashes. 
 
 21 
 
His first order was to sound tlic alarm bells and to take 
 e<jmmand at onee of the tire department, which consisted of 
 fourteen substitute men, those who were exempt from service 
 because of disease, two steam lire engines, four worthless liand 
 engines, and a large amount of hose, destroyed by the retreating 
 half-crazed Confederates. His next order was to raise the stars 
 and stripes over the Capitol. Quick as thought, two soldiers, 
 one from Company E and one from Company H of the Fourth 
 Massachusetts cavalry, crept to the summit and planted the flag 
 of the nation. Two bright, tasteful guidons were hoisted by 
 the halyards in place of the red cross. The living colors of the 
 Union were greeted, while our "Warriors' banner took its flight 
 to meet the warrior's soul." 
 
 That flag, wdiose design has been accredited alike to both 
 George Washington and John Adams, was raised over Virginia 
 by Massachusetts, in place of the one whose kinship and likeness 
 had not, even after renewed eff'ort, been entirely destroyed. 
 P"'or by the ado|)tion of the stars and bars (three horizontal 
 bars of equal width — the middle one white, the others red — with 
 a blue union of nine stars in a circle) by the Confederate Con- 
 gress in March, 1861, the Confederate flag was made so akin 
 and so similar to that of the nation, as to cause confusion ; so 
 in 1863 the stars and bars was supplanted by a flag with a 
 white field, having the battle flag (a red field charged with a blue 
 saltier, on which were thirteen stars) for a union. This, having 
 been mistaken for a flag of truce, was altered by covering the 
 outer half of the field beyond the union with a vertical red bar. 
 This was tlie last flag of the Confederacy. 
 
 Richmond will testify that the soldiers of Massachusetts 
 were worthy of the honor of raising the first United States flag 
 over her Capitol — the Capitol of the Confederacy — and also to 
 the unvarying courtesy of Major Stevens, and the fidelity with 
 which lie kept his tru.st. 
 
 22 
 
Capt. A. F. Ray 
 
The Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry 
 
 In the Closing Scenes of the War for tlie 
 
 Maintenance of the Union, 
 
 From Richmond to Appomattox, 
 
 bv 
 
 WM. B. ARNOLD, 
 
 Formerly Company H 4th Massachusetts Cavalry. 
 
 During the winter and spring of 1864 and ISBf) sciuadrons E 
 and H of the 4th Massachusetts cavalry were encamped near the 
 headquarters of General Weitzel commanding- the Twentv-fifth 
 Army Corps, then a part of the Army of the James. Out com- 
 mand was detached from our regiment and doing duty as 
 orderlies and couriers at Division and Brigade headquarters and 
 Artillery Brigade headquarters, as well as performing Provost 
 duty at corps headquarters. 
 
 Our command numbered about eighty men in charge of Cap- 
 tain A. F. Ray of Company H, 4th Massachusetts cavalry. He 
 was an officer of unusual abilit}'. The Army of the James held 
 possession north of the James, their lines extending from Deep 
 Bottom, a few miles below Dutch Gap to Fort Harrison and 
 around to the New Market road. 
 
 Our position was made very strong and withstood the attack 
 of the Confederates several times after it was taken from them in 
 Sept. 1864. Their defenses in our front were equally strong. In 
 addition they had several iron clads in the James River to assist in 
 the defense of Richmond. Our gunboats were down the river, 
 none of them, up to this time, having ventured above the Dutcli ( lap 
 canal. 
 
 The afternoon and evening of April second, 1865 indicated that 
 something unusual was likely to occur. The Artillery firing in the 
 direction of Petersburg in the evening, and during the night of the 
 second was heavy and continuous, and in the night the sky w'as 
 lighted up toward Richmond which proved to be the Ram X'irginia 
 on fire. When the fire reached the magazine there wa< a tremen- 
 dous explosion. Soon after this it was reported tliat the Confed- 
 
 27 
 
crates wore evacuating the works in our front. An order came 
 from (lencral W'eitzel for a detail of fifty cavalry which w'as im- 
 mediately mounted, and reported at corps headciuarters. 
 
 We were commanded by Captain A. F. Ray of H squadron, 
 acciMUpanied hv officers from 'rwenl\ -fifth army corps head- 
 quarters, and the entire command in char.<ie of Major Atherton 
 H. Stevens of the 4th ^lassachusetts cavalry and Provost Alar- 
 shall of the 2r)th Armv Cori)s. 
 
 We proceeded at once through our fortified line and ap- 
 proaching the Confederate line found that the troops were gone. 
 Working our wav several miles toward Richmond, we could see 
 through the fog a body of Confederate infantry. Major Stevens 
 immediately ordered a charge, and Captain Ray quickly re- 
 sponded with his men. At our near approach they surrendered. 
 We continued "on to Richmond," and were soon inside the inner 
 works that were impregnable when manned by a sufficient num- 
 ber for defence. With deep ditches and fallen trees to entangle 
 attacking parties, the Artillery and Infantry commanded the ap- 
 proach in every direction without exposing themselves. 
 
