Letter from NY 114th Regiment - March 1863

Letter from the New York 114th Regiment

Chenango American, April 16, 1863

Headquarters Camp Mansfield
Bayou Beouf, La.
Monday, March 20, 1863

Dear American:  Since our removal to this camp "our side" has met with a serious loss, through the willful disobedience of an inferior officer.  Last Saturday Gen. Weitzel ordered an aid to take 100 men on board of the gunboat Diana as sharp shooters, and proceed up the bayous on a reconnaissance as far as Bayou Teache, but not to enter the latter stream on any account.  The Diana was accompanied by the gunboat Calhoun, on which was company C (Capt. Titus) of this regiment. As the boats proceeded up the Bayou Big Chafalaya, the Calhoun ran into the mud and was stuck fast so that she could not back off.  As no danger was apprehended, the Lieutenant in command, on board of the Diana, proceeded up the bayou until he arrived at the mouth of the Teache, and still seeing no foe, took the responsibility of going  a little further.  As the boat was proceeding slowly along, about a half mile from the entrance to the stream, all at once the thunder of eighteen field pieces was heard, and the crashing of shot and bursting of shell told the erring Lieutenant that his men, together with the boat and crew were doomed to death or imprisonment.  The bayou was so narrow that the boat could not turn round (she had no stern guns to fight with) and the rebel battery, which had been masked by the thick growth of bushes on the banks, as the boat backed up, kept in her rear, so that not a gun from her deck could be brought to bear upon the enemy. At last a shot--a dozen, perhaps--entered below her water line, and commenced filling, and soon sunk.  The rebels, with their accustomed cruelty, after the white flag was up, continued their fierce fire, and did not cease until the ill-fated vessel went down. The pilot and three men escaped, and by them we learn that 9 men were killed, 8 drowned and 16 wounded; among the latter was the Captain of the boat, shot through the lungs, and Lieut. Allen, of Gen. Weitzel's staff, wounded in the shoulder and arm; the remainder of the soldiers, with the crew of the boat, being all taken prisoners.

All this time the soldiers and crew of the Calhoun were making superhuman exertions to get out of the mud, and at last succeeded, but it was too late to help the Diana, for the engineer of that boat, with the two soldiers who made their escape, came up, panting with fatigue and told their story.  It was useless to run into danger, without hopes of succoring those that had been captured, so the boat was turned round and headed for Brashaer City.

No blame can possibly be attached to Gen. Weitzel for this disaster, for he particularly charged Lieut, Allen not to enter the Tesche. The Captain of the Calhoun speaks in the highest terms of Capt. Titus and his men in their efforts to clear his boat from the mud in time to go and lend the Diana a helping hand, but fortune (or fate) prevented their sharing the peril of those who preceded them.

The next day (Sunday) the Calhoun proceeded up to the scene of action with a flag of truce to get the dead and wounded, and to offer an exchange of prisoners, but the traitors, carrying their inhumanity still farther, refused to give up even the dead, telling us that they would see to them, sending us back without permitting us to land.

A few days before the above calamity happened, a rebel deserter came into our lines, and upon being searched, some $6,000 or $8,000 in gold was found upon his person, and upon being questioned, he owned that he stole it from a place where a sum of $200,000 had been buried, and told where the remainder could be found.  On being asked why he did not take more, he said he could not get away with it very well.  He is on his way north before this, with the "spoils of war."

You have, ere this, heard of the expedition of Col. Dudley's brigade, up the Jackson & Mississippi RR to a point opposite Port Hudson, in which he dispersed numerous bands of guerrillas and secesh soldiers, and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of cotton, sugar, molasses, ammunition, corn and beef, together with a large quantity of medical stores.  It was a most successful raid, and will prove a serious loss to the enemy.  In fact, the news from all quarters east of the Mississippi river, is of the most cheering nature to us.

The health of this regiment is not very good.  It would astonish you to see how it has dwindled down from a first class regiment, in point of effective men to a third rate battalion  I do not believe there are enough well men to fill up four full companies.  Deaths are not very frequent, but indispositions from summer complaint are too numerous to mention.  This climate is not the place for men who have lived among the hills of Chenango and Madison.  During the past week Co. E has lost one man--Charles Bump, of Coventry.

I understand that Franklin W. Fish of Co. B has received a furlough to return to New York to attend to some business affairs which involve a considerable amount of property, and he leaves for the North by the steamer Columbia on the first of April.  He will probably visit your town, before he returns South.

Respectfully,   A.