SATURDAY STORY - ZACH HIGGENBOTTOM JOINS THE UNION ARMY - PART I

SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023 - ZACH HIGGENBOTTOM AND THE CIVIL WAR

Today, I’m starting on a historical novel - about the Civil War,

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Memorial Day started as “Decoration Day” - a day to decorate the graves of those who fought in the bloody American Civil War.  

Let’s do a historical view for today.  

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Zachariah Higgenbottom volunteered for the United States Army in the fall of 1861.  There were many factors - Zach believed that this country should be one nation, he believed that slavery was evil, and he believed that God was on the side of the Northern Armies. (And, probably not quite overtly discussed, was that his family was encouraging him, many of his friends had already signed up and others were joining up, and that he would be called a coward if he didn’t join up.)

Zach lived in Litchfield, Connecticut, the son of a farmer, grandson of a farmer, and great-grandson of an immigrant from England who was also a farmer.  He was the eldest of seven - four girls, and three boys.  His father, Ezekiel Higgenbottom was a leader in the Congregational Church of Litchfield and had been a selectman for Litchfield.  If Zach didn’t serve, it would be an embarrassment to his family.  “Coward” would ring in his ears.  

He was 17 when he signed up at the Hartford Courthouse in Hartford Connecticut.  He had finished Miss Langwell’s General School in Litchfield in the spring of 1861.  His younger brothers would help their dad while Zach was in the army serving his country.  

On the day before he left for his training, which was a Sunday, Reverend Josiah Prescott called Zach to the altar at the end of the morning service, and the congregation prayed for his safety and for his service to God and his nation.

That afternoon was a celebration at the Higgenbottom farm.  Like the prodigal son, but in reverse, Ezekiel Higgenbottom killed the fatted calf and the neighbors brought in food to share and some of the local folk played the accordion, fiddle, and banjo for some dancing.  Esther Gladfellow and her family came.  Esther was kind of Zach’s sweetheart.

Many wished Zach well to take on those rebels and show them that slavery was wrong.

(And, as they were leaving, Esther Gladfellow gave Zach a kiss to remember her.  He thought he would never wipe her kiss off).

On the next morning, Ezekiel Higgenbottom had the wagon hitched up and made the four-hour trip to Hartford.  His father slipped Zach two Liberty Seated Silver Dollars.

He mustered into the 12th Connecticut Infantry Regiment.  He joined in November 1861 after the harvest was finished on the farm.  He trained with the 12th Regiment until February 24, 1862, when the regiment left New Haven, Connecticut for the three-week voyage to Ship Island Mississippi.  

In those three months of what was his military training, Zach shot his rifle and ran at least five miles every day in the cold and snowy Connecticut weather.  He learned how to shout “Yes Sir”, and “No Sir”, and proper military etiquette.  He did get leave for eight days over Christmas and his father picked Zach up on Tuesday, December 24, 1861 (Christmas Eve) and returned to the Hartford Barracks on January 1, 1862.  There were 35 men that started training with Zach, but 32 finished. The three that didn’t make it didn’t have the stamina to run the five miles, or didn’t have the discipline to be good army soldiers.

Ship Island was an ideal location for a Union fleet.  It had the only deepwater port between Mobile Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana.  It had been used by the British during the 1812 war.  It was about 12 miles south of the main Mississippi towns of Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Gulfport.  

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Zach had a fifty-pound bag with all his possessions.  With his recruitment class, they traveled on the New Haven and Providence Railroad from Hartford to New Haven.  There they waited for their ship to Ship Island.  It was a snowy day on the pier in New Haven.  A teletype message indicated the USS Polk was to arrive at about 2:00 p.m.  The Polk had started yesterday from Boston and docked overnight at Providence Rhode Island.  The winds and snowy weather had hampered the Polk as it rounded Block Island, but it had gained some time in the calmer waters of Long Island Sound.  

There were exactly 32 bunks left on the USS Polk, of which 28 were upper bunks.  Already on the USS Polk were recruits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, They had generally selected the lower bunks).  There were four sleeping cabins of 32 bunks each for a total of 128 bunks - and 128 new recruits to fight the rebels of the Confederate States of America.  By 4:00 p.m. the USS Polk had all the bunks filled and steamed back east passing Montauk Point on Long Island before heading out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Zach had never been on a steamship.  He and his girlfriend Esther Gladfellow had been in a canoe a few times on Bantam Lake, but never alone as Esther’s older brother and her father had watched in case Zach wanted to steal a kiss. (And Zach knew better than to try)

Once the Polk left the relative quiet of Long Island Sound the ocean got rough.  The boat rolled from side to side and then up and down as they went over swells.  Zach thought they were going to sink and asked a sailor. “Are we sinking?”.

