On the morning of May 13, it was discovered that Lee had withdrawn and taken up a new line about three-quarters of a mile back. A swift movement of the right flank of the Union army would have driven Lee back even further but, in order to protect his lines of communication and the hospital at Fredericksburg, Grant instead opted to move his left flank. The plan was to attack Lee's right before he could reinforce. The Fifth Corps was ordered to move that night. They were to go overland to the Ny River, cross it, move down, recross the river forming on the left of the Ninth, and attack at 4:00 AM on May 14. All night the 22nd moved through knee-deep mud, dark forests, stumps, and creeks, before crossing the Ny. Although every precaution had been taken to insure a rapid march, it was not meant to be. Rain and mist had extinguished the fires built along the road to light the way. Thus the soldiers found themselves floundering about in the inky blackness of that dreadful night. Men kept loosing their way de spite their lighting matches to try and follow their assigned route. As the men stumbled along, many just fell by the side of the road from exhaustion.
At six in the morning, the remnants of the column reached the point of attack. Because of its broken and scattered condition, it was deemed impractical to assume the offensive. This gave Lee the opportunity to reinforce his line making a later attack unfeasible. During that afternoon, Longstreet's skirmishers had moved into the breastworks previously abandoned by the Fifth. The Union, despite a great battle plan, had actually lost ground.
During the 15, 16, and 17, the Union army commenced preparations for their operations on May 18. On the evening of the 15th, they were drawn up into three lines of battle. Despite rumors to the contrary, the next two days remained quiet. During the night of the 17th, the lines were advanced to within about one thousand yards of the enemy; the 22nd being in the second line. At about 5:30 AM on May 18, the Union artillery opened fire with a lively artillery duel ensuing. Under cover of this canonading, the first line attacked the enemy. Despite several gallant efforts, by nightfall no advance had been made and the attack was called off.
On the 19th, all was quiet. Even though they had fought fiercely just the day before, there were pickets walking about from both sides with perfect safety. They seemed quite friendly. The 20th, however, proved a different story. During the afternoon, there was a heavy attack made on the extreme right of the line - where the 22nd had been moved the previous day. With the assistance of part of the Second Corps, the enemy was driven back after a fierce fight. The 22nd was relieved that night. On the 20th of May, the 22nd's losses thus far had been 1 officer and 18 men killed, 1 officer and 83 men wounded, and twenty were missing in action. Including 17 men who had returned from furlough, the 22nd numbered 134 guns.
On the morning of the 21st, the 22nd, as skirmishers, pressed forward to see if any of Lee's army had withdrawn. They discovered that Ewell had been detached to hold the crossing of Telegraph Road at Stannard's Mills. The 22nd was ordered to immediately move out along with the remainder of the Fifth Corps. The enemy, seeing that the Fifth was moving, moved forward driving in the Union pickets. With reinforcements from a division of the Sixth, the rebel advance was checked. The 22nd continued their move. A cavalry outpost reported to them that Ewell's and Longstreet's Corps were also moving parallel to the Fifth and in the same direction. Lee was attempting to interpose between the Union army and Richmond while at the same time, also protecting the Virginia Central Railroad.
The 22nd, acting as skirmishers again, advanced in front of the brigade. On the 23rd, they encountered the entire skirmish line of the advanced guard of A. P. Hill's Corps. The 22nd, being driven back, were joined by two skirmish units from the other divisions. They set up a slight shelter of breastworks. A line of battle came toward them. A. P. Hill's entire Corps was attacking. The Union skirmishers were ordered to hold their positions until the rest of the divisions arrived. The Union reinforcements finally made their way to the skirmish line. Hill's attack lasted for about two hours. The losses on both sides were about equal but the rebel units had lost heavily in prisoners. The Union had captured about 1000 of Lee's soldiers. The 22nd had suffered 4 killed and 7 wounded. The next morning the 22nd was once again advancing.
