FORT PICKERING AND THE "NORTHSHORE" DEFENSES

XI.

Fromthis time until the assembly of the command at Framingham, preparatory to going on mustering-out furlough, the regimental history becomes that of the widely dispersed fractions, while the record of events is but a dull story of garrison duty, faithfully performed in the face of every discouragement. For administrative purposes the regiment now formed three distinct divisions—that under Colonel Pfaff, with headquarters at Salem, and sub-posts at the points on the North Shore already noted; the garrison at New Bedford, under Lieutenant-Colonel Woodman, reporting directly to the commanding officer at Fort Adams, R.I.; and the battalion commanded by Major Frye, at Fort Warren, under the immediate orders of the commanding officer of the defenses of Boston Harbor. The record of these divisions, in their order, may briefly be given:

Colonel Pfaff, with his staff and attachés,reached Salem on June 3d. Headquarters at once were established at Fort Pickering, situated on Winter Island, at the entrance of the inner harbor. On the 6th, "C" and "D" Batteries arrived at the post, reporting to Major Dyar, who had been detailed as post commander. The batteries at once pitched camp on the glacis outside the wet ditch surrounding the old fort, while the headquarters tents were located inside the parapet of an outwork covering the landward approach. The fort itself was but a ruin. Since the earliest colonial days the site had been occupied by defensive works, and the present Fort Pickering had been rebuilt and garrisoned in 1861; but from that time on it had been allowed, through the storms of a third of a century, to crumble into decay. There were no quarters for troops, there was no armament of heavy guns; and, worst of all, the location of the work was such that bombardment under modern long-range conditions could not be prevented.

MAJOR PERLIE A. DYAR, U.S.V.Commanding First Battalion.

But Salem, with its heavy property interests, its large coastwise trade, and its enormous coal-pockets—so tempting to a coal-hungry enemy—had to be protected as best might be; and, as soon as the camp had been settled, Captains Frothingham and Nutter, under the supervision of Major Dyar, set their men at work, with shovel, pick, and barrow, on the feeble defenses. Time was lacking for the remodelling of the entire work, even if the numerical strength of the working details had permitted, and work was confined to strengthening the weak channel face of the fort. Here, from plane drawn by Lieutenant Francis, a civil engineer by profession, an earthen parapet of strong profile, with stone revetment, was constructed. The working tools and derricks required in the undertaking were supplied by the city authorities of Salem, who in this, as in many other ways, showed a desire to be of every assistance to the garrison. Guns of at least medium calibre were urgently needed, and Colonel Pfaff endeavored, through the department commander, to obtain a battery of six 8-inch converted rifles. In this attempt he was unsuccessful, though a number of guns of this type lay idle at Fort Warren, where they had been dismounted and removed from the casemates. While the carriages of these guns were not properly adapted for use in abarbette battery, they yet might have served the purpose after a fashion; especially since this war, it always must be borne in mind, was from first to last a war of makeshifts. As the event proved, however, the garrison at Fort Pickering was forced to remain content with the armament of small-calibre, rapid-fire guns supplied through the enterprise of the State of Massachusetts. It so happened that both Captains Frothingham and Nutter, prior to the war, had been conspicuous for their devotion to the study of modern artillery work; their men were well grounded in the principles of sea-coast gunnery, and their being thus stationed at a post absolutely destitute of modern heavy ordnance seemed no light hardship.

MAJOR HOWARD S. DEARING, U.S.V.Regimental Surgeon.

When such engineering work as was imperatively required had been brought to completion, both officers and men settled down to the monotony of garrison routine. Lieutenant Stockwell was appointed post adjutant, while Lieutenant Keenan served in the triple capacity of post quartermaster, commissary, and ordnance officer. Though the health of the command was uniformly good, the medical officers yet found their time amply occupied, since in addition to their duties at Pickering they were required to visit the sub-posts at Gloucester, Marblehead, and Nahant. On June 24th, Lieutenant Rolfe, assistant surgeon, was relieved from duty at Fort Warren, reporting immediately at regimental headquarters; but in July, failing to recover from a severe illness contracted during the earlier service of the regiment, he found himself compelled to resign, thus depriving the command of the services of an efficient and popular officer. Later in the same month, Assistant Surgeon Bryant received promotion which took him from the First, and from this time until the close of its volunteer service the regiment had but one medical officer, Major Dearing, senior surgeon, whose unflagging devotion to the welfare of the command won for him the gratitude and esteem of every officer and man. On July 26th, Captain Frothingham, with Lieutenants Nostrom, McCullough, and Francis, proceeded to Fort Preble, Me., for duty on a general court martial, making several visits thereafter to that post before the final adjournment of the court.

For lack of opportunity at artillery drill, attention was turned to infantry work, and the garrison was hardened into condition for field service by a succession of practice marches and field manœuvres over the country in the vicinity of the post. The garrison evening parade, held outside the main work, was a never-failing source of interest to the people of Salem, and on every pleasant afternoon crowds came out from the city to attend the ceremony. On July 25th, "A" Battery changed station from Nahant to Pickering, marching in over the road with its field guns and wagon train. Late in August, "B" Battery was ordered to rejoin at Salem from its station at Portsmouth, N.H., thus bringing the garrison strength up to a battalion of four batteries. Such officers as could be spared from this post, with many from the other posts garrisoned by the regiment, were present, on August 12th, at the funeral of the lamented Colonel Bogan, of the Ninth Massachusetts Infantry, who long had been a friend of the First, and had been detailed as its inspecting officer while serving on the staff of Governor Russell; and again, on August 30th,the battalion at Pickering performed a sad duty by parading as escort, under command of Major Dyar, at the funeral of Major O'Connor, of the Ninth. No further event of especial moment appears on the records of the post until its abandonment on September 19th.

Major Quinby, with "K" Battery, under command of Captain Howes, reached his station at Stage Fort, Gloucester, on the 7th of June. This post, though admirable as a camping site, hardly could be considered desirable from an artillery point of view. The old fort itself, an earthen battery commanding the inner harbor and its approaches, had lain abandoned since the close of the Civil War, and this long period of neglect had brought the inevitable results. Under the action of wind and weather its parapets gradually had worn away, and its magazine was in a ruinous condition. For armament there were rapid-fire guns, supplemented by 3-inch, muzzle-loading field guns turned over by the departing militia garrison. Fortunately for the peace of mind of the people of Gloucester, the fort was not the sole defence of the harbor;for the historic old monitorCatskill, manned by volunteer seamen recruited from the ranks of the Massachusetts Naval Brigade, lay there at anchor during the greater part of the summer. With the two 15-inch Dahlgren guns in its battered turret, this relic of 1862 might still have been a factor in any dispute with privateers or unarmored cruisers of the enemy. It was the intention of Colonel Pfaff to secure for this post two 8-inch converted rifles, but his request for the guns was not complied with.

There were no barracks at Stage Fort, and the garrison went into camp under canvas. After settling the matter of quarters, work was begun without delay, and the ravages of time on the old fort were repaired as thoroughly as possible. When everything had been put into condition for action, the command quietly took up the customary post routine. Lieutenant Packard was detailed as post adjutant, performing the duties of the position until July 18th, when he was ordered to Fort Columbus, New York Harbor, where he remained on detached service until relieved on September 12th. After his departure from the post, the adjutant's duties fell to Lieutenant Gleason, who already had been acting as post quartermaster and commissary. On September 15th, at the request of the city whose name she bore, the famous little auxiliary cruiserGloucester, with laurels fresh from her victorious fight with the Spanish torpedo-gunboatsPlutonandFuror, made a visit to the harbor. As she came to her anchorage, the garrison at Stage Fort fired a salute in her honor; and on the following day, at the reception given by the city, the battery paraded as escort to Captain Wainwright and the men of his crew.

MAJOR GEORGE F. QUINBY, U.S.V.Commanding Second Battalion.

Captain Lombard, with "B" Battery, had drawn what was perhaps the least desirable of all the posts falling to the regiment, that at Plum Island, covering Newburyport and the entrance to the Merrimac. After a rough passage around Cape Ann, he arrived with his command at this station on June 7th. The island is a low, sandy formation, ten miles in length, commanding at its northern extremity the channel leading into the harbor of Newburyport. At this point, lying but three miles and a half from the railway bridge markingthe centre of the city, the command pitched its camp, and threw up an earthwork of slight profile for the reception of its field guns. Shallow waters and a treacherous bar deter vessels of any considerable draft from attempting to enter this harbor; but the city offers a tempting and easy mark for torpedo-boat raids, and it was to discourage any enterprise of this sort that "B" Battery was condemned to a month of dreary duty among the sand dunes. The order of July 2nd, directing the command to change station to Fort McClary, Maine, was received at the post with delight, and little time was lost in preparing to leave behind the brackish water, mosquitoes, and monotony of Plum Island.