The sailor laughed at Zach.

“This is nothing.  Wait ‘til we get to Hatteras.” was the sailor’s reply.  

That night as the boat lurched and pitched, first one man in the cabin vomited.  The stench soon reached Zach’s nose and he too vomited (but he did lean over to vomit and fortunately missed the man in the lower bunk).  Zach tried to count, but there were at least seven men that vomited that evening.  

The army didn’t want the men sitting in their cabins, so they had classes.  Each of the four sleeping cabins rotated through four lessons in a day.  One lesson was on the deck and was shooting practice.  A target was set up at the stern and the men took turns shooting at the target.  On the first day, Zach hit the target once - but shooting on a ship was different than shooting on firm ground.

The second lesson was in their cabins.  They had received boots and uniforms when they reported, and every day they had to spit polish their shoes, clean their guns, make their beds, and pass inspection.

The third lesson was on tactics, also in their cabins.  “Ready, Aim, Fire” was the emphasis - don’t shoot until you have your gun loaded and have aimed at the Confederate Soldier.  That was the most academic of the classes - how to adjust for wind and distance.  When they got to Ship Island, they would experiment with cannons and angle of elevation.  If you raised the cannon barrel too high it wouldn’t go far enough, and not high enough it also wouldn’t go so far.  The optimal angle for aiming a cannon would be determined on the island.  Cannons could blow holes in walls, or produce holes in the ground making it hard for the rebels to attack.  And, if a cannon landed close to a person, they could get shrapnel into rebels' legs and bodies.

The fourth lesson wasn’t really needed, but the men had to swab the decks and clean the toilets and cabins. After the first night when the men fought the motion of the ship, their cabin did need extra cleaning.  But, by the third night, no one vomited (until they got to Cape Hatteras). 

Four squads a day really made the ship shine. It was always better to be the last group to clean as there wasn’t much that hadn’t been done.

On sunny days, all the recruits reported on deck at 8 o’clock (or as the captain said “Oh eight hundred).

Captain Morton had a Bible reading, and they all recited the 23rd Psalm, they sang the National Anthem and other patriotic songs  Then the captain had a lesson on why they were fighting.  Slavery was bad.  States deciding whether to remain in the Union or go their separate ways was bad.  These heathen were their enemies and God had called them all to rid the world of slavery.

After the general meeting, a Lieutenant led the men in calisthenics.  They did jumping jacks, push-ups, situps, and something the Lieutenant called “grasshoppers”. 

On Sundays on the USS Polk,, Captain Morton led a church service on deck.  The men were allowed to sit on the deck for the two-hour service.  One of the other officers led hymns, one read scriptures, and Captain Morton preached.  Zach wasn’t sure if Captain Morton was usually a preacher, but the captain was good at it.  

Mostly Captain Morton used texts from I and 2 Chronicles about King David and his wars.  King David prayed and asked God for wisdom before leading his men into battle.  He also used scriptures about Joshua and the Israelites defeating the various groups in the Holy Land.  The stories were very graphic including the Israelites killing all the men and women, and taking all their livestock, and plundering the cities of their enemies. 

It was hard to tell, but most of the men seemed to be Congregationalists like he was.  There were some Episcopal soldiers as well.  Zach understood they were like the Church of England - but American based, and very formal in their worship.  There were about six Catholics - mostly Irish from the Boston area.  Zach was suspicious of them - after all, they had part of their services in Latin and had all kinds of Saints and worship practices different from American Christians.  Zach’s father said Catholics were generally Christians, but it would be best not to associate with Catholics.  

All men, unless they were sick and confined to bed, were to attend the daily service and the Sunday (or Sabbath) Service.  

Captain Morton also talked about freeing the slaves.  

Zach had seen some black people in Litchfield.  Some of the richer folks had black servants (as well as Irish servants)- not slaves - and generally treated them nicely.  But, he had never talked with any black people.  Could they talk?  They were humans, right? How did they get to the United States?  The captain told them of slave ships where men had been rounded up in Africa and forced on ships to the United States to work on plantations - with tobacco, cotton, or other crops.

Some of the other men had more interaction with black people.  A few of the recruits said the blacks were stupid and ignorant people, but others said that because the blacks hadn’t gotten an education they weren’t as learned as white folks.

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Zach made friends.  He hadn’t traveled much in his 17 years so meeting other soldiers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island was interesting.  It just seemed that he liked some more than others.  A lot of the men were like him - farmers (or sons of farmers).  Most were in the 17 to 20 age range.  There were a few older than joined up to save the Union of States.  

