diff options
Diffstat (limited to '44970.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 44970.txt | 7318 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 7318 deletions
diff --git a/44970.txt b/44970.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6245756..0000000 --- a/44970.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7318 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Recollections of A Drummer-Boy, by Harry M. Kieffer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Recollections of A Drummer-Boy - -Author: Harry M. Kieffer - -Release Date: February 20, 2014 [EBook #44970] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RECOLLECTIONS OF A DRUMMER-BOY *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Mary Akers and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's note: - The original spelling of words has been retained. Italic - text has been marked with _underscores_. Minor spelling - inconsistencies, mainly hyphenated words, have been - harmonized. Obvious typos have been corrected. - - - - - [Illustration: READY FOR THE FRONT.] - - - - - THE RECOLLECTIONS - - OF - - A DRUMMER-BOY - - BY - - HARRY M. KIEFFER - - LATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH REGIMENT - PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS - - ILLUSTRATED - - "_Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit_" - - VIRGIL, AENEID I. 203 - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON - JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY - - 1883 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1881, BY HARRY M. KIEFFER, AND 1883, BY - THE CENTURY CO. - - _All rights reserved._ - - - Cambridge: - - PRINTED BY JOHN WILSON AND SON, - UNIVERSITY PRESS. - - - - - TO - - THE OFFICERS AND MEN - - OF - - THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH REGIMENT - PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS, - - And to their Children, - - _THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED_. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -As some apology would seem to be necessary for the effort, herewith -made, to add yet one more volume to the already overcrowded shelf -containing the Nation's literature of the great Civil War, it may -be well to say a few words in explanation of the following pages. - -Several years ago the writer prepared a brief series of papers for -the columns of _St. Nicholas_, under the title of "Recollections of -a Drummer-Boy." It was thought that these sketches of army life, as -seen by a boy, would prove enjoyable and profitable to children in -general, and especially to the children of the men who participated -in the great Civil War, on one side or the other; while the belief -was entertained that they might at the same time serve to revive -in the minds of the veterans themselves long-forgotten or but -imperfectly remembered scenes and experiences in camp and field. In -the outstart it was not the author's design to write a connected -story, but rather simply to prepare a few brief and hasty sketches -of army life, drawn from his own personal experience, and suitable -for magazine purposes. But these, though prepared in such intervals -as could with difficulty be spared from the exacting duties of -a busy professional life, having been so kindly received by the -editors of _St. Nicholas_, as well as by the very large circle -of the readers of that excellent magazine, and the writer having -been urgently pressed on all sides for more of the same kind, it -was thought well to revise and enlarge the "Recollections of a -Drummer-Boy," and to present them to the public in permanent book -form. In the shape of a more or less connected story of army life, -covering the whole period of a soldier's experience from enlistment -to muster-out, and carried forward through all the stirring scenes -of camp and field, it was believed that these "Recollections," in -the revised form, would commend themselves not only to the children -of the soldiers of the late war, but to the surviving soldiers -themselves; while at the same time they would possess a reasonable -interest for the general reader as well. - -From first to last it has been the author's design, while -endeavoring faithfully to reflect the spirit of the army to which -he belonged, to avoid all needless references of a sectional -nature, and to present to the public a story of army life which -should breathe in every page of it the noble sentiment of "malice -towards none, and charity for all." - -In all essential regards, the following pages are what they profess -to be,--the author's personal recollections of three years of army -life in active service in the field. In a few instances, it is -true, certain incidents have been introduced which did not properly -fall within the range of the writer's personal experience; but -these have been admitted merely as by the way, or for the sake -of being true to the spirit rather than to the letter. Facts -and dates have been given as accurately as the author's memory, -aided by a carefully kept army journal, would permit; while the -names of officers and men mentioned in the narrative are given as -they appear in the published muster-rolls, with the exception of -several instances, easily recognized by the intelligent reader, in -which, for evident reasons, it seemed best to conceal the actors -beneath fictitious names. While speaking of the matter of names, an -affectionate esteem for a faithful boyhood's friend and subsequent -army messmate constrains the writer to mention that, as "Andy" was -the name by which Fisher Gutelius, "high private in the rear rank," -was commonly known while wearing the blue, it has been deemed well -to allow him to appear in the narrative under cover of this, his -army _sobriquet_. - -As no full and complete history of the One Hundred and Fiftieth -Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers has ever yet been written, it is -hoped that these Recollections of one of its humblest members may -serve the purpose of recalling to the minds of surviving comrades -the stirring scenes through which they passed, as well as of -keeping alive in coming time the name and memory of an organization -which deserved well of its country during the ever-memorable days -of now more than twenty years ago. - -The author herewith acknowledges his indebtedness for certain -facts to a brief sketch of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment -Pennsylvania Volunteers by Thomas Chamberlain, late Major of the -same; and to John C. Kensill, late sergeant of Company F, for -valuable information; and to the editors of _St. Nicholas_ for -their uniform courtesy and encouragement. - -It cannot fail to interest the reader to know that the -illustrations signed A. C. R. were drawn by Allen C. Redwood, who -served in the Confederate army, and witnessed, albeit from the -other side of the fence, many of the scenes which his graphic -pencil has so admirably depicted. - -With these few words of apology and explanation, the author -herewith places THE RECOLLECTIONS OF A DRUMMER-BOY in the hands of -a patient and ever-indulgent public. - - H. M. K. - - NORRISTOWN, PA., - March 1, 1883. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. OFF TO THE WAR 15 - - II. FIRST DAYS IN CAMP 34 - - III. ON TO WASHINGTON 49 - - IV. OUR FIRST WINTER QUARTERS 60 - - V. A GRAND REVIEW 71 - - VI. ON PICKET ALONG THE RAPPAHANNOCK 76 - - VII. A MUD-MARCH AND A SHAM-BATTLE 89 - - VIII. HOW WE GOT A SHELLING 107 - - IX. IN THE WOODS AT CHANCELLORSVILLE 117 - - X. THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYSBURG 128 - - XI. AFTER THE BATTLE 152 - - XII. THROUGH "MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND" 159 - - XIII. PAINS AND PENALTIES 171 - - XIV. A TALE OF A SQUIRREL AND THREE - BLIND MICE 187 - - XV. "THE PRIDE OF THE REGIMENT" 201 - - XVI. AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE 214 - - XVII. OUR FIRST DAY IN "THE WILDERNESS" 221 - - XVIII. A BIVOUAC FOR THE NIGHT 235 - - XIX. "WENT DOWN TO JERICHO AND FELL - AMONG THIEVES" 245 - - XX. IN THE FRONT AT PETERSBURG 257 - - XXI. FUN AND FROLIC 272 - - XXII. CHIEFLY CULINARY 290 - - XXIII. HATCHER'S RUN 300 - - XXIV. KILLED, WOUNDED, OR MISSING? 305 - - XXV. A WINTER RAID TO NORTH CAROLINA 314 - - XXVI. "JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME!" 324 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - PAGE - - READY FOR THE FRONT _Frontispiece_ - - VIGNETTE 8 - - THE COMPANY STARTS FOR THE WAR 26 - - TAILPIECE 48 - - IN WINTER-QUARTERS 62 - - WAITING TO BE REVIEWED BY THE PRESIDENT 72 - - TAILPIECE 75 - - IN A DANGEROUS PART OF HIS BEAT 84 - - THE QUARTERMASTER'S TRIUMPH 102 - - TAILPIECE 106 - - GENERAL DOUBLEDAY DISMOUNTS AND SIGHTS THE - GUN 112 - - TAILPIECE 116 - - A SURGEON WRITING UPON THE POMMEL OF HIS - SADDLE AN ORDER FOR AN AMBULANCE 118 - - A SKIRMISH AFTER A HARD DAY'S MARCH 140 - - AT CLOSE QUARTERS THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYSBURG 144 - - ON THE MARCH TO AND FROM GETTYSBURG 156 - - TAILPIECE 158 - - "I'VE GOT HIM, BOYS!" 168 - - DRUMMING SNEAK-THIEVES OUT OF CAMP 172 - - TAILPIECE 186 - - TAILPIECE 213 - - CHRISTMAS EVE AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE 216 - - SICK 220 - - A SCENE IN THE FIELD-HOSPITAL 228 - - ARMY BADGES 236 - - "GENERAL GRANT CAN'T HAVE ANY OF THIS WATER!" 242 - - "ANDY HAD BOUGHT THE SORREL FOR TEN DOLLARS" 254 - - "BETTER GIT OFF'N DAT DAR MULE!" 260 - - FINDING A WOUNDED PICKET IN A RIFLE-PIT 262 - - SCENE AMONG THE RIFLE-PITS BEFORE PETERSBURG 266 - - THE MAGAZINE WHERE THE POWDER AND SHELLS - WERE STORED 270 - - "FALL IN FOR HARD-TACK!" 292 - - THE CONFLICT AT DAYBREAK IN THE WOODS AT - HATCHER'S RUN 304 - - WRECKING THE RAILWAY 316 - - THE CHARGE ON THE CAKES 326 - - THE WELCOME HOME 330 - - - - - THE RECOLLECTIONS - - OF - - A DRUMMER-BOY. - - - - - [Illustration] - - - - -THE RECOLLECTIONS - -OF - -A DRUMMER-BOY. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -OFF TO THE WAR. - - -"It is no use, Andy, I cannot study any more. I have struggled -against this feeling, and have again and again resolved to shut -myself up to my books and stop thinking about the war; but when -news comes of one great battle after another, and I look around in -the school-room and see the many vacant seats once occupied by the -older boys, and think of where they are and what they may be doing -away down in Dixie, I fall to day-dreaming and wool-gathering over -my books, and it is just no use. I cannot study any more. I might -as well leave school and go home and get at something else." - -But my companion was apparently too deeply interested in -unravelling the intricacies of a sentence in Caesar to pay much -attention to what I had been saying. For Andy was a studious boy, -and the sentence with which he had been wrestling when the bell -rang for recess could not at once be given up. He had therefore -carried his book with him on our walk as we strolled leisurely up -the green lane which led past the "Old Academy," and, with his -copy of Caesar spread out before him, lay stretched out at full -length on the greensward, in the shade of a large cherry-tree, -whose fruit was already turning red under the warm spring sun. It -was a beautiful, dreamy day in May, early in the summer of 1862, -the second year of the great Civil War. The air was laden with the -sweet scent of the young clover, and vocal with the song of the -robin and the bluebird. The sky was cloudless overhead, and the -soft spring breeze blew balmily up from the south. Behind us were -the hills, covered with orchards, and beneath us lay the quiet -little village of M----, with its one thousand inhabitants, and -beyond it the valley, renowned far and wide for its beauty, while -in the farther background deep-blue mountains rose towering toward -the sky. - -My companion, apparently quite indifferent to the languid influence -of the season, resolutely persevered at his task until he had -triumphantly mastered it. Then, closing the book and clasping his -hands behind his head as he rolled around on his back, he looked at -me with a smile and said,-- - -"Oh! you only have the spring-fever, Harry." - -"No, I haven't, Andy; it was the same last winter. And don't you -remember how excited _you_ were when the news came about Fort -Sumter last spring? You would have enlisted right off, had your -father consented. Or, may be, _you_ had the spring-fever then?" - -"I'm all over that now, and for good and all. I want to study, and -as I cannot study and keep on thinking of the war all the time, why -I just stop thinking about the war as well as I can." - -"Well," said I, "I cannot. Look at our school: why, there are -scarcely any large boys left in it any more, only little fellows -and the girls. For my part, I ought to get at something else." - -"What would you get at? You would feel the same anywhere else. -There is Ike Zellers, the blacksmith, for example. When I came -past his shop this morning on my way to school, instead of being -busy with hammer and tongs as he should have been, there he was, -sitting on an old harrow outside his shop-door whittling a stick, -while Elias Foust was reading an account of the last battle from -some newspaper. I shouldn't wonder if Elias and Ike both would be -enlisting some one of these days. It is the same everywhere. All -people feel the excitement of the war--storekeepers, tradesmen, -farmers, and even the women; and we school-boys are no exception." - -"Would you enlist, Andy, if your father would consent? You are old -enough." - -"I don't think I should, Harry. I want to stick to study. But there -is no telling what a person may do when he is once taken down with -this war-fever. But you are too young to enlist; they wouldn't take -you. And you had therefore better make up your mind to stick to -school and help me at my Caesar. If you want war, there's enough of -it in old Julius here to satisfy the most bloodthirsty, I should -think." - -"You will find more about war, and of a more romantic kind too, -in Virgil and Homer when you get on so far in your studies, Andy. -But the wars of Caesar and the siege of Troy, what are they when -compared with the great war now being waged in our own time and -country? The nodding plumes of Hector and the shining armor of -all old Homer's heroes do not seem to me half so interesting or -magnificent as the brave uniforms in which some of our older -school-fellows occasionally come home on furlough." - -"Up there on the hillside," said Andy, suddenly rising from his -reclining posture, "is cousin Joe Gutelius, hoeing corn in his -father's lot. Let's go up and see what he has to say about the war." - -We found Joe busy and hard at work with the young corn. He was -a fine young fellow, perhaps twenty-two or twenty-three years -of age, tall, well built, of a fine manly bearing, and looked a -likely subject for a recruiting-officer, as, in response to our -loud "Hello, Joe!" he left his unfinished row and came down to the -fence for a talk. - -"Rather a warm day for work in a cornfield, isn't it, Joe?" - -"Well, yes," said Joe, as he threw down his hoe and mounted the -top rail, wiping away the perspiration, which stood in great beads -on his brow. "But I believe I'd rather hoe corn than go to school -such beautiful weather. Nearly kill me to be penned up in the old -Academy such a day as this." - -"That's what's the matter with Harry, here," said Andy. "He's got -the spring-fever, I tell him; but he thinks he has the war-fever. I -told him we'd come up here and see what you had to say about it." - -"About what? About the spring-fever, or about the war?" - -"Why, about the war, of course, Joe," said Andy with a smile. - -"Well, boys, I know what the war-fever is like. I had a touch of -it last winter when the Fifty-first boys went off, and I came very -near going along with them, too. But my brothers, Charlie and Sam, -both wanted to go, and I declared that if they went I'd go too; -and mother took it so much to heart that we all had to give it up. -Charlie and Sam came near joining a cavalry company some months -ago, and I shouldn't wonder much if they did get off one of these -days; but as for myself, I guess I'll have to stay at home and take -care of the old folks." - -"And I tell Harry, here," said Andy, "that he had better stick to -books and help me with my Caesar." - -"Or he might get a hoe and come and help me with my corn," said -Joe, with a smile; "that would take both the spring-fever and the -war-fever out of him in a jiffy. But there is your bell calling you -to your books. Poor fellows, how I pity you!" - -That my companion would persevere in his purpose of "sticking -to books," as he called it, I had no doubt. For besides being -naturally possessed of a resolute will, he was several years -my senior, and therefore presumably less liable to be carried -away by the prevailing restlessness of the times. But for myself -study continued to grow more and more irksome as the summer drew -on apace, so that when, before the close of the term, a former -schoolmate began to "raise a company," as it was called, for the -nine months' service, unable any longer to endure my restless -longing for a change, I sat down at my desk one day in the -school-room and wrote the following letter home:-- - - DEAR PAPA: I write to ask whether I may have your permission to - enlist. I find the school is fast breaking up; most of the boys - are gone. I can't study any more. _Won't_ you let me go? - -Poor father! In the anguish of his heart it must have been that he -sat down and wrote: "You may go!" Without the loss of a moment I -was off to the recruiting-office, showed my father's letter, and -asked to be sworn in. But alas! I was only sixteen, and lacked two -years of being old enough, and they would not take me unless I -could swear I was eighteen, which, of course, I could not and would -not do. - -So, then, back again to the school when the fall term opened early -in August, 1862, there to dream over Horace, and Homer, and that -one poor little old siege of Troy, for a few days more, while Andy -at my side toiled manfully at his Caesar. The term had scarcely well -opened, when, unfortunately for my peace of mind, a gentleman who -had been my school-teacher some years previously, began to raise -a company for the war, and the village at once went into another -whirl of excitement, which carried me utterly away; for they said -I could enlist as a drummer-boy, no matter how young I might be, -provided I had my father's consent. But this, most unfortunately, -had been meanwhile revoked. For, to say nothing of certain -remonstrances on the part of my father during the vacation, there -had recently come a letter saying,-- - - MY DEAR BOY: If you have not yet enlisted, do not do so; for - I think you are quite too young and delicate, and I gave my - permission perhaps too hastily, and without due consideration. - -But alas! dear father, it was too late then, for I had set my -very heart on going. The company was nearly full, and would leave -in a few days, and everybody in the village knew that Harry was -going for a drummer-boy. Besides, the very evening on which the -above letter reached me we had a grand procession which marched -all through the village street from end to end, and this was -followed by an immense mass-meeting, and our future captain, Henry -W. Crotzer, made a stirring speech, and the band played, and the -people cheered and cheered again, as man after man stepped up and -put his name down on the list. Albert Foster and Joe Ruhl and Sam -Ruhl signed their names, and then Jimmy Lucas and Elias Foust and -Ike Zellers and several others followed; and when Charlie Gutelius -and his brother Sam stepped up, with Joe at their heels declaring -that "if they went he'd go too," the meeting fairly went wild with -excitement, and the people cheered and cheered again, and the band -played "Hail Columbia!" and the "Star-Spangled Banner," and "Away -Down South in Dixie," and--in short, what in the world was a poor -boy to do? - - * * * * * - -There was an immense crowd of people at the depot that midsummer -morning, more than twenty years ago, when our company started off -to the war. It seemed as if the whole county had suspended work -and voted itself a holiday, for a continuous stream of people, old -and young, poured out of the little village of L----, and made its -way through the bridge across the river, and over the dusty road -beyond, to the station where we were to take the train. - -The thirteen of us who had come down from the village of M---- to -join the larger body of the company at L----, had enjoyed something -of a triumphal progress on the way. We had a brass band to start -with, besides no inconsiderable escort of vehicles and mounted -horsemen, the number of which was steadily swelled to quite a -procession as we advanced. The band played, and the flags waved, -and the boys cheered, and the people at work in the fields cheered -back, and the young farmers rode down the lanes on their horses, or -brought their sweethearts in their carriages, and fell in line with -the dusty procession. Even the old gatekeeper, who could not leave -his post, became much excited as we passed, gave "three cheers for -the Union forever," and stood waving his hat after us till we were -hid from sight behind the hills. - -Reaching L---- about nine in the morning, we found the village all -ablaze with bunting, and so wrought up with the excitement that all -thought of work had evidently been given up for that day. As we -formed in line and marched down the main street toward the river, -the sidewalks were everywhere crowded with people,--with boys who -wore red-white-and-blue neckties, and boys who wore fatigue-caps; -with girls who carried flags, and girls who carried flowers; with -women who waved their kerchiefs, and old men who waved their -walking-sticks; while here and there, as we passed along, at -windows and doorways, were faces red with long weeping, for Johnny -was off to the war, and maybe mother and sisters and sweetheart -would never, never see him again. - - [Illustration: THE COMPANY STARTS FOR THE WAR.] - -Drawn up in line before the station, we awaited the train. There -was scarcely a man, woman, or child in that great crowd around -us but had to press up for a last shake of the hand, a last good -by, and a last "God bless you, boys!" And so, amid cheering, and -hand-shaking, and flag-waving, and band-playing, the train at last -came thundering in, and we were off, with the "Star-Spangled -Banner" sounding fainter and farther away, until it was drowned and -lost to the ear in the noise of the swiftly rushing train. - -For myself, however, the last good by had not yet been said, for I -had been away from home at school, and was to leave the train at a -way station some miles down the road, and walk out to my home in -the country, and say good by to the folks at home; and that was the -hardest part of it all, for good by then might be good by forever. - -If anybody at home had been looking out of door or window that hot -August afternoon, more than twenty years ago, he would have seen, -coming down the dusty road, a slender lad, with a bundle slung over -his shoulder, and--but nobody _was_ looking down the road, nobody -was in sight. Even Rollo, the dog, my old playfellow, was asleep -somewhere in the shade, and all was sultry, hot, and still. Leaping -lightly over the fence by the spring at the foot of the hill, -I took a cool draught of water, and looked up at the great red -farmhouse above with a throbbing heart, for that was home, and many -a sad good by had there to be said, and said again, before I could -get off to the war! - -Long years have passed since then, but never have I forgotten how -pale the faces of mother and sisters became when, entering the -room where they were at work, and throwing off my bundle, in reply -to their question, "Why, Harry! where did _you_ come from?" I -answered, "I come from school, and I'm off for the war!" You may -well believe there was an exciting time of it in the dining-room of -that old red farmhouse then. In the midst of the excitement, father -came in from the field and greeted me with, "Why, my boy, where did -_you_ come from?" to which there was but the one answer, "Come from -school, and off for the war!" - -"Nonsense! I can't let you go! I thought you had given up all idea -of that. What would they do with a mere boy like you? Why, you'd be -only a bill of expense to the Government. Dreadful thing to make me -all this trouble!" - -But I began to reason full stoutly with poor father. I reminded -him, first of all, that I would not go without his consent; that -in two years, and perhaps in less, I might be drafted and sent -amongst men unknown to me, while here was a company commanded by my -own school-teacher, and composed of acquaintances who would look -after me; that I was unfit for study or work while this fever was -on me, and so on; till I saw his resolution begin to give way, as -he lit his pipe and walked down to the spring to think the matter -over. - -"If Harry is to go, father," mother says, "hadn't I better run -up to the store and get some woollens, and we'll make the boy an -outfit of shirts to-night yet?" - -"Well--yes; I guess you had better do so." - -But when he sees mother stepping past the gate on her way, he halts -her with,-- - -"Stop! That boy can't go! I _can't_ give him up!" - -And shortly after, he tells her that she "had better be after -getting that woollen stuff for shirts;" and again he stops her at -the gate with,-- - -"Dreadful boy! Why _will_ he make me all this trouble? I _can not_ -let my boy go!" - -But at last, and somehow, mother gets off. The sewing-machine is -going most of the night, and my thoughts are as busy as it is, -until far into the morning, with all that is before me that I have -never seen, and all that is behind me that I may never see again. - -Let me pass over the trying good by the next morning, for Joe is -ready with the carriage to take father and me to the station, and -we are soon on the cars, steaming away toward the great camp, -whither the company already has gone. - -"See, Harry, there is your camp!" And looking out of the -car-window, across the river, I catch, through the tall tree tops, -as we rush along, glimpses of my first camp,--acres and acres of -canvas, stretching away into the dim and dusty distance, occupied, -as I shall soon find, by some ten or twenty thousand soldiers, -coming and going continually, marching and countermarching, until -they have ground the soil into the driest and deepest dust I ever -saw. - -I shall never forget my first impressions of camp life as father -and I passed the sentry at the gate. They were anything but -pleasant; and I could not but agree with the remark of my father, -that "the life of a soldier must be a hard life indeed." For as we -entered that great camp, I looked into an A tent, the front flap -of which was thrown back, and saw enough to make me sick of the -housekeeping of a soldier. There was nothing in that tent but dirt -and disorder, pans and kettles, tin cups and cracker-boxes, forks -and bayonet-scabbards, greasy pork and broken hard-tack in utter -confusion, and over all and everywhere that insufferable dust. -Afterward, when we got into the field, our camps in summer-time -were models of cleanliness, and in winter models of comfort, as -far, at least, as axe and broom could make them so; but this, -the first camp I ever saw, was so abominable, that I have often -wondered it did not frighten the fever out of me. - -But once among the men of the company, all this was soon forgotten. -We had supper,--hard-tack and soft bread, boiled pork and strong -coffee (in tin cups),--fare that father thought "one could live -on right well, I guess;" and then the boys came around and begged -father to let me go; "they would take care of Harry; never you -fear for that;" and so helped on my cause, that that night, about -eleven o'clock, when we were in the railroad station together, on -the way home, father said,-- - -"Now, Harry, my boy, you are not enlisted yet. I am going home on -this train; you can go home with me now, or go with the boys. Which -will you do?" - -To which the answer came quickly enough,--too quickly and too -eagerly, I have often since thought, for a father's heart to bear -it well,-- - -"Papa, I'll go with the boys!" - -"Well, then, good by, my boy! And may God bless you and bring you -safely back to me again!" - -The whistle blew "Off brakes!" the car-door closed on father, and I -did not see him again for three long, long years! - -Often and often as I have thought over these things since, I have -never been able to come to any other conclusion than this: that it -was the "war-fever" that carried me off, and that made poor father -let me go. For that "war-fever" was a terrible malady in those -days. Once you were taken with it, you had a very fire in the bones -until your name was down on the enlistment-roll. There was Andy, -for example, my schoolfellow, and afterward my messmate for three -ever-memorable years. I have had no time to tell you how Andy came -to be with us; but with us he surely was, notwithstanding he had so -stoutly asserted his determination to quit thinking about the war -and stick to his books. - -He was on his way to school the very morning the company was -leaving the village, with no idea of going along; but seeing this, -that, and the other acquaintance in line, what did he do but run -across the street to an undertaker's shop, cram his school-books -through the broken window, take his place in line, and march off -with the boys without so much as saying good by to the folks at -home! And he did not see his Caesar and Greek grammar again for -three years. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -FIRST DAYS IN CAMP. - - -Our first camp was located on the outskirts of Harrisburg, Pa., -and was called "Camp Curtin." It was so named in honor of Governor -Andrew G. Curtin, the "War Governor" of the State of Pennsylvania, -who was regarded by the soldiers of his State with a patriotic -enthusiasm second only to that with which they, in common with all -the troops of the Northern States, greeted the name of Abraham -Lincoln. - -Camp Curtin was not properly a camp of instruction. It was rather -a mere rendezvous for the different companies which had been -recruited in various parts of the State. Hither the volunteers -came by hundreds and thousands for the purpose of being mustered -into the service, uniformed and equipped, assigned to regiments, -and shipped to the front as rapidly as possible. Only they who -witnessed it can form any idea of the patriotic ardor, amounting -often to a wild enthusiasm, with which volunteering went on in -those days. Companies were often formed, and their muster-rolls -filled, in a week, sometimes in a few days. The contagion of -enlisting and "going to the war" was in the very atmosphere. You -could scarcely accompany a friend to a way station on any of the -main lines of travel, without seeing the future wearers of blue -coats at the car-windows and on the platforms. Very frequently -whole trains were filled with them, speeding away to the State -capital as swift as steam could carry them. They poured into -Harrisburg, company by company, usually in citizens' clothes, and -marched out of the town a week or so later, regiment by regiment, -all glorious in bright new uniforms and glistening bayonets, -transformed in a few days from citizens into soldiers, and destined -for deeds of high endeavor on many a bloody field. - -Shortly after our arrival in camp, Andy and I went to town to -purchase such articles as we supposed a soldier would be likely to -need,--a gum-blanket, a journal, a combination knife, fork, and -spoon, and so on to the end of the list. To our credit I have it to -record that we turned a deaf ear to the solicitations of a certain -dealer in cutlery who insisted on selling us each a revolver, and -an ugly looking bowie-knife in a bright red morocco sheath. - -"Shentlemens, shust de ting you vill need ven you goes into de -battle. Ah, see dis knife, how it shines! Look at dis very fine -revolfer!" - -But Moses entreated in vain, while his wife stood at the shop-door -looking at some regiment marching down the street to the depot, -weeping as if her heart would break, and wiping her eyes with the -corner of her apron from time to time. - -"Ah, de poor boys!" said she. "Dere dey go again, off to de great -war, away from deir homes, and deir mutters, deir wives and deir -sweethearts, all to be kilt in de battle! Dey will nefer any more -coom back. Oh, it is so wicked!" - -But the drums rattled on, and the crowd on the sidewalk gazed and -cheered, and Moses behind his counter smiled pleasantly as he -cried up his wares and went on selling bowie-knives and revolvers -to kill men with, while his wife went on weeping and lamenting -because men would be killed in the wicked war, and "nefer any more -coom back." The firm of Moses and wife struck us as a very strange -combination of business and sentiment. I do not know how many -knives and pistols Moses sold, nor how many tears his good wife -shed, but if she wept whenever a regiment marched down the street -to the depot, her eyes must have been turned into a river of tears; -for the tap of the drum and the tramp of the men resounded along -the streets of the capital by day and by night, until people grew -so used to it that they scarcely noticed it any more. - -The tide of volunteering was at the full during those early fall -days of 1862. But the day came at length when the tide began to -turn. Various expedients were then resorted to for the purpose of -stimulating the flagging zeal of Pennsylvania's sons. At first the -tempting bait of large bounties was presented--county bounties, -city bounties, State and United States bounties--some men towards -the close of the war receiving as much as one thousand dollars, and -never smelling powder at that. At last drafting was of necessity -resorted to, and along with drafting came all the miseries of -"hiring substitutes," and so making merchandise of a service of -which it is the chief glory that it shall be free. - -But in the fall of '62 there had been no drafting yet, and large -bounties were unknown--and unsought. Most of us were taken quite -by surprise when, a few days after our arrival in camp, we were -told that the County Commissioners had come down for the purpose of -paying us each the magnificent sum of fifty dollars. At the same -time, also, we learned that the United States Government would -pay us each one hundred dollars additional, of which, however, -only twenty-five were placed in our hands at once. The remaining -seventy-five were to be received only by those who might safely -pass through all the unknown dangers which awaited us, and live to -be mustered out with the regiment three years later. - -Well, it was no matter then. What cared we for bounty? It seemed a -questionable procedure, at all events, this offering of money as a -reward for an act which, to be a worthy act at all, asks not and -needs not the guerdon of gold. We were all so anxious to enter the -service, that, instead of looking for any artificial helps in that -direction, our only concern was lest we might be rejected by the -examining surgeon and not be admitted to the ranks. - -For soon after our arrival, and before we were mustered into the -service, every man was thoroughly examined by a medical officer, -who had us presented to him one by one, _in puris naturalibus_, -in a large tent, where he sharply questioned us--"Teeth sound? -Eyes good? Ever had this, that, and the other disease?"--and -pitiable was the case of that unfortunate man who, because of bad -hearing, or defective eyesight, or some other physical blemish, -was compelled to don his citizen's clothes again and take the next -train for home. - -After having been thoroughly examined, we were mustered into the -service. We were all drawn up in line. Every man raised his right -hand while an officer recited the oath. It took only a few minutes, -but when it was over one of the boys exclaimed: "Now, fellows, I'd -like to see any man go home if he dare. We belong to Uncle Sam now." - -Of the one thousand men drawn up in line there that day, some -lived to come back three years later and be drawn up in line again, -almost on that identical spot, for the purpose of being mustered -out of the service. And how many do you think there were? Not more -than one hundred and fifty. - -As we now belonged to Uncle Sam, it was to be expected that he -would next proceed to clothe us. This he punctually did a few days -after the muster. We had no little merriment when we were called -out and formed in line and marched up to the quartermaster's -department at one side of the camp to draw our uniforms. There were -so many men to be uniformed, and so little time in which to do it, -that the blue clothes were passed out to us almost regardless of -the size and weight of the prospective wearer. Each man received -a pair of pantaloons, a coat, cap, overcoat, shoes, blanket, and -underwear, of which latter the shirt was--well, a revelation to -most of us both as to size and shape and material. It was so rough, -that no living mortal, probably, could wear it, except perhaps one -who wished to do penance by wearing a hair shirt. Mine was promptly -sent home along with my citizen's clothes, with the request -that it be kept as a sort of heir-loom in the family for future -generations to wonder at. - -With our clothes on our arms, we marched back to our tents, -and there proceeded to get on the inside of our new uniforms. -The result was in most cases astonishing! For, as might have -been expected, scarcely one man in ten was fitted. The tall men -had invariably received the short pantaloons, and presented an -appearance, when they emerged from their tents, which was equalled -only by that of the short men who had, of course, received the -long pantaloons. One man's cap was perched away up on the top of -his head, while another's rested on his ears. Andy, who was not -very tall, waddled forth into the company street amid shouts of -laughter, having his pantaloons turned up some six inches or more -from the bottoms, declaring that "Uncle Sam must have got the -patterns for his boys' pantaloons somewhere over in France; for he -seems to have cut them after the style of the two French towns, -Toulon and Toulouse." - -"Hello, fellows! what do you think of this? Now just look here, -will you!" exclaimed Pointer Donachy, the tallest man in the -company, as he came out of his tent in a pair of pantaloons that -were little more than knee-breeches for him, and began to parade -the street with a tent-pole for a musket. "How in the name of the -American eagle is a man going to fight the battles of his country -in such a uniform as this? Seems to me that Uncle Sam must be a -little short of cloth, boys." - -"Brother Jonathan generally dresses in tights, you know," said some -one. - -"Ah," said Andy, "Pointer's uniform reminds one of what the poet -says,-- - - "'Man needs but little here below, - Nor needs that little long.'" - -"You're rather poor at quoting poetry, Andy," answered Pointer, -"because I need more than a little here below: I need at least six -inches." - -But the shoes! Coarse, broad-soled, low-heeled "gunboats," as we -afterward learned to call them--what a time there was getting into -them. Here came one fellow down the street with shoes so big that -they could scarcely be kept on his feet, while over yonder another -tugged and pulled and kicked himself red in the face over a pair -that _would_ not go on. But by trading off, the large men gradually -got the large garments and the little men the small, so that in a -few days we were all pretty well suited. - -I remember hearing about one poor fellow in another company, a -great strapping six-footer, who could not be suited. The largest -shoe furnished by the Government was quite too small. The giant -tried his best to force his foot in, but in vain. His comrades -gathered about him, and laughed, and chaffed him unmercifully, -whereupon he exclaimed,-- - -"Why, you don't think they are all _boys_ that come to the army, do -you? A man like me needs a man's shoe, not a baby's." - -There was another poor fellow, a very small man, who had received -a very large pair of shoes, and had not yet been able to effect -any exchange. One day the sergeant was drilling the company on the -facings--Right-face, Left-face, Right-about-face--and of course -watched his men's feet closely, to see that they went through the -movements promptly. Observing one pair of feet down the line that -never budged at the command, the sergeant, with drawn sword, rushed -up to the possessor of them, and in menacing tones demanded,-- - -"What do you mean by not facing about when I tell you? I'll have -you put in the guard-house, if you don't mind." - -"Why--I--did, sergeant," said the trembling recruit. - -"You did not, sir. Didn't I watch your feet? They never moved an -inch." - -"Why, you see," said the man, "my shoes are so big that they don't -turn when I do. I go through the motions on the inside of them!" - -Although Camp Curtin was not so much a camp of instruction as a -camp of equipment, yet once we had received our arms and uniforms, -we were all eager to be put on drill. Even before we had received -our uniforms, every evening we had some little drilling under -command of Sergeant Cummings, who had been out in the three -months' service. Clothed in citizens' dress and armed with such -sticks and poles as we could pick up, we must have presented a -sorry appearance on parade. Perhaps the most comical figure in -the line was that of old Simon Malehorn, who, clothed in a long -linen duster, high silk hat, blue overalls, and loose slippers, -was forever throwing the line into confusion by breaking rank and -running back to find his slipper, which he had lost in the dust -somewhere, and happy was he if some one of the boys had not quietly -smuggled it into his pocket or under his coat, and left poor Simon -to finish the parade in his stocking-feet. - -Awkward enough in the drill we all were, to be sure. Still, we were -not quite so stupid as a certain recruit of whom it was related -that the drill sergeant had to take him aside as an "awkward squad" -by himself, and try to teach him how to "mark time." But alas! -the poor fellow did not know his right foot from his left, and -consequently could not follow the order, "Left! Left!" until the -sergeant, driven almost to desperation, lit on the happy expedient -of tying a wisp of straw on one foot and a similar wisp of hay on -the other, and then put the command in a somewhat agricultural -shape--"Hay-foot, Straw-foot! Hay-foot, Straw-foot!" whereupon it -is said he did quite well; for if he did not know his left foot -from his right, he at least could tell