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 Boston CROSBY* NICHOLS 
 
 ■•I" .,r .\l,|,.. 
 
THE 
 
 POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 ARMY NOTES, 
 
 FROM THE FAILURE AT WINCHESTER TO THE 
 REENFORCEMEKT OF ROSECRANS. 
 
 1861-3. 
 
 V 
 
 ALONZO H^Vf^UINT, 
 
 CHAPLAIN OF THE SECOND MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 CROSBY AND NICHOLS 
 NEW YORK: O. S. FELT. 
 1864. 
 
 •3> 
 

 Kntered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1804, by 
 
 ALONZO H. QUINT, 
 
 In tbe Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 ELECTROTTPED AT THE 
 
 Boston Stereotype Foundry, 
 No. 4 Spring Lane. 
 
I DEDICATE THIS A^ O L XJ MI E 
 
 TO THE 
 
 Wxuz anb- (faithful M'dt, 
 
 WHO HAS NOBLY BORNE, FOE HER COUNTRY'S SAKE, THE PAIN OF LONG 
 
 SEPARATION, AND THE CARE OF CHILDREN, AND WHO STILL. 
 
 PATIENTLY WAITS FOR HER HUSBAND'S RETURN ; 
 
 ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF BRAVE WOMEN 
 
 WHOSE HEARTS SUFFER IN THIS 
 
 SACRED WAR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 When I had tlie good fortune, in the spring of the year 
 1861, to be appointed Chaplain of the Second Massachusetts 
 Infantry, I was asked by the proprietors of the Congrega- 
 tionalist to become a correspondent of that paper. I did 
 so ; and have written, Avith tolerable regularity, ever since. 
 The Letters, so furnished, foi-m the basis of the present 
 volume. 
 
 This book is, however, far from being a mere reprint. 
 I have omitted much ; and I have also added much from 
 private notes, especially of facts, which could not properly 
 be made public at the time of their occurrence. I have 
 revised the whole as carefully as the very limited time 
 at my disposal will allow. 
 
 In no sense do these pages assume to be a history. They 
 contain merely the frankest record of impressions received 
 by an eye witness, of places and scenes in our eventful 
 campaigns ; while, of my peculiar duties, I have never 
 avoided nor intruded mention. Friends have urged me to 
 
C PREFACE. 
 
 believe that these observations may be worth adding, in 
 this more permanent form, to the materials of the future 
 historian. 
 
 If any one discovers a change of feeling, from that of 
 political antagonism to the administration (generally ob- 
 scure, of course), to that of hearty confidence in the ability, 
 honesty, and Avisdom of its present head, I am not careful 
 to deny it. Regretting deeply some acts, yet I wonder only 
 that public affairs have been conducted so well, and promise 
 so auspiciously. 
 
 A somewhat parallel work, — the Record of the Second 
 Massachusetts Infantry, — though covering the same cam- 
 paigns, will prove to have an entirely different scope. 
 
 I acknowledge my great indebtedness to the scholarly 
 taste and accuracy of my friend, Mr. Samuel Burnham, 
 of Boston, for his assistance in my absence. The index, 
 also, is entirely his work. 
 
 Camp of the Second Massachusetts Infantry, 
 Akjiy of the Cumberland, March, 1864. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE FAILUKE AT WINCHESTER, 9-35 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 TO CONRAD'S FERRY AND RETURN, .... 36-61 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 LIFE NEAR FREDERICK TOWN, ..... 62-97 
 
 CHAPTER lY.. 
 IN THE VALLEY, ........ 98-149 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 THE RETREAT AND THE RETURN, .... 150-101 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 MOVEMENTS UNDER GENERAL POPE, .... 163-184 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 CEDAR MOUNTAIN, 185-194 
 
8 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 POPE'S KETREAT, 195-209 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE ANTIETAM AUTUMN, . . . . " . . 210-239 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 THE FREDERICKSBURG WINTER, . . . . . 240-276 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 THE PREPARATION SPRING, 276-295 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 TO CHANCELLORVILLE AND RETURN, .... 296-330 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 ON THE RAPIDAN, 337-351 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 FROM THE RAPIDAN TO THE TENNESSEE, . . . 352-378 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 LIFE IN TENNESSEE, 379-398 
 
THE 
 
 POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE FAILURE AT WINCHESTER. 
 
 Near Darnestown, Md., September 6, 1861. 
 
 You think it strange that I do not write. But I remem- 
 ber that machinery used to suffer more by standing still a 
 few months, than it would have done from the wear of use ; 
 and that, when started, it ran heavily till the dust and dirt 
 worked out and off. The very oil that had lubricated the 
 bearings hardened into a hinderance. 
 
 HoAV could you expect, then, my mental machinery to start 
 into smooth running, after a few weeks of such change as 
 that from a quiet village pastorate to the life of a camp, and 
 the total cessation of all writing save the hasty epistles to a 
 fcAV, very few friends, to revered and beloved father and 
 mother, and to the two, mother and child, whose faces are 
 first in thought at morn, and last at night? It used to take 
 time to get into writing order after returning from one's 
 summer vacation ; if that so diverted the mind from its usual 
 current, how much greater the effect where reveille wakes 
 
 (9) 
 
10 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 one at morning dawn, where guard-mounting, parade, drill, 
 and scouting are the day's history, and where tattoo and 
 taps are the last sound before sleep — save when hostile shots 
 call for more sentries, or the long roll starts every soldier to 
 arms ; where the very Sabbath morn is the hour for weekly 
 inspection ; where one's congregation is marshalled by the 
 drum-beat, and marches by companies, with soldierly tread, 
 to the grove of Avorship, to stand or sit in ranks, and where 
 your very choir is detailed by orders, like a picket guard ! 
 Nor are you to forget that the comforts of civilization are not 
 always at hand. You sit at a comfortable desk, and have a 
 good pen (pi'ovided it is quill) , and an inkstand. / seldom 
 see ink, as a fluid. I sit now on a bundle of straw. I hold 
 my paper on my knees. A canvas shields me from the 
 pouring rain. On my door there is no such ingenious catch 
 as guards your sanctum (partly because I have no door), 
 and no man is barred from the chaplain's tent. My time is 
 occupied. We are continually moving. Imagine, therefore, 
 the difiiculty of vsa'iting. 
 
 And now, when I am virtuously determined, what shaU I 
 write about? War? I have no engagements to describe. 
 We have been in an enemy's land, it is true, and our sentinels 
 have been fired upon night after night. We took our place 
 in a noble column of twenty thousand men, burning to fight, 
 but, within ten nrfks of the enemy, our general, like a King 
 of France, — 
 
 "With twice ten thousand men, 
 Marched up a hill, and then marched down again, — 
 
 and left Johnston to go unchecked to fatal Manassas. But 
 no bloody scenes have we yet experienced, though the bullets 
 are restless in our muskets. 
 
 I could write of leaving home ; of a dear church still in 
 
A CHAPLAIN'S POSITION. 11 
 
 memory ; of the crowd and hurrahs which speeded us ; of the 
 last hand-shake at the railway with as dear a friend as pastor 
 or man ever had ; of a little note received there, now treas- 
 ured near the heart ; of the curve which hid the eight years' 
 home at last ; of the real ovation in New York ; of a long, 
 wearying journey, night and day, across New Jersey, sweep- 
 ing through Central Pennsylvania, meeting the fires of the 
 iron fvirnaces at morning gray, dipping our hands and bathing 
 our faces in the beautiful river of the Lehigh Valley, dashing 
 doAvn the magnificent wheat-fields of the Cumberland Valley, 
 across the lordly Susquehanna at Harrisburg, making no 
 rest till Ave enter HagerstOAATi at midnight, there for the first 
 time to meet pacing sentinels, and hear the peremptory 
 " Halt ! " at every corner ; of the marching to the Potomac, 
 camping a night by its waters, of fording at dawTi, entering 
 Virginia ; of passing by old skirmish fields and deserted camps 
 of rebellion ; of many a hard and toilsome march ; of camps 
 where every man who slept slept upon his arms. And now 
 we wait in readiness for whatever orders may come ; and 
 when the fray comes, Massachusetts blood will be true. 
 
 Of a chaplain's position I will wi'ite to-day, though with 
 but a feAV months' experience. Could the opportunities for 
 good here, and the strange fascinations of this strange life be 
 felt, not a minister in Massachusetts but Avould long for these 
 scenes. Our government did Avell to establish this office. 
 Do not believe the burlesque Avhich describes a chaplain's 
 position as useless or uncomfortable. He must meet hard- 
 ships. Sometimes he may go hungry. Often, perhaps, he 
 must make, with others, the ground his bed, with no cover- 
 ing but the skies. Often will he be Avet and tired. But one 
 Avith a good constitution draws only ncAV life from these 
 things. He is invigorated ; and headaches are unknown ; 
 
12 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 and fastidiousness of appetite vanishes ; and fear of cold air 
 ends. Sunburnt and rough he becomes, but he is the more 
 a man. And the more a minister becomes a man^ the better 
 he can fulfil his noble mission. 
 
 There is every opportunity for usefulness. Our officers 
 welcome every effort for the religious good of the regiment. 
 Our men meet openly and frankly every advance which they 
 feel comes from the heart. Every privilege a chaplain asks 
 for (if he is wise enough to confine himself to his o^vn affairs, 
 and regard the duties required of the men) is freely granted. 
 "May I have evening prayer-meetings occasionally?" I 
 asked of our colonel. " Certainly," said he, " every night 
 in the week, if you wish." The hour or place of public wor- 
 ship is at my own disposal. I have the freest entrance to 
 every tent. I have the privileges of an officer Avithout his 
 vexations. I have countersigns, and what is at present an 
 exceptional case, I can cross the lines at pleasure. I dis- 
 tribute such books and papers as I please. With much that 
 is painful to meet, — pains of body and evils of conduct which 
 jar upon the nerves, — yet the opportunity for good is abundant. 
 
 Then there are special conditions which help usefulness. 
 While it is impossible to know all the men, yet one is armed 
 with many a letter from mothers and sisters. One learns 
 the circumstances of many young men. The hospital makes 
 acquaintance Avith the sick. The very care of post-office 
 helping brings personal knowledge of mauy home ties. The 
 discipline of a regiment, also, is favorable to the encourage- 
 ment of good habits. The very rule of obedience to which 
 all are bound, illustrates obedience to God. The necessary 
 trust in commanders is a faint image of needed trust in God. 
 The punishment of wrong strikes at the root of sickly ideas 
 as to God's indifference to sin. And the constant change of 
 
OLD AND NEAV HABITS. 13 
 
 place and of the kind of duty easily illustrates the faith of 
 one Avho " went out not knowing Avhither he went." 
 
 But the chief advantage is in the thorough breaking up of 
 old associations and habits of life. New scenes have dis- 
 placed the old. The old formality is ended. Intercourse 
 between minister and soldier is free and familiar — far dif- 
 ferent from that in the stereotyped localities where the pa- 
 rishioner sleeps in his hired pew. An unknown freshness and 
 life is the rule. The crust which grows over men at home 
 is broken. Society is disintegi'ated ; it crystallizes in new 
 forms. There is no time to settle into chronic dulness. 
 Events are too rapid to allow of bondage to form. Men in 
 proximity to danger are not insensible. Our New England 
 men are not ashamed to acknowledge their need of God's 
 help, and many a petition goes up in silence when they start 
 on some expedition. 
 
 It is not strange that one forgets entirely the momentous 
 question whether Scripture should precede singing, or singing 
 precede Scripture ; whether the congregation should, during 
 singing, face the minister or the choir ; whether standing in 
 prayer is a saving ordinance ; Avhether it is wicked for a 
 minister to disuse the razor. All these things are vital, 
 doubtless, at Ijome ; but here, where men have taken their 
 lives in their hands at their country's call, such formalities 
 seem trivial. Pardon me, if I suggest, also, that one forgets 
 even his denomination, though far from forgetting the dear 
 friends with Avhom he has taken sweet counsel. Whether 
 immersion is better than sprinkling, or bishop than minister, 
 or predestination than free-will, — all are swallowed up in 
 the vital questions of life or death, God's favor or his frown, 
 the broad Fatherhood, and the unity of discipleship. In such 
 a changed life, written sermons are forgotten, and pulpits 
 2 
 
14 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 are obsolete. The minister aucl a thousand men stuncl 
 up face to face and heart to heai't, ignorant but that before 
 another day the ranks may be thinned. 
 
 Darnestown, Md. From notes of July 10-20, 18G1. 
 We joined General Patterson's command on the 1 2th of July. 
 It was a pleasant afternoon Avhen we entered Martinsb.urg, 
 and found the road lined with soldiers who seemed to have no 
 special occupation that day. Doubtless the men were brave 
 men, but their less than three months' service, many of them 
 under poor officers, had failed to give to many regiments a 
 soldierly appearance. It seemed exactly as if everybody 
 was bent on a holiday excursion. But the men were in the 
 best spirits, and eager to do something in the fighting line. 
 We camped with the rest, and began to " forage " for infor- 
 mation. 
 
 We learned that G-eneral Patterson's force had assembled at 
 Chambersburg, where he took command about the first of 
 June. He had advanced to near the Potomac about a fort- 
 night afterward, and on the 16th of June crossed half or 
 more of his force into Virginia by the AVilliamsport ford, but 
 on the next day, or day after, had returned to the Maryland 
 side. 
 
 No further movement had been made until the 2d of July. 
 On that day he recrossed into Virginia, meeting no opposition 
 save from a few skirmishers. But at Falling Waters, a little 
 stream five or six miles further on, he encountered sufficient 
 force of the enemy to bring on a smart little action, in which 
 he drove the enemy for two miles. When we passed over 
 the road, ten days afterward, the broken fences and rem- 
 
TOWARD WINCHESTER. 15 
 
 Hants of equipments thrown away in flight showed unmistaka- 
 bly the rout of the rebels. General Patterson stopped pursuit, 
 but on the next day entered Martinsburg without opposition. 
 
 Nine days more had elapsed when our regiment joined the 
 army at Martinsbm-g. Wonder was quite freely expressed 
 that so much delay had taken place, both before leaving 
 Maryland and after arriving at Martinsburg ; but this was 
 only camp talk. Orders were issued, however, on the 14th, 
 to be ready to move the next morning ; and the hills around 
 Martinsburg were brilliantly lighted that evening by the fires 
 where rations were being cooked for the march. It appeared 
 high time that some movement was made, if the general ex- 
 pected to use his men, as their three months' term was nearly 
 ended, — our own regiment being, I think, the only three 
 years' one in his command. The rebel General Johnston was 
 well known to be between us and Winchester, and everybody 
 was in excellent humor at the prospect of advance. 
 
 We did move on Monday morning. The army was 
 marched on two parallel roads. Huge wagon trains ac- 
 companied us. Our forces were generally reckoned at about 
 twenty thousand men. 
 
 We reached Bunker Hill in the afternoon. If the enemy 
 had been there, he had left before we reached the dirty ham- 
 let. There were plenty of rumors that he was on a great 
 variety of sides of us ; but if he was, he kept quiet. We 
 bivouacked. Next day we heard stories of terrible obstruc- 
 tions on the roads. Johnston, men said, was at Winchester, 
 with^ibrty thousand men, sixty pieces of artillery, savage 
 earthworks, and miles of rifle-pits. I do not think that any- 
 body believed much of the talk ; certainly, everybody wanted 
 to try the matter. 
 
 And on Wednesday morning, we moved. It seemed that 
 
IG THE POTOmIc AND THE KAPJDAN. 
 
 the hoperf uf the army were to be gratified. A little puzzled 
 at first we were ; for wc took a road eastward, while Win- 
 chester lay southward. But " we are going to flank them ; 
 we go doAvn on another road, and avoid all the obstructions." 
 So we went on, crossing a creek to which an old road, just 
 repaired, led us. When, however, Ave turned toward Charles- 
 town, and thus away from Winchester, perplexity was felt, 
 and then displeasure. 
 
 The idea generally held had been, that our object was to 
 whip Johnston. But I had picked up the fact, from what an 
 officer knew, and what his military experience told him 
 ought to be, that General Patterson's movements were in 
 correspondence with those of General McDowell in front of 
 Washington, and that the recovery of Winchester was of 
 little importance compared with the need of keeping Johnston 
 there. I confess I could not see how that Avas to be done, 
 but I do not understand strategy. 
 
 How angry the men were on finding they were going to 
 Charlestown ! They called it a retreat. From that moment 
 they lost -confidence. 
 
 Of proceedings at Charlestown I saw nothing, because 
 our regiment was sent on the next day to occupy Harper's 
 Ferry. We did so, and received a flag which the women 
 had privately prepared to present to the first regiment of 
 Union troops which should enter the town. 
 
 The corps came on to Harper's Ferry on Sunday, the 21st. 
 Then Ave learned that Johnston had left Winchester ; that 
 General Patterson had appealed to the troops to remain 
 beyond their term of service, and march on the enemy ; and 
 that almost all had refused, on the ground that the time for 
 advance had been thrown aAvay, and they would not serA'e 
 under General Patterson. These were camp stories, it is true, 
 but I think they Avere correct. 
 
REASONS OF FAILURE. 17 
 
 Very ^oon, General Patterson was relieved. General 
 Banks took command. His first act, I believe, was to cross 
 to the Maryland side. The three months' men rapidly left. 
 Of those still there the general knew the feeling perfectly. 
 Three years' men came rapidly in. Colonel Gordon Avas 
 continued in charge of the Ferry, and three companies of the 
 Massachusetts Second were left on the Virginia side, under 
 command of Lieutenant-Colonel Andrews. There we lay, 
 with that part of Virginia lost, until, in the latter part of 
 August, the whole Corps moved to their present position. 
 
 Many details have come to light, of course, in the nearly 
 two years since the foregoing was noted do^ATi. Who was 
 to blame, if blame existed, is a matter for military men to 
 decide. The people were indignant then because their ex- 
 pectations were not fulfilled ; so was the Corps, because not 
 led against the enemy. It seems settled that General 
 McDowell would have conquered at Bull Run, but for the 
 few thousand men which, led by General Johnston, reenforced 
 the I'ebel army. General Patterson, it was alleged, wasted 
 time, both north of the Potomac and at Winchester. I have 
 stated already that the same feeling prevailed in his com- 
 mand. He declared that he waited for transportation, and 
 also for harnesses for the artillery horses, Avhile north of the 
 river, and that at Martinsburg he was actually keeping 
 Johnston at Winchester. That he recrossed the Potomac 
 on the 16th of June, he insists, was necessary, because Gen- 
 eral Scott took away at that time all his regulars and some 
 other troops, and left him without a single piece of artillery, 
 in front of superior forces. His turning off at Charlestown, he 
 says, was only in pursuance of a plan, previously assented to 
 in Washington, to abandon the long Williamsport line of 
 supplies, and secure Harper's Ferry as his base. But that 
 2* 
 
18 THP: POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 that was approved as an earlier project, aud not as a re- 
 treat, seems clear. He believed in the stories of large forces 
 at Winchester, Avhich hardly another man probably did. 
 The ti'uth has appeared that Johnston could never have had 
 over fifteen thousand men, even if more than twelve. Gen- 
 eral Patterson's force, by his own estimate, was eighteen 
 thousand and two hundred effective men, consisting of seven- 
 teen and a half Pennsylvania regiments, five New York, and 
 one each from New Hampshire, Massachusetts (three years) , 
 Indiana, and Wisconsin, — averaging six hundred and fifty 
 men each, — with one thousand cavalry and artillery. On 
 the day we left Martinsburg, the three months' men had from 
 four days to nearly a month to serve, two thirds having less 
 than a fortnight. Most of these, it is true, Avere raw troops ; 
 but so were Johnston's. 
 
 When General Patterson left Bunker Hill, on the 17th, 
 he thought he had accomplished what was expected of him ; 
 namely, the detaining of Johnston at Winchester until after the 
 date assigned by General Scott for the advance of McDowell, 
 the 16th. A longer experience in the field would perhaps 
 have forbade his depending on a promised date of a battle 
 yet to be fought. Whether, however, he could have detained 
 Johnston at Winchester, puzzles an ordinary thinker. How 
 any " demonstration " could have kept Johnston from leaving 
 that town any time he chose, is hard to see. For Winches- 
 ter was exactly between the position of General Patterson 
 and the point of railway Johnston would aim at to go to 
 Manassas. The rebels cared nothing for Winchester. Bull 
 Run was the important place. To threaten Winchester 
 would not keep a rebel army there. If Patterson approached 
 Winchester on one side, Johnston could certainly march off 
 on the other, which was the way to Manassas. 
 
THE RESULT. 19 
 
 Whether General Patterson should have attacked AYiu- 
 chester at an earlier date, is another question. He thought 
 it a useless attempt. We now know that the forces there 
 were small, and that the defences were contemptible. But 
 he did not believe so then ; and able officers agreed with him. 
 We have no right to judge a commander by data we now 
 have, but which he could not then have. 
 
 I have heard able military men say that Patterson's posi- 
 tion was wrong from the beginning ; that he should have 
 occupied Harper's Ferry early, securing rapid supplies, and 
 have taken position to command the Shenandoah fords. 
 Then, if Johnston moved towards Manassas, he must have 
 exposed himself gi'eatly ; or, General Patterson, if he pre- 
 ferred, could have reached Bull Run as early, at least, as 
 Johnston. But of this matter I am not competent to speak. 
 Certain it is, that on the day when Patterson turned back to 
 Charlestown, Johnston, who appears to have been doing pre- 
 cisely what Patterson was sent to do, — detain his enemy in 
 the valley, — was satisfied that he had succeeded, and imme- 
 diately started for Bull Run. 
 
 Neak Darnestown, Md., September, 21, 1861. 
 Three weeks have passed away since we encamped on this 
 spot, — how many of us I ndust not tell, though probably the 
 enemy know with sufficient accuracy, from the traitors with 
 which this section abounds. There is no harm in saying, 
 however, that while General McClellan is in command of 
 this whole " Army of the Potomac," the immediate charge 
 of the ti'oops this side of Tenuallytown (a few miles north of 
 Georgetown) is divided between General Banks — in whose 
 
20 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 division we arc — and Brigadier-General St( ne, Avho is 
 located further up the river. Thus the north bank of the 
 Potomac is lined with a fine army. As it becomes evident 
 that the enemy may cross, if cross at all, above Washington, 
 our position becomes important. On the opposite bank are 
 rebel troops in plenty, with Avhom ours exchange various 
 kinds of courtesies, sometimes with good-natured greetings, 
 sometimes with crashing shot and bursting shell, or with the 
 Enfield minies, which leap a mile or so at a jump. In such 
 a neighborhood, we are by no means indifierent, when there 
 comes, as it did last night at two o'clock, " Be ready for the 
 field at a moment's notice." We Avere ready ; the muskets 
 of the Massachusetts Second are never out of order ; its car- 
 tridge-boxes are full ; its courage is always high ; its order 
 perfect ; its bearing stahvart, firm, and solid ; its material 
 active, hardy, and brave, — embracing old soldiers of the 
 Mexican and of the Florida wars, of the English army, of the 
 European Continent, of Sebastopol (both Russian and Eng- 
 lish), and of the noble Havelock in his march to Liickuow ; 
 its officers able and educated ; its commander a graduate of 
 West Point, nine years in the army, a soldier in Kansas, in 
 the Oregon Avilds, and through the war which led our victo- 
 rious troops to the city of Mexico, — still bearing in his 
 body the Mexican lead. The regiment drills hours every 
 day, Avaiting the hoped-for opportunity to show in action 
 what it can do. 
 
 Our regiment is still in the Second Brigade (General 
 Abercrombie's), with the First Pennsylvania Battery, the 
 TAvelfth and Sixteenth Indiana, and the excellent Twelfth 
 Massachusetts, Avhich last has just marched (by night) to a 
 spot still nearer the river. Other brigades are around us. 
 A system of signals is aa'cII organized. The telegraph is 
 
A SOLDIER'S FUNERAL. 21 
 
 ueai'ly established. Any attempt on the part of rebels to 
 cross the river will precipitate upon them a vigilant and 
 hardy army. 
 
 The ordinary routine of campaigning of course goes on. 
 We have few hardships ; the food is good and abundant now ; 
 the climate is delightful ; there is little sickness. 
 
 But this routine is sometimes changed. It was to-day. 
 lu the midst of active di-ill, the step ceased, the bugles were 
 silent, the ranks took their iron position. It was when the 
 band of another regiment passed by, pouring out their melan- 
 choly wailing for the dead. It was a soldier's funeral, and 
 among the thousands in our camps, there was a reverent 
 silence. 
 
 My thoughts went back to the first funeral at which I had 
 officiated. It was at Harper's Ferry, while our regiment occu- 
 pied that post. There had been brought into our hospital a 
 soldier of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania, — then on its way home 
 at the expiration of its three months' service, — whom that 
 regiment left with us one afternoon as they passed through 
 the place. That evening, as I passed at a late hour through 
 the hospital, I noticed this new face, and on inquiry found 
 the facts. He was sick with typhoid fever, very sick. Little 
 more than a boy in years, he was to me, then, nameless, not 
 one of ours, but he was a suiFering soldier, and may God 
 bless every one of such. I did not press him to speak, but 
 he recognized the name of our Saviour, and looked up as if 
 waiting to hear. It was too late to question, too late for human 
 comfort. I dared say little, but I could not but think that 
 some friends, father, mother, perhaps a yet closer one, whom 
 I never saAV, and doubtlejfs never shall see, whose very resi- 
 dence I know nothing of, might be glad to know that some 
 of the blessed promises of our Lord were whispered in his ear, 
 
22 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIUAN. 
 
 and that a few words of prayer asked for the soul of this 
 dying man, whose hand I held, the favor of our Father and 
 our Saviour. That night he died. 
 
 He was buried the next evening in the way of soldiers, 
 which, to one unaccustomed to the sight, is deeply interesting. 
 A suitable escort (for a private, eight rank and file, properly 
 commanded) is formed in two ranks opposite to the tent of 
 the deceased, with shouldered arms and bayonets unfixed ; on 
 the appearance of the cofiin the soldiers present arms. The 
 procession then forms, on each side of the coffin being three 
 bearers, without arms ; immediately preceding are the eight 
 soldiers, with arms reversed (the musket under the left arm, 
 barrel downward, and steadied by the right hand behind the 
 back) ; in front is the music, than whose dirge no sadder 
 sounds ever fell upon my ear, as they procecfd to the place of 
 burial. With slow and measured step, and mufiled drum, 
 they move. At the grave, the coffin is placed upon oiie side, 
 the soldiers resting upon their arms, the muzzle upon the foot, 
 the hands clasped upon the butt, and the head bowed upon 
 the hands. The chaplain, who has Avalked in the rear of the 
 coffin, conducts the burial service ; " eai'th to earth, ashes to 
 ashes, dust to dust." Three volleys are fired over the grave, 
 and the last kindness to the comrade is over. The graveyard 
 left, immediately the band strike up a cheerful air, and take 
 their Avay back to camp and to living duties. 
 
 It was thus we buried the stranger soldier. He had no 
 friend who knew him there. No kindred wept by the side 
 of the grave. His bed was made alone, in a deserted grave- 
 yard, on the bold cliff that overlooks the two rivers united in 
 the mighty stream which pours its aflluence into the Atlantic. 
 But the soldiers subdued Jlieir roughness, and laid him down 
 tenderly. The frequent oath was unheard. The solemn 
 
MILITARY PREPARATIONS. 23 
 
 silence was scarcely broken by the low words of command. 
 When the sharp volleys echoed up and down the valleys, the 
 shadows had already fallen on the lordly rivers, the Potomac 
 and Shenandoah, rolling by, far below us ; but the gorgeous 
 evening sunlight was richly clothing the dark green forests of 
 both Maryland and Virginia heights, towering over us. His 
 grave was cut in a hard and rocky soil ; but out of that soil 
 the evergreen Avas thriving and the wild flowers perfumed the 
 air. It was on the very day his regiment was mustered 
 out of service, that we biu'ied him ; and turning backward 
 to our fragile homes, we found the order already given, " Ready 
 to march ; " and soon we struck our tents, and forded the dark 
 and foaming river which separated the rebel from the loyal 
 state. He had forded a darker and rougher river, which, 
 we hoped as we left him, no longer kept him in a world of 
 sin, and out of the land of perfect peace. 
 
 And so will throngs be buried, in this sad and mournful 
 war. But out of the great clouds of private sorrow will rise 
 the triumph of our country's glory. 
 
 Near Darnestown, Md., September 27, 1861. 
 No movements have yet taken place here, beyond the oc- 
 casional arrival and departure of regiments, and a now and 
 then change of camp of some regiments. It is whispered that 
 an advance may be made within a few weeks ; but that silent 
 man who wields the order of the army of the Potomac gives 
 no sign. Intense activity prevails, however. Drill, drill, 
 drill ; and now the battalion drill is performed with knapsacks 
 as if for march, by which the men are becoming prepared for 
 the time Avlien tents and wagons are left behind in camp, and 
 
24 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 they meet the foe face to face. Officers are hinted to with 
 reference to the pr6priety of their having haversacks also, 
 capacious enough for a few days' rations against the time 
 when board will be scarce. All sorts of rumors fly around, 
 and every new regiment expects to land directly into battle. 
 But a little experience induces a cool distrust in everything 
 except absolute oi'ders to march, especially in a regiment like 
 ours, which is, I believe, the oldest in service here, having 
 had the felicity to form part of " Patterson's Column," Avhich, 
 to new regiments, seems antediluvian. 
 
 To-day is a rainy day. It drizzles a Avhile, it pours a while, 
 and then, by way of variety, pours and drizzles. AU drill is 
 suspended. Men stay in their tents, — barring the luckless 
 fellows who pace up and down in overcoats, with muskets 
 reversed, — relieved, however, every two hours, for another 
 batch to get wet. Only the necessary duties of camp go on. 
 In their tents some men read ; some write (often affectionate 
 epistles — as their care to keep the sheet hidden shows) ; some 
 mend trousers and such things ; some sing ; some gamble 
 (which is not made an offence by the articles of war) , and by 
 w^hich some of our men are stripped of every cent by expe- 
 rienced sharpers — poor moths, who will fly into the candle in 
 spite of all remonstrance, though some have been saved. 
 Some draw great enjoyment from tobacco smoke, their remedy 
 for various ills. The sutler drives a brisk business in ginger- 
 bread, lemons, nuts, confectionery, and such like. And so 
 the day wears on, not dismally to them, nor without oppor- 
 tunities of usefulness, to which the rain is no obstacle when 
 one has rubber coat, leggings, cap, and cape. 
 
 The ordinary routine of the day in camp is this : at twenty 
 minutes past sunrise the reveille is beaten, drum echoing to 
 drum, till regiment after regiment is again a hive of busy life. 
 
CAMP ROUTINE. 25 
 
 Roll call immediately follows, every man in company line. 
 At seven o'clock the drum and fife announce breakfast, 
 which cooks permanently detailed for each company have 
 been preparing. At half past seven is sick call, when the 
 surgeon meets all soldiers not able to be out. At eight 
 o'clock is guard mounting, which is quite a display. The 
 band are in position at their ordinary place for dress parade. 
 At their music a detail numbering, at present, one lieuten- 
 ant, one sergeant, four corporals, and seventy-two privates, 
 marches to the pai'ade. The line is formed, the arms are in- 
 spected, and appearance noted. The men are then marched 
 in review, and then one " relief" (there are three) to 
 the post of each sentinel, where, after various useful, but 
 to me mysterious conferences, the old sentinel is relieved, 
 takes his place in the rear, and a new one is stationed ; and so 
 on around the camp. The old guard discharge their pieces, 
 and are dismissed, each one having been, for the twenty-four 
 hours, two hours on guard and four oiF in every six — a post 
 of honor and of grave responsibility. To sleep on his post 
 hazards the penalty of death. 
 
 Then, in decent weather, at nine o'clock the music sounds 
 for company drill, — each company by itself, — when all kinds 
 of queer manoeuvres are gone through for an hour and a half. 
 At one o'clock is dinner. At three P. M. is battalion drill, 
 when the regiment drills under a field ofiicer, with a brisk- 
 ness and life probably pleasanter to see than to experience. 
 This lasts an hour and a half. At twenty minutes before 
 five is the first call for evening parade ; twenty minutes are 
 devoted to the minute inspection of arms and equipments ; 
 and at five o'clock is the dress parade, the great show of the 
 day. At six P. M. is supper. At half past eight tattoo is 
 beaten, and the roll called; at nine o'clock "taps" on the 
 3 
 
26 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 drum signalize " lights out ! " And after this only the soli- 
 tary step of pacing sentinels, with now and then a challenge 
 and response, or perhaps the gallop of an orderly with some 
 despatch to the commander, breaks the stillness of the night. 
 We have no locks on our doors ; but one feels secure enough 
 with eighty sentries around the camp, and a thousand bay- 
 onets at hand, with yet other regiments and sentries still 
 circling outside, and with mounted men scouring the land 
 for miles in every direction. 
 
 The President's Fast Day, yesterday, was appropriately 
 regarded. An order from General Banks called attention to 
 it, and directed its observance. It was a day of rest from 
 drill, in fact from all work which could be dispensed with. 
 The most noticeable feature of the day was the public service, 
 held in a beautiful field near the little village of Darnestown, 
 whither all the regiments in this immediate locality proceeded 
 in full uniform, and with arms. It was a beavxtiful sight, when 
 from many different camps the several regiments marched 
 toward the field, some on the open road, some winding 
 through the woods, all with their music. Each Avas assigned 
 to its place in the most orderly way, until thousands upon 
 thousands stood in a dense mass. A platform held the vari- 
 ous chaplains, the commanding general, and many of his 
 officers of rank. The sight from this elevation was beauti- 
 ful. The green wood skirted the field at a short distance on 
 the right. The little village lay quietly in front. Directly 
 before the platform were the solid ranks of infantry, reaching 
 far right and left and in front, with cavalry on the one flank 
 and artillery on the other. The multitude of banners, the 
 motionless posture of men, the thousands standing in com- 
 pact array, the glittering of the sunlight on a forest of bay- 
 onets, the firm and devout air, with the reflection that in a 
 
FAST DAY SERVICE. 27 
 
 few days this mass of soldiery might be hurled upon the 
 enemy, — many, alas ! in human probability, never more to 
 return, — could but inspire a beholder with mingled feelings 
 of delight and sorrow. 
 
 The services were these : The President's Proclamation 
 was read by Chaplain Gaylord, of the Thirteenth Massachu- 
 setts ; Chaplain Reed, of the Thirteenth Pennsylvania, offered 
 the prayer of invocation ; Chaplain Sewall, of the Twenty- 
 ninth Pennsylvania, read selections of Scripture, and the 
 hymn, " My country, 'tis of thee," in which the united bands 
 led the voices of the soldiers ; Chaplain Phillips, of the Ninth 
 New York, offered prayer, and led in the Lord's Prayer ; the 
 Chaplain of the Second Massachusetts read the Army Hymn, 
 — which was sung to " Old Hundred," in a majestic style, — • 
 and he made the address (or sermon, it may be) for the 
 day ; and Chaplain Lasher, of the Fifth Connecticut, offered 
 the concluding prayer, and after the doxology, pronounced 
 the benediction. The topic of the address, after an intro- 
 duction alluding to our peculiar need of God's help, was, 
 " The cause in which we are enlisted is a cause on which 
 we can hopefully ask God's blessing " — the cause of gov- 
 ernment against anarchy, of government against an unpro- 
 voked rebellion, of a government forbearing to the last 
 moment, of a government rebelled against because its instinc- 
 tive principle is Liberty, by traitors whose sole moving prin- 
 ciple is Slavery. 
 
 One could hardly realize the change from quiet home wor- 
 ship to the gathering in one service of a whole division of 
 the army. But when the commanders had sprung to their 
 saddles, tlie rattling of sabres had ceased, the rumbling of 
 artillery wheels had passed out of hearing, the dancing ban- 
 ners had disappeared, — then reveries of home came back, 
 
28 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 and faces of parishiouers, aud laughing eyes of children, and 
 the mental photograph of tried and faithful friends, whom 
 may God bless. 
 
 Camp near Darnestown, Md., October 5, 18G1. 
 In the absence of special news, why shall I not recall such 
 rambling reminiscences as have outlasted our several later 
 marches, regarding the places where John Brown acted and 
 suffered ? The movements of pur regiment, it happened, led 
 us to every spot memorable for his transactions ; and there 
 were few whose interests did not lead them to examine these 
 localities. Why not? It is true that when one remembers 
 the general disapproval with which the sober judgment of 
 the North answered that startling raid, it seems strange that 
 a Northern regiment should march through New York, with 
 a thousand voices singing that peculiar song, — 
 
 " John Brown's gone to join the army of the Lord," 
 with the gazing nuiltitudes joining the Avild chorus, — 
 
 " Glory, glory, hallelujah ! " 
 Nor am I now ready to approve of it ; nor will many. But 
 it was then evident that there existed a latent admiration for 
 the stern, persistent, self-sacrificing man, perilling and losing 
 life for a cause he believed to be righteous. Nor is it pos- 
 sible to ignore the fact that now his enemies have made 
 themselves our enemies ; that the system whose outrages 
 tasked, perhaps overpowered, the strength of his reason, has 
 insanely raised its sacrilegious hand against our country ; and 
 that if John Brown deserved death, infinitely more does every 
 rebel now in arms. His crime — if crime it was — is insignifi- 
 cant beside that of these perjured thieves and traitors. He was 
 
JOHN BROWN. 29 
 
 a man ; Avhat I think of the people here, thus far, I will tell 
 in some future letter. 
 
 We entered Charlestown, Va. (I shall take the places as 
 we came to them) , late in the evening, after a long and hard 
 day's march. Our regiment had spent the preceding night 
 in bivouac, where we had the pleasure of commencing an 
 out-door experience of no tents, with the ground for bed, and, 
 that night, a projecting root for pillow, — than which no 
 night's need have been better, barring a shower toward 
 morning. At four o'clock in the morning our regiment was 
 in column ; and it had, during the day, an honorable position 
 in the rear guard of. an army of twenty-two thousand. It 
 was evening Avhen we approached Charlestown. The run- 
 ning of cars from Winchester — the rebel camp — to Charles- 
 town, heard q,ll the preceding night, had raised an expecta- 
 tion of active duty ; but a few shell from a light battery had 
 scattered the rebel cavalry, who left Charlestown as the head 
 of our column entered. It was a beautiful evening. Light, 
 fleecy clouds occasionally glided before the moon, only to 
 bring out in silvery brilliancy the long column of dancing 
 bayonets, visible in front or rear, as they rose and fell over 
 the rolling ground. The tread of troops and the rumbling 
 of wagons hardly broke the quiet. As we approached the 
 town, the sentence was passed from one to another, " In this 
 town John Brown was hung ; " and probably no thought was 
 so predominant as that, when our tired men sank down upon 
 the ground to sleep. 
 
 Late as it was, I had occasion to walk a mile or more, 
 with one or two others, to the village, where our assistant 
 surgeon had to provide accommodations for a sick officer. 
 It Avas past eleven when Ave entered the shabby town, and 
 sought the hotel. On our road Ave met one of the guard, 
 
 o. * 
 
30 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAX. 
 
 who showed us our Avay, aud as we were crossing a stone 
 bridge, he pointed to tlie right : '• In that field," said he, 
 " John Bi'own was hung." 
 
 At the hotel we found the landlord somewhat impractica- 
 ble. Pie was secession in feeling, and vexed — as all the 
 Charlestown people were — at the entirely unexpected arri- 
 val of our army, and no better natured for the lateness of 
 the hour. He was, in fact, somewhat sullen, until a thought 
 entered my mind to try, at random, the effect of certain signs 
 belonging to an institution which an absurdly humorous 
 writer in the Congregationalist, a year or two ago, called 
 "the worship of demons," — to whom I owe thanks for 
 many a hearty laugh these weeks. The signs fortunately 
 struck the right spot, aud were responded to. Our sick were 
 attended to, and a hot supper provided for ourselves ; and 
 we were speedily on terms of free chat Avith the landlord. 
 Talking with him of the crowds then in toAvn, he replied, 
 " We haven't had such a crowd since John Brown was hvmg." 
 A little encouragement drew out his opinion, as well as a 
 full account of the circumstances. The latter were in all the 
 papers. The former showed the effect which John Brown's 
 manliness had even on a Southern mind. He respected the 
 old man. I particularly recollect the deep impression which 
 John Brown's indignant refusal to avail himself of the plea of 
 insanity, urged by his counsel, had made. The very words 
 were quoted, and it was the evident opinion that but for that 
 the life of the accused would have been saved. The quiet 
 firmness of the death scene, and the apparent honesty through- 
 out, were far from forgotten. The people evidently had felt 
 that Brown was a hero, but in a bad cause. 
 
 The next day I visited the jail and the room where he had 
 been confined, aud so did many others. It is upon the main 
 
JOHN BROWN. 31 
 
 street, aud by no means repulsive. The kindness of the jailer 
 was still commented upon. I visited also the court-room 
 where the famous trial took place. I saw the spot where he 
 had reposed. I sat down in the chair of the judge. The 
 places where the counsel stood Avere pointed out ; and I 
 summoned up, as well as I could in fancy, the scenes which 
 in that room had shaken half a continent. I saw also the 
 field of execution, as did thousands upon thousands. The 
 place of the gallows was ascertained, — the timbers of which 
 were preserved in town, — and multitudes eagerly carried 
 away memorials, even to the soil which pressed against the 
 posts. 
 
 Our regiment was in a few days sent forward to occupy 
 Harper's Ferry alone. It Avas an honorable post, and we 
 were Avelcomed with joy. To see tears rolling down many 
 a cheek at the sight of the old flag, Avas a pleasant sight after 
 the sullen hate of the other places where we had been. Here 
 remaining for some weeks, Avith our OAvn colonel as com- 
 mandant of the post, even after the bulk of the army had 
 come, we had opportunities to visit every memorable spot. 
 The famous JeiFerson Rock Avas there ; but fcAV visited it, 
 while many curiously examined every place famous for John 
 Brown's footsteps. The massive and beautiful bridge Avhich 
 he had held, over the Potomac, Avas in ruins. Southern 
 A'andals had destroyed it. But the place of his guard Avas 
 remembered. The spot where he had stopped, and then, 
 not Avisely, released, the raihvay train ; the arsenal held by 
 him at first ; the ruins of the very muskets once at his dis- 
 posal, noAV lying in heaps Avhere our own troops afterward 
 fired the building to keep them from rebel hands ; the rock 
 in the river Avhere one of his men was barbarously shot in 
 crossing ; the mountain woods where another hid till driven 
 
32 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIUAN. 
 
 oivt by himger, — all these plenty of citizens were ready lo 
 show. But chief iu interest was the engine-house where his 
 final and useless defence took place. I recognized it from 
 the pictures then published. It has two double doors, each 
 Avide enough for the entrance of a fire-engine, — thick, mas- 
 sive doors. There still remain, unaltered, the several holes 
 made through the brick walls, to enable the besieged to fire 
 on their assailants. Former spectators showed where the 
 few United States soldiers unhesitatingly advanced to batter 
 in the doors, and where companies of Virginia soldiers had 
 wisely hid out of danger of the rifles, contenting themselves 
 with preventing escape till men of some courage should dare 
 a capture. All the arsenal buildings were worthy of inspec- 
 tion, but the long lines of noble shops were mainly in ghastly 
 ruins ; the very trees of that once beautiful spot, scorched to 
 death, cast the shadows of tlicir leafless limbs upon the 
 blackened Avails. One of them, still retaining a roof, I shall 
 always remember as the place where our Northern regiment 
 met to worship, Avhile the roar of thunder and the flash of 
 lightning Avere the accompaniments to the old psalms which 
 rolled through the long structure. But, by some chance, the 
 only building of that vast series Avhich still remains unin- 
 jured, is the engine-house wdiich John BroAvn made his 
 fortress ; and over it still Avave the green trees, unhurt. Is 
 it a prophetic emblem ? 
 
 Our regiment, by and by, crossed the Potomac. It Avas 
 l)y the same ford, unused for many years, till noAV reopened, 
 by Avhich the Virginia troops departed for Cambridge in 
 1775. On the Maryland Heights opposite Ave bivouacked 
 for Aveeks. Yet, by the providence AAdiich seemed to folloAv 
 us, Ave Avere in the fields and snug by the house of the first 
 man Avho met John BroAvn, Avhen, under an assumed name. 
 
JOHN BROWN. 33 
 
 he was looking for a farm to occupy, preparatory to his pe- 
 culiar purpose. From him, whose heart was unlocked by 
 tlie same key as the Charlestown landlord's, I gathered full 
 accounts of their conversation, and how a farm, mentioned 
 by this man, as he and Brown stood at the gate before us, 
 was taken. Brown had made a favorable impression, as Avell 
 as his sons ; "he never saw anything out of the way in 
 him," though Brown would never enter his house. The farm 
 was two or three miles off, and there is nothing peculiar 
 there. The people were mystified by Brown's movements, 
 he said. Some peculiar articles which he had they thought 
 were some kind of divining tools. Brown laughed >vhen he 
 heard of it ; they were surveying implements. 
 
 The last spot I saw in this connection was the school-house 
 where the arms Avere hid. One night, going out with our 
 adjutant, Avho was taking particular care on that occasion in 
 stationing our picket guard, about three fourths of a mile 
 from our guard we came to the building referred to. It is 
 smaller than any of our country school-houses ; like even 
 dwelling-houses here, it is of logs, with a layer of mud of 
 equal thickness alternating with each log, save at the cor- 
 ners. A respectable farmer in New England furnishes bet- 
 ter accommodations for his pigs. The roof is now partly 
 destroyed, it having been set on fire. The floor is nearly all 
 gone. Under that floor the ai'ms had been concealed, and 
 there also was hidden one of the men^ while his enemies were 
 searching the Avoods, and even entering the house. It was 
 from this building that Brown dismissed the school one day, 
 to take possession. It is a quiet place, half a mile from the 
 Potomac, with nothing habitable near save the huts of boughs 
 which rebel soldiers had since occupied and abandoned. 
 
 If I were asked the impression made upon my mind as to 
 
34 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 opinions in these localities, I should say that while John 
 Brown was and is called a fanatic, lie was and is respected. 
 He was made, by the trial and execution, a hero. The dar- 
 ing exhibited in his attempt, the manliness he showed on his 
 trial, the calmness with which he met death, made a lasting 
 and deep impression. The local effect Avas powerful. On 
 our march to Charlestown, stopping for a few moments at a 
 house by the way, I pointed out the path to some soldiers 
 crowding in for water, that I might appease the needlessly 
 frightened family. "While waiting till all were satisfied, 
 some conversation took place Avitli some of the inmates, who 
 were secessionists, in the course of which the mistress of the 
 house said frankly, " "We do not dare direct our servants as 
 you spoke to those soldiers." I had merely and pleasantly 
 pointed out a path away from the lawn, and I asked her, 
 " Why?" " We are afraid of them. We have not dared 
 order them since old John Brown's affair. The servants 
 have always said since, ' Well, somebody's coming like old 
 Brown, yet.' " Such is the general feeling in that vicinity. 
 Nor did the slaves hesitate to express their delight at our 
 presence. Shame on the miserable business our army had, 
 to send back fugitives ! 
 
 Nor did residents there attach only a local importance to 
 the transactions of that time. They felt — and I feel with 
 them — that thence dated this war. The South trembled on 
 seeing that its pet system had no safe foundation. Its En- 
 celadus was under the volcano, and the heavings were too 
 perilous. From that date it began to arm. All over tlie 
 slave country- military companies were formed. Its Wises 
 began to plot. Its Floyds b«gan to steal. And therefore, 
 when the war began, the South was ready, while the imcon- 
 scious North, Avhieh had disapproved the raid, and supposed 
 
JOHN BROWN. 35 
 
 it had thereby satisfied the slave power, was totally unpre- 
 pared. Thank God, it is so no longer. The free North is 
 pouring down its sons by hundreds of thousands — in no war 
 to abolish slavery, it is true, but none the less to insure its 
 doom. Had the South remained loyal, slavery would still 
 have been protected. It is now too late. And if our gov- 
 ernment be wise, besides its immense armies, in the fear of 
 the Southern heart John Brown's ghost is worth a hundred 
 thousand men. 
 
36 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 TO Conrad's ferry and rettirn. 
 
 Conrad's Ferry, Md., October 24, 1861. 
 
 No longer at Darnestown, and no lo'nger writing of a fixed 
 camp, and its routine of little details. 
 
 It was on Monday evening last tliat orders came to the 
 corps, suddenly, to cook two days' rations for haversacks, 
 and three days' more for wagons ; it was intended, however, 
 that we should not leave till morning. A few minutes more, 
 and orders came to leave tents and wagons, and as speedily 
 as possible be upon the road. It was then eight o'clock ; at 
 half past eight our men were in column, with knapsacks 
 packed and on their backs ; at half past three o'clock in the 
 morning our regiment was at Conrad's Ferry, eighteen miles 
 away ; and in a few minutes our pickets lined a mile of the 
 Potomac, within musket shot, across the river, of the scene 
 of the mournful, stupid Avaste of life, which has carried, on 
 the wings of lightning, anguish to a multitude of Massachu- 
 setts homes. 
 
 Our orders were based upon the passage of the i-iver Avhich 
 had that day taken place here. It was at first supposed that 
 the movement had been successful at Conrad's Ferry, as well 
 as at Edwards's Ferry, four mUes below ; and General Banks's 
 division was sent on to support the movement into Virginia. 
 
BALL'S BLUFF. 37 
 
 It was true that General Stone had succeeded in throwing 
 over several thousand at the lower crossing. But how dis- 
 astrous the result was at the upper, you too well know. It 
 was this Avhich hastened our march to the then entirely de- 
 fenceless spot commanded by an exultant enemy. Two or 
 three regiments only went to Conrad'fe Ferry ; most of the 
 corps was sent to Edwards's Ferry. 
 
 Our men did not know whither they were bound, nor why 
 — except that it was to the enemy's' country. Never were 
 they more happy. They took the road with songs, no in- 
 strumental music being now allowed on march. The weight 
 of their heavy loads was unfelt. They needed but little 
 pause for rest. The hope of meeting the foe was their life. 
 Our drill, our equipments, our men and officers — too long 
 had it been felt that these were idle, while raw militia had 
 been sent to spots they could never hold against the keen 
 enemy we were to deal with. But our men were doomed to 
 disappointment. Worse — they went only to meet the shat- 
 tered remnants of broken regiments. Before we had been 
 ordered to start, the battle had ended in defeat. 
 
 It was at Poolsville that tlie first news met us of the de- 
 feat. There was the camp of the Fifteenth Massachusetts, 
 and there some of its sentries informed us of the result. All 
 along the road from that point we met fugitives straggling 
 back to their camp. By the road were many men utterly 
 worn down with fatigue, sleeping on the ground ; and now 
 and then were groups around a fire hastily built on the road- 
 side, dejected, but still burning with a desire for a new strug- 
 gle. Many were but half clothed ; some mthout even 
 trousers or shoes ; some wrapped only in blankets. We 
 learned from them little more than that the river had been 
 crossed, and that the gallant Fifteenth had been shattered 
 4 
 
38 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 almost to atoms. They did not know the circumstances nor 
 extent of the loss. 
 
 The morning dawned, but the sun was invisible. "With 
 the gray of the early hours came down a steady, drizzling 
 shower, deepening into a pouring rain, which. hasted for most 
 of the day. Our quartermaster had moved his train a\ ith 
 wonderful ease and despatch, and at about six o'clock it ar- 
 rived, enabling our men to secure a rude but substantial 
 breakfast ; and in the course of the morning we Avent into 
 camp. 
 
 We found everything in mourning. There was no sun- 
 shine. Nearly opposite was plainly visible the spot Avhere 
 our gallant fellow-soldiers had been led to slaughter. The 
 howitzers Avhich the enemy had captured were mounted in 
 sight. Between us and the opposite shore was Harrison's 
 Island, over which the advance had been made, and from it 
 were coming the dead and woimded — the results of the bat- 
 tle. In that island hospital strong and true men Avere dying, 
 and many were suffering agonies. But the hardest feeling to 
 bear AA^as, that these lives had been Avickedly throAvn aAvay 
 on a useless, foolishly planned, foolishly executed expedition. 
 In a house on the Maryland shore Avere others dying, — and 
 the dead Avere buried near, — a house in AA^hich the holes still 
 remained, Avhich, at a former day, the enemy's balls had cut, 
 and where their shells had exploded. 
 
 Of this affair a multitude of reporters haA-e already 
 gathered probably every incident, and they are spread 
 before you. Of its general character, perhaps I should 
 give some account, as received from men Avho Avere in the 
 action. 
 
 The expedition toward Leesburg aa^is commanded by Col- 
 onel Baker, a United States senator from Oregon, as acting 
 
BALL'S BLUFF. 39 
 
 brigadier. He had at the Ferry his own regiment (the First 
 California), the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Mas- 
 sachusetts, and the Tammany (New York) regiments. A 
 scouting party of the Fifteenth had been sent over the night 
 before. Returning, it reported that there was a small camp 
 of the enemy not far from Leesburg. Before daylight of 
 Monday, Colonel Devens (in command) , with four companies 
 of his regiment (the Fifteenth), and one hundred men of 
 the Twentieth Massachusetts ( Colonel Lee accompanying) , 
 had reached the Virginia shore, sent over by order of Gen- 
 eral Stone to destroy the reported camp. He had commenced 
 crossing about midnight. The crossing took place over the 
 island, which had been occupied, and somewhat foi'tifled, a* 
 an earlier day, and which is about one hundred and twenty- 
 five yards from the Virginia shore, and four hundred and fifty 
 from the Maryland. The only means of transportation to 
 the hostile side of the river consisted of a small boat, which 
 would carry about twenty, and a scow, on which perhaps 
 seventy men could be crowded, but old and leaky, as the final 
 catastrophe most sadly proved. At one time in the afternoon 
 this boat was pulled across by a rope made up from pieces 
 taken from canal boats ; but the service answei'ed only a very 
 brief time. 
 
 The Virginia shore is a bluff, said to be (and apparently 
 correctly) about sixty feet high. Up this height our men 
 climbed, and on the bluff" remained Colonel Lee, with his 
 men, while Colonel Devens advanced towards Leesburg, 
 which is some four miles distant. The reported camp proved 
 to exist only in imagination ; openings in a row of trees had 
 been mistaken in the night for tents. The force proceeded 
 with care, reconnoitring the ground. At about eight A. M. 
 the enemy were observed, and soon fighting commenced. 
 
40 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 After driving the enemy, it seemed best to fall back to the 
 bluff, as the rebels were evidently increasing. 
 
 Colonel De-veus afterward returned to his former advanced 
 position. Here, about noon or a little later, the enemy at- 
 tacked. After a short affair, it seemed prudent to return to 
 the bluff, from fear of being cut off. 
 
 At about twelve o'clock, Colonel Baker^ the acting briga- 
 dier in command, had begun to send over reenforcements ; 
 about half past one he crossed himself. The First California 
 went over entire, as rapidly as the poor means of transporta- 
 tion allowed. Three companies of the Tammany (New York) 
 regiment, with Colonel Cogswell, and more of the Twentieth 
 ^Massachusetts, also crossed. 
 
 As the reenforcements reached the gallant Fifteenth, they 
 found them little beyond the river. I have said akeady that 
 the bank was over sixty feet high. ClimbiQg to the summit, 
 they found a track about seventy feet in width, exceedingly 
 broken, and curved, Avith rocks, bushes, and logs — impassable, 
 indeed, for a horse. Beyond this was an open place, almost 
 a lawn, about three lumdred feet wide by four hundred and 
 fifty yards long, — the length being towards Leesburg. Hei'e 
 the battle was resumed with great energy. At three P. M. 
 the firing was very brisk, and for the next hour it was ex- 
 ceedingly furious on both sides. An order for artillery had 
 been sent immediately after the first reenforcements arrived, 
 — the enemy all the time rapidly increasing. Two howitzers 
 (regulars) Avere sent over Avith great difficulty, and about a 
 quarter past four, Lieutenant Bramhall, of a battery attached 
 to the New York Ninth, Avith a rifled cannon, a six pounder. 
 Those guns had to be carried to the soutliAvard of the high 
 bluff and rugged track, to reach the open scene. As the 
 forces were then placed, our troops Avere on that side of the 
 
BALL'S BLUFF. 41 
 
 open field which was neurcst the river, the right and left wiug 
 a little advanced, so as to form a concave front towards the 
 enemy, but in a corner of the bushes ; a howitzer was at each 
 extremity, and Lieutenant Bramhall's gun a little in advance 
 of the centre, on slightly elevated ground. The enemy Avere 
 also under cover of the Avoods, their sharpshooters in trees 
 for more deadly aim, and rarely coming into sight for a large 
 part of the fight. Our men had skirmishers on both flanks, 
 in the woods, where much fighting took place. For several 
 lioiu's it was severe. The enemy fired in heavy volleys, as if 
 a regiment Avere shooting at once. " The bullets fell like 
 hail," says an officer, Avho, though fighting Avith the greatest 
 bravery, strangely escaped uninjured. The enemy had no 
 cannon, but their force was not less, it now appears, than 
 five or six thousand, to w'hicli our forces had but about six- 
 teen hundred in opposition. 
 
 Our men fought Avith the utmost braveiy, but they Averc 
 gradually overpowered by numbers. About three o'clock 
 Colonel Baker Avas killed. " Had I tAA^o more Massachusetts 
 regiments," said he, a few minutes before he was shot, " I 
 could beat them yet." Colonel CogSAvell, of the Tammany, 
 took command. The fight still continued, but in A'ain. It 
 AA^as at last determined to attempt a movement toAA^ards Ed- 
 Avards's Ferry. The formation of the troops Avas commenced 
 Avith that AdeAv, and partially executed, Avhen a dash of the 
 Tammany companies (draAvn out by an ofiicer avIio suddenly 
 appeared in front and called them on) into the open space 
 Avas met by such a murderous fire as to throw everything into 
 confusion. Our troops then descended the bluff, and formed 
 on the plateau beloAv. Resistance was still made, but in vain. 
 Our men took to the water. Many Avere droAvned. Many 
 Avere shot in the water. The boats had both been sunk entire, 
 4 * 
 
42 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 with their loads, and no transportation remained. Unfor- 
 tunately, no olTicer had been left in charge of the boats. Half 
 of our trooj^s were killed, wounded, or missing. 
 
 The policy of the enemy w^as to w^orry our men for the 
 day, and then to throw a heavy body of reserve upon our 
 exhausted soldiers ; and it succeeded perfectly. The sadness 
 of the results is equalled only by the stupidity of the plan. 
 The ci-ossing at this bluff — w^hile half a mile distant was an 
 open and level shore, — the criminal neglect to provide proper 
 transportation over and to secure a possible retreat, and the 
 uselessness of the enterprise, deserve rigid examination. 
 
 The next day General McClellan came. The troops across 
 at Edwards's Ferry were ordered back. What plans that 
 general has, nobody knows. Whether he directed the recent 
 movement, we have yet to learn. But he expresses his sur- 
 prise at the method in which it was carried out. His pres- 
 ence, of course, superseded General Banks, as that general 
 superseded General Stone. 
 
 Last evening we had an order to move to Edwards's Ferry. 
 " The enemy threaten us in force," was the order ; " send two 
 of your regiments, especially the Second Massachusetts." We 
 marched six miles, and then were sent back, the emergency 
 having passed. And we are still in camp. 
 
 MiTDDT Branch Camp, Md., October 31, 1861. 
 No more " near Darnestown." No more of that hard- 
 trodden field where our camp lay ; nor that road by its side, 
 with multitude of pedlers. We have been to Harrison 
 Islaiid, and in sight of Ball's Bluff, which rested as quiet 
 and silently as though blood had not dyed its soil. We have 
 
A QUIET CAMP. 43 
 
 couutermarclied, aud our division is near the Potomac, below 
 General Stone's command, and near Darnestown as a. fact, bvxt 
 not as a date. "\Ve now are in a quiet, pleasant field, away 
 from the road, which itself is away from the main road. The 
 '•field and staff" have pitched their tents in the edge of a 
 Avood, and as I sit at the '' door of my tent," the shade of oak 
 and walnut is pleasant, this beautiful " fall " day. A little 
 fire is burning a few feet before me, and the smoke curls 
 up lazily in the sunshine. The air has the lovely, dreamy 
 haze of autumn. The trees are gently shaking off the ripe 
 leaves. The hum of insects is not yet ended. Near are the 
 strokes of our woodcutters' axes. Farther off is the murmur 
 of a rapid and a steep waterfall. The season is 
 
 " Like an emperor triumphing 
 
 With gorgeous robes of Tyrian dyes — 
 Full flush of fragrant blossoming, 
 And glowing purple canopies." 
 
 Our men do duty where 
 
 " The wide, clear waters sleeping lie 
 Beneath the evening's wings of gold, 
 And on their glassy Jreast of sky 
 And banks their mingled hues unfold." 
 
 It is a " muster day," and drill is omitted, and music silent. 
 It is a day to dream of home ! Home ! Thanks for a home, 
 Avhither the needle points steadily. And prayers for one sad 
 man to whom yesterday's letter said his home was broken ; 
 his wife had left this world, and so left her four now mother- 
 less children, with no relative this side of the Atlantic save 
 their father, and he bound by his oath to his country. 
 
 But to another topic. 
 
 I know that my handwriting is iTsually blind. Friends 
 insist that it is undoubtedly an imitation of Greek. It was 
 
44 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 the fatliei' of Dr. Chalmers (was it uot?) who saved his son's 
 letters for the doctor to read at his semi-annual visit, I have 
 suffered maledictions from compositors, I know. Once I 
 determined to prove that I could write legibly ; and I wrote 
 an article in the old-fashioned, round BostonJiand, which Avas 
 a marvel of clearness and beauty. Compositors were de- 
 lighted. Alas ! it Avas like the century plant ; one bloom 
 exhausted my powers, and I have never written a decent hand 
 since. 
 
 It is not strange, therefore, that I am quoted as saying, 
 " Ave have been in no enemy's country," when I really said, 
 " we have been in an enemy's country." Small errors I 
 pass by ; this I correct because of its involving a mournful 
 truth. 
 
 We have been in an enemy's coimtry. Sent into Central 
 Virginia, a continuation of the beautiful Cumberland valley, 
 the central of the three parts into which mountain ranges 
 divide Virginia, — a medium as to slaA^e population, betAveen 
 the eastern and Avestern poi'tions, — midway betAA^een a loyal 
 and a rebellious section, — Ave found it as alien from the 
 government as any foreign p«Aver, and as hostile as the bit- 
 terest war could render it. I see much in Noi'thern papers 
 about freeing the Union sentiment, aAvaking loyalty, and the 
 like. But I did not see such sentiment in Central Virginia, 
 Avhere it ought, aboA^e all places on rebel soil, to have been 
 exhibited. Nor do I see much of it in Maryland, Avhere it 
 ought to be predominant. 
 
 Confining myself to Central Virginia, I do not believe Ave 
 met, outside of Harper's Ferry, half a dozen reliable Union 
 men. The people Avere Avilling to buy and sell, and they could 
 teach Yankees lessons in sharpness. But as to any open, 
 ingenuous loyalty to the Constitution, it Avas almost unknoAvn. 
 
LOYALTY RARE. 45 
 
 At best they were sullenly quiet, but by no means hearty. 
 Sometimes they were outspoken. One good lady expressed 
 to me the hope that every Northern soldier would be killed. 
 At Middleway the stars and stripes were greeted with the 
 ugliest of expressions, and " The Star-spangled Banner " and 
 " Hail, Columbia," with which our band endeavored to edify 
 them, met with disgust. At Charlestown every shop was 
 closed as Ave entered, save one ; and the occupant of that, 
 though displaying a Union flag, proved the meanest rebel of 
 all. Nor has there been a single place where a little stay 
 did not enable us to learn that the bulk of the inhabitants 
 were in favor of the Southern Confederacy, except Harper's. 
 Ferry, which, from its industrial pursuits, had a population 
 entirely different from that of slaveholding places generally. 
 There, was a large mechanical population once employed in 
 government workshops. They had earned some money by 
 hard labor and good wages. They had bought of government 
 neat homes at a low price, paying by instalments for the last 
 four years. They had helped build good churches, and had 
 established public and Sabbath schools. In front of most 
 houses is a little piece of ground, and formerly there were a 
 few flowers — a rare sight in this part of the country. Such a 
 population, though not particularly anti-slavery, was, and 
 principally is, for the Union. Now the churches are mainly 
 shut up. The schools are abandoned. The sidewalks and 
 streets are rough and ragged. Many houses are deserted. 
 Property, often their little all, is valueless. Their incomes 
 are destroyed with the destruction of the government shops. 
 Some of the workmen were persuaded to carry their knowl- 
 edge and experience to Richmond or to North Carolina, and 
 most of the true men are left totally destitute. Government 
 will probably never restore the ruined buildings, and Harper's 
 
AG THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Ferry is ruined. Still, many men there are faithful to their 
 country, in spite of all inducements to treason. 
 
 There is no mistaking the general feelings of a people. 
 This people regarded us as invaders. Most of them have no 
 loyalty to be awakened. I write this with a little doubt as 
 to the propriety of uprooting this convenient stepping-stone, 
 on which I myself travelled into a clearer path. But that it 
 is the fact, I am persuaded by an observation of nearly four 
 months in localities which must be far in advance of Southern 
 States in loyalty ; and I except only occasional places. 
 
 That there will be apparent loyalty as our armies advance, 
 is doubtless true ; but it will be based on self-interest, not 
 love, nor to be trusted as anything else than a convenient 
 instrument. This state of things arises fi'om two facts : — 
 
 First, there is an " irrepressible conflict" between freedom 
 and slavery. Free labor and slave cannot flourish together. 
 Where industry is considered menial, it loses its vitality. 
 Whites -despise it, and become, if poor, meaner than the 
 meanest of negroes ; " poor white trash" is their legitimate 
 title. BetAveen, therefore, the two kinds of labor, the sympa- 
 thy of those who have the power is entirely with the South. 
 Not because slave labor here is profitable ; it is not profita- 
 ble ; there are not slaves enough, nor the kind of work, to 
 make it pay, while there are just enough to make their mas- 
 ters lazy. And from the latter fact is their liking for South- 
 ern institutions. While, further, there is the deeper feeling 
 that the North despises and dislikes slavery on conscientious 
 principles, which principles the o^vner of one slave feels the 
 burden of as well as the owner of a thousand — a small slave- 
 holder in Virginia as well as the plantation owner in South 
 Carolina. Out of such companionship as that of freedom- 
 loving Northerners, these people ai'e anxious to get. 
 
SUBJUGATION. 47 
 
 The second fact is, that the Southern feeling is, and always 
 has been, that of scorn for " Yankees," as they call all North- 
 erners. Most Southerners have carried with them the manners 
 of the plantation, and have always looked down upon the indus- 
 trious North. They are afraid of Northern thrift and enter- 
 prise, while they assume to be a superior race. They dislike 
 its democracy, and prefer the aristocracy of the South — to 
 be tyrannical, if of the favored class ; to favni, if they are 
 inferiors. All really slaveholdiug States must gravitate to- 
 Avards the South. 
 
 That the rebels must be " conquered," " subjugated," or 
 whatever you please to call it, admits of no question. Our 
 country's coasts, its rivers, its mines, its roads, its telegraphs, 
 demand that it be one. The success of self-government re- 
 quires it. But how to succeed is the question. That our 
 armies will eventually triumph, is sure, in the fact that 
 Southerners never dare meet an equal force of Northerners 
 in the field. "When we have officers, we shall conquer. But 
 what to do then? Is any compromise possible to satisfy 
 them. None. To restore the South to its old status, would 
 only restore the old conflicts, more embittered than ever, to 
 our public halls, with the old braggarts, the old liars and 
 thieves, for more haughty boasting, more impudent lies, 
 more successful thefts. Nothing is settled till it is settled 
 right. 
 
 But when the South is conquered, it must be held. And 
 that will require a social revolution at the South. Not a 
 mere emancipation of slaves, but a change in the ownership 
 of property. The property holders will always be the domi- 
 nant class in reality. Introduce a loyal race of property 
 holders, and loyal men of industry, and the problem is 
 worked out. "Wliile you are discussing the Fremont pi-ocla- 
 
48 THE POTOMAC AND THE IIAPIDAN. 
 
 mation, you forget that the simplest way of proceeding is for 
 the Congress soon to assemble, to pass a confiscation act, by 
 which every man committing a single overt act of rebellion 
 shall forfeit his property. For this the army aches. They 
 see rebels protected, their houses guarded, their property 
 sentinelled. They see disloyal men " conciliated," even 
 though soldiers should suffer. What think you of taking 
 particular pains to restore slaves claimed specially on the 
 ground that, as the whites of the family were all absent, the 
 blacks were indispensable for gathering the crops, while those 
 very whites were officers in the rebel army at Manassas ? 
 That was what we did at Harper's Ferry. Or of restoring 
 houses taken for public use, and receipted for, on the same 
 plea of crops, while the proceeds of those crops were to help 
 support Southern soldiers ? That we did in the Shenandoah. 
 What think you of Union men being left without work, while 
 notorious secessionists were hired in rebuilding bridges and 
 the like ? Just that was done at the Potomac. Where the 
 policy originated, I do not know ; but such things happened 
 in the column of the famous general now returned to private 
 life, until the spirit seemed to be that of the " reward and 
 forgetfulness act" of Charles II., which he carried out by 
 forgetting his friends and rewarding his enemies. 
 
 Such a policy will never succeed. It conciliates no rebels ; 
 it disgusts friends. Yet, if "general emancipation" were 
 now made the object of this war, I fully believe that our 
 armies would melt away. Our men are fighting for the flag, 
 not for the abolition of slavery. So for as the army feels, 
 .slavery is not a prominent theme or thought. The suprem- 
 acy of law, and the honor of the stars and stripes — these are 
 the soldiei''s principles. General emancipation Avould add 
 untold horrors to what already has horrors enough — WAR ; 
 
confiscXtion. 49 
 
 such horrors as the nobility of a true and gallant soldier has 
 no desire to witness ; and would violate constitutional prin- 
 ciples, beyond which our armies would be palsied. At the 
 same time, if there is any work which our soldiers loathe, it 
 is the returning of fugitive slaves. They despise it, and 
 they are despised for it by the chuckling scoundrels who 
 claim tine " guarantees" of the constitution which they have 
 deliberately thrown off. But they are not fighting for " abo- 
 lition." * 
 
 But if you confiscate the property of rebels, you have the 
 means to pour in a new population. At the end of this war 
 there Avill be hundreds of thousands of young men ready to 
 take and hold, with an arm used to the rifle, such pi'operties. 
 There are plenty of stalwart mechanics who could and would 
 redeem this Southern soil from the blight with which South- 
 ern shiftlessness has cursed it. Of its Harper's Ferries, with 
 magnificent Avater poAvers, Avith their vicinity to the land of 
 cotton, Avith all needed avenues to the sea, Northei*n skill 
 would make ncAv LoAvells and LaAvrences. These houses of 
 half log, half mud, Avould give place to Ncav England vil- 
 lages. The church and the school-house Avould renovate the 
 character of the population, and the iron hand of Northern 
 power Avould rule Avith a strength against which Southern 
 impetuousness Avould struggle in vain, as Southerners have 
 ahvays been poAverless, the Avorld over, against Northern 
 steel. Slavery itself would vanish before such a resistless 
 power as free labor, enlightened by a free conscience ; and 
 the blacks, thus freed, Avould become supporters to a system 
 of national industry. The noAV dominant class, once poor, 
 
 * I was right then, but I should not be right to use the same language 
 now. The feelings of the army have gradually and totally changed. Few 
 soldiers of any rank now but detest slavery, and mean to fight it. 
 .5 
 
50 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 would lose their pride with their power, and a new race of 
 men would come into being. 
 
 Strike, then, for a Confiscation Act ; and do not divide the 
 North and weaken our armies by impracticable propositions 
 of unconstitutional measures. 
 
 Near Seneca, Md., November 15, 1861. 
 
 The news which delights our minds is doubtless the same 
 as with you — the successful attack at Port Royal. We are 
 far more tranquil than you are in regard to news ; less ex- 
 citable, less worried. We are away from the sensation de- 
 spatches appearing hour after hour on the bulletin-boards, 
 where one statement is contradicted by the next. A news- 
 paper, with us, is a precious article. A Baltimore daily, 
 which I succeeded in picking up yesterday, passed through a 
 multitude of hands, until pretty thoroughly used up. It re- 
 joiced our hearts with the official account of the success on 
 South Carolina soil. 
 
 By the way, what a ridiculous mass of blunders are heaped 
 up in the columns of various dailies ! The errors which a 
 mere lack of care allows are sometimes inexcusable. Thus 
 Harper's Weekly points a moral from the defeat at " EdAA'ards's 
 Ferry," whereas at that place there was no battle. " Right 
 wing" and "left Aving " are huddled up in inextricable con- 
 fusion. You .should note that Colonel Baker's force was the 
 " right Aving " of the entire movement, covering the extremities 
 of three miles ; Avhile Colonel Baker's force had itself a right 
 and left, covering but a feAV hundred feet. One Boston daily 
 rightly takes somebody to task for calling General McClel- 
 lan " Commander-in-Chief," and then announces that his 
 
HEALTH. 51 
 
 true title is " Lieutenant-General," — which is, really, a grade 
 created by special act of Congress for General Scott, and, by 
 that very act, will cease to exist when General Scott ceases 
 to bear the title. But some of the pictorials are the richest 
 in ability. The places they portray are frequently beyond 
 recognition. A picture of the burning of the arsenals at 
 Hai'per's Ferry, which I chanced to take up a few days 
 ago, amused me somewhat, from the fact that the only two 
 buildings which it represents as burning, are the only two 
 there which bear no mark of fire ! 
 
 There have been no marked changes in this vicinity since 
 the Ball's Bluff affair, and the consequent immediate move- 
 ment of troops. Between Washington and Muddy Branch, 
 there are few troops this side of the river, but the Virginia 
 side is occupied. General Banks's division lies at Muddy 
 Branch and Seneca, on the Maryland side. General Stone 
 is next above, covering the river nearly to a point opposite 
 Leesburg ; and various parts of these divisions are stationed 
 at the Point of Rocks, Sandy Hook, and Williamsjiort. 
 
 Our own regiment has moved its camp a fourth of a mile, 
 to secure a healthier location. The former site was a clayey 
 soil, hard to dry after a rain. In fact, the ground Avas never 
 really dry after the first day or two of our camping, and the 
 residt has been seen in the poorer condition of a generally 
 healthy regiment. The few days which have elapsed since 
 our change show, ah-eady, a marked improvement. Our 
 present camp is on high ground, and overlooks the Potomac, 
 visible less than half a mile distant. The health of most of 
 the regiments in this division is good, but reports of visitors 
 to some regiments on the -Alexandria side of the Potomac 
 represent an unfortunate state of things. It is impossible to 
 keep health good on low gi-ound near this beautiful but 
 
52 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 deadly river. The miasma is terrible. Old resideuts shun 
 it as much as possible, and those who cannot do so are a 
 lank, sickly, cadaverous race ; and, so far as I can judge, 
 the character of most of them answers to their looks. 
 
 The matter of health has always been attended to in our 
 regiment. In reading an article in the Atlantic for Novem- 
 ber, I noticed that every valuable suggestion therein made, 
 has always been observed in the Second Massachusetts. The 
 "■ Sanitary Commission " was an organization of supereroga- 
 tion for us — a proof of the value of having experienced 
 army officers in charge of affairs. Nor can too much atten- 
 tion be devoted to the health of soldiers. A sickly army 
 cannot fight Avell ; nor is it fair to men who have left their 
 homes for their country's Avelfare, that they should be need- 
 lessly exposed to disease. 
 
 The measures taken against disease are of tAvo kinds, 
 namely, — the hygienic arrangements of camp, and the 
 medical means of cure of sickness. The first are of the 
 greatest importance. In selecting a site for a camp, one is 
 sought for which is dry in its chai'acter, — elevated, but not 
 ■too bleak, — gently sloping, to prevent stagnant water from 
 rains, — open to the sun, and airy, but shielded somewhat 
 from winds and storms, if possible. The first Avork, after 
 the places for our tents is selected is to sweep and otherwise 
 clean the ground thoroughly. The whole camp ground is 
 carefully swept every day by a force specially detailed, till 
 not even a chip remains. No impurities are allowed near 
 the camp. At the kitchen fires, in front of the company 
 tents, deep holes are dug, in which the offal from cooking is 
 thrown, and every day a layer o/ earth is thrown in. The 
 tents themselves are struck not infrequently in warm, 
 sunny days (if the camping remains long in one spot), and 
 
THE MEDICAL SYSTEM. 53 
 
 the sites are dried. If there is straw in the tents, it is re- 
 quired to be thoroughly dried at frequent intervals. The 
 Sibley tents, Avhich our men use, are well ventilated at the 
 top, by a liole coverable at pleasui'e. Regulations allow 
 unwholesome food to be condemned, and new and good de- 
 manded. To insure the care of the camp in regard to order 
 and cleanliness, an " officer of police" is daily appointed. 
 
 The arrangements for the sick are under the direction of 
 the surgeon, who has also an assistant, both regularly'>edu- 
 cated physicians. Every morning, any man taken sick re- 
 ports to the first sergeant of his company, who enrolls his 
 name in a company book kept for the purpose. Shortly after 
 breakfast, tlie drum and fife give the " sick call," when those 
 of the sick who are able, go to the surgeon, who prescribes 
 as needed. If but little indisposed, the sick man returns to 
 his tent, excused from duty, — the medicine allowed being 
 furnished in the course of the morning by the " hospital 
 steward," who attends to the preparation of prescriptions. 
 If too ill to render it prudent for the patient to remain " in 
 cpiarters," he is sent by the surgeon to the hospital of the 
 regiment. If one newly reported sick is not able to attend 
 the " sick call," the surgeon or assistant visits him at his 
 tent, and directs his removal if necessary. Our hospital con- 
 sists of two tents of thick canvas, each about twenty-five by 
 fourteen feet in size. Each will accommodate easily ten 
 patients, and is supplied with bedsteads, straw beds, &c. 
 The " hospital steward" has general charge of the hospital, 
 and specially attends to the preparations and administering of 
 medicines, &c. A " ward master" has charge of beds, bed- 
 ding, cleanliness, food, &c., and has several " nurses," — of 
 which the allowance is one to ten patients. Two cooks pre- 
 pare the necessary food. Other assistants attend to trauspor- 
 
54 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 tation and the like. If a man is likely to be long sick, as 
 when a broken limb is to be healed, or he has some chronic 
 disease, he is sent to a " general hospital," — ours being at 
 Baltimore, in the old " National House ; " as the necessity of 
 movements by a regiment render it undesii-ablc to have men 
 in its local hospital, to whom a movement might be disastrous. 
 When men shall be discharged from hospital is under the 
 control of the surgeon, — as, indeed, are all matters relative 
 to disease. There is but one head, — which makes the ex- 
 cellence of army discipline. Medicines and instnunents are 
 furnished by government, freely and according to the expe- 
 rience of years. 
 
 The above are the arrangements in camp. For the sad 
 effects of battle-fields, ambulances and stretchers are ready, 
 and attendants detailed, — that none of our brave men shall 
 suffer more than is indispensable. 
 
 I write of this topic because so many hearts at home are 
 anxious, and such details may interest them ; and to assure 
 them that, while nothing is a substitute for home^ with its 
 warm hearts and gentle hands, yet everything is done which 
 can be done to ligliten the burden of disease. Our surgeons 
 spare no labor, night or day ; and our colonel is a frequent 
 visitor among the sick ; our hospital steward is a most skil- 
 ful worker in medicine ; our ward master is kind-hearted 
 and unwearied ; our hospital cooks are experienced. Yet, in 
 spite of all human skill and care, death cannot be excluded 
 here, but will enter our canvas doors, as he glides into the 
 houses of wood and stone at home, at will, or rather at our Fa- 
 ther's will — before which who of us has notbeen made to weep ? 
 Two of our number here have lately died, both stricken 
 with disease in great severity, and both delirious from the 
 hour of their entrance into the hospital — so delirious that 
 
MARRIAGE AND BAPTISM. 55 
 
 neither coiiltl converse. What preparation they had made 
 for the future must have been made before they lay on a sick 
 bed. We committed them to God, who is rich in mercy, for 
 the great love wherewith he loved us. 
 
 Near Frederick, Md., December 19, 1861. 
 I wnOTE you of our march from Seneca, or " near Darnes- 
 town." But I cannot leave Darnestown without a parting 
 salutation. There our regiment spent more than two months, 
 varied only by a location in three ditfei'ent places, and by a 
 hasty march to the mournful Conrad's Ferry. There we 
 made acquaintances, and, what interested me more, I had 
 some clerical duties to perform not usually falling to the lot 
 of chaplains in marching regiments, viz. : I married one couple, 
 and I baptized two children. The bridegroom was one of 
 our own men. The children were in two families at Seneca. 
 Both kinds of service were perfoi'med with great satisfaction 
 — especially the latter ; the latter especially (call it not selfish) 
 that it was a luxury to see a helpless little babe. To hear 
 one cry, even, is a comfort to one deprived of the privilege he 
 had at home. I wonder I was ever impatient at it. I mourn 
 over former hard-heartedness. I warn every father against 
 recklessness in this particular. I beg my ministerial brethren 
 especially to guard against any possible fretfulness on this 
 account, even though it be Saturday evening, and to-morrow's 
 sermon yet remains a " skeleton." Do not say to faithful 
 mother or careful nurse, " Why don't you hush that baby ? " 
 Soberly now : thank God there is one to hush. Take it in 
 your arms, and let its head rest trustingly on your shoulder, 
 O strong man, and so learn yourself how to rest as confidingly 
 
5G THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 on God's strong arm and loving heart. " For as a father 
 pitietli his children, so the Lord pitietli them that put their 
 trust in him." If that little one leave you, you Avill be sad 
 for many a year, believe me, over every impatient and stern 
 word, though those words were only the rippfes on the surface 
 of your tide of love. 
 
 But about leaving Darnestown. 
 
 First of all, spell it with an e. Mr. Darne, whose father's 
 name and residence gave title to the place, spells it with an e. 
 In ingenuity of nomenclature, they seldom rise, in these parts, 
 above attaching some termination to the name of a prominent 
 resident. Thus came Harper's Ferry, Clarks-burg, Hyatts- 
 town, Pools-ville, Buckey-town. DarnestOAvn itself is a little 
 village on the road from Washington to Poolsville, which 
 runs almost as parallel with the Potomac as the crooked char- 
 acter of that river allows, and about twenty-five miles from 
 Washington. Most of its houses are of the log-and-mud style. 
 It boasts no hotel, though some hospitable people would afford 
 entertainment for man and beast. It had three " country " 
 stores, where hardware, dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, 
 quack medicines, and whiskey were sold in rather small 
 quantities — barring the Avhiskey as to the small. There was 
 a blacksmith's shop, but no shoemaker's. A post-office was 
 in one of the stores, and before our advent a stage-coach 
 passed up throvigh one day and down through the next. The 
 few houses of more than usual pretension would hardly pass 
 muster in a New England village, and the poorer ones were 
 sadly dilapidated. " These buildings seem out of repair," it 
 was said one day to a native. " Wal, yes," was the I'eply. 
 ".Why don't, the people repair them?" " Wal, we kinder 
 take things easy, and when they tumble down we build up 
 new ones " — a work which several save indications of soon 
 
DARNESTOWN AWAKE. 57 
 
 needing. Two or three houses were enclosed with fences, 
 and had a few flowers in front ; but as a whole, the village of 
 one street was of the Rip Van Winkle order, where you would, 
 and will, see black women cutting fire-wood before the door, 
 while a Avhite man sits on the door-step smoking his pipe, and 
 the pigs enjoying the free use of the road, too lazy to move 
 out of the way of the infrequent traveller. 
 
 But Darnestown woke up one day. A division of the 
 army grouped itself on either side. The pigs and the wood- 
 cutting went on the same, but sentries at the doors of the 
 shops interfered sadly with the sale of whiskey. Along the 
 street was run a telegraph wire, and up a rickety staircase 
 was a telegraph office. Coaches ran every day. Soldiers 
 lounged about. Regiments moved up and down. Orderlies 
 cantered up and down at all hours. Trade inflated. The 
 at first bewildered traders increased their stock of goods. 
 Pedlers came. Daguerreotype artists extemporized small 
 buildings. From a gimlet to a pair of boots (marked Claf- 
 lin, Boston), whatever you wanted was of Yankee make, save 
 the execrable pies which flooded the country — unmistakably 
 Darnestown. Darnestown went to making money with 
 more than Yankee shrewdness, and Darnestown was 
 Union — when the army came. 
 
