The Union forces resisted for a short time but both batteries were being heavily attacked. The 14th NY and the 27th NY broke and fled along with other supporting troops. The Marines despite their officers efforts broke as well, without support the batteries were overrun. Reynolds managed to rally the Marines and they returned to the fight. Again the enemy attack was unrelenting, a Marine officer was killed and Major Zeilin(2nd in command) was wounded. At 4:00pm the Marines broke again contributing to the general rout of the Union Army. First Manassas (First Bull Run) was a dismal defeat for the whole Union Army as well as the Marines. The Marine Commandant would later report to the the Secretary of the Navy that 'it is the first instance recorded in Marine Corps history where any portion of The Corps turned their backs on the enemy'.
Sam also served aboard the USS Rhode Island,a steam powered side-wheeler and the SS Sabine a sail powered vessel. He was aboard the USS Rhode Island during the sinking of the USS Monitor while the Rhode Island had that ship in tow.
The USS Rhode Island, a 1,517 ton side-wheel steamer, was the civilian ship Eagle when she was acquired by the Navy in June 1861. Commissioned in late July of that year,the Rhode Island was initially employed as a supply ship, carrying men and cargo from Northern bases to the units operating along the Confederate coastline. Afetr service in the Gulf of Mexico, she was assigned to tow the ironclad USS Monitor from Hampton Roads, Virginia, south to join the Naval forces in South Carolina waters. During the night of 30-31 December 1862, after encountering a severe storm off Cape Hatteras, the Monitor was overcome by weather and sank. Under very difficult conditions, boats from the Rhode Island rescued most of the lost ship's officers and crew.
In 1863, the Rhode Island was sent to the West Indies to look for Confederate cruisers thought to be operating in the area. During the rest of that year and into 1864, she operated along the Atlantic coast. Placed out of commission in April 1864,(this is when Sam was transferred to the USS Sabine), the Rhode Island returned to active serice in early September with a greatly increased gun battery, better suiting her for the cruiser role. In addition to serving in that capacity, she also towed several monitors to and fron the combat zone and participated in the assaults on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in December 1864 and January 1865. Throughout her Civil War service the Rhode Island took part in the capture or destruction of 7 blockade runners.
Several months after the conflict, the Rhode Island helped bring the former Confederate ironclad Stonewall from Cuba to the US. She remained in service through 1866 and beyond, cruising in the western Atlantic and West Indies areas. The USS Rhode Island was decommissioned in 1867 and sold in October of that year. She subsequently had a lengthy civilian career under the name Charleston.
Built in 1855, the Sabine was among the first of the old Navy ships to see service in the Civil War. A sailing frigate of 1,726 tons it carried a crew of 375 and was armed with 2 10-inch Dahlgrens, 10 8-inch Dahlgrens, and 18 32-pounders. In 1862, a substantial portion of the crew volunteered for duty aboard the new ironclad USS Monitor.