On May 28, the 22nd crossed the pontoons at Dabney's Ford. They were now just 17 miles from Richmond, 8 miles from Hanover Court-house, and 17 miles from White House. In front of them, between them and these towns, the Confederate army had dug in and was waiting. The Firth Corps, with the 22nd leading, moved forward. They were being supported by the Second and Sixth Corps. There was firing heard all day along the front but no fighting was seen. It was reported that the cavalry had been driving the enemy all day. That night, the bugles sounded "tatoo" for the first time since the campaign began.
On the 29th, the Second, Fifth, and Sixth Corps were ordered forward, again driving the Confederate forces. They encountered the enemy, who retreated. The 22nd, as skirmishers, led the division forward on the 30th. Driving forward, they encountered resistance. Through sheer persistence, they continued their advance capturing many prisoners as they went. It was steady, constant, and heavy skirmishing throughout the day until they neared Bathesda Church at a place called Tolopotomy Creek. There the enemy attacked. The fighting was fierce but the Confederate forces were finally driven back. The 22nd had taken one-hundred and six guns into the fight. They lost 5 and had an additional 13 wounded.
On June 1, the 22nd was finally pulled back for a rest. It was the first time they had been to the rear since the campaign had begun. On the 2nd, they were moved forward once more. There was a rebel attack taking place and the 22nd with their brigade was moved up to plug holes in the line. This time, the 22nd was lucky. The brigade was moved to all unprotected parts of the line but only lost one man.
The division was massed at Bathesda Church on the morning of June 3. They were awakened by picket firing. The Confederate forces were attacking. The 22nd with 80 men of the 4th Michigan were ordered forward as skirmishers. They attacked the rebel forces. They moved forward, across an open field, halting only when they had lost one-forth of the regiment. They had gotten within 150 yards of the enemy breastworks. They had forced the rebels back into their second line of works and had silenced all of the rebel artillery. They entered into a small woods but the Union line was in the shape of a bow enabling the Confederates to start a crossfire. With the support of another division and a brigade of heavy artillery, the 22nd held their position until dark, when, out of ammunition, they were finally relieved. During this day, the 22nd had lost 12 and had 14 wounded. Including the men who had returned from furlough, they now had ninety-two guns; less than a full company with which they had left Lynnfield in 1862.
On the 5th of June, the 22nd moved out as skirmishers. As soon as they had passed through the Union pickets, the rebel skirmishers were encountered. The 22nd charged and drove the rebels for about a half a mile. The Confederates then made a stand behind some concealed earthworks. Fighting ensued and the 22nd lost two and had five wounded but held their position. The next day the trains came up for the first time since the 22nd had left the Rapidan. For a change, all had plenty to eat, clean clothes, and shoes. They moved forward a few miles again on the 7th,stopped, and built breastworks. They were fronting Gaines's Mills, where nearly two years before, they had suffered their worst losses. There they stayed until the night of June 12. They were ordered to move out and on the 15th, at about midnight, they were on the outskirts of Petersburg.
The 22nd was in position on the 16th of June but held in reserve. The Union forces were attacking Petersburg. Orders came down for the Second, Fifth, and Ninth to attack on the morning of June 18. The 22nd found themselves facing about a one mile advance, across a deep ravine with other small ones in their path. Of the other Corps, the Ninth faced a similar path though somewhat shorter, and the Second had only three or four hundred yards through woods. The Fifth Corps moved out at 3:00 AM, passing over the ground fought over the previous day, and waited for the order to attack. At about noon, they started their advance.
When the Fifth Corps had advanced to within about a half of a mile from the new line, the 22nd was deployed as skirmishers in front. Their orders were to advance and occupy a ravine. They charged toward the ravine while the rebel artillery gave a heavy barrage of canister fire and the rebel skirmishers, who were on the brow of a steep hill overlooking the ravine kept a constant musket fire. The Confederate skirmishers were driven from the hill and the 22nd occupied the ravine. The rebels, however, had moved around the hill and started firing through the ravine, driving the 22nd out. There had been another ravine before which the 22nd fell back into only to be shelled by rebel canister fire. Orders were given for the 22nd to keep advancing, which they did in earnest. The rebels were driven back out of the ravine with the 22nd following. The 22nd was soon within one-hundred yards of the enemy entrechments. There they dug in and remained, under constant fire, until they were relieved the next morning. They had se en 7 of their comrades killed and 14 wounded. The Union siege started after that. The 22nd remained at petersburg until August 8, when they were withdrawn from the front.