 Of schools : there was one little building, but the fright- 
 ened schoolma'am vanished, and the school-house became a 
 pedler's shop. The principal school was at Rockville, ten 
 miles off. I asked one man, a magistrate a mile away, 
 Avhat a little building in his yard was erected for. " The 
 front room for a store, the back for a school-room." Then 
 he and a neighbor discussed the several teachers. One, in 
 particular, they agreed upon as an excellent teacher, a thor- 
 ough teacher. They paid him three dollars and a half 
 
58 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 per quarter for each scholar. " But Ave liad to give him 
 up," said the owner : " he got tlic childrou along as far as he 
 could go, but he had never learned the higher branches, such 
 as grammar and geography, and we had to let him go." In 
 one house of a family of pretension only "four books were 
 discernible — a Bible, a Prayer-book, a catalogue of some 
 school, and some work of fiction whose name I now forget. 
 
 There are two churches at Darnestown, at opposite ex- 
 tremities of the village ; or rather one is a little out 
 of the village. One is Old School Presbyterian ; the other. 
 Baptist. The meeting-house of the latter is log-and-mud, 
 and open to the roof. It has, of course, a negro gallery, 
 entirely separating the black from the white Christians, 
 and reached by a staircase built outside. It is very 
 comforting to know that, by this arrangement, there is no 
 possible danger of contamination. The Presbyterian church 
 is quite a handsome building, framed, boarded, and painted 
 a neutral tint. Its gallery is reached by a staircase inside ; 
 and the basement has, I think, been sometimes used as a 
 school-room. Neither church had preaching every Sabbath. 
 The Baptist was open about once a mouth ; the Presbyte- 
 rian, once in tw^o weeks. Neither of the preachers was a 
 resident, I believe, and they divided their time between this 
 place and Rockville, which is a much larger town. The 
 Baptist church became a station for pickets, and on Mon- 
 days for a chaplains' meeting, and, subsequently, was 
 turned into a hospital. When I saw it last, a battery was 
 exercising by its side. The Presbyterians, with an attend- 
 ance largely increased by soldiers, came to have public wor- 
 ship every Sabbath. 
 
 As our services were then in the afternoon, I have had 
 occasional opportunity to worship mornings Avith other con- 
 
DARNESTOWN CHURCHES. 59 
 
 gregations. I did so there, at a distance from camp of 
 several miles each way. The first time I attended the Pres- 
 byterian chm*ch, at the hour appointed for public worship, 
 a prayer-meeting was in progress. Some resident brother 
 conducted the services, and " deaconed off" the hymns, 
 which, though an old New England custom, was new to 
 me. The same brother led the singing, which I should 
 have enjoyed, had he not invariably pronounced the first 
 syllable of each line as " nah." Chaplains were the princi- 
 pal supporters of the meeting. This meeting ended, the 
 minister entered the pulpit, and, assisted by a Presbyterian 
 chaplain, held divine service. The text of his sermon was, 
 " Israel doth not know, my people do not consider," which 
 he applied to the impenitent. Barring the misapplication of 
 the text, Ixe made a forcible and truthful exhibition of a 
 different topic. The sermon was well Avritten, and thor- 
 oughly Calvinistic. His tone was severe, Presbyterianly 
 severe, in which he evidently did injustice to his nature. 
 From his general style, I judged him to be liberally edu- 
 cated, but not remarkably patriotic. His Avhole sermon was 
 directed by eye and gesture to a small boy in a far corner of 
 the church. I pitied that boy. 
 
 The soldiers listened with attention and respect. Here 
 officers and men met on a level. Here all arms of the ser- 
 vice Avere blended. The sober army blue of our Massachu- 
 setts men contrasted with the gayer trappings of Ncav York. 
 The light-blue stripe of infantry sat by the scarlet of artillery 
 and the yelloAV stripe and spurs of cavalry. Here the plain 
 dress of priA^ate mingled Avith the chcATons of the corporal 
 and sergeant, nor Avas repelled by the epaulets or shoulder- 
 straps of captains or colonels. And occasionally might be 
 seen the buff sash, and the tA\"o stars glistening in silence on 
 
GO THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 the shoulder of the firmly-knit, keen-eyed, resolute major- 
 general. Tlie rank was outside. Beneath were men, each 
 under the same law, invited by the same gospel. Beneath, 
 too, were Christians. In witnessing a division review, I have 
 thought how infantry, artillery, cavalry, engineers, though 
 distinct in dress, and arms, and drill, are yet animated by 
 one principle : the infantry may have the Enfield rifle or the 
 Springfield, the smooth bore or the altered lock, and yet do 
 service in harmony ; even every regiment has its two flags, 
 one its State banner, with its own name thereon, the other, 
 loftier, the stars and stripes ; and yet all form one army, 
 whose great centre of fealty is the flag. So all Clu-istians, 
 though equipped differently, mayhap, and marching to a 
 special flag of their oa\ti, yet bear above that the banner of 
 the cross, and form a great unit, acknowledging allegiance to 
 the one gi'eat Captain, Jesus Christ. How paltry are all 
 quarrelings among Christians as to what arm of the service 
 one belongs, or what dress he wears. The Banner, th6 
 Great Banner ! The Captain, the Great Captain ! 
 
 In the rear of this church is a burial-grovmd, the one most 
 used. Not many graves were there till we came ; but there 
 used to grow larger ever-y week a row of single graves placed 
 side by side. They are the graves of soldiers. And here, 
 on many a day, the village people used to stroll along as the 
 muffled drum passed by, and curiously, yet sympathizingly. 
 see the burial, and hear the three volleys over the open grave, 
 and wonder where his home had been, and whether he had 
 a mother. And they were often kind to our poor sick sol- 
 diers, for which the blessing of our Lord be upon them ! 
 
 There were good Christians there, too. I made some 
 friendships, though they were not with any of the high in 
 their own estimation, but with the more humble. Those of 
 
DARNESTOWN PEOPLE. 61 
 
 self-importance were generally secessionists. In some fami- 
 lies were many religious books ; and I respect one good man, 
 Avho came to our regiment with tracts, only to find more tliere 
 than he probably ever saw before. The family where I bap- 
 tized the one child was Union. I hope to see yet, in future 
 years, that little one, who knew, or seemed to know, when 
 my hand held her, and always smiled when I took her. That 
 family was sorry that we must leave. They said that with 
 other regiments near them before, they had been in constant 
 fear, and constantly suffering loss. But the Second Massa- 
 chusetts had been oi'derly, courteous, and kind, and had been 
 a protection. The reason Avas, we have Men, and we have 
 Officers. Many other regiments have one, but not both. 
 
 The other child I shall never see on earth. He has al- 
 ready gone. 
 
 " And we know — for God hath told us this — 
 That he is now at rest, 
 Where other blessed children are, 
 On the Saviour's loving breast." 
 
62 THE POTOMAC AND THE EAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LIFE NEAR FREDERICK TOWN. 
 
 Camp Hicks, near Frederick, Md., December 13, 1861. 
 
 The change in our situation since I wrote last is delight- 
 ful. Moving hither frona " Seneca Creek," or " Muddy 
 Branch," or " Near Darnestown," we came out of the ma- 
 laria of the Potomac into pure country air ; out of a shelter- 
 less, dismal field, into a pleasant grove, gently sloping to the 
 south, where the warm sun lies beautifully down ; and out 
 of barbarism into civilization. "We hear, by night, the hours 
 struck. We hear the whistle of the locomotive near us, and 
 think how, though five hundred miles from home, that power 
 would take us there in twenty-foiu' hours. "We hear, on 
 the Sabbath, the " church-going bell." How pleasantly its 
 music rolls over the intervening three miles and a half, after 
 our nearly six months' deprival of such a sound ! 
 
 We had had rumors of removal for several weeks ; but 
 nobody paid any regard to them, until orders came to send 
 aAvay the sick men of the division by canal. This was as 
 certain a precursor of marching as though the orders Avere 
 published. 
 
 It was on Saturday that the first departure of the sick took 
 place, near two weeks ago. They were to go to hospital at 
 Alexandria, some twenty-five miles off. So our own sick 
 
REMOVAL OF SICK MEN. 63 
 
 men Avere sent down to the canal-lock, about a mile from us, 
 there to join with tliose of other regiments. Special duty led 
 me there, and we were at the lock about half an hour before 
 noon. We had sent over twenty men, and from all the regi- 
 ments there were between thirty and forty ambulance loads, 
 carrying nearly two hundred. It was a bitterly cold day. 
 The wind swept down the river valley bitingly. As the best 
 to be done, we wheeled the ambulances round against the 
 wind ; and waited — waited, till we were disgusted. It was 
 shameless shiftlessness which forced these men to suffer. 
 
 While awaiting the boat, we built a rousing good fire un- 
 der the shelter of an abutment. When I was a boy I always 
 was particular about the first use of a ncAv knife, and I had 
 frequent occasions to try new ones, inasmuch as I lost so 
 many that my indulgent father used to joke me with the 
 statement, that if knives would sprout, our yard would be 
 full of jack-knife trees. Well, I shall always entertain great 
 regard for this knife (a capital one, just sent me by that same 
 good father) from the fact that its christening took place in 
 whittling. shavings to kindle that fire. For one side of that 
 fire was a rock ; on the other we drove a crotched stick ; and 
 across we put another stick, on which we hung a borrowed 
 kettle, and in that kettle we boiled water, of which our hos- 
 pital attendants made tea for the sick men, followed by good 
 beef tea as food. Two things are to be noted about the fire, 
 for the benefit of future laborers ; first, it takes one man ex- 
 tra, with a dipper, to pvit out the fire on the cross stick, lest 
 the kettle tumble into the fire ; and, secondly, it is not dis- 
 creet to ask Avhere the Avood comes from ; the men's sickness 
 must overrule — curiosity. But I confess that a rascally 
 sutler objected to the sudden departure of pie-boxes, until I 
 told the attendants to throw him into the canal if he did not 
 hold his tongue. 
 
64 niE POTOMAC AND THE HAPIDAN. 
 
 We tried to keep up the men's spirits, and they did act 
 nobly. The boat came, but entirely insufficient. Its floor 
 was still wet, for the water had but just been pumped out. 
 There could be no fii'e, and. there was no shelter ; and these 
 men were to go down the canal in that cold night. Straw 
 had been promised, but no straw came. So we took the 
 stacks of corn stalks from a neighboring field, until sentries 
 drove the men off from this property of noted rebels. The 
 boat was loaded at last, too full. I was the last out, and 
 found the advantage of a pair of stout arms, with which to 
 pull myself up six or seven feet. The boat started with- its 
 precious freight, and many hand-pressures and " God bless 
 yous." 
 
 There Avas not room for all, and quite a number remained 
 for another day or so. Of those left behind, several were 
 placed in the two houses snug by. Our surgeon and assistant 
 surgeon took care of our own men and of some others ; found 
 beds for them ; appointed nui'ses ; secured sentries ; pro- 
 vided food, and furnished necessaries. One .poor fellow of 
 another regiment excited my pity. He was sitting alone on 
 a bench in a kind of entry, and leaning in the corner of the 
 room. I spoke with him. He told me his regiment. He 
 had been brought down there, placed in the corner, and, by 
 some accident, left. The boat had gone without him. His 
 knapsack had gone aboard. The persons in charge of him 
 had gone back to camp. He had no food. He was conva- 
 lescent from typhoid fever, but was entirely helpless from 
 disease in the hip. Our assistant surgeon needed only the 
 sight of him to provide for him, and the warm-hearted men 
 of the Second were ready to take care of him. So they did 
 of others, one of whom was too sick — a cavahy man — to 
 be moved farther. 
 
REMOVAL OF SICK MEN. 65 
 
 On Monday the remainder were to go — by canal — np 
 to the Point of Rocks on the Bahimore and Ohio Raih'oad, 
 and thence to Frederick. So, Sunday evening I accom- 
 panied the assistant sm-geon and ward master to the houses 
 occupied by the sick. It Avas dark, and we picked our way 
 by the light of a lantern, down through the ploughed fields, 
 and over little brooks. At one house a sutler's establishment 
 was open for trade ; but we were not in that line. Our sick 
 men were doing Avell. In one room lay several of them, 
 comfortably provided for — a low room, in a mean locality, 
 and with beds upon the tloor, but still very comfortable, thanks 
 to our medical and hospital men. And poor as was the place, 
 and dim as its one candle left it, it was a spot where our 
 Lord stood with us, and where, the hearts of the sick soldiers 
 were refreshed. Even there were words of praise from 
 spirits which had " peace and joy in believing " But the 
 sick cavalry man had lost his senses. 
 
 On Monday the second party from the division went. 
 This time our assistant surgeon * had charge. The boat 
 was ready at the time. The ambulance drivers reported to 
 him, and he saw to the embarkation. He saw that nurses 
 did their duty. It was by night they went ; but when morn- 
 ing came, he roused up the attendants, and had Avarm relish- 
 ing food provided. He drove away the Avhiskey-dealers at 
 Point of Eocks, and though they had to wait there a Avhile, 
 the train came at last, and carried them safely to a good hos- 
 pital in Frederick. But one of our men (a mere boy rather) 
 taken out of a hospital at DarnestOAvn, died the next day, and 
 "Wisconsin men fired the volleys over his grave as they buried 
 him. All the sick, save a fe^v to go Avith the regiments, were 
 
 * It was Lincoln R. Stone, now surgeon of volunteers. 
 6* 
 
66 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 thus carried away. Not all thus. When the last party 
 started, the cavahy soldier was dead. 
 
 On Tuesday our brigade started. The march was like 
 all others, save that both days were very cold. The 
 first day we went to Barnesville, a Maryland village of the 
 genuine kind. Feeling Jlguralive, I counted the number of 
 houses ; twenty-six, unless I mistook barns for houses, or 
 houses for barns, in several intricate cases. We camped in a 
 beautiful wood. It is strange how dreary a vpood or field 
 looks in a cold day, as your regiment enters it, and how 
 cheerful it becomes as tough arms raise the city of tents, and 
 build huge roaring fires. So it was here. The next morn- 
 ing reveille beat at a quarter past four. It was cold work to 
 toss aside our blankets and leave our heaps of straw for the 
 raw air. Great fires again thawed out the chill. Hunger 
 vanished soon. You never appreciate coffee till you try it 
 before daylight in camps of a cold morning, — after having 
 attended to a moderate toilet by the light of a candle, for 
 which a two-bladed knife furnishes a candlestick, one blade 
 horizontal in a tree, and a smaller pointing up at right angles, 
 with the candle stuck upon it. Probably you never yet have 
 learned how good a dish is made of hard biscuit fried Avith 
 salt pork ; though the flavor depends somewhat upon a hard 
 march the day before, a raw morning, and before sunrise. 
 
 Between six and seven we were moving again. Down 
 came the tents as the final roll of the " general " beat ; into 
 Avagons went tents and baggage. The line is formed 
 among the trees. " Forward ! " And just as dawn was 
 disclosing " Old Sugar Loaf," — the Kearsarge or Ascutney 
 of this region, — the regiment plunged doAvn into the valley 
 mists which wrapped its base. 
 
 The road was beautiful ; only with cold fingers and feet it 
 
MARCHING INCIDENTS. 67 
 
 is hard to appreciate scenery. In summer it must be deliglit- 
 ful : winding around the base of Sugar Loaf, over a spur of 
 it, along by tossing brooks, foi'ding shallow streams, — it re- 
 minded one of New England mountain scenery. The re- 
 minder Avas not in customs nor idioms. Calling at a small 
 house whose joint proprietors were doing a brisk business in 
 coffee and jaies, and where I made acquaintance with four or 
 five broad-faced, good-natured children, I was amvised to 
 hear the father tell one to "go himt the branch." I ventured 
 to inquire the meaning, and learned that " the branch " was 
 the hrook, and " hunting" it meant to wash his face in it. I 
 was equally interested in learning that the title of " Koot," 
 which oue little girl bore, was intended as " the short" for 
 " Margaret Adelaide," as the mother informed me, after 
 asking the father what the child's name was. But the poor 
 family — none of whose children go to school — is the first 
 family on any road in Maryland, rich or poor, which I 
 have knoAvn to decline receiving pay for a cup of coffee or 
 other little luxury. Of course I felt obliged to leave a little 
 token with " Koot." 
 
 That day brought us to "near Frederick." That day? 
 Four hours and a quarter took our regiment fifteen miles, 
 the field officers marching on foot with their men the whole 
 distance. Then, in a bleak field, and in a cold wind, we 
 stood three hours and a half Avaiting for orders where to 
 camp. The responsible commander was then discovered in 
 front of a coal fire at a hotel. We were finally sent to a 
 spot near the Monocacy bridge, and pitched our tents, and 
 spread our straAV, and built our fires. 
 
 Next morning Ave were sent to this beautiful camp ground. 
 Our camp is ahvays famous for its neatness. And here, 
 underbrush has been cut up by the roots, e\'ery leaf swept 
 
68 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 oil", aud trees trimmed of low branches. We have the right 
 of tlic line, the Sixteenth Indiana is next to us, the Thirtieth 
 Pennsylvania a little in the rear, and the good Twelfth Massa- 
 chusetts on tlie left. 
 
 Our regiment acted admirably in this moving. They 
 never marched better. They behaved well. There was 
 little drinking, and no disorder. Nor can it be said of 
 many regiments, anywhere, that one marched fifteen miles 
 in four hours and a half, with forty pounds of load per man, 
 and came in entire, and in marching order. It could not be 
 said of us, as one officer said of another regiment (his own) 
 on the road, " The had a gay old drunk last night, offi- 
 cers and men." Our officers did not, as did multitudes, 
 rush into Frederick for comfortable beds and coal fires at 
 hotels ; for our commander is too old a soldier to leave his 
 men vmder canvas in cold weather, and take to luxurious 
 shelter himself; and he has too good officers to expect 
 worse of them. In fact, if any of us had asked for leave to 
 join a small swarm of officers (none Massachusetts) at hotels 
 in Frederick, he would have found something else on his colo- 
 nel's face than the kind look he is in the habit of seeing. 
 
 Though I have, perhaps, taken too much room already, 
 you must let me say a Avord on the recent orders as to chap- 
 lains, concerning dress, &c. It is said, in some papers, that 
 many chaplains are dissatisfied. This may be true at 
 Washington, but it is not so in this division. It is, per- 
 haps, pleasing to me that the simple dress now prescribed 
 is the precise one stated as proper by our commander, when 
 I was leaving home, and which, of course, I procured. The 
 shoulder-straps, gilt buttons, and swords, on some chaplains, 
 have always excited the ridicule of army officers. The less 
 a chaplain assumes to be a military man, the better. His 
 
KO WINTER QUARTERS. 09 
 
 influence is that of a Christian minister. Men expect that, 
 but they do not expect a mere preaching officer. As to 
 rank, due respect, &c., a chaplain needs no military rank, 
 nor exacted salutations. As General Scott informed a com- 
 mittee, a chaplain will secure that position his qualities enti- 
 tle him to occupy ; that is, when officers are gentlemen. 
 Some regiments — many — have officers not what they 
 should be ; and there the best of chaplains find trouble. But 
 the reverse is sometimes true. In this division, we are glad 
 of the new regulation. We believe that a chaplain's position 
 is too noble for him to need gilt and tinsel. General Jack- 
 son once told a minister applying for office, " You have a 
 higher office than is in my power to bestow," So has a 
 chaplain ; but it is not a military office ; it is that of friend, 
 adviser, and helper, to both officer and private alike. With 
 such material as ours a chaplain feels no lack of rank or 
 show. 
 
 Camp Hicks, near Frederick, Md,, December 28, 1861. 
 We have supposed that the division was to be put into 
 winter quarters here ; but it seems not. The men have been 
 allowed to make themselves comfortable in log huts, or by 
 board floors ; but it is understood that the general-in-chief 
 has decidedly informed the general of this division that win- 
 ter quarters are not contemplated. The effect of this will 
 not be great as to comfort, inasmuch as Yankee ingenuity 
 can devise ways and means of keeping warm, unless too 
 much care is taken to conciliate secession owners of wood 
 lots. Did I write you, by the way, of a specimen of this 
 regard for rebels — that certain straw stacks were held 
 sacred at Darnestown, guarded by our soldiers, againt<t the 
 
70 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 directions of the medical director to procure straw therefrom, 
 at goverumeut expense, for our sick soldiers on the canal 
 boat? The question very naturally asked is. What man 
 owned straw too sacred for government use for sick men ? 
 A man in Fort Lafayette on charge of open treason ! 
 
 But this statement as to winter quarters is somewhat sig- 
 nificant in regard to the prosecution of the war. If it is any- 
 thing more than a sagacious deference to congressional im- 
 patience, it implies an active campaign, regardless of winter. 
 This division is admirably located for quick service. Its 
 supplies are easily furnished by rail. It is in a rich country. 
 If wanted at Baltimore or Washington, a few hours. would 
 carry it to either. If any regiments are wanted for South- 
 ern service, Annapolis is direct by railroad. If the Upper 
 Potomac is to be crossed, it is less than an hour's ride to the 
 Point of Rocks, by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and 
 hardly more than that to Harper's Ferry, where opens the 
 valley of the Shenandoah, in which are Winchester, Charles- 
 town, and Martinsburg, now being approached from West- 
 ern Virginia — all of which must be cleared out. If com- 
 munication is to be opened with the West by the same 
 railroad, miles of which have been rendered useless by 
 rebels, we are on the line. So that Frederick seems to have 
 been chosen as a great point to start from. 
 
 Frederick itself is a rather pretty town, squarely laid 
 out, and Avith some fine churches and handsome private 
 houses. The most of the Avealth (not all) is secesh. Many 
 rebel sympathizers have long since left ; and even before we 
 came, the Union sentiment was numerically strongly pre- 
 dominant. People privately still drink the health of Jeffer- 
 son Davis unmolested, and publicly look daggers at North- 
 ern soldiers, though not very dangerous daggers. The 
 
FREDERICK. 71 
 
 condition of society is sad, by reason of these troubles. 
 Friends are alienated, relations separated, and even churches 
 divided. To me it is of very little importance that Union men 
 will not trade vv'ith secesh, and vice versa ; but it is a mournful 
 spectacle to see divided churches and wasting Sabbath schools. 
 The principal churches here are the Lutheran, German Re- 
 foi-med, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodist, and Catholic. 
 The status of each Protestant minister is well understood. So 
 far as I can learn, the Lutheran minister* is decidedly and 
 unconditionally a Union man, a Pennsylvanian by birth ; his 
 large congregation is mostly Union, though there are quite 
 a number of " peace" men ; the clergyman evidently pursues 
 a judicious course, but he has lost several parishioners. 
 The pastor of the German Reformed has an equally large 
 society, and has been here a good many years. He, at one 
 time, omitted the prayer (required in their liturgy) for the 
 President of the United States, and, I have no doubt, did it 
 with comfort ; but, being a " prudent" man, attended to the 
 significant hints of several strong Union men of too much 
 importance to be overlooked, and forthwith gave his valu- 
 able prayer to our chief magistrate's welfare. Some few 
 secessionists forthwith left, on the ground that, if the pastor 
 was a Union man, they, of course, could not attend his 
 church ; and if. Southern in sympathies, as they felt him to 
 be, he yet prayed Northern, they certainly i^oulcl not. The 
 Presbyterian minister, somehow Southern in his connections, 
 is also, in sentiment, undisguisedly Southern. To a Pres- 
 byterian chaplain, Avho called on him by way of courtesy, he 
 said, " I should be glad to invite you to preach in my pulpit, 
 but on the condition that no allusion shall be made to the 
 
 * Rev. George Diehl, D. D. 
 
72 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAriDAN. 
 
 course of the North." " I would not preach in your pulpit, 
 sir," was the reply to the insult ; " if I did, it should be un- 
 mistakably loyal. Good morning." The Union men in that 
 congregation make no trouble, of course ; only rebels are 
 turbulent. The Methodists are sadly weakened ; their min- 
 ister is boldly loyal, and many Southern sympathizers have 
 left. His Sunday school, even, these eminently Christian 
 men have abandoned. The Episcopalian clergyman is nobly 
 national. Of course he has not made his pulpit an arena of 
 attack on others, but he is known to be plainly and uncom- 
 promisingly loyal. Secessionists who leave other churches, 
 find no comfort from him. Still, a large portion of his peo- 
 ple dislike his Unionism, as well as his faithful, devoted 
 attention to the sick soldiers in our general hospital. And I 
 cannot help seeing that his position is not pleasant, either 
 now or prospectively, and he ought, with his abilities, edu- 
 cation, culture, and piety, to be called to some Northern 
 church. This suggestion, if it meet the eye of any Episco- 
 palian, I beg leave to say is without his knowledge, and I 
 know not but he Avould dislike it.* 
 
 I have had opportunity to be in Frederick two Sabbath 
 afternoons. On the first, my intimate friend, the chaplain 
 of the Twelfth Massachusetts, and myself, found ourselves 
 in the Episcopal church. The pastor himself preached a 
 very well digested and forcibly prepared sermon, on the " ne- 
 cessity of a revelation," as to the being and nature of God. 
 I was greatly interested in it, especially with its practical, 
 sensible application. There were many shoulder-straps in 
 the congregation, and a very sober and reverent attention. 
 The church itself is a beautiful one, severely Gothic, built by 
 
 * Rev. Charles Seymour, now of Massachusetts. 
 
FREDERICK CHURCHES, 73 
 
 Upjohn, the special beauty of whose -work is, there is never 
 any sham about it ; no mastic imitations of stone outside — 
 that abominable humbug ; no blocked off plaster inside — that 
 transparent lie. I confess I liked so much of the liturgy as 
 enables the people to have some visible share in public wor- 
 ship ; and the habit they had of actually kneeling in prayer, 
 instead of the bolt-upright stubbornness which many of our 
 New England congregations cling to so devoutly. Nor Avas 
 I any the less pleased with hearing even the voices of chil- 
 dren mingling with those of mature age in the Lord's 
 Prayer. Nor was the congregation guilty of the gross irrev- 
 erence of wheeling round, backs toward the pulpit, to stare 
 at the choir. I do not think there is any heresy here ; if 
 there is, have a brotherly regard to my reputation, and sup- 
 press it. 
 
 In the evening, we looked around for a prayer meeting. 
 By chance, we got to the door of the Methodist church ; but 
 learning that a certain tract agent was to hold forth, we got 
 no farther. That particular agent I had heard once, and I 
 knew his stripe on the great sins of the nation too well to 
 want to hear him again. It is too late now to bolster up the 
 " peculiar institution," and I am for the gospel, wherever it 
 hits. A Christian literature which ignores slavery, while 
 professing to teach sound morality, is poor stuff. At home, 
 I attended to what my congregation needed — personal reli- 
 gion. Here, I would do the same — urge personal religion ; 
 but circumstances alter cases, and personal religion here 
 meets the obstacle of the sin of slaveholding. 
 
 So we went on, and came to the Lutheran church. There 
 
 was no prayer meeting, however, the second service being 
 
 held in the evening. The pastor preached in a devotional 
 
 way. The singing, which was congregational, was most 
 
 7 
 
74 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 hearty. They have here a very interesting habit of passing 
 around the contribution box at every service. 
 
 Last Sabbath afternoon I was again in Frederick, and 
 went to the Lutheran Sabbath school. What a pleasure it 
 was, after near six months' abstinence from such luxuries ! 
 The school numbered four hundred, separated into two rooms. 
 In one of them was the infant school, wliich had that day 
 nearly a hundred and fifty little pupils, from scholars almost 
 ready to pass into the next room down to timid little ones, 
 majestically shielded under the arm of some patronizing 
 brother or sister a year or two older. This department was 
 admirably managed. The singing was delightful, and the 
 very same hymns as are sung at home affected me very 
 deeply. I count it a remarkable instance of self-denial that 
 I declined talking to them. In addition to this large school, 
 they have a mission school of about sixty pupils, a mile 
 away. 
 
 At the close of the school, I was a listener at a special 
 service in the church, of, to me, a novel kind. There are two 
 congregations in this chm'ch, English and German, and once 
 in two weeks the pastor preaches to the latter. I heard him 
 that day. That is to say, I heard his voice. As I sat there, 
 never did I so realize the force of the Apostle's argument, 
 when he says, " If I know not the meaning of the voice, I 
 shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian ; and he that 
 speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me." Here and there I 
 recognized a word, but, as a Avhole, it was to me a mass of 
 gutturals — saving the Lord's Prayer, which I was, of course, 
 able to follow by the help of one King James. For further 
 particulars, see 1st Corinthians, 14th chapter. 
 
 In the evening, I fulfilled an engagement to be present. 
 How strange it seemed to speak in a church ! The absence 
 
CHRISTMAS. 75 
 
 of uniforms, the want of words of command, the lack of 
 trees, seemed odd. Carpets, and pews, and pulpit, and organ, 
 and walls, it reaUy took a Avliile to get used to them. I rather 
 longed for open air again, and my own ten companies, though 
 I began to feel before closing that I had once been civilized, 
 and, possibly, in suitable circumstances, should be again. 
 But I shall never again be reconciled to the board fence 
 known as " pulpit." 
 
 On Christmas, also, I attended the Lutheran church. It 
 was a beautiful morning for the saddle. The ground had 
 been covered by just snow enough to make it white, not 
 enough to leave the least mud in melting — which is all the 
 snow we have had yet. Not even had the slow Monocacy 
 " skimmed over" with ice. The weather Avas delightful, as 
 it is almost all the time. For the first fortnight of our stay 
 here not an overcoat was needed. At the church. Rev. 
 Mr. Phillips, chaplain of the New York Ninth, preached a 
 very excellent and appropriate sermon. At the same hour, 
 the pastor preached to the German audience in the lecture- 
 room. I was not there to hear ; if I had been, I doubt the 
 profit. But I could not help regarding it as rather enlivening, 
 reverently feeling, nevertheless, that I was selected to help 
 administer the sacrament, in a Lutheran form, to a body of 
 German communicants, in the German language ! I con- 
 cluded to decline. Nevertheless, feeling ashamed of my 
 ignorance, consider me as learning German ! 
 
 Cantonment Hicks, near Fkederick, Md., January 6, 1861. 
 Cantonment, not camp, by order of brigadier-general. 
 " Camp," say the Army Regulations, is the place where 
 
76 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 troops are established in tents, in huts, or in bivouac. Can- 
 tonments arc the inhabited places Avhich troops occupy when 
 not put in barracks. Then the brigade is in " inhabited 
 places " ? Not at all ; but several regiments have built log- 
 houses, and so wanted a better sounding name than " camp." 
 As the brigade order says " cantonment," " cantonment" it 
 is. It reminds one of the mince-pies a boy was calling for 
 sale. " Hot mince-pies ! " " Hot mince-pies ! " shouted the 
 boy. " But why do you call them hot f " said a disappointed 
 purchaser ; " they are as cold as a stone ! " " O, that's the 
 name of them," replied the boy. 
 
 Several regiments have erected excellent log-houses. The 
 Twelfth Massachusetts, in particular, has built a small city, in 
 manner and quality very creditable. Our own regiment, 
 having Sibley tents, with floors, and stoves, and straw beds, 
 as yet find no difficulty in keeping comfortable. The general- 
 in-chief at Washington says that Sibley tents are sufficient 
 for this climate. Ergo^ this division is not in winter 
 quarters. 
 
 It is a little interesting that the very day when the order 
 went into operation re-christening our temporary home, where- 
 by some idea of permanence was intended, there came a 
 sudden order to the whole division to cook two days' rations, 
 and be ready to march at a moment's notice. That was 
 yesterday. Rumor said that somebody had been attacked by 
 some rebel somebody with a force of 17,000 men at Hancock, 
 where is an advanced portion of the Western Virginia force, 
 a place a little west of north from Martiusburg, and on the 
 Potomac ; and that the whole division would go there. But 
 we had received so many orders to cook two days' rations, 
 &c., that we pretty generally believed it Avould result only in 
 an accumiilation of cold victuals. And so it proves. But I 
 
PATIENCE. 77 
 
 am satisfied that the chances are against our remaining here 
 long. There is no great obstacle to winter campaigning in 
 this section when the gi'ound is frozen as it now is. When 
 the plan of the proper leader is developed in the several 
 directions which look plausible, General Banks will not be 
 condemned to inaction. Raw troops are sent off in the 
 expeditions. "Why are the drilled and disciplined regiments 
 left, except to see hard service? The men were delighted 
 yesterday at the prospect of marching and fighting. They 
 were merry as larks, and packed knapsacks with songs and 
 jollity. But impatience is the great danger again at home. 
 Do let the general's plans work. If anybody wants to urge 
 an immediate advance on Manassas, let him expect, if he 
 were gratified, such a mourning over the slaughtered as would 
 fiU the North with dismay. Do people reflect what it is to 
 make a direct attack on an able enemy, on his own ground, 
 in a place admirably arranged by Nature to be defended — 
 where months have been used to fortify every point — where 
 engineers have selected sites for every battery — where a 
 multitude of the heaviest guns command every avenue — 
 where the range of every piece has been calculated — and 
 where an immense and well-disciplined army covers the 
 ground ? Ought not people to reflect that they cannot under- 
 stand the art of war like generals who have made it the study 
 of a lifetime ? They would not interfere with the blacksmith 
 who shoes their horses ; shall they teach an experienced 
 general how to fight ? 
 
 It is curious to see the queer notions Avhich prevail in some 
 minds. In the matter of promotions, for instance. I saw, a 
 few days ago, the recommendation of a particular person for 
 the rank of brigadier-general ; it had four points, and not 
 one of them said " he has the requisite qualifications " ! A 
 7* 
 
78 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN, 
 
 member of Congress was urging the appointment of another 
 person. " But he does not know hoAV to manage a brigade," it 
 was said. " Well, he can learn, can't he ? " was the wise reply. 
 If you were going to have your watch cleaned, would you take it 
 to a man who " could learn " ? And you would commit the lives 
 and honor of four thousand men to a man who " could learn," 
 instead of appointing experienced soldiers ! 
 
 The great want of our army still is officers. And the next 
 is discipline. It is very pretty to tell what a patriotic mOitia 
 can do ; but even the superficial reader of history knows 
 better. In our revolutionary war — often alluded to — it is 
 forgotten that the early troops had multitudes of " old French 
 war " soldiers ; and that as the war progressed, the constant 
 entreaties of Washington Avere for a regular army, and time 
 for drill and discipline. It was not until such troops were 
 made that our country became successful on a regular field of 
 battle. Nor, from our peaceful habits, is there that previous 
 experience which can extemporize an army. Our country 
 will never attain its true power until it has an army — a large 
 standing army ; and pei'haps not until every man is obliged, 
 as in some European countries, to serve from one to three 
 years ; nor until a great many more young men have a mili- 
 tary education, which, from considerable observation, I am 
 satisfied is, in many respects, the best that any young man 
 can have, as preparatory to any profession. 
 
 We are having, just now, a little touch of winter. The 
 snow is two inches deep. The cold is by no means trouble- 
 some, and our men are sweeping the camp-ground clean. It 
 has a New England look, and makes soldiers from Massa- 
 chusetts better contented. Woodcutters, too, resume their 
 occupation, and there is a lively appearance in every direc- 
 tion. In Frederick, the season might be called " gay." A 
 
KINDNESSES. 79 
 
 quiet old place, rather Dutcliy from its origin, — the entrance 
 of such a number of soldiers is a comfort to many. Epau- 
 lets, sashes, and swords are as attractive to a certain class 
 of a delicate and tender age as they always have been the 
 world over. Visiting, driving, and party-iug, are rife. On 
 New Year's, many families kept open house, and dispensed 
 hospitalities. Mrs. Banks's reception was particularly 
 thronged, of course, to a great extent by military, but with 
 sprinklings of citizens of both sexes. It is not indelicate, I 
 hope, to say that this lady is very popular, and deserves it. 
 As an instance of kindness, — the mother of one of our 
 sick soldiers was on her way from Massachusetts to her son's 
 bedside. She chanced to be in the same car with the wife 
 of the general, and in some manner Mrs. B. learned her 
 story, and, on arriving at Frederick, at a late hour, she took 
 the mother directly to her own home, at headquarters, where 
 she was welcomed to the tea-table ; and, as the son was at 
 some private house, she knew not where, the general imme- 
 diately despatched a mounted orderly to learn, who returned 
 with the requisite knowledge. The mother reached her son 
 that night, some distance in the country ; and two or three 
 days after, the thoughtful general and his wife appeared, to 
 visit the sick, and sympathize with the mother. This con- 
 federate kindness to a stranger, and regard to the sick (avIio 
 was not an officer) , tempers the severities of such a wander- 
 ing life. I have myself heard, at the gftieral hospital, the 
 praises of this same lady's kindness. 
 
 Nor ought I, whUe on this topic, to neglect to mention the 
 Christian kindness of many women of Frederick to the sick. 
 If I mistake not, there is the nucleus of an organization, 
 which acts systematically. And in that, and in addition 
 thereto, the women here are earnest and faithful in their 
 
80 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 kindness. Many a little comfort finds its way to the hos- 
 pital ; many a delicate article of food is carried there. And 
 the very presence of these ladies, as they daily pass through 
 the Avards, with a kind smile and word, is often equal, at 
 least, to all other means of recovery. It makes the heavy 
 walls look homelike. And yet there are those here in Fred- 
 erick who discourage such attentions to the sick. They are 
 rebel sympathizers, of course ; and it illustrates what I have 
 so often observed, that I beKeve it to be nearly universal, 
 that the rebels have lost, in their act of rebellion, almost all 
 Christian virtues, as well as the sense of honor. It is a 
 strange phenomenon, but it is true, that from an active rebel 
 you need not expect, in general, honor, ti'uth, or principle. 
 The public stealings which characterized the Floyds, the 
 Rhetts, and the Benjamins, were the indications of rebel 
 character. Southern chivalry is a myth. Southern honoris 
 a theory of the past. Throwing off their allegiance, for- 
 swearing their oaths, plotting and conspiring, they are cor- 
 rupted through and through. 
 
 The Third Brigade, General Williams, has actually gone. 
 
 Cantonment Hicks, near Frederick, Md., January 20, 1862. 
 
 The brush at Hancock amounted to little. Of course the 
 rebels destroyed, ^th impunity, a part of the line of the Balti- 
 more and Ohio Railroad, as we had but a small foi'ce guarding 
 it. A piece of road of this length it Avould take fifty thousand 
 men to guard, as each part must be secure against any sudden 
 and concentrated attack of the enemy, avIio occupy the coun- 
 try on the other side of it. The faint attempt to guard such 
 part of the road as is now in our possession, and the cntu-e 
 
EXPECTATION. 81 
 
 neglect to open the whole, indicate that the general-in-chief 
 regards the avenue as of slight consequence in his whole 
 comprehensive plan. A general success would open the road 
 of itself. With a broad scheme in mind, such incidental 
 matters can well be postponed. 
 
 Last night there came orders to the division to be ready to 
 move " at a moment's notice." This old stereotyped phrase 
 has rather lost its force ; but this time we think a little more 
 of it, as it came from the general-in-chief. There were also 
 sent orders to grant no leaves of absence, which looks as if 
 something was meant. It somewhat disappoints the longing 
 looks of some towards a day or two at home, but nobody 
 Avould care to be absent if there is anything to be done beyond 
 taking scrupulous care of the secessionist's wood-lot where 
 we are in camp. And that matters are rapidly ripening to a 
 crisis, nobody doubts. If Congress will provide " ways and 
 means," and leave the conducting of armies to soldiers, suc- 
 cess seems certain. Many persons seem forcibly to think 
 that victory can be legislated, or that legislation or popular 
 preference can make a general. It takes a year to make a 
 good soldier ; how much more to understand, not only par- 
 ticulars, but the art of war? 
 
 The soldier's life here has been varied a little by vicinity 
 to a city. Not that our officers have been on " sprees " in 
 Frederick, or that discipline has been loose. But a certain 
 number of men daily have been gi'anted permits to visit the 
 city, and have seen the sights — one of the chief of which is 
 a grog-shop every few doors on various streets, where sen- 
 tries seem almost useless. Frederick is a great place for 
 liquor. And some soldiers will drink to excess. The sum- 
 mary method of dealing with these places would be best ; 
 such as our commanding officer took, when, a few days ago, 
 
82 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 it was discovered that some loose literature had got into camp 
 among a class that way affected ; — he instantly seized all to 
 he found, and had it committed to the flames, Avhen it speedily 
 hecame very "light" literature indeed. The evil Avas not 
 general, as we have many sterling men in this regiment ; and 
 it was summarily disposed of. The morals of cajnp will, I 
 believe, compare favorably with communities at home. 
 
 There have been various " parties," and the like, at Fred- 
 erick. One musical entertainment has also been given — a 
 military concert by our band. The house was crowded ; 
 general, brigadiers, colonels, were there, with plenty of citi- 
 zens. The music was superb, and received the warmest 
 applause. 
 
 My own work, the past week, has been in a different direc- 
 tion — at the general hospital. It was found, some weeks 
 since, that while regimental chaplains visited to some extent 
 their own men there, yet there was no adequate religious 
 care as a system. There is, as yet, no law authorizing the 
 appointment of chaplains to hospitals, but, on representation 
 to General Banks, he heartily approved a plan to have the 
 chaplains of the regiments officiate there in turn, visit the 
 sick, and bury the dead. The past week was my turn. 
 
 The general hospital is one, established in some convenient 
 place, to which the regimental surgeons send men likely to 
 be sick for some length of time, or to have severe disease. 
 It is established in buildings, and well systematized. The 
 division hospital is in the "barracks," so called, two buildings 
 of stone, erected in the time of Greneral Braddock, and in 
 that war used for army quarters. You will remember that 
 Braddock's army passed through Frederick, on its disastrous 
 advance ; and, personally, I have felt an interest in the fact 
 that my own great-grandfather Avas in that army, and once 
 
THE HOSPITAL. 83 
 
 encamped by a spring near here ; and that no member of 
 the family has been here since, until Providence attached me 
 to this division in a holier war. There the buildings have 
 stood for more than a hundred years, still strong and firm. 
 The original plan was to build a quadrangle, but only one 
 side, and a little turning of the two angles, wei*e ever erected. 
 Nor is the one side continuous ; there is a break, and in that 
 is now a low building used for kitchen and dining-room. On 
 the inner side of the building, east of the two stories, is at- 
 tached a covered walk, from which you gain entrance into 
 the dozen rooms or "wards" into which each building is 
 divided. Old-fashioned chimneys offer great hearths for 
 roaring fires, cheerful, and capital for ventilation. Hideous, 
 destructive stoves are unknown. One room is kept for office, 
 one for surgery, and one for the soldiers' knapsacks. 
 
 A " medical director " has the entire oversight. The pres- 
 ent one is Dr. Stone, our o\vn excellent assistant surgeon, 
 whose administration warrants the important confidence 
 placed in him. He has three assistant surgeons, a general 
 steward, and a nurse to each room, besides two female 
 nurses, Avho exercise a general and beneficial care of the 
 neatness and comforts of the wards, and whose kind hands 
 often arrange the pillow, or smooth the hair of the poor fel- 
 lows, with a humanizing touch of home. Of course there 
 are clerks, cooks, &c., in plenty. And there are good beds 
 and excellent bedding. 
 
 Here there were, the day I went semi-officially (I knew 
 the place before, for we had men there), one hundred and 
 fifty-five patients. Most of them were able to sit up, but 
 some were low. One was very sick, an Indiana man. I 
 saAV him that day, but he was almost steathly delirious. He 
 was thinking of other scenes; "mother," and "sister" — 
 
84 THE POTOMAC AND THE EAPIDAN. 
 
 such were his often repeated calls. He seemed to think he 
 saw them ; poor fellow ! never more in this world. They will 
 wait in vain. A little change in the lines, — 
 
 " For men must fight, though women may weep, 
 And the sooner 'tis o'er, the sooner we sleep." 
 
 He died that night. And next day we buried him, far from 
 home, mother, sister, — with only six bearers, the eight mus- 
 kets, and the three volleys at his grave, — but with Christian 
 service and reverence. 
 
 In one room, a small one, with four beds, I said to the 
 nurse, " Wlien I was in this room last there were four very 
 sick men from an Indiana regiment," " Yes," said he, " and 
 they are all dead." They were all nearly hopeless cases 
 when brought there. And I remembered that all four were 
 delirious. Many, however, very severely sick, are recov- 
 ered ; as many, perhaps, as at home in the same number. 
 The care is good, the medical advice excellent. But it is a 
 sad thought that almost every one I have visited, in a fatal 
 sickness, has not had his senses in his last days. 
 
 It Avas sad, too, to see a, few cases of consumption. It was 
 easy to know that no skill could save them. And yet, every 
 one " had only a cough," and perhaps " a pain in his side." 
 That flattering disease had here its usual characteristics, 
 " soon to be better." Army life had developed the seeds of 
 the disease brought from home ; while, on the other hand, it 
 is often the case that apparent tendency to lung disease has 
 disappeared in this open way of living. Some, indeed, who 
 were delicately sheltered, and who formerly sought a Avarm 
 climate in winters, are now hardened into robust health by 
 this exposure. 
 
 But it was not all sad. I will forbear " anecdote." But 
 
THE HOSPITAL. 85 
 
 never have I seen men more open to religions friendship. 
 Many are Christians, and all seemed ready and eager to 
 listen. They know the feeling of a warm hand-shake, and 
 believe in any manly sympathy extended to them. They had 
 some reading, religions and secular, left them by kind visitors, 
 but there were few, very few Bibles, and such were weU worn. 
 This latter want is ah'eady attended to, and speedily every 
 room will be amply supplied. It would have done you good 
 to see how happy some of our own men were when I took 
 from my pockets their letters, which I had brought from 
 camp. Be sick away from home, in a soldiers' hospital, and 
 you would learn the comfort of Avords from home. And 
 none the less would it have excited your Christian sympathy, 
 to see how qniet the groups around the fires would become 
 when the Bible was read, and how reverently they Avould 
 listen ; and how many of them kneeled in prayer, and how 
 hearty was their "Amen" at its close. In my ministry I 
 have seen many sick. I have witnessed the supporting power 
 of Christian faith, in its most favorable aspects, at home ; in 
 fact, I can look back on no departed one of my congregation 
 to whom our Lord had not given a firm hope in him. But 
 the experience of a sick man among strangers, or at best, 
 feUow-soldiers, is peculiar. And Christ is sufficient for them. 
 These men, whether Christians or not, were not afraid to 
 speak of religion — not merely very sick men, but those 
 nearly restored to health. They " hunger and thirst ; " and 
 the sooner Congress can find time to provide chaplains for 
 hospitals, the sooner it will be doing some good. 
 
86 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Cantonment Hicks, NEAH Frederick, Md., February 10, 1862. 
 
 My application for leave of absence, after passing through 
 the hands of various military dignitaries for ten days, was 
 granted, and so, receiving it in the evening, I was next morn- 
 ing on the way home. Home, so remote, and yet so near ; 
 nigh five hundred miles in distance, less than twenty-four 
 hours in time. The sixth State off, territorially, but snug in 
 the heart always. 
 
 First, the camp disappeared. Then the soldier-lined streets 
 of Frederick were left behind. And from Havre-de-Grace, 
 picket and patrol were things of the past. The cars never, 
 I thought, went so slowly before on civilized railroad ; but 
 Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, all came in 
 season. It was Avith strange sensations I entered home, after 
 five months of absence. To sleep in a real house ; to sit at 
 one's family table ; to be partially choked every morning 
 by the reveille of a three-year-old's chubby fingers ; to be 
 slowly recognized in the street ; to shake hands Avith a whole 
 congregation ; to preach in one's OAvn pulpit ; to feel refreshed 
 now and then at seeing a blue imiform of some soldier on 
 furlough ; to pass one night under the roof of father and 
 mother, — altogether, it took several days to get over the 
 "bewilderment." But when a "realizing sense" of the 
 behavior needed in Massachusetts was obtained, the change 
 was decidedly comfortable. I am free to confess that, not- 
 withstanding the great advantages of tents as places of resi- 
 dence, there is much to be said in support of the popular 
 prejudice in favor of houses. I detest furnaces, however, 
 and stoves as much as ever. 
 
 If you think such a visit is rest, I wish you could try it. 
 Such a quantity of errands to be fulfilled ; such numbers of 
 
HOME. 87 
 
 mothers, sisters, wives, and sweethearts to be talked with 
 about our soldiers ; such a multitude of inquiries to be 
 answered ; such a variety of " letters, or very small parcels," 
 which I innocently told the public I would take back, and 
 for which I had to buy a trunk ! besides four sermons, all 
 new ; but what are four, or forty sermons, when one has got 
 something to say ? Indeed, I am satisfied that the principal 
 difficulty in preaching (donH say "sermonizing" any more) 
 is in having something to say ! When I had the honor of 
 being a high officer in an " engine compafl^," we found no 
 trouble in keeping up a steady stream, even Avith the " blun- 
 derbuss " on the leading-hose, if there was water enough 
 in the cistern; when she "drew mud" was the trouble, 
 brother minister ! 
 
 I am glad I Avent home, besides the reason that it Avas 
 home. I did not know hoAV many friends I had, nor how 
 glad they would be to see me. I did not know hoAv intense 
 Avas the interest in our soldiery, both as to their bodily and 
 spiritual welfare. I did not conceive of the generosity AA'hich 
 said, so many times, " What can Ave do or give to help the 
 men of the Second?" Thanks, friends. Our men shall 
 know your warmth of love better, and their hearts Avill be 
 stouter and happier, for your care. And Ave Avill never dis- 
 honor your trust, nor the name of the good old State, Avhen 
 the time shall come for fiery bullets and cold steel. " The 
 soldiers are ahvays called ' boys,' are they not ? " I Avas asked. 
 " Not in the Second," said I ; " our soldiers are men." 
 They are, many of them, sturdy, noble men ; they knoAv 
 they are on a mianly errand, and they mean to do it in a 
 manly Avay. 
 
 It seems dream-like noAV, that a^ isit. I kncAv I had to 
 leave, being a man " under authority," literally. There 
 
88 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAX. 
 
 was tlie new parting from the tender but brave heart, which 
 bears hard separation and unusual responsibility, for her 
 country's sake ; the unloosing of the little arms, Avhich plead 
 so earnestly, "Please, papa, don't go to the Avar again;" 
 from the church, Avhich waits so patiently and so generously 
 for a pastor absent in their and his country's cause. When 
 at the Boston station, I remember seeing a woman parting 
 from a soldier, just leaving by the same train, and weeping 
 so bitterly, — both were strangers to me, — while he was try- 
 ing to comfort Jer, and her friends were saying, " Never 
 mind, he will come back again." Will he ? 
 
 Never did I so realize the sacrifices this war exacts. 
 Truly, not the hardships of a soldier's life, nor even his 
 peril, nor the taxes to be paid, are the cost of this contest. 
 That is in the tears of many a AAafe and child, the anxieties 
 of many a father and mother, told to God in the daily 
 prayers of many a thousand households. Never did I so 
 feel sympathy with our brave men, separated from their 
 homes, perhaps forever. It Avill be over by and by. Many 
 will retm-n. But many? But last evening, — it was the 
 Sabbath, -:— as I was sitting in my tent, I heard from many 
 lips, in a volume of sound which overpowered all hum of 
 
 camp, — 
 
 " O, that will be joyful, joyful, joyful ; 
 O, that will be joyful. 
 
 When we meet to part no more. 
 'Tis there we meet at Jesus' feet, 
 
 "When we meet to part no more." 
 
 " Even so. Lord Jesus." And soon after I heard old 
 " Coronation," its last two lines rolling upward, seemingly 
 from a multitude of voices, - 
 
 " Bring forth the roj-al diadem, 
 And crown hira Lord of all ! " 
 
MUD. 89 
 
 That sliall we do. " We give thee thanks, O Lord God 
 Ahnighty, which art, and wast, and art to come ; because 
 thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." 
 
 A night and a day brought me back. Need I say I was 
 somewhat restless to see our officers and men ? That I used 
 to wonder how our sick men Avere ? The dead body of one 
 of our faithful soldiers had gone home with me : would there 
 be any dead in my absence ? Yes ; one had died. Deliri- 
 ous, yet the day before I left, when I saw him in Frederick, 
 he knew me readily ; and my good brother of the Wisconsin 
 Third had promised to see him often. And two others 
 were near death, and have since gone. Of the one who 
 died in my absence, his comrades had, with soldierly gener- 
 osity, sent home the body, and in addition thereto, had added 
 a liberal, veiy liberal, sum from their hard earnings, to help 
 his family. Oui' Lord will surely bless them. No others 
 are dangerously, or even severely sick. And some had 
 recovered, and have left the hospital. 
 
 Are there any signs of movement? I can see none. One 
 look at the inud would satisfy anybody. Everywhere is 
 mud, mud, mud. It is not like New England mud. It is 
 more like mortar, and deep beyond your imagination. Off 
 from the turnpike roads, it is almost impassable for any 
 respectable load. It rains often, and that deepens the mud. 
 It snows an inch or two, and that becomes mud. The 
 comic picture of a wagoner sitting on a fence, and gazing 
 intently downwards, in search of his wagon and horses 
 which have settled there, is rather an exaggeration, it is 
 true ; but it suggests a solemn truth. In fact, the embargo 
 on legislation in Congress is hardly more fixed than that 
 on the army of the Potomac. In the mean time rejoice in 
 the successes in Kentucky and Tennessee. Rejoice at the 
 
90 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 recent shelling of Harper's Ferry, whereby a lot of mean old 
 buildings, Avhich we knew mainly as grog-shops, were burned, 
 together with the hotel of as pestilent a secessionist as ever 
 trod. I shall not shed tears if CharlestOAvn, in Vu-ginia, 
 where they threw water on our soldiers, shares the same 
 fate. In fact, many a Southern town would be improved by 
 a share of the same course of discipline. The rascality of 
 the rebel soldiers at Harper's Ferry, in concealing them- 
 selves while a flag of truce was displayed, and firing on the 
 flag coming in return, is Southern chivalry. The running of 
 the gallant Mississippians, at Mill Spring, before a bayonet 
 charge., is Southern valor. Two to one is their ratio of 
 equal forces. 
 
 But while I found, on returning, an embargo on move- 
 ment, I found none on the liquor business. I wrote you 
 before of the briskness of that trade in Frederick. On the 
 day of my return I found the road spotted with drunken 
 men. It seems as though liqvxor dealers held carnival. It 
 is hard to believe that it could not be stopped. Some Mary- 
 land law protects the dealers, I believe ; but the power 
 which sends men to Fort Lafayette by mere executive Avar- 
 rant, one would think need not hesitate to pour into the 
 street the stock which, in defiance of orders, is sold to sol- 
 diers, and to turn out of doors the fellows who are getting 
 men intoxicated by hundreds. As it is, our own regiment is 
 kept from it as much as possible. It is not good for a trader 
 to be found near our lines in such an occupation. " Your 
 officer," complained a liquor-selling Dutchman, " come to 
 my house, and did speel all my leetel peer." " Sei'ved you 
 right," Avas his comfort. It was fun to see him then 
 dressed in a barrel overcoat, and marched round the camp 
 to the tune of the " Rogue's March." Do you want to know 
 
GENERAL LANDER, 91 
 
 how to make that kind of overcoat ? Take a barrel, leave 
 one head in, cut in that head a hole just large enough to let 
 the affair slip down over his head, and rest on his shoulders ; 
 no sleeves are necessary. 
 
 Cantonment Hicks, near Trederick, Md., February 21, 1862. 
 
 " Why should I write? " I have asked myself. Who will 
 want to hear from the army, whose share in the news column 
 has, for so long a time, been " all quiet on the Potomac," 
 while a series of splendid victories at Roanoke, in Tennes- 
 see, in Missouri, have crowned their armies Avith glory ? But, 
 I think to myself, our turn will come soon. Armies on 
 either side, of live times the size of either Western force, 
 will yet have something to do and to tell. And, in the mean 
 time, multitudes of families are still as earnest as ever in 
 love for their sons in this section of the broad field, by 
 whom everything Avill yet be read. 
 
 It is true Ave are still quiet. A skirmish aboA'e us, by 
 General Lander's force, is the only noticeable incident. 
 You saAV, of course, the order of thanks to that general, and 
 he deserves it. But the implied comparisons in that order 
 are strange. He is complimented for " showing how nmch 
 may be done in the Avorst Aveather, and worst roads, by a 
 spirited officer at the head of a small force of brave men, 
 unAAalling to Avaste life in camp A\'hen the enemies of their 
 country are in reach." Who Avould suppose from this that 
 the other divisions, though chafing Avith impatience to meet 
 the euemy, are kept in their present places by positive orders 
 from the central authority? But such is the fact. And if 
 anybody supposes that any general or division hereabouts is 
 
92 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 " willing to -waste life iu camp when the enemies of their coun- 
 try are within reach," just let him get leave from proper 
 authority to move, instead of keeping us tied to a telegraph 
 Avire. 
 
 We have been reading of the enthusiasm with which 
 Boston was alive at the tidings of victory. There was no 
 less joy here. When the information came from headquar- 
 ters (reliable accounts are regularly telegraphed to the gen- 
 eral, and thence commmuicated through the brigadiers to the 
 colonels), our commander instantly informed the captains, 
 and they their companies. Such an uproar of enthusiasm ! 
 Out poured the men from their tents, and cheered by com- 
 panies right lustily. Out came the band with Star-spangled 
 Banner and Yankee Doodle, amidst the shouts of the whole 
 regiment gathered round them. You would have thought 
 the staid and sober Second had gone wild. Then the next 
 regiment iu line liad caught the news, and their music joined 
 in, almost drowned by the shouts of the stout Indianians ; 
 and so the next, and the next, until the whole brigade seemed 
 crazy. But who would not shout at such victories over the 
 haughty, lying, thieving rebels ? Certainly they would who 
 saw, as ours did, the wounded and dead at Ball's Bluff — for 
 which our Massachusetts men owe yet, and mean to pay, 
 a terrible retribution. 
 
 A few days since a few of our men had opportunity for 
 service offered. Orders came to select men from the New 
 England regiments to go West immediately to man the gun- 
 boats for the descent of the Mississippi. Only fifteen men 
 were wanted, but scores and scores volunteered. Our fifteen, 
 mainly old sailors, AA^ere joined to those from other regiments, 
 and left, with a short and stirring address from ofti* colonel, 
 who has the " art of putting things," and amidst the cheers of 
 
CAMP DUTIES. 93 
 
 the men. The whole from this divisiou are now far on their 
 way, under charge of Captain Gary, of our regiment. 
 
 While thus waiting, and impatient at it, om^ men have 
 gained much in bodily condition, and, so far, inaction is a 
 benefi*»fc Few regiments did as nauch hard duty as ours on 
 the Potomac, for weeks, without the use of their tents, and it 
 told sadly in our general strength. The rest was needed. 
 IMen cannot be transformed in a day into hardy soldiers, and 
 the exposures and toil of a soldier's life are hard to bear at 
 first. Of all our deaths, the propoi'tion was excessive in a 
 body of recruits who came out in the autumn, and entered at 
 once on a service to which the bulk of the regiment had got 
 seasoned. "We had a large sickhst at Seneca ; but now, only 
 one man of our whole number is sick enough to be in bed, 
 and he not dangerously ill. A few days ago there was not 
 one. There are a few, however, in the hospital, whom it is 
 not thought best to hurry back to their quarters, but all ai'e 
 out of doors at pleasure. It would be hard to find now a 
 healthier regiment than ours. This will save many a man's 
 life in the coming campaign. 
 
 Nor do I find that this inaction demoralizes the regiment. 
 I see that some New York paper, to sustain its unscrupidous 
 dislike of General McClellan, speaks of the troops as in worse 
 spirits than two months ago. It is not so here. Our men 
 are in the finest spirits, and eager for work. Discipline was 
 never better, nor more kindly submitted to. Arms and 
 equipments are in the best order. The usual routine of camp 
 duties is not at all relaxed. Comparative idleness, of course, 
 has some evil results. There is, and always wiU be, more or 
 less vice in a camp of a thousand men ; but there is no 
 marked increase. Indeed, I am more and more impressed 
 with the fact, that in addition to the excellence of our ofiicers, 
 
94 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 we have a great proportion of upright men, who came into 
 the service from motives of the heartiest patriotism. 
 
 Among other devices for this vacation period, we have a 
 small regimental library. While at home, I found that such 
 a help was easily procurable, and soon after my return a good 
 heavy box of standard and readable books came on. I owe 
 public thanks for this, especially to Mr. M. H. Sargent, who 
 interested himself most generously and heartily in obtaining 
 and forwarding the books — the nest-egg of which was a 
 kind donation from Rev. Mr. Tolman's church, at Wilming- 
 ton. (A few more donations in money would suit me ex- 
 actly.) If the donors could see the eagerness with which the 
 books are read, they would feel still happier in doing good. 
 Although none bvit private notice was given to the men, the 
 demand for good and profitable books was and is great. 
 Among those most read (I take from the book Avhere I 
 charge the volumes, to show the taste), are the charming 
 life of Deacon Safford, Winthrop's John Brent, Dickens's 
 Christmas Stories, Abbott's Practical Christianity, Dexter's 
 Street Thoughts, the Lives of Washington, Jackson, Fremont, 
 Franklin, and Boone, Palissy the Potter, Annals of the Poor. I 
 wish I had a hundred more good books immediately. 
 
 But I suppose before many weeks our library will be packed 
 up and deposited in the govei'nment storehouse, to await a 
 further quiet. That is, when we start for Virginia. People 
 must not think, in their present enthusiasm, that the war is 
 over. Great successes have been ours, but far greater toils 
 await us. The rebels have formidable armies, able generals, 
 large amounts of the munitions of war, an immense territory, 
 and the desperation of leaders who fight in sight of the gallows. 
 There is much fighting yet necessary ; much blood to be shed ; 
 much suffering to be endured. There is no less need of 
 
FUTURE DIFFICULTIES^ 95 
 
 patience, persistence, and energy. The spring campaign will 
 be no holiday. Nor can we hope for uninterrupted successes 
 everywhere. Do not call me a prophet of evil ; I am only 
 warning against too great security, though without the slight- 
 est doubt of the final result. I am cautioning against alterna- 
 tions of exultation and depression. The Southern scoundrels, 
 who deify stealing and lying, have too much at stake to submit, 
 even though they ruin their whole territory. Moreover, 
 slaveholding has trained them to be despots, and despots they 
 will be to the end. It makes men thieves, and they will steal 
 as long as they can. It makes them braggarts, and they 
 will brag on the very brink of destruction. When the South 
 is overwhelmed, there will be only an apparent peace ; for I 
 have learned, even so far north as Virginia and Maryland, 
 mingling Avith all classes, that as society is now constituted, 
 we are two peoples. Men may cry " peace," but until the 
 removal of slavery is plainly, quietly, constitutionally pro- 
 vided for, whether instant or remote is a small question, there 
 is no peace. Slavery is the root of our troubles, because 
 slavery makes men tyrants, and tyrants thwarted are rebels. 
 On such a question I have no ability to show the method. 
 I only fear two things : one, that in the desire for peace, the 
 government will let traitors go finally unhung, and the cause 
 of their treason guaranteed a new life ; the other, lest in try- 
 ing to remove the evil, we should, as in Hawthorne's exquis- 
 ite story of the Birth-mark, destroy the life in rash reform. 
 In our idleness we read the papers. Heaps of Baltimore 
 and New Yoi-k dailies are sold in camp at the moderate profit 
 of two hundred and fifty per cent. We read with great inter- 
 est of the doings in Congress, for, though temporary absentees, 
 we are still constituents, and will cast a heavy vote Avhen Ave 
 get home again. If members of Congress could serve a mod- 
 
96 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 erate apprenticeship in the army, it might give them light on 
 a few topics. One is, sutlerships. Senator "Wilson deserves 
 credit for his attacks on this monstrous monopoly. A sutler 
 has the exclusive right to sell in camp. A council of admin- 
 istration may fix prices, but it is of little avail. Vast amounts 
 of trash are disposed of at exorbitant rates. One gi*eat evil 
 is, that many purchasing unhealthy eatables lose relish for 
 the wholesome food which government provides. While we 
 were at Seneca, and many men were sick -of dysenteries, and 
 similar diseases, I knew of the sale, in one regiment, of six 
 hundred and fifty full size, unhealthy. New York pies, in one 
 forenoon. 
 
 Another matter, where Congress would do well to pause, is 
 the discharge of regimental bands. Those who advocate this 
 cannot have an idea of their value among soldiers. I do not 
 know anything particular of the science or practice of music 
 (in fact, I leave that to an amply qualified partner at home, 
 who attends admirably to that department, with the assistance 
 of a small specimen, whom I found on a recent visit thoroughly 
 communicative on the fact that " John Brown's body lies a- 
 mouldering in the grave ") ; but I see the effects of a good 
 band, like ours, continually. It scatters the dismal part of 
 camp life ; gives new spii-it to men jaded by or on a march ; 
 Avakes up theu* enthusiasm. Could you see our men, when, 
 of an evening, our band comes out and plays its sweet stirring 
 music, you would say, if retrenchment must come, let it be 
 somewhere else. Let Congress lay an income tax of ten per 
 cent., if it will, on officers, while men at home pay but three 
 — as a reward for patriotic sacrifices ; but let the men have 
 their music. 
 
 Then you have read, with us, the account of a magnificent 
 party, whose refreshments cost " many thousands." I can 
 
THE WIDOW'S CHARITY. 97 
 
 tell you an expenditure far greater. There are many sick 
 soldiers in hospitals. They are provided with none of the 
 delicacies of home. In this town there is a poor woman 
 who supports herself by hard labor ; very poor and very 
 hard working ; so much so, that she has to weigh every cent 
 carefully before spending it. But this poor woman deprives 
 herself of comforts to buy milk and eggs, that she may make 
 some delicacies for the stranger-soldiers in their iUness and 
 their exile. That woman, carrying her few custards to the 
 sick men, is, to me, a noble being. It recalls another 
 scene, where " Jesus sat over against the treasury. . . . 
 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in 
 two mites." 
 
 The public prints do not chronicle this poor woman's 
 deed ; but there is One who says, " Inasmuch as ye did it 
 unto one of the least of these, ye did it unto me." 
 9 
 
98 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN THE VALLEY. 
 
 Charlestown, Va., March 3, 1862. 
 
 I WILL never prophesy again. A little time since, I 
 wrote that any movement was impossible ; while, suddenly, 
 here we are, thirty odd miles off from my last place of date, 
 in the midst of the enemy's country, and quartered, so far as 
 our field and staff are concerned, in the hotel of a certain 
 landlord, by an unlucky allusion to whom in one of my let- 
 ters I came near being involved in a controversy as to the 
 merits of an old and honored institution. The landlord's 
 rooms are unfortunately bare of furniture, as he had sold 
 off. 
 
 How came we here ? Well, soon after celebrating Wash- 
 ington's birthday we saw symptoms of movement. On that 
 birthday, by the Avay, our whole brigade marched into Fred- 
 erick, and there met the Michigan cavalry and the Maryland 
 Second, and listened to the Farewell Address, read from a 
 balcony. We also took off our caps, as a mark of respect 
 to the Being invoked in prayer, but not with any respect 
 for the sleek individual who read the prayer. That offici- 
 ating clergyman was known early in these troubles as a 
 sympathizer with the South. He it was whom I told you of 
 as omitting prayer for the President from his liturgy, and 
 
LEAVING MARYLAND. 99 
 
 restoring it, on a gentle hint that he had better do so. His 
 prayer, so far as I could see, was a tame generalization, 
 recognizing the existence of no treason, no war, no army ; 
 an insult to his country, to "Washington, to the soldiers, and 
 to God ; it excited the profoundest disgust. Why could not 
 he have been a maw, and if he could not pray outright for 
 his country, say so to those inviting him? Some other min- 
 isters in Frederick are plainly Union ; the Reverend Doctor 
 will be, Avhen the tide sets that way strong enough. 
 
 A week ago yesterday we had hints to pack up. On 
 Monday, orders to cook. Then we heard that General 
 McClellan himself was at Harper's Ferry. Then we waited 
 impatiently, until, on Thursday morning, reveille beat at 
 four o'clock, and before daylight we began om* march in the 
 mud and mist. At Frederick we took the cars ; at evening 
 reached Sandy Hook ; crossed on the pontoon bridge, and 
 occuj)ied the empty houses in that desolated place. We did 
 not sleep on feather beds that night ; our wagons were in 
 Maryland, and in our "mess" you would have laughed at 
 the scanty supply of crockery, the unmatchable cups, the 
 broken knives, and the solitary fork and single spoon, which 
 we took turns in using. 
 
 Early Friday morning, our Second, the Wisconsin Third, 
 five squadrons of the Michigan cavalry, and two sections of 
 artillery, were chosen to make a reconnoissance towards or 
 to Charlestown, as might seem best, under command of our 
 own Colonel Gordon. SpeedUy we were on the road, the 
 skirmishers in advance, tlankers on either side, and pressed 
 forward. The cavalry, with Colonel Gordon at the head, 
 drove on the rebel cavalry pickets, and as the former 
 dashed into and through Charlestown, at full speed, the rebels 
 barely made their escape, leaving arms in their hurried 
 
100 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 flight. Artillery had been posted, and infantry stationed 
 
 with the batteries just outside of Chai'lestown, when General 
 
 McClellan himself came, and after hasty examination, turned 
 
 our reconnoissance into occupation. It was the first time I 
 
 had seen the general, and all I could notice in the brief 
 
 moments was, that his pictures fail to show what he is, and 
 
 that he has an eagle glance, sees everything at once, and has 
 
 the air of one born to command, and able to do it. The 
 
 next day on came other troops, of whose numbers I will tell 
 
 you (privately) , that there are a good many infantry, quite a 
 
 number of cavalry, and considerable artillery. 
 
 So here we are in Charlestown again. Most of the men 
 
 are away to the war, on the rebel side. What are left look 
 
 as sour as they did last July. They were very anxious, as 
 
 they had been told we were going to burn the toAvn. The 
 
 negroes had been informed by the masters that we were 
 
 going to sell them off to Cuba or elseAvhere. And leaders 
 
 had urged the people to burn the houses and retire. But 
 
 they were considerate. Like the discarded suitor, Avho did 
 
 not throw himself out of a three-story window, because he 
 
 reflected that 
 
 " A lover forsaken, 
 
 A new love may get ; 
 But a neck that 's once broken, 
 Can never be set," — 
 
 so they thought that their property once burned up was gone. 
 This twaddle about their burning their towns is supremely 
 silly. Suppose they do ; ive don't want to live in their 
 shabby villages. The few traders left have little stock, but 
 that little they are perfectly ready to sell to us, as we give 
 them what is a rare sight here, silver ! Their eyes glisten at 
 it. Ridiculous shinplasters, of five cents, ten, twelve and a 
 
WORSHIP IN THE COURT-ROOM. 101 
 
 half, twenty-five, and fifty, are their currency, and dirty stuff 
 it is, too.* Salt is thirty dollars a sack ; shoes, ten to fifteen 
 dollars a pair ; coffee, none ; and everything but wheat 
 scarce and high. Supplies will now come in, and trade 
 revive. Our soldiers had not been in Harper's Ferry twenty 
 hours before new signs were out — " military equipments," 
 " salt fish, groceries, rum, and whiskey." And in a few days 
 the bogus currency here will not be worth two cents a peck. 
 
 John Brown's memory is still the centre of attraction. 
 Our men came in singing the " Glory, Hallelujah," and our 
 soldiers sing it everywhere. Strange as that medley is, 
 " his soul's marching on " does have a marvellous fascination 
 to our army. The daring and manliness of that old man 
 eclipses his fault, and he has become a hero. Again the 
 soldiers visit the room in the jail where he was confined, the 
 court-house, and the place of his execution. The room where 
 Cook was imprisoned is now tenanted by secessionists, and 
 the court-house by the Second Massachusetts. The papers 
 relating to his trial are here, guarded with the other public 
 records, and they excite great interest. Various handbills, 
 ballots, and such like papers, are obtainable, and are treas- 
 ured as mementoes. A few of them which citizens have, I 
 shall send the Historical Society. 
 
 Yesterday we had public service. It was a great comfort, 
 after quite a long deprivation. The men were attentive and 
 KEverent, and the singing capital. But the place made it 
 memorable. "Where I officiated was the court-room, where 
 John Brown was tried, convicted, and sentenced. There 
 seven companies of Massachusetts soldiers filled the room. 
 There was the spot where John Brown had lain upon his 
 
 * Shinplasters are ridiculous. I cannot take it back. 
 9 * 
 
102 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 litter. There, in front of the judge's platform, were the 
 jurors' seats. The chair which the judge had occupied was 
 tenanted by a Massachusetts chaplain, and Massachusetts 
 sentinels were on guard at the door and gate. There, the 
 first time for many a month in this town, did prayer go up 
 for the President of the United States, the restoration of 
 peace, the supremacy of law, and the freedom of our country 
 from its sins. Such are Time's changes. Who could forget 
 the events of that spot ? Let us hope that, as Massachusetts 
 men occupied that place, so Massachusetts honor, freedom, 
 and chivalry may yet imbue this whole section with prin- 
 ciples which will recognize public morality. 
 
 Whether we go immediately to Winchester, no man knows 
 but one, who keeps his own secrets. I have perfect confi- 
 dence that we shall, if it is for the best. Our present 
 position opens that valuable artery, the Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railway, our communications are easy, and we are in 
 position to do service. The whole ai'my of the Potomac has, 
 indeed, done its part. It has not fought, but military men 
 say it has done as much. The line of our armies reaches 
 from Fortress Monroe to Kansas. The army of the Potomac 
 is the left wing. It having the most disciplined soldiers, has 
 held, as "in a vice," the rebel army of the Potomac with 
 their best soldiers, and thus enabled the right wing to win its 
 victories in the West. Their line is now turned. And 
 now their Virginia stronghold is isolated. The general plan 
 of operations, as now carried out in the West, was made 
 known to some entitled to receive it, as long ago as Novem- 
 ber — the plan of the senior general. He will yet have the 
 credit for plans which others, in tlieir proper place, have so 
 brilliantly executed. 
 
 Our troops have captvired large supplies of food. The 
 
AVINCHESTER. 103 
 
 rebels have evidently kept this fertile section as a late resort, 
 and have collected and stored large quantities of provis- 
 ions, which are falling into our hands. But there is more 
 yet to be done than this. It will be strange, I am satis- 
 fied, it this section is not the base of most important opera- 
 tions. 
 
 March 8. — There are no changes since I wrote, at least of 
 any consequence. The rebels are now cleaned out of the ter- 
 ritory above Winchester ; but that town is strongly fortified, 
 or rather the hills two miles south of the town, and a 
 brisk fight is expected there. 
 
 Workmen are as busy as bees on the Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railway, which will soon be open. Large quantities of the 
 iron rails stolen from that road are piled up on the Winches- 
 ter road, and have fallen into our hands. 
 
 Winchester, Va., March 13, 1862. 
 
 Yes, Winchester at last. We started for this place on the 
 8th day of July, 1861, from Boston, and have just arrived, 
 contemporaneously with the occupation of Manassas by the 
 centre of the army of the Potomac. 
 
 Two weeks ago to-day we left Frederick. That evening 
 we were in Harper's Ferry. The next morning Colonel 
 Gordon led a reconnoissance to Charlestown, and Ave re- 
 mained there, and General Banks, with most of the division, 
 came on the next day, as I wrote before. On Saturday last 
 General Sedgwick (successor to General Stone) brought up 
 his several brigades. 
 
 Little happened at Charlestown except Avhat I wrote — 
 and one other expedition of our regiment. We had left our 
 
104 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 quiirters in the town, and gone into camp just outside, on 
 Wednesday, March 5. Our camp was located in the ex- 
 tensive grounds of somebody's residence — that is, a wooded 
 field ; but the family, purporting to be Union, and not want- 
 ing Union soldiers very near, our stay there Avas limited to 
 one night, and we had to move in the morning to a new 
 field. 
 
 It was really novel to go into mere tents again. We had 
 become attached to our board floors and few feet of side pro- 
 tection, though I did not part with mine with such feelings 
 as I left Seneca, for there I venerated my stone fireplace, as 
 being built of the same material as the Smithsonian Institute. 
 We questioned a little whether Ave should feel the cold ; but 
 we find no trouble. Again we gather of an evening about 
 the brilliant camp fires, and enjoy the simplicity of camp 
 life. 
 
 I mentioned the fact that we had one expedition. It Avas 
 on Thursday night, a week ago. Ncavs came suddenly to 
 General Banks that the enemy had attacked Colonel Mauls- 
 by's Maryland regiment, in force, and that the said regiment 
 Avas " cut to pieces." So the general ordered Colonel Gor- 
 don to hasten Avith his regiment thitherAvard, adding to his 
 command some other infantry and plenty of artillery. It 
 Avas half past two o'clock, and in due time the force had 
 traversed the six miles to KabletoAvn. Of course Colonel 
 Maulsby's regiment Avas in safety ; the Avhole trouble had 
 arisen from, the blunder of somebody, by which a cavalry 
 patrol and Colonel Maulsby's pickets had fired into each 
 other. Nothing Avas left but to kindle huge bivouac fires, 
 and Avait till morn. 
 
 Oiir forces threatened Winchester by four roads. The 
 most eastern Avas by way of Berry ville, in which our regi- 
 
MOVEMENT ON WINCHESTER. 105 
 
 ment was placed. Next, at Smithfield was a brigade. Next, 
 from Bunker Hill ; and still farther west, General Shields's 
 division (late under tlie lamented Lander) . And still nearer 
 to Washington Avas Colonel Geary, who had occupied Lees- 
 burg, and could easily advance through gaps in the Blue 
 Ridge towards Winchester. Towards and into Berryville 
 General Gorman moved, last Monday, with one brigade ; but 
 before reaching that place sent back for additional forces. 
 Our own brigade, General Abercrombie's, hastened onward, 
 and reached Berryville towards sundown. I have heard of 
 but one exploit of the brigade first moving. Seeing a body 
 of rebels on a hill, a couple of shell dispersed them with ease. 
 Possibly the apparent danger of the enterprise may be modi- 
 fied by the f&ct that the rebel force subsequently appeared to 
 have been a farmer on l)orseback superintending a few labox-- 
 ers at work with a threshing machine. 
 
 Moving in haste, Ave left tents standing ; nor did our 
 wagons reach us until the next day. So Ave tried our old 
 habit of biA^ouac. For the definition of that Avord, look in 
 the Dictionary, being sure to " Get the Best ! " Then 
 imagine the place of bivouac a rough piece of land, sparsely 
 wooded ; huge piles of straw soon accumulated ; great fires 
 along company and officers' lines ; here and there a half- 
 shelter, hastily planned, and built of the rails no longer in 
 fences ; groups eating the rations from their haversacks, and 
 merrily drinking coffee made in the kettles brought each by 
 two men ; and then smoking their pipes, humble clay, and 
 more elegant brier- AA^ood, or pretentious meerschaum ; and 
 by and by, as the tattoo was about to beat, I saw here and 
 there some kneeling, reverently, undisturbed, both Protestant 
 and Catholic, and I kncAV why. And then the deepening 
 clouds greAv blacker. Then the wet drops pattered on the 
 
lOG THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIUAN. 
 
 grouud. Then the rain poured down, and the wind whirled 
 the dead leaves about, and the men lay stretched on the 
 straw piles, buried under blanket and rubber blanket. Then, 
 after a few hours, the clouds cleared away, but a cold, 
 hard wind blew until many roused themselves and built 
 up the decaying fires, and sat in their warm circle till day- 
 light. The sun rose warm, and the birds went to sing- 
 ing, and the trouble of the wet and cold bivouac night was 
 forgotten. 
 
 Our wagons came on. But after one night in tents we 
 moved again. Tidings came that Winchester was occupied. 
 Then, at " retreat," came hasty orders to move immediately, 
 the messenger saying that the rebel General Jackson had 
 skilfully marched to the rear of our force at Winchester, 
 captured General Shields and seven thousand men, and that 
 General Hamilton was still engaged. It was a ridiculous false- 
 hood, for which no explanation is yet made, but it Avas believed. 
 The messenger afterwards said it was a joTie. Our men re- 
 ceived orders Avith a universal cheer. In twenty-five min- 
 utes our regiment, with packed knapsacks and partly-filled 
 haversacks, were in column on the road. As regiment after 
 regiment received orders, and with shouts joined the line, the 
 scene was intensely interesting. You would have thought it 
 was a gigantic pleasure party. Day was shading into night 
 as Ave moA'ed on. We passed regiments and Avhole brigades, 
 ready formed, and Avaiting the Avord " forAvard." " What 
 regiment is that ?" Avas the regular salutation. Cheers fol- 
 lowed, and Avhen Massachusetts troops thus met, the shouts 
 were tremendous. Mile after mile Avas passed over. " I 
 wish I Avas in Dixie," or " I'm bound for the land of Ca- 
 naan," or " John BroAATi's body," enliA'ened the march. But 
 as hours wore aAvay, all sank into comparative silence. The 
 
WINCHESTER OURS. 107 
 
 foolish tale which called us on being contradicted, at midnight 
 the brigadier ordered a halt, a few miles from "Winchester. 
 We turned into a grove, tangled and rough. Again in every 
 direction were roaring fires. Pine branches made beautiful 
 beds, and the regiments went to sleep in the still and calm 
 moonlight. 
 
 TVHien morning came we Avaited impatiently for orders. It 
 was noon before they came — a tantalizing delay. It began 
 to rain before we were bid to camp, only a few rods off. 
 Our Avagons AA^ere on hand, and we AA'ere a city again. 
 
 Jackson had cA^acuated Winchester. He had done it Avith 
 as great deliberation as he pleased ; removed all his stores, 
 guns, and munitions of war ; carried off such private prop- 
 erty as he fancied ; and left naked the small defences, in 
 AA^hich, Avith five thousand men, he had deluded a whole 
 division. "Strategy" is a great thing; but driving rebels 
 at the point of the bayonet is the only lesson the South AAdll 
 eA'er appreciate. 
 
 It is a cvii'ious truth that, AAdiile our papers could not 
 publish the moAxment of General Banks, it had been 
 knoA\Ti at Richmond on the first of the three days occupied 
 in crossing. Our adA^ance seemed sudden by the Boston 
 papers, but only because they were allowed no intelli- 
 gence. Really, it has taken a fortnight to get here from 
 Frederick, while no enemy has been met except their retreat- 
 ing pickets. 
 
 WiNCHESTEK, Va., March 22, 1862. 
 
 Our regiment remains located as AAdien I last wrote, 
 though transferred to another brigade. In the neAv arrange- 
 ments of corps, Brigadier-General Hamilton is transferred to 
 
108 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN/ 
 
 the late command of General Heintzelman. Our regiment 
 has been removed to General Hamilton's late brigade (two 
 others being taken out of that), and Colonel Gordon com- 
 mands the brigade. So admirably fitted as he is for the per- 
 manent position of brigadier, it is the country's loss that in- 
 competent men have been bolstered into such places by 
 political manoeuvres, while local spite has operated against 
 a man who has been repeatedly the resource of our major- 
 general in dangerous and delicate operations. 
 
 Winchester is in " the Valley." Everywhere you see the 
 cognomen. There is the " Bank of the Valley " — just now 
 removed; the " Valley Agricultural Society" — office closed 
 at present; "Valley" this, and "Valley" that. Adver- 
 tisers have the most complete assortment, of whatever goods 
 they deal in, " to be found in the Valley." The Valley is 
 rich, agriculturally. The scenery of the Valley is beautiful. 
 But the town of the Valley, Winchester, is dirty and shiftless. 
 Laid out, they tell me, by Lord Fairfax, its streets are 
 straight, and paved with rough rocks. There are excep- 
 tional houses of good appearance, but the bulk of the town 
 is mean. It has a medical school, or had ; a young ladies' 
 institute, price $200 a year ; several hotels, at the principal 
 one of which, Taylor's, a dark and gloomy affivir, you can 
 get as mean board as you Avish at $2.50 per day ; five or six 
 churches, — Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, 
 &c. Winchester's population is mixed. It has much of 
 what I have seen so often that I think it must be genuine 
 " Valley Virginian," — rather under-sized, slight built, thin 
 face, black hair, dark eyes, quick-motioced, regular features, 
 rather sullen in look, passionate, easily prejudiced, without 
 marks of mental vigor, and sharp in trade as Yankees are 
 reputed to be. 
 