hay from straw. - -One good effect of our having been detained in Camp Curtin for -several weeks was that we thus had the opportunity of forming the -acquaintance of the other nine companies, with which we were to be -joined in one common regimental organization. Some of these came -from the western and some from the eastern part of the State; some -were from the city, some from inland towns and small villages, -and some from the wild lumber regions. Every rank, class, and -profession seemed to be represented. There were clerks, farmers, -students, railroad men, iron-workers, lumbermen. At first we were -all strangers to one another. The different companies, having as -yet no regimental life to bind them together as a unit, naturally -regarded each other as foreigners rather than as members of the -same organization. In consequence of this, there was no little -rivalry between company and company, together with no end of -friendly chaffing and lively banter, especially about the time -of roll-call in the evening. The names of the men who hailed -from the west were quite strange, and a long-standing source of -amusement to the boys from the east, and _vice versa_. When the -Orderly-Sergeant of Company I called the roll, the men of Company -B would pick out all the outlandish-sounding surnames and make all -manner of puns on them, only to be paid back in their own coin by -similar criticisms of _their_ roll. Then there were certain forms -of expression peculiar to the different sections from which the men -came, strange idiomatic usages of speech, amounting at times to the -most pronounced provincialisms, which were a long-continued source -of merriment. Thus the Philadelphia boys made all sport of the boys -from the upper tier of counties because they said "I be going deown -to teown," and invariably used "I make out to" for "I am going to," -or "I intend to." Some of the men, it was observed, called every -species of board, no matter how thin, "a plank;" and every kind -of stone, no matter how small, "a rock." How the men laughed one -evening when a high wind came up and blew the dust in dense clouds -all over the camp, and one of the western boys was heard to declare -that he had "a rock in his eye!" - -Once we got afield, however, there was developed such a feeling of -regimental unity as soon obliterated whatever natural antagonisms -may at first have existed between the different companies. -Peculiarities of speech of course remained, and a generous and -wholesome rivalry never disappeared; but these were a help rather -than a hindrance. For in military, as in all social life, there can -be no true unity without some diversity in the component parts,--a -principle which is fully recognized in our national motto, "_E -pluribus unum_." - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -ON TO WASHINGTON. - - -After two weeks in that miserable camp at the State capital, we -were ordered to Washington; and into Washington, accordingly, one -sultry September morning, we marched, after a day and a night in -the cars on the way thither. Quite proud we felt, you may be sure, -as we tramped up Pennsylvania Avenue, with our new silk flags -flying, the fifes playing "Dixie," and we ten little drummer-boys -pounding away, awkwardly enough, no doubt, under the lead of a -white-haired old man, who had beaten _his_ drum, nearly fifty -years before, under Wellington, at the battle of Waterloo. We were -green, raw troops, as anybody could tell at a glance; for we were -fair-faced yet, and carried enormous knapsacks. I remember passing -some old troops somewhere near Fourteenth Street, and being -painfully conscious of the difference between them and us. _They_, -I observed, had no knapsacks; a gum-blanket, twisted into a roll, -and slung carelessly over the shoulder, was all the luggage they -carried. Dark, swarthy, sinewy men they were, with torn shoes and -faded uniforms, but with an air of self-possession and endurance -that came only of experience and hardship. They smiled on us as we -passed by,--a grim smile of half pity and half contempt,--just as -we in our turn learned to smile on other new troops a year or two -later. - -By some unpardonable mistake, instead of getting into camp -forthwith on the outskirts of the city, whither we had been ordered -for duty at the present, we were marched far out into the country, -under a merciless sun, that soon scorched all the endurance out -of me. It was dusty; it was hot; there was no water; my knapsack -weighed a ton. So that when, after marching some seven miles, our -orders were countermanded, and we faced about to return to the -city again, I thought it impossible I ever should reach it. My -feet moved mechanically, everything along the road was in a misty -whirl; and when at nightfall Andy helped me into the barracks near -the Capitol from which we had started in the morning, I threw -myself, or rather perhaps fell, on the hard floor, and was soon so -soundly asleep that Andy could not rouse me for my cup of coffee -and ration of bread. - -I have an indistinct recollection of being taken away next morning -in an ambulance to some hospital, and being put into a clean white -cot. After which, for days, all consciousness left me, and all was -blank before me, save only that, in misty intervals, I saw the kind -faces and heard the subdued voices of Sisters of Mercy,--voices -that spoke to me from far away, and hands that reached out to me -from the other side of an impassable gulf. - -Nursed by their tender care back to returning strength, no sooner -was I able to stand on my feet once more than, against their solemn -protest, I asked for my knapsack and drum, and insisted on setting -out forthwith in quest of my regiment, which I found had meanwhile -been scattered by companies about the city, my own company and -another having been assigned to duty at "Soldiers' Home," the -President's summer residence. Although it was but a distance of -three miles or thereabouts, and although I started out in search of -"Soldiers' Home" at noon, so conflicting were the directions given -me by the various persons of whom I asked the road, that it was -nightfall before I reached it. Coming then at the hour of dusk to a -gateway leading apparently into some park or pleasure-ground, and -being informed by the porter at the gate that this was "Soldiers' -Home," I walked about among the trees, in the growing darkness, -in search of the camp of Company D, when, just as I had crossed a -fence, a challenge rang out,-- - -"Halt! Who goes there?" - -"A friend." - -"Advance, friend, and give the countersign!" - -"Hello, Elias!" said I, peering through the bushes, "is that you?" - -"That isn't the countersign, friend. You'd better give the -countersign, or you're a dead man!" - -Saying which, Elias sprang back in true Zouave style, with his -bayonet fixed and ready for a lunge at me. - -"Now, Elias," said I, "you know me just as well as I know myself, -and you know I haven't the countersign; and if you're going to kill -me, why, don't stand there crouching like a cat ready to spring on -a mouse, but up and at it like a man. Don't keep me here in such -dreadful suspense." - -"Well, friend without the countersign, I'll call up the corporal, -and he may kill you,--you're a dead man, any way!" Then he sang -out,-- - -"Corporal of the guard, post number three!" - -From post to post it rang along the line, now shrill and high, now -deep and low: "Corporal of the guard, post number three!" "Corporal -of the guard, post number three!" - -Upon which up comes the corporal of the guard on a full trot, with -his gun at a right-shoulder shift, and saying,-- - -"Well, what's up?" - -"Man trying to break my guard." - -"Where is he?" - -"Why there, beside that bush." - -"Come along, you there; you'll be shot for a spy to-morrow morning -at nine o'clock." - -"All right, Mr. Corporal, I'm ready." - -Now all this was fine sport; for Corporal Harter and Elias were -both of my company, and knew me quite as well as I knew them; -but they were bent on having a little fun at my expense, and the -corporal had marched me off some distance toward headquarters, -beyond the ravine, when again the call rang along the line,-- - -"Corporal of the guard, post number three!" "Corporal of the guard, -post number three!" - -Back the corporal trotted me to Elias. - -"Well, what in the mischief's up now?" - -"Another fellow trying to break my guard, corporal." - -"Well, where is he? Trot him out! We'll have a grand execution in -the morning! The more the merrier, you know; and 'Long live the -Union!'" - -"I'm sorry, corporal, but the fact is I killed this chap myself. -I caught him trying to climb over the gate there, and he wouldn't -stop nor give the countersign, and so I up and at him, and ran my -bayonet through him, and there he is!" - -And sure enough, there he was,--a big fat 'possum! - -"All right, Elias; you're a brave soldier. I'll speak to the -colonel about this, and you shall have two stripes on your sleeve -one of these days." - -And so, with the 'possum by the tail and me by the shoulder, he -marched us off to headquarters, where, the 'possum being thrown -down on the ground, and I handed over to the tender mercies of the -captain, it was ordered that-- - -"This young man should be taken down to Andy's tent, and a supper -cooked, and a bed made for him there; and that henceforth and -hereafter he should beat reveille at daybreak, retreat at sundown, -tattoo at nine p.m., and lights out a half-hour later." - -Nothing, however, was said about the execution of spies in the -morning, although it was duly ordained that the 'possum, poor -thing, should be roasted for dinner the next day. - -Never was there a more pleasant camp than ours,--there on that -green hillside across the ravine from the President's summer -residence. We had light guard duty to do, and that of a kind we -esteemed a most high honor; for it was no less than that of being -special guards for President Lincoln. But the good President, we -were told, although he loved his soldiers as his own children, did -not like being guarded. Often did I see him enter his carriage -before the hour appointed for his morning departure for the White -House, and drive away in haste, as if to escape from the irksome -escort of a dozen cavalry-men, whose duty it was to guard his -carriage between our camp and the city. Then when the escort rode -up to the door, some ten or fifteen minutes later, and found that -the carriage had already gone, wasn't there a clattering of hoofs -and a rattling of scabbards as they dashed out past the gate and -down the road to overtake the great and good President, in whose -heart was "charity for all, and malice toward none!" - -Boy as I was, I could not but notice how pale and haggard the -President looked as he entered his carriage in the morning, or -stepped down from it in the evening, after a weary day's work in -the city; and no wonder, either, for those September days of 1862 -were the dark, perhaps the darkest, days of the war. Many a mark -of favor and kindness did we receive from the President's family. -Delicacies, such as we were strangers to then, and would be for a -long time to come, found their way from Mrs. Lincoln's hand to our -camp on the green hillside; while little Tad, the President's son, -was a great favorite with the boys, fond of the camp, and delighted -with the drill. - -One night, when all but the guards on their posts were wrapped in -great-coats and sound asleep in the tents, I felt some one shake me -roughly by the shoulder, and call: - -"Harry! Harry! Get up quick and beat the long roll; we're going to -be attacked. Quick, now!" - -Groping about in the dark for my drum and sticks, I stepped out -into the company street, and beat the loud alarm, which, waking the -echoes, brought the boys out of their tents in double-quick time, -and set the whole camp in an uproar. - -"What's up, fellows?" - -"Fall in, Company D!" shouted the orderly. - -"Fall in, men," shouted the captain; "we're going to be attacked at -once!" - -Amid the confusion of so sudden a summons at midnight, there was -some lively scrambling for guns, bayonets, cartridge-boxes, and -clothes. - -"I say, Bill, you've got my coat on!" - -"Where's my cap?" - -"Andy, you scamp, you've got my shoes!" - -"Fall in, men, quick; no time to look after shoes now. Take your -arms and fall in." - -And so, some shoeless, others hatless, and all only half dressed, -we formed in line and marched out and down the road at double-quick -for a mile; then halted; pickets were thrown out; an advance of -the whole line through the woods was made among tangled bushes and -briers, and through marshes, until, as the first early streaks -of dawn were shooting up in the eastern sky, our orders were -countermanded, and we marched back to camp, to find--that the whole -thing was a ruse, planned by some of the officers for the purpose -of testing our readiness for work at any hour. After that, we slept -with our shoes on. - -But poor old Peter Blank,--a man who should never have enlisted, -for he was as afraid of a gun as Robinson Crusoe's man Friday,--poor -old Peter was the butt for many a joke the next day. For amid -the night's confusion, and in the immediate prospect, as he -supposed, of a deadly encounter with the enemy, so alarmed did -he become that he at once fell to--praying! Out of consideration -for his years and piety, the captain had permitted him to remain -behind as a guard for the camp in our absence, in which capacity -he did excellent service, excellent service! But oh, when we sat -about our fires the next morning, frying our steaks and cooking our -coffee, poor Peter was the butt of all the fun, and was cruelly -described by the wag of the company as "the man that had a brave -heart, but a most cowardly pair of legs!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -OUR FIRST WINTER QUARTERS. - - -"Well, fellows, I tell you what! I've heard a good deal about the -balmy breezes and sunny skies of Old Virginny, but if this is a -specimen of the sort of weather they have in these parts, I, for -one, move we 'right-about-face' and march home." - -So saying, Phil Hammer got up from under the scrub-pine, where -he had made his bed for the night, shaking the snow from his -blanket and the cape of his overcoat, while a loud "Ha! ha!" and -an oft-repeated "What do you think of this, boys?" rang along the -hillside on which we had found our first camping-place on "Old -Virginia's Shore." - -The weather had played us a most deceptive and unpleasant trick. We -had landed the day before, as my journal says, "at Belle Plains, -at a place called Platt's Landing," having been brought down from -Washington on the steamer "Louisiana;" had marched some three or -four miles inland in the direction of Falmouth, and had halted -and camped for the night in a thick undergrowth of scrub-pine and -cedar. The day of our landing was remarkably fair. The skies were -so bright, the air was so soft and balmy, that we were rejoiced -to find what a pleasant country it was we were getting into, to -be sure; but the next morning, when we drummer-boys woke the men -with our loud reveille, we were all of Phil's opinion, that the -sunny skies and balmy breezes of this new land were all a miserable -fiction. For as man after man opened his eyes at the loud roll -of our drums, and the shout of the orderly: "Fall in, Company -D, for roll-call!" he found himself covered with four inches of -snow, and more coming down. Fortunately, the bushes had afforded -us some protection; they were so numerous and so thick that one -could scarcely see twenty rods ahead of him, and with their great -overhanging branches had kindly kept the falling snow out of our -faces, at least while we slept. - - [Illustration: IN WINTER-QUARTERS.] - -And now began a busy time. We were to build winter quarters--a -work for which we were but poorly prepared, either by nature or by -circumstance. Take any body of men out of civilized life, put them -into the woods to shift for themselves, and they are generally as -helpless as children. As for ourselves, we were indeed "Babes in -the Wood." At least half the regiment knew nothing of wood-craft, -having never been accustomed to the use of the axe. It was a -laughable sight to see some of the men from the city try to cut -down a tree! Besides, we were poorly equipped. Axes were scarce, -and worth almost their weight in gold. We had no "shelter-tents." -Most of us had "poncho" blankets; that is to say, a piece of -oilcloth about five feet by four, with a slit in the middle. But we -found our ponchos very poor coverings for our cabins; for the rain -just _would_ run down through that unfortunate hole in the middle; -and then, too, the men needed their oilcloths when they went on -picket, for which purpose they had been particularly intended. This -circumstance gave rise to frequent discussion that day: whether to -use the poncho as a covering for the cabin, and get soaked on -picket, or to save the poncho for picket, and cover the cabin -with brushwood and clay? Some messes[1] chose the one alternative, -others the other; and as the result of this preference, together -with our ignorance of wood-craft and the scarcity of axes, we -produced on that hillside the oddest looking winter quarters a -regiment ever built! Such an agglomeration of cabins was never seen -before nor since. I am positive no two cabins on all that hillside -had the slightest resemblance to each other. - - [1] A "mess" is a number of men who eat together. - -There, for instance, was a mess over in Company A, composed of men -from the city. They had _one_ kind of cabin, an immense square -structure of pine-logs, about seven feet high, and covered over -the top, first with brushwood, and then coated so heavily with -clay that I am certain the roof must have been two feet thick at -the least. It was hardly finished before some wag had nicknamed it -"Fortress Monroe." - -Then there was Ike Zellers, of our own company; he invented another -style of architecture, or perhaps I should rather say he borrowed -it from the Indians. Ike would have none of your flat-roofed -concerns; he would build a wigwam. And so, marking out a huge -circle, in the centre of which he erected a pole, and around the -pole a great number of smaller poles, with one end on the circle -and the other end meeting in the common apex, covering this with -brush, and the brush with clay, he made for himself a house that -was quite warm, indeed, but one so fearfully gloomy, that within it -was as dark at noon as at midnight. Ominous sounds came afterward -from the dark recesses of "The Wigwam;" for we were a "skirmish -regiment," and Ike was our bugler, and the way he tooted all day -long, "Deploy to the right and left," "Rally by fours," and "Rally -by platoons," was suggestive of things yet to come. - -Then there was my own tent, or cabin, if indeed I may dignify -it with the name of either; for it was a cross between a house -and a cave. Andy and I thought we would follow the advice of the -Irishman, who, in order to raise his roof higher, dug his cellar -deeper. We resolved to dig down some three feet; "and then, Harry, -we'll log her up about two feet high, cover her with ponchos, and -we'll have the finest cabin in the row!" It took us about three -days to accomplish so stupendous an undertaking, during which time -we slept at night under the bushes as best we could, and when our -work was done, we moved in with great satisfaction. I remember the -door of our house was a mystery to all visitors, as, indeed, it was -to ourselves until we "got the hang of it," as Andy said. It was a -hole about two feet square, cut through one end of the log part of -the cabin, and through it you had to crawl as best you could. If -you put one leg in first, then the head, and then drew in the other -leg after you, you were all right; but if, as visitors generally -did, you put in your head first, you were obliged to crawl in on -all fours in a most ungraceful and undignified fashion. - -That was a queer-looking camp all through. If you went up to the -top of the hill, where the Colonel had his quarters, and looked -down, a strange sight met your eyes. By the time the next winter -came, however, we had learned how to swing an axe, and we built -ourselves winter quarters that reflected no little credit on -our skill as experienced woodsmen. The last cabin we built--it -was down in front of Petersburg--was a model of comfort and -convenience: ten feet long by six wide and five high, made of clean -pine-logs straight as an arrow, and covered with shelter tents; a -chimney at one end, and a comfortable bunk at the other; the inside -walls covered with clean oat-bags, and the gable ends papered with -pictures cut from illustrated papers; a mantelpiece, a table, a -stool; and we were putting down a floor of pine-boards, too, one -day toward the close of winter, when the surgeon came by, and, -looking in, said: - -"No time to drive nails now, boys; we have orders to move!" But -Andy said: - -"Pound away, Harry, pound away; we'll see how it looks, anyhow, -before we go!" - -I remember an amusing occurrence in connection with the building -of our winter quarters. I had gone over to see some of the boys -of our company one evening, and found they had "logged up" their -tent about four feet high, and stretched a poncho over it to keep -the snow out, and were sitting before a fire they had built in a -chimney-place at one end. The chimney was built up only as high -as the log walls reached, the intention being to "cat-stick and -daub" it afterward to a sufficient height. The mess had just got a -box from home, and some one had hung nearly two yards of sausage -on a stick across the top of the chimney, "to smoke." And there, -on a log rolled up in front of the fire, I found Jimmy Lucas and -Sam Ruhl sitting smoking their pipes, and glancing up the chimney -between whiffs every now and then, to see that the sausage was -safe. Sitting down between them, I watched the cheery glow of the -fire, and we fell to talking, now about the jolly times they were -having at home at the holiday season, and again about the progress -of our cabin-building, while every now and then Jimmy would peep -up the chimney on one side, and shortly after Sam would squint up -on the other. After sitting thus for half an hour or so, all of a -sudden, Sam, looking up the chimney, jumped off the log, clapped -his hands together, and shouted: - -"Jim, it's _gone_!" - -Gone it was; and you might as well look for a needle in a haystack -as search for two yards of sausage among troops building winter -quarters on short rations! - -One evening Andy and I were going to have a feast, consisting in -the main of a huge dish of apple-fritters. We bought the flour -and the apples of the sutler at enormous figures, for we were so -tired of the endless monotony of bacon, beef, and bean-soup, that -we were bent on having a glorious supper, cost or no cost. We had -a rather small chimney-place, in which Andy was superintending -the heating of a mess-pan half full of lard, while I was busying -myself with the flour, dough, and apples, when, as ill-luck would -have it, the lard took fire and flamed up the chimney with a roar -and a blaze so bright that it illuminated the whole camp from end -to end. Unfortunately, too, for us, four of our companies had been -recruited in the city, and most of them had been in the volunteer -fire department, in which service they had gained an experience, -useful enough to them on the present occasion, but most disastrous -to us. - -No sooner was the bright blaze seen pouring high out of the -chimney-top of our modest little cabin, than at least a half-dozen -fire companies were on the instant organized for the emergency. The -"Humane," the "Fairmount," the "Good-will," with their imaginary -engines and hose-carriages, came dashing down our company street -with shouts, and yells, and cheers. It was but the work of a moment -to attach the imaginary hose to imaginary plugs, plant imaginary -ladders, tear down the chimney and demolish the roof, amid a -flood of sparks, and to the intense delight of the firemen, but -to our utter consternation and grief. It took us days to repair -the damage, and we went to bed with some of our neighbors, after a -scant supper of hard-tack and coffee. - -How did we spend our time in winter quarters, do you ask? Well, -there was always enough to do, you may be sure, and often it was -work of the very hardest sort. Two days in the week the regiment -went out on picket, and while there got but little sleep and -suffered much from exposure. When they were not on picket, all -the men not needed for camp guard had to drill. It was nothing -but drill, drill, drill: company drill, regimental drill, brigade -drill, and once even division drill. Our regiment, as I have said, -was a skirmish regiment, and the skirmish-drill is no light work, -let me tell you. Many an evening the men came in more dead than -alive after skirmishing over the country for miles around, all the -afternoon. Reveille and roll-call at five o'clock in the morning, -guard mount at nine, company drill from ten to twelve, regimental -drill from two to four, dress-parade at five, tattoo and lights -out at nine at night, with continual practice on the drum for us -drummer-boys--so our time passed away. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -A GRAND REVIEW. - - -On a certain day near the beginning of April, 1863, we were ordered -to prepare for a grand review of our corps. President Lincoln, Mrs. -Lincoln, Master Tad Lincoln (who used to play among our tents at -"Soldiers' Home"), and some of the Cabinet officers, were coming -down to look us over and see what promise we gave for the campaign -soon to open. - -Those who have never seen a grand review of well-drilled troops -in the field have never seen one of the finest and most inspiring -sights the eyes of man can behold. I wish I could impart to my -readers some faint idea of the thrilling scene which must have -presented itself to the eyes of the beholders when, on the morning -of the ninth day of April, 1863, our gallant First Army Corps, -leaving its camps among the hills, assembled on a wide, extended -plain for the inspection of our illustrious visitors. - -As regiment after regiment, and brigade after brigade, came -marching out from the surrounding hills and ravines, with flags -gayly flying, bands and drum corps making such music as was enough -to stir the blood in the heart of the most indifferent to a -quicker pulse, and well-drilled troops that marched in the morning -sunlight with a step as steady as the stroke of machinery,--ah! -it was a sight to be seen but once in a century! And when those -twenty thousand men were all at last in line, with the artillery -in position off to one side on the hill, and ready to fire their -salute, it seemed well worth the President's while to come all the -way from Washington to look at them. - - [Illustration: WAITING TO BE REVIEWED BY THE PRESIDENT.] - -But the President was a long, long time in coming. The sun, -mounting fast toward noon, began to be insufferably hot. One hour, -two hours, three hours were passing away, when, at last, far off -through a defile between the hills, we caught sight of a great -cloud of dust. - -"Fall in, men!" for now here they come, sure enough. Mr. and Mrs. -Lincoln in a carriage, escorted by a body of cavalry and groups of -officers, and at the head of the cavalcade Master Tad, big with -importance, mounted on a pony, and having for his especial escort -a boy orderly, dressed in a cavalry-man's uniform, and mounted -on another pony! And the two little fellows, scarce restraining -their boyish delight, outride the company, and come on the field -in a cloud of dust and at a full gallop,--little Tad shouting to -the men, at the top of his voice: "Make way, men! Make way, men! -Father's a-coming! Father's a-coming!" - -Then the artillery breaks forth into a thundering salute, that -wakes the echoes among the hills and sets the air to shivering and -quaking about your ears, as the cavalcade gallops down the long -line, and regimental standards droop in greeting, and bands and -drum corps, one after another, strike up "Hail to the Chief," till -they are all playing at once in a grand chorus that makes the hills -ring as they never rang before. - -But all this is only a flourish by way of prelude. The real -beauty of the review is yet to come, and can be seen only when the -cavalcade, having galloped down the line in front and up again on -the rear, has taken its stand out yonder immediately in front of -the middle of the line, and the order is given to "pass in review." - -Notice now, how, by one swift and dexterous movement, as the -officers step out and give the command, that long line is broken -into platoons of exactly equal length; how, straight as an arrow, -each platoon is dressed; how the feet of the men all move together, -and their guns, flashing in the sun, have the same inclination. -Observe particularly how, when they come to wheel off, there is no -_bend_ in the line, but they wheel as if the whole platoon were a -ramrod made to revolve about its one end through a quarter-circle; -and now that they are marching thus down the field and past the -President, what a grandeur there is in the steady step and onward -sweep of that column of twenty thousand boys in blue! - -But once we have passed the President and gained the other end of -the field, it is not nearly so fine. For we must needs finish -the review in a double-quick, just by way of showing, I suppose, -what we could do if we were wanted in a hurry,--as indeed we -shall be, not more than sixty days hence! Away we go, then, on a -dead run off the field, in a cloud of dust and amid a clatter of -bayonet-scabbards, till, hid behind the hills, we come to a more -sober pace, and march into camp just as tired as tired can be. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ON PICKET ALONG THE RAPPAHANNOCK. - - -"Harry, wouldn't you like to go out on picket with us to-morrow? -The weather is pleasant, and I'd like to have you for company, -for time hangs rather heavy on a fellow's hands out there; and, -besides, I want you to help me with my Latin." - -Andy was a studious fellow, and carried on his studies with greater -or less regularity during our whole time of service. Of course we -had no books, except a pocket copy of "Caesar;" but to make up for -the deficiency, particularly of a grammar, I had written out the -declensions of the nouns and the conjugations of the verbs on odd -scraps of paper, which Andy had gathered up and carried in a roll -in his breast-pocket, and many were the lessons we had together -under the canvas or beneath the sighing branches of the pines. - -"Well, old boy, I'd like to go along first-rate; but we must get -permission of the adjutant first." - -Having secured the adjutant's consent, and provided myself with a -gun and accoutrements, the next morning, at four o'clock, I set -out, in company with a body of some several hundred men of the -regiment. We were to be absent from camp for two days, at the -expiration of which time we were to be relieved by the next detail. - -It was pleasant April weather, for the season was well advanced. -Our route lay straight over the hills and through the ravines, -for there were no roads, fences, nor fields. But few houses were -to be seen, and from these the inhabitants had, of course, long -since disappeared. At one of these few remaining houses, situated -some three hundred yards from the river's edge, our advance -picket-reserve was established, the captain in command making -his headquarters in the once beautiful grounds of the mansion, -long since deserted and left empty by its former occupants. The -place had a very distressing air of neglect. The beautiful lawn -in front, where merry children had no doubt played and romped in -years gone by, was overgrown with weeds. The large and commodious -porch, where in other days the family gathered in the evening-time -and talked and sang, while the river flowed peacefully by, was -now abandoned to the spiders and their webs. The whole house was -pitifully forlorn looking, as if wondering why the family did not -come back to fill its spacious halls with life and mirth. Even -the colored people had left their quarters. There was not a soul -anywhere about. - -We were not permitted either to enter the house or to do any damage -to the property. Pitching our shelter-tents under the outspreading -branches of the great elms on the lawn in front of the house, -and building our fires back of a hill in the rear to cook our -breakfast, we awaited our turn to stand guard on the picket-line, -which ran close along the river's edge. - -It may be interesting to my young readers to know more particularly -how this matter of standing picket is arranged and conducted. When -a body of men numbering, let us say, for the sake of example, two -hundred in all, go out on picket, the detail is usually divided -into two equal parts, consisting in the supposed case of one -hundred each. One of these companies of a hundred goes into a sort -of camp about a half mile from the picket-line,--usually in a woods -or near by a spring, if one can be found, or in some pleasant -ravine among the hills,--and the men have nothing to do but make -themselves comfortable for the first twenty-four hours. They may -sleep as much as they like, or play at such games as they please, -only they must not go away any considerable distance from the post, -because they may be very suddenly wanted, in case of an attack on -the advance picket-line. - -The other band of one hundred takes position only a short distance -to the rear of the line where the pickets pace to and fro on -their beats, and is known as the advance picket-post. It is under -the charge of a captain or Lieutenant, and is divided into three -parts, each of which is called a "relief," the three being known -as the first, the second, and the third relief, respectively. Each -of these is under the charge of a non-commissioned officer,--a -sergeant or corporal,--and must stand guard in succession, two -hours on and four off, day and night, for the first twenty-four -hours, at the end of which time the reserve one hundred in the -rear march up and relieve the whole advance picket-post, which -then goes to the rear, throws off its accoutrements, stacks its -arms, and sleeps till it can sleep no more. I need hardly add that -each picket is furnished with the countersign, which is regularly -changed every day. While on the advance picket-post no one is -permitted to sleep, whether on duty on the line or not, and to -sleep on the picket-line is death! At or near midnight a body of -officers, known as "The Grand Rounds," goes all along the line, -examining every picket, to see that "all is well." - -Andy and I had by request been put together on the second relief, -and stood guard from eight to ten in the morning, two to four in -the afternoon, and eight to ten and two to four at night. - -It was growing dark as we sat with our backs against the old -elms on the lawn, telling stories, singing catches of songs, or -discussing the probabilities of the summer campaign, when the call -rang out: "Fall in, second relief!" - -"Come on, Harry--get on your horse-hide and shooting-iron. We have -a nice moonlight night for it, any way." - -Our line, as I have said, ran directly along the river's edge, up -and down which Andy and I paced on our adjoining beats, each of us -having to walk about a hundred yards, when we turned and walked -back, with gun loaded and capped and at a right-shoulder-shift. - -The night was beautiful. A full round moon shone out from among -the fleecy clouds overhead. At my feet was the pleasant plashing -of the river, ever gliding on, with the moonbeams dancing as if in -sport on its rippling surface, while the opposite bank was hid in -the deep, solemn shadows made by the overhanging trees. Yet the -shadows were not so deep there but that occasionally I could catch -glimpses of a picket silently pacing his beat on the south side of -the river, as I was pacing mine on the north, with bayonet flashing -in the patches of moonlight as he passed up and down. I fell to -wondering, as I watched him, what sort of man he was? Young or old? -Had he children at home, may be, in the far-off South? Or a father -and mother? Did he wish this cruel war was over? In the next fight -may be he'd be killed! Then I fell to wondering who had lived in -that house up yonder, and what kind of people they were. Were the -sons in the war? And the daughters, where were they? and would they -ever come back again and set up their household gods in the good -old place once more? My imagination was busy trying to picture the -scenes that had enlivened the old plantation, the darkies at work -in the fields, and the-- - -"Hello, Yank! We can lick you!" - -"Beautiful night, Johnny, isn't it?" - -"Y-e-s, lovely!" - -But our orders are to hold as little conversation with the pickets -on the other side of the river as necessary, and so, declining any -further civilities, I resume my beat. - -"Harry, I'm going to lie down here at the upper end of your beat," -says the sergeant who has charge of our relief. "I ain't a-going -to sleep, but I'm tired. Every time you come up to this end of your -beat, speak to me, will you? for I _might_ fall asleep." - -"Certainly, sergeant." - -The first time I speak to him, the second, and the third, he -answers readily enough, "All right, Harry;" but at the fourth -summons he is sound asleep. Sleep on, sergeant, sleep on! Your -slumbers shall not be broken by me, unless the "Grand Rounds" come -along, for whom I must keep a sharp lookout, lest they catch you -napping and give you a pretty court-martial! But Grand Rounds or -no, you shall have a little sleep. One of these days you, and many -more of us besides, will sleep the last long sleep that knows no -waking. But hark! I hear the challenge up the line! I must rouse -you, after all. - -"Sergeant! Sergeant! Get up--Grand Rounds!" - -"Halt! Who goes there?" - -"The Grand Rounds." - -"Advance, officer of the Grand Rounds, and give the countersign." - -An officer steps out from the group that is half-hidden in the -shadow, and whispers in my ear, "Lafayette," when the whole body -silently and stealthily passes down the line. - -Relieved at ten o'clock, we go back to our post at the house, and -find it rather hard work to keep our eyes open from ten to two -o'clock, but sleep is out of the question. At two o'clock in the -morning the second relief goes out again, down through the patch -of meadow, wet with the heavy dew, and along down the river to our -posts. It is nearly three o'clock, and Andy and I are standing -talking in low tones, he at the upper end of his beat and I at the -lower end of mine, when-- - -Bang! And the whistle of a ball is heard overhead among the -branches. Springing forward at once by a common impulse, we get -behind the shelter of a tree, run out our rifles, and make ready to -fire. - -"You watch up-river, Harry," whispers Andy, "and I'll watch down; -and if you see him trying to handle his ramrod, let him have it, -and don't miss him." - - [Illustration: IN A DANGEROUS PART OF HIS BEAT.] - -But apparently Johnny is in no hurry to load up again, and likes -the deep shadow of his tree too well to walk his beat any more, for -we wait impatiently for a long while and see nothing of him. By -and by we hear him calling over: "I say, Yank!" - -"Well, Johnny?" - -"If you won't shoot, I won't." - -"Rather late in the morning to make such an offer, isn't it? Didn't -you shoot just now?" - -"You see, my old gun went off by accident." - -"That's a likely yarn o' yours, Johnny!" - -"But it's an honest fact, any way." - -"Well, Johnny, next time your gun's going to go off in that -uncomfortable way, you will oblige us chaps over here by holding -the muzzle down toward Dixie, or somebody'll turn up his toes to -the daisies before morning yet." - -"All right, Yank," said Johnny, stepping out from behind his tree -into the bright moonlight like a man, "but we can lick you, any -way!" - -"Andy, do you think that fellow's gun went off by accident, or was -the rascal trying to hurt somebody?" - -"I think he's honest in what he says, Harry. His gun might have -gone off by accident. There's no telling, though; he'll need a -little watching, I guess." - -But Johnny paces his beat harmlessly enough for the remainder of -the hour, singing catches of song, and whistling the airs of Dixie, -while we pace ours as leisurely as he, but, with a wholesome regard -for guns that go off so easily of themselves, we have a decided -preference for the dark shadows, and are cautious lest we linger -too long on those parts of our several beats where the bright -moonbeams lie. - -It must not be supposed that the sentries of the two armies were -forever picking one another off whenever opportunity offered; for -what good did it do to murder each other in cold blood? It only -wasted powder, and did not forward the issue of the great conflict -at all. Except at times immediately before or after a battle, or -when there was some specially exciting reason for mutual defiance, -the pickets were generally on friendly terms, conversed freely -about the news of the day, exchanged newspapers, coffee, and -tobacco, swapped knives, and occasionally had a friendly game of -cards together. Sometimes, however, picket duty was but another -name for sharpshooting and bushwhacking of the most dangerous and -deadly sort. - -When we had been relieved, and got back to our little bivouac under -the elms on the lawn, and sat down there to discuss the episode of -the night, I asked Andy,-- - -"What was that piece of poetry you read to me the other day, about -a picket being shot? It was something about 'All quiet along the -Potomac to-night.' Do you remember the words well enough to repeat -it?" - -"Yes, I committed it to memory, Harry; and if you wish, I'll recite -it for your benefit. We'll just imagine ourselves back in the dear -old Academy again, and that it is 'declamation-day,' and my name is -called, and I step up and declaim:-- - - -"ALL QUIET ALONG THE POTOMAC TO-NIGHT. - - "All quiet along the Potomac, they say, - Except, now and then, a stray picket - Is shot, as he walks on his beat to and fro, - By a rifleman hid in the thicket. - 'Tis nothing--a private or two, now and then, - Will not count in the news of the battle; - Not an officer lost--only one of the men, - Moaning out, all alone, the death-rattle. - - "All quiet along the Potomac to-night, - Where the soldiers lie peacefully dreaming; - Their tents, in the rays of the clear autumn moon, - O'er the light of the watch-fires are gleaming. - A tremulous sigh of the gentle night-wind - Through the forest-leaves softly is creeping, - While stars up above, with their glittering eyes, - Keep guard, for