Letter from George W. Tillotson - Civil War - April 1862

Letter from George W. Tillotson, Civil War Soldier

Chenango American, May 16, 1862

Camp Dickinson, Roanoke Island
April 21st, 1862

I mentioned in my two last letters of having orders to be in readiness to march at a moment's warning, and now I will try and give you a description of the expedition--We started Friday the 18th in the forenoon, our regiment (89th) going on board the Massasoit and Philadelphia--the right wing, and Co. H. of the left, on board the former, and Companies E, K, G and B, on board the latter.  The expedition was composed of the 9th N.Y. (Hawkins' Zouaves) on the right, the 89th N.Y., 6th N.H., 51st Penn, and 21st Mass., making a force of about 3000 men on board seven steamers.  Three gun boats also accompanied the expedition.  We arrived a few miles below Elizabeth City, and disembarked about 1 o'clock Saturday morning, and commenced our march--except the 51st Penn. and 21st Mass., which landed at ? o'clock and followed us, but they took a direct route and arrived on the battle ground first. We were misled by our guides (a negro and white man) so that when we had traveled 12 miles we were only 3 or 4 miles from where we started, but the guides paid dear for their treachery for they were shot all to pieces by the Zouaves.  We kept on marching, taking the route by Curituck till 1 o'clock in the afternoon, when we arrived within two miles of the battle ground and heard the cannonading which the rebels commenced upon the 51st Penn. and 21st Mass. who had arrived in front of the enemy's position. We were there met by one of Gen. Reno's (our commanding General) aids, who urged us to close up and press on, for we should be in an engagement in twenty-five minutes.  At that time our lines were very much broken, nearly half of our men having become completely exhausted and fallen by the roadside to rest.  Anyone used to marching in the ranks can possibly imagine something of our fatigue after marching a forced march of thirty-five miles (which it was from the place of landing to the battle field) in less than twelve hours.  Co. H started with twenty-six files , but when they wanted to form companies for the battle, all we could get together was fourteen files, and other companies and regiments were the same or worse. The day was very warm and a good many fainted from the heat and fatigue. The enemy was 2700 strong and their position was very well chosen, their batteries raking the road for over a mile and rifle pits dug so as to face us from every direction. They were the Georgia 3d, the Red Riflemen or Mississippi Wild Cats, and the Louisiana Tigers, three of the best regiments in the southern army.

When we got within about a mile of their battery, the 9th and 89th filed off to the right and followed the edge of the woods down towards the enemy.  The 6th N.H. was to follow the road down to front of the enemy but instead filed to the left, and followed the Mass. 21st down, the 51st Penn. having previously gone down ahead of us and stationed themselves in the woods, on the rebels left wing. The rebel batteries played right and left upon our lines but without doing much execution, but after our battery consisting of four pieces, two belonging to the 9th N.Y., and two taken off the gun boat Virginia and manned by a party of marines, got in position in the road in front of the rebel battery, the attention of the batteries were turned upon each other, our battery doing great execution; while the rebels on ours neither damaged a gun, nor hurt a man while working them.  Our quartermaster, while watching the effect our artillery had upon the enemy, said he saw several of the enemy fall, one poor fellow being hit in the collar bone and his head taken right from his body.  Our artillery kept gradually advancing and the rebels taking back up on their rifle pits, until the 9th and 89th made a charge when the rebel artillery, charged with grape and canister, were turned upon us and their rifles first began to send the lead whistling about our ears.

The Zouaves were ahead, and we had to follow them down through the woods in two ranks or double files, and double quick time, for about a mile so that when we got into the open field in front of the enemy most of us were so tired with that and our previous double quicking, that we could hardly raise a run sufficient for a decent charge of bayonets.  By the time we had got out so as to get a good fair sight and chance at the rebels the Zouaves were badly cut up, and were falling back and Gen. Reno ordered us to turn to the right and seek the shelter of the woods as the fire was too hot for us there, so we just covered the retreat of the Zouaves and then followed them to the cover of the woods.  It was while crossing that field that the bullets whistled the liveliest, yet by a miracle only two of our regiment were hit, one private of Co. A, supposed mortally, and a Lieut. of Co. A, flesh wound in the thigh.  I think in going across to the woods which I and all the rest did half bent, there was not less than a dozen bullets went directly over me, so near that they would have hit me had I been standing straight up.  We were rallied again here under shelter of the woods and the Zouaves were to be rallied and support us.

We then struck through the corner of the woods coming out near the rebel left wing and charged bayonets on them with a yell that made everything ring, and the 51st Penn. did the same, when the rebels broke and skadaddled.  Being fresh they were able to do some taller walking than we were after our long march, so we took only about half a dozen prisoners. There were only five dead rebels left on the field and they probably fell in the last charge, but come to look in the woods we found a pile with thirty red riflemen in it.  Our loss is about 12 killed and 50 wounded and some missing. The killed and wounded is mostly of the 9th N.Y.

We had just got through the battle and stacked arms, when there came up a thunder shower and wet us all thru.  Co H was sent to guard the General's quarters and others were thrown out as pickets, but hearing that the enemy had received reinforcements to the amount of 20,000 from Norfolk, (which is only 24 miles distant) and not having rations enough to stand a siege, we started about 10 o'clock for our comfortable little quarters on Roanoke island.  Instead of going around 85 miles to get back we got back to our ships in 15 miles, but the rain had made the roads, which are clay, very muddy and the night very dark, so you had better believe there was some slipping and sprawling about.  We arrived at our landing a little after daylight Sunday morning, having marched 50 miles and fought a battle in a trifle over 24  hours, and a more tired set of fellows never came back from Bull Run, although we wasn't so badly scared.

G.W. Tillotson
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From adjutant general report, 89th NY Infantry
TILLOTSON, GEORGE:  Aged, 31 years.  Enlisted, November 5, 1861, at Greene, to serve three years; mustered in as corporal, Co. H, November 14, 1861; promoted sergeant, no date; discharged December 18, 1864, at Chaffins Farm, Va.

George W. Tillotson died 4 April 1918 and was buried in Sylvan Lawn Cemetery, Greene, Chenango Co., NY.