John Rock in the Civil War continues...

While stationed near Fort Monroe, John Rock would have participated in continuing drills, although they were given respite from these exercises on occasion due to the cold weather. I suppose their commanders wanted to protect the soldiers health. There were cases of diarrhea and camp fever during their encampment near the town of Hampton, which the soldiers called Fort Hamilton.

Town of Hampton near what was Fort Hamilton, VA.

On the morning of December 8, 1861 John boarded another steamer ship. This time, they were heading further south. A three day voyage to Port Royal, South Carolina. Today, the area is known to include Parris Island and is near the town of Beaufort, S.C. While the steamship made a pleasant voyage on calm waters, the 97th P.V. arrived too late to be brought ashore. They soon found themselves in a storm. The ship had to back away from the dangerous port and wait out the storm. The men of Co. B would have to ride out the storm below decks. Many of the men became severely sea sick. By 4 PM the following day the soldiers were once again on dry land at Fort Walker on Hilton Head Island setting up camp in an old cotton field.

By late January, the 97th boarded yet another steamer with a destination of Warsaw Sound, Georgia. It was just  thirteen miles below Savannah. Although, they were landed near Warsaw Sound, they did not remain on land. They spent 44 days aboard steam ships between January and March 5th 1862. The 97th must have felt overjoyed by the welcome news that they would be the first regiment to take up picket duty at the newly captured Fort Clinch at Fernandina along the most northern reaches of the Florida coastline.

The regular drills and camp life continued until March 24, when the 97th was sent to reinforce the troops at Jacksonville upon the steamer Cosmopolitan. Upon landing, the troops were quartered in storehouses and other large buildings that were found unoccupied, the 97th being at the corner of Bayard and Orange Streets, in a large warehouse. While the support at Jacksonville did not bring an all out battle, rebel sharpshooters along the bluffs of Jacksonville caused some pause at their landing. The soldiers of the 97th were engaged a 1/2 mile beyond the town in order to build earthen works to protect against a confederate attack at Jacksonville. Orders eventually came to abandon Jacksonville however, and the 97th boarded crowded ships and were back at Fernandina, Florida by mid April.

The ship at far right is the steamer Cosmopolitan

Photo Credit: U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph

The 97th had guarded forts and towns along the coast for most of their enlistment by this point in their 8 month careers as soldiers. They would see their first action just outside Charleston, SC at James Island in early June of 1862. A New York Newspaper correspondent described it as follows.

I think no battle field of
this war has been the scene of more tenacious, determined and gal-
lant fighting than ensued on the part of our men. From the pecu-
liarity of the country, which abounds in all portions with thick
underbrush, the enemy were enabled to keep themselves under
cover, while our men were obliged either to hunt them from their
hiding places or wait for uncertain glimpses through the dense shrub-
bery. Notwithstanding these disadvantages our men behaved like
veterans, standing up before the enemy's galling fire of musketry
without wavering or wincing. * * * The fire of our troops
was most effective. After charging wildly at all points of the line,
the rebel commander gave up the attempt and his forces fell back
in hotter haste than they came up. * * * Col. Guss, of the
97th Pennsylvania, who had command of our forces during the
fight, rode gallantly up and down the line encouraging his men, and
though prominently exposed, in the thickest of the fight, escaped
without harm. There were numerous other hair-breadth escapes,
to be accounted for only by the fact that the fire was so rapid and
the smoke, in consequence, so dense as to partially keep the men
from view.

The protracted and arduous service of the unprecedented siege on Morris Island, during July, August
and September, 1863, had so prostrated the men as to render rest and change absolutely essential to
restore the Regiment to its usual efficiency.

Fernandina; October 1, 1863, to April 25, 1864.

Rock Family: Another Related Pursuit

The Rock family is also represented in the U.S. Civil War by John Rock. John is another son of Peter Rock and Mary Graver mentioned in the previous blog. John's fate was not as fortunate as his brothers. He did not survive the war. He was killed in action at the charge on Fort Gilmer just outside Richmond, VA.

