History of the 8th U.S. Inf.

The march towards the coast for home began June 12, 1848, and the regiment embarked at Vera Cruz July 16, on the transport Alexandria, the bark John Davis, and the brig Apalachicola, arriving at New Orleans July 24 and 25, 1848.

From New Orleans the regiment was transferred to Jefferson Barracks by steamer Missouri, arriving August 1, 1848, but in November was ordered to Texas via New Orleans, reaching Port Lavacca December 18, where camp was established about one mile from town.

Companies A, E, G, I and K,—the right wing,—left camp on the 21^St December, and by easy marches reached a camp on the Guadalupe River, near Victoria, on the 29^th. On the night of the 21^st, cholera attacked the left wing,—Companies B, C, D, F and H,—and in the course of a few hours became epidemic, so much so as to prevent the troops moving from the camp to join the right wing. The disease attacked the right wing also, but not with such virulence as it did the left. It attained its height on the 24^th, and had almost disappeared on the 27^th.

Major Morrison’s report, dated January 5, 1849, gives a concise account of this disaster.

“The cholera broke out as an epidemic in the regiment on the 21^st December, and has nearly destroyed it, one-third of the men falling victims to it. Such has been its virulence that one-half of the cases terminated fatally in the course of a few hours.

“The disease has been one of those mysterious visitations that cannot be accounted for, as the regiment on its landing at Lavacca was in apparent good health, cheerful, comfortably clothed, subsistence of the best kind, with new tents and everything that could put it in first rate condition for the field.”

Early in January, 1849, the regiments were distributed among the forts and camps of Texas which it was to occupy for twelve years. There were many movements of companies in this interval, a number of Indian skirmishes, several collisions with Cortina’s outlaws, and many long marches on escort duty or scouting, but no occurrence of general interest.

Brevet Major-General Wm. J. Worth, the colonel of the regiment, died of Asiatic cholera at San Antonio, May 7, 1849, and was succeeded by Colonel John Garland, promoted from the Fourth.

The only movements of the different companies in the early part of the year 1861 (except a change of station of Company K), were made in compliance with an order issued by General Twiggs, the Department commander, for the troops to leave the State by way of the coast. The attempt to comply with this order resulted in the capture of all the regiment by the newly organized military forces of the Confederate States.

Company C, on entering the plaza at San Antonio April 22, was surrounded by an overwhelming force and obliged to surrender. Lieutenant-Colonel Hoffman, commanding the regiment, and the regimental staff and band, were taken prisoners about 10 o’clock the same day at San Antonio. The regimental colors were not captured, and the manner in which they were saved is narrated by Corporal John C. Hesse, Company A, as follows:

“A few days subsequent to the surrender, upon going to the former office of the regimental headquarters, the building being then in possession and under the control of the rebels, I met there Lieutenant Hartz, the regimental adjutant, and Sergeant-Major Joseph K. Wilson, 8^th Infantry. Our regimental colors being in the office, Lieutenant Hartz proposed to us to take the colors from the staffs, conceal them beneath our clothing and try to carry them off. We did so. I took the torn color which the regiment had carried through the Mexican War, put it around my body under my shirt and blouse, and passed out of the building, which was strongly guarded by rebels. Fortunately the rebels did not suspect what a precious load we concealed with us, for if they had our lives would not have been worth much. We put the colors in one of Lieutenant Hartz’s trunks, and next day left San Antonio for the North. On the route we guarded the colors with our lives, always fearing that the rebels might find out what we had taken away and come after us; but they did not, and we arrived safe with our colors on the 26^th of May, 1861, in Washington City, and turned them over to the regiment.”

For this act Sergeant Wilson and Corporal Hesse each received a medal of honor.

Companies A and D were captured at Indianola, April 24, and Companies B, E, F, H, I and K, under Captain I. V. D. Reeve, near San Lucas Springs, about 22 Miles west of San Antonio, May 9^th. Company G had been broken up.

The officers of Captain Reeve’s battalion were not paroled as the others had been, but were, with one or two exceptions, held prisoners at San Antonio for about nine months, when they were exchanged. The enlisted men were held until February 25, 1863, during which time they were divided into squads and removed to different posts on the frontiers of Texas, deprived of pay for more than two years, supplied with scanty food and clothing, and made to suffer severe military punishments. Recruiting officers visited them daily, offering them commissions and large bounties to desert their flag, With few exceptions, however, they repelled the bribes and avoided the treason. Those who chose a different course did it to escape their prison.