WINCHESTER. 109 
 
 Then thei'e is the " colored" population in great numbers, 
 — thick as grasshoppers in hay time. And it is Avonderful to 
 see the effect of climate on complexion. There are very few 
 blacks here. But froua mulatto to Virginia white, there is 
 abundance. A very large number of these unfortunates 
 Avould pass, but for certain traces of African features, for 
 white persons ; shoAving that, in the course of several genera- 
 tions, the climate of Virginia has nearly bleached the African 
 race. Indeed, among hundreds of this people, I have seen 
 but one negro of the genuine color. 
 
 Winchester is further remarkable as the residence — when 
 the individual is at home — of ex-Senator Mason. His house 
 stands a little out of town, westerly, — a large, square, old- 
 fashioned, white house, on a sharp knoll, with moderate 
 grounds in front, a sharp flight of steps ascending to the 
 door, over Avhich door is a portico, and over which portico 
 now floats the American flag. The family, library, &c., left 
 town about ten days ago ; the contents of his law office de- 
 parted also. Our friend is not popular in his own town. I 
 was told by an old and trustworthy citizen, that Mason could 
 not secure an election as delegate from Winchester, and that 
 he was considered as not more than a second or third-rate 
 lawyer. " Beef and liquor is all he is fit for," said the citi- 
 zen. Doubtless his slave-driving manners, intensified in 
 Congress, have some effect on his popularity. 
 
 Quite a number of Noi'thern persons are also living in 
 Winchester. Some years ago a joint-stock boot and shoe 
 manufactory was established here, and workmen were im- 
 ported from New England. Some came from Milford, Mass. 
 Quite a number of Northern-born people also reside in Berry- 
 ville, about ten miles easterly, where they have been these 
 twenty years. These latter are bitter secessionists, and the 
 10 
 
110 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 former consider it prudent, even the best of them, to be, at 
 least, very quiet. When the outrageous oppression exercised 
 towards Union men is considered, I do not wonder that real 
 Union men keep still. Of course it is a mean loyalty which 
 succumbs to threats ; but few persons have the manliness to 
 do riglit against public sentiment, or when it requires real 
 sacrifices. The " conciliating " policy also has its effect. 
 " If you don't take the Southern side," says the rebel govern- 
 ment to a man, " we'll confiscate your property and imprison 
 you." " If you do take the Southern side," our government 
 practically says, " we will not harm you." 
 
 Yet, no doubt, as soon as our govei'nment shows that it 
 can and will hold the coimtry, the majority mil swing around. 
 Virginia is a mean State at the best. You remember its 
 double-dealing last year, when it pretended to be neutral, only 
 to gain time to plunder fortresses and arsenals ; and how, 
 after it had passed the ordinance of secession, it kept the fact 
 secret, and continued to delude our government. Captain 
 Baylor is a fair specimen of Virginia chivalry. At Harper's 
 Ferry a few weeks ago, to get into his reach a Mr. Rohr, 
 a loyal Virginian ferryman, he made his servant hoist a white 
 flag. Rohr started to come on, as before, with another flag. 
 As he approached the shore, Baylor, Avith some of his men, 
 hidden in an archway, deliberately shot Rohr dead. When 
 at the ferry, I inquired into the facts, and learned that Bay- 
 lor had pviblicly declared his intention of killing Rohr in this 
 way, and that the black who raised the flag was forced to it 
 by threats. And yet this scoundrel was a Union man up to 
 the latest moment ! If this villain should be caught, would 
 he be hung? No. "Conciliate." "Conciliate." And this 
 Baylor is a fair specimen of Virginians. South Carolina was 
 bold and open ; Virginia, mean and sneaking. I respect the 
 former ; I despise the latter. 
 
SOUTHERN BRUTALITY. Ill 
 
 You see accounts of Southern brutality occasioiJally. I 
 have never believed miich of that — knowing some noble 
 Southerners. But I am satisfied. A clergyman of this 
 county, I will not give his name, a man who only from com- 
 pulsion became silent as to the guilt of secession, assures me 
 on his honor, that " Yankee skulls " were hawked about his 
 toM^n after the Bull Run battle at ten dollars apiece. Spurs, 
 also, were made of jaw-bones, to his personal knowledge.* 
 A member of his own church, who was at Bull Run, told 
 him that hundreds of bodies were left headless for such pur- 
 poses. But I am not at all sm-prised. I have ceased to feel 
 any wonder at the brutalities of a slaveholding people. 
 
 Notwithstanding the occupation of Winchester by the 
 " Northern vandals," shops are open as usual, and last Sab- 
 bath the churches were occupied. I took the opportunity to 
 attend service with the Methodists. 
 
 The minister of tliat church was known as a Union man ; 
 indeed, a printed sermon of his before the " Young Men's 
 Christian Association " of Winchester, attacked secession 
 without gloves, and it forced him subsequently to hide. I 
 chose his church because, although the Presbyterian would 
 have hit my doctrinal notions a little better, that is rank 
 " secesh," and I will have nothing to do with " secesh " i-eligion, 
 not even in those eminently Christian evangelicals of England 
 who have so meanly lent their influence against us in our time 
 of trial. So I went to the Methodist church. The building 
 is a very substantial and quite well-proportioned edifice, of 
 brick, -with " circular " pews, an elegant marble pulpit, and 
 galleries ; and it Avill be quite cheerful and pleasant when they 
 
 * I afterwards saw some of these articles ; and rings worn by women, 
 who boasted they were made of Yanlcee bones. 
 
112 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 rub oft' the lying pillars and recesses evidently colored in 
 imitation of each shade of dirt in the valley. The house was 
 well fdled, hundreds of soldiers being added to the congi'ega- 
 tion of citizens. There Avas no organ, or other musical in- 
 strument, but a choir of perhaps twenty singers excellently 
 led the congregation. I wondered, on entering, for what dig- 
 nitaries the alternate tiers of pews were reserved ; but they 
 were soon occupied by women. Men and Avomen sit in sep- 
 arate pews. I had never seen this silly custom before. 
 
 Rev. Mr. McReading, formerly in Boston, noAV chaplain of 
 an Illinois regiment, offered prayer. It Avas a cjood prayer. The 
 pastor preached from these texts : " We preach Christ cruci- 
 fied." " God forbid that I should glory," &c. " I determined 
 not to know anything," &c. His theme, as announced, Avas 
 " Christ crucified, the centre of the Christian system." The 
 discourse, which was extempore, had in it a gi'eat deal of 
 good thought, put forth in very rash language, and mixed 
 up in a heterogeneous manner. It Avould do him a AA^orld of 
 good to be put under our revered and beloA^ed professor of 
 pastoral theology at AndoA^er for a year. The preacher's 
 evident sincerity Avas impressive. I could endure his pro- 
 nouncing soi-disant " saAvy-dizzen," for he did not call guard 
 " gorrd," here " yur," as peoj^le here generally do. I could 
 even be Avilling that he should suddenly wheel around and 
 address the minister in his pulpit. But one thing spoiled the 
 sermon for me. He told four falsehoods. 
 
 These : Avith a plan AAdiich could not be decently developed 
 in less than an hour and a half, he said he Avas going to ad- 
 dress us "a feAv brief remarks : " he hnew better ; he kncAvhe 
 lied. Farther on he said, " but I promised brevity, and Avill 
 come to an end : " he Avas only one third through ! Still 
 farther on, he begged our " attention to this remark, with 
 
A PRO-SLAVERY GOSPEL. 113 
 
 which he would conchidc : " but after the remark was attended 
 to he began on a new set of exhortations. By and by, "• one 
 word more, which is all I have to say." " One word ! " he 
 talked on to the amount of at least jfive pages of sermon 
 paper, and had an application after that. I presume that 
 this preacher is an estimable citizen, and in private life, 
 honest. It is truly to be regretted that he, or any other 
 preacher, should thus utter falsehoods while presenting the 
 most solemn truths. '' One word more ! " What a mean 
 lie! 
 
 Of course, the gospel hereabouts is set in a pro-slavery 
 frame. Ministers occasionally own their fellow-beings. I 
 used to think that I would admit a brother minister into 
 my pulpit careless of the question Avhether he were a slave- 
 holder or not. I would not do it now. I will not say that 
 there are not many slave-owners who are Christians ; I know 
 some whom I do respect and love ; some who labor and pray 
 for the conversion of their slaves, as those for whom they 
 must give an account a^ the day of judgment. But a slave- 
 holding minister — I could not endure that. I am no fanatic. 
 I never even voted a " Republican" ticket. But this eight 
 months' campaign on slave soil, in localities Avhere slavery as- 
 sumes its mildest type, has made me feel — and I do assure my 
 conservative ministerial brethren that the whole system is 
 infamous. " The sins of slavery ! " There are none ; it is 
 slaveholding itself that is the sin. Its effect on the masters 
 is one of its greatest evils ; it perverts the conscience, warps 
 the intellect, brutalizes the heart. Believe no such nonsense 
 as that " the slaves are contented." They, with no noticea- 
 ble exception, long to be free. Nor is there any difficulty in 
 settling the slave question so far as our armies go. The 
 property is thenceforth good for nothing. Crowds of blacks 
 10* 
 
114 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 forsake their masters at the first opportunity. lu this very- 
 place, over and over again, do they say, " I have worked so 
 many years for my master, now I want to work for myself." 
 They are docile, peaceable, and industrious. They say, 
 " only hire us and try us." Can it be that government means 
 to remand these now happy fugitives again to their oppres- 
 sors ? As an army, we have nothing to do with slaveiy. We 
 neither entice, nor drive back. The blacks take cai'e of 
 themselves. I was amused with one case at Charlestown. 
 A master refused to sell any chickens, even, " because," said 
 he, " I must feed my poor servants, who will never leave 
 me ; " and he wanted a guard over his property. In a few 
 days his " poor servants " were aU gone, and this aristocratic 
 son of one of the "first families of Virginia" was himself 
 taking care of his solitary cow and pig. 
 
 Stuasbcrg, Va., March 28, 18C2. 
 
 Across the main street in Winchester, in front of the 
 court-house, on Monday last, was suspended the sentence 
 " Theatrical performances here every evening." But within 
 the court-house, in every available spot, lay the wounded, the 
 dying, and the dead. On Tuesday was suspended a notice, 
 " No performance this evening." But within, surgeons were 
 using the knife and the saw, nurses were dressing ghastly 
 wounds, and, in spite of all care, scores were passing into 
 eternity. 
 
 This was but one of four hospitals. 
 
 It was at sundown, on Friday, when our brigade returned 
 to Winchester, after a fifteen-mile march, called back by the 
 battle, and I went immediately to the hospitals. It was om* 
 
THE BATTLE OF KERNSTOWN. 115 
 
 great misfortune not to be near the contest. Had our brig- 
 ade been there, with its good fighting blood and the military 
 abilities of its officers, there is every reason to believe that 
 General Jackson's force would have been cut to pieces, 
 instead of retiring in very tolerable order. It is a great dis- 
 appointment to us ; but we had gone where ordered. 
 
 The battle was fought about three miles below Winchester, 
 on the Strasburg pike. General Jackson's policy had been 
 to keep this Avhole corps in the Winchester valley ; and with 
 constant annoyance by Ashby's cavalry, and the skilful 
 use of his other forces, he succeeded. We had entered 
 Winchester after very slow approaches, without opposition, 
 Jackson retiring to a safe distance with his inferior numbers. 
 Whether a different plan would not have captured, or at 
 least broken up, his force, it is for others to say, if they 
 would. Jackson made a great mistake when he risked the 
 battle. He was led to suppose, by information from the 
 secessionists there, that Winchester had been evacuated by 
 all our forces excepting a provost guard, Avhile in reality the 
 whole of General Shields's division lay sheltered by hills. 
 The information went mainly from secession Avomen, whose 
 bitter zeal led to the melancholy slaughter of many of their 
 own relatives. 
 
 So, on Saturday, a portion of his cavalry drove in our 
 pickets. It^vas not supposed that it was more than Ashby's 
 lively troops, with a couple of pieces of artillery. Some 
 little fighting took place on Saturday afternoon, in which 
 General Shields's arm Avas broken by a shell. Desultory 
 shots Avere exchanged all vSunday, and it was not until 
 the afternoon that it Avas found that Jackson Avas present in 
 force. Our troops then, at about four o'clock, Avere sent out 
 to the amount of eijrht regiments, Avith several batteries. 
 
116 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN". 
 
 Colonel Kimball, of Indiana, commanded. Jackson's force, 
 as it appeared from rolls captm'cd, comprised twelve small 
 regiments, five hundred cavalry, and twenty-seven pieces of 
 artillery, of which latter, two thirds appeared to be kept in 
 reserve. As you go out of Winchester, about three miles, 
 the enemy had posted some artillery on the left side of the 
 road, supported by infantry, but the bulk of his force was 
 stationed on a commanding wooded ridge, running at an 
 angle with the road, which is low. Our ti'oops were formed 
 a short distance towards Winchester, in a corresponding 
 curve, our artillery principally on a ridge, unfortunately a 
 little lower than theirs, and our infantry somewhat sheltered 
 behind it. Our troops drove them back at first, but they 
 regained and strengthened their position on the wooded 
 ridge, whence they poured a destructive fire. It was neces- 
 sary to end this artillery engagement, and at the end of one 
 or two hours' hard fighting our infantry were ordered to 
 turn their left flank. It appears that Jackson had similarly 
 ordered an attempt to turn our right. Our infantry, there- 
 fore, encountered theirs, and with hard fighting drove them 
 back. Theirs was sheltered by a stone wall, and did great 
 damage. Their battery there Avas making havoc, and two 
 regiments charged upon it, and, Avith much loss, captured 
 it. A charge was made upon the centre, the enemy broke, 
 and the field was ours. But Jackson retired in very tolera- 
 ble order. He has since kept so. The pursuit commenced 
 the next day, has never, I believe, encountered anything 
 more than his rear guard, skilfully fighting and then retiring. 
 He is now doubtless safely encamped some dozen miles from 
 our advanced force. I read in the papers of the 26th the 
 foUowino: : — 
 
THE BATTLE-FIELD. 117 
 
 " The loss of the rebels must have been enormous. They 
 haye abandoned their wagons along the road, fiUed with 
 dead and wounded, and the houses on the route are found 
 crowded with their wounded and dying. 
 
 " The dwellings in the town, adjacent to the battle-field of 
 Sunday, are also found filled with the wounded. 
 
 " The inhabitants aided the rebel soldiers in carrying off 
 their wounded during the day, and burying them quickly as 
 soon as dead. 
 
 " Our artillery makes terrible havoc among the enemy in 
 their flight, and the rout bids fair to be one of the most 
 dreadful of the war." 
 
 Two thirds of this is pure invention. The rebels suffered, 
 and worse than we did. Success remains ^vith us, and the 
 enemy have retreated. And that is all. 
 
 Not all. The battle-field is there. I visited it for a few 
 minutes on Tuesday morning. Whatever excitement there 
 is in the time of action, the next day's look excites only mel- 
 ancholy. It was a raw and chilly morning, and there lay, 
 soon to be bui'ied, more than two hundred corpses. Most of 
 them were as they had fallen, in every position, but most 
 with their faces upturned. Here were men shot in the 
 head ; there a limb shattered ; there a slight hole in the 
 breast ; and again, a shell had shattered every feature. In 
 one spot was a pile of over tAventy, mainly from the accurate 
 bursting of a shell in their midst. In another place, their 
 concentrated infantry had suffered terribly from our mus- 
 ketry. A few soldiers were guarding the spot from all dep- 
 redation. Women were there searching for dead friends and 
 relatives. It was hard to realize, in that calm and silent air, 
 that a few hours before, the scene had been terrific with con- 
 
118 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 flict, and full of slaughter. But the silent and mangled dead 
 bore witness, and I wished that Jeflerson Davis could have 
 been brought face to face with every corpse, and it be said to 
 him, " Your infernal ambition tilled this man." 
 
 The hospitals remain also. Four places were thus oc- 
 cupied, — the court-house, the Union Hotel, and two smaller 
 buildings. I was able to visit three of the four on Monday 
 evening, and until we moved on at six o'clock on Tuesday. 
 As you entered the court-house, the outer room was occupied 
 with dead laid side by side, and reverently covered, and 
 each, so far as could be, with a little slip of paper bearing his 
 name and that of his regiment. Passing in, every spot, 
 save room for the attendants to pass, was occupied by the 
 wounded, and now and then one was carried to the dead- 
 room. Owing to some strange management, for twenty-four 
 hours neither hay nor straw was procured, and the wounded 
 men lay upon the floor. When our brigade came, our sur- 
 geons immediately volunteered their services. They were de- 
 clined ! The surgeons of General Shields's division " needed 
 no help," when I saw soldier after soldier waiting impatiently 
 for necessary care. The spirit seemed that of some third- 
 rate physicians in small towns, who are afraid somebody is 
 trying to get away their practice. It was only until a most 
 formal application was made Tuesday morning, by our 
 brigade surgeon, that the services of ours Avere reluctantly 
 accepted. Nevertheless, with or without formalities, our 
 surgeons made themselves useful. The two of our own reg- 
 iment proved of the greatest service. Our senior surgeon 
 remained all night and all day in the court-house, reduced 
 things to order, and proved himself most admirably qualified 
 for his post. Our assistant surgeon did similar work at the 
 Union Hotel. Our hospital steward, with his medicines and 
 
THE HOSPITAL. 119 
 
 apparatus, was there, and of the greatest use. Our nurses 
 were indefatigable. Our litters did most of the work of 
 moving the injured from place to place. However much 
 disappointment was felt at having no share in the fight, our 
 hospital officials did noble service in relieving the unfortunate 
 sufferers. 
 
 It was pleasant to see the gentleness and activity of the 
 attendants. Hardy men seemed like women in the care of 
 children. By and by delicacies came from the people. Mon- 
 day evening many people were called upon for beds. To 
 the eternal infamy of this rebel town, it was hard to procure 
 even a few. One man, living in a fine house, had " no beds 
 for damned Yankee soldiers ; let them lie on the ground." 
 Women, on Tuesday morning, brought luxuries " for South- 
 ern soldiers," while with us there was no friend, no foe, only 
 wounded men lying there indiscriminately, equally cared 
 for. Women came there to abuse and insult us, with ultra 
 rebel attacks, in the hearing of our wounded men ; but they 
 were speedily sent off. I think the kind treatment of their 
 own wounded shamed them into decency ; or, pei'haps, a re- 
 fusal to receive anything for one class exclusively. By and by 
 they came with supplies, without specifying for which men. 
 The inhuman feelings of these people are painful. They are 
 full of lies, too, and they have made many believe them. 
 One confederate soldier was asked, " Do you have kind 
 treatment here?" " Yes," he answered, as if wondering at 
 it. "Why, didn't you expect it?" "No; I thought you 
 would kill us." " What made you think so? " " We were 
 told so." Such is Southern honor. 
 
 1 had the privilege of speaking with many, many soldiers. 
 Many were terribly injured. Many were soon to die. Some 
 died but a few minutes after. There Avere various feelings. 
 
120 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 Some few were hardened, but most were glad to see a 
 Christian minister. Many more than I expected had a good 
 Clmstian hope, and some, who knew they were soon to die, 
 were happy. One man, from a Western regiment, was very 
 happy, though fatally shot in the neck. He asked me who I 
 was. "A chaplain." " Of what denomination ? " " Con- 
 gregationalist." " Ah, I don't like them much." " "Why ? " 
 " Well, I've met some I didn't think much of. I'm a Meth- 
 odist ; been a church member this long while." " But / love 
 the Lord Jesus Christ." " Well, then, I guess you are all 
 right ; now pray with me." 
 
 One poor fellow of sixteen, from the South, wanted to take 
 the oath of allegiance. He knew he must die, but he felt he 
 had been in a wrong cause, — his mother had made him go, 
 — and if he could take the oath, he should feel better and 
 die happier. He took the oath, and died. 
 
 Others hoped to get well and go home. They would never 
 engage in the Southern service again. 
 
 One man I can never forget. He was a Southerner. One 
 deed had struck him with remorse. He kept his face covered. 
 He Avould answer no inquiries. But I got his story at last. 
 A few days before, he had gone out with a white flag, enticed 
 one of our soldiers near, and then deliberately shot him. 
 Wounded now, his mind dwelt only on that. He felt that it was 
 murder. He would not have his wounds dressed. Horror- 
 struck, he was determined to die. He would admit no hope of 
 pardon. But there was an opportunity for forgiveness. " The 
 blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 
 
 Then there were poor fellows whose thoughts were all of 
 home. One mere boy, from Texas, talked of his sister ; and 
 he wanted her informed, and sent his dying love. One man, 
 a rebel officer, wanted his wife — in Southern Virginia — to 
 
THE HOSPITAL. 121 
 
 knoAV he died happy, and his blessing to go to his little chil- 
 dren. And one had longings for his mother. And so on, 
 on, through the long rows and many rooms. 
 
 Strange to say, I felt not the least shrinking in looking on 
 the most terrible wounds. Others tell me they felt the same. 
 But, more to the purpose, I never felt so strongly the value 
 of the way of life Avhich offers forgiveness to sinners in reli- 
 ance on the sacrifice of Christ our Lord. What else could 
 one have to say in such circumstances ? Tell them to amend 
 their lives ? Many would end their lives in a few hours. Tell 
 them that sin Avould not be punished? Their own dread 
 falsified that. But the simple words, " Repent, and believe on 
 the Lord Jesus Christ," meets all times and all circumstances. 
 He who said to the dying criminal " This night shalt thou be 
 with me in paradise," is able " to save unto the uttermost 
 all those Avho put their trust in Him." 
 
 Edinburgh, Va., Friday, April 4, 1862. 
 
 I BEGAN to write of our sudden*movement to Strasburg ; 
 how gayly, at evening, March 25, our band led off with 
 " I Avish I was in Dixie ;" how cold the night became ; how 
 we bivouacked by the roadside about one o'clock, five 
 miles above Strasburg ; how, the next day, we forded Cedar 
 Creek, a rapid and beautiful stream, Avhere the villains had 
 destroyed a fine bridge, and were placed just outside of 
 Strasburg, in a rough and delightful pine wood ; how, the 
 following day, a " scare" sent us forward four or five miles 
 beloAv Strasburg, where we camped again. But I did not 
 finish it, because I thought something on "outpost duty" 
 would be preferable. 
 11 
 
122 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 So I began to write about " twenty-four hours on outpost ; " 
 how, last Saturday afternoon, our regiment relieved another 
 as outpost ; how we reached the spot about sundown ; how 
 the reserve, the grand guards, the pickets, and the sentries, 
 were stationed ; how a patrol went out at daybreak, and a 
 larger one in the forenoon ; how the rebels spitefully threw a 
 couple of shells at our pickets ; how it rained all night and 
 was wet all day, and how we "hutted" the best we could 
 with boughs and rails ; how it was the strangest Sunday I 
 ever spent, barring the preceding, when we watched, at 
 Snicker's Ferry, the repairs making on a bridge, built by an 
 army engineer, which had broken down, from defects a New 
 England carpenter, earning a dollar and a half a day, would 
 have been ashamed of, — by which breakage our regiment 
 Avas kept back, and its subsequent direction changed. But 
 we moved so suddenly, that I got beyond the topic, as we 
 did the outpost. 
 
 "We moved thither last Tuesday, April 1. Early in the 
 morning came orders to go without tents or baggage. The 
 whole corps was to move — each division. Everybody knows 
 that General Jackson's Headquarters are at Mount Jackson, 
 seven or eight miles below here, where they have been all 
 along, and whence he has made his sudden forays. But a 
 very skilful rear guard — Ashby's cavalry, with some artil- 
 lery and infantry — have been close up to General Banks's 
 lines. This was all that was to be encountered. As the 
 advance of our corps. Colonel Gordon's brigade was selected, 
 and the whole was under his management, — Captain Corth- 
 ren's fine New York battery being added, with some cavalry. 
 The next brigade was a mile behind. 
 
 Two miles from our camp we halted. The rebel scouts 
 and guns were in plain sight on an opposite ridge, sheltered 
 
THE ADVANCE. 123 
 
 in a wood. A couple of our Parrott guns were put in posi- 
 tion with great rapidity ; two or three shells were fired, and 
 the rebels suddenly left. 
 
 From that point, the advance was made in regular order. 
 Skirmishers and flankers were thrown out, a reserve follow- 
 ing, a section of artillery next, and then the next regiments 
 of our brigade. It was new to me in certain particulars, as, 
 although two or three of our companies had exchanged lively 
 shots with the enemy, our regiment, as a whole, had never 
 encountered the fellows. And so it may interest somebody's 
 mother, or wife, or sister, to see the order of moving, — 
 which you will read doAvuAvard. 
 
 9 9 D 
 
 B B B 
 
 A, Three companies, reserve, under Major Dwiglit. — B B B, Five 
 platoons, as represented, with Lieutenant-Colonel Andrews. — C, Skir- 
 mishers, reaching about 200 yards each side of the road, A being in. 
 the road. — D, Artillery. 
 
 In advancing, C is about 130 yards before B, and B about 
 300 yards before A. On the skirmishers go, at a cautious 
 but steady pace, over fences, walls, or brooks, — keeping 
 their distances, each a few paces from the next man, and 
 their officers in command, when nearing the enemy ; still they 
 must press on, though in open sight. As we moved forward, 
 the rebels stopped in the woods, scattering as far out as our 
 skirmishers, hiding behind walls and trees, and getting a shot 
 as often as possible. It was the first time our regiment had 
 been really under fire, but it was beautiful to see how steadily 
 
124 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 they moved ou, keeping their distances admirably, and firing 
 at the scoundrels as coolly as though hunting partridges. 
 Both their bravery and their splendid discipline told admira- 
 bly ; for it was evidently not a pleasant position to be an 
 open mark for concealed rifles. But not a man flinched, and 
 a good Providence preserved every life in our regiment ; 
 though blood flowed, not a serious casualty occurred on this 
 contested march of fifteen miles. The nearest to anything 
 fatal occurred to a man whose brass plate on his cross-belt 
 was indented by a ball, which, glancing, tore the belt, pene- 
 trated three or four thicknesses of clothing, and made a slight 
 wound. The force of the bullet was severe, but the plate 
 saved his life. A rebel dragoon was observed taking near 
 and deliberate aim at one of our officers, but a private seeing 
 him, emptied the saddle, and so spoiled that shot. In fact, 
 the bullets evidently buzzed thick enough in the early part 
 of the march, but the rebels seemed to see quite speedily the 
 beauty of our Enfields ; and in fact, we learned from friends 
 in a village through which we passed, that the rebels swore 
 
 terribly about those " long-range Yankee rifles." Of 
 
 course Ave soon met with a bridge torn up, and the beams 
 partly cut. The Yankees went at it, and in five minutes it 
 was passable. 
 
 At three places they made a stand, each time on a capital 
 spot. They know every inch of ground here, and it is as 
 great a country for fighting, as it is beautiful in scenery. The 
 first Avas a little outside of Woodstock, which is quite decent 
 looking for a Southern village. As Ave came near the toAvn, 
 the rebels had planted their guns on a height just beyond, and 
 sixddenly opened Avith Avhizzing, screaming shells. But it 
 was no surprise. Colonel Gordon's experienced eye had 
 seen the capacities of the ridge, and had halted. We open 
 
SKIRMISHING. 125 
 
 rauks ; down gallops the artillery ; up to the near ritljje ; 
 quick as thought our guns were in position, sighted, fired ; 
 " whizz " goes the savage missile, flying through the air ; 
 then, in two or three seconds, a sullen sound shows that it 
 has exploded, and the pieces are flying in every direction. 
 Then another, another, and so on, in immense rapidity, and 
 in a few minutes the rebels are driven. We enter Wood- 
 stock in quiet, and the alarmed people, over whose heads the 
 shells have been flying, come to the doors relieved. Frag- 
 ments are lying about in the very streets, and one house 
 shows the long scar which a shell scratched as it fell to the 
 spot Avhere it exploded. 
 
 Then the same long line of skirmishers for several miles 
 again. Then we approach the " Narrow Pass " — where 
 the river, suddenly bending, leaves only room for a road. 
 You descend the hollow, cross a swift creek, and then ascend 
 the " Narrow Pass " — completely commanded by a ridge 
 stretching up above. There, again, our commander saw the 
 thing needful. He did not hurry up his artillery, but or- 
 dered it back, and hastened our regiment into the valley to 
 the bridge, halting the other regiments behind the ridge we 
 had just passed, and on which he had stationed his guns. 
 It was just in time. The rebel guns had not fired their 
 second shot, Avhen Captain Corthren opened Avith half a 
 dozen replies, and for a little while the scene Avas noisy. Tlie 
 Blue Hills echoed back the reports, and the sound rolled up 
 the valley in long thunder. The bridge is on fire, as the 
 rebels left it, and our men go to work to put it out, and suc- 
 ceed. Meantime the storm fell so thick about the rebels, 
 that they were driven from their guns, but the height and the 
 distance prevented any capture. Then the enemy are silent, 
 and finally are running again, and on we march. 
 11* 
 
12G THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 Near Edinburgh we move cautiously. Another stream is 
 there, with high banks and lofty ridges on either side. The 
 bridges, railroad, and common road are on fire, and the 
 enemy have planted thcit guns again. The bridge must be 
 rebuilt. So the struggle is for position.. Again our guns 
 are hurried on through hastily torn fences, over hollo-\vs and 
 rocks, and up on the eminence. Soon both sides are at 
 work ; the skirmishers are drawn in ; the Second advances 
 at " double quick ; " fortunately, for the range of the enemy's 
 guns commands the spot where it had been, and death 
 comes where others loiter. There is a sharp fight now, but 
 the bridge is ovxrs. It is near night, however, and thougli 
 the opposite height is ours when we want it, it is useless. 
 
 Next day was noisy, but that was all. The bridge was 
 rebuilt, while the guns on either side were firing at rapid in- 
 tervals above. Pennsylvania men did it, and did well. The 
 other brigades came up, but of their number, or place, or 
 destination I must not speak even the very little that I 
 know. 
 
 It is a rainy day in camp. Sometimes I used to enjoy 
 rainy days at home, and sometimes I did not. 
 
 They were pleasant when one had a heap of odds and 
 ends of work, and a rainy day Avas so good a time to finish 
 them up. Or, one wanted a clean day for some special ob- 
 ject, and had it then, beginning as soon as breakfast Avas 
 over, hardly stopping for dinner, and not caring whether 
 " the shades of night were falling fast " or slow. But some- 
 times the rainy days seemed dismal ; by reason, doubtless, 
 of a moderate fit of the indigoes, warranted not to fade ; or, 
 possibly, sometimes from some depressing influence of the air. 
 But, on the whole, I used to like rainy days ; not merely for 
 
AIDS TO THOUGHT. 127 
 
 the opportunity for work, but because it was pleasant to make 
 a real visit on one's family, which is rather a rare event. I 
 could both work and have the visit. Some people have an 
 exclusive and forbidden study. I could not. If I locked the 
 door, little feet soon pattered up, and little hands tried the 
 handle. Suppose I said, " Busy now ; " then I heard a good- 
 natured, but self-satisfied and triumphant voice, " Papa, it's 
 me!" "Who could resist that? Me always came in, and 
 ME and papa had the best time imaginable, to the detriment 
 — no — the decided improvement of writing ; and then me 
 would sit do\^^l quietly to play, and not disturb papa. Chil- 
 dren improve sermons. Besides, there are two ways of 
 thinking and writing. Some people think as the horse-cars 
 journey from Jamaica Plain to Boston. From the stables to 
 the office at Eliot Street is the Introduction. At the office is 
 " first." They jog along to Hyde's Corner, and the conduc- 
 tor sings out that name, which means " secondly." At Rox- 
 bm-y is the stopping for " thirdly." " Dover Street " means 
 " fourthly." And from Boylston Street, various halts let out 
 the different parts of the Application, and the office opposite 
 the Tremont House is " To conchide." And all the way 
 along you must keep on the iron ruts. Get off the track, 
 and there is a terrible jolting over the rough pavement before 
 you get on again. Indeed, on the track, every stoppage 
 loses impetus ; and a stop at rising ground is sometimes ter- 
 rible. That's a good way for those that like it. But I 
 would rather take a seat with some of my people who have 
 fleet horses, as I used to do. You can then start when you 
 please ; you can stop of errands ; you can take the smoothed 
 roads and dodge the pavements ; you can see a little speed 
 on Tremont Road ; and your friend drops you at just 
 such part of the city as you wish. However, different peo- 
 
128 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 pie may have different ways, to advantage. And my way 
 was to have few secluded study hours, but to let all hours be 
 study ; and to have the freshness of life illumining the cold 
 rows of books — Avhich books are capital things for a little 
 girl to make houses of. I would as soon think of shutting 
 sun and air out of my study as of keeping out my wife and 
 child. There is a salutary w^arning in the case of that good 
 minister whose grandchild was always di'iven from his study. 
 " Mother," said she, " will grandpa be in heaven ! " " Why, 
 certainly, my child." " Then it's no use for me to go ; as 
 soon as he sees me, he'll say, What's that child here for? 
 Go right out of my study ! " I fully believe that that divine's 
 accurate " scheme " would have the same resemblance to the 
 real living doctrines of the gospel, as the dry, pressed, squared, 
 and labelled roots and herbs in an apothecary shop do, to 
 the blooming, fragrant, lovely plants out of which they 
 were manufactured. 
 
 However, I will go back to the "track" again. Rainy 
 days are not pleasant in camp. To-day it snows, it sleets, it 
 hails, it rains. The trees are covered with frozen snow, or 
 half-melted ice, and every now and then they shake off heavy 
 pieces, which rattle down like fragments of shell. The huge 
 tops of the pines, away up above their limbless trunks, frozen 
 into masses, sway heavily to and fro. Drip, drip, from 
 every bough. Pour, pour, in every open spot. The forlorn 
 horses stand with drooping heads, looking ashamed of their 
 condition and disgusted with Virginia — immovable, except 
 when eating their breakfast or dinner. The pet dogs keep 
 inside of tents. TJie fronts of our canvas houses are drawn 
 outward and open, and great logs support a struggling fire 
 just in front, and live coals are placed in holes within the 
 tent, provided the holes do not speedily fill with water. 
 
RAINY DAYS. 129 
 
 Ditches are dug all around the tents, and now and then a 
 ditch runs through the tent as a necessary resort. Dripping 
 individuals are solemnly chopping wood. Dismal people go 
 about their duties, hoping to have as few as possible, but of 
 course feeling that, in military service, " to hear is to obey." 
 Rubber coats are in active service, and cap covers and ap- 
 pended capes shelter the head and neck, in the absence of 
 umbrellas, Avhich the government has neglected to furnish. 
 Boots Avill get wet ; the soft ground yields to every step, and 
 the leather greedily drinks up the moisture. The sentinels, 
 in overcoats, pace up and down, as steady as ever, but wet, 
 very wet, and with arms sheltered as much as possible from 
 the rain. Off on picket somewhere is a company, and we 
 talk over their shelterless, fireless condition. The enemy, 
 with their insulting, but useless artillery practice from the 
 opposite ridge, are doubtless wetter than we are. All soldier- 
 ly precaution is taken, and officers and orderlies ride away 
 on duties, but v/ith sombre countenances. 
 
 " Hard business, sir, this soldiering," says John to my 
 nearest neighbor, the major. 
 
 " Yes, John." 
 
 " Its aisy for them as sits at home with their good fires, to 
 read of this victory and that, but its hard for them as has to 
 do it, sir." 
 
 " Yes, John." 
 
 " It would do them good to come out here, and try to warm 
 themselves by a hole in the ground, sir." 
 
 " True, John." 
 
 The rain, however, does not keep us here, but the plans of 
 authority do. Going forward, we could sweep before us 
 everything of Jackson's command, which pi'obably consists of 
 no more than six or eight thousand. His main camp is said 
 
130 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 to be at Mount Jackson, a little village about seven miles on- 
 ward ; but he Avill hardly remain there when we go on, at 
 least no more than to annoy and delay us. A small force, 
 his rear guard, under Colonel Ashby, remains opposite us, but 
 is of no particular account at present. . Wliy we Avait, of 
 course I do not know. Nevertheless, our men Avant to do 
 something ; their little fighting the other day sharpened up 
 their appetite. 
 
 Last Sunday Ave had public worship again. "We had had 
 none, by reason of movements, since we were at Charlestown. 
 But last Sabbath Avas a most beautiful day. The air was 
 mild and sweet, the sun Avarm. So in a little holloAv near 
 us we met in one of " Grod's first temples." Sunday in our 
 camp, when Ave are alloAved to remain, is always quiet. I 
 have repeatedly noticed hoAV still and homelike it seems. 
 Our commander never has any work not absolutely necessary ; 
 and although there may be as much evil, yet the stillness is 
 alAvays refreshing. Last Svmday even the rebels opposite left 
 off their gunnery Saturday night, and waited till Monday 
 morning, though I do not know Avhy. For AA'hateA^er reason, 
 not a single piece of artillery Avas fired on either side, though 
 here and there one could hear the distant sound of a musket. 
 
 Sunday afternoon I called upon a presiding elder of the 
 " United Brethren in Christ," Avho lives in the village a mile 
 aAvay. He had returned only a day or tAvo before from his 
 visits to the churches in his circuit. I Avas very hospitably 
 entertained by the Avorthy United Brother, and the excellent 
 United Sister, his AA'ife. This denomination, Avhich was novel 
 to me, seems exactly like the Methodists in doctrine and gov- 
 ernment, — Avitli bishops, presiding elders, itineracy (less res- 
 tricted as to time). It is anti-secret society ; will not have a 
 freemason in the church. And it is anti-slavery fully. No 
 
CHANGE IN VIEWS. 131 
 
 slaveholder can be admitted to this membership ; yet they 
 have about thirty chm'ches in this valley. They are opposed 
 to Avar, but many of their members were pressed into the 
 rebel service, and some Avere s^vept a^vay by the torrent of 
 secession ; still Ave have many friends among them, and the 
 denomination opposed secession to the last. « Since the John 
 BroAvn aifair they have met Avith a great deal of persecution, 
 Avhich is not strange, AA'hen they Avill refuse admission to the 
 master Avhose slaves they Avelcome to the church. Their 
 spirit — and I have seen several members — I like exceeding- 
 ly, as being meek, humble, laborious, devout. 
 
 Anti-slavery, and yet spreading here for years, and Avith 
 thirty churches in this limited locality. "Who can say that 
 slavery could have lived if the poAverful Presbyterian, Epis- 
 copal, Baptist, Methodist, denominations here had resisted it 
 like these poor United Brethren ? Who can deny that the 
 Southern churches, therefore, are the bulwark of slavei'y, and 
 that Northern churches, which silently or actively fraternize 
 with them, are so far forth participants in the giant sin of the 
 
 ase 
 
 You alluded, a fsAV wee*ks ago, to my " conservative " pro- 
 clivities. Other papers have done the same, but they erred 
 in supposing I ever believed slavery to be right. I only 
 objected to " agitation," as meddling with Avhat Avas neither 
 politically nor religiously our business. Therein did I err, 
 both politically and religiously. And still that very error, 
 the very going so far in defending Avhat seemed the constitu- 
 tional rights of the South, has made swarms of old democrats 
 noAV the bitterest foes of the oligarchy which dared lay its 
 hands on that constitution, in defending whose apparent 
 guarantees they had been left in a hopeless minority, been 
 censured and reproached, and been placed even in a false 
 
132 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN, 
 
 position as to their real sentiments. Religiously, we have 
 no right to ignore the claims of suffering millions ; we never 
 had. Politically, the existence of a republican government 
 over its thirty-four States, rrtjw necessitates the destruction 
 of slavery ; whether immediate or future be the result, the 
 commencement of its destruction must be oiow. What meas- 
 ures are necessary, I am not qualified to say. It is a hard 
 question. But pardon me this new reference to the great 
 cause of the rebellion while I say a few things more. 
 
 I quote now from some conservatives. 
 
 Said I, to a girl of about sixteen, at the house of whose mas- 
 ter I passed the night, " Do you know what we are here for ? " 
 
 " I specs you's here to free us." 
 
 " Do you want to be free? " 
 
 " I does." 
 
 " Don't you like your master?" 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " He sold my mother." 
 
 "When?" 
 
 " Twelve years ago." 
 
 " But your master looks like a kind man, and treats us 
 kindly." 
 
 " I know he looks so, but he ties me up and whips me with 
 a cowhide." 
 
 The tones of the girl were inexpressibly sad. I liave never 
 found anything but hopelessness and utter despair. 
 
 At the house of a Virginian near , the proprietor's 
 
 apparent cordiality Avas induced by fear. While at table, we 
 were waited on by a bright-looking yellow woman, about 
 twenty-five years of age. I questioned her of the rebels ; 
 she spoke intelligently but hurriedly, and in low tones, as if 
 
SLAVERY. 133 
 
 desiring to communicate with us, and yet afraid her master 
 might hear. 
 
 " Do you like to live with your master?" 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 "Then why do you?" 
 
 " "\¥here shaU I go ? " 
 
 " North." 
 
 " "What will I do with my family, and how shall I leave 
 my friends ; we can't all go, and how can we be separated? 
 Besides, we thought we'd bettoji wait for the law." 
 
 "What law?" 
 
 " Why, the law that is going to be passed to free us." 
 
 She added, also, " This is our home. We don't want to 
 leave it. We are willing to work." 
 
 There was a man near Snicker's Ferry who made many 
 abolitionists. Nobody suspected he was a slave. He was 
 no darker than a browned soldier. His hair was straight, 
 just turning gray. Pie was the son of his own master. His 
 Avife was the daughter of her master. A more pious man it 
 would be hard to find. As he told of his early dissatisfac- 
 tion with his lot, there were tears in men's eyes. Now, he 
 was resigned. He thanked God that his children had not 
 been sold away from them. But, hopeless as he now was in 
 approaching age, he did wish his children might be free, and 
 live in a different sphere. Sad, yet religiously happy — 
 resigned, but ambitious for the children so fair, so white, so 
 intelligent. 
 
 Now I select these three cases out of many, as fair illustra- 
 tions, and for several principles. 
 
 1. In the mildest type of slavery, girls of sixteen are tied 
 up and flogged by their masters Avith cowhides. 
 
 2. Men hold their own children in slavery. 
 
 12 
 
134 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 3. The slaves do not want to leave their homes, but pro- 
 fess a readiness to work for wages ; and if the resources of 
 this sectiot Avere decently developed, they could not do half 
 the work. 
 
 4. The slaves exhibit the strongest family attachments ; 
 repeatedly preferring to remain in a slavery they dishke, 
 rather than leave husband, wife, or children. 
 
 5. They are peaceably disposed, but sad and depressed. 
 
 6. They are, as a class, more intelligent, more industri- 
 ous, more civilized, than the " poor whites," though with 
 less natural vigor of character. 
 
 7. They are looking, with intense longing, for legal re- 
 dress. 
 
 Near, Newmarket, Va., April 2'4, 1862. 
 
 "We move by fits and starts. A week ago this morning, 
 after, I don't know how long a residence, we left Edinburgh. 
 We had remained there, I suppose, as long as we did, because 
 the corps lacked provisions and shoes. The intended, and 
 partly accomplished, removal of General Williams' division 
 to Centreville, had sent on the division supply train, and 
 that had to come sloAvly back. In addition thereto, the mis- 
 erable railway from Harper's Ferry to Winchester used to 
 give out once a day or so. And still further, it was, of 
 course, difficult to foresee that men would need shoes ; nor is 
 it very Avonderful that nobody supposed that shoes, given out 
 new on the morning of a march over a plain, smooth road, 
 would have holes clean through the soles at night, as various 
 pairs did. But the various vexations overcome, we were to 
 follow up Jackson ; and now a General Oi'der congratulates 
 the corps that the Virginia Valley is cleared of an armed 
 enemy. 
 
A SUNRISE MARCH. 135 
 
 General Shields's division moved in the night. Ours in the 
 morning following. Reveille beat at a quarter past two ; 
 we were" in line of march at four. There was no excitement 
 in following another division ; the advance is far pleasanter. 
 But we could enjoy the scenery and the day. The faint 
 light in the east was struggling with, and soon to over- 
 come, the clear moonlight. The denser column of fog, along 
 the river, half hid the mountain-range rising beyond it, clear 
 and sharp in outline. We crossed the creek at Edinburgh, 
 after waiting till near sunrise, and moved onward in the 
 most delightful scenery and air imaginable. 
 
 It is hard to imagine more beautiful views than one meets 
 in this valley. Varying from ten to thirty miles in width, 
 bounded by lofty and rude mountain-ranges, watered by 
 rapid rivers or foaming creeks, the undulating lands, now 
 wooded, now gently swelling fields, noAV green meadows, 
 change the landscape almost constantly. The winter wheat 
 was clothing many an acre with the liveliest green. Peach- 
 trees were just making ready to bloom. Now and then one 
 saw hyacinths and heart' s-ease by the roadside. And robins 
 and swallows were flying about in the greatest glee. Such 
 it was, as sunrise bathed the whole scene in richest glory. 
 But for the occasional roar of artillery miles onward, and the 
 succession of burning bridges which we regularly met, it 
 would have seemed the embodiment of peace. But the 
 plough was idle in the field. The fences were broken down. 
 The relics of straAV and the brands showed the recent bivou- 
 acks. The men were away at Avar. The past thirty years 
 of retrograde were rapidly accumulating the ruin of the 
 valley. Beautiful, but decaying. Beautiful, but deceitful. 
 Consumption and fever are the bane of this lovely spot ; and 
 tyranny and ignorance are ruining its population. 
 
136 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Every bridge for. miles was burning. The hurrying enemy 
 foolishly supposed this Avould delay our march ; but there 
 was a ford at every place, and Avhere our artillery was 
 stopped, Yankee eyes saw the railroad crossing a few rods 
 above, and dashed over safely. So we \vent on to Mount 
 Jackson. 
 
 There we waited for several hours. Why, I do not know, 
 nor was it any of my business. Two or three miles onward 
 was Rood's Hill, the place which Jackson held in force. 
 Mount Jackson itself is not a hill, but a village. Here the 
 enemy hadr built large hospitals, and evidently expected to 
 remain. While waiting I went into them. The hospital 
 flags were still flying, those little safeguards which are a sure 
 protection in all civilized warfare. But the sick had all been 
 removed ten days previous, to the number of nearly five hun- 
 di*ed. The buUdings were admirably contrived and con- 
 structed. In addition to two or three small ones, there were 
 two completed and one nearly so, of perhaps a hundred and 
 fifty feet in length, two stories in height, perfectly ventilated, 
 and yet warm. The i;pper stories were entered from the 
 outside by plenty of broad and easy stairways, and the whole 
 showed better skill than usual. 
 
 Near by wei'e two graveyards. In one, there were some 
 fifty or sixty graves of soldiers, each with head-boards dis- 
 tinctly lettered. I noticed that there were buried there, in 
 addition to Virginians, men from North and South Carolina, 
 Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana. Poor fellows ; to die 
 away from home, and in an unjust cause ! 
 
 Near by was the raili"oad station, the terminus of the 
 Manassas road. The rebels were determined we should have 
 no use of it. The engine-house was in smoking rviins. The 
 engine was as well broken up as they knew hoAv to do it. 
 
REBEL VANDALISM. 137 
 
 Remnants of passenger cars, and a long line of freight cars, 
 Avere still burning. I cannot understand the love of tlie 
 rebels for destruction of property. The bridges on the com- 
 mon roads they destroyed, the bi'idges their own South must 
 rebuild, when it could not delay our forces ten minutes. And 
 these cars they burned belonging to a private corporation, 
 while their uselessness, if left unhurt, is clear from the fact 
 that on the line of the road every wooden bridge, many a one 
 of great cost and labor, is destroyed. And if the bridges 
 Avere to be rebuilt, it is pei'fectly easy to obtain rolling stock 
 from the other end of the road. But they seem to have a 
 passion for destruction, even when at their own expense, and 
 when perfectly useless. 
 
 Our waiting at Mount Jackson ended. General Shields's 
 division was to advance on the main road ; but to us was 
 given as hard toil as we had ever had. Colonel Gordon's 
 brigade, Avith tAvo or three regiments of Colonel Donelly's, 
 Avas ordered to make a flank movement to the right. Noav 
 Ave left our good turnpike travelling, and took a " dirt " road. 
 Dirt road it was — muddy, stony, and rough. For tAvo miles 
 it led Avestward by the side of a rapid stream, Avhose poAA'er 
 is wasted on a few little mills. Then we crossed it. It was 
 fordable — that is, wade-able, and our soldiers emerged thor- 
 oughly wet. Bending southward, we were soon opposite 
 Rood's Hill, and now and then a cannon shot came to our 
 ears. They were speeding courtesies to the rebels, Avho, of 
 course, saw the flanking process, and knoAving that if it suc- 
 ceeded they were prisoners, left in disgust. 
 
 You suggest a doubt whether the report is true that many 
 
 of Jackson's men being forced into the army, Avill not fight. 
 
 There is CA^ery reason to suppose that it is true, so far as this, 
 
 that he cannot rely on them. It is stated on good authority, 
 
 12* 
 
138 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 that Jackson asked the opinion of his oiTiccrs whether to 
 stand at Rood's Hill, Avhich is a narrow ridge commanding 
 open ground for a mile or two, itself guarded by a river on 
 each side, and not overlooked by any accessible position. His 
 officers favored a fight, but he overruled them, on the ground 
 that he could not depend upon a portion of his force. 
 
 However, we plodded on, turning more to the east. We 
 passed through a mean and dirty village called Forestville, 
 probably because there is hardly a tree there ; crossed another 
 stream, where our pioneers had made a sliglit bridge ; ascended 
 and descended ledges ; waited for artillery, stuck fast every 
 now and then. It was bad enough by daylight ; but when 
 the sun had set, the march was execrable. It became very 
 dark ; the road led through woods ; some of our men were 
 even barefoot ; and Avhen, at half past eight, we turned into 
 a wood, and built fires, and had our supper, and piled up 
 leaves, and spread out blankets, everybody was ready for the 
 slumber that awaited all but the guard. It was a beautiful 
 night to sleep, and few, after eighteen miles of the hardest 
 travel, moved till reveille. 
 
 The next morning we Avent on to rejoin the corps. The 
 march had nothing noticeable save one ford. It was through 
 the north fork of the Shenandoah. Water ^Vas high, the 
 bottom rough, the river wide, the current exceedingly rapid. 
 It took two hours to pass. Now and then a man was doAvn ; 
 and now and then a horse. Six horses found it diflicult to 
 take a gun through ; and one caisson obstinately refused to 
 budge from the middle of the stream until horses were 
 changed, and ten of them exerted their strength. It Avas a 
 scene of order, but of exceeding bustle. 
 
 Two miles more brought us to Newmarket. For a descrip- 
 tion of this place, turn to any of my allusions to Southern vil- 
 
IN CAMP. 139 
 
 lages. This one had, however, a rather pretty church, Lutheran 
 in name. It had also a graveyard, from which, as we haked 
 by it, I took from one of the best marble stones the following 
 mixture of fact and piety : — 
 
 " He Tvas taken sick the eleventh of June, 
 And only lived ten days ; 
 But he's gone to rest in heaven above, 
 And sing his Saviour's praise." 
 
 From which I gathered that it is considered extremely remark- 
 able here that a man should go to heaven who was taken sick 
 on the eleventh of June, and who had so short a sickness. 
 
 Yankee Doodle brought out the population of Newmarket 
 extensively, but we could not wait. There is a strong Union 
 sentiment here, as there is all through the valley, and of the 
 most intelligent class, excepting the few wealthy proprietors. 
 This sentiment only needs to be favored to make it extremely 
 powerful ; that it has not been more attended to, I suppose is 
 owing to the fact that the Union class is dark-colored. 
 
 Two miles out of Newmarket we went into camp. It had 
 begun to rain a little before we reached the camping place, 
 and we were glad to be located. Do not, however, have too 
 exalted ideas of the shelter ; we had no tents, nor have had 
 any until yesterday, although, saving yesterday, it has rained 
 steadily. The shelters are improvised of rails, straw, and 
 such like. Two rails, fastened together near the top, with 
 legs spread out, form one support ; two more form another ; 
 a rail is laid on top between the two, and from this horizontal 
 cross rail, other rails slope to the ground ; straw js laid on, 
 often plastered with mud ; some rubber blankets are hung up 
 inside ; and if the wind happens to be right, the shelter will 
 keep off about half the wet ; if the wind is wi-ong, it doesn't 
 keep off any. Outside is mud, mud, mud. Yet our men are 
 
140 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN, 
 
 cheerful and manly. Notwithstanding they have done more 
 Avork and borne more hardship, tenfold, than regiments sent 
 by steam direct, and then allowed the opportunity to show 
 themselves brave, notwithstanding the exposure to disease 
 and bullets for months vipon months, which the Second, the 
 Twelfth, and the Thirteenth Massachusetts have had to en- 
 dure, and for which they get no name upon their banner, 
 while others, newer in service, get the glory of some fortunate 
 opportunity, which our men are not allowed, yet they feel 
 that the work they do is still for their country and necessary, 
 and they bear it cheerfully. Though not always able to see 
 why a rich government leaves them exposed to cold storms, 
 without shelter, for days, while their tents are but a few 
 miles off, and no enemy near, yet they endure hardness as 
 good soldiers. 
 
 Contrabands are frequent. All tell the same story, all de- 
 sire to be free, all seem ready to Avork. Here is one instance : 
 
 " Can you take care of yovirself, Sam?" 
 
 "I should think I might," is the reply. "I hire myself 
 out, make my own bargains, and carry the money to my 
 master." 
 
 Here is another : 
 
 " How is it with you? Can you take care of yourself? 
 
 " Gosh a-mighty, massa ; guess I can. Been taking car* 
 of self and old massa dis twenty year. Guess can take car' 
 of dis nig all alone." 
 
 Which was sound loffic. 
 
 Harrisonburg, Va., May 1, 1862. 
 Harrisonburg, shire town of Rockingham county, is su- 
 perior in appearance to any town in the valley which we 
 
HARRISONBURG. 141 
 
 have thus far seen, though quite inferior in size to Winches- 
 ter. Its people certainly behave a gi-eat deal better. Win- 
 chester people, especially most of the women, act as though 
 their hearts were " set on fire of hell." In addition to an 
 evident lack of decent breeding, they show a want of all 
 those humanized feelings which civilized nations show even 
 to enemies. The barbarous institutions under which they 
 live keep them down to barbarous levels. But in Harrison- 
 burg, the inhabitants are decently courteous ; and, indeed, 
 there is, if true sentiments could be spoken without danger, 
 a great deal of Union feeling. But who can wonder that 
 they are afraid to speak openly, when they fear to be again 
 deserted to the cruelties of rebels, as the Union people were 
 last summer by Patterson, in the upper part of the valley ? 
 The evil result of Patterson's failure Avas not merely the loss 
 of Bull Run ; his leaving Union people to the terrible ven- 
 geance of secessionists caused a sad distrust and fear. Better 
 lose a battle than to abandon loyal citizens. 
 
 Harrisonburg is the centre of probably the best wheat 
 county in Virginia. Nothing can be more beautiful, agricul- 
 turally, than the broad fields now covered with living green. 
 The town itself has very good shops, a court-house, two or 
 three hotels, and six churches, viz., two Presbyterian (New 
 and Old School), two Methodist (North and South), a Lu- 
 theran, and an " Ironsides " Baptist, besides other civilizing 
 institutions, which I will not venture to mention. 
 
 For this place we left our camp (I mean our regiment did) 
 on Friday last. We were glad to get away from the mud, 
 though with little prospect of improvement. Still any change 
 would be for the better. Some of vis had had our meals at a 
 house near by, owned with, I believe, eighteen hundred acres 
 of land, by a present brigade-quartermaster in the rebel ser- 
 
142 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 vice. The family, except the head, were tliere, and the con- 
 flict between hospitality and enmity was entertaining. A 
 guard was allowed the premises, as is very common ; and 
 the good lady, on our leaving, felt bound to say that the men 
 of our regiment had treated her and hers with courtesy ; in 
 fact, she said, Virginians could not have acted more like 
 gentlemen. Our men always bear that character. The 
 thirty or forty slaves of the place she notified to take care of 
 themselves in future, as have others in the valley. She 
 might as Avell, as the slaves evidently intend to do so, with 
 or without permission. 
 
 It was a raw day when we made our march of fourteen 
 miles, but it did not rain, for a wonder. We are now in 
 camp, a little above Harrisonburg, in a pleasant, open wood. 
 It rains now, of course. Of course it is muddy. Of course 
 any number of brooks run across the roads. But we are 
 well sheltered noAv, and the regiment is in very good health. 
 It is a curious fact that wet feet hurt nobody if you keep 
 them wet all the time. 
 
 Sunday was a beautiful day. I felt glad, because we 
 could have public worship. But after arrangements were 
 all made, suddenly there came an order to go out on recon- 
 noissance towards the Shenandoah. On the other side of 
 that river is Jackson, said to be reenforced. The bridge is 
 piled Avith straw, and everything is ready to set it into a 
 blaze as soon as we should attempt to cross. The road we 
 took on reconnoissance is a " dirt " road, of a very mean 
 kind, and very mean of its kind. Mud, brooks, and rocks 
 are its constituents, Avith here and there a rod or two of de- 
 cent road to hold the rest together. I have seen hard roads 
 in NcAV Hampshire, but never anything equal to a Virginia 
 dirt road. Their only redeeming feature is rail fence, 
 
A RECONNOISANCE. 143 
 
 which makes a most beautiful fire when you stop for the 
 night. 
 
 On this road we advanced until we were eleven miles from 
 camp ; we, the Twenty-seventh Indiana, and somebody's 
 battery, and somebody's else cavalry, — Vermont cavalry, I 
 think, — which, for goodness of horses and dash of men 
 beats any other cavalry we have seen. Soon after leaving 
 Harrisonburg we met Colonel Donelly's brigade, which was 
 coming in from an advanced camp. I do not exactly under- 
 stand what a reconnoissance was intended to discover, made 
 to the same spot which regiments had just left ; but I have 
 no doubt there was some brilliant result obtained. A little 
 brush between our cavalry and Ashby's took place, resl^lting 
 in an exchange of one of our men for two of theirs. The 
 day before their cavalry drove in our pickets ; one man, I 
 forget his regiment, did not reach cover, in consequence of 
 taking the wrong direction ; he hence was virtually a pris- 
 oner, but the rebels preferred to shoot him, and as he lay 
 wounded, shot him again. This is rebel chivalry. 
 
 Farther on a few of us stopped for dinner. The men of 
 the companies carry food in their haversacks, but some of us 
 have to trust to the road. "We stopped at a good-looking 
 house, speedily obtained our dinner, and fed our horses. It 
 was a very intelligent family ; books were quite plenty, and 
 flowers were far more common than usual. Many of the 
 books were religious, and Presbyterian papers abounded, 
 though few of late date. I should not mention, perhaps, this 
 wayside dining, but that one thing carried my mind back 
 suddenly to home. It was a " balm-of-gilead tree." Don't 
 laugh at it, anybody. At the farm of my birthplace there 
 used to be, by the gate, a noble tree of that kind. It had 
 stood for many yeai's, and there I used to love to sit or play. 
 
144 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 When a boy I went once a year to see grandparents, uncles, 
 and cousins. There was a house fall of these. But one day 
 there came a hail storm of unprecedented fury, and in it the 
 old tree Avas killed. Out of the root, it is true, there came 
 up little ones, but they never grew to be large and beautiful. 
 When I saAV this one in Virginia, my mind was full of the 
 old homestead, grandfather thep active, grandmother, a min- 
 ister's daughter, meek and pious, and all the numerous house- 
 hold who made the home so happy. Gone the older ; gone 
 or scattered almost all the middle generation ; gone, not a 
 few of the youngest, into the world of silence ; and the old 
 place is different now. So do we often think here of home, 
 at slight provocations. When rising from a prayer in hos- 
 pital once, I heard " that seems just like my home" mur- 
 mured almost dreamily by a very sick and weak man. Home ! 
 Happy those whose thoughts of home are so linked with 
 prayer and praise. 
 
 We turned about. And a little after dark had reached 
 camp again. Our men were sadly fatigued, but they 
 had marched splendidly, over a road of twenty-two miles, 
 equivalent to a good road of at least thirty, in little more, if 
 any, than ten hours. Here we stUl are ; and in this vicinity, 
 I doubt not, we remain until Yorktown matters progress for 
 the timing of our movement. But I hnoio nothing about it. 
 In the mean time we are eighteen miles from the post-office 
 of the corps. Think of that, you who have mails two or 
 three times a day. 
 
 Strasburg, Va., May 16, 1862. 
 We learn from the newspapers that our corps is now at 
 Staunton, and aiming for Richmond. We learn, also, that 
 
SLOW MOVEMENTS. 145 
 
 Jackson has evacuated the valley. Neither statement is 
 true. We advanced ; Jackson retired. We reached Harri- 
 sonburg ; Jackson crossed the middle Shenandoah, and rested 
 at the opposite end of the bridge which he had piled with 
 combustibles, towards Swift River Gap. We threw out 
 forces towards the bridge ; Jackson watched them with cav- 
 alry scouts. 
 
 Then the corps retired. General Banks's headquarters 
 had never advanced beyond Newmarket, eighteen miles north 
 of Harrisonbm-g, and have now come back to this place, 
 thirty-one miles north of Newmarket. Jackson has been 
 reenforced, and appears to have re-occupied Harrisonburg, 
 and even farther north. From General Banks's corps Gen- 
 eral Shields's division has been detached, and has gone over 
 — somewhere. General Williams's division remains here, 
 where fortifications were begun some time ago. This place 
 is the key to the valley ; the practical termination of the 
 Manassas Gap railway, over which road trains now run to 
 within two miles of this place, and will run in on Monday 
 next ; and a very strong natural position. 
 
 The slow advance of this corps is apologetically attributed, 
 in newspaper editorials, to bad roads and deficient supplies. 
 As to roads, your Spectator said. May 5, that General Banks 
 found them in " shocking condition " in the same paper in 
 which I spoke of " plain, smooth " roads. Now there is no 
 part of New England whose main avenues are better than 
 those of this valley. By-roads are bad ; but the principal 
 lines are direct, macadamized turnpikes, built in large part 
 by the State. An army could advance with perfect ease and 
 great rapidity. So far as the matter of supplies is con- 
 cerned, there has been no difficulty which energy could not 
 have easily remedied. The reason, therefore, of the exceeding 
 13 
 
146 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 slowness of movements, and the present retrograde, is to be 
 found in other directions, and is, in all probability, attributa- 
 ble to directions from Washington. Weeks ago, had it been 
 desu'ed, we could have been beyond Staunton, and have swept 
 every foe out of our path ; but at the risk of having our com- 
 munication cut off. 
 
 Our regiment remained in camp at Harrisonburg until on 
 Sunday, May 4. About sundown that day tents were 
 struck, and eveiy one packed. We were ordered out to the 
 road, and half a mile towards Harrisonburg, and there had 
 the comfort of a sudden bivouac. At gray morning we 
 marched — not soutlnvard as we expected, but northward, 
 eighteen miles or thereabouts ; passed through Newmarket 
 village, and had tents pitched by about eight in the evening. 
 
 But at one o'clock in the morning Ave were ordered out. A 
 mile or more east of Newmarket is the Masanutten range, or 
 part of a range which reaches from Strasburg just fifty miles 
 southward, dividing the valley in two long parts. On the 
 other side of the range Avas General Sullivan. In the evening 
 Ave had noticed the lights of the signal corps on top of the 
 gap, flitting backAvard and forward. They were telling some 
 scarecroAV story about the needs of General Sullivan against 
 a threatening force of tAvelve thousand men ; and our brigade, 
 tired as it Avas Avith an eigliteen miles march over a dusty 
 road, must climb up the hills and down the other side. There 
 Avas no help for it. 
 
 Turning at right angles from NeAvmarket, the road grad- 
 ually descended for a mile or more toward a rapid river. 
 The air was damp and chilly ; the misty darkness allowed 
 only vague and spectral views ; alld to enjoy both, an artillery 
 train, ordered to report at the covered bridge, stopped us for 
 a detestable hour, until some piece of red tape somewhere 
 could be accurately measured. 
 
NEEDLESS MARCH. 147 
 
 But we climbed the hill. There was no hard climbing, 
 however. The road over the gap was as smooth and firm as 
 any in Roxbury or Dorchester, and Avas made np of so many 
 acute angles as to give a grade of exceeding ease. Indeed it 
 is a beautiful specimen of engineerings and evidently costly ; 
 budt on the principle of getting as much road into the given 
 distance as possible — and so contrived as to make you be- 
 lieve you are going down hill instead of up. Another brigade 
 was bivouacked for a mile or two by the road, and their 
 brilliant fires crackling all along on either side, now against 
 a wall of earth left by excavation, and now bringing into re- 
 lief the wild woods over a precipice, while a brook near by 
 Avas roUing, scolding, or singing by turns, made a bewil- 
 dering and fascinating scene. At the top Ave rested, and 
 turning to look, beheld a view of the utmost beauty ; a lovely 
 vaUey, of great breadth, confined by the distant AUeghanies, 
 whose tops the rising sun Avas just tinging. 
 
 DoA\Ta on the other side ; a halt at the base, in beautiful 
 scenery ; a despatch ; the pleasant information that either the 
 signal officer had blundered, or else somebody had — made a 
 mistake ; tAvo nights bivouac in delightful Avoods, and on one 
 of them a magnificent spectacle in tlie " Avoods on fire" near 
 the top of Masanutten. 
 
 Then Ave retm*ned. Up the hill and doAvn again, and back 
 to camp. On the way up, a few of us took short cuts from 
 angle to angle once or tAvice to gather wild floAvers. There 
 Avas great abundance of several Idnds. Wild cherry was in 
 blossom, and laurel, and what they call dogAvood here, which 
 I think is found in Milton, in Massachifsetts, and " red bud," 
 without leaves, but gorgeous in its Avealth of flowering ; and of 
 lowlier plants, the red columbine, mayflower, much like the 
 New Hampshii-e one, Avhich is more beautiful than that in 
 
148 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAFIUAN. 
 
 the Plymouth woods (I have gathered both), the auemone, 
 the iris, far more delicately lovely than any I ever saw wild 
 before ; and above all, such profusion of wood violets as one 
 rarely finds, of which many were colored so like pansies that 
 they were easily mistaken for them at a little distance. Sit- 
 ting upon a rock to rest, the sight of belted men, with swords 
 at their side and pistols ready, gathering flowers, awakened 
 strange sensations. But these " wood violets are the same 
 we have at home" they said. 
 
 On Saturday, at sundown, tents were again struck ; but 
 orders soon came to stop the wagons ; and so with tents less 
 than half a mile off, we had two more nights and the whole in- 
 tervening day of shelterless waiting. What for, do you^sk? 
 Shrug your shoulders and keep quiet. 
 
 But on Monday morning, at half past two, we were in the 
 road ; fourteen miles that day, and woods at night, with plenty 
 of luxurious leaves for beds, which, Avith good weather and a 
 few blankets, make just the pleasantest summer residence im- 
 aginable. Tuesday morning, at three o'clock, we rise again, 
 and make fourteen miles moi'e, — to this dirtiest, nastiest, 
 mieanest, poorest, most shiftless to^vn I have yet seen in all 
 the shiftless, poor, mean, nasty, dirty towns of this beautiful 
 valley. 
 
 There is a considerable force — perhaps fifteen or twenty 
 thousand — of rebels down the valley. That they will be 
 fools enough to come up, is not possible while Fremont is at 
 Franklin. So our chance to do something active seems small. 
 Rumor has it that our division is to remain here this summer, 
 to hold this place, which is a very important one in reference 
 to operations in the valley, and to look after the Manassas 
 railway. We are all terribly chagrined at such a prospect. 
 It would be too humiliating to a large, well-equipped, finely- 
 
GUERILLAS. 149 
 
 organized, brave, admirably^lecl force like ours. To sit down 
 virtually to garrison purposes, while troops which came into 
 the field far later are placed in posts of honor, would be hard 
 to bear. To read the brilliant despatches from this place by 
 the reporter to the " Associated Press," which have become 
 here a laughing-stock for their stereotyped beginning, " Great 
 rejoicing is exhibited in this corps on hearing of the briUiant 
 
 victory at " one place after another — w^ould be rather 
 
 tough for summer employment. If this be the settled plan, I 
 shall relieve you of one " army correspondent," as what is 
 going on this summer in this quarter would not be worth read- 
 ing ; and I would not insult yom- kindness by writing. But 
 we hope better things. 
 
 In the mean time there is plenty of guerilla business. One 
 of our men was captured not sixty rods from the roadside by 
 the woods w^here Ave had halted ; but after four or five days' 
 captivity shrewdly escaped from a rebel camp of thousands of 
 men, and after two days' travel in the woods reached Union 
 pickets. Another, in advance on a march, w^as shot at and 
 very severely wounded. It is learned that citizens, and soldiers 
 in citizens' clothes, are roaming the valley to pick off any one 
 they can find outside the lines as well as pickets. This is in 
 accordance with Governor Letcher's proclamation. There is 
 but one way to treat these gentry — hang them when caught ; 
 burn every house from which they shoot ; and in default of 
 catching the scoundrels, seize secession residents as hostages, 
 and hang a nian for every man shot in this murderous way. 
 This would stop it. But this will not be done ; we must con- 
 ciliate the greatest scoundrels that ever went unhung. 
 13* 
 
150 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE RETREAT AND THE RETURN. 
 
 WiLLiAMSPORT, Md., May 30, 1862. 
 
 On the night of the 11th of July, last year, our regiment 
 encamped in this town, by the river side, having left Camp 
 Andrew in "West Roxbury on the 8th ; and now, after over 
 ten months of campaigning, we have come to the same place 
 again, very unwillingly. 
 
 I wrote you last that Jackson could hardly be fool enough 
 to come up the valley again. He has been, however, and 
 if government is wide awake, as I think it is, Jackson's folly 
 will soon be made apparent. Good generalship cannot fail 
 to annihilate him. 
 
 We have had to retreat, and to retreat in circumstances 
 which insured disaster. But when the country learns fully 
 the history of a retreat made by less than five thousand men, 
 while an enemy of twenty-five thousand moved at the same 
 time on converging roads, — a retreat of fifty-three mUes, 
 encumbered by five hundred wagons, — a retreat marked by 
 fighting for miles upon miles, and by repeated stands to 
 enable the trains to gain in distance,- — a retreat which ended 
 in a successful passage of a wide and rapid river, in which 
 the horses had often to swim, — this retreat will take its 
 place as a masterly movement ; and General Banks, with 
 
THE RETREAT. 151 
 
 his gallant little corps, will take high rank in the esteem and 
 affection of the people. 
 
 When the plans were fully consummated between the 
 forces of General Banks and General Fremont to attack and 
 destroy or capture Jackson near Harrisonburg, the very night 
 previous to the intended movement there came positive orders 
 to om* corps to retire to Strasburg, and to detach General 
 Shields from this command. Disaster was then foreboded. ' 
 Remonstrances were useless, and we retired. We had then 
 left but two infantry brigades of four regiments each, a 
 regiment of cavalry, and sixteen pieces of artillery. The 
 Manassas railroad was opened to Strasburg, and Colonel 
 Kenley's regiment, the First Maryland, was spared to guard 
 it at Front Royal, ten miles east of Strasburg. The remain- 
 der of the force was mainly at Strasbui'g, detachments being 
 constantly on outpost duty. 
 
 On Friday, May 23, Colonel Kenley's force was over- 
 whelmed. News came by an orderly, too late to help him, 
 even if it had been possible. About midnight the wagon 
 trains were put in motion, but the men, though under arms, 
 were not moved until Saturday morning at about eleven 
 o'clock. It did not appear certain until then that the attack 
 on Front Royal was more than a mere raid. But it soon ap- 
 peared that Jackson was in very heavy force, and instant 
 retreat was needful. 
 
 General Hatch, with cavalry, and some few guns, Avere 
 rear guard. Colonel Donelly's brigade led ; Colonel Gor- 
 don's followed. The train was far on the road, but the 
 forces, excepting the rear guard, reached some of it near 
 Middletown, distant about six miles above Strasburg, and 
 passed it. 
 
 We Avere (Colonel Gordon's brigade) about a mile and a 
 
152 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 half above Newtown (sometimes called vStephensburg) , and 
 about twelve miles from Strasbm-g, when reports came that 
 the wagon train had been cut by the enemy. General Hatch 
 was thus intercepted, and it appeared afterward, had crossed 
 over to a road westerly, and came by detour to the main 
 force. Colonel Gordon was then ordered to go back with the 
 Second Massachusetts, the Twenty-eighth New York, and a 
 section of Best's battery, to relieve the train. On approach- 
 ing Newtown, they found the Twenty-seventh Indiana (of 
 Colonel Gordon's brigade) drawn up across the road in line, 
 with four pieces of Corthren's New York battery. The 
 Twenty-eighth New York was halted, and Lieutenant-Col- 
 onel Andrews, with the Second Massachusetts, was ordered 
 by Colonel Gordon to take and hold Newtown. They passed 
 the wagons along the road in every conceivable state of con- 
 fusion, abandoned by the drivers. The enemy had posted 
 artillery in the street, but the Second advanced without firing 
 a shot, under a fire of shell ; the enemy did not wait to be 
 closed upon, but retired to an eminence near by. There the 
 artillei'y was posted, and constant fii-ing was kept up for an 
 hour, during which the town was held. Colonel Gordon 
 endeavored to procure mules to save the wagons, but none 
 were sent, and he ordered the Twenty-seventh Indiana to 
 burn them, which was accomplished. When this was done, 
 Colonel Gordon ordered the forces on again. It was now 
 twilight. 
 
 From that time the Second Avas rear guard during the re- 
 treat. No annoyance was then experienced for the two mUes 
 which the regiment had just retraced. There, when it had 
 been ordered to return to Newtown, it had, in order to re- 
 lieve the fatigued men, left knapsacks in a field by the road. 
 Thii reoriment here halted to take them. While this was 
 
A RETREATING FIGHT. 153 
 
 being done, on came the enemy. It was now quite dark. 
 Companies were immediately formed to resist cavalry. 
 Do-WTi came the enemy's charge ; but our men waited untU 
 they came to within seventy or eighty yards, when from the 
 three directions an admirable volley was poured into them. 
 They did not wait for a second, but wheeled in dismay. 
 Again their officers tried to rally them. So near were they 
 that their orders could be heard, and when they were dis- 
 obeyed, the word " cowards ! " was audible. But in vain. 
 They would not risk themselves against such musketry. 
 They brought up artillery, but it had no effect except to 
 stampede some of our cavalry. 
 
 It was not long before the enemy's infantry appeared. 
 They opened a severe fire, but it was well returned, and the 
 enemy checked. 
 
 Everything being ready, the troops moved on. The enemy 
 followed, but our fire was too hard for them, and they were 
 wary. Kernstown was reached, and a halt took place, both 
 to rest the men and care for the wounded, which had been 
 unfortunately taken to that point only, instead of going on to 
 Winchester. Ambulances were sent for, but they did not 
 return. Half an hour passed. Again the enemy crept up in 
 the darkness and opened fire. It was returned with spirit. 
 But it was useless to wait. Artillery could be heard rum- 
 bling in the rear. The macadamized road brought our men 
 out into relief, and it was necessary to move on. 
 
 About two A. M., the last of the tired soldiers reached 
 Winchester, and lay down to rest. They needed it badly. 
 But a company from each regiment Avas sent out, and skir- 
 mishing was continual. The enemy's advance, in about two 
 hours, was evidently in force. 
 
 Colonel ^ordon^and Colonel Donelly had chosen positions 
 
154 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 for their brigade. It was just out of town, on tlfe right and 
 left of the road going southward. On the right (facing 
 southward) was Colonel Gordon. A long ridge running 
 nearly parallel with the road is broken by a cross gully. 
 On the eminence nearest the toAvn, a little sheltered by 
 broken ground, was placed the infantry, the Second Massa- 
 chusetts on the right, then, in order, the Third Wisconsin, 
 the Twenty-seventh Indiana, and the Twenty-ninth Pennsyl- 
 vania ; and several pieces of artillery were posted in the 
 rear. The other brigade was on the left of the road, where 
 they fought bravely, particularly the Fifth Connecticut. 
 
 On the opposite height was the enemy. As they showed 
 themselves, there were large masses, dropping soon out of 
 sight. As Colonel Gordon's brigade ascended to its place, a 
 fire of grape was opened on them at a few hundred yards 
 distance. The men were ordered to lie down, rising only to 
 fire, and the artillery was kept constantly at work. Skir- 
 mishers were sent to pick off the enemy's horses and gun- 
 ners ; much exposed, they were soon ordered still nearer the 
 enemy, where they could be sheltered by a wall. So accu- 
 rate was their fire, Avith that of the troops in line, that one 
 gun was completely silenced, the enemy not daring to attempt 
 even its removal. 
 
 The troops fought bravely and coolly. But by and by a 
 movement of the enemy threatened the skirmishers, and they 
 were called in. Then heavy columns were seen moving to 
 turn the right of the brigade. Colonel Gordon ordered the 
 Twenty-seventh Indiana and Twenty-ninth Pennsylvania to 
 take position on the right, in an obliqvie angle with the other 
 two regiments. They rushed thither, and with shouts began 
 a rapid firing. But seeing the force approaching they fell 
 back. What could valor do against such odds ? Then the 
 
THROUGH WINCHESTER. 155 
 
 guns were orde^cl away. It was useless to remain. Orders 
 came to retire. 
 
 So they entered Winchester, the enemy in pursuit. The 
 exultant foe pursued. They were the rear. Cavalry dashed 
 against them. Citizens fired from houses. Women shot 
 from windows, and threw hand grenades at them. Yet not 
 a break occurred. Volleys were poured into the houses fired 
 from. Riders were unhorsed. Past burning buildings, in- 
 tensely hot, reckless of attack, the men stood steady. 
 
 So on to Martinsburg. Shells bm*sting over them ; cav- 
 ahy sweeping round ; but unbroken still. And unbroken, 
 this regiment, the rear of the main column, before a foe of 
 twenty-five thousand men, it retreated. " So on to "^Yilliams- 
 port, fifty-three miles from the place it had left thirty-three 
 hours before. 
 
 In the action at Winchester this corps stood for three 
 hours and a half from the time the pickets were driven in — 
 four thousand men against twenty-five thousand ; seven regi- 
 ments against twenty-eight actually counted at once. Escaped 
 prisoners tell us that the enemy suffered severely. They 
 were astonished at the daring of this little force and at its 
 escape. They expected its entire capture. 
 
 In Winchester some stores fell into the enemy's hands, but 
 not a very great amount. Few wagons and few arms were 
 lost. The enemy took prisoners, however, of all whom 
 fatigue forced to remain. 
 
 The passage through Winchester illustrates again the in- 
 fernal influence of Southern education. Women had accu- 
 mulated pistols and hand grenades, and used them on helpless 
 men. What causes this? The education of slavery. That 
 brutalizes the people it curses. In this towTi of Winchester, 
 when we occupied it, not a house was robbed, not a woman 
 
156 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 insulted. Such is the return. Woe be to that^own when our 
 troops see it again ! As Sodom Avas, it is ; as Sodom is, I 
 trust it will be. But what else is to be expected? "Con- 
 ciliate ! " Conciliate rattlesnakes, if you will. The spirit 
 of a slaveholder, as such, is the spirit of hell. 
 
 Near Front Royal, Va., June 19, 1862. 
 
 We are gratified to find that our regiment is praised at 
 home. I have always felt that all which was wanted for 
 the regiment was opportunity to show the character of its 
 material and the results of its drill and discipline. Few 
 know the work necessary to make a really good regiment ; 
 the constant drill, the regular studies and recitations of the 
 officers, the habit of unhesitating obedience of orders, to be 
 obtained only by slow growth. These ours has had. Even 
 last winter, daily recitations, in two classes, were conducted 
 by the colonel and lieutenant-colonel, instead of allowing idle- 
 ness. The result is, a regiment whose main idea is duty. 
 
 As to the character of the recent retreat, I see nothing to 
 change in what I wrote you. We have since learned that the 
 rebels Avere astonished and infuriated at the escape. They 
 suffered greatly. Over seventy graves have been counted of 
 men of one Southern regiment, the one, I think, Avhich suffered 
 terribly from the sudden fire of the brave Connecticut Fifth. 
 The stand of our own regiment near Newtown, we have 
 learned, puzzled the enemy. When they afterward learned 
 from prisoners that only one regiment did it, they were sur- 
 prised, and ashamed that it had checked their march. 
 
 Why this retreat was ever allowed, it is hard to understand. 
 It can do no harm to state that the falling back from Harrison- 
 
NEWSPAPER REPORTS. 157 
 
 biirg to Strasburg was sadly against the -wishes of our com- 
 mandei-, and only in consequence of peremptory orders. The 
 location at Strasburg was a poor one ; but it was ordered. A 
 fortification had been begun there by some engineers, which 
 was entirely commanded by several hills. The division of 
 the valley by the Masanutten range allowed the enemy to 
 choose which side to approach in safety. Our force was 
 small, especially after General Shields had been taken. It is 
 known that repeated attempts were made to convince higher 
 authorities of the danger of this position, but in vain ; indeed, 
 they at last excited jocular replies. 
 
 The World's account, by the way, which I see extensively 
 copied, has two items rather queer ; one day it says that our. 
 regiment went through Winchester with colors flying and 
 drums beating ; another, that the Second, after firing one 
 volley, broke, ran through Winchester, and' could not be ral- 
 lied for two miles. Both statements are untrue. There was 
 no drum beat. And on the other hand they never broke ; nor 
 was there a moment when the regiment was not perfectly in 
 the hand of the commander. They did not even take the 
 double-quick step, except twice when ordered, once in turning 
 a street corner, and once Avhen passing five or six burning 
 buildings in a narrow street where the heat was insupportable. 
 The disjointed items of a youngster, who says he slept through 
 the conflict below Winchester, comfortably in bed at a hotel, 
 are, however, scarcely worth alluding to, but for the fact that 
 ^ome Boston papers copy tliem. 
 
 This experience has had one evident effect on our regiment, 
 — to create the happiest feeling between officers and privates. 
 The coolness of our officers, their indifference, to danger, and 
 their constant care of their men, have won respect and affec- 
 tion ; and officers feel the same toward the men, who did all 
 14 
 
158 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 that men could do. It had been enviously said that officers 
 like oui's — young men, more than two thirds of whom were 
 graduates gf some college (two of West Point) , and reared 
 in comparative luxury — would neither endure hardships nor 
 manifest bravery. The reverse precisely is true. The great 
 difficulty with aU was to keep them out of useless danger. 
 In the action at Winchester, those who had any breakfast, ate 
 it unconcernedly. Some, not actively engaged, Avent to sleep. 
 One servant even passed along with food in the midst of a 
 fire of grape. One officer there had a forcible appeal from 
 brother Trask, in the shape of a bullet from the storm, which 
 knocked his pipe out of his mouth, and so spoiled his smoke. 
 
 The brigade remained at Williamsport until June 10. The 
 other brigade of our corps had left some days earlier. On 
 that day it crossed the river, and bivouacked near Falling 
 Water. The next day it went to, and camped at Bunker 
 Hill. The following day it passed through Winchester, where 
 General Banks was, and General Sigel, whose forces had, a 
 week earlier, come up from Harper's Ferry, and camped six 
 miles south. That place we left on Wednesday last, and we 
 are here a few miles north of Front Royal. 
 
 Much of this march was over ground traversed last July, 
 and so had its pecixliar interest. Some of its features, how- 
 ever, struck us as peculiar. The conciliatory policy is ex- 
 treme. A guard from the brigade was stationed at every 
 house, and no person, officer or man, was allowed even to rob 
 the inhabitants of well-water ; fortunately we met brooks occa- • 
 sionally. The general of the corps has just issued an assur- 
 ing proclamation to the farmers, to the effect that if they 
 gather their crops nobody shall touch them, unless govern- 
 ment wants them, in which case their value shall be paid. 
 Considering that it is hard to "find a LTnion man this side of 
 
THE VALLEY. 159 
 
 Martinsburg, this method of making war by furnishing an 
 excellent market to the secessionists, is eminently forgiving. 
 Winchester, with its villanous spawn of hell for inhabitants, 
 is most carefully protected. Houses, from which, it is capable 
 of clearest proof, citizens fired on our soldiers, are unharmed. 
 The dwellers in that town are unharmed. I would not favor 
 any indiscriminate pillage, but the policy which makes it for 
 the interest of men to be rebels is queer. A rebel, he is pro- 
 tected by both Union and secesh soldiers. A Union man, he 
 is protected by Union, but tei*ribly maltreated by secesh ; 
 therefore — be secesh. Still, if that is the policy of govern- 
 ment, doubtless there are sound reasons for it. In the mean 
 time I have reason to know that rebel citizens laugh at us, and 
 believe that we do not dare to be justly severe. Some cases 
 of protection Avould make people stare. 
 
