4th Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry

The New England Magazine. / Volume 10, Issue 5, July 1891.

Page 630.

The Battle at High Bridge.

By Edward T. Bouve [edits by Robert Morss].

WHEN the last days of the great rebellion had come, and the remnant of the once magnificent army of Northern Virginia was reeling towards the mountains, striking ever and anon despairing blows at its relentless pursuers, great events crowded events so hotly that the muse of history was compelled to record many a deed in shorthand, which he who runs finds it difficult to read.

Among these records is one short page which is worthy of more consideration than it has ever received. Upon it is found the story of the exploit of a handful of Massachusetts cavalry, who, led by their heroic colonel, devoted themselves to certain destruction in dealing to the rebel army so heavy a blow, that there is no doubt that the great surrender was materially hastened by their sacrifice.

The Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts cavalry, raised and commanded during the earlier period of its service by Colonel Arnold A. Rand, of Boston, had been subjected to a discipline and training which caused it to develop rapidly into one of the finest cavalry regiments in the army. Possibly owing to this very fact, it had the misfortune, as well as the honor, to be broken into detachments which were serving at army and corps headquarters, or elsewhere on important duty.

On the opening of the last campaign, the first and third battalions were in the army of the James, three squadrons [I, L and M], with the field and staff, being attached to the army headquarters, two [F and K] to the headquarters of the twenty-fourth, and two [E and H] to that of the twenty-fifth corps, while one [G] was on detached service on the peninsula. Two squadrons [E and H] of this regiment were the earliest Federal troops to enter Richmond, and their guidons were the first Union colors displayed from the Confederate capitol.

The second battalion was in South Carolina and Florida. The regiment was at that time commanded by Francis Washburn, of Lancaster, a young fellow, high minded, patriotic, of rare manly beauty. In appearance, as in every other way, he was an ideal soldier.

His officers and men were worthy followers of such a leader. On the twenty-seventh of March came the orders to break camp, preparatory to entering upon the spring campaign. At this time the three squadrons comprising the colonel's immediate command, and attached to the headquarters of Ord's army, could muster field, staff and line but twelve officers and some one hundred and fifty men. Casualties and unavoidable details for special duty had reduced their strength to this point.

The armies of the James and of the Potomac having resumed active operations against Petersburg, that city was evacuated on the third of April, and the pursuit of Lees retreating army instantly commenced. The army of the James followed the line of the Lynchburg railroad, reaching Burkesville on the evening of the fifth, after an uneventful march. That evening Lee moved rapidly from Amelia Court House, hoping to succeed in crossing the Appomattox at Farmville, thirty-five miles west, destroying bridges behind him, and thence to reach the mountains beyond Lynchburg.

The army of the James at once changed direction in the attempt to cut the rebels off at Farmville.

It was a matter of the greatest importance that the long high trestle work near Farmville, called High Bridge, should be destroyed before the advance of the Confederates could reach the spot. General Ord decided to intrust this dangerous and difficult duty to Colonel Washburn, who was detached for the same with his own cavalry, reduced by still further details to only seventy-eight sabres, including eleven officers (beside the surgeon and chaplain, practically non-combatants), Captain Goddard hav-

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ing joined at Burkesville the night before, from an unexpired leave of absence. There were also put under Washburn's command two small regiments of infantry, together about six hundred muskets. The distance from Burkesville to Farmville was some sixteen miles, but it was a long march for the infantry to make in such short space of time as was indispensable to the success of the undertaking, for they were exhausted by their previous forced marches.

The detachment started before daybreak on the morning of April sixth. Washburn became satisfied after having proceeded a few miles that the Confederates had closed in upon the road in his rear, cutting him off from the Federal army. There was also a probability of an attack in flank, as well as perhaps in front, for he was practically marching between and almost among rebel divisions, which were evidently ignorant of his proximity.