the army is sleeping. - - "There's only the sound of the lone sentry's tread, - As he tramps from the rock to the fountain, - And thinks of the two, in the low trundle-bed, - Far away in the cot on the mountain. - His musket falls slack--his face, dark and grim, - Grows gentle with memories tender, - As he mutters a prayer for the children asleep-- - For their mother--may Heaven defend her! - - "He passes the fountain, the blasted pine-tree-- - His footstep is lagging and weary; - Yet onward he goes, through the broad belt of light, - Toward the shades of the forest so dreary. - Hark! was it the night-wind that rustled the leaves? - Was it the moonlight so wondrously flashing? - It looked like a rifle--'Ha! Mary, good by!' - And the life-blood is ebbing and plashing! - - "All quiet along the Potomac to-night-- - No sound save the rush of the river: - While soft falls the dew on the face of the dead,-- - The picket's off duty forever!" - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -A MUD-MARCH AND A SHAM BATTLE. - - -We had been quietly lying in our winter quarters there at Belle -Plains some two months and more, without having yet had much to -vary the dull monotony of a soldier's everyday life. There was, -of course, plenty of work in the way of picket duty and endless -drilling, and no lack of fun in the camp of one kind or other; but -of all this we gradually wearied, and began to long for something -new. Not that we were especially anxious for the fatigues of the -march and the stirring scenes of the battle-field (of all which we -were so far blissfully ignorant): we simply felt that we were tired -of the monotony of camp life, and, knowing that great things were -before us, with all the ardor of young men for strange experiences -and new adventures, we gradually became more and more anxious for -the campaign to open. Alas! we knew not what it was we wished for; -for when this celebrated campaign of '63 was ended, the few of us -who remained to build our second winter quarters had seen quite -enough of marching and fighting to last us the rest of our natural -days. - -However, it was with feelings of relief that we suddenly received -orders for the march early in the afternoon of Monday, April 20. -As good luck would have it, Andy and I had just finished a hearty -meal consisting in the main of apple-fritters; for by this time we -had repaired our chimney, which had been destroyed by the fire, and -had several times already prepared our fritters without burning our -house down over our heads in the operation. Having finished our -meal, we were lying lazily back against our knapsacks, disputing as -to whose turn it was to wash the dishes, when Andy, hearing some -outcry which I had not noticed, suddenly leaped out of the little -door in the side of our cabin into the company street, exclaiming -as he did so,-- - -"What's that, sergeant? What's up?" - -"Orders to move, that's all, my boy," said the sergeant. "Orders to -move. Pack up immediately." - -"Where are we going?" queried a dozen voices in chorus; for the -news spread like fire in a clearing, and the boys came tumbling -out of their cabins pell-mell and gathered about the sergeant in a -group. - -"You tell me, and I'll tell you," answered the sergeant, with a -shrug of his shoulders, as he shouted,-- - -"Pack up immediately, men! We go in light marching order. No -knapsacks; only a shelter or a gum-blanket, and three days' rations -in your haversacks; and be lively now!" - -It was not long before we were all ready, with our thirty -hard-tack, a piece of pork, and a little coffee and sugar in our -haversacks, and our gum-blankets or shelters rolled and twisted -into a shape somewhat resembling an immense horse-collar, slung -over the shoulder diagonally across the body, as was universally -the custom with the troops when knapsacks were to be dispensed with -in winter, or had been thrown away in summer. We drummer-boys, -tightening our drums and tuning them up with a tap-tap-tap of -the drumstick, took station on the parade-ground up on the hill, -awaiting the adjutant's signal to beat the assembly. At the first -tap of our drums the whole regiment, in full view below us, -poured out of quarters, like ants tumbling out of their hill when -disturbed by the thrust of a stick. As the men fell into line and -marched by companies up the hill to the parade-ground where the -regiment was ordinarily formed, cheer upon cheer went up; for the -monotony of camp life was now plainly at an end, and we were at -last to be up and doing, though where, or how, or what, no one -could tell. - -When a drum-head is wet, it at once loses all its peculiar charm -and power. On the present occasion our drum-heads were soon soaked, -for it was raining hard. So, unloosening the ropes, we slung our -useless sheepskins over our shoulders, as the order was given, -"Forward--route-step--march!" The order "route-step" was always -a welcome and merciful command, and the reader must bear in mind -that troops on the march always go by the "route-step." They march -usually four abreast, indeed, but make no effort to keep step; -for marching in that way, though good enough for a mile or two on -parade, would soon become intolerable if kept up for any great -distance. In "route-step" each man picks his way, selecting his -steps at his pleasure, and carrying or shifting his arms at his -convenience. Even then, marching is no easy matter, especially when -it is raining, and you are marching over a clay soil,--and it did -seem to us that the soil about Belle Plains was the toughest and -most slippery clay in the world, at least in the roads that wound, -serpent-like, around the hills amongst which we were marching, -where, as we well knew, many a poor mule during the winter had -stuck fast, and had to be literally pulled out or left to die in -his tracks after the harness had been ripped off his back. - -At first, however, we had tolerable marching, for we took across -the fields, and kept well upon the high ground as long as we could. -We passed some good farms and comfortable looking houses, where -we should have liked to stop and buy bread and butter, or get -"hoecake" and milk; but there was no time for that, for we made no -halt longer than was necessary to allow the rear to "close up," -and then were up and away again at a swift pace. - -The afternoon wore on. Night set in, and we began to wonder, in -all the simplicity of new troops, whether Uncle Sam expected us to -march all night as well as all day? To make matters still worse, as -night fell dark and drizzling, we left the high ground and came out -on the main road of those regions; and if we never before knew what -Virginia mud was like, we knew it then. It was not only knee-deep, -but also so sticky, that when you set one foot down, you could -scarcely pull the other out. As for myself, I found my side-arms -(if indeed they merited the name) a provoking incumbrance. -Drummer-boys carried no arms except a straight thin sword fastened -to a broad leathern belt about the waist. Of this we had been in -the outstart quite proud, and had kept it polished with great -care. However, this "toad-sticker," as we were pleased to call -it, on this mud-march caused each of us drummer-boys a world of -trouble, and well illustrated the saying that "pride goeth before -a fall." For as we groped about in the darkness and slid and -plunged about in the mud, this miserable sword was forever getting -tangled up with the wearer's legs, so that before he was aware of -it, down he went on his face in the mud. My own weapon gave me so -many falls that night, that I was quite out of conceit with it. -When we reached camp after this march was done, I handed it to the -quartermaster, agreeing to pay the price of it thrice over rather -than carry it any more. The rest of the drummer-boys, I believe, -carried theirs as far as Chancellorsville, and there solemnly hung -them up on an oak-tree, where they are unto this day, if nobody has -found them and carried them off as trophies of war. - -We had a little darky along with us on this march who had an -experience which was quite as provoking to him as it was amusing -to us. The darky's name was Bill. Other name he had none, except -"Shorty," which had been given him by the boys because of his -remarkably short stature. For although he was as strong as a man, -and quite as old-featured, he was nevertheless so dwarfed in -size that the name Shorty seemed to become him better than his -original name of Bill. Well, Shorty had been employed by one of -our captains as cook, or, as seemed more likely on the present -occasion, as a sort of sumpter-mule. For the captain, having an eye -to comfort on the march, had loaded the poor darky with a pack of -blankets, tents, pans, kettles, and general camp equipage, so large -and bulky, that it is no exaggeration to say that Shorty's pack -was quite as large as himself. All along it had been a wonder to -us how he had managed to pull through so far with all that immense -bundle on his back; but, with strength far beyond his size, he had -trudged doggedly on at the captain's heels, over hill and through -field, until we came at nightfall to the main road. There, like -many another sumpter-mule, he stuck fast in the mud, so that, puff -and pull as he might, he could not pull either foot out, and had to -be dragged out by two men, to the great merriment of all who in the -growing darkness were aware of Shorty's misfortune. - -At length it became so dark that no one was able to see an inch -before his face, and we lost the road. Torches were then lighted, -in order to find it. Then we forded a creek, and then on and on -we went, till at length we were allowed to halt and fall out on -either side of the road into a last year's cornfield, to "make -fires and cook coffee." - -To make a fire was a comparatively easy matter, notwithstanding -the rain; for some one or other always had matches, and there were -plenty of rails at hand, and these were dry enough when split open -with a hatchet or an axe. In a few moments the fence around the -cornfield was carried off rail by rail, and everywhere was heard -the sound of axes and hatchets, the premonitory symptoms of roaring -camp-fires, which were soon everywhere blazing along the road. - -"Harry," said Lieutenant Dougal, "I haven't any tin cup, and when -you get your coffee cooked, I believe I'll share it with you; may -I?" - -"Certainly, lieutenant. But where shall I get water to make the -coffee with? It's so dark, that nobody can see how the land lies so -as to find a spring." - -Without telling the lieutenant what I did, I scooped up a tin cup -full of water (whether clear or muddy I could not tell; it was too -dark to see) out of a corn-furrow. I had the less hesitation in -doing so, because I found all the rest were doing the same, and I -argued that if they could stand it, why I could too--and so could -the lieutenant. Tired and wet and sleepy as I was, I could not -help but be sensible of the strange, weird appearance the troops -presented, as, coming out of the surrounding darkness, I faced -the brilliant fires with groups of busy men about them. There -they sat, squatting about the fires, each man with his quart tin -cup suspended on one end of his iron ramrod or on some convenient -stick, and each eager and impatient to be the first to bring his -cup to the boiling-point. Thrusting my cup in amongst the dozen -others already smoking amid the crackling flames, I soon had the -pleasure of seeing the foam rise to the surface,--a sure indication -that my coffee was nearly done. When the lieutenant and I had -finished drinking it, I called his attention to the half inch of -mud in the bottom of the cup, and asked him how he liked coffee -made out of water taken from a last year's corn-furrow? "First -rate," he replied, as he took out his tobacco pouch and pipe for a -smoke, "first rate; gives it the real old 'Virginny' flavor, you -see." - -We were not permitted, however, to enjoy the broad glare of our -fires very long after our coffee was disposed of, for we soon -heard the command to "fall in" coming down the line. It was now -half-past eleven o'clock, and away we went again slap-dash in the -thick darkness and bottomless mud. At three o'clock in the morning, -during a brief halt, I fell asleep while sitting on my drum, and -tumbled over into the road from sheer exhaustion. Partly aroused by -my fall, I spread out my shelter on the road where the mud seemed -the shallowest, and lay down to sleep, chilled to the bone and -shivering like an aspen. - -At six o'clock we were roused up, and a pretty appearance we -presented too, for every man was covered with mud from neck to -heel. However, daylight having now come to our assistance, we -marched on in merrier mood in the direction of Port Royal, a -place or village on the Rappahannock some thirty miles below -Fredericksburg, and reached our destination about ten o'clock that -forenoon. - -As we emerged from the woods and came out into the open fields, -with the river in full view about a fourth of a mile in front, -we fully believed that now, at last, we were to go at once into -battle. And so, indeed, it seemed, as the long column halted in a -cornfield a short distance from the river, and the pontoon trains -came up, and the pioneers were sent forward to help lay the bridge, -and signal-flags began flying, and officers and orderlies began to -gallop gayly over the field--of course we were now about to go into -our first battle. - -"I guess we'll have to cross the river, Harry," said Andy, as we -stood together beside a corn shock and watched the men putting down -the pontoons, "and then we'll have to go in on 'em and gobble 'em -up." - -"Yes; gobbling up is all right. But suppose that over in the woods -yonder, on the other side the river, there might happen to be a -lot of Johnnies watching us, and all ready to sweep down on us and -gobble _us_ up, while we are crossing the river--eh? That wouldn't -be nearly so nice, would it?" - -"Hah!" exclaimed Andy, "I'd just like to see 'em do it once! Look -there! There come the boys that'll take the Johnnies through the -brush!" - -Looking in the direction in which Andy was pointing, that is, -away to the skirt of the woods in our rear, I beheld a battery of -artillery coming up at full gallop towards us and making straight -for the river. - -"Just you wait, now," said Andy, with a triumphant snap of his -fingers, "till you hear those old bull-dogs begin to bark, and -you'll see the Johnnies get up and dust!" - -As the battery came near the spot where we were standing, and could -be plainly seen, I exclaimed: - -"Why, Andy, I don't believe those dogs can bark at all! Don't you -see? They are wooden logs covered over with black gum-blankets -and mounted on the front-wheels of wagons, and--as sure as you're -alive--it's our quartermaster on his gray horse in command of the -battery!" - -"Well, I declare!" said Andy, with a look of mingled surprise and -disappointment. - -There was no disputing the fact. Dummies they were, those cannon -which Andy had so exultingly declared were to take the Johnnies -through the brush; and we began at once to suspect that this -whole mud-march was only a miserable ruse, or feint of war, got -up expressly for the purpose of deceiving the enemy and making -him believe that the whole Union army was there in full force, -when such was by no means the case. So there was not going to be -any battle after all, then? Such indeed, as we learned a little -later in the day, was the true state of things. Nevertheless the -pioneers went on with their work of putting down the pontoon-boats -for a bridge, and our gallant quartermaster, on his bobtail gray, -with drawn sword, and shouting out his commands like a veritable -major-general, swept by us with his battery of wooden guns, and -then away out into the field like a whirlwind, apparently bent on -the most bloody work imaginable. Now the battery would dash up and -unlimber and get into position here; then away on a gallop across -the field and go into position there; while the quartermaster would -meanwhile swing his sword and shout himself hoarse, as if in the -very crisis of a battle. - -It was, then, all, alas! a ruse, and there wouldn't be any battle -after all! I think the general feeling among the men was one -of disappointment, when about nine o'clock that night we were -all withdrawn from the riverside under cover of darkness, and -bivouacked in the woods to our rear, where we were ordered to -make as many and as large fires as we could, so as to attract the -enemy's attention, and make him believe that the whole Army of -the Potomac was concentrating at that point; whereas the truth -was that, instead of making any movement thirty miles _below_ -Fredericksburg, the Union army, ten days later, crossed the -river thirty miles _above_ Fredericksburg, and met the enemy at -Chancellorsville. - - [Illustration: THE QUARTERMASTER'S TRIUMPH.] - -But I have never forgotten our gallant quartermaster, and what a -fine appearance he made as the commanding officer of a battery of -artillery. It was an amusing sight; for the reader must remember -that a quartermaster, having to do only with army supplies, was -a non-combatant, that is to say, he did no fighting, and in most -cases "stayed by the stuff" among his army wagons, which were -usually far enough to the rear in time of battle. Thinking of this -little episode on our first mud-march, there comes to my mind a -conversation I recently had with a gentleman, my neighbor, who was -also a quartermaster in the Union army. - -"I was down in Virginia on business last spring," said the -ex-quartermaster, "in the neighborhood of Warrenton. (You remember -Warrenton? Fine country down there.) And I found the people very -kind and friendly, and inclined to forget the late unpleasantness. -Well, one man came up to me, and says he: - -"'Major, you were in the war, weren't you?' - -"'Yes,' said I, 'I was; but (I might as well admit it) I was on the -other side of the fence. I was in the Union army.' - -"'You were? Well, Major, did you ever kill anybody?' - -"'Oh yes,' said I; 'lots of 'em,--lots of 'em, sir.' - -"'You don't tell me!' said the Virginian. 'And if I might be so -bold as to ask--how did you generally kill them?' - -"'Well,' said I, 'I never like to tell, because bragging is not -in my line; but I'll tell you. You see, I never liked this thing -of shooting people. It seemed to me a barbarous business, and -besides, I was a kind of Quaker, and had conscientious scruples -about bearing arms. And so, when the war broke out and I found -I'd have to enter the army, maybe, whether I wanted to or not, -I enlisted and got in as a quartermaster, thinking that in that -position I wouldn't have to kill anybody with a gun, anyhow. But -war is a dreadful thing, a dreadful thing, sir. And I found that -even a quartermaster had to take a hand at killing people; and the -way I took for it was this: I always managed to have a good swift -horse, and as soon as things would begin to look a little like -fighting, and the big guns would begin to boom, why I'd clap spurs -to my horse and make for the rear as fast as ever I could. And then -when your people would come after me, they never _could_ catch me; -they'd always get out of breath trying to come up to me. And in -that way I've killed dozens of your people, sir, dozens of them, -and all without powder or ball. They couldn't catch me, and always -died for want of breath trying to get hold of me!'" - -We slept in the woods that night under the dark pines and beside -our great camp-fires; and early the next morning took up the line -of march for home. We marched all day over the hills, and as the -sun was setting, came at last to a certain hilltop whence we could -look down upon the odd-looking group of cabins and wigwams which we -recognized as our camp, and which we hailed with cheers as our home. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -HOW WE GOT A SHELLING. - - -"Pack up!" "Fall in!" All is stir and excitement in the camp. The -bugles are blowing "boots and saddles" for the cavalry camped above -us on the hill; we drummer-boys are beating the "long roll" and -"assembly" for the regiment; mounted orderlies are galloping along -the hillside with great yellow envelopes stuck in their belts; and -the men fall out of their miserable winter-quarters, with shouts -and cheers that make the hills about Falmouth ring again. For the -winter is past; the sweet breath of spring comes balmily up from -the south, and the whole army is on the move,--whither? - -"Say, Captain, tell us where are we going?" But the captain doesn't -know, nor even the colonel,--nobody knows. We are raw troops yet, -and have not learned that soldiers never ask questions about -orders. - -So, fall in there, all together, and forward! And we ten little -drummer-boys beat gayly enough "The Girl I left behind me," as the -line sweeps over the hills, through the woods, and on down to the -river's edge. - -And soon here we are, on the Rappahannock, three miles below -Fredericksburg. We can see, as we emerge from the woods, away over -the river, the long line of earthworks thrown up by the enemy, -and small dark specks moving about along the field, in the far, -dim distance, which we know to be officers, or perhaps cavalry -pickets. We can see, too, our own first division laying down the -pontoon-bridge, on which, according to a rumor that is spreading -among us, we are to cross the river and charge the enemy's works. - -Here is an old army letter lying before me, written on my drum-head -in lead pencil, in that stretch of meadow by the river, where I -heard my first shell scream and shriek:-- - - "NEAR RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER, Apr. 28th. - - "DEAR FATHER,--We have moved to the river, and are just going - into battle. I am well, and so are the boys.--Your affect. son, - - "HARRY." - -But we do not go into battle this day, nor next day, nor at all -at this point; for we are making only a "feint," though we do not -know it now, to attract the attention of the enemy from the main -movement of the army at Chancellorsville, some twenty-five or -thirty miles farther up the river. The men are in good spirits and -all ready for the fray; but as the day wears on without further -developments, arms are stacked, and we begin to roam about the -hills. Some are writing letters home, some sleeping, some even -fishing in a little rivulet that runs by us, when, toward three -o'clock in the afternoon, and all of a sudden, the enemy opens fire -on us with a salute of three shells fired in rapid succession, not -quite into our ranks, but a little to the left of us. And see! -over there where the 'Forty-third lies, to our left, come three -_stretchers_, and you can see deep crimson stains on the canvas -as they go by us on a lively trot to the rear; for "the ball is -opening, boys," and we are under fire for the first time. - -I wish I could convey to my readers some faint idea of the noise -made by a shell as it flies shrieking and screaming through -the air, and of that peculiar _whirring_ sound made by the -pieces after the shell has burst overhead or by your side. So -loud, high-pitched, shrill, and terrible is the sound, that one -unaccustomed to it would think at first that the very heavens were -being torn down about his ears! - -How often I have laughed and laughed at myself when thinking of -that first shelling we got there by the river! For up to that time -I had had a very poor, old-fashioned idea of what a shell was like, -having derived it probably from accounts of sieges in the Mexican -war. - -I had thought a shell was a hollow ball of iron, filled with -powder and furnished with a fuse, and that they threw it over -into your ranks, and there it lay, hissing and spitting, till the -fire reached the powder, and the shell burst and killed a dozen -men or so; that is, if some venturesome fellow didn't run up and -stamp the fire off the fuse before the miserable thing went off! -Of a _conical_ shell, shaped like a minie-ball, with ridges on -the outside to fit the grooves of a rifled cannon, and exploding -by a percussion-cap at the pointed end, I had no idea in the -world. But that was the sort of thing they were firing at us -now,--Hur-r-r--bang! Hur-r-r--bang! - -Throwing myself flat on my face while that terrible shriek is -in the air, I cling closer to the ground while I hear that low, -whirring sound near by, which I foolishly imagine to be the sound -of a burning fuse, but which, on raising my head and looking up and -around, I find is the sound of pieces of exploded shells flying -through the air about our heads! The enemy has excellent range of -us, and gives it to us hot and fast, and we fall in line and take -it as best we may, and without the pleasure of replying, for the -enemy's batteries are a full mile and a half away, and no Enfield -rifle can reach half so far. - -"Colonel, move your regiment a little to the right, so as to get -under cover of yonder bank." It is soon done; and there, seated on -a bank about twenty feet high, with our backs to the enemy, we let -them blaze away, for it is not likely they can tumble a shell down -at an angle of forty-five degrees. - -And now, see! Just to the rear of us, and therefore in full -view as we are sitting, is a battery of our own coming up into -position at full gallop,--a grand sight indeed! The officers with -swords flashing in the evening sunlight, the bugles clanging out -the orders, the carriages unlimbered, and the guns run up into -position; and now, that ever beautiful drill of the artillery in -action, steady and regular as the stroke of machinery! How swiftly -the man that handles the swab has prepared his piece, while the -runners have meanwhile brought up the little red bag of powder and -the long conical shell from the caisson in the rear! How swiftly -they are rammed home! The lieutenant sights his piece, the man with -the lanyard with a sudden jerk fires the cap, the gun leaps five -feet to the rear with the recoil, and out of the cannon's throat, -in a cloud of smoke, rushes the shell, shrieking out its message of -death into the lines a mile and a half away, while our boys rend -the air with wild hurrahs, for the enemy's fire is answered! - -Now ensues an artillery duel that keeps the air all quivering -and quaking about our ears for an hour and a half, and it is all -the more exciting that we can see the beautiful drill of the -batteries beside us, with that steady swabbing and ramming, running -and sighting, and bang! bang! bang! The mystery is how in the world -they can load and fire so fast. - -"Boys, what are you trying to do?" - - [Illustration: GENERAL DOUBLEDAY DISMOUNTS AND SIGHTS THE GUN.] - -It is Major-General Abner Doubleday, our division-commander, who -reins in his horse and asks the question. He is a fine-looking -officer, and is greatly beloved by the boys. He rides his horse -beautifully, and is said to be one of the finest artillerists in -the service, as he may well be, for it was his hand that fired the -first gun on the Union side from the walls of Fort Sumter. - -"Why, General, we are trying to put a shell through that stone barn -over there; it's full of sharpshooters." - -"Hold a moment!" and the general dismounts and sights the gun. -"Try that elevation once, sergeant," he says; and the shell -goes crashing through the barn a mile and a half away, and the -sharpshooters come pouring out of it like bees out of a hive. "Let -them have it so, boys." And the general has mounted, and rides, -laughing, away along the line. - -Meanwhile, something is transpiring immediately before our eyes -that amuses us greatly. Not more than twenty yards away from us -is another high bank, corresponding exactly with the one we are -occupying, and running parallel with it, the two hills inclosing a -little ravine some twenty or thirty yards in width. - -This second high bank, the nearer one, you must remember, faces the -enemy's fire. The water has worn out of the soft sand-rock a sort -of cave, in which Darkie Bill, our company cook, took refuge at -the crack of the first shell. And there, crouching in the narrow -recess of the rock, we can see him shivering with affright. Every -now and then, when there is a lull in the firing, he comes to the -wide-open door of his house, intent upon flight, and, rolling up -the great whites of his eyes, is about to step out and run, when -Hur-r-r--bang--crack! goes the shell, and poor scared Darkie Bill -dives into his cave again head-first, like a frog into a pond. - -After repeated attempts to run and repeated frog-leaps backward, -the poor fellow takes heart and cuts for the woods, pursued by -the laughter and shouts of the regiment, for which he cares far -less, however, than for that terrible shriek in the air, which, he -afterward told us, "was a-sayin' all de time, 'Where's dat nigger! -Where's dat nigger! Where's dat nigger!'" - -As nightfall comes on, the firing ceases. Word is passed around -that under cover of night we are to cross the pontoons and charge -the enemy's works; but we sleep soundly all night on our arms, and -are awaked only by the first streaks of light in the morning sky. - -We have orders to move. A staff-officer is delivering orders to -our colonel, who is surrounded by his staff. They press in toward -the messenger, standing immediately below me as I sit on the bank, -when the enemy gives us a morning salute, and the shell comes -ricochetting over the hill and tumbles into a mud-puddle about -which the group is gathered; the mounted officers crouch in their -saddles and spur hastily away, the foot officers throw themselves -flat on their faces into the mud; the drummer-boy is bespattered -with mud and dirt; but fortunately the shell does not explode, or -my readers would never have heard how we got our first shelling. - -And now, "Fall in, men!" and we are off on a double-quick in a -cloud of dust, amid the rattle of canteens and tin cups, and the -regular _flop, flop_ of cartridge-boxes and bayonet-scabbards, -pursued for two miles by the hot fire of the enemy's batteries, for -a long, hot, weary day's march to the extreme right of the army at -Chancellorsville. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -IN THE WOODS AT CHANCELLORSVILLE. - - -It is no easy matter to describe a long day's march to one who -knows nothing of the hardships of a soldier's life. That a body of -troops marched some twenty-five or thirty miles on a certain day -from daylight to midnight, from one point to another, seems, to one -who has not tried it, no great undertaking. Thirty miles! It is -but an hour's ride in the cars. Nor can the single pedestrian, who -easily covers greater distances in less time, have a full idea of -the fatigue of a soldier as he throws himself down by the roadside, -utterly exhausted, when the day's march is done. - -Unnumbered circumstances combine to test the soldier's powers of -endurance to the very utmost. He has, in the first place, a heavy -load to carry. His knapsack, haversack, canteen, ammunition, -musket, and accoutrements are by no means a light matter at the -outset, and they grow heavier with every additional mile of the -road. So true is this, that, in deciding what of our clothing to -take along on a march and what to throw away, we soon learned to -be guided by the soldiers' proverb that "what weighs an ounce in -the morning weighs a pound at night." Then, too, the soldier is not -master of his own movements, as is the solitary pedestrian; for he -cannot pick his way, nor husband his strength by resting when and -where he may choose. He marches generally "four abreast," sometimes -at double-quick, when the rear is closing up, and again at a most -provokingly slow pace when there is some impediment on the road -ahead. Often his canteen is empty, no water is to be had, and he -marches on in a cloud of dust, with parched throat and lips and -trembling limbs,--on and on, and still on, until about the midnight -hour, at the final "Halt!" he drops to the ground like a shot, -feverish, irritable, exhausted in body and soul. - -It would seem a shame and a folly to take troops thus utterly worn -out, and hurl them at midnight into a battle the issue of which -hangs trembling in the balance. Yet this was what they came pretty -near doing with us, after our long march from four miles below -Fredericksburg to the extreme right of the army at Chancellorsville. - - [Illustration: A SURGEON WRITING UPON THE POMMEL OF HIS SADDLE AN - ORDER FOR AN AMBULANCE.] - -I have a very indistinct and cloudy recollection of that march. -I can quite well remember the beginning of it, when at the early -dawn the enemy's batteries drove us, under a sharp shell-fire, at a -lively double-quick for the first four miles. And I can well recall -how, at midnight, we threw ourselves under the great oak-trees -near Chancellorsville, and were in a moment sound asleep amid -the heaven-rending thunder of the guns, the unbroken roll of the -musketry, and the shouts and yells of the lines charging each other -a quarter of a mile to our front. But when I attempt to call up -the incidents that happened by the way, I am utterly at a loss. My -memory has retained nothing but a confused mass of images: here a -farmhouse, there a mill; a company of stragglers driven on by the -guard; a surgeon writing upon the pommel of his saddle an order -for an ambulance to carry a poor exhausted and but half-conscious -fellow; an officer's staff or an orderly dashing by at a lively -trot; a halt for coffee in the edge of a wood; filling a canteen -(oh, blessed memory!) at some meadow stream or roadside spring; -and on, and on, and on, amid the rattle of bayonet-scabbards and -tin cups, mopping our faces and crunching our hard-tack as we -went,--this, and such as this, is all that will now come to mind. - -But of events toward nightfall the images are clearer and more -sharply defined. The sun is setting, large, red, and fiery-looking, -in a dull haze that hangs over the thickly-wooded horizon. We are -nearing the ford where we are to cross the Rappahannock. We come to -some hilltop, and--hark! A deep, ominous growl comes, from how many -miles away we know not; now another; then another! - -On, boys, on! There is work doing ahead, and terrible work it is, -for two great armies are at each other's throat, and the battle is -raging fierce and high, although we know nothing as yet of how it -may be going. - -On,--on,--on! - -Turning sharp to the left, we enter the approach to the ford, the -road leading, in places, through a deep cut,--great high pine-trees -on either side of the road shutting out the little remaining light -of day. Here we find the first actual evidences of the great battle -that is raging ahead: long lines of ambulances filled with wounded; -yonder a poor fellow with a bandaged head sitting by a spring; and -a few steps away another, his agonies now over; here, two men, -one with his arm in a sling supporting the other, who has turned -his musket into a crutch; then more ambulances, and more wounded -in increasing numbers; orderlies dashing by at full gallop, while -the thunder of the guns grows louder and closer as we step on the -pontoons and so cross the gleaming river. - -"Colonel, your men have had a hard day's march; you will now let -them rest for the night." - -It is a staff-officer whom I hear delivering this order to our -colonel, and a sweeter message I think I never heard. We cast -wistful eyes at the half-extinguished camp-fires of some regiment -that has been making coffee by the roadside, and has just moved -off, and we think them a godsend, as the order is given to "Stack -arms!" But before we have time even to unsling knapsacks, the -order comes, "Fall in!" and away we go again, steadily plodding -on through that seemingly endless forest of scrub-pine and oak, -straight in the direction of the booming guns ahead. - -Why whippoorwills were made I do not know; doubtless for some wise -purpose; but never before that night did I know they had been made -in such countless numbers. Every tree and bush was full of them, it -seemed. There were thousands of them, there were tens of thousands -of them, there were millions of them! And every one whistling, as -fast as it could, "Who-hoo-hoo! Who-hoo-hoo! Who-hoo-hoo!" Had they -been vultures or turkey-buzzards,--vast flocks of which followed -the army wherever we went, almost darkening the sky at times, and -always suggesting unpleasant reflections,--they could not have -appeared more execrable to me. Many were the imprecations hurled -at them as we plodded on under the light of the great red moon, -now above the tree-tops, while still from every bush came that -monotonous half-screech, half-groan, "Who-hoo-hoo! Who-hoo-hoo!" - -But, O miserable birds of ill-omen, there is something more ominous -in the air than your lugubrious night-song! There is borne to our -ears at every additional step the deepening growl of the cannon -ahead. As the moon mounts higher, and we advance farther along the -level forest-land, we hear still more distinctly another sound--the -long, unbroken roll of musketry. - -Forward now, at double-quick, until we are on the outskirts of the -battle-field. - -Shells are crashing through the tall tree-tops overhead. - -"Halt! Load at will! Load!" - -In the moonlight that falls shimmering across the road, as I look -back over the column, I see the bright steel flashing, while the -jingle of the ramrods makes music that stirs the blood to a quicker -pulse. A well-known voice calls me down the line, and Andy whispers -a few hurried words into my ear, while he grasps my hand hard. But -we are off at a quick step. A sharp turn to the left, and--hark! -The firing has ceased, and they are "charging" down there! That -peculiar, and afterward well-known, "Yi! Yi! Yi!" indicates a -struggle for which we are making straight and fast. - -At this moment comes the order: "Colonel, you will countermarch -your men, and take position down this road on the right. Follow -me!" The staff-officer leads us half a mile to the right, where, -sinking down utterly exhausted, we are soon sound asleep. - -Of the next day or two I have but an indistinct recollection. What -with the fatigue and excitement, the hunger and thirst, of the last -few days, a high fever set in for me. I became half-delirious, -and lay under a great oak-tree, too weak to walk, my head nearly -splitting with the noise of a battery of steel cannon in position -fifty yards to the left of me. That battery's beautiful but -terrible drill I could plainly see. My own corps was put on -reserve: the men built strong breastworks, but took no part in the -battle, excepting some little skirmishing. Our day was yet to come. - -One evening,--it was the last evening we spent in the woods at -Chancellorsville,--a sergeant of my company came back to where we -were, with orders for me to hunt up and bring an ambulance for one -of the lieutenants who was sick. - -"You see, Harry, there are rumors that we are going to retreat -to-night, for the heavy rains have so swollen the Rappahannock that -our pontoons are in danger of being carried away, and it appears -that, for some reason or other, we've got to get out of this at -once under cover of night, and lieutenant can't stand the march. -So you will go for an ambulance. You'll find the ambulance-park -about two miles from here. You'll take through the woods in that -direction,"--pointing with his finger,--"until you come to a path; -follow the path till you come to a road; follow the road, taking to -the right and straight ahead, till you come to the ambulances." - -Although it was raining hard at the time, and had been raining -for several days, and though I myself was probably as sick as the -lieutenant, and felt positive that the troops would have started in -retreat before I could get back, yet it was my duty to obey, and -off I went. - -I had no difficulty in finding the path; and I reached the road -all right. Fording a stream, the corduroy bridge of which was all -afloat, and walking rapidly for a half-hour, I found the ambulances -all drawn up ready to retreat. - -"We have orders to pull out from here at once, and can send an -ambulance for no man. Your lieutenant must take his chance." - -It was getting dark fast, as I started back with this message. I -was soaked to the skin, and the rain was pouring down in torrents. -To make bad worse, in the darkness I turned off from the road at -the wrong point, missed the path, and quite lost my way! What was -to be done? If I should spend much time where I was, I was certain -to be left behind, for I felt sure that the troops were moving off; -and yet I feared to make for any of the fires I saw through the -woods, for I knew the lines of the two armies were near each other, -and I might, as like as not, walk over into the lines of the enemy. - -Collecting my poor fevered faculties, I determined to follow the -course of a little stream I heard plashing down among the bushes to -the left. By and by I fixed my eye on a certain bright camp-fire, -and determined to make for it at all hazards, be it of friend or of -foe. Judge of my joyful surprise when I found it was burning in -front of my own tent! - -Standing about our fire trying to get warm and dry, our fellows -were discussing the question of the retreat about to be made. But I -was tired and sick, and wet and sleepy, and did not at all relish -the prospect of a night-march through the woods in a drenching -rain. So, putting on the only remaining dry shirt I had left (I had -_two_ on already, and they were soaked through), I lay down under -my shelter, shivering and with chattering teeth, but soon fell -sound asleep. - -In the gray light of the morning we were suddenly awakened by a -loud "Halloo there, you chaps! Better be digging out of this! We're -the last line of cavalry pickets, and the Johnnies are on our -heels!" - -It was an easy matter for us to sling on our knapsacks and rush -after the cavalry-man, until a double-quick of two miles brought us -within the rear line of defences thrown up to cover the retreat. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYSBURG. - - -"Harry, I'm getting tired of this thing. It's becoming monotonous, -this thing of being roused every morning at four, with orders -to pack up and be ready to march at a moment's notice, and then -lying around here all day in the sun. I don't believe we are going -anywhere, anyhow." - -We had been encamped for six weeks, of which I need give no special -account, only saying that in those "summer quarters," as they might -be called, we went on with our endless drilling, and were baked and -browned, and thoroughly hardened to the life of a soldier in the -field. - -The monotony of which Andy complained did not end that day, nor -the next. For six successive days we were regularly roused at four -o'clock in the morning, with orders to "pack up and be ready to -move immediately!" only to unpack as regularly about the middle of -the afternoon. We could hear our batteries pounding away in the -direction of Fredericksburg, but we did not then know that we were -being held well in hand till the enemy's plan had developed itself -into the great march into Pennsylvania, and we were let off in hot -pursuit. - -So, at last, on the 12th of June, 1863, we started, at five o'clock -in the morning, in a north-westerly direction. My journal says: -"Very warm, dust plenty, water scarce, marching very hard. Halted -at dusk at an excellent spring, and lay down for the night with -aching limbs and blistered feet." - -I pass over the six days' continuous marching that followed, -steadily on toward the north, pausing only to relate several -incidents that happened by the way. - -On the 14th we were racing with the enemy--we being pushed on to -the utmost of human endurance--for the possession of the defences -of Washington. From five o'clock of that morning till three the -following morning,--that is to say, from daylight to daylight,--we -were hurried along under a burning June sun, with no halt longer -than sufficient to recruit our strength with a hasty cup of coffee -at noon and nightfall. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve o'clock at night, -and still on! It was almost more than flesh could endure. Men fell -out of line in the darkness by the score, and tumbled over by the -roadside, asleep almost before they touched the ground. - -I remember how a great tall fellow in our company made us laugh -along somewhere about one o'clock that morning,--"Pointer," we -called him,--an excellent soldier, who afterward fell at his -post at Spottsylvania. He had been trudging on in sullen silence -for hours, when all of a sudden, coming to a halt, he brought -his piece to "order arms" on the hard road with a ring, took off -his cap, and, in language far more forcible than elegant, began -forthwith to denounce both parties to the war, "from A to Izzard," -in all branches of the service, civil and military, army and navy, -artillery, infantry, and cavalry, and demanded that the enemy -should come on in full force here and now, "and I'll fight them -all, single-handed and alone, the whole pack of 'em! I'm tired of -this everlasting marching, and I want to fight!" - -"Three cheers for Pointer!" cried some one, and we laughed heartily -as we toiled doggedly on to Manassas, which we reached at three -o'clock A. M., June 15th. I can assure you we lost no time in -stretching ourselves at full length in the tall summer grass. - -"James McFadden, report to the adjutant for camp guard! James -McFadden! Anybody know where Jim McFadden is?" - -Now that was rather hard, wasn't it? To march from daylight to -daylight, and lie down for a rest of probably two hours before -starting again, and then to be called up to stand throughout those -precious two hours on guard duty! - -I knew very well where McFadden was, for wasn't he lying right -beside me in the grass? But just then I was in no humor to tell. -The camp might well go without a guard that night, or the orderly -might find McFadden in the dark if he could. - -But the rules were strict, and the punishment was severe, and poor -McFadden, bursting into tears of vexation, answered like a man: -"Here I am, Orderly; I'll go." It was hard. - -Two weeks later, both McFadden and the orderly went where there is -neither marching nor standing guard any more. - -Now comes a long rest of a week in the woods near the Potomac; for -we have been marching parallel with the enemy, and dare not go -too fast, lest by some sudden and dexterous move in the game he -should sweep past our rear in upon the defences of Washington. And -after this sweet refreshment, we cross the Potomac on pontoons, -and march, perhaps with a lighter step, since we are nearing home, -through the smiling fields and pleasant villages of "Maryland, my -Maryland." At Poolesville, a little town on the north bank of the -Potomac, we smile as we see a lot of children come trooping out of -the village school,--a merry sight to men who have seen neither -woman nor child these six months and more, and a touching sight to -many a man in the ranks as he thinks of his little flaxen-heads in -the far-away home. Ay, think of them now, and think of them full -tenderly too, for many a man of you shall never have child climb -on his knee any more! - -As we enter one of these pleasant little Maryland -villages,--Jefferson by name,--we find on the outskirts of the -place two young ladies and two young gentlemen waving the good old -flag as we pass, and singing "Rally round the Flag, Boys!" The -excitement along the line is intense. Cheer on cheer is given by -regiment after regiment as we pass along, we drummer-boys beating, -at the colonel's express orders, the old tune, "The Girl I left -behind me," as a sort of response. Soon we are in among the hills -again, and still the cheering goes on in the far distance to the -rear. - -Only ten days later we passed through the same village again, and -were met by the same young ladies and gentlemen, waving the same -flag and singing the same song. But though we tried twice, and -tried hard, we could not cheer at all; for there's a difference -between five hundred men and one hundred,--is there not? So, that -second time, we drooped our tattered flags, and raised our caps -in silent and sorrowful salute. Through Middletown next, where a -rumor reaches us that the enemy's forces have occupied Harrisburg, -and where certain ladies, standing on a balcony and waving their -handkerchiefs as we pass by, in reply to our colonel's greeting, -that "we are glad to see so many Union people here," answer, "Yes; -and we are glad to see the Yankee soldiers too." - -From Middletown, at six o'clock in the evening, across the mountain -to Frederick, on the outskirts of which city we camp for the night. -At half-past five next morning (June 29th) we are up and away, -in a drizzling rain, through Lewistown and Mechanicstown, near -which latter place we pass a company of Confederate prisoners, -twenty-four in number, dressed in well-worn gray and butternut, -which makes us think that the enemy cannot be far ahead. After -a hard march of twenty-five miles, the greater part of the way -over a turnpike, we reach Emmittsburg at nightfall, some of us -quite barefoot, and all of us footsore and weary. Next morning -(June 30th) at nine o'clock we are up and away again, "on the -road leading towards Gettysburg," they say. After crossing the -line between Maryland and Pennsylvania, where the colonel halts -the column for a moment, in order that we may give three rousing -cheers for the Old Keystone State, we march perceptibly slower, as -if there were some impediment in the way. There is a feeling among -the men that the enemy is somewhere near. Towards noon we leave the -public road, and taking across the fields, form in line of battle -along the rear of a wood, and pickets are thrown out. There is an -air of uncertainty and suspicion in the ranks as we look to the -woods, and consider what our pickets may possibly unmask there. -But no developments have yet been made when darkness comes, and we -bivouac for the night behind a strong stone wall. - -Passing down along the line of glowing fires in the gathering -gloom, I come on one of my company messes squatting about a fire, -cooking supper. Joe Gutelius, corporal and color-guard from our -company, is superintending the boiling of a piece of meat in a tin -can, while Sam Ruhl and his brother Joe are smoking their pipes -near by. - -"Boys, it begins to look a little dubious, don't it? Where is Jimmy -Lucas?" - -"He's out on picket in the woods yonder. Yes, Harry, it begins to -look a little as if we were about to stir the Johnnies out of the -brush," says Joe Gutelius, throwing another rail on the fire. - -"If we do," says Joe Ruhl, "remember that you have the post of -honor, Joe, and 'if any man pulls down that flag, shoot him on the -spot!'" - -"Never you fear for that," answers Joe Gutelius. "We of the -color-guard will look out for the flag. For my part, I'll stay a -dead man on the field before the colors of the 150th are disgraced." - -"You'll have some tough tussling for your colors, then," says Sam. -"If the Louisiana Tigers get after you once, look out!" - -"Who's afraid of the Louisiana Tigers? I'll back the Buck-tails -against the Tigers any day. Stay and take supper with us, Harry! -We are going to have a feast to-night. I have the heart of a beef -boiling in the can yonder; and it is done now. Sit up, boys, get -out your knives and fall to." - -"We were going to have boiled lion heart for supper, Harry," says -Joe Ruhl with mock apology for the fare, "but we couldn't catch -any lions. They seem to be scarce in these parts. Maybe we can -catch a tiger to-morrow, though." - -Little do we think, as we sit thus cheerily talking about the -blazing fire behind the stone-wall, that it is our last supper -together, and that ere another nightfall two of us will be sleeping -in the silent bivouac of the dead. - - * * * * * - -"Colonel, close up your men, and move on as rapidly as possible." - -It is the morning of July 1st, and we are crossing a bridge over -a stream, as the staff-officer, having delivered this order for -us, dashes down the line to hurry up the regiments in the rear. We -get up on a high range of hills, from which we have a magnificent -view. The day is bright, the air is fresh and sweet with the -scent of the new-mown hay, and the sun shines out of an almost -cloudless sky, and as we gaze away off yonder down the valley to -the left--look! Do you see that? A puff of smoke in mid-air! Very -small, and miles away, as the faint and long-coming "boom" of the -exploding shell indicates; but it means that something is going on -yonder, away down in the valley, in which, perhaps, we may have a -hand before the day is done. See! another--and another! Faint and -far away comes the long-delayed "boom!" "boom!" echoing over the -hills, as the staff-officer dashes along the lines with orders to -"double-quick! double-quick!" - -Four miles of almost constant double-quicking is no light work at -any time, least of all on such a day as this memorable first day -of July, for it is hot and dusty. But we are in our own State now, -boys, and the battle is opening ahead, and it is no time to save -breath. On we go, now up a hill, now over a stream, now checking -our headlong rush for a moment, for we _must_ breathe a little. But -the word comes along the line again, "double-quick," and we settle -down to it with right good-will, while the cannon ahead seem to be -getting nearer and louder. There's little said in the ranks, for -there is little breath for talking, though every man is busy enough -thinking. We all feel, somehow, that our day has come at last--as -indeed it has! - -We get in through the outskirts of Gettysburg, tearing down the -fences of the town-lots and outlying gardens as we go; we pass a -battery of brass guns drawn up beside the Seminary, some hundred -yards in front of which building, in a strip of meadow-land, we -halt, and rapidly form the line of battle. - -"General, shall we unsling knapsacks?" shouts some one down the -line to our division-general, as he is dashing by. - -"Never mind the knapsacks, boys; it's the State now!" - -And he plunges his spurs into the flanks of his horse, as he takes -the stake-and-rider fence at a leap, and is away. - -"Unfurl the flags, Color-guard!" - -"Now, forward, double----" - -"Colonel, we're not loaded yet!" - -A laugh runs along the line as, at the command "Load at -will--load!" the ramrods make their merry music, and at once the -word is given, "Forward, double-quick!" and the line sweeps up that -rising ground with banners gayly flying, and cheers that rend the -air,--a sight, once seen, never to be forgotten. - -I suppose my readers wonder what a drummer-boy does in time of -battle. Perhaps they have the same idea I used to have, namely, -that it is the duty of a drummer-boy to beat his drum all the time -the battle rages, to encourage the men or drown the groans of the -wounded! But if they will reflect a moment, they will see that -amid the confusion and noise of battle, there is little chance of -martial music being either heard or heeded. Our colonel had long -ago given us our orders: - -"You drummer-boys, in time of an engagement, are to lay aside your -drums and take stretchers and help off the wounded. I expect you to -do this, and you are to remember that, in doing it, you are just -as much helping the battle on as if you were fighting with guns in -your hands." - -And so we sit down there on our drums and watch the line going -in with cheers. Forthwith we get a smart shelling, for there is -evidently somebody else watching that advancing line besides -ourselves; but they have elevated their guns a little too much, so -that every shell passes quite over the line and ploughs up the -meadow-sod about _us_ in all directions. - - [Illustration: A SKIRMISH AFTER A HARD DAY'S MARCH] - -Laying aside our knapsacks, we go to the Seminary, now rapidly -filling with the wounded. This the enemy surely cannot know, or -they wouldn't shell the building so hard! We get stretchers at the -ambulances, and start out for the line of battle. We can just see -our regimental colors waving in the orchard, near a log-house about -three hundred yards ahead, and we start out for it--I on the lead, -and Daney behind. - -There is one of our batteries drawn up to our left a short distance -as we run. It is engaged in a sharp artillery duel with one of -the enemy's, which we cannot see, although we can hear it plainly -enough, and straight between the two our road lies. So, up we -go, Daney and I, at a lively trot, dodging the shells as best we -can, till, panting for breath, we set down our stretcher under an -apple-tree in the orchard, in which, under the brow of the hill, -we find the regiment lying, one or two companies being out on the -skirmish line ahead. - -I count six men of Company C lying yonder in the grass--killed, -they say, by a single shell. Close beside them lies a tall, -magnificently built man, whom I recognize by his uniform as -belonging to the "Iron Brigade," and therefore probably an Iowa -boy. He lies on his back at full length, with his musket beside -him--calm-looking as if asleep, but having a fatal blue mark on -his forehead and the ashen pallor of death on his countenance. -Andy calls me away for a moment to look after some poor fellow -whose arm is off at the shoulder; and it was just time I got away, -too, for immediately a shell plunges into the sod where I had been -sitting, tearing my stretcher to tatters, and ploughing up a great -furrow under one of the boys who had been sitting immediately -behind me, and who thinks, "That was rather close shaving, wasn't -it, now?" The bullets whistling overhead make pretty music with -their ever-varying "z-i-p! z-i-p!" and we could imagine them so -many bees, only they have such a terribly sharp sting. They tell -me, too, of a certain cavalry-man (Dennis Buckley, Sixth Michigan -cavalry it was, as I afterwards learned--let history preserve -the brave boy's name) who, having had his horse shot under him, -and seeing that first-named shell explode in Company C with such -disaster, exclaimed, "That is the company for me!" He remained with -the regiment all day, doing good service with his carbine, and he -escaped unhurt! - -"Here they come, boys; we'll have to go in at them on a charge, -I guess!" Creeping close around the corner of the log-house, I -can see the long lines of gray sweeping up in fine style over the -fields; but I feel the colonel's hand on my shoulder. - -"Keep back, my boy; no use exposing yourself in that way." - -As I get back behind the house and look around, an old man is seen -approaching our line through the orchard in the rear. He is dressed -in a long blue swallow-tailed coat and high silk hat, and coming up -to the colonel, he asks: - -"Would you let an old chap like me have a chance to fight in your -ranks, colonel?" - -"Can you shoot?" inquires the colonel. - -"Oh yes, I can shoot, I reckon," says he. - -"But where are your cartridges?" - -"I've got 'em here, sir," says the old man, slapping his hand on -his trousers pocket. - -And so "old John Burns," of whom every school-boy has heard, takes -his place in the line and loads and fires with the best of them, -and is left wounded and insensible on the field when the day is -done. - -Reclining there under a tree while the skirmishing is going on in -front and the shells are tearing up the sod around us, I observe -how evidently hard pressed is that battery yonder in the edge of -the wood, about fifty yards to our right. The enemy's batteries -have excellent range on the poor fellows serving it. And when the -smoke lifts or rolls away in great clouds for a moment, we can -see the men running, and ramming, and sighting, and firing, and -swabbing, and changing position every few minutes to throw the -enemy's guns out of range a little. The men are becoming terribly -few, but nevertheless their guns, with a rapidity that seems -unabated, belch forth great clouds of smoke, and send the shells -shrieking over the plain. - - [Illustration: AT CLOSE QUARTERS THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYSBURG.] - -Meanwhile, events occur which give us something more to think of -than mere skirmishing beloved brigadier-general, Roy Stone, -stepping out a moment to reconnoitre the enemy's position and -movements, is seen by some sharpshooter off in a tree, and is -carried, severely wounded, into the barn. Our colonel, Langhorne -Wister, assumes command of the brigade. Our regiment, facing -westward, while the line on our right faces to the north, is -observed to be exposed to an enfilading fire from the enemy's -guns, as well as from the long line of gray now appearing in -full sight on our right. So our regiment must form in line and -"change front forward," in order to come in line with the other -regiments. Accomplished swiftly, this new movement brings our line -at once face to face with the enemy's, which advances to within -fifty yards, and exchanges a few volleys, but is soon checked and -staggered by our fire. - -Yet now, see! Away to our left, and consequently on our flank, a -new line appears, rapidly advancing out of the woods a half-mile -away, and there must be some quick and sharp work done now, boys, -or, between the old foes in front and the new ones on our flank, -we shall be annihilated. To clear us of these old assailants in -front before the new line can sweep down on our flank, our brave -colonel, in a ringing command, orders a charge along the whole -line. Then, before the gleaming and bristling bayonets of our -"Buck-tail" brigade, as it yells and cheers, sweeping resistlessly -over the field, the enemy gives way and flies in confusion. But -there is little time to watch them fly, for that new line on our -left is approaching at a rapid pace; and, with shells falling thick -and fast into our ranks, and men dropping everywhere, our regiment -must reverse the former movement by "changing front to rear," and -so resume its original position facing westward, for the enemy's -new line is approaching from that direction, and if it takes us in -flank, we are done for. - -To "change front to rear" is a difficult movement to execute even -on drill, much more so under severe fire; but it is executed now -steadily and without confusion, yet not a minute too soon! For the -new line of gray is upon us in a mad tempest of lead, supported by -a cruel artillery fire, almost before our line can steady itself to -receive the shock. However, partially protected by a post-and-rail -fence, we answer fiercely, and with effect so terrific that the -enemy's line wavers, and at length moves off by the right flank, -giving us a breathing space for a time. - -During this struggle, there had been many an exciting scene -all along the line as it swayed backward and forward over the -field,--scenes which we have had no time to mention yet. - -See yonder, where the colors of the regiment on our right--our -sister regiment, the 149th--have been advanced a little, to draw -the enemy's fire, while our line sweeps on to the charge. There -ensues about the flags a wild _melee_ and close hand-to-hand -encounter. Some of the enemy have seized the colors and are making -off with them in triumph, shouting victory. But a squad of our own -regiment dashes out swiftly, led to the rescue of the stolen colors -by Sergeant John C. Kensill, of Company F, who falls to the ground -before reaching them, and amid yells and cheers and smoke, you see -the battle-flags rise and fall, and sway hither and thither upon -the surging mass, as if tossed on the billows of a tempest, until, -wrenched away by strong arms, they are borne back in triumph to the -line of the 149th. - -See yonder, again! Our colonel is clapping his hand to his cheek, -from which a red stream is pouring; our lieutenant-colonel, H. -S. Huidekoper, is kneeling on the ground, and is having his -handkerchief tied tight around his arm at the shoulder; Major -Thomas Chamberlain and Adjutant Richard L. Ashurst both lie low, -pierced with balls through the chest; one lieutenant is waving his -sword to his men, although his leg is crushed at the knee; three -other officers of the line are lying over there, motionless now -forever. All over the field are strewn men wounded or dead, and -comrades pause a moment in the mad rush to catch the last words -of the dying. Incidents such as these the reader must imagine -for himself, to fill in these swift sketches of how the day was -won--and lost! - -Ay, lost! For the balls which have so far come mainly from our -front, begin now to sing in from our left and right, which means -that we are being flanked. Somehow, away off to our right, a -half-mile or so, our line has given way, and is already on retreat -through the town, while our left is being driven in, and we -ourselves may shortly be surrounded and crushed--and so the retreat -is sounded. - -Back now along the railroad cut we go, or through the orchard and -the narrow strip of woods behind it, with our dead scattered around -on all sides, and the wounded crying piteously for help. - -"Harry! Harry!" It is a faint cry of a dying man yonder in the -grass, and I _must_ see who it is. - -"Why, Willie! Tell me where you are hurt," I ask, kneeling down -beside him; and I see the words come hard, for he is fast dying. - -"Here in my side, Harry. Tell--mother--mother----" - -Poor fellow, he can say no more. His head falls back, and Willie is -at rest forever! - -On, now, through that strip of woods, at the other edge of which, -with my back against a stout oak, I stop and look at a beautiful -and thrilling sight. Some reserves are being brought up; infantry -in the centre, the colors flying and officers shouting; cavalry on -the right, with sabres flashing and horses on a trot; artillery on -the left, with guns at full gallop sweeping into position to check -the headlong pursuit,--it is a grand sight, and a fine rally; but -a vain one, for in an hour we are swept off the field, and are in -full retreat through the town. - -Up through the streets hurries the remnant of our shattered corps, -while the enemy is pouring into the town only a few squares away -from us. There is a tempest of shrieking shells and whistling balls -about our ears. The guns of that battery by the woods we have -dragged along, all the horses being disabled. The artillery-men -load as we go, double-charging with grape and canister. - -"Make way there, men!" is the cry, and the surging mass crowds -close up on the sidewalks to right and left, leaving a long lane -down the centre of the street, through which the grape and canister -go rattling into the ranks of the enemy's advance-guard. - -And so, amid scenes which I have neither space nor power to -describe, we gain Cemetery Ridge towards sunset, and throw -ourselves down by the road in a tumult of excitement and grief, -having lost the day through the overwhelming force of numbers, and -yet somehow having gained it too (although as yet we know it not), -for the sacrifice of our corps has saved the position for the -rest of the army, which has been marching all day, and which comes -pouring in over Cemetery Ridge all night long. - -Ay, the position is saved; but where is our corps? Well may our -division-general, Doubleday, who early in the day succeeded to the -command when our brave Reynolds had fallen, shed tears of grief as -he sits there on his horse and looks over the shattered remains of -that First Army Corps, for there is but a handful of it left. Of -the five hundred and fifty men that marched under our regimental -colors in the morning, but one hundred remain. All our field and -staff officers are gone. Of some twenty captains and lieutenants, -but one is left without a scratch, while of my own company only -thirteen out of fifty-four sleep that night on Cemetery Ridge, -under the open canopy of heaven. There is no roll-call, for -Sergeant Weidensaul will call the roll no more; nor will Joe -Gutelius, nor Joe Ruhl, nor McFadden, nor Henning, nor many others -of our comrades whom we miss, ever answer to their names again -until the world's last great reveille. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -AFTER THE BATTLE. - - -I had frequently seen pictures of battle-fields, and had often -read about them; but the most terrible scenes of carnage my boyish -imagination had ever figured fell far short of the dreadful reality -as I beheld it after the great battle of the war. It was the -evening of Sunday, July 5, 1863, when, at the suggestion of Andy, -we took our way across the breastworks, stone fences, and redoubts, -to look over the battle-field. Our shattered brigade had been -mainly on reserve during the last three days; and as we made our -way through the troops lying in our front, and over the defences of -stone and earth and ragged rocks, the scene among our troops was -one for the pencil of a great artist. - -Scattered about irregularly were groups of men discussing the -battle and its results, or relating exciting incidents and -adventures of the fray: here, one fellow pointing out bullet-holes -in his coat or cap, or a great rent in the sleeve of his blouse -made by a flying piece of shell; there, a man laughing as he held -up his crushed canteen, or showed his tobacco-box with a hole in -the lid and a bullet among his "fine cut"; yonder, knots of men -frying steaks and cooking coffee about the fire, or making ready -for sleep. - -Before we pass beyond our own front line, evidences of the terrible -carnage of the battle environ us on all sides. Fresh, hastily dug -graves are there, with rude head-boards telling the poor fellows' -names and regiments; yonder, a tree on whose smooth bark the names -of three Confederate generals, who fell here in the gallant charge, -have been carved by some thoughtful hand. The trees round about are -chipped by the balls and stripped almost bare by the leaden hail, -while a log-house near by in the clearing has been so riddled with -shot and shell that scarcely a whole shingle is left to its roof. - -But sights still more fearful await us as we step out beyond the -front line, pick our way carefully among the great rocks, and walk -down the slope to the scene of the fearful charge. The ground has -been soaked with the recent rains, and the heavy mist which hangs -like a pall over the field, together with the growing darkness, -renders objects but indistinctly visible, and all the more ghastly. -As the eye ranges over so much of the field as the shrouding -mist allows us to see, we behold a scene of destruction terrible -indeed, if ever there was one in all this wide world! Dismounted -gun-carriages, shattered caissons, knapsacks, haversacks, muskets, -bayonets, accoutrements, scattered over the field in wildest -confusion,--horses (poor creatures!) dead and dying,--and, worst -and most awful of all, dead men by the hundreds! Most of the men in -blue have been buried already, and the pioneers yonder in the mist -are busy digging trenches for the poor fellows in gray. - -As we pass along, we stop to observe how thickly they lie, here and -there, like grain before the scythe in summer-time,--how firmly -some have grasped their guns, with high, defiant looks,--and how -calm are the countenances of others in their last solemn sleep; -while more than one has clutched in his stiffened fingers a piece -of white paper, which he waved, poor soul, in his death-agony, as -a plea for quarter, when the great wave of battle had receded and -left him there, mortally wounded, on the field. - -I sicken of the dreadful scene,--can endure it no longer,--and beg -Andy to "Come away! Come away! It's too awful to look at any more!" - -And so we get back to our place in the breastworks with sad, -heavy hearts, and wonder how we ever could have imagined war so -grand and gallant a thing when, after all, it is so horribly -wicked and cruel. We lie down--the thirteen of us that are left -in the company--on a big flat rock, sleeping without shelter, and -shielding our faces from the drizzling rain with our caps as best -we may, thinking of the dreadful scene in front there, and of the -sad, heavy hearts there will be all over the land for weary years, -till kindly sleep comes to us, with sweet forgetfulness of all. - -Our clothes were damp with the heavy mists and drizzling rain -when we awoke next morning, and hastily prepared for the march -off the field and the long pursuit of the foe through the waving -grain-fields of Maryland. Having cooked our coffee in our blackened -tin cups, and roasted our slices of fresh beef, stuck on the end of -a ramrod and thrust into the crackling fires, we were ready in a -moment for the march, for we had but little to pack up. - -Straight over the field we go, through that valley of death where -the heavy charging had been done, and thousands of men had been -swept away, line after line, in the mad and furious tempest of the -battle. Heavy mists still overhang the field, even dumb Nature -seeming to be in sympathy with the scene, while all around us, as -we march along, are sights at which the most callous turn faint. -Interesting enough we find the evidences of conflict, save only -where human life is concerned. - - [Illustration: ON THE MARCH TO AND FROM GETTYSBURG.] - -We stop to wonder at the immense furrow yonder which some shell has -ploughed up in the ground; we call one another's attention to a -caisson shivered to atoms by an explosion, or to a tree cut clean -off by a solid shot, or bored through and through by a shell. With -pity we contemplate the poor artillery-horses hobbling, wounded -and mangled, about the field, and we think it a mercy to shoot them -as we pass. But the dead men! Hundreds of torn and distorted bodies -yet on the field, although thousands already lie buried in the -trenches. Even the roughest and rudest among us marches awed and -silent, as he is forced to think of the terrible suffering endured -in this place, and of the sorrow and tears there will be among the -mountains of the North and the rice-fields of the far-off South. - -We were quiet, I remember, very quiet, as we marched off that great -field; and not only then, but for days afterwards, as we tramped -through the pleasant fields of Maryland. We had little to say, and -we all were pretty busily thinking. Where were the boys who, but -a week before, had marched with us through those same fragrant -fields, blithe as a sunshiny morn in May? And so, as I have told -you, when those young ladies and gentlemen came out to the end -of that Maryland village to meet and cheer us after the battle, -as they had met and cheered us before it, we did not know how -heavy-hearted we were until, in response to their song of "Rally -round the Flag, Boys!" some one proposed three cheers for them. But -the cheers would not come. Somehow, after the first hurrah, the -other two stuck in our throats or died away soundless on the air. -And so we only said: "God bless you, young friends; but we can't -cheer to-day, you see!" - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THROUGH "MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND." - - -Our course now lay through Maryland, and we performed endless -marches and countermarches over turnpikes and through field and -forest. - -After crossing South Mountain,--but stop, I just _must_ tell you -about that, it will take but a paragraph or two. South Mountain -Pass we entered one July evening, after a drenching rain, on the -Middletown side, and marched along through that deep mountain -gorge, with a high cliff on either side, and a delightful stream -of fresh water flowing along the road; emerging on the other side -at the close of day. Breaking off the line of march by the right -flank, we suddenly crossed the stream, and were ordered up the -mountain-side in the gathering darkness. We climbed very slowly at -first, and more slowly still as the darkness deepened and the path -grew steeper and more difficult. At about nine o'clock, orders were -given to "sleep on arms," and then, from sheer fatigue, we all fell -sound asleep, some lying on the rocks, some sitting bolt upright -against the trees, some stretched out at full length on beds of -moss or clumps of bushes. - -What a magnificent sight awaited us the next morning! Opening -our eyes at peep o' day, we found ourselves high up on top of a -mountain-bluff overlooking the lovely valley about Boonesboro. The -rains were past; the sun was just beginning to break through the -clouds; great billows of mist were rolling up from the hollows -below, where we could catch occasional glimpses of the movements of -troops,--cavalry dashing about in squads, and infantry marching in -solid columns. What may have been the object of sending us up that -mountain, or what the intention in ordering us to fell the trees -from the mountain-top and build breastworks hundreds of feet above -the valley, I have never learned. That one morning amid the mists -of the mountain, and that one grand view of the lovely valley -beneath, were to my mind sufficient reason for being there. - -Refreshed by a day's rest on the mountain-top, we march down into -the valley on the 10th, exhilarated by the sweet, fresh mountain -air, as well as by the prospect, as we suppose, of a speedy -end being put to this cruel war. For we know that the enemy is -somewhere crossing the swollen Potomac back into Virginia, in a -crippled condition, and we are sure he will be finally crushed in -the next great battle, which cannot now be many hours distant. -And so we march leisurely along, over turnpikes and through -grain-fields, on the edge of one of which, by and by, we halt in -line of battle, stack arms, and, with three cheers, rush in a -line for a stake-and-rider fence, with the rails of which we are -to build breastworks. It is wonderful how rapidly that Maryland -farmer's fence disappears! Each man seizing a rail, the fence -literally walks off, and in less than fifteen minutes it reappears -in the shape of a compact and well-built line of breastworks. - -But scarcely is the work completed when we are ordered into the -road again, and up this we advance a half-mile or so, and form -in line on the left of the road and on the skirt of another -wheat-field. We are about to stack arms and build a second line of -works, when-- - -Z-i-p! z-i-p! z-i-p! - -Ah! It is music we know right well by this time! Three light puffs -of smoke rise yonder in the wheat-field, a hundred yards or so -away, where the enemy's pickets are lying concealed in the tall -grain. Three balls go singing merrily over my head--intended, no -doubt, for the lieutenant, who is acting-adjutant, and who rides -immediately in front of me, with a bandage over his forehead, but -who is too busy forming the line to give much heed to his danger. - -"We'll take you out o' that grass a-hopping, you long-legged -rascals!" shouts Pointer, as the command is given: - -"Deploy to right and left as skirmishers,"--while a battery of -artillery is brought up at a gallop, and the guns are trained on -a certain red barn away across the field, from which the enemy's -sharpshooters are picking off our men. - -Bang! Hur-r-r! Boom! One, two, three, four shells go crashing -through the red barn, while the shingles and boards fly like -feathers, and the sharpshooters pour out from it in wild haste. -The pickets are popping away at one another out there along the -field and in the edge of the wood beyond; the enemy is driven -in and retreats, but we do not advance, and the expected battle -does not come off after all, as we had hoped it would. For in the -great war-council held about that time, as we afterwards learned, -our generals, by a close vote, have decided not to risk a general -engagement, but to let the enemy get back into Virginia again, -crippled, indeed, but not crushed, as every man in the ranks -believes he well might be. - -As we step on the swaying pontoons to recross the Potomac into old -Virginia, there are murmurs of disappointment all along the line. - -"Why didn't they let us fight? We could have thrashed them now, -if ever we could. We are tired of this everlasting marching and -countermarching up and down, and we want to fight it out and be -done with it." - -But for all our feelings and wishes, we are back again on the south -side of the river, and the column of blue soon is marching along -gayly enough among the hills and pleasant fields about Waterford. - -We did not go very fast nor very far those hot July days, because -we had very little to eat. Somehow or other our provision trains -had lost their reckoning, and in consequence we were left to -subsist as best we could. We were a worn, haggard-looking, hungry, -ragged set of men. As for me--out at knee and elbow, my hair -sticking out in tufts through holes in the top of my hat, my shoes -in shreds, and my haversack empty--I must have presented a forlorn -appearance indeed. Fortunately, however, blackberries were ripe -and plentiful. All along the road and all through the fields, -as we approached Warrenton, these delicious berries hung on the -vines in great luscious clusters. Yet blackberries for supper and -blackberries for breakfast give a man but little strength for -marching under a July sun all day long. So Corporal Harter and I -thought, as we sat one morning in a clover-field where we were -resting for the day, busy boiling a chicken at our camp-fire. - -"Where did you get that chicken, Corporal?" said I. - -"Well, you see, Harry, I didn't steal her, and I didn't buy her, -neither. Late last night, while we were crossing that creek, I -heard some fellow say he had carried that old chicken all day since -morning, and she was getting too heavy for him, and he was going to -throw her into the creek; and so I said I'd take her, and I did, -and carried her all night, and here she is now in the pan, sizzling -away, Harry." - -"I'm afraid, Corporal, this is a fowl trick." - -"Fair or fowl, we'll have a good dinner, any way." - -With an appetite ever growing keener as we caught savory whiffs -from the steaming mess-pan, we piled up the rails on the fire and -boiled the biddy, and boiled, and boiled, and boiled her from morn -till noon, and from noon to night, and couldn't eat her then, she -was so tough! - -"May the dogs take the old grizzle-gizzard! I'm not going to break -my teeth on this old buzzard any more," shouted the corporal, as -he flung the whole cartilaginous mass into a pile of brush near by. -"It _was_ a fowl trick, after all, Harry, wasn't it?" - -Thus it chanced that, when we marched out of Warrenton early -one sultry summer morning, we started with empty stomachs and -haversacks, and marched on till noon with nothing to eat. Halting -then in a wood, we threw ourselves under the trees, utterly -exhausted. About three o'clock, as we lay there, a whole staff of -officers came riding down the line--the quartermaster-general of -the Army of the Potomac and staff, they said it was. Just the very -man we wanted to see! Then broke forth such a yell from hundreds of -famished men as the quartermaster-general had probably never heard -before nor ever wished to hear again: - -"Hard-tack!" - -"Coffee!" - -"Pork!" - -"Beef!" - -"Sugar!" - -"Salt!" - -"Pepper!" - -"Hard-tack! Hard-tack!" - -The quartermaster and staff put their spurs to their horses and -dashed away in a cloud of dust, and at last, about nightfall, we -got something to eat. - -By the way, this reminds me of an incident that occurred on one of -our long marches; and I tell it just to show what sometimes is the -effect of short rations. - -It was while we were lying up at Chancellorsville in an immense -forest that our supply of pork and hard-tack began to give out. -We had, indeed, carried with us into the woods eight full days' -rations in our knapsacks and haversacks; but it rained in torrents -for several days, so that our hard-tack became mouldy, the roads -were impassable, transportation was out of the question, and we -were forced to put ourselves on short allowance. - -"I wish I had some meat, Harry," said Pete Grove, anxiously -inspecting the contents of his haversack; "I'm awful hungry for -meat." - -"Well, Pete," said I, "I saw some jumping around here pretty lively -a while ago. Maybe you could catch it." - -"_Meat_ jumping around here? Why what do you mean?" - -"Why frogs, to be sure--frogs, Pete. Did you never eat frogs?" - -"Bah! I think I'd be a great deal hungrier than I am now, ever to -eat a frog! Ugh! No, indeed! But where is he? I'd like the fun of -hunting him, anyhow." - -So saying, he loaded his revolver, and we sallied forth along the -stream, and Pete, who was a good marksman, in a short time had laid -out Mr. Froggy at the first shot. - -"Now, Pete, we'll skin him, and you shall have a feast fit for a -king." - -So, putting the meat into a tin cup with a little water, salt, and -pepper, boiling it for a few minutes, and breaking some hard-tack -into it when done, I set it before him. I need hardly say that when -he had once tasted the dish he speedily devoured it, and when he -had devoured it, he took his revolver in hand again, and hunted -frogs for the rest of that afternoon. - - * * * * * - -Drum and fife have more to do with the discipline of an army than -an inexperienced person would imagine. The drum is the tongue -of the camp. It wakes the men in the morning, mounts the guard, -announces the dinner-hour, gives a peculiar charm to dress-parade -in the evening, and calls the men to quarters with its pleasant -tattoo at night. For months, however, we had had no drums. Ours -had been lost, with our knapsacks, at Gettysburg. [And I will here -pause to say that if any good friend across the border has in his -possession a snare-drum with the name and regiment of the writer -clearly marked on the inside of the body, and will return the same -to the owner thereof, he will confer no small favor, and will be -overwhelmed with an ocean of thanks!] - - [Illustration: "I'VE GOT HIM, BOYS!"] - -We did not know how really important a thing a drum is until, -one late September day, we were ordered to prepare for a -dress-parade--a species of regimental luxury in which we had not -indulged since the early days of June. - -"Major, you don't expect us drummer-boys to turn out, do you?" - -"Certainly. And why not, my boy?" - -"Why, we have no drums, Major!" - -"Well, your fifers have fifes, haven't they? We'll do without the -drums; but you must all turn out, and the fifers can play." - -So when we stood drawn up in line on the parade-ground among the -woods, and the order was given: - -"Parade rest! Troop, beat off!" - -Out we drummers and fifers wheeled from the head of the line, with -three shrill fifes screaming out the rolls, and started at a slow -march down the line, while every man in the ranks grinned, and we -drummer-boys laughed, and the officers joined us, until at last the -whole line, officers and men alike, broke out into loud haw-haws at -the sight. The fifers couldn't whistle for laughing, and the major -ordered us all back to our places when only half down the line, -and never even attempted another parade until a full supply of -brand-new drums arrived for us from Washington. - -Then the major picked out mine for me, I remember, and it proved to -be the best in the lot. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -PAINS AND PENALTIES. - - -Among all civilized nations the "rules of war" seem to have been -written with an iron hand. The laws by which the soldier in -the field is governed are of necessity inexorable, for strict -discipline is the chief excellence of an army, and a ready -obedience the chief virtue of the soldier. Nothing can be more -admirable in the character of the true soldier than his prompt and -unquestioning response to the trumpet-call of duty. The world can -never forget, nor ever sufficiently admire, a Leonidas with his -three hundred Spartans at Thermopylae, the Roman soldier on guard -at the gates of the perishing Pompeii, or the gallant six hundred -charging into the "valley of death" at Balaklava. Disobedience to -orders is the great sin of the soldier, and one that is sure to -be punished, for at no other time does Justice wear so stern and -severe a look as when she sits enthroned amidst the camps of armed -men. - -In different sections of the army, various expedients were resorted -to for the purpose of correcting minor offences. What particular -shape the punishment should assume depended very much upon the -inventive faculty of the Field and Staff, or of such officers of -the line as might have charge of the case. - -Before taking the field, a few citizen sneak-thieves were -discovered prowling amongst the tents. These were promptly drummed -out of camp to the tune of the "Rogue's March," the whole regiment -shouting in derision as the miserable fellows took to their heels -when the procession reached the limits of the camp, where they were -told to begone and never show their faces in camp any more, on pain -of a more severe treatment. - - [Illustration: DRUMMING SNEAK-THIEVES OUT OF CAMP.] - -If, as very seldom happened, it was an enlisted man who was caught -stealing, he was often punished in the following way: A barrel, -having one end knocked out and a hole in the other large enough to -allow one's head to go through, was slipped over the culprit's -shoulders. On the outside of the barrel the word THIEF! was -printed in large letters. In this dress he presented the ludicrous -appearance of an animated meal-barrel; for you could see nothing -of him but his head and legs, his hands being very significantly -confined. Sometimes he was obliged to stand or sit (as best he -could) about the guard-house, or near by the colonel's quarters, -all day long. At other times he was compelled to march through the -company streets and make the tour of the camp under guard. - -Once in the field, however, sneak-thieves soon disappeared. Nor was -there frequent occasion to punish the men for any other offences. -Nearly, if not quite all of the punishments inflicted in the field -were for disobedience in some form or other. Not that the men were -wilfully disobedient. Far from it. They knew very well that they -must obey, and that the value of their services was measured wholly -by the quality of their obedience. It very rarely happened, even -amid the greatest fatigue after a hard day's march, or in the face -of the most imminent danger, that any one refused his duty. But -after a long and severe march, a man is so completely exhausted -that he is likely to become irritable and to manifest a temper -quite foreign to his usual habit. He is then not himself, and may -in such circumstances do what at other times he would not think of -doing. - -Thus it once happened in my own company that one of the boys took -it into his head to kick over the traces. We had had a long hot -day's march through Maryland on the way down from Gettysburg, and -were quite worn out. About midnight we halted in a clover field on -a hillside for rest and sleep. Corporal Harter, who was the only -officer, commissioned or non-commissioned, that we had left to us -after Gettysburg, called out: - -"John D----, report to the adjutant for camp guard." - -Now John, who was a German, by the way, did not like the prospect -of losing his sleep, and had to be summoned a second time before -replying: - -"Corporal, ich thu's es net!" (Corporal, I won't do it.) - -Tired though we all were, we could not help laughing at the -preposterous idea of a man daring to disobey the corporal. As -the boys jerked off their accoutrements and began to spread down -their gum-blankets on the fragrant clover wet with the dew, they -were greatly amused at this singular passage between John and the -corporal. - -"Come on, John. Don't make a Dutch dunce of yourself. You know you -_must_ go." - -"Ich hab' dir g'sawt, ich thu's es net" (I have told you I won't do -it), insisted John. - -"Pitch in, John!" shouted some one from his bed in the clover. -"Give it to him in Dutch; that'll fetch him." - -"Oh, hang it!" said the corporal. "Come on, man. What do you mean? -You know you've got to go." - -"Ich hab' dir zwei mohl g'sawt, ich thu's es gar net" (I have told -you twice that I will certainly not do it). - -"Ha! ha! It beats the Dutch!" said some one. - -"Something rotten in Denmark!" exclaimed another. - -"Put him in the guard-house!" suggested a third from under his -gum-blanket. - -"Plague take the thing!" said the corporal, perplexed. "Pointer," -continued he, "put on your accoutrements again, get your gun, and -take John under arrest to the adjutant." - -"Come on, John," said Pointer, buckling on his belt, "and be mighty -quick about it too. I don't want to stand about here arguing all -night; I want to get to roost. Come along!" - -The men leaned up on their elbows in their beds on the clover, -interested in knowing how John would take _that_. - -"Well," said he, scratching his head and taking his gun in hand, -"Corporal, ich glaub' ich det besser geh" (Corporal, I guess I'd -better go). - -"Yes," said Pointer with a drawl, "I guess you 'besser' had, or -the major'll make short work with you and your Dutch. What in the -name of General Jackson did you come to the army for, if you ain't -a-going to obey orders?" - -If while we were lying in camp a man refused his duty, he was at -once haled to the guard-house, which is the military name for -lock-up. Once there, at the discretion of the officers, he was -either simply confined and put on bread and water, or maybe -ordered to carry a log of wood, or a knapsack filled with stones, -"two hours on and two off," day and night, until such time as he -was deemed to have done sufficient penance. In more extreme cases -a court-martial was held, and the penalty of forfeiture of all pay -due, with hard labor for thirty days, or the like, was inflicted. - -"Tying up by the thumb" was sometimes adopted. Down in front of -Petersburg, out along the Weldon Railroad, I once saw thirteen -colored soldiers tied up by their thumbs at a time. Between two -pine-saplings a long pole had been thrown across and fastened at -either end about seven feet from the ground. To this pole thirteen -ropes had been attached at regular intervals, and to each rope a -darky was tied by the thumb in such a way that he could just touch -the ground with his heel and keep the rope taut. If any one will -try the experiment of holding up his arm in such a position for -only five minutes, he will appreciate the force of the punishment -of being tied up by the thumbs for a half day. - -In some regiments they had a high wooden horse, which the offender -was made to mount; and there he was kept for hours in a seat as -conspicuous as it was uncomfortable. - -One day, down in front of Petersburg, a number of us had been -making a friendly call on some acquaintances over in another -regiment. As we were returning home we came across what we took -to be a well, and wishing a drink we all stopped. The well in -question, as was usual there, was nothing but a barrel sunk in -the ground; for at some places the ground was so full of springs -that, in order to get water, all you had to do was to sink a box -or barrel, and the water would collect of its own accord. Stooping -down and looking into the well in question, Andy discovered a man -standing in the well and bailing out the water. - -"What's he doing down there in that hole?" asked some one of our -company. - -"He says he's in the gopher-hole," said Andy, with a grin. - -"Gopher-hole! What's a gopher-hole!" - -"Why," said the guard, who was standing near by, and whom we had -taken for the customary guard on the spring, "you see, comrades, -our colonel has his own way of punishin' the boys. One thing he -won't let 'em do--he won't let 'em get drunk. They may drink as -much as they want, but they must not get drunk. If they do, they -go into the gopher-hole. Jim, there, is in the gopher-hole now. -That hole has a spring in the bottom, and the water comes in pretty -fast; and if Jim wants to keep dry he's got to keep dippin' all the -time, or else stand in the water up to his neck--and Jim isn't so -mighty fond o' water neither." - -Late in the fall of 1863, while we were lying in camp somewhere -among the pine woods along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, we -were one day marched out to witness the execution of a deserter. -Instances of desertion to the enemy's lines were extremely rare -with us; but whenever they occurred, the unfortunate offenders, if -caught, were dealt with in the most summary manner, for the doom of -the deserter is death. - -The poor fellow who was to suffer the highest penalty of military -law on the present occasion was, we were informed, a Maryland boy. -Some months previously he had deserted his regiment for some cause -or other, and had gone over to the enemy. Unfortunately for him it -happened that in one of the numerous skirmishes we were engaged in -about that time, he was taken prisoner, in company with a number of -Confederate soldiers. Unfortunately, also, for the poor fellow, it -chanced that he was captured by the very company from which he had -deserted. The disguise of a Confederate uniform, which might have -stood him in good stead had he fallen into any other hands, was -now of no avail. He was at once recognized by his former comrades -in arms, tried by court-martial, found guilty, and sentenced to be -shot. - -So, one October morning, orders came to the effect that the whole -division was to turn out at one o'clock, to witness the execution -of the sentence. I need hardly say that this was most unwelcome -news. Nobody wished to see so sad a sight. Some of the men begged -to be excused from attendance, and others could not be found when -our drums beat the "assembly;" for none could well endure, as they -said, "to see a man shot down like a dog." It was one thing to -shoot a fellow mortal, or to see him shot, in battle; but this -was quite a different thing. A squad of men had been detailed to -shoot the poor fellow, Elias Foust, of our company, being among -the number. But Elias, to his credit be it recorded, begged off, -and had some one else appointed in his stead. One could not help -but pity the men who were assigned to this most unpleasant duty, -for if it be painful only to see a man shot, what must it not be -to shoot him with your own hand? However, in condescension to this -altogether natural and humane aversion to the shedding of blood, -and in order to render the task as endurable as possible, the -customary practice was observed:--On the morning of the execution -an officer, who had been appointed for the purpose, took a number -of rifles, some twelve or fourteen in number, and loaded all of -them carefully with powder and ball, _except one_, this one being -loaded with blank cartridge, that is, with powder only. He then -mixed the guns so thoroughly that he himself could scarcely tell -which guns were loaded with ball and which one was not. Another -officer then distributed the guns to the men, not one of whom -could be at all certain whether his particular gun contained a ball -or not, and all of whom could avail themselves of the full benefit -of the doubt in the case. - -It was one of those peculiarly impressive autumn days when all that -one sees or hears conspires to fill the mind with an indefinable -feeling of sadness. There was the chirp of the cricket in the air, -and the far-away chorus of the myriads of insects complaining that -the year was done. There was all the impressiveness of a dull -sky, a dreamy haze over the field, a yellow and brown tinge on -the forest, accompanied by that peculiarly mournful wail of the -breeze as it sighed and moaned dolefully among the branches of the -pines,--all joining in chanting a requiem, it seemed to me, for the -poor Maryland boy whose sands were fast running out. - -At the appointed hour the division marched out and took position in -a large field, or clearing, surrounded on all sides by pine-woods. -We were drawn up so as to occupy three sides of a great hollow -square, two ranks deep and facing inward, the fourth side of -the square (where we could see that a grave had been recently -dug) being left open for the execution. Scarcely were we well in -position, when there came to our ears, wafted by the sighing autumn -wind, the mournful notes of the "Dead March." Looking away in the -direction whence the music came, we could see a long procession -marching sadly and slowly to the measured stroke of the muffled -drum. First came the band, playing the dirge; next, the squad of -executioners; then a pine coffin, carried by four men; then the -prisoner himself, dressed in black trousers and white shirt, and -marching in the midst of four guards; then a number of men under -arrest for various offences, who had been brought out for the sake -of the moral effect it was hoped this spectacle might have upon -them. Last of all came a strong guard. - -When the procession had come up to the place where the division -was formed, and had reached the open side of the hollow square, -it wheeled to the left and marched all along the inside of the -line from the right to the left, the band still playing the dirge. -The line was long and the step was slow, and it seemed that they -never would get to the other end. But at long last, after having -solemnly traversed the entire length of the three sides of the -hollow square, the procession came to the open side of it, opposite -to the point from which it had started. The escort wheeled off. -The prisoner was placed before his coffin, which was set down in -front of his grave. The squad of twelve or fourteen men who were to -shoot the unfortunate man took position some ten or twelve yards -from the grave, facing the prisoner, and a chaplain stepped out -from the group of division officers near by, and prayed with and -for the poor fellow a long, long time. Then the bugle sounded. The -prisoner, standing proudly erect before his grave, had his eyes -bandaged, and calmly folded his arms across his breast. The bugle -sounded again. The officer in charge of the squad stepped forward. -Then we heard the command, given as calmly as if on drill,-- - -"Ready!" - -"Aim!" - -Then, drowning out the third command, "Fire!" came a flash of -smoke and a loud report. The surgeons ran up to the spot. The -bands and drum-corps of the division struck up a quick-step as -the division faced to the right and marched past the grave, in -order that in the dead form of its occupant we might all see that -the doom of the deserter is death. It was a sad sight. As we -moved along, many a rough fellow, from whom you would hardly have -expected any sign of pity, pretending to be adjusting his cap so as -to screen his eyes from the glare of the westering sun, could be -seen furtively drawing his hand across his face and dashing away -the tears that could not be kept from trickling down the bronzed -and weather-beaten cheek. As we marched off the field, we could -not help being sensible of the harsh contrast between the lively -music to which our feet were keeping step, and the fearfully solemn -scene we had just witnessed. The transition from the "Dead March" -to the quick-step was quite too sudden. A deep solemnity pervaded -the ranks as we marched homeward across the open field and into -the sombre pine-woods beyond, thinking, as we went, of the poor -fellow's home somewhere among the pleasant hills of Maryland, and -of the sad and heavy hearts there would be there when it was known -that he had paid the extreme penalty of the law. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -A TALE OF A SQUIRREL AND THREE BLIND MICE. - - -"Andy, what is a shade-tail?" - -We were encamped in an oak-forest on the eastern bank of -the Rappahannock, late in the fall of 1863. We had built no -winter-quarters yet, although the nights were growing rather -frosty, and had to content ourselves with our little "dog-tents," -as we called our shelters, some dozen or so of which now -constituted our company row. I had just come in from a trip through -the woods in quest of water at a spring near an old deserted -log-house about a half-mile to the south of our camp, when, -throwing down my heavy canteens, I made the above interrogatory of -my chum. - -Andy was lazily lying at full length on his back in the tent, -reclining on a soft bed of pine-branches, or "Virginia feathers," -as we called them, with his hands clasped behind his head, lustily -singing-- - - "Tramp, tramp, tramp! the boys are marching! - Cheer up, comrades, they will come! - And beneath the starry flag - We shall breathe the air again--" - -"What's that?" asked he, ceasing his song before finishing the -stanza, and rising up on his elbow. - -"I asked whether you could tell me what a shade-tail is?" - -"A shade-tail! Never heard of it before. Don't believe there is any -such thing. I know what a buck-tail is, though. There's one," said -he, pulling a fine specimen out from under his knapsack. "That just -came in the mail while you were gone. The old buck that chased the -flies with that brush for many a year was shot up among the Buffalo -mountains last winter, and my father bought his tail of the man who -killed him, and has sent it to me. It cost him just one dollar." - -Buck-tails were in great demand with us in those days, and happy -indeed was the man who could secure so fine a specimen as Andy now -proudly held in his hand. - -"But isn't it rather large?" inquired I. "And it's nearly all -white, and would make an excellent mark for some Johnny to shoot -at, eh?" - -"Never you fear for that. 'Old Trusty' up there," said he, -pointing to his gun hanging along underneath the ridge-pole of the -tent,--"'Old Trusty' and I will take care of Johnny Reb." - -"But, Andy," continued I, "you haven't answered my question yet. -What is a shade-tail?" - -"A shade-tail," said he, meditatively,--"how should I know? I -know precious well what a _detail_ is, though; and I'm on one for -to-morrow. We go across the river to throw up breastworks." - -"I forgot," said I, "that you have not studied Greek to any extent -yet. If you live to get home and go back to school again at the old -Academy, and begin to dig Greek roots in earnest, you will find -that a shade-tail is a--squirrel. For that is what the old Greeks -called the bonny bush-tail. Because, don't you see, when a squirrel -sits up on a tree with his tail turned up over his back, he makes a -shade for himself with his tail, and sits, as it were, under the -shadow of his own vine and fig-tree." - -"Well," said Andy, "and what if he does? What's to hinder him?" - -"Nothing," answered I, entering the tent and lying down beside him -on the pile of Virginia feathers; "only I saw one out here in the -woods as I came along, and I think I know where his nest is; and -if you and I can catch him, or, what would be better still, if we -can capture one of his young ones (if he has any), why we might -tame him and keep him for a pet. I've often thought it would be a -fine thing for us to have a pet of some kind or other. Over in the -Second Division, there is one regiment that has a pet crow, and -another has a kitten. They go with the men on all their marches, -and they say that the kitten has actually been wounded in battle, -and no doubt will be taken or sent up North some day and be a great -curiosity. Now why couldn't we catch and tame a shade-tail?" - -"Yes," said Andy, becoming a little interested; "he could be taught -to perch on Pointer's buck-horns in camp, and could ride on your -drum on the march." - -Pointer, you must know, was the tallest man in the company, -and therefore stood at the head of the line when the company -was formed. When we enlisted, he brought with him a pair of -deer-antlers as an appropriate symbol for a Buck-tail company,--no -doubt with the intention of making both ends meet. Now the idea of -having a live tame squirrel to perch on Pointer's buck-horns was a -capital one indeed. - -But as the first thing to be done in cooking a hare is to catch the -hare, so we concluded that the first thing to be done in taming -a squirrel was to catch the squirrel. This gave us a world of -thought. It would not do to shoot him. We could not trap him. After -discussing the merits of smoking him out of his hole, we determined -at last to risk cutting down the tree in which he had his home, and -trying to catch him in a bag. - -That afternoon, when we thought he would likely be at home taking a -nap, having provided ourselves with an axe, an old oat-bag, and a -lot of tent rope, we cautiously proceeded to the old beech-tree on -the outskirts of the camp, where our intended pet had his home. - -"Now, you see, Andy," said I, pointing up to a crotch in the tree, -"up there is his front door; there he goes out and comes in. My -plan is this: one of us must climb the tree and tie the mouth of -the bag over that hole somehow, and come down. Then we will cut the -tree down, and when it falls, if old shade-tail is at home, like as -not he'll run into the bag; and then, if we can be quick enough, we -can tie a string around the bag, and there he is!" - -Andy climbed the tree and tied the bag. After he had descended, we -set vigorously to work at cutting down the beech. It took us about -half an hour to make any serious inroad upon the tough trunk. But -by and by we had the satisfaction of seeing the tree apparently -shiver under our blows, and at last down it came with a crash. - -We both ran toward the bag as fast as we could, ready to secure -our prize; but we found, alas! that squirrels sometimes have two -doors to their houses, and that while we had hoped to bag our -bush-tail at the front door, he had merrily skipped out the back -way. For scarcely had the tree reached the ground, when we both -beheld our intended pet leaping out of the branches and running up -a neighboring tree as fast as his legs could carry him. - -"Plague take it!" said Andy, wiping the perspiration from his face, -"what shall we do now? I guess you'd better run to camp and get a -little salt to throw on his tail." - -"Never mind," said I, "we'll get him yet, see if we don't. I see -him up there behind that old dry limb peeping out at us--there he -goes!" - -Sure enough, there he did go, from tree-top to tree-top, -"lickerty-skoot," as Andy afterward expressed it, and we after him, -quite losing our heads, and shouting like Indians. - -As ill luck would have it, our shade-tail was making straight for -the camp, on the outskirts of which he was discovered by one of the -men, who instantly gave the alarm--"A squirrel! a squirrel!" In a -moment all the boys in camp not on duty came running pell-mell, -Sergeant Kensill's black-and-tan terrier, Little Jim (of whom more -anon), leading the way. I suppose there must have been about a -hundred men together, and all yelling and shouting too, so that -the poor squirrel checked his headlong course high up on the dead -limb of a great old oak-tree. Then, forming a circle around the -tree, with "Little Jim" in the midst, the boys began to shout and -yell as when on the charge,-- - -"Yi-yi-yi! Yi-yi-yi!" - -Whereat the poor squirrel was so terrified, that, leaping straight -up and out from his perch into open space, in sheer affright and -despair, down he came tumbling tail over head into the midst of the -circle, which rapidly closed about him as he neared the ground. -With yells and cheers that made the wood ring, a hundred hands were -stretched out as if to catch him as he came down. But Little Jim -beat them all. True to his terrier blood and training, he suddenly -leaped up like a shot, seized the squirrel by the nape of the neck, -gave him a few angry shakes, which ended his agony, and carried him -off triumphantly in his mouth to the tent of his owner, Sergeant -Kensill, of Company F. - -That evening, as we sat in our tent eating our fried hard-tack, -Andy remarked, while sipping his coffee from his black tin cup, -that if buck-tails were as hard to catch as shade-tails, they were -well worth a dollar apiece any day; and that he believed a crow, or -one of those young pigs we found running wild in the woods when we -came to that camp, or something of that sort, would make a better -pet than a squirrel. - -"Well," said I, "we caught those pigs, anyhow, didn't we? But -didn't they squeal! Fortunately they were so much like oysters that -they couldn't get away from us, and all found their way into our -frying-pans at last." - -"I fail to apprehend your meaning," said Andy, with mock gravity, -setting down his black tin cup on the gum-blanket. "By what right -or authority, sir, do you presume to tell me that a pig is like an -oyster?" - -"Why, don't you see? A pig is like an oyster _because he can't -climb a tree_! And that's the reason why we caught him." - -"Bah!" exclaimed Andy; "that's a miserable joke, that is." - -"Yet you must admit that it is a most happy circumstance that a pig -cannot climb a tree, or we should have missed more than one good -meal of fresh pork. Yet although we failed to make a pet of the -squirrel because he _could_ climb a tree, and of the pig because he -_could not_, we shall make a pet of something or other yet. Of that -I am certain." - -It was some months later, and not until we were safely established -in winter-quarters, that we finally succeeded in our purpose of -having something to pet. I was over at Brigade headquarters one -day, visiting a friend who had charge of several supply-wagons. -Being present while he was engaged in overhauling his stores, I -found in the bottom of a large box, in which blankets had been -packed away, a whole family of mice. The father of the family -promptly made his escape; the mother was killed in the capture, and -one little fellow was so injured that he soon died; but the rest, -three in number, I took out unhurt. As I laid them in the palm of -my hand, they at once struck me as perfect little beauties. They -were very young and quite small, being no larger than the end of my -finger, with scarcely any fur on them, and their eyes quite shut. -Putting them into my pocket and covering them with some cotton -which my friend gave me, I started home with my prize. Stopping -at the surgeon's quarters on reaching camp, I begged a large -empty bottle (which I afterward found had been lately filled with -pulverized gum arabic), and somewhere secured an old tin can of -the same diameter as the bottle. Then I got a strong twine, went -down to my tent, and asked Andy to help me make a cage for my pets, -which with pride I took out of my pocket and set to crawling and -nosing about on the warm blankets on the bunk. - -"What are you going to do with that bottle?" inquired Andy. - -"Going to cut it in two with this string," said I, holding up my -piece of twine. - -"Can't be done!" asserted he. - -"Wait and see," answered I. - -Procuring a mess-pan full of cold water, and placing it on the -floor of the tent near the bunk on which we were sitting, I wound -the twine once around the bottle a few inches from the bottom, in -such a way that Andy could hold one end of the bottle and pull one -end of the twine one way, while I held the other end of the bottle -and pulled the other end of the twine the other way, thus causing -the twine, by means of its rapid friction, to heat the bottle in a -narrow, straight line all around. After sawing away in this style -for several minutes, I suddenly plunged the bottle into the pan of -cold water, when it at once snapped in two along the line where the -twine had passed around it, and as clean and clear as if it had -been cut by a diamond. Then, melting off the top of the old tin -can by holding it in the fire, I fastened the body of the can on -the lower end of the bottle. When finished, the whole arrangement -looked like a large long bottle, the upper part of which was glass -and the lower tin. In this way I accomplished the double purpose -of providing my pets with a dark chamber and a well-lighted -apartment, at the same time preventing them from running away. -Placing some cotton on the inside of both can and bottle for a bed, -and thrusting a small sponge moistened with sweetened water into -the neck of the bottle, I then put my pets into their new home. -Of course they could not see, for their eyes were not yet open; -neither did they at first seem to know how to eat; but as necessity -is the mother of invention with mice as well as with men, they -soon learned to toddle forward to the neck of the bottle and suck -their sweet sponge. In a short time they learned also to nibble at -a bit of apple, and by and by could crunch their hard-tack like -veritable veterans. - -The bottle, as has already been said, had been filled with -pulverized gum arabic. Some of this still adhering to the inside -of the bottle, was gradually brushed off by their growing fur; and -it was amusing to see the little things sit on their haunches and -clean themselves of the sticky substance. Sometimes they would -all three be busy at the same time, each at himself; and again -two of them would take to licking the third, rubbing their little -red noses all over him from head to tail in the most amusing way -imaginable. - -Gradually they grew very lively, and became quite tame, so that we -could take them out of their house into our hands, and let them -hunt about in our pockets for apple-seeds or pieces of hard-tack. -We called them Jack, Jill, and Jenny, and they seemed to know their -names. When let out of their cage occasionally for a romp on the -blankets, they would climb over everything, running along the inner -edge of the eave-boards and the ridge-pole, but never succeeded -in getting away from us. It was a comical sight to see Little Jim -come in to look at them. A mouse was almost the highest possible -excitement to Jim; for a mouse was second cousin to a rat, no -doubt, as Jim looked at matters; and just say "rats!" to Jim, if -you wanted to see him jump! He would come in and look at our pets, -turn his head from one side to the other, and wrinkle his brow, -and whine and bark; but we were determined he should not kill our -mousies as he had killed our shade-tail a few months before. - -What to do with our pets when spring came on and winter-quarters -were nearly at an end, we knew not. We could not take them along on -the march, neither did we like to leave them behind; for it seemed -cruel to leave Jack, Jill, and Jenny in the deserted and dismantled -camp to go back to the barbarous habits of their ancestors. On -consideration, therefore, we concluded to take them back to the -wagon train and leave them with the wagoner, who, though at first -he demurred to our proposal, at last consented to let us turn them -loose among his oat-bags, where I doubt not they had a merry time -indeed. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -"THE PRIDE OF THE REGIMENT." - - -The pet-making disposition which had led Andy and me to take so -much trouble with our mice was not confined to ourselves alone. The -disposition was quite natural, and therefore very general among the -men of all commands. Pets of any and all kinds, whether chosen from -the wild or the domestic animals, were everywhere in great esteem, -and happy was the regiment which possessed a tame crow, squirrel, -coon, or even a kitten. - -Our own regiment possessed a pet of great value and high esteem -in Little Jim, of whom some incidental mention has already been -made. As Little Jim enlisted with the regiment, and was honorably -mustered out of the service with it at the close of the war, after -three years of as faithful service as so little a creature as he -could render the flag of his country, some brief account of him -here may not be out of place. - -Little Jim, then, was a small rat-terrier, of fine-blooded stock, -his immediate maternal ancestor having won a silver collar in a -celebrated rat-pit in Philadelphia. Late in 1859, while yet a -pup, he was given by a sailor friend to John C. Kensill, with -whom he was mustered into the United States service "for three -years or during the war," on Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa., -late in August, 1862. Around his neck was a silver collar with the -inscription,--"Jim Kensill, Co. F., 150th Regt. P. V." - -He soon came to be a great favorite with the boys, not only of -his own company, but of the entire regiment as well, the men -of the different companies thinking quite as much of him as if -he belonged to each of them individually, and not to Sergeant -Kensill, of Company F., alone. On the march he would be caught -up from the roadside where he was doggedly trotting along, and -given a ride on the arms of the men, who would pet him and talk -to him as if he were a child, and not a dog. In winter-quarters, -however, he would not sleep anywhere except on Kensill's arm and -underneath the blankets; nor was he ever known to spend a night -away from home. On first taking the field, rations were scarce -with us, and for several days fresh meat could not be had for poor -Jim, and he nearly starved. Gradually, however, his master taught -him to take a hard-tack between his fore-paws, and, holding it -there, to munch and crunch at it till he had consumed it. He soon -learned to like hard-tack, and grew fat on it too. On the march to -Chancellorsville he was lost for two whole days, to the great grief -of the men. When his master learned that he had been seen with a -neighboring regiment, he had no difficulty in finding volunteers -to accompany him when he announced that he was about to set out -for the recapture of Jim. They soon found where he was. Another -regiment had possession of him, and laid loud and angry claim to -him; but Kensill and his men were not to be frightened, for he -knew the Buck-tails were at his back, and that sooner than give up -Little Jim there would be some rough work. As soon as Jim heard -his master's sharp whistle, he came bounding and barking to his -side, overjoyed to be at home again, albeit he had lost his silver -collar, which his thievish captors had cut from his neck, in order -the better to lay claim to him. - -He was a good soldier too, being no coward, and caring not a wag -of his tail for the biggest shells the Johnnies could toss over at -us. He was with us under our first shell fire at "Clarke's Mills," -a few miles below Fredericksburg, in May, 1863, and ran barking -after the very first shell that came screaming over our heads. When -the shell had buried itself in the ground, Jim went up close to -it, crouching down on all fours, while the boys cried "Rats! rats! -Shake him, Jim! Shake him, Jim!" Fortunately that first shell did -not explode, and when others came that did explode, Jim, with true -military instinct, soon learned to run after them and bark, but to -keep a respectful distance from them. - -On the march to Gettysburg he was with us all the way, but when we -came near the enemy, his master sent him back to William Wiggins, -the wagoner; for he thought too much of Jim to run the risk of -losing him in battle. It was a pity Jim was not with us out in -front of the Seminary the morning of the first day, when the fight -opened; for as soon as the cannon began to boom, the rabbits began -to run in all directions, as if scared quite out of their poor -little wits; and there would have been fine sport for Jim with the -cotton-tails, had he only been there to give them chase. - -In the first day's fight Jim's owner, Sergeant John C. Kensill, -while bravely leading the charge for the recapture of the 149th -Pennsylvania Regiment's battle-flags (of which some brief account -has been elsewhere given), was wounded and left for dead on -the field, with a bullet through his head. He, however, so far -recovered from his wound that in the following October he rejoined -the regiment, which was then lying down along the Rappahannock -somewhere. In looking for the regiment, on his return from a -Northern hospital, Sergeant Kensill chanced to pass the supply -train, and saw Jim busy at a bone under a wagon. Hearing the old -familiar whistle, Jim at once looked up, saw his master, left his -bone, and came leaping and barking in greatest delight to his -owner's arm. - -On the march he was sometimes sent back to the wagon. Once he came -near being killed. To keep him from following the regiment or from -straying and getting lost in search of it, the wagoner had tied -him to the rear axle of his wagon with a strong twine. In crossing -a stream, in his anxiety to get his team over safely, the wagoner -forgot all about poor little Jim, who was dragged and slashed -through the waters in a most unmerciful way. After getting safely -over the stream, the teamster, looking back, found poor Jim under -the rear of the wagon, being dragged along by the neck, more dead -than alive. He was then put on the sick-list for a few days; but -with this single exception he had never a mishap of any kind, and -was always ready for duty. - -His master having been honorably discharged before the close of the -war because of wounds, Jim was left with the regiment in care of -Wiggins, the wagoner. When the regiment was mustered out of service -at the end of the war, Little Jim was mustered out too. He stood -up in rank with the boys and wagged his tail for joy that peace -had come, and that we were all going home. I understand that his -discharge-papers were regularly made out, the same as those of the -men, and that they read somewhat as follows,-- - - TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Know ye that _Jim Kensill_, - Private, Company F, 150th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, who - was enrolled on the twenty-second day of August, One Thousand - Eight Hundred and Sixty-Two, to serve three years or during - the war, is hereby DISCHARGED from the service of the United - States, this twenty-third day of June, 1865, at Elmira, New - York, by direction of the Secretary of War. - - (No objection to his being re-enlisted is known to exist.) - - Said _Jim Kensill_ was born in Philadelphia in the State of - Pennsylvania, is six years of age, six inches high, dark - complexion, black eyes, black and tan hair, and by occupation - when enrolled a Rat Terrier. - - Given at Elmira, New York, this twenty-third day of June, 1865. - - JAMES R. REID, - - CAPT. 10TH U. S. INF'Y. A. C. M. - -Before parting with him, the boys bought him a silver collar, which -they had suitably inscribed with his name, regiment, and the -principal engagements in which he had participated. This collar, -which he had honorably earned in the service of his country in war, -he proudly wore in peace to the day of his death. - - * * * * * - -Although not pertaining to the writer's own personal recollections, -there yet may be appropriately introduced here some brief mention -of another pet, who, from being "the pride of his regiment," -gradually arose to the dignity of national fame. I mean Old Abe, -the war eagle of the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteers. - -Whoever it may have been that first conceived the idea, it was -certainly a happy thought to make a pet of an eagle. For the eagle -is our national bird, and to carry an eagle along with the colors -of a regiment on the march, and in battle, and all through the -whole war, was surely very appropriate indeed. - -Old Abe's perch was on a shield, which was carried by a soldier, -to whom, and to whom alone, he looked as to a master. He would not -allow any one to carry or even to handle him except this soldier, -nor would he ever receive his food from any other person's hands. -He seemed to have sense enough to know that he was sometimes a -burden to his master on the march, however, and as if to relieve -him, would occasionally spread his wings and soar aloft to a great -height, the men of all regiments along the line of march cheering -him as he went up. He regularly received his rations from the -commissary, the same as any enlisted man. Whenever fresh meat was -scarce and none could be found for him by foraging parties, he -would take things into his own claws, as it were, and go out on a -foraging expedition himself. On some such occasions he would be -gone two or three days at a time, during which nothing whatever was -seen of him; but he would invariably return, and seldom came back -without a young lamb or a chicken in his talons. His long absences -occasioned his regiment not the slightest concern, for the men knew -that though he might fly many miles away in quest of food, he would -be quite sure to find them again. - -In what way he distinguished the two hostile armies so accurately -that he was never once known to mistake the gray for the blue, no -one can tell. But so it was that he was never known to alight save -in his own camp and amongst his own men. - -At Jackson, Mississippi, during the hottest part of the battle -before that city, Old Abe soared up into the air and remained there -from early morning till the fight closed at night, having, no -doubt, greatly enjoyed his bird's-eye view of the battle. He did -the same at Mission Ridge. He was, I believe, struck by the enemy's -bullets two or three times; but his feathers were so thick, that -his body was not much hurt. The shield on which he was carried, -however, showed so many marks of the enemy's balls, that it looked -on top as if a groove-plane had been run over it. - -At the Centennial celebration held in Philadelphia in 1876, Old -Abe occupied a prominent place on his perch on the west side of -the nave in the Agricultural building. He was still alive, though -evidently growing old, and was the observed of all observers. -Thousands of visitors from all sections of the country paid their -respects to the grand old bird, who, apparently conscious of the -honors conferred upon him, overlooked the sale of his biography -and photographs going on beneath his perch with entire satisfaction. - -As was but just and right, the soldier who had carried him during -the war continued to have charge of him after the war was over, -until the day of his death, which occurred at the Capitol of -Michigan some two or three years ago. - -Proud as the Wisconsin boys justly were of Old Abe, the Twelfth -Indiana Regiment possessed a pet of whom it may be truly said that -he enjoyed a renown scarcely second to that of the wide-famed war -eagle. This was "Little Tommy," as he was familiarly called in -those days,--the youngest drummer-boy, and so far as the writer's -knowledge goes, the youngest enlisted man, in the Union Army. The -writer well remembers having seen him on several occasions. His -diminutive size and childlike appearance, as well as his remarkable -skill and grace in handling the drum-sticks, never failed to make -an impression on the beholder. Some brief and honorable mention of -Little Tommy, the pride of the Twelfth Indiana Regiment, may with -propriety find a place in these "Recollections of a Drummer-Boy." - -Thomas Hubler was born in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, -October 9th, 1851. When two years of age, the family removed to -Warsaw, Indiana. On the outbreak of the war, his father, who had -been a German soldier of the truest type, raised a company of men, -in response to President Lincoln's first call for seventy-five -thousand troops. Little Tommy was among the first to enlist in his -father's company, the date of enrolment being April 19th, 1861. He -was then nine years and six months old. - -The regiment to which the company was assigned was with the Army of -the Potomac throughout all its campaigns in Maryland and Virginia. -At the expiration of its term of service in August, 1862, Little -Tommy re-enlisted, and served to the end of the war, having been -present in some twenty-six battles in all. He was greatly beloved -by all the men of his regiment, and was a constant favorite amongst -them. It is thought that he beat the first "long roll" of the great -Civil War. He is still living in Warsaw, Indiana, and bids fair -to be the latest survivor of the great and grand army of which he -was the youngest member. With the swift advancing years the ranks -of the soldiers of the late war are being rapidly thinned out, and -those who yet remain are showing signs of age. The "Boys in Blue" -are thus, as the years go by, almost imperceptibly turning into -the "Boys in Gray;" and as Little Tommy, the youngest of them all, -sounded their first reveille, so may he yet live to beat their last -tattoo. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE. - - -What glorious camp-fires we used to have in the fall of the year -1863! It makes one rub his hands together yet, just to think of -them. The nights were getting cold and frosty, so that it was -impossible to sleep under our little shelters with comfort; and so -half the night was spent around the blazing fires at the ends of -the company streets. - -I always took care that there should be a blazing good fire for -our little company, anyhow. My duties were light, and left me -time, which I found I could spend with pleasure in swinging an -axe. Hickory and white-oak saplings were my favorites; and with -these cut into lengths of ten feet, and piled up as high as my -head on wooden fire-dogs, what a glorious crackle we would have by -midnight! Go out there what time of night you might please,--and -you were pretty sure to go out to the fire three or four times a -night, for it was too bitterly cold to sleep in the tent more than -an hour at a stretch,--you would always find a half-dozen of the -boys sitting about the fire on logs, smoking their pipes, telling -yarns, or singing odd catches of song. As I recall those weird -night-scenes of army life,--the blazing fire, the groups of swarthy -men gathered about, the thick darkness of the forest, where the -lights and shadows danced and played all night long, and the rows -of little white tents covered with frost--it looks quite poetical -in the retrospect; but I fear it was sometimes prosy enough in the -reality. - - * * * * * - -"If you fellows would stop your everlasting arguing there, and go -out and bring in some wood, it would be a good deal better; for -if we don't have a big camp-fire to-night we'll freeze in this -snow-storm." - -So saying, Pointer threw down the butt-end of a pine-sapling he had -been half-dragging, half-carrying out of the woods in the edge of -which we were to camp, and, axe in hand, fell to work at it with a -will. - -There was, indeed, some need of following Pointer's good advice, -for it was snowing fast, and was bitterly cold. It was Christmas -Eve, 1863, and here we were, with no protection but our little -shelters, pitched on the hard, frozen ground. - -Why did we not build winter-quarters, do you ask? Well, we had -already built two sets of winter-quarters, and had been ordered -out of them in both instances, to take part in some expedition or -other; and it was a little hard to be houseless and homeless at -this merry season of the year, when folks up North were having such -happy times, wasn't it? But it is wonderful how elastic the spirits -of a soldier are, and how jolly he can be under the most adverse -circumstances. - - [Illustration: CHRISTMAS EVE AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE.] - -"Well, Pointer, they hadn't any business to put me out of the mess. -That was a mean trick, any way you take it." - -"If we hadn't put you out of our mess, you'd have eaten up our -whole box from home in one night. He's an awful glutton, Pointer." - -"Say, boys! I move we organize ourselves into a court, and try this -case," said Sergeant Cummings. "They've been arguing and arguing -about this thing the whole day, and it's time to take it up and put -an end to it. The case is--let's see; what'll we call it? I'm not -a very good hand at the legal lingo, but I suppose if we call it a -'motion to quash a writ of ejectment,' or something of that sort, -we'll be within the lines of the law. Let me now state the case: -Shell _versus_ Diehl and Hottenstein. These three, all members -of Company D, after having lived, messed, and sojourned together -peaceably for a year or more, have had of late some disagreement, -quarrel, squabble, fracas, or general tearing out, the result of -which said disagreement, quarrel, squabble, et cetery, et cetery, -has been that the hereinbeforementioned Shell has been thrown out -of the mess and left to the cold charities of the camp; and he, -the said Shell, now lodges a due and formal complaint before this -honorable court, presently sitting on this pile of pine-brush, and -humbly prays and petitions reinstatement in his just rights and -claims, _sine qua non, e pluribus unum, pro bono publico_!" - -"Silence in the court!" - -To organize ourselves into a court of justice was a matter of a -few moments. Cummings was declared judge, Ruhl and Ransom his -assistants. A jury of twelve men, good and true, was speedily -impanelled. Attorneys and tipstaves, sheriff and clerk were -appointed, and in less time than it takes to narrate it, there we -were, seated on piles of pine-brush around a roaring camp-fire, -with the snow falling fast, and getting deeper every hour, trying -the celebrated case of "Shell _versus_ Diehl and Hottenstein." -And a world of merriment we had out of it, you may well believe. -When the jury, after having retired for a few moments behind a -pine-tree, brought in a verdict for the plaintiff, it was full one -o'clock on Christmas morning, and we began to drop off to sleep, -some rolling themselves up in their blankets and overcoats, and -lying down, Indian fashion, feet to the fire; while others crept -off to their cold shelters under the snow-laden pine-trees for what -poor rest they could find, jocularly wishing one another a "Merry -Christmas!" - -Time wore away monotonously in the camp we established there, near -Culpeper Court-house. All the more weary a winter was it for me, -because I was so sick that I could scarcely drag myself about. So -miserable did I look, that one day a Company B boy said, as I was -passing his tent: - -"Young mon, an' if ye don't be afther pickin' up a bit, it's my -opinion ye'll be gathered home to your fathers purty soon." - -I was sick with the same disease which slew more men than fell in -actual battle. We had had a late fall campaign, and had suffered -much from exposure, of which one instance may suffice: - -We had been sent into Thoroughfare Gap to hold that mountain pass. -Breaking camp there at daylight in a drenching rain, we marched all -day long, through mud up to our knees, and soaked to the skin by -the cold rain; at night we forded a creek waist-deep, and marched -on with clothes frozen almost stiff; at one o'clock the next -morning we lay down utterly exhausted, shivering helplessly, in -wet clothes, without fire, and exposed to the north-west wind that -swept the vast plain keen and cold as a razor. Whoever visits the -Soldiers' Cemetery near Culpeper will there find a part of the -sequel of that night-march; the remainder is scattered far and wide -over the hills of Virginia, and in forgotten places among the pines. - -Could we have had home care and home diet, many would have -recovered. But what is to be done for a sick man whose only choice -of diet must be made from pork, beans, sugar, and hard-tack? Home? -Ah yes, if we only _could_ get home for a month! Homesick? Well, -no, not exactly. Still we were not entire strangers to the feelings -of that poor recruit who was one day found by his lieutenant -sitting on a fallen pine-tree in the woods, crying as if his heart -would break. - -"Why," said the lieutenant, "what are you crying for, you big baby, -you?" - -"I wish I was in my daddy's barn, boo, hoo!" - -"And what would you do if you were?" - -The poor fellow replied, between his sobs: "Why, if I was in my -daddy's barn, _I'd go into the house mighty quick_!" - - [Illustration: SICK.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -OUR FIRST DAY IN "THE WILDERNESS." - - -At last the long winter, with its deep snows and intense cold, -was gone, and on May 4, 1864, at four o'clock in the morning, we -broke camp. In what direction we should march, whether north, -south, east, or west, none of us had the remotest idea; for the -pickets reported the Rapidan River so well fortified by the enemy -on the farther bank, that it was plainly impossible for us to -break their lines at any point there. But in those days we had a -general who had no such word as "impossible" in his dictionary, and -under his leadership we marched that May morning straight for and -straight across the Rapidan, in solid column. All day we plodded -on, the road strewn with blankets and overcoats, of which the army -lightened itself now that the campaign was opening; and at night -we halted, and camped in a beautiful green meadow. - -Not the slightest suspicion had we, as we slept quietly there that -night, of the great battle, or rather series of great battles, -about to open on the following day. Even on that morrow, when we -took up the line of march and moved leisurely along for an hour or -two, we saw so few indications of the coming struggle, that, when -we suddenly came upon a battery of artillery in position for action -by the side of the road, some one exclaimed: - -"Why, hello, fellows! that looks like business!" - -Only a few moments later, a staff-officer rode up to our regiment -and delivered his orders: - -"Major, you will throw forward your command as skirmishers for the -brigade." - -The regiment at once moved into the thick pine-woods, and was lost -to sight in a moment, although we could hear the bugle clanging out -its orders, "deploy to right and left," as the line forced its way -through the tangled and interminable "Wilderness." - -Ordered back by the major into the main line of battle, we -drummer-boys found the troops massed in columns along a road, and -we lay down with them among the bushes. How many men were there we -could not tell. Wherever we looked, whether up or down the road, -and as far as the eye could reach, were masses of men in blue. -Among them was a company of Indians, dark, swarthy, stolid-looking -fellows, dressed in our uniform, and serving with some Iowa -regiment, under the command of one of their chiefs as captain. - -But hark! - -"Pop! Pop! Pop-pop-pop!" The pickets are beginning to fire, the -"ball is going to open," and things will soon be getting lively. - -A venturesome fellow climbs up a tall tree to see what he can see, -and presently comes scrambling down, reporting nothing in sight but -signal-flags flying over the tree-tops, and beyond them nothing but -woods and woods for miles. - -Orderlies are galloping about, and staff-officers are dashing up -and down the line, or forcing their way through the tangled bushes, -while out on the skirmish line is the ever-increasing rattle of the -musketry,-- - -"Pop-pop! Pop-pop-pop!" - -"Fall in, men! Forward, guide right!" - -There is something grand in the promptitude with which the order -is obeyed. Every man is at his post. Forcing its way as best it -can through the tangled undergrowth of briers and bushes, across -ravines and through swamps, our whole magnificent line advances, -until, after a half-hour's steady work, we reach the skirmish line, -which, hardly pressed, falls back into the advancing column of blue -as it reaches a little clearing in the forest. Now we see the lines -of gray in the edge of the woods on the other side of the little -field; first their pickets behind clumps of bushes, then the solid -column appearing behind the fence, coming on yelling like demons, -and firing a volley that fills the air with smoke and cuts it with -whistling lead. Sheltered behind the trees, our line reserves its -fire, for it is likely that the enemy will come out on a charge, -and then we'll mow them down! - -With bayonets fixed, and yells that make the woods ring, here they -come, boys, through the clearing, on a dead run! And now, as you -love the flag that waves yonder in the breeze, up, boys, and let -them have it! Out from our Enfields flashes a sheet of flame, -before which the lines of gray stagger for a moment; but they -recover and push on, then reel again and quail, and at length fly -before the second leaden tempest, which sweeps the field clear to -the opposite side. - -With cheers and shouts of "Victory!" our line, now advancing -swiftly from behind its covert of the trees, sweeps into and across -the clearing, driving back the enemy into the woods from which they -had so confidently ventured. - -The little clearing over which the lines of blue are advancing is -covered with dead and dying and wounded men, among whom I find -Lieutenant Stannard, of my acquaintance. - -"Harry, help me, quick! I'm bleeding fast. Tear off my suspender, -or take my handkerchief and tie it as tight as you can draw it -around my thigh, and help me off the field." - -Ripping up the leg of his trousers with my knife, I soon check the -flow of blood with a hard knot,--and none too soon, for the main -artery has been severed. Calling a comrade to my assistance, we -succeed in reaching the woods, and make our way slowly to the rear -in search of the division-hospital. - -Whoever wishes to know something of the terrible realities of -war should visit a field-hospital during some great engagement. -No doubt my young readers imagine war to be a great and glorious -thing, and so, indeed, in many regards it is. It would be idle -to deny that there is something stirring in the sound of martial -music, something strangely uplifting and intensely fascinating in -the roll of musketry and the loud thunder of artillery. Besides, -the march and the battle afford opportunities for the unfolding -of manly virtue, and as things go in this disjointed world, human -progress seems to be almost impossible without war. - -Yet still, war is a terrible, a horrible thing. If my young readers -could have been with us as we helped poor Stannard off the field -that first day in "the Wilderness;" if they could have seen the -surgeons of the first division of our corps as we saw them, when -passing by with the lieutenant on a stretcher,--they would, I -think, agree with me that if war is a necessity, it is a dreadful -necessity. There were the surgeons, busy at work, while dozens of -poor fellows were lying all around on stretchers awaiting their -turns. - -"Hurry on, boys, hurry on! Don't stop here; I can't stand it!" -groaned our charge. - -So we pushed on with our burden, until we saw our division-colors -over in a clearing among the pines, and on reaching this we came -upon a scene that I can never adequately describe. - -There were hundreds of the wounded already there; other hundreds, -perhaps thousands, were yet to come. On all sides, within and just -without the hastily erected hospital-tents, were the severely and -dangerously wounded, while great numbers of slightly wounded men, -with hands or feet bandaged or heads tied up, were lying about -the sides of the tents or out among the bushes. The surgeons were -everywhere busy,--here dressing wounds; there, alas! stooping down -to tell some poor fellow, over whose countenance the pallor of -death was already spreading, that there was no longer any hope for -him; and down yonder, about a row of tables, each under a fly,[2] -stood groups of them, ready for their dreadful and yet helpful work. - - [2] A piece of canvas stretched over a pole and fastened to - tent-pins by long ropes; having no walls, it admits light on all - sides. - - [Illustration: A SCENE IN THE FIELD-HOSPITAL.] - -To one of these groups we carried poor Stannard, and I stood by -and watched. The sponge saturated with chloroform was put to his -face, rendering him unconscious while the operation of tying the -severed artery was performed. On a neighboring table was a man -whose leg was being taken off at the thigh, and who, chloroformed -into unconsciousness, interested everybody by singing at the top of -his voice, and with a clear articulation, five verses of a hymn to -an old-fashioned Methodist tune, never once losing the melody nor -stopping for a word. I remember seeing another poor fellow with his -arm off at the shoulder, lying on the ground and resting after the -operation. He appeared to be very much amused at himself, because -(he said, in answer to my inquiry as to what he was laughing at) -he had felt a fly on his right hand, and when he went to brush it -off with his left there was no right hand there any more! I -remember, too, seeing a tall prisoner brought in and laid on the -table,--a magnificent specimen of physical development, erect, well -built, and strong looking, and with a countenance full of frank and -sturdy manliness. As the wounded prisoner was stretched out on the -table, the surgeon said,-- - -"Well, Johnny, my man, what is the matter with you, and what can we -do for you to-day?" - -"Well, Doctor, your people have used me rather rough to-day. In the -first place, there's something down in here," feeling about his -throat, "that troubles me a good deal." - -Opening his shirt-collar, the surgeon found a deep blue mark an -inch or more below the "Adam's apple." On pressing the blue lump -a little with the fingers, out popped a "minie" ball, which had -lodged just beneath the skin. - -"Lucky for you that this was a 'spent ball,' Johnny," said the -surgeon, holding the bullet between his fingers. - -"Give me that, Doctor--give me that ball; I want it," said Johnny, -eagerly reaching out his left hand for the ball. Then he carefully -examined it, and put it away into his jacket-pocket. - -"And now, Doctor, there's something else, you see, the matter with -me, and something more serious too, I'm afraid. You see, I can't -use my right arm. The way was this: we were having a big fight out -there in the woods. In the bayonet-charge I got hold of one of your -flags, and was waving it, when all on a sudden I got an ugly clip -in the arm here, as you see." - -"Never mind, Johnny. We shall treat you just the same as our own -boys, and though you are dressed in gray, you shall be cared for as -faithfully as if you were dressed in blue, until you are well and -strong again." - -Never did I see a more delighted or grateful man than he, when, -awakened from his deep chloroform sleep, he was asked whether he -did not think his arm had better come off now? - -"Just as you think best, Doctor." - -"Look at your arm once, Johnny." - -What was his glad surprise to find that the operation had been -already performed, and that a neat bandage was wound about his -shoulder! - -The most striking illustration of the power of religion to sustain -a man in distress and trial, I saw there in that field-hospital. - -We had carried Stannard into a tent, and laid him on a pile of -pine-boughs, where, had he only been able to keep quiet, he would -have done well enough. But he was not able to keep quiet. A more -restless man I never saw. Although his wound was not considered -necessarily dangerous, yet he was evidently in great fear of -death, and for death, I grieve to say, he was not at all prepared. -He had been a wild, wayward man, and now that he thought the end -was approaching, he was full of alarm. As I bent over him, trying -my best, but in vain, to comfort and quiet him, my attention was -called to a man on the other side of the tent, whose face I thought -I knew, in spite of its unearthly pallor. - -"Why, Smith," said I, "is this you? Where are you hurt?" - -"Come turn me around and see," he said. - -Rolling him over carefully on his side, I saw a great, cruel wound -in his back. - -My countenance must have expressed alarm when I asked him, as -quietly as I could, whether he knew that he was very seriously -wounded, and might die. - -Never shall I forget the look that man gave me, as, with a strange -light in his eye, he said: - -"I am in God's hands; I am not afraid to die." - -Two or three days after that, while we were marching on rapidly in -column again, we passed an ambulance-train filled with wounded on -their way to Fredericksburg. Hearing my name called by some one, I -ran out of line to an ambulance, in which I found Stannard. - -"Harry, for pity's sake, have you any water?" - -"No, lieutenant; I'm very sorry, but there's not a drop in my -canteen, and there's no time now to get any." - -It was the last time I ever saw him. He was taken to -Fredericksburg, submitted to a second operation, and died; and I -have always believed that his death was largely owing to want of -faith. - -Six months, or maybe a year, later, Smith came back to us with a -great white scar between his shoulders, and I doubt not he is -alive and well to this day. - -And there was Jimmy Lucas too. They brought him in about the middle -of that same afternoon, two men bearing him on their arms. He was -so pale, that I knew at a glance he was severely hurt. "A ball -through the lungs," they said, and "he can't live." Jimmy was of my -own company, from my own village. We had been school-fellows and -playmates from childhood almost, and you may well believe it was -sad work to kneel down by his side and watch his slow and labored -breathing, looking at his pallid features, and thinking--ah, yes, -that was the saddest of all!--of those at home. He would scarcely -let me go from him a moment, and when the sun was setting, he -requested every one to go out of the tent, for he wanted to speak -a few words to me in private. As I bent down over him, he gave me -his message for his father and mother, and a tender good by to his -sweetheart, begging me not to forget a single word of it all if -ever I should live to see them; and then he said: - -"And, Harry, tell father and mother I thank them now for all their -care and kindness in trying to bring me up well and in the fear of -God. I know I have been a wayward boy sometimes, but my trust is in -him who said,'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, -and I will give you rest.' My hope is in God, and I shall die a -Christian man." - -When the sun had set that evening, poor Jimmy had entered into -rest. He was buried somewhere among the woods that night, and no -flowers are strewn over his grave on "Decoration Day" as the years -go by, for no head-board marks his resting-place among the moaning -pines; but "the Lord knoweth them that are his." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -A BIVOUAC FOR THE NIGHT. - - -If from any cause whatsoever one happened to have lost his command, -or to have strayed away from or to have been left behind by his -regiment, he could usually tell with tolerable certainty, as he -trudged along the road among the men of another command, what -part of the army he was with, and whether any of his own corps or -division were anywhere near by; and he could tell this at a glance, -without so much as stopping to ask a question. Do you ask how? I -answer, by the badges the men wore on their caps. - - [Illustration: ARMY BADGES.] - -An admirable and significant system of badges was adopted for the -entire Union army. The different corps were distinguished by the -_shapes_, the different divisions by the _colors_, of their several -badges. Thus the First Corps wore a round badge, the Second a -clover-leaf, the Third a diamond, the Fifth a Maltese cross, the -Sixth a Roman cross, the Ninth a shield, the Eleventh a crescent, -the Twentieth a star,[3] and so on. As each corps usually included -three divisions, and as it was necessary to distinguish each of -these from the other two, the three good old colors of the flag -were chosen for this purpose,--red, white, and blue,--red for the -First Division of each corps, white for the Second, and blue for -the Third. Thus a round red badge meant First Division, First -Corps; a round white, Second Division, First Corps; a round -blue, Third Division, First Corps; and so on for the other corps. -Division and corps headquarters could always be known by their -flags, bearing the badges of their respective commands. As the men -were all obliged to wear their proper badges, cut out of cloth or -colored leather, on the top of their caps, one could always tell -at a glance what part of the Army of the Potomac he was with. -In addition to this, some regiments were distinguished by some -peculiarity of uniform. Our own brigade was everywhere known as -"The Buck-tails," for we all wore buck-tails on the side of our -caps. - - [3] Later in the service the Twelfth Corps wore the star. - -It was in this way that I was able to tell that none of my own -brigade, division, or even corps were anywhere near me, as, late -one evening about the middle of May, 1864, I wearily trudged along -the road, in the neighborhood of Spottsylvania Court-house, in -search of my regiment. I had lost the regiment early in the day, -for I was so sick and weak when we started in the morning, that -it was scarcely possible for me to drag one foot after the other, -much less to keep up at the lively pace the men were marching. -Thus it had happened that I had been left behind. However, after -having trudged along all day as best I could, when nightfall came -on I threw myself down under a pine-tree along the road which led -through the woods, stiff and sore in limb, and half bewildered by -a burning fever. All around me the woods were full of men making -ready their bivouac for the night. Some were cooking coffee and -frying pork, some were pitching their shelters, and some were -already stretched out sound asleep. But all, alas! wore the red -Roman cross. Could I only have espied a Maltese cross somewhere, -I should have felt at home; for then I should have known that the -good old Fifth Corps was near at hand. But no blue Maltese cross -(the badge of my own division) was anywhere to be seen. As I lay -there with half-closed eyes, feverishly wondering where in the -world I was, and heartily wishing for the sight of some one wearing -a buck-tail on his cap, I heard a well-known voice talking with -some one out in the road, and, leaning upon my elbow, called out -eagerly: - -"Harter! Hello! Harter!" - -"Hello! Who are you?" replied the sergeant, peering in amongst the -trees and bushes. "Why, Harry, is that you? And where in the world -is the regiment?" - -"That's just what I'd like to know," answered I. "I couldn't keep -up, and was left behind, and have been lost all day. But where have -you been? I haven't seen you this many a day." - -"Well," said he, as he brought his gun down to a rest and leaned -his two hands on the muzzle, "you see the Johnnies spoiled my -good looks a little back there in the Wilderness, and I was sent -to the hospital. But I couldn't stand it there, wounded and dying -men all around one; and concluded to shoulder my gun and start out -and try to find the boys. Look here," continued he, taking off a -bandage from the side of his face and displaying an ugly-looking -bullet-hole in his right cheek. "See that hole? It goes clean -through, and I can blow through it. But it don't hurt very much, -and will no doubt heal up before the next fight. Anyhow, I have the -chunk of lead that made that hole here in my jacket pocket. See -that!" said he, taking out a flattened ball from his vest-pocket -and rolling it around in the palm of his hand. "Lodged in my mouth, -right between my teeth. But I'm tired nearly to death tramping -around all day. Let's put up for the night. Shall we strike up a -tent, or bunk down here under the pines?" - -We concluded to put up a shelter, or rather, I should say, Harter -did so; for I was too sick and weak to think of anything but sleep -and rest, and lay there at full length on a bed of soft pine -shatters, dreamily watching the sergeant's preparations for the -night. Throwing off his knapsack, haversack, and accoutrements, -he took out his hatchet, trimmed away the lower branches of two -pine-saplings which stood some six feet apart, cut a straight -pole, and laid it across from one to the other of these saplings, -buttoned together two shelters and threw them across the -ridge-pole, staked them down at the corners, and throwing in his -traps, exclaimed: - -"There you are, 'as snug as a bug in a rug.' And now for water, -fire, and a supper." - -A fire was soon and easily built, for dry wood was plenty; and -soon the flames were crackling and lighting up the dusky woods. -Taking our two canteens, Harter started off in search of water, -leaving me to stretch myself out in the tent and--heartily wish -myself at home. - -For soldiering is all well enough so long as one is strong and -well. But when a man gets sick he is very likely to find that all -the romance of marching by day and camping by night is suddenly -gone, and that there is, after all, no place like home. For one, -I was fully conscious of this as I lay there in the tent awaiting -the sergeant's return. The sounds which came to my ears from the -woods all around me,--of strong men's voices, some shouting and -some conversing in low tones; the noise of axes and of falling -trees; the busy, bee-like hum, losing itself amongst the trees and -in the far distance; the bright glare of the many fires, and the -dancing lights and shadows which seemed to people the forest with -ghostlike forms,--all this, although at another time it would have -had a singular charm, now awakened no response in me. One draught -of water at the "Big Spring" at home, which I knew at that very -moment was gushing cool and clear as crystal out of the hillside, -and on the bottom of which I could in vision see the white pebbles -lying, would have been worth to me all, and more than all, the -witchery of our bivouac for the night. And I would have given more -for a bed on the hard floor on the landing at the head of the -stairs at home--I would not have asked for a bed--than for a dozen -nights spent in the finest camps in the Army of the Potomac. But -the thought of the Big Spring troubled me most. It seemed to me I -could see it with my eyes shut, and that I could hear the water as -it came gushing out of the hillside and flowed down to the meadow, -plashing and rippling---- - -"I tell you, Harry," said the sergeant, suddenly interrupting my -vision as he stepped into the circle of light in front of our -little tent, and flung down his canteens, "there isn't anything -like military discipline. I went down the road here about a -quarter of a mile and came out near General Grant's headquarters, -in a clearing. Down at the foot of a hill right in front of his -headquarters is a spring: but it seems the surgeon of some -hospital near by had got there before the general, and had placed -a guard on the spring to keep the water for the wounded. As I came -up, I heard the guard say to a darky who had come to the spring for -water with a bucket,-- - -"'Get out of that, you black rascal; you can't have any water here.' - -"'Guess I kin,' said the darky. 'I want dis yere water for Gen'l -Grant; an' ain't he a commandin' dis yere army, or am you?' - -"'You touch that water and I'll run my bayonet through you,' said -the guard. 'General Grant can't have any water at this spring till -my orders are changed.' - -"The darky, saying that he'd 'see 'bout dat mighty quick,' went up -the hill to headquarters, and returned in a few moments declaring -that - -"'Gen'l Grant said dat you got to gib me water outen dis yere -spring.' - - [Illustration: "GENERAL GRANT CAN'T HAVE ANY OF THIS WATER!"] - -"'You go back and tell General Grant, for me,' said the corporal -of the guard, who came up at the moment, 'that neither he nor any -other general in the Army of the Potomac can get water at this -spring till my orders are changed.' - -"Now, you see," continued Harter, as he gave me a tin cup on a -stick to hold over the fire for coffee, while he cut down a slice -of pork, "there's something mighty fine in the idea of a man -standing to his post though the heavens fall, and obeying the -orders given him when he is put on guard, so that even though the -greatest generals in the army send down contrary orders to him, -he'll die before he'll give in. A man is mighty strong when he is -on guard and obeys orders. Though he's only a corporal, or even -a private, he can command the general commanding the army. But I -don't believe General Grant sent that darky for water a second -time." - -Supper was soon ready, and soon disposed of. Then, without further -delay, while the shadows deepened into thick night in the forest, -we rolled ourselves up in our blankets and stretched ourselves out -with our feet to the fire. Dreamily watching the blazing light of -our little camp fire, and thinking each his own thoughts of things -which had been and things which might be, we both soon fell sound -asleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -"WENT DOWN TO JERICHO AND FELL AMONG THIEVES." - - -On the morning of May 23d, 1864, after a good and refreshing -sleep, we took up the line of march and moved rapidly all day in -a southerly direction, "straight for Richmond," according to our -somewhat bewildered conception of the geography of those parts. -With the exception of an occasional skirmish and some heavy -cannonading away along the horizon, we had seen and heard but -little of the enemy for several days. Where he was we did not know. -We only hoped that, after the terrible fighting of the last two -weeks, commencing at the Wilderness on the 5th, he had had enough -of it and had taken to his heels and run away-- - - "Away down South in Dixie's land, - Away, away," - -and that we should never again see anything of him but his back. -Alas! for the presumption. And alas! for the presumption of the -innumerable company and fellowship of cooks, camp-followers, and -mule-drivers, who, emboldened by the quietude of the last few -days, had ventured to come up from the rear, and had joined each -his respective regiment, and were marching along bravely enough, -as on the evening of this same May 23d we approached North Anna -River, which we were to cross at a place called Jericho Ford. As we -came near to the river, we found the supply and ammunition-trains -"parked" to the rear of a wood a short distance from Jericho, so -that as we halted for a while in the edge of the woods nearest to -the stream, everything wore so quiet and unsuspicious a look, that -no one dreamed of the enemy being anywhere near at hand. Under -the impression that we should probably halt there for the night, -I gathered up a number of the boys' canteens and started out in -search of water, taking my course toward an open meadow which lay -to the right and close to the river's edge. There was a cornfield -off to the left, across which I could see the troops leisurely -marching in the direction of the bridge. As I stooped down to fill -my canteens, another man came up on the same errand as had brought -me there. From where I was, I could see the bridge full of troops -and the general rabble of camp followers carelessly crossing. But -scarcely had I more than half filled my first canteen, when the -enemy, lying concealed in the woods on the other side of the river, -opened fire. - -Boom! Bang! Whir-r-r! Chu-ck! - -"Hello!" said I to my companion, "the ball is going to open!" - -"Yes," answered he with a drawl and a certain supercilious look, -as if to intimate that few besides himself had ever heard a shell -crack before--"Yes; but when you have heard as many shells busting -about your head as I have"-- - -Whir-r-r! Chu-ck! I could hear the terrific shriek of the shell -overhead, and the sharp _thud_ of the pieces as they tore up the -meadow sod to the right and left of us; whereupon my brave and -boastful friend, leaving his sentence to be completed and his -canteens to be filled some other day, cut for the rear at full -speed, ducking his head as he went. Finding an old gateway near -by, with high stone posts on either side, I took refuge there; -and feeling tolerably safe behind my tall defence, turned about -and looked toward the river. It is said that there is but a step -from the sublime to the ridiculous; and surely laughable indeed -was the scene which greeted my eyes. Everything was in confusion, -and all was helter-skelter, skurry, and skedaddle. There was the -bridge in open view, full of a struggling mass of men, horses, -and mules,--the troops trying to force their way over to the -other side, and the yelling crowd of camp-followers equally bent -on forcing their way back; some jumping or being tumbled off the -bridge, while others were swept, _nolens volens_, over to the other -side, and there began to plunge into the dirty ooze of the stream, -with the evident intention of getting on the safe side of things as -speedily as possible, while all the time the shells flew shrieking -and screaming through the air as though the demons had been let -loose. Between me and the river was a last year's cornfield, over -which the rabble now came swift and full, fear furnishing wings -to flight,--and happy indeed was he who had no mule to take care -of! One poor fellow who had had his mule heavily laden with camp -equipage when he crossed over, was now making for the rear with his -mule at a full trot, but in sad plight himself; for he was hatless, -covered with mud, and quite out of breath, had lost saddle, bag, -and baggage, and had nothing left but himself, the mule, and the -halter. Another immediately in front of me had come on well enough -until he arrived in the middle of the open field, where the shells -were falling rather thick, when his mule took it into his head that -flight was disgraceful, and that he would retreat no farther,--no, -not an inch. There he stood like a rock, the poor driver pulling at -his halter and frantically kicking the beast in the ribs, but all -to no avail; while all around him, and past him, swept the crowd of -his fellow cooks and coffee-coolers in full flight for the rear. - -As soon as the firing began to cease a little, I started off for -the regiment, which had meanwhile changed position. In searching -for it, I passed the forage and ammunition-trains, which were -parked to the rear of the woods, and within easy range of the -enemy's guns,--which latter fact the enemy, fortunately, did not -know. One who has not actually seen them can scarcely form any -adequate idea of the vast numbers of white-covered wagons which -followed our armies, carrying food, forage, and ammunition; nor can -any one who has not actually witnessed a panic among the drivers -of these wagons, form any conception of the terror into which they -were sometimes thrown. The drivers of the ammunition-wagons were -especially anxious to keep well out of range of shells,--and no -wonder! For if a shot from the enemy's guns were to fall amongst a -lot of wagons laden with percussion shells, the result may perhaps -be imagined. It was no wonder, therefore, that the driver of an -ammunition-wagon, with six mules in front of him and several tons -of death and destruction behind him, felt somewhat nervous when he -heard the whirr of the shells over the tops of the pines. - -In searching for the regiment I passed one of these trains. A -commissary sergeant was dealing out forage to his men, who were -standing around him in a circle, each holding open a bag for his -oats, which the commissary was alternately dealing out to them with -a bucket,--a bucketful to this man, then to the next, and so on -around the circle. It was plain, however, to any observer that he -was more concerned about the shells than interested in the oats, -for he dodged his head every time a shell cracked, which happened -just about the time he was in the act of pouring a bucketful of -oats into a bag. - -While I was looking at them, Page, a Michigan boy who was well -known to me, came up on his horse in search of our division forage -train, for he was orderly to our brigadier-general, and wanted oats -for his horses. Stopping a moment to contemplate the scene I was -admiring, he said,-- - -"You just keep an eye on my horse a minute, will you, and I'll show -you how I get oats for my horses when forage is scarce." - -It was very often a difficult matter for the mounted officers to -get forage for their horses; for our movements were so many and so -sudden, that it was plainly impossible for the trains to follow -us wherever we went. Often when we halted at night the wagons were -miles and miles away from us, and sometimes we did not get a sight -of them for a week, or even longer. Then the poor hard-ridden -horses would have to suffer. But it was well known that Page could -get oats when nobody else could. Though the wagon trains were many -miles in the rear, Page seldom permitted his horses to go to bed -supperless. Though an American by birth, he was a Spartan in craft, -and had a wit as keen and sharp as a razor. It was said that, -rather than have his horses go without their allowance, he would -if necessary sit up half the night, after a hard day's march, and -wait till everybody else was sound asleep, and then quietly slip -from under the heads of the orderlies of other commands the very -oat-bags which, in order to guard them the more securely, they were -using for their pillows; for oats Page would have for the general's -horse, by hook or by crook. - -"You see the commissary yonder?" said Page to me in a half-whisper, -as he dismounted and threw an empty bag over his arm and gave his -waist-belt a hitch: "he's a coward, he is. Look at him how he -jukes his head at every crack of the cannon! Don't know whether -he's dealing out oats to the right man or not. Just you keep an eye -on my horse, will you?" - -Now Page had no right in the least to draw forage rations there, -for that was not our division-train. But as he did not know where -our division-train was, and as all the oats belonged to Uncle Sam -anyhow, why where was the harm of getting your forage wherever you -could? - -Pushing his way into the circle of teamsters, who were too much -engaged in watching for shells to notice the presence of a -stranger, Page boldly opened his bag, while Mr. Commissary, ducking -his head between his shoulders at every boom of the guns, poured -four bucketfuls of oats into the bag of the new-comer, whereupon -Page shouldered his prize, mounted his horse, and rode away with a -smile on his face which said as plainly as could be, "That's the -way to do it, my lad!" - -In the wild _melee_ of that May evening there at Jericho,--where -evidently we had all fallen among thieves,--there was no little -confusion as to the rights of property; _meum_ and _tuum_ got -sadly mixed; some horses had lost their owners, and some owners -had lost their horses; and the same was the case with the mules. -So that by the time things began to get quiet again, some of the -boys had picked up stray horses, or bought them for a mere song. On -coming up with the regiment, I found that Andy had just concluded -a bargain of this sort. He had bought a sorrel horse. The animal -was a great raw-boned, ungainly beast, built after the Gothic style -of horse architecture, and would have made an admirable sign for -a feed-store up North, as a substitute for "Oats wanted; inquire -within." However, when I came up, Andy had already concluded the -bargain, and had become the sole owner and proprietor of the sorrel -horse for the small consideration of ten dollars. - -"Why, Andy!" exclaimed I, "what in the name of all conscience do -you want with a horse? Going to join the cavalry?" - - [Illustration: "ANDY HAD BOUGHT THE SORREL FOR TEN DOLLARS."] - -"Well," said Andy, with a grin, "I took him on a speculation. Going -to feed him up a little"---- - -"Glad to hear it," said I; "he needs it sadly." - -"Yes; going to feed him up and then sell him to somebody, and -double my money on him, you see. You may ride him on the march and -carry our traps. I guess the colonel will give you permission. And, -you know, that would be a capital arrangement for you, for you are -so sick and weak that you are often left behind on the march." - -"Thank you, old boy," said I with a shrug. "You always were a good, -kind, thoughtful soul; but if the choice must be between joining -the general cavalcade of coffee-coolers on this old barebones of -yours and marching afoot, I believe I'd prefer the infantry." - -However, we tied a rope around the neck of _Bonaparte_, as we -significantly called him, fastened him up to a stake, rubbed him -down, begged some oats of Page, and pulled some handfuls of young -grass for him, and so left him for the night. - -I do not think Andy slept well that night. How could he after so -bold a dash into the horse-market? Grotesque images of the wooden -horse of ancient Troy, and of Don Quixote on his celebrated -Rosinante charging the windmills, were no doubt hopelessly mixed up -in his dreams with wild vagaries of General Grant at the head of -Mosby's men fiercely trying to force a passage across Jericho Ford. -For daylight had scarcely begun to peep into the forest the next -morning, when Andy rolled out from under the blankets and went to -look after Bonaparte. I was building a fire when he came back. It -seemed to me that he looked a little solemn. - -"How's Bony this morning, Andy?" inquired I. - -Andy whistled a bit, stuck his hands into his pockets, mounted a -log, took off his cap, made a bow, and said: - -"Comrades and fellow-citizens, lend me your ears, and be silent -that you may hear! This is my first and last speculation in -horseflesh. _Bony is gone!