 As to the general situation, you know better where Jackson 
 is than any here except the leaders. 
 
 The valley in Avliich Ave are runs from Pennsylvania south- 
 west. It is bounded by the Blue Ridge on the east, and the 
 Alleghanies on the west. Two principal places of entrance 
 from Maryland arc Harper's Ferry and Williamsport. The 
 valley is tolerably open until we reach Strasburg, Avhere, in 
 the centre begins a separate chain — the Masanutten range 
 — which splits the valley for just fifty miles, where, near 
 Harrisonburg, it abruptly ends. Now at the head of the 
 western division stands Strasburg ; at the head of the eastern. 
 Front Royal. When Jackson came northward, it was by the 
 eastern side of the Masanutten, Greneral Banks's force not 
 being sufficient to guard either side. Middletown, a few 
 miles north of both Strasburg and Front Royal, seems the 
 strong point from which to support both places. This is now 
 occupied. General Fremont holds Strasburg, and some dis- 
 
160 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 tance below, and we are part of the force occupying Front 
 Royal. 
 
 These measures seem as if preventive rather than aggres- 
 sive, but they can easily become the latter. The difficulty 
 here seems this : parts of, or the whole of three army corps, 
 have lately been occupying the valley, each responsible only 
 to Washington. It is a puzzle why all the troops in this lim- 
 ited area should not be in one command. General Fremont's 
 department, and that of General Banks, are separated by only 
 a line in the road for fifty miles. If this whole artificial cut- 
 ting up of territory were done away, and if all the forces this 
 side the Blue Ridge were given to one general, Avould there 
 not be greater efiiciency ? In fact, ever since General McClel- 
 lan was limited to his narrow area, and three other independ- 
 ent departments made in Virginia, matters have worked 
 badly. The army would rejoice to hear that the war in Vir- 
 ginia was under one general, and he McClellan. 
 
 For myself, I had enough to do in the hospital at Winches- 
 ter. Several buildings are occupied for this purpose. Our 
 wounded are at^the " Union House" hospital, under charge 
 of our own Doctor Leland, formerly of Milford. He has had 
 only one surgeon with him, and a hundred and seventy patients ; 
 but everything is neat, the care is admirable, and the men 
 quite cheerful. The surgeon has a great heart, and equal 
 skill, and has the warmest regard from all our men. There 
 is a post chaplain at Winchester, but he has several buildings 
 to visit, including those with the rebel sick. It is very 
 noticeable how the Winchester women send their delicacies 
 to the rebel quarters, few to the Union. Still our men do 
 not lack. It Avas a great privilege to go into the hospital, 
 though it was a six mile ride, and meet our own men. Take 
 good care of them, friends, when they go home, as they will, 
 to recruit. They deserve it. 
 
REBEL BARBARITY. 161 
 
 I am not surprised that many persons are discountenancing 
 stories of rebel insolence and barbarity, because it is hard to 
 believe human nature sunk so low. One thing is true ; the 
 wounded collected into hospitals were well treated. "Whether 
 the fact that they must and did leave a large number of their 
 own to our care had any effect, I do not know. I am satis- 
 fied that no shots were Tcnowingly fired into actual hospitals. 
 But aside from these, there is no reason to qualify any state- 
 ments which I have seen of rebel barbarity,* This race is 
 not fuUy civilized yet. For ignorance and stupidity, I could 
 tell you facts I never Avould have believed but for seeing them. 
 And I tell you again, until slavery is broken, and until a new 
 race is introduced, to a very great extent, there will be no 
 true peace. Senator Sumner never uttered truer words than 
 those in his speech — " The Barbarism of Slavery." 
 
 * Proof, in great quantity, of the firing from windows by women and 
 others in "Winchester, was afterwards collected to a certain extent. But 
 the stories of our immense losses are perfectly absurd. So is the account 
 of the panic equally untrue and ridiculous. 
 
 14* 
 
1G2 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MOVEHIENTS UNDER GENERAL POPE. 
 
 On the Road, Rappahannock Co., Va., July 9, 1862. 
 
 Last Saturday evening, as we looked at tlie red sunset 
 sky, we said, " It will be hot to-moiTOw." Why we felt 
 special interest in the expected weather was, because we 
 were to inarch to-morrow. The tidings had come of re- 
 verses at Richmond. 
 
 It was a hot Sunday. Reveille was beat at the usual hour. 
 All was made ready to move. Another brigade had gone in 
 the night, whose rumbling wagons we could hear when Ave 
 were foolish enough to lie awake. The morning hours wore 
 on. At eleven o'clock, " Route step, forward ! " The sun 
 was blazing hot when we started, and grew hotter and hotter. 
 A few miles on Avas the Shenandoah, the junction of its north 
 fork and main stream. There we waited under a hill, on an 
 exposed plain, Avhere the very leaves hung stupefied. Hours 
 passed before the indolent wagon trains in front moved out 
 of the way, and then we moved again. We crossed the tem- 
 porary bridge built at the junction of the rivers ; passed over 
 the site of Colonel Kenley's contest, Avhere relics still lie in 
 profusion, but which Ave left untouched, having long since got 
 tired of cai'rying loads of old iron ; Avent through the rather 
 pretty little toAvn of Front Royal, Avhich is Avell shaded, a 
 
TO EASTERN VIRGLMA. 163 
 
 mile or so from the railroad to which a branch runs, and 
 camped a mile or so south of the town. No sooner had the 
 ground been reached than men fell utterly exhausted, and 
 passed under the surgeon's care. The march had not been 
 long, but horrible for heat. On it we wondered why, as our 
 destination was said to be Warrenton, government did not 
 transport the troops by railroad, in one day, rather than 
 break them down by a four days' march under a Virginia 
 July sun. We also wondered why we might not have had 
 our Sunday in quiet, and, starting at, say five o'clock in the 
 afternoon, made the same distance by eight o'clock. Soldiers 
 may " wonder," but they cannot help themselves. However, 
 many of us had no scruples at taking a cooling batla that 
 eveuing in a brawHng brook near by, and having followed 
 the Apostle's directions as to "pure water" and a "clean 
 conscience," slept very well. 
 
 And on Monday, at three o'clock, reveille awakened us. 
 At six o'clock we were in the road, toward the Blue Ridge. 
 It was a lovely morning, and truthful, for it pi'omised 
 another hot day, and was right about it. It was an eventful 
 anniversary too. For, one year ago that day we left Camp 
 Andrew in West Eoxbury, and left Boston, and left wives, 
 children, and friends. Some wives, some children, are to be 
 seen no more ; and some of that number of brave men have 
 sealed their patriotic contract with their blood. 
 
 Four miles, or may be five, from Front Royal is Chester 
 Gap, a break in the summit of the Blue Ridge. The ascent 
 is gentle ; the scenery beautiful. The heat was severe, but 
 when at last we reached the summit of the road, and began 
 to descend, the breeze swept over us gently, and cooled the 
 heated men. We were descending the Ridge, and I doubt if 
 there was one there Avho did not rejoice that at last Ave were 
 
164 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 out of that bated Virginia valley, into which Our evil fortune 
 had sent us one year ago, and where our energies had been 
 uselessly spent for that time. General Banks was now in 
 Eastern Virginia. 
 
 Twelve miles that day before eleven o'clock. Then Ave 
 rested in a beautiful wood, and toward night pitched our 
 tents. By and by a refreshing shower came up, so that 
 when next morning we marched on, the ground was delight- 
 fully firm. We were rear guard that next day, and so were 
 troubled with the long wagon trains. Troubles easily borne, 
 for this section is prolific in cherries ; and as we halted for 
 hours, the men luxuriated in cherries ; they ate cherries 
 among the branches ; they picked cherries to take along ; 
 they cut limbs full of cherries and ate under the shade as they 
 marched. Providence evidently made these cherries ripen 
 for our march. 
 
 But, five miles on the road, we halted. We camped. 
 Orders came, based on the facts that anxiety for General 
 McClellan was over, and that sufficient forces were at War- 
 renton. What to do with our two brigades nobody seems 
 to know, and we are waiting till somebody finds out. j\s 
 usual, we are a kind of incumbrance, placed nobody knows 
 why, and what to do with us, I think always puzzles the 
 authorities. But we wait. Nothing is given us to do. Our 
 brethren at Richmond we Avould gladly help. Our oa^ti com- 
 parative uselessness we lament. But if our government de- 
 sires us to " spend the summer in the country," we can do 
 so, though a little preferring, if our wishes were consulted, 
 some sea-side spot. For instance, Nahant is cooler ; or the 
 line of the Lowell and Lawrence Railroad, ought not there 
 to be a force sufficient to defend it? or say at Tcwksbury,. 
 which, if my memory serves me, is quite warm. 
 
NEED OF SOLDIERS. 1G5 
 
 Barring oiu" wishes, however, clearly the country needs 
 men. The call for three hundred thousand surprises nobody 
 here. It Avill take half that number to fill up existing regi- 
 ments. But I will tell you what to do. Send back our men 
 who are wasted in other employments; employ "civil" 
 nurses at Frederick ; restore to a fighting position the many, 
 ofllicers and men, who are engaged in the trucking business 
 (here called quartermaster's department), and the provision 
 trade (here called commissaiy's department), and hire some 
 good truckmen and pork dealers from Boston, infinitely better 
 fitted than West Point graduates for such a service ; cut 
 do^\Ti the hosts of men wasted on staff employ, as witness the 
 late enormous list thrown out by General Fremont's being 
 "relieved" of command, and then the terrible deficiencies 
 of our six hundred thousand men would melt aAvay one half. 
 
 But after that were done (which never will be), the 
 country needs more soldiers.. It has a right to demand 
 them. After God, it has the first claim. When at home a 
 few days last January, I could see no diminution in the 
 street throngs ; no want of men in business. Here^ it is rare 
 to find an able-bodied man ; ask for one, and regularly you 
 are answered, " He is in the army." In the army, to support 
 the most infernal institution the world ever saw, and to over- 
 throw the best government the world ever saw, while in 
 Massachusetts there are multitudes who criticise and carp, as 
 though they knew all about war, but never lift a hand. You, 
 whose families must have your services at home, there are 
 enough without you. But you, whose only trouble is your 
 dislike at leaving them, — your fellow-men have left wives 
 and children, with sore hearts, too ; will you? You, who are 
 sick, stay at home ; but you, whose faces are white and forms 
 slender, only because you need air and activity, come, and 
 
166 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 grow stalwart. You, whose highest work is to sell ribbons 
 and laces, bonnets and slippers, — leave that to loomen ; be 
 men; a mn.sket is more honorable than a yardstick for a 
 man's hand ; a hard hand is better than flabby fingers ; an 
 honest tan is a better color than tallow. A soldier is a man. 
 
 Influential men at home ought to set the examjile. They 
 can fill up the army in a week. Let them throw their 
 wealth, their ability, their persons, to this cause, and hosts 
 of followers would fall in. If they have wealth, that excuses 
 nobody from serving his country. If they can live at ease, 
 that is no reason why they should live in ease. 
 
 And you, brother ministers, whose work is not, and ought 
 not to be, to fight, — yovi, Avhose hearts are in this cause, and 
 Avho would gladly be in it yourselves, — will yoit not use 
 your powerful influence to fill, up our armies? Tell the 
 people what this war is for. Tell them it is a war holier 
 than ever were crusades. Show them what the country 
 needs. Explain Avliat patriotism is. Convince your young 
 men that the patriot must not refuse this call. Make them 
 understand, what few do understand, the exigencies of the 
 Age ; that this is the war of Civilization against Barbarism, 
 Light against Darkness, Right against Wrong ; that now is 
 the culmination of the Heathenism of two centuries ; that 
 that Heathenism is indeed earnest. The ministry of Christ 
 have a trust in their hands which this generation never 
 equalled before, never will again. Thank God, I knoAV they 
 are true. 
 
 Near Warrenton, Va., July 16, 1862. 
 
 Your letter came a day or two ago. You say you have 
 had none from me since one I Avrote concerning the " re- 
 
■ RECAPITULATION. 167 
 
 treat" of May 24 and 25. You inquire whether I have 
 ceased writing. " Ceased writing ! " when I have written as 
 often, at least, as once a fortnight ! Little did I know the 
 sad truth : how all my brilliant thoughts, my excellent dis- 
 quisitions, my beautiful descriptions, — had all gone, through 
 the post-office tunnel, into some paper-mill ! The world can 
 never know Avhat it has lost. It is a hopeless loss : should 
 they come to light, alas, for their freshness ! A good brother 
 chaplain of my acquaintance had a bottle of champagne sent 
 him by a general. The excellent brother thanked the donor, 
 and stated to him that he never drank, but would keep this 
 bottle to use a little from time to time in case of sickness. 
 He learned his mistake. In case my letters turn up — they 
 are too long uncorked ; they are flat forever. 
 
 I do not know what I wrote. I never read my letters in 
 print, much less keep copies. But by way of recapitulation 
 as to our peregrinations, we left Williamsport, Md., June 10, 
 and crossed the river, to the inspiring music of " Carry me 
 back to Old Virginia, to old Virginia's shore ; " bivouacked 
 that night near Falling Waters ; passed through Martins- 
 burg to Bunker Hill, and there camped ; next day marched 
 to and thi'ough Winchester in close order ; camped that 
 night at BartonsviUe, a flom'ishing town of three houses, 
 about seven miles south of Winchester ; remained there until 
 June 18, when we moved to a spot about four miles north of 
 Front Royal, where we had the capital fortune to get back, 
 as brigadier, our own Massachusetts soldier. General Gor- 
 don. Sunday, July 6, we were ordered on ; one night a 
 mile south of Front Royal ; one night snug by a pretty locust- 
 shaded little village called Flint Hill ; two nights near 
 Gaines's Cross Roads ; here we pitched our tents late Friday 
 night, and here we wait for orders. 
 
168 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 All along the roads are great wheat fields, into which no 
 sickle will enter. Crops sufficient to feed all New England 
 are to be lost for want of laborers. Owners have gone to 
 war, and blacks have fun away as the army moved. The 
 strength of the rebel army is in slave labor. Able-bodied 
 men can be spared to fight wherever the black laborers 
 remain. The North has made a great mistake in supposing 
 that slavery is an element of weakness at the South in time 
 of war. Practically, the reverse is true. It need not be so. 
 It ought not to be so. Had we given the slaves to understand 
 that they are /ree, the crops now gathering would never have 
 been food for rebel armies. 
 
 While waiting, we are amid a large army. Brigadier- 
 generals are plenty. Regiments are on every hand. The 
 Twelfth and Thirteenth Massachusetts are again our neigh- 
 bors, and we revive old friendships with great comfort. Our 
 baggage is cut down ; one valise to an ofiicer. Our tents are 
 partly taken away ; the officers crowd into a diminished 
 number, and the privates have, or are to have, "shelter" 
 tents. Ten days' rations are to be kept on hand, and each 
 regiment to be ready to move any time, rations and all, at an 
 hour's notice. General Pope's address to his army implies 
 work. For myself, I am better fitted for a march than I was 
 a week ago, when I had lost my horse ! He turned up, at 
 last, in the Fifth New York horse-thieves (known officially 
 as cavalry) . General Gordon lost a horse of his ; it was 
 found in, and with great difficulty (ending in the arrest of a 
 captain) procured from, the Fifth New York horse-thieves. 
 Our adjutant lost two horses ; both Avere discovered — in the 
 Fifth New York horse-thieves. 
 
 We are now, you see, under General Pope. That is, the 
 lately separate commands, under Generals Banks, Fremont, 
 
EMANCIPATION. 169 
 
 and McDowell, are united under General Pope. We cease 
 to be an isolated corps now, for the first time. How ad- 
 mirably General Banks behaves under this new order you 
 know. He is a real patriot. 
 
 Everybody hopes Ave are to move toward Richmond. 
 Whether it were wise we cannot judge. We have confidence 
 in the Union generals. What little esteem we ever had for 
 civilians who manage war was long since lost. Let them 
 manage their politics, but let soldiers plan campaigns, — is 
 the universal feeling. To meddlers are due the wails in 
 thousands of households ; to them, the prolonging of the 
 war ; to them, the waste of untold millions of money ; to 
 them, the imminent danger of foreign intervention : all 
 accomplished, when men in civil life determined to dictate to 
 educated soldiers Avhat they, as soldiers, must do ; when they 
 thwarted the best plans ; tried to balance the jealousies of 
 parties by giving each general an inadequate independent 
 command. I tell you the execrations of the army upon the 
 authors of our disasters are deep. And while not dismayed, 
 yet we are saddened upon hearing now that no change is to 
 be made. Unless a practical change is made, I insist that the 
 South cannot be conquered. 
 
 There are difierences of opinion in the army as to the 
 slavery question. Some want emancipation proclaimed. 
 Some, practical and effectual emancipation without proclama- 
 tions. Some, to leave slavery as it was before the war. The 
 drifting is towards emancipation, mainly to the second posi- 
 tion. In that I rather coincide, though I want the thing 
 done at any rate, as necessary for the country. But all love 
 their country first and best. If we can accomplish emancipa- 
 tion, it would be a glorious deed for our country. If not 
 now, yet the old Flag must triumph. But, to emancipate, is 
 15 
 
170 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 the way to succeed ; and therefore the government needs 
 policy, needs firmness, needs energy. 
 
 The more I see, the more I believe in the feasibility of 
 emancipation. The difficulties in the way are not uncon- 
 querable ; I mean, as to adjusting the elements of the new 
 state of society caused thereby. The only obstacle is in the 
 masters, who have so long made men work Avithout wages, 
 that, like all tyrants, they cannot bear to go to work for an 
 honest living. The slaves could be freed, and remain on the 
 soil. Compulsory colonization seems to me a perfect hum- 
 bug, — unless you colonize the masters, the real encum- 
 brances. To remove the industrious portion of the com- 
 munity is foolish. France tried that when it banished 
 thousands of Protestant artisans. Let us not commit the 
 same folly. Suppose Massachusetts were to expel from its 
 borders its day-laborers, its working farmers, its shoemakers, 
 its blacksmiths, — where Avould the wealth of Massachusetts 
 be? The blacks are the workmen, — peasant laborers gen- 
 erally, but often mechanics. They do not wish to leave their 
 native land. Why should they? What right have we to 
 expel them ? Is their race not a native of the soil ? No 
 more is ours. You Avho weep over " Evangeline," wherein 
 have we a right to imitate the conduct of the arrant humbug 
 nation of Europe ? 
 
 Of course, in freeing the slaves, there Avould be trouble. 
 They are unfit for liberty in some respects. But who made 
 them so ? What right have the masters — the criminals, to 
 plead their OAvn crime as an excuse for perpetuating that 
 crime ? Whatever troubles would ensue are the penalty of 
 transgression, the price of reform. When our surgeon sets 
 a broken leg, there is pain in the operation ; there is subse- 
 quent inflammation in the very process of healing ; there is, 
 
EMANCIPATION. 171 
 
 for a time, helplessness ; but then there comes health and 
 power ; and in spite of, and at the cost of, pain and fever, it 
 was better to have the leg set. Society here has both legs 
 broken ; better set-them. 
 
 Better set them, because it is right. I thank God that we 
 can stand at last, untrammelled, on the simple basis of right. 
 I doubt all politicians who dodge the question of right. Your 
 fourth of July oration is powerful, but I cannot see that it 
 touches one point, viz., that the legality it argues for is 
 iniquitous. Every man has a right to freedom save in crime. 
 Every man Avho deprives another of that freedom is a robber. 
 Every law which sanctions that robbery is wicked. In con- 
 versing with Virginians, there is one alignment which they 
 cannot answer : every man has a "right to his liherty. On 
 secession, or nullification, or republican party, or compromise, 
 they will twist and dodge ; but from that simple principle 
 there is no escape. " I believe," I have told naany of them, 
 " in just what your own constitution of Virginia says, adopted 
 in the last century, reenacted by convention in December, 
 1861, when in its preamble it declares that ' all men are 
 created free and equal, and possessed of rights of which they 
 cannot divest themselves or their posterity. ' " That is the 
 platform. It is astonishing how simple one's duty becomes 
 when he gets at this fundamental principle, and means to 
 adhere to it. I feel very comfortable now. 
 
 You will see that Congress, by recent legislation, has ma- 
 terially reduced the pay of chaplains, and possibly you will 
 be curious to know its result. It is hard telling yet. There 
 are two things involved ; one is, the pay as to be established, 
 is less than that of a captain of infantry, showing the estima- 
 tion in which chaplaincies are held by the governing power. 
 The other thing to be considered is, that while some chaplains 
 
172 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 will receive more than in any of their settlements, very many 
 are already making comparative pecuniary sacrifice. The 
 expenses of a campaign are very large. I judge from a year's 
 experience that the pay newly established is inadequate, and 
 must speedily send home all except the poorer class, who 
 never had a parish of any size, or Avealthy men, who can 
 aiford to stay. 
 
 But wherever our country wants us she should have us. 
 And unless this rebellion is soon crushed we shall have war 
 enough. Our country will then need all its sons. Never 
 should I hai?^e any temptation to be more intimately connected 
 with a soldier's life than now, unless foreign powers inter- 
 vened. Then I should feel that any place was glory. To be 
 one of an army to humble and cripple forever that hypocrit- 
 ical, arrogant, incarnation of selfishness, that Pecksniff of 
 nations, England, the tyrant in Ireland, the barbarian in 
 India, the hereditary ally of despots, haughty to the weak, 
 fawning on the strong, " whose end is destruction, whose God 
 is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame" — that 
 would make ancestral fire burn in my veins ; that I should 
 recognize as a duty to the civilization of the century and to 
 the voice of God. It would be a holy war. 
 
 Near Washington, Bappahannock Co., Va., July 24, 1862. 
 
 It is rather curious to reckon over the various titles and 
 commanders of the corps in Avhich, for one year, Ave have 
 served. We have been in the army of the Valley, the army 
 of the Shenandoah, the army of the Potomac, the army of 
 Virginia ; we " change the place, yet keep the pain." Gen- 
 eral Patterson has commanded our division, General Banks 
 
PROSPECTS. 173 
 
 alone, General Banks under General McClellan, General 
 Banks alone again, General Pope, and now, if rumor be true, 
 General Ilallcck over General Pope. For brigadiers, we 
 have bad G enerals Abercronibie, Williams, Hamilton, Greene, 
 and Gordon, — varying backwards and forwards until one 
 tenure of each would not average a month. As Ave have 
 been kept in a limited locality, and formed part of but one 
 army, the simplicity and straightforwardness of this manage- 
 ment is pleasingly illustrated. 
 
 Now matters seem to have come to a stop. The army 
 and the country pause to consider. Richmond will not fall 
 this week. The rebellion will not end the week after. What 
 is the look of things ? 
 
 After more than a year's fighting, after untold expenditure 
 of treasure and blood, we seem no nearer the end than when 
 we commenced. The forebodings long entertained by ex- 
 perienced men have been realized. A year ago, and repeat- 
 edly since, high, very high authority predicted to me just 
 this state of things. The predictions were based upon the 
 course of public matters, and upon the misunderstood energies 
 and resources of the South. 
 
 Yet there are some hopeful matters with us. 
 
 One is, the union of the forces in Upper Virginia under 
 one general. It has long been waited for. The evils of the 
 opposite course have been most painfully felt on the ground. 
 While the people have been amused with pompous headings 
 in the dailies about sdine little skirmish, they did not know 
 that our strength has been frittered away, our resources 
 wasted. Who should tell it? Wlio could venture to speak 
 in view of the stringent rules against communicating "infor- 
 mation " ? Now the troops are under one head. Of General 
 Pope himself the country knows. His deeds declare what 
 15* 
 
174 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 he is. The recent inaugural (so to call it) did not favorably 
 impress the soldiery ; but the subsequent orders are received 
 with delight. They indicate a vigor and policy which have 
 long been waited for. Baggage, well called impedimenta by 
 the Romans, has been reduced. AYagons are in order. A 
 hundred and fifty rounds of ammunition per man are kept 
 with the regiment. And all are quietly and courageously 
 waiting to second him in what he may do with the army 
 of Virginia. 
 
 There is sense, also, in the appointment of General Halleck 
 (if it be true) as general-in-chief. Not merely that it is 
 General Halleck, but that it is a general-in-chief; and also 
 that it is one whom we may hope will not be interfered mth. 
 A soldier is to plan our campaigns ; let civilians attend to 
 their civil duties. What could be more proper? The con- 
 trary has cost the country enough woe. Thank God for this 
 symptom of reason. Why a republic has been considered 
 incapable of canying on Avars Avith success, is evidently 
 because political leaders cannot Avillingly keep their fingers 
 out of military affairs. Rome, in time of peril, committed 
 its powers to a dictator, charging him to see that the republic 
 met Avith no harm. The universal demand of our people for 
 unity and efficiency have virtually done the same thing. The 
 head of the armies should not be interfered Avith. Wielding 
 the vast resources of the North, and eminently qualified, 
 he cannot fail. The civil authorities can settle political 
 questions ; the military must rule the armies. If this 
 be not done, I see no successful issue to this war ; nor do 
 men infinitely better qualified to judge. Now, we may hope 
 that General Pope, in Upper Virginia, Avill have more men. 
 We may hope that General McClellan Avill have Avhat he 
 needs. 
 
A VIGOROUS POLICY. 175 
 
 The new indications as to the vigor with which all proper 
 wavlike measures are to be pushed are hopeful signs. Gov- 
 ernment has been very slow to be severe enough. It has long 
 been a matter of astonishment that the importance of the 
 occasion has not been recognized. The South is in earnest. 
 Jt takes what property it wants. It impresses its citizens. It 
 scourges Union men. We play with the rebellion. We treat 
 Union and rebel alike. We have kept negroes at work to 
 support their masters in the rebel army. We have guarded 
 rebels' straw stacks while our men slept on the ground. We 
 have used the labor of negi'oes with hesitation and apology. 
 That is, Ave formerly did. Now we shall take rebel prop- 
 erty. We should receive, organize, arm if advantageous, 
 our black allies. We could make the South tremble by the 
 statement, " your slaves shall be free, and they shall help 
 conquer you." I have seen the effect a suggestion of such a 
 policy makes on rebels. It angers them, but it terrifies them. 
 Of all the Union generals, they tell me that they consider 
 McClellan the most of a military man ; but the man they are 
 most afraid of is Fremont. They dread him. In the 
 rebel army at Winchester, there were plenty of black soldiers, 
 actual soldiers, as many will testify. Why should not we use 
 such ? 
 
 But there are reasons which account for indecision. One 
 is, the stupefying air of politics. It benumbs one. It is hax'd 
 for anybody to realize the condition of the country, immersed 
 in petty details and surrounded by corruption. But another 
 is, the people have not spoken in a clear and decisive tone. 
 A ranting demagogue makes as much noise as a true patriot. 
 " Conservative " patriots are afraid to venture on anything 
 out of the old track. Even old Massachusetts presents a 
 divided front in the councils of the nation, and its delegates 
 
176 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 have been congratulated after speeches by the remnant of 
 traitors there. How, then, can the President see what the 
 people Avant ? If we could but rise above even such consid- 
 erations, and ask " what does God want," then the pillar of 
 fire by night, and the cloud by day, would go before us in our 
 war of escape from oiu* slavery to Southern despots. But is 
 the old Bay State to be misrepresented forever ? Is it to re- 
 send to Congress shaky politicians or open mis-representatives ? 
 If you Avant more of your sons slaughtered, choose again such 
 men at the next election ; but if you want to conquer, give 
 us a loyal delegation. 
 
 Congress, at its last session, has, on the whole, done well. 
 It has voted men and supplies. It has pledged the country. 
 It has made and urged stringent and energetic measures. Of 
 course, whatever Congress should do, loe are bound to respect 
 it ; for that pleasant literature, the Articles of War, say, 
 " Any officer or soldier who shall use contemptuous or disre- 
 spectful language against the . . . Congress of the United 
 States . , . shall be cashiered, or otherwise punished, as a 
 court-martial shall direct." But apart from the respect thus 
 secured, I really think that Congress has done well in its late 
 session. Yet there is a feeling of relief that it has adjourned. 
 Nobody knew what it would do. Now it has done its work 
 well and gone home wc are glad. They leave power enough 
 in the President's hands. They authorize the calling out of 
 m.en, the equipment of armies. So soon, therefore, as our 
 armies are filled, the rebellion must suffer. 
 
 So soon as our armies are filled. "When Avill that be ? The 
 dark spot in our horizon is at home. The fact is evident that 
 men come in slowly. The worse fact is evident, the more 
 disgraceful one, that large bounties have to be offered to se- 
 cure enlistment ! We read your papers with amazement. 
 
INJUSTICE OF BOUNTIES. 177 
 
 Glowiug meetings are held in this and that town. Great 
 speakers are called out to address the people. The honorables 
 and reverends speak ; the rich offer money. Is this needed ? 
 
 Is it possible that Massachusetts has fallen to this ? Must 
 its sons be coaxed and hired to fight for their country in a 
 A^■ar in "vvhich all are agreed? Have our fellow-citizens so 
 sunk that they must be bought for a hundred dollars ? Talk 
 not, after this, of the Hessians, Avho sold themselves in the 
 war of the Revolution. Is patriotism so precarious as to need 
 the weight of a hundred dollars? 
 
 Is it true that the authorities have themselves lost self- 
 respect to such an extent as to offer these bribes ? Has not 
 the country a right to the service of every able-bodied man ? 
 And as it has that right, why should not the manly course be 
 taken ? call for the men on just the pay that thirty thousand 
 men of Massachusetts have already gone for. There is the 
 power to do this ; is there not the courage ? 
 
 The argument seems to be that it would be a confession of 
 weakness to draft. Is it any less So, besides the disgrace, to 
 bribe f The subterfuge is too apparent. Your great gather- 
 ings, and your hundred-dollar bribe, are confessions that 
 simple volunteering is ended. That there are not fifteen 
 thousand men ready to go, if needed, cannot be true. Many 
 a man who hesitates would be willing to submit to the 
 draft. The conscription is the true method. I believe in it, 
 because it is democratic. The conscription, which will take 
 rich and poor alike, high and low, and so guarded that the 
 rich man's money will not secm*e his immunity. The idea is 
 preposterous that only certain social classes ought to fight. 
 Men fight, not your dollars. I know no man too good to 
 fight for his country. It loas a noble sight when six hundred 
 thousand men i-ushed to arms. It is a disgraceful sight when 
 recruiting officers buy men at a hundred dollars apiece. 
 
178 THE POTOMAC Ax\D THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 The emotions of the army, to a great extent, I know. 
 The soldiers are disgusted Avith the able-bodied speech- 
 makers. Why do not they, at the close of their speeches, 
 say, "/go for one." Their country they love it dearly — at 
 a safe distance. 
 
 The soldiers feel a sense of injustice in this matter of 
 bounties. "We," they say, "came in time of doubt. We 
 have borne the hardships and dangers of the war for a year. 
 We have had hard fare, hard work, and bullets. These new 
 men have had all the comforts of home for that year, and 
 now they are to be rewarded with a hundred dollars apiece ! 
 and we, so far as we have property, are to be taxed to pay 
 for this ! " 
 
 The soldiers feel that this whole business is fostered by 
 many men who wish to secure themselves. They will not 
 volunteer ; they might be drafted ; if drafted, it would be 
 disgraceful to secure a substitute. They talk loud ; they vote 
 bounties ; but they will stay at home, buying and selling and 
 getting gain. 
 
 The soldiers see the prodigality and reckless waste of this 
 system. To^vns vie with towns in proffers. States rival 
 States. Is Massachusetts so affluent, that it wants to throw 
 away fifteen hundred thousand doUars before it puts a gun in 
 a man's hand, or a pair of shoes on his feet, or a piece of 
 bread in his mouth? Are taxes so light, are expenses -so 
 small, that this bagatelle of a million and a half is of no con- 
 sequence? If so, offer the soldiers already in the field the 
 three millions they deserve. Give the old soldiers the bounty 
 too, or when they get home some men will go out of office in 
 a hurry. 
 
 It is humiliating. It must be that Massachusetts is not 
 aware of the imminent dangers of the occasion. It may not 
 
JUSTNESS OF CONSCRIPTION. 179 
 
 know that General McClellan cannot stir \\dthout new aid ; 
 that the army of Virginia is confronted by heavy forces, 
 which may be hurled upon it any week ; that — I dare not 
 say how many — thousands are the sole and anxious defence 
 of the Potomac? And instead of ordering a conscription, 
 a hundred-dollar bounty and huge speeches are gathering 
 driblets. An active, wise, unscrupulous foe is threaten- 
 ing, with great forces, even the North itself; the North 
 refuses to take the only manly course to fill up its exhausted 
 armies. 
 
 Your paraphernalia of recruiting is an abomination ; 
 your bribes are disgraceful. There is a cheap, simple, fair 
 way. Call together your able-bodied men. Select by lot 
 the requisite mimber. Take care of their families while they 
 are gone ; or, better, draw first only from unmarried men. 
 If the people will not submit to this, a republic is a failure. 
 If the administration is afraid to risk its popularity, the ad- 
 ministration is a failure.* 
 
 Near Little Washington, Rappahannock. Co., Va., 
 
 July 30, 1862. 
 
 How we came here was by road from Warrenton, across 
 Carter's Creek just above its junction with Hedgeman's River, 
 and then across the river itself, over a temporary bridge, 
 (very temporary — a freshet started it toward the sea two 
 
 * I leave this letter as written, because it expressed real principles. The 
 men were procured, and so far the predictions were incorrect. As to the 
 administration, it has shown pluck enough in the matter, and can afford to 
 laugh at the closing hj'pothesis. As to bounties, they are a nuisance. The 
 fair thing is, to make a soldier's pay equal to home pay, and go no further. 
 Our men do not risk life for bounties. 
 
180 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 days afterward), on whose bank Ave camped that night, July 
 20, in a beautiful thunder storm ; then, next day, through 
 Amissville, a forlorn, deserted village, to Gaines's Cross 
 Roads (so called, because no roads cross there), and turning 
 westward, travelled in another thunder storm to a steep hill- 
 side, where we made a stay quite long for this pilgrim life. 
 It rained when we camped, and rained next day. Sunday 
 morning it did not rain, and we had public worship, but it 
 rained in the afternoon. 
 
 A beautiful view was visible from that camp. Broad 
 fields, broken now and then by woods, were bounded only 
 by sharply outlined hills, wooded almost to their tops. The 
 little vdllage of Washington lay nestling under the shadows of 
 the Blue Ridge, with white houses gleaming out of the dark 
 green foliage, and a church or two visible, a third of a mile 
 away. Even in rainy days it was pleasant to watch the 
 riotous clouds on the mountain-sides. I was sorry I went 
 into Little Washington one day. Centred in green mead- 
 ows, watered by a tree-fringed brook, overshadowed by moun- 
 tains, that is the first impression ; but within, dirt contends 
 with whitewash, nasty streets lead nowhere, and three mean 
 taverns intimate the ancient character of the place. In fact, 
 it images Southern chivalry ; fair to view at a distance, a 
 sham when inspected. 
 
 I hate shams. And so I was glad when we left the hill- 
 side, as we did to move a mile or two, for military purposes, 
 last Thursday. It Avas irritating to sit in our lofty camp, 
 say at sunset, and look down to the village, so quiet, so fair 
 to view, and yet feel " you are a dirty sham." I appreciated 
 the sensations of the little girl, Avhen she leai-ned that her 
 pretty doll was filled with sawdust. Not for this, however, 
 did we move. War does not care for scenery. 
 
WAR IN EARNEST. 181 
 
 Why Ave came here, was to occupy a more appropriate 
 position for the purposes of the campaign than we did at 
 Warrenton. Indeed, I have heard it stated that some mis- 
 take sent us down there at all. General Banks's whole 
 corps is here or hereabouts, barring one brigade which is at 
 or near Culpepper. Somebody else is at Speriyville, six 
 miles southwest of this. Somebody at Luray, not far west- 
 ward of that. Somebody at Warrenton. And so forth, and 
 so on. All are vmder command of General Pope, whom we 
 should be glad to see. I am told that he has lately moved 
 his headquarters from Washington, D. C., to Warrenton, 
 probably because they are " in the saddle." Our forces are 
 within supporting distances of each other, from the Potomac 
 to the Blue Ridge ; while in the valley, just over the ridge, 
 troops hold Winchester, rather shakingly, and the railroad 
 to Harper's Ferry. 
 
 Yet I see no prospect of immediate activity. True the 
 troops are kept in readiness, but so they ought always to be. 
 Should the rebels dash up this way, there would be work. 
 Should they conclude to try the valley again, perhaps there 
 would be Avork. The crops there are well worth their efforts. 
 And I do not see why they may not be gathering them in the 
 vicinity of Harrisonburg. But that any movement is to be 
 made toward Richmond does not appear. General Pope, 
 however, keeps the rebels well irritated below. We want 
 troops to accomplish much. 
 
 The new orders of the general are well received. Every 
 one feels that Ave have played at war. War is to destroy, 
 not protect an enemy. Some Unjon people in the valley told 
 us, and always told us, that our course Avas weakening. If 
 " AA'e are coming, father Abraham, three hundred thousand 
 more," it is a comfort that it is intended now to fight. The 
 16 
 
182 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 orders requiring the inhabitants behind our lines to take the 
 oath of allegiance or else travel southward, is exceedinfly 
 disliked by rebels. But this is just what has been long needed. 
 We want to do things the rebels dislike. I am satisfied that, 
 were the people sure the rebel armies would not return, they 
 would almost all take the required oath without objection. 
 This county was unanimous for secession ; but terror made it 
 so. And genuine seceshers will submit, without feeling any 
 loss of honor, so soon as their cause becomes hopeless by the 
 defeat of their main armies. Curiously enough, the people 
 were told that secession was the only way to prevent " war," 
 and were fools enough to believe it. They are an ignorant 
 set. Passing through quite a village in the valley, we found 
 the people troubled as to the instruments of our military band ; 
 they had never seen any ; they imagined them some terribly 
 destructive kind of fire-arms. " Yes, ma'am," replied one to 
 a questioner, " this is the bell-teezer, to fire grape at short 
 distances, and is awfully powerful ! " The wondering people 
 gazed in dismay. 
 
 We have public worship quite regularly. Rarely, this 
 spring and summer, have bad weather or movements pre- 
 vented. Our colonel is very exact about it, and where that 
 is the case, few interruptions are necessary. Last Sabbath 
 you would have enjoyed our meeting-house better than yours. 
 Ours was an open, yet shady and beautiful wood, just above 
 a rapid brook ; yours was a hot, confined, four- walled building. 
 Your cushioned seats are not equal to our grassy sod. Nor 
 your miserable penitentiary of a wooden box to be compared 
 with our level sward for a pulpit. Some in your house went 
 to sleep ; ovirs do not. It is humanizing, in war, to have the 
 Sabbath, however inadequately observed, and pubUc worship 
 — the text, the old tunes — so like home. Yet there was a 
 
BOUNTIES A FAILURE. 183 
 
 lack — uo wives, no bright-eyed children, nothing but armed 
 men. Such as the worship is, it is growing less in the army. 
 Many regiments are without chaplains now. These officers 
 are leaving quite rapidly. Several have tendered resignations 
 within three weeks, and I think many others intend to do so 
 soon. Then batteries have no chaplains. I had a funeral 
 service in one last Saturday ; a youth of twenty years, whose 
 name I knew not, whose home I had not heard of, whom I 
 had never seen ; but the tears stood in the eyes of the officer 
 who came to ask me to officiate, as he said, " He was a good 
 boy. and the only child of a widow." The whole force of 
 the battery Avent to the grave, and a sight at them would cure, 
 I hope so, at least, the officials who want to leave our Sab- 
 baths unnoticed, our sick without religious comforters, our 
 dead buried like beasts. 
 
 One of our own number, too, was buried on Sunday. Two 
 miles from camp his company, officers and men, carried him 
 to the village graveyard, overgrown with weeds and neglected. 
 Other dead were there, newly buried. Ours was reverently 
 placed in their line, and a plain board tells where the stranger 
 lies. These scenes have never lost their first sadness. 
 
 Last week I wrote somewhat plainly, I believe, as to the 
 bounties offered for enlistments. I hope that letter went 
 safely. Most of the dailies now arriving try to conceal the 
 real results of the plan in vogue, but it is easy to see through 
 the deception. Recruiting is a failure. In spite of " eloquent 
 remarks " and " soul-stirring resolutions," in spite of bounties 
 ranging up to $150 per man, recruiting is a failure. The 
 army feels ashamed of such methods ; indignant at their in- 
 justice ; astonished at their recklessness. If the fifteen thou- 
 sand had come forth spontaneously, well. But everybody 
 knew that could not be. The adventurous had gone already. 
 
184 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Thousands upon thousands remain, equally courageous, and 
 who are willing to go if actually called ujjon, but who do not 
 care to volunteer. A draft Avould have brought out the best 
 material in the State, and have organized a splendid soldiery. 
 You have tried bribes, and in that very thing confessed your 
 weakness. The slowness of enlistment, even Avith the bounty, 
 shows what anybody might have seen, and Avhat many did 
 see, that the draft is necessary. Foreign poAvers will say 
 that the war is growing unpopular. Had an instant draft 
 been ordered, there would have been no room for the allega- 
 tion. To read, at this distance, the accounts of war-meetings, 
 with their imported enthusiasm, and their impotent results, 
 humiliates every son of Massachusetts. Its regiments have 
 covered their State with glory ; its politicians are doing their 
 best to disgrace it. Stop the foolish, wasteful, useless hum- 
 bug ; give us the conscription ! 
 
BATTLE OF CEDAR MOUNTAIN. 185 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CEDAB MOUNTAIN. 
 
 Culpepper, Va., August 13, 1862. 
 
 I HAVE never felt so sadly in writing you as I do to-day. 
 Last night Ave went into camp for the first time since the 
 recent battle. How touchingly our emptied tents reminded 
 us of our loss ! Our beloved major wounded and a prisoner. 
 Our excellent surgeon wounded. Of seven captains who 
 went into action, four gallant men dead, two prisoners, of 
 Avhom one is Avounded. Of eleven lieutenants, one killed, 
 four Avounded, and one Avounded and a prisoner. And lying 
 in a soldier's graA^e, or shattered by bullets, one in every four 
 of our men, as noble a group of soldiers as ever graced a 
 country's name. 
 
 Last Wednesday Ave left Little Washington. Friday night, 
 at twelve o'clock, Ave biA'Oviacked at Culpepper. Next morn- 
 ing, after varying orders, Ave Avere moved six miles, hastily, 
 to support General CraAA'ford, knoAvn to be threatened by the 
 enemy, who, having hastily crossed the Rapidan with his 
 advance, was hurrying up his main body. That army, if I 
 may rely on the statement of a rebel colonel Avhom I met on 
 INIonday, consisted of three divisions, Jackson's, Ewell's, and 
 Hill's, — numbering forty-five thousand men. General Pope's 
 army consists, as you know, of the commands of General 
 16* 
 
186 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 McDowell, General Banks, and General Sigel (who took the 
 place of General Fremont in charge of the troops formerly 
 in Western Virginia). AYhy these were not concentrated is 
 known only to those in power. As it was, General Banks 
 was thrown forward ; General Sigel was still at Sperryville, 
 or perhaps on the road, and General McDowell was too far 
 to help, — no, we passed one brigade at least, less than three 
 miles from the battle ground, which had lain there since four 
 A. M., waiting for orders, and Avhich lay there till we were 
 done fighting, — while an inadequate force was opposed to 
 the enemy, as usual. 
 
 Losing one man that day by sun-stroke, at twelve M. we 
 reached the position assigned us, the extreme right, which 
 was slightly bent from the enemy, and were stationed on 
 a height important to be held. A mile and a half due south, 
 or very nearly so, is Cedar Mountain, in front of Avhich, and 
 round its sides, lay the rebel forces ; troops being stationed 
 westward, however, holding as their left a wooded eminence, 
 but the bulk of their army running southwest, back of their 
 right. Part Avay up the mountain they had posted artillery 
 also. On the side of the mountain was Jackson himself, and 
 from that eminence could see all our movements, as I have 
 found by a personal visit to that place. Not a regiment of 
 ours could go into action wdthout his knowledge. Almost 
 parallel with their line was ours, five brigades, in this order 
 from right to left, viz., Gordon's, Crawford's, Geary's, 
 Greene's, and Prince's. General Gordon's original position 
 was never attacked. Our right was on a w^ooded swell ; our 
 centre and left on rolling land, almost a plain. We had with- 
 drawn before from an advanced position. But it w^as early 
 in the afternoon when the enemy advanced their skirmishers. 
 They were met in the same way. Then the enemy opened a 
 
BATTLE OF CEDAR MOL'XTAIN. 187 
 
 fire of artillery, to which our guns responded. Going some- 
 what in front of our brigade position, I had a full view of 
 this artillery fight, which was almost entirely confined to the 
 centre aud left. The firing was rapid and with eflfect on both 
 sides. The shell from the enemy's guns would raise clouds 
 of dust as they ploughed the ground, Avhen they did not strike 
 fatally ; while on the other side, the number of slain horses 
 I have since seen there, attest the accuracy of our fire. So 
 an hour passed. A cavalry movement now and then ; the 
 withdi'awal of our guns a short distance ; movements of in- 
 fantry to support them, — all were visible. 
 
 But about five P. M., Gen. Crawford's l)rigade was hard 
 pressed by a concentrated force of the enemy's infantry. Im- 
 agine a wood of perhaps an eighth of a mile in thickness, on 
 elevated land, running east and west ; the front edge of that 
 is General Crawford's position. Then, an open oblong field, 
 somewhat rough, two hundred yards wide. Then another 
 wood parallel to the first, and of rather less thickness, and the 
 northerly front line of that is the rebel position. And at the 
 Avestern end of the intermediate field was another wood, 
 making the field bordered by wood north, Avest, and south. 
 General Crawford was holding the north side, with his own 
 brigade increased by a portion of the Wisconsin Third, — as 
 gallant a regiment as there is in service, the statements of some 
 liar in New York papers to the conti'ary notwithstanding. 
 That wood was the key to the enemy's position, and behind 
 it, also, was artillery firing on our centre. General Crawford's 
 brigade fought well. He was not the only general there, nor 
 were his troops all that were worth mentioning, although a 
 correspondent of the New York Times of Tuesday seems 
 able to see little else : the date of a letter in juxtaposition, 
 from the same writer, accounts for the character of the 
 
188 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 letter. General Crawford's men finally made a charge 
 across the open field. The moment they entered that field 
 the storm of death began. Yet most nobly did his men press 
 on. Through the field, and into the rebel wood about thirty 
 yards (I found their dead there afterward), when they melted, 
 away like snow placed in a July sun. 
 
 General Gordon was ordered to change position and support ■ | 
 General Crawford. With the Second Massachusetts, the Third 
 Wisconsin (restored to its brigade), and the Twenty-seventh 
 Indiana,, he instantly hurried to the line. General Geary ■ 
 Avas then endeavoring to operate on the centre, but the artil- 
 lery had ceased, and nothing but musketry was heard. It was 
 furious. General Gordon went to support General Crawford, 
 but he replaced him ; for that brigade had vanished, and its 
 scattered remnants I saw coming singly back. One fourth of 
 it was found the next day. 
 
 As the new brigade took its place the fire was terrific. 
 Backward and forward the bullets flew like hail. Then the 
 dead began to fall. There hosts of wounded men were car- 
 ried ofi". Among the first Avounded was our surgeon ; both 
 assistant surgeons were aAvay, one sick and one sent to Alex- 
 andria with sick men ; and it fell to me to keep steady the 
 movement of ambulances to and fro. Our division hospital 
 Avas established in a house and grounds from Avhich I had 
 Avitnessed the fight in the centre, where Dr. Chappel, our 
 admirable division medical director, was in charge. 
 ^T What coidd men do outnumbered as ours Avere? Where 
 were reenforcements ? What could one brigade accomplish 
 against a foe steadily replaced by fresh troops ? Why was 
 not a force stationed to prevent the fianking on the west? 
 Yet for more than half an hour those gallant men fought 
 steadily and coolly, outnumbered, and Avorse, outflanked ; for 
 
THE RESULT. 189 
 
 the enemy filled now the western wood as well as the oppo- 
 site. Then his line advanced. In front and obliquely on our 
 right, came three fresh brigades against our shattered one. 
 The cross fire Avas savage. The right of our line, the Twenty- 
 seventh Indiana, Avithered before it. So company after com- 
 pany shrivelled up in the fire till the Second Massachusetts, the 
 left, stood alone. It stood — alone. Its fire thinned the ad- 
 vancing line every moment, but under the enfilading aim, the 
 ranks greAV less every moment, p Enough Avas done for honor, 
 but none fell back till the order Avas given. One terrible 
 A'oUey it poured in Avhen the enemy Avas Avithin sixty yards.* 
 Then the order came, and it retreated, Avith one third of 
 its strength gone. 
 
 The enemy occupied the wood, but did not pursue. The 
 brigade reformed in its earlier position. " This must beheld 
 to the last," Avas the general's order. But the centre and left 
 had fallen back, and orders came for this brigade to leave its 
 position and take a ncAV one in the front of the centre of the 
 ncAV line of defence. And noAv it Avas night. 
 
 But I was not Avith the regiment then. Our colonel could 
 not bear to leave his OAvn wounded men Avithout some care 
 from his oaati regiment, and it Avas my privilege to remain. 
 We expected — we AA^ere told — that in half an hour the ene- 
 my would occupy this important height. We were agreeably 
 disappointed. Though he pushed up his force on the central 
 plain past our house and lay there, not three hundred yards 
 off, though toAvard the battle field Ave were outside our lines, 
 yet no man molested us. And all night, with our flickering 
 lights almost eclipsed by the full moon, yet under the solemn 
 
 * The line advancing in front now got nearer than that sixty yards. 
 Our fire stopped it, bewildered ; so our own officers, prisoners, afterward 
 told us. 
 
190 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 trees avc kept on our sober Avoi-k with oixr three hundred in- 
 jured men. 
 
 It was a strange scene. Within the house lay wounded, 
 dying men ; without, they covered the ground. Then the 
 surgeons, with every one Avho could bind up a wounded limb, 
 were busy. Dr. Chappel Avas the soul of order, and the good 
 surgeons worked hard. A few hundred yards off, to the 
 east, we could see the glittering musket-barrels of the enemy 
 as his sentries now and then emerged in the moonlight. About 
 eleven o'clock a flash, a report, and a whizzing shell flew 
 screaming by into the woods just north of us, and another, 
 and another, then over us, and a storm of them. Then our 
 own artillery came into play very near them, and soon the 
 thunder was continuous, and the lightning never ceased flash- 
 ing from their muzzles.* After half an hour it ceased. We 
 could not tell which had driven, but still the enemy's muskets 
 gleamed in front of us. 
 
 The removal of our wounded men was determined upon. 
 Through a rear path in the woods (the main road covered by 
 the enemy, but I knew, fortunately, another) , we sent them 
 away. How slowly the number seemed to diminish ! How 
 few seemed the ambulances ! But patience succeeded, and 
 after the rebel shell ceased to fall on the road we had to use, 
 up to morning there was no cessation.| A little past five the 
 last of ours in hospital was sent on, and my duty was accom- 
 plished in that regard. The director had assigned to me the 
 task of filling and despatching the ambulances, for the sur- 
 geons had especial work to do ; and I was rejoiced when one 
 trip only of the vehicle was necessary to take all. Dr. Ben- 
 
 * I afterwards counted eleven dead horses of the enemy in a space not 
 four rods square. 
 
 .t Among the number was the brave Colonel Donelly, mortally wounded, 
 with whom I had considerable conversation, as v/iih others. 
 
REMOVAL OF THE WOUNDED. 191 
 
 nett, a true man, volunteered to stay for them. It was a 
 relief when that trip ended ; for at three o'clock General 
 McDowell, who had come near, had sent us word that that 
 spot would be untenable in the morning. 
 
 And when, as the gray of morning came on, we looked to 
 the right, near a mile away were the rebels drawn up in a long 
 line of battle. As we looked to the left, our brigades were 
 defiling into position. So when the work was done, the house 
 was left to itself, or to a family of women and children, 
 whom I had urged to leave, but who, irresolute, knew not 
 what to do. Of that family there was a beautiful child, a 
 boy of eighteen months, Avho, on the day before, while the 
 air Avas filled with the heavy artillery thunder, slept on as 
 sweetly as though only the pure summer air fanned him and 
 only his mother's lullaby was charming him to rest. When, 
 next day, a way was found to remove this little child of a 
 rebel family, and the women also, by General Gordon's pass, 
 and under escort, I was glad. As I saw this child, into 
 whose home a stray shot rriight at any time send death, per- 
 haps there had been thoughts of another little one, as beau- 
 tiful in face, as princely in form, for whose memory's sake I 
 would pity such, though he is With the angels of God forever. 
 
 After securing the commencement of the removal of our 
 own wounded from the second hospital, I returned to the 
 regiment, and was du'ected to remain. All day the armies 
 were sullenly watching each other, but there was quiet. At 
 night, late, a wounded man who had crept oflT the battle-field 
 said that the rebels had left most of our wounded there. It 
 was a statement hard to be believed, — it was barbarous, — 
 but it Avas true. A party was immediately and cordially de- 
 tailed by our colonel, at the suggestion of our general, to go 
 thither, it being rumored that the rebel pickets had beeu 
 
192 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAriDAN. 
 
 draA\Ti off. Lieutenant Abbott commanded it. We Avent 
 three miles, but, half a mile from the field. General Sigel re- 
 fused to allow the risk of losing the party. It was midnight, 
 and we slept by our outer pickets. Early in the morning we 
 went. Telegrams say that the rebels " asked leave to bury 
 their dead ! " Asked leave ? They had held the ground for 
 thirty-six hours, and I saAv not one rebel corpse. It chanced ■] 
 to me to be in advance. I went to the edge of the wood. 
 Rebel sentries were in the open field. I waved a handker- 
 chief, and pointed to our Avouuded. The rebel nearest waved 
 his cap and nodded. So I had the indescribable happiness of 
 being the first to tell to the wounded men still there that help 
 was at hand. As we came to each they cried for joy. They 
 put their arms around our necks. Our strong men, Avho had 
 fought well, and now came back for their comrades, cried too. 
 Though the rebels had been guilty of the barbarity of not 
 taking to hospital our severely Avounded men, and of not in- 
 forming us of the fact, though the field was in their possession, 
 — Avhile Ave ahvays treat both sides alike, — yet rebel privates 
 had been kind. They had built shelters of boughs ; had 
 brought Avater, and sometimes biscuit and apples. But all 
 the dead, and many of the AA'ounded, had been stripped of 
 everything valuable, even to outer clothing.* 
 
 We removed oup wounded. We buried our dead. Our 
 dead ! The pride of Massachusetts ! There lay one with 
 Avhom, just as the regiment moved into action, I had been in 
 conversation. He was ordered to advance with his company 
 
 * I shall never forget an interview with one officer (not of ours) lying 
 mortally wounded. He knew me. I was giving him some water, when he 
 feebly said, " I know I must die. I am a Catholic. I die a true Catholic, 
 though a poor one. Understand that. But I wish you would pray with 
 nie." He soon died — a Christian. What did I care that he was a 
 Catholic ? 
 
BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 193 
 
 as skirmishers, and I noticed then the clear, ringing, brave 
 voice with which he said " Fall in, men ! " And another, the 
 frank, straightforward, conrageous man. And another who 
 had left an ambulance to go to the field, and who, as I had 
 asked him, " Are you strong enough to go? " had ansAvered 
 with a smile, " I cannot stay when my men go ! " and buckled 
 on his sword. And another, lying there as though asleep, 
 falling with a miniature on his breast — a true, brave man, 
 who had, a little before, said to me, " If anything should hap- 
 pen to me, it would kill " And all around, the men, the 
 
 noble men, so uselessly slaughtered. My heart Avas full. 
 How long, O Lord, how long before these men, slaughtered 
 by infernal ambition, be avenged? Come, Lord, and tarry 
 not! 
 
 Southern men were about us. I went to the rebel lines, 
 for we heard there that it Avas now truce. I met colonels and 
 a general. They were courteous and kind, and far from ex- 
 ultant. On learning that I was a chaplain, the general showed 
 the greatest regard for an office which some Union generals 
 treat with contempt ; * so did one of our generals, who late 
 in the day found me the only one on the field except enlisted 
 men, and put me in charge of the burials. 
 
 But it took till far into midday to bury our dead. Those 
 
 * I could not write then one fact. The rebel general had come to the 
 line, as I saluted him for the second time. I inquired for some of our 
 missing, and he kindly sent an officer to ascertain, but uselessly. Seeing 
 my disappointment, he said, " Come over yourself ; of course (with a smile) 
 on honor." " Of course," I replied, as I thanked him. Passing the sentries, 
 and going beyond the wood, until I saw the valley stretching off on the 
 west side of the mountain, I saw that the rebel army had gone. Only a 
 shell was left. He noticed my astonishment, and smilingly said, "You are 
 on honor, you know." It was not till some time afterward that a recon- 
 noisance discovered the fact, which, of course, I could not mention. I went 
 where I pleased, but T could learn little of our men. 
 17 
 
194 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 of ours (and we identified most) are in two graves near to- 
 gether ; and I had trees around them marked deeply, each 
 with three cuts, that if any one should ever wish to know 
 where these men lay, the spot should be identified for the 
 holy pilgrimage. 
 
 As soldier hands were laying our brave men in their graves, 
 and we were covering them first with green leaves, my eye 
 was attracted by a leaf, which with others had evidently been 
 in the hands of some dying man. And my glance fell first on 
 these words : — 
 
 " Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what 
 manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and 
 godliness. 
 
 " Looking for, and hasting unto the coming of the day of 
 God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, 
 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. 
 
 " Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new 
 heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 
 
 We left our dead. But the leaf I reverently folded and 
 carefully keep ; and I will leave it to my child, and tell her to 
 honor the dead of the brave, gallant, Second Massachusetts, 
 whom her father loved. . 
 
THE HOvSPITAL. 195 
 
 CHAPTER VIII, 
 
 POPE S KETREAT. 
 
 On the Road to Somewhere, September 3, 1862. 
 
 To somewhere : but where to ? 
 
 My last letter forwarded told about the Cedar Mountain 
 battle. My next was stopped by orders which prohibited all 
 mails from leaving, expelled reporters, and denied the use of 
 the telegraph. Instead, therefore, of reliable information, 
 the people have had unfounded rumors, lying statements and 
 gross deceptions. They have learned, however, the general 
 fact that the army Avhich was recently on the Rapidan was 
 soon on the Rappahannock, next at Bull Run, and now, 
 doubtless, near or in the fortifications in front of Washington ; 
 that, day after day, the thunder of artillery has been the 
 music of our armies, while hard marches and hunger have 
 taxed our strength, and pitched battles have drawn the blood 
 of the gallant soldiers of the Union. But they learned this 
 only by the gradual sifting of the statements it was impossible 
 to confine. 
 
 Of many of the recent movements, and of the recent battles, 
 I know little from personal participation. Our corps was not 
 called upon in the battles of last week. Why, we do not 
 know ; who does ? But a part I saw ; and of the general 
 bearing of events it is easy to leai'n. And, in the army we 
 
196 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 are constantly saying, " What is the use of lying?" Things 
 transpiring under our very eyes are so grossly misstated that 
 we become sceptical to all accounts. I am reminded of a 
 map of tke battle-ground of the 9th of August, which appeared 
 
 in the New York . I tried the top as north ; I made it 
 
 east ; I made it south ; I made it Avest ; but not the least re- 
 semblance could I trace. Such are many accounts of affairs 
 until the public press — which may God preserve free as the 
 refuge of our liberties — examines and sifts. 
 
 We' are congratulated on the victory at Cedar Mountain ! 
 Cedar Mountain a victory ! One brigade almost annihilated ; 
 another losing one third of its strength ; all badly suffering ; 
 our forces driven from the field ; the ground occupied by the 
 enemy for two days, and then left at their pleasure ; our dead 
 buried, and our wounded brought off at the sufferance of the 
 enemy thirty-six hours after the fight ; what a glorious 
 victory ! * 
 
 Then these successive stages of affairs appear. First, the 
 movements between the Rapidan and the Rappahannock, end- 
 ing in our retreating over the latter river. Secondly, the 
 various operations on that line, ending in Jackson's appear- 
 ance at Manassas in our rear. Thirdly, the various ma- 
 noeuvres and fightings by which Ave and the enemy reverse 
 positions, he establishing his line of communication with the 
 south, and we with the north, folio Aving Avhich are the battles 
 of Friday and Saturday last. Fourthly, the attempt, or ap- 
 pearance of attempt, to turn our right Avhile Ave still held 
 
 * It has been alleged that General Banks brought on this action in a 
 place not contemplated, and contrary to orders. There is no truth in it. 
 I knew what the orders were. An officer came with them the morning of 
 the 9th. " General Pope directs that you will do " so and so. " Plrase put 
 that in writing," said General Banks. It was done ; and that writing is 
 doubtless in existence. 
 
POPE'S MOVEMENTS. 197 
 
 Centreville, and the necessary falling back to the line of the 
 fortifications. In all this, that we were tolerably clearly out- 
 manoeuvred, and partially defeated, is evident, though the 
 relative size of the armies may have rendered any other result 
 impossible. . 
 
 First, General Pope appeared bent on a vigorous pursuit 
 of Jackson. He advanced to the Rapidan. He threatened 
 battle. Jackson had retired thither after the battle of the 
 9th, and is reenforced. On the day that Jackson awaits the 
 attack, General Pope — the 19th of August — suddenly with- 
 draws. He had been sending all his supplies and trains to 
 the rear. They were all safe, and rapidly and in perfect 
 order the various columns move northward to the Rappa- 
 hannock, cross it before Jackson can harass the army, and 
 accomplish most successfully a skilful movement. Our forces 
 were not sufficient to hazard a battle at the Rapidan, but 
 Avere enough to engage attention while General McClellan 
 accomplished his withdrawal from the Peninsula. That 
 object attained, General Pope retires, to unite with General 
 McClellan. 
 
 On the Sunday after the battle of the 9th of August, we ^ 
 moved to a wood about two miles and a half from the battle 
 ground, where we bivouacked two nights. On Tuesday we 
 returned to our camping ground, just outside of Culpepper 
 on the north, where our wagons had been left, andAvhere our 
 tents were then pitched. It was a sad evening, becaiise so 
 many tents were empty. But there we staid until Monday, 
 Avhen, in the afternoon, tents were struck, and wagons des- 
 patched to the Rappahannock. We remained until midnight, 
 finding rest as we could under rather unfavorable circum- 
 stances ; then moved a mile or so, and built fires, and slept 
 somewhat till day ; then, after various vexatious delays, 
 17* 
 
198 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 moved several rods ; then waited for orders and got them, 
 and moved several I'ods more ; and by fits and starts moved 
 along, vexed by somebody's trains, several miles ; then left 
 the trains entirely, and marched to the north side of the Rappa- 
 hannock River, at the crossing of the railway to Culpepper ; 
 there we bivouacked — our wagons still ten miles onward. 
 Then, the enemy having soon followed, the Rappahannock 
 River is the scene of operations. The day after our arrival, 
 about noon, we hear rapid firing, and soon see on the plain 
 across, the movements of cavalry and skirmishers. So for 
 day after day the cannon gives the morning reveille, and up 
 and down the river we move. At first our right is General 
 Sigel ; our centre. General McDowell ; our left. General 
 Banks. But each corps is movable, and General Reno is 
 added. The enemy felt our lines at all points. Every ford 
 for miles was tested in turn. August 21, our corps moved 
 down the river a mile. The next day up the river five or 
 six, where brisk cannonading was going on, and a Union bat- 
 tery driven off". The next morning, Corthren's gallant battery 
 of ten pounders, which our brigade supported, silenced and 
 shattered tioo batteries of twelve pounders, and we could see 
 dead and wounded carried off, while Corthren's loss was one 
 man wounded, one caisson demolished, one horse struck. 
 That day up the river again, and a damp bivouac ; the next 
 day the whole move up, passing a terrific fire from the oppo- 
 site enemy near Sulphur Springs, his shot crashing through 
 the, woods for several hours, but at last nearly silenced, with 
 little loss. Next day down the river, and next day, and so 
 on, until our corps was near Bealeton. 
 
 Accounts tell how the enemy was repulsed at all points on 
 the river. I could not see that he ever made an attack in 
 great force at all. He kept the line alive, but for three days 
 
 '^■ii 
 
OUTGENERALLED AND DEFEATED. 199 
 
 he was visibly sending his columns up the river, infantry iu 
 long lines, and artillery. Where was he going ? Amusing 
 our army below, he was steadily crossing somewhere above, 
 and suddenly we awoke to find that, on Friday ^ight, the 
 22d, his cavalry had dashed through Warrenton, pushed on 
 to Catlett's, burnt General Pope's baggage ; that a little later 
 his columns had occupied Manassas Junction, where they 
 burnt supplies and property worth hundreds upon hundreds 
 of thousands ; that he held Thoroughfare Gap, through which 
 his forces had poured, tidings which two blacks had brought ; 
 that he was in our rear, our communication with Washing- 
 ton cut off, our junction with the Peninsula army incom- 
 plete. 
 
 Then our front was changed. Jackson was " in a trap." 
 On Wednesday, August 27, Warrenton was evacuated by 
 the Union troops. General Banks remaining near Bealcton. 
 The array moved to Gainesville, — General Sigel toward 
 Manassas, — and a portion of General McDowell's corps 
 toward Thoroughfare Gap, to prevent a junction between 
 reenforcements and Jackson. An action took place there, 
 from which our troops " withdrew." On Thursday night 
 General McDowell Avas on the Centreville road, looking 
 noz'thward — where I saw it, being sent thitherward with 
 sick. Friday morning commenced the great battle. Of that 
 I know nothing personally, leaving Gainesville early with 
 General Rickett's division, which Avas moving tOAvards Ma- 
 nassas. That day's fighting undoubtedly resulted favorably 
 to us. But on Saturday heavy reenforcements reached Jack- 
 sou. He had skilfully changed position till a junction could 
 not be prevented. On Saturday avc Avere defeated. Not 
 pursued, but still defeated, and with great loss. Then our 
 lines fell back to Centre\'ille, and held a strong position. 
 
200 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 In the mean time General Banks was near Bristow Sta- 
 tion, four miles below Manassas Junction. Valuable stores 
 Avere there. General Hooker had driven the enemy away 
 from the Junction. The stores were being rapidly removed. 
 But during Friday, during Saturday, the corps Avas not sum- 
 moned to the field. All day Friday we impatiently heard 
 the steady fire. Saturday night found us still between Bris- ■, 
 tow and Manassas Junction. Sunday morning wc were 
 suddenly ordered to burn stores, burn heavy baggage, and 
 make a forced march by a long detour. Our direct com- 
 munication with the army was sundered. So past the flames 
 of long lines of burning cars, past exploding ammunition, Ave 
 hastened to Brentsville, forded the rapidly rising Occoquan 
 Creek, and by noon had safely come into junction Avith the 
 main army. It Avas well done. General Banks did it. 
 
 Centreville Avas a strong position, but it could be turned 
 too easily. So backAvard to Fairfax ; baclvAvard still. Fight- 
 ing here, fighting there. Immense lines of ambulances loaded 
 Avith Avounded. Laid upon the ground for transportation to 
 come, they covered acres. Hoav they cursed one man ! 
 
 Sunday night there Avas a rumor that General McClellan 
 was to command. Hoav it thrilled the army ! Hoav it elec- 
 trified the soldiers ! I should not have believed the enthusiasm 
 had I not seen it in passing through two corps. I saw some 
 of his OAA^n soldiers. Said one to me, " If General McClellan 
 should say to his old soldiers, ' Boys, who Avill go back Avith 
 me to the Peninsula and try it again ? ' every one would say, 
 ' / will, general ! ' " 
 
 That disasters' have come is iindeniable. That anxieties 
 must prevail for some time is clear. But Ave have a great 
 army. We liaAC courageous soldiers. Reeuforcements are 
 rapidly coming. The gi*eat North is not defeated. Every 
 
JACKSON'S SKILL. 201 
 
 day of delay will strengthen us. While McClellan remained 
 on the Peninsula, the enemy dared not send away too heavy a 
 force. The order for his return freed the hostile army, and 
 therefore we have to meet it. But be not discouraged. The 
 army is not hopeless of remedy, though several features of 
 affaii's do depress it. So far it has not been broken. But 
 as to its confidence in present leaders, the less said the 
 better. 
 
 But Jackson skilfully passed the river above us. He threw 
 himself boldly in oiu' rear. Supposed to be trapped, he yet 
 held his ovm, and so manoeuvred as to secure his line of reen- 
 forcements. He destroyed immense stoi'es. He has changed 
 our positions until he has an untroubled rear, and a clear 
 road from Richmond. He has transferred the w^ar to the 
 vicinity of Washington. He has made us the defenders — 
 put himself in the aggi-essive. 
 
 Maryland, September 10, 1862. 
 
 I WROTE a somewhat general account of the recent events. 
 Before you received it, I am asked for " personal observa- 
 tions." This request presumed that our regiment was in 
 some of the battles, which was not correct. Nevertheless, I 
 will follow my OAvn line of travel as to what I saw. I had 
 seen a rebel general, whose prayers, as pitted against outra- 
 geous profanity, I was more afraid of than of twenty thousand 
 men. When a high commander selected Sunday as the day 
 to review our corps for the first time, I felt badly, so did 
 others. It was partial reKef, that General Banks, who reg- 
 ulates the choice of day, but could not help himself, directed 
 religious services to be held with the whole corps immediately 
 
202 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 after the review ; but the high general galloped off in a 
 hurry, doubtless from " military exigencies." 
 
 While "vve were moving up and down the Rappahannock, 
 where the enemy were amusing our general by little attacks 
 along the line, I saw rebel columns on the opposite side of 
 the river moving northward. Where they were going, 
 nobody knew. Where they were to strike, Avho took the li 
 trouble to find out? But they struck in our rear, destroyed 
 millions worth of property, cut oif our lines of communica- 
 tion, reenforced their moderate army, and defeated the army 
 of Virginia. 
 
 I saw there, on the Rappahannock, soldiers faint Avith hun- 
 ger ; considering whether to eat a biscuit, or save it until 
 morning ; glad to receive the remnants of meat which some 
 others had to spare ; roasting green corn, not as a luxury, but 
 to satisfy hunger. This was in an army whose general had, 
 in his first order, ridiculed having " bases of supplies." 
 
 I saw, on eventful and disastrous days, a whole corps lying 
 idle within sound of the battle. 
 
 I saw millions of dollars worth of property destroyed, all 
 of which could have been saved, had the general not laughed 
 at " lines of retreat." 
 
 I saw the order which prohibited all mails from leaving, 
 all use of telegraph except by the general, and excluded all 
 newspaper reporters. 
 
 More particularly and personally, when news came that 
 Jackson was between us and Washington, Ave were near 
 Sulphur Springs. It was immediately thought that the 
 enemy had rashly exposed themselves to capture, and move- 
 ments appear to have been made with the view of accom- 
 plishing that result. 
 
 Our corps was sent toward Bealeton, on the railroad, and 
 took no part in subsequent activities beyond marchings. 
 
WARRENTON EVACUATED. 203 
 
 It was on the 23d of August that Ave heard this, but I do 
 not learn that any marked movements were made until the 
 next Wednesday, the 27th. On the 26th, while we were 
 on the road toward Bealeton, I was sent to Warrenton, in 
 charge of a sick man, a member of General Gordon's staiF, 
 with the hope of sending him through to Washington. 
 Reaching there about noon, I found hospitals full of sick 
 men. They were in churches mainly, but in the afternoon 
 were placed in cars and started for Washington. They were 
 brought back that night, the road not having been repaired. 
 My own charge I concluded to put into a house in War- 
 renton. 
 
 But the next day it was determined to evacuate War- 
 renton.* The sick were again put into cars, to be sent as far 
 as the road could allow. General Sigel and General Mc- 
 Dowell were in town. General Sigel started early in the 
 day, General McDowell towards night. Unable to return 
 to my regiment on account of unsafe roads, indeed, ignorant 
 of its position, and Avithout transportation for the sick man, 
 I concluded to join friends and keep with a column. So, 
 finding the brigade (in General McDowell's corps), Avhich 
 held the Twelfth and Thirteenth Massachusetts, being cor- 
 dially received and furnished with ambulance for my friend, 
 I left Warrenton with the corps about five P. M. It moved 
 through NeAv Baltimore toAvards Gainesville, on the Centre- 
 ville road. It Avas a weary march. The road was rocky, 
 the numberless streams (of course bridgeless) seemed to run 
 lengthAvise of the road, and it Avas dark. The column grad- 
 
 * I have been surprised to read that Warrenton was evacuated " imme- 
 diately" on hearing that Jackson had cut the road. That information 
 came on the 23d. I was at Warrenton when the evacuation commenced, 
 on the 27th. 
 
204 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAriDAN, 
 
 ually wasted away, until about one A. M., Avhen a halt and 
 bivouac was ordered. 
 
 Of that wearisome march I have a marked recollection, 
 because it was the last time I saw Colonel Fletcher Webster, 
 as kind-heai'ted a man as ever lived, and a brave officer. We 
 rode side and side much of the way. The remnant of the 
 night I lay near him, and we slept soundly, though he had 
 only (as I did) a rubber blanket and overcoat, and it rained 
 a part of the night. He shared with me his breakfast, 
 which he ate without gi'umbling, though it was only coffee 
 (without sugar) and hard biscuit. He seemed to me on that 
 march rather thoughtful, though by no means sad, and play- 
 fully indorsed me, as I had been received into their care with 
 my sick, as their " acting chaplain." He was a noble-hearted 
 man ; God hallow his memory.* 
 
 In the morning, providentially, I met tAvo wagons of our 
 own (one an ambulance), loaded with supplies, but unable 
 to reach the regiment. One wagon-master, one ward-master, 
 a driver, and three soldiers as wagon guard, were of the 
 party, and gladly did I greet it. We kept with the brigade 
 
 * I venture to insert, with some hesitation, the fact that the last previous 
 occasion on which I had seen him, was when he had just heard of the death 
 of a daughter. I was in his camp one day, when I was told of it. He had 
 been refused leave to go to the funeral, and had shut himself in his tent. 
 They told me that he appeared strangely, no one daring to speak to him 
 even ; and some of the staff urged me to go to him. I did so. I remem- 
 bered well the little girl who was the life of the camp at Frederick. 
 
 I went into his tent. He did not look up. I ventured to take his hand. 
 He looked then very sternly. But I said nothing. Waiting a moment, he 
 saw I was not going to try to comfort him, for how hard that is to bear I 
 sadly know. Then as if feeling I was a friend, his countenance changed. 
 He pressed my hand and said, " Ah, it was my last bom, my treasure ! " 
 and then the tears gushed forth. The stern fit had passed as the tears came, 
 and he was himself again. 
 
 4 
 
ON THE ROAD. 205 
 
 until it turned off, about two miles back of Gainesville, to 
 go to Thoroughfare Gap, with the hope of checking the 
 advance of the rebels through that entrance. They had 
 there a fight that afternoon with partial success, and retired 
 near to Gainesville that night, which I did not learn till the 
 next day. 
 
 After that brigade turned off, I continued with General 
 McDowell's corps to Gainesville — a railway station, with 
 two or three houses. The corps went on the road to Ma- 
 nassas a few miles, — the same road by which General Sigel, 
 I was told, had gone in the forenoon. Here our small party 
 halted, built a fire, and cooked its dinner, in the midst of 
 immense wagon trains, cavalry pickets, straggling soldiers, 
 enough to make several regiments, and opposite a house 
 whose hospital flag show^ed its use. An hour or two after- 
 wards we tried the Manassas road, in the presumption that 
 General Banks would be moving thither, to strengthen our 
 then right ; but a few miles on, before Ave had emerged from 
 General McDowell's regiments, we learned that the road Avas 
 unsafe for so small a force as four guns and two pistols. We 
 could hear, also, vigorous firing in that direction. So, remain- 
 ing a Avhile quiet, we watched events. General McDow^ 
 himself was on a hill near, to the right of the road to Centre- 
 ville, studying a map, and sweeping the country with his glass. 
 Soon and suddenly his regiments began to move, and steadily 
 poured towards and on the Centreville road. Curiosity led 
 to an investigation, and discovered that he took position on a 
 beautiful ridge across the road a mile or so, looking north- 
 ward, and about three miles from Gainesville. Here a very 
 pretty little fight took place. The enemy attacked, but our 
 mn repidsed them with great ease. This was Thursday, 
 about sunset. A little earlier, we had been told at head- 
 18 
 
206 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 quarters that Banks was at Thoroughfare Gap, just the 
 other end of the line from his real position. I knew better 
 of course. 
 
 Moving back a mile or two, our little party camped. 
 That is, it turned into an open grove by the roadside, unhar 
 nessed and unsaddled, and fed horses, cooked supper, and 
 went to bed; that is, wrapped " the drapery of our couch" 
 about us, viz., blankets, and laid down under the trees. 
 Just opposite was a party of cavalry in charge of rebel pris- 
 oners. I visited the party, and talked with the prisoners, a 
 very good-natured set of men. One was a South Carolinian, 
 of good education. Pardon me, patriot, if I, for the love of 
 my child's kindred of that State, helped him to something 
 better than the confederate paper, which was all he had for 
 his captivity. 
 
 That night Ave could hear the rumbling of artillery wheels, 
 apparently moving westward, though there was no firing. 
 Where they went, or how our army changed its front, I can- 
 not yet understand. But in the morning I found Gen. Rick- 
 ett's division already on the road from Gainesville to Bristow, 
 south of Manassas Junction. We followed, and seven or 
 eight miles on, foimd General Banks's corps. 
 
 That day, Friday, we heard — all day long — the sound of 
 the battle. Impatiently we waited — in vain. It is said that 
 ten thousand men more would have given the country the 
 victory. WTiy, then was General Banks's corps kept idle ? 
 
 At night, just after tattoo, came orders for our brigade t 
 go out on picket. So we did, moving about two miles, to] 
 near Broad Run, where we lay do"\\Ti by the side of a grave 
 yard. No alarm took place whatever. The next day, the 
 corps began to move northward, by Manassas, saving one 
 brigade, which remained to see to the removal of long trains! 
 
 t 
 
THE RETREAT. 207 
 
 of supplies, as well as of sick and wounded. About noon we 
 crossed Broad Run ourselves, moved on a mile, and then 
 returned and took up our position on the north side of that 
 stream ; and here, before dai-k, came back General Banks's 
 corps, Avith tidings that General Pope had gained a great vic- 
 tory. But while we were cooking our suppers the battle 
 Avas raging, that Saturday evening, which proved so disas- 
 trous to our arms ; and our corps was left uncalled for. 
 
 Next morning we had sudden orders. " Burn all baggage 
 but two ambulances. Move instantly." At seven we started, 
 but saved our little train. We saved it, on condition that at 
 the first delay from it, it should be burned. The corps was 
 said to be cut off, and we must hasten to Occoquan Creek 
 before the pouring rain should render it unfordable. A half 
 mile on the road we crossed the railway ; on it were scores 
 upon scores of loaded cars, wrapped in flames. The melan- 
 choly and useless loss of property, to be paid for by the hard 
 toil of our citizens, accompanied by occasional explosions of 
 ammunition, the drenching rain, and the exigency of the 
 march, made it a spectacle I never desire to see repeated. 
 
 Passing through Brentsville, fording Occoquan Creek, 
 never stopping for five hours, at last we saw the railway 
 again, near Bull Run, with the road open to Centreville — 
 a virtual junction. Of the real exigency I know nothing. 
 But under the orders which he received, the promptness with 
 which General Banks moved, the steadiness of his march 
 (with our Second leading), and the perfect order of his move- 
 ments, are characteristics of a man whom Massachusetts de- 
 lights to honor. 
 
 At the railroad I was again sent forward with sick, in the 
 hope, finally to be accomplished, of finding an open road to 
 Washington. We went on by the rebel cordiiroy roads of 
 
208 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 last winter toCeutrevillo. This new observation of the rebel 
 position only strengthened my old conviction that an attack on 
 the rebel stronghold last winter would have been madness. 
 
 At Centreville, on the heights, were immense forces. It 
 was difficult to conceive how they could have been worsted 
 the day before ; but all whom I questioned as to events, had 
 no lack of confidence in the soldiery. 
 
 I had no time to delay. Already I saw signs of backward 
 movement, and to be entangled in trains would have been 
 unpleasant. Besides, I heard orders which evidently con- 
 templated movement. I had but just started, Avhen Provi- 
 dence favored me ■s^'ith a sudden meeting which delighted me. 
 It was with my friend Mr. John A. Fowle, the excellent 
 chairman of the executive committee of the association in 
 Washington for the relief of Massachusetts soldiers. He 
 had procured a government ambulance, loaded it with sup- 
 plies, and, with his brother and — I will not say whom else — 
 worked for twenty-four hours among the wounded, binding up 
 hurts, comforting and relieving the helpless. I have seen him 
 in hospitals in Washington, too, and know his faithfulness. 
 The widow and the fatherless bless him ! Of him I procured 
 supplies ; joined a long, long train of ambulances ; reached 
 Fairfax Court-Hovise, and was then ordered to Fairfax Sta- 
 tion, 
 
 The sight there cannot be described. The floors of cars 
 and the roofs were covered. Acres of ground were strewn 
 with the wounded men. Train after train had gone. Yet stUl 
 the ambulances came on, on. Camping there, the shriek of 
 the steam-whistle broke the hours of that Sabbath night, and 
 morning showed loaded trains still. I did not see any chap- 
 lains there, but I think there were some ; indeed, I know 
 there were next day, for I met my excellent friend, Chaplain 
 
 t 
 
 1 
 
THE WOUNDED. 209 
 
 Gaylord, The -wounded were as well cared for as possible, 
 lying upon hay, and attended by siu-geons. The most discon- 
 solate men Avere divers government clerks, who had come out 
 to assist, and Avho Avere distressed beyond measure because 
 they could not return to Washington in cars, every inch of 
 Avhich was needed for the wounded. " I came out by invi- 
 tation of the secretary of war ! " pompously remarked one. 
 •"Well," said the sentry, "we don't knoAV that individual 
 here." "But where shall I stay to-night?" " Just where 
 you please," said the sentry. I advised him to sleep on some 
 hay, if he Avished to sleep. He was horrified. He wanted 
 to kuoAv, Avith a triumphant air, if I had eAer slept out of 
 doors. I rather thought I had. Had I ever slept when it 
 rained ? (It Avas sprinkling just enough to make it pleasant.) 
 I intimated to him that he Avas a great baby to fuss that Avay, 
 Avith acres of Avounded men lying around him, and gave him 
 up. Perhaps I ought not to despise him ; I suppose I was 
 just such a fool once. 
 
 Monday morning I Avent back to Fairfax Cou.rt-House, 
 and direct to Alexandria. Still the long trains of ambulances 
 Avere on the road. The eye wearied, the heart grew faint, in 
 seeing them. I was appealed to for Avater, as I had some. 
 NoAV e\"ery ambulance of the kind there used has two kegs 
 for Avater. I examined, and found that in those long trains 
 moA'ing a score of miles, there Avas not one drop of water in 
 the kegs ! I am happy to say that in our division such a fact 
 Avould court-martial somebody ! 
 
 The army was noAV in retreat. I saAV no disorder. There 
 
 Avas no panic whatever. And, within the foi'tification line. I 
 
 rejoined ours. 
 
 18* 
 
210 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE ANTIETAM AUTUMN. 
 
 Below Boonsboro', Md., September 16, 1862. 
 
 SuNElSE ! After the loug dark hours, light dawns. Mc- 
 Clellau is restored to command. 
 
 The dispirited soldiery, lately depressed by knowing that 
 they were steadily out-generalled, and without confidence in 
 leaders, have become enthusiastic. The man whom they 
 have always respected and loved inspires them. 
 
 Yesterday, wliile we were on the road in several parallel 
 columns, McClellan rode through. Without orders, out of 
 the enthusiasm of their hearts, spi'ang deafening cheers. The 
 sound rolled up from regiment after regiment, brigade after 
 brigade, until the voices of scoi-es of thousands swelled the 
 shouts. 
 
 We are, for once, following the enemy. He took his own 
 time, chose his own positions, occupied hills of wonderful 
 capacity for defence, but Northern valor forced his fastnesses, 
 and drove him. 
 
