Summary:
Col. Benjamin F. Smith commanded the Third Brigade of the Army of the Potomac
which included the 87th Pa. Inf. Smith reports that his regiment was not sharply
engaged in the battle.
Lieut. J. JOHNSON, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.
December 3, 1863
LIEUTENANT
In compliance with circular of this date from headquarters Third Division, I have respectfully to report the recent operations of this brigade, giving, as directed, any delays or obstacles; also a revised report of casualties* at the close of the report.
On the 26th of November, the brigade marched at 8 a.m. from Brandy Station, Va., with the division and corps, to Jacobs' Mills Ford, on the Rapidan River, and crossed, without resistance, at about 5 p.m., and marched some 3 miles along a road through the Wilderness and returned to near the ford and bivouacked for the night.
November 27, in accordance with circular from headquarters of the division, the brigade marched with the corps soon after sunrise over same road for the greater part of the distance of the day before. The Second Division of the corps, being in the advance, came upon the enemy about noon. This brigade, being in rear of its division, moved slowly along, closed up, with flankers well thrown out, as directed by the general commanding division. At about 4 p.m. the rapidity of the firing and the number of the wounded brought to the rear indicated the enemy in force. I received verbal orders to move forward with the brigade, and met the general commanding division behind and near the line of battle in the woods, and was directed by him to move quickly and take position in line, my right joining the left of General Morris' brigade. In moving through the thick woods I sent two staff officers in different directions to find the brigade of General Morris, as I had no time to reconnoiter the ground over which I was passing. Finding the Second Brigade taking the position indicated for mine, I halted and sent a staff officer to report the general commanding division. I was then ordered, through the assistant adjutant-general of the division, to join my right on the Second Brigade, and connect with the Second Army Corps on my left.
In marching to this last-mentioned position I came to a clearing of low ground, through which ran a miry creek, on the opposite of which was a matted thicket of considerable extent and depth. As all this ground was covered by the enemy's fire, in order to protect my men as well as possible until I could place them in the position indicated, I filed the left in front of the line under the cover of some irregularly shaped small hills. This done, I directed the left to move back to the line proper, the right having joined with the left of the Second Brigade. In doing this the most of the brigade was thrown in the tangled timber around which on the left flank the enemy was moving in heavy columns, being under a severe fire without being able to accomplish or see anything. The left being in some confusion on account of the character of the country, I found it necessary to reform the brigade in the clearing a short distance in the rear. It then moved to a new line along the crest of the hill a little farther to the left and rear, a good position. After consulting with General Howe, of the Sixth Corps, whom I met there and who was of opinion that the hill should be held at all hazards, I accordingly occupied it and remained there, thus holding the extreme left. A brigade of the Sixth Corps closed the gap on my right. By this movement I prevented the rebels from turning our flank. The Second Corps, with which I was ordered to connect, must have been some miles on our left, as I could not find or communicate with it. During these movements the sun went down and the battle ceased.
My brigade was not fairly engaged; there was some desultory firing from it, but nothing more. I used every effort to make the best of circumstances. I did not know the ground, and there was no one to give me information. One of my aides is missing, either killed or a prisoner. Another aide did not rejoin me again after I sent him with an order. He reports that he could not find the brigade again. One of my orderlies had his horse disabled by a gunshot wound, therefore I lost his services, and I found myself almost alone most of the time, with but one orderly, who carried the brigade flag. My acting assistant adjutant-general did not fail me, but it became necessary to give my personal attention to all parts of the line, which was extremely difficult, owing to the broken and tangled state of the country. The brigade remained in its position at night on the hill, under arms, with strong pickets thrown out in front and on the left flank. During the movements described the brigade lost slightly in killed, wounded, and missing.
November 28, at about half past 4 a.m., a staff officer from division headquarters brought me an order to rejoin the division, which I did, with the brigade to the rear, near corps headquarters. At about 8 o'clock marched with corps toward Robertson's Tavern. Passing Robertson's Tavern the command halted about 3:30 p.m., and about 5 o'clock moved forward, and, after a tedious night march of some 2 miles, bivouacked, for the night in the immediate presence of the enemy.
November 29, before noon, the general commanding division sent for me, and informed me that it was the intention to assault the works of the enemy in our front, and that my brigade was to lead the attack of our division, and gave me directions accordingly. The division was formed for this purpose in the afternoon, but, for some reason unknown to me, the assault was abandoned, and we bivouacked for the night.
Monday, November 30, the brigade, with the division, marched at 2 a.m. some 2 miles and joined the Second Corps, and at daylight was in line of battle for the purpose of assaulting the rebel works, this brigade again in the advance, two regiments in the front line, the One hundred and twenty-sixth Ohio and Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, with a company from each deployed as skirmishers about 300 yards in advance. During the morning, the pickets being drawn in, the rebels closed up in the vacuum and came upon the skirmishers of the Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, when, for a few moments, there was some sharp firing, killing 3 and wounding 4 men, the rebels falling immediately back. For some reason the assault was given up, and at l p.m. the division marched back to its camp of the night before, and bivouacked.
December 1, at noon, the brigade marched, in accordance with orders, back some 6 miles, to the junction of the Orange and Fredericksburg pike and the plank road to Germanna Ford, to support the cavalry and cover the flank while the army moved to the rear. This was done without event, and at 7 a.m., December 2, the brigade moved, with Colonel Taylor's brigade of cavalry and one battery of artillery (myself in command of the whole, by order of General Gregg), and covered the rear of the troops crossing at Culpeper Ford. A few of the rebel cavalry followed and skirmished with the rear cavalry regiments, picking up some few stragglers, but doing no other damage. After seeing all the troops, &, cross Culpeper Ford, I crossed and placed the brigade in position, until the pontoon bridge was taken up and taken away, when I received orders from General Gregg to rejoin my corps, which I did near the ford about 2 p. m., and marched with it until sunset, when the division bivouacked in the woods.
Thursday, December 3, at 1 a.m., resumed the march, and reached Brandy Station at sunrise, and re-occupied the old camp of just one week ago.
[B. F. SMITH], Colonel, Comdg. Third Brig., Third Div., Third Corps.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I., Volume 29. Part I, Reports., Serial No. 48, , Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
