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Excerpted from A Brief History of the Thirty-fourth Regiment by Lieutenant Louis N. Chapin (1903):

We come to the morning of December 11. At midnight before orders had arrived to be ready for a move at daybreak, and we were ready. While we are eating a hasty breakfast, we hear the sound of cannon from the direction of the river. We know the battle is on, though only the artillery is joined as yet, and none of our men are on the other side of the river. Soon we are moved down the valley and up back of the hills and Lacy House. The artillery is thundering from all the heights. But not a move until nightfall. One man wrote home at this time, “None of us can ever forget that artillery fight. It lasted for six hours. Fredericksburg was riddled. A pontoon bridge is in course of construction in front of the city on which our troops may cross, but the rebs don’t relish the idea of seeing that bridge built right under their noses, and the pontoon builders are having a red-hot time. As the dusk of the night gathers down, we are advanced toward the river, but the enemy on the heights across espy the move, and scour the plain, over which we are moving, with shot and shell. But, as has been remarked many times before, it takes a pile of lead and iron to kill a man. And so, thought rained on those heights as it once rained on cities on the plain, there are few casualties, notwithstanding there are thousands of our troops in plain view of the rebel batteries on the opposite side of the river. Finally, the Seventh Michigan, in boats, crosses to the other side, and cleans the rebs out of the houses and cellars along the river front, and straightway the bridge is finished; and in about the same time it takes to tell it, over pour the troops, horse and foot, into Fredericksburg town. The rebs are still hanging on, in some parts of the town, but they are soon cleaned out. Continue reading →

In my research for an historical novel that I am writing, I came across a book that was published in 1903 by Lieutenant Louis N. Chapin of the New York 34th Regiment. The 34th fought in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862 and suffered enormous casualties, primarily due to the courage of its soldiers and some tragic mistakes in judgement by some officers. Such was story of the day which still stands as the single bloodiest day in American history.

Below are two accounts the fighting in a place now known simply as “The Cornfield”:

REPORT OF COLONEL JAMES A. SUITER, THIRTY-FOURTH NEW YORK INFANTRY, OF THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM

Headquarters, Thirty-fourth Regiment, New York Volunteers, Battlefield near Sharpsburg, MD., September 20, 1862.

SIR—I would most respectfully make the following report of the battle of the 17^th instant.

We lay in camp near Keedysville, MD, on the 16^th instant. In the evening of that day I received an order to be prepared to march at daylight on the morning of 17^th instant. In obedience to said order, I was under arms with my command, and so remained until the order was given to move, which was about 7:30 o’clock A.M. We moved in a northwesterly direction. Having arrived within about one and a half miles of the battlefield, where General Hooker’s forces had been engaged with the enemy, we were formed in line of battle by brigades, Gorman’s to the front, First Minnesota Regiment on the right, Eighty-second Regiment New York Volunteers second, Fifteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, third, and my command, Thirty-fourth Regiment New York Volunteers, on the left General Dana’s brigade formed the second line, and General Howard’s brigade formed the third line. We were moved at double-quick. Arriving near the battlefield, we were moved by the right flank through a piece of timber land (the East Woods—ED.) in three columns. At this point we were considerably crowded, the three columns occupying an extent of not more than forty paces from our left to the right flank of General Howard’s brigade, the Seventh Regiment Michigan Volunteers being crowded in my ranks, causing considerable fusion.

Arriving at the open field, we were again ordered in line of battle, being still at double quick. We moved over this field to the pike road leading to Sharpsburg. Front this was a piece of timber land [the West Woods] into which I moved my command, still at double-quick, arrive at about twenty yards in rear of a schoolhouse [the Dunkard Church], when I discovered the enemy under the hill. I immediately ordered my command to fire, which they did in gallant order.

From some cause to me unknown, I had become detached from my brigade, the One hundred and twenty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers being on my right. On my left and rear I was entirely unsupported by infantry or artillery. The enemy were in strong force at this point, and poured a tremendous fire of musketry and artillery upon me. At this time, I discovered that the enemy were making a move to flank me on the left. Lieutenant Howe arriving at this time, I informed him of my suspicions. He replied that he thought they were our friends. Lieutenant Wallace, of Company C, proposed going to the front to make what discovery he could, which I granted. He returned, saying that the enemy were moving upon my left flank with a strong force. I turned and discovered Lieutenant Richard Gorman, of General Gorman’s staff, and requested him to inform the general that the enemy were flanking me. He immediately returned for that purpose. Presently, General Sedgewick arrived upon the ground. Moving down my line, he discovered the situation of my command, and that the point could not be held by me, and gave the order for me to retire, which I did. Rallying my command, I formed them in line battle, supporting a battery of some 400 yards in rear of the battlefield.

In this engagement the casualties were as follows: vis.: 32 killed, 109 wounded and 9 missing. Commissioned officers: 1 killed. 2 wounded, 1 taken prisoner.

In connection with this, I cannot speak in too great praise of my officers. When all acted gallantly, it is impossible to single out any. I would, therefore, say that all did well and behaved in the most gallant manner. Of Major Beverly I would say that he was invaluable to me, in assisting me on the left of my line in the most trying time. Of my color sergeant I cannot speak in too high turns. He (Sergeant Charles Barton) had carried the banner through all the battles in which we had been engaged while on the peninsula without receiving a wound. Here it was his fate to be struck five times, and when he was compelled to drop his colors, he called on his comrades to seize them and not let them fall into the hands of the enemy. This was done by Corporal G. L. Haskins, who nobly bore them from the field.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

JAMES A. SUITER

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