He had in effect been gone but a short time when General Ord learned of the direction in which the rebel army was moving, and at once despatched his adjutant-general, Brevet Brigadier-General Theodore Read, with orders to find Washburn's detachment, and cause it to fall back and rejoin the army of the James. By mere chance, and desperate riding, Read with a single orderly, avoided the various bodies of rebels, and overtook Washburn near High Bridge, in the vicinity of which the latter had arrived after a fatiguing march.

Contrary to information which Ord had received from spies, the bridge was found to be well defended, a redoubt mounting several guns being near its head. The open ground and morasses about it forbade an attempt to capture it by assault, without artillery, but from what Washburn learned regarding the approaches on its rear side, he thought it possible to take it by a sudden attack of cavalry.

He accordingly left General Read with the infantry in a narrow line of woodland near the Burkesville road, and started to make a detour to come upon the rear of the fortification. A small stream was soon reached, the bridge having been torn up, and upon rising ground beyond were earthworks occupied by dismounted rebel cavalry, who immediately opened fire. The advanced guard under Lieutenant Davis at once swam the stream and attacked this force, driving the enemy out of their works, and toward Farmville. Here they were reinforced, and Washburn coming up with the main column, threw out skirmishers, and a fight of half an hour ensued. The enemy's numbers were such, and their artillery fire so heavy, however, that they could not be driven; and besides, as musketry firing from where the infantry had halted indicated an attack upon them, Washburn thought best to withdraw and rejoin the infantry.

After sharp riding, the cavalry arrived near the position of the infantry, and Washburn left the main road, leading his men through a ravine until they reached the hill which was the scene of action. As the battalion drew rein on this eminence, the condition of affairs developed itself. A brigade of dismounted Confederates were driving the two small regiments of Federal infantry before them in front, while the air rang with the rebel yell. Upon the left flank were large bodies of cavalry forming for a charge.

Colonel Washburn, after a short consultation with Adjutant-General Read, determined to crush the rebels in his front by a furious attack, depending on the infantry to support this movement, and thus enable him to press the enemy to defeat. It was the only alternative, and he gave orders for the infantry to be rallied for an advance. Then he ordered "Forward" and the little column moved to the right and came into line beyond the infantry. Washburns voice rang like his own trumpets, which took up his final order in their brazen throats.

Gallop, march! Charge! and those seventy-eight Massachusetts horsemen, the air shattered by their wild battle shout, hurled themselves upon the enemy's masses.

Their onset was like a thunderbolt. The heavy rebel line, crushed and broken, staggered and fell back in confusion, leaving the ground covered with their dead and wounded, and an embarrassing

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crowd of prisoners. But Washburn's mere handful of men had allowed of no reserve to support his first attack, and the Federal troopers were obliged to draw rein to re-form to meet the enemys counter-charge. Driving the prisoners before them up the hill toward their first position, they were astounded at finding the Burkesville road filled with rebel cavalry, and lines of battle were rapidly forming and advancing at a gallop to the rescue of their defeated first line.

Down swept the little Massachusetts battalion again, pressing close behind their leader and their standard; a wedge of blue steel, which was to rend and cleave the heavy gray masses of veteran troops which enveloped them. They crashed through three lines, until, their formation entirely broken, they mingled with their foes in a fierce hand-to-hand fight. Less than a score emerged from this fearful melee, and these few were led by Captain Hodges in a last furious charge, in which he met his own death; as gallant and chivalrous an officer as ever drew sabre.

Every officer but three had been killed or wounded. The horses of these three had been slain under them, and they were prisoners. But still little knots of soldiers fought on. They knew not how to stop fighting until they were absolutely engulfed and overwhelmed in the multitude of their enemies.

The battle at High Bridge was over. Adjutant-General Read had fallen at the hill, at almost the first fire, while encouraging the infantry. But these troops, after firing away their ammunition, were unable longer to make head against the overpowering force of the rebels. They were surrounded and captured to a man.