The officers of the regiment who took commissions in the Confederate service were: Major Theophilus Holmes, Captains Larkin Smith, E. B. Holloway, Joseph Selden and E. D. Blake; First Lieutenants T. K. Jackson, T. M. Jones, R. G. Cole and Lafayette Peck, and Second Lieutenants J. R. Cooke and J. G. Taylor. The opening of the Civil War thus found the Eighth Infantry with its officers and men either prisoners of war, or debarred by their paroles from serving against the enemy; and it was not until October, 1863, that a body which can be considered fairly representative of the regiment could be assembled.

The reorganization of the regiment began May 1, 1861, at Fort. Wood, N. Y. Harbor, where Company G was recruited. Company F was reorganized at Newport Barracks, Ky., in July, 1861. Company A at Fort Hamilton February 17, 1862, and D at the same station May 7^th. B at Fort Columbus July 29; C at Fort Columbus April 15, 1863; E and I at Fort Columbus, May 22; K on the 9^th, and H on the 12^th of March, 1865.

Company G took part in the battle of Bull Run, and then, with Company F, was placed on duty in Washington as provost guard.

Companies A and D joined the Army of Virginia under General Banks and on August 9, 1862, were engaged in the action with the Confederate army at Cedar Mountain. On this day the battalion was in the advance, and on the appearance of the enemy Captain Pitcher was directed to throw his command forward as skirmishers. Companies A and D formed the right of the line and advanced towards the enemy’s line of battle across an open field with a steadiness and precision which were commented upon by Generals Fitzhugh Lee and Stuart. The line continued to advance until confronted by the main body of the enemy, when, not being supported, it fell back to its second line. How well the companies fought is shown by their losses, which were 8 killed, 8 wounded, and 3 missing,—nearly one-third of the effective strength. Of the five officers present, three were wounded and two taken prisoners.

Both companies took part in the battle of Antietam and then joined Companies F and G for duty as provost guard at the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac.

While Companies A and D were serving in northern Virginia, Companies F and G had taken part in the Peninsula Campaign as provost guard at General McClellan’s headquarters.

A Company of the 8th United States Infantry (1863).

Company B arrived at Sharpsburg, October 3, 1862, and the five companies,—A, B, D, F and G,—were now united for the first time since their reorganization. The battalion accompanied the headquarters in all the marches preceding Fredericksburg, in which battle it was engaged December 13, 1862. Company C joined the battalion at Falmouth, Va., April 18, 1863, where the regiment remained during the Chancellorsville campaign. It marched with the army to Gettysburg, but was not actually engaged in the battle, its duties as provost guard keeping it employed in other ways.

A few days after the battle of Gettysburg the regiment was ordered to New York City to suppress the draft riots, and encamped in the City Hall Park from July 17 to 30, 1863, and on the Battery from July 30 to August 22. It remained in New York Harbor until April 23, 1864, being stationed on Governor’s Island until March 22, and after that date at Hart’s Island. During this interval the various companies performed much detached service, being apparently available for any object which presented itself. The most important of these duties was the suppression of a mutiny on November 7, among certain N. Y. volunteer regiments. Companies B and I put down the mutiny and brought the ringleaders to Fort Columbus.

The regiment left Hart’s Island April 2 1, 1864, and proceeded to Warrenton, Va., where it became the provost guard of the 9^th Army Corps. It took part in all the movements of that corps, its detail as provost guard preventing it from engaging actively in any of the battles in which the corps were engaged.

On the 2d of November, 1864, the regiment was sent to Buffalo N. Y., to preserve order during the elections, and thence (November 12) to Baltimore, Md. After several movements of companies in Delaware and Maryland, the regiment was united at Hancock Barracks, Baltimore, Md., August 31, 1865, where it remained during the remainder of the year.

On the 5^th of June, 1361, Colonel John Garland, the colonel of the regiment, died at New York, and was succeeded by Colonel Pitcairn Morrison, who retired October 20, 1863, and was succeeded by Colonel Albemarle Cady. Colonel Cady retired May 18, 1864, and was succeeded by Colonel James V. Bomford.

In April, 1866, Companies A, B, D, F, H and K were sent to stations in North Carolina, and Companies E, G and I to Charleston, S. C. Company C went to Winchester, Va., in January, but in September it, too, went to South Carolina. During the reconstruction period in the South the companies changed station very often. The regiment occupied stations in the Carolinas until May, 1868, after which the whole regiment was in South Carolina.