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

308 TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT. 1862
ployed in building fortifications, cutting timber, and doing picket and guard
duty. Forts Lincoln, Totten, Stevens and Cedar Hill, are witnesses of their
industry. About the middle of December typhoid fever prevailed, and one
officer and fifty men died. Subsequently the camp was moved to high and airy
ground, near Bladensburg, and the disease disappeared. A large number oi
blankets and stockings, and fifteen hundred pairs of woolen mittens were presented to the men by their friends in Philadelphia.
On the 17th of February, 1862, Colonel Birney was appointed a Brigadier
General, and Captain Thomas H. Neill, of the Fifth Infantry, succeeded him
as Colonel. He assumed command on the 20th, and almost immediately after,
was ordered to detach five companies, and to transfer four of them, L, 0, P and
R, with Major Spear as Lieutenant Colonel, to the Sixty-first Pennsylvania,
Colonel Rippey, and to disband company M, distributing the men among the
remaiinig ten companies, and mustering the officers out of service. This order
was obeyed with much reluctance and under protest.
On the 10th of March the regiment made its first march, in the direction of
Vienna, with the intention of turning the enemy's left flank at Manassas; but
after proceeding as far as Lewensville, it was ascertained that he had fallen
back, and the command returned to camp. On the 26th it marched to Alexandria, where it embarked on the steamer Vanderbilt for Fortress Monroe. In
the advance of the army on the Peninsula, the enemy were first encountered at
Warwick river, where the Twenty-third had one man shot-its first loss. The
command was engaged until the 4th of May, on picket, and fatigue duty on rifle
pits and roads, when orders were received to storm a rebel fort on the south
side of the river, The charge was made, but the line after floundering a while
in the mud, ascertained that the enemy had retreated. The loss during the
operations before Yorktown was eight wounded.
The Division made a forced march to Williamsburg, on the 5th of May, and
arrived upon the battle ground late in the afternoon. The Twenty-third (lid
not become engaged, but was under a heavy artillery fire, in which it had five
men wounded. On the following day the enemy retreated, and the regiment
skirmished with his rear guard and formed in line of battle on the south side
of the tawn. On the 10th it advanced and was engaged with the enemy, losing five men wounded. Proceeding through New Kent Court House and New
Baltimore to Bottom's bridge, the enemy were found in force on the south side
of the Chickahomony, with artillery so posted that the column was obliged to
fall back about two miles, the Twenty-third losing four men, and encamped
on the farm of the rebel General Garnett. On the 23d, a detachment consisting of the 7th Massachusetts, Twenty-third Pennsylvania, and the Eighth Pennsylvania cavalry, was ordered to proceed on a reconnoissance towards Richmond. Four miles out, the enemy were met and driven, and the position thus
gained was held during the night. On the following day the detachment had
heavy skirmishing to the left of the Richmond road, which was continued till
late at night. The object of the reconnoissance having been attained, the command retired to Seven Pines, and threw up breast-works. On the 28th it moved
with the brigade, now under command of Brigadier General Abercrombie,
to the Richmond and York River railroad. The battle of Fair Oaks commenced on the 31st of May, the enemy attacking General Casey's Division
holding the advance of the Union army, in overpowering force. Unable to withstand the storm, it broke, and Couch's Division, which was sent to its relief,