John Barrett Murphy Civil War Soldier Compiled and Edited by Al Palmer Lambertville, MI May 2009
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John Barrett Murphy Civil War Soldier Compiled and Edited by Al Palmer Lambertville, MI May 2009 2 Table of Contents John Barrett Murphy Civil War Soldier.. 3 Day by Day in the Civil War with the Iron Brigade . 13 Appendix A: Maps of the Iron Brigade inVirginia 1862 - 1865. 37 Appendix B John B. Murphy’s Compiled Military Record. 38 3 John Barrett Murphy Civil War Soldier John B. Murphy (1404) was born 10 January 1839 in either Glen, Montgomery County or Hastings, Hastings County, New York, USA. Family records list the Glen location while a biography, noted below, notes his birthplace as Hastings, NY. His parents were Arthur Murphy and Della (Delia) Colton Murphy. Arthur was born in Ireland about 1811. Delia was born in Ireland on 28 March 1818. It is not known when either came to the U.S., but they were married in 1835 in New York, New York. One of great mysteries, yet to be unraveled, is whether they met in the U.S. or Ireland. Arthur Murphy Delia Colton Murphy The 1840 census reports the family living in Glen, Montgomery County, New York. 1850 was the first U.S. census to list the family members and John appears in the Arthur Murphy household that year. By then, the family has moved to Waukesha, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. John’s occupation (remember he was about 11 years old) was listed as farmer. He appeared on the 1860 Federal Census of Millville, Grant, WI, USA, in the household of his parents, Arthur Francis Murphy (1408) and Delia Colton (1971).11 He lived on 10 Jul 1860 at Millville, Grant, WI, USA.22 He began military service on 31 Aug 1861 at Madison, WI, USA. He enrolled in Company H, of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry for a period of three years on 20 Jul 1861 at Fennimore, WI.33 John B. Murphy, then 22 years old, was subsequently mustered into the army at Madison, Wisconsin on 31 August 1861. The account of his service which follows is based on his cumulative military record, a brief published biography, and a history of his regiment (http://www.secondwi.com/wisconsinregiments/eastern.htm). All are consistent, with 4 the exception being a few battles listed in the biography that were not noted in his military record. It is assumed that record keeping, being what it was during the war, the biography is probably more accurate, since it was based on John’s recollections. Lincoln appealed to the state governors for soldiers, initially asking for one regiment of 1000 men from Wisconsin. They were to serve for a period of ninety days, as it was assumed that the war would be over by then. The number was raised in one day and became the Wisconsin 1st. The next call was for three year volunteers and that was the call answered by John. To be an officer, you only needed to raise a company of 100 or so men. The men were gathered together and enrolled. A captain was elected by popular vote and the prominent citizen who probably put up the money and persuaded the men to join, generally got the honor. Other officers were elected and previous military experience was rarely a factor in who was chosen. Once enrolled and the company formed, the men went to the training camp where they were formally mustered into the army. Ten companies comprised a regiment which was led by a Colonel, generally appointed by the Governor, often as a political favor. The number of soldiers in a regiment ranged from 830 to 1010. Four regiments were formed into a brigade, commanded by a Brigadier General. (http://www.ironbrigade.net/unit-organization.htm). John Murphy was mustered into company H of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry regiment. They were trained at Camp Randall, Madison, Wisconsin and initially deployed in the defense of Washington, DC. until March of 1962 when they began to move into Virginia. Initially, the brigade was comprised of the 2nd Wisconsin, 6th Wisconsin, 7th Wisconsin, and 19th Indiana regiments. The 24th Michigan regiment was added later after the brigade took heavy losses. Battery B - 4th US Artillery was also included. The Rufus King brigade, as they were known, wore black felt hats for which they were known throughout the south. For its heroic efforts at Gainesville and Antiteam, it became known as the “Iron Brigade.” The men of the Iron Brigade first made a name for themselves simply as members of "Rufus King's Brigade". But as commanders and uniforms changed, and the conflict advanced to the war's most critical moment at Antietam, they earned some more titles. The men of the south knew them first as "That damn Black