On August 6, 1864, the 22nd received notice from Massachusetts that their time out would be September 5. This information was forwarded to the army command. Orders came down on the 7th for the 22nd to move to City Point for guard duty. They left the next morning for the nine mile march. City Point was Grant's headquarters near the Appomattox River. There the 22nd found a camp city set up with well water, clean living conditions, and good food. Word came down from the War Department stating that the 22nd's actual time out to be September 16 but that they were to be held until October 8. This naturally created great disappointment among the men but they were comforted by knowing that they were at least out of enemy fire.
October 1st brought the order from General Meade for the 22nd to go home. Preparations were made and on October 4, fifteen officers were in camp to go home with the regiment. Many men who had been on detached service now rejoined the regiment so that they now numbered 125 guns. They left City Point by steamer and arrived in Washington on the afternoon of the 6th. The next day they resumed their journey arriving at Boston on October 10, 1864. They had one-hundred and twenty-four men - a strange contrast to the regiment of over eleven-hundred who had so proudly left Boston just three short years before. There was an additional one-hundred and eighty-one who had reenlisted and was now with the 32nd Massachusetts at the front. Company I is said to have been the smallest company ever to return to the state with only three members to respond to the roll-call at muster-out.
"On the 17th of October, 1864, the Twenty-second Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers passed into history, as an organization. It is worthy to note, that is was the only regiment commanded by a man who afterwards became Vice-President of the United States. It was the only regiment to embrace a company of sharpshooters throughout its term of service. It was the first regiment to draw the fire of the rebel batteries at Yorktown, and the first to plant a flag on the works after its evacuation. It was the last regiment to leave its position at Gaines's Mills, and but one other regiment lost more men in that terrible battle. As a skirmishing regiment it had no superior in the Fifth Corps, if it did in the Army of the Potomic. At Gettysburg it lost fifty-nine percent of its men, and had the honor of firing the last shot of the retreating rebels. It returned to the state with only one-tenth of the men who marched forth in its ranks. Of the number present when its term of service in the Army of the Potomic expired, tw o-thirds re-enlisted... The regiment was in twenty-two engagements, and marched about two-thousand miles. It lost 141 killed in action, and 143 died of wounds or diseases, and 244 were discharged for disease or wounds contracted in the service. It furnished five general officers - Tilton, Sherwin, Wardwell, Miles, and Paine. Always ready, always reliable, the Twenty-second achieved a reputation second to none, and its surviving members point today, with pride that grows stronger with increasing years, to the record made during its three years of service in the defense of the nation."
There were one-hundred and eighty-one men, including recruits and re-enlisted veterans, who were transferred to the 32nd Massachusetts when the 22nd went home. The most memorable event for them occurred on April 9, 1865. The 32nd, with the Fifth Corps, was in a line of battle and expected a fight to take place. Colonel Cunningham, of the 32nd, noticed something that appeared to be a flag of truce. Going forward, he met a Confederate officer with a message to General Grant with a view to surrender. When Grant and Lee met, they were within full sight of the 32nd's line. The 32nd was one of the units that received the arms of the Confederate soldiers as they surrendered at Appomattox.
On June 23, 1865, the 32nd participated in the grand review of the Army of the Potomic in Washington. They left Washington on the 29th and headed home. Arriving in Boston on July 1, they went home to celebrate the 4th with orders to return on the 6th. They went to Gallop Island and on July 11. 1865, the last of Wilson's old regiment, the 22nd, went home to resume his place as a citizen of the country that he had fought nearly four years to preserve.
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