 The elaborate preparations for defense kept our armies at bay 
 for months around Petersburg, and Richmond was prepared for 
 standing ofif superior numbers by the best earthworks that our West 
 Point engineers who were in the Confederate army could devise. 
 As we entered these w^orks w-e saw a man ai^proaching with a 
 flag of truce. 
 
 In the distance were mounted men and carriages. We halted 
 and Major Stevens and his officers went forward and conferred 
 with the party, who proved to be the Mayor of Richmond accom- 
 panied by Judge Medereth and other prominent people of Rich- 
 mond. The city was formally surrendered to Major Stevens and 
 we then went forward at a rapid pace, and coming round a turn in 
 the roadwav at the Rockets, came in full view of Richmond. 
 
 We halted for a moment to contemplate the scene. A portion 
 tjf the city toward the James river was on fire. The black smoke 
 was rolling up in great volumes. Major Stevens said "everyone of 
 us should feel as proud as if we were promoted to be P.rigadier Gen- 
 erals." We gave three cheers and went on. and were soon in the 
 streets of Richmond passing Libby Prison ; and we clattered up the 
 paved street on the gallop to the Ca])itol, and were soon in the 
 space in front of the Capitol building. 
 
 28 
 
Major Stevens, with sftmc of the officers, rtished into the huild- 
 ing. and soon the guidons of Company I-', and 11 were llutlering 
 from the top of the huilding. W'e were formed around the eques- 
 trian statue of Washington, and we gave three times three, anrl a 
 Tiger, that indicated to spectators that we were there. Richmond 
 was ours, after four long years of tremendous struggle and sacri- 
 fice. I, for one, thought of the si)lenflifl services of thousands of the 
 best troops ever ralliedi to maintain a just cause. That our detail 
 was privileged to land first in Richmond with the fiags of Massa- 
 chusetts, was certainly appreciated' by us. 
 
 But our work was not over. A large area of the city toward 
 the river was on fire. To add to the fury of the flames the Ars- 
 enals were blowing up and the shells were continually exploding. 
 Corporal Macy and myself went with Captain Ray to ascertain if 
 the bridges connecting Richmond with Manchester were destroyed 
 by the evacuating Confederates. 
 
 We went up Main street to Eighth street and then across to 
 Cary street, and turned to the South, and went by burning bin'ldings 
 until we obtained a view of the bridges. The two bridges were on 
 fire, and burning rapidly from the Manchester side. Everything 
 in front of us was on fire; buildings blowing up and flames roaring 
 in every direction. 
 
 We started back and observed on our left a fire in a building 
 which was stored with ammunition. \Vq galloped past the 
 building and turned the corner toward Main street nearby when 
 the building exploded. As we emerged from the smoke and cin- 
 ders. Captain Ray remarked that we had only five seconds to spare 
 and a close shave, even where we were when the building went up. 
 We returned to the Capitol and reported to Alajor Stevens. I was 
 sent with a detail to the Davis Mansion with instructions to 
 leave a guard on the house. I found everything unmolested. 
 
 The desk used by the Confederate President was in disorder 
 and everything indicated a hasty departure. I returned to my com- 
 pany, and we were kq>t busy in restoring order. Soon our troops 
 began to pour into the citv and order reigned. Energetic 
 measures to stop the destruction of the city were promptly taken. 
 The blue lines looked good to me, and the i^eople soon realized 
 that instead of destroyers thev were sa\iors. for thev saved the 
 citv not already burned bv the follv of the retreating Confeder- 
 ates. 
 
 29 
 
When we arriveil in iviohniond tliere was disorder, frenzy and 
 chaos on every hand. Major Stevens restored order and confidence 
 in a remarkably short time under conditions that were most trying. 
 The trcx->ps as they arrived, were distributed where they could work- 
 effectively. Streets and residences were immeckately guarded. The 
 soldiers did not leave their commands to enrich themselves, and 
 perfect order was restored before nightfall. Our little band of cav- 
 alrv was exervwhere. and making good for lack of numl.ers by 
 energetic performance until the arrival of the infantry. And after 
 they came we were in the saddle till late at night. 
 
 We encamped for the night in the yard of the I'emale Institute 
 building, and we were a tired but happy band. The next day, April 
 4th. was (|uiet. The infernal condition of fire, smoke and ex])losion 
 and continuous bursting of shells was changed to a scene of waste 
 and ruin wrought in the fire district, wdiich covered about one 
 third of the citv. The da\- was made eventful bv the appearance of 
 President Lincoln in the city. He came uji from Citv Point and 
 walked up the street alone with his boy. General Devens immed- 
 iatelv received him. ?\lr. Lincoln met with a splendid ovation from 
 the troops and the colored people as he rode about the cit} . He 
 rode in a carriage accompanied by General Devens and other of- 
 ficers, escorted by a detail of cavalry from E and H sriuadrons of 
 the 4th Massachusetts cavalry, commanded by Captain A. F. Ray. 
 