Of the Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry, nearly all the officers lay upon the field. The surgeon and chaplain had remained in the rear, but of those engaged, the colonel, shot in the face, had been sabred after falling from his horse. Found upon the scene of action the next day by the advance of the army of the James, he was taken to Point of Rocks Hospital, and thence by his own earnest desire, sent home, only to die in his mothers arms. Lieutenant-Colonel Jenkins was seriously hurt. Of the three squadron commanders, Captains Hodges and Goddard were killed, and Captain Caldwell severely wounded. Lieutenants Belcher and Thompson were badly wounded; Lieutenant Davis, mortally. He was the dashing officer who had led the attack at the first skirmish at the stream, and was shot after having been captured, for resenting an insult offered him by a rebel officer. A like fate very nearly befell Adjutant-Lieutenant Lathrop. His horse was killed under him, and he was seized by a rebel captain, who was about shooting him because his bloody sabre told the story of his work in the fight. A staff officer, fortunately, came forward and saved his life.

The loss in enlisted men was proportionately less than among the officers.

The standard was not captured, being saved from that fate by the courage and presence of mind of Color-Sergeant Thomas Hickey, who had borne it with great bravery through the thickest of the fight. When all hope of victory was gone and escape impossible, he put spurs to his horse and rode to a hut in the woods, closely pursued. Reaching the door, he threw himself from the saddle and rushed in with the standard. There was a bright fire burning upon the hearth, and into this he thrust his precious battle flag. The painted silk flashed up at once, and by the time his pursuers burst in upon him it was destroyed. A novel and heroic way of saving the colors! His life was spared through the admiration of his captors for his devoted gallantry, notwithstanding their disappointment in not securing the coveted trophy.

The loss which the Confederates sustained in this action was terrible in proportion to its duration, and to the force of their assailants. By their own account, about one hundred were killed or wounded, and among the slain were one general, one colonel, three majors, and a number of officers of lower grades.

The utter destruction of this small force in its struggle against such odds, for these eleven officers and sixty-seven men had attacked Rosser's and a part of Fitz-Hugh Lee's divisions of cavalry, supported by Longstreets corp, seemed

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at first to have been a reckless sacrifice. On the contrary, the fight at High Bridge, unquestionably hastened the fall of the curtain on the tragedy of the war, at Appomattox, three days later. Lees Inspector-General said to Ord, after the surrender, To the sharpness of that fight, the cutting off of Lees army at Appomattox was probably 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 supported by a large part of the army, and his retreat was cut off. He consequently halted, and began to intrench. Thus Ord was enabled to come up, with the army of the James, and Sheridan succeeded in engaging the enemy at Sailors Creek.

The well-known Confederate General Rosser stated after the war, that the importance of this fight in its bearing upon subsequent events had never been justly appreciated. And this general, upon meeting a gentleman afterwards who had served with the regiment, said to him with generous enthusiasm: "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 High Bridge. While your colonel kept his saddle, everything went down before him!"

"Was your colonel drunk or crazy, this morning, that he attacked with less than one hundred men the best fighting division of the Confederate Cavalry?" asked a rebel officer of a wounded captain of the Fourth. "We have seen hard fighting, but we never heard of anything like this before."

Could Colonel Washburn have had his twelve hundred troopers with him, great as the odds even then would have been against them, there had perhaps been a different tale told.

He has been charged with recklessness in engaging such a force with only a handful of men. But while the wild bravery, shown by him and his men should call for the most unqualified admiration for its own sake, yet it is but justice to his discretion to state that he had been instructed by the general commanding to charge any body of the enemy which he might encounter, as the demoralization of the rebel army was reported to be such that they would break before any determined onset, whatever their numbers might be. The splendid and desperate constancy of the Confederates remaining in arms, however, was hardly understood by some of our generals. It was never more magnificently shown than when in their despair they hurled their skeleton battalions upon our lines at Sailors Creek.

But Washburn and his fourscore sabres had done enough. They had succeeded in adding a more brilliant lustre to the fame which has ever attended the standards of the American Cavalry.