Kinston, Whitehall and Goldsboro (North Carolina) expedition, December, 1862 Part 4

It is impossible to send the list of the missing, which may turn up in a day or two.

[New York Times, Sept. 3, 1874.]

MAJOR-GEN. JOHN G. FOSTER.

The death of this distinguished soldier and military engineer is announced. He died at his mother's residence at Nashua, N. H., at 1 o'clock yesterday morning, in the fifty-first year of his age. He graduated at West Point, July 1, 1846, being in the same cla.s.s with Generals George B. McClellan and Stonewall Jackson. He served in the war with Mexico, 1847-48, attached to the Company of Sappers, Miners, and Pontoniers, and was engaged in the siege of Vera Cruz, battle of Cerro Gordo, and battles of Contreras and Churubusco, in which he distinguished himself. On the 20th of August, 1847, he was promoted Brevet First Lieutenant. He was severely wounded on the 8th of September, 1847, while leading the forlorn hope at the capture of Molino del Rey. For his gallant conduct on this occasion he was promoted Brevet Captain, and was placed, with full pay, for more than two years on the sick list of the army. When convalescent, he joined Gen. R. E. Lee at Baltimore as a.s.sistant Engineer, and afterwards was on the Coast Survey. He was a.s.sistant Professor of Engineering at West Point from January, 1855, to June, 1857, and Superintending Engineer of the survey of the site of the fort at Willett's Point, Long Island; of the preliminary operations for building a fort at Sandy Hook, N. J.; of building Fort Sumter, and repairs of Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, from 1858 to 1861. On the 1st of July, 1860, he was promoted Captain, Corps of Engineers, for fourteen years' continuous service. During the rebellion of the seceding States he was Chief Engineer of the fortifications of Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. He was also engaged in defense of Fort Sumter from 27th of December, 1860, to April 14, 1861, when it was surrendered and evacuated. For the distinguished part taken by him in the transfer of the garrison of Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter he was, on the 20th December, 1860, promoted Brevet Major. Soon after the surrender of Fort Sumter he was given the command of a brigade, as second to General Burnside on the North Carolina expedition, in which he again distinguished himself. He took by storm the central fortification on the Island of Roanoke, which soon led to the entire possession of the island. For these services he was promoted Brevet Lieutenant Colonel on the 8th February, 1862, and Brevet-Colonel on the 12th March, 1862, for gallant and meritorious services in the capture of New Berne, N. C. He was present at the bombardment of Fort Macon, which capitulated 26th April, 1862, and on July 1, 1862, when Gen. Burnside was ordered to join Gen. McClellan, he was left in command of the division, and subsequently of the whole department of Virginia and North Carolina, with his headquarters at Old Point Comfort. During this period he successfully conducted the expedition to burn the Goldsboro Railroad Bridge, (December, 1862), was engaged in the action of Southwest Creek, December 14, 1862; at the battle of Kinston the following day; two days afterward at the action of Whitehall, and on the 18th of December, 1862, at the action of Goldsboro Bridge. He repulsed the rebel attack on New Berne, March 14, 1863. At the time of the investment of Little Washington, on Tar River, he performed one of the most gallant deeds in the annals of the war, by running in a small steamer past the rebel batteries commanding the channel, for the purpose of hurrying forward reinforcements to relieve the little garrison. The daring act was not un.o.bserved by the rebels, who sent a solid shot through the stateroom of the General, but as he happened to be on deck, he escaped harm, reached New Berne in safety, and accomplished his purpose.

On December 12, 1863, he relieved General Burnside and took command of the Army and Department of the Ohio, which he retained up to February 9, 1864, when he was obliged to relinquish the command in consequence of severe injuries from the fall of his horse. He was obliged to be removed to Baltimore for surgical a.s.sistance, and while yet on his crutches, he was, on the 26th of May, 1864, placed in command of the Department of the South, and met and aided General Sherman when he completed his march to the sea. He was in command of this department up to February 11, 1865, when he was again relieved for surgical treatment. He was promoted Brevet Brigadier-General on March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services in the capture of Savannah, Ga., and on the same day Brevet Major-General for "meritorious services in the field during the Rebellion." He subsequently commanded the Department of Florida from August 7, 1865, to December 5, 1866, and was on temporary duty in the Engineer Bureau, Washington, from January to May, 1867. General Foster had been in ill-health for about a year, and his condition recently was such as to leave no hope of his recovery. He was a man of commanding presence, great executive ability, and undaunted courage, and was at all times very popular with those under his command. The funeral will take place at 10 o'clock, a. m., Sat.u.r.day, with military honors. It is expected that a detachment of regulars from Fort Warren will attend the funeral.

At a meeting of the citizens of Nashua last night, to make arrangements for the funeral of General Foster on Sat.u.r.day, a committee was appointed to co-operate with the City Government. The public buildings will be draped and business suspended. Invitations were sent to President Grant, the Secretary of War, Ex-Governor Allen, of New Hampshire, and other distinguished persons.

[New York Herald, Sept. 6, 1874.]