A few had harmonicas (or mouth organs) and could play some lively tunes.  

A few played cards to pass the time that wasn’t in class or doing an activity.  Zach learned to play Whist and got to be a good player.  Other men played poker and gambled, but Zach stayed away from that.  Gambling was sinful.

Zach already knew Benjamin Smith who was also from Litchfield.  Benjamin was two years older but his family lived nearby to the Higgenbottom family farm, and both families were in the First Congregational Church of Litchfield.

Charles Williams was from Canton Connecticut.  Charles was already taking some good-natured ribbing as he had red hair.  “Hey Charles, you’ll be the first one the rebels will shoot at, that red hair is like a beacon.”  But, Charles was easygoing and became Zach’s friend as they shared the same squad and bunk room.  Charles liked to joke around and was gregarious and friendly.

Another early friend was Henry Miller from Cromwell, Connecticut.  Henry, like Zach, was a farmer and enlisted to stop the separation of the southern states from the Union.  He used the phrase “United we stand, and divided we fall”.  

Connecticut was a hilly state and farming consisted of smaller patches of flat ground mixed in with hills and woods.  Henry’s father had one hundred acres.  He had fields of corn, wheat, flax, and millet.  Like Zach’s family, they milked about 50 Holstein cows.  If anything, both Henry and Zach were glad to be away from the twice-a-day chore of milking cows and mucking out the stables.  

Zach, Charles Williams, Henry Miller, and Benjamin Smith soon became known as the “Farming Four”.  Charles Williams was their natural leader.  Zach was a good follower and trusted Charles.

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The USS Polk stopped at Philadelphia for supplies.  The Polk was a steamship and while it probably could make it to Ship Island and back without refueling, it was better to make sure it had enough coal for the journey.  They also took on more ammunition and supplies. The men wore their dress uniforms and scattered out to the town, but were told to be back by 1700.  

Zach had never seen a city as large as Philadelphia.  The men of the 12th Connecticut Infantry were given five hours off in town while the ship took on the supplies.

The Farming Four stayed together and didn’t get too far from the base.  The area around the base had a lot of bars and restaurants.  Only Benjamin Smith was interested in the bars but Zach, Henry, and Charles didn’t want to go into the bars.  They found a store selling penny candy and each bought a bag.  Henry liked licorice, and Charles bought penny candy sticks.  Zach liked chocolate and bought a small bag of chocolate stars.  They stopped at a restaurant and had coffee.  Zach’s family didn’t drink coffee, so he tried the bitter hot beverage.  Henry’s coffee looked like light mud as he put in the cream.  Charles was telling jokes like “Why does the stork stand on one leg?”.  The answer was “If the stock didn't stand on at least one leg it would fall down.”  They all had stories about life on the farm, like when Zach forgot to close the gate, and the cows got out.  Benjamin told of a mad bull who chased him out of a field.  They all laughed.  

As they walked through parts of Philadelphia, many people encouraged them.  Some said “Blessings upon you”, others said, “Go kick Johnny Rebel’s butts”.  

They headed back to the USS Polk, and even though it was February, most of Zach’s chocolate stars had melted together so he had a big lump of chocolate.  (But, it still tasted good!!!) 

Back on the ship, they waited as three of the men were late in getting back.  It was three of the Boston Irish lads who had stopped at one of the bars and overindulged. That infuriated the Captain and they got to do extra cleaning duties and KP (kitchen patrol) duties - like peeling potatoes.

The USS Polk steamed out of Philadelphia, loaded with 128 men, lots of extra coal, and supplies.  Captain Morton said “An army crawls on its belly” - and that implied that full bellies would be best for fighting men.

The Polk went south and there were watchmen on duty as they sailed past Chesapeake Bay.  Washington District of Columbia was surrounded on the south by enemy territory - and on the north by Maryland.  Maryland had remained loyal to the Union, but there were also some slaveholders.  

While the Union forces had a commanding presence offshore from the Confederate States, the Polk didn’t go too close to the shore as the Confederates had cannons and could lob cannon balls onto Union ships and sink them.  

Four days out of Philadelphia, they were off Cape Hatteras, and like the crewman mentioned as Zach and company got on the ship in New Haven, the sailing was rough and the seas ran fast and high. The ship commander tried to keep the USS Polk on a course to avoid the worst of the currents and tides.  The ship wallowed through the waves and rough seas like an old lady walking on uneven ground.

The USS Polk had to circumnavigate around the Florida peninsula and into the Gulf of Mexico.  A Confederate ship tried to challenge the Polk near St. Augustine Florida but a couple of cannon shells that could travel over two miles landed near enough to scare the rebels away.  

The Confederate States had sought alliances with England and France as they sold cotton and tobacco to those countries.  The Union army largely had a blockage of Confederate ports, but some Confederate Ships did make it through the blockage.  

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And, finally, on Sunday, March 9th, the USS Polk moored at the port on Ship Island.  The island had at various times been owned by the Spanish, French, Confederate States, and the United States.  An advantage of a deep water bay allowed for ships to find safe harbor there.  When the Civil War broke out, the Confederate States claimed the island, but a short squirmage with the USS Massachusetts brought it back to Union Control.  Fort Massachusetts is on the island, and Zach and the others from the USS Polk soon settled into the base. There were already several regiments there - also from the New England area.

There the 12th Connecticut Infantry Regiment did further training.  The “Farming Four” stayed together and trained together.  Charles Williams became the squadron's non-commissioned officer, the red-headed leader. On the eastern end of the island, the wooded section, they conducted mock battles (but without ammunition).  The goal was to sneak up on the other side and capture the squad’s flag.  

There was also practice with cannons.  They set up their cannons and aimed at targets within a mile range.  Zach and Henry Miller did well on that activity and were (at least informally) branded as “cannoneers”.  

The east end of Ship Island was wooded and had deer, grouse, and wild boar.  Some of the recruits were allowed to go hunting.  Captain Morton and other officers kept track of who was out hunting as they didn’t want one of the recruits to shoot others.  The venison and game helped supplement the food larder. 

Unfortunately, there were some alligators on Ship Island.  Zach had never seen alligators and was both intrigued and scared of the reptiles.  They were also mostly in the east end of the island and in the swamps and low areas.  

The Army also had large plats for vegetable gardens  The Farming Four decided the land was better for farming than Connecticut and with a much earlier planting season, longer growing season, and fertile soil, not like the rocky soil of Connecticut.   Rain storms would sweep in from the Gulf of Mexico, and on the hot humid days, if you stood in the corn patch, you could hear the corn growing.

Once a week, generally on Saturday nights, they had an outdoor barbecue.  It was especially good if the hunters got four to six wild boar that they cooked over fire pits.  Three men had fiddles, one had a banjo, and a couple of men had fastened animal hides over hollow logs for drums.  

In spite of some of the recruits being teetotalers, the Army provided the troops with beer and occasionally with rum purchased on some of the Caribbean Islands.  A couple of the New York regiment were experienced brewers.  Zach and the Farming Four had been directed to raise barley, corn, rye, and hops for future brewing activities.  

On April 14, 1862, the 12th Connecticut Regiment joined with others in attacking Fort St. Phillip on the lower Mississippi River.  The fighting was intermittent.  The area was mostly swamps and the Fort was built on stilts.  It was intended to protect the lower Mississippi River from pirates and enemy attacks.  

The army and navy provided some ships with cannons.  They came up the Mississippi River from the delta and peppered the fort with cannon fire.  One of the shots took out one of the stilts and the fort fell - both literally and figuratively.  Three days later the Union forces succeeded in taking the fort and capturing prisoners, which were brought back to Ship Island. There were twelve Confederate Soldiers killed, and 43 men taken as captives Two men from the 12th Connecticut Regiment were killed, and two injured.  

Zach was petrified.  Fighting in the swamps and bayous along the Mississippi River was challenging.  The attacking force had longboats and the soldiers used oars and long poles to move up the river.  Not only alligators were in the water, but also some poisonous snakes.  Then to shoot from a boat that might be bobbing up and down at a target that might also be in a moving boat was almost impossible.

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But, something happened to Zach Higgenbottom on that day.  He shot at a man, a human being, a man that grew up in the same country as he did.  This was a “Civil” war - a war of Americans against Americans.  He hadn’t killed him, but the man later was taken prisoner.

The two men who were killed from the 12th Connecticut Regiment were men he knew - friends - colleagues that had been on a ship together for three weeks from Connecticut.  Dead - Gone.  It could have been Charles Williams, Henry Miller, Benjamin Smith - or even himself!!.

Zach had joined the Union Army to stop slavery - or what might be called “human trafficking”.  Maybe it hadn’t soaked into his brain, that to stop slavery would mean shooting humans - maybe even killing human beings.  The Sixth Commandment of the Ten Commandments said “Thou shalt not kill”.   Wasn’t there some way to settle this national calamity without a war?

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So, a new story - can Zach Higgenbottom look in the mirror in the morning when he shaves - and not see a man who shoots at other humans?  How can he live with contrary thoughts - kill (or be killed) the rebels who enslave humans; or do not kill.  

We’ll see the next Chapter - next Saturday!!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, © JUNE 10, 2023