Yates County, NY, in the Civil War

By Rich MacAlpine

As Gleaned from the Yates County Chronicle, May 15, 1862

In the first half of May the Union army captured the city of New Orleans, putting a choke hold on the Mississippi River. The Confederate army in Virginia was withdrawing to defend Richmond and the rebels scuttled “the frightful monster”, their ironclad Merrimack rather than have it fall into Union hands. All of that created a false sense of optimism in the Editor of the Chronicle. Under the headline “The Rebellion Collapsing”, he wrote “The collapse of the rebellion is far more rapid than we could have anticipated three months ago. Gen. McClellan is in full pursuit of the retreating rebels on their way to Richmond. Whether he will have a general engagement with them before reaching that metropolis of treason is perhaps doubtful. If he does, we cannot doubt that the result will be a complete overthrow of the Southern army. Another three months of like progress on our part, will finish the rebellion.”

There were letters printed from three Penn Yan men involved in the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia: Harrison DeLong of Berdan’s Sharpshooters, George Munger of the 85th NY, and Bruen Cooley of the 33rd NY (Keuka Rifles). George Munger described his trip by steamer to the scene of battle following recruiting duty in Penn Yan. He eventually rejoined his regiment near Yorktown. “The boys were all very glad to see me again. I went over that night to the camp of the 33rd, which is only a short distance from us and saw Company I and all the Penn Yan boys. They were all well and appeared to be enjoying themselves , as well as anyone can in this wilderness, for such it is in the full sense of the word.” Later he described going near the rebel outposts  and getting into a sniper exchange of fire. “I had the pleasure of drawing a bead on one of them, but without apparent effect – also of being shot at a number of times. It is rather dangerous sport, but awfully exciting.”

Professor Loew's Balloon at Fair Oaks. www.ohiocivilwar150.org

DeLong reported that the Sharpshooters finally received their Sharp’s rifles and were in pursuit of the rebel army toward Williamsburg. He wrote: “The Sharps are a splendid gun and everything that was promised us. I am anxious to try mine at a rebel.”

Bruen Cooley’s letter described the use of a hot air ballon for reconnaissance, “Prof. Lowe goes up in his large balloon today, which he has just filled with gas. It stands about 40 rods from our camp. He will now see the movements of the enemy from behind the woods.”

By Rich MacAlpine

As Gleaned from the Yates County Chronicle, May 1, 1862

War news dominated the paper as the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia heated up around Yorktown. A large number of Yates County men were involved in the advance toward Richmond.  The Chronicle included long letters from Lieutenant Wm. Elmendorf of Berdan’s Sharpshooters and Bruen Cooley of the Keuka Rifles (Company I of the 33rd NY) – both of which were written from Yorktown.  The two soldiers described preparations for a bloody battle which they knew it would take to remove the Rebels from their defenses. Elmendorf’s letter mentioned that the 50th Engineers were busy nearby building pontoon bridges and the 33rd NY was deployed just to the right of the Sharpshooters. Also in that immediate area was the 85th NY, which also had a company from Yates.  There was quite a bit of contact among the Yates County men in the different regiments. Cooley wrote “We are all anxious to show the rebels our metal, which can’t be beat.” Elmendorf wrote “ Let it be said of us that we fell, if fall we must, nobly combating in the glorious cause for which thousands have already yielded up their lives.”

Meanwhile, life went on back home in Yates County.

Battle of Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing, from www.veterans.com

“Capt. Gregg has commenced his regular trips for the season with the steamer Steuben. His first trip was made last Saturday. People having occasion to take passage on the Crooked Lake will find the Captain as urbane and obliging as ever. The Captain informs us that he has a brother belonging to the Federal army  who was taken prisoner along with his son at the battle of Pittsburg Landing. The Captain’s brother was Commandant of a company of ‘Fighting Irish’ (his own terms) enlisted at Rock Island, Illinois and his son was second Lieutenant of the same company.”

“Fire Maintained By Gas – Mr. Charles Hewins maintains the fire of his kitchen stove near the distillery a short distance below Penn Yan by gas which bubbles up from the earth. It is conducted by a pipe a number of rods to the kitchen and keeps up a constant and vigorous heat, sufficient for most purposes. This gas no doubt arises from a reservoir of petroleum oil from the earth below. How far down it may be is impossible to tell, but probably as much as 300 or 400 feet.”