 On the fourth of September our own corps left Virginia 
 for the third time. We crossed at Georgetown, soberly. 
 That day we camped a mile or two above Tenallytown. The 
 next day we moved to a brook a mile and a half above Rock- 
 ville, where, attached to General Sumner's corps (General 
 
WATCHING THE ENEMY. 211 
 
 Banks remaining in Washington for other service, and, indeed, 
 in poor heahh still) , we formed in line of battle. General Sum- 
 ner's force was on the right, ours the centre, and General 
 Couch on the left, which rested, I believe, on the Potomac. 
 The enemy appeared to threaten on our road with thirty- 
 thousand men, while the remainder of his force was moving 
 towards Frederick, which he soon occupied. It Avas doubtful 
 where the foe would strike. General Burnside came up on our 
 right still further off, and on the 9th, it appearing that the 
 enemy had moved his whole force toward Frederick, we began 
 our march thitherward, General Burnside in advance. Our 
 corps bivouacked at Middlebrook that night ; near Damascus 
 next night ; still nearer Damascus the next ; half a mile from 
 Ijamsville, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, the next ; 
 and Saturday night, we were less than a mile out of Fred- 
 erick. The whole movement, considering that it was neces- 
 sary to watch the development of the enemy's plans, was 
 remarkably rapid. 
 
 General Burnside had entered Frederick the evening before, 
 with no action save a slight cavalry skirmish in the main 
 street, the enemy having evacuated the place the day pre- 
 vious. I revisited old friends in Frederick on Saturday 
 afternoon, and had good oppoi'tunities to learn a few facts 
 derived from high rebel sources. They had over ninety 
 thousand men in that army, with one himdred and sixty pieces 
 of artillery, — the latter by actual count. They admitted 
 that McClellan had Avorsted them in every one of the " seven 
 days' fight " on the Peninsula, but left Richmond with perfect 
 confidence in their ability to beat General Pope. Had he 
 still been in command, they said they would have conducted 
 their campaign differently in Maryland. But General Mc- 
 Clellan's appointment made them more cautious, and they 
 
212 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 fell back to an iinmeusely strong position west of Frederick. 
 In Frederick they conducted themselves peaceably. AYhat 
 they could make useful they purchased, but they paid in 
 confedei-ate money, by which some secessionists there suffered 
 nicely. It was a favorite amusement to tie the American 
 flag to their horses' tails, whereby they made plenty of 
 Unionists out of the lukewarm or even secessionists. In 
 their main design they were terribly disappointed. Not only 
 baffled in their purpose of invasion, but they found Mary- 
 laud a Union State. Their pompous proclamation fell dead. 
 A few hundreds were all the recruits they obtained in Mary- 
 land, where letters had assured them they would find a general 
 uprising of the people. They left Frederick, cursing it as a 
 Union city. When I remembered the almost supremacy of 
 secessionism there last winter, I was delighted to witness 
 the change. Our forces were welcomed with tumultuous 
 cheers. The city swarmed with American flags. Frederick 
 is a loyal town, and confirmed in its loyalty by its disgust 
 with the secession soldiery — the leaders educated and iron- 
 willed, the privates usually the poorest of " poor white 
 trash." 
 
 We had expected to rest on Sunday. But at eight A. M. we 
 were put in the road — a road we were on for sixteen hours. 
 Long halts, but in tiresome places, and not for rest ; road 
 obstructed by trains and artillery ; immense bodies of troops, 
 two or three columns abreast ; on by-roads, across fields, 
 Avading brooks — up to and over the Catoctin range of hills, 
 four miles Avest of Frederick. Here the rebels had made a 
 stand, on a ridge capable of great defence. But, on Satur- 
 day, General Burnside had attacked them, carried their posi- 
 tion, and drove them beyond the river in the Middletown 
 Valley, where they burned a bridge. 
 
SOUTH MOUNTAIN. 213 
 
 The vieAV from this ridge is delightful. The Middlctown 
 Valley is wonderfully fertile, and its whole breadth of nine 
 miles is covered with beautiful fields or green forests. Had 
 it only a broad river like the Connecticut at Mt. Holyoke, 
 or a lake, the scenery would be unsm'passed for quiet loveli- 
 ness. 
 
 But we heard the sound of artillery all day, and we pressed 
 on. "We were in hearing and sight of the battle of South 
 Mountain. The march was a singular one, bearing north, 
 south, east, west — by road and fields indifferently. At sun- 
 set the flashes of guns oil the opposite range, the Blue Ridge, 
 and the black puffs hovering in the air, marked the site of 
 the artillery. Our object seemed to be to reach the slope by 
 night. The general in command found a good place for sup- 
 per, and we went on directly across the country a while ; 
 through cornfields, the tops of whose products one could not 
 reach by standing in the stirrups ; through brooks, and at 
 last wading a river ; resting in damp air and on damp groflnd ; 
 found at last, at ten P. M., by an orderly of the general's, 
 hunting for us ; going on imtil midnight, and at last camping, 
 in lack of higher orders, by direction of our brigadier ; exas- 
 perated, tired, some of us supperless as weU as dinnerless ; 
 having marched over twenty miles to reach eleven in distance ; 
 wondering whether it is wise to break soldiers down without 
 need. 
 
 "We were to go into position at three A. M., as support to 
 General Sturgis, in the repeated renewal of the fight. In the 
 morning we found ourselves half up the hill, but the enemy 
 were gone. Some of us visited the field. 
 
 The position they had held should have been impregnable. 
 Imagine a range of lofty mountains, with here and there a 
 winding road through " gaps" themselves very elevated, the 
 
214 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN 
 
 gi-ound often rocky, with plenty of wood, and commanding 
 every approach for miles. At their own pleasure they planted 
 their batteries, and placed their infantry, having all the forces 
 needed, and occupying a succession of crests as you ascend 
 the hills. This was the line which General Sumner, General 
 Burnside, and General Hooker attacked. 
 
 From crest after crest the enemy were driven, up to the 
 last. When night came on the enemy held the highest land 
 on our right, our troops having driven them back from two 
 positions, and lying within a few rods of them. In the centre 
 the height itself was taken. They were well sheltered be- 
 hind the crest of a slope, and walls and fences, yet General 
 Burnside's troops had pressed up, driven their batteries, 
 slaughtered their infantry, and held the ground. On our left, 
 General Hooker had succeeded equally well. 
 
 In the centre the rebel dead, in their strongest position, I 
 saw actually heaped one on another ; almost all shot through 
 the head as they had risen from behind a stone wall to take 
 aim. Near by was a secluded road where they had evidently 
 taken care of their wounded. I rode half a mile and found 
 relics of their hospital woi-k the whole distance. Our loss 
 was slight in comparison. 
 
 The enemy began to retreat as soon as night covered their 
 movements ; all night they moved, pressing to the Potomac, 
 and at daylight our forces were in rapid pursuit. The enemy 
 not only left their dead, but frequently we found along the 
 road their wounded, abandoned to our mercy. In Frederick, 
 indeed, they left six hundred sick men, paroling a hundred 
 and fifty of ours, sick there in hospital. 
 
 I believe that the campaign is now to be active. A battle 
 is probable. The men are confident of success. They feel 
 now that the army is one, instead of detached pieces as here- 
 tofore. They are satisfied. 
 
GENERAL BANKS. 215 
 
 For ourselves, we have a new general. General Mansfield 
 takes General Banks's place. I may be pardoned for referring 
 to our late commander again, although I have before repeat- 
 edly told you how brave and fearless, as well as discreet, he 
 was as a soldier, and how much he was respected by his com- 
 mand. The poorest soldier had a friend in General Banks. 
 Modest, keeping all gi'ievances to himself, obedient to his 
 orders, he has Avon great respect in the army. Had his 
 opinion been listened to, the now famous "Banks's" retreat 
 would not have been needed. 
 
 I had known our commander earlier. Holding a State 
 educational position during the whole of his service as gov- 
 ernor of Massachusetts as well as before and after, I had 
 occasion officially to know the judgment, integrity, and firm- 
 ness with which he acted in the board of which he was chair- 
 man in regard to most important interests, pecuniary and 
 others ; and often to see in his general administration, how 
 firmly he adliered to the good of the State, regardless of mere 
 partisanship. And now, while no longer under his command, 
 I can say that the same qualifications he applied to his mil- 
 itary position. Yet he is more. I speak with reason, in 
 saying that he is a sagacious statesman. His predictions 
 have been fulfilled, his opinions gradually adopted. 
 
 Speaking as a chaplain, I know that General Banks has 
 always been on the side of right. Every chaplain has had all 
 opportunities for usefulness which the general could give. 
 For that I owe him, and the people owe him a debt of grati- 
 tude. 
 
216 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Neau Keedtsville, Md., September 18, 1862. 
 
 I CANNOT describe the battle of Antietam Creek. 
 
 I heard the thunder of cannon all day long ; the horrible i 
 whirr of shells; the musketry which sometimes became a 
 mere roar ; the Cheers of success ; the groans of the wounded ;, 
 the whisper of the dying. 
 
 I saw the smoke of a battle-line of five miles ; the fierce, ! 
 flashing fire ; the wounded and dead ; the advance, the Avaver^ 
 the recovery. 
 
 But what it then meant, or what our commander was try- 
 ing to do, who, confined to near one spot, could tell? So 
 far as I could imagine the next day, as I examined the county 
 map, it seemed as if it was Avanted to drive back each Aving, 
 so that the rebels Avoiild be shut Avithin a kind of peninsula 
 of the Potomac Eiver.* 
 
 On the Sunday preceding the battle of Antietam (An^eetam 
 the neighbors call it, Avithout any exception, to my knoAvledge), 
 the Blue Ridge had been carried by our forces, excepting one 
 point, which, of course, became untenable. During that 
 night the rebels evacuated the ridge, and hurried to and 
 through Boonsboro', toAvards the river. Our forces rapidly 
 followed. It Avas generally reported by the inhabitants tliat 
 the enemy Avere crossing, and undoubtedly a portion had. 
 But they returned ; and as it appeared, the Avhole force Avhich 
 had been investing Harper's Ferry, also joined Lee's main 
 army in season for the battle. Monday evening our corps 
 found itself south of Boonsboro' a fcAV miles, where it biv- 
 
 * Of the history of the battle, no other account I have ever seen at all 
 equals that by " Carleton " in the Boston Journal, from whose inferences I 
 sometimes differ, but whose comprehensive statement of facts has no peer 
 among correspondents. 
 
ANTIETAM. 217 
 
 ouacked. On Tuesday morning no orders came until about 
 nine o'clock, when we made ready to move. General Mansfield 
 rode up, saying, " You arc going immediately into battle," — a 
 declaration received Avith as much coolness as if he had said, 
 " You are going to dinner." He was mistaken ; we were 
 moved about a mile and a half only, where Ave came suddenly 
 in view of om* large forces. On the crest of the hills were 
 posted batteries for a mile or more. Down the slopes were 
 drawn up long lines of battle, first and second. Just below 
 were still other forces. And off to the right was a dense 
 mass in reserve — perhaps the most impressive sight I ever 
 witnessed — black, motionless, silent, but like a thunder cloud 
 in its threatening. We took our place as reserve, and were 
 near, I think, what was the centre of the battle line the next 
 day. No battle ensued that day. For two or three hours a 
 smart cannonade only enlivened the scene. I saw movements 
 were, however, steadily going on. A corps was going to the 
 left, to the vicinity of the bridge. From the front nothing 
 could be seen but a gim or two, and a few shai'pshooters ; the 
 rebels lay behind the slopes as ours did ; at least they were 
 hidden Avhen I rode itp to the front with our colonel. 
 
 At night we lay doAAOi there. But about half past ten there 
 came low, quiet orders to be ready to move. In ten minutes, 
 " fall in," and General Mansfield led us by road through 
 woods, across the river at Keedysville, up to the vicinity of 
 Smoketown, where, at about half past ten we went to sleep, 
 under a gentle rain in a field new to Us, but destined to be 
 better known, for within musket range the rebel forces Avere 
 occupying one of the hiUocks of Antietabi. 
 
 It Avas about five o'clock, when the rattling fixe of skir- 
 mishers awoke us. That broke the last slumber of thousands. 
 It Avas foUoAved by the heavy sound of artillery. Looking 
 19 
 
218 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN, 
 
 around us we saw our thousands destined to be the right wing, 
 for in the night our corps had traversed half our line, and in 
 the darkness bivouacked in the midst of an army. It was 
 half an hour, perhaps, before our column was formed. Silently 
 we moved forward to no drum, no bugle, nothing but the 
 word of command and the savage war of artillery. "We 
 moved by brigades, in column by divisions, dark and heavy 
 spots on the field. But our corps did not yet go into action. 
 A little distance, and the order is to halt. Then the men, like 
 old soldiers, kindle fires and begin to make their coffee, while 
 General Hooker is steadily pressing backward the rebel left. 
 
 But before the coffee is ready, the corps moves up to 
 support General Hooker. 
 
 He held the right. Our corps joined his left, though a 
 little to his rear, and next to us was General Sumner. All 
 the morning Hooker had led his heroic men, a heroic leader. 
 The rebel advance had fallen back, but it was to their strong- 
 hold. He had pushed up to the right so far as to threaten 
 their flank. Then they began to mass their power against 
 him. Our left was silent as yet, and they saw where the 
 great struggle was. Hooker's force is inadequate. Our corps 
 is ordered to support him. Nobly does it respond. It pours a 
 steady and terrible fire into the enemy's line. Its effect is 
 tremendous. Backward falls the foe before General Mans- 
 field's tremendous attack, and General Hooker is relieved. 
 But the latter is Avounded, and must leave the field. Mans- 
 field receives a mortal shot, and General Williams takes com- 
 mand. But the time roUs on, and the conflict is tex'rible. 
 Then the enemy bring up new lines. The reserves are all in. 
 The line is forced back, but it stands splendidly. The anxiety 
 is intense. Can it be that we shall fail? Is defeat our fate, 
 and with it the march of a victorious foe upon our capital? 
 
THE VICTORY. 219 
 
 No. We have left an untenable position in front of that 
 rocky height ; that is all. Then General Sumner's corps 
 comes on. How reviving the sight ! Up they come in mass, 
 then deploy into line amidst the cheers of our shattered troops, 
 and rush into the conflict. They dart upon the stony posi- 
 tion ; they cannot carry it ; but the ground gained at fii'st is 
 held, and the effort to turn our right is a failure. 
 
 It was about noon, I think, — but it seemed night, — when 
 the thunder sounded on the left. Burnside was at work. Far 
 down the valley was visible the smoke of his guns, but with 
 what success we could not tell. Doubtless it relieved our right. 
 
 There is in our wing a lull in the iron storm. Soon after 
 one P. M. there is almost entire cessation. By and by the 
 cannonading is more intense than ever, and so, with liardly 
 varying fortunes, it is sunset before the guns sullenly and 
 gradually ceased firing. Then the sky is red with conflagra- 
 tions. We do no't know the entire result ; but we know that 
 the power of a confident foe, greater in numbers, is broken. 
 
 Our army has fought as never before. " I was in all the 
 seven days' peninsular battles," said a wounded rebel officer, 
 whom I assisted, "but your men never fought as they do 
 to-day." And ours — our oivn men — have increased their 
 heroic record.* 
 
 But all this time I had a sad work. The wounded must 
 
 * General Gordon led his brigade like himself, and General Mansfield's 
 early wound, with that of General Crawford, put him in command of the 
 division. General Gordon's aid, Hon. Charles R. Train, was in the hottest 
 of the fight. This gentleman had left the comforts of home — though a 
 member of Congress — to take the moderate position of an aide-de-camp, 
 where he found his services needed. He plunged at once into the hardships 
 of veterans of a year's experience, and bore them well. And in this battle, 
 his first experience under fire, like a true and brave man, he deserved well 
 of his country. 
 
 And our own brave colonel, so cool, so ready, fit to command the gallant 
 men whom he led ! 
 
220 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 be cared for. From the excitement of battle to the help of 
 the suffering is a severe change, but a needful one. How 
 nobly the men bore their hurts ! 
 
 How faithfully many a surgeon labored ! Our own as- 
 sistant surgeon was a hero; regai-dless of bullets in the 
 hottest fire, he kept coolly on his work, — while near, Dr. 
 Kendall of the Twelfth Massachusetts was killed. The near- 
 est hospital, that of our own corps, was necessarily in range 
 of the enemy's shell, which every now and then fell around 
 and beyond. Near by were five other hospitals, all for one 
 wing. Here were generals and privates brought together. 
 General Mansfield I saw dying, and a few feet oflT, an un- 
 known private ; General Hartsuff badly wounded, and by 
 his side a throng of others now on the same level. There 
 is no distinction as to what body or soul needs then. 
 
 Our own regiment helped fill these hospitals. Our gallant 
 dead, they are remembered with all the otlrer gallant Massa- 
 chusetts dead. But one we lost, — hard to replace, — our 
 brilliant, brave, generous, kind-hearted lieutenant-colonel, 
 Wilder D wight, shot mortally, but living two days ; of won- 
 derful promise at home ; cheerful, resigned, ready to die, — 
 his only wish ungratified being to see his father and mother ; 
 strong in faith and trust ; hard is it to part with Am, my 
 friend, my more than friend. "While lying in the garden, 
 moved only on a stretcher, he sent our own surgeon to 
 relieve the wounded lying all around, unattended to by the 
 surgeons busy cutting off limbs of men even death-struck ; 
 and again and again sent water provided for him, to the poor 
 fellows calling for it. Yet he was not free from brutal in- 
 solence. While waiting there into the night for an ambu- 
 lance into which to place Colonel Dwight for shelter only (as 
 he could not bear its motion), some men of ours, detached 
 
BRUTAL SURGEON. 221 
 
 for that purpose, were waiting to help, while all was quiet, 
 save the groans of sufferers covering the ground, suddenly 
 a harsh voice insisted on tui*ning out all our men. I found a 
 pompous little surgeon angry and furious. I informed him 
 why the men were there, assured him of their perfectly good 
 behavior, and requested permission for them to remain, as 
 we were momentarily expecting the ambulance. It was all 
 in vain. Colonel Dwight himself was treated most harshly, 
 although of higher rank than the brute himself, and although 
 I told the surgeon that it was a man mortally wounded. He 
 ordered the guard to turn them out at the point of the bay- 
 onet, and to prevent their retiu-n even to move Colonel 
 Dwight, — refusing to tell his rank and even his name, until 
 I obtained it of another party. The men ivere driven aivay 
 while actually giving water to wounded sufferers who had 
 been calling in vain for help. I assured the brute that I 
 would take care his conduct was made known, knowing, from 
 several opportunities to see that day, that he is, from bru- 
 tality, pomposity, and harshness utterly unfit to be in charge 
 of wounded men, and from gross disrespect to an officer 
 higher in rank, unfit to be in the army.* 
 
 Near Sharpsburo, Md., November 13, 1862. 
 Weeks have passed by since I wrote. 1 do not remember 
 how many. I know that my last letter was written just after 
 the awful day of Antietam, by the dying bed of a heroic sol- 
 dier, dying in Christian peace, the memory of whose friend- 
 
 * This fellow's name was said to be " King," — a medical director in Gen- 
 eral Reynolds's corps, Pennsylvania Reserves, — too good troops to have 
 such a fellow among them. 
 19* 
 
222 THE POTOMAC AND THE IIAPIDAN. 
 
 sliiji is forever sacred to mc. Then followed a sick bed, — 
 with the nervous prostration and malarious fever Avhich tlfc 
 Rappahannock campaign had originated. Then, as strength 
 was gained, there were the meetings with wounded of our 
 regiment' at home ; with convalescents, whose highest com- 
 fort Avas to drop into our recruiting office ; with some not 
 seen since Cedar Mountain, whose grasp of hand was accom- 
 panied only by starting tears, as we remembered the gallant 
 dead of that mournful day. Alas, for the weeping hearts 
 which write the history of this war ! 
 
 If I ever appeared to Avrite cheerlessly, I Inust say that I 
 always have written as encouragingly as I could. There is, 
 first, the wearing upon personal sympathies. There is, or 
 was, next, the knowledge to be uttered only delicately, of 
 useless and needless disasters, of a lack of vigor where vigor 
 was essential, and of opportunities wasted, of time, means, 
 and men thro^vn away. I ^oill tell you now, that many a 
 man in this army, in high stations and low, for months 
 believed this war to be utterly hopeless except as to the mere 
 question of boundaries, and that men high, very high in civil 
 life, have privately admitted the same opinion ; and this, not 
 from the strength of the South, nor from any inability in the 
 nation to restore its authority over every spot in its domain. 
 Not that there is the least hesitation as to fighting On, but 
 that there is a desire to fight usefully. I am speaking now 
 from a tolerably wide knowledge, not from speculation, nor 
 from my own purpose. 
 
 But I do not feel, I have never felt, that the war is hope- 
 less. I believe, on the contrary, that it never promised as 
 well as now. "We have a magnificent army. It is well led. 
 It is brave. There is much loss yet to be had, but we can 
 succeed. A winter campaign will destroy, by death or dis- 
 
REMOVAL OF McCLELLAN. 223 
 
 ability, one naif of our niuiibers, but if the country wishes 
 the attempt at that cost, the attempt cau be made. I say this, 
 notwithstanding two facts which look, to one or another, un- 
 promising. 
 
 These two are, first, the result of the recent elections. 
 They look as if the war was unpopular. But I do feel con- 
 fident that while there are some double-dyed traitors in the 
 successful party the great mass is truly loyal. They have 
 voted against the administration, because they meant to 
 rebuke it. But I am more mistaken than ever before if that 
 party as a whole does not demand a vigorous prosecution of 
 the war. 
 
 The second is, the removal of Genei'al McClellan. Of 
 course, the intimations that the army woiald not fight under 
 anybody else, are perfectly foolish. Our men figlit for their 
 country^ not for a man. Yet, while I cannot answer for any 
 other corps than ours in ours there is a feeling of deep sad- 
 ness at the loss of our beloved, oixr trusted leader. I have 
 hardly yet seen the man who does not mourn over it, although 
 ready to give his successor all their help. Indeed, the new 
 commander is personally liked. I remember the cheers with 
 which he was greeted the morning after the battle of South 
 Mountain, and how the cheers redoubled when General Burn- 
 side, after entirely passing the line, stopped to shake hands 
 with a wounded soldier hobbling along on crutches. But we 
 remember how General McClellan reinspii-ed the shattered, 
 despondent troops who were gathered in front of Washing- 
 ton, and by the magic of his name and presence made an 
 invincible army ; who, instead of remaining in the fortifica- 
 tions, boldly assumed the oiFensive ; who inarched onward, 
 waiting only to be sure of the enemy's plans, and marched 
 to victory ; who, against superior numbers (I say what is 
 
224 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 true), saved the Nortli at Antietam ; wlio restored the waver- 
 ing fight of the right wing ; who infu.sed life wherever he 
 went (""who ordered an advance, which he stopped only at the 
 urgent request of commanders ; Avho would not throw his 
 brave men into a hasty advance and a winter campaign with- 
 out suitable clothing.* The soldiers remember these things. 
 But they will follow the directions of their leader ; they will 
 give all their powers to his successor ; they will imitate the 
 patience, the patriotism of their late general, who loves his 
 country too well to make his personal position any cause for 
 weakening that country's power.f 
 
 But now the army advances. It moves down along the 
 side of the mountain ranges, watching the enemy. I regret, 
 on some accounts, that I cannot chronicle its movements ; 
 but we have no anxious longing to retravel either the east or 
 west side of the Blue Ridge. Our own corps is guarding the 
 
 * There has been much discussion as to whether McCIellan ought to 
 have attacked the next day after Antietam. I have never believed it was 
 prudent, shattered as we were, to risk it. We were terribly cut up. It is 
 true the rebels had to retreat across a ford; but that ford was a mile in 
 extent, and the water hardly knee deep. We had baffled an exultant foe, 
 and saved the North. 
 
 Whether the army should have moved earlier after the rebel retreat, is a 
 question. If one knew how poorly provided it was, I think that the ques- 
 tion would be answered. I remember that five weeks afterwards our wag- 
 ons went to the railway stations day after day for supplies, and unsuccess- 
 fully. 
 
 t I should not respect myself if I suppressed this old record of our sad- 
 ness at the loss of our general. We loved him. But that love was not in- 
 compatible wth the most ardent performance of duty, as the heroic record 
 of the Potomac army, and especially our own corps, will testify. The gov- 
 ernment has seen that that army was true and obedient. We respected the 
 general, but we loved our country more. 
 
 I ask, besides, that it be remembered that love for a leader, as a military 
 man, had nothing to do with political views. 
 
THE HONORED DEAD. 225 
 
 Potomac line, which is necessary, as the enemy hold the 
 Virginia valley, and Maryland is therefore exposed to sudden 
 raids. Harper's Ferry is thus to be defended, and the river 
 lined, np I do not know how far. 
 
 General Gordon has charge of a long stretch of river. 
 That is, all the fords are guarded carefully. Our own 
 position is at. the main ford hereabouts near Sharpsburg, and 
 but a few miles from the old battle-ground, which extends for 
 a mile up and down the river. It takes nearly a third of 
 our regiment at once to do picket duty. General Gordon's 
 care is most active. He knows every part of the line him- 
 self for some thirty miles. "We are in General Morell's 
 division. 
 
 The excitement of a battle is sublime. But I am not ear- 
 nest to see many more for our regiment. I wrote very dole- 
 fully last summer because we were likely to see no active 
 service. Then immediately came Banks's retreat and a bat- 
 tle at Winchester. Then, Cedar Mountain. Then, Antie- 
 tam. Ours has made its name honored. It is now ready 
 for onward movement, having gone up from less than two 
 hundred to six hundred men fit for duty. But battles — ah, a 
 sunset finds too many gaps in the line. Such men as Abbott, 
 Gary, GoodAvin, Williams, Perkins, Dwight, — dead. And 
 now we are sad at the loss of another. Major Savage, who 
 died in Virginia, of wounds received at Cedar Mountain. 
 An honorable, brave soldier ; refined, gentle, warm-hearted, 
 and one of the purest-minded men I ever knew ; an only son, 
 whose parents may God bless ! Nobody knew James Savage 
 but to respect and love him. 
 
 And such men in the ranks. I miss too long a list to be 
 written out, though they deserve it, and some day shall have 
 it in permanent form. Men, like one of my Chi-istian breth- 
 
226 THE POTOMAC AND THE llAPIDAN. 
 
 ren, dying after just time enough to say, " Lord, receive my 
 spirit ! " Or, like one dying day before yesterday, a warm- 
 hearted Christian, but lately returned from a captivity of 
 weary months, long ago freed from the captivity of sin, now 
 released from the captivity of the body, into the glorious 
 enjoyments of the children of God — of perfectly consistent 
 Christian example always, meeting death in peace. ^i 
 
 Brave men. Patriots. Long is the list. And long in many 
 another regiment besides ours. 
 
 Near Sharpsburg, Mb., November 21, 1862. 
 We have little share in the great movements on which hang 
 the destinies of the campaign ; but we watch with intense 
 eagerness. With all the affection borne to our late general, 
 everybody feels, as that chief himself teaches us to feel, the 
 warmest interest in the progress of his successor. With 
 success before January, we insure the masses to determined 
 measures ; we dispirit the rebels. With defeat, we create a 
 party ready to recognize the South ; we encourage the rebels ; 
 we give opportunity for foreign meddling. With undecided 
 results, we insure a disgraceful compromise, worse than sep- 
 aration. Without success in this war the North crumbles 
 to pieces. National life is suspended on present issues. 
 Often have I thought, in such anxieties, of the remark an 
 honored soldier uttered to me — "This nation has forgotten 
 God ! " But no. There are too many praying men and 
 women to allow us to believe so fatal a statement. But does 
 the nation have an adequate conception of the things at 
 stake? When a Aveak measure was adopted early in this 
 war, that soldier referred to said, " I never felt so sadly but 
 
PICKET ON THE POTOMAC. 227 
 
 once ; that was when my child died." National destruction 
 is a worse personal loss than loss of children ; worse than 
 death itself. 
 
 Our work is picket duty. We are in front of a ford, of 
 which the water is but knee deep for a mile. It is the ford 
 by which the enemy retreated after the battle of Antietam. 
 The enemy still hold the valley. If Jackson went southward, 
 it was only in a parallel line with our army on the east of 
 the Blue Ridge, and he returned. Whether he still remains 
 is doubtful, as General Lee Avill need him. But the enemy 
 are still opposite us, though rarely showing themselves. A 
 fcAv days ago a man who went over for his family was stopped 
 by a rebel party just as they were embarking. One man 
 took to the water, was wounded, and finally killed. Two 
 days ago the deepening twilight brought into view at least a 
 mile of camp fires, which were speedily extinguished. Yes- 
 terday we heard cannonading half the day, apparently from 
 some supposed reconnoissance from Harper's Feriy. The 
 ease with which a rebel party could make a raid into Mary- 
 land, keeps here a large force ; besides the possibility, now 
 growing less, that Jackson might seek to divert troops, by a 
 sudden threatening this way, as he succeeded in doing when 
 he forced General Banks to retreat from Strasburg. The 
 river is not yet raised to any noticeable degree by the light 
 rains of this week, but we have not yet heard from the 
 mountain regions. It is their waters which swell the Po- 
 tomac. 
 
 Our own regiment maintains its morale, notwithstanding 
 the loss of its colonel, Andrews,* to the gain of General 
 Banks — a modest, unpretending, but wonderfully skilled and 
 
 * Now commander of the Corps d'Afrique, and commandant at Port 
 Hudson. 
 
228 THE POTOMAC AND THE HAPIDAN. 
 
 energetic soldier is our late colonel. He is a graduate of 
 AYest Point, avIiosc pupils prove altogether the best soldiers. 
 I have been somewhat surprised to see jealousies fostered at 
 honie against educated soldiers. I have seen a good many 
 of the graduates of our military schools, and from observa- 
 tion I have acquired the highest confidence in them. That 
 they often feel superior to mere militia officers, is doubtless 
 true ; they are superior. That many volunteers feel distressed 
 because they recognize their own comparative inferiority, is 
 true ; they ought to feel distressed. Educated soldiers are 
 as much superior to one beginning without any training, as 
 an educated physician is to one who begins practice utterly 
 ignorant of anedicine. The latter may learn by years of 
 experiment ; so may the raw soldier. But each sacrifices life 
 to do it. I could instance slaughters which no educated 
 soldier would ever have allowed to occur ; they were the cost 
 of teaching raw men. I could point to a brigade uselessly 
 sacrificed ; and to our own, saved in similar circumstances, 
 by having a soldier for a commander. West Point cannot 
 make a soldier out of a blockhead ; but other things being 
 equal, its training is invaluable. 
 
 The public press, just now, is speaking of the great 
 number of deserters from the army ; and government has, I 
 believe, issued stringent orders. The evil is by no means 
 magnified. In battles, too, there are many who go to the 
 rear. I saw at least thousands at Antietam. Even when 
 men carried off the Avounded — which was not their business 
 — surgeons kept them from returning ; I saw it. But is 
 there not a reason why men do not fear to desert ? I know 
 of a case where a man deserted, and was afterwards appre- 
 hended, in citizen's clothing, a salesman in a store in New 
 Hampshire. He escaped after being taken, but was recap- 
 
AN AMBULANCE SYSTEM. - 229 
 
 tuved. He was tried and convicted. The sentence was 
 entirely I'emitted, because the powers that were could not 
 see sufficient evidence of the crime of desertion ! He was 
 returned to his regiment, but, before being put to duty, 
 deserted again, and was not heard of more. 
 
 Another matter of public interest is the new system of the 
 ambulance corps. All ambulances are taken away from the 
 regiments, and put under charge of one brigade officer. When 
 the sick are to be moved, the surgeon sends a written requi- 
 sition for ambulances. The new plan has some merits ; in 
 one place, viz., the field of battle. But for regiments, as 
 .such, it is exceedingly unpleasant. For instance, on leaving 
 a recent camp, ambulances were wanted to transport the 
 sick. The ambulances were four miles off. On sending for 
 them, they were not to be found. Again, suppose at this 
 point the enemy came suddenly, and in such force that it 
 were madness to remain. There would be no time to send a 
 requisition for ambulances. The sick, in such a case, must 
 be left to the enemy. Or, suppose a regiment is ordered 
 suddenly to move ten miles on a dangerous service. It has 
 no time to get ambtdances. Such occasions I have seen 
 repeatedly, when, having ambulances, there was no difficulty. 
 It is hard for soldiers to feel, going on such a service, that 
 if wounded, there is no way to remove them. The old sys- 
 tem of having all ambulances with regiments had evils ; but 
 it is just as bad to give them none. The true system would 
 be to give a limited number to each regiment, and have a 
 general ambulance corps besides for emergencies. 
 
 Let me allude to the matter of gratuitous supplies. Many 
 
 presents sent to soldiers are worse than useless. What a 
 
 soldier needs, as to clothing, is what government gives him, 
 
 only a supply of better flannels and stockings. Now, indis- 
 
 20 
 
230 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 criminate giving is useless. First, know what a soldier lacks 
 before sending anything. Our own regiment is partially, and 
 sometimes entirely, supplied Avith under-clothing, by a system- 
 atic method of donation. This works well. It saves the sol- 
 dier's money, and gives better articles. Such a systematic 
 method is good. The Sanitary Commission's attempt to 
 make itself the medium of all donations, is absvu'd, although 
 that would be better than indiscriminate presents. Whenever 
 persons can supply and keep supplied a regiment, let them do it. 
 So as to donations of reading matter. If anybody has 
 money to give for such purposes, for a particular regiment, 
 well, I want to say more on this matter. 
 
 Camp near Sharpsburg, Md., November 28, 1862. 
 Matters continue tolerably " quiet on the upper Potomac." 
 There is reason to suppose that the ubiquitous Jackson has 
 left the valley himself, to assist in the defence of Richmond 
 or Fredericksburg. But reconnoissances discover quite a large 
 rebel force somewhere near Berry ville, which is about ten 
 miles from Charlestown. That force is said to be under 
 command of one of the Hills. It is rather difficult to account 
 for the fear of Jackson. He has one quality — suddenness 
 and rapidity — of high excellence. But in actual fight he has 
 never shown great generalship. He was foiled last winter 
 by General Lander. With forces quite even, he was beaten 
 by acting Brigadier General Kimball in the first Winchester 
 battle. With an overwhelming force, he fell upon General 
 Banks in May, and utterly failed of his pvirpose — an army 
 only one seventh as large holding him at bay for three hours. 
 In the return movement, he fled before General Fremont. 
 
MURDER AND ITS REWARD. 231 
 
 The last battles at Manassas were under General Lee, not 
 Jackson. 
 
 I wrote you last week of a murder — mere murder — com- 
 mitted on a man trying to get a family out of Virginia. The 
 men were actually enticed over by the apparent distress of 
 some women, purporting to be refugees ; went over on an 
 errand of mercy ; fell into the power of the guerrilla Captain 
 Burke, for whose apprehension a reward was once offered. 
 
 The appendix to the affair is a very pretty operation of 
 our own commander, Captain Cogswell, with sixty men. 
 Ordered to cross in the night, he moved off about nine P. M., 
 and by making a cautious, and rather circuitous march, en- 
 tered Shepardstown after midnight. The houses wanted were 
 easily found and surrounded. In one of them was Captain 
 Burke and five of his gang. The captain was dressed and 
 armed, and the horses of the party stood saddled. As it 
 proved, Burke was to have started on one of his plundering 
 expeditions in about an hour. As ours were preparing to 
 enter, a man suddenly sprang from a door, and attempted to 
 escape. Captain Cogswell ordered him twice or more times 
 to surrender, and then told two men to fire. A ball entered 
 the heart of the rebel, who, on examination was found to be 
 Captain Burke himself. The other five were captured, and 
 their horses, arms, and important papers brought away. The 
 expedition Avas a perfect success, and Union men in Virginia 
 Avill breathe free now this miscreant is gone. 
 
 Captain Cogswell, with the same men and some cavalry, 
 was sent again the day following, in broad daylight. They 
 crossed and occupied the town before the people had any sus- 
 picion of the approach. They arrested the man they Avished 
 for, paroled three officers and twenty privates in hospital, took 
 some arms, and returned in perfect safety. The rebels in that 
 
232 THE rOTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 neigliborhoocl express no very kind feeling toward the Sec- 
 ond Massacliusetts. They vow vengeance ; but our means 
 of defence at the river are such that our men would hail a 
 brush for amusement. 
 
 On that night, while our men were descending the valley, 
 another man, in our hospital, was entering the valley — the 
 valley of the shadow of death. From his bedside I hearcJBJ 
 the tread of our men. As they were crossing the river, he 
 Avas crossing the river — the final river. As they landed, he 
 died. They were victorious. Trust in God that he was. 
 
 Yesterday was Thanksgiving day. The weather Avas 
 lovely. The air was mild. In sight of the river, almost 
 hearing its ripple (we do hear it at night as we lay awake, 
 and our men hear it as they pace its shore all through the 
 darkness) , we had our public services ; our old New England 
 singing ; our prayers. How many of us kept home in mind 
 all day ! How many at home were praying for us ! The 
 preacher told them that what Avas a crime at home, A\^as a 
 ci'ime here ; Avhat they Avould be ashamed of in their homes, 
 they shovild be ashamed of here ; AAdiat they Avould not do at 
 home Avith their good mother's knoAvledge, they should not 
 do here ; Avhat they had been taught of truth at home, Avas 
 truth here. 
 
 Then the men had their quoits and ball. Some tried the 
 speed of their horses. All — I hope — had their good din- 
 ner ; the turkeys, the geese, the chickens, the plum puddings, 
 were many. Our hospital inmates all had such peculiar 
 luxuries as Avould not injure them. The officers dined to- 
 gether ; and as at home, members of families return to their old 
 hearthstones on Thanksgiving day, so yesterday there came 
 back to us all the officers in our vicinity Avho had gone from 
 us into other commands — back to the good old regiment, 
 
THE PROCLAMATION. 233 
 
 ■whose men have been tried in the furnace of fire, and stood 
 by one another like true comrades. Among officers and men 
 were many who had felt the bullet, and a multitude more who 
 had had them in their garments. Many were not there. It 
 Avas like the vacant chairs in a household — to think of the 
 departed heroes. 
 
 In the morning we had visitors. They Avere ladies, part 
 of whom had come from Chambersburg, Pa., thirty-five miles 
 off", to bring some gifts for our hospital ; some home bread, 
 fruits, butter, jelly, pillows, and other needed articles. " Ver- 
 ily, verily, I say unto you, they have their reward." 
 
 In the midst of the merriment in the evening a sick man 
 was dying. Some relatives were by his bed ; so was a good 
 man, whom I found bending over him, and commending him 
 to God. Soon he passed away. " I wanted to go home be- 
 fore I died," said he, " but I hope I am going to a better 
 home." These were his last audible Avords. " Home." 
 How every sick man's heart groAvs sicker because he Avants 
 to be at home. It is the hardest feature in a soldier's life. 
 But when the surgeons are anxious to send a man home, in 
 cases Avhere home Avould saA^e his life, it takes so long to pi"e- 
 vail upon higher officials somcAA^here to sign the papers, that 
 the favorable time often passes. But the home above is 
 ahvays ready. 
 
 I have said nothing yet on the Proclamation. I preferred 
 to Avait. At home I did not hesitate to praise it, in the soli- 
 tary half day I had strength enough to occupy my oAvn pulpit ; 
 nor to denounce the infamous utterance of an infernal press, 
 Avhose gi'eat comfort Avas that slavery would be preserved 
 whether the Union was restored or broken. 
 
 I have taken some pains to see the effect of the Proclama- 
 tion upon the army. A few, very few, are distressed about 
 20* 
 
234 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN, 
 
 it. They love slavery. They admit, upon questioning, that 
 they deem servitude the proper condition of the " inferior " 
 race. But the number is incomparably less than a year ago. 
 One year has brought about an immense change of opinion 
 as to the character of slavery and the ci-vilization of slave- 
 holders. 
 
 Many like the Proclamation on the grounds of decided 
 opposition to all slavery. They receive it as a matter of 
 justice. 
 
 The great bulk of the army, however, look at it only in the 
 light of a military measure, and feel no excited interest in it 
 whatever. They regard it as perfectly within the power of 
 the President as commander-in-chief of the armies, while 
 most would dissent from his right to issue such a decree as a 
 civil magistrate. As a military measure, they believe it 
 proper and needful. But it is no new thing in practice. We 
 have been freeing the slaves in a rebellious State these nine 
 months. We never think of retui'ning a fugitive. A slave- 
 hunter would be kicked out of our lines. Contrabands are 
 everywhere, in public service and in private, and are treated 
 as other men are. The Proclamation only enlarges what we 
 have been doing this long Avhile ; and therefore creates far 
 less talk than it does at home. 
 
 The army, moreover, is in a different state of discipline 
 from what it was at the beginning of the war. When it was 
 what Governor Andrew felicitously called a " collection of 
 town meetings," such a measure might have made great 
 trouble. Now the army is under control. It understands 
 obedience to be its duty. Its work is to fight, and not discuss ; 
 hence it gives such a measure much less consideration than it 
 would once. 
 
 Again, we have become accustomed to seizure of blacks on 
 
SLAVE PROPERTY. 235 
 
 llic other side. When Jackson came to Winchester last May, 
 he seized all blacks, free and slave, except some belonging to 
 rebels there. When he went soiTthward he swept the country 
 clear, carrying many freemen into slavery. When the rebel 
 army captured Harper's Ferry it seized all blacks, and they 
 are still in the hands of the men-stealcrs southward. Nor 
 do we foi'get that the blacks who drove the ambulances when 
 the wounded were gathered in under a flag of truce after the 
 late Manassas battles, were seized and carried away. South- 
 ei'ners steal negroes whenever they have an opportunity ; 
 steal them tQ,make them slaves. Are Ave to regard their 
 slave property as sacred? 
 
 Nor can we distinguish between seizing slave property as 
 property and seizing Avheat. Whatever the rebels have that 
 we want, government takes. We are not worshippers of 
 slavery, and we can see no more harm in taking slave prop- 
 erty than the products of slave labor. It is all one. If the 
 constitution gives no right to touch slave property, no more 
 does it to touch the wheat the slaves raise. If the right is a 
 military one to take wheat, we cannot see why it is not the 
 same to take slaves. Those who can find nothing of such a 
 power in the constitution, remind us of the man who said, 
 " As to liquor, give me Avhiskey-punch ; other liquors are 
 forbidden, but there is not a single word in the Bible against 
 whiskey-punch ! " 
 
 Nor do we relish the statements which come to us from 
 Richmond, how the rebels everywhere impress slaves to build 
 fortifications. Have we got to encounter those fortifications? 
 Has Northern blood got to floAv because of those fortifications ? 
 Have Northern fathers and mothers to believe that the work 
 Avhich slaughters their sons, is a labor not to be meddled 
 with ? We do not see it so. 
 
236 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 I met a rebel officer once who spoke of slavery. "You 
 thought," said he, " that slavery made us weak. You are 
 mistaken. It doubles the number of guns we can put into the 
 field." I thought over it, and I believed him. I saw, one 
 day, as noble a regiment as ever was raised, go into action 
 full of genuine men. The best blood of Massachusetts was 
 there. Two days after, I buried its dead. Shorn of one 
 thii'd of its nvimber^ was the regiment. Lying on the 
 field were the pride of their homes. Men of education, char- 
 acter, ability, industry. Apart entirely from the fact that 
 but for slavery there would have been no war, slavery doubled 
 the guns against them. Fathers and mothers, of every two 
 guns levelled at your sons slavery fired one. I lifted your 
 sons ; some to bury, some to send home. It was slavery that 
 killed them all. 
 
 I saw, on another day, that same regiment undaunted in 
 the fiercest battle of this continent. One fourth of its number 
 came not out. Its good men, how they fell. One of the 
 noblest, who cared not for his life if victoiy was ours, had 
 come to hate slavery as I do. Of every two guns at Antietam, 
 slavery fired one. I saw countless bleeding men there. 
 Slavery wounded them. I saw countless maimed men. 
 Slavery maimed them. I saw countless dead there. Slavery 
 killed them. 
 
 The product of slave labor doubles every gun the South 
 could without it put into the field. To sustain slavery the 
 South keeps both guns there — without slavery they could 
 keep none there. And shall any man tell me that the system 
 which killed these gallant comrades is one whose continuance, 
 it is his comfort, is sure, whether we succeed before January 
 first, or whether we fail finally, and I not loathe him as I 
 would a snake ? Is Massachusetts svmk so low as to breed 
 such reptiles ? 
 
A VIRGINIA SCHOOLMA'AM. 237 
 
 Therefore, as the South has made slavery the great tost, 
 the great object of this war, — as the only grievance of which 
 the South complained was interference with slavery ; as they 
 call us all abolitionists ; Ave say let that be the test. 
 
 I hope and believe that the President will stand by his Proc- 
 lamation. We never had a doubt of his honesty, his patriot- 
 ism, his conscientious firmness. He will be sustained. The 
 country will sustain. God will help him. 
 
 That it will have no effect is absurd. That the slaves will 
 not hear of it is absurd. That the blacks will rush North is 
 absurd. That the South has feared it as the hardest blow, 
 Southerners have repeatedly told me. 
 
 It is a right step. There is but one more, — universal eman- 
 cipation. I have now but one article of faith on this point : 
 no man can own another ; no, not for a moment. All laws 
 saying he can, are, of right, void. It is only a questiQp of 
 the best way now to treat them as void. But void they are, 
 and cursed with a curse. This is the simple platform on 
 which every man can stand : No man can own another. 
 
 As to this matter of slavery and the Bible, I am reminded 
 of a conversation I once had with a Virginia schoolma'am. 
 She was not of the kind they put in jail ; she taught only 
 white children. She was sound, very sound, and a real 
 hearty, solid Presbyterian, and of a " certain age." But I 
 offended her terribly. 
 
 She attacked me several times quite ferociously. It was a 
 great comfort to her that I had voted against father Abraham, 
 but she concluded I had " fallen from grace." 
 
 " Now," said she, one day, " you abolitionists reject the 
 Bible." 
 
 " Not by any means ! " said I, with great horror. 
 
 " What if the Bible authorized us to hold slaves, wouldn't 
 you reject the Bible ? " 
 

 238 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPllJAN. 
 
 " No, ma'am ! God can authorize it if he chooses," said I. 
 
 " AYell, then," said she, exultingly, " I can convince you itM 
 is right for us to hold slaves." ■ 
 
 " Go on," I replied, " and I'll give it up if you bring 
 Scripture fairly to prove it." 
 
 She got her Bible, and turned instantly, just as if she hai 
 read that place a good deal, to Leviticus xxv. 46., and with 
 forefinger extended, read triumphantly, " They shall be your 
 bondmen forever." " They shall be your bondmen forever ! " 
 
 " There," said she, " does not that settle the question?" 
 
 " What question? " I asked innocently. 
 
 " Why, that we have a right to hold slaves." 
 
 " Well, not quite," said I. " First of all, who are ' they ' ? " 
 
 " The heathen," said she, after reading a little, say the 
 44th verse. 
 
 " X^orrect ; but ' thy brother ' ' waxen poor,' it says, shall be 
 ' as a hired servant,' and shall be free when the jubilee year 
 comes. That's Scripture, isn't it? " 
 
 " Ye-e-s," was the rather reluctant reply. 
 
 " But you have been telling me that the slaves are better 
 off because many of them are converted. You don't think it 
 right, according to Scripture, to keep them as slaves? " 
 
 She was nonplussed. But still, — 
 
 " Well, those not Christians we have a right to hold," said 
 she. 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " They shall be your bondmen forever ! " 
 
 " You remind me," said I, " of the old schoolboy way of 
 proving the duty of hanging one's self, by quoting ' Judas 
 went and hanged himself,' with ' Go thou and do likewise.' " 
 
 Whereat the schoolma'am waxed wroth. 
 
 " This applies to the subject directly," said she. 
 
A VIRGINIA SCHOOLMA'AM. 239 
 
 "What subject?" 
 
 " It proves that it is right to hold slaves." 
 
 " Right for whom to hold slaves ? " 
 
 " Why, for anybody." 
 
 " Not at all, madam. If it proves anything, it proves it 
 was the privilege of the Jeivs. Are you a Jew? " 
 
 She was vexed. 
 
 " If it was right for the Jews, it is right for ns," she said. 
 
 "I don't see that," said I. " I admit that God could au- 
 thorize certain parties to hold slaves ; but it does not follow 
 that others not so authorized have a right to do it. The priv- 
 ilege is limited by the special permission, because contrary 
 to natural right. ShoAv me a provision anywhere from God 
 authorizing the South to do it, and I Avill submit ; but I want 
 the documents ! " 
 
 She began to think I Avas an infidel. But I pacified her 
 by insisting that I believed in the five points of Calvinism 
 clear through. 
 
 Then she laid down again the general principle that what 
 was right for the Jews is right for us. 
 
 " Very well," said I, " Abraham was ordered to sacrifice 
 his only sou. Do you believe it is everybody's duty or priv- 
 ilege now ? " 
 
 She did not ; but that was a peculiar and single case. 
 
 " Very Avell," said I ; " take a general case. Jewish men 
 had several Avives apiece. Am I to understand that you ad- 
 vocate that arrangement now ? Or, is it your idea that slavery 
 is called a ' patriarchal system ' because it comes as near to 
 this arrangement as possible, if I may judge from the color of 
 the slaves hereabouts ? " 
 
 The indignant schoolma'ara Avas filled Avith AA^rath, and I 
 have not dared to argue Avith a Avomau ever since. 
 
240 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE FREDERICKSBURG WINTER. 
 
 Near Sharpsbueg, Md., December 5, 1862. 
 
 " All quiet on the Upper Potomac." Two rebel brigades 
 at Winchester. Constant reconnoissances from Harper's Fer- 
 ry, and more noise about them than is profitable. Waiting 
 for news from Fredericksburg, where the remarkable rapidity 
 of advance shows some hidden strategy. 
 
 So we read the President's message, and ponder over it. 
 And the secretaries' reports, and ponder over them. 
 
 Of the President's message, I am puzzled to say what im- 
 pression it makes. Its honesty, its earnestness, strike us at 
 once. Renewed and strong determination that the South 
 must and shall be conquered, would have suited well, I think. 
 Of the matter of " compensated emancipation," I believe 
 nobody cares. Our way would be to carry out the proclama- 
 tion by force of arms ; hang all men at home who dared to 
 proceed to " give aid or comfort to the enemy ; " and reply to 
 any rebellious cities of Northern rowdies by infantry, cavalry, 
 and artillery. 
 
 But it is a delicate matter to discuss a President's mes- 
 sage, — especially as our assistant surgeon was " dismissed," 
 according to the papers, for " absence without leave," whereas 
 he was not absent a day without leave, although for weeks 
 
THE SANITARY COMMISSION. 241 
 
 prostrated by malarious fever, and placed in charge of a sur- 
 gical ward at Washington while hardly able to walk, — and 
 another officer was " dismissed " after he was dead. 
 
 I began, in former pages, to say something about gifts for 
 the religious and moral improvement of the army, and for 
 general reading. I feel impressed with the need of some 
 public utterance, in view of the sums which the large-hearted 
 friends of soldiers are making. It is due to them that they 
 should be informed of the best methods. They are not alone 
 in this benevolence. I have in my possession a little reli- 
 gious tract, one of a series printed at the South for distribu- 
 tion in the rebel army. I remember also seeing, the morning 
 after the battle of South Mountain, a large number of Testa- 
 ments which had been taken from the bodies of killed or 
 Avounded at the rebel roadside hospital, with letters and other 
 papers. So far as I can learn, the Southern army is quite 
 well supplied with chaplains ; nor has their congress cut down 
 their pay to so low a rate (as ours has) that no man from an 
 expensive place of residence can support his family upon it. 
 
 Of all the organizations which minister to the comfort of the 
 soldier, the Sanitary Commission is, beyond all comparison, 
 the most useful. I think I could point out some evils con- 
 nected with it : I think it has some defects in itself. But it 
 has done, it is doing, a vast amount of good. The expense 
 is great, the waste considerable ; but the work is gi'eat, and 
 would not otherwise be done at all. Its facilities for forward- 
 ing supplies instantly in the emergency, as after the battle of 
 Antietam, form its great excellence in my opinion. Govern- 
 ment could furnish the same necessaries, but while requisitions 
 were going the round of the circumlocution office, a thousand 
 men might die. Government is not much to blame for such 
 slowness : for, a certain amount of formalities is essential to 
 21 
 
242 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 a proper regulation of expenditures. The Sanitary Commis- 
 sion is bound by no such official rovttine, inasmuch as its 
 business is in one board, able to act instantly. Of the dona- 
 tions of the Commission I have seen but little indeed. But 
 the character of the men constituting it is a perfect guar- 
 antee of integrity. 
 
 The recent recommendations of the Commission, as to the 
 sending of articles direct to soldiers, are in the main good. 
 They make the exception of such articles as can be sent by 
 mail, which is also good. Socks, and even boots, come 
 through our mail. When our first colonel was applied to by 
 a benevolent association in Boston and vicinity for informa- 
 tion as to the best articles to send to soldiers, he replied, 
 " The same things that government furnishes, only of better 
 quality." All such save the cost to the soldiers. Our reg- 
 iment is very generally supplied in this way, with excellent 
 eftect. Care is taken to have the boxes sent only when and 
 where Ave are likely to be stationary. A bright official at 
 Hagerstown, indeed, stopped a box of clothing the other day, 
 on the ground of its suspicious appearance, not opening it, 
 but keeping it back for days. It is seldom, however, there 
 are such fools as officials, and such matters come safely. To 
 recommendations to make the Sanitary Commission the sole 
 medium of donations, I advise our friends to pay no atten- 
 tion. The society for the Relief of Massachusetts Soldiers, 
 located at "Washington, is a specialty worthy of support. - 
 
 As to other departments of general benevolence, it is a^ ' 
 little unfortunate, in some respects, that there is a multiplicity 
 of organizations doing substantially the same work. The 
 Christian Commission and the Tract societies occur to me,j 
 besides some minor agencies. The diffi3rent mediums must) 
 of course distract attention in some places. But as they 
 
A CHAPLAIN'S DUTIES. 243 
 
 probably operate on diifereut fields, aud so differ in some 
 particulars of working, perhaps they will not interfere with 
 each other ; and some ground may be occupied which would 
 otherwise be neglected. 
 
 It is to be remembered that chaplains are the author- 
 ized ofiicers charged by government with care for the 
 religious and moral condition of regiments. For post-hos- 
 pitals, other chaplains are appointed specially. There remain, 
 therefore, only the temporary assemblages of sick and 
 wounded after a battle. Even these are cared for by reg- 
 imental chaplains, except when the forces move on, in which 
 case voluntary effort like that of the Christian Commission 
 in its plans (if I understand their plans) is invaluable. Even 
 then, one or two workers, remaining while the temporary 
 hospital remains, are better far than twenty men volunteering 
 for a week or two, to be replaced then by twenty more. 
 There is everything in having a system in such a place ; in 
 knowing the entire ground, and arranging accordingly. If gov- 
 ernment had extra chaplains — as they have surgeons — to be 
 detailed for such special duty, it would be a far better plan 
 than any voluntary organization can supply. Until they do, 
 the efforts of outside friends are at such times indispensable. 
 
 Beyond such extraordinary emergencies, there are some 
 regiments without chaplains, the number of which is, in our 
 vicinity, diminishing. 
 
 But wherever there are chaplains, it should be always 
 remembered that the work is in their care, however great it 
 may be. They will always welcome all suitable help ; but 
 for others to attempt to do their work, is an irregularity which 
 would prove disastrous. In a well-regulated regiment, it 
 would not be allowed ; no more than to allow voluntary sur- 
 geons to prescribe to the sick. If a chaplain tries to do his 
 
244 THE FOTOMAC AJSU THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 duty, he Avill be glad of all help in a legitimate way. If 
 he does not try to do his duty, there is ample field for 
 usefulness in interesting him in his duty. If I remem- 
 ber correctly, Dr. Nettleton once dii-ected a person who 
 came from a particular parish for spiritual advice, to go 
 to his own minister, notwithstanding the fact that that min- 
 ister was uninterested in such cases. The doctor judged that 
 svich a call wovild interest the pastor. The minister was 
 aroused, and with him his whole church ; and vastly more 
 good was accomplished than if Dr. Nettleton had tried to do 
 the pastor's work. If a man wants to work a mill, he Avill 
 do rather better to put water in the boiler, and fire in the 
 furnace, than try to Avork the crank himself. A systematic, 
 kindly visitation of chaplains by a Christian Commission 
 woidd be a capital plan. The idea is novel ; but don't start 
 another society to do it. Come, agents of some old one, and 
 we will be delighted. Come, see just what" we need, — 
 as the agents of the Sanitary Commission do in the sister 
 work, — whose ministrations have saved many a life. Come, 
 and we will tell you what we do and how we do it, and how 
 we are crippled for want of help. Employ some minister of 
 experience, and ripe, genial piety, and send him to visit, in a 
 brotherly way, every chaplain in some one corps ; to see his 
 privations, perhaps, and cheer him Avith Christian fellowship. 
 Gifts — we come to that — are sometimes useless. I have 
 before me a lot of tracts addressed to sellers of ardent spirits ; 
 that business is not carried on by our men. I have had a 
 quantity addressed to distillers ; but we have no distillers. And 
 tracts to Sunday school children on their behavior in Sunday 
 school ; which is of another meridian. And tracts to Sunday 
 school teachers on the preparation of their lessons, or how to 
 greet their classes, and on visiting their pupils ; which is a 
 
INAPPROPRIATE READING. 245 
 
 M'ork adapted to places where there are children. And tracts 
 on dancing ; a fault to which there is little liability, — as I re- 
 member but one instance, and was glad when that took place, 
 — on the ground, closing at tattoo. I could multiply the list, 
 but you have specimens. What do we want of the unsalable 
 lumber taken from cobwebbed shelves of some institution glad 
 to be rid of it — but reckoning it at the usual price in their 
 demands for more contributions ? Or of bundles of worn out 
 Sunday school books ? Or of piles of volumes of some Chris- 
 tian truth adapted to certain states of mind, of which ten cop- 
 ies are enough for a year? Or of tracts attacking Cathol- 
 icism, to distribute which, even by chance, would effectually 
 destroy all influence with many men, even if a chaplain was 
 fool enough to suppose it his business to try to make Protes- 
 tants — which tracts I have carefully put into the fire. 
 
 Again, many bundles of good reading are mere heaps of 
 duplicates of what has already been widely circulated. Soci- 
 eties cannot tell what has been distributed, and they glut the 
 market with some particular work. Or volumes come, to be 
 thrown away the first march. 
 
 Or works which excite only ridicule. For instance, here 
 is a little book entitled " Valuable Hints to Soldiers." It tells 
 what a soldier needs : A " Bible " — no, he doesn't ; he needs 
 
 a Testament. A " cheap portfolio of ; " won't any 
 
 other maker's portfolio do as well? " A filter ; " of which he 
 disengages the tube to smoke through. " Three flannel un- 
 dershirts, ditto shirts, ditto drawers, four or five pairs of 
 woollen socks ! " I wish the man who wrote this had to 
 inarch the miles our men have, with such a load on his back. 
 Then it tells us that the soldier " should never sleep at night 
 in the flannel shirt, draAvers, or socks worn during the day." 
 How, when off on picket duty, one night in two or three? 
 21 * 
 
246 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAX. 
 
 How, when at the close of a march he is too tired to do 
 anything ? " No one should on any account be in wet cloth- 
 ing." Suppose he bivouacs in the rain, as we have over an< 
 over again ? Suppose he changes, and gets out again iinmi 
 diately? "Blankets must be aired in the moi*ning." Oi 
 course, when up before daylight to march on, with just time'' 
 enough to pack one's knapsack. " Soup may be omitted at 
 one dinner, and beef at another." How many courses do 
 soldiers have ? They are glad enough to get one article, even 
 if they get down to green corn, as we all did on the Rap- 
 pahannock. " Never be afraid' of good beef." No, nor of 
 turtle-soup or blanc mange. " An entire meal should never 
 be made of beans." What ivill he eat then, when beans are 
 the only dish. In certain cases "increasing" the quantity 
 " of vegetables." He canH increase it, especially as two 
 thirds of the time in marching he does not have any. Sol- 
 diers laugh at such directions. It may be a very good 
 book, but it doesn't suit the latitude of a regiment that has 
 been out a year and a half. 
 
 Men have an affection for particular publications some- 
 times. I gave an almanac once to one of our officers. He 
 kept it a while, but afterwards told me that it did not seem 
 " quite natural." So I gave him the other one, " the Fam- 
 ily Christian Almanac." " Ah," said he, after looking at it, 
 " this is the one. This is the kind my mother used to read 
 me the stories frorn every Sunday, when I was a boy." And 
 he kept that for many a long mile. 
 
 Now, when people have money they wish to pay for read- 
 ing matter to be sent to a regiment, the best thing to do is 
 this : Write to the chaplain first. Tell him how much 
 money you will spend. If you wish it to go to any particular 
 publishing house, tell him so, and send the catalogue of their 
 
 I 
 
HOW TO _S£ND TO THE ARMY. 247 
 
 publications. Ask him to say if he has any choice ; what he 
 can use to the best advantage. You will thereby avoid send- 
 ing useless matter or heaps of works already distributed. If 
 you have a particular fancy for sending some one book, men- 
 tion it. The chaplain will be glad enough to reply. Then 
 send the publications — paying express charges, in which, 
 from an expensive experience, I have a feeling interest. And 
 remember that some of the best minds of the whole land are 
 in the army; that there are educated men in the ranks as 
 privates ; that soldiers are men of common sense. In read- 
 ing some of the books got up for soldiers, I am reminded of a 
 good brother, who, happening to preach at the Mai'iner's 
 Church in Boston, got along very well, until, in describing a 
 storm in the middle of the Atlantic, asked, when attention 
 was intent, "What would you do?" and himself replied, 
 " You'd instantly let go the anchor ! " Just as many occa- 
 sional preachers think they must " talk sailor " to sailors, so 
 many writers "talk soldier" to soldiers, with as much ac- 
 curacy as letting go the anchor ■where the water is any num- 
 ber of mUes deep. I am aware that I didn't know an 
 adjutant from a company cook eighteen months ago, l)ut the 
 books are just as ridiculous where men do know ; just as that 
 most excellent book, the " Life of Adjutant Stearns," which 
 I have read with the deepest liking, has one rank for him in 
 the volume, and another on the shoulder-straps in the like- 
 ness, — a very slight matter in a volume of such touching 
 interest, and so admirably wi'itten. Such a book soldiers 
 will read.* 
 
 If any one wants to feel sm-e that what he gives for 
 reading will be used, let him subscribe for such number as he 
 
 * Of later publications, there is one, the most touching, most beautiful 
 little book possible. It is " The Sergeant's Memorial." 
 
248 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 pleases of some good religious newspaper, which he canfl 
 usually get at half the usual rates, and have the copies mailed 
 dii'eet to the chaplain for distribution. These will be read 
 eagerly. For myself, I never have a quarter enough. "With 
 the Christian Banner, I never get over one third through the 
 regiment. I have had copies of various papers, religious and 
 secular ; some donors have become weary in well doing, for 
 which I am sorry. It is the readiest and steadiest way of 
 supplying good reading matter. 
 
 i 
 
 Fairfax Station, Va., December 15, 1862. 
 
 Suddenly we were turned out of our anticipated quarters. 
 We were tumbled into the " winter campaign." We did not 
 know of the movements on the Rappahannock, but we were 
 modestly satisfied that if anything was to be accomplished 
 they would want us. 
 
 We had built huts. Some had log-houses. The surgeon 
 and myself were building an elegant log-cottage. We were 
 satisfied that the capacities of logs for oi-namental building 
 had not been developed, and we intended a model. Our logs 
 were straight. They lay close. The corners went up verti- 
 cally. We had the foundation of an elegant stone fireplace, 
 — already having a brick one. 
 
 But on Tuesday afternoon orders came. So on Wednes- 
 day morning we started. Our house was left. For no fault ; 
 the owner, being about to leave town, had no further use for 
 it. Camp was hardly left, when the place swarmed with 
 people to search for goods. A deserted camp is wealth to 
 many a Marylander. 
 
 We were ordered to be at Antietam Iron Works at nine 
 
WINTER CAMPAIGNING. 249 
 
 A. M., a mile and a half from camp. We were there ten 
 minutes early. At fifteen minutes past, sm orderly came with 
 a document certifying that we need not be at the iron works 
 until noon, — which was very comforting, considering that we 
 were there, and had only three hours to wait on a cold morn- 
 ing. The change was made — too late — because other regi- 
 ments had miles to move, and the Third "Wisconsin had not 
 had orders at all at nine o'clock. Was the fact kno^vn the 
 night before — that the other regiments could not possibly be 
 there until twelve M. ? Of course, but what matters it that the 
 soldiers must have reveille at four A. M., leave a comfortable 
 camp in winter, and lay three hours uselessly in the road ? 
 
 Twelve o'clock came, and one, and half-past one ; and then 
 we moved on. We had studied the history of the dilapidated 
 iron works, — disused four or five years since, — whose pig- 
 iron, accumulating at Harper's Ferry, had repaired the ford 
 there. We had inspected a capital stone bridge, and an 
 arched channel for the canal. And the men snow-balled. 
 
 About five P. M. we went into a light Avood about five miles 
 from Harper's Fei'ry for a bivouac ; built our fires ; made ex- 
 cellent t)eds by piling on the snow some cornstalks, and topping 
 off" with pine branches ; and, Avrapped in blankets, slept well. 
 
 Reveille at half past three, to start at five. Orders came 
 at half past six. What mattered it that we were deprived 
 of an hour and a half's sleep, uselessly? 
 
 The horses slipped badly on the icy roads, and we had to 
 " wait for the wagon." Early we were at Harper's Ferry, 
 and crossed into Virginia for the fourth time. Three times 
 driven out — the fourth should be a better advance. The 
 pontoons passed over the Potomac, and over the Shenandoah, 
 into Loudon county, round the base of Loudon Heights, up 
 the hill skirting the eastern side of the heights, and resting 
 
250 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 in a field whose fences fell suddenly. Out came the owner ; 
 he tried to stop it, but in vain. Then he came to the com- 
 mander : " Your men are taking my fences." " Yes." " Isn't 
 it hard," said he, excitedly, "for me to lose my fences?" 
 " Yes," said our sensible commander, " but it would be a 
 good deal harder for my men to be cold. Government will 
 pay you." 
 
 So we Avaited five or six hours. Then we were ordered to 
 move, — which resulted in several rods. Then a halt of 
 half an hour, in the road, waiting for orders, which started 
 several regiments but did not reach the regiment next before 
 us. That regiment finally started without orders, and as our 
 business was to follow them, Ave folloAved. Soon it was dark, 
 but Ave kept on — on — through half frozen brooks, half 
 frozen mud, over rocks and ruts, for several hours of dark- 
 ness, and then bivouacked. We had very gloomy vicAvs of 
 public affairs, until after supper, Avhen, Avith good fires, we 
 became altogether more hopeful. Orion Avatched us going 
 to sleep. Wliat mattered it that we had Avaited hours in the 
 middle of the day, and stumbled on in the darkness ? 
 
 Reveille at three A. M. ; to be ready to move at half past 
 four. "We were ready, and of course waited imtil half past 
 one. Then, orders to fall in ; in less than five minutes, 
 orders not to fall in ; in five minutes more, orders again to 
 fall in, — Avhereupou our commander sent a lieutenant to 
 ascertain AAdiich order was tlie one ; " the last," and Ave Avent 
 on. We had Avaited because " the brigade train was not 
 up ; " but ours was up close, and the man responsible for the 
 other ought to be broke, — only, what matters it that soldiers 
 are up at three A. M., and wait ten hours needlessly? 
 
 Through the pretty little stone-built hamlet of Hillsborough, 
 which is beautifully located in a cleft of the " Short Hills,'* 
 
WINTER CAMPAIGNING. 251 
 
 and a mile on. Then, some guerillas, only half an hour 
 before we reached that point, had daringly captured a wagon. 
 A party of cavalry trotted off and recaptured it, and we went 
 on, having waited only two hours, which would take three 
 of horrible stumbling with sore-footed men over a wet, rocky 
 road at night. Three miles from Leesburg we bivouacked, 
 on the western slope of the Kittoctan. What mattered it 
 that two hours of daylight had been wasted ? 
 
 The first day we had made six miles ; the second, fourteen 
 and a half ; the third, ten and a half. 
 
 The fourth day reveille at four ; to start at half past 
 five. At half past, a message not to fall in immediately, 
 as the brigade would not start as early as expected. The 
 orderly could not help smiling, respectfully, as he delivered 
 the order, We did start, to our astonishment, at half past 
 six ; climbed the Kittoctans, Avound round the height still 
 crowned with a former rebel earthwork, passed through the 
 shabby Leesburg, — which has one pretty house, Avhich I 
 thought I recognized as copied from a plan and view in 
 Godey's Ladies' Book ; saw lots of fellows who we knew 
 would mount as guerrillas as soon as Ave Avere gone ; and 
 reached Gum Spring, a " shoddy" A'illage of nine houses, a 
 spring (whether " gum" or not I don't knoAv), and a churcli, 
 probably Dunker, Tunker, Dunkard, or Tunkard, Avhether 
 these names denote one, tAA^o, three, or four denominations, I 
 ; don't know ; reached the turnpike to Fairfax — turned into a 
 wood ; found a good wood ; discovered stkaav, and had glo- 
 rious beds in front of splendid log fires ; having accom- 
 plished seventeen miles and a half. Wagons attacked in the 
 rear ; guerillas beaten off. 
 
 Reveille at four o'clock, to start at five. Fancy our intense 
 astonishment Avhen Ave found that the foremost regiment 
 
252 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 actually took the road at that hour ! It seemed like the old 
 times when our own Brigadier-General Gordon (now sick) 
 Avas with us. Trains were up also, — Avhich reminded us 
 of the same commander, who would have dressed down 
 somebody handsomely for such delays and hitches as hae 
 disgusted us for the several days gone, — only such delays 
 don't often occur where he is. Nor will we be bored by the 
 yellings of some of our neighbors when he gets back. 
 
 Next day was pleasant. Indeed all were good marching* 
 days, if decently used. Saturday threatened to be wet, but 
 the storm was " postponed on account of the Aveather." Sun- 
 day morning we overtook the bulk of the corps, which had 
 a day's start of us, and we entered Fairfax (Court-House) in 
 the afternoon. There we learned, indefinitely, of the fight 
 at Fredericksburg. But no newspapers, no really satisfying 
 news. 
 
 Fairfax is in a terribly injured condition. Roads cut up. 
 Ditches everywhere. We left it, over a most horrible cordu- 
 roy road, for Fairfax Station, five miles away. That road I 
 traversed, with sick, last summer, when it Avas a smooth, Avell- 
 fenced, well-shaded, pretty road. Now it is a corduroy, 
 fences gone, wood cut down. Only one fence remains -7- that 
 around a graveyard, which stands entire, though large armies 
 have camped all around and passed on. Near Fairfax Sta- 
 tion we bivouacked in a pine wood, where trees are lying in 
 every direction, utterly defying order. And we sleep very 
 sound. Rations are, however, given out at night, which were 
 needed. Before leaving Sharpsburg, there had actually been 
 delivered flour ^ for a march ! It reminded us of the night 
 before the battle of Antietam, when for the first time for a 
 long while the coffee was sent to us in the berry, to men with- 
 out the possibility of burning and grinding it, and who were 
 
THE AMBULANCE SYSTEM. 253 
 
 to go into battle next morning. On this march, too, we had 
 to pick up forage for horses as best we coukl, although en- 
 titled to a supply. It is not strange, of course, on a march, 
 and nobody could complain. It was Avorse when, in camp, 
 receipts had to be given for two hundred and five pounds, 
 while the actual weight was one hundred and sixty. Don't 
 think I blame the government for such hitches — as to flour, 
 coffee, or forage ; there never was a government which lav- 
 ished so much on its armies, or which was more ready to 
 punish fraud or incompetency ; but some of its intermediate 
 officials are — well, not angels. 
 
 We had a new illustration, in this movement, of the friction 
 of the new ambulance arrangement. It was necessary to 
 * send all the sick to the Smoketown hospital before starting. 
 The senior medical officer of the brigade made a requisition 
 for ambulances. It was not answered until next day. Men 
 got sick on the road ; we had one ; no ambulances within 
 nine miles. Om* surgeon had to put him in a house and leave 
 him, but he was, fortunately, brought on afterwards. The 
 officer in charge of the brigade ambulance train is under 
 nobody's orders except the medical director. Our medical 
 dii-ector at Sharpsbiu'g was eleven miles off. Have a brigade 
 train, but let the regiments have each three or four ambu- 
 lances, subject to the colonel's orders, in care of the surgeon. 
 On the march of Saturday they had to come down a little, 
 and gave each regiment one.* 
 
 There is fault in some hospitals, I know, for I have visited 
 them much, and have acted as chaplain temporarily by request 
 of a major-general. I know that coffee (Avithout milk) and 
 bread for breakfast ; bread, boiled potatoes, and boiled meat 
 
 * Time remedied the friction of the new system. It soon came to work 
 well, with some modifications. 
 
 22 
 
254 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 meat for dinner ; and coffee and bread for supper, are not pre- 
 cisely the suitable diet for men just able to sit up ; particular- 
 ly when government allows most liberally for support — means 
 to purchase milk, eggs, chickens, &c., being at hand, besides 
 such portions of the army ration as may be asked for — rice, 
 molasses, vegetables, &c. I was told, a day or two since, by 
 a chaplain of high character, of a hospital he had often vis- 
 ited lately, for which chickens and the like are paid for by 
 government, but he could never find a patient who had seen 
 them. 
 
 The root of the evil is the "military command" of those 
 in charge. Sick men should be treated as such in hospitals, 
 not as mere soldiers.* 
 
 I am afraid I am grumbling, but I do not mean to. Indeed, • 
 I presume that the majority of the hospitals are well man- 
 aged. I have seen most excellent ones. At Frederick, the 
 one organized by our present surgeon was admirably con- 
 ducted. But at Sharpsburg, the surgeon in charge (whether 
 subordinate or not I don't know) of one building showed him- 
 self a pig, and a brutal pig at that. A fierce " I order ! " 
 was his natural grunt. He absolutely refused a sick man, left 
 there one night by his comrades through mistake, bed, supper, 
 breakfast, nurse, or medicines, though entreated by a surgeon 
 who had a heart — the man being low with typhoid fever. 
 But such swine are rare ; I never saw but one who was his 
 equal — the pompous pig at Antietam. 
 
 Still on our march. 
 
 * The Austrian system of putting the military charge of hospitals into tB 
 hands of a military officer, and giving the surgeon only his proper work, has,'' 
 I think, been tried. I know that many surgeons desired it. It relieves the 
 evil of making the medical attendant a military commander. 
 
WINTER CAMPAIGNING. 255 
 
 Faiufax Station, Va., December 18, 1862. 
 
 Though dating from the same place as at last writing, we 
 have not been here in the intermediate time. 
 
 On Monday we left the Station. Reveille was at five 
 A. M., but as we Avere the rear regiment, to guard the brig- 
 ade supply train, we had to wait until the train came in with 
 supplies to be loaded into wagons. It was therefore near two 
 P. M. before we started. The last previous regiment had over 
 five hours' start, but at Occoquan Creek it was but an horn' 
 ahead. 
 
 But such a road ! Mud, ruts, cordviroy, holes, — such a 
 mixture was never known to me before. A mile and a half 
 an hour was handsome progress. About sunset we reached 
 the Occoquan, which we had forded a few miles above, last 
 August ; forded it anew six miles and a half from Fairfax 
 Station ; climbed the opposite hills, still crowned with last 
 winter's rebel earthworks ; moved on a mile, and bivouacked 
 in a tangled wood. 
 
 The stars cheated us. The clear sky promised fair weather. 
 But toward morning it rained ; it blew ; it poured. We 
 pulled our rubber blankets over us, and went to sleep again. 
 Reveille at five, in a cold, drenching rain. The men stood it 
 good-naturedly, however. At seven we moved on, one regi- 
 ment in advance. 
 
 The roads the day before were the Avorst possible. That 
 day they beat possibility. Mud, mud, mud. The road was 
 ascertained to be fordable in several places, however ; but 
 men who could not swim staid on the banks. By noon the 
 column had made three miles, but it took till night for the 
 wagons to get so far. At noon orders came from belo\? to 
 halt, — nobody knew why. The halt was turned into camp. 
 
2ot) THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAK. 
 
 which means, on the march, building fires, and sitting down 
 on the gi'ound. The Avind blew the clouds off, and it came 
 warmer too. We had luxurious quarters — we did. A 
 young pine thicket, with the interior cut out and the walls 
 thickened up with pine branches ; a bed of pine boughs fit for 
 a king, and a huge fire in front. There we slept, five of us 
 in one enclosure, soundly. 
 
 Up at five again. Two days' cooked rations in haversacks. 
 Soon on the road — for Dumfries ? No, northward ! Then 
 we knew that fifteen hundred rebel cavalry, and nobody knew 
 how many infantry, were at Brentsville, threatening Fairfax 
 Station, and our division was to march back to defend that 
 depot of rations. So we did, yesterday, nine miles and a half. 
 Nothing special occurred save a snow squall, — and a little 
 trouble by reason of a brigade running up to us, and trying to 
 get ahead of us, as we were oi'dered to bring up the rear of 
 ours next behind the wagons. I did not knoAv who the officer 
 was that made the trouble, but he showed importance enough 
 to be lieutenant-general, at least, if not President of the United 
 States. 
 
 It seems to us very queer that a whole division should be 
 sent back merely to guard Fairfax Station, a place of no con- 
 sequence except from its deposit of rations — two thirds of 
 which are kept in cars for fear of accidents. Needed so 
 much elsewhere, it looks strange to see our armies scattered 
 in petty service. So we suppose it presages a general back- 
 ward movement. 
 
 The defeat at Fredericksburg we now learn of mth sad- 
 ness. The papers do not say " defeat," but what else is it, 
 where the army, having crossed the Rappahannock, is three 
 times repulsed in its attempt to carry the enemy's works, — 
 repulsed with terrible loss, — retires across the river in a 
 
 « 
 
WINTER CAMPAIGNING. 257 
 
 dark and rainy night, and pulls back all its pontoons to de- 
 stroy communication ? It is simple defeat — that is all. Call 
 it so. Look at it as it is. Give the rebels credit for using, 
 in fortifying, the time in which our army lay quiet in front 
 of Fredericksburg. Their army is no braver than ours. 
 They are miserably deficient in supplies of which we have 
 abundance. They are no hetter armed, have no more nor 
 hetter artillery ; but our only late success is Antietam. 
 
 Eight days we have been on the road. The weather has 
 generally been wonderfully favorable for this season. But 
 we have had cold and wet, toil and sleepless hours. We try 
 the winter campaign under pleasant circumstances, and we 
 do it cheerfully. But we often wish that the wise people at 
 home, demanding a winter campaign as they sit by their com- 
 fortable firesides, with their' well cooked food to eat, their 
 warm beds to sleep in when they are tired of urging on the 
 army — could try a week of march and bivouac even before 
 the snows come. We are willing to do what is needful ; but, 
 wise men, let those control the campaign who know enough 
 to do it. 
 
 Yet I do not wonder that civilians are astonished at the 
 results of this war. Who is not ? With such an army, so 
 large, so brave, always equal, in an open fight, to Southerners, 
 man for man, it is humiliating to see such failmes. 
 
 Fairfax Station, Va., December 24, 1862. 
 
 A "WEEK ago it was said to our commander, as we were 
 
 halted in the road, " Put your regiment into the Avood, stack 
 
 arms, and wait for orders." So it was done, and we have 
 
 been Avaiting ever since. Waited so long, indeed, that we are 
 
 22 * 
 
258 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 about to begin the building of huts, to be made of the small, 
 straight pines which are plenty hereabouts. The weather 
 has been remarkably pleasant for the week past, and little 
 real suffei'ing has been endured. 
 
 In the mean time we tender our heartiest sympathies to the 
 Massachusetts men at East New York, on account of their 
 exposure. We read that " the men have passed the last two 
 nights in barracks and tents, sleeping on straw, Avithout any 
 stoves to take the keen edge from the air." Poor fellows ! 
 No stoves ! The " keen edge from the air ! " How could 
 they survive ! For the eight days, of which the two Avere a 
 part, we were marching into the darkness, in bivouac at 
 night, with neither barrack nor tent, rarely ever seeing a 
 wisp of straw, and on part rations ; in cold, in wet ; eating 
 our dinner in the air when the water in one's cup actually 
 " skimmed over" with thin ice between two drinkings at the 
 same meal. Poor men at East New York ! " Barracks and 
 tents ! " " Straw ! " Why didn't they board at the Astor? 
 or, say the Fifth Avenue, which is thought to be a tolerable 
 hotel ? A sad thought strikes me ; have they been furnished 
 yet with umbrellas, or rubber shoes, or parasols for warm 
 days ? have arrangements been made for hau* mattresses, or 
 feather beds? are they provided with hair oil, and pier 
 glasses? with cologne and hair-dye? These things should 
 be looked into immediately, immediately ! 
 
 These remarks are exclusive of aU reference to their ra- 
 tions, which were doubtless vUlanous. But what say you to 
 short rations, to a regiment within two hundred rods of a 
 commissary's post, on a railroad, eighteen miles from Alex- 
 andria ? Short rations in spite of the utmost efforts of the 
 regimental officers ? So it has been. The ration prescribed 
 by law is not given. The old rule, that rations not drawn 
 
MY POLITICS. 259 
 
 should be credited to " compauy funds," so that needful 
 articles might be purchased, was revoked last February for 
 men in the field.* And, still worse, no back rations can be 
 drawn at all. That is, if a commissary is unable, on some 
 day, or too lazy, to furnish the ration which the men are 
 entitled to, they lose it forever. If a sudden movement is 
 ordered, and an article like flour is on hand, which is useless 
 on a march, they must go hungry, although there may be 
 thousands of dollars worth not drawn. The fact is, the 
 ration guaranteed by law is large ; but whether the men get it 
 depends on some commissary's Avhim entirely. Of course, in 
 such circumstances as those of the Rappahannock campaign 
 of last summer, imavoidable hitches may occur. But, with 
 communications all open, in the very vicinity of Washington, 
 with government furnishing most liberally, — the men who 
 Avill let soldiers go hungry are scoundrels, if not swindlers. 
 
 For the present our corps forms part of the reserve. Gen- 
 eral Sigel's grand division. We believe in General Sigel, too. 
 I do not believe that any important movement will take place 
 immediately. It always takes time, I have noticed, after 
 every failure, to get ready for another enterprise. But the 
 delay cannot be long. The country demands action. The 
 cabinet crisis of course disturbed all plans ; its passing away 
 restores possibilities. The army, I believe, would have been 
 glad of a reconstruction, but not in the direction things Avere 
 tending. 
 
 I have had two letters attacking my politics. They want 
 to know what party I belong to. They say I believe in a 
 general Avho is Democratic, and in emancipation, which is 
 Republican. Bosh ! I do not " belong to " any party. They 
 never bought me, and o£ course I don't " belong to " either. 
 
 * So it was said then ; but I now think that the ration money is still cred- 
 ited. 
 
2G0 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 I always vote. It is a duty. I never had the good fortune 
 to vote for a successful candidate for Congress but once ; and 
 I wish I hadn't done it, for he said in Congress the other 
 day, that the " old Federalist party was as honest and patri- 
 otic a party as ever existed." I sori'ow over a vote for an 
 old Federalist ! But it was done " ignorantly and in un- 
 belief." 
 
 I believe in Union, first, last, and forever. I judge of a 
 general by no party predilections. I judge of measures by 
 their need for the restoration of the Union. Slavery is now 
 to me the greatest obstacle to the perpetuity of our govern- 
 ment. The President cannot abolish slavery, but the Pres- 
 ident has, I believe, just as much right to seize slave prop- 
 erty as he has to seize horse property. He claims no right 
 to abolish slavery, but merely to seize slave property, — 
 which is a marked distinction. I could not support the ad- 
 ministration in anything I believed unconstitutional. I can 
 support it in what the commander-in-chief does as a soldier. 
 He wishes to deprive the rebels of their strength ; freeing 
 their slaves will do it. The regeneration of Southern society 
 is another matter, something beyond present duty, something 
 whose devising may appall the wisest man. 
 
 Party is the bane of this contest. Party ! I remember a 
 good church-member in New Hampshire, sound and ortho- 
 dox, who said he " would vote for the devil, if he was on 
 the Whig ticket." That's party. I would vote for a pair 
 of Andrew Jackson's old boots. That's not party, that's 
 patriotism ! 
 