 On the morning of April 5th, the detachment that composed 
 the detail that first entered Richmond on the morning of April 3, 
 1865. started to join its regiment, commanded l)v Colonel Wash- 
 burn. They were with General Ord commanding the army cf the 
 lames in ])ursuit of General Lee's retreating forces. We proceederl 
 bv way of I\'tersburg through Dinwiddle County and .\melia 
 Courthouse to Burkeville Junction, arriving there April Tth. There 
 we found that Colonel Washburn's command was engaged at 
 High P.ridge the dav before, meeting with heavv loss, but emerg- 
 ing from the c(jntHct witii much honor and a splendid reu >r(l of 
 achievement. 
 
 The engagement is well described by our comrade. Captain 
 Bouve of the 4th Massacliusetts cavalrv and will interest surviv- 
 ing comrades of the regiment, .and all who lo\c the detenders of 
 their country. Colonel Washbuin and main others ot our regi- 
 ment were in the field hosi)ital at I'.urkeville junction and Cap- 
 tain Rav and Lieutenant Miller visited them, and returning to 
 our cam]), gave us a graphic description of the charges of our 
 
 30 
 
comrades the (la\' hclorc. I'dloiu'l W a^lihiini >ui-\ i\x'(l lii.s injuries 
 only a few days. lie luld (,'ai)lain l\a\ thai "il" 1 had llie wliole 
 of the 4th 1-eL^inieiit with me I wduUl ha\e annihilated Fitz Hu.q'h 
 Lee and Kosser. " I his was the mar\elous eoura^'e and spirit of 
 the man, "a .gentleman and a soldier." 
 
 We immediately started on to rejxirt to the headquarters of 
 the army of the Potomac. All the way from Petersburg^ there was 
 evidence of conflict. At Amelia Courthouse we found the rem- 
 nants of Ewcll's corps of the Confedierate army. Artillery, wagons 
 and ammunition piled up in disorder; from peo])Ie along the way 
 reports of lighting. The Confederate troops hurriedly passed 
 down the highway, to be immediately followed by the blue lines of 
 federal troops. ( )n the morning of the ninth of A])ril we began to 
 catch up with the army of the Potomac. 
 
 ThrcHigh the lines of the sixth and ninth cori)s we rcjde, until 
 early in the afternoon came the report that Lee had surrendered. 
 You ought to have seen the faces of the soldiers of the army of the 
 Potomac then. They looked like heroes to me. When we reached 
 the Confederate lines we kept on through their camps and lanfled 
 at General Meade's headquarters at Appomattox C. H., where we 
 were immediately i)ut on duty to assist in the work of ])aroling and 
 (hsbanding the Confederate army. 
 
 A detail from my squadron went to Lynchburg one afternoon 
 with General Gibbons returning in the night. When the arrange- 
 ments of paroling the Confederate army were complete and Gen- 
 eral Lee was at liberty to depart from his army, an order came 
 from army headcjuarters for a detail of cavalry to escort General 
 Lee from his lines. The escort was made up from the 4th Massa- 
 chusetts cavalry and I was privileged to be one of them. Sixteen 
 men composed the platoon and Lieutenant Lovell of our regiment 
 was in command. I was right guide of the detail, and I t]ioug"ht 
 at the time that we were i)rettv good representatives of the Union 
 cavalry. 
 
 We had H guidon with us which was one of the flags that was 
 the first in Richmond. We went to General Lee's head<|uartcrs and 
 Lieutenant Lovell reported to General Lee. 
 
 He was courteouslv received and asked to wait until ( leneral 
 Lee and his staff had breakfast and completed arrangements for 
 their departure. W^e dismounted a short distance away. General 
 Lee seated himself at a table made from a hard tack box and ate 
 
 31 
 
his last l)r(.'akf:ist ( c< uisistiiiL;- of hard lack, fricil ])i)rk and coffee 
 wilhoiu milk), with the anii\- of Xorlheni \'irL;inia. He was 
 dressed in a neat. iLira\ unifoini uikI was a sj^lcndid looking- sol- 
 dier. Commanding,- ofticers of corijs .ind divisions of the Confed- 
 erate arm\- and other ofticers tlien came to take lea\L' of him. He 
 was a short distance from me and his comersation was evidently 
 words of cnconragement and advice, .\lmost every one of the 
 officers went awa\' in tears. Ihen we mounted, and (General 
 Lee's ])art\- started througli the lines of the remnant of the Army 
 of Xorthern X'irginia for his home in Richmond. 
 
