The 7th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Brigade departed Madison, Wisconsin by train on September 21, 1861, passed through Chicago, Pittsburg, and Baltimore, and arrived in Washington DC on September 26. Charles Pooch had volunteered under the name, Charles Ford, on August 2, 1861. He was mustered in on August 31 in Madison as a Private in Company I along with about 100 other volunteers from the central Wisconsin area and nine other Companies in the 1000-man Brigade. They would have arrived at the B & O Railroad Station, in the shadow of the US Capitol building.
Based on the William Ray diary, the Brigade initially went to a Soldiers Rest (like a USO) for camping and meals. They then visited a city hall where the Companies were assigned to individual halls of the building. They camped at an area set aside for incoming troops for almost a week. The bread was good when available but the meat was usually inedible, according to Pvt. Ray.
The District of Columbia was on the front line between the Union and the Confederacy with only the Potomac River offering some isolation from the Confederate Army. In fact, the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861 took place only a short distance west of Washington. This battle ended disastrously for the poorly led Union Army and could have resulted in the loss of Washington if the Confederates had pursued the Army. Thus, Abraham Lincoln needed to establish a strong foothold in the Virginia land across the Potomac and to build an extensive series of forts to defend against a Confederate attack. The Wisconsin Regiments in the Union Army of the Potomac became part of the defense of Washington from the Confederate Army in northern Virginia.
On October 2nd the Brigade joined General King’s brigade at Camp Lyon at the east end of Chain Bridge across the Potomac River, about three miles north of Georgetown. They camped there until October 5, when they marched about 5 miles south, crossing the Potomac River on the Georgetown Aquaduct, to Fort Tillinghast near Arlington Heights, the former home of Robert E. Lee, known as the Arlington House. It was still occupied by Robert E. Lee’s wife, who was promised protection by the Union forces. This mansion is still prominent at Arlington Cemetery. During the Civil War, that area was used for overwinter camping of Union Army troops as well as guarding against Confederate invasion of the capitol city.
The Fall and Winter of 1861- 1862 was spent in camp; drilling and training along with the rest of the Army of the Potomac. The Union had lost the 1st Battle of Bull Run due to lack of discipline and leadership in the Army, which consisted mostly of draftees and volunteers from the Eastern States. Lincoln replaced the inept Union commander with General George McClellan who was determined to build a strong army with training as the key. The winter weather was rainy, cold, and unfit for military moves given the unpaved roads and mud along the mid Atlantic coastal region. So neither South nor North was inclined to go to battle although skirmishes were common. However, Union successes in the “west” (Tennessee, Missouri) gave rise to optimism that the war would soon be over. The soldiers hoped they would see some battles before it was done.
Before the war ended, the 7th would see action in 25 battles: Cedar Mountain, Catletts Station, Rappahannock Station, Gainesville, 2nd Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Fitzhugh’s Crossing, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Haymarket, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Weldon Railroad, Hatcher’s Run, Gravelly Run, Five Forks, and the final battle of the war, Appomattox Court House. Charles Ford Pooch saw action in all except the few when he was hospitalized due to illness.
Written by Arlin Krueger 4-6-12