 Why need there have been these present dissensions ? How 
 glad we were, after Sumter, to see all party lines obliterated 
 in love to the Flag ! I remember how, that Monday morn- 
 ing, very early, I took up the familiar Boston Post with a lit- 
 
TRUE PATRIOTISM. 261 
 
 tie trembling. I was rebuked. There was the Flag. My 
 hat flew up to the ceiling, to the intense astonishment of sev- 
 eral grave people. There was the true ring in that Post. 
 There has been, ever since, tx'ue patriotism, though I differ 
 from it as to some measures. I have read it much, and find 
 no factious opposition to the administration. So I read 
 Republican papers. I find true patriotism. Why need they 
 quarrel ? Why were partisans allowed to renew party lines ? 
 Why were calls issued for mere party conventions? Why 
 was it deemed " necessary to preserve the party organiza- 
 tions," when, if either old party had held aloof, the war 
 could not have gone on a month? Why exclude one party 
 from the pettiest town offices ? When I Avas at home — 
 after Antietam — it seemed to me as if madness had seized 
 many people. Men calling others " traitors ; " men fighting 
 their neighbors, when they had better been handling a musket 
 in Virginia. I was grieved and sick at heart. 
 
 The Democratic party is not, with few exceptions, going 
 to favor rebels. It will prosecvxte the war in earnest. It 
 will not hamper the President, much less his generals. The 
 Republican party, with few exceptions, are in favor of carry- 
 ing on the war. Let it not hamper the generals. " The 
 Republican party, with few exceptions ? " Yes, there are 
 exceptions. It is well known in some circles that there are 
 some prominent Republicans Avho regard the war as a mere 
 question of boundaries, nothing else. 
 
 Fairfax Station, Va., January 2, 1863. 
 Two things : How we met the enemy at the Occoquan ; 
 and how I went to the President's reception on New Year's. 
 
262 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 News came on Saturday last that the rebels had taken 
 Dumfries. We could hear heavy artillery in that direction. 
 We afterward learned — on the road — that the enemy had 
 captured three regiments at Dumfries,. and also two pieces 
 of artillery. Of the artillery loss, there could be no doubt, 
 for we were told by men of the same battery. The stories 
 were true, except that the enemy had not taken Dumfries, 
 nor any regiments, nor the artillery. 
 
 But, on Saturday night, an orderly (one always reminds 
 me of the printer's devil), brought commands to be ready to 
 move at any moment, in light marching order. " Light 
 marching order" meant — no knapsacks, but three days' 
 rations in haversacks, and thirty rounds of ammunition per 
 man. The Avhole corps was under the same orders. So we 
 packed up, in case of accidents while we might be gone ; 
 but, knowing the indefiniteness of " a moment's notice," went 
 to bed — or our substitute for bed — as usual. It was wise. 
 In more juvenile campaigning, we should have kept awake. 
 As it was, we slept all night, had a breakfast, and were on 
 the road in less than ten minutes after the order came to 
 " fall in," and so lost our Sunday service. 
 
 Six miles and a half to the Occoquan, over the road trav- 
 elled and retraced a week or two before. The road had 
 greatly improved, however, and artillery and the extra wagons 
 with forage, moved steadily along. Wolf Run Shoals reached 
 — a halt. Then came an orderly to the division commander, 
 with tidings. " Cavalry of the rebels had attacked Dumfries, 
 but had been driven off." " They were passing up toward 
 Fairfax Station." " They had occupied Fairfax Station, and 
 captured our camp, and paroled the gviards." It seemed so 
 good a joke that the rebels had gone round and taken a camp 
 and baggage just left, that roars of laughter were heard on 
 
OCCOQUAN RIVER. 263 
 
 all sides, wliich would break out anew every few minutes. 
 When, however, reflection recalled the various items in our 
 baggage, we didn't see the joke. And gladly did we learn 
 about nine P. M. that the rebels had not captured the station, 
 but were only approaching it, while our men left there were 
 fighting bravely, though steadily being driven back by the 
 superior force of the enemy. By and by we learned that 
 the enemy had not attacked our force there, but if they did, 
 as was evidently their purpose, our men xoould be driven 
 back. Still later, it was ascertained that the enemy did not 
 appear to intend an attack there, but Avere several miles 
 another way. And still later next morning — the rebels had 
 gone by way of Burke's Station, four miles above Fairfax 
 Station — and passed out of our regions. 
 
 And that was how we met the enemy at Occoquan River. 
 
 But it was a very pleasant sight — that of a whole division 
 on the two sides of the river. One brigade had been sent 
 back on the first tidings, but all the rest remained. Some 
 lovely pieces of artillery, Napoleon guns, marked " Revere 
 Copper Company," were put in position. And we bivouacked 
 in the beautiful starlight. There are no such pyrotechnics 
 as a feAV thousand bivouac fires. I went once to see the fire- 
 works on Boston Common, of a fourth of July ; but, pshaw ! 
 they do not compare for a moment with bivouac fires — 
 particularly in a night of thin mist. One night there, how- 
 ever, was clear and cool. When we woke in the morning, 
 the water in our canteens was solid ice. 
 
 In the forenoon we were ordered back. It took one hour 
 and fifty minutes to reach camp — six mUes and a half. It 
 seemed like getting home to reach camp again. They had 
 been somewhat alarmed ; wagons were packed, for precau- 
 tion's sake, and things generally made ready to move. At 
 
264 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Burke's Station the railroad had been torn up — only to be 
 replaced in a few hours ; the telegraph Avire cut — after Stu- 
 art, the humorous rebel, had telegraphed to Washington that 
 the last lot of mules was not satisfactory, and he wanted 
 better next time ; and then he had escaped. Mules ! He 
 ought to be satisfied with some of the mules in our army. 
 
 I went to Washington. Not to attend the President's re- 
 ception, for I had forgotten they had such things, but to do 
 divers errands, regimental and personal. One was, to see if 
 the paymaster had frozen up — that worthy having last paid 
 us up to June 30, while some of our men's families were 
 actually suffering at home. I wonder if the paymasters have 
 been paid themselves in that time ; or the clerks in the Treas- 
 ury or War Office, &c., &c.^ &c. 
 
 The railroad to Alexandria is in good order, run as a gov- 
 ernment road. So, having leave of absence, I got transpor- 
 tation to Alexandria ; showed my pass at the Ferry, which 
 convinced the officials that I did not intend to capture Wash- 
 ington ; hurried about divers errands ; found where the trouble 
 was with our mails ; had a shrewd suspicion that the army 
 would be paid so soon as their clamors brought about some 
 new legislation ; and I went to bed. To bed ! None of your 
 piles of straw ! In a hotel ! None of your bivouacs ! But 
 somehow, I did not sleep much. It seemed unnatural. There 
 was no tattoo — so barbarous are they in our Capital ; no 
 reveille, even. 
 
 At Washington City they have evils, such as paved side- 
 walks, which soon tire one. All sorts of lies were posted 
 on all sorts of stores, about the " best goods in to^vn," the 
 " cheapest store in the city," and all that. Young boot-blacks, 
 with a trap made of a raisin box, wanted to " Black yer boots ! 
 Make 'em shine ! " Newsboye and apple women abounded. 
 
OFFICERS AT WASHINGTON. 265 
 
 Everybody wanted to sell something ; and being "just from 
 the country," I was afraid of city snares. 
 
 But the President's reception was to come off January 
 1st, — for the public at twelve M ; for officers of the army 
 and nav^ at half past eleven A, M. Of course I preferred 
 the more quiet half past eleven, and the column to be led by 
 the general-iu-chief. Thereby one gets rid of the rush. You 
 see they grade things here. The ambassadors went earlier 
 stiU. It is as somebody said — David Crockett, I think — 
 about dining ; common people dine at twelve ; common clerks 
 in departments at one P. M. ; head clerks at two ; represent- 
 atives at three ; heads of departments at four ; senators at 
 five ; ambassadors at six ; and the President — he doesn't 
 dine till the next day. 
 
 Of course the rush was great — of officers. Even the 
 fossiliferous strata were uptm-ned. Plenty of gay staff officers 
 are in Washington, crowds of doctors — I beg pardon, army 
 surgeons — and several visitors. I had a little repugnance 
 to helping swell the throng ; so did the officers with me. 
 Still, as to the great many officers in Washington, there is a 
 deal of humbug. At the time of the Fredericksburg battle, 
 some New York paper says, a hundred officers were about 
 Willard's. Well, what of it? Willard's is the news rendez- 
 vous. Consider how easily a hundred, interested to read the 
 bulletin there, could assemble. First, the general-in-chief is 
 in Washington, and he has a staff, necessarily. Secondly, 
 the quartermaster-general, the adjutant-general, the military 
 governor, the paymaster-general, and tlie surgeon-general, 
 have each a staff. Third, what military force there is in the 
 city has officers. Fourthly, there is a multitude of surgeons, 
 easily mistaken for army officers, as they wear uniforms. 
 Add to these the convalescent officers just able to move 
 23 
 
266 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 about, and you have hundreds necessarily in Washington. Of 
 course the display of epaulets was great. 
 
 In the forenoon I went to the " Soldier's Free Library " 
 in Fifth Street, under the care of John A. Fowle, Esq. He 
 has accumulated, mainly from Massachusetts help, about or 
 over two thousand five hundred volumes, excellently selected. 
 I am glad to say that many came from Jamaica Plain, and 
 many from Dorchester. The soldiers in hospital have the 
 free use of the library, Avhich is open daily. An inspection 
 of the entry book will show astonishing results as to the 
 number and character of the books taken. For the first 
 time, novels are rejected by the borroAvers. 
 
 On New Year's the room Avas open all day. Coffee, cake, 
 fruit, «fec., Avas furnished freely to all soldiers, Avith a little 
 present of some books and papers, and Testament (Avhere 
 needed), to each. The crowd was dense and continuous, and 
 the poor fellows seemed happy. " This is the most like home 
 of anything yet," I heard one man say. " Yes," responded 
 the others. One of the assistants Avas a most excellent lady 
 from Dorchester, who took a journey to be present. God 
 blessed her in the gratitude of the soldiers. 
 
 Among other gifts was a shirt made by a little girl. The 
 soldiers cheered her again and again. Some of them looked 
 at it and at her picture as if they had little girls at home, 
 and it did them good. I copied the writing attached : 
 
 " The Little Fingers of Alice Heath, 
 
 Of Bunker Hill, 
 
 Charlestown, Mass., 
 
 Aged 4^ years, sewed every stitch in this shirt. 
 
 She loves the Soldiers." 
 
 Over two thousand men came there, and the soldiers felt] 
 better, New Year's, for looking at her Avork — as Avell as the 
 
UPHOLD THE PRESIDENT. 267 
 
 pictures aud other things provided to make the room cheerful. 
 That soldier's free library is a good thing. I have examined 
 and know. 
 
 As to how the President looked at the reception, and what 
 he said — I almost forgot to say — that I did not attend the 
 reception. 
 
 But that evening I read the honest, manly, earnest procla- 
 mation of freedom ; and, apart from the object — the manner 
 in which that object was framed into exjjression has increased 
 my respect for its author a hundred fold. Who can read it 
 without feeling that the writer is a noble man ? So unlike 
 Davis's tissue of lies and bombast — so simple, so direct, so 
 devout. Every man who believes in freedom must do every- 
 thing in his power to uphold the hands of the President. 
 
 Fairfax Station, Va., Janiiary 8, 1863. 
 
 There is no change in our position, barring some re-ar- 
 rangements of picket duty. Our own regiment has moved 
 into log houses, except that the field aud staff are not yet 
 furnished. 
 
 Last Sunday I had hoped that we could have public wor- 
 ship. The Sabbath before we had been away on a march 
 to the Occoquan. The weather on the last Sabbath was 
 beautiful, but, alas ! there came an order for a corps review. 
 General Slocum reviewed his command. It occupied most 
 of the day, but I cannot describe it, for I did not attend. It 
 was a matter for regret, that, when work on the new log vil- 
 lage had been suspended till Monday by our commander, a 
 review should usurp the sacred time which a soldier needs 
 for both bodily and spiritual help. I had purposed a prayer 
 
268 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 meeting in llie evening ; but a sliower nullified the plan. 
 Such are the frequent obstacles to plans for good. 
 
 I tried at Washington to obtain a new supply of reading 
 matter, to secure which was a main part of my errand there 
 a week ago. But I failed utterly. Now, I receive the Avel- 
 come tidings that a box of well-selected pviblications is on its 
 way. I am more than glad ; I am grateful. A winter camp 
 with no books, few papers, is a dull place. I have many 
 calls for them, but no supply. A supply could have been ac- 
 cumulated, but no transportation coidd be afforded. So, 
 small and frequent bimdles are the only useful ones. 
 
 Still there are many men who read their Testaments, many 
 with Prayer-books. I have seen this, in repeated cases, ha- 
 bitual. Some of these books are much worn. Many of them 
 are gifts of mothers, whose prayers doubtless ascend contin- 
 ually. One which I yet use was a father's gift the night 
 before leaving home for college. So Avell I remember the 
 evening that I always think that every other gift Bible here 
 has its vividly remembered time of parting. These Bibles ! 
 what histories cluster around them. Here is one history. At 
 the battle of Antietam, as our regiment was for the second 
 time going into the conflict, a soldier staggered. It was from 
 no wound, but in the group of dying and dead through Avhich 
 they were passing, he saw his father^ of another regiment, 
 lying dead. There too was a wounded man, who knew them 
 both, who pointed to the father's corpse, and then upwards. 
 Onward went the son, by his father's corpse, to do his duty 
 in the line, which, with bayonets fixed, advanced upon the 
 enemy. When the battle was over he came back, and with 
 other help buried his father. From his person he took the 
 one thing he had, a Bible, given to the father years before, 
 when he was an apprentice. 
 
SINGING IN CAMP. 269 
 
 Let me suggest that any friend can send to some soldier, 
 by viail^ a Testament, at very slight expense. If you do not 
 know Avhether he has one, bid him, if he is already supplied, 
 give it to some one who has none. Some of our Episcopalians 
 can also send a little book, " Selections from the Book of 
 Common Prayer," "published by Button. I have seen these 
 made the rule of daily Scripture reading, by some unused to 
 regularity in this respect. 
 
 One seldom knows what he does. Last summer, at Little 
 Washington, 1 gave a small book to an officer belonging to 
 another brigade. Soon after he was taken prisoner. That 
 little book chanced to be in his pocket. Meeting him recently, 
 
 he said to me, "Do you remember giving me a copy of 
 
 , last summer?" I did not at first. " Well, that little 
 
 book," said he, " has been the gi'eatest comfort to me. It 
 was all I had to read in jail at Richmond, and it was a treas- 
 ure to me daily." That book he will cherish always, with, 
 I trust, the God and Saviour of whom it tells. 
 
 Singing books are useful. The temporary effect which 
 sacred music has is so wonderful that, in the absence of other 
 opportunities, it is well to foster its use. A few nights 
 ago some singing was heard, and the first hymn was one in 
 which occurs the verse — 
 
 " "When we've been there ten thousand years " — 
 
 — sung to " Emmons " (I believe that is the name. I may 
 be wrong as to the name, but I used to like the tune in prayer 
 meetings at home) ; after one verse the camp became entirely 
 q^iet. Officers and men listened to the good old hymn, roll- 
 ing up calmly in the dark woods. It seemed to tranquilize 
 the whole. It is a remarkable fact that, amidst all singing, 
 sacred words bear almost entire sway in camp. If I was a 
 23* 
 
270 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 parishioner, I should dislike to vote to •' call" a minister who 
 could not sing. But don't take the hint, when I get home, for, 
 alas ! I cannot myself sing ; yet there is beautiful singing in 
 my home. 
 
 These few hints will serve to show that soldiers are im- 
 pressible, for good or evil, easily. Men in hospital are par- 
 ticularly ready to converse. Indeed, there is no lack any-B 
 where. There seems to be two reasons for this : one is, the 
 circumstances in which we live — or die ; the other, that the 
 soldierly frankness, which is the rule in all intercourse, runs 
 through everything. Yet it is a hard place for young men of 
 no rough experience with temptation. There are Avicked 
 men, very wicked men, in every regiment. 
 
 In cases of wounds and death, it is' remarkable to see the 
 quickness with which men appreciate and understand Christian 
 truth. God seems to show special gi'ace. With former fears 
 as to death-bed repentances, yet I have seen as good evidences 
 of grace in svich cases as I ever saw. I recall one case, where 
 a wounded man said to the chaplain after a severe battle, " I 
 want jow to tell me the shortest and most direct road to Jesus 
 Christ." " There is but one road : ' Believe on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and thou shall he saved ; ' commit your soul to 
 him,vidth your whole heart." The next day the man joyfully 
 said, " / believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." He lived for 
 several days in great happiness, though about to leave his 
 strongest tie in one whom he was never to make his wife ; 
 and he died in joy. 
 
 An old Christian is not injured. His faith is strengthened 
 by army life. Pie dies in peace. One of ours died recently. 
 He had been long absent, and when he returned the chaplain 
 was sick and absent. He had been a great helper in prayer- 
 meetings ; a meek, consistent, faithful Christian. Entering 
 the hospital, the chaplain looked around a moment, and then 
 
VIRGINIA MUD. 271 
 
 saw him. " You have uot forgotten me," said the dying man, 
 with a smile. " No, not you ; nor has God, I fully believe." 
 "^0," said he, "he is gracious." "Is there anything 
 you want, or want done?" asked the chaplain. " Nothing. 
 Christ has done all." True, Christ has done all. But how 
 weak our faith sometimes is. 
 
 In the Mud, Va., January 30, 1863. 
 
 Rain. Mud. Snow. 
 
 That is the history of the last week or two. 
 
 Orders had, for several days, kept our corps waiting in 
 readiness. On the 19th a movement forward, simultaneous 
 with the movement of the whole army. Our corps, General 
 Slocum's, is part of the grand division reserve of General 
 Sigel. 
 
 Our elegant camp, laid out in streets of uniform width, 
 with twelve log-hoiises of uniform size and position to a com- 
 pany, with its well-built chimneys, and its beautifully cleared 
 ground, had to be left. A day later — we should have re- 
 mained for weeks. As it was, while the other corps (what 
 is plural of corps — corps-es?) returned to their huts, ours 
 had made thirty-five miles of " impossible" marching. 
 
 An effort has been made to advance, and it failed. There 
 is now demonstrated the wisdom of the quiet of *a year ago, 
 in the sick men, the abandoned provisions, the disheartened 
 spirit. Nobody knows what Virginia winter mud is till he 
 tries it. And yet even Boston wisdom is still clamoring for 
 an advance. Suppose the movement had been made a few 
 days earlier, in dry weather. Then the army would have 
 been unable to get supplies, located immovably, in most dan- 
 gerous circumstances. The delay was a blessing. 
 
272 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 And now, another change of commanders. General Hook- 
 er takes command. 
 
 Who wonders that the army of the Potomac is not in the 
 best condition, when its commanders are changed so often? 
 I speak now of no merits or demerits in any one of them, for 
 it is none of my business, nor of course am I qualified. I 
 believe that any commander, Avhatever one's individual pref- 
 erences are, has the right to the heartiest sustaining from 
 any person in his command. If I were not in the army, I 
 should try to do the same, without regard to personal predi- 
 lections. Plow much more so in present circumstances ? 
 
 Yet frequent changes do work badly. The men have no 
 time to get confidence. There is a marvellous power in a 
 hearty, enthusiastic faith towards the general. It is half our 
 strength. But we have no time to gain such a faith. It is 
 like a school which has a new teacher once a week. 
 
 That the army is in the best possible condition, is absurd.* 
 It is not. The long delay in paying the soldiers their just 
 dues, not only made them discontented — it exasperated them 
 extremely. On their thirteen dollars in season, often depends 
 whether a wife and child shall go cold and hungry, if not go 
 to the poor-house. Such letters from homes, as came, would 
 melt a heart of stone. Payment has been partially made 
 now. Believe me, the long delay in payment, which every 
 soldier firmly believes (whether right or wrong) was unne- 
 cessary, has left a bitter feeling not easily to be overcome. 
 
 Besides, there is a feeling that we are the football of polit- 
 ical movements. Whoever they would like for a general — 
 
 * True. But it was surprising how rapidly General Hooker changed all 
 this. He went to work quietly, and soon made most marvellous improve- 
 ments. The army was never in better condition than after a few weeks of 
 his command, — nor in better spirits. 
 
DISCIPLINE NECESSARY. 273 
 
 they want somebody long enough to find out his good qual- 
 ities. 
 
 But worse than this, it is felt that there are dissensions in 
 high quarters ; that some difierent leaders fail in a single- 
 minded readiness to obey orders, do their duty, and serve 
 only their country. In some corps, I presume, there is not 
 the discipline there ought to be. I have heard (though I 
 cannot vouch for it) that one specified regiment indulged 
 itself in groaning for a certain general ; but this must have 
 been a single instance. In our corps such a thing could 
 not take place. 
 
 But with all this, it is absurd to say, as a general thing, 
 that the Potomac army is not perfectly reliable. Notwith- 
 standing any and all grievances, in spite of all disappointed 
 preferences, they will go readily wherever their generals will 
 lead them. They will fight bravely under any general placed 
 over them. They are patriotic, and ready to show their 
 patriotism now, as they have on so many bloody fields. 
 They detest traitors everywhere. 
 
 If there is one thing needful now, it is thorough discipline. 
 I mean discipline Avhich shall embrace all, high and low. 
 Tlie commander of this army ought to be an autocrat. Un- 
 less he can be so, he cannot succeed. If he is not to be 
 trusted as such, he ought not to be trusted in command. 
 
 A little of the same discipline w^ould not hm't all the Avay 
 up. If a soldier gets drunk on duty, he is surely punished ; 
 if insulting, severely punished. The soldier must not speak 
 in censure of Congress ; yet that drunken rowdy from Dela- 
 Avare goes dru:nk into the Senate, refuses to obey orders, 
 draws a pistol on his superior for the time ; he goes in the 
 next day still under the power of liquor ; arrested, it is true, 
 — but he iiiakes an apology — and such an apology ! "If" 
 
274 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 he has done ccrtaiu things, he regrets it. Instead of being 
 instantly kicked out of the Senate, wjth the readiness with 
 which a soldier would be punished, these men, who make 
 laws to punish soldiers, drop the whole matter. Verily, there 
 is no need of " speaking disrespectfully" of Congress. 
 
 What is to be done with the Potomac army is doubtful. 
 Rumors from high quarters intimate that it will be broken up 
 as such ; that a sufficient force will be left in front of Wash- 
 ington, and the remainder used elsewhere. At present, mud 
 embargoes everything, and citizens say that it is likely to do 
 so for weeks. Perhaps the Aveather may change. One thing 
 is certain, mud or no mud, this army will do what it is told 
 to do, if within the bounds of possibility. There is not one 
 word of truth in the reports of a mutinous spirit, or any 
 approach thereto, which some papers insist upon. 
 
 General Slocum's headquarters are at Stafford Court 
 House, and his corps are all near him. 
 
 An old friend touches me up in the Journal for growling 
 at the cheats of quartermasters in the matter of forage. His 
 hard work to get fodder for his horse he laughs at, and con- 
 trasts old soldiers and new. Now here is the principle : no 
 one ever heard me complain of any personal hardship, but no 
 old soldier will allow his helpless horse to suffer, when in the 
 immediate vicinity of a qviartermaster, who has ample means 
 at hand to fulfil his duty. Just so, an officer who Avill bear 
 any hardship himself will groAvl if his men, who cannot help 
 themselves, are exposed to useless hunger on account of some 
 rascally commissary. On a march, unable to get supplies, 
 nobody complains. But when the means are at hand, and 
 some official neglects his duty, or swindles the men into hard- 
 ships, " old " soldiers, and especially old army regular officers^ 
 do feel it " unpatriotic not to find fault" in behalf of helpless 
 
 m. 
 
NECESSARY AND NEEDLESS HARDSHIPS. 275 
 
 animals or helpless soldiers. It is a duty to prefer compiaint. 
 " Your first duty," said our noble first colonel to his company 
 commanders long ago, " is not to see that your quarters are 
 ready, but your vien^s ; not to get your supper, but to see 
 that your men have theirs." And he set us the example 
 that helpless dependents should not sutFer, because some lazy 
 or scoundrelly official neglected his duty ; and with it the 
 example to bear every personal hardship with a cheerful face. 
 I wrote those statements because I knew they would meet 
 the eyes of men high in office, who would investigate. When 
 we (and I include myself) have been eight days Avithout taking 
 off a boot ; have slept on wet ground and in rain, shelterless ; 
 have been five days with but four meals ; have been four 
 nights with less than four hours sleep, and that on the 
 ground ; have lived on green corn as we plucked it ; have 
 drank water that an hour's quiet could not make trans- 
 parent ; have been for weeks at a time without a tent or 
 other shelter, — with all our officers and men, — we only 
 smiled at the hardships. But if a commissary or quarter- 
 master needlessly starves a horse or staiwes the men, then 
 an officer who does not attack him is a fool or a knave. Are 
 the distinctions plain? 
 
276 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE PREPARATION SPRING. 
 
 Stafford Court House, Va., March 6, 1863. 
 
 I HAVE been trying a remittent fever. I tried a mild one 
 last October ; and, for variety, a shake or so in December. 
 I don't like them. Fortunately I have been in the city while 
 ill ; fortunately, considering the sickness. 
 
 I don't like the " remittent." I have a vague recollection 
 of considering one day that it was not myself who was sick, 
 but a crockery image of John Wesley on the mantel ; but I 
 was puzzled to understand how he could have nausea at the 
 stomach, when he was only a bust ; and how his limbs could 
 ache, when he had no limbs. But I am satisfied that the 
 crockery John was right, as the real one was in head and 
 heart. But as to this detestable climate — Virginia will 
 always be as despicable to me as the mean trickery of its 
 convention at secession time. I shall never think so highly 
 of General Washington as I should if he had been born 
 somewhere else — although, poor man, it wasn't his fault. 
 
 Government is kind to its sick. An officer sick in Wash- 
 ington may go to hospital (where he must pay his board, 
 which is fair, because he takes cash instead of rations), or to 
 the house of a friend or a hotel-keeper. He " reports" to a 
 surgeon, who has the care of sick officers, if out of hospital. 
 
SICKNESS. 277 
 
 The surgeon sends one to examine and prescribe. The sick 
 man's name is entered as " under treatment," and is also 
 reported to the provost marshal, who graciously gives a 
 " pass " to the officer. Then the surgeon takes good care of 
 the patient ; mine was a most kind and skilful one. Dr. 
 William R. Dewitt, whom I shall always remember with 
 gratitude. Government furnishes medicines of the best qual- 
 ity — its quinine being outrageously bitter, its calomel, ipecac, 
 and opium sufficiently disgusting ; but its citrates taste too 
 nicely to be good. Medicines, you know, should taste 
 abominably, else Avill " children cry for them," which 
 wouldn't do. • 
 
 Getting out of doors, I heard a few debates at the Capitol. 
 Some of the speeches were too disgusting for a sensitive 
 stomach, too ipecac-like, — the vile frauds. Some excited 
 the nervous system unduly, — the miserable treason. But 
 some were a good, healthy tonic ; manly, patriotic, noble. 
 I tell you, in the senate-gallery, I felt proud of old Massachu- 
 setts and of my native New Hampshire. Senators Sumner 
 and Wilson are men, whatever their imperfections. How 
 some of the traitors did cringe under Senator Wilson's lash. 
 You can't spare that man, nor can the country. He is too 
 useful, too manly, too honest, too able, to be spared. Sen- 
 ator Clark had the true ring. So did some war-Democrats ; 
 in fact, I guess I am a " war Democrat ; " I mean when I 
 get home ; now I don't know any distinctions but patriot and 
 ti-aitor. Unless the country comes to that same position, its 
 speedy ruin is certain. I see you have a " Union League " in 
 Boston. Good, but I belong to a better one ; it numbers seven 
 or eight hundred members, and it bears the splendid title of 
 the " Massachusetts Second." There is room for a few more 
 members in it now. It had more, but they are buried at 
 24 
 
278 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN, 
 
 Winchester, at Cedai' Mountain, at Antietam, and in many a 
 Avayside grave. Do not, O home friends, do not now yield 
 to treason ; else these men have died in vain. 
 
 To get back to camp requires some circumlocution. Tired 
 of delay, six days before my sick leave was out I applied for 
 the papers to return. The surgeon gives a paper releasing 
 one from medical care, ordering him to his regiment, and 
 sending him to the provost marshal. That functionary takes 
 his " pass " and keeps it, and indorses on his paper from 
 the surgeon " pass returned," and sends him to the " trans- 
 portation officer," who gives him the paper entitling him to 
 pass on government boat and railroad "to his specified destina- 
 tion, good for the next day only. The man thus sent back 
 had to sign a paper at the surgeon's office, stating his resi- 
 dence in Washington ; which residence is visited next day to 
 see if he has gone. 
 
 So, with several direful prognostications from medical 
 authority,* I took the boat for Aquia Creek. For the first 
 time, I went down the magnificent Potomac. I saw, for the 
 first time, our sacred Mount Vernon. In a few hours, a 
 small bay filled with vessels, showed the creek. Steam tugs 
 were puffing around and across. Loaded and empty vessels 
 were lying around. On shore, half a dozen locomotives were 
 charging in various directions. A busy crowd was on the 
 wharf. We showed our " passes," and went ashore ; found 
 a train of baggage cars, and speedily were at Bi'ook's Sta- 
 tion, a flourishing village of one house. Then such a road 
 for three miles. I thought I had seen bad roads before, but 
 I never had. 
 
 How pleasant it was to get into camp ; to shake hands ; 
 to see the evening parade ; to hear tattoo and taps ; to sleep 
 
 * Unfortunately realized before long. 
 
EFFICIENCY OF THE ARMY. 279 
 
 under canvas again ; in fact, to return to a place of order, 
 system, and true civilization. It was a luxury, too, to see 
 real soldiers, instead of the poor fellows condemned to the 
 stvipidities of Washington — that is, when one is well. It was 
 a comfort to find that we had five hundred men fit for duty. 
 Never has ours seemed in better condition. Drill, company 
 and battalion, and officers' recitations, have kept up the char- 
 acter of our regiment to its old standard. Health, too, is 
 greatly improved. The order of General Hooker has insured 
 good rations — fresh bread, vegetables, &c., in abundance; 
 and the effect is most apparent. Indeed, the new regime has 
 improved the army very greatly. Merit is commended. 
 Inefficiency finds no mercy. A healthy tone is perceptible. 
 Everybody feels that the army is on a fighting basis, and will 
 have work and success yet. 
 
 As to the recognition of merit — the first order I heard 
 read was one commending certain regiments for efficiency 
 and discipline. Orders now allow a certain number of 
 absences to officers and men. But many regiments are pro- 
 nounced so deficient that no more " leaves " are to be granted, 
 and all absentees are recalled. Others, medium, are allowed 
 their present privileges. Only eleven in this army are 
 highly commended, and, as reward, are allowed an increase 
 of fifty per cent, of leaves of absence. Among these is, of 
 course, ours, and, I was glad to hear also, the First and 
 Twentieth Massachusetts. The language of General Hooker 
 is, — "have earned high commendation." Only one Massa- 
 chusetts regiment falls under absolute condemnation. 
 
 Our Colonel Quincy is expected back immediately. Wound- 
 ed while bravely engaged at Cedar Mountain, then long a 
 prisoner at Staunton, he has had a lingering recovery, even 
 if now thoroughly well. He left us as a captain ; he returns 
 
280 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 by regular promotion, our colonel, and will, without doubt, 
 maintain the regiment in its steady excellence. I well re- 
 member, in the pursuit of Jackson last year, how, Avhen sick, 
 he sprang from the ambulance to put hirnself at the head of 
 his men, while the shot aud shell were briskly flying about. 
 
 Among other changes of officers. Dr. Stone, our highly 
 successful surgeon, is absent, probably to occupy a position 
 in another corps. Major Mudge, for some time in command, 
 has been obliged to go home from sickness, temporarily. 
 Captain Shaw * becomes colonel of the Fifty-fourth. Gen- 
 eral Gordon is again unable, after trial, to endure the hard- 
 ships of camp, and is assigned to duty at Washington. 
 
 Stafford Court House, Va., March 11, 1863. 
 
 Did I speak of StaiFord Court House as being a village of 
 one house ? If I did I was wrong. Careful explorations 
 have satisfied me that there are hoo houses, besides a jail and 
 a court house. This large town is situated in a dreary waste 
 of worn out lands, and is several miles from anywhere. Dig- 
 ging into the ground, one finds, a few feet down, vast quan- 
 tities of shells. Does that imply that the land was once 
 under the water ? If so, it was a mistake, humanly speaking, 
 ever to have raised this miserable tract to daylight. So far 
 I have seen no aborigines, though a few scattered houses 
 indicate the former presence of a partly civilized race. The 
 main house is General Sigel's headquarters. Half a mile 
 eastward, General Slocum, ovir own corps commander 
 reigns. Five or six miles nearer the Rappahannock, General 
 Hooker is to be found — whom I have never seen but once, 
 and then I had only a glimpse in the tumult of Antietam. 
 
 * This was Robert G. Shaw, who fell at Wagner. 
 
NORTHERN PEACE MEN. 281 
 
 But while one may not have seen General Hooker, every 
 one feels that General Hooker commands. It is really sur- 
 prising to see the ease with which he has taken actual control 
 of the Potomac army. Every now and then appears some 
 straightforward order, which shows that he knows exactly 
 the condition of one or every corps. Merit is commended ; 
 sluggishness reproved. A soldier seems to feel that if he 
 does something especially worthy of praise, General Hooker 
 will understand it. There is, too, a returning confidence that 
 Avhen something is attempted it will be done. As to " de- 
 moralization," I suppose those stories are about ended. No 
 " demoralized " individual would meet with any leniency, nor a 
 traitorously inclined person with any mercy. There are no 
 sympathies here, so far as I can discover, with the school of 
 Connecticut or New Hampshire " copperheads," I say 
 " copperheads," but " woodenheads " would be more appro- 
 priate — to think that peace is jiossihle, even were a separa- 
 tion to be assented to. 
 
 When we consider the circumstances which have been dex- 
 terously taken hold of, I am not surprised at the growth of a 
 peace party. But when we look at the real questions under- 
 lying all circumstances, it is perfectly astonishing that any 
 person can advocate the South side. Are we prepared to 
 yield to the demands of traitors? Can Ave assent to the es- 
 tablishment, out of ovirselves, of a slave empire ? Could we 
 surrender the loyal citizens of Missouri, West Virginia, Ten- 
 nessee, Kentucky, New Orleans, to the cruelties of brutes by 
 birth, and tyrants by education ? Can Northern men advocate 
 the division of their country ? Those infatuated persons who 
 give " aid and comfort " to the enemy, by encouraging the 
 South to persevere in their rebellious butcheries, the pro- 
 vost marshal's cord is their just due for mere treason. 
 24* 
 
282 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 But there can be no good reason to suppose the people 
 of any party will follow such leaders. It must be that only a 
 few men are so besotted. The masses will never follow men 
 Avho would lead us to national ruin. The party which car- 
 ried through the glorious war of 1812-15 ; which insisted 
 iipon and obtained redress from Mexico ; which has always 
 stood by the old flag ; — it always will maintain the country's 
 honor. I believe it. The signs show that it is so. 
 
 But men who are in favor of perseverance for the right, are 
 liable to make mistakes when they separate too nicely the 
 administration and the government. I heard this distinction 
 dwelt upon in some speeches at Washington ; but while the 
 speakers attacked the errors of the administration ferociously, 
 I did not hear them censure the rebels with any severity. I ■! 
 could not see them, in general, voting for measures indispen- 
 sable to success. I listened in vain for any plans as substi- 
 tutes they would stand by. Indeed, what substitute could 
 be offered ? Their grievance was that the present adminis- 
 tration was in power. But that cannot be helped for two 
 years. The government and the administration are distin- 
 guishable in theory ; but the government can be carried on 
 only by the administration. Doubtless there have been mis- 
 takes, many mistakes, in the conduct of the war. There 
 have been measures that, as an individual, I intensely die- 
 liked.* But is that a reason why I, or anybody else, should 
 withhold the allegiance due to our country? Is that a reason 
 why I should try to weaken the hands that are lifted to strike 
 down this infernal rebellion ? 
 
 * Yet it is surprising that so few mistakes have been made. When the 
 war is ended, and men look calmly at its history, they will admire the far- 
 seeing plans and single-hearted honesty of our President. I wish I could 
 say as much for all his subordinates. Some of them we heartily detest. 
 
NORTHERN TREASON. 283 
 
 Men do not like arbitrary arrests. Do they any better like 
 Jefferson Davis's arresting, hanging, scalping loyal men, 
 without the shadow of even their own pretended laws ? 
 
 They do not like the suspension of habeas corpus. Are 
 our friends at the South enjoying that privilege? 
 
 They do not like the freeing of slaves. Do they like better 
 the Southern custom of seizing our free negroes while under 
 a flag of truce, and selling them into slavery — as at Ma- 
 nassas ? 
 
 They do not like the arming of blacks. Do they like it 
 better Avhen their own soldiers are shot by blacks forced into 
 the rebel armies — as in Jackson's army last year ; in which 
 (and the proof is ready) blacks and whites stood side by side 
 in the ranks as soldiers? 
 
 They think it is a " cruel" war. Do they like better the 
 decoying men by a flag of truce, and then shooting them, as 
 at Harper's Ferry? the shooting unarmed negroes, as in 
 Kentucky? the murder of women, as in Tennessee? the 
 making of drinking cups of Yankee skulls, and spurs of jaw- 
 bones, as at Bull Run ? 
 
 So loyal, so meek, so humane, so liberal is Davis's rule 
 — no violation of laws, no treason, no cruelty, no tyranny — 
 is that the reason why our administration is assailed? Does 
 anybody's tastes lead him to sympathize with this treason? 
 If so, he is hopelessly corrupt. He is putrid. Even the 
 southern buzzards would leave his carcass untouched. 
 
 We are all rejoiced at the conscription act. I have heard 
 no dissenting voice. I argued vehemently for such an act last 
 summer. It ought then to have passed. I had some little 
 opprobrium for attacking the bounty system as outrageously 
 costly, unjust to the old soldiers, and low in its appeals, and 
 eventually to be abandoned. You know how comfortable 
 
284 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 one feels when lie can wisely nod his head and say, " I told 
 you so ! " I nod my head just so, and rejoice that Congress 
 came to the same conclusion. We are all hoping that there 
 will be the proper nerve shown in enforcing it. It is not 
 unjust. Every man owes his life to his country, if his coun- 
 try needs it. The humane exemptions in the act are 
 admirable. Others than those, rich or poor, ought not to 
 hesitate. 
 
 But it is not to be overlooked that before these levies can 
 come into the field most critical months will pass by. Th.e 
 dawn of a suitable moment will start the armies. The South 
 is putting everything into the field ; boys and old men, as 
 well as the able-bodied. Evidently they have staked every- 
 thing on the coming campaign. They must succeed now, or 
 fall. And does not everybody see that their only hope is in 
 Northern divisions? A united North can raise armies after 
 the Southern ones are destroyed. Sickness alone will ruin 
 the rebel forces in time, and they cannot afford to wait. 
 Will any patriot at such a time, Avhen the superior resources 
 of the government are beginning to tell — will any one now 
 fail by word and deed to strengthen the cause of his country, 
 and of (what is more) the right? Let complaints be laid 
 aside now. We will settle them by and by at the ballot-box ; 
 and with them we will bury every Northern traitor in a po- 
 litical grave from Avhich there is no resurrection. 
 
 The health of the army is still improving. Food is good 
 — thanks to a government always liberal, and to the general 
 at our head. Drill is had, with us, twice a day, and our offi- 
 cers study and recite to the regimental commander. ■ 
 
A REVIEW. 285 
 
 Stafford Court House, Va., March 19, 18G3. 
 
 No change yet. But there is drill in this corps three hours 
 a day. In our regiment the officers recite daily to the colonel, 
 and in turn have classes of non-commissioned officers, both 
 iu some military work. The men amuse themselves hugely 
 with games of ball at all unoccupied hours. There are but 
 three men in the regimental hospital, and they are not very 
 sick. A good spii'it prevails, with a remarkable unanimity 
 in favor of the conscription law and of aversion to traitors. 
 The commanding general continues to grow in confidence, 
 and thorough order prevails. Each man keeps his supply of 
 sixty cartridges, and expects to use them by and by. Yes- 
 terday we had a division review. It was a very pretty sight. 
 The three brigades and three batteries made a fine appear- 
 ance ; of course you know which regiment Avas the best. I 
 never saw our men more statue-like in line, nor march better 
 in column of companies or by flank. 
 
 This review was before General Slocum. Our regiment is 
 one of six making up the brigade commanded by General 
 Gordon ; the brigade is one of three making up General 
 Williams's division ; the division is one of two forming Gen- 
 eral Slocum's corps; and the corps is one of — several — 
 composing the army of the Potomac. Formerly there were 
 tliree grand divisions, each made up of several corps ; but 
 General Hooker, on taking command, abolished them, and 
 had each corps report directly to him, which seems to work 
 capitally. To-day a review is expected before General 
 Hooker. 
 
 Day before yesterday we heard cannonading at a distance, 
 at intervals, all day, but nobody has enlightened us as to its 
 whereabouts. There are no other special items, except that, 
 
286 THE POTOMAC AND THE llAPIDAN. 
 
 after a careful and patient reconnoissance on Stafford Court 
 House, I find that the viUage has three houses instead of 
 two ; this is a final estimate. • 
 
 Stafford Coukt House, Va., March 25, 1863. 
 
 While the position of the army of the Potomac is un- 
 changed, indications point to early movements. Not, per- 
 haps, by any direct advance, for the roads are yet in execrable 
 condition. Twenty-four hours rarely pass without either 
 rain, snow, or hail. When the sun comes out, it dries up 
 the ground very rapidly. The rains are soon over. But, 
 like the master who told his servant, " I get angry quick, 
 but then I am no sooner angry than I am over it again," and 
 was replied to, " Yes, and no sooner over it than you are mad 
 again," — so it is no sooner fair than it rains again. Last 
 night it rained beautifully. Don't you remember how much 
 you liked, when a boy, to go into an attic to hear the rain ? 
 Well, a tent is all attic. Doubtless the sentries did not enjoy 
 it so much. Corduroy roads have been built in various direc- 
 tions (and I wish no worse penalty on the copperheads than 
 to have to ride over a corduroy road, six hours a day for life), 
 but even the corduroys are sometimes under water or under 
 mud. Still, I think that after each rain the ground is a little 
 harder than after the preceding. 
 
 Whether there Avill be a battle near Fredericksburg, is 
 doubted. It is exceedingly qiiestionable, good judges say, 
 whether the rebels can risk one there. Of course this implies 
 that their communications are threatened, in which case they 
 must come out and fight, or retreat. It is suspected that 
 they are now preparing to evacuate. Their pickets have 
 commenced firing on ours, and they have a large cavalry 
 
EFFICIENCY OF THE ARMY. 287 
 
 force threatening us on the north, which looks like a retreat 
 of their main army, as they are always very ferocious some- 
 where when about to draw back their armies. 
 
 If there should be a battle, there is every confidence of 
 success. Never has this army been in better condition, if 
 ever as good. It is in fine spirits. It is Avell fed. It is 
 healthy. It is most thoroughly equipped. The general 
 seems to know everything, everywhere. Officers everywhere 
 understand that negligence is not to be winked at. Inspec- 
 tions of everything seem to be going on. Medical officers 
 have been informed that the army has been long enough in 
 service to presume them thoroughly acquainted with their 
 duties. A fighting basis is the rule, and ability to move 
 rapidly. 
 
 When the work is begun, there Avill be a tremendous cam- 
 paign. The rebels are suffering. Their armies are as large 
 as they can ever be. Their leaders are desperate. On the 
 other hand, if our general's ability, as at present seen, is a 
 guarantee of the future (and the army unitedly believes it), 
 he will show a daring, a rapidity, and a skill, when he does 
 move, which will make decisive battles. If the rebels fight 
 fifty miles from Richmond, as they now are, and are defeated, 
 their army will be annihilated. 
 
 The recent cavalry exploit has raised that branch in general 
 estimation. They needed it bad enough. I remember a 
 cavalry officer, Avho returned from a slight advance upon 
 inferior forces, with the astonished remai-k, " General, they've 
 got guns there ! " Poor fellow — he is not in service now. 
 General Hooker has been putting his cavalry into fine con- 
 dition. In fact, he puts everything in that condition. He 
 has, too, I believe, one element of success in this — that he 
 has a thorough confidence in his destiny, and has had it since 
 the war began. The army believes it too. 
 
288 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Mr. Alvord is still working away with good results. He 
 is near Stoneman's Switch, on the railroad. The Christian 
 Commission has four regular stations for supplies — Aquia 
 Creek, Belle Plain, Stoneman's Switch, and Falmouth. One 
 of their agents. Rev. Mr. Smith, of Pepperell, I had the 
 pleasure of meeting a few days ago. That he is active and 
 useful, his Massachusetts friends need not be told. The Com- 
 mission is just now busily distributing Testaments to the 
 soldiers, for which there is occasion. I have the promise of 
 some from the Commission, for which I shall be grateful. 
 And none the less grateful, but more, to various friends who 
 send small packages by mail or otherwise, sometimes anony- 
 mously, but always welcome. 
 
 Stapford Court House, Va., April 8, 1863. 
 
 Saturday evening we had a ferocious snow storm. Sunday 
 was a wet and uncomfortable day. Nevertheless, in spite of 
 the weather, the time passed cheerfully with me, in visiting 
 many of the habitations of our little town, in distributing a 
 good large supply of Sabbath reading, both in our camp and 
 to our companies detached at General Slocum'sheadquai'ters, 
 and in a couple of hours spent with that Christian gentleman. 
 General Howard. In fact, it was as pleasant a Sunday as I 
 have had for a long time. Part of this is doubtless due to 
 improved tone of bodily system caused by long rides in the 
 saddle. The best gymnasium in the world is a saddle — with 
 a good horse imder it. The next best is Dr. Dio Lewis's. 
 But give me the saddle, with a rubber coat and cap cover 
 strapped to it in case of rain, and some cavalry boots as the 
 enemy of both raiu and mud. You are on the road of health, 
 
A DAY'S RIDE. 289 
 
 always provided you have some errand, even it be only 
 amusement. "Taking exercise" merely /or exercise is of 
 very little use. It is just as great a humbug as " early 
 rising," which I am glad has been rooted out of the rules 
 of our colleges and seminaries. 
 
 In various long trips I have taken quite extensive views of 
 our army. Its vastness, its order, its equipment, its stores, 
 its contentment, astonish me. Do not be anxious for the 
 army of the Potomac. When the time comes it will do what 
 it attempts. 
 
 On Monday, my brother chaplain of the Tenth Maine and 
 myself took such a trip. We made a day of it. Starting in 
 the morning, though rain was threatened, we took the road 
 towards Falmouth. How pleasant is the saddle'with another 
 saddle, and a genial and congenial companion in it, with 
 nothing to do, and all day to do it in. The road was pic- 
 turesque. A young river meandered down its centre, towards 
 which sloped doAvn beautiful banks of mud on either side, 
 while the fields were delightfully variegated by alternate 
 patches of snow and swamp. You have your choice of path ; 
 Avhichever you take you will wish you had tried the other. 
 Like the complaining toper, it is not the length of the road, 
 but its width that troubles you, as you tack continually. 
 Three or four miles, as measured by line, brought us to a by- 
 road, which, turning towards the left, took us into the woods. 
 All along we found tracks, which we recognized as those of 
 Mr. Alvord's wagon. We followed them, and they led us 
 correctly. Moral : It is safe to follow Mr. Alvord's tracks ! 
 Two or three miles through the wood, — ten miles of swamp 
 (ridiculously estimated at only half a mile!) — Potomac 
 creek to ford, — a hill, — a long plain, delightful for a canter, 
 — and we saw the Stoneman's Switch station, and, near it, 
 25 
 
290 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Mr. Alvord's meeting-tent. We licard singing as we dis- 
 mounted. We found there quite a number of chaplains, with 
 more soldiers. A two hours' meeting passed off rapidly, and 
 the chaplains made mutual acquaintance. Several chap- 
 lains disclosed their difficulties. I had occasion to thank 
 God inwardly that I had no acquaintance Avith many of their 
 obstacles ; for Providence had cast my lot among gentlemen. 
 I wish that some of our people at home, who give ear and 
 tongue to disparagements of chaplains, had been there. They 
 would be ashamed of themselves. I enter my protest against 
 such insinuations. I assert, after nearly two years' observa- 
 tion, that the average of energy, ability, and uprightness 
 among the chaplains is not surpassed by the average of those 
 qualities among the ministry of even New England and New 
 York. I cannot see why Christians should try to disparage 
 this class. It is an outrage. . It hurts their influence here, of 
 course. 
 
 We learned that a review was to take place a mile off, 
 and after the meeting we Avent thither. It was the revieAV of 
 a whole cavalry corps. Long lines of the cavalry stretched 
 for vast distances, necessarily making various angles, on ac- 
 count of their great number. They Avere all motionless and 
 silent when we first saw them, save their fluttering pennons. 
 But in a few minutes, as the reviewing party rode rapidly up, 
 every sabre flashed in the air, and the mvisic burst forth, to 
 salute a man at the head, Avho, amidst the golden ornaments 
 of generals, wore the plain black dress of a civilian. He Avas 
 the commander of all — the President of the United States — Wi 
 and these generals were only his creatures. That simply 
 dressed man, riding bareheaded in courtesy, wielded a more 
 imperial SAvay than any monarch in the world. An army of 
 near a million was obedient to his Avord. Tavo millions more 
 
 I 
 
FREDERICKSBURG. 291 
 
 were subject to his call to arms. Yet, God help the President 
 of the United States ! For he needs it. He had a careworn 
 face, while we knew he had an honest heart. Though a 
 mighty army lay there, yet plainly in sight were the hills 
 behind Fredericksburg, frowning with Avorks and manned 
 Avith enemies, — a section of the thousand miles of frontier in 
 which our morning reveille is answered by rebel drums. 
 
 A natural curiosity took us to the brink of the river a mile 
 and a half off. The Lacy mansion stands near it, and from 
 the terraces of its garden, almost overhanging the narrow 
 stream, we looked down into Fredericksburg. An officer 
 kindly pointed out the memorable localities. Here was the 
 main crossing, just on our right. There the street by Avhich 
 our forces advanced. Beyond, the basin into which they en- 
 tered. ^And over all, the rebel earthworks which sent death 
 to our soldiery. Between us and these works lay the town, 
 less shattered than I had expected to find it, — and in some 
 of its streets rifle pits were visible. The path worn by the 
 rebel sentries one could almost throw a stone upon, and the 
 sentinels were walking their posts. AVhere we stood were 
 loyal watchmen. The owner of the deserted house is in the 
 rebel army ; most of his trees are cut down ; his shrubbery 
 is gone ; his garden is a waste ; but what moved me most, 
 a child's rocking-horse stood by a door, unharmed in all the 
 strife. 
 
 Half a mile back are the ruins of the Philipse mansion. 
 The walls remain standing in part, and show that the fire had 
 » destroyed a beautiful edifice. It was of brick, nearly cruci- 
 form in shape, and of fine proportions. Standing on an 
 eminence, it commanded a view of miles of beauty. Desolate 
 now, a once happy home. Who can help pitying these 
 misguided men ? 
 
292 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 
 Tiu'uing southward we came uear the plain headquarters 
 of General Hooker, Avho lives in a tent, as a soldier ought. 
 A mile southeast, over roads fenceless, of course, and hard 
 to trace, we suddenly come upon the camp of the First 
 Massachusetts. For the first time I had the pleasure of 
 meeting my excellent brother Cud worth, Avhose hearty wel- 
 come was delightful. As long time as we dared remain soon 
 passed. Then a mile or more brought us to the Seventeenth 
 Maine, who are building an elegant camp of split white oak 
 — the best camp I ever saw. The good appearance of the 
 men, and the kind hospitality of the officers, made me respect 
 my father's native State more than ever. 
 
 It was near sunset, and we had six miles to go, a wide 
 creek to ford, a hard road to travel, obscure paths to track out. 
 Long before we were at home darkness settled down upon 
 us. Passing through lonely valleys, Ave heard the tattoo of 
 artillery bugle mellowed by distance, on the one side, and the 
 softened drum beat on the other. The robins and blackbirds 
 had ceased their day's music. Horses picked their Avay over 
 hard corduroy, whose only comfort was that you could not 
 sink far in their mud. The last mile was not even corduroy, 
 but swamp, and ditch, and brook, which led us to rejoice when 
 we came upon our lights just as tattoo w^as advising everybody 
 to go to bed. 
 
 We had stopped at only a few camps. But these we 
 selected. Everywhere are camps. For prominent lines of 
 travel, afe miles upon miles of coi'duroy. It is a vast array. 
 As for roads, if the Virginian natives ever return, their high* 
 ways will undoubtedly be these Yankee built corduroys. This 
 State, if peopled by a decent race, would be a magnificent 
 State, after all. But their worn-out farms need Yankee cul- 
 ture. Their ignorant population need the Yankee school- 
 
REVIEW OF THE TWELFTH CORPS. 293 
 
 master. The State needs, in fact, to change hands. The 
 negroes themselves would, I am satisfied, be far better prop- 
 erty-holders than the late ones ; for so far as I hava seen 
 Virginia, after taking oiit the few persons of high culture, the 
 average ability, sense, and thrift of tlie ivhite Virginian is 
 decidedly below that of the hlark Vii-ginian. 
 
 Stafford Court Hottse, Va., April 15, 1863. 
 
 On Thursday last the Twelfth army corps was reviewed 
 by the President. The review on a preceding day of several 
 corps together surpassed that of the Twelfth in point of num- 
 bers, of course, but not in soldierly characteristics. The 
 Twelfth corps. General Banks's old command, — numbered as 
 the Eleventh tillafter Antietam, — is unsurpassed in this army. 
 At least, so declared the authority Avhich all respect ; who 
 also stated that but one other would bear a comparison 
 with it. 
 
 The day of review was wonderfully beautiful. The corps 
 was ready on the ground at noon precisely, as ordered. Then 
 it waited. The President was revicAving the Eleventh corps 
 in the morning, and it was half past three when he reached 
 ours. I was Avhere I saw him when he approached, and saw 
 his suite following. He is a good rider. Mounted on a 
 horse with a general's caparisons, he dashed on through 
 mud, swamp, and ditches, without the slightest hesitation, 
 evidt»itly to the disadvantage of some of his followers. The 
 twenty-one guns saluted him, and he rode very rapidly along 
 the lines (if " lines " they Avere), while the escort of lancers, 
 with their gayly fluttering red, formed three sides pf a square 
 around the spot occupied by the President's wife and the 
 25* 
 
294 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIUAN. ^ 
 
 chief military dignities, and in Avhich the President soon 
 stationed himself. He was dressed in black, with a curious 
 article on his head, the upright part being cylindrical, very 
 much like a section of stove pipe, with, a flat roof, and a hor- 
 izontal and circular rim at the l»wer part. It must be quite 
 stiff, and I should judge, painful to the head. I have heard 
 it intimated, however, that such absurd things are quite com- 
 mon at the North. 
 
 When the President had taken his position, the corps pre- 
 pared to pass in review. The two divisions had been formed 
 in two parallel lines, each line consisting of the regiments 
 formed by divisions (two company front), and closed in well. 
 Suddenly the bugle gave the order, and at once each regi- 
 ment, moving at double-quick, changed front. The effect 
 was indescribably beautiful. Then the marching ; each reg- 
 iment still formed by divisions, moving at quick step around 
 the field. The ground was rolling, and the sight of regiments 
 disappearing in the hollows, or emerging, Avas picturesque. 
 As the consolidated drum corps of each brigade reached the 
 President, they Avheeled to the left, and there remained to 
 give the " ruffles " as the flag of each regiment was success- 
 ively bowed in honor to the chief magistrate. I need not 
 say that the beautiful neatness, the perfect lines, and the firm 
 and soldierly step of ours received commendation in high 
 quarters. I never saw it look better. 
 
 As pageantry, such a review was wonderful. As reality, 
 it was the exhibition of qualities for the field of blood. Those 
 same regiments must march into deadly combat. Those 
 lines will be thinned. Alas ! for the necessity ! but who can 
 grudge our country its rights ? Perhaps, before this is prmt- 
 ed, the great trial will have passed. Indications, which I 
 
 I 
 
PREPARATIONS. 295 
 
 better not mention, point to early operations. Movements 
 already made are momentons — you Avill have learned then. 
 
 For movement, every soldier, officer, or private is to take 
 eight days' rations upon his person. Each enlisted man has 
 his complement of sixty rounds of amunitiou, while near re- 
 serves will be at hand. No man can " straggle," no man 
 can " fall out," without the sui'geon's pass, and then only to 
 an ambulance. Sviperfluous blankets, coats, and flannels are 
 already sent away ; " throwing aside every weight." A fal- 
 terer in battle is to be shot. Division hospitals are arranged 
 for, under the care of men already selected, and the corps 
 of operators already named. Other surgeons, mentioned by 
 name, are to accompany their regiments, choosing sheltered 
 places near their own. Men detailed to remove the wound- 
 ed are to be distinguished by a green badge on the left breast. 
 Never have I seen such perfect organization as this army 
 now has. The men are in good spirits also. They know 
 that there is a probability of great events, and they feel confi- 
 dent of success. 
 
 But to-day it rains, I'ains hai-d. I don't know what effect 
 this may have on plans. It may affect them greatly. But 
 only for a time. The army is ready. 
 
296 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 TO CHANCELLORVILLE AND RETURN. 
 
 Stafford Court House, May 7, 1863. 
 
 Some eight miles westward from Fredericksburg, and 
 about three south of the Rappahannock, is — or was — one 
 brick house, occupied by " V. Chancellor," which, with one 
 other house, constituted " Chancellorville." The house 
 stood by the "plank road" which runs from Fredericksburg 
 to Orange Court House, V. Chancellor was postmaster, 
 and his total receipts for a quarter of last year, as I found 
 by his official report to the confederate postal authorities, 
 were $10.75. 
 
 The birds were singing around Chancellorville. Violets 
 were smiling in vast abundance. The pine-wood air was fra- 
 grant with spring. 
 
 The house is burned. The air is filled with sulphureous 
 fire and with thunder. The flowers are wet Avith the blood 
 of thousands. But the whippoorwills never stopped their 
 mournfvd utterances in the conflict. 
 
 On Monday morning, April 27, our reveille sounded at 
 half past three o'clock. The long Avaiting for movement 
 was ended. Months of labor had put the army into the 
 finest condition. Organization Avas perfect. The com- 
 missariat, as it proved, Avould not fail. The hospital de- 
 
TO CHANCELLORVILLE. 297 
 
 partmeut was admirably prepared. The pioneer corps was 
 Avonderfiilly efficient. The plans of the leader had been ma- 
 tured at leisure. 
 
 On that beautiful morning our Twelfth corps, General 
 Slocum, took the road towards Warrenton, each man carrying 
 eight days' rations and sixty cartridges. The Eleventh 
 corps, General Howard, followed the Twelfth. Ten or 
 twelve miles brought the corps to within a mile of Hartwood 
 Church by half past three P. M., and there it bivouacked. 
 
 No drum beat the next morning, but all were quietly 
 waked at half past three. Past six o'clock the column moved 
 (our regiment at the rear of our division) , the Eleventh corps 
 in the advance, on the road toward Kelley's Ford, which 
 crosses the Rappahannock some miles above the spot where 
 that river receives the waters of its tributary Rapidan. It 
 was a wet day, b^t the troops made seventeen miles. Two 
 miles from Kelley's Foi'd our corps bivouacked ; while the 
 Eleventh, being in advance in its turn, crossed the river on 
 pontoons, and our advance cavalry drove in or captured rebel 
 pickets. 
 
 On Wednesday morning our corps, starting at daylight, 
 moved on over the river, "and passed the Eleventh,^ — the 
 Second Massachusetts at the head in the road, flanked by the 
 Twenty-seventh Indiana and the Third Wisconsin, on the 
 right and left, as skirmishers. The Twenty-seventh Indiana 
 and the Second Massachusetts by and by clianged places. 
 Through woods and underbrush ours went on, till close to 
 Germanna Ford on the Rapidan. At this crossing the rebels 
 were building a bridge. They had a small force on the other 
 side, with rifle pits, and these Avere surprised. The Third 
 Wisconsin moved straight to «the ford, while the Second 
 Massachusetts, wheeling to the left, came out on an open 
 
298 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 height. A few minutes' fire killing some, and our two regi- 
 ments having a cross fire on the road by which the rebels must 
 leave, white signals fluttered from the rifle pits, and a hun- 
 dred and three surrendered, and were ordered to cross the 
 river to our side. Our men then forded. The river was 
 very high and very swift, and three men of the Twelfth corps 
 were drowned. The pioneers of our division built a bridge 
 for the remainder of our forces. Our corps bivouacked a 
 mile and a half beyond the river ; — that same stream, 
 towards which we were moving last August, when we met 
 the sad field by Cedar Mountain. 
 
 Thursday was a drizzling day. At eight o'clock the troops 
 moved. General Geary, with our Second division in advance. 
 Our regiment was the rear guard of our corps. Not far 
 from the river the plank road was reached, on which a march 
 of twelve miles towards Fredericksburg b^jought the corps to 
 near Chancellorville, — where our brigade (at last), under 
 General Rogers, turned to the right into the woods, and 
 again to the right, and there bivouacked in line of battle, a 
 little in advance of the plank road. This evening came an 
 order from General Hooker congratulating the Fifth, Elev- 
 enth, and Twelfth corps on their operations for the three days, 
 which he characterized as " a succession of brilliant achieve- 
 ments," and saying that the enemy must " ingloriously fly," 
 or " come out from behind his defences and give us battle on 
 our OAVU ground, where certain desti'uction awaits him." 
 
 Friday, May 1, Avas a beautiful day. It being "muster 
 day," that work was begun as usual. But when it was half 
 done in our regiment orders came to move. The result was 
 a march of two miles in the Fredericksburg direction. As I 
 understand it, this Avas part ©f a demonstration Avhich forced 
 the enemy to retire from United States Ford, which I take to 
 
BATTLE OF CHANCELLORVILLE. 299 
 
 be about ten miles up from Fredericksburg. This movement 
 was successful, and other troops were enabled to cross at that 
 ford, over which three pontoon bridges were thrown, which 
 afterwards became our main channel of communication with 
 the north of the river. During the movement just alluded to 
 there was sharp musketry on the left, and artillery fire was 
 rapid overhead of our brigade from both sides. After a few 
 hoiu'S the brigade returned to their old place. The shot here 
 fell dangerously, but no active service was required. The 
 troops were under arms all night. 
 
 On Saturday morning orders came to intrench. Logs 
 were felled and built up breast high, and abatis constructed 
 in front, — a work the whole army was engaged in. The 
 line as now established was, perhaps, four miles long. The 
 Eleventh corps had the right. Unfortunately its right rested 
 on no position giving any natural advantages, — abruptly 
 ending in accessible ground. The Twelfth corps joined the 
 Eleventh on the left of the latter. Another corps, I do not 
 know what, rested on the river below. Our line, therefore, 
 commenced on the river (that was the left), below United 
 States Ford, and ran in a rather irregular course so far# 
 as to shoAv a convex front to the enemy. Its weak place 
 proved to be the unprotected right flank. 
 
 About half past foiu- P. M., while furious fighting Avas 
 going on at the left, it was said that the enemy was retreating. 
 A long line of wagons was visible, and some scattering forces. 
 Whether this was a ruse or not it acted like one. Orders 
 came to the Twelfth corps to advance on the wagons and 
 troops. It left its intrenchments, therefore, a very small 
 guard remaining with the knapsacks in the line of works, and 
 advanced over a mile. Then the noise of battle was heard 
 on the extreme right. The Twelfth corps was oi'dered back. 
 
300 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 There was need of it. The rebels had massed heavy 
 forces on the right flank, completely turning it. The cavalry 
 outside had given no alarm, when suddenly Jackson opened a 
 tremendous fire, enfilading the line of the Eleventh, and then 
 poured in his columns. Taken in such way the Eleventh 
 could not be relied upon. They gave way. Their general 
 succeeded in rallying a small force, but his best brigade had 
 been detached, and it was too late to save the line. 
 
 When the Twelfth coi'ps got back to its line most of its 
 works were ali'eady in the possession of the enemy. But 
 crossing the intrenchments it took position at a right angle to 
 them, facing westward. " Stand steady, old Third brigade ; 
 stand firm, old Second Massachusetts ; " — was the address of 
 the brigadier. Of coui'se the Third brigade would, with 
 such regiments as Colonel Colgi'ove's Twenty-seventh Indiana 
 and Colonel Hawley's Third Wisconsin, and ours. So stood 
 the whole line. The firm front and the tremendous artillery 
 fire checked the enemy, Avhile General Sickles's corps attacked 
 in another direction. It was now dark. The imminent 
 danger of the annihilation of the wing was past, and the rebels 
 ^ admitted that — with all the damage done — they had failed 
 of their main object. A new line for the right was eventually 
 established, — that wing swinging back and resting on the 
 river above United States Ford, — infinitely stronger than the 
 original one, and considerably shorter. The left remained in 
 its original position. The hospital of our corps had been re- 
 moved from Chancellorville, having been enveloped in a tor- 
 nado of missiles, and was taken across the river — the last 
 surgeon there being killed at the door of Chancellor house. 
 All night firing was going on in every direction. 
 
 Sunday morning the fight grew into a tempest. The Third 
 coi-ps, I think, changed position. Some troops ran back over 
 
BATTLE OF CHANCELLORVILLE. 301 
 
 the Twelfth, and the enemy dashed up, but the Twelfth held its 
 line and repulsed the enemy. The rebels attacked furiously, 
 but were splendidly met. Of our own brigade, the Second 
 Massachusetts and the Third Wisconsin, well mated on many 
 a field, were together. The corps had so long a line to oc- 
 cupy that there were few reserves, and no second line. Coolly 
 and orderly our brigade pressed back the enemy in front of 
 it a quarter of a mile. Three rebel lines it broke successively 
 in the several hours' steady fighting. In the last, ours came 
 against a vSoutli Carolina regiment, said by prisoners to be 
 the First. Tliree times the Palmetto flag Avas shot do^vn, but 
 was ahvays gallantly raised again. Three times our flag 
 changed hands. At last the Palmettoes sullenly yielded. 
 
 Our line was out of ammunition. It sent for more. In 
 the mean time the officers took all the remaining ammunition 
 from the fallen and distributed it. From the bodies of dead 
 or wounded rebels in the ground gained, were cartridges taken 
 and returned to the enemy. Then, with nothing left, bayonets 
 were fixed, and at " order arms," our men quietly stood until 
 the answer came back from high quarters, " I cannot make 
 ammunition." The front line was then ordered to retire, -i 
 which it did orderly and most bitterly, and ours fell back to 
 Chancellorville, losing still by artillery fire, to replenish its 
 cartridge-boxes. Thence it was ordered to the cross road 
 running to United States Ford, AvhUe the right wing was 
 swinging back on the river. 
 
 Then came news that General Sedgwick, with his sepa- 
 rated corps, had, in the morning, brilliantly carried the Fred- 
 ericksburg heights, which the enemy had greatly weakened 
 when they had swung their line around on its right at the 
 river, as on a pivot, to confront our main army. Ti-emendous 
 firing was going on below, supposed to be an attack on 
 26 
 
302 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Sedgwick in the coming evening, he having been ordered to 
 move up and join General Hooker. Tlie night was hideous 
 with the sound of battle. After dark, the Twelfth corps was 
 sent to the extreme left of the main- army, and rested in 
 excellent intrenchments on the river. 
 
 On Monday there was no activity above, except at isolated 
 points, at which the rebels Avere easily repixlsed. General 
 Sedgwick's fight still continued, and the query was whether 
 the enemy had not moved his force against that general, near 
 Banks's Ford. Whether so or not we lay idle ; and that gen- 
 eral, who had obtained control of that ford, was obliged to 
 cross the river. 
 
 When the council of generals was held, I do not know. 
 Report said that a majority favored, at first, bold and vigorous 
 attack, but that it was finally decided to fall back. This Avas 
 indicated, when, on Tuesday morning, the trains were ordered 
 back, and did not stop until they were back to Falmouth, or 
 to Potomac Creek. The hospitals ^oo were moved. Long 
 ambulance trains conveyed their loads to Aquia Creek. Our 
 Twelfth corps hospital, in its second position north of the river, 
 had already proved insecure. On Monday morning its 
 reveille was the landing of .shot and shell in its midst. One 
 shot passed through three tents, and killed a wounded man. 
 Six or seven men were killed or maimed within a few minutes, 
 in its immediate vicinity. One shell killed a rebel prisoner 
 near by, and Avounded five more. 
 
 Tuesday night orders came to the front to prepare to retire. 
 It Avas not until daylight that the left moved, after passing a 
 Avet night in the trenches. Pickets Avere still kept out ; 
 artillery posted. No annoyance took place, and the troops 
 recrossed at United States Ford, Avhere a tremendous rain 
 on the afternoon of Tuesday had already carried aAvay one 
 of the three bridofes. 
 
BAFFLED. 303 
 
 There has been no better fighting in this Avar than in this 
 battle by some regiments ; no worse than by some others. 
 
 To my knowledge, there has never been better hospital 
 arrangements than those organized by our medical director, 
 Surgeon McNulty ; no better hospital than that conducted by 
 Surgeon Casey, of the Twentieth Connecticut. The chief 
 operator of our brigade. Surgeon Tryford, of the Twenty- 
 seventh Indiana, did his work admirably. Coolness, kind- 
 ness, and skill did wonders. Our own surgeons. Heath and 
 Wightman, answered the most sanguine desires. 
 
 A rainy day, Wednesday, brought us back to our old camp. 
 The movement of the army had failed. Up to Saturday it 
 was a great success. History records that this army, num- 
 bering, according to the official and published report of the 
 medical director, one hundred and sixty thousand men, of 
 which one hundred and twenty thousand must have been 
 effective — magnificently equipped — taking its OAvn time for 
 movement — evidently surprising the enemy — with confi- 
 dence in its commanding general — with splendid fighting 
 qualities — was baffled. Not routed — only baffled. Where 
 the fault lies, it is for others who know to say. 
 
 Tery likely there are errors in this hastily written letter. 
 But none in the fact that the ai-my moved, faUed, and returned. 
 
 Stafford Court House, Va,, May, 1863. 
 
 We learn from the New York papers that the bulk of our 
 army has crossed the Rappahannock, and is following up 
 General Lee. Very likely ; but we have not heard it in our 
 corps. We learn a good many other things from the papers. 
 From one we should judge that only one particular corps 
 appears to have engaged in the recent battle ; while from 
 
304 THE POTOMAC AiSD THE RAPID AN. 
 
 another, it was a wliolly different corps. Now I insist that 
 our corps did the best fighting ; but as General Slocum does 
 not carry a special repoi'ter with him, as some others do, the 
 glorification is less. I remember an account of the battle of 
 Cedar Mountain, in which one brigade appeared to have done 
 
 everything; but the date, "General 's headquarters" 
 
 explained the mystery. The fact is, every corps engaged 
 did well with the exception of the Eleventh ; and for that 
 there are some circumstances which palliate, though not 
 really excuse their fault. To their excellent commander 
 nobody attributes a fault. I presume that the corps would 
 retrieve their laurels in another engagement.* Our Twelfth 
 certainly fought magnificently. For hours its front was a 
 perfect blaze of fire. Without reserves, with a thin line, 
 yet it held at bay the choicest of Jackson's force. Our corps 
 is an old friend of Jackson's. General Banks's old force, — 
 it met him in the Valley repeatedly. Except near Richmond, 
 our corps has been his regular opponent, — always left weaker 
 by the powers that be, — who are ordained of God, and 
 therefore God bless them. 
 
 The papers say that the enemy's loss was greater than 
 ours. They always say so. But this time the rebels rJiist 
 have suffered greatly. The way in which it happened, was 
 by their pursuing their usual course of bringing up heavy 
 masses, trusting to their ability for a rapid deployment as 
 needed. This time, our artillery got the range of their 
 masses, and made terrible havoc. 
 
 Among their losses seems to be our old opponent, Jackson. 
 I well remember the bugbear his name used to be. After 
 Bull Run first, Jackson took charge of rebel matters in the 
 Shenandoah. During the Avinter we lay at Frederick he 
 
 * It did. At Lookout Mountain it behaved magnificently. 
 
STONEWALL JACKSON. 305 
 
 was intensely active up and down the river. In the spring- 
 he attacked General Banks's force at Winchester, and was 
 defeated. We followed up (that is southward) the valley, 
 and drove Jackson beyond Harrisburg. From that point 
 General Banks most reluctantly retraced his steps in obedi- 
 ence to a peremptory order from Washington. Jackson 
 eventually folloAved up, heavily reenforced as he could be, 
 when General McDowell was prevented from cooperating 
 with the army before Richmond. With an overwhelming 
 force, Jackson persuaded us to hurry into Maryland. After- 
 Avards our corps met his attack at Cedar Mountain. In his 
 last action we again encountered him. No man rejoices at 
 his death. Pie was a good man, though strangely misled 
 by this vagary of state rights ; a man of much prayer and 
 Christian experience. A brave, gallant, and chivalric soldier, 
 — no stain of crvielty or even* harshness I'ests upon him. 
 May God pardon his one fault ! I wish ive had more gen- 
 erals like him. 
 
 The Avounded left beyond the Rappahannock have been 
 brought over under a flag of truce. Those on our right Aving 
 number about a thousand. Rebels there insist that they out- 
 numbered us, having been A^ery strongly reenforced. They 
 say, too, that the cavalry raid cost them but a slight incon- 
 venience, all damages being speedily repaired. They say, 
 also, that on the night of our return they Avere moving large 
 forces by our extreme right, into the wUderness, west of 
 Chancellorville, to retake United States Ford, Avhich, if suc- 
 cessful, would haA'e made hard work. Whether so or not. 
 General Hooker undoubtedly understood Avhat he was about. 
 
 The losses of our brigade number just about one third of 
 all in action. This is paralleled only by our loss at Cedar 
 Mountain. 
 
 2G* 
 
30G THE POTOMAC A>:D the RAPIDAN. 
 
 Our reg'imeut is now in its tliird year of service. May 11, 
 18G1, was its nutal daj^, — our mustering in dating from that, 
 although the field officers were not commissioned until later 
 in the month. Colonel Gordon had received direct authority 
 from the war department at Washington to raise a three 
 years' regiment, and Avas the first to undertake it. Our date 
 of muster as recorded probably gives us the priority of all 
 the three years' regiments, — while some companies were 
 full in April, even. 
 
 Stafford Court House, Va., May 20, 1863. 
 
 CriLOROFOKM is a blessed thing. Not but that sulphuric 
 ether is good. But here they use chloroform, to the exclusion 
 of ether. At home, I believe it is the other way. Divers 
 fatal cases supposed to result from the use of chloroform 
 were reported, I remember, and people Avere afraid of it. 
 But I have repeatedly asked experienced surgeons about it, 
 and have uniformly been told that they have neither seen nor 
 heard of a single case of injury from the use of chloroform 
 in the army. It takes very much less bulk of chloroform 
 than of ether to produce the requisite insensibility, and less 
 time to secure the desired condition ; and the patient comes 
 out of it much better. So they use chloroform here. 
 
 But one cannot look, after a battle, on anossthetics, AAdthout 
 rejoicing. They spare the terrible pain. They disarm the 
 fear of the knife. They prevent the groans Avhich AA^ould 
 terrify those about to take their turn. They place the part 
 at the entire disposal of the surgeon, and enable him to per- 
 form a better operation, without haste, without disturbance 
 from struggles ; and to venture on delicate but needful Avork, 
 otherwise impossible. 
 
AQUIA CREEK. 307. 
 
 I have thought of these things repeatedly, in Avitnessing 
 terrible operations. I thought of them at Aquia Creek, the 
 last time I was there, — whence these paragraphs. J^'or 
 they use a good deal of chloroform at the never idle tables 
 thei'e. 
 
 Aquia Creek landing is about eight miles from this place, 
 or, vice versa, according to your estimate of local im- 
 portance. Roads which are mixed, — part dirt, part cor- 
 duroy, part stumps, part gullies, part nothing, take you 
 there ; about a hundred of them go there, from which you 
 can choose ; or you can make a new one. There is nothing 
 special on the way except dead horses. Two or three miles 
 from the landing you catch a glimpse of water, but lose it 
 again. Farther on, you come in sight of several fortifica- 
 tions, between two of which you pass, and soon stand on the 
 brow of a height, from which there is one of the prettiest 
 views imaginable. The broad Potomac stretches up and 
 down, dotted with white sail or the puff of steamer. The 
 Maryland woods are dark on the far off shore. The wide 
 creek is hardly separated from the lordlier river by a long, 
 narrow, green point ; and down below you are the sombre- 
 roofed government buildings hardly lifted from the water, 
 Avith two causeways, one for Avagon, one for rail, crossing the 
 Avct lands betAveen upland heights and AAdiarves. It is worthy 
 of a painter. AVhat a pity it is in Virginia ! 
 
 Aquia Creek landing ought to be an important place. The 
 terminus of a line of steamers from Washington, and the 
 starting-point of raihvay to Richmond, — in time of peace it 
 is a transition centre on the great line of Northern and 
 Southern travel. It would be something, but it is in Vir- 
 ginia ! That eminent State, in AAdiich "Wise said, the poor 
 farmer chases a stump-tailed steer through a barren ten acre 
 lot to get a tough beefsteak. 
 
308 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 But my interest in Aquia centres, not in its little city of 
 government slianties, nor its piles of supplies ; but in some 
 tents on the airy height half a mile back. They are the^ 
 tents of the hospital of the Twelfth army corps. Hither were 
 sent the sick prior to our recent movement. And hither, oi 
 return, flowed in the stream of wounded men. Hundreds 
 upon hundreds have been sent from them northward, but still 
 seven hundred remain. Dr. Goodman is at the head, with 
 two surgeons and ten assistant surgeons. Our corps took 
 into the held between nine and ten thousand men ; it lost in 
 killed and wounded three thousand one hundred and forty- 
 three. Our division (the corps has two) lost one thousand 
 six hundred and iifty-nine, — General Williams's hardened 
 troops. Think of this when you read certain newspaper 
 accounts which seem to make out that General Sickles's 
 corps did the brunt of the fighting. When a corps loses one 
 third in a fair, stand-up fight, without flinching, you may let 
 that corps down as vetei^an, And when you want fighting 
 done, call on General Williams's division, — the best, stur- 
 diest, toughest division in the army. " Who are those 
 devils with red stars on their caps ? " asked some rebel pris- 
 oners. The red stars signify our division. Even Carleton, 
 in his most admirable account of the battle, makes Captain 
 Best to be chief of artillery to General Sickles ; whereas, he 
 is that same to our corps. General Slocum's ; and it was our 
 forty pieces, supported by our infantry, whose horrible fire 
 made such havoc in Jackson's columns. Our corps breasted 
 the wave of the fleeing Eleventh ; ours made an impenetra- 
 ble wall of fire on Sunday, and then stood with fixed bay- 
 onets and without a cartridge till regularly relieved, while 
 the broken enemy dared not advance. 
 
 But, ah me, the hospital at Aquia shows the cost, besides 
 
IN THE HOSPITAL. 309 
 
 the nameless graves at Chancellorville. There is every kind 
 of Avouncl, from simple flesh hm-t to shattered limbs or pierced 
 trunk. The poor fellows are lying on beds made by filling 
 large new bed-sacks with the best of straw. Some have 
 frames above them, from which are cords running over pul- 
 leys to hold in easy position the hurt limbs. The tents are 
 well open to the air, and are not crowded. Cook tents are 
 at proper distances. Nurses take care each of a certain 
 number of patients. Government furnishes supplies liber- 
 ally, and the stores of* the invaluable Sanitary Commission 
 seem exhaustless. 
 
 Under an a'W'ning is the operating table. Experienced 
 men work unweariedly, quietly, and calmly. They are a 
 blessing from God. As to unnecessary operations, — none 
 can operate but mien specially designated, whose characters 
 are above such suspicion. 
 
 As I arrived, there Avas a man upon the table etherized. 
 It was one of ours. A bad wound in the thigh required re- 
 section. He soon came out from the influence of the chloro- 
 form, and looking up, his fii'st words were, " How do you 
 do, chaplain?" He was a brave soldier. 
 
 It is lonesome for the men. Away from home, some never 
 to see home again, wearing out the tedious days and nights, 
 they are glad to see a friend's face. On Monday, there were 
 three of us to see our men, — our surgeon, a captain, and 
 myself. We made a day of it. As we Avere returning, 
 " This has been a good day," said the captain. 
 
 It is remarkable how cheerfully, all things considered, they 
 bear their lot. Here is one almost gone Avith consumption ; 
 he has but few days. Here, one shot through the lungs. 
 Here, one Avith the stump of a, leg, and very far gone from 
 past hardship. Here, one with a bullet-hole through his 
 
310 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 head. Yet they do not murmur. They are all ready for 
 religious advice. The men seem generally more anxious 
 about their friends' feelings than about themselves. 
 
 I was to write to the friends of one.. He called me back. 
 " Chaplain, be sure and tell mother not- to worry ! " 
 
 Another had been reported dead, but he had been found 
 alive, a prisoner, and sent back to us. 
 
 " I wish they knew at home that I was living," said he. 
 
 " They do," I answered ; "I telegraphed the very day it 
 was knoAvn." * 
 
 " Thank you, thank you," said he ; " because mother 
 must have been feeling so bad. " 
 
 On Monday there were marks of the labors of the Chris- 
 tian Commission the day before. I was very glad of them ; 
 glad for the sake of our men. There is room enough for the 
 Commission ; room in plenty. They find it, they tell me, 
 not very practicable to go in action, where recognized officers 
 can ; but in such a place as our corps hospital, they are just 
 the thing. I cannot be very often there to see our own men, 
 nor other chaplains to see theirs ; there are regiments repre- 
 sented there who have no chaplains ; there is no hospital 
 chaplain. I rejoice that good rhen can be there. Possibly 
 not all the plans may be wise ; perhaps not all the men are 
 judicious ; but the Commission has good men, trying to do 
 good, I know. Mr. Alvord's work is different from theirs, 
 and cannot be spared. The Tract Society at New York, also, 
 has plenty of room. Bring on all the helpers. 
 
 One of our men told me, by the way, in detail of hard- 
 ships, how one man ministered to them while in the hands 
 of the rebels ; how he spared no labor ; cooked for them ; 
 got some slight shelter for them ; comforted them. My 
 informant thinks that lives were saved by that man, whom 
 
TRADING AT AQUIA CHEEK. 311 
 
 he believed to be the chaplain of the Twelfth New Hamp- 
 shire, reported a prisoner. I doubt not it was he, our brother 
 Ambrose. He has earned a gratitude never to be forgotten, 
 certainly by some of ours. 
 
 I was going to speak of an hour at the Landing. Of 
 the outrageous imposition of the newspaper sellers, who 
 charge ten cents for a daily, retailing for five in Washington, 
 from which place the scoundrels come in a few hours, and 
 /vee of expense. Of the lemonade you look at — bvit don't 
 drink if yoti are wise — at ten cents a glass, the net profit on 
 which I found by an arithmetical calculation to be exactly 
 nineteen hundred per cent. Of the soda-water — pah ! Of 
 the stationery stand, whose note-paper is fifty cents a quire, 
 worth literally eighteen. Of the trashy publications on the 
 counters. Of the eating house where you pay a dollar for a 
 mean dinner. ( Tl^e dined with the surgeon, and had butter ! 
 As soon as I saw it I knew it was butter, from impressions 
 indelibly made in childhood.) I began Avith alluding to chlo- 
 roform. Chloroform has seized the consciences of the whole 
 villanous pack of traders there. They took the vapor easy. 
 They are completely under its influence. They stay under 
 it perfectly. I sliould like to be provost marshal there for 
 just half an hour, with charge of the rascally traders who 
 are cheating the crowd of soldiers thereabouts out of their 
 hard earnings. I would amputate their every stock in trade, 
 and then relieve the vagabonds of their anaesthetic slumber 
 by planting every fellow of them ten feet deep in dock mud. 
 — I Avas going to say all this, but as there is no room I will 
 not. 
 
 We are having good weather now, and of course our 
 usual religious worship. 
 
312 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Stafford Court House, Va., June 5, 1863. 
 
 I HAVE omitted to write. But loss is slight. Little 
 has occurred. Even now one gathers up only " odds and 
 ends," of not much interest, save a tremendous cannonade 
 going on all day in the direction of Fredericksburg, whose 
 import we are yet ignorant of. 
 
