Above order requesting Pvt. Nelson to be detailed as Assistant Division cook for hospital and below order approved.
On November 4 1864, the "Two-Twos" are assigned to escort General Sheriden up beyond Winchester to find suitable winter quarters, arriving back in Winchester the following day on the 5th. While marching north through Winchester on the 4th, Pvt. Nelson was being detailed for special duty. The order requesting him to be detailed as assistant cook for the Third Cavalry Division Hospital is by N. D. Ferguson, Surgeon in Charge and then is approved by J. L. Smyth, Acting Surgeon in Chief, Third Cavalry Division. It is very possible that Charles assumed his new duties upon returning with his regiment on November 5.
Left: 22nd N.Y. Cav. Surgeon David B. Van Slyck. Right: 22nd N.Y. Cav. Asst. Surgeon Dwight M. Lee. Both photos courtesy of the US Army Military History Institute.
Immediately after the Battle of
Winchester on the 19th of September, the world's most advanced military
hospital was established outside of Winchester (3). After three years of war, the Medical
Corps of the U.S. Army had finally gotten it right. A large hospital was constructed to
treat the wounded and sick of the Union army. Soldiers were treated and moved north as
rapidly as possible to hospitals located in or near Washington. Men too sick or hurt to
move, were treated here with doctors on staff until they were able to be ambulance to
points north (most often to the capital of the respective soldier's home state) and be
treated long term. By mid-December, railroad track had been re-built as far south as
Winchester and the need for a large hospital was no longer needed and was closed down.
Soldiers needing medical attention that could not be provided by Regimental doctors were
now transported to Winchester, loaded on rail cars and sent where medical attention could
be provided. There are no other orders in Pvt. Nelson's file to suggest when he returned
to his regiment for duty but I think we can assume he was back in ranks before Christmas.
Come then, Uncle Sam, wake up! Since courage never fails you,
Crush all traitors, North or South! Uncle Sam, what ails you?
The Second Brigade was in camp to the west of Winchester, having essentially been there
since the Cedar Creek battle back in October. Other than being sent here and there as
cavalry are wont to be sent, they had a peaceful rest except when the occasional skirmish
took place. On November 26th, the regiment received a new Commanding Officer
Lieut. Colonel Horatio B. Reed, of the Regular Army. It appears from the men's accounts
that the new Col. was not well liked by the men at all. One of the men described the new
Col. as "tyrannical, cowardly, and dictatorial, without military talent and above all,
contemptibly mean." On November 27, Col. Mosby of the 43rd Virginia
Battalion had approximately eighty men from Custer's Division as prisoners of war, draw straws.
General Custer had ordered three of Mosby's men hung before taking command of the Third
Division in October. Col. Mosby retaliated with the death of five out of the seven men
selected. This ended the hanging of prisoners of war on both sides.
December 19-22 found
the men without their new commander who was too ill to take part in an expedition to
Lacy's Spring. Arriving at Lacy's Spring on the 20th in a cold rain and camping
for the night the troopers tried to sleep. The next day was frightful with freezing rain
falling and the rebels besting the Union cavalrymen with a surprise attack in the pre- dawn darkness. One squadron under the command of Lt. William P. Brown, seperated from the main body and under attack from rebel infantry and cavalry used swords, pistols and carbines sometimes at close range and often muzzle to muzzle in order to escape. The Yankee troopers are driven twelve
miles back to near their starting point. At the river a bridge must be crossed with the
rebels hot on the heels of the cavalrymen. Pvt. Spencer C. Weaver, Co. B of the "Rochester Cavalry" ,
sat on a stump by the bridge firing his carbine at every Reb who showed himself while his
horse browsed near him, neither one concerned over the situation they were in. After all
the men crossed the river into the safety of their own lines, they went into winter camp
on the 23rd between the towns of Newtown and Kernstown.
Left: Photo of 1st Sgt. William P. Brown, Co. H, taken before promotion to Lt., photo courtesy of the Allen Family Collection. Right: Private Spencer C. Weaver, Co. B, photo courtesy of the Nitz Living History Collection.
At some date not yet determined, Pvt. Spencer C. Weaver was promoted to Sgt. after the Lacy's Spring fight. One has to wonder if Private Weaver's cool heroism at "the bridge" earned him that promotion and whether Lieut. William P. Brown recommended Weaver to become a sergeant.
Flag presented to the Two-Twos by wife of Col. Horatio Reed.
Here they remained without incident until the 21st of February when the First Vermont drove
the "Two-Twos" from their camp with snowballs. The next morning in retaliation, the Eigth
and Twenty-Second New Yorkers combined forces and drove the Vermont troopers from their
camp. Major French was captured by the Green Mountain Boys and subjected to a Drum-Court
Martial where he had his officer straps and buttons cut from his uniform. On February 27
1865, Gen. Sheridan orders his cavalry towards Staunton, which is reached on March 1. By
this time, the ranks are so decimated in the Second Brigade, the Twenty-Second New York
and First New Hampshire are consolidated and thereafter known as the Consolidated
Twenty-Second NY. On March 2 the Consolidated Twenty-Second and Eigth New York were
in the lead mounted showing a regimental front when they came across General Early's
trains and army near Waynesboro and charged. It is here where five soldiers of the Eigth
New York each received the Medal of Honor award and the Twenty-Second New York produced four Medal of
Honor winners of their own that day. Then as now, the award was awarded for superb acts of
bravery and courage. Each of the recipients including Pvt. Nelson's commanding company officer,
Captain C. C. Bruton, had captured Rebel flags. One of the flags captured by the Twenty-Second was Gen. Early's
Headquarters flag and he himself barely escaped capture. The flag was returned to the State of Virginia on April 26 1905, by the U.S. War Department and is now at The Museum of the Confederacy.
General Early's Headquarters flag captured by Captain Christopher C. Bruton, Nelson's Company Commander.
