History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1is62 srBATTLE OF BULL RUm. 1193
ders, it again embarked, and arrived off Fortress Monroe on the 8th. A change
was here made in the organization of the brigade, whereby the Sixth New
Hampshire was added to it, and the Ninth New Jersey, and the One Hundred
and Third New York, were transferred to other commands. Captain Kaufman,
of company A, was ordered on duty as Major, on the 28th, by General Burnside, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Major Nagle.
The evacuation of the Peninsula now became necessary to save the army
of General Pope, which was being embarrassed by the rapid movements of
Stonewall Jackson, and General Halleck ordered the withdrawal of M'Clellan's
forces. Leaving Newport News on the 2d of August, the regiment arrived
at Acquia Creek on the 4th, and immediately moved by rail to Fredericksburg. The timely arrival of Burnside, with the Ninth Corps, which had just
been organized, doubtless did much to save the left of Pope's army from being
turned, and entirely separated from its base of supplies. On the 12th, the
Forty-eighth left Fredericksburg, moving up the north bank of the Rappahannock, and joined the army Of General Pope on the 14th at Culpepper. It
proceeded to Cedar Mountain on the 16th, where the regimental band, which
had been attached to it since its organization, was mustered out.
The brigade moved from Cedar Mountain via Stevensburg, Kelly's Ford,
White Sulphur Springs, Warrenton and Manassas Junctions, to Bull Run,
where it did its really first fighting on the 29th. It reached the field at-one P.
M., the action having already begun, and was ordered to attack the rebels in a
thick wood near the extreme right of the army. At three it formed in line of
-battle, with the Second Maryland on the right, the Sixth New Hampshire on
the left, and the Forty-eighth in rear of the latter, and moved across a cleared
field towards the dense wood occupied by the enemy. The wood was skirted
by a fence, which had scarcely been passed, when his infantry opened with a
brisk fire upon the advancing column. The Forty.eighth marched with the
steadiness of regulars, and when the battalions in front, obliquing to right and
left, permitted it to advance and occupy the intervening space, it promptly
opened with telling effect, and with fixed bayonets advanced a quarter of a mile,
driving him from two ditches, from one of which, an old railroad cut, a brigade
had previously failed to dislodge him. Receiving a volley of musketry from
the rear, and supposing that some of the Union troops were firing by mistake,
Colonel Sigfried ordered it back to the nearest ditch. The fire on the Sixth
New HEampshire, and Forty-eighth Pennsylvania, from front, left, and rear was
most terrific. The colors were raised and spread out to the view of the supposed friends, but hotter and more deadly grew the fire. At last rebel regiments made their appearance, and when discovered were greeted with a volley
from the left companies of the Forty-eighth, but their strong force, and raking
cross fire compelled it to retire in rear of the Excelsior Brigade, and the forces
of General Kearny, which quickly advanced to the fight. The regiment lost
seven killed, sixty-one wounded, ten prisoners, and seventy-four missing, an
aggregate of one hundred and fifty-two. The troops engaged were part of Jackson's Corps.*
Reno's Division was also engaged in the action of Saturday, the 30th, the
The First Brigade of General Reno's own division, composed of the Forty-eighth Pennsylvania, Sixth New Hampshire and Second Maryland, was conspicuous on this day for the
persistence with which it held its ground when assailed, and the gallantry with which it advaneed to the attack. —Burnside and the Ninth Army Corps, Woodbury, page 112.
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