Editor’s Note: 2nd Delaware researcher and reenactor Sean Protas has generously agreed to do a series of guest posts focusing on the colorfully nicknamed ‘Crazy Delawares’. Look for Sean’s posts to appear periodically here at TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog. For more information on the modern day 2nd Delaware Volunteer Infantry reenactment group, check out their web page: http://www.2nddelaware.com/
Biography of Col. William P. Baily, 2nd Delaware Volunteer Infantry 1861-1864
By: Sean Protas
During it’s three years of enlistment, the 2nd Delaware Volunteer Infantry had only two men achieve the rank of Colonel, Henry W. Wharton and William P. Baily. Colonel Wharton was responsible for mustering in the regiment in June and July 1861 and but did not lead the men into battle as he took ill on the Peninsula in June 1862 and missed the units baptism of fire during the Seven Days Battle of June 26th to July 3rd, 1862. He officially resigned in October 1862 and then Lt. Col. William P. Baily was promoted to the post of Colonel. He retained this post till May 1864 when he tendered his resignation following the battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse.
William P. Baily was born in Delaware in 1827, and grew up in Wilmington, DE. He attended the Belknap School that was located on land that by the time of the Civil War was the Joseph Bringhurst mansion and estate. In the 1850’s, Mr. Baily was a resident of New York City and was engaged in the importing business and was a member of Co. C, 7th New York Militia. This unit was one of the most famous militia units in the nation and carried the moniker of “The National Guard.” The units roll of honor for members who served in the Civil War is extremely distinguished and includes men such as Brig Gen. Abraham Duryee, who served as Colonel of the 5th New York Zouaves. (Swinton, 1870)
When the State of Delaware announced that it was raising a regiment of soldiers for three years service, Mr. Baily, volunteered and was appointed as Lt. Colonel of the Regiment on July 16th, 1861. (CMSR, 1885) He was present with the Regiment for Camp of Instruction at Camp Brandywine in 1861, Brigade Camp of Instruction in Cambridge, MD in 1861, the invasion and garrison of Accomac County, VA in 1862 and the movement of the regiment to Ft. Marshall in Baltimore, MD in April 1862. In late September 1861, Lt. Col. Baily led a contingent of men made up of Co’s B and C of the 2nd DE to Easton, MD to arrest a confederate sympathizer named Tench Tilghman.
Little is known about Col. Baily because only one letter of his has been found to date. The little that is known comes from the observations of the men who served under him. These inferences have to be viewed with some skepticism as the military culture of the period was such that commanding officers were to be feared by their men and discipline was tyrannical and brutal. Cpl. Cyrus Forwood wrote of Col. Baily in his diary on May 10th, 1862 as follows: “Lt. Col. Bailey is in bad favor with the men. He is severe and tyrannical and partakes too freely of the ‘ardent’.” Cpl. Forwood also makes references to multiple occasions where Col. Baily and the other officers of the regiment become very inebriated.
The regiment saw its first combat action during the Union retreat from Richmond that is known as the “Seven Days Before Richmond.” At the start of the retreat, Lt. Col. Bailey had been suffering from severe diarrhea and typhoid fever, and attempts to stay in command of the regiment as Col. Wharton was also ill and on medical leave from the regiment. Lt. Col. Baily quickly becomes too ill to continue in command has to relinquish command to Capt. Stricker of Co. A. The 2nd Delaware spent the battles as part of the rear guard for the retreating Army of the Potomac. They saw action at Gaines Mill, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp, and Malvern Hill. Following this grueling seven day retreat the Army would spend several weeks recouping in a defensive position at Harrison’s Landing in Virginia. On August 13th, 1862, Lt. Col. Baily requested a 20 day furlough to recover from severe diarrhea symptoms that he had been enduring for the past 6 weeks. Dr. Houston of the unit added that the Lt. Col. Was suffering from a remittent fever that had typhoid tendencies. (CMSR, 1885)
Lt. Col. Baily would remain in the hospital in Baltimore until October 1862 when he returned to the regiment. The regiment had participated in the Battle of Antietam the previous month and was encamped on Bolivar Heights near Harper’s Ferry, WV. On October 6th, Col. Wharton accepted a disability discharge and left the regiment permanently. To fill the position of Colonel, Lt. Col. Baily was promoted. He would not relinquish this role until his resignation in May 1864. Col. Bailey whereabouts during the battle of Antietam were reported incorrectly in the Delaware papers in 1863. In a letter dated May 14th, 1863; Sgt. Cyrus Forwood of Co. A, wrote home the following in reference to a claim that Col. Baily’s life had been saved by another officer: “This is simply absurd for Bailey was at Baltimore at the time and if he had been at Antietam, I have no doubt he would have been far enough to the rear to be out of danger.” This quote is of other significance because it gives some insight into the battlefield activities of Col. Baily to that point in the war.