 In common with probably most regiments we have changed 
 camps. In common newspaper style of late, I should say 
 that " We have moved towards the enemy ! " So we have — 
 an eighth of a mile ! So did General Hooker move " nearer 
 to Washington," as by the papers, — moving several rods ! 
 At least one half of the current reports as to facts or feelings 
 here are false. Old camps become unhealthy. The army 
 has been in those about us at least six months. It was time 
 to move. 
 
 We have not a man in our regimental hospital. A few 
 are sick in quarters, but none severely. 
 
 The cannonading to-day may signify something. Yes- 
 terday morning we were called up at four A. M., to be ready 
 to move immediately. Tents were struck. Goods and chat- 
 tels all packed. Horses saddled. Then we waited for orders. 
 And waited. They came in the forenoon, — "to water the 
 horses, but not unharness them." Then we waited again. 
 Orders came towards night, — permission to pitch again ! 
 Very pleasant — to stay waiting in a hot sun all day, merely 
 because somebody perverted a simple order to be " under 
 arms " into " breaking up camp," before it reached us. How- 
 ever, three days' rations are kept constantly on hand, which 
 is very judicious, as we are in the most exposed part of the 
 line. 
 
 One matter I ought to refer to particularly. It is the 
 
THE SANITARY COMMISSION. 313 
 
 value of the Sanitary Commission. The good it does is 
 perfectly marvellous. With its work thoroughly systematized, 
 it seems omnipresent. In the recent operations I do not 
 know what would have been done Avithout the Commission. 
 A few hours only, after the Sunday battle, nourishing food 
 was cooking at our general hospital. " Where did this come 
 from?" "The Sanitary." Delicacies, even, tempted the 
 appetite. "Where from?" "The Sanitary." The Com- 
 mission is really doing an immense work, often noiseless, but 
 very effectual. Its agents and inspectors are everywhere. 
 
 Salem, Mass., June 16, 1863. 
 
 I WROTE the above in an interval between two " intermit- 
 tents." Since then — on the next afternoon, our regiment 
 was selected as one of six or seven tried bodies to form 
 part of General Pleasanton's expedition across the Rappa- 
 hannock. I cannot tell about that movement, for I was help- 
 lessly sick when it left ; and before it returned two or three 
 surgeons agreed that the sooner I found my native State the 
 better. So, for five days I was on the road home — of which 
 journey I should like to write my impressions when stronger. 
 
 Nor can I record anything of the current movements. 
 Lee's advance, expected before, has taken place. O, that I 
 had health, to be with ours. It is terribly hard to be sub- 
 missive to the lot of uselessness at such a time. 
 
 I doubt not that Lee will do some harm. But I cannot be- 
 lieve that he will permanently reap anything but disaster. I 
 caution aU not to be excited by newspaper reports. Last fall I 
 was in Pope's army. When files of newspapers at last came, 
 it was strange how rumors most untruthful had daily excited 
 27 
 
314 THE POTOMAC AND THE R-APIDAN. 
 
 the public mind. Now, — trust ! We have a gallant army, 
 a noble cause — and God. 
 
 Dover, N. H., June 30, 1863. 
 
 Nothing could have induced me, I think, to write now, 
 but the desire to relieve the anxieties which the whirlwind of 
 attack on the Ambulance System of our army has created. 
 
 I was completely astonished on learning the condition of 
 our ambulance system. I had occasion once or twice to crit- 
 icise it myself, but the evils were minor ones, and have been 
 corrected. I had the pleasure once of nearly choking a driv- 
 er, besides well nigh shaking him out of his boots. But that 
 the whole set needed a similar operation, I was unaware — 
 till now. I thought Senators Wilson and Sumner to be really 
 humane men, and my idea was suppoi'ted by vai'ious acts of 
 theirs — many of them private — which seemed to evince 
 ready and kind hearts. Little did I think they needed to " be 
 shot through the chest and jolted over a corduroy road, with 
 a drunken driver," &c., &c., &c. I imagined that our sur- 
 geons and generals — many of the former of whom I know, 
 and some of the latter — were the same kind-hearted, honor- 
 able, human beings they were at home. But now they seem 
 to be brutes. Ambulance drivers I should have considered 
 to be usually respectable people, especially as many of them 
 I could mention from Massachusetts are thought to be, in 
 their own toAvns, men of good character and often of Chris- 
 tian influence ; men ventui'ing into the heavy fire ; men whom 
 I have seen quiet when the very horses in the vehicle were 
 struck by balls ; men whom I have seen lifting the wounded 
 as tenderly as you would handle a babe of days ; men Avith 
 
THE AMBULANCE CORPS. 315 
 
 whom 1 would have trusted myself implicitly until I found 
 that they are " miserable, drunken -wretches." I thought 
 we had an ambulance system. But I find that " vain appeals 
 have been made to the President" to establish one ; that " Con- 
 gi-ess, General Halleck, Stanton," have been uselessly begged 
 "to do something, and all in vain ; " that both our Massa- 
 chusetts senators are dumb, or in open opposition to all action 
 in the premises ; I see that we — the people — are " to write 
 to the authorities, and demand action : " to " cut this article 
 from the paper . . . and send it ; " to " get the pamphlet and 
 send that ; " to " call meetings, and circulate petitions : " to 
 " overwhelm the powers that be with your importunity," &c. 
 
 What for? Because " on the battle-field, and from battle- 
 field to hospital they (our wounded) depend on chance com- 
 ers." Because " there is no system, no provision worthy the 
 name." And it is triumphantly asked if an ambulance corps 
 " is practicable there (in Europe) why is it not practicable 
 here ? " 
 
 I respect motives. I reverence a stricken father's anguish. 
 But I have too much regard also for the thousands of suffer- 
 ing wives and mothers not to relieve their anxieties somewhat 
 by saying emphatically that the statements quoted in this last 
 paragraph are simply the grossest errors. I judge, it is true, 
 from the working in one corps, but I am confident as to the 
 others also, in the army of Virginia. 
 
 True, there was one occasion, last September, when cer- 
 tain barbarities were witnessed in an ambulance train sent 
 from Washington to Manassas. I judge that every one of 
 those drivers ought to have been shot. I know that, in our 
 corps, if such men existed, they would have altered their con- 
 duct, or enough of them would have been shot on the spot to 
 reduce the others to obedience. But in reference to that case. 
 
316 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAFIUAN. 
 
 remember the train was started under very peculiar circum- 
 stances ; that its drivers were '"' men of the lowest character, 
 taken from the purlieus of Washington," which our regular 
 drivers never are ; that this Avas only one case, Avhich I know, 
 personally, not to be a fair representation of the whole sys- 
 tem ; and that since then an entire modification of the system 
 has taken place. The system has been improved. In our 
 corps, and I suppose in the Potomac army as a whole, it is 
 just what (as to plan) is asked for. 
 
 Let VIS look at our system. " 
 
 At the liead of the army of Virginia is a medical direct- 
 or, who is virtually a medical autocrat. To each corps there 
 is a medical director. To each division in a corps there is 
 a medical director. The senior surgeon in each brigade is 
 acting medical director of the brigade. And to each regi- 
 ment there is, or should be, one surgeon and two assistant 
 surgeons. By the superior surgeons, the directors, there is 
 constant oversight and care. 
 
 Now besides, there is an Ambllance Corps. It is under 
 the general charge of the medical director of the army 
 corps. All the ambulances were long ago taken from regi- 
 ments and put under the charge — not of quartermasters — 
 but of the medical powers. Each ambulance has its driver, 
 not taken from " purlieus," but permanently detailed from the 
 various regiments, and these ambulances and their di'ivers 
 are under the control of military officers, who are also per- 
 manently detailed. I cannot teU just now accurately every 
 feature of the plan above brigades ; but to our brigade therdM 
 are (if I remember accurately) thirty (odd) ambulances — ■ 
 six or seven averaging to a regiment.* These are kept to- 
 gether in quiet times. There is in charge a lieutenant per- 
 manently assigned to that work, well instructed himself, and 
 
THE AMBULANCE CORPS. 317 
 
 rigid in his requiremeuts. The brigadier himself cannot 
 take one of those ambulances for a moment — so exclusively 
 are they under the control of the medical authorities. I had 
 occasion to need one lately. It had to be obtained by a. 
 requisition made by our surgeon, and approved by our brig- 
 ade surgeon, when the lieutenant sent it instantly. Not an 
 ambuhince can be used except to carry sick or wounded. I 
 have seen these ambulances " parked." They were in per- 
 fect order. On the road the other day, when being trans- 
 ported, in sickness, I needed water. It was immediately 
 drawn — good water — from the well-filled keg. The men 
 employed are under strict discipline, and would be punished 
 for ill conduct. As they are assigned to the one duty, they 
 iniderstaud their business. In addition to the lieutenant 
 there are all the sergeants he needs ; and if a train moves either 
 the lieutenant or a sergeant (according to its size) goes with 
 it, with military authority. The medical director has entire 
 control, and the ambulance coi'ps is really just as distinct a 
 body as the artillery. 
 
 Now, further. In case of expected movements, the corps 
 medical director issues his plans, to which the corps com- 
 mander orders obedience. One surgeon is named to remain 
 till further oi'ders, the superintendent of a corps general 
 hospital, should one be established. Another, to be its clerk. 
 One surgeon from each brigade is detached as chief operator, 
 and four or five as assistant operators. Others are ordered 
 to report for general duties. The hospital attendants of every 
 regiment are to repair immediately to the corps hospital, in 
 case of action. Certain surgeons are ordered to remain near 
 their regiments. The ambulances are stationed by personal 
 order of the corps medical director. And — mind this — 
 ten men from each regiment, previously selected by the sur- 
 27* 
 
318 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 geon of the regiment, as suitable men — have the simple and 
 sole duty of removing the wounded from the field of battle 
 even during the engagement. These are picked men ; they 
 constitute a distinct corps ; they can do no other duty, and 
 each wears a conspicuous green badge on his breast. They 
 use the " stretchers " which go with every ambulance, and 
 convey the wounded to tlie ambulances stationed near. 
 
 Now, what more complete " ambulance corps " can exist, I 
 cannot see. The only variation would be to enlist men spe- 
 cially for this corps, instead of taking them from regiments, 
 but that would not necessarily be an improvement. They 
 noio remain permanently detached, unless some special reason 
 should occur for dismissing a man. They camp together ; 
 they are under no regimental control Avhatever. And by 
 selecting from men already in service, there is opportunity 
 for choosing those who are known to be specially adapted to 
 the service wanted. Such men were taken from our regiment 
 — with a sei-geant ; and to those men's care I would trust my 
 life. Possibly it might be better that the ten " stretcher- 
 bearers " should be removed from the regiments, but as for 
 the most of the time they would have nothing to do, it is 
 questionable. 
 
 Now, on a march, the ambulances, under charge of their 
 officer, follow the corps ; and one ambulance goes with the 
 regiment often, for special and sudden use. If the surgeon 
 of the regiment finds a man actually unable, from illness, to 
 go further, he gives him a certificate (printed blanks he keeps 
 with him) which entitles him to fall out till the ambulances 
 come up, and to a seat when they do come up. 
 
 But how this system works is the next point. It works 
 tvell. Not perfectly, for we have neither omnipotence, omni- 
 presence, nor infinite goodness, in either surgeon, ambulance 
 
THE AMBULANCE CORPS. 319 
 
 driver, or hospital attendant. But it works better and better. 
 At any rate it is, in substance, the system used in " every 
 army of Europe." It has no defects which I can see would 
 be removed if all critics had carte blanche to devise a system ; 
 for its defects are mainly the incidents of frailty in man, not 
 in plan. At Chancellorville it worked finely. Men were 
 left on the field ; but it was because the field passed into the 
 enemy's hands. The battle of Sunday was not ended when 
 our corps hospital was reestablished north of the river (driven 
 there by previous artilleiy fire) , when tents were up — when 
 cooks were at work — when operating surgeons were at their 
 task — andj^ve hundred men from our one corps were there, 
 many lying on beds of boughs, each tent under a siu-geon's 
 watch and care — and the whole was as quiet, as calm, as neat, 
 as systematic as though the enemy's balls were not to crash 
 through its trees next morning, and require another move. 
 
 Possibly I have mistaken in thinking our well-regulated 
 plan to be general. Possibly Dr. McNulty and Dr. Chappel, 
 our corps and division medical directors, are exceptions in 
 skill and sense. Possibly the splendid Twelfth corps, with its 
 noble young general, is as much a model in hospital matters 
 as it stands preeminent on the field of battle. But I do not 
 believe that other corps are far behind. I tell you, anxious 
 reader, that while your and our wounded must suffer, cases 
 of peculiar neglect are extremely rare — at least in our corps. 
 And I assure my friends that precisely the plan demanded 
 Avas established months ago ; I cannot say that there will 
 ahuays be Avater in the ambulance kegs ; men are sometimes 
 neglectful. Nor that ambulances will always be where the 
 changing tide of battle makes them needful. But great care 
 is exercised to insure what is wanted. I bear my testimony 
 to the general skill and kindness of the sursreons. I have 
 
320 THE rOTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 been with many of them in bivouac where the slumber was 
 by moments only ; with them as they were tenderly handling 
 the wounded.; with them to see their unselfish devotion to 
 their duty. Of our regiment one of our sufgeons received an 
 enemy's ball ; and one has just laid down his life, a sacrifice 
 to his unremitting labors. But surgeons cannot do every- 
 thing. Be just to them. It may be that " three staff officers 
 .... thought our wounded ought to be seen to, many of 
 Avhom they believed were still lying on the field." But why 
 append the exclamation point, when on referring to the pam- 
 phlet you find that what they "thought" was that " a flag 
 of truce ought to be sent over the river to see to our wounded, 
 many of whom," &c., that is, these wounded were in the 
 enermjs hands, and these staff officers had no more power or 
 right to " see " to them than they had to desert. 
 
 I say these things, not because our system answers every 
 want, but because it is just what is asked for ; because it is 
 not the system of the days of Manassas, when each regiment 
 had, or pretended to have, its own ambulances, but the sys- 
 tem in which avc have a consolidated corps, as do the French ; 
 and because I feel that the anxieties of numberless hearts 
 need this reply. And as I write it in a state of suffering, 
 with the certainty that I shall feel the labor for days, I ask 
 that its motive be understood. 
 
 Park Barracks, New York, August 24, 1863. 
 
 Of all the strange vicissitudes of the Second, it seems the 
 queerest to find ourselves suddenly taken from the Rappahan- 
 nock, and planted in the middle of New York town. 
 
 After a tedious illness and slow recovery, after losing the 
 
RETURN TO THE ARMY. 321 
 
 historical days of Gettysburg, after restlessly mourning over 
 the gallant sufierers whom I could not see, and the gallant 
 dead none shall see here, — I seized the earliest feeling of 
 elasticity as the occasion of return. Barring the friends at 
 home, — the good father and mother, the patient |vife, and 
 (without the slightest prejudice) altogether the finest five-year- 
 old girl who ever loved a papa dearly, or whose mischief a 
 papa ever thought was the perfection of genius — home has 
 fewer attractions in these times than the spots where history 
 is made. How the able-bodied young men whom I saw could, 
 endure the littleness of trade or profession, when their coun- 
 try's life or death is the question of the age, I could not, I 
 cannot understand. 
 
 Not fuUy well when I left home, every day's journey made 
 me stronger. The beautiful trip by the Fall River line, which 
 I take to be the only decent way of going to New York, Avith 
 its lovely evening quiet, and its charming morning approach 
 to the city ; the horrible New Jersey passage ; the detestable 
 horse-car jaunt through Philadelphia's spectral-looking, 
 staring, white-shuttered streets ; the miserable course to 
 Washington, through which I managed to sleep ; even the 
 usual imposition of hack drivers in Washington — all added 
 health and strength. And when the steam engine puffed 
 away towards the Rappahannock, I found I was well again. 
 
 Down by Kelley's ford, on the Rappahannock river, was 
 the Twelfth corps. I left it before its long and rapid marches 
 to Pennsylvania ; before its invincible stand on the right at 
 Gettysburg, where Ewell in vain hurled his masses against 
 the star-marked veterans of Slocum. Now, after renewing 
 its historic gloiy, the corps had got back to its old river. 
 How pleasant it was to meet friends, and to hear words of 
 welcome, and to have hearty handshakes, I need not say. 
 
322 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 But on Saturday, August 15, came orders. And on the 
 next nionuDg various regiments were on the road. Picked 
 troops were taken. From our brigade, the Second Massa- 
 chusetts, the Third "Wisconsin, and the Twenty-seventh 
 Indiana, who, witli eight others form another division, were 
 placed tmder command of our own soldierly Brigadier Gen- 
 eral Ruger. All superfluous baggage was left behind. Five 
 or six miles up the river is Rappahannock station. There 
 the troops were placed on board of four or five long trains, 
 and at night Ave found ourselves at Alexandria to take boats. 
 
 But the boats were not there. So we were turned into a 
 field, or an empty square rather. That night I tried bivouac 
 again, and with decided success. We waited there until 
 Wednesday. 
 
 It is a duty to be resigned to the will of Providence. If 
 Providence should cast my lot in the detestable city of 
 Alexandi'ia, I should try to be resigned; but it would- take 
 grace. Nasty, shiftless, shabby is it for the most part, with 
 here and there a decent street dropped in by accident, and 
 evidently wondering how it got there, — that is Alexandria. 
 While we were there, it seemed as if all the boys and women, 
 and a good share of the men, had turned pedlers. The 
 camps were inundated with them. Everything that a soldier 
 could be tempted to buy, so far as Alexandria could furnish 
 it, was oifered. I will say for Alexandria that these women 
 pedlers were generally very well behaved ; but some of the 
 articles sold were mean enough to counterbalance. Shoe- 
 blacks were thick as bees ; and it was very amusing to see 
 the dignity with which our privates would employ some of 
 them in cleaning up equipments. Ice cream was abundant, 
 and afforded the novel sight of being eaten by the jiint. Bad 
 whiskey showed itself to be in Alexandria, but, on the whole, 
 made no great way. 
 
TO NEW YORK, 323 
 
 We were heartily glad when we got out of the dirty spot 
 where we bivouacked. I do not think that we liked city life 
 at all. It may have charms, but we did not see them. 
 "Wednesday evening we marched through town, and into ves- 
 sels. The three regiments of our brigade, Avith the hundred 
 and something Ohio, (I never remember regimental numbers 
 so high), were put on board the Merrimack. 
 
 Remaining at the Avharf that night, about six o'clock the 
 next, morning the boat started. Rather crowded for accom- 
 modations, of course, but on deck it was delightful. The 
 trip doAATi the Potomac needs to be tried, not described. The 
 Potomac is a beautiful river to steam down, though u^y to 
 live near. Fort Washington, Mount Yernon, Aquia Land- 
 ing — showing only the blackened ruins of its former busy 
 haunts — were the only noticeable points, until, at the mouth 
 of the river. Point Lookout showed its hospital buildings and 
 its grove of green trees. Methinks the sweetest spot for a 
 hospital must be there. Then into the magnificent Chesa- 
 peake, and all the evening, to a late hour, the beaiitiful moon- 
 light silvered the waves ; the cool salt air refreshed the men 
 of the sultry Rappahannock ; and snatches of music from 
 the band, or songs from the musical, enlivened the hours. 
 That is, on deck. Below it was hot and close. 
 
 I did not see the junction of the Bay and the Ocean. In 
 fact, I was asleep. It was in the middle of the night. But 
 the morning brought evidences that we Avere on the ocean. 
 No land AA'as in sight. The Avaters had a peculiar smell. 
 Divers persons were intently looking over the sides into the 
 sea. They AA^ere not sick, O no ! There Avere feAver at the 
 officers' breakfast than one Avould have imagined. Some left 
 the table rather suddenly. Cigars seemed neglected. Din- 
 ner Avas less attended to than Avas formerly the case in our 
 
324 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 brigade. Some seemed quite indifferent to all considerations 
 except those which let them lay quiet. But the Merrimack 
 kept steadily ploughing on. The Erricson appeared, (a sister 
 transport), but the Merrimack walked by. And so on until 
 Saturday morning, when the breakfast table was crowded 
 again, and boots were blacked, and white collars appeared 
 once more. We were nearing New York — our destination 
 which we had suspected while at Alexandria, but Avhich gov- 
 ernment, for a rarity, had kept concealed until we Avere on 
 board. 
 
 The entrance to New York harbor from the sea was new 
 to me ; but how beautiful it seemed I cannot tell. Up be- 
 tween the forts, by lovely Staten Island, through fleets of 
 white- winged vessels, and to the anchorage off Governor's 
 island, the panorama was perfect. And after General Ruger 
 had reported to General Canby, and orders came, then we 
 landed at the foot of Canal Street, North River side, and left 
 the Merrimaclc. A very comfortable vessel is that iron steam- 
 er, built by Harrison Loring, Boston, a year or two ago — 
 of two thousand tons, or to be exact, one thousand nine hun- 
 dred and ninety-one and one fifth ; with two low pressure en- 
 gines, and seventy-four life preservers ; intended for the Bos- 
 ton and New Orleans line, but does not run there ; and 
 commanded by a gentleman, viz.. Captain Sampson, of Ded- 
 ham, Massachusetts. 
 
 So we marched, without music, to BroadAvay, and into 
 City Hall Park, by the same gate we entered over two years 
 ago, and stacked arms on the same spot, and in the same line 
 we did then. But the difference ! Then a thousand and one 
 strong ; now a very few hundreds. But they are the men of 
 Winchester, of Cedar Mountain, of Antietam, of Chancel- 
 lorville. and of Gettysburg ; and if the good people of New 
 
NEW YORK. 325 
 
 York want help in maintaining order, these men are as will- 
 ing to fight their country's enemies North as South — but 
 they fire bullets, not blank cartridges, as those battle-fields 
 could testify. 
 
 But though we are in New York, and just opposite the 
 Astor House, and a stone's throw from the City Hall, and 
 oppressed by the horrible noises of this babel, we are in 
 camp. That is, the men are in barracks ; the ofiicers in 
 tents. Guards are as strict as ever. "We cannot run round 
 the city. A battery, also, is our nearest neighbor ; and we 
 are on a war footing. One New Y'ork paper says we have 
 tents, each capable of containing forty men ; as each tent is 
 but nine feet square, you will allow for a slight exaggera- 
 tion. 
 
 Yesterday we had our usual Sunday services, and it seemed 
 a luxury. Most of the city churches are " closed, they say. 
 Ergo, there is more religion in the army than in the town. 
 Without pleasantry, I believe there is. In the afternoon I 
 obtained permission to go to a veiy pleasant service at Colo- 
 nel Howe's New England Rooms for soldiers. There, too, I 
 saw some disabled and sick Massachusetts soldiers. 
 
 Now we are in a Northern city. But there are some things 
 I want to write. Some woi-k of our brigade and regiment 
 at Gettysburg. I have picked up what ought to be chron- 
 icled ; for when a regiment loses a huudi'ed and thirty odd 
 out of less than three hundred, and presses on and fights on 
 without a wavering, it ought to be recorded. Of some hos- 
 pital doings and relief, I will write also. I want also to 
 describe Colonel Howe's admirable relief rooms here. And 
 perhaps long before I do either, we may be confronting Gen- 
 eral Lee again. 
 
 28 
 
326 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 City Hall Park, New York, August 23, 1863. 
 
 Had there been any very active service for ours in this 
 city, you would have heard of it. Guard duty, of course, 
 goes on as usual. Drill has been recommenced. Evening 
 parade has become quite an institution, gathering a huge 
 crowd as anything will here. The crowd seems to admire 
 the Second. A few nights ago, the perfect movement of our 
 regiment extorted a sudden and general applause. They even 
 said " that beats the Seventh," i. e.. New York, which is 
 considerable for New Yorkers. But another rather sulkily 
 said, " they have spent all their time in drill." Correct — 
 except a few little episodes like Gettysburg. 
 
 Yesterday we had public service. In the afternoon the 
 chaplain conducted worship at the New England Relief 
 Rooms. We also had for members a good supply of reading 
 matter from the Tract Society, 150 Nassau Street, which lib- 
 erally offers every help — and a bundle of papers from the 
 Evangelist office — all of which Avere rapidly taken by our 
 men and those of Wisconsin. The New York Bible Society 
 has also re-supplied us with Testaments. Yesterday, indeed, 
 we had extra evidence of the kindness of friends, in the 
 sudden appearance of a minister to preach to us — especially 
 mentioning that there were Massachusetts troops here. We 
 were very grateful, but our Colonel happened to think that 
 the regimental chaplain was sufficiently qualified for that 
 duty. In another place, however, a chaplain informed me 
 that he was superseded. The Third Wisconsin, brave com- 
 rades of ours in many a field, also preferred to attend our 
 worship, rather than have an independent meeting. The 
 presence of quite a number of wives and friends who had 
 come to New York to see their beloved ones, added greatly 
 
RECAPITULATION. 327 
 
 • 
 
 to the interest. And there is always something peculiarly 
 interesting in seeing the men present in full ranks, with offi- 
 cers all there, save Avhen on duty, and with the colonel at 
 the head, showing his regard by example, for the worship of 
 God ; and to think, too, that these are the men who have 
 borne the brunt of battle with undaunted heroism. Show me 
 the parish equal to this ! 
 
 I hope it will not be out of place if I go back in time to 
 record the movements of this regiment, and thus mainly of 
 the corps, prior to Gettysburg ; especially as 1 have seen no 
 public statement of the marches of the troops while General 
 Hooker was moving parallel with Lee. I do not doubt that 
 when history is Avintten, it will be found that General Hook- 
 er's movement from Falmouth to Gettysburg (or near), all 
 the time watching Lee, interposed suitably between Wash- 
 ington and the enemy, yet ready to confront him whenever 
 Lee should finally strike — will be written as most masterly. 
 
 Our regiment was one of a few picked bodies selected to 
 accompany a cavalry expedition across the Rappahannock, 
 leaving camp June 6, about evening. Seriously ill at that 
 time, I was left behind. But I have procured a record of 
 events. They marched that night about fifteen miles, arriving 
 near Spott Tavern about two A. M., where it rested until 
 nine A. M, Then turning southwest it reached Bealston 
 Station about six P. M. — about sixteen miles — having 
 made thirty-one miles in the twenty-four hours. Bivouacking 
 there, — hid in the woods — for a day, — the regiment moved 
 the next evening — artillery, cavalry, and infantry, meeting 
 about ten miles north of Beverly Ford. At the gray of dawn, 
 sharpshooters were selected to go forward to clear the Ford 
 — but the enemy had no infantry there, and our cavalry 
 crossing, was instantly followed by the Third Wisconsin and 
 
328 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 Second Massachusetts. Colonel Davis, commanding the 
 cavalry, charged up to and over a barricade where the enemy 
 had dismounted as well as mounted cavalry. He drove them 
 in fine style. At that barricade, the gallant Davis, one of 
 the best and noblest officers in the army, received the wound 
 of which he died in the afternoon. The infantry moved up, 
 and its skirmishers drove the enemy, with sharp firing, out 
 of a wood which the enemy held. Here the troops remained 
 until about eleven A. M., — the enemy tryhig to turn first 
 our right and left, in order to gain the Ford, but without 
 success, and with a good deal of loss, — both sides bringing 
 artillery into play in addition to both infantry and cavalry. 
 
 About eleven A. M. the whistling of cars from the Cul- 
 pepper direction indicated the coming up of rebel reenforce- 
 ments. Artillery firing was soon heard in the rebel rear. 
 General Gregg had crossed at Kelly's Ford, moved to Brandy 
 Station, drove Stuart and captured his headquarters, finding 
 papers which indicated Lee's intended movement. Gregg 
 had thus forced their right backward. Our left (in which 
 was ours) then advanced for about half a mile. Firing 
 slackened on both sides. Gregg came in on our left. •The 
 object of the reconnoissance being accomplished, and the 
 enemy being in motion in great force, our Avhole foi'ce began 
 to retire about three P. M., and recrossed the river about six 
 o'clock.* 
 
 The corps (rejoined by ours on the 16th) moved on the 
 17th, reaching Leesburg and Alexandria turnpike a few miles 
 
 * The importance of this operation at Beverly Ford is overshadowed by 
 the battle of Gettysburg. But it ought to be recorded that the capture of 
 papers in this expedition disclosed the enemy's plans, and that the discom- 
 fiture of the enemy's cavalry, already about to move, was the means of 
 nullifying the value of that force there and- all the way up to Gettysburg. 
 
RECAPITULATION. 329 
 
 southeast of Drainsville about eleven A. M. On the 18th 
 passed through Drainsville, forded Goose Creek (when there 
 came up a heavy hail storm), passed through Leesburg, and 
 camped under the wake of the old rebel Fort Johnston, above 
 Leesburg, the work being occupied by artillery. Here the 
 troops Kemained until the 26th, when they crossed the 
 Potomac on pontoons at Edward's Ferry, encamping about 
 four P. M. near the mouth of the Monocacy. The next day, 
 on the banks of the canal, to a mile beyond Petersville ; on 
 the 28th back to Petersville, and through Jefferson, to 
 Frederick, and camped a few miles west of that town. On 
 the 29th through Waterville, to within a mile of Bruceville. 
 On the 30th to half a mile beyond Littleston. On the 1st of 
 July, four or five miles slowly to near " Two Taverns," and 
 afterward, to the sound of artillery, to about two miles from 
 Gettysburg, on the Baltimore turnpike. On Thursday, the 
 2d, the line moved forward a short distance, found the enemy 
 in force, withdrew, and the whole corps made a detour by 
 the left, to hills near Rock Creek, and threAv vip intrench- 
 ments ; the brigade was, about four P. M., ordered to the left 
 of the whole line, but was sent back directly, and found the 
 enemy in the works which General Geary had erected. 
 
 It was in obedience to the order to retake these works, 
 about seven the next morning, that our regiment lost one 
 hundred and twenty-six, killed and wounded, out of two 
 hundred and ninety-four enlisted men, and ten officers out of 
 twenty-two officers. Three color bearers were killed, and 
 two Avounded. Passing down a straight slope, across an 
 open meadoAV, up to the edge of the other hill, in the face of 
 a terrible fire, the men found some shelter behind works, 
 and a portion of the front of the curving breastworks, still 
 continuing the fire. But troops which should have supported 
 28* 
 
330 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 on the right failed to do it, and tlie enemy Avere flanking the 
 regiment in that direction, and after holding the position for 
 some time, the general ordered it hack to the place it had 
 left. Need" I say that no man flinched in the deadliest 
 storm ? 
 
 Then the corps moved southAvard ; Avatched the enemy at 
 Williamsport ; left for the soutliAvard by Avay of Harper's 
 Ferry, after the enemy had moved ; and on the 3 1st Avere 
 again on the Rappahannock. 
 
 I have some accounts of the hospital Avork at Gettysburg, 
 AvhicK I reserve. In regard to the ambulance system, it is 
 said that General McClellan advocated the establishment of 
 an ambulance system five ononths after the time AA^hich I 
 specified as the date of the present one. And that Senator 
 Sumner afl&rms, in June, 1863, that he tried to get such a 
 system established, AA^hile in July, 18G3, Senator Wilson de- 
 clares Ave have an admirable one. 
 
 Now there is really no discrepancy. There are tivo points 
 to be considered : first, Avhat a good ambulance system is ; 
 and secondly, by Avhat authority should it be established. 
 
 As to the first point, so far as my observation extends, Ave 
 have a thorough, efficient, satisfactory system. I am con- 
 firmed in this vicAV by accounts I have received of Gettys- 
 burg. Last fall, the ■ system being ncAv, shoAved much 
 friction ; it is noAV in good running order. Then, it had 
 some special defects, which shoAved themselves badly ; now, 
 these are removed. 
 
 As to the second point, the present system is established 
 merely by military authority in the army itself. It mighf. 
 be established by act of Congress. Senator Wilson is right 
 in saying (I have not seen his remarks) that our present 
 system works vv^ell — it docs do all the Avork any system can. 
 
THE AMBULANCE CORPS. 331 
 
 But Senator Sumner may be equally right in desiring to have 
 this system (or an equivalent one) made obligatory by Con- 
 gress. The only real change in the system would be, that 
 men employed in the ambulance corps, now detailed from 
 the regiments, Avould then be enlisted for the corps ; or per- 
 haps the present men wovild be transferred. The advantage 
 of that would be that the men would be thoroughly taught, 
 and would remain permanently ; but now it works with us 
 in the same way, the men so detailed having been left undis- 
 turbed. And it is to be remembered that men now detailed 
 cannot be recalled by regimental commanders ; they can only 
 be sent back by the medical authorities. This affords some 
 advantage over the separate corps system. Now, an unfit 
 man can be returned ; then, he could not. General Mc- 
 Clellan, indeed, prefers the totally separate plan. He wanted 
 an act of Congress, by which the officers and men of the 
 ambulance system should be specially enlisted for that 
 purpose. And this is what his plan for action evidently 
 meant. 
 
 Our present system is good. It secures the desired result. 
 But it is not established by act of Congress. It rests simply 
 on military orders. At the next session it would be perfectly 
 easy to pass an act, declaring that the otficers and men now 
 employed in the ambulance corps shall constitute a distinct 
 branch of the service, to be under control of the medical 
 authorities, and that in future vacancies shall be filled by 
 enlistments, instead of by detail. It would not change the 
 present real work in the slightest degree. But it would, 
 indeed, make uniform in the " army of the United States" 
 what may be only partial. 
 
 The only point I have insisted upon is, that our soldiers 
 are not neglected ; that, barring the usual human frailties. 
 
332 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 the care is as perfect as any plan can provide, — at least in 
 the Twelfth coi-ps. 
 
 If it were not so, we know Senator Wilson's * heart well 
 enough to be assured that he would spare no pains to remedy 
 evils. We need only to look at his constant efforts to im-jli 
 prove the condition of our soldiers. The country owes him 
 a debt of gratitude, as well as to the other noble senator 
 from Massachusetts. 
 
 City Hall Park, New York, September 5, 1863. 
 
 A TEW days ago, one of our men (a faithful man too, one 
 who is detailed for special duty, but always takes his gun, 
 and shares the dangers of his comrades when there is a 
 fight), was told that his wife and child were just outside of 
 the guard, and went to bring them in. As soon as he was 
 in sight, his little boy, who had not seen his father since the 
 war opened, rushed past the guard and over the tent ropes, 
 and climbed up to his father's neck and hung there, while his 
 father could not help the tears of delight. Wasn't it sol- 
 dierly? Well, some of the guard themselves put on a very 
 soldierly air — but they wiped their eyes. They are no 
 worse soldiers for the memory of the little boys and girls at 
 home, and much better men for it. 
 
 Camp life has indeed been a good deal variegated (in the 
 city) by the presence of wives and children. It is astonish- 
 ing how much the dull mess-room, which has been made a 
 kind of general parlor, has been brightened up by family 
 groups. While I "RTite, two active youngsters are daring to 
 
 * If I had to choose from all the public acts of this senator what should 
 be the ground of honor, it would be his masterly exposure of the hideous 
 Slave Code of the District of Columbia. 
 
THE SANITARY COMMISSION. 333 
 
 play marbles in the sacred precincts of camp ; but the bay- 
 onet glistens still on the sentry posts. 
 
 The great feature which seems to distingviish this war from 
 all others, is the great system of home help to the army. 
 What other army ever had such benevolence poured out? 
 What one, even, ever had such a mail-system as ours — so 
 wise as it is in its effect on the men ? What other ever had 
 the sick, the wounded, and the dying so ministered unto? 
 The government has done wonderfully in this direction itself. 
 But such outside helps were never before witnessed. They 
 are good. They do the army good. Every child that helps 
 sew on a garment for a soldier is doing what our Lord ap- 
 proves. Every stitch is a work of love. The old man who, 
 poor, learned to knit so as to do something, in his chimney 
 corner, for the soldiers, was a hero ; that pair of stockings 
 came to our regiment, and the men reverence the old man. 
 
 The chief among the links to home, as an agency for relief, 
 is the Sanitary Commission. The aiiore I see and hear of 
 this institution, I am amazed at its wonderful efficiency. I 
 regard it as chief, not as exclusive. But chief it is. I lately 
 saw and heard more of its doings. Perhaps your readers do 
 not know its plan beyond Washington, and you will allow 
 me to outline it as it is in our army, — merely for furnishing 
 supplies. 
 
 The central agency is, of course, at Washington. Here 
 supplies are accumulated, and large deposits are necessary 
 for any emergency. 
 
 In the army, each corps is supplied with a relief agent, 
 who lives in the corps. He moves with it. He has a four- 
 horse wagon, supplied with sanitary stores — articles addi- 
 tional to those furnished by government. These wagons are 
 generally with the ambulance train, and the relief agent has 
 
334 THE POTOMAC AND THE KAPIDAN. 
 
 discretionary power to dispose of his articles. He issues 
 them to fiekl hospitals on requisitions from the medical offi- 
 cers there. New supplies are constantly sent, so as to have 
 plenty on hand. 
 
 The whole arrangement is under the care (I have asked 
 for the names) of J. Warner Johnson (firm of Johnson and 
 Brothers, law-book Publishers, Philadelphia), and Captain 
 Ira Harris of New York. The relief agents are, — First 
 corps, W. A. Hovey, of Boston ; Second, N. Murray, Jr., 
 of New York, and Rev. J. Anderson of California ; Third, 
 Colonel Clemens Soest, formerly commander of Twenty-ninth 
 New York ; Fifth, E. M. Barton, of Worcester, Massachu- 
 setts, — a son, I think, of Judge Barton ; Sixth, D. S. Pope, 
 of Baltimore; Twelfth, S. Hoag. And Dr. W. S. Swalm 
 acts as inspector in the field. While Dr. Steiner, of Fred- 
 erick, Maryland, has general charge at Washington for this 
 army, — a man of ripe experience and qualities for the post. 
 These names are a guarantee for efficiency. These men 
 w^ork for little or no pay, but they are j^ennanent agents. 
 
 That this system insures success, there can be no doubt. 
 I think I Avrote you that at Chancellorville the hospitals 
 were well supplied with even luxuries, by the Commission, 
 while the battle was still in progress. I am now told, on 
 most reliable authority (that of the surgeons), that on the 
 Thursday and Friday, the great days of the Gettysburg bat- 
 tles, the Sanitary Commission were distributing their stores 
 under fire. In two corps (one is ours), that this was done, 
 clear «vidence also exists in the receipts given by the sur- 
 geons at the battle-ground. I was somewhat astonished at 
 this, as, while at home, I had read statements that some 
 other agency was three days in advance of all others with 
 supplies at Gettysburg. But as the Sanitary Commission 
 
THE SANITARY COMMISSION. 335 
 
 was there while the battle was stiU in progress, this latter 
 statement is evidently a mistake ! 
 
 One great reason why the Sanitary Commission works so 
 well is, that it works in and by means of the regular author- 
 ities. It does not set itself up as independent of the medical 
 officers. It distributes through the surgeons. The wisdom 
 of this plan is evident at a glance. The surgeons know what 
 is needed, and how to use it. An indiscriminate administer- 
 ing of relief by independent helps is subversive of all order. 
 A case just in point happened — no matter where, but I 
 know. A soldier had turned the critical point of disease, and 
 was doing well. A benevolent individual, distributing sup- 
 plies out of a basket, gave this soldier some pickles, and I 
 know not what else, which he ate. The kind visitor came 
 next day. " Did you give pickles to that man?" asked the 
 surgeon. " Yes." " Well, you meant right, but you insured 
 his death." In fact it did, — within forty-eight hours. 
 
 The independent method is bad. The medical authorities 
 are the only ones who ought to be in general intrusted with 
 supplies. It is sometimes well to place the article in the 
 hands of the soldier himself; but while this course could do 
 good occasionally, as a system it would be bad. The sur- 
 geon knows what the sick man should eat, and what he 
 should wear. And an institution which furnishes things at 
 the time needed is invaluable. 
 
 It is of great importance to harmonize all outside man- 
 agement with the methods which government has established. 
 The Sanitary Commission avoids all complications. 
 
 While the Commission was thus harmoniously acting with 
 the authorities in relieving the suffering, several chaplains 
 were, as I have learned from others, working night and day 
 in corps hospital at Gettysburg. I am informed that they 
 
336 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 ■were invaluable. They ministered to the wounded aud the 
 dying like brothers. I know how it was, for I knoAv these 
 men. Such men are not praised in newspapers. But these 
 men do the steady, every day, heavy w.ork. When others at 
 Chancellorville failed, these men risked shot and shell, and 
 some found captivity in doing their duty. No letter Avriter tells 
 about them, because it is the regular business of those men. 
 
 The Sanitary Commission has shown true wisdom, also, in 
 its plan of employing regular and permanent agents. Sudden 
 spasms of work do little. The Commission knows that. It 
 takes time for men to learn their business. When taught, 
 one man is worth twenty temporary volunteers. The work 
 which the tract societies are doing in the army is more 
 effective, because they employ permanent managers, and 
 work in harmony with the recognized religious workers of 
 the army. Mr. Alvord, for example (I refer to him because 
 I know his work), accomplished wonders, because he used 
 all existing facilities. Finding a chaplain, or (in case there 
 were none) some other religious man, in each of (say) a 
 hundred regiments, he had a hundred permanent agents all 
 his own, for Christ's sake. Gathering them together, and 
 thus exciting new fervor, holding meetings for prayer of 
 those hundred laborers, each of whom had his own field, in 
 which none could do the work that laborer could, a life 
 was sent through the whole, when outside workers could only 
 have made a slight impression on the circumference. 
 
 The Sanitary Commission works through the proper chan- 
 nels. There is, therefore, no outside work which, in the 
 matter of supplies, can rival the Commission in cheapness, 
 directness, or usefulness. It does a work which fathers, and 
 mothers, and wives at home ought to be thankful for. It 
 ministers to the helpless. It succors Avhere suffering and 
 death would often be the result of absence of succor. 
 
TO VIRGINIA. 337 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ON THE RATIDAN. 
 
 Alexandria, Va., September 10, 1863. 
 My last writing ended abruptly. Orders came to "be 
 ready to move at a moment's notice," which reqviired 
 instant preparation. For, however expectant we may be of 
 some movement, there is always something to pack, if it be 
 only a blanket to roll up. It was Saturday afternoon then ; 
 and in a. short time came orders that we were to move as 
 soon after three P. M. as possible. We were ready, of 
 course ; but we were not actually sent towards the transport 
 until evening. Then the line was formed in the Park. 
 Wives were there to take leave of husbands. Children re- 
 ceived a " good-by." A tear or two glistened. Our drum 
 corps played, and we marched down Broadway to Battery 
 Park, and then were conveyed on lighters (or whatever they 
 are rightly called) to the steamer Mississippi, lying a mile 
 away. All night baggage and rations were crossing, and 
 horses were being swung on board for the three regiments — 
 the Third Wisconsin, the Twenty-seventh Indiana, and our 
 -OAvn. And so our fortnight's trip to New York city suddenly 
 ended. So we left friends and acquaintances who had been 
 very kind ; left the din and hubbub of Broadway, and turned 
 towards the army again. 
 29 
 
338 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 I ought not to omit to mention here the kindness of Mr. 
 Stetson of the Astor. He had offered the officers of ours the 
 free hospitalities of his house at the beginning of our stay ; 
 and at the last moment, after unvarying ^ood offices, he came 
 over to bid us good-by. He was always fond of the Second ; 
 and doubtless he thought, also, of one of our young officers, 
 born in his house, always a favorite of his, who, after a 
 brave and gallant service, fell while leading our regiment at 
 Gettysburg, and now sleeps in a soldier's honored grave. It 
 was that commander who, on our last Sunday before the 
 recent movement, in which he lost his life, in the sickness of 
 the chaplain, called out the regiment at the usual hour, and 
 himself conducted divine worship. 
 
 So we left New York harbor early on Sunday morning ; 
 passed down by Staten Island, and in front of the magnificent 
 fortifications erecting there ; by and by left Sandy Hook ; 
 steamed on in sight of the long, low, silver-fringed Jersey 
 coast, and by afternoon were out of sight of land again. 
 
 There was not a lively company on board that day. 
 Bodily reasons had some influence. For myself I confess to 
 decidedly imcomfortable sensations all day in that organ, 
 which some ugly woman has said was the most direct avenue 
 to a inan's heart, viz., the stomach. That is a vile calumny. 
 But then people must eat; though how one can do it when he 
 is — not seasick ; O, no — but feeling somehow as if — well, 
 not exactly as he did on dry land, is a puzzler. 
 
 Then the detachment felt a little blue. Not that we were 
 leaving a city ; that is nothing. But the new pai'tings from 
 friends who had come on to see us ; the plans which one 
 week more would have completed ; the friends who were just 
 coming, some to see, perhaps, a son whose brother had just 
 fallen, — these things left a sombre shade over us. For 
 
TO VIRGINIA. 339 
 
 myself, a wife and child had come the day before ; and in the 
 suddenness of departure it was rather hard to be unable to 
 inform them of the movement, to see them once again, to say 
 " good-by " before leaving for — how long? But such is the 
 life in war. It knows no ties but ties to country ; and no 
 rules, but instant obedience. God keep our wives and 
 children ! 
 
 On the boat I thought of these things. I thought of the 
 likeness of this event to God's mode in providence. How 
 often does it happen, not only on the battle-field, but at home, 
 that the summons comes, with no delay for parting interviews, 
 for men to embark on the infinite eternity, for no return? 
 Even if circumstances allow, as they happened to for some of 
 our men, to take farewell interviews, yet it must make no 
 delay. " Forward ! " is inexorable Avhen the moment comes. 
 
 If unprepared, there is no time to prepare. If tjje knap- 
 sack be unpacked, it remains unpacked. If plans are not 
 finished, they remain unfinished forever. " Forward ! " 
 
 If we felt this, we should be less unprepared for life. 
 What rule is there for any one but this army order, " Ready 
 to move at a moment's notice " ? Let business be arranged, 
 and affairs of property settled. Let the heart be right 
 towards God, and eternal interests cared for. " In such an 
 hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh." And happy 
 is that man in life, who is always " ready to move at a 
 moment's notice. 
 
 There is no need of lingering on our trip. The same waste 
 of waters, the same phosphorescent lights struck out at night 
 in the wake of our propeller, the sight of white sails, or of 
 puffing steamers, and the steady throbbing of our engines 
 carrying us on. Until, when Tuesday's daylight appeared, we 
 saw Cape Charles, and in the forenoon Cape Henry, and then 
 
340 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 we turn up into the lordly Chesapeake ; and at evening just 
 pass the light at Point Lookout, which marks the entrance to 
 the Potomac, and there, because the river is hard to navigate 
 in the night, we anchor until daylight. By two o'clock the 
 next afternoon, we are opposite Alexandria ; and before 
 sunset we have occupied our old tield jvxst west of that 
 miserable town. 
 
 The return trip was, on the whole, pleasant. It is easier 
 journeying by sea than over dusty roads. Our steamer was 
 the iron Ilississijypi, a twin of the Merrimack^ which took us 
 to New York ; made on the same plans by the same good 
 builder, Harrison Loring, of Boston, finished nearer like 
 that than any pea is like another ; but as twins differ, so this 
 boat measured exactly seventeen tons and forty ninety- 
 fifths more than the other ; and it had seventy-two cork 
 jackets (probably not intended for three regiments), and six 
 life-boats, and eighty buckets, and sixteen axes, and was fit 
 to go " one thousand two hundred miles," which was more 
 than enough for us. We had a capital captain. Captain 
 Baxter, of Hyannis, who believed in his boat, as a colonel 
 always believes in his regiment, and a very clever purser. 
 Purser Sampson, of Dedham, who did his best, which was 
 very good. 
 
 So we are on our return to the army. We have a 
 delightful prospect of sixty miles march on hand, almost in 
 " a land where no water is." And then, whatever Provi- 
 dence may have in store. Our episode is over. The good 
 friends in New York — and I had for myself many kind 
 callers at camp, and so did others — we shall remember. 
 And our men will be no worse soldiers for seeing those 
 dearest to them. 
 
IN VIRGINIA. 341 
 
 September 15, 1863. 
 
 We left Alexandria (oiu* three regiments) about two P. M. 
 on Thursday, September 10. Our expectations that trans- 
 portation by rail would be furnished to us as it had been to 
 other troops of our expedition, were frustrated ; and we 
 started over a road familiar to the army of Virginia, and in 
 parts as much so 'to us as our native State. The present 
 march was our first direct and entire one over the straight 
 road, though we had before been over roads parallel for the 
 same distance. 
 
 We made eight miles that day. What a waste that coun- 
 try is ! Inhabitants gone, lines generally obliterated, houses 
 destroyed. About seven miles from Alexandria is Annan- 
 dale — called a "dale" doubtless from its being situated on 
 an elevated plain, just as the South calls itself " chivah'ic " 
 because it whips women and sells babies. Annandale was 
 made up of half a dozen houses ; now it comprises one or 
 two houses, and the balance in chimneys. There Avas also 
 one fence, a weak attempt — a kind of "poor but loyal" 
 fence, probably. There is a small stream just south of this, 
 on the south bank of which we camped. 
 
 At four A. M., reveille. At six A. M. we were on the 
 road. And so was a long train of fresh horses going to the 
 army under cavalry escort. The method of security was by 
 attaching — say fifty — horses on each side of a long I'ope 
 extending from a Avagon in front to a wagon in the rear. It 
 was amusing to see the starting after any halt ; the horses' 
 legs being on all sides of every rope at once. But it was not 
 amusing to have the affair on the road. Despite all effort 
 at peace, the cavalry managers tried to intei-fere with us con- 
 tinually. If Ave halted, they halted. When Ave started, they 
 29* 
 
342 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 would make every effort to break our line. At one place, 
 they succeeded in driving a wagon of our detachment into a 
 ditch, and breaking some part. As more ti'ouble was likely 
 to ensue, our commander wheeled a guard across the road. 
 Thereupon a young lieutenant drew his pistol on the guard ; 
 but a dozen Indiana bayonets pointing instantly at his breast, 
 he quickly concluded to postpone his funeral, Avhich would 
 certainly have been provided for the moment he had fired a 
 ^hot. At a subsequent attempt of that train to make trouble, 
 the butts of muskets were used with great success ; the only 
 mistake being in not using the steel, for we were clearly 
 right. The dust, too, was a nuisance. Imagine a road covered 
 with the dryest and finest powder — whole regiments passing 
 over it — cavalry starting it up — and you can conceive of a 
 road in which a decent breath was next to impossible. Add 
 the Avant of water, and pity the troops. And then we met 
 and passed an immense train of empty wagons of sutlers, 
 coming on under escort, — it seemed unendurable. How 
 many a soldier will recognize such a description ! 
 
 But we had some relief, when, having passed through des- 
 olate Fairfax, we arrived' within half a mile of Centreville, 
 and halted. There we found the Second Massachusetts cav- 
 alry and met friends. Dr. DeWolf, their surgeon, took 
 two men of ours in his hospital, for we had no accommoda- 
 tions, and showed us other kindnesses. Some old friends 
 were there, — and I found the excellent chaplain whom I had 
 met once before on a sad occasion, — and we should be old 
 friends, I am persuaded, in a very short tiiue. Here the 
 men had their dinner, such as it was. And then, passing be- 
 tween the old earthworks, we went to Bull Riui. 
 
 Having had a march of seventeen miles already, there 
 being no need of haste, the men being footsore and tired, 
 
MARCHING IN VIRGINIA. 343 
 
 there being plenty of Avater there, and none of any conse- 
 quence for miles onward, after a I'est, the order came, of 
 course, to fall in ! " We did so, and went on three miles to 
 Manassas Junction, and got in camp after dark, and obtained 
 a little dirty water ; to be roused up at four A. M. again. 
 
 Then to start, and to see no signs of life for miles, except 
 as the army gave them. Chimneys were plenty. Indeed, if 
 any enterprising man wants ready made chimneys, as being 
 handy in case of building, he could doubtless drive a good 
 trade, and lay in a lai-ge stock on this road. Four miles 
 brought us to Bristow Station — to accomplish which re- 
 versely last year cost us twenty miles of detour. At 
 Bristow Ave found friends, the Thirty-third Massachusetts, 
 Avhose splendid baud played for us as Ave moved on. There 
 Avas the spot Avliere, last year, we Avitnessed the burning of 
 half a mile of cars ; the one building then standing being 
 noAV gone. A fcAv miles further, on the edge of Kettle Run, 
 Avas the spot AA-here Ave lay all day idle, in sound of the battle 
 of Manassas, — with as many troops, I think, as Fitz John 
 Porter Avas cashiered for the alleged reason of not bring- 
 ing in, — the number Avhich, it Avas stated, would have 
 secured victory. From that point the heat was intense. 
 There Avas literally no water. The men suffered accordingly. 
 But after occasional rests, Ave halted at Catlett's, Avhere a 
 little moist dirt Avas tried to quench thirst ; halted for tAvo 
 hours Avithin a mile of our destined camp, and so got wet, 
 but relieved, by a thunder shoAver. 
 
 The next morning we marched to Bealeton, every inch of 
 the road historical and familiar. The march Avas pleasanter 
 for the rain of the day before, and another that morning had 
 lain the dust. The evil of occasional muddy spots AA^as more 
 than balanced by the absence of clouds of dust. All day the 
 
344 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 sunshine and cloud strove for mastery. Sometimes it waa 
 intensely hot, but then a good-natured cloud would interpose 
 its sun-shade, and relieve us. Miles more brought us to 
 camp. How pleasant it seemed to get back. The Thir- 
 teenth New Jersey were drawn in line, and welcomed, with 
 cheers, each of our regiments back to the stout old Third 
 brigade ; and so we settled down. 
 
 We have moved since. We heard that day the noise of 
 artillery as we were getting home again. 
 
 After all, New York is a humbug compared with the 
 army. It is tattoo, as I write. What music it is, compared 
 with the nuisance noises of those city streets ! Our candles 
 are not brilliant ; but the sight of the lights of the camps all 
 around is more pleasant than the glare of the city gas. The 
 air is the pure air of heaven, not the choky stuff of the 
 metropolis. The men are doing something noble, not daw- 
 dling away these glorious days in selling tape and ribbons. 
 The soldier lives to some purpose, and if he dies, it is a 
 hero's death. The silks. of that wealthy mart may be coveted 
 by some ; but what are the whole, to our bullet-riddled old 
 flag, which passed from the stiffening hands of one color- 
 bearer to another in the days of many a battle ? 
 
 Near the Rapidan, Va., September 22, 1863. 
 
 It is no news to you that the army has advanced from the 
 Rappahannock to the line of the Rapidan, or, correctly, the 
 Rapid Ann. This river is a branch of the Rappaliannock, 
 flowing into that stream some twenty miles above Fredericks- 
 burg. It runs easterly, below the base of Cedar Mountain, 
 and some miles south of Culpepper. 
 
MARCHING IN VIRGINIA. 345 
 
 The artillery firing which wc heard as we approached tlie 
 Rappahannock, on the loth, was occasioned by the crossing 
 mainly of cavalry. The Second corps followed. Some fight- 
 ing accompanied the advance to Culpepper. 
 
 Our own corps left Kelly's Ford on the 15th. We were 
 not sorry to leave that vicinity ; for although the scenery was 
 pleasant, the water was scarce and detestable. In dipping 
 up a cupful, you were often successful in catching a few hun- 
 dred squirming little rascals. As we advanced, we lost this 
 opportunity, but the dead-cat-ish taste was equally strong. 
 
 Crossing at Kelly's Ford, over a pontoon bridge, we were 
 at the same point at which our corps crossed in the Chan- 
 cellorville movement. Mr. Kelly's mill and little village 
 was the same — the rank, rich, old rebel. The old path was 
 followed, in the misty morning, for several miles ; then, 
 instead of turning eastAvard to Germanna Ford, the road was 
 taken to Stephensburg, a little village of the usual decayed 
 order, which is about seven miles from Kelly's Ford, and 
 four eastward of Brandy Station. The rain of the forenoon 
 ceased, though at night the weather was unsettled. We 
 camped there. On a little knoll of land just above Stephens- 
 burg I noticed the side of a distant hill. I could not mistake 
 the outline ; it was the memorable Cedar Mountain. 
 
 On the morning of the 16th we were early on the road. 
 Turning at right angles, in Stephensburg, the southeasterly 
 road was the one to Raccoon Ford. It was only a five mile 
 march ; but the last part was crooked into every point of the 
 compass, for the sake of avoiding the observation of the 
 enemy, Avho occupied, as a signal station, a hill on the other 
 side of the Rapidan. The firing of our cavalry pickets near 
 the river was quite frequent with that of the enemy ; and 
 but for keeping in the woods, and for a mist shrouding us. 
 
346 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 we would have been greatly exposed at short range, as the 
 road led along near the river. Before finding what may be 
 called a temporarily permanent stopping-place, we were re- 
 peatedly halted, in line of battle, where the woods were 
 pleasant, and the fall flowers, of red, and yellow, and 
 white, and blue, were growing. 
 
 At one of these halts there came up a savage thunder 
 shower. As soon as thoroughly wet, orders came to go into 
 camp, a few rods from where we then Avere. It rained sav- 
 agely that night, and we suddenly awoke to the fact, Avhen 
 well wet and thoroughly cold, with but few and small fires 
 allowable, that it was the equinoctial. 
 
 An equinoctial is a very pretty thing, when you are at 
 home in a comfortable house, before a snug Avood fire in an 
 open fireplace. But an equinoctial in the woods, Avith scant 
 shelter of cloth and a little smouldering fire, and, CA'ery now 
 and then the thunder of a gun throAving grape at CAery group 
 of pickets, as that evening, is not charming. Even the pick- 
 ets at one point could be relieved, then and later, only after 
 dark. But the men bore it patiently. Hoav abominable it is 
 that traitors at home should try to Aveaken the army and 
 lengthen out its hardships. 
 
 On the 19th our regiment changed camp a short distance, 
 to get out of the mud. And on the next day early came 
 orders for the brigade to change again, with the object of 
 getting a little farther from the range of divers ugly looking 
 affairs on the other side of the riA'er. So tents and shelters 
 were taken doAvn, and after Avaiting for nearly four hours, we 
 Avere ordered to put them up again and stay Avhere Ave were. 
 Ours and the Third Wisconsin were to support the pickets ; 
 that is, be handy in case of a breach of the peace. We are 
 on the extreme right of our army's line. 
 
AN EXECUTION. 347 
 
 It became quiet, onr corps commander forbade ^11 picket 
 firing, and when the rebels found that no reply was made, 
 they stopped it too. But the low ground here is not the 
 most comfortable place to live in. 
 
 On the opposite side an enemy, apparently in plenty. I 
 went out to take a look at them. Take a walk through the 
 woods, so ; then turn, so ; then cross a brook ; then turn, so ; 
 then go up a little knoll, and you see a nice earthwork 
 opposite, and rows of rifle pits constantly growing longer, 
 and rebel soldiers on duty, or going after water, or smoking 
 their pipes. As a small party of ours were looking, the 
 other day, the rebels brought out a flag, and waved it back 
 and forth, which was pleasanter than a shower of grape. 
 Their position is strong, being on bluffs, and they have 
 improved it. 
 
 Of course we will not stay here long. Events are already 
 in progress, and when I write again, something will have 
 been done. If we leave soon, — the grounds of the Kansas 
 Stringfellow I am told, — we shall not object. 
 
 A painful episode, the first of the kind I have witnessed, 
 took place last Friday. It was a military execution. The 
 person thus punished belonged to the Third Maryland, which 
 is in our division. His crime was desertion. It was his second 
 offence. For the first, he had been sentenced only to three 
 months' labor and loss of pay. For the second, death ! 
 
 While the army was passing through Frederick, Maryland, 
 in its recent movement, he had got out of camp. His regi- 
 ment passed on, and he went to Baltimore. Arrested there, 
 he was returned to the army ; was tried ; was convicted ; 
 and was sentenced. 
 
 On Tuesday last his sentence was formally read to him. 
 He was to be shot to death with musketry, on the next 
 
348 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Friday, between the hours of noon and four P. M. But he 
 had learned the decision on the Sunday before. 
 
 There is no chaplain to the Third Maryland regiment. 
 But Chaplain Welsh of the Fifth Connecticut, in the same 
 brigade, ministered to him in spiritual matters faithfully, and 
 like himself, day by day. At last it fell to me to see him, 
 and to be with him during most of his remaining hours. But 
 what could be done, in the way of instruction, had been done 
 by Mr. Welsh, and for it the man was grateful. 
 
 The day of his execution was wet and gloomy. That 
 morning, in the midst of the provost guard, he was sitting on 
 a bag of grain, leaning against a tree, while a sentry, Avith 
 fixed bayonet, stood behind, never turning away from him, 
 and never to turn away save as another took his place, until 
 the end. Useless seemed the watch, for arms and feet had 
 been secured, though not painfully, since the sentence was 
 read. 
 
 The captain of the guard had humanely done all he could ; 
 and it was partly by his request that I was there. A chap- 
 lain could minister where others could not be allowed. 
 
 The rain fell silently on him. The hours of his life were 
 numbered — even the minutes. He was to meet death, not 
 in the shock and excitement of battle, not as a martyr for 
 his country, not in disease, but in full health, and as a crim- 
 inal. 
 
 I have seen many a man die, and have tried to perform 
 the sacred duties of my station. I have never had so pain- 
 ful a task as that, because of these circumstances. AV^il- 
 lingly, gladly, he conversed, heard, and answered. While 
 painful is such a work, it has its bright side, because of the 
 " exceeding great and precious promises " it is one's privilege 
 to tell. 
 
THE EXECUTION. 349 
 
 When the time came for removal to tlie place of execution, 
 he entered an ambulance, the chaplain accompanying him. 
 Next, in another ambulance, was the coffin, Befoi*e, behind, 
 and on either side a guard. Half a mile of this sad journey- 
 brought him to within a short distance of the spot. Then 
 leaving the ambulance, he walked to the place selected. The 
 rain had stopped. The sun was shining on the dark lines of 
 the whole division, drawn up on three sides of a hollow 
 square. With guard in front and rear, he passed with steady- 
 step through an opening left in the head of the square, still 
 with the chaplain, and to the open side. There was a gi'ave 
 just dvig, and in front of it was his coffin placed. He sat 
 upon the coffin ; his feet were reconfined, to allow of which 
 he lifted them voluntarily, and his eyes were bandaged. 
 
 In front of him, the firing party of two from each regiment, 
 were then drawn up, — half held as reserve, — during Avhich 
 there was still a little time for Avords with his chaplain. 
 The general stood by, and the provost marshal read the sen- 
 tence and shook hands -with the condemned. Then a prayer 
 was offered, amid uncovered heads and solemn faces. A last 
 hand-shake with the chaplain, which he had twice requested ; 
 a few words from him to the chaplain — a lingering pres- 
 sure by the hand of the condemned ; his lips moving with a 
 prayer-sentence which he had been taught, and on which his 
 thoughts had dwelt before ; and he was left alone. 
 
 The word of command was immediately given. One vol- 
 ley, and he fell over instantly, unconscious. A record of 
 wounds was made by the surgeons, who immediately exam- 
 ined him. The troops filed by his grave on the banks of the 
 swollen stream, and then passed off, under cover of the woods 
 as they had come, to avoid being seen by the enemy. And 
 so, twenty years old, and with only a mother and sister, he 
 30 
 
350 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Avas left there. The sun was soon covered with clouds, and 
 the rain poured down on his solitary grave. 
 
 Are these things necessary? The whole history of war 
 says they are. However much we pity, it is a necessity. 
 Had there been greater firmness in these things near two 
 years ago, life Avould have been saved now. 
 
 Every man who desei'ts increases the dangers of his com- 
 rades. He weakens their hands. He becomes a traitor to 
 his country. I wish I could reach the ear of every man now 
 in desertion, and urge him to be a man again. Voluntarily 
 returning, his punishment might be mitigated. Taken as a 
 deserter, his fate is clear. 
 
 It is true, a man may be killed in battle. True. But how 
 long is it to be before we learn that the country has a right 
 to every man's service ? How long before objectors to con- 
 scription will remember that instead of taking a part only, 
 the nation has a right to call upon all ? That it has a right 
 to even those not " able-bodied," and waives it only because 
 they could not be made useful ? How long will it be before 
 the blush of shame will cover the cheek of every man who, 
 for slight cause, has succeeded in obtaining " exemption"? 
 
 " Slight cause." Doubtless rigid rules would have " ex- 
 empted" a third of all our old force, if they had made efforts. 
 But they volunteered, and have made splendid soldiers. 
 
 Men have been encouraged by their friends to desert. 
 You who helped it, helped kill this man shot last Friday, and 
 every other man shot for desertion. If the one you helped 
 desert is taken, you helped shoot liim. 
 
 And scarcely less wicked and more despicable is the con- 
 duct of some at home who are earnest for war. I have in 
 mind some men who wanted this war, and who now urge it 
 on that slavery may be abolished ; who have been furious, 
 
HOME PATRIOTS. 351 
 
 because the army, too weak, has not done impossibilities ; 
 Avho have clamored against the soldier's wishes, and faith, 
 and enthusiasm. Such men should have volunteered long 
 ago. When the army was faint and weak, and help did not 
 come, who but advocates for a great principle should have 
 hurried to arms ! Many have, very many. But they Avho 
 cried for war And did not go, — able-bodied men, — let 
 them keep silent forever. 
 
352 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 FROM THE RAPIDAN TO THE TENNESSEE. 
 
 Department of the Cumberland, October 5, 1863. 
 
 We were at Raccoon Ford on the Rapidan. Our regi- 
 ment was supporting the pickets at that crossing, and lay in 
 easy range of the guns which frowned from the constantly 
 extending earthworks on the enemy's hills. We had, on 
 Saturday, September 19, gathered around our first autumn 
 fire, kept low for security. We were eating our hard bread 
 discriminatingly, picking out the — well, don't mention it — 
 but it was old " White House Landing" bread. Eight days' 
 rations Avere constantly kept on hand, which really means 
 that men must live eight days on four days' food. Every- 
 body anticipated a movement ; and there is reason to believe 
 that one would have taken place within two days, when 
 orders came, which resulted in what the Richmond papers 
 announced as the movement of the Eleventh and Twelfth 
 corps to reenforce General Rosecrans. At any rate those 
 orders set us to travelling up and down the roads of Ten- 
 nessee, with an occasional touch of Alabama. 
 
 On the 24th of September the orders came to move. 
 Where, Avas none of a soldier's business. Like him who 
 " Avent out, not kno-n'ing whither he went," the soldier starts 
 
INJUSTICE TO CHAPLAINS. 353 
 
 on his journey of ten miles ox* a thousand, relying on the 
 guidance and care of superiors. So, on a pleasant day, after 
 a few hours of waiting, we wound our way circuitously under 
 cover of the woods, which, for the time, hid our movenaent 
 from the eyes of the enemy. The other division sooft 
 appeared ; so we found that the whole corps was in motion. 
 A few miles out, there silently passed us another corps to 
 take our place. So the Ford was not to be abandoned, nor 
 was any forward movement probable. Passing through 
 Stephensburg, we took the road to Brandy Station, which 
 looked like railroad-ing. And we speculated more. We 
 had heard of disasters to General Rosecrans, and the wild 
 idea began to float in our minds that we might be going 
 thither. When, after dark, we had reached the station, and 
 orders came to tui'n in all " transjiortation " and extra 
 supplies, we knew that we had a long journey befoi*e us ; and 
 everybody's heart beat with new expectations. We studied 
 the map, and settled down on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- 
 road as our probable route. We were right. Our corps 
 was to leave the army of the Potomac, although as is said, on 
 sufficient authority, the commanding general asked to have it 
 left, and some other taken. 
 
 We bivouacked at Brandy Station. There the paymaster 
 appeared and worked all night. I Avas not so well pleased 
 as some. For, by a recent outrageous decision, no chaplain 
 can draw pay for time when sick or disabled. So, for the 
 time of my recent illness, all pay was cut off. It is true that 
 no other officer or man in the service is so treated ; but 
 chaplains are under the ban in certain departments. It is 
 true that, in my case the surgeon of the brigade had examined 
 me when the army was to move, and decided that, as I >vas 
 unable to sit up, I could not accompany the troops — as Avas 
 30* 
 
354 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN.. 
 
 done with other officers and meu ; and, furthermore, certified 
 that my illness was caused by " exposure in the line of duty." 
 But who cares for chaplains? As it is, the government 
 really says to every chaplain, " Do not expose your health 
 ih. the slightest degree. Be sure never to go within range of 
 shot or shell to help a Avounded man, or comfort the dying. 
 For if, by any chance, you get wounded or sick in dis- 
 charging your duty, you are selected for special insult ; your 
 pay shall instantly cease, although you are subject to orders 
 the same as ever." In my own case, as camp expenses went 
 on as usual, and as there were the added expenses of sickness 
 — the entire cessation of a pay insufficient, at any time, to 
 support my family and myself, offered me a temptation to 
 leave the service for a settlement, whose overtures had been 
 made — a temptation, the strongest I have ever felt to leave. 
 But it was only for a moment. I can now say, while 
 feeling the sense of personal injustice keenly, what I could 
 not before have said as well — that any man who would let 
 any personal wrong from officials weaken, in the least degree, 
 his loyalty to his government, or cause him to array himself 
 against the men who are the only authorized administrators 
 of the government, is unworthy of being in the army. The 
 time may come when my vote and my influence may 
 remember certain individuals ; but the time is not now. 
 Now, the national life is at stake. Now, the administration 
 is trying nobly and lieartily to save the country. Private 
 injuries are the things of a day. The national life is 
 essential to the prosperity of millions. I can just as cheer- 
 fully support the administration as though I was of its party ; 
 and I shall do so, I must do so, as a patriot. And this is all 
 I shall say of the dishonest affair. I here mention it only 
 because T want to call the attention of law-makers to the fact 
 
A DESERTER. 355 
 
 that this is but one of a class of wrongs systematically 
 wrought u^jon chaplains by departments at "Washington. 
 
 But I had something else to think of that evening. Late 
 into the night I was sitting by the side of a man condemned 
 to die. There Avas no chaplain to his regiment. It was his 
 last night on earth. Our General Williams, as kind-hearted 
 as brave, had requested me to see him. The man had scofT- 
 ingly, abusively, repelled all attempts to do him good ; and 
 had, both at his trial and ever since, shammed half idiocy. 
 
 He was only twenty years old, but Avas experienced in 
 crime. 
 
 The clouds were fitfully gliding across the face of the 
 moon as I found him. The guards drew back as I came 
 near. He was sitting on a piece of wood, in front of a low 
 fire, at Avhich he Avas heating some water in his dipper. 
 
 As I stood there a moment quietly, he looked iip, but he 
 had no suspicion of my office or object. When the guards 
 dreAV back, he cast furtive glances at the Avood in the rear, 
 but there Avas no chance for escape, even after the guards 
 had loosened his cords. 
 
 At the settling of a half-burnt stick his dipper Avas near 
 falling. I replaced it, and asked, — 
 
 '' What are you heating that for? Coffee? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " It's almost boiling." 
 
 " Yes, I am just going to put the coffee in." And he 
 did, and I helped him. 
 
 " What are you under guard for? " 
 
 Suspicious instantly that I had some errand, he put on 
 a stupid look. " O, I'm to be discharged, and this is an 
 escort. I'm going to NeAV York to-morrow. I don't know 
 much. I knoAV that." 
 
356 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN, 
 
 I answered in some casual way, Avhich checked his 
 suspicion, and talked about indifferent matters. 
 
 He became quite communicative ; told me Avhen he had 
 enlisted, and how he ran away ; how he reenlisted, and 
 got the bounty, and ran away again, 
 
 " You were not very shrewd to get caught." 
 
 " No, I don't know much. I'm going home again," 
 retapsing into his former stupid appearance. 
 
 " Do you know," said I, " that you have been tried for 
 desertion, and your sentence read ? " 
 
 " Sentence? They read my discharge tlie other day. 
 I don't know much." 
 
 I tried to keep his attention to that point, but he would 
 not admit the idea. But from his eye it was evident he 
 was shamming. 
 
 I asked him about his early life. Gradually he became 
 communicative. His face lighted up. 
 
 " I was a newsboy ; took good care of myself, too. 
 They couldn't match me for sharpness, I tell you. I 
 could swindle the best of 'cm." And so he told me of 
 various exploits. 
 
 It Avas time to try determinedly to do him good. The 
 night was passing. I asked him of his mother. Yes, he ■ 
 had a mother ; but, for the first time, I found a man who 
 Avas callous on that theme. " I don't knoAv much," was 
 his constant conclusion. 
 
 By and by I said to him, — 
 
 " You are going to be shot to-morrow. You know it. 
 It is useless with me to sham stupid. You know you are 
 going into the presence of God. It is time you were 
 thinking of this matter." 
 
 He interrupted me with an attempt at violent remark ; 
 but I looked him steadily in the face, and he yielded. 
 
HIS EXECUTION. 357 
 
 I talked for some time. He made no reply, except occa- 
 sional assent to a question. By and by he said " I don't 
 know much," and seemed indifferent. 
 
 I Avas almost in despair. A new thought struck me. 
 He had, in speaking of his mother, and of his boyhood, ad- 
 mitted that in very early childhood his mother attended Cath- 
 olic worship, though for years abandoned. I recalled the 
 indelible character of early impressions, and the regard of 
 that church for the symbol of the cross. So, having a twig 
 in my hand, I said, — 
 
 " Look here." He looked. I slowly made on the 
 ground the sign of the cross, and asked, " What is that?" 
 
 Instantly, with an entire abandonment of all pretence of 
 stupidity, he answered, almost reverently, " The cross ! " 
 
 " What happened on that cross ? " 
 
 " Jesus Christ was crucified." 
 
 "AVhatfor?" 
 
 " To save sinuers." 
 
 I record these facts to show how, when the certainty of 
 death 'on the morrow, and all recollection of home failed, 
 this impression of childhood opened an avenue to his heart. 
 
 Then for some time he listened and spoke freely. But I 
 cannot tell whether any good was done by word or prayer. 
 
 The guards closed around him again as I left, and bound 
 him ; and the sentry took his place again by his side. 
 
 Before noon next day the condemned man was brought 
 out. I saw the division marching to the spot, and the 
 prisoner with a chaplain. Then I sheltered myself out of 
 sight. The murmur of the drums came across the hill, and 
 a subdued and mournful melody. Then a volley ; and I 
 knew that he was dead, and beyond any more prayer. 
 
 Early on Saturday we marched ten miles to Bealeton, and 
 
358 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 waited until Sunday morning. The cars came then, and we 
 were soon ou board — horses and baggage to come in other 
 trains. 
 
 So we left. Left the State where, for more than two 
 years, we had studied every road, and every hill, and every 
 water-course. Left the graves of our dead heroes. Left the 
 noble army of Virginia, whose heroism can never be sur- 
 passed ; — firm in battle ; patient under injuries ; abused for 
 want of success, Avlien success was made impossible ; insult- 
 ingly compared with troops who never had to fight with such 
 disciplined and picked men as we have — except, indeed, at 
 Chickamauga, when the Longstreet men, against whom we 
 had stood unbroken in battle after battle, brushed away some 
 divisions like chaff, swept up prisoners at will, and carried 
 off whole batteries. 
 
 Through Alexandria. Across the Potomac. A fcAv 
 minutes halt at Washington. Then away, away ! The 
 country wants men at Chattanooga, and it is a thousand 
 miles off. We stop at Relay to rearrange trains. A man 
 was killed near there, falling from our train. He had 
 left his own, which was contrary to orders ; he had got 
 drunk, which was contrary to orders ; and he climbed to the 
 top of a car, which was contrary to orders. 
 
 It was night at Relay ; and those of us who had room, 
 spread our blankets on the car floor, and laid down to broken 
 sleep. The long trains sped onward, and daylight found us at 
 Berlin. The river mists were partially hiding the scenery, 
 but we remembered it well. Harper's Ferry reappeared, 
 with a new iron bridge. Martinsburg, where the men stopped 
 for free bread and coffee. At Hancock, Ave saw the first red 
 leaves of the year, which grew thicker the farther we went. 
 Often did we see red vines clinginGr all about the trunk of a 
 
TO TENNESSEE, 359 
 
 green tree. They were like the parasite-climbers, who try to 
 crawl to eminence up the Memory of a great leader, but 
 whose frost-falling leaves show they are only parasites, while 
 the giant Memory is still fresh and beautiful. 
 
 Then Ave crossed streams, and pierced tunnels, and clung 
 to mountain sides, and wound through valleys. We were in 
 a magnificent country, and the x'oad, in its bold and solid 
 engineering, was fitted for it. But as pleasant was the wav- 
 ing of handkerchiefs from loyal little houses, nestling among 
 the hills. Especially at Cumberland, a town hidden delight- 
 fully among the coal mountains, which we reached after sun- 
 set, the loyal crowds were heartiest. On again, and in the 
 evening shadows we watched the glorious mountains. When 
 I lay down that night, it was to think of the glory of Him, 
 who reared these vast hills, and cut paths for the Avaters, and 
 who gave to man the mind, the plan, and the hand to make 
 the great work on Avhich Ave rode. 
 
 At sunrise, the hills Avere behind us, but hills were before 
 us. At Altamont Ave Avere tAventy-seven hundred feet above 
 Baltimore. In KingAvood Tunnel, Ave rode nearly a mile. 
 After Grafton, Avhere Ave saAV relics of rebel raids, and Avater 
 from an artesian Avell, and tasted something Avhich Avas 
 called coffee, Ave plunged again into more hills. It was a 
 Avonderful change from insipid Eastern Virginia, and the 
 people a vast improvement over the sly-looking, deceitful- 
 acting inhabitants of that tract, of which it is said (in para- 
 phrase of the Englishman's Avords) , that God made Manassas 
 Plain, and it should be added, that he made it for Virginians. 
 It is not decent enough for any other race. 
 
 Our engine was a frisky fellow. He was a stahvart con- 
 cern, rioting in strength. Sometimes he would travel as 
 steadily as a deacon's horse. The next moment he would 
 
360 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 be peeping over some huge precipice ; and then, as if he had 
 frightened us enough, he would dart away from the edge 
 Avith screams of delight. Then he would scrape against the 
 mountain side; or change his mind,. and rush across some 
 river, or follow its current, as if that was the best way out 
 of these bewildering hills. Sometimes he would twist our 
 train into curves like a snake, and straighten out again. He 
 would determine to tie us into a double bow-knot, or would 
 Avheel around and look us in the face. Then, as if ashamed, 
 he would dart out of sight into some hole in the mountain, 
 and come out screaming on the other side. If tired of climb- 
 ing up some steep hill, he would wait for a neighboring engine 
 to come out of some side track, and help him up with half of 
 the load ; and then ours would scream out " Much 'bliged," 
 and go on again. But, as if he knew what a precious load 
 of loyal troops he carried, he was very careful of us. He 
 was no copperhead. Among a dozen like trains, he never 
 ran into one, nor let one run against him. If he stopped for 
 fuel and drink, he always shouted before starting. And at 
 last, a little before midnight, he dropped us safely at Ben- 
 wood, far above that Potomac, whose course we had fol- 
 lowed, till we saw it little more than a rivulet. 
 
 We crossed the Ohio on a pontoon bridge ; on the river's 
 pebbly bank took coffee and hard bread — the Western hard 
 bread, which is better than the Eastern ; were packed into 
 cars, and started about two A. M. of Wednesday, on the 
 Central Ohio Railroad. Morning found us near Cambridge ; 
 and daylight showed us thrifty farms and respectable houses, 
 in a country more broken than I had expected. At Zanes- 
 ville, Ave had to delay ; and so took breakfast, after washing 
 off considerable dirt into the Avaters of the Muskingum. 
 Zanesville is remarkable for having an eating-room con- 
 
XENIA GIRLS. 361 
 
 nected with a railway in which you can get a good break- 
 fast, the only instance of the kind in all my travelling 
 experience. 
 
 We were a couple of hours at Columbus, which we left at 
 three P. M. As our rambles were restricted to the limits 
 of the railway grounds, I have no very comprehensive view 
 of the capital of Ohio. To reach the capital of Indiana, we 
 took the Columbus and Xenia Railway to Xenia ; then the 
 Xenia and Dayton and Western Railway to Richmond ; then 
 the Indiana Central Railway to Indianapolis. We should 
 never have favored all this line, but our paternal government 
 put us along without change of cars from the Ohio River 
 at BeUaire to Indianapolis. 
 
 But linger at Xenia. For when we stopped there, in the 
 evening, a woman appeared with milk. And when asked the 
 price, " nothing ! " And then there suddenly appeared a whole 
 swarm of Avomen and girls, with huge quantities of meat, 
 potatoes, eggs, pies, cakes, fruit, and milk, which they pro- 
 ceeded to deal out to the soldiers most lavishly. " What is 
 to pay ? " asked the astonished men. " Nothing. We are 
 not Vallandigham people ; we take no pay of soldiers ! " I 
 wish you could have heard the intense scorn with which 
 the word Vallandigliam was spoken. The tone was that in 
 which men say Judas Iscariot or Benedict Arnold. The 
 soldiers ate till they could eat no more. It was not merely 
 the good nice food which rejoiced us ; it was the frank, 
 hearty, warm-heartedness of these Ohio girls, who ministered 
 so freely to the wants of strangers, Avhile their fathers, hus- 
 bands, and , &c. — held the lanterns. We have never 
 
 been treated so before. As the hand-shakings ended, and 
 " good-byes were said, and the cars rolled off amid the 
 cheers of our men, everybody felt more brave, more patriotic, 
 31 
 
362 THE POTOMAC AKD THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 more happy for that kindness. I speak the wishes of the men 
 recording thanks. They say, " God bless the Xenia girls ! " 
 
 Tennessee, October 15, 1863. 
 
 Then we hurried on, stopping briefly at Dayton, and at the 
 dawn of the next morning following, found ourselves in In- 
 diana. I liked the country there even better than Ohio, 
 as we passed through fine farms and walnut groves. At 
 noon, we were in Indianapolis, a place which I remember 
 principally from the fact that dealers asked me nine dollars 
 and a half for a rubber article, whose exact mate I had 
 bought in Washington for five dollars, and Washington is 
 not noted for low prices. I have also a vague idea of a fine 
 city, and of an infinite number of railways centring in a very 
 fine station-house. We left at six P. M. on the Jeffersonville 
 Railway, and at half past five A. M. were at Jeffersonville, 
 on the Ohio. We crossed on the funniest ferry-boat I ever 
 saw, venerable for age, as its engine was also, — to Louis- 
 ville, a city which seemed to me one of the best built and 
 most charming I have ever passed through. At the " Sol- 
 dier's Rest," where the Sanitary Commission is to be felt, we 
 had bread, meat, and coffee ; and then hurried through Ken- 
 tucky, a delightful State, and to Nashville, Tennessee, which 
 we reached on Saturday morning, half an hour after mid- 
 night. My impressions of Nashville are only those acquired 
 in passing round its edge, and so around a great white mar- 
 ble building, staring in the moonlight, surrounded by a good 
 many fenceless houses lower than its foundations. It took a 
 couple of hours to change trains ; and then we started off. 
 At morn we were near the Stone River battle-field. At half 
 after midnight, Sunday morning, Ave reached Stevenson ; we 
 
THE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION, 363 
 
 were tumbled out of the cars on a plain between the moun- 
 tains, and, our railway journey of eleven hundred miles from 
 Bealeton, Virginia, being ended, we bivouacked on the soil 
 of Alabama. 
 
 Let nobody think that seven days' and nights' journey by 
 railway is a delightful trip to soldiers. Crowded into un- 
 comfortable cars ; unable to preserve cleanliness ; -with no 
 satisfying sleep ; often doubtful as to the next breakfast, din- 
 ner, or supper ; restricted at every stopping place by military 
 authority ; — I prefer a good wagon, a nice horse, an agree- 
 able companion, plenty of money, and lots of leisure. 
 
 On the Sunday when we waked up at Stevenson, a busy 
 depot for supplies, in the morning mists of the Tennessee 
 River, I almost hoped to hold public Avorship. But as sing- 
 ing-books were all in our baggage, which, with horses came 
 in another train (only the horses have not yet come) , I went 
 to the station of the Christian Commission to get a supply. 
 The agent there, Mr. Lawrence, kindly offered me every 
 facility, but it proved useless. I got back to camp only to 
 find the men under orders to move again. 
 
