Baptism of Fire: Big Bethel to the Peninsula
ON APRIL 12, 1861, a group of military enthusiasts gathered in Manhattan to
form a volunteer regiment for two year's service in the cause of the Union.
Their unanimous choice for commander of what was initially called the
"Advance Guard" was Colonel Abram Duryée, a wealthy mahogany importer with
three decades of experience in the 7th New York State Militia. At Duryée's
suggestion the new unit was outfitted in a colorful variation of the Zouave
uniform, described by one reporter as a "wild Saracenic costume." The flashy
attire and Duryée's reputation attracted hundreds of eager volunteers for
the 5th New York, or "Duryee's Zouaves."
Fierce combat and deprivation lay ahead for these Zouaves, posing in camp in Virginia in 1861. Many of these men undoubtedly became casualties, as more than 500 soldiers from the 5th would fall over the next 18 months. Photo by George Stacy.
While most recruits hailed from Manhattan, 30 enlistees came from
Poughkeepsie, and Long Island also supplied a sizeable contingent. An effort
was made to select men who were educated, physically imposing, and taller
than average. Some had served in European armies while others were college
graduates, law students, or successful businessmen -- in keeping with
Duryée's intention to forge a disciplined, professional fighting machine.
Dispatched to historic Fort Schuyler for their initial training, the
fledgling warriors began to learn their trade under the tutelage of an
experienced cadre of officers. Lt. Col. Gouverneur Kemble Warren and Capt.
Judson Kilpatrick were graduates of West Point, and eight of the company
commanders were veterans of the State Militia. "I expect every man to do his
duty and I expect to do mine," Duryée told his troops; "I hope to make this
regiment a glory for the State."
ON MAY 24, THE Regiment paraded down Broadway, past cheering throngs, and
boarded a transport en route for the Virginia Peninsula. Within days of their
arrival at Fort Monroe, Col. Duryée began dispatching his companies on
scouting expeditions that impressed the local populace and prompted Pvt.
George Tiebout to write, "Our regiment is called the red-legged devils, and
the terror to evil-doers."
The next day, June 10, Tiebout became the unit's
first fatality in the mismanaged Federal attack at Big Bethel.
Charging an entrenched foe through a hail of canister shot, Pvt. Thomas Murphy saw a comrade's head "blown about twenty feet from his body," while other soldiers had their muskets knocked from their grasp by jagged iron shards. "There were dead and wounded all around," observed Pvt. Karl Ahrendt, "arms and hands lying on the ground, maimed bodies, horrible scenes." In their baptism of fire the 5th NY lost 31 men, seven of them killed or mortally wounded. Lt. Col. Warren called Big Bethel "an inglorious affair," and when Col. Duryée was given command of a brigade, Warren imposed an even more rigorous program of drill and military instruction on the Zouaves.
AT THE END OF July, the 5th NY was transferred to Baltimore, where they commenced an eight-month stint of garrison duty atop Federal Hill, helping to enforce Federal control over the pro-Southern city. When Duryée was promoted general, G.K. Warren became the Zouaves' commander, and ably assisted by Lt. Col. Hiram Duryea, set about transforming the New Yorkers into one of the most tactically accomplished units in the service. Warren's troops constructed an elaborate earthwork on Federal Hill, and were trained to operate the fort's big guns; they mastered the complex bayonet exercise, and practiced battalion maneuvers at the double-quick. Companies E and I, armed with breech-loading Sharps Rifles, became adept at skirmishing by bugle calls. By March of 1862 Surgeon Henry May reported, "The Zoo-Zoos are as near perfection in drill as it seems possible for a corps to be." Their soldierly demeanor won the respect of Baltimoreans, and many Zouaves, Col. Warren among them, became engaged to local women. A bloodless expedition to the Eastern shore of Virginia wet their appetite for action, and tired of drills and parades, the Zouaves welcomed orders to join Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac for the campaign against Richmond.
The colorful New Yorkers were an impressive sight, and in tribute to their
military proficiency McClellan attached them to Gen. Sykes' division of
Regular Army troops in the Fifth Corps. Artillery Col. Charles Wainwright
thought "The Fifth New York is equal in all respects to the Regulars and
better drilled." Giving Col. Warren command of a brigade, McClellan stated,
"the Fifth is the best disciplined and soldierly regiment in the Army." It
was no wonder that through all the trials to come, "Little Mac" would always
retain the admiration of the "Red Devils."
FOR NEARLY THREE MONTHS, McClellan's offensive lumbered toward the environs of Richmond. Fever, heat-stroke and disease thinned the ranks of the 5th NY, and their uniforms became worn and ragged. The unit came under fire during the siege of Yorktown, where they put their Heavy Artillery skills to good use in constructing and manning entrenched batteries. They played a minor but praiseworthy role in the fight at Hanover Courthouse on May 27. But it was a month later, in the desperate engagement at Gaines' Mill, that the Duryee Zouaves won immortal renown for their ferocious determination amidst the bloodiest of the Seven Days battles. Continued in PART 2.
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Company A, 5th Regiment, New York State Volunteers Duryee Zouaves, Inc.