 Then commenced an ovation that seemed to me a wfniderful 
 manifestation of confidence and affection for this great military 
 chieftain. From the time we left his camp till we passed the last of 
 his regiments the men -eemed to come from everywhere and the 
 ' Rebel Yell" was continuous. The little guidon of our squadron 
 fluttered in the breeze and seemed silently to voice the sentiment of 
 
 Webster. "Libertv and Cnion now and fore\er. one and inse])- 
 arable." 
 
 The war was truly over and (ieneral Lee was departing for 
 his home to devote ihe remainder of his life in peaceful pursuits. 
 W'e continued with him a short distance in lUickingham County 
 wdierc the party halted. General Lee rode up to Lieutenant 
 Lo\ell and thanked him for the escort, and sainted as he went his 
 wax, wdiile w^e returned to Ap])omattox. At night the army of 
 Xorthern \'irginia was gone. The I nion arnn was i)reparing to 
 take uj) the line of niarcli for tiieir homes. The \ears of acliieve- 
 ment and sacrifice have been commented on 1)\- elo(|uent orators. 
 I have endeavored to i)en a simple narrative to mention events as 
 the\- ai)peared to me. 
 
 When the army started from Aj^pomattox they were rejoiced 
 to contemjjlate changed conditions. At night camp fires were burn- 
 ing. The d.angerous duty of pick'ett and scouting and tigluing was 
 a thing of the past. I^verybody felt elated and hai)py. 
 
 Tlie news of I'resident Lincoln's assassination came, and 
 quiet and ^^adne^s reigned. It -^eemed a great pit\- that this should 
 come to ]>ul a nation in nviurning, at a tinu' wlini rfioicing tor the 
 Xation rediH-incd, \\a> universal. ( h\v d(.iacliin(.'nt retm-ned to 
 Richmond and we remained with our regiment, doing duty in re- 
 storing order in and around I'etersburg and Kichmond until late in 
 the fall of ]Xi)') when we weri' nnistered out, the last Massachusetts 
 X'olunteer Ktgimmt to return home. 
 
 :j2 
 
Death of the War Horse 
 
 The Death of the Old \V;ir Horse whicli Col Tilden of the 
 Sixteenth Maine rode dnrinj^ the war, prompted the 
 Rev. Nathaniel Butler to write the following lines. 
 
 The sentiment expressed naturally* appeals to anj'one and 
 especially to a soldier who rode a horse duiingthe war 
 to maintain the Union. 
 
 Farewell, my horse! tliy work is done, 
 
 Thy sj>leu<li(l form lies low. 
 Thy limbs of steel have lost their strength, 
 
 Thy flash ing eye its glow. 
 
 No more thy (jiiivering nostrils snitf 
 
 The battle from afar. 
 No more beneath thy flying feet 
 
 The j^lains with thunder jar. 
 
 l-"or thou werl born a hero soul, 
 
 In days when heroes fought, 
 When men, borne by thy glorious strength, 
 
 Immortal laurels sought. 
 
 ►Seated upon thy nerve-strung form. 
 
 Another life was mine. 
 And well 1 knew tlie same high thrill 
 
 Kan through my .^oul and thine. 
 
 A thi'one thou wert to sit u]i(iii, 
 
 And true as steel within, 
 Whene'er I feU thy brave heart beat, 
 
 My own has braver been. 
 
 Ami when the bugle's call tn ('haig'e 
 
 < >\\-r the column ran, 
 Thy arching crest, "with thun<lcr clothed," 
 
 Loved best to lead the van. 
 
Upon tlie niarcli, with tiix'loss feet, 
 Tliroiit^h inountaiii, gor^e and plain, 
 
 When others strayed thy place was kej>t, 
 Through all the long campaign. 
 
 But now, thy last, long halt is made : 
 
 Thy last cam])aign is o'er; 
 The bugle call, the battle shout , 
 
 Shall thrill thee never more. 
 
 AVhere art thou gone — old friend and true? 
 
 What place hast thou to fill? 
 For it may be thy spirit form 
 
 Somewhere is marching still. 
 
 Here there are those whom we call men, 
 
 Whose souls full well I know 
 Another life may not deserve 
 
 One-half so well as thou. 
 
 And natures such as thine has been 
 
 Another life may claim, 
 And God may have a place for them 
 
 Within his wide domain. 
 
 His armies tread their glorious march 
 
 Over the eternal plain. 
 Their leader rides a snow white steed, 
 
 Who follow in his train? 
 
 We may not ever meet again ; 
 
 But, wheresoe'er I go, 
 A cherished place within my heait 
 
 Thou'It have, old friend, I know. 
 
 God made us both, and we have marched 
 Firm friends whilst thou wert liere ; 
 
 I only know I shall not blush 
 To meet thee anvwhere. 
 
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