Hat Brigade" and latter to all as the "Iron Brigade" because they "stood like Iron" in the face of withering enemy fire. The truth is, the history of the Iron Brigade begins like a song of glory and victory assumed, and ends with the brigades virtual 5 destruction on the first day of Gettysburg. The men were not of iron, but of flesh and blood and they anointed their nations fields with more of themselves than any other regiment in the Union. (http://www.ironbrigade.net/index.html) On 10 March 1862, the Army Corps. is reorganized and the 7th Wisconsin becomes part of the first Division under the command of Rufus King. They break camp on March 10 and after a series of marches, reconnaissance activities and a few skirmishes end up in the vicinity of Falmouth and Fredericksburg, Virginia at the end of April, 1862. In all, they have traveled about 48 miles and contemporaneous reports describe the weather as horrendous for most of the month. They remain in that area experiencing little or no action until July, 1862. After a reconnaissance mission to Orange Courthouse, and an eighty mile march in three days, they are camped at Gordonville, VA. Aug. 28th , at an early hour, we march to Gainesville, turn to the right Bethlehem Church road, and halt and lay on arms until 5 P.M. when we return to the pike and march slowly toward Centerville. At about 6 P.M., and two miles from Gainesville, while marching by the flank a rebel battery, posted on a wooded eminence to the left of the road, open fire on our column. The old Second promptly faced to the front, and directed by Gen, Gibbon, advance by quick time upon the battery, and soon met the enemy’s infantry emerged from the woods. Here for twenty minutes the Iron Brigade checked and sustained the onset of Stonewall Jackson’s whole division of rebel infantry under one of the most intensely concentrated fires of musketry ever experienced by any troops in this or any other war. (http://www.secondwi.com/wisconsinregiments/battles2.htm) This brief summary does not do justice to the savagery of the battle of Gainesville. John Murphy and his comrades had only experienced light skirmishes with the Confederate Army to this point. At Gainesville, they were outnumbered by an experienced corps led by Stonewall Jackson. The two armies faced each other over open ground, often separated by less than one hundred yards. The musket fire was withering from both sides. The 7th Wisconsin and the other regiments stood their ground and held the line. Jackson elected to withdraw and the Union army proceeded on to Manassas. John Murphy received a “slight” wound to the head on 29 August 1862. The losses on both sides were horrendous with over 1/3 of the 7th Wisconsin, dead or injured. The head of John’s company, Captain Randolph, died in the battle. John 6 Murphy survived and on 4 September 1862, was promoted from private to corporal. One would like to think that it was because he showed leadership during one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Through the first half of September 1862, the Army of Virginia marched north through Georgetown and Washington DC, eventually stopping at South Mountain near Middletown, VA on September 14. The Confederate Army was dug in and the 7th Wisconsin was assigned the task of storming the pass and securing it for the passage of the Union army. They succeeded in driving the opposition from behind the stone walls and up the pass. It was after this battle that the brigade became known as the “Iron Brigade of the West.” On September 15th, the army pursues the confederates through Boonsboro to Antiteam Creek near Sharpsburg. That battle has generally been considered one of the bloodiest of the entire Civil War. Again, John Murphy survived an encounter with an experienced and determined opposing army. At the same time, he is serving with an equally determined corps rapidly gaining experience and a reputation for bravery and fortitude. On 19 September 1862, the confederate army retreats across the Potomac river and the Iron Brigade remains at Sharpsburg, VA, burying the dead, recruiting and training. Breaking camp on 20 October 1862, John Murphy and his companions march southward through Warrenton, Fayel, Morrisville, and Brooks Station where they camp from November 28th to December 9th, during which time it snowed heavily. They fought in the battle of Fredericksburg from December twelfth to the fifteenth, though their part of the line saw little action. On December 23, 1862, the Army of Virginia, makes camp for the winter at Belle Plaine, VA. On 21 April 1863, at the opening of the 1863 campaign, John is promoted from Corporal to Sergeant. The photo at the left shows him with his stripes.