Diary of Lemuel Abijah Abbott, June, 1864

Diary of Lemuel Abijah Abbott, June, 1864

Page 2

 Thursday, June 2, 1864
Oh, dear, another shocking battle on hand! But we can lick them! I dread it, though! We laid on our arms in line of battle last night; heavy skirmishing continued in our front all night; built rifle pits this morning; men very tired; ordered to assault this evening at 4 o'clock, but it rained and the order was countermanded until morning thus prolonging the agony; drew rations for the Company to-night; am getting very tired of this campaign and shall be glad when it's over, but I suppose it will last a month longer. The enemy is doing its utmost to gain a victory, but God grant that we may be the victors if it is His will.

Friday, June 3, 1864
It still continues to rain a little, but for all this the Second, Sixth and Eighteenth Corps in the order mentioned from right to left, were ordered to charge at 4 o'clock a. m. and not to fire a shot until we got on to the enemy's works, but the charge was not a success. We never even reached the enemy's works. The attack commenced on the right and ran along the line until it reached the left. We advanced under a murderous fire in our front from the enemy's artillery, sharpshooters and when in range of its main line of battle and were simply slaughtered. We have lost
[p. 75]
to-day over 4,000 in killed and wounded. The total casualties June first and third have been 12,000, of which about 10,000 have been killed and wounded. The number killed in the Tenth Vermont since Tuesday is twenty-two and one hundred and twenty-nine wounded; and in Company K to-day one killed and five wounded. Two killed and nine wounded in two days greatly weakens my command. Captains Lucius T. Hunt and Pearl D. Blodgett were wounded, and Captain E. B. Frost was shot through the head and killed after the assault, by a sharpshooter. The Tenth Vermont lost sixty-two to-day in killed and wounded. We are now intrenching and ordered to act on the defensive. The men of Company K are cool, splendid fighters.

As I sat on the ground this morning with my back against a sapling in the woods, a sharpshooter planked a bullet in the ground about an inch from the calf of my right leg which covered me with flying dirt. He could see my blue pants through the green foliage. I moved. Colonel Schall who was wounded in the arm in the assault on June first and carried it in a sling in the fight to-day, was again wounded in the same arm. He is not a man to take advantage of a wound not totally disabling him to get out of a fight, evidently.

Saturday, June 4, 1864
The enemy made two unsuccessful assaults last night. Reinforcements are arriving rapidly. The
[p. 76]
rain yesterday and this afternoon has greatly cooled the air. There has been considerable cannonading on both sides and heavy skirmishing all day. The lines of battle in our immediate front are only about eight hundred yards apart and the skirmish lines are very near each other. The One Hundred and Sixth New York Volunteer Infantry, our favorite fighting companion as a regiment, is digging another line of rifle pits in our front for the pickets. I got a letter from Captain H. R. Steele this afternoon. General Grant issued an order to-day for the army to act on the defensive. Good!

Sunday, June 5, 1864
It rained nearly all the forenoon, but the skirmishers didn't seem to mind it, but kept on fighting. It was cloudy and sultry all this afternoon, but there was no rain. The enemy tried to assault about dark last night, but gave it up as our artillery had an enfilading fire on them. There was a very heavy rolling musketry fire on our distant right about midnight, but I don't know the reason of it. The enemy tried to carry our left flank about dark by storm, but failed. The roll of artillery and musketry fire was appalling for about a half hour, and the slaughter must have been great. Golly! this is stubborn fighting again! I'm proud of both armies. I wonder what the Johnnies think of us as fighters now? I'm sure they fight hard enough for me.

Monday, June 6, 1864

[p. 77]

To-day has been sweltering hot. We lay in our works until about dark when a part of our regiment was ordered for picket. I am not detailed this time. Lieutenants Merritt Barber and George E. Davis, Tenth Vermont, reported for duty this afternoon. Lieutenant-Colonel W. W. Henry's commission as Colonel Tenth Vermont came, also Major C. G. Chandler's as Lieutenant-Colonel. Captain Samuel Darrah was shot through the head this afternoon by a sharpshooter while sitting by his Company, and died at 2 o'clock p. m. His remains will be sent to Vermont. He was my captain and I am very sorry for his untimely end. He was a brave little fellow, jolly, clever and kind, always full of life and will be greatly missed. A flag of truce was sent out in front of our division to-day; don't know what it was for; has been quiet all day; men all burrowed under bomb-proof covers. We sunk big square holes in the ground about two feet deep large enough to hold about eight or more men, and roofed them with logs, brush and dirt, but it's very warm to have to live so. It's fine, though, when bombs are bursting which they often do.