OBSEQUIES OF GENERAL FOSTER.

IMPRESSIVE CEREMONIES AT NASHUA, N. H.

NASHUA, N. H., Sept. 5, 1874.

Since the obsequies of Major Ainsworth, a Nashua man who fell at the head of his command at Front Royal, there has not been so profound an expression of sorrow as that evinced in this city to-day, over the death and funeral rites of her honored citizen, patriot and gallant soldier of two wars, Major-General John G. Foster. The morning dawned foggy and heavy, but mellowed into autumnal splendor, while the populace seemed subdued in thought and mindful that one was being consigned to mother earth who had performed his duty to his country wisely and well. The mills and workshops, stores and offices were closed, and the citizens and citizen-soldiers of Nashua and vicinity vied with one another in paying the last sad tribute of respect to a son of New Hampshire who has honored her on many fields of carnage, and whose name is a household word with her children.

At 8 o'clock a requiem ma.s.s was held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception by Rev. John O'Donnell, and at the same hour a detail of ten men from Post John G. Foster, under command of Colonel George Bowers, took charge of the remains at the residence of his mother on Orange square, where the body laid in state two hours. Lighted candles were burning at the head and feet, according to the custom of the Catholic Church.

The body was encased in a heavy rosewood casket, upon which lay the sword, sash and belt of the deceased soldier. On the inner side of the lid, which was turned back, was a large floral wreath about a heavy silver coffin plate, upon which were handsomely engraved emblems of the army and the following inscription:--"John Gray Foster, Lieutenant-Colonel Engineers, Brevet Major-General United States Army, died September 2, 1874, aged 51 years." Hundreds of citizens, women and children viewed the remains, and hundreds more, owing to the crowd, were unable to look upon the face of the dead, which, although emaciated by disease, bore the soldierly impress it was wont to bear in life. The arrangements at the house were under the direction of Captain Solomon Spalding.

The city flags were at half-mast, minute guns were fired from 10 until 12 o'clock, and all the bells in the city were tolled. The cortege received the remains at his mother's residence and proceeded to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the nave of which was heavily draped in mourning, via. Orange, Concord, Main, East Pearl and Temple streets, where the body was placed in front of the altar, and the funeral service of the Catholic Church was performed by the Right Rev.

Bishop Lynch, of South Carolina. The funeral oration was delivered by Rev. Robert Fulton, S. J., and President of the Boston College, connected with the Church of the Immaculate Conception, of which the deceased soldier was a member.

The singing, which was grand and appropriate, was by the choir of the Church of St. Aloysius, a.s.sisted by General Michael T. Donahue and others, from Boston, and John McEvoy, of Lowell.

At the close of the exercises in the church the procession was re-formed, when it proceeded through Amory street to Ca.n.a.l street, up Ca.n.a.l street to the Nashua Cemetery, in the rear of the Unitarian church, where the remains of the gallant dead were interred with those of his kindred, and the grave blessed by Rev. Father O'Donnell.

The following regiments partic.i.p.ated in these battles:

Third Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. S. P. Richmond.

Fifth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. Geo. H. Pierson.

[A]Eighth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. F. J. Coffin.

Seventeenth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Col. T. J. C.

Amory.

Twenty-third Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Major J. G.

Chambers.

Twenty-fourth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Col. T. G.

Stevenson.

Twenty-fifth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Col. Josiah Pickett.

Twenty-seventh Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Col. H. C.

Lee.

Forty-third Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. Chas. L.

Holbrook.

Forty-fourth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. Francis S.

Lee.

Forty-fifth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. Chas. R.

Codman.

Forty-sixth Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. Geo. Boler.

Fifty-first Regiment Ma.s.sachusetts Volunteer Militia, Col. A. B. R.

Sprague.

Battery F, First Regiment Rhode Island, Capt. James Belger.

Fifth Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers, Capt. Job Arnold.

Third Regiment Cavalry, New York State Volunteers, Col. S. H. Mix.

Company A, Capt. Walter S. Joy; Company B, Capt. John F. Marshall; Company E, Capt. Ferris Jacobs, Jr.; Company K, Capt. George W. Cole.

Third New York Artillery, State Volunteers, Col. J. H. Ledlie. Battery B, Capt. Joseph J. Morrison; Battery C, Lieut. G. E. Ashby; Battery F, Capt. E. S. Jenney; Battery I, Capt. John H. Ammon; Battery K, Capt.

James R. Angel.

Twenty-second New York Infantry, State Volunteers, Col. Walter Phelps, Jr.

Eighty-fifth New York Infantry, State Volunteers, Col J. S. Belknap.

Ninety-sixth New York Infantry, State Volunteers, Col. Chas. O. Gray.

Tenth Connecticut Volunteers, Col. E. D. S. Goodyear.

Twenty-fourth Independent Battery, New York State Volunteers, Capt. T.

E. Lee.

Ninth Regiment New Jersey Infantry, Col. C. A. Heckmann.

Eighty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania.

One Hundred and First Regiment Pennsylvania.

One Hundred and Third Regiment Pennsylvania.