NY-Military-L Archives

From: "DonLinda" <>
Subject: [NY-MILITARY] Sept 16-1862: 105th at Alexandria
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2006 07:26:55 -0400

Republican Advocate - Batavia NY
September 16-1862

transcribed & submitted by L. Schmidt

The 105th at the Battle of the 30th of August.
Correspondence of the New York Tribune.
Alexandria, Aug. 5.
[submitter's note: it appears that some error must have taken place in
printing this article, as the two above dates: August 30/August 5, do not
co-incide. L.S.]

I learn the following interesting particulars of the commencement of the
battle of Saturday: About 10 o'clock in the morning, fighting commenced on
the right, the 104th and 105th N.Y.V. having been ordered about this time to
go and occupy a piece of woods on the right. As they filed into the woods
the enemy's sharpshooters opened from behind and the tops of trees, and in
fact every place that could afford shelter to them, doing considerable
execution. Lieut. Rudd, of Company G, was the first man to fall. He was
shot through the head and instantly fell and expired. His body has not since
been recovered. He was a most estimable young man and officer, was about 30
years of age, and unmarried.
Masked batteries with grape and canister now followed the fire of the
sharpshooters, wounding among others General Duryee in the hand. The 104th
started for the woods, under the command of Lt. Col. R. Wells Kenyon, and
the 105th, under command of Lieut. Col. Carroll - As soon as the batteries
opened Lt. Col. Kenyon left his regiment in charge of Major Skinner, and
left the field in an ambulance for Washington. He had previously been very
sick. Both regiments were now ordered to fall back beyond the reach of the
batteries, and Maj. Skinner to inform his men in linen of battle at their
new position in a hollow near a belt of wood, the 105th falling back in line
of battle to support them. The enemy now filed out of the woods to the
number of a thousand or more and opened a galling musketry fire upon our
men, killing and wounding large numbers. Major Skinner was at once ordered
by Gen. Duryee to charge them, which he did. When within three rods of the
enemy, they broke and ran back into the woods. The 104th then fell back to
their former position, and the Rebels, finding that they were not to be
tempted to follow their retreating men into the woods, sent a whole Brigade
of George regiments, headed by a red flag with a white cross and skull and
bones in the center. Gen. Duryee now ordered both regiments forward to
charge, leading them himself. After they arrived at the brow of the hill on
a charge, Gen. Duryee discovered the enemy planting a battery on each flank,
right and left, at the edge of the woods, and finding that they were
surrounding us on all sides; ordered his men to fall back, which they did in
good order, to a piece of woods about four or five hundred yards distant,
followed by some six or eight hundred of the enemy's cavalry, who skirted
the woods and picked up or killed three or four of our men. - when meeting
some of our regiments falling back in good order from the field, they
retreated hastily in the direction form which they came. A general order was
given to retreat before this regiment made its last charge, and the first
notice they had of this was when they saw other regiments retreating. The
officers of both these regiments behaved admirably in face of overwhelming
numbers. The loss in killed and wounded in the 104th alone is estimated by
the officers to be one hundred and forty, and one, a Captain of the
regiment, says that forty of the regiment were killed.
*

This thread:

• [NY-MILITARY] Sept 16-1862: 105th at Alexandria by "DonLinda" <>