John was born just twelve days before his father died in May of 1845. The Rock family was thrown into turmoil following the death of a very young 40ish Peter Rock. Most of the children were still at home when Peter died. The family was split up among neighbors of the West Earl Township community located between Akron and Brownstown. All of the children were living in individual households with neighbors. John, however, remained with his mother, Mary, as evidenced in the 1850 census where he was the only child in Mary Rock's household. In 1860, he was still living with his mother in Lancaster City. At this time, his older sister, Caroline, my Gr Gr Gr Gr Grandmother, who was recently divorced from Richard Cooper was also in the household. John, 15 years of age, was a saddlers apprentice. In just over a year from this census record, John would volunteer for service in the Union army. He claimed to be 18 years old.

After the bombardment of Fort Sumpter in April 1861, President Lincoln called for troops to volunteer for service in the union army. John's brother, Miles Rock, enlisted in June of 1861 with the 1st Pennsylvania Reserves, Co. B. They were known as the Union Guards because so many of them were members of the Union Fire Company of Lancaster.

Sixteen year old John must have also felt the call for service, but waited a couple months later than his brother. He may have been motivated by the disastorous news of the Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run just a month earlier or even by the President himself. Lincoln visited Lancaster on February 22, 1861 and gave a short speech only a few blocks from John's home. John may have wanted to support this new president when he would later call for soldiers. Or perhaps John followed his brother to the burgeoning camps being formed outside West Chester, where Miles company was drilling in preparation and saw this as his opportunity to enlist. He would have been away from his mother's eyes and possibly his actual age wouldn't be a factor if he joined further away from his hometown. Most of the men of John's company were from the Chester County area. They were the 97th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Company B, also known as the Chester County Grays. John enlisted on August 30, 1861.

(Photo Credit: Charles X. Carlson, Old Lancaster by Frederic S. Klein)

Shortly after the 1st Pennsylvania, Miles Rock's company, moved on to Washington D.C., the 97th P.V. occupied the same area known as Camp Wayne. Clothing, supplies and weapons were issued to the 97th in short order. Drilling, discipline, Sunday services, and camp life would have been the norm for John for the first few months of his time at Camp Wayne. One soldier stationed at Camp Wayne described the daily life.

“The military duties daily are as follows: roll call at 5 o’clock, A.M.; drill from 5½ to 8½; between 9 and 12; between 2 o’clock P.M. until 4; dress parade, at present, at 6½ P.M., after which the various camp amusements commence, ball playing, music, vocal and instrumental, sparring, shows and serenades, or to use the language of the ‘boys,’ ‘the circus we have joined for three years is open.’ At 9½ o’clock P.M. roll call, and at 10 the lights are extinguished, and quietness in their bunks is enjoined.”

(Source: Lancaster Examiner Newspaper)

On November 12, 1861 the regiment recieved its stand of colors from the visiting Governor Curtain. Four days later, the 97th regiment had orders to leave Camp Wayne. In the early morning of November 16th John marched with his company through the main streets of West Chester with the crowds waving from the sidewalks and windows bidding them farewell. The regiment boarded trains and passed through the countryside heading to West Philadelphia where they would have lunch at the Cooper Shop Refreshment Saloon, at Otsego Street and Washington Avenue. By 5:30 that evening they were back aboard trains headed to Washington D.C.  With stops at Wilmington Delaware they arrived in Baltimore, Maryland at 5:30 AM on November 17th. They finally arrived in Washington D.C. at 3:30 PM on November 17th. They marched from the depot to their camp a half a mile north of the Capitol building.

A view of the U.S. Capitol Building in 1861.

I imagine this was John's first trip to these major cities across the eastern seaboard. His mind must have been jumbled with thoughts of home and of his fate as a soldier. He wouldn't have had much time to ponder his lot, for on November 20th the regiment was ordered to pack up and move out. They boarded trains at the depot and went back to Baltimore. The purpose this time however was to board another form of transportation. They arrived in Baltimore at 11 PM and spent the night at the depot in that city. The next morning John's portion of the regiment boarded the steamship, Georgiana, and sailed for Fortress Monroe, Virginia. On the 22nd of November company B set up camp about half way between Fort Monroe and the town of Hampton. Here they would hear the drum beats of the enemy rebels for the first time.

Fort Monroe, Virginia view of moat.

Sources: U.S. Federal Census Records 1850 and 1860, History of the Ninety-Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers by Isaiah Price, Old Lancaster by Frederic S. Klein, Military Pension Records of Miles Rock and John Peter Rock.