By Rich MacAlpine

As  Gleaned from the Yates County Chronicle, April 17, 1862

The Chronicle published an update on the progress of the “peninsular campaign” advancing on Richmond in Virginia.

“James Cooley’s son, John Cooley, writes to his father from before Yorktown under the date of April 8th, stating this his company (‘H’ of Berdan’s Sharpshooters) had been in the advance reconnaissance with Company B.  A New Hampshire soldier named Phelps was shot down within four feet of John, who picked him up after his fall, as life was ebbing away. We publish a letter from Harrison DeLong of Company B in another column. A letter has been received from Wm. H. Long in which he states that the brigade to which the 33rd is attached, led the infantry reconnaissance  and that James Royce and John Forshay of Company I had been slightly wounded.”

Harrison DeLong’s letter  described in detail the march of twenty miles from Fortress Monroe to the defenses around Yorktown….. crossing streams, swamps, and through farm fields. Along the way they encountered rebel scouts, cavalry, and occasional artillery. When they finally reached the approaches to Yorktown, they were involved in a heavy artillery bombardment in which two of their men were killed.  There was a reference in his letter to John LaMountain of the Union  Balloon Corps, which was using hot air balloons for reconnaissance. “LaMountain is here with his balloon. He was let up last night and this morning and took observations of the rebel batteries. Their works are quite extensive and will probably require some heavy siege guns to silence them.”

The New York Assembly in Albany was wrapping up their 100-day session. An unsigned “Letter from Albany’ was in the paper describing legislation that had been passed. It included this about Yates County’s representative, Darius Ogden, of Penn Yan: “Mr. Ogden, from the committee on canals, made an extended written report on the subject of enlarging our canals and locks so as to pass gunboats to the lakes, which is attracting much attention. The position taken by Mr. Ogden in the report is that there is no way so effectual and so cheap to defend the northern frontier of the country, as by enlarging the locks on the Erie Canal so as to pass gunboats to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and that without this, in case of war with England, we would be completely at the mercy of English guns placed on the lakes through the Canada canals.”

By Rich MacAlpine

As Gleaned from the Yates County Chronicle, April 2, 1862

McClellan’s Army of the Potomac was finally on the move. Starting in mid-March, over 120,000 men and their equipment were moved by sea to the vicinity of Hampton, Virginia (Fort Monroe)  with the grand strategy of moving up the peninsula between the York and James rivers and capturing the Confederate capitol at Richmond. This massive campaign included several regiments with Yates County men; among them the 33rd NY Infantry, the 85th NY,  the 50th Engineers, and Berdan’s Sharpshooters.

There were two letters to the paper written by Penn Yan’s members of Berdan’s Sharpshooters. One was from Harrison DeLong, who had been a printer at the Chronicle. He wrote: “After a period of near four months of almost inactivity at Camp Instruction, I am at length ushered into real soldiering in the enemy’s country. A week ago last night we were all called out to make preparations for a march and cook three days’ rations. On account of delay caused by trying to get all the companies to take Colt’s rifles – Sharp’s not having arrived yet – we did not leave until Thursday noon, marching two miles beyond Alexandria. The roads were pretty muddy and by the time I had carried my knapsack packed gun. forty rounds of cartridges, canteen, haversack, and three days’ rations to our destination, I was tired enough to rest; the distance being twelve miles, and the first that I ever had my knapsack on.” The second letter was from J. Smith Brown and he wrote: “The time we longed and prayed for has come and we are now bound for Dixie and an engagement. We embarked and sailed for Fortress Monroe. As to our numbers, destination, &c, I am not permitted to write now. We are anchored off the once beautiful village of Hampton – now only a mass of ruins. All the Yates County boys are with us.”

Penn Yan’s member of the New York Assembly in Albany, Darius Ogden, introduced a resolution calling upon Congress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. The Seneca County Reveille criticized him for that: “Upon these resolutions, Mr Ogden made a most violent abolition speech, giving utterance to sentiments strangely at variance with his past conservative teachings. We think it would be creditable to the Members of the Legislature if they would devote themselves to the business of the State and let the District of Columbia alone.” The Chronicle came to Ogden’s defense with “Mr. Ogden is a Union War Democrat. He loves his country more than his party and is in favor of striking at slavery wherever it can be properly reached, because that it the root of the rebellion. It is something that the eloquent member from Yates may well be proud of.”