Before this order could be executed, it was amended. These were the days when ugly rumors were coming from before Santiago, and the Government was making hurried efforts to meet a possible disaster on land. Captain Curtis, with his battery ("K") of the Second Artillery, was garrisoning the defenses at Portsmouth, of which McClary was a subpost, and to him on July 6th came rush orders to hasten with his battery to Tampa, to jointhe siege train there organizing, while Captain Lombard was directed to relieve him in the command of the Portsmouth defenses. On the 8th, "B" Battery reached its new station, taking post at Fort Constitution, and placing detachments at Fort McClary, on the Maine shore opposite, and at Jerry's Point, in the outer line of defenses. The command now occupied a most responsible position, with more than enough work for its small enlisted strength, for here there was much modern artillery material to be cared for, while the guard duty of the scattered posts made heavy drafts on the endurance of the men. These important defenses, covering not only the city of Portsmouth, but also the Kittery Navy Yard, were now added to the other posts under command of Colonel Pfaff, who on the last day of July visited the station, and inspected the works and the garrison. After becoming settled in quarters, details were made for post administration, Lieutenant Day being appointed post adjutant and Lieutenant Underwood post quartermaster and commissary. On August 19th, the Santiago campaign having turned out luckily after all, CaptainCurtis was ordered with his battery back from Tampa, arriving a few days later to relieve Captain Lombard. At this time Major Crozier, A.I.G., reached the post on his tour of inspection, and by his direction "B" Battery demonstrated its ability to handle modern ordnance by conducting the test-firing of the newly mounted 8-inch breech-loading rifles, on their disappearing carriages. Shortly afterwards, Captain Lombard and his command changed station to Pickering, reporting to Colonel Pfaff on August 27th.

The garrison for Marblehead, "H" Battery, under command of Captain Pratt, arrived on June 6th at its station at Fort Sewall. This old fortification, which properly should be classed as a mere field work, not only commands the entrance to the harbor of Marblehead, but also plays an important part in the outer line of defence for Salem. Having been ungarrisoned for more than thirty years, it naturally was in a dilapidated condition, and on the arrival of "H" Battery it was without armament. As in the case of Stage Fort, the request of Colonel Pfaff for two 8-inch converted rifles was ignored, and reliance had to be placed uponthe rapid-fire guns brought to the post by the incoming troops. After pitching its camp and making the required repairs on the works, the garrison settled itself for what proved to be an uneventful tour of occupation. At this post Lieutenant Renfrew acted as adjutant, with Lieutenant Grant as quartermaster and commissary. The only break in the monotony of the summer came when a battalion from Pickering, after a forced march from Salem, feigned an attack on the post by a landing party, which was met and repulsed in a workmanlike manner by Captain Pratt and his command.

The mining-casemate at Nahant, from which the mine-fields in Broad Sound, Boston Harbor, were to have been controlled, was placed in charge of Captain Bordman, who arrived with his command ("A" Battery) at this station on June 6th, and at once laid out his camp near the work to be guarded. Rapid-fire field guns were issued to this post, but infantry guard duty was practically all that was required of its garrison. Lieutenant Fullerton served as post adjutant until ordered to Fort Columbus, New York Harbor, on July 18th, where he remainedon detached service until the muster-out of the regiment. The quartermaster and commissary duties were performed by Lieutenant Sumner Paine. Lacking the material for artillery work, Captain Bordman turned to infantry drill, and by constant road marches and field exercises brought his command into prime physical condition. The tour of the battery at this station was not destined to be a long one. In the rush of emergency harbor-work during the early days of the war, the Engineers first gave their attention to the mining of the main ship channel and Nantasket Roads, leaving Broad Sound—the water area for bombardment of Boston, Lynn, and Chelsea—for later consideration; but with the destruction of Cervera's fleet, all active mining operations came abruptly to a close, and the Broad Sound system remained uninstalled. The post at Nahant, therefore, was ordered to be abandoned on July 25th, its garrison reporting at Fort Pickering on that date.

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