 I was much pleased with the appearance of things at the 
 Commission's station, under the care of Mr. Lawrence. And, 
 indeed, from still later observation and information, I am 
 satisfied the Commission is doing a most excellent work here. 
 Rev. E. P. Smith of Pepperell, is at the head, whose abilities 
 and judgment are themselves a guarantee of success. There 
 exists (I learn and believe) entire harmony between the 
 various benevolent and Christian workers. I anticipate 
 great pleasure in the help of the Commission. If the Com- 
 mission ever meets with friction, I am persuaded it is due 
 to a violation of instructions by delegates, and not to the in- 
 structions themselves. These instructions seem here to be 
 
364 THE POTUMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 adhered to. But the work suflfers somewhat from the iuex- 
 perienee of " delegates." I wish that the Commission would 
 venture on the employment of a greater number of perma- 
 nent agents ; for a few weeks do not suifice to teach a " del- 
 egate" his business. "Delegates" and managers have 
 repeatedly told me this. The Commission can raise money 
 easily enough. Let it employ permanent laborers more 
 freely, at a living salary, and it will increase its efficiency 
 enormously. 
 
 We were ordered to move, by rail, back to Decherd. Such 
 a railway as Ave travelled on is a curiosity. Leading through 
 a range of hills, necessitating deep cuts, and one tunnel of 
 tAvo thousand two hundred and tAventy-eight feet, the road 
 seems built at as little expense as possible. Its cuts are 
 exceedingly narrow, as Avell as long and frequent. The blue 
 limestone up the sides of these passages seems inclined to 
 tumble doAvn in masses. Great cracks are plenty ; and I am 
 told that such occurrences are by no means infrequent. The 
 grade is enormous ; often, for long distances, you climb at 
 the rate of one hundred and seventeen feet to the mile. Often, 
 too, all ideas of level seem to be disregarded. You go up 
 hill and doAATi hill to save a moderate levelling process. 
 There Avere tAVO trains of us that day, and at the Avorst rise 
 a third engine came out to help. But it took half an hour to 
 get the trains by the siding, to enable the third engine to get 
 on to the main track. Then it took time to get the three to 
 work together. One engine AA'ould scream twice, which is to 
 say, " start up." The second responds, the third agrees. 
 But Avhen one pulled, the other two Avere lazy, and so vice 
 versa. And so they mixed up things, until one thought, like 
 the man Avho " Avorked his passage " on a canal by driving 
 the horses on the tow-path, that if it was not for the name 
 
DAYLIGHT AHEAD. 365 
 
 of riding, one might as Avell go afoot. But wlien Ave had 
 passed the tunnel, and came down hill again, things whizzed ! 
 
 But, while in the long and dark tunnel, where in some 
 places there were but a few inches extra room, I heard a 
 remark which hit my thoughts. It was, " Never mind. 
 There's daylight ahead ! " True. And how often, in dark- 
 est hours, by watching, we should see " daylight ahead ! " 
 
 How often, when watching does no good, yet by faith we 
 might hnoio that " there's daylight ahead ! " In darkness, 
 we are tried. We are in trouble. We see no light. But 
 God reigns. Have no fear, therefore. Keep on the path 
 marked out. A powerful hand will take you through. 
 " There's daylight ahead ! " 
 
 We were sent to Decherd because a body of rebel cavalry 
 were afloat on the east of the road, and it was not known 
 where they would strike. They had come up through some 
 gap in the mountains, having crossed the Tennessee. A long 
 line of road like this is hard to hold, of course ; but it must 
 be held, because the army must be fed. We learned at 
 Decherd, that the rebels had occupied McMinnsville, a little 
 town at the end of a branch railway, perhaps ten miles off. 
 It seems that this was true, and that they made some cap- 
 tures. We learned that the rebels were about ten thousand 
 strong ! On Monday afternoon we wei-e moved northward 
 by rail four miles to Elk River, or Alisonia. Then we 
 learned that the railway was cut above. Here we found 
 most hospitable friends, and the genial Western kindness — 
 of which, by and by. This day we learned that the rebels 
 were only eighteen hundred strong ! On Tuesday, we had 
 orders to move. Cars did not come as ordered, and we 
 travelled eight miles, to Tullahoma. I confess I did not 
 prefer walking, but as we had no horses, that was our only 
 31* 
 
366 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 resource. I came to the conclusion, on the road, that every 
 commander charged with conducting the march of troops, 
 ought to go on foot. Tullahoma, our two regiments had 
 settled down, when about ten P. M., trains came along, and 
 as there was room for half a regiment, some general ordered 
 half of ours into cars. He hurried us with a promptness 
 which entitles him to promotion. The cars were crowded, 
 and it came on to rain. We were on board at half past ten 
 P. M., ; fancy my astonishment, when conductor, brakemen, 
 &c., went into their car-room, and went to bed ! They 
 waked up, however, at half past four A. M., and we started, 
 and went to near a burnt bridge, on a branch of Duck River, 
 where we abandoned cars. Then we learned that the rebels 
 numbered iifteen thousand, with eighteen pieces of artillery. 
 In the middle of the forenoon we were marched. The 
 plan was, I suppose, to clear out everything both sides of the 
 railway so as to re-open. We, with other troops, Avere to do 
 part. We were moved first to Shelbyville to the left of the 
 railway, to help catch the rebel cavahy Avho had left that 
 town ten hours before we started to march the ten miles. 
 We got there. The road lay through most noble groves of 
 beech, oak, cedar, and walnut. Shelbyville is a very pretty, 
 well built, enterprising town, strongly Union. The chivalric 
 rebels had robbed the citizens of clothing, money, and any- 
 thing else they fancied. From Shelbyville we took a partly 
 built pike road. I never saw a worse yet — saving mud. 
 Three miles of it we traversed after dark — partly old, with 
 pebbles rounded up ; partly swamp ; partly with broken 
 stone, not yet covered with earth ; varied occasionally by 
 heaps, of rock not yet levelled ; but the climax was reached 
 when, in utter darkness and wet we tumbled off a perpendic- 
 ular descent of four feet, where they mean to build a bridge 
 
HARD MARCHING. 367 
 
 some day. We staggered on till it seemed useless to go 
 further ; and the troops were turned into a wood where, after 
 candles were lighted, the companies stacked arms. We had 
 marched eighteen miles that day, and after I had walked that 
 distance with my overcoat and blankets, I rejoiced to learn 
 fi-om good Surgeon Heath that there are three layers of skin, 
 as we had worn off two thicknesses certain. However, 
 though wet and dark, huge fires dried and refreshed us, 
 though unfortunately no water could be found short of a mile. 
 That day I came to the conclusion that the general conducting 
 a march ought not only to go on foot ; he ought also to carry 
 fifteen pounds on his back. 
 
 At five A. M. we were again on foot. Two miles to 
 Bellbuckle, a raihvay station, and ten more to Christiana. 
 At Bellbuckle, we drew part rations — cut down by order of 
 General Rosecrans, as a measure of precaution on account 
 of inteiTupted commvmications. And that day, I concluded 
 that the general conducting a march ought to go on foot, and 
 to carry twenty-five pounds on his back instead of fifteen. 
 
 At Christiana we learned facts. The rebels had really about 
 four thousand men and .six or seven pieces of artillery. They 
 had cut the road in three places — one near Murfreesboro' 
 — one at Christiana — and one at Grierson's Creek, a mile 
 below Wartrace. At one place the commander loaded his 
 men on a train, and started off his six hundred we are told ; 
 while thirty rebels came in and burnt the bridge. But if so, 
 that commander will catch his deserts. " No bridge guards 
 are to surrender ! " Our pursuing cavalry had captured two 
 guns, and a couple hundred prisoners. 
 
 We were at Christiana two nights. On Friday evening, 
 the road broken on Monday had been repaired, three bridges 
 built, and rails replaced ; and the trains came through amidst 
 
368 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 cheers. The mails, stopped since the Sunday before, were 
 to go again. As yet we have no mails, however. Early 
 Saturday morning we started, on foot, towards Tullahoma. 
 At evening we were tangled up with a brook called Crooked 
 Run. After crossing it eleven times, to the great distress of 
 artillery, the commander thought it foolish to go farther. 
 We had marched twenty-three miles ; and were turned into 
 a sorghum field. Mem. Thirty-five pounds instead of hventy- 
 five for a leader ! 
 
 We started before daylight. We crossed Crooked Run 
 (that is, walked through it) sixteen times before sunrise. 
 At the fifteenth, my boots began to feel damp. It is due to 
 the public to know that boots Avhich kept feet dry in eleven 
 crossings at night, and fourteen in the morning, came from 
 Foster & Peahody, Boston. We wound vip out of the cold 
 valley at last, into sunshine. Then we could see the mists 
 below. Even so the spirit, climbing up into the highlands of 
 . God's free love, looks down upon the mists which had so 
 chilled him in his low estate. 
 
 To Tullahoma ; and then to Alisonia the same day. To 
 get ready for as industrious rains as ever tried to wet us 
 through. 
 
 Elk River, Tennessee, October 22, 1863. 
 
 I HAPPENED to be in Nashville (sent there by orders for a 
 day) the evening when General Grant arrived, and was at 
 the hotel where the coach brought him. A man by no 
 means tall, with a frank, honest face, dressed in a brigadier's 
 coat, though with major-general's shoulder-straps, came in 
 on crutches. That was the general. He was accompanied 
 
CHICKAMAUGA. 369 
 
 by the usual staff. In the evening a military band and a 
 crowd drew him out. The crowd wanted a • speech, but 
 couldn't get a word, until somebody felicitously insisted 
 " Unconditional surrender ! " The general good naturedly 
 submitted so far as to thank them for their good wishes, to 
 teU them he never could talk, and he was now too old to 
 begin, and to say good night. This hero needs not to talk ; 
 his acts speak. Governor Andrew Johnson addressed the 
 multitude, hoAvever, and his clear voice was ringing a square 
 or two off, as — I confess it — I yielded to appetite, and went 
 off in search of beefsteak, rare done, and fried potatoes. 
 
 To conjecture what will take place here would be useless. 
 
 We cannot help wishing that we had here some of the troops 
 scattered in separate pieces hundreds of miles away ; or, at 
 least, that all worked at the same time. I saw a mule team 
 the other day — of which, when one pulled, the other three 
 didn't. It seemed to my inexperienced judgment that the 
 wagon could not start until the whole four pulled at once. 
 And in fact that was the result. But it is hard, doubtless, to 
 time eveiy mountain on a line of a thousand miles ; and 
 probably when the real history of the war is written, we 
 shall wonder at the skill which planned, and the energy 
 Avhich executed. In the mean time let us have faith. 
 
 The battle at Chickamauga seemed to excite diverse 
 accounts. I have inquired as widely as possible ; and I 
 cannot help believing this : That Bragg largely outnumbered 
 our forces ; that some troops of ours did break, very badly, 
 and in a way that well-disciplined men never do, by which 
 we lost guns and supplies ; but that the partial success of the 
 enemy was stopped by the skill of General Thomas and the 
 bravery of some of the divisions ; and that Bragg entirely 
 failed of liis great object, which was to reoccupy Chattanooga. 
 
370 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Our armj holds its own. But the rebels occupy Lookout 
 MouDtain. • A glance at a good map will show jou that this 
 commands part of the railroad, if not a more important point 
 also, and that the enemy cannot be allowed to remain there. 
 It is to be remembered that it was not by battle, but strategy, 
 that the enemy were forced to leave Chattanooga ; is it at 
 all certain that the enemy may not attempt the same process ? 
 The importance of this key point to the insurgents cannot be 
 over-estimated. But we have no fears of the result. 
 
 While matters are quiet, we are rejoicing over the election 
 returns from Ohio and Pennsylvania. These are victories 
 which will discourage the rebels worse than Gettysburg. 
 Southern papers were gloating over hoped-for " Peace " 
 successes. They are disappointed. I am convinced that 
 the bulk of the Opposition have no idea of the sympathy they 
 had in the South ; nor of the terrible discouragement it 
 would have been to the army had they succeeded. Their 
 good men will yet thank God •for failure. As for the real 
 Vallandigham stripe — any such hope is foolish. 
 
 Nearly two years ago I wrote that I was convinced, from 
 observation in a slave State, that there could be no national 
 peace until the whole social — that is, slave — system of the 
 South Avas overturned. I have never doubted it since. 
 The ruling oligarchy must be utterly overthrown, and their 
 power for evil taken away. I do not say that no peace 
 ought to be made without the overthrow of slavery ; but that 
 no real peace, without that, can be made. It would be a 
 mere farce. New men, new systems of industry, new ideas, 
 the South needs. 
 
 There is much loyalty in Tennessee. But so far as I have 
 now seen it, it is not what is called " Border State " loyalty. 
 It is not the loyalty which regards slavery as of more conse- 
 
LOYALTY. V 371 
 
 quence than the Union. It is becoming more and more dis- 
 gusted with this hateful ulcer on civilization. Not that this 
 latter feeling is universal ; but it is steadily growing. 
 
 The rebellion in which we are engaged is recognized to be 
 one based simply on the determination of a few to continue 
 the authority of a caste — the rule of a few educated men 
 over a mass of whites and blacks, purposely kept ignorant 
 and poor. That rule was growing weak before the progress 
 of free thought. Therefore the oligarchy tried to seclude 
 themselves in a distinct confederacy. That is the way the 
 Union men here look at it. Tennessee is more loyal than 
 Virginia, because in Tennessee there is a better state of 
 society. In Virginia, the few are educated and luxurious ; 
 the many are ignorant and shiftless. In Tennessee there is 
 far more uniform intelligence and equalized comfort ; and a 
 far nobler race of people. But of this, more by and by. 
 
 In one of the papers which is " loyal," with a strong smell 
 of "• if" about it, I find plenty of carping complaints of the 
 administration. I find also in the same paper, — 
 
 " For sale. A No. 1 negro man ; sold for no fault." 
 
 And next following, — 
 
 " Horses and mules for sale." 
 
 How significant it is of the character of this contest, mili- 
 tary and civil, that those who oppose the administration, 
 whether North or South, you may be sure include those who, 
 while trading in horses or mules, also sell No. 1 negro men 
 " for no fault ! " 
 
 Christiana, Tenn., November 4, 1863. 
 We have been beech-nutting down to Anderson. 
 We were camped at the bridge over Elk River, where a 
 
372 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPID AN. 
 
 suitable fortification attests somebody's labors, and where we 
 were beside the First Tennessee, colored. A inile north is 
 the station of Estell Springs. The name of that place is 
 derived from some springs there, and from Dr. Estell of 
 that county, who owns the springs. Once it was quite a 
 watering-place. Wealthy people came from further South. 
 Dr. Estell laid out streets, and sold lots of a quarter acre 
 each, for a hundred dollars each. On these lots the pur- 
 chasers erected board shanties. And in the shanties, the 
 builders who brought their " servants " and force with them, 
 managed to get rid of July, August, and September. " They 
 purtended it was for their health," said a lonely resident ; 
 " but it was to git over the time ; and they didn't else know 
 how to "git shet o' ther money." He had seen as many as 
 three hundred visitors at this picnicking kind of watering- 
 place at once. But now, the boards of the shanties have 
 travelled to loyal camps, and a few whites, a few blacks, and 
 several pigs and chickens, are the sole denizens of this Ten- 
 nesseean Saratoga. Its silence is broken only by the trains 
 which stop here to water the engines. The springs remain. 
 I tested them the other day. One is what the citizens called 
 " kollee-by-it," — the warm flatirons of Mr. Sam. Weller. 
 A little distance off are three more ; one is sulphur, one lime, 
 and one pure water from sandstone, — all three welling out 
 from the hill-side, less than hoo feet apart. The taste from 
 the sulphur was — I confess it — my first in life. It was 
 also — I assert it — my last forever. Ditto with buttermilk^ 
 which I unwittingly put to my lijDS a few weeks ago, and 
 never shall again. 
 
 Our men had built comfortable huts, but we had to leave 
 them. We were to go to Bridgeport, on the Tennessee River, 
 where the new railway bridge was suffered to be finished. 
 
ANDERSON. 373 
 
 It would be necessary to open the road to Chattanooga. 
 The fact was, that as the rebels commanded the road from 
 Bridgeport to Chattanooga, all supplies had to be Avagoned 
 round over a horrible mountain-road, fifty or sixty miles. It 
 was impossible to keep a large army supplied in this way. 
 The only question was, between driving the rebels away from 
 Lookout Mountain and that neighborhood, and trying how 
 long men could live on half rations. We expected, rather, 
 to help drive the rebels off, and it was in that expectation 
 that our brigade marched to Anderson, — only to march back 
 again. 
 
 Anderson lies in a valley. The scenery of the Big Crow 
 Creek valley is delightful — home-like, except that in New 
 Hampshire we have real rock, and here only limestone. 
 Beautiful bottom lands were showing rich crops — of which, 
 in the shape of corn, our hungry horses ventured to partake. 
 Tobacco, cotton, and corn grew side by side. Lands there 
 will bear a hundred bushels of corn to the acre, and the 
 cotton would have given an immense profit, but that the 
 frosts were too early. 
 
 Anderson is no town. Mr. Anderson lives there, and 
 owns nearly the whole valley back to Tantallon, with several 
 moimtains, and a few rivers. His land is reckoned by miles. 
 "We camped in a beautiful beech wood, whose nuts were good 
 and inexhaustible. 
 
 At Anderson thei'e are wonderful springs. One pours out 
 from under the mountain a torrent ; and, some hundred 
 yards off, is an opening six feet high, into which we walkiid 
 upright, until, deep into the hill, Ave reached the brook. 
 Stalactites hung from the roof. The brook was coming out 
 of the hill still deeper, but Ave could go no further. Tiicrc 
 are also in the A-alley extensiA-e Indian mounds, out of Avhich 
 32 
 
374 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 they plough reKcs. This was the old Cherokee country, and 
 Crow was a " big Indian," from which was named " Big 
 Crow Creek." 
 
 A variety of orders is understood to have mixed matters 
 with us there. In fact, they varied the day before. But it 
 was settled at last that we return. The Second division 
 went on, and took their part in the battle. So, on the 26th, 
 we left Anderson. We recrossed the abominable mountain 
 by the road which a native told me had been disused since 
 the railway was opened. We camped at Cowan — for twenty 
 minutes. Because, just then, came orders by telegraph that 
 we take the coming train, and go somewhere north. We 
 took it, and ovir promptness here served it a good turn ; for 
 just after we stai'ted orders came for us not to take the train, 
 but to march. Too late, luckily. But at Bellbuckle the 
 engine gave out. It was then about two A. M. We left the 
 train, and made coffee, and laid down and went to sleep, 
 knowing by experience that it was hardly worth while to 
 keep awake for the engine that was "just coming." And 
 when we waked up the train was still there, waiting for that 
 other engine. So it was when we marched, and we left it 
 there. Our horses were at Cowan, and nine miles of equal- 
 ity tried our boots. 
 
 Elk River, Tenn. November 18, 1863. 
 
 I WROTE how we went down to Anderson, beech-nutting, 
 and what fine success we had, — heaps of nuts, — and how 
 we went back to Christiana. 
 
 There, the men Avorked like beavers. Tliey tore down old 
 huts, — for what Massachusetts regiment could occupy the 
 slovenly edifices that the departing troops had left. They 
 
WESTERN OFFICERS. 375 
 
 built warm houses. One chimney still lingers mournfully in 
 my memory. It Avas a beautiful chimney. It did not smoke. 
 It threw out the heat delightfully. I shall never be so 
 proud of another chimney, never. " I never had a dear 
 gazelle," &c. 
 
 That chimney had been finished two days, when orders 
 came to move. They shifted the troops guarding different 
 points on the road, much like the child-play of " kitchen fur- 
 niture change places." A, B, C, and D rushed round into 
 each other's posts. They said it was done to bring into jux- 
 taposition the scattered parts of some brigade. I wish they 
 had thought of the need of concentrating that brigade, when 
 they located us a fortnight before, and so saving us seventy 
 miles of marching. 
 
 The chief feeling we had in leaving Christiana consisted 
 in the unpleasantness of relinquishing our new-built camp to 
 the particular set which came. A party of them came in ad- 
 vance, and commenced service by the refusal of three officers 
 (all the commissioned ones present) to march, when ordered, 
 a few miles to relieve an outpost of ours, and so expedite our 
 departure. It seemed very strange to us, as we had always 
 been taught that orders were to be obeyed. The enlisted men 
 seemed good material, although it seemed funny to hear their 
 first sergeant, when orders were sent for them at reveille to 
 " fall in," answer, ' Why, captain, the boys ain't up yet ! " 
 But with good officers, the men would, doubtless, make cap- 
 ital soldiers. There is no difference, that I see, between 
 Eastern and Western men as to fighting qualities. The 
 only distinction between different regiments in general, con- 
 sists in the character of the officers, and, therefore, in the 
 discipline. I do think that the officers of the Potomac army 
 (embracing both Eastern and Western troops), were better 
 
/ 
 
 3 70 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 taught than any others I have seen ; I mean, as a whole. 
 Not but that orders have been strict enough. We have a 
 pile of old ones, and they are comprehensive and decided. 
 But they remind one, in their repetitions, of the girl, who 
 said her brother Jack wouldn't lie. " Jack won't lie," said 
 she ; " he's afraid to lie, for mother has scolded him fifty 
 times for it." 
 
 In the recent affair, the Potomac men met their old Vir- 
 ginia foe, and showed what they could do. The Eleventh 
 corps, Avhich has had reflections cast upon it, acquitted 
 itself nobly. Massachusetts blood flowed there, — in the 
 Thirty-third. That Colonel Underwood, formerly a captain 
 in the Second, was mortally Avounded, his old comrades were 
 pained to hear. He is too true a man, too excellent a sol- 
 dier, to be spared. Glad were Ave to learn later, that hopes 
 existed of his recovery. Passing by us since, he was as 
 cheerful as ever. 
 
 Matters are conducted here rather different from the Vir- 
 ginia method, as to guerillas. They have a short shrift. 
 For instance, a commander reported, a while ago, that he 
 had met twenty guerillas ; he had killed eight, and captured 
 tAvelve ; but, unfortunately, in bringing his prisoners into 
 camp, they all fell off a log, and broke their necks. It is 
 hardly to be wondered at that such accidents occur. Ten- 
 nessee soldiers are men whose houses have been burned, 
 their families abused, their relatives murdered in cold blood, 
 a price set on their heads. It is no wonder they are im- 
 placable. Nor can one pity the murderous guerilla taken 
 in the act. 
 
 There is really much Union feeling hereabouts. And some 
 of it is very strong, though some is evidently merely from 
 self-intei'est. There is a theory which vdll go with the Avinning 
 
MASSACHUSETTS POLITICS. 377 
 
 side. But, at present, I hope that government will not trust 
 them. The " radical " policy, I cannot help feeling, is the 
 only one for Tennessee, and all the South. Precisely that 
 feeling do the real sturdy Union men have, I have heard 
 the strongest desires expressed that slavery be got rid of. 
 Men speak of it as the cause of the whole trouble, and the 
 future disease, if not now removed. Even repentant seces- 
 sionists say the same thing. As for an election being held 
 here — anywhere near us men could not go to the polls with 
 the slightest security. 
 
 How gloriously Massachusetts has maintained itself in the 
 recent election ! There was a little danger that the dominant 
 party would not feel the necessity of a large vote ; but such 
 fears are not realized. I have heard many a glad mention 
 of the result, and not one expression to the contrary. It is 
 astonishing how soon soldiers see where the wicked cause of 
 the rebellion is. The army is abolitionized. 
 
 The result in Massachusetts is wonderful, in that, by both 
 platforms, the State is unanimous for the prosecution of the 
 war. The majority, however, is anti-slaveiy. Do you ever 
 think how a man must feel, a few years hence, when liberty 
 exists all over the land, to think that he had no part in the 
 glorious work, or worse, that he sided with slavery ? For 
 myself, I look for the only true policy — that which declares 
 slavery in any State is contrary to natural right, and therefore 
 unlawful. Let us get rid of the wickedness everywhere. 
 The time is coming, for the Lord reigneth. 
 
 As to this railway, — the line of road from Nashville to 
 Bridgeport, is one hundred and twenty-three miles long. It 
 is the only avenue of supplies. Its importance is readily 
 seen. Distances in this country are enormous. I have 
 been figuring lap some of them, and sum up the results : 
 32* 
 
878 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 If from Chattanooga one could go to Cluirleston, he would 
 travel four hundred and forty-six miles : to Savannah, four 
 hundred and thirty-one. 
 
 The rebels from their capital are distant, by the old rail- 
 Avay, six hundred and two ; by a circuitous route, eight hun- 
 dred and eighty-four. We from ours, sixteen hundred and 
 sixty-two, or by the road, in rebel hands, six hundred and 
 twenty-one. 
 
 In reenforcing our army from Virginia, v/e had twelve 
 hundred and sixteen miles ; the rebels from their position, 
 five hundred and thirty-five miles, — of which, however, a 
 part had to be made by marching, unless they preferred to go 
 by railway, over a route of eight hundred and nineteen. At 
 worst for them, their distance was but two thirds of ours. 
 
 If from Chattanooga one Avished to go to Boston, he could 
 choose one of several routes : 
 
 By way of the rebel roads, now badly obstructed, he would' 
 travel ten hundred and eighty-two miles, unless he stopped in 
 Richmond. 
 
 By way of Indianapolis, Crestline line, and Buffalo, fifteen 
 hundred and twenty-one miles. 
 
 By way of Indianapolis, Pittsbui'g, Harrisburg, AUentown, 
 and New York, fifteen hundred and nine miles. 
 
 By Avay of Indianapolis, Pittsburg, and Philadelphia, fif- 
 teen hundred and twenty-one miles. 
 
 By way of Cincinnati, Pittsburg, and Philadelphia, four- 
 teen hundred and ninety-two miles. 
 
 By Avay of Cincinnati, Pittsburg, and New York, fourteen 
 hundred and eighty miles. 
 
 By Avay of "Washington, sixteen hundred and twenty-three 
 miles. 
 
 Any way, it is imcomfortably far from home ! Home ! 
 But over the fifteen hundred miles the heart goes in an instant. 
 
THANKSGIVING DAY. 379 
 
 CHAPTER XV, 
 
 LIFE IN TENNESSEE. 
 
 Elk. River (Alisona), Tenn., November 27, 1863. 
 
 Yester'^ay was Thanksgiving Day. Nobody needs to be 
 told how our hearts turned homeward. It was with no 
 unworthy or unmanly motives that every one thought how 
 pleasant it would be to enjoy the festival with families and 
 friends. 
 
 Our day was beautiful. After a cold night, the sun rose 
 beautifully lear, and soon melted away the frost. It was 
 quite war"! long before noon. We had, of course, our 
 usual religious sei'vice at eleven o'clock — gathering beside 
 the formid ble fortification which frowns from the top of the 
 hill, and under the flag which there was wind enough to 
 float. It wr.s our " storm" flag, not our battle flag ; that is 
 guarded as tenderly as a saint's relics, and only used when, 
 although t bear it is almost a sentence of death, it waves 
 defiance to the enemy, and when each man of our color- 
 guard springs to catch it from the hands of the dying. But 
 the storm 'ag Avaved near us. We were but a handful. 
 Three tim ^ have we celebrated Thanksgiving Day, and each 
 since the first with rapidly diminishing numbers. The dead 
 sleep on e- ^ry battle-field. 
 
 The men played ball, of course. And they had their din- 
 
380 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 Tier. It Avas impossible, iu preparing, to get any supplies 
 from Nashville, because the capacity of the railway is tried 
 severely to carry the necessaries of life. So a large party 
 had been sent out, M^ell armed, into the country to make pro- 
 vision. They were gone two days, and found, at a distance 
 of some fifteen miles, plenty of geese, chickens, and the like, 
 which the people were very ready to sell. It would seem 
 queer to friends at home, in doing their Thanksgiving mar- 
 keting, to have to go fifteen miles, and take fifty well armed 
 men as a matter of safety. 
 
 I have " figured up " a little ; and to show that there was 
 enough to eat, report that the ratio of supply was this : 
 to every hundred men, fourteen geese, four tui'keys, and 
 forty chickens ; besides a few quails, a pig, and some plum 
 puddings. And plenty of geese still quack, reserved for sub- 
 sequent eating. 
 
 In the evening, the ofiicers came together, inviting also the 
 officers of the excellent Second Kentucky battery. Singing and 
 social pleasantry made the hours pass rapidly. Some of our 
 officers came back : they love the old homestead. And the 
 brigade band, some of whose members used to belong to our 
 old regimental band, came on foot for eight miles (they 
 would have come by rail, but that no trains ran, and they 
 waited till impatient), and discoursed most beautiful music. 
 
 Elk River (Alisona), Tenn., November 27, 1863. 
 
 When we first came down this railway, we saw at 
 "VVartrace a squad of colored men ; we learned that they had 
 just come in to enlist ; and we found that parties came daily 
 for that purpose. At Elk River we passed the camp of a 
 
NEGRO SOLDIERS. 381 
 
 whole regiment, the First Tennessee, and on our return we 
 were camped just beside them. They wei'e commanded by 
 Colonel Thompson, an active, energetic son of Maine, 
 recently on General Rosecrans's staff, and numbered about 
 eight hundred. Their camp was clean and orderly. No 
 regiment could be better behaved. We witnessed one dress 
 parade ; and, considering that they had been but few weeks 
 in service, it was the decision of our men that it was 
 excellent : and if the men of ours say so it is so. 
 
 They were doing considerable picket duty ; and no men 
 covdd be mere faithful. There Avas a shiftless white regiment 
 near, which would not associate with these blacks as soldiers. 
 But those whites would sit down while on picket duty ; no 
 black was known to do such a thing. Keen, alert, and faithful 
 — their main fault was an excess of care — as they would fire 
 at everything that looked doubtful. 
 
 They were uneducated. Most could not read ; so that a 
 pass was ot very little use. And they made havoc of names. 
 Thus, wh^n " Ticonderoga " was one day the countersign, 
 the nearest that one of them got it was " Ticonsternation ! " 
 But who i,: responsible for this ignorance? What are the 
 stories good for, that Southerners did teach their slaves to 
 read, wheu hardly one out of eight hundred Alabama and 
 Tennessee slaves knew a letter ? 
 
 But they were faithful. They obeyed orders. They did 
 their dutj One day there were four men on picket together 
 — all black — a corporal and three privates. Just enlisted 
 these thrcC, it happened, did not know how to load their 
 pieces. Guerillas fired on them and killed one. The 
 corporal and the other two stood to their places, and w^hile 
 the corporal loaded the pieces, the two privates stood and 
 fired deliberately, each waiting his turn, and neither stirred 
 
382 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 until relieved by a party sent to the sound of the guns. I 
 doubt if white soldiers would show better pluck. 
 
 There was, really, a manliness about these black soldiers 
 which inspired respect. Make a soldier of a slave, and he 
 feels he is a man. Slavery restored would be a nice thing if 
 a hundred thousand of them had learned to use the musket ! 
 Almost all these men Avere fugitives. They had been 
 oppressed. But the moment they became soldiers, they 
 seemed to change. They felt that they were in a holy cause. 
 Why not ? If it was right for Moses to lead those slaves — 
 the children of Israel — out of Egypt, it is right for any 
 new instrument of God to lead these people out of their 
 accursed bondage. The Red Sea has parted. "Woe to the 
 pursuers. Foolish and hardened, they do not see that the 
 walls are only of water. The roar of the returning waves is 
 already heard. Do the idiotic oppressors think they can 
 roll back the wrath of the Almighty ? 
 
 I was informed, also, by a man whose face grew sternly 
 sad as he told me, that these men's backs are almost all 
 hideously scarred by the lash. The accounts of Southern 
 brutality were sickening. Of the deaths in that regiment, 
 almost every one, the surgeon said, was duo to the past bru- 
 tal ti'eatment, which had broken their constitutions. Kind, 
 patriarchal system ! A lovely system for Christian men to 
 say of, " We have nothing to do with it ! " But, alas ! for 
 our blindness. 
 
 I have read in a Tennessee paper — opposed to the admin- 
 istration of course — an advertisement of a Avoman whose 
 " servant had run away." She says he " calls himself a 
 preacher," and that he is of good manners, &c. ; and if any- 
 body will put him into a certain "jail," she Avill pay a suit- 
 able " reward." Well, I call myself " a preacher," and I 
 
BARBARISM OF SLAVERY. 383 
 
 feel for that preacher. Paul says he was " a preacher " also. 
 Paul was put in jail, too, as this Avoman wants to put this 
 man. This preacher is accused of no crime, but she wants 
 to put him in jail, nevertheless. The matter puzzled me. 
 Do they put preachers in jail down here. If so, it is unsafe 
 to venture out of camp. In thinking it over, I have come 
 to this conclusion : It is the duty of government to protect 
 all its citizens, and guarantee their safety from "jail," except 
 for crime. Every citizen has a right to demand this. This 
 man is a citizen, or, being native born, ought to be declared 
 so by act of Congress. Government ought to protect him 
 in his rights. It ought to punish anybody that puts him in 
 jail ; and ought to take him out of jail, if anybody puts him 
 in, " anything in the laws of any State to the contrary not- 
 withstanding." That's my doctrine, square. 
 
 By the way, it is, perhaps, worth mentioning, that when 
 some prisoners, coming in (Longstreet's men), were jeered a 
 little, being asked, " How did you get caught? " they replied, 
 " You had to get men from the army of the Potomac to do 
 it ; we should have walked over you easy enough." There 
 has been a great change in feeling towards the Potomac men 
 since that affair. At first they were called " fancy soldiers," 
 because both men and officers had never been taught that it 
 was the sign of an especially good soldier to be remarkably 
 dirty and slovenly. But they are now seen to be as eminent 
 in valor as in everything else. The western army never had 
 such foes as they do now. 
 
 Elk Riveh, Tenn., December 24, 1863. 
 Who can help rejoicing at the President's proclamation ? 
 It holds out the olive branch, but on terms that preserve our 
 
384 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN 
 
 principles. It makes no treaty with rebels, but demands 
 unconditional submission. It retains justice, but tempers it 
 with mercy. It restores forfeited privileges, but secures the 
 public safety. It assumes that the rebel State governments 
 are extinct, but it provides for new loyal ones. Above all, 
 it demands submission on the very point of issue — slavery. 
 Slavery must end — I Avish I could say everywhere — in 
 every rebel State. Thank God that the plain, licaest, manly 
 common sense of our President has taken this course. He 
 stands by the proclamation ; and so does the army ; and so 
 do the people. Of course copperheads will hiss. But who 
 cares ! 
 
 As to slavery in the excepted States, it is not worth dis- 
 puting about. With constant enlistments from the slaves, 
 with the independent feeling spread where the arniy goes, and 
 with a resolute abolition party inci'easing, the case reminds 
 one of a black who once had pvirchased half of himself. His 
 boat overset one day, and he was with difRculty saved from 
 drowning. Being asked what his thoughts were while in 
 danger, he replied, " I thought what a fool I was to lay out 
 my money on sich onsarten property as niggers ! " 
 
 And yet I wish, for the moral wholeness of the thing, that 
 slavery could be declared outlawed everywhere. It is time to 
 be done with the humbug that the general government cannot 
 protect the inalienable rights of every person Avho lives under 
 the stars and stripes. 
 
 But I believe, on the whole, in " compensated emancipa- 
 tion." The masters have robbed and abused the slaves for a 
 great many years. It is not fair to turn these blacks out 
 into the woi'ld Avithout paying them for past labor. Besides, 
 if, as the masters say, the blacks cannot take care of them- 
 selves, the freedmen will need their wages, now long overdue. 
 Therefore, compensate them for their past labor. 
 
ME. FOX'S VISIT. 385 
 
 Chattanooga, Tenn., January 5, 1864. 
 
 How I happened to go to Chattanooga was on this wise : 
 One day there came into camp the Rev. Thomas B. Fox, 
 whom Governor Andrew had sent as a special agent to see 
 Massachusetts regiments and Massachusetts soldiers in 
 hospital, in this division. Governor Andrew is always send- 
 ing agents, or writing letters, or making speeches, or coaxing 
 officials, for the benefit of our soldiers. The soldiers will 
 always remember their large-hearted governor. So Mr. Fox 
 was sent, and he came to our regiment. His visit did us 
 good. If the governor is as wise in all his selections, he is a 
 wise governor. The visit occurred at a time of particular 
 interest. The plan of reenlistment was before us. Mr. Fox 
 helped it on finely. Apart from this, his address, conveying 
 to us the assurance of the interest felt at home — was, for 
 beauty, completeness, and heartiness, never surpassed by 
 anything I ever heard. 
 
 Many men have reenlisted. In writing before, I had not 
 faith enough. As it is, the bounties utterly failed of any 
 effect on the men who enlisted on eleven dollars a month and 
 no bounty. The only effective appeal proved to be that 
 which led them to say, " We can't leave that old flag to 
 strangers." 
 
 The agent kindly asked me to accompany him to Chat- 
 tanooga, and addressed a request to that effect to our corps 
 commander, which was agreed to. I had to apply, myself, 
 for the formal pass ; let me tell you just how much formality 
 was requisite in getting it. 
 
 First, you write out an application, and you place it in the 
 hands of the adjutant, who is the colonel's prime minister. 
 The colonel signs his approval. You want to take the paper 
 33 
 
386 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 yourself to higher quarters, instead of waiting for the slow 
 routine. So the colonel signs a special permission for you to 
 do so. The higher quarters are at Tullahoma, and to get 
 there, the adjutant furnishes you, by the colonel's direction, 
 with a written document to that effect ; and for transpor- 
 tation, the quartermaster gives you another paper, also by the 
 colonel's order. And thus you are empowered to go seven 
 miles ! 
 
 At the railway you catch a train. The military conductor 
 examines your military pass, and keeps it Avhen used. The 
 civilian conductor takes your transportation paper. You get 
 to TuUahoma, and go to brigade headquarters, and, if you 
 are as fortunate as I was, find our good Brigadier-General 
 Ruger, just ready for breakfast, and he invites you to break- 
 fast (not officially, you knoAV, but friendly), and you get a 
 capital breakfast. You don't hint anything about business at 
 meal time ; it " isn't the thing, you know." But after break- 
 fast you give your application to the general's assistant 
 adjutant-general, with yovir written permission to come your- 
 self; and he asks the general, and the general signs it, and 
 the clei'k makes a minute of it, and the A. A. G-. gives you a 
 written permission to take it to the general of division. You 
 go there and hand over both papers, and the A. A. G. gets 
 the approval, and his clerk records it, and the A. A. G. gives 
 you a new written permission to take it to corps headquarters. 
 There the A. A. G. goes through similar processes, — clerk 
 and aU, — and you get a new document empowering you to 
 go as you asked. And our gallant major-general drops into 
 the office and has a friendly chat — perhaps. Then you go 
 to the post quartermaster's, to get a transportation paper ; 
 he is gone to Nashville, and his clerk is gone to dinner ; but 
 when he comes back you have to go to the colonel command- 
 
TO CHATTANOOGA. 387 
 
 ing the post, and he approves (after seeing your last paper), 
 and yon go back and the clerk writes out the transportation 
 pass, and you hurry to the cars while it is raining furiously. 
 That is, that "was my experience. 
 
 Is all this routine really needful ? Yes. If I had room to 
 explain it you would be satisfied that to omit any step would 
 put things into a " muddle." Nevertheless it is a bore. 
 Try it some day, when you want to take a little trip. 
 
 We tried to go on Tuesday, December 29, but the train 
 did not stop ; but we succeeded on Wednesday. The train 
 stops at Decherd for dinner, K anybody invites you to do 
 so, don't you do it. Be warned in time. On the train, the 
 civilian conductor exauiines your transportation paper, and 
 the military one your military pass. The civil was not mil- 
 itary, but the military man was civil. Nevertheless, he 
 insisted on keeping my pass, because, he argued, that it was 
 not good as far as Stevenson, on the ground that it covered 
 ten miles beyond? I afterwards recovered it, however, by 
 arguments effective and honest, but potent. Mr. Fox had no 
 trouble, for he was loaded with all manner of authority from 
 General Grant and a crowd of others. 
 
 It was after dark when Stevenson was reached, and it 
 was raining. No passenger car runs further, and one hunts 
 around until he guesses which baggage car (not of the train 
 just arrived) is likely to go. We luckily discovered, at the 
 last moment, the right car. Ten miles on is Bridgeport — a 
 town without a house in it. Darkness, rain, and mud were 
 uncomfortable to total strangers. But we found the 
 Sanitary Commission, God bless it. It was in tents. But 
 what a change ! Out of the cold and driving storm into 
 warm quarters, with a cup of excellent tea speedily made for 
 the writer's racking headache — excellent blankets to sleep 
 
3«8 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 ill, on a hay stiiffefl bed, and with good Dr. Coates as the 
 presiding genius. And other travellers, and suffering soldiers 
 
 — all taken care of — fed, clothed, wounds dressed, beds 
 furnished at the Home. I tell you, people at the North, 
 pile up your supplies, give your money, strengthen the Com- 
 mission every way. That Commission saves life. 
 
 From Bridgeport to Chattanooga, as yet, we go by boat 
 
 — the boat was " in " the next morning, but it came late in 
 the afternoon. It would leave in three hours. Transpor- 
 tation papers must be had ; and at the otfice, far away from 
 the boat, they said it would leave in^ve hours. We go with 
 others to the boat ; now it will leave in the night some time. 
 The Sanitary has a Home there (not the headquarters), and 
 we go in to wait. Before midnight we find the boat will go 
 in the morning. In the various tents of the Commission are 
 two hundred and fifty sheltered. The night becomes savagely 
 cold. It is impossible to keep warm or sleep. In our tent 
 are men, women, and children — white refugees from 
 Southern tyranny, included. For the fun of the thing, I 
 went to chopping wood at half past two A. M., with the ther- 
 mometer down out of sight of freezing. But in the group 
 was a pretty little girl of two years, with parents escaping 
 with only life from their burning house, fired by Southern 
 brutality. 
 
 In the morning the boat will leave at eleven. So we walk 
 back to Sanitary headquarters. It was a bitterly cold day. 
 There is a crowd. Here a soldier to go North, his arm is 
 dressed, he is fed ; thinly clothed — a Avarm woollen sack is 
 buttoned on him, and the armless sleeve pinned over, and he 
 goes off happy. Another is on crutches, his wound is cared 
 for, he is supplied as the other, and is helped to the cars. 
 Here, a lone woman, all the way from New Jersey, to find 
 
THE SANITARY COMMISSION. 389 
 
 her sick husband — mild, patient, grateful, careless of fatigue, 
 with miles yet to go, and she is sheltered, fed, and directed ; 
 a good woman, she says she has " found only Christian 
 people all the way." A mother, who has come to see her 
 wounded son, an officer. Alas ! his corpse has passed her on 
 the road, and she is to return. And so with the multitude. 
 But perhaps as near to the heart as anybody — a little girl 
 of five yeai'S, who, with others, had sat in baggage cars all 
 the cold night (in which time three soldiers had perished of 
 cold), the managers had carelessly unfastened that car, and 
 left it. The little girl, half frozen and crying, had come up 
 wdth the others to the Sanitary. And now, w^armed and 
 fed, the child was happy, and I showed her the picture of 
 another little girl, and we were friends, and when she left 
 they wrapped warm things around her, and pulled socks over 
 her shoes, and a strong helper carried her in his arms to the 
 train. The Sanitary cared for the little girl ; it was some- 
 body's child ; and so for the love of a blue-eyed girl at home, 
 I owe just as much debt as anybody, and say again, God 
 bless the Sanitary ! 
 
 On the boat. It is to leave at twelve. To leave at two. 
 To leave at five. It did leave at seven. It was the Paint- 
 Rock, — a floor, with a funny old two-story barn on it, and a 
 wheezy tea-kettle arrangement for running it. The weather 
 was horribly cold. The " cabin " was a canvas box on top 
 of the aforesaid barn. A few inches of it was warmed by 
 an ancient cooking-stove, one door of -which had departed. 
 It is sixty-two miles to Chattanooga by river, it is twenty- 
 eight by rail. 
 
 As to scenery, I remember that the rushing river looked 
 like quicksilver as we entered the boat. The night was too 
 cold for peeping out again till morning, and then only to see 
 33* 
 
390 THE rOTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 that men were cutting the ice off the stern wheel, and that 
 huge icicles fringed the cliffs which bordered the river. 
 Within, one could study human nature. Decency required 
 that persons should give way to others in turn near the stove. 
 Many did, some did not, I was interested in studying one 
 man. He had a Avarm corner, and there he staid. He Avas 
 'a major of infantry, by his dress, — dressed showily, — with 
 very dark eyes, and black mustache, etc., in regular dress 
 uniform, felt hat and braid cord, and dark blue trowsers. 
 He would have looked handsome, but for his insufferable ' 
 hoggishness. Hints and open requests were useless ; but his 
 hours of sitting ended, I think, by his getting into the cap- 
 tain's room ; anyhow, he disappeared till morning. He came 
 to Chattanooga. I don't know his regiment. I wish I did. 
 However, if anybody knows a major (not the one of the 
 Tenth Kentucky) who was on the Paint-Rock on ■ its trip to 
 Chattanooga, January 1-2, 1864, he will inform that major 
 that, in the unanimous opinion of the passengers, he is the 
 most despicable hog that injures the reputation of that com- 
 paratively respectable animal. 
 
 On the boat were some delegates of the Christian Commis- 
 sion. They had some private stores of food ; but they, in 
 the dearth, shared with all. They made tea, they furnished 
 bread. They did all the good possible. The passengers 
 became their warm friends, from the conduct of these dele- 
 gates, which was truly Christian. I was glad to meet Rev. 
 Calvin Holman, of New Hampshire, and it was pleasant to 
 pass much of the night together in common topics. The 
 Commissidh opened its doors here to shelter to its utmost 
 capacity ; and there the soldier's Avife found friends to help 
 her to her husband. 
 
 Pulled up the rapids by ropes, or Avorked up by steam far 
 
JOHNNY CLEM. Siil 
 
 liijjher than the government allowance of pressure ; si"-htin"- 
 bold Lookout, the scene of gallant combat, around its base — 
 and so, about nine P, M., we reached Chattanooga. Hos- 
 pitable doors are open, and friends are found. 
 
 I intended, at Chattanooga, to write out notes on several 
 matters there. They were about Lookout Mountain and 
 Mission Eidge ; the Sanitary Commission, and Dr. Reed in 
 charge ; the Christian Commission, and Mr. Lawrence in 
 charge ; the chaplain's meeting ; the National Cemetery, al- 
 ready planned, and the Mortuary Record ; the recruiting 
 office for colored troops, under Mr. John A. Spooner, of Old 
 Plymouth ; and Sergeant Johnny Clem, the youngest soldier 
 in the army, being twelve years of age. The world will 
 never know what it has lost, which is my chief consolation in 
 so distressing a trial as that of consigning one's pages to the 
 fireplace. But I will save one section. It is concerning 
 Sergeant Johnny Clem. 
 
 Johnny is a boy of twelve, and was born in Newark, 
 Ohio. He measures four feet and one inch in height. He 
 has a frank, pleasant, firm face, with light eyes and hair. 
 He dresses neatly, sports his sergeant's chevrons and a pistol. 
 Johnny has been in service, off and on, for two years. At 
 present he belongs to the Twenty-second Michigan, in which 
 he enlisted as drummer. At the battle of Chickamauga 
 he was a marker ; and there he slibwed courage. I met an 
 account of that affair of his some time since ; but I thought 
 it Avorth while to get his oaati statement. Here it is in his 
 own exact language : — 
 
 " We were making a charge. As I was rallying, the rebel 
 colonel rode up to me, and said, ' Halt, surrender, you 
 
 [sweai'ing] '. I had my gun at right shoulder shift. I 
 
 fetched it to a shoulder, and just at that he struck at me with 
 
392 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 his sword, and I knocked off his guard, and cooked my 
 piece (which I could easily do, being so short, without his 
 noticing my cocking it) ; fetched it to a charge bayonet. He 
 rode right up in front of my gun, and Avas just going to 
 knock it out of the way and cut my head off ; and just at that 
 I pulled it off, and the bullet went right through his breast." 
 
 So Sergeant Johnny got his promotion. He had, when I 
 saw him, his "descriptive list" with him — being just on 
 his way back as a returned prisoner from Wheeler's raid. 
 Johnny is really a manly looking little fellow ; is self-pos- 
 sessed, but modest ; talks freely, but not about his affair 
 unless others ask him. It is a wonder he has not been 
 spoiled, but no trace of such a result appears. He used to 
 drink whiskey and swear, but he has been taught better, he 
 says. 
 
 Some few items regarding the condition of rebeldom I 
 think worth recording. 
 
 The destitutions Avhicli are said to prevail, undoubtedly do 
 exist in some sections. For instance, the large tracts of 
 country which lie near, but outside our lines, are filled with 
 suffering people.- These people are in a particularly unfor- 
 tunate position, because really enjoying no advantage which 
 those have who belong somewhere definite. Their means of 
 support are in a great measure cut off. The men are to a 
 very great extent in the rebel army, having either gone vol- 
 imtarily or been forced there by conscription. The farms 
 are ravaged by roving bands of guerillas, who are nearly as 
 terrible to friend as foe. What crops have been gathered 
 are apt to be seized for public service, excepting enough for 
 bare subsistence. South of Duck River, Tennessee (some 
 forty miles, I believe, south of Nashville), no trade is allowed. 
 The army itself cannot sell provisions, nor is any method 
 
REBEL DESTITUTION. 393 
 
 adopted of issuing food. There is an exception to this effect : 
 that, as owners of slaves are obliged to furnish a certain 
 amount of cut wood for railway purposes, those men can 
 receive a certain allowance of provisions ; and all others, in- 
 deed, to whom the railAvay gives employment. Then there 
 are some families which have managed to secure " protec- 
 tions," and are in near neighborhood to our posts. Close by 
 oiu" last camp were two women, whose husbands were in the 
 rebel army, as officers, I believe, who had a " safeguard " 
 from general Rosecrans. Why it was given to the property 
 of these rank rebels I do not know, but it was, of coui'se, 
 religiously observed. These women used to charge us 
 twenty cents a quart for the meanest milk I ever saw, while 
 one of them was carried through a fever gratuitously by our 
 good surgeon, medicines included in the gratuity. Another 
 family used to bake bread (of our flour) for us, at the rea- 
 . sonable rate of five or six times the value of the article. 
 
 But many families have no such resource. Some of our 
 men, while out on duty one day, found a family whose sole sup- 
 port for seven days had been corn meal purchased by a single 
 doUar given by a soldier, for a family of father (a cripple), 
 mother, and five children. For two or three days more om* 
 men shared their hard bread with them. Utterly helpless as 
 they were, our colonel saw they did not suffer, until they 
 could be brought in and sent northward. Before we left, 
 one train (a sample) was loaded to its utmost with families 
 of this starving population, who Avere being taken where they 
 could be fed. It was, of course, out of the question to take 
 supplies to svich, over a road severely taxed to feed our 
 armies. Thus it is that our government feeds the suffering, 
 wliile many are the wives and children of rebels. But even 
 such must not be left to starve. Christian charity forbids. 
 
394 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 I was much interested in the families I casually met. 
 They were refugees. A husband and wife, and a husband, 
 wife, and sweet little child. The men had been in the rebel 
 army. They had joined it not willingly, but yielding to a 
 necessity. One had been a druggist, and was a man of few 
 words but of fair intelligence. The other, I think, a farmer. 
 Both men had escaped from the army in Longstreet's move- 
 ment on Knoxville. They had got back to their homes, in 
 the north part of Georgia, and had hid in the woods. I asked 
 them if their friends did not know of their being there. " Yes," 
 they said, " but we had no fear, except from two families 
 Nobody else would betray us." They said that all others there 
 were Union in feeling. Rebels had hunted for them in vain. 
 Though in danger, they would not leave without their fam- 
 ilies ; and, at last, when these families had had their houses 
 burned, and the women left shelterless, they made a deter- 
 mined effort, and succeeded in escaping. The little clothing 
 they had was all they could save. But they were happy to 
 be within our lines, and on their way North. They intended 
 to go to Ohio, and endeavor to earn a living. 
 
 I asked them if the President's proclamation of amnesty 
 had been circulated. They said it had, to some extent, and 
 was fast spreading. Its effect, they said, was good. " We 
 have always been told," said the elder, " that our property 
 would be all taken away ; and, indeed, some acts at "Wash- 
 ington made us think so. But now we know we can save 
 our property, most everybody wants to submit." 
 
 " But you have abandoned your property." 
 
 " Yes, but the land we own is there. They can't move 
 that ; and when the war is over, we can get its value." 
 
 *■' But," said I, " you cannot keep your slaves under this 
 proclamation." 
 
REFUGEES. 395 
 
 The wife of one, an intelligent and pleasant woman, in- 
 stantly answered, " We have no slaves, nor do most of the 
 people ; and so it is nothing to us. Let the men who own 
 the slaves, and got up the war on that account, lose them. 
 They ought to." 
 
 " Is that a widespread feeling?" 
 
 " Yes. There are but a few hvmdred thousand slave- 
 holders, and Ave began to think that they used us to keep 
 theii' power." 
 
 I cannot, of course, tell how much such feelings have 
 spread. But they do evidently have considerable sway. 
 Very large numbers of refugees have come into our lines, 
 and all tell the same story. 
 
 Among other facts, one of these men told me that he had 
 to pay for the ordinary felt hat he wore, two hundred and 
 fifty dollars in confederate money. He had had considera- 
 ble, but gave it all away to friends, as of no further use to 
 him. A lawyer whom I knew, who was taken prisoner at 
 Chickamauga, and sent to Richmond, had to pay (and it was 
 only the. usual price), eighteen dollars for having his boots 
 half-soled ; and each half sole was made of three pieces of 
 leather ; this Avas in confederate money ; in greenbacks, it 
 would have been only a fraction of that. 
 
 The number of deserters coming *in is quite large. All 
 agree that the woods and hills are full of such. All said 
 that rebel soldiers were constantly searching for them ; and 
 so closely that, after making a little fire, they always moved 
 away quickly to another spot. 
 
 My OAATi impressions were that these accounts were true. 
 And hence I am inclined to give credence to the other 
 accounts we receive. But I think that the sufierings are 
 only local, not universal. There must be much difiiculty 
 
396 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 in obtaining the necessaries of life, merely on account of high 
 prices — where wages are fixed as those of soldiers are, and 
 yet whose families must be sustained. 
 
 But it is not likely that any such want is universal. 
 Doubtless many persons have made fortunes in the vSouth 
 out of the war. They sell high for confederate money, 
 it is true, but confederate money will buy lands there. 
 Very large sections in the South are stiU cultivated by 
 slaves, which enables the whites to fill up the arrnies. 
 There is no reason in imagining we are to reduce the revolted 
 territory to obedience, by their necessities, because such a 
 land is not to be starved out. A military despotism, too, 
 stifles the cries of the actual sufierers. "We must fight it 
 out. 
 
 Nor is it good judgment to suppose that the rebel armies 
 are to crumble by desertions. Doubtless, the bulk of their 
 soldiery is under strict discipline, and will remain in arms 
 until the leaders are overthrown. "We must not calculate on 
 anything but overpowering force on our part. If we depend 
 on anything else, we shall wake to the delusion in terrible 
 disasters. If they are weaker, now is the time to overAvhelm 
 them with armies it would be madness to resist. 
 
 Just now everything indicates that the rebel leaders are pre- 
 paring for a desperate spring campaign. They are putting 
 every available man into the ranks. They are straining every 
 nerve to equip their forces. That they Avill make a tremen- 
 dous effort, is clear. If they succeed in that effort, they will 
 protract the war. If they fail, we may safely believe that 
 the disintegrating causes at work will speedily end the sti'ife. 
 Shall they fail ? At the South, every man possible is made 
 a soldier. Their farms, theiu cities, are almost bare of men. 
 Here, I cannot tell, from the crowded streets of Boston, that 
 
HOME. 397 
 
 a siugle man has gone. It rests with the people to say 
 whether this war shall virtually end the next campaign. Do 
 not leave the old soldiers alone. Join them, young men, and 
 take to yourselves part of the crowning glory. 
 
 It took much less time to get from Chattanooga to camp, 
 than from camp to Chattanooga. For, the sixty-two miles 
 of river was down stream ; and a boat kept in the current 
 would slide do^vna faster than steam could push it up. Six 
 hours brought us to Bridgeport. . The train which runs to 
 Stevenson we discovered after a long search. There is no 
 station house, and the train starts from anywhere in a range 
 of two miles, and any time in a range of three hours. It 
 was ten miles to Stevenson, and the train worked hard to 
 get there. I saw it come in at last — having concluded with 
 a few others to leave the train, after three hours of terribly 
 cold travelling in freight cars un warmed, and walk to Steven- 
 son. It was occasionally doubtful which would beat ; but 
 eventually we came in a few lengths ahead of the train, at 
 twenty-five minutes past one o'clock A. M. No station 
 house there ; but we found two passenger cars locked up, 
 from whose windows streamed a bright light. A colonel in 
 our party kicked the door in, and we found seats and snoring 
 sleepers. If the government could afford at Stevenson a 
 Avarm room, or even any room in which wounded, or even 
 well soldiers, could find shelter prior to the departure of a 
 train (which is at three A. M.), it would lessen the amount 
 of profanity cold winter nights. Profanity is wicked ; but 
 the ofiicials deserve the curses. At eight A. M, I was eat- 
 ing breakfast in our own camp. 
 
 I left Chattanooga suddenly, on learning that the official 
 sanction was ready for our return Home. I could not risk 
 losing one of the most supreme pleasures of which I could 
 34 
 
398 THE POTOMAC AND THE RAPIDAN. 
 
 conceive. To go home with the regiment which had earned 
 for itself an imperishable record, — it was a day of a life- 
 time. 
 
 To return with two hundred men, toughened by near three 
 years of hardships, trained by the hardest battle fields, pur- 
 chased by the best blood of Massachusetts ; — 
 
 To show the Old Flag, never carried but in battle, rid- 
 dled by bullets, often falling from the stiifening hand, but 
 never to the earth, always making the men about it invin- 
 cible ; — 
 
 To see the tearful faces of friends, brave friends, brave 
 mothers, remembering heroically the dead children, who went 
 with us when the war was young ; — 
 
 To be welcomed as those who have done their duty ; for 
 of our dead, none died but as heroes die ; — 
 
 And then, when the few days of furlough end, to rejoin 
 the armies of the Union, and -witness the final glory of the 
 Flag ! 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abbott, Lieut., at battle of Ce- 
 dar Mountain, 192. 
 
 Abercrombie, Gen., in command 
 of Second brigade, 20 ; in the 
 movement on Winchester, 105. 
 
 Alexandria, village of, 209 ; de- 
 scribed, 322, 337. 
 
 Alisonia, 365, 379, 380 ; colored 
 troops at, 381, 383. 
 
 Altamont, village of, 359. 
 
 Alvord, Rev. J. A., his labors, 
 288, 289, 336. 
 
 Ambulance System, the, 229, 
 253, 314-320, 330-332. 
 
 Amissville, village of, 180. 
 
 Anderson, village of, 373. 
 
 Anderson, Rev. J., 334. 
 
 Andrews, Lieut. Col., 123 ; com- 
 mander of Corps d'Afrique, 227. 
 
 Andrew, Gov., his labors for sol- 
 diers, 385. 
 
 Annandale, village of, 341. 
 
 Antietam campaign, the, 210- 
 239; battle of Antietam, 216. 
 
 Antietam iron works, 248. 
 
 Ashby's cavalry at battle of 
 Kernstown, 115. 
 
 Aquia Creek, 288 ; described, 307. 
 
 Baker, Col., commands expedi- 
 tion to Leesburg, 38 ; at BaU's 
 Bluff, 39-42. 
 
 Ball's Bluff, battle of, 38-42. 
 
 Banner, the Christian, among 
 soldiers, 248. 
 
 Banks, Gen., assumes command 
 after Patterson, 17 ; observes 
 President's Fast, 26 ; moves 
 to Charlestown, 103 ; his fa- 
 mous retreat, 150-161; plan of 
 Banks and Fremont to attack 
 Jackson, 151 ; his patriotism 
 when superseded, 169; obeys 
 orders at Cedar Mountain, 
 196, note; his promptness, 
 207; his personal traits, 215. 
 
 Banks, Mrs. N. P., her " recep- 
 tion " at Frederick, 79 ; kind- 
 ness to soldiers, 79. 
 
 BarnesvUle, Md., 66. 
 
 Barton, G. M., 334. 
 
 BartonsvUle, 167. 
 
 Baxter, Capt., Ninth Mississippi, 
 340. 
 
 Baylor, Capt., his murder of ^Ir. 
 Rohr, 110. 
 
 Bealeton, Banks's corps at, 202, 
 (399) 
 
400 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 203 ; Second Massachusetts at, 
 327, 343. 
 
 Belle Plain, 288. 
 
 Bellbuckle, village of, 367. 
 
 Bennett, Surgeon, at Cedar 
 Mountain, 190. 
 
 Berryville, 104, 105 ; Northern 
 people in, 109. 
 
 Best, Capt., chief of artillery to 
 Gen. Slocuni, 308. 
 
 Best's battery in Banks's retreat, 
 152. 
 
 Beverly Ford, Second Massachu- 
 setts at, 327 ; action at, 328 ; its 
 importance relative to battle 
 of Gettysburg, 328, note. 
 
 Bounties, injustice of, 177. 
 
 Boonsboro', Md., 200, 206. 
 
 Braddock, Gen., his barracks at 
 Frederick, 82. 
 
 Bramhall, Lieut., at Ball's Bluff, 
 ■ 40-42. 
 
 Brandy Station, 328. 
 
 BrentsviUe, 200, 207. 
 
 Bridgeport, road to, from Chat- 
 tanooga, held by rebels, 372,373. 
 
 Bristow Station, Gen. Banks at, 
 200, 207. 
 
 Broad River, 206. 
 
 Brown, John, his career and its 
 results, 28-35 ; his court- 
 room, 101. 
 
 Bruceville, 329. 
 
 Buckeyetown, 56. 
 
 Bunker Hill, 15, 17, 105 ; Gor- 
 don's brigade at, 158. 
 
 Burke, Capt., the guerilla, killed, 
 231. 
 
 Burke's Station, 263. 
 
 Burnham, Samuel, Preface. 
 
 Burnside, Gen., drives enemy at 
 Frederick, 202 ; at South Moun- 
 tain, 214; at Antietam, 219. 
 Cambridge, 0., 360. 
 Camp Hicks, 62, 69. 
 Canby, Gen., in command at Xcw 
 
 York, 324. 
 Carleton, his account of battle of 
 
 Antietam, 216. 
 Carter's Creek, 179. 
 Cary, Capt., in charge of men for 
 
 Western gunboats, 93. 
 Casey, Surgeon, at battle of 
 
 Chancellorville, 303. 
 Catoctin range crossed by Union 
 
 troops, 212. 
 Cedar Creek, crossed by the 
 
 Second Massachusetts, on way 
 
 to Strasburg, 121. 
 Cedar Mountain, battle of, 185- 
 
 194. 
 Centreville, held by Gen. Banks's 
 
 corps, after battle of Cedar 
 
 Mountain, 199 ; position of 
 
 enemy at 208. 
 Charabersburg, Patterson's forces 
 
 assembled at, 14 ; gifts from 
 
 ladies of 233. 
 Chancellorville, battle of, 296- 
 
 306. 
 Chaplains, injustice to, 384. 
 Chappel, Surgeon, at Cedar 
 
 Mountain, 196, 319. 
 Charlestown, Va., Second Mas- 
 sachusetts at, 29, 98. 
 Chattanooga, incidents at, 385- 
 
 397. 
 Chester Gap, 163. 
 Chickamauga, battle of, 369, 370. 
 Christian Commission, the, 242, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 401 
 
 243; stations of, 288, 363, 
 364. 
 
 Christiana, village of, 367, 371. 
 
 Clarksburg, 56. 
 
 Clem, Sergeant Johnny, 391. 
 
 Cogswell, Capt., a party under; 
 kills the guerilla Burke, 231. 
 
 Cogswell, Col., at Ball's Bluff, 
 40-42. 
 
 Colgrove, Col., at battle of Chan- 
 cellorville, 300. 
 
 Colored troops, their good quali- 
 ties, 381-382. 
 
 Confiscation necessary, 49. 
 
 Conrad's Ferry, march thither 
 and return, 36, 55, 62. 
 
 Conscription, its justness, 179. 
 
 Corthren, Capt., in movement to 
 Strasburg, 122. 
 
 Corthren's battery, in Banks's 
 retreat, 152 ; silences enemy 
 on the Rappahannock, 198. 
 
 Couch, Gen., 211. 
 
 Crawford, Gen., crosses the Rap- 
 idan for Cedar Mountain, 185; 
 his position at battle of Cedar 
 Mountain, 186 ; charge of his 
 brigade at Cedar Mountain, 
 187-188 ; wounded at Antie- 
 tam, 219, 7iote. 
 
 Cudworth, Rev. W. H., 292. 
 
 Damascus. 211. 
 
 Darnestown, 9, 14, 19, 23, 28, 
 43, 55 ; described, 56-65. 
 
 Davis, Col., mortally wounded, 
 328. 
 
 Decherd, 364. 
 
 Devens, Col., at Ball's Bluff, 39. 
 
 Dewitt, Surgeon W. R., 277. 
 
 De Wolf, Surgeon, 342. 
 34* 
 
 Diehl, Rev. George, 71. 
 Distances from Chattanooga to 
 
 the North, 378. 
 Donelly, Col., his brigade in 
 
 Banks's retreat, 137, 143, 150 
 
 -161. 
 Dorchester, gift of books from, 
 
 266. 
 Dover, N. H., 314. 
 Drainsville, 329. 
 Duck River, 392. 
 Dumfries, action at, 262. 
 Dwight, Major Wilder, 123; 
 
 killed at Antietam, 220, 221. 
 Edinburgh, Va., 121. 
 Edwards's Ferry, 36, 37, 42, 329. 
 Eleventh corps at Chancellor- 
 
 ville, 297-306 ; reenforces Gen. 
 
 Rosecrans, 352 ; its bravery in 
 
 Tennessee, 376. 
 Elk River (see Alisonia), 365, 
 
 374. 
 Emancipation, 169-172. 
 Erricson, the steamer, 324. 
 Estell Springs, 372. 
 Fairfax, 200. 
 
 Fairfax Court House, 209. 
 Fairfax Station, 248, 255, 257, 
 
 261. 
 Falling Waters, action at, 14 ; 
 
 Gen. Gordon's brigade at, 158. 
 Falmouth, 288, 327. 
 Fast Day, the President's, 26. 
 Fifth New York, its love for 
 
 horse-flesh, 168. 
 Fifth Connecticut, 27 ; at Win- 
 chester, 154-156, 348. 
 Fifteenth Pennsylvania, 21. 
 Fifteenth Massachusetts, at Ball's 
 
 Bluff', 37, 39, 40-42. 
 
402 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, com- 
 manded by Col. Shaw, 280. 
 
 First Pennsylvania battery, 20. 
 
 First Tennessee, colored, 381. 
 
 First California, at Ball's BlufT, 
 39-40. 
 
 First Massachusetts, 202. 
 
 First Maryland, guards Front 
 Royal, 151. 
 
 Foster & Peabody, their boots, 
 368. 
 
 Fowle, John A., his labors for 
 soldiers, 208 ; his free library, 
 266. 
 
 Fox, Rev. Thomas B., his efficien- 
 cy as government agent, 385. 
 
 Fredericksburg, the defeat at, 
 256. 
 
 Frederick, 55 ; life near, 62 ; 
 described, 70 ; evacuated, by 
 the enemy, and occupied by 
 Burnside, 211,212. 
 
 Free Library, soldiers', 266. 
 
 Fremont, Gen., dreaded by the 
 rebels, 175 ; drives Stonewall 
 Jackson, 230 ; his proposed 
 attack with Gen. Banks upon 
 Stonewall Jackson, 151. 
 
 Front Royal, guarded by First 
 Maryland, 151, 156, 158, 159. 
 
 Gaines's Cross Roads, 180. 
 
 Gainesville, 203, 205, 206. 
 
 Gaylord, Chaplain, 27; with the 
 wounded, 209. 
 
 Geary, Col., at Leesburg, 105 ; 
 at Cedar Mountain, 186 ; 
 (Gen.) leads Second Division 
 towards Chancellorville, 298, 
 329. 
 
 Georgetown, 40. 
 
 Gcrmanna Ford, action at, 297. 
 
 Gettysburg, battle of, 321. 
 
 Goodman, Surgeon, at Aquia 
 Creek, 308. 
 
 Goose Creek, 329. 
 
 Gordon, Col., -in charge at Har- 
 per's Ferry, 17 ; reconnois- 
 sance towards Charlestown, 99, 
 104 ; qualities as an officer, 
 108 ; his command in Banks's 
 retreat, 150-161 ; position at 
 battle of Cedar Mountain, 186 ; 
 at battle of Cedar Mountain, 
 185, 194; at Antietam, 219, 
 note; guards Potomac near 
 Sharpsburg, 225. 
 
 Gorman, Gen., at Berryville, 105. 
 
 Grant, Gen., first impressions of, 
 368, 369. 
 
 Greene, Col., at Cedar Mountain, 
 186. 
 
 Gregg, Gen., at action of Bever- 
 ly Ford, 328. 
 
 Halleck, Gen., his appointment 
 as general-in-chief, 174. 
 
 Hamilton, Brig. Gen., transferred 
 to Gen. Heintzelman's com- 
 mand, 108. 
 
 Hancock, 76 ; skirmish at, 80. 
 
 Harper's Ferry, occupied, 16 ; 
 funeral at, 21, 31. 
 
 Harris, Capt. Ira, 334. 
 
 Harrisonburg, 140. 
 
 Harrison's Island, 42. 
 
 Hartsuff, Gen., wounded at An- 
 tietam, 220. 
 
 Hartwood church, 297. 
 
 Hatch, Gen., with cavalry in 
 Banks's retreat, 151, 
 
 Hawley, Col., 200. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 403 
 
 Heath, Alice, her gift to the sol- 
 diers, 26G. 
 
 Heath, Surgeon, 303, 367. 
 
 Hedgeman's River, 179. 
 
 Heintzelman, Gen., 108. 
 
 Hicks, Camp, 62, 69. 
 
 Hillsborough, 250. 
 
 Hoag, J., 334. 
 
 Holman, Rev. Calvin, 390. 
 
 Hooker, Gen., drives enemy from 
 Manassas Junction, 200 ; at 
 South Mountam, 214 ; at An- 
 tietam, 218, 219; commands 
 Army of the Potomac, 272 ; 
 qualities as commander, 281 ; 
 masterly movement from Fal- 
 mouth to Gettysburg, 327. 
 
 Hovey, W. A., 334. 
 
 Howard, Gen., 288. 
 
 Howe, Col. Frank, 325. 
 
 Hyattstown, 56. 
 
 Ijamsville, 211. 
 
 Indianapolis, 362. 
 
 Jackson, Stonewall, at battle of 
 Kernstown, 115; campaigns 
 with Gen. Pope, 195-209; 
 his lack of fighting qualities, 
 230 ; beaten by Gen. Lander, 
 230 ; his death, 304 ; resume 
 of his operations, 305. 
 
 Jamaica Plain, gift of books 
 from, 266. 
 
 Jeflerson, 329. 
 
 Jeffersonville, 362. 
 
 Johnson, J. AVarner, 334. 
 
 Johnson, Gen. Andrew, addresses 
 a crowd at Nashville, 369. 
 
 Johnston, Gen., his campaign 
 with Patterson, 15-19. 
 
 Keedysville, Md., 216. 
 
 Kelly's Ford, 297, 321. 
 Kendall, Surgeon, killed at An- 
 
 tietam, 220. 
 Kenly, Col., guards Front Royal, 
 
 151 ; routed, 151. 
 Kernstown, battle of, 115. 
 Kettle Run, 343. 
 Kimball, Col., at battle of Kerns- 
 town, 116. 
 Kimball, Brig. Gen., drives Stone- 
 wall Jackson, 230. 
 King, Dr., medical director in 
 
 Gen. Reynolds's corps, brutal 
 
 actions of, 221. 
 Kingwood Tunnel, 359. 
 Lacy Mansion, the, 291. 
 Lander, Gen., skirmish by, 91 ; 
 
 foils Stonewall Jackson, 230. 
 Lasher, Chaplain, 27. 
 Lawrence, Rev. Mr., agent of 
 
 Christian Commission, 363. 
 Lee, Col. W. R., atBall's Bluff, 39. 
 Lee, Gen., at Manassas, 231. 
 Leesburg, 38, 51, 251. 
 Leland, Surgeon, in charge of 
 
 hospital at Winchester, 160. 
 Lewis, Dr. Dio, his gymnasium, 
 
 288. 
 Little Washington, Va., 179. 
 Littleston, 329. 
 Lookout Mountain, 370. 
 Loring, Harrison, steamboat 
 
 builder, 323, 340. 
 Loudon Heights, 249. 
 Luray, 181, 
 Mansfield, Gen., commands in 
 
 place of Gen. Banks, 215 ; at 
 
 Antietam, 217. 
 Martin sburg, 76, 155. 
 Masanutten Range, 159. 
 
404 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Mason, Ex-Senator, his house, 
 &c., 109. 
 
 Maulsby, Col., 104, 
 
 Merrimack, steamer, 323. 
 
 McClellan, Gen., takes command, 
 42 ; at Charlestown, 100 ; feel- 
 ing of soldiers towards, 200; 
 restored to command, 210 ; re- 
 moval of, 223 ; course after 
 Antietam, 224. 
 
 McDowell, Gen., 203 ; move- 
 ments after battle of Cedar 
 Mountain, 195-206 ; useless 
 at Cedar Mountain, 186. 
 
 McMainsville, 365. 
 
 McNulty, Surgeon, 303, 319. 
 
 McReading, Rev. Mr., 112. 
 
 Middleway, 215. 
 
 Middlebrook, 211. 
 
 Middletown Valley, 213. 
 
 Milford, Mass., people from at 
 Winchester, 109. 
 
 Mississippi, the steamer, 327. 
 
 Monocacy, the river, 329. 
 
 Morell, Gen., 225. 
 
 Mount Jackson, 136. 
 
 Muddy Branch, 42 ; Banks's di- 
 vision at, 51. 
 
 Mudge, Major, 280. 
 
 Murfreesboro', 357. 
 
 Murray, N., Jr., 334. 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., 362. 
 
 New Baltimore, 203. 
 
 New England Rooms at New 
 York, 325. 
 
 Newmarket, Va., 134, 138. 
 
 Newtown, skirmish at, 152, 156. 
 
 Nineteenth Massachusetts, at 
 Ball's Bluff, 39. 
 
 Ninth New York, 40-42, 73, 
 
 Occoquan Creek, forded by 
 Banks's troops, 200, 207, 262. 
 
 Paint Rock, the steamer, 390. 
 
 Park bai-racks, 320. 
 
 Patterson Gen., his campaign, 
 14-19 ; relieved, 17 ; results 
 of his failure, 141. 
 
 Petersville, 329. 
 
 Philipse mansion, the, 291. 
 
 Phillips, Chaplain, 27, 75. 
 
 Pleasanton, Gen., his movement 
 across the Rappahannock, 313. 
 
 Point of Rocks, 51, 65. 
 
 Poolesville, 37, 56. 
 
 Pope, D. S., 334. 
 
 Pqjje, Gen., movements under, 
 162-184; his retreat, 195-209; 
 his orders to Gen. Banks, 196. 
 
 Porter, Gen. Fitz-John, 343. 
 
 Port Hudson, 227. 
 
 Prince, Col., at Cedar Mountain, 
 186. 
 
 Proclamation, the President's, 
 234-237. 
 
 Quincy, Col., 279. 
 
 Raccoon Ford, 345. 
 
 Railways from Chattanooga to 
 the North, 378. 
 
 Rappahannock, the skirmishing 
 on, 198. 
 
 Rapidan, the river, advance of 
 army to, from the Rappahan- 
 nock, 344 ; its course, 344. 
 
 Reading matter for the army, 
 244, 245. 
 
 Reed, Dr., of Sanitary Commis- 
 sion, 391. 
 
 Reed, Chaplain, 27. 
 
 Relief of Massachusetts soldiers, 
 society for, 242. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 405 
 
 Reno, Gen., joins Pope's forces, 
 198. 
 
 Reynolds, Gen., 221. 
 
 Ricketts, Gen., 206. 
 
 Rock Creek, 329. 
 
 Rockville, 57, 58, 210. 
 
 Rogers, Gen., at Chancellorville, 
 298. 
 
 Rohr, Mr., murdered by Capt. 
 Baylor, 110. 
 
 Rood's HiU, 136, 137, 138. 
 
 Rosecrans, Gen., 367, 393. 
 
 Ruger, Brig. Gen., 322, 323. 
 
 Salem, Mass^ 313. 
 
 Sampson, Capt., of the Merri- 
 mack, 324. 
 
 Sampson, Purser, of the Missis- 
 sippi, 340. 
 
 Sandy Hook, 51. 
 
 Sanitary arrangements in camp, 
 51, 54. 
 
 Sanitary Commission, the, 241, 
 313, 333-336, 387, 388. 
 
 Sargent, M. H., 94. 
 
 Savage, Major James, death of, 
 225. 
 
 Second Massachusetts, at Har- 
 per's Ferry, 17 ; its composi- 
 tion, 20; reconnoissance to- 
 wards Charlestown, 99 ; leave 
 Edinburgh, 134; to Newmar- 
 ket, 138, 140; leaves Har- 
 risonburg, 141 ; in Banks's re- 
 treat, 150-161 ; at Winchester, 
 153-155; occupy Front Royal, 
 160 ; in Gen. Pope's campaign, 
 162-184; from Williamsport 
 to Gaines's Cross Roads, 167 ; 
 from Warrenton to Little 
 Washington, 179 ; battle of 
 
 Cedar Mountain, 185, 194 ; in 
 Pope's retreat, 195, 209 ; in 
 the Antietam autumn, 210- 
 239 ; on picket duty, 226, 227 ; 
 enter Virginia the fourth time, 
 249 ; under Gen. Hooker, 279 ; 
 battle of Chancellorville, 296- 
 306 ; its third year of service, 
 306 ; in Gen. Pleasanton's 
 movement, 313 ; at Park bar- 
 racks, 320-337; leaves New 
 York, 337 ; to and in Ten- 
 nessee, 352-398 ; return home, 
 398. 
 
 Second Michigan, 98. 
 
 Second Kentucky battery, 380. 
 
 Sedgwick, Gen., 103 ; carries 
 Fredericksburg Heights, 306. 
 
 Seneca, 50, 55 ; the sick at, 93. 
 
 Sergeant's Memorial, the, 247. 
 
 Sewall, Chaplain, 27. 
 
 Seymour, Rev. Charles, 72. 
 
 Sharpsburg, Md., 221, 225, 226, 
 230, 246. 
 
 Shaw, Col. R. G., 280. 
 
 Shelbyville, 366. 
 
 Shenandoah Valley, the, move- 
 ments in, 98-149 ; described, 
 159. 
 
 Shields, Gen., 105 ; at battle of 
 Kernstown, 115; detached 
 from Gen. Banks's corps, 
 
 Sigel, Gen., at Winchester, 158, 
 145. 
 203, 259. 
 
 Sixteenth Indiana, 20, 68. 
 
 Slave code of District of Colum- 
 bia, exposed by Hon. Henry 
 Wilson, 332. 
 
 Slave property to be seized, 235. 
 
406 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Slaves used by the rebels, 235, 
 237. 
 
 Slocum, Gen., 267; at Stafford 
 Court House, 274. 
 
 Smithfield, 105. 
 
 Smith, Rev. E. P., agent of 
 Christian Commission, 288, 363. 
 
 Smoketown hospital, 253. 
 
 Snicker's Ferry, 122. 
 
 Soest, Col. Clemens, 334. 
 
 South Mountain, battle of, 213, 
 214. 
 
 Sperryville, 181. 
 
 Spooner, J. A., 391. 
 
 Spott Tavern, Second Massachu- 
 setts at, 327. 
 
 Stafford Court House, 274, 276, 
 285, 286, 312. 
 
 Stearns, Adjutant, Life of, 247. 
 
 Steiner, Dr., 334. 
 
 Stephensburg, 152, 345. 
 
 Stetson, Mr., of the Astor House, 
 his kindness, 338. 
 
 Stevenson, Ala., Christian Com- 
 mission at, 363. 
 
 Stone, Brig. Gen., 20; at Ed- 
 wards's Ferry, 37, 51. 
 
 Stone, Dr. Lincoln R, 65, 83, 
 280. 
 
 Stoneman's Switch, 288. 
 
 Stone River battle-field, 362. 
 
 Strasburg, Va., 114, 144 ; Banks's 
 corps retires to, 151 ; position 
 in the Shenandoah, 159 ; held 
 by Fremont, 159. 
 
 Stuart, Gen., the rebel, driven by 
 Gen. Gregg, 328. 
 
 Sturgis, Gen., at South Moun- 
 tain, 213. 
 
 Subjugation necessary, 47, 48. 
 
 Sullivan, Gen., in the Shenan- 
 doah Valley, 146. 
 
 Sumner, Gen., 210; at South 
 Mountain, 214 ; Antietam, 
 219. 
 
 Sumner, Charles, his usefulness, 
 277 ; ambulance system, 330. 
 
 Swalm, Dr. W. S., 334. 
 
 Tammany regiment, 39 ; at 
 Ball's Bluff, 40-42. 
 
 Tenallytown, 210. 
 
 Tenth Kentucky, 390. 
 
 Tenth Maine, 289. 
 
 Third Maryland, 347, 348. 
 
 Third Wisconsin, at Winchester, 
 153-155 ; at Cedar Mountain, 
 187, 188, 249 ; at Chancellor- 
 ville, 297-300, 322, 325, 327; 
 leaves New York, 337, 346. 
 
 Thirteenth Massachusetts, 27, 
 140, 168, 203. 
 
 Thu'teenth Pennsylvania, 27, 68. 
 
 Thirteenth New Jersey, 344. 
 
 Thiity-third Massachusetts at 
 Bristow Station, 343, 376. 
 
 Thompson, Col., of first Ten- 
 nessee, 381. 
 
 Tolman, Rev. Mr., donation from 
 his church, 94. 
 
 Tract Society, 242. 
 
 Treason at the North, 282-284. 
 
 Tryford, Surgeon, 303. 
 
 Tullahoma, 365. 
 
 Twelfth Indiana, 20. 
 
 Twelfth Massachusetts, 20, 68, 
 72, 76, 140, 168, 203 ; at An- 
 tietam, 220. 
 
 Twelfth New Hampshire, 311. 
 
 Twelfth corps at Chancellorville, 
 297, 306 ; its ambulance sys- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 407 
 
 tem, 319 ; at Kelly's Ford, 321 ; 
 
 reenforces Rosecrans, 352. 
 Twentieth Connecticut, 303. 
 Twentieth Massachusetts, 39 ; at 
 
 Ball's Bluff, 40-42; under 
 
 Gen. Hooker, 279. 
 Twenty-second Michigan, 391. 
 Twenty-eighth New York, in 
 
 Banks's retreat, 152. 
 Twenty-seventh Indiana, 143, 
 
 152 ; at Winchester, 153-155 ; 
 
 at Chancellorville, 297-300, 
 
 322, 327. 
 Twenty-ninth, Pennsylvania, 27 ; 
 
 at Winchester, 154. 
 Twenty-ninth New York, 334. 
 Two Taverns, 329. 
 Underwood, Col,, wounded, 376. 
 United States Ford, 298. 
 Warrenton, 166 ; evacuation of, 
 
 203. 
 Wartrace, colored troops at, 380. 
 Washington, Va., 172. 
 Washington, D. C, visit to, 264- 
 
 267. 
 Waterville, 329. 
 Webster, Col. Fletcher, incident 
 
 concerning, 204. 
 Welsh, Chaplain, 348. 
 
 Wightman, Surgeon, 303. 
 
 Williams, Gen., in command of 
 Third brigade, 80 ; at Antie- 
 tam, 218, 219 ; character of 
 his troops, 305, 355. 
 
 Williamsport Ford, crossed by 
 Patterson, 14, 51, 150, 155 5 
 Gordon's brigade at, 158. 
 
 Wilmington, Mass., donation 
 from, 94. 
 
 Wilson, Henry, the ambulance 
 system, 330 ; his exposure of 
 slave code of District of Col- 
 umbia, 332. 
 
 Winchester, the failure at, 9, 35, 
 103 ; movement upon, 104, 
 evacuated by Jackson, 107 ; 
 described, 108 ; fight at in 
 Banks's retreat, 153-155; hos- 
 pital labor at, 160 ; barbarism 
 of the inhabitants, 161. 
 
 Wolf Run Shoals, 262. 
 
 World, the New York, its false 
 account of Banks's retreat, 
 157. 
 
 Xenia, hospitality of its ladies, 
 361. 
 
 Zanesville, 360. 
 
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