Freemasons of New York State in the Civil War
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These beautifully embroidered smoking caps were presented to Colonel Gustavus Sniper of the 185th New York Volunteers by one of his officers. Caps like this were popular undress wear while in quarters. Sniper was brevetted 31 Mar 1865 Brigadier General for gallantry at Quaker Road and White Oak Rd, VA. The engagement at Quaker Road is worth recounting. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s brigade was ordered to make that charge to force back the Rebel line and move toward the key road junction of the Boydton Plank and White Oak Roads for a final push to the South Side Railroad. Little did they know they would face over 6000 Confederate veterans from Virginia and North Carolina; they were outnumbered three to one. Charge and countercharge surged back and forth during an hour of continuous rifle firing and hand to hand combat. Rebel sharpshooters in the trees took their toll. The 185th under the brave and dynamic leadership of Colonel Gustavus Sniper was slowly forced back until the unit was parallel to the Quaker Road. They held. They bent, but they did not break---they bent, but they did not run! < Rare Photograph of General Gustavus Sniper (center) and his Staff Officers of the 185th Regiment A fierce encounter ensued, with the Union forces being repulsed. The second division was retreating in great disorder, when General Chamberlain, in command of the First Brigade, rode up to the Colonel of the 185th, saying, “For God’s sake, Colonel Sniper, can you save the day with you regiment?” The Colonel replied, “General, I can try.” He immediately formed his men in line of battle. They were ordered to charge the enemy, the attack being made with great spirit over and eminence where they met the advancing column of the Rebels in pursuit of the retreating Union forces. Making a desperate assault, they hurled back the foe, but with great loss to our intrepid regiment. This encounter lasted scarcely more than half and hour, but it was one of the most desperate and important in its results of any during the war. The aim of the Confederates seemed to be to shoot down our colors. The Color Bearer, Sergeant B. H. Wilson, was twice wounded. The Sergeant of the Color Company, William H. Tyler, in whose hands the colors were then placed, was killed. Herman Reiss, on of the Color Guard, then seized the standard but received a cranial injury. Captain D. N. Lathrop of Company D next grasped the flag, but was severely wounded in the foot. At this juncture, Colonel Sniper, being dismounted in the thick of the charge, seeing the colors drop, rushed ahead, seized them and, whirling them above his head shouted, “Men of the 185th, forward.” A wild yell was sent up from the ranks and, rapidly advancing with their heroic leader, the day was won. After the hostilities, the General Officers complimented Colonel Sniper in unison upon the gallantry and valor of his regiment in the terrible charge and said that it had saved the day. In the short period of this engagement, the regiment lost a least 25 per cent of its available material with 30 killed, and 180 wounded, about ten per cent of the latter mortally. Survivors look back at this sudden sharp “Fight of the saw-dust pile,” as it was popularly described, as a horrible dream. Frank Leslie’s Magazine dated 29 Mar 1865 published an illustration showing the general in the act of picking up the fallen colors that afterward made his name a household topic in every soldier’s home in the Union. He was brevetted Brigadier General on 31 Mar for gallantry at Quaker Road and White Oak Road, VA. http://web.cortland.edu/woosterk/genweb/sniper.html Summary of his service as it appears on page 4066, volume V, of Phisterer's New York in the War of the Rebellion: SNIPER, GUSTAVUS, late Lieutenant-Colonel, 101st Infantry; mustered in as Lieutenant-Colonel, this regiment [185th], September 23, 1864; promoted Colonel, February 3, 1865; mustered in as such, March 10, 1865; mustered out with regiment, May 30, 1865, near Washington, D.C.; Brigadier-General, U.S. Volunteers, by brevet, from March 13, 1865; commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel, November 29, 1864, with rank from September 17, 1864, original; Colonel, February 14, 1865, with rank from February 3, 1865, vice E. S. Jenney, discharged.
may be viewed more clearly by enlarging screen to 150% or more http://web.cortland.edu/woosterk/genweb/sniper.html
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