A group of Civil War enthusiasts will travel to Williamsburg this weekend to memorialize a Civil War Trails sign commemorating a New Jersey Infantry Brigade’s action in the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862.
The sign — recognizing “The Jersey Boys” — will be dedicated Sunday on the 162nd anniversary of the battle. A 9 a.m. program is scheduled at 7294 Merrimac Trail (Route 143) on the property owned by the Teamsters Local 9.
The Old Baldy Civil War Roundtable from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is sponsoring the installation. Between 45-50 members are expected to attend the program. Not only did the roundtable raise money for the initial sign cost, they will also ensure the sign will be maintained and promoted.
Civil War Trails is a six-state program that guides visitors to more than 1,200 sites, of which 700 are interpreted to the public for the first time.
“The Jersey Boys” represented the Third New Jersey Brigade, which was comprised of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th volunteer infantry regiments. The site of the new sign and the time of the event coincide with the location and time of the units’ involvement in the Williamsburg battle.
Frank Barletta, treasurer and board member of Old Baldy, said the units were involved in the principal action around the “Bloody Ravine.” That’s the battle where the regiments experienced their bloodiest day of the Civil War, losing more men — wounded, killed or missing — than any other, including Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and the Wilderness.
Associated with the sign is an image of five Union soldiers from company H, 7th New Jersey Regiment from Fairfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey..
Dan Casella, a New Jersey expert on the 7th Regiment, identified the soldiers — known as the “Fairfield Boys” — as Elmer B. Ogden, who died at Williamsburg, grave site unknown; Lorenzo D. Paynter, who was wounded at Williamsburg, but survived the war; Joseph Burt, who died of disease in February 1863 near Falmouth, Virginia; and Joseph H. Diver and Benjamin F. Ogden, who survived the war.
Research on the Brigade states that amid a driving rain, Union Brig. Gen. Francis Patterson ordered the 6th, 7th and 8th regiments forward with the 5th held in reserve. They pushed to the ravine, “rushing to reinforce other Union regiments that were out of ammunition and falling back.”
“As shots and shell flew overhead, the three regiments plunged into the tangled undergrowth, slipping and sliding into a hail of Confederate musketry. The ravine echoed with the sounds of gory hand-to-hand fighting,” the history recounts. “Exhausted, out of ammunition, and facing a dozen Confederate regiments, the Jerseyans were forced back.”
The area where the Civil War Trails sign will be located is where the Jersey Boys held their position until other Union troops, commanded by Brig. Gen. Philip Kearny, came up to support.
Williamsburg battle historians have concluded that the ravine changed hands at least three times. As Confederate reinforcements poured into the ravine, Union Brig. Gen. Joseph Hooker exclaimed that the New Jersey men were “whipped three times but did not know it. (They) are not soldiers but bulldogs.”
Earlier this year, the New Jersey Senate passed a resolution recognizing the project. The resolution recognized the roundtable — more than “150 strong” from nine states — for their “meritorious record of service and faithful allegiance … and for ensuring that the brave soldiers from New Jersey are memorialized for posterity.”
In December 2020, the American Battlefield Trust purchased 29 acres of the Williamsburg Battlefield, including the area of the “Bloody Ravine,” from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The land will be saved from commercial development.
Those wishing to join the dedication on Sunday are encouraged to park along Orange Drive.
Wilford Kale, kalehouse@aol.com