The next major battle for the regiment was the battle of Fredericksburg that occurred on December 13, 1862. While leading the 2nd Delaware during Col. Zook’s brigade’s assault on the Confederate position on Marye’s Heights, Col. Bailey was hit in the left breast by a piece of artillery shell. This produced a injury that would plague the colonel for the remainder of his life. He was admitted to Newton University Hospital on Lexington St. in Baltimore, MD with a partially paralyzed left arm and sub-acute inflammation of the left lung. The colonel would not return to duty until late April 1863 just before the beginning of the Chancellorsville campaign. When he returned to the regiment, his left arm was still paralyzed and mostly useless to him. He served in limited capacity during the Chancellorsville and Gettysburg campaigns, mostly acting as a staffer in brigade headquarters under Col. John R. Brooke.
Following the death of Col. Edward Cross, commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Corps, at the Battle of Gettysburg, Col. Baily was temporarily reassigned to replace him through Special Order 674 that was issued on July 19th, 1863. Col. Bailey service would continue during the remainder of 1863 through the Bristoe Station and Mine Run campaigns of October and November 1863. When the Army of the Potomac settled into winter camp in January 1864, the Colonel requested a leave of absence. He stated that he needed to attend to his personal business at home in New York City, as he did not have a partner to attend to it in his absence. The leave was approved and while on leave, he developed diarrhea and his leave was extended a further ten days till mid-February 1864.
Up to this point in his service, Col. Baily had an exemplary record of service, with the only blemish being his absences due to recovery from his wounding at Fredericksburg and due to sickness in 1862. In 1864, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was appointed commander of all Union forces and made plans to campaign with the Army of the Potomac starting in May 1864. This campaign was the bloodiest of the war and witnessed the most sustained combat of the war to that date. The first battle of the campaign occured to the west of Chancellorsville in an area called the Wilderness, the 1st Division of the 2nd Corps saw limited action in this battle and suffered few casualties. The armies disengaged and moved to the southeast and engaged in a second battle near Spottsylvania Courthouse, between May 9 and May 15th, 1864. On May 12th, 1864, the 2nd Corps was tasked to attack the confederate earthworks in a battering ram style attack that has come to be known as the “Mule Shoe Salient Assault”. The 1st Division of the 2nd Corps, of which the 2nd Delaware was a member, led the assault and suffered large numbers of casualties during a 12 hour period of sustained combat. During this attack the 2nd Delaware lost several officers including Lt. Col. David Stricker and Capt. John Evans. On May 15th, Col. William P. Baily submitted a letter of resignation to the commander of the Brigade, Col. John R. Brooke. Col. Brooke accepted the letter and forwarded it on to the Division commander with the following notation: “I would respectfully ask that this officer’s resignation be accepted for the good of the service.” It was then forwarded to the Corps Commander by the 1st Division commander, Gen. Francis Barlow, who added the following notation: “Respectfully forwarded … request that this resignation be accepted for the good of the service immediately. This officer is a coward.” At this time, the exact circumstances for the turn of fortune for Col. Bailey are not known, but Col. Baily did receive a pension and was considered honorably discharged by the US War Department. Thus Col. Baily’s military career was ended just two months prior to the mustering out of the 2nd Delaware. Following the resignation of Col. Baily and the death of Lt. Col. Stricker, Major Peter McCullough of Wilmington, DE, was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel.
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