_" - -It was indeed true. We had fallen among thieves, and they had even -baffled Andy's plan for future money-making; for none of us ever -laid eyes on Bony again. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -IN THE FRONT AT PETERSBURG. - - -"Andy, let's go a-swimming." - -"Well, Harry, I don't know about that. I'd like to take a good -plunge; but, you see, there's no telling how soon we may move." - -It was the afternoon of Tuesday, June 14, 1864. We had been -marching and fighting almost continually for five weeks and more, -from the Wilderness to Spottsylvania, over the North Anna, in at -Cold Harbor, across the Pamunky and over the Chickahominy to the -banks of the James River, about a mile and a half from which we -were now lying, along a dusty road. We were sunburned, covered with -dust, and generally used up, so that a swim in the river would be a -refreshment indeed. - -Having learned from one of the officers that the intention -evidently was to remain where we then were until the entire corps -should come up, and that we should probably cross the river at or -somewhere near that point, we resolved to risk it. - -So, over a cornfield we started at a good pace. We had not gone -far, when we discovered a mule tied up in a clump of bushes, with -a rope around his neck. And this long-eared animal, as Gothic -as Bonaparte in his style of architecture, we decided, after a -solemn council of war, to declare contraband, and forthwith we -impressed him into service, intending to return him, after our -bath, on our way back to camp. Untying Bucephalus from the bush, we -mounted, Andy in front and I on behind, each armed with a switch, -and we rode along gayly enough, with our feet dangling among the -corn-stalks. - -For a while all went well. We fell to talking about the direction -we had come since leaving the Pamunky; and Andy, who was usually -such an authority on matters geographical and astronomical that on -the march he was known in the company as "the compass," confessed -to me as we rode on that he himself had been somewhat turned about -in that march over the Chickahominy swamp. - -"And as for me," said I, "I think this is the awfullest country to -get turned about in that I ever did see. Why, Andy, while we were -lying over there in the road it seemed to me that the sun was going -down in the east. Fact! But when I took my canteen and went over -a little ridge to the rear to look for water for coffee, I found, -on looking up, that on that side of the ridge the sun was all -right. Yet when I got back to the road and looked around, judge of -my surprise when I found the whole thing had somehow swung around -again, and the sun was going down in the east! And you may judge -still further of my surprise, Andy, when, on going and walking -back and forth across that ridge, I found one particular spot from -which, if I looked in one direction, the sun was going down all -right in the west; but if in the opposite direction, he was going -down all wrong, entirely wrong, in the east!" - -"Whoa dar! Whoa dar! Whar you gwine wid dat dar mule o' mine? Whoa, -Pete!" - -The mule stopped stock-still as we caught sight of the black -head and face of a darky boy peering forth from the door of a -tobacco-house that we were passing. Possibly, he was the owner -of the whole plantation now, and the mule Pete might be his only -live-stock. - -"Where are we going, Pompey? Why we're going 'on to Richmond!'" - -"On ter Richmon'! An' wid dat dar mule o' mine! 'Clar to goodness, -sodgers, can't git along widout dat mule. Better git off'n dat dar -mule!" - -"Whip him up, Andy!" shouted I. - -"Come up, Bucephalus!" shouted Andy. - -And we both laid on right lustily. But never an inch would that -miserable mule budge from the position he had taken on hearing the -darky's voice, until all of a sudden, and as if a mine had been -sprung under our feet, there was such a striking out of heels and -such an uncomfortable elevation in the rear, the angle of which -was only increased by increased cudgelling, that at last, with an -enormous spring, Andy and I were sent flying off into the corn. - - [Illustration: "BETTER GIT OFF'N DAT DAR MULE!"] - -"Yi! yi! yi! Didn' I say better git off'n dat dar mule o' mine? Yi! -yi! yi!" - -Laughing as heartily as the darky at our misadventure, we felt that -it would be safer to make for the river afoot. We had a glorious -plunge in the waters of the James, and returned to the regiment at -sunset, greatly refreshed. - -The next day we crossed the James in steamboats. There were -thousands of men in blue all along both shores; some were crossing, -some were already over, and others were awaiting their turn. By the -middle of the forenoon we were all well over, and it has been said -that, had we pushed on without delay, the story of the siege of -Petersburg would have read quite differently. But we waited,--for -provisions, I believe,--and during this halt the whole corps took -a grand swim in the river. We marched off at three o'clock in the -afternoon, over a dusty road and without fresh water, and reached -the neighborhood of Petersburg at midnight, but did not get into -position until after several days of hard fighting in the woods. - -It would be impossible to give a clear and interesting account -of the numerous engagements in which we took part around that -long-beleaguered city, where for ten months the two great armies -of the North and South sat down to watch and fight each other -until the end came. For, after days and days of manoeuvring and -fighting, attack and sally, it became evident that Petersburg could -not be carried by storm, and there was nothing for it but to sit -down stubbornly, and, by cutting off all railroad supplies and -communications, starve it into surrender. - -It may be interesting, however, to tell something of the everyday -life and experience of our soldiers during that great siege. - - [Illustration: FINDING A WOUNDED PICKET IN A RIFLE-PIT.] - -Digging becomes almost an instinct with the experienced soldier. It -is surprising how rapidly men in the field throw up fortifications, -how the work progresses, and what immense results can be -accomplished by a body of troops in a single night. Let two armies -fight in the open field one evening--by the next morning both are -strongly intrenched behind rifle-pits and breastworks, which it -will cost either side much blood to storm and take. If spades and -picks are at hand when there is need of fortifications, well; -if not, bayonets, tin cups, plates, even jack-knives, are pressed -into service until better tools arrive; and every man works like a -beaver. - -Thus it was that although throughout the 18th of June the fighting -had been severe, yet, in spite of weariness and darkness, we set to -work, and the morning found us behind breastworks; these we soon -so enlarged and improved that they became well-nigh impregnable. -At that part of the line where our regiment was stationed, we -built solid works of great pine-logs, rolled up, log on log, seven -feet high and banked with earth on the side toward the enemy, the -whole being ten feet through at the base. On the inside of these -breastworks we could walk about perfectly safe from the enemy's -bullets, which usually went singing harmlessly over our heads. - -On the outside of these works were further defences. First, there -was the ditch made by throwing up the ground against the logs; -then, farther out, about twenty or thirty yards away, was the -_abatis_--a peculiar means of defence made by cutting off the tops -and heavy limbs of trees, sharpening the ends, and planting them -firmly in the ground in a long row, the sharpened ends pointing -toward the enemy, the whole being so close and so compacted -together with telegraph-wires everywhere twisted in, that it was -impossible for a line of battle to get through it without being cut -off to a man. Here and there, at intervals, were left gaps wide -enough to admit a single man, and it was through these man-holes -that the pickets passed out to their pits beyond. - -Fifty yards in front of the _abatis_ the pickets were stationed. -When first the siege began, picketing was dangerous business. -Both armies were bent on fight, and picketing meant simply -sharpshooting. As a consequence, at first the pickets were -posted only at night, so that from midnight to midnight the poor -fellows lay in their rifle-pits under a broiling July sun, with -no protection from the intolerable heat, excepting the scanty -shade of a little pine-brush erected overhead, or in front of the -pit as a screen. There the picket lay, flat on his face, picking -off the enemy's men whenever he could catch sight of a head, or -even so much as a hand; and right glad would he be if, when the -long-awaited relief came at length, he had no wounds to show. - -But later on, as the siege progressed, this murderous state of -affairs gradually disappeared. Neither side found it pleasant or -profitable, and nothing was gained by it. It decided nothing, and -only wasted powder and ball. And so, gradually the pickets on both -sides began to be on quite friendly terms. It was no unusual thing -to see a Johnny picket--who would be posted scarcely a hundred -yards away, so near were the lines--lay down his gun, wave a piece -of white paper as a signal of truce, walk out into the neutral -ground between the picket-lines, and meet one of our own pickets, -who, also dropping his gun, would go out to inquire what Johnny -might want to-day. - -"Well, Yank, I want some coffee, and I'll trade tobacco for it." - -"Has any of you fellows back there some coffee to trade for -tobacco? 'Johnny Picket,' here, wants some coffee." - -Or maybe he wanted to trade papers, a Richmond _Enquirer_ for a -New York _Herald_ or _Tribune_, "even up and no odds." Or he only -wanted to talk about the news of the day--how "we 'uns whipped you -'uns up the valley the other day;" or how "if we had Stonewall -Jackson yet, we'd be in Washington before winter;" or maybe he only -wished to have a friendly game of cards! - -There was a certain chivalrous etiquette developed through this -social intercourse of deadly foemen, and it was really admirable. -Seldom was there breach of confidence on either side. It would have -gone hard with the comrade who should have ventured to shoot down -a man in gray who had left his gun and come out of his pit under -the sacred protection of a piece of white paper. If disagreement -ever occurred in bartering, or high words arose in discussion, -shots were never fired until due notice had been given. And I find -mentioned in one of my old army letters that a general fire along -our entire front grew out of some disagreement on the picket-line -about trading coffee for tobacco. The two pickets couldn't agree, -jumped into their pits, and began firing, the one calling out: -"Look out, Yank, here comes your tobacco." Bang! - -And the other replying: "All right, Johnny, here comes your -coffee." Bang! - - [Illustration: SCENE AMONG THE RIFLE-PITS BEFORE PETERSBURG.] - -Great forts stood at intervals all along the line as far as the eye -could see, and at these the men toiled day and night all summer -long, adding defence to defence, and making "assurance doubly -sure," until the forts stood out to the eye of the beholder, with -their sharp angles and well-defined outlines, formidable structures -indeed. Without attempting to describe them in technical military -language, I will simply ask you to imagine a piece of level ground, -say two hundred feet square, surrounded by a bank of earth about -twenty feet in height, with rows of gabions[4] and sand-bags -arranged on top of the embankment, and at intervals along the -sides embrasures or port-holes, at which the great cannon were -planted,--and you will have some rough notion of what one of our -forts looked like. Somewhere within the inclosure, usually near -the centre of it, was the magazine, where the powder and shells -were stored. This was made by digging a deep place something like -a cellar, covering it over with heavy logs, and piling up earth -and sand-bags on the logs, the whole, when finished, having the -shape of a small round-topped pyramid. At the rear was left a -small passage, like a cellar-way, and through this the ammunition -was brought up. If ever the enemy could succeed in dropping a -shell down that little cellar-door, or in otherwise piercing the -magazine, then good by to the fort and all and everybody in and -around it! - - [4] Bottomless wicker-baskets, used to strengthen earthworks. - -On the outside of each large fort there were, of course, all the -usual defences of ditch, _abatis_, and _chevaux-de-frise_, to -render approach very dangerous to the enemy. - -The enemy had fortifications like ours,--long lines of breastworks, -with great forts at commanding positions; and the two lines were so -near that, standing in one of our forts, I could have carried on -a conversation with a man in the fort opposite. I remember, while -on the picket-line one evening, watching a body of troops moving -along the edge of a wood within the enemy's works, and quite easily -distinguishing the color of their uniforms. - -I have said already that, inside of our breastworks, one was -quite secure against the enemy's bullets. But bullets were not the -only things we had to look out for,--there were the shell, the -case-shot, and I know not what shot besides. Every few hours these -would be dropped behind our breastworks, and often much execution -was done by them. To guard against these missiles, each mess built -what was called a "bomb-proof," which consisted of an excavation -about six feet square by six deep, covered with heavy logs, the -logs covered with earth, a little back cellar-way being left on the -side away from the enemy. Into this bomb-proof we could dart the -moment the shelling began, and be as safe as in our own mother's -kitchen. Our shelter-tents we pitched on top of the bomb-proof, -and in this upper story we lived most of the time, dropping down -occasionally into the cellar. - -Bang! bang! bang! - -"Fall into your pits, boys!" and in a trice there wasn't so much as -a blue coat in sight. - -Familiarity breeds contempt,--even of danger; and sometimes we -were caught. Thus, one day, when there had been no shelling for a -long time, and we had grown somewhat careless, and were scattered -about under the trees, some sleeping and others sitting on top of -the breastworks to get a mouthful of fresh air, all of a sudden -the guns of one of the great forts opposite us opened with a -rapid fire, dropping shells right among us. Of course there was -a "scatteration" as we tried to fall into our pits pell-mell; -but, for all our haste, several of us were severely hurt. There -was a boy from Philadelphia,--I forget his name,--sitting on the -breastworks writing a letter home; a piece of shell tore off his -arm with the pen in his hand. A lieutenant received an iron slug -in his back, while a number of other men were hurt. And such -experiences were of frequent occurrence. - -A great victory had been gained by our cavalry somewhere (I think -by Sheridan), and one evening an orderly rode along the line to -each regimental headquarters, distributing despatches containing an -account of the victory, with instructions that the papers be read -to the men. Cheers were given all along the line that night, and a -shotted salute was ordered at daylight the next morning. - - [Illustration: THE MAGAZINE WHERE THE POWDER AND SHELLS WERE - STORED.] - -At sunrise every available gun from the Appomattox to the Weldon -Railroad must have been brought into service and trained against -the enemy's works, for the noise was terrific. And still further to -increase the din, the Johnnies, supposing it to be a grand assault -along the whole line, replied with every gun they could bring to -bear, and the noise was so great that you would have thought the -very thunders of doom were rolling. After the firing had ceased, -the Johnnies were informed that "we have only been giving three -iron cheers for the victory Sheridan has gained up the valley -lately." There was, I presume, some regret on the other side over -the loss of powder and shot. At all events, whenever, after that, -similar iron cheers were given, and this was not seldom the case, -the enemy preserved a moody silence. - -After remaining in our works for about a month, we were relieved -by other troops and marched off to the left in the direction of -the Weldon Railroad, which we took after severe fighting. We held -it, and at once fortified our position with a new line of works, -thus cutting off one of the main lines of communication between -Petersburg and the South. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -FUN AND FROLIC. - - -In what way to account for it I know not, but so it is, that -soldiers always have been, and I suppose always will be, -merry-hearted fellows and full of good spirits. One would naturally -suppose that, having so much to do with hardship and danger every -day, they would be sober and serious above the generality of men. -But such was by no means the case with our Boys in Blue. In camp, -on the march, nay even in the solemn hour of battle, there was -ever and anon a laugh passing down the line or some sport going -on amongst the tents. Seldom was there wanting some one noted for -his powers of storytelling, to beguile the weary hours about the -camp-fire at the lower end of the company street, or out among -the pines on picket. Few companies could be found without some -native-born wag or wit, whose comical songs or quaint remarks -kept the boys in good humor, while at the same time each and all, -according to the measure of their several capacities, were given -to playing practical jokes of one kind or other for the general -enlivenment of the camp. - -There was Corporal Harter, for example, of my own company. I do not -single him out as a remarkable wit, or in any sense as a shining -light in our little galaxy of Boys in Blue; but choose him rather -as an average specimen. More than one was the trick which Harter -played on Andy and myself--though I cannot help but remember, also, -that he sometimes had good ground for so doing, as the following -will show. - -It was while we were yet lying around Washington during the winter -of 1863, that Harter and I one day secured a "pass" and went into -the city. In passing the Treasury Department we found a twenty-five -cent note. We had at first a mind to call on the Secretary of the -Treasury and ask whether he had lost it, as we had found it in -front of his establishment; but thinking that it would not go -very far toward paying the expenses of the war, and reflecting -that even if it did belong to Uncle Sam, we belonged to Uncle -Sam too, and so where could be the harm of our keeping it and -laying it out on ourselves?--we finally concluded to spend it at -a certain print-shop on Pennsylvania Avenue, where were exposed -for sale great numbers of colored pictures of different generals -and statesmen, a prize of cheap gilt jewelry being given with each -picture. For the jewelry we cared not a whit; but the pictures -each of us was anxious to possess, for they would make very nice -decorations for our tents, we thought. Having, then, purchased -a number of these with our treasure-trove, and having received -from the shopkeeper a handful of brass earrings, which neither of -us wanted (for what in the world did a soldier want with brass -earrings, or even with gold ones, for the matter of that?), we took -our way to the park, west of the Capitol buildings, and sat down on -a bench. - -"Now, Harry," said the corporal, as he sat wistfully looking at a -picture of a general dressed in the bluest of blue uniforms, who, -with sword drawn and horse at full gallop, dismounted cannon in -the rear and clouds of blue smoke in front, was apparently leading -his men on to the desperate charge. The men had not come on the -field yet, but it was of course understood by the general's looks -that they were coming somewhere in the background. A person can't -have _everything_ in a picture, at the rate of four for a quarter, -with a handful of earrings thrown in to clinch the bargain,--all of -which, no doubt, passed rapidly through the corporal's mind as he -examined the pictures,--"Now, Harry, how will we divide 'em?" - -"Well, corporal," answered I, "suppose we do it this way: we'll -toss up a penny for it. 'Heads I win, tails you lose,' you know. -If it comes head I'll take the pictures and you'll take the -jewelry; if it comes tail you'll take the jewelry and I'll take the -pictures. That's fair and square, isn't it?" - -The corporal's head could not have been very clear that morning, -or he would have seen through this nicely laid little scheme as -clearly as one can see through a grindstone with a hole in the -middle. But the proposition was so rapidly announced, and set -forth with such an appearance of candor and exact justice, that, -not seeing the trap laid for him, he promptly got out a penny -from his pocket, and balancing it on his thumb-nail, while he -thoughtfully squinted up toward a tree-top near by, said,-- - -"I guess that's fair. Here goes--but, hold on. How is it, now? Say -it over again." - -"Why, it's as plain as the nose on your face, man. Don't you -see? If it comes head, then I take the pictures and you take the -jewelry. If it comes tail, then you take the jewelry and I take -the pictures. Nothing could be plainer than that; so, flop her up, -corporal." - -"All right, Harry. Here she go--. But hold on!" said he, as a -new light seemed to dawn on his mind, while he raised his cap -and thoughtfully scratched his head. "Let me see. Ah! you young -rascal! You're sharp, you are! Going to gobble up the whole grist -of illuminated generals and statesmen, and leave me this handful -of brass earrings and breastpins to send home to the girl I left -behind me--eh?" - -But every dog has his day, and whether or not Harter bided his -time for retaliation, or had quite forgotten about 'heads I win, -tails you lose,' by the time we got down into Virginia, yet so it -was that in more than one camp he gave Andy and myself a world of -trouble. More than one evening in winter-quarters, as we sat about -our fire, cartridges were dropped down our chimney by some unseen -hand, driving us out of our tent in a jiffy; and it was not seldom -that our pan of frying hard-tack was sent a flying by a sudden -explosion. It was wasted breath to ask who did it. - -We were lying in camp near the Rappahannock some time along in the -fall of 1863, when Andy said one day,-- - -"Look here, Harry, let's have some _roast_ beef once. I'm tired of -this everlasting frying and frizzling, and my mouth just waters -for a good roast. And I've just learned how to do it, too, for I -saw a fellow over here in another camp at it, and I tell you it's -just fine. You see, you take your chunk of beef and wrap it up in a -cloth or newspaper, and then you get some clay and cover it thick -all over with the clay, until it looks like a big forty-pound -cannon-ball, and then you put it in among the red-hot coals, and -it bakes hard like a brick; and when it's done, you just crack the -shell off, and out comes your roast fit for the table of a king." - -We at once set to work, and all went well enough till Harter came -along that way. While Andy was off for more clay, and I was looking -after more paper, Harter fumbled around our beef, saying he didn't -believe we could roast it that way. - -"Just you wait, now," said Andy, coming in with the clay; "we'll -show you." - -So we covered our beef thick with stiff clay, and rolled the great -ball into the camp-fire, burying it among the hot ashes and coals, -and sat down to watch it, while the rest of the boys were boiling -their coffee and frying their steaks for dinner. The fire was a -good one, and there were about a dozen black tin cups dangling on -as many long sticks, their several owners squatting about in a -circle,--when all of a sudden, with a terrific bang, amid a shower -of sparks and hot ashes, the coffee-boilers were scattered, right -and left, and a dozen quarts of coffee sent hissing and sizzling -into the fire. Our poor roast beef was a sorry looking mess indeed -when we picked it out of the general wreck. - -We always believed that Harter had somehow smuggled a cartridge -into that beef of ours while our backs were turned, and we -determined to pay him back in his own coin on the very first -favorable opportunity. It was a long time, however, before the -coveted opportunity came; in fact it was quite a year afterward, -and happened in this wise. - -We were lying in front of Petersburg, some little while after the -celebrated Petersburg mine explosion, of which my readers have no -doubt often heard. We were playing a game of chess one day, Andy -and I, behind the high breastworks. Our chessmen we had whittled -out of soft white pine with our jack-knives. I remember we were at -first puzzled to know how to distinguish our men; for, all being -whittled out of white pine, both sides were of course alike white, -and it was impossible to keep them from getting sadly confused -during the progress of the game. At length, however, we hit on the -expedient of staining one half of our men with tincture of iodine, -which we begged of the surgeon, and then they did quite well. Our -kings we called generals,--one Grant, the other Lee,--the knights -were cavalry, the castles forts, the bishops chaplains, and the -pawns Yanks and Johnny Rebs. We were deep in a game of chess with -these our men one day, when Andy suddenly broke a long silence by -saying: - -"Harry, do you remember how Harter blew up our beef-roast last year -down there along the Rappahannock? And don't you think it's pretty -nearly time we should pay him back? Because if you do, I've got a -plan for doing it." - -"Yes, Andy, I remember it quite well; but then, you know, we are -not quite sure he did it. Besides, he was corporal then, and he's -captain now, and he might play the mischief with us if he catches -us at any nice little game of that sort." - -"Oh, pshaw!" exclaimed Andy, as he threw out his cavalry on my -right flank. "He won't find out; and if he does, 'all's fair in -love, war, and controversy,' you know, and I'm sure we can rely on -his good nature, even if he does get a little riled." - -On examining into matters at the conclusion of the game, we found -that the captain was on duty somewhere, and that, so far, the coast -was clear. Entering his tent, we found a narrow bunk of poles on -either side, with an open space of several feet between the two. -Here, while Andy set out in search of ammunition, I was set to -digging a six-inch square hole in the ground, into which we emptied -the powder of a dozen cartridges, covering all carefully with -earth, and laying a long train, or running fuse, out of the rear of -the tent. - -When Harter came in for dinner, and was comfortably seated on his -bunk with his cup of bean-soup on his knee, suddenly there was -a fiz-z-z and a boom! and Harter came dashing out of his tent, -covered with gravel and bespattered with bean soup, to the great -merriment of the men, who instantly set up shouts of-- - -"Fall in your pits!" - -"Petersburg mine explosion!" - -"'Nother great Union victory!" - -Did he get cross? Well, it was natural he should feel a little -vexed when the fur was so rudely brushed the wrong way; but he -tried not to show it, and laughed along with the rest; for in war, -as in peace, a man must learn to join in a laugh at his own expense -sometimes, as well as to make merry over the mishaps of others. - - * * * * * - -A famous and favorite kind of sport, especially when we had been -long lying in camp in summer, or were in quarters in winter, was -what was commonly known as "raiding the sutler." - -We heard a great deal in those days about "raids." We read in the -newspapers which occasionally fell into our hands, or heard on the -picket-line, of raids into Maryland and raids into Pennsylvania, -sometimes by Mosby's men, and sometimes by Stuart's cavalry; and -it was quite natural, when growing weary of the dull monotony of -camp life, to look around for some one to raid. Very often the -sutler was the chosen victim. He was selected, not because he -was a civilian and wore citizen's clothes, but chiefly because -of what seemed to the boys the questionable character of his -pursuit,--making money out of the soldiers. "Here we are,"--for so -the men would reason--"here we are,--left home and took our lives -in our hands--in for 'three years or sooner shot'--get thirteen -dollars a month and live on hard-tack; and over there is that -sutler, at whose shop a man may spend a whole month's pay and -hardly get enough to make a single good meal--it's a confounded -mean business!" - -The sutler seldom enjoyed much respect, as how could he when he -flourished and fattened on our hungry stomachs? Of course, if a man -spent the whole of his month's pay for ginger-cakes and sardines, -why it was his own fault. He did not need to spend his money if he -did not choose to do so. But it was hardly in human nature to live -on pork, bean-soup, and hard-tack day after day, and not feel the -mouth water at the sight of the sutler's counter, with its array of -delicacies, poor and common though they were. Besides, the sutler -usually charged most exorbitant prices--two ginger-cakes for five -cents, four apples for a quarter, eighty cents for a small can -of condensed milk, and ninety for a pound of butter, which Andy -usually denounced in vigorous Biblical terms as being as strong as -Samson and as old as Methuselah. Maybe the sutler's charges were -none too high, when his many risks were duly considered; for he -was usually obliged to transport his goods a great distance, over -almost impassable roads, and was often liable to capture by the -enemy's foraging parties, besides being exposed to numerous other -fortunes of war, whereby he might lose his all in an hour. But -soldiers in search of sport were not much disposed to take a just -and fair view of all his circumstances. What they saw was only -this--that they wanted somebody to raid, and who could be a fitter -subject than the sutler? - -The sutler's establishment was a large wall tent, usually pitched -on the side of the camp farthest away from the colonel's quarters. -It was therefore in a somewhat exposed and tempting position. -Whenever it was thought well to raid him, the men of his own -regiment would usually enter into a contract with those of some -neighboring regiment-- - -"You fellows come over here some night and raid our sutler, and -then we'll come over to your camp some night and raid your sutler. -Will you do it?" - -It was generally agreed to, this courteous offer of friendly -offices; and great, though indescribable, was the sport which often -resulted. For when all had been duly arranged and made ready, some -dark night when the sutler was sleeping soundly in his tent, a -skirmish line from the neighboring regiment would cautiously pick -its way down the hill and through the brush, and silently surround -the tent. One party, creeping close in by the wall of the tent, -would loosen the ropes and remove them from the stakes on the one -side, while another party on the other side, at a given signal, -would pull the whole concern down over the sutler's head. And -then would arise yells and cheers for a few moments, followed by -immediate silence as the raiding party would steal quietly away. - -Did they steal his goods? Very seldom; for soldiers are not -thieves, and plunder was not the object, but only fun. Why did -not the officers punish the men for doing this? Well, sometimes -they did. But sometimes the officers believed the sutler to be -exorbitant in his charges and oppressive to the men, and cared -little how soon he was cleared out and sent a-packing; and -therefore they enjoyed the sport quite as well as the men, and -often did as Nelson did when he put his blind eye to the telescope -and declared he did not see the signal to recall the fleet. They -winked at the frolic and came on the scene usually in ample time to -condole with the sutler, but quite too late to do him any service. - -Thus, once when the sutler was being raided he hastily sent for -the "officer of the day," whose business it was to keep order in -the camp. But he was so long in coming, that the boys were in the -height of their sport when he arrived; and not wishing to spoil -their fun, he gave his orders in two quite different ways,--one in -a very loud voice, intended for the sutler to hear, and the other -in a whisper, designed for the boys:-- - -(_Loud._) "Get out of this! Put you all in the guard-house!" - -(_Whisper._) "Pitch in, boys! Pitch in, boys!" - -The sutler's tent was often a favorite lounging place with the -officers. One evening early a party of about a dozen officers were -seated on boxes and barrels in the sutler's establishment. All of -them wanted cigars, but no one liked to call for them, for cigars -were so dear that no one cared about footing the bill for the -whole party, and yet could not be so impolite as to call for one -for himself alone. As they sat there with the flaps of the tent -thrown back, they could see quite across the camp to the colonel's -quarters beyond. - -"Now, boys," said Captain K----, "I see the chaplain coming down -Company C street, and I think he is coming here; and if he does -come here we'll have some fun at his expense. We all want cigars, -and we might as well confess what is an open secret, that none of -us dares to call for a cigar for himself alone, nor feels like -footing the bill for the whole party. Well, let the sutler set out -a few boxes of cigars on the counter, so as to have them handy when -they are needed, and you follow my lead, and we'll see whether we -can't somehow or other make the chaplain yonder pay the reckoning." - -The chaplain in question, be it remembered, made some pretension -to literature, and considered himself quite an authority in camp -on all questions pertaining to orthography, etymology, syntax, and -prosody; and presumed to be an umpire in all matters which might -from time to time come into discussion in the realm of letters. -So, when he came into the sutler's tent, Captain K---- saluted him -with,-- - -"Good evening, Chaplain; you're just the very man we want to see. -We've been having a little discussion here, and as we saw you -coming we thought we'd submit the question to you for decision." - -"Well, gentlemen," said the chaplain, with a smile of -gratification, "I shall be only too happy to render you what poor -assistance I can. May I inquire what may be the question under -discussion?" - -"It is but a small thing," replied the captain; "you might, I -suppose, call it more a _matter of taste_ than anything else. It -concerns a question of emphasis, or rather, perhaps, of inflection, -and it is this: Would you say, 'Gentlemen, will you have a cigar?' -or 'Gentlemen, will you have a cigar?'" - -Pushing his hat forward as he thoughtfully scratched his head, the -chaplain, after a pause, responded,-- - -"Well, there don't seem to be much difference between the two. But, -on consideration, I believe I would say, 'Gentlemen, will you have -a cigar?'" - -"_Certainly!_" exclaimed they all, in full and hearty chorus, as -they rushed up to the counter in a body and each took a handful -of cigars with a "Thank you, Chaplain," leaving their bewildered -literary umpire to pay the bill,--which, for the credit of his -cloth, I believe he did. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -CHIEFLY CULINARY. - - -It was Frederick the Great, I believe, who said that "An army, like -a serpent, goes upon its belly,"--which was but another way of -saying that if you want men to fight well, you must feed them well. - -Of provisions, Uncle Sam usually gave us a sufficiency; but the -table to which he invited his boys was furnished with little -variety and less delicacy. On first entering the service, the -drawing of our rations was not a small undertaking, for there were -nearly a hundred of us in the company, and it takes a considerable -weight of bread and pork to feed a hundred hungry stomachs. But -after we had been in the field a year or two, the call, "Fall in -for your hard-tack!" was leisurely responded to by only about a -dozen men,--lean, sinewy, hungry-looking fellows, each with his -haversack in hand. I can see them yet as they sat squatting around -a gum-blanket spread on the ground, on which were a small heap of -sugar, another of coffee, and another of rice, may be, which the -corporal was dealing out by successive spoonfuls, as the boys held -open their little black bags to receive their portion, while near -by lay a small piece of salt pork or beef, or possibly a dozen -potatoes. - -Much depended, of course, on the cooking of the provisions -furnished us. At first we tried a company cook; but we soon learned -that the saying of Miles Standish,-- - - "If you wish a thing to be well done, - You must do it yourself, you must not leave it to others!" - -applied to cooking quite as well as to courting. We therefore soon -dispensed with our cook, and although scarcely any of us knew -how to cook so much as a cup of coffee when we took the field, a -keen appetite, aided by that necessity which is ever the mother -of invention, soon taught us how bean-soup should be made and -hard-tack prepared. - -Hard-tack! It is a question which I have much debated with -myself while writing, whether this chapter should not be entitled -"Hard-Tack." For as this article of diet was the grand staff of -life to the Boys in Blue, it would seem that but little could be -said of the culinary art in camp without involving some mention of -hard-tack at almost every turn. - - [Illustration: "FALL IN FOR HARD TACK!"] - -As I write, there lies before me on my table an innocent-looking -cracker, which I have faithfully preserved for years. It is about -the size and has the general appearance of an ordinary soda -biscuit. If you take it in your hand, you will find it somewhat -heavier than an ordinary biscuit, and if you bite it--but no; I -will not let you bite it, for I wish to see how long I can keep -it. But if you were to reduce it to a fine powder, you would -find that it would absorb considerably more water than an equal -weight of wheat-flour; showing that in the making of hard-tack -the chief object in view is to stow away the greatest amount of -nourishment in the smallest amount of space. You will also observe -that this cracker is very hard. This you may perhaps attribute -to its great age. But if you imagine that its age is to be -measured only by the years which have elapsed since the war, you -are greatly mistaken; for there was a common belief among the boys -that our hard-tack had been baked long before the commencement -of the Christian era! This opinion was based upon the fact that -the letters B. C. were stamped on many, if not indeed all, of the -cracker-boxes. To be sure there were some wiseacres who shook -their heads, and maintained that these mysterious letters were -the initials of the name of some army contractor or inspector of -supplies; but the belief was wide-spread and deep-seated that they -were without a doubt intended to set forth the era in which our -bread had been baked. - -For our hard-tack were very hard; you could scarcely break -them with your teeth--some of them you could not fracture with -your fist. Still, as I have said, there was an immense amount -of nourishment stowed away in them, as we soon discovered when -once we had learned the secret of getting at it. It required -some experience and no little hunger to enable one to appreciate -hard-tack aright, and it demanded no small amount of inventive -power to understand how to cook hard-tack as they ought to be -cooked. If I remember correctly, in our section of the army we had -not less than fifteen different ways of preparing them. In other -parts, I understand, they had discovered one or two ways more; -but with us, fifteen was the limit of the culinary art when this -article of diet was on the board. - -On the march they were usually not cooked at all, but eaten in -the raw state. In order, however, to make them somewhat more -palatable, a thin slice of nice fat pork was cut down and laid on -the cracker, and a spoonful of good brown sugar put on top of the -pork, and you had a dish fit for a--soldier. Of course the pork -had just come out of the pickle, and was consequently quite raw; -but fortunately we never heard of _trichinae_ in those days. I -suppose they had not yet been invented. When we halted for coffee, -we sometimes had fricasseed hard-tack--prepared by toasting them -before the hot coals, thus making them soft and spongy. If there -was time for frying, we either dropped them into the fat in the -dry state and did them brown to a turn, or soaked them in cold -water and then fried them, or pounded them into a powder, mixed -this with boiled rice or wheat flour, and made griddle-cakes and -honey--minus the honey. When, as was generally the case on a march, -our hard-tack had been broken into small pieces in our haversacks, -we soaked these in water and fried them in pork-fat, stirring well -and seasoning with salt and sutler's pepper, thus making what was -commonly known as a "Hishy-hashy, or a hot-fired stew." - -But the great triumph of the culinary art in camp, to my mind, -was a hard-tack pudding. This was made by placing the biscuit in -a stout canvas bag, and pounding bag and contents with a club -on a log, until the biscuit were reduced to a fine powder. Then -you added a little wheat-flour (the more the better), and made -a stiff dough, which was next rolled out on a cracker-box lid, -like pie-crust. Then you covered this all over with a preparation -of stewed dried apples, dropping in here and there a raisin or -two, just for "auld lang syne's" sake. The whole was then rolled -together, wrapped in a cloth, boiled for an hour or so, and eaten -with wine sauce. The wine was, however, usually omitted, and hunger -inserted in its stead. - -Thus you see what truly vast and unsuspected possibilities reside -in this innocent-looking three-and-a-half-inch-square hard-tack -lying here on my table before me. Three like this specimen made a -meal, and nine were a ration; and this is what fought the battles -for the Union. - -The army hard-tack had but one rival, and that was the army -bean. A small white roundish soup-bean it was, such as you have -no doubt often seen. It was quite as innocent looking as its -inseparable companion, the hard-tack, and, like it, was possessed -of possibilities which the uninitiated would never suspect. It was -not so plastic an edible as the hard-tack, indeed; that is to say, -not capable of entering into so many different combinations, nor -susceptible of so wide a range of use, but the one great dish which -might be made of it was so pre-eminently excellent, that it threw -hishy-hashy and hard-tack pudding quite into the shade. This was -"baked beans." No doubt bean-soup was very good, as it was also -very common; but oh, "baked beans!" - -I had heard of the dish before, but had never, even remotely, -imagined what toothsome delights lurked in the recesses of a -camp-kettle of beans baked after the orthodox backwoods fashion, -until one day Bill Strickland, whose home was in the lumber -regions, where the dish had no doubt been first invented, said to -me,-- - -"Come round to our tent to-morrow morning; we're going to have -baked beans for breakfast. If you will walk around to the lower end -of our Company street with me, I'll show you how we bake beans up -in the country I come from." - -It was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and the boys were -already busy. They had an immense camp-kettle about two thirds full -of parboiled beans. Near by they had dug a hole in the ground, -about three feet square and two deep, in which and on top of which -a great fire was to be made about dusk, so as to get the hole -thoroughly heated and full of red-hot coals by the time _tattoo_ -sounded. Into this hole the camp-kettle was then set, with several -pounds of fat pork on the top of the beans, and securely covered -with an inverted mess-pan. It was sunk into the red-hot coals, by -which it was completely concealed, and was left there all night to -bake, one of the camp-guards throwing a log on the fire from time -to time during the night, to keep matters a-going. - -Early the next morning some one shook me roughly, as I lay sleeping -soundly in my bunk,-- - -"Get up, Harry. Breakfast is ready. Come over to our tent. If you -never ate baked beans before, you never ate anything worth eating." - -I found three or four of the boys seated around the camp-kettle, -each with a tin plate on his knee and a spoon in his hand, doing -their very best to establish the truth of the adage that "the proof -of the pudding is in the eating." Now it is a far more difficult -matter to describe the experiences of the palate than of either -the eye or the ear, and therefore I shall not attempt to tell the -reader how very good baked beans are. The only trouble with a -camp-kettle full of this delicious food was that it was gone so -soon. Where _did_ it get to, anyhow? It was something like Father -Tom's quart of drink,--"an irrational quantity, because it was too -much for one and too little for two." - -Still, too much of a good thing _is_ too much; and one might get -quite too much of beans (except in the state above described), as -you will find if you ask some friend or acquaintance who was in the -war to sing you the song of "The Army Bean." And remember, please, -to ask him to sing the refrain to the tune sometimes called "Days -of Absence," and to pull up sharp on the last word,-- - - "Beans for breakfast, - Beans for dinner, - Beans for supper,-- - BEANS!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -"HATCHER'S RUN." - - -While we were yet before Petersburg, two divisions of our corps -(the Fifth), with two divisions of the Ninth, leaving the line of -works at the Weldon Railroad, were pushed out still farther to the -left, with the intention of turning the enemy's right flank. - -Starting out, therefore, early on the morning of Thursday, October -27, 1864, with four days' rations in our haversacks, we moved off -rapidly by the left, striking the enemy's picket-line about ten -o'clock. - - * * * * * - -"Pop! pop! pop! Boom! boom! boom! We're in for it again, boys; so, -steady on the left there, and close up." - -Away into the woods we plunge in line of battle, through briers -and tangled undergrowth, beneath the great trees dripping with -rain. We lose the points of the compass, and halt every now and -then to close up a gap in the line by bearing off to the right or -left. Then forward we go through the brush again, steady on the -left and guide right, until I feel certain that officers as well as -men are getting pretty well "into the woods" as to the direction -of our advance. It is raining, and we have no sun to guide us, and -the moss is growing on the wrong side of the trees. I see one of -our generals sitting on his horse, with his pocket-compass on the -pommel of his saddle, peering around into the interminable tangle -of brier and brush, with an expression of no little perplexity. - -Yet still on, boys, while the pickets are popping away, and the -rain is pouring down. The evening falls early and cold, as we come -to a stand in line of battle and put up breastworks for the night. - -We have halted on the slope of a ravine. Minie-balls are singing -over our heads as we cook our coffee, while sounds of axes and -falling trees are heard on all sides; and still that merry "z-i-p! -z-i-p!" goes on among the tree-tops and sings us to sleep at -length, as we lie down shivering under our India-rubber blankets, -to get what rest we may. - -How long we had slept I did not know, when some one shook me, and -in a whisper the word passed around: - -"Wake up, boys! Wake up, boys! Don't make any noise, and take care -your tin cups and canteens don't rattle. We've got to get out of -this on a double jump!" - -We were in a pretty fix indeed! In placing the regiments in -position, by some blunder, quite excusable, no doubt, in the -darkness and the tangled forest, we had been unwittingly -pushed beyond the main line,--were, in fact, quite outside the -picket-line! It needed only daylight to let the enemy see his game, -and sweep us off the boards. And daylight was fast coming in the -east. - -Long after, a Company A boy, who was on picket that night, told -me that, upon going to the rear somewhere about three o'clock, to -cook a cup of coffee at a half-extinguished fire, a cavalry picket -ordered him back within the lines. - -"The lines are not back there; my regiment is out yonder in front, -on skirmish!" - -"No," said the cavalry-man, "our cavalry is the extreme -picket-line, and our orders are to send in all men beyond us." - -"Then take me at once to General Bragg's headquarters," said the -Company A boy. - -When General Bragg learned the true state of affairs, he at once -ordered out an escort of five hundred men to bring in our regiment. - -Meanwhile we were trying to get back of our own accord. - -"This way, men!" said a voice in a whisper ahead. - -"This way, men!" said another voice in the rear. - -That we were wandering about vainly in the darkness, and under no -certain leadership, was evident, for I noticed in the dim light -that, in our tramping about in the tangle, we had twice crossed the -same fallen tree, and so must have been moving in a circle. - -And now, as the day is dawning in the east, and the enemy's pickets -see us trying to steal away, a large force is ordered against us, -and comes sweeping down with yells and whistling bullets,--just as -the escort of five hundred, with reassuring cheers, comes up from -the rear to our support! - -Instantly we are in the cloud and smoke of battle. A battery of -artillery, hastily dragged up into position, opens on the charging -line of gray with grape and canister, while from bush and tree -pours back and forth the dreadful blaze of musketry. For half an -hour, the conflict rages fierce and high in the dawning light and -under the dripping trees,--the officers shouting, and the men -cheering and yelling and charging, often fighting hand to hand and -with bayonets locked in deadly encounter, while the air is cut -by the whistling lead, and the deep bass of the cannon wakes the -echoes of the forest. - -But at last the musketry-fire gradually slackens, and we find -ourselves out of danger. - -The enemy's prey has escaped him, and, to the wonder of all, we are -brought within the lines again, begrimed with smoke and leaving -many of our poor fellows dead or wounded on the field. - -Anxiously every man looked about for his chum and messmates, lost -sight of during the whirling storm of battle in the twilight woods. -And I, too, looked; but where was Andy? - - [Illustration: THE CONFLICT AT DAYBREAK IN THE WOODS AT HATCHER'S - RUN.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -KILLED, WOUNDED, OR MISSING? - - -Andy was nowhere to be found. - -All along the line of battle-worn men, now gathered in irregular -groups behind the breastworks, and safe from the enemy, I searched -for him--and searched in vain. Not a soul had tidings of him. At -last, however, a soldier with his blouse-sleeve ripped up and a -red-stained bandage around his arm, told me that, about daylight, -when the enemy came sweeping down on us, he and Andy were behind -neighboring trees. He himself received a ball through the arm, and -was busy trying to stop the flow of blood, when, looking up, he saw -Andy reel, and, he thought, _fall_. He was not quite sure it was -Andy, but he thought so. - -Andy killed! What should I do without Andy?--the best and truest -friend, the most companionable messmate, that a soldier ever could -hope to have! It could not be! I would look farther for him. - -Out, therefore, I went, over the breastworks to the picket-line, -where the rifles were popping away at intervals. I searched among -trees and behind bushes, and called and called, but all in vain. -Then the retreat was sounded, and we were drawn off the field, and -marched back to the fortifications which we had left the day before. - -Toward evening, as we reached camp, I obtained permission to -examine the ambulance-trains, in search of my chum. As one train -after another came in, I climbed up and looked into each ambulance; -but the night had long set in before I found him--or thought I had -found him. Raising my lantern high, so as to throw the light full -on the face of the wounded man lying in a stupor on the floor of -the wagon, I was at first confident it was Andy; for the figure was -short, well-built, and had raven black hair. - -"Andy! Andy! Where are you hurt?" I cried. - -But no answer came. Rolling him on his back and looking full into -his face, I found, alas! a stranger--a manly, noble face, too, but -no life, no signs of life, in it. There were indeed a very low, -almost imperceptible breathing and a faint pulse--but the man was -evidently dying. - -About a week afterward, having secured a pass from corps -headquarters, I started for City Point to search the hospitals -there for my chum. The pass allowed me not only to go through all -the guards I might meet on my way, but also to ride free to City -Point over the railroad--"General Grant's Railroad," we called it. - -Properly speaking, this was a branch of the road from City Point -to Petersburg, tapping it about midway between the two places, and -from that point following our lines closely to the extreme left of -our position. Never was road more hastily built. So rapidly did the -work advance, that scarcely had we learned such a road was planned, -before one evening the whistle of a locomotive was heard down the -line only a short distance to our right. No grading was done. The -ties were simply laid on the top of the ground, the rails were -nailed fast, and the rolling-stock was put on without waiting -for ballast; and there the railroad was--up hill and down dale, -and "as crooked as a dog's hind leg." At only one point had any -cutting been done, and that was where the road, after climbing a -hill, came within range of the enemy's batteries. The first trains -which passed up and down afforded a fine mark and were shelled -vigorously, the enemy's aim becoming with daily practice so exact -that nearly every train was hit somewhere. The hill was then cut -through, and the fire avoided. It was a rough road, and the riding -was full of fearful jolts; but it saved thousands of mules, and -enabled General Grant to hold his position during the winter of the -Petersburg siege. - -I was obliged to make an early start, for the train left General -Warren's headquarters about four o'clock in the morning. When I -reached the station, I found on the platform a huge pile of boxes -and barrels, nearly as high as a house, which I was informed was -the Fifth Corps' share of a grand dinner which the people of New -York had just sent down to the Army of the Potomac. Before the -train arrived I had seen enough to cause me to fear that a very -small portion of the contents of those boxes and barrels would ever -find its way into the haversack of a drummer-boy. For I had not -been contemplating the pile with a wistful eye very long, before a -certain sergeant came out of a neighboring tent with a lantern in -his hand, followed by two darkies, one of whom carried an axe. - -"Knock open that bar'l, Bill," said the sergeant. - -Bill did so. The sergeant, thrusting in his hand, pulled out a fat -turkey and a roll of butter. - -"Good!" said he. "Now let's see what's in that box." - -Smash went Bill's axe into the side of the box. - -"Good again!" said the sergeant, taking out a chicken, several -tumblers of jelly, and a great pound-cake, which latter made me -feel quite homesick. "Now, Bill," continued the sergeant, "let's -have breakfast." - -City Point was a stirring place at that time. It was General -Grant's headquarters, and the depot of all supplies for the army; -and here I found the large hospitals which I meant to search for -Andy, although I scarcely hoped to find him. - -Into hospital-tents at one end and out at the other, looking from -side to side at the long white rows of cots, and inquiring as I -went, I searched long and almost despairingly, until at last--there -he was, sitting on his cot, his head neatly bandaged, writing a -letter! - -Coming up quietly behind him, I laid my hand on his shoulder with: -"Andy, old boy, have I found you at last? I thought you were -killed!" - -"Why, Harry!--God bless you!" - -The story was soon told. "A clip in the head, you see, Harry, out -there among the trees when the Johnnies came down on us, yelling -like demons,--all got black before me as I reeled and fell. By and -by, coming to myself a little, I begged a man of a strange regiment -to help me off, and so I got down here. It's nothing much, Harry, -and I'll soon be with you again,--not nearly so bad as that poor -fellow over there, the man with the black hair. His is a wonderful -case. He was brought in the same day I was, with a wound in the -head which the doctors said was fatal. Every day we expected him -to die; but there he lies yet, breathing very low, conscious, but -unable to speak or to move hand or foot. Some of his company came -yesterday to see him. They had been with him when he fell, had -supposed him mortally wounded, and had taken all his valuables out -of his pockets to send home--among them was an ambrotype of his -wife and child. Well, you just should have seen that poor fellow's -face when they opened that ambrotype and held it before his eyes! -He couldn't speak or reach out his hand to take the picture; and -there he lay, convulsed with feeling, while tears rolled down his -cheeks." - -On looking at him, I found it was the very man I had seen in the -ambulance and mistaken for Andy. - -Before returning to camp on the evening train, I strolled along the -wharf and watched the boats coming and going, lading and unlading -their cargoes of army supplies. A company of colored soldiers was -doing guard duty at one point along the wharf. They were evidently -proud of their uniforms, and big with importance generally. By and -by two officers came leisurely walking toward the wharf, one of -whom I at once recognized as General Grant. He was smoking a cigar. -As the two stood on the edge of the wharf, looking up the river and -conversing in low tones, one of the colored guards came up behind -them and tapped the general on the shoulder. - -"Beg pardon, Gen'l," said the guard, giving the military salute, -"but dere ain't no smokin' allowed on dis yere warf." - -"Are those your orders?" asked the general, with a quiet smile. - -"Yes, sah; dem's de orders." - -Promptly taking his cigar from his lips, the general threw it into -the water. - -On my return to camp late in the evening, I found that the comrade -with whom I was messing during Andy's absence had already "turned -in" for the night. Leaning upon his elbow on his bunk, as I was -stirring up the fire, in order to make a cup of coffee, he said,-- - -"There is your share of the dinner the New York people sent down to -the Army of the Potomac." - -"Where?" inquired I, looking around everywhere in all the corners -of the tent. "I don't see it." - -"Why, there on your knapsack in the corner." - -On looking toward the spot indicated, I found one potato, half an -onion, and the gristly end of a chicken-wing! - -"You see," continued my messmate, "the New York people meant well, -but they have no idea how big a thing this Army of the Potomac -is, and they did not stop to consider how many toll-gates their -dinner would have to pass in order to reach us. By the time corps, -division, brigade, regimental, and company headquarters had -successively inspected and taken toll out of the boxes and barrels, -there was precious little left for the high private in the rear -rank." - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -A WINTER RAID TO NORTH CAROLINA. - - -About the beginning of December, 1864, we were busy building cabins -for the winter. Everywhere in the woods to our rear were heard the -sound of axes and the crash of falling trees. Men were carrying -pine-logs on their shoulders, or dragging them along the ground -with ropes, for the purpose of building our last winter-quarters; -for of the three years for which we had enlisted, but a few months -remained. The camp was a scene of activity and interest on all -sides. Here were some men "notching" the logs to fit them firmly -together at the corners; yonder, one was hewing rude Robinson -Crusoe boards for the eaves and gables; there, a man was digging -clay for the chimney, which his messmate was cat-sticking up to a -proper height; while some had already stretched their shelters -over rude cabins, and were busy cooking their suppers. Just then, -as ill-luck would have it in those uncertain days, an orderly rode -into camp with some orders from headquarters, and all building was -directed to be stopped at once. - -"We have orders to move, Andy," said I, coming into the -half-finished cabin where Andy (lately returned from hospital) was -chinking the cracks in the side of the house. - -"Orders to move! Why, where in the world are we going this time of -year? I thought we had tramped around enough for one campaign, and -were going to settle down for the winter." - -"I don't know where we're going; but they say the Sixth Corps will -relieve us in the morning, and we are to pull out, anyhow." - -We were not deceived. At daylight next morning, December 6th, we -did "pack up and fall in" and move out from our fortified camp, -away to the rear, where we lay all day massed in the woods, with -nothing to do but to speculate as to the direction we were to take. - -From daylight of Wednesday, December 7th, we marched, through rain -and stiff mud, steadily toward the South, crossing the Nottaway -River on pontoons at 8 P. M., and halting at midnight for such -rest as we could find on the cold damp soil of a cornfield. Next -day on again we went, straight toward the South, through Sussex -Court-house at 10 A. M., halting at dusk near the Weldon and -Petersburg Railway, about five miles from the North Carolina line. - -Though we did not then know what all this meant, we soon learned -that it was simply a winter raid on the enemy's communications; -the intention being to destroy the Weldon road, and so render -it useless to him. True, we had already cut that same road near -Petersburg; but the enemy still brought his supplies on it from the -South, near to the point where our lines were thrown across, and by -means of wagons carried these supplies around our left, and safely -into Petersburg. - - [Illustration: WRECKING THE RAILWAY.] - -Never was railway more completely destroyed. The morning after we -had reached the scene of operations, in the drizzling rain and -falling sleet, the whole command was set to work. As far as the eye -could see down the road were men in blue, divested of weapons -and accoutrements, prying and wrenching and tearing away at iron -rails and wooden ties. It was a well-built road, and hard to tear -up. The rails were what are known as "T" rails, and each being -securely fastened to its neighbor at either end by a stout bar of -iron or steel, which had been forced into the groove of the T, the -track was virtually two long unbroken rails throughout its whole -length. - -"No use tryin' to tear up them rails from the ties, Major," said an -old railroader, with a touch of his cap. "The plagued things are -all spliced together at the j'ints, and the only way to get them -off is to pry up the whole thing, rails, ties, and all, and then -split the ties off from the rails when you've got her upside down." - -So, with fence-rails for levers, the men fell to work, prying and -heave-I-ho-ing, until one side of the road, ties, track, and all, -pulled and wrenched by thousands of strong arms, began to loosen -and move, and was raised gradually higher and higher. Forced at -last to a perpendicular, it was pushed over and laid upside down, -with a mighty cheer from the long line of wreckers! - -Once the thing was started it was easy enough to roll miles and -miles of it over without a break. And so brigade after brigade -rolled it along; tearing and splitting off the ties, and wrenching -away the rails. - -It was not enough, however, merely to destroy the track. The rails -must be made forever useless as rails. Accordingly, the ties were -piled in heaps, or built up as children build corn-cob houses, and -then the heaps were fired. The rails were laid across the top of -the burning pile, where they soon became red-hot in the middle, and -bent themselves double by the weight of their ends, which hung out -beyond the reach of the fire. In some cases, however, a grim and -humorous conceit led to a more artistic use of the heated rails, -for many of them were taken and carried to some tree hard by, and -twisted two or three times around the trunk, while not a few of the -men hit on the happy device of bending the rails, some into the -shape of a U, and others into the shape of an S, and setting them -up by pairs against the fences along the line, in order that, in -this oft-repeated iron U S, it might be seen that Uncle Sam had -been looking around in those parts. - -When darkness came, the scene presented by that long line of -burning ties was wild and weird. Rain and sleet had been falling -all day, and there was frost as well, and we lay down at night -with stiff limbs, aching bones, and chattering teeth. Everything -was covered with a coating of ice; so that Andy and I crept under -a wagon for shelter and a dry spot to lie down in. But the horses, -tied to the wheels, gave us little sleep. Scarcely would we fall -into a doze, when one of the horses would poke his nose between -the wheels, or through the spokes, and whinny pitifully in our -ears. And no wonder, either, we thought, when, crawling out at -daybreak, we found the poor creatures covered with a coating of -ice, and their tails turned to great icicles. The trees looked very -beautiful in their magnificent frost-work; but we were too cold and -wet to admire anything, as our drums hoarsely beat the "assembly," -and we set out for a two days' wet and weary march back to camp in -front of Petersburg. - -Both on the way down and on the retreat, we passed many fine farms -or plantations. It was a new country to us, and no other Northern -troops had passed through it. One consequence of this was that we -were everywhere looked upon with wonder by the white inhabitants, -and by the colored population as deliverers sent for their express -benefit. - -All along the line of march, both down and back, the overjoyed -darkies flocked to us by hundreds, old and young, sick and well, -men, women, and children. Whenever we came to a road or lane -leading to a plantation, a crowd of darkies would be seen hurrying -pell-mell down the lane toward us. And then they would take their -places in the colored column that already tramped along the road -in awe and wonderment beside "de sodjers." There were stout young -darkies with bundles slung over their backs, old men hobbling along -with canes, women in best bib and tucker with immense bundles on -their heads, mothers with babes in their arms, and a barefooted -brood trotting along at their heels; and now and then one would -call out anxiously to some venturesome boy: - -"Now, you Sam! Whar you goin' dar? You done gone git run ober by de -sodjers yit, you will." - -"Auntie, you've got a good many little folks to look after, haven't -you?" some kindly soldier would say to one of the mothers. - -"Ya-as, Cunnel, right smart o' chilluns I'se got yere; but I'se -a-gwine up Norf, an' can't leabe enny on 'em behind, sah." - -Fully persuaded that the year of jubilee had come at last, the poor -things joined us, from every plantation along the road, many of -them mayhap leaving good masters for bad, and comfortable homes for -no homes at all. Occasionally, however, we met some who would not -leave. I remember one old, gray-headed, stoop-shouldered uncle who -stood leaning over a gate, looking wide-eyed at the blue-coats and -the great exodus of his people. - -"Come along, uncle," shouted one of the men. "Come along,--the year -of jubilee is come!" - -"No, sah. Dis yere chile's too ole. Reckon I better stay wid ole -Mars'r." - -When we halted at nightfall in a cotton-field, around us was -gathered a great throng of colored people, houseless, homeless, -well-nigh dead with fatigue, and with nothing to eat. Near where -we pitched our tent, for instance, was a poor negro woman with -six little children, of whom the oldest was apparently not more -than eight or nine years of age. The whole forlorn family crouched -shivering together in the rain and sleet. Andy and I thought, as we -were driving in our tent-pins: - -"That's pretty hard now, isn't it? Couldn't we somehow get a -shelter and something to eat for the poor souls?" - -It was not long before we had set up a rude but serviceable -shelter, and thrown in a blanket and built a fire in front for -them, and set Dinah to cooking coffee and frying bacon for her -famishing brood. - -Never shall I forget how comical those little darkies looked as -they sat cross-legged about the fire, watching the frying-pan and -coffee-pot with great eager eyes! - -Dinah, as she cooked, and poked the fire betimes, told Andy and me -how she had deserted the old home at the plantation,--a home which -no doubt she afterward wished she had never left. - -"When we heerd dat de Yankees was a-comin'," said she, "de folks -all git ready fer to leabe. Ole Mars' John, he ride out de road dis -way, an' young Mars' Harry, he ride out de road dat way, fer to -watch if dey was a-comin'; and den ebbery now an' den one or udder -on 'em'd come a-ridin' up to de house an' say, 'Did ye see anyt'ing -on 'em yit? Did ye hear whar dey is now?' An' den one mawning, -down come young Mars' Harry a-ridin' his hoss at a gallop,--'Git -out o' dis! Git out o' dis! De Yankees is a-comin'! De Yankees is -a-comin'!' and den all de folks done gone cl'ar out an' leabe us -all 'lone, an' so when we see de sodjers comin' we done cl'ar out -too,--ki-yi!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -"JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME." - - -We had just come out of what is known as the "Second Hatcher's Run" -fight, somewhere about the middle of February, 1865. The company, -which was now reduced to a mere handful of men, was standing about -a smoking fire in the woods, discussing the engagement and relating -adventures, when some one came in from brigade headquarters, -shouting the following message: "Say, boys, good news! They told me -over at headquarters that we are to be sent North to relieve the -'regulars' somewhere." - -Ha! ha! ha! That was an old story,--too old to be good, and too -good to be true. For a year and more we had been hearing that same -good news,--"Going to Baltimore," "Going to Washington," and so -forth, and we always ended with going into battle instead, or off -on some long raid. - -So we didn't much heed the tidings; we were too old birds to be -caught with chaff. - -But, in spite of our incredulity, the next morning we were marched -down to General Grant's branch of the Petersburg Railway, loaded on -box-cars, and carried to City Point, where we at once embarked on -two huge steamers, which we found awaiting us. - -For two days and nights we were cooped up in those miserable boats. -We had no fire, and we suffered from the cold. We had no water for -thirty-six hours, and, of course, no coffee; and what is life to a -soldier without coffee? All were sea-sick, too, for the weather was -rough. And so, what with hunger and thirst, cold and sea-sickness, -we landed one evening at Baltimore more dead than alive. - -No sooner were we well down the gangplank than the crowd of apple -and pie women that stood on the wharf made quick sales and large -profits. Then we marched away to a "soldiers' retreat" and were -fed. Fed! We never tasted so grand a supper as that before or -since--"salt horse," dry bread and coffee! The darkies that -carried around the great cans of the latter were kept pretty busy -for a while, I can tell you; and they must have thought: - -"Dem sodjers, dar, must be done gone starved, dat's sartin. Nebber -seed sech hungry men in all my bawn days,--nebber!" - -After supper we were lodged in a great upper room of a large -building, having bunks ranged around the four sides of it, and -in the middle an open space, which was soon turned to account; -for one of the boys strung up his fiddle, which he had carried on -his knapsack for full two years, on every march and through every -battle we had been in, and with the help of this we proceeded to -celebrate our late "change of front" with music and dancing until -the small hours of the morning. - - [Illustration: THE CHARGE ON THE CAKES.] - -Down through the streets of Baltimore we march the next day, with -our blackened and tattered flags a-flying, mustering only one -hundred and eighty men out of the one thousand who marched through -those same streets nearly three years before. We find a train -of cars awaiting us, which we gladly enter, making no complaint -that we are stowed away in box or cattle cars, instead of -passenger coaches, for we understand that Uncle Sam cannot afford -any luxuries for his boys, and we have been used to roughing -it. Nor do we complain, either, that we have no fire, although -we have just come out of a warm climate, and the snow is a foot -deep at Baltimore, and is getting deeper every hour as we steam -away northward. Toward evening we pass Harrisburg, giving "three -cheers for Andy Curtin," as the State Capitol comes in sight. -Night draws on, and the boys one by one begin to bunk down on the -floor, wrapped in their great-coats and blankets. But I cannot lie -down or sleep until we have passed a certain way-station, from -which it is but two miles across the hills to my home. I stand at -the door of the car, shivering and chilled to the bone, patiently -waiting and watching as village after village rushes by in the -bright moonlight, until at long last we reach the well-known little -station at the hour of midnight. And then, as I look across the -snow-clad moonlit hills, toward the old red farmhouse where father -and mother and sisters are all sleeping soundly, with never a -thought of my being so near, I fall to thinking, and wondering, -and wishing with a bounding heart, as the train dashes on between -the mountain and the river, and bears me again farther and farther -away from home. Then rolling myself up in my blanket, and drawing -the cape of my overcoat about my head, I lie down on the car floor -beside Andy, and am soon sound asleep. - -The following evening we landed at Elmira, New York, where we were -at once put on garrison duty. _Why_ we had been taken out of the -field and sent to a distant Northern city, we never could discover, -and we had seen too much service to think of asking questions which -the mysterious pigeon-holes of the War Department alone could -answer. But we always deemed it a pity that we were not left in the -field until the great civil war came to an end with the surrender -of Lee at Appomattox, and that we had no part in the final -gathering of the troops at Washington, where the grand old Army of -the Potomac passed in review for the last time. - -But so it was, that after some months of monotonous garrison duty -at Elmira, the great and good news came at last one day that -peace had been declared, and that the great war was over! My young -readers can scarcely imagine what joy instantly burst forth all -over the land. Bells were rung all day long, bonfires burned, and -people paraded the streets half the night, and everybody was glad -beyond possibility of expression. And among the joyful thousands -all over the land, the Boys in Blue were probably the gladdest -of all; for was not the war over now, and would not "Johnny come -marching home?" - -But before we could go home we must be mustered out, and then -we must return to our State capital to be paid off and finally -disbanded, and say a last good-by to our comrades in arms, the -great majority of whom we should never in all probability see -again. And a more hearty, rough and ready, affectionate good-by -there never was in all this wide world. In the rooms of one of -the hotels at the State capital we were gathered, waiting for -our respective trains: knapsacks slung, Sharp's rifles at a -"right-shoulder shift" or a "carry;" songs were sung, hands shaken, -or rather wrung; loud, hearty "God bless you, old fellows!" -resounded; and many were the toasts and the healths that were drunk -before the men parted for good and all. - -It was past midnight when the last camp-fire of the One Hundred -and Fiftieth broke up. "Good by, boys! Good by! God bless you, old -fellow!" was shouted again and again, as by companies or in little -squads we were off for our several trains, some of us bound North, -some East, some West,--and all bound for Home! - -Of the thirteen men who had gone out from our little village -(whither my father's family had meanwhile removed), but three had -lived to return home together. One had already gone home the day -before. Some had been discharged because of sickness or wounds, -and four had been killed. As we rode along over the dusty turnpike -from L---- to M---- in the rattling old stage-coach that evening in -June, we could not help thinking how painful it would be for the -friends of Joe Gutelius and Jimmy Lucas and Joe Ruhl and John Diehl -to see us return without their brave boys, whom we had left on the -field. - - [Illustration: THE WELCOME HOME.] - -Reaching the village at dusk, we found gathered at the hotel where -the stage stopped, a great crowd of our school-fellows and friends, -who had come to meet us. We almost feared to step down among them, -lest they should quite tear us to pieces with shaking of hands. The -stage had scarcely stopped when I heard a well-known voice calling: - -"Harry! Are _you_ there?" - -"Yes, father! Here I am!" - -"God bless you, my boy!" - -And pushing his way through the crowd, my father plunges into the -stage, not able to wait until it has driven around to the house; -and if his voice is husky with emotion, as he often repeats "God -bless you, my boy!" and gets his arm around my neck, is it any -wonder? - -But my dog Rollo can't get into the stage, and so he runs barking -after it, and is the first to greet me at the gate, and jumps up at -me with his great paws on my shoulders. Does he know me? I rather -think he does! - -Then mother and sisters come around, and they must needs call for a -lamp and hold it close to my face, and look me all over from head -to foot, while father is saying to himself again and again, "God -bless you, my boy!" - -Although I knew that my name was never forgotten in the evening -prayer all the while I was away, yet not once, perhaps, in all that -time was father's voice so choked in utterance as when now, his -heart overflowing, he came to give thanks for my safe return. And -when I lay down that night in a clean white bed, for the first time -in three long years, I thanked God for Peace and Home. - - * * * * * - -And--Andy? Why--the Lord bless him and his!--he's a soldier still. -For, having laid aside the blue, he put on the black, being a -sober, steady-going Presbyterian parson now, somewhere up in York -State. I haven't seen him for years; but when we do meet, once -in a great while, there is such a wringing of hands as makes us -both wince until the tears start, and we sit up talking over old -times so far into the night that the good folk of the house wonder -whether we shall ever get to-- - - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Recollections of A Drummer-Boy, by -Harry M. Kieffer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RECOLLECTIONS OF A DRUMMER-BOY *** - -***** This file should be named 44970.txt or 44970.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/7/44970/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Mary Akers and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |