THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA LIBRARY THE WILMER COLLECTION OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS PRESENTED BY RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. \ ^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.archive.org/details/bulletshellwarasOOwill BULLET AND SHELL toar as t\)t 0olMcr saw it: CAMP, MARCH, AND PICKET; BATTLEFIELD AND BIVOUAC; PRISON AND HOSPITAL. BY GEO. F. WILLIAMS, OF THE 5TH AND I46TH REGIMENTS NEW-YORK VOLUNTEERS, AND WAR CORRESPONDENT WITH THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, THE ARMY OF THE SHENANDOAH, AND THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND. Illustratcti, F/iOM SKETCHES AMONG THE ACTUAL SCENES, BY EDWIN FORBES, PICTORIAL WAR correspondent; AUTHOR OF "lIFE-STUDIES FROM THE GREAT ARMY;" MEMBER OF THE FRENCH ETCHING CLUB. NEW YORK: FORDS, HOWARD, & HULBERT. 1883. Copyright, 1882, By GEORGE F. WILLIAMS. All rit/hts rcsei'ved. JTinnklin \3rc3s: RAND, AVERV, AND COMPANY, BOSTON. TO MY OLD COMRADES WHO CAERTED THE SWORD AND MUSKET IN THE FEDERAL ARISHES DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR EfjiS Boofe IS FRATERNALLY DEDICATED. 603317 PREFACE. T HE time has come when a story of the American Civil War may be written without prejudice or passion. The memories of that gigantic struggle have mellowed, the bitter- ness of sectional feeling has died away ; and men now view with clearer and calmer minds the issues which led to the conflict, and the motives governing its prosecution. The author of the following pages aims to present a faithful pic- ture of scenes in camp and field, which, under the guise of fiction, will afford the new generation some idea of the tre- mendous contest waged on this continent during the memor- able years of 1861-65. To the veteran my book may be the means of recalling many pleasant reminiscences of the days when he carried the sword or the musket. In order to pre- serve the unity of the narrative, I have taken an author's license in carrying the same regiment through the several campaigns from Big Bethel to Appomattox Hollow. My old comrades of the Army of the Potomac will find, however, that in this only have I departed from the actual course of events. G. F. W. New York, Sept. 1, 1882. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGB I. Beginning of the Quaerel '11 II. Taking Sides 22 III. Defining Positions 32 IV. A Tkuce 38 V. The Hand on the Hilt 44 VI. Drawing the Blade 52 VII. Throwing away the Scabbard 64 VIII. Bandage and Lint 77 IX. A Savage Bout 90 X. Again in Harness 106 XI. A Feint 123 XII. Forest Strategy 137 XIII. A Night of Terror 147 XIV. Beaten Down 157 XV. A Pause 175 XVI. Moving towards Battle 1S7 XVII. A Night March 196 XVIII. Charge and Counter-charge 203 XIX. A Midnight Adventure 218 XX. A Wonderful Charge 225 XXI. Face to Face 243 XXII. Lost among the Dead 254 XXIII. Moving in Pursuit 263 XXIV. An Adventure on the Road 272 XXV. Fencing for an Opening 286 XXVI. The Scout's Story 298 XXVII. A Change in Fortune 323 CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE XXVIII. CnossiNO THE Line 338 XXIX. The Accounts balanced 351 XXX. Running the Gauntlet 360 XXXI. To THE Rescue 366 XXXII. In Fkesh Toils 373 XXXIII. By Mine and Sap 383 XXXIV. In Fort and Field 391 XXXV. The Correspondent's Story 400 XXXVI. Death of a Spy 411 XXXVII. A Last Effort 418 XXXVIII. Beginning of the End 426 XXXIX. Smashing the Trap 4:35 XL. Laying down the Sword 444 The End 453 ILLUSTBATIOlSrS. PAGE Bringing up a Battery . . . , Frontispiece Fkiendly Fishermen 12 The End of Argument 20 The Marshall Homestead 23 Fort Sumter bombarded .... 46 "Stop firing, you Fools, till you get the Word!" ... 58 The Retreat from the Field 61 In the Trenches 67 Besieging Yorktown 71 The Dead Sergeant's Yell 74 Reporting to the Surgeon 78 " "We can't sell to Soldiers " 81 A Surgical Operation frustrated 85 Capturing A Gun, — Gaines's Mill 93 The Irish Brigade to the Rescue 95 The Gunboats in the .James River 101 General View of Camps, Warrenton Junction . . . .112 Pontoon-Laying — Fredericksburg 117 Review by President Lincoln — Falmouth, opposite Fredericks- burg 125 The March to Chancellorsville 131 Crossing Ely's Ford, Rapidan River 135 Passing the Sleeping Corps 145 The Rout of the Eleventh Corps, Chancellorsville . . 151 Artillery going into Action 159 Bringing off the Wounded 166 Retreat across the Rappahannock, —United-States Ford . 169 Retui;n to the Abandoned Camps at Falmouth .... 174 10 ILL US TEA TIONS. PA OB The Confederate Spy ISl The Confederate Grave under the Roses 193 General Sickles wounded •. .209 The Dting Adjutant 213 Bucktails going into the Devil's Glen 216 A Council of War on Little Round Top 233 The Final Charge at Gettysburg 239 Relieving the Wounded 242 "Going for" the Rebel Sharpshooters 246 "Good-by, Tom" 252 Lost on the Battle-field 258 " A Drink of Water, for God's Sake ! " 259 " Dey's all done gone, Sah ! " 270 The Winter Camp 287 Arrest of the Spy' . . ' 293 The Chase 305 Before the Confederate General 308 March of the Confederate Army into Pennsylvania . . 312 Crossing the Rapidan 325 Passing Grant and Meade 329 In the Wilderness 336 General Lee and the Prisoner 340 Among the Wounded, — Confederate Hospital . . . .346 Re\isitino the Wilderness Battle-field 357 At the Warrenton Hotel 362 Under Guard 377 Going to Camp under Fire 389 Foraging on the Enemy 396 Going to the Rear with Dispatches 406 General Custer and the Spy 415 The Confederates capture Fort Steadman 421 Taken Prisoner again 433 Cavalry in Pursuit 445 The Flag of Truce 448 Lee's Shattered Army 452 Bullet and Shell. CHAPTER I. BEGINNIKG OF THE QUARREL. Between green fields and wooded heights, The river stretched at ease." IME, Summer. The year, 1860. Scene, the Valley of the Shenandoah, West Virginia. On a sudden bend of the river -which lends its musical name to the beautiful valley, two j^oung men are sitting in an old, weather- beaten, rudely fashioned punt, idly fishing. Though it is now long past the hour of noon, and the sun has already begun its ; >^ downward course, the air is still warm and y oppressive, even in the shadows thrown ' ' upon the rippling stream by the huge trees overhanging its banks. The curve of the river, where our fishermen have anchored their clumsy boat, is caused by the intrusive presence of a spur from the mas- sive range of the Blue-Ridge Mountains, which form the eastern boundary of the valley. Indeed, so abrupt and sharp is the turn of the current just there, that the river seems to be completely hemmed in by the dense foliage creeping down 12 BULLET AND SHELL. to the water's edge on every side. Behind the occupants of the boat the mountain spur towers in lofty grandeur, its rugged sides clothed to the very summit with dark masses of oak and pine, while half way up its jutting face a broad seam of almost naked rock stands out in most threatening fashion, as though about to fall that instant into the shallow water below. Beyond the fringe of trees on the opposite bank, in the shade of which the Ijoat smngs to its iirimitive anchor, wide fields of golden wheat can be discerned ; and as the breeze sets the grain in waving motion it also brings to the ears of these young men the loud and careless laughter o f the gangs of - negro field- hands, busily engaged in harvesting. An air of per- fect peace and plent}^ reigns over the romantic valley ; and the entire scene is one of rare loveliness, combining as it does the bold mountain outline, the picturesque and winding river, the fertile fields, and the signs and tokens of successful husbandry. " Well, Frank," exclaimed one of the young fishermen, as he impatiently jerked his line out of the water to rebait the hook, " I still contend the South is right." " And I insist that she is entirely in the wrong." "How can you do that consistently? We have a perfect right to claim that slavery must not be molested." " Wlio wants to molest it ? " nUENDLY FISHERMEN. BEGINNING OF THE QUARREL. 13 " The abolitionists, — Garrison, Pliillips, and the rest of that crew." "Every Nortliern man is not an abolitionist. Why con- found a few enthusiasts, who are more or less fanatical in their ideas, with the great bulk of fair-minded men in the free States?" " I don't. But you can not deny that the sentiment in favor of abolishing slavery is gaining ground in the North. Why, you yourself are at heart almost an abolitionist;" and the speaker laughed disdainfully as he spoke. " Perhaps so. I scarcely know, myself." " To take away our slaves would be an act of tyranny. The South would not submit to such oppression." " Tyranny and oppression ? Those are hard words, Tom." " They are the only ones I can use." " How do you make that out? " " Why, when the people of the North try to force us to give i;p our slaves, they act tyrannically and oppressively." " We don't ask you to give up your slaves. We only say you shall not take them into the Territories, and so create new slave States. You seek to extend slavery. We want to keep it within its present bounds. There is no tyranny in that." " Isn't there ? Why shouldn't we take our slaves into the Territories ? " " Because slavery is really a curse to the country, Tom." " That is a bitter phrase, Frank." " Not more so than your talk of oppression and tyranny." "But the new Territories belong as much to the South as to the North." " Granted ! yet why should 3'ou seek to import slaves into them ? " " To till the soil, of course, and so enrich the nation." " Do you mean to tell me, Tom, that you consider the South- ern slaves a source of national wealth?" " Certainly I do. What else are they ? The millions upon 14 BULLET AND SHELL. millions of dollars invested in our slaves represent so much property, just as your farmers' horses and cattle do." " Good Lord, Tom ! you don't compare the slaves to horses or cattle ? " " Yes, I do." " Yet you would go to war to retain them ? " "Why not? Wouldn't the farmers in the free States think twice before giving up their live stock ? " " The cases are not parallel at all." " Oh, of course not ! You Northerners will never admit any thing." " I can not admit that, because slave labor is really expensive to the South." " How so ? " " It's very simple. Your slaves are naturally indolent. They need constant supervision to keep them at their tasks, and even then don't half work. Then, again, you can not discharge a slave as you would an incompetent or worthless workman." " We can sell him." " Yes ; and that is what makes slavery a curse. This con- stant barter in human flesh is horrible." "Slavery has flourished since the beginning of the world." "So has heathenism. Is that any reason why we should go back to worshiping idols ? " " Oh ! if you are going to drag religion into the discussion, I am done." " I don't want to drag it in. Look at the Roman empire : slavery was one of the elements of its ruin." " That was partly because the slaves were pampered, and rose against their masters." " And you expect that your slaves will never rise against you ? " "Now, see here, Frank: I've heard enough of that sort of thing. No doubt the North would rejoice to see the blacks revolt." BEGINNING OF THE QUARBEL. 15 " There you are wrong again. But the time must come when the negroes will strike for their freedom." "You talk like a regular borcler-ruffian, Frank. Why don't you go out there, and wear big boots, a red shirt, and a brace of revolvers? " Well, I do sympathize with those border men in their efforts to keep the soil of Kansas free from the taint of slavery." " Oh, confound you and your taint ! " exclaimed Tom angrily. " But there's no use arguing any more about it. When we men of the South and the North once get to talking politics, we invariably lose our tempers." " Speak for yourself, Tom, please," replied his companion in a quieter tone. "I am sure I have not lost my temper, even though I do not agree with you." " But you Yankees never will give in, no matter how con- vincing the argument may be." " Why do you call me a Yankee, as though it were a reproach? If it comes to that, Tom, you're as much a Yankee as I am." " Ha, ha ! No, you don't, master Frank," retorted the first speaker in a merrier tone : " you can't call me a Yankee, even though I did matriculate under the elms of dear old Yale. No, sir : I'm a true Southerner, born and bred, and, I'll admit, at times a hot-tempered one too , while j'ou are as cold as the granite hills of your native State." " Oh ! I can be hot-tempered enough on occasion," replied the other. " I simply object to being called a Yankee in a reproachful sense, that is all." '• All right, Frank : I won't do it again. Hullo ! by Jove ! that was a bite in earnest," ejaculated Tom, pulling up his line again, and looking ruefully at his despoiled hook. While these young men continue their pleasant pastime, and patch up their brief political quarrel as best they may, let us learn more about them. Tom Marshall prides himself on being the descendant of an 16 BULLET AND SHELL. old Virginia family, and as such a true son of the sunny South. Though still on the threshold of manhood, he is full of that passionate love for his section so noticeable among men of his age and class. Like all young Southerners at the time, Tom had already taken a deep interest in the political issues of the day ; and, though he failed to understand their entire scope and import, he at all times expressed the wildest devotion to the South in general and his native State in particular. It is not my purpose here to discuss the question whether Tom was right or wrong ; for that matter seems to have been settled long, long ago, and in a way that we all now deplore and strive to forget. I merely mention the fact to explain much that is to come, and as an indication of the young man's character. Tall and sinewy, Tom Marshall is handsome in feature, and a gen- tleman by instinct as well as by breeding. Unlike most men of Southern birth, Tom had finished his education within the walls of a Northern college, — Yale, — as the reader has already learned from his own lips. But, despite his contact and association with young men of the North, he had left college as intensely sectional in political sentiment as when he first entered. Indeed, he expressed himself as more eager than before to devote his energies to the interests of his beloved South, showing how strong and abiding are the lessons learned in boyhood. Tom's companion need now only be described as a stripling of twenty, fair complexioned, quite tall for his years, and pos- sessing a tolerable share of good-humor. He, too, is a Yale man, though not yet entirely released from study ; and he was born in a pretty little village in New Hampshire. Tom and Frank had become warm friends in college ; and the latter is now spending a part of his vacation with the INIarshalls, whose plantation forms a prominent landmark in the valley. In fact, Frank Wilmot is your humble servant; and, as I shall have frequent occasion hereafter to speak of myself, the less said now about me the better. BEGINNING OF THE QUARREL. 17 A native of the North, and taught to view the course of public events from a widely different standpoint from that occu- pied by Tom Marshall, it was not surprising that I differed with him. True, neither of us knew mucli about the real merits of the grave questions we were discussing; but we thought we did, being therefore honest in our dispute, unwise and useless as it was. Already had the two great sections of the country become arrayed against each other in thought and word ; and men on both sides of the geographical line were anxiously looking for- ward to the approaching presidential election, for all felt that with it would come a momentous crisis in the nation's history. For years had the struggle been going on, luitil it had now reached a stage when some decisive action might be looked for. The result none could forecast, so cloudy and uncertain had the political horizon become. It was quite natural, therefore, that Tom and I should thus drift into a discussion ; for, boys though we were, we considered ourselves men, like many a young fool before us. Tom had proved himself a stanch friend in more ways than one. Indeed, much of the success I had achieved at Yale was due to his aid and counsel. Our friendship had been begun by his espousal of my side of a petty quarrel, simply because he deemed the odds against me. From that hour we had been like brothers ; and I had now spent several happy weeks with him, enjoying the picturesque scenery for which his native valley is deservedly famous. Tom quietly re-baited his hook, and we continued to fish in silence. The sunshine left us, the shadows of the trees grew longer, the air became cooler, and a deep silence fell upon the scene. Even the mountain above our heads seemed softer and less rugged in its massive outlines, now that it no longer stood in the fierce glare of the noonday sun. But despite the deli- cious beauty of the landscape, and the rapidity with which we were now pulling up the unwary fish, both Tom and I felt ill at ease. 18 BULLET AND SHELL. Having fidgeted on liis seat for several minutes, Tom at length broke the silence, exclaiming, — " Oh, hang it, Frank ! I can't stand this sort of tiling any longer. "Why should we quarrel? I'm sorry we have such conflicting ideas about these matters." "I'm as sorry as yourself, Tom. We have been so like brothers ever since we first met, it seems hard to have a differ- ence at this late day." " Well, it can't be helped now, I suppose. But, Frank, you may depend on one thing : if the South does strike for liberty, I am with and for her, to the death if necessary." " Liberty ! You seem to think the South has none." "Think! I know it! Don't you want to rob us of our slaves?" " Gradual emancipation would not be robbery." " And when the slaves were free you would give them the right to vote, I suppose." "In time possibly." " By Heaven, Frank ! you go too far. As if we Southerners would permit a nigger to vote ! Better to secede at once." "Secede! What! Leave the Union ? " " Yes, break away for ever." " But you have no right to secede." "Haven't we? Every State is a sovereign to herself. If she is dissatisfied she can withdraw from the confederation, and govern her own affairs." "I deny it. States are sovereigns on local questions only. They can not sever the tie which binds them together." " You forget we are talking of the Avhole South, not one soli- tary State. If we secede we shall go out in a body." "And you really believe that?" " Believe it ! I know it. It's our only policy." " But the free States will not allow you to secede." " How are you going to stop us ? The Southern people have plenty of sympathizers in the North. Your politicians are divided." BEGINNING OF THE QUARREL. 19 " Politicians do not rule this country." "They have a good deal to say, at all events;" and Tom laughed sarcastically. " Mere talk does not affect the destinies of a nation. Once let the people understand that the supremacy of the general government is in peril, and the political wire-pullers will be swept away like chaff before the wind." " You are growing eloquent, Frank." " Perhaps I am. But suppose we let you go peaceably. The South couldn't take any of the disputed territory with her." " We could at least fight for it." "■ That is just what might be expected : first secede, and then go to war for more territory. It would be far better for the North to fight first, and so keep you in the Union." " Yes, and give us an abolitionist for President. We want no Fr^monts or Lincolns to rule us." " The President is not a ruler." " Well, Frank, all I can say is, that the South will never tolerate a President who is opposed to her interests." " I guess the South will have to take tlie President selected by the people." "Will she? You wait and see. If that Hoosier rail-splitter is elected, there will be war, sure : that is, if the North really will fight." Here Tom again laughed in a sneering way that made me angry. " Do you think us all cowards, then ? " I asked hotly. " Oh ! I won't say that," replied Tom indolently. " But I don't suppose the 'horny-handed sons of toil,' as they call themselves, will be very ready." "And why not? Look at Mexico. Didn't our regiments fight gallantly at Cerro Gordo, and Chapultepec, and Buena Vista ? During the Revolution, were the men of New England inferior to those of Virginia or South Carolina ? " "But in the Revolution they fought against tyranny, just as we will if the North persists in its present course." 20 BULLET AND SHELL. " Armed secession will be rebellion." "You are very amusing, Frank. That was what King George and his Parliament called it when the colonies drew the sword. But when the colonies were victorious, our rebel forefathers became patriots." "And you would give up your heritage to the blessings won by the Revolution ? " " Yes. If we are to lose our rights as sovereign States, there is no other course open to us." "Say no more," I replied. "It is quite certain we can never agree upon any of these political questions." "So it seems, more's the pity," said Tom gloomily. " It's a pity indeed ; but r>^?" you see, old fellow, we have been taught to view these things so dif- ferently, we can not help being in antagonism, however un- willingly. Still I feel, Tom, that, though we may hereafter be separated by political sentiment, we shall never be real enemies." "Of course not. If war does come, there will be but few personal hatreds involved. It will be purely a struggle for principle." " Well, well, let us drop it now," said I. " My heart revolts at the thought of war. They say it will be a civil one, but I suspect there will be precious little civility about it." " You don't suppose we Southerners fancy war to be a TUE KNU OF ARGUMENT. BEGINNING OF THE QUARREL. 21 pleasant pastime, do you ? " exclaimed Tom contemptuously. " There will not be much fun about it, I imagine, for either side, but plenty of hard knocks." " There, there ! Let's put an end to this useless argument. I am sick of it." As I spoke I jumped to my feet, and began pull- ing up the stone which had anchored our boat in the stream. " You're right," replied Tom as he took the oars, and rowed in toward the river-bank. " It's useless talking now. Let us hope, that, after all, there will be no need of any fighting." " Amen to that, with all my heart ! " I exclaimed, leaping ashore. BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER 11. TAKING SIDES. Of entrance to a quarrel; but being in, Bear it that the opposer may beware of thee." TANDING on a high expansive knoll, in the center of the plantation, the Marshall home- stead formed a prominent feature in the land- scape ; the estate extending from the river to the main road leading to Winchester. The house itself, like most old Virginia mansions, was irregular in plan and outline. A wide piazza ran along the entire front of the quaint old building, which, being of unpainted wood, had acquired a pure gray tinge that softened the otherwise rude aspect of the rambling structure, and made it harmonize delightfully with the foliage of the giant walnut-trees which dotted the lawn and shaded the road. The doors and windows in the old house appeared to have been pierced at random, as though each successive generation had striven to increase their number, regardless of the lack of symmetry which was the result. This impression was, however, dispelled on gaining the interior, for then it was seen that each had its proper use ; though tlie new-comer found himself non- plused by the confused arrangement of the various rooms and I)assages, for they were a perfect labyrinth. That the house was of great age, was shown by a bit of bare TAKING SIDES. 25 log wall visible through the broken plaster at the back of the wide hall. In fact, the mansion had gradually grown from rude beginnings to its present dimensions, as the ancestors of the Marshalls increased in wealth and importance. It had always been a house famous for generous hospitality in the olden days, when the Marshalls had served their king in colonial times, or taken an active part in the subsequent revolt against him. Indeed, Tom usually grew eloquent whenever he related any of the romantic traditions clinging to the history of the family. The old spirit of hospitality still reigned in the mansion, and guests were entertained with a heartiness that was delightful for its simplicity. Down in a hollow behind the house stood the immense barns ; while beyond these were the negro-quarters, now vocal with the sound of many voices, as the field-laborers came trooping home- ward. Round the homestead itself numerous house-servants flitted to and fro, getting into each other's way with that facility so peculiar to the negro race. I had often experienced a warm sense of delight in these picturesque details of a happy and peaceful home ; but in my present mood I found no pleasure in the familiar picture, as Tom and I walked silently up the road, after leaving the narrow path that led from the river through the standing wheat in the fields. " There's that fellow Ned Charlton ! " exclaimed Tom, looking back, and listening to the sharp clatter of a horse's hoofs on the macadamized highway. " I wish he would not come here so often." " Don't you like him ? " " Like him ! What ! a braggart like him ? You should know me better, Frank, than to ask such a question," replied Tom in a surprised tone of voice. " He claims to be a gentleman, I believe." " Claims ! yes ; and that's as near as he will ever get," retorted Tom with a sneer on his lips. 26 BULLET AND SUELL. " Bin fishing, gentlemen ? " exclaimed the new-comer, as he suddenly reined up beside us. " Had a good time ? " " Yes": we've been on the river," replied Tom indifferently ; " but it was too hot for comfortable fishing." " So I should jedge ; but I dunno much 'bout fishing, myself. I'm fonder of a good horse than lines and fish-hooks ; " and the speaker laughed in a disdainful way, as he glanced at our angling-tackle. "If you call riding a horse to death on a broiling sum- mer's day being fond of him," I remarked, "you show it pretty thoroughly. Why, the poor brute is in a perfect foam." " He's got good blood in him, sir, and as such is fit to be a gentleman's horse," replied Charlton angrily. " Oh ! you need not show your own temper, sir, to prove your horse's pedigree. The animal is a good one, I admit : so much the more reason why he should be well treated." "Mr. Wilmot is quite right about the beast," said Tom. ."And you're over-fond of picking a quarrel, Charlton. It don't speak well for your own breeding. But get off your horse : I see my sister coming." Charlton obeyed the hint, but as he leaped from his saddle he and I exchanged menacing glances. Ever since we first met, an involuntary spirit of antagonism had sprung between us. Half-educated, and insolent in his ignorance, Charlton had inva- riably displayed an arrogance towards me that was insuffer- able ; and this, perhaps, had something to do with my unasked criticism on his riding. Overbearing in his manner, and an arrant boaster, he presented a type of character which con- trasted strangely with the innate courtliness and modesty of Tom Marshall ; yet it was of a class by no means rare in the South at the time. Constantly proclaiming himself to be a gentleman, Charlton betrayed his true character by every word and act. I had, therefore, no reason to admire the fellow. His presence just now was distasteful to both Tom and myself; TAKING SIDES. 27 for we had been strangely moved by our political discussion, and were in no mood to tolerate him. "What's the matter here?" demanded a musical voice. " You look as if you had all been quarreling." " Oh ! it's nothing, Kate," replied Tom hurriedly. " Frank and I have been talking politics : that's all." " Politics ! so you have caught that fever too, have you ? It seems to be a perfect epidemic just now ; " and the girl laughed ironically as she turned to accompany us homeward. "There has been no quarrel, Miss Marshall," said T some- what stiffly. " Tom and I could not agree just now ; because, you know, we come from different sections. He belongs to the South, I to the North. It's only natural for us to hold diverse opinions on the issues of the day." " I s'pose, sir, you think we Southern gentlemen must submit to the dictates of the Northern mudsills," exclaimed Charlton scornfully. " I've no desire to discuss the question with you," I replied testily. "And I object to your sneers at the people of the Northern States. There are as many gentlemen there as here, a fact you might discover if you were a judge in such mat- ters." " Jedge, sir ! What do you mean ? Do you dare ? " " Dare ! Dare what ? " "You don't mean to say, Mr. Wilmot," interrupted Tom's sister, "that you think the South is wrong in asserting her rights of sovereignty? Do you really mean that?" and as she spoke the girl stood still, her dark eyes wide open in unaffected wonder. " Ha, ha ! " laughed Tom. " That's right, Kate : give it to him. — I say, Frank, that was a shot you didn't expect." " I beg your pardon. Miss Marshall : I scarcely know what to say." " Give me a plain answer to my question, if you please. Do you think us Southern people wrong, or not?" persisted the 28 BULLET AND SHELL. wajTvard beauty, a big frown passing over her brow like a cloud. " Well, if you mean an assertion of riglits on certain issues, and an appeal to arms in their support, such as Tom talks about, I do certainly think them in the wrong. But, really, these are questions I do not care to discuss with a lady." "Let me tell you, J\Ir. Wilmot," retorted the defiant girl, tossing her head imi^eriously as she sjDoke, — " let me tell you, sir, that we women of the South are heart and hand with our brothers and fathers on this question, as you men of the North may perhaps find out to your cost one of these days." " Oh ! come now, Kate," said her brother good-naturedly, but at the same time giving his sister an admiring look for her words, " you're altogether too hard on poor Wilmot. You must remember that he has a right to his own opinions : besides, he does not wish any further discussion ; do you, Frank ? " " The whole subject is distasteful to me. First I am involved in a wretched dispute with my dearest friend, and now I find his sister apparently my bitterest enemy. Upon my word, I now begin to believe there will be a war." And, as I uttered the last words, I bowed ceremoniously to the haughty girl beside me. " There seems no help for it," said Tom sadly. " The sooner the struggle comes, the better it will be for us all. This sus- pense and dread of the future is the hardest to bear. But here we are at the house : so clear up that frowning face of yours, Kate. It won't do to let the governor see how we have been badgering his guest , " and Tom again laughed as he unfastened the gate opening on the lawn, and his sister passed in. " For my part, I hope there will be a war," remarked Charl- ton, " if it's only for a chance to teach you Yankees a lesson." "If lessons are the order of the day," I replied hotly, "a few m politeness would do you no harm, my fine gentleman." " What do you mean ? Do you wish to insult me ? " "Take it as you will. I'm quite indifferent as to that." TAKING SIDES. 29 " Oh, liere ! this won't do," exclaimed Tom impatiently. " You forget we are on the lawn, and the governor may hear you. No more of this folly, or I shall quarrel with you both in earnest. You must be on your good behavior here, gentle- men." Charlton and I nodded in silence, and followed Tom towards the piazza where his father was quietly smoking his corn-cob pipe. " Ah, boys ! been fishing again, I see," said Mr. IMarshall as we came within hearing. " I should think you would have tired of the sport by this time. If you keep at it much longer you will not leave a single fish in the river for the darkies." " Not much fear of that, sir," replied Tom, as he threw down his pole and string of fish. " That Pomp and Cesar of ours would find bites for their bait if we fished till Christmas. Let them alone for that." "You're right, Tom. Those two boys know a great deal more about the ways of the river than they do of work in the fields, confound them ! — Pomp, you black rascal, you know you do," and Mr. Marshall pretended to kick at a grinning negro boy who was squatting on the steps at his feet. "He! he ! 'Spect we does, Marse John. Dat's a fac'," said Pomp, as he rolled down the steps in a convulsion of laughter. " But, Marse John, sumbodder's got to fish de ribber besides young Marse F'rank and young Marse Tom, dar, or de fish dey done run away wid de ribber, dare git to be so many ob 'em." " Get out, you young rascal," cried the old gentleman. " See that you and Cesar are out in the field, down by the willows, in the morning with the rest of the gang, or I'll give you some- thing you won't forget in a hurry." " Dat all right, Marse John : I'll be down dar in de field for shuah, 'less Missy Kate she done sen' me to de Ferry for dem books o' her'n, an' I 'spect she will," responded Pomp, grinning as if he intended splitting his face from ear to ear in the effort. 30 BULLET AND SHELL. " You should have gone for them to-day, Pomp," remarked Kate. " I told jon to go this morning." " Couldn't go way down to de Ferry when de missy she tole me to take Marse Tom him lunshon ! Couldn't do de two t'ings at de wunst, nohow," muttered the negro as he scratched his woolly pate confusedly. " That's always the way with those two boys, INIr. Wilmot," said Mr. Marshall, knocking the ashes from his exhausted pipe. " They're more bother to me than all the rest of my hands." " I'm afraid, sir, it's partly your own fault," I replied. " You never insist on their tasks being performed promptly ; and the boys, as you call them, have studied your nature so well, they know just how far they can impose upon your good-humor." " Quite true ; but it can not be helped now, for I'm too old to change, and they're young yet." "True Virginny ways, sah," began Charlton in his usual swaggering manner. " We gentlemen of the South are always khid to our niggahs." " Not always, Mr. Charlton," replied Mr. Marshall. " I wish they were." " Oh ! if the niggahs do get a taste of the lash now and then, they generally deserve it. It's the only way to keep them in order." " Indeed ! It's a wonder you don't get a little of it once in a while : you need it," I said, glad of an excuse to annoy him. " Me, sir ! me flogged ! " he gasped. " Why, I'm a gentle- man, sir." " So you are always saying. You seldom say any thing else," I retorted wickedly. " Gentlemen ! I'm surprised to hear you speak thus. One would almost think that you had been quarreling," said Mr. Marshall. " Oh! it's only sectional feeling, as Frank calls it, sir," replied Tom, laughing in evident sympathy with me in my thrusts at Charlton. TAKING SIDES. 31 " Indeed ! So j^ou young people have been discussing poli- tics ? I'm sorry to know it, for that is a dangerous topic in times like these. But I had forgotten : here's a letter for you, Mr. Wilmot. One of the boys brought it over from Winches- ter ; " and the old gentleman handed me an envelope that had lain unnoticed on the railing. " Read it after supper, Frank," said Tom, leading the way up the broad steps. " Here comes mother, and there goes the gong. Come, or the butter-cakes will spoil, and I'm so hungry ! " 32 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER III. DEFINING POSITIONS. ' Policy wills some seeming cause be had, To make that good which justice knows for bad." AVE you forgotten, my clear boy, that the time for your going back to college is drawing near, and that we have not yet seen you ? I am a little jeal- ous of your Virginian friends, they are keeping my rf4sou so long from me. Come home soon, dear l'( j' Frank, there's a good boy ..." ■j^' Thus wrote my mother in the letter I had 'j I. received; and as I sat at my window, and ''-■ watched the evening shadows gather in the valley, my thoughts went back to the dear old village, and the loved ones waiting there for me. My mother was right : I had indeed over- staid the limits of my visit to Tom and his family. As I sat thinking over the events of the day, a strange feeling of unrest filled my heart. This hateful sectional antagonism seemed, all at once, to have rudely separated Tom and me. Realizing the fact with grief and surprise, I resolved to obey my mother's summons, and leave, perchance for ever, the scenes marked by so much past pleasure and present pain. For a moment I hesitated, and then, obeying a sudden impulse, rushed down-stairs to the piazza, where I hurriedly announced my intention of leaving on the morrow. Tom was loud in his protests and disapproval of my decision. " Why, you forget, Frank," he exclaimed, " we were to go DEFINING POSITIONS. 66 to Winchester to-morrow, and the next day to INIartinsburg. Surely a few days more will make no difference." "I must go, Tom. You know I have remained with you longer than I at first intended. Now my mother calls me home, and I shall obey. She has been very patient at my long absence." " I can sympathize with your mother, Mr. Wilmot," said Mrs. Marshall. " I have been so happy in having my son and his friend with me, that I forgot there were other mothers in the world besides myself." "But, mother," persisted Tom, "why should he run off so suddenly ? — It's not like you, Frank." " I am loth to go, Tom," said I ; " for I have been very happy here. But I owe some attention to my mother." " Your words are good and honest, Mr. Wilmot ; and they prove you are as good a son as my Tom," remarked Mrs. Mar- shall, gazing fondly at her boy lolling on the railing, his hand- some face disfigvxred by a look of discontent. " Oh ! since you take Frank's part, mother, I shall say no more. Your word has always been law in this house." "I am sorry you are going away so suddenly, Mr. Wil- mot," said Mr. Marshall, leading me away from the group. " Tom has been telling his mother and me of the foolish, unwise argument on the river, and also of Kate's saucy at- tack upon you. I trust, sir, these idle words among you young people have had no influence towards this determina- tion to leave us." " I must confess, sir, they have ; though my mother's call is the strongest motive. I deeply regret these political differ- ences, but it seems impossible for Tom and me to reconcile them." " Ah ! Frank, you are too young, and so is Tom, to clearly understand the troubles and dangers which threaten us. I am not as fierce, perhaps, as some of my neighbors, in asserting what they term the rights of the South ; for I can see, what 34 BULLET AND SHELL. many do not, that if these claims are persisted in we shall eventually be placed in belligerent opposition to the govern- ment. If the ball of contention is once set rolling, God only knows where or when it will stop." "Let us hope, sir, that it will not come to that pass," I replied. " I am sorry I can not indulge in such a hope," said the old gentleman sadly. " The current of events is too strong, and the passion of political strife already too bitter, to permit my entertaining it. When you go home, Mr. Wilmot, please re- member, that, though we men of the South may go into a war with the Northern States, many of us will do so with sad and heavy hearts; though honestly determined to do our best to win in the struggle, once it is fairly begun." " I prefer not to think of it at all," I exclaimed impetuously. "It seems like a hideous dream, this possibility of a war." " Hideous indeed. But it is far from being a dream : the dread reality will soon be upon us, I fear." "And do you too believe a war is coming? " "I see that there is great danger of one." "But why?" " Because the temper of the Southern people, just now, is such, they will not submit to see Lincoln made president. I know you will say that he can not be elected unless tlie Demo- crats, North and South, persist, as they threaten, in dividing their strength on rival candidates ; but the division of that party is mainly due to the growing antagonism between the two sections of the country." "How?" " The Democrats of the North and the South can no longer agree on great national questions. And as neither side Avill give way, a hopeless division is the natural result." " And because they can not agree on a candidate for the presi- dency, we are to have civil Avar ? That seems strange." " Not at all. If the new party — the Republicans — elect DEFINING POSITIONS. 35 their candidate by a plurality vote, as they must, he will not be the choice of a majority of the whole people. Therefore the Southern States will ask for permission to withdraw, and form their own government." " That seems to me very childish. Because the South can not have its own way all the time, it refuses to be bound by the laws and precedents it helped to make and adopt." " Very true. I grant you, it will only be a pretext. But the Southern leaders are reckless and desperate, and will eagerly avail themselves of that excuse for want of a better one." " One would scarcely suppose from your words, ]\Ir. Mar- shall, that you were a Southerner." " I presume not. I speak thus candidly to you, Mr. Wilmot, because I know I can trust you. I'm an old man now, and love my country and my State too well not to see the dangers that threaten us. One of my brothers fought under Taylor in Mexico, and fell at Palo Alto ; while an uncle of mine partici- pated in the last war with Great Britain. I should regret to see my son compelled to fight against the flag they both served under." " Compelled ? " " Yes, compelled. Tom is a son of the South, and a Vir- ginian. If his State secedes, as seems very probable, he must obey her sovereignty, and take up arms in her defense. There is no help for it." " That question of State rights was one of the very things Tom and I could not agree upon." " Of course not. It is one of the vital issues of the day. Upon it hinges the integrity or the dissolution of the Union. Men everywhere are divided upon it. Even here in Virginia we are not all of one mind in regard to it." "Tom says the South is afraid the North will attempt to abolish slavery." " Wiser and older men than he believe the same thing ; and with good reason, I fear." 36 BULLET AND SUELL. "Just because the North will not consent to see slavery extended into the new Territories ? " " Precisely. Don't you see that that very denial as to the Territories is the entering wedge towards complete aboli- tion ? " " But is slavery worth a war ? " "Ah I Frank, there you touch on the very marrow of the entire question. The prosperity of the South rests on her slaves. What would we be without them ? " " The free States are prosperous with free labor.'" " Yes. But we need the negroes : if they were once free we should be without laborers." " If freed, the negro would have to work for his own support and that of his family, just as the white man does in the North." " You forget they have always been slaves, consequently shiftless. Set them free, and they will not know how to accommodate themselves to the new state of affairs. They are not accustomed to take care of themselves." " So much the worse for the system which made them so." " Quite right. I am not defending the system, though I am a slaveholder. But we have the slaves: why deprive us of our only resource ? why not let well enough alone ? " Before I could reply, Tom approached us. "What are you two talking so earnestly about?" he asked. "We are discussing politics, Tom," replied his father, "just as you and Mr. Wilmot did this afternoon. He tells me your dispute is one of his reasons for leaving us." " Indeed ! " exclaimed Tom. " Why, Frank, I did not think you so easily angered. We had no quarrel, though you and Charlton came precious near having one." " I am not angry, Tom ; but I feel that we are no longer the same warm, fast friends we were before we fell into that hate- ful argument." " Nonsense ! We do not agree, it is true, on certain ques- DEFINING rOSITIONS. 37 tions, owing to our different education ; but we are not enemies quite yet, I take it." "No, thank God ! we can never be that. Still, Tom, I wish to go away now, because I feel that 1 shall be exposed to mis- apprehension if I stay." " He is right, Tom," said Mr. Marshall. " Once the ques- tion of politics is touched upon in critical times like these, it is sure to lead to grave misunderstandings. I would fain see you and your friend part amicably while you may. He belongs to one section of this unhappy country, you to another. You can not agree, so it is better that you part until happier and quieter times come to us." "Indeed, sir, I shall always consider Tom a true friend," said I. "Just my feeling," exclaimed Tom, clasping my hand. " That's right, my boys. Whatever happens hereafter, keep your boyhood friendship green in your hearts. It will be a pleasant memory to you both as you 'grow older." " I promise you, sir, I shall do so," said I. "And so do I," cried Tom heartily. "But come, governor, let's go in : the dew is beginning to fall. 38 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER IV. A TKUCE. " Nature I'll court in her sequestered baunts, By mountain, streamlet, grove, or cell." S the sun rose bright and clear the following morning, it found me already up, busily en- gaged in preparations for my journey. I had often thought of a pedestrian trip to Washing- ton, crossing the Blue Ridge into the Loudon Valley, thence through Aldie Gap to Centre- ville, a route described by Tom as exceedingly beautiful and interesting. I accordingly de- cided to go home that way, feeling that the tramp over the mountains would do me good. "^--i. . - On making this announcement over night, Mr. Marshall decided to send the boy Pompey to Harper's Ferry with my baggage, while I was to shoulder my knapsack and trudge through the Gaps. Tom was to acconipany me as far as the foot of the range : so after a hearty breakfast, and a kind farewell to his parents, we set out together. As he and I swung off at a rapid pace, on entering the road to the mountain-gap, we found the morning air deliciously cool and fragrant. The warm rays of the rising sun had already set the heavy mists in motion on the mountains ; though they still clung to the peaks and lingered in the notches, thus conceal- ing much of the bold grandeur of the range with which I had become so familiar during my sojourn in the valley. The foot- A TRUCE. 39 hills and outlj-ing spurs were rapidly revealing themselves as the banks of fleecy vapor rolled upward : while down on the table-land stray drifts were lying, pencil-like,^in the meadows ; but even these were beginning to move as the sun grew stronger. The wide stretches of ripening grain were again in the hands of the negro harvesters; and as we trudged along the wide road, their careless voices could be heard above the sharp swish of their cradles, cutting down the heavily laden wheat-stalks, and we caught sight of many bits of warm bright color as the laborers moved steadily forward at their tasks. The birds, too, were singing their joyful welcome to the coming day. The melodious whistle of the robin, standing on the stone fence by the roadside, was answered by the mocking cry of the saucy cat-bird as he swung like an acrobat on a slender bough over our heads ; while farther on I could see the scarlet coat of the Virginia red-bird, flitting like a flame from bush to bush in search of food. The swallows were busily skimming over the fields, catching the unwary insects as they rose in the reviving sunshine ; and high up in the sky hung a solitary eagle, slowly circling over the valley with motionless pinions, on the lookout for some hapless and defenseless quarry. The grass by the side of the road was still wet with the heavy dew that had fallen during the night, and the apple-trees in the numerous orchards were bending low beneath the increasing weight of the fruit that clustered on their limbs. From every chimney in sight, the smoke rose unbroken by the usual breeze ; and the voice of the dairymaid, calling to her cows, sounded clear in the still and perfumed air. The scattered cattle in the pastures cropped the juicy herbage in quiet mood, undisturbed by the shrill neighing of Tom's favorite horse as he caiue gallop- ing over the turf to greet his master. Everywhere the scene was one of contentment, peace, and prosperity. These happy and tranquil features of the landscape revived my spirits, and I insensibly grew more and more cheerful under their soothing influence. 40 BULLET AND SHELL. Tom chattered buoyantly as we walked, with no apparent thought or trouble on his mind. He talked of our college days, and prophesied my future success ; and I was content to let him run on in this hopeful fashion, for I found relief in silence. " Well, Frank, old fellow, we part here. Yonder lies your road," said Tom, as we paused for a moment on the moss-grown stone bridge that spanned the river and led to the mountain road beyond. " I'm sorry I can not go with you through the Gap, but you know I must go to town to-day for the gov- ernor." " We will say ftirewell here, then," I replied. " It will be long before we meet again : it may be never." " Oh, nonsense ! we are safe to meet somewhere in the future," responded my companion confidently. " Let us hope so," said I rousing myself with an effort : " such friendship as ours has been should not be lightly broken." " You may well say that, Frank. And now good-by. You must not linger here, for you ought to get over the mountain before the sun gets fiercer. Good-by, my dear boy." " Good-by, Tom. If ever we meet again it must still be as brothers." " Brothers always ! " exclaimed Tom with a kindling eye, as he seized my outstretched hand with his sturdy and honest grip. " I am glad to hear you say so, for there's no knowing what may happen in these troublous times," I replied, as I adjusted my knapsack, and turned to cross the bridge. On reaching the turn in the road, a few rods beyond, I looked back for a moment, returned Tom's mute farewell as he stood leaning against the parapet, and then strode forward. The path to the Gap was at times rugged and steep ; but the difficulties encountered suited my present mood, so I struggled resolutely upward and onward. At first I found myself in a deep gorge, as it wound through the dripping rocks that had A TRUCE. 41 been cleft by some mighty convulsion of nature in past ages ; and the uneven road gave me fresh surprises at almost every turn. The huge masses of stone rose precipitately to the right and the left, like the walls of some ancient castle ; their irregu- lar faces being touched here and there with bits of vivid green, Avhere tiny ferns and mountain plants clung in the clefts or drooped from the ridges. Sprays of feathery creepers hung over the rocks at random, their dark leaves brightened by stray bunches of scarlet berries. At the top, hardy trees towered to the sky, their gnarled and twisted limbs betokening many a hard tussle with the howling winds which had so often torn in mad fury over the range. Passing through this wild gate to the Gap, the road became more steep, the loose rubble rendering my foothold precarious and uncertain. As jet the sunshine had not penetrated the Notch, and the air was damp and cold ; so I felt no fatigue, despite my exertions. A dense mass of foliage held this part of the road in close possession ; and so wild and virginal did it at times become, that even the pathway was invaded by ven- turesome vines, as though the forest was jealous of the narrow domain seized by man. Frequently my passage seemed barred by the immense bowl- ders that had fallen from the slopes above, thus compelling the road to swerve around their bases, and adding to the savage beauty of the route. It was, indeed, Nature in her wildest mood, and I reveled in the ever-changing rudeness of the scene. My heart grew lighter as I advanced, and I regained all my accustomed spirits. Thus sturdily climbing the steep and stony road, I suddenly came to an open ledge, which commanded a view of the entire valley I had left behind me. Standing on the smooth rock, as on a shelf hung high on the mountain side, my eyes wandered from point to point, from object to object ; and I enjoyed, as one would quaff a delicious draught, all the varied and romantic beauty of the landscape spread out before my eyes. Looking 42 BULLET AND SHELL. up the valley, the spires of the city of Winchester seemed to be standing almost at my feet, and I could see each of the villages surrounding the city as they dotted the plain below. Farther on rose the dome-like crest of Cedar Mountain, standing senti- nel over the broad expanse of field and woodland lying between the twin mountain ranges. Berryville was to my right, and away beyond the town I could distinguish the roofs and steeples of Charlestown, embowered in foliage ; while still farther on I caught glimpses of the Potomac River, as its waters glistened in the distance. On the other side of the valley rose North IMountain, and in the middle ground were the forests surrounding Mount Sum- mit. An irregular line of hazel-bush betrayed the course of Opequan Creek, on whose banks Tom and I had whiled away many an afternoon trying to lure the cautious trout from their deep and shady pools. Right below me stood the Marshall mansion, easily recognized by its cluster of walnut-trees, under whose spreading branches I had passed so many happy hours in the days gone by. Everywhere, as far as the eye could reach, were broad fields of grain, interspersed with frequent clumps of woods and orchard dots ; while in the fields stood noble trees, like emerald gems, their presence adding to the exquisite loveliness of the picturesque panorama. It was, indeed, a scene long to be remembered for its peace- fulness ; and as I stood there perched on the mountain ledge, scanning the exquisite landscape, I did not dream that when next my eyes would fall upon it I should find its features sadly changed by the ravages of cruel, dreadful war, — that those fields, now so yellow with shorn stubble and standing grain, would be bare and brown ; the patriarchal homesteads wrecked and ruined by angry shot and shell, with unsightly gaps in the long lines of stone now marking the divisions of the land, where heavy cannon had been dragged back and forth as the fierce tide of battle ebbed and flowed; or that these green knolls A TRUCE. 43 lying between me and the picturesque towns would be scarred and torn by lunettes and breastworks. No, all thoughts of future strife and carnage were absent from my mind, as I took my last and lingering survey of the beautiful valley. " Good-by, Tom," I shouted, waving my hat over my head ; and as I did so the tireless echoes caught up his name, repeat- ing it again and again. It was a happy omen, and I once more sprang joyously into the path on my homeward way over the mountains. 44 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER V. THE HAND ON THE HILT. ' The country rings around with loud alarms, And raw in fields the rude militia swarms." m'^'^% UR election was over, the winter had passed, and Lincoln was seated in the presidential chair. The young party which made so vig- orous a contest under Fremont had, after four years of persistent endeavor, at length gained sufficient strength to cope with the political : organization that had so long held supreme ■power in the land, but now hopelessly divided '^ on national questions. The East and the West had united in throwing the reins of gov- ernment into the hands of the new party ; but the South, though humiliated by its defeat through the ballot, was still defiant, and threatened to resort to the bullet in defense of her theories and institutions. In assuming this position, she was greatly strengthened by the unwise utterances of Northern politicians ; for their words led the Southern people to believe that the North was irrevocably divided in national sentiment : so, Avhile getting ready for war, the South believed that a bold and threatening front would intimidate the less belligerent North. The political sky was full of strange portents ; and the minds of all thoughtful men on both sides of the new geographical line were greatly agitated, for none could tell what a day might bring forth. Scarcely a household in the land but was tempo- >;:.:31'lM ■',1''% THE HAND ON THE HILT. 47 rarily divided against itself, so imperfectly were the real issues of the time understood, or their dangers appreciated. Events crystallized rapidly after the result of the election became known ; and before Lincoln had taken his oath of office, several of the wayward States openly revolted. South Caro- lina impetuously led the way for her sisters, and alreadj^ the busy note of preparation for the threatening struggle was heard within her borders. As yet there had been no overt act, beyond the seizure of a fort or two, and a navy-yard. There were many wild utter- ances, but no blood had yet been shed. A feeling of dread rested upon the nation. Men feared each other, and the ties of personal friendship were visibly loosened. At length the seven cotton States formally seceded, and the remaining slave States threatened to follow. Then the bolt suddenly fell ; and there came a shock which stirred the nation to its very center, and set men's blood running hot in their veins. The national banner and authority had at last been rudely assailed, and a Federal garrison compelled to surrender to the force of arms. In an instant the veil was rent, and the full gravity of the situation stood revealed to the people. Sumter had fallen, and the harbor of Charleston bristled with secession cannon. The war had at length begun : there was no further hope of a reconciliation. The sword must now decide the quarrel. The roar of cannon drowned the voice of peace. War's angry dogs were let loose. Such was the attitude f\nd course of events during the spring of 1861. I had gone back to college, and passed the winter in quiet study. As the snow melted under the elms in our college park, and the aged trees were tinged in vernal green, a feeling of disquietude came upon me ; for the excited condition of the country had made itself felt, even among the students. It was only a few short months since I had parted from Tom INIarshall on the little stone bridge that spanned the winding river under the mountains, yet how changed was the situation ! The rapid- 48 BULLET AND SHELL. ity with which the quarrel had taken visible shape made this change apjaear all the more terrible, and my mind wandered from my books to ponder on the possibilities of the future. The college, too, was becoming deserted ; for few cared to study the musty records of the dead past Avhile our own his- tor}' was being made so rapidly before our eyes. With the news of Anderson's surrender ringing in my ears, I impatiently threw aside my books, and abandoned study. Standing in the streets of New- York City, the next day, I saw a favorite regiment march over its pavements in prompt response to the call of the government. It was an exciting and extraordinary scene ; and my pulse throbbed wildly that bright sunny April afternoon, as I wit- nessed the fierce outburst of popular feeling. Half a million of people thronged the streets of the great city, and waited in surging masses to see their citizen-soldiery march past. Traffic in Broadway was entirely suspended for the time, and the busy life of the metropolis seemed suddenly diverted from its accus- tomed channels. From house-tops and windows waved the stars and stripes in endless profusion, while men and women w^ore the tricolor on their breasts. All classes of society were excited, for the appeal of the government for protection and support had roused the people to a realizing sense of their danger. The call for troops had broken down many barriers, and the torrent of popular loyalty swept every thing before it. The banker at his desk had heard the call, and pushed aside his interest-tables to obey it. The physician sitting beside his patient had heard it, and prepared to change the sphere of his duty. The lawyer pleading his client's cause in the court- room had heard it, and dropped his brief to shoulder a musket in obedience to the summons. The artisan had heard it above the rattle of machinery, and threw away his tools to take up the weapons of war. The clerk had heard it at his counter, and abandoned his yardstick for the bayonet. The artist before his THE UANB ON THE HILT. 49 easel had heard it, and turned his canvas to the wall, there to lie untouched until he had done his duty as a soldier. The fash- ionable idler had heard the appeal in his club-room, and rejoiced, as he pulled off his gloves, that at last he had an earnest object in life. As all these men came together and fell in, shoulder to shoulder, their hearts beat high with enthusiasm ; and they marched forward in solid column, fully appreciating the grave responsibility resting upon them. While the people waited for tlie militia, thus suddenly sum- moned from every profession and pursuit in life, a feverish excitement pervaded the crowds. Men who the day before had angrily disputed on political questions, now clasped hands in silent token of their mutual adherence to the government. Bands of young men marched up and down the middle of the streets, singing patriotic songs, being joined in the refrain by the assembled multitude. The expression of feeling was decid- edly tumultuous , but it did not seem at all out of place, so abnormal was the occasion, so strange the surroundings. The North was indeed rising in all its might and power, and every man's face wore a look of determination that spoke clearer than words how thoroughly each individual appreciated the crisis at hand. At length the roll of drums is heard in the distance, and afar off we can see the glitter of the bayonets as they flash in the rays of the setting sun. The police become suddenly active, and push the expectant people back ; then the crowd parts, and the head of the column appears. It is the gallant New-York Seventh, stripped of all gaudy decoration, but well equipped for active service. With full ranks, the knapsacks giving the command an appearance of solidity not observable on holiday parade, the regiment marches steadily forward to the monot- onous beat of the drums. Men in the ranks are recognized by friends in the throng, and earnest farewells are uttered. " There's Jack ! I see him ! Don't you ? See, right there in the middle," exclaims a young man at my elbow. 60 BULLET AND SHELL. "Yes, yes! That's him. That's Jack._^ Hurrah for Jack! Good-by, old fellow ! " and the speaker waves his hat wildly, and unconsciously treads on my foot. Jack hears his name, sees his friends, and a warm flush of pride mantles his face as he gives a brief nod in response. " I wonder where Bob is. Isn't this his company ? " asks another. " Yes, there he is now. God bless you, Bob ! I'll look after mother ; " and as he exchanges farewells with his brother, the poor boy's eyes grow dim with manly tears. " They march better than ever," remarks a bystander crit- ically. " It's positively magnificent ; " and he is joined in his cheers by all who hear his words of praise. While the men cheer in their enthusiasm, women weep as they see some loved face vanish ; yet they, too, are proud to see their husbands, brothers, or lovers so prompt in answering the call of duty. Now a tremor runs like a vibration through the vast as- semblage, as tidings come that the sons of Massachusetts have been slain in the streets of Baltimore. The New- York soldiers marching down the wide thoroughfare hear the news as they pass; but the column of steel pauses not, and in a moment more it is gone. The fact that blood has been shed causes men to gaze mutely into each other's faces ; for now they realize that at last the seal of peace has indeed been broken, and the pestilence of angry war is upon them. The half-dozen lives sacrificed that day in the Monumental City is but the beginning of the bitter har- vest to come. Day after day I lingered in the feverish city, and day after day saw other regiments pass through its streets. Young men marched in the ranks in their citizen's dress, carrying a musket, content to wait for the uniform yet in the workshop. Others carried knapsacks for the friends they escorted to the place of embarkation. From other cities came fresh bodies of troops, and recruiting banners were flung to the breeze. It was wonderful to see how men contended with one another THE HAND ON THE HILT. 51 for the privilege of enrolling as volunteers. Veteran officers, who had simply hoped to raise a company, were astonished to find themselves at the head of a regiment. A little band of Mexican heroes started a battalion, and at the end of a week were carrying swords as field-officers in a brigade. Had the government fully appreciated the full extent of its needs at that time, it could have had an army of a million for its first campaign. Caught up by this whirlwind of martial feeling, I soon found myself in the uniform of a Federal soldier. What mattered it to me which of the States carried my humble name on its rolls, — New York or my native New Hampsliire ? The loyal States were bound together all the closer that their sons served in each other's regiments. It was not the State color, but the National one, we were to defend. 52 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER VL DRAWING THE BLADE. 'Then, in the name of God and all these rights Advance your standards, draw your willing swords." IX weeks passed, and we were rapidly learning our duties as soldiers in camp of instruction. The war was indeed assuming grand propor- tions. In the North the ties of political party- were loosened, and men now only thought of defending the integrity of the Union. All of the seceding States had already formed a provisional government, and their armies were actually in the field. Beauregard menaced 'V Washington on the plains of Manassas, and Federal troops were marching to meet him over the roads I had tramped the previous summer. In the Shenandoah Valley, Johnston was in possession, and that beautiful region was beginning its experience of the vicissitudes of war. The Mississippi River was blockaded its entire length, from Cairo to New Orleans ; and a Confederate navy was forming in Mobile Bay. In the South-west other opposing armies were confronting each other. It only needed a spark to set the whole train in a blaze. It was a period of anxious expectation. Armies were rising on every hand with amazing rapidity ; ship-yards were thronged with workmen engaged in transforming merchant-vessels into ships of war ; founderies were turning out cannon, or casting vast quantities of shot and shell ; artisans were learning new DRAWING THE BLADE. 53 trades, for, instead of implements of husbandry, they were fashioning weapons for the battle-field ; tender-hearted women wrapped the crisp cartridge, or stitched the uniforms of blue and gray. The pruning-hook was being beaten into the sword- blade, and the simple citizen became a soldier. Throughout the length and breadth of the land a feverish activity prevailed: the pursuits of peace were abandoned for the perils of war. New geographical lines had been drawn, and brother stood up against brother ; for Hatred ruled the hour, and pushed Reason from her throne. Thus had events progressed, when, on a bright j\Iay morning, our regiment arrived at Fortress Monroe, near the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, to tread the soil of Virginia. The scene in Hampton Roads when our steamer dropped anchor was a busy one. Coasting-vessels were lying within gun-range of the fort, waiting to discharge their cargoes, and noisy little tugs were impudently snorting and puling as they towed the sailing-craft to and fro ; while beyond this little fleet of shipping lay a trim frigate, her black hull bristling with cannon. At the long wooden wharf were other vessels, their decks in possession of large gangs of negroes, who, with melodi- ous chants, removed the boxes and barrels of provisions, cases of ammunition, tents, lumber, and hospital stores. On the shore immense sheds were in progress of erection, the carpenters' hammers seeming to keep time with the monotonous songs of the wharf-laborers. Behind all rose the frowning walls of the grim fortress, its grassy parapets crowned with barbette guns. Away to the right, beyond the fort, I could see the camps of the troops that had preceded us. It was a scene full of anima- tion and vigorous action ; and, as I watched the huge garrison flag flutter in the breeze over the granite walls of the fort, I realized that at last we were on that mysterious and movable line, — " the front." All of the men were excited over this entrance upon campaign life : so it Avas a great relief when our steamer was summoned 54 BULLET ANB SHELL. to the wharf for our debarkation. An hour hiter we were wading through the deep sand on our vfixy to camp, where we remained for weeks, doing picket-duty on Hampton Creek, diversified by an occasional reconnoissance beyond the deserted village. The men were beginning to murmur at the lack of active operations, when orders came to attack some Confederate forti- fications discovered at a gully called Big Bethel, on the road to Yorktown. Our regiment was to move with others at midnight ; and as the extra rounds of ball cartridge were issued, we were told to get all the sleep we could before the hour for starting arrived. A better method for keeping us all awake could not have been devised, as scarcely an eye was closed during the night. While lying in ni}' tent, listening to the wild surmises of my comrades, my thoughts drifted far away. I had not heard from Tom Marshall since Christmas, when he informed me that even then he was enrolled as a defender of the Southern cause. Now we were indeed ranged on opposite sides of the great quarrel, as both he and Kate had prophesied ; and, though I felt strengthened in my own course by the brave letters of my mother, who approved the step I had taken, I was depressed by the thought that our convictions regarding individual duty had placed my friend and myself in such decided antagonism. True, there was little probability that Tom and I would ever meet in the field ; and I found some comfort in that belief as I pondered on the possibilities of the morrow. Midnight came at last, when word was passed from tent to tent for the several companies to form. The order was obeyed with alacrity. It was as dark as pitch when we entered the main road, not even the stars being visible ; while the knowl- edge that we were going to battle made the movement all the more strange and thrilling. It being our first experience of real work, the sense of danger nerved every heart. We had not yet attained the coolness of veterans ; but, feeling brave and confident, we obeyed this summons to battle with enthusiasm. BEAWING THE BLADE. 55 Stumbling along in open column, we pushed on tlirough the darkness silently but eagerly, until, after a two-hours' march, we were led into a bit of woods on the right of the road, and ordered to lie down. As we did so, I began wondering what the result of the approaching engagement would be. Here I lay, musket in hand, among men of whose existence I had been ignorant a few short weeks before ; and, as I stretched my tired body on the soft and fragrant earth, I realized the grim earnest- ness of the situation. In a few hours I might be among the dead, lying motionless on the battle-field, or groaning in an ambulance, sick with pain and loss of blood. Yet a strange feeling of content rested upon me ; and, though we were all nervous over the suspense, I noticed no symptoms of coward- ice. Few of us spoke, even in whispers, for silence had been strictly enjoined ; and the absence of all sound among so many men was to me more painful to bear than any actual fighting could possibly be. Suddenly the dull sound of distant musketry somewhere in our rear broke the wearisome silence, and a tremor ran through the ranks ; then we heard the rapid galloping of a horse in the road, and soon after learned that two of our regiments coming up had met at a cross-roads, and emptied a volley into each other in the darkness, two or three having been killed, and several wounded. Of course this contretemps destroyed all hopes of a surprise, which was a foolish idea from the begin- ning, and showed how little our officers appreciated the sagacity of our antagonists. " I tell yez what it is, byes ! " exclaimed Dennis Malone, the only Irishman in my company, as he crept into his place in the ranks from some undergrowth in front, " thim rebs beyant are up to snuff. I've bin down among our skarmishers, who are lying on their bellies over there ; and by all that's holy, thim divils in the breastworks are out among their big guns wid their lanterns ! They'll make it hot for us to-morrer, or my name's not Dinnis." 56 BULLET AND SHELL. "Well, this is the first time I ever heard of an Irishman being afraid," said I, as we all laughed at Dennis's speech. " You know better than that, corporal," retorted Dennis. " It's not afeard I am, at all, at all ; but if we don't have the divil's own scrimmage before long, ye may take my head for a fut-ball." " So you saw lanterns, did yovi, Dennis ? " I replied in a bantering tone. " Are you sure you were not dreaming of the will-o-the-wisps in your native bogs ? " " I'll tell yez what it is, corporal : you're my suparior officer, and I may not know as much about Greek or Latin as yersilf ; but, if you think I don't know the difference 'twixt a lantern and a bog-light, I can't say much for yer larnin"." As the indignant Dennis uttered these words, half a dozen muskets were discharged on our skirmish-line. " Hurroo ! they're beginning the fun. We'll all be kilt before night, or loaded down wid glory ! " he shouted, fairly dancing on his knees with excitement and delight. " Silence in the ranks ! " exclaimed Capt. Harding, who com- manded our company. " Silence, I say ! " " We'll be as mute as oysters, darlint," responded the irre- pressible Irishman, in a sort of stage-whisper. " But why don't yez stop those skarmishers beyant ? Shure, they're making the most noise." Just then one of our cannon, that had been placed in posi- tion on a knoll behind us, opened fire, and sent a. shell shriek- ing over our heads. " Holy mother of Moses ! An' what's that ? " bellowed Den- nis, as he cowered with the rest of us under the awful sound. " Only a shell, you fool," testily remarked our sergeant. " Haven't you ever heard one before ? " "A shell, is it? I'm much obleeged to you for the informa- tion. No, I've never heard one before ; and je were not brought up on that sort of egg-meat, either, Mr. Sargeant." Dennis's whimsical answer turned the laugh on the sergeant ; J^S> DRAWING THE BLADE. 59 but, while we were enjoying his sally, the guns in the breast- works replied by sending one of their shells crashing through the trees, and we heard a smothered groan down the line, start- ling evidence that some poor fellow had been hit. There was no fun in this, so we again became silent and watchful, for none knew where the next shell might strike ; and there were more evidently coming, for our artillery began get- ting to work briskly. By this time it was growing light, and we were able to see objects about us. Then the order was given for us to advance through the woods, and I saw that our line of battle extended across the road. " I say, Wilmot," remarked Sam Foster, my file neighbor, " isn't this horrid ? Going through these woods, to meet we know not what, — maybe to get a bullet in one's stomach before you can tell where it comes from." " Just my feeling, Sam," I replied. " But if the bullets go for your stomach they'll find it pretty full already, judging by the way you punished the hard-tack last night." "Might as well get killed with a full belly as with an empty " — I heard no more of Sam's speech; for at that moment a terrific roar assailed our ears, and a storm of bullets whistled over our heads. One or two of the men in the company on our right went down ; and I involuntarily shook myself, half expecting to find a wound. A minute after, we received another volley, and there were more men down. Then we caught a glimpse of the new earth forming the Confederate breastworks as they frowned on the other side of the narrow gully. At once nearly every man in the ranks began firing without orders, much to the disgust of our colonel. "Stop that firing, you confounded fools!" he shouted angrily : " wait until you get the word." But we never got the word ; for in a few minutes we were told to fall back, the shells coming in pretty fast. We did not mind them much now, for we were beginning to understand that 60 BULLET AND SHELL. everybody does not get killed in a battle. The order to retreat disgusted the men ; but we obeyed, supposing it to be a change in the plan. As the regiment moved off, my foot caught in a projecting root, and I fell ; finding, when I tried to get up, that my ankle was sprained. Here was a ridiculous predicament. " What's the matter wid ye, corporal ? Why the divil don't ye get up? Shure, the rigiment is retrating." And Dennis leaned compassionately over me as I writhed in pain. " Never mind me, Dennis : go with the boys. I've sprained my ankle." " Is it lave yer, and ye right forninst the inimy ? The divil a fut I'll stir until I see ye get up. It's an illigant excuse I've got, so I have, for staying out here." " If you gave me a lift, Dennis, perhaps I might be able to hobble off to the rear." " Shure, an' that wud be flying in the face of Providence. Ain't yer fut sprained on purpose to kape ye out here ? Rest aisy a bit where yer are until we see what's going on," replied Dennis, as he began peering through the trees towards the gully. " It may be a Providence for me, Dennis ; but it cannot include j^ou. So, if you won't help me, why, go and join the regiment," said I, angry at my companion's pertinacity, despite its whimsical phase. " What's good for one, corporal, is good enough for two. I'll tell ye what I'll do. I'll crawl down there and see what they're doin', and, then I'll come back and tell ye," replied the fellow, undaunted by my evident anger. " Precious little good that will do me. What do you want on the skirmish-line ? To get a bullet through that obstinate head of yours ! Stay where you are." As I spoke, the line of skirmishers suddenly appeared all around us, as they fell back, at the same time keeping up a scattering irregular fire. " Halloo ! what are you two men doing here ? " exclaimed the officer commanding the line. " Where's our regiment ? " DRAWING THE BLADE. 61 " They have moved back, lieutenant, somewhere in the rear," I replied hurriedly. "I've sprained my ankle, and can not walk ; while this foolish Irishman persists in staying with me." " That's bad. But you must get out of here somehow, corporal ; for we are changing front, and you'll soon be between two fires. Try and get up," the lieutenant continued kindly, "and we'll help you along." THE RETREAT FROM THE FIELD. I scrambled to my feet, and, leaning on Dennis's shoulder, began limping to the rear ; the skirmishers now banging away as fast as they could load and fire. " Well, corporal, an' this is quare work," said Dennis. " Here we are right in the middle of a scrimmage, and neither of us firing a shot. If ye'll rest yersilf against that tree for a minnit, I'll sind both of our bullits into thim divils." "All right, Dennis. Here's my musket: blaze away," I 62 BULLET AND SHELL. replied, laughing at the suggestion. "But mind, if you hit anybody with my ball, it goes to my credit." " Av coorse. Here's at ye, my darlints," cried Dennis, as he brought his piece to his shoulder, and pulled the trigger, fol- lowing up the shot with another random one from my weapon. " Well, how many have you killed ? " I asked, as I took back m}'- empty gun. " Not more than a dozen. Shure, I didn't see any one to shoot at, but maybe the buUits went crooked. Come along, corporal : we'll retrate now in good ordher." Despite my pain I managed to keep moving, and in a few minutes after entered the field where our regiment was stand- ing in line. As Dennis and I came in sight, two or three of my tent-mates ran forward, thinking I was wounded. " It is only a sprain," said I in explanation, chagrined at the accident which would prevent my going into action with my comrades. But there was no more fighting for any of us that day. The field-piece in the road kept up a desultory fire for nearly an hour ; and once we heard a loud cheer towards the left of our line, followed by some sharp musketry. Then a lull ensued, and the shells came less frequently. After waiting for another hour, we were told the battle was over. "What I No more fighting?" exclaimed Dennis. "Shure, we've had none at all, barring those few shots we got in before the colonel stopped our fun." Just then a fatigue-party passed through our line, carrying twenty or thirty poor fellows who were groaning over their wounds ; and we learned that ten or twelve had been killed, including the officer commanding the battery, and Major Win- throp of Gen. Butler's staff. So there must have been serious work somewhere, though we had not seen much of it. Thus ended our first battle, and it was a fortnight before I could report for duty. Then came the news of McClellan's victories in West Vir- DRAWING THE BLADE. 63 ginia ; and the tide of war drifted for a time into the South-west, with varying success to either side. But all these movements were of secondary importance to the impending conflict in the Virginia Valley near Centerville ; and when it ended in the de- feat and rout of the Federal army under McDowell, at Bull Run, the Northern people began to understand that the South- erners could fight as stubbornly and courageously as them- selves. It was now evident that the war was not to be ended in a single campaign, and preparations were made accordingly. 64 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER VII. THROWING AWAY THE SCABBAKD. 'I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot." HE spring of 1862 found the two sections still arrayed against each other, with a greatly in- creased area of operations on both sides. In the West and South-west the names of Thomas and Rosecran, of Sherman and Grant, were becoming known as those of P^ederal leaders ; while McClellan, Banks, Pope, and Heintzel- man rose to command in the East. Hereto- fore campaigns had been conducted almost at random, no concerted plan being laid down. '■■•>■■■ Now all this was to be changed. Henceforth a definite scheme was to be carried out, with three main objects in view, — the enforcement of the block- ade along the Atlantic coast, the opening of the Mississippi River, and the capture of Richmond, the Confederate capital. The navy, reinforced and strengthened, was to do the first, the Western armies would attempt the second, while the Army of the Potomac was to accomplish the third part of the plan of operations. On the other hand, the Confederates, under Breckenridge, Sydney Johnston, and Beauregard, had established a strong line of defense in the West, extending from the Mississippi to the Cumberland Mountains ; their right resting on Mill Spring and Cumberland Gap, with the left at Columbus. Fort Donel- THROWING .lir.-ir THE SCABBARD. 65 son and Fort Henry held the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, while Bowling Green protected the railroads running south of Nashville. Johnston, commanding the Army of North- ern Virginia, covered the James River and Richmond with his left, at the same time threatening Washington. These varied operations, covering as they did so wide an area of territory, betokened a desperate series of campaigns during the summer. Halleck, commanding the Western Federal forces, had been instructed to pierce the enemy's center, and so open the way to Nashville, and recover a part of the Mississippi-river front, as well as the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, then the main route of communication between the Eastern and Western branches of the Confederate armies. McClellan was to take his com- mand up the Virginia peninsula, and march direct on Rich- mond ; while Banks defended Washington, and Pope operated in the Virginia Valley toAvards Culpepper. Burnside was at Newbern on the coast, and Gilmore was besieging Pulaski. In January Thomas repulsed a Confederate assault at Logan's Cross-roads, which compelled the latter to abandon j\lill Spring ; and in the following month Grant captured Forts Donelson and Henry, these victories being followed by the evacuation of Columbus and Bowling Green. With so good a beginning, the campaign opened brightly for the Federals. It only remained for the Eastern armies to achieve like success, to speedily end the war. But the quarrel was not to be decided so easily. During the blustering days of March, the Army of the Potomac moved from Alexandria by transports, and landed at Fortress Monroe, being also greatly reinforced by troops from Maryland and the Susquehanna Valley. Our regiment had spent the winter in Baltimore, and took part in a bloodless campaign under Gen. Dix on the Chesapeake peninsula : so we joined the army with high hopes for the future. Promotion had come to many of our officers, who entered other regiments ; and I now wore the chevrons of a sergeant. For the second time in ten months I found myself on board 66 BULLET AND SHELL. a steamer lying in Hampton Roads, once more the spectator of a busy, interesting scene. Steamers from the New-England coast, Long-Island Sound, the Hudson and the Delaware Rivers, lay here side by side, their broad decks black with troops im- patiently waiting for orders to land. At the old familiar wharf other steamers were being rapidly emptied of their living- freight, a constant stream of armed men marching past the forts. A countless fleet of sailing-vessels were also anchored in the Roads, laden with supplies ; and in the offing several war- vessels afforded the needful protection. In their midst we dis- covered the little queer-shaped Monitor, which had only a few days before beaten off the Confederate iron-clad. Towards the mouth of the James River the submerged masts of two frigates, " The Congress " and " The Cumberland," attested the su- periority of armored vessels over wooden ones. The air was raw and cold when our morning roll was called ; and the men huddled on the deck in their overcoats, hoping to see the sun shine before we came to land. This hope was grati- fied ; for by the time we received our signal to disembark, the clouds disappeared, and the day grew warm and cheerful. Already the armj'^ was on its way up the peninsula ; and as we went into camp on the Newport News road, I could see long lines of troops marching towards our old battle-ground at Big Bethel, their immense trains of wagons toiling through the deep sand in every direction. To us the familiar ground was full of interest, but the pressure of so large an army had obliterated all but the leading landmarks. By the end of a week it came our turn to move to the front, and in the early days of AprU we entered the eanip before Yorktown. Days of inaction lengthened into weeks, and we began wondering at the slow progress made. The army was restive at being thus held in leash in sight of the enemy, though it willingly dug trenches and hauled siege-guns to the batteries. My Zouave comrades were restless at their confinement in camp : so it Avas with almost boyish delight that we received THROWING AWAY THE SCABBABD. 67 orders to go to the fortifications. A day was first spent in the woods, learning how to make gabions and fascines ; and the next night we were furnished witli shovels and pickaxes. The moon was struggling behind a heavy bank of clouds as we silently marched over an old cornfield, until we reached the high bank of the York River, opposite Gloucester Point. With a few ^"^. ^ .\ THE TKENCHES. whitewashed palings from a neighboring garden-fence the out- lines of our proposed battery were laid out in an orchard, and the work of digging proceeded merrily. It was something to do at last ; and the task was greeted as a positive pleasure. About midnight I was sitting on the edge of the long pit, quietly watching my platoon at work, when I became aware of the presence of a small group of officers, closely shrouded in 68 BULLET AND SHELL. their long night-cloaks. The uncertain light given by our lan- terns as they stood hidden in the pit afforded me no clew as to the identity of these visitors, though I felt satisfied they were of high rank. " Good-evening, sergeant," said one of the group, in a musical voice: "you're busy at work, I see." " Yes, sir," I replied respectfully : " the boys are doing very well, considering." " They have dug splendidly ; haven't they, Marcy ? " said the officer to one of his companions. " Look at that cut : it's as straight as a wall." " Sa-ay, sargeant," cried Dennis, as he wiped his perspiring face, "how many guns are they going to put up here ? " " Four, I believe," was my reply. " My man," said the unknown, as he leaned against the trunk of the apple-tree, " how do you like digging trenches ? " " Troth, your honor, it's fine fun at the beginning," replied Dennis diplomatically. "Rather tiresome fun, I should judge," remarked the officer, evidently amused. " You'd think it fun to have to dig a big hole like this before daylight, right forninst the inimy's guns," explained my Irish comrade. " Ah ! I understand. Marcy, don't you think Warren is going a little too deep ? " said the stranger. " Begorra, an' if we keep on much longer, it's my belafe we'll be in Chiny before morning ! " exclaimed Dennis, much to the amusement of his comrades. " Confound your impudence ! " angrily cried the officer ad- dressed as Marcy : " do you know whom you are talking to ? " " Divil a bit ! and what's more, I don't care. Shure, ain't we all one color in the dark?" undauntedly retorted Dennis. " Let him alone, Marcy. The man means no impertinence," said our mysterious visitor. " Well, general, if you will persist in masquerading in this TUROWING AWAY THE SCABBAIiD. 69 way, I suppose we must expect these incidents," replied General Marcy, whom I had by this time recognized as General Mc- Clellan's chief of staff. " Oh, fudge ! I like to see and hear what my men are doing, and how they feel," said the general. " Please forgive Dennis, sir," said I : "he's always getting into a scrape with that foolish tongue of his." " Forgive him ? Why, sergeant, there's nothing to forgive. Good-night, and just tell your Irish friend that General Mc- Clellan hopes he will get into Yorktown before he drops through into China ; " and with a merry laugh the commander of our army disappeared in the darkness. The news that " Little Mac " had visited us soon circulated, and it was wonderful to witness the enthusiasm manifested by the men over their general. The next morning our redoubt was so far advanced that the working-party were entirely under cover, and we continued to finish the details undisturbed by the shells thrown over our heads by the Confederate batteries on the other side of the river. In a week the huge Parrott guns were in position, and we prepared to reply to the favors already received. It was our first experience at real gunnery : so when the four iron mon- sters were discharged, the stunning reports caused considerable confusion, and we actually forgot to watch the effects of our shells. But the artillery officer directing our movements seemed well satisfied, for he ordered the guns to be again loaded. After a little practice we learned the range ; and a day or two after, the artillery captain carefully sighted the pieces, and ordered a broadside. At the simultaneous discharge of our whole battery, we rushed through the smoke of the guns to the ramparts, and saw our four shells explode in a bunch over the water-battery. A moment after, a big column of white smoke rose from the battery, hiding it for the moment from our sight ; and the air was full of flying fragments. " By Jove ! boys, you've done it this time," exclaimed the 70 BULLET ANT) SHELL. captain. " Their magazine must have blown up. See ! the guns have tumbled into the water, and part of the cliff is falling." This feat led to our regiment being transferred to the right of the main line, where we remained in charge of the batteries until Yorktown was evacuated. It was now May ; but, though we had been six weeks in the field, our advance had been lamentably slow. Yet, while our confinement in a comparatively small area told upon the health of the army, there was no grumbling. Surrounded as we were by pestilential swamps, disease was rife ; and, though we had not seen a battle, the hospitals were rapidly filling. Our gen- eral, in protecting us from Magruder's shells, had not cheated Death of his harvest. The army had already lost as many men by malaria as it would have required to seize the earthworks of the Confederates by direct assault. On the night of the 3d of May, I leaned over the breech of my gun, thinking of the bombardment we were to begin on the morrow. All was silent about me, only the hoarse chal- lenge of some sentinel breaking the silence. The moon was hidden by a heavy bank of clouds ; and, in the trenches behind our line of forts, five thousand men lay asleep on their arms. Suddenly a gun was fired from the Confederate redoubt near- est the river, and then another and another followed suit. In a few minutes the batteries opened a furious fusillade, and the air was full of flying shells. It was a magnificent scene ; and I forgot my danger in watching the flashes of the guns and the flight of the shells as they rose in front, and fell in the rear, their blazing fuses betraying their passage. Hour after hour this fierce, unexpected cannonade continued, until at length the mortar-shells began tumbling into our parallels. Captain Harding stood near me as one fell. " Heavens ! But this is getting to be a hot place, Wilmot. Tell the men to shelter themselves in the traverses." " No use, sir. They are all too much excited to lie still," I replied. TUEOWING AWAY THE SCABBARD. 73 " I don't wonder at it : I feel that way myself. I wish we had orders to reply." " Faith, an' we'd make the divil's own row together," said Dennis, who was, as usual, ready to take part in any conversa- tion near him. But we never used the guns we had labored so long to get into position ; for, as the day broke, two or three negroes came along the river-path, and announced that Yorktown had been evacuated. This changed the whole condition of affairs, for the army was at once set in motion. Before noon, long columns of infantry were pushing forward, being far in the advance by nightfall. The unhealthy water and the unusual fatigue had at length its effect, for that night I was stricken down with fever. I remember being lifted into an ambulance, and the awful jolt- ing of the vehicle over the rough road, until insensibility dead- ened my pain. It was with astonishment, therefore, that I found myself, on waking, lying on a rude stretcher in the dark. Trying to discover my whereabouts, a few drops of water fell on my face, which was already dripping wet, and I heard rain pattering on a roof over my head. " Where am I ? Help ! Help ! " I shouted, glad to find my voice quite strong. A light glimmered faintly through a window, and I saw that 1 was lying in an open shed. " Stop that noise. What's all this confounded row about?" said a voice authoritatively. " Shure, it's none of us, at all, at all. It's the dead man out in the shed beyant," replied a Celtic voice. " The dead man ? What do you mean ? " " Why, it's the sargeant that you said was dead, and they've put him in the shed. Troth, he's got a good yell of his own, if he is dead." In a few minutes I was lifted up, carried into the house, and snugly wrapped in blankets on a bed of loose hay. 74 BULLET AND SHELL. "Ton my word, sergeant, you've had a narrow squeak of it," said the surgeon. " How came you to think me dead ? " I asked. " Why, there was every indication of it. That dripping water must have given your system a shock, and so restored animation." " How lucky the roof leaked ! Arrah ! who ever heard that a leaky roof was good to bring a dead man back to life?" said the same Irish voice I had heard in the shed. Looking round, I found it was Dennis. Wondering at the unexpected presence of my Irish comrade, who seemed always near me, and devoutly thanking God for ■. my escape, I closed my eyes. THE DEAD SEKGKANT'S YELL, and fell asleep in the genial warmth of the room. When I awoke the next day, I found the fever gone ; but it had left me so weak I could not rise. Seeing Dennis near by, I asked how he came to be in hospital. " An' do you think nobody but yersilf has a right to be sick? " he asked indignantly. " Shure, while you were lyin' in your tint on the cowld wet ground, a-shakin' wid the faver, I felt me own bones beginning to ache ; and they hadn't taken you away long before I tuk sick mesilf, and they carried m'e here. And that's all there's about it." " Did you know it was I who lay out there in the shed, supposed to be dead ? " "'Deed, an' I didn't. Faix, if I'd 'a' known it, I'd had a wake over ye, though we'd have to do widout the whishky." " But I heard you say it was a sergeant," I persisted with the petulance of a sick man. " How did you know thaf? " "An' listen to him! As if there's nobody else a sergeant but THROWING AWAY THE SCABBARD. 75 himself ! Oh ! but you're proud in your grand sthripes. Shure, they tould me it was a sergeant," said Dennis, coming at last to the point. " Are you getting well ? " said I, amused at my comrade's good-natured loquacity. " Yis : I'm a thrifle better now that I've found you in the land of the livin'," replied Dennis as he wrung my hand and left me. J lay dozing on my rude bed all day, being at length roused into wakefulness by the unexpected sight of a woman's face bending over mine. " How are you getting on, sergeant ? " she asked in a soft, kind voice. " Much stronger, thank you, and a little hungry," I replied, wondering who ray visitor could be. " Come, now, that's a brave sign. Here is some nice soup : see if you can swallow it ; " and the tall lady held a spoon to my fevered lips. The soup was delicious, and I hungrily drank all there was in the bowl. " There, you will do famously now. But you must lie still, and get strength. I'll see you again to-morrow." "Who was that, Dennis?" I asked when my visitor had gone. " How did she come here ? " " Faix, she's an angel dropped from the sky, — that's what she is." " But who is she? " " Shure, she's the daughter of our old gineral." " Daughter of our general ! what general ? " "Why, ould Shoot-him-on-the-shpot Dix, that we left behind us in Baltimore." " Oh, I understand ! It's Miss Dorothea Dix. I've heard of her labors in the Washington hospitals. But she is not Gen- eral Dix's daughter, Dennis." " Well, if she isn't, she ought to be ; and her father ought to be a gineral for her sake." 76 BULLET AND SHELL. " So," said I musingly, " we have an American Nightingale, have we ? " "I say. Master Frank, the faver's getting into yer head again. Shure, there's no nightingales in Ameriky," replied Dennis compassionately. " Confound it, man ! I was not talking about a bird, but a woman. Did you never hear of Florence Nightingale ? " " Divil a word : who was she ? " " Why, during the Crimean war she went out with a corps of nurses for the English hospitals in the field." " Well, sargeant, this is a quare world, to call a bird and a woman by the same name. But never mind, Frank darlin', whether they be Nightingales or Dixes, the women are always to the fore, God bless 'em ! " said Dennis in a husky voice, his honest blue eyes meanwhile filling with tears. BANDAGE AND LINT. 77 CHAPTER VIII. BANDAGE AND LINT. . . . "And everywhere Low voices with the ministering hand Hung round the sick." YoKKTOWN, "Va., May 16, 1862. OTICE. — Every man who is ready and anxious to join liis regiment at the front will report forthwith at the office of the medical director. GEOFFREY WILLIS, Lieut.-Colonel and Medical Director. Such was the qxieerly worded notice I found ';i posted upon the door of our hospital early one morning. I had already regained my strength, thanks to the care of my doctors and a tol- .'av-.^j;^ erably strong constitution. I found Yorktown greatly changed ; for the town had become an immense storehouse for supplies, and the narrow, dusty streets were choked with wagons. Troops still continued to press forward, while steamers carried other detachments up the Pamunkey River towards the White House. The battle of Williamsburg had been fought, followed by a few unimportant skirmishes, so it was evident that a decisive engagement would soon occur. This aspect of affairs made me anxious to rejoin my regiment, for hospital life was irksome in the extreme. The bulletin of our medical director was, however, so odd in its phraseology To BULLET AND SHELL. that I half suspected a joke ; for I knew there were many men who would cling to the easy life in hospital until they were fairly turned out. However, I decided to report for duty. Announcing my intention to Dennis, I was glad to find him as eager to join our comrades as myself. Our house surgeon smiled on being told of our desire to report, and told us to equip ourselves from the accumulated stock of rifles and mus- kets lying in an out-house. Selecting two breech-loading guns and sufficient ammunition, Dennis and I presented ourselves at KEPOKTING TO THE SURGEON. the medical director's office. There were present on the same errand some twenty or thirty other men, all fully equipped for service. "So you men are anxious to go to the front," said the direct- or, smiling over his spectacles in an odd manner, as he stood surveying our little group. Nearly all of the men nodded ; and, seeing that I was the only sergeant present, I assumed the office of spokesman. " We have simply obeyed your order, doctor. I, for one. BANDAGE AND LINT. 79 would like to join my regiment very much. I presume the rest are of the same mind." " I'm glad of it. Now, sergeant, you just see that all the men are in good shape for service ; then form your squad." The task of inspection was soon over ; and, there being three or four corporals, I organized a little company. It was then quite late in the afternoon ; so the surgeon put on his cap, and led the way to the wharf. Arriving there, I was ordered to post sentries, and see that no one went on board the steamer without a pass. " I'm going to send away some sick and wounded," remarked the surgeon ; " and, after we get the steamer loaded, I'll send you to the front." Wondering why the medical director had not taken a guard from the regular garrison, I established the necessary line of sentinels, content with the fact that it was active duty once more. The embarkation of the sick was a tedious one, and it was midnight before the surgeon in charge of the steamer announced that he could take no more. When he did report the fact, our little medical director stopped the line of stretch- ers, and turning to me said, — "Now, sergeant, march your guard on board. You see, I wanted a few steady, willing fellows : that was why I put up such a polite note. You are going to Washington instead of the front ; " and he laughed heartily at the success of his stratagem. My men were delighted at the unexpected change in our des- tination, and went on board the steamer in high feather. We subsequently learned that on the following day every able- bodied man in the hospitals was suddenly drafted on board a transport, and sent to the army : so we lost nothing by our promptness in reporting for duty. The passage up the River Potomac was an enjoyable one, despite the suffering by which I was surrounded. As I was sitting in the stern, Avatching the immense flocks of wild ducks 80 BULLET AND SHELL. gathering in the stretches of reeds preparatory to their migra- tion northward, Dennis appeared, his face beaming with fun. " I say, sergeant, what a lot of sarviuts that officer has, to be shure ! " " Servants? I do not understand you." " Shure, isn't there only wan officer aboard ? " "Yes, only one. But what of that? " " Why, there's a lot of skulkers aboard, and ivery mother's son of "em sez he's the captain's sarvint." " Oh ! we'll soon fix that," said I. Going to the guard-room between decks, I called out the reserve, and arrested sixteen men who were not on the doctor's books. How they got on the steamer was a mystery. On our arrival at Washington, I reported the fact to the surgeon who received the patients, and- was instructed to march them to the provost-marshal's office. There the prisoners were welcomed with cutting politeness, I and my guard being granted passes until the steamer was ready to return. As Dennis and I wandered down Pennsylvania Avenue, he suggested a barber; saying that his chin felt as rough as a stub- ble-field in harvest-time. We accordingly walked into the nearest saloon, finding it occupied by several officers. Taking a vacant chair, I was soon in the hands of an attendant. "Just from the front?" inquired an elderly officer reclining in an adjoining chair, the napkins on his shoulders concealing his rank. " Yes, sir : we came up on the hospital-boat this morning." " One of the Sanitary Commission steamers, I suppose ? " " Yes, sir, — ' The Elm City.' " " Well, and how are affairs getting on there ? " continued my interlocutor. " Pretty well, sir, I believe. When we left Yorktown it was imderstood the advance was making rapid progess." " I'm glad to hear it," replied the officer, rising, and disclos- ing the double stars of a major-general. " Good-day, sergeant." BANDAGE AND LINT. 81 " Who is that general ? " I asked my sable barber. " Dat gebbelman, sah, be Giniral Wadsworth, de gubernor- giniral, sah, of dis yeah city," was his response. Entering the street again, Ave sauntered along the avenue, and at Dennis's suggestion entered Willard's Hotel, where I had stopped while on my way home from the valley. " We can't sell any thing to soldiers," said the barkeeper, evidently as- tonished a t our igno- rance of the regulations ; a group of officers at the counter join- ing in his stare at my demand. " Not sell to soldiers I " I exclaimed: " why, you are selling to these," pointing to the officers. " Oh ! them's officers, not soldiers," he replied. "Begorra, Frank, but he's roight. They don't look as though they ever saw a picket-skarmish, let alone a rigilar scrimmage," remarked Dennis with a merry laugh. In the lobby we encountered General Wadsworth, who shook his head good-humoredly on seeing us leaving the bar- room. "Well, boys, how are you enjoying yourselves? Been after something to drink, I suppose." " Yes, general : we asked for some ale ; but as we are only enlisted men, and do not sport shoulder-straps, we have been WE CAN T SELL TO SOLDIERS. 82 BULLET AND SHELL. refused, though there's half a dozen officers in there already half tipsy." " Well, well, they won't refuse me, so come along," said the old general in a genial way. " A bottle of champagne and some glasses," said he to the barkeeper, ignoring the salutes made him by the officers. "Now, boys, here's to General McClellan and his army. You'll like that toast." " Couldn't have a better one, giniral, if you tried for a week," cried Dennis enthusiastically, as he drained his glass. " Now, sergeant, I'll bid you good-day. Good luck to you both," said the general ; and we finished the bottle. When the military governor left us we were soon surrounded by the officers, and they began pressing Dennis and myself to join them in more drinking. My comrade was nothing loth to do so, and I had some difficulty in getting him safely away. In due time we re-embarked ; the steamer being ordered to proceed at once to the White House, on the Pamunkey River, the new base of supplies for the army. On our arrival I pro- ceeded to the office of the medical director, delivered my papers, and reported myself and guard. "H'm, so you came on 'The Elm City'?" remarked the sur- geon, whose lieutenant-colonel's strap indicated that he was a regular-army officer. " Yes, sir, just arrived ; and I'm anxious to rejoin my regi- ment as soon as possible." "You can serve the government, sergeant, as well on the steamer as with your regiment," said the old surgeon rather gruffly. " Perhaps so, colonel ; but I would prefer the latter," was my respectful reply. " You are highly recommended here for hosj^ital duty, and so are your men. It is not often such a compliment is ]Daid to hospital guards. A soldier must always do as he is bid. You will have to remain on the steamer." BANDAGE AND LINT. 83 "• Very well, colonel. If I must, I must ; but my comrades in the field will consider me a skulker." "• Never mind what they think. Do your duty wherever you find it," said the director more kindly. " All right, sir : I always obey orders." "■ That's right : spoken like a man. Now, sergeant, you are made an acting lieutenant : so put aside your rifle for the pres- ent, and get a sword from that heap over there. You are in military command of the steamer, and I shall hold you respon- sible for the maintenance of good order and discipline on board." I saluted in silence, selected my saber, and returned to the steamer, finding it rapidly filling up with wounded men from the picket-lines. While superintending the reception of the remainder, the crusty old medical director appeared on the temporary wharf, and called me aside. . " Now, I want you to pay particular attention to what I'm going to say," he began. "The surgeon detailed to your steamer is a civilian fresh from private practice, and there are also on board a lot of reckless hospital students. I know very well that as soon as you are fairly down the river, this contract surgeon and his helpers will be itching to operate on some poor devil in their hands. Now, the War Department has very wisely established a rule that no wounded man is to have even a fin- ger cut off unless he gives his own free consent ; or unless mor- tification has set in, when of course it must be done to save his life. I want this rule enforced. Do you understand?" and the old officer's eyes twinkled merrily as he laid a hand on my shoulder. " Perfectly, colonel. If they make any fuss, or resist my authority, I'll clap them under arrest," I replied, laughing at the fun in prospect. " Capital ! You'll do ! " exclaimed the old gentleman, turn- ing on his heel, and marching off with a sturdy step, every inch of him a soldier. 84 BULLET AND SHELL. The complement of wounded having come on board, we dropped down the stream soon after sunset. About ten o'clock one of my corporals reported that the doctor was insisting on cutting off a patient's hand, despite the man's protests. Sur- prised to find the director's warning so soon verified, I hastened to the spot. Entering the ward between decks, a singular scene met my eyes. There were over two hundred pallets in the ward, which was dimly lighted with common ship-lanterns. Near me I could see many of the wounded men sitting up in the uncertain light, excited by the piteous cries of a poor fellow in the cen- ter, who was surrounded by a group of men in citizens' dress ; two extra lanterns among them shedding a glow of light around the bed. Bounding forward, I exclaimed, — " What are you doing ? What is all this about ? " " Oh ! nothing much," replied the surgeon coolly, turning over the instruments in his case : " we're only going to cut off this man's hand, and he naturally dreads the operation." " Have you asked his consent ? " said I. " No, they didn't, sergeant ; and I don't want it cut off just yet," cried the wounded man, looking piteously into my face. "Don't you know that amputations can not be performed unless the patient consents, or mortification sets in ? " I asked the surgeon. " Oh ! what's the use of all this bother ? He don't know what's good for him. It won't take us long. Give him the chloroform, Mr. Meredith," replied Doctor Cole. " You'll not cut off a leg, or an arm, or a hand, on this boat, unless you get the patient's consent. We shall be at Fortress Monroe to-morrow." " Why, you have no right to interfere. I am the surgeon in charge." " We shall see, sir." " Oh, indeed ! " said the surgeon sarcastically. " Corporal Harrison, bring a couple of men here," said I ; BANDAGE AND LINT. 85 and then turning to the surgeon, continued, " Doctor Cole, I simply obey my orders. I am going to place a special sentinel over this man ; and the first person who touches him, except to dress his wound, shall be locked up and kept in confinement until we reach the fort. — Corporal, see that these orders are carried out." This settled the dispute, and I shall never forget the look of gratitude the patient gave me for my interference. I subse- quently learned that his hand was saved by careful treatment, A SUKGICAL OPERATION FKUSTRATED. though he was of course unfit for military dut}'. On our way down the river, Doctor Cole and his assistants met me with black and threatening looks, until Dennis became frightened ; he of course being ignorant of my instructions. " I'm afraid. Master Frank, thim hospital divils will be afther making throuble for ye whin we get to the fort," said he, as our steamer forged ahead on entering the broad, clear waters of the York River. " Don't be alarmed. I know my orders, Dennis." So BULLET AND SHELL. "• By the widder Finnigan's black cat, but I'm glad to hear that ! Shure, the byes were all worrying at thinking that that raiirdhering ould doctor wud get the best of ye." The next morning we dropped anchor in the Roads, the pilot going ashore in a boat to report. Doctor Cole asked leave to accompany him. On arriving at the dock, both proceeded to the office of the medical director, who also happened to be a regular officer. " I wish to make a grave and serious complaint against the sergeant who commands the guard on board my steamer," be- gan the doctor pompously. "Your steamer? Pray, which one is it?" inquired the director quietly. " ' The Elm City.' We have only just arrived." " Oh ! ' The Elm City.' Why, I thought that steamer be- longed to the government," replied the director. " Y-y-es, I know. But I'm the surgeon in charge," explained Doctor Cole confusedly. "Well, what is this complaint of yours?" " He interfered, and prevented my performing an interesting operation ; and he threatened to lock me up if I persisted." " An operation ? What sort of operation ? " " Why, a hand. There were two fingers badly shattered." " And the sergeant interfered, did he ? " " Yes, he did ; and was very impudent about it too." "Did you ask the patient's consent?" " N-no. There was no occasion. How did he know what was necessary?" " And so, sir, you came here to complain of the sergeant. Confound you, sir ! he obeyed his orders, which is more than 5^ou seem to do. What the devil do you mean by leaving your patients without permission ? " thundered the irate director, star- ing the dumbfounded contract surgeon square in the face. " I sup-p-posed it was all right," stammered the doctor, be- wildered by the unexpected change in affairs. BANDAGE AND LINT. 87 " Just like you civilians. Now, sir, get back to the steamer as fast as you can, for she's coming up to the dock in a few moments." I wondered at the changed demeanor of Doctor Cole on his return, and only learned the cause when our pilot narrated the colloquy between him and the director. The latter laughed heartily over my version of the incident, and seemed to relish the grim humor of his White-House colleague. Annoyed at his defeat, Doctor Cole requested to be transferred to Washing- ton. The new surgeon was a far different man ; and while I re- mained in the Sanitary Commission fleet, I had no occasion to again interfere in behalf of the mutilated victims of war. On our return up the river we were joined by a party of ladies who had volunteered to serve on board the boats, and our next trip was to Baltimore. The wounded men were all desperately hurt, and several operations were really necessary. One poor fellow made up his mind to lose his arm, and sub- mitted quietly to the chloroform sponge. As it was evening, one of the young ladies undertook to hold a candle for the surgeon. Passing the ward on one of my rounds, I was struck by the picture. The still form of the man undergoing amputa- tion, as it lay stretched on the table ; the cool, methodical sur- geon, as he stood, knife in hand, rapidly cutting the living, quivering flesh ; the silent assistant, holding severed arteries with bloody but steady fingers ; the steward with basin and sponge, busily mopping up the red life-stream as it flowed from the gleaming knife, — all these features made a group Rem- brandtish in its lights and shadoAvs ; while in front of the sur- geon knelt the fair-haired girl, watching with blanched cheek and dilated eyes the horrible butchery in progress before her. As I approached, the tired surgeon dropped his instruments with a sigh of professional satisfaction, an announcement that the operation was complete. Then for the first time the candle tottered ; and as it fell from the girl's fingers she quietly fainted, lying in a confused heap on the cabin-floor. Bravely had she 88 BULLET AND SHELL. kept up her courage so long as there was any necessity for it ; but the moment the tension was relaxed her womanly nature asserted itself, her physical strength departed. Many a sad scene was witnessed on the steamer during our frequent trips. A big, strong man was brought on board one day with a bullet buried in his skull. He kept talking con- tinually in his delirium, fighting his battle over and over again. From his reiterated words we gained a clear idea of the scene in which he had been an actor. The charge of the brigade upon the guns, the brief hand-to-hand conflict, the struggle for a cannon, all were depicted in feverish language. At last the bullet completed its fatal work ; and death mercifully relieved the soldier of his sufferings, as our steamer was tossed by the wild waters of Chesapeake Bay. This hospital duty became at length insupportable because of its monotony, and I longed to escape from it. The opportu- nity came at last. We had just returned to the base of opera- tions, and I was strolling idly through the canvas town erected by the sutlers, when I unexpectedly encountered my colonel. " What are you doing here, Wilmot ? Where have you been all this time ? " he asked. I hurriedly explained my sphere of dutj'-, adding that I was anxious to abandon it. " Why didn't you come up to the front ? There were plenty of trains.'" "I thought of doing so once, but found a pass was necessary, even to go to the army." " Confound this red tape ! '' muttered Colonel Fletcher. "If you are really anxious, sergeant, to join the regiment, come with me : they won't deny a colonel." "But how can I leave my post? The medical director ti'usts me implicitly : I would not like to lose his good opinion," said I. " Oh ! I'll manage that. I will write to the confounded doctor, and explain every thing," replied the colonel. BANDAGE AND LINT. «y " All right, sir. I'll meet you here on the platform in half an hour, and bring another of our men with me." " Do so : you'll not regret it," said he, evidently pleased with my decision. Returning to the steamer, and telling Dennis to get our rifles and knapsacks, we abandoned the old " Elm City," and never saw her again while in the field. That night I was once more among my comrades, who had wondered what had become of me. But the regiment was sadly changed: many a familiar face was missing; and the ranks were growing slender, for the death-roll was already a long one. The men's faces Avere bronzed by constant exposure, their bright zouave uniforms faded and torn. The morale of the regiment was, however, as high as ever : it was one to be proud of. 90 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER IX. A SAVAGE BOUT. ' Twice hath the sun upon this conflict set, And risen again, and found them grappling yet." . cCLELLAN'S position had now become one of extreme peril. His attempt to push forward towards the city of Richmond, by throwing a part of his force across the Chickahomiuy River, had been promptly met by the Con- federate leader; the result being the disas- trous battle of Fair Oaks. Our general now found himself straddling a marshy stream, with no good line of communication between ^^-^i;'^- ■-■' the divided wings of his army. Massed amid an extensive series of pestilential pools and marshes, the large force still under his control was wholly unable to move with that celerity and precision so necessary for the accomplishment of great results , while the health of the entire command was seriously impaired by its long sojourn in the malarious district. Having advanced so far from his base of supplies, McClellan was compelled to use much of his right wing to protect his communications: the result being, that the main body was sensibly shorn of its strength and effective power. The wretched condition of the roads prevented rapid movement of artillery , and we were in no position to assume the offensive, or even maintain a successful defensive line. The momentum of our advance up the penin- sula had been lost ; and we felt that the army had been placed A SAVAGE BOUT. 91 in a false position in a tactical sense. Still the army had faith in its general, and obeyed every command with a heroism, which, nnder more favorable circumstances, would have secured victory and renown for both. Such was the attitude when I resumed my duties in the regiment. McClellan's left rested upon a morass filled with white oaks, while his right occupied some eminences on either bank of the Chickahominy. Though our left was within a few miles of the James River, neither it nor the Pamunkey afforded any protection to our flanks. Out of the one hundred and fifty thousand men that had composed the army at Yorktown, fully thirty-five thousand had been lost by bullet or disease. My regiment formed part of the right wing under Fitz John Porter, and lay near Savage's Station. The days and nights passed quietly enough , and I enjoyed the change of scene and duty, for this was soldierly work. True, Dennis and I missed the nicer food of the hospital steamer, and my comrade often grumbled over his hard-tack and coffee when he thought of the flesh-pots he had foi'saken , but we were otherwise contented, for both had felt out of place away from the regiment. Besides, we knew that we should soon have plenty of warm work on our hands. On the afternoon of June 26 the camps were startled by a sudden roll of musketry along our picket-line ; and the cry, "We are attacked! " ran through the tents as our bugles sounded the assembl3^ As I took my place behind my company, a ter- rific burst of artillery and musket firing broke out towards the ravine called Beaver's Dam ; and we knew that McCall's troops were being savagely engaged. The attacking force was evi- dently a strong one, for the fusillade of small arms increased in volume and intensity every moment ; and our artillery now began pouring in a deadly fire of shell and solid shot. As we moved up into position, I could see Sykes's regulars pushing forward through a hollow ; and, by the time we had entered the edge of a field of growing wheat, they were forming under 92 BULLET AND SHELL. the shelter of some woods to tlie right. Our pickets were already busy, and it seemed quite certain that Ave would soon receive our share of the assault. " Close up, men ! close up ! " shouted Colonel Fletcher, " and stand steady ! " There was no need of the caution, for every man knew the importance of presenting an unbroken front. Just then three or four regiments came up from the left to take ground on our right. As they passed in our rear, evidently a little shaken by the terrific volleys they were apparently approaching, our colonel indulged in a grim bit of humor. " Attention, battalion ! " he shouted. " Parade rest I " The order was promptly obeyed ; though the men laughed to see the regiment thus put through holiday maneuvers in sight of the enemy, with a column of troops so disordered behind us. Our colonel's coolness, however, had its intended effect ; for the moving column stiffened up, and passed on in excellent shape to the position assigned it. But I had no time for further observation of its movements ; for at that instant the regulars opened a fierce volley, and we began to see the head of the attacking force as it entered the opposite side of the wheat-field. Like a swarm of angry bees, the Confederates poured out of the woods, and engaged the regulars, who soon found themselves outnumbered. They •stubbornly held to their ground, however, until a battery galloped up, and, rapidly unlimbering, opened on Sykes's line with solid shot. Here came our colonel's opportunity. As yet we had not fired a bullet; and, though the men no longer stood at their absurd parade rest, the line was as steady as if on review. The Confederate battery was firing obliquely across the wheat- field, and their balls were flying away from us. Dismounting, Colonel Fletcher waved his hat over his head, shouting, — " Forward ! double quick ! " We saw what was intended, and with a cheer every man A SAVAGE BOUT. 93 sprang forward on the run. The battery was scarcely six hundred yards away ; and, as we dashed through the standing grain, the left gun was suddenly Avheeled about for the purpose of giving us a round of grape. As the gunner withdrew his ramrod, and stepped back to his position by the wheel, our colonel yelled out an order to lie down, at the same moment throwing himself flat upon the ground. We followed his example by instinct, and the next instant the air above us was full of whistling missiles. Scarcely had the report of the CAPTURING A GUN, — GAINES'S MILL. gun thundered in our ears when I saw our colors rise from among the wheat-stalks ; then the regiment resumed its head- long career. Before the piece could be reloaded, we were among the gun- ners, and had it in our possession. Our fellows having been instructed in the use of artillery, several of them seized the gun, and slinging it round sent a charge of grape into the body of Confederate infantry coming up to support their battery. A deadly volley of musketry was their reply, and I saw men fall- 94: BULLET AND SHELL. ing all around me ; Captain Parton, who had commanded the company on the right of ours, lying dead almost under my feet, while the lieutenant-colonel had been carried to the rear badly hurt. We were for the moment in a perilous position ; but our wild dash had disconcerted the battery, and checked its fire, thus enabling the regulars to advance, which they soon did in splendid order. The piece we had captured had been overturned in the con- fusion, and I could see that our right wing was fighting des- perately at close quarters for the one next to it. On seeing the regulars coming up in one direction, and the remainder of our brigade in the other, the battery commander limbered up his four remaining guns, and galloped off to the rear, leaving his right section in our hands. Our reinforcements did not arrive a moment too soon, how- ever ; for, as the battery disappeared, a strong force of infantry advanced. Coming up as they did in the corner of the field, the Confederates found themselves confronted by a cross-fire. Being unable to stand before it, they, too, fell back into the woods. The regulars immediately pushed on, and covered our shattered and disordered ranks. The charge cost us fully one- fifth of our number ; but it won for the regiment a fame which was some recompense to the survivors, while our colonel gained a brigadier's star for the action. But the battle was not yet over; for as we fell back with our prizes I saw bright sheets of flame break out on our extreme right, and run along rapidly towards the rear. It was now getting well on towards evening, and the flashes of the mus- ketry made the darkness appear all the more intense. But what could this wheeling line mean ? "I say, Wilmot!" exclaimed Corporal Foster as we stood watching this fresh outburst, " that looks as though we were being outflanked." " Impossible, Sam ! The enemy surely could not get so far round us." A SAVAGE BOUT. 95 " Faix, I dunno," remarked Dennis, leaning thoughtfully on his rifle: "I'm beginning to belave any thing of thim Ribs. They're loike Mother Maloney's flea : you never know when you have 'em safe." The rolUng musketry increased in volume and intensity every moment, and it was evident that our line was slowly falling back. Then we saw lines of wounded coming towards us, >feiMi:"it^:^'.:'' THE IRISH BRIGADE TO THE RESCUE. which seemed strange, as Savage's Station lay in the other direction. '" Forward, ye divils ! " shouted a Celtic voice in the hollow below us. Looking down, we saw the Irish brigade. General Meagher at its head, coming along at a jog-trot. Despite the gathering darkness, I could see that the men's faces were set as though they knew that something desperate was in store for them. As the brigade reached the higher ground, I saw the 96 BULLET AND SHELL. general turn in his saddle, and wave his sword over his head. The appeal was answered by a wild cheer ; and the brave fellows went forward at a tremendous pace, dashing into the woods where the battle was fiercely raging. Just at that moment our own brigade was ordered to re- form : but the firing along our immediate front was not heavy, so our regiment lay at the edge of the hollow, comparatively quiet ; though it was trying work, listening to the shells of a battery posted on a knoll in our rear, for they were firing over our heads, and riddling the woods on the other side of the fields. The night came ; yet the scene was full of light, caused by the rolling musketry and the rapid discharges of the four or five batteries still at work. But, despite its desperate resistance, our line was being overlapped more and more every minute, and the Confederates seemed to be carrying every thing before them. " This is sad business, sergeant," said Captain Harding : "Savage's Station is in the hands of the Confederates, with all our sick and wounded." " How about our stores at the White House ? " I asked, re- membering the immense quantities of supplies I had so often seen on the banks of the river. " Oh ! they're all gone, I suppose. We're cut off from the White House entirely now." " I knew we would get into a devilish mess among these confounded swamps ! " exclaimed Burch, our first lieutenant. " Why we ever came here is more than I can understand." " That will do, Burch. You are always grumbling," responded the captain. " We might as well be here as anywhere else." " But wouldn't it have been better to hold on to our sup- plies?" I asked. " Now we have no base." "True ; but they say we are fighting Stonewall Jackson, who has come in from the Valley," replied Captain Harding. " Yes : we are like rats in a trap," grumbled Lieutenant Burch in his customary dissatisfied tone. A SAVAGE BOUT. 97 By this time the troops on our right were rapidly falling back ; and soon after the Regulars came up, showing that a general retreat of the entire right wing had really commenced. Then orders came from our brigade to move on. As we did so I looked back, and could distinguish the first line of the enemy coming forward in good style. Just at that moment a column of our cavalry dashed across the plain, and disappeared amid the smoke. Forgetting for the time that my regiment was in motion, I stood still, and watched the result of this last despair- ing charge. In a few minutes a broken band of horsemen came flying back with ten or twenty riderless animals among them. As they galloped past, I also saw that three pieces of a battery were being abandoned for want of horses to drag them off. Finding that the ground I was standing on was becoming untenable, I ran on and overtook my regiment. We maneuvered to and fro all that night, sometimes on firm solid ground, sometimes in treacherous swamps. Now and then we were saluted by the Confederate pickets, answering them blindly with scattering volleys. Every thing seemed in confu- sion : none knew precisely where we were, or where we were going. The miserable roads were choked with cannon, ambu- lances, and wagons ; the denunciations of the drivers, and the shrill cries of the affrighted mules, adding to the horrors of the night scene. So great was the press that it seemed as though every vehicle was locked with its fellow. In many instances the artillery, in attempting to pass these trains, became mired in the soft, soggy earth ; sometimes being compelled to abandon a gun as it sank almost out of sight. Even the infantry found it difficult to gain firm footing ; and, for my own part, I was soon covered with mud and sand. Moving hither and thither in the darkness, we could hear the piteous cries of our wounded ; yet we could not help them, and we knew the next moment might see some of us added to their number. Just then a new feature was added to the scene, for a bright light had suddenly shot up into the sky. 98 BULLET AND SHELL. "What can that be?" exclaimed Corporal Foster. " It must be the stores on fire at the White House," I re- plied. "Quite right, AVilmot," said Captain Harding: "Colonel Fletcher has just told me so." " Then, we're in a pretty fix. But it's just what I expected," said our first lieutenant. " Why, Burch, at it again ! " laughed the captain. The flames grew brighter and brighter, until the horizon was red with angry light. It was serious business for us, because the destruction of these stores was proof of the critical position of tlie army. Then we began our memorable march to the James River. For seven weary days we fought from early dawn until far into the night, marching from the right to the left, each corps and division going into action after traversing in turn the interior line of the army. In this way the line' of battle broke away from the right, and was extended on the left. Battle after battle was fought, until we ceased counting the engagements. Along the ridges and hills we formed in line, and withstood the assaults of our antagonists. We struggled through swamps, and waded swollen streams, as we changed one position for another. Amidst a hellish confusion of sounds Ave fought on : the shrieking shell, the whistling bullet, the dull booming of distant cannonading, the sharp rattle of musketry a few rods away, the groans of the wounded, the frenzied shouts of wagon- drivers, the blows of ax-men, the crash of falling trees, — through it all we marched and countermarched, hardened in feeling, vengeful at heart, fighting with the courage born of despair. On the second night, after another desperate struggle, orders came for our corps to cross the Cliickahominy River. About eight o'clock my regiment was roused up, and sent on ahead to the bridge nearest the line of battle. We were to keep the column in motion ; no man being permitted to halt on the A SAVAGE BOUT. 99 bridge, even for an instant. At ten o'clock the head of our division made its appearance, two other columns crossing on the bridges just beyond a bend in the sluggish stream. For four long hours the troops pressed on, the trains holding the center of the road. With a few torches to define the outlines of the bridge, we stood there, urging on the laggards, or lending a helloing hand to some half-wrecked vehicle. Wagons, cannon, pontoons, and ambulances, artillery, cavalry, and infantry, all pushed, on, pell-mell, with that painful haste incident to a retreat. As the first faint streaks of dawn reddened the tree- toj)s, French's division came up at a swinging gait. Scarcely had the rearguard reached the other bank of the river when the engineers began destroying the bridge. We were all safely across, and the army was once more re-united. But we had left our dead and wounded behnid us, the ground where they fell being strewn with abandoned weapons. As our regiment moved away from the bridge in search of our brigade, I felt a pain in my right foot , which became at length so irksome, I was glad to sit down, and ascertain the cause. A spent bullet had torn open the counter of my high laced shoe, and bruised the flesh. When I had been hit I knew not, for the excitement and constant movement had prevented my noticing it before. The bullet was safely embedded be- tween the flesh and leather, and I experienced decided relief on cutting out the bit of lead with my knife. I did not dare to unlace the shoe ; for my foot was already so swollen, I was satisfied I should not be able to get it on again. Slipping the battered bullet into my pocket, I limped forward, determined to keep up with the regiment as long as possible. Any amount of physical suffering was preferable to being made a prisoner. What with the pain of my foot, the constant marching, and frequent halts for battle, the next four days and nights passed like a troubled dream. I knew we were in the reserve line at Cold Harbor, and on the left of the main line at Malvern Hill : I afterwards remembered the incessant cannonading which 100 BULLET AND SHELL. marked the latter engagement, and that once during that afternoon I was roused by Dennis in time to be on my feet when our brigade opened a withering fire on the enemy. Den- nis, indeed, insisted that when he slipped into a treacherous hole among the swamps I saved his life by a timely grip of his arm ; but I had no recollection of the incident. Beyond the few episodes already mentioned, all was a blank. Wet through to my skin, without food for days, in an agony of pain, my foot feeling as if imprisoned in a vise, and my shoe filled with sharp, cutting sand, I staggered on, half-crazed, until at length, on the 3d of July, our corps emerged from the woods, and we found ourselves in a broad, open field of standing wheat. " The James River I The James ! " shouted hundreds of voices, the welcome cry being taken up and repeated again and again. It was indeed the James ; and, as we moved across the field, I could see the gunboats lying in the stream. Soon after we had halted for camp, our naval vessels began shelling the woods along our front. Despite my pain, I slept soundly through the night, my foot feeling stronger and easier for the rest. Dennis had been missing nearly all of the previous day ; but he now re-appeared, his absence explained by the segment of a ham and a bag of biscuit he triumphantly displayed before my eyes. " Where did you get them ? " I cried hungrily. "Why, whin I found yesterday there was going to be no more foighting, I made up my moind to forage a bit : so I wint down among the wagons and bought these." " You are sure you bought them ? " said I a little doubtfully. "To be shure. Troth, I'd 'a' shtole thim if there had bin no other way to get 'em. But I came acrost a countryman of moine, — a Munster man, — and he let me hev the whole for a foive-dollar bill." " Well, he charged you enough for them, though he was a countryman," I remarked, laughing. " Och! to the divil wid the money! What does it matter, so A SAVAGE BOUT. 103 long as we don't starve?" replied Dennis disdainfull)-, as he busied himself getting breakfast ready. " Sergeant Wilmot, you're detailed for guard-duty at the general's headquarters,'' said the sergeant-major, coming up, and sniffing at Dennis's broiling ham. " Guard-duty ! Why, it's only a few days since I was there on guard," I exclaimed, annoyed at the unpleasant prospect. " I know it, Frank ; but every sergeant above you on my list has been killed, wounded, or is missing. So your turn comes round again in a hurry." " Very well ; but I am in a bad trim for headquarters duty." " We're none of us great dandies just now," replied the sergeant-major, glancing at his own soiled uniform. "But what's this you've got for breakfast ? " " A bit of ham and some sutler's biscuit. Sit down and join us, Fitzgerald," said I hospitably. " That's an invitation not to be slighted. I've not had any thing yet beyond a cup of coffee," replied the sergeant-major, sitting down, and joining in the appetizing meal. An hour later I was marching with my guard to General Fitz John Porter's headquarters, where I discovered that my command did not number over half the strength of the one I had relieved. I accordingly proceeded to the adjutant-general's tent to ask that the number of sentinels might be reduced. " I have only forty men, sir," said I ; " and there are now over twenty posts. Can't we reduce the line ? " " I am afraid not, sergeant. How came they to give you so few men ? " " I don't know. I took all that were detailed." "Well, you must do the best you can," said the adjutant. " It will be awful hard work for the men," said I, turning on my heel to rejoin my command. " Hold on, sergeant ! " exclaimed an authoritative voice. Turning again, I found myself before General Porter. " I've heard your request. It is a very reasonable one : so 104 BULLET AND SHELL. use your own judgment. Cut clown the posts to ten if you can." "Thank you, general. The men will be pleased, and do all the better duty," I replied, saluting, and limping away. " Here ! come back, sergeant," exclaimed the general. I obeyed, wondering what was the matter now. " What makes you limp ? Are you wounded ? " " I got a spent ball in my shoe, sir, on the other side of the Chickahominy ; and it has made my foot very sore," was my reply. " Has any one examined it? " he asked kindly. " Not yet, sir. I've not dared to take the shoe off." " But why didn't you report for hospital ? " " Oh I they would laugh at me with only a broken shoe and a sjient ball." " I don't know about that. It may be more serious than you imagine," said the general. " My surgeon shall look at it by and by." When the surgeon did come, he announced that gangrene had set in, and tortured me with lunar caustic until I thought my foot was on fire. General Porter sent me a good supper, and the next morning gave orders that I should be carried in an am- bulance to Harrison's Landing, where the Sanitary Commission fleet were receiving patients. When the new guard arrived I had a sorrowful joarting with poor Dennis, and soon after reached the wharf Halting before the medical officer to give my name and rank, I saw it was the White-House director from whom Dennis and I had run away. The old colonel rec- ognized me at once. " Ah, ha ! So here 3'ou are, Mv. Runaway," he exclaimed in a sarcastic tone. " Well, don't you wish you had staid with me?" " No, indeed, sir. I would not have missed the late move- ment for any thing," I replied. " Don't you think you would have been better off on ' The A SAVAGE BOUT. 105 Elm City,' than tramping through those dreadful swamps, and coming here with a smashed foot ? " " Perhaps so, colonel ; but I prefer the swamps." "I've a good mind to put you under arrest for deserting your post," he exclaimed with a frown on his face. " Oh, no, doctor ! You only arrest contract surgeons, for try- ing to cut off a man's fingers," I replied saucily, for I knew he considered the incident a great joke. " Ha, ha ! so I do. Well, sergeant, here's your pass. Now go aboard the steamer, and God bless you, my brave boy ! " That night the steamer dropped down the river; and soon after, I entered on hospital life in Baltimore, not seeing my regiment again for some months. 106 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER X. AGAIN IN HARNESS. ' It was a goodly sight To see the embattled pomp.' In Camp under the Mountains, Va., Nov. 4, 1862. EAR WILMOT, — I am glad your foot is getting strong, for we miss j^ou very much. You would have enjoyed our campaign in Maryland if you had come out of it with a whole skin as I did ; but our poor regiment has suffered terribly. At Ma- nassas we got into an awful hole, and, out of five hundred and forty officers and men, came off the field with less than three hundred. Adjutant Bu- ford was killed almost at the moment we went into action ; for he was struck in the chest by no less than five bullets, while we were all scrambling out of a ditch by the side of the railroad. Captain Waylaud got a ball in his l)rain soon after, and we also lost Lieutenants King and Gellett ; while among the wounded were Captain Joyce and Lieutenants Butler, Healy, and Martin. So you see, the recruits they have sent us are very welcome : yet we do not muster more than five hundred even now ; for at Antietara and Sharpsburg we lost nearly sixty in killed and wounded, and didn't see much of the fighting either. Poor Beaseley was killed at Antie- tam by an unlucky bullet ; and, as you were away, I had to make Phillips our orderly-sergeant in his place, but that won't stand in your way for promotion. Colonel Fletcher is now a brigadier ; and as Lieutenant-Colonel Doran died recently of the wound he got when we charged that battery in the wheat-field at Gaines's Blills, Major AGAIN IN HARNESS. 107 Lloyd is now colonel. Captain Purcell wears the silver leaf of a lieutenant-colonel, and your humble servant is major. Sergeant-Major Fitzgerald is to be adjutant, Lieutenant Dickson is captain of Purcell's company, and that old growler Bureh is of course your captain. A whole batch of commissions is expected every day, and General Fletcher sent in your name for a lieuteuantcy as a reward for running away from that hospital-ship. But you must be in the field to be mustered in as an officer, so the general hopes you will be able to report for duty before we move again. Come right away, and bring a uniform and sword with you. Dennis Malone was made a corporal yesterday, and is always talking of you. I shall expect to see you in a few days. We go into camp to-morrow, near Warren- ton. Yours faithfully, THOMAS HARDING, Major —th N. Y. Vols. To Lieutenant Frank "Wilmot, Laiyht-street Hospital, Baltimore, Md. I had already become impatient of my hospital confinement; and, as I could now walk about, I had already begun thinking of returning to the regiment. Our surgeon shook his head whenever I spoke of it, and urged me to be patient for a few weeks longer, as my foot was still very tender. The major's kind letter, and the announcement that I was to be promoted, decided the question, however ; and I insisted on being allowed to go. Finding me determined, the surgeon put my name on the list of convalescents ; and the next day I was on my way to the army. Arriving at Alexandria, opposite Washington, I found the town bustling with excitement, it being the temporary base of supplies. The streets were full of wagons, and long trains of them were moving toward Fairfax, on their way to the army. At the railroad depot, cars were being filled with ammunition, spare cannon and caissons. Everywhere there was bustle and excitement, and it was easy to see that an important campaign was contemplated. Already I caught the influence of army life, and felt its fascination as strong as ever. Clambering to 108 BULLET AND SHELL. the roof of a train, I had hardly settled myself for my rough ride, when I found the cars in motion towards Centerville. Events in the field, both East and West, had moved rapidly during my absence from tlie regiment. Lee left McClellan as soon as the latter had encamped his troops on the James, and attacked Pope, then holding the line of the Rapidan. Pope made a running fight as he hastily fell back before Lee, from Culpepper to Centerville. Washington being threatened, Mc- Clellan was summoned to Alexandria with his army. Though it was impossible to win a victory by the union of two half- demoralized armies, the battle of Manassas was fought in haste, and, being lost, was repented of at leisure. Flushed by success, Lee then boldly crossed the Potomac, and advanced as far as Frederick City, in Maryland, before any check could be interposed. Stonewall Jackson seized Harper's Ferry with an independent column, the garrison surrendering without firing a shot. Startled by this change in the game, the Government placed McClellan in command of all the Federal forces from the Peninsula and the Virginia Valley, when he undertook to drive the enemy back. By a clever counter-movement on South Mountain, McClellan succeeded in outflanking Lee, forcing him to fall back to Antie- tam. So well had McClellan got his troops in hand, that when he gave battle at Antietam his onslaught had a momentum which compelled Lee to retreat across the Potomac. The lack of supplies and clothing prevented the Federals entering upon a vigorous pursuit ; but when the commanding general did get his army in condition to move, he at once re-crossed the Poto- mac, his troops full of courage. However, McClellan had scarce- ly entered on his projected campaign, when he found himself supplanted by Burnside , and he never entered the field again. Li the West, Bragg started out on a raid through Kentucky, but, being foiled in his advance on Cincinnati, consoled himself by declaring Kentucky a Confederate State. The battle of Corinth had occurred during our advance up the Peninsula, AGAIN IN HARNESS. 109 and some progress had been made towards opening the Mis- sissippi. Memphis had fallen, and the Confederate lines were being narrowed. Halleck being summoned to Washington, the command of the Western armies fell on the shoulders of Grant, who now held Corinth, Grand Junction, and Memphis. But the prospect was by no means an encouraging one ; for a new levy of troops had been found necessary, leading to a pernicious system of bounties. Even the Confederates were dissatisfied ; as their armies were now tasting of the bitterness of defeat, and the severity of the ocean blockade was begin- ning to be felt. In fact, both sections were learning that the war would be long and tedious. Despite the half-wrecked condition of the railroad from Alexandria to Warrenton, my ride to the front was an enjoya- ble one. As we neared Fairfax, after passing through the line of forts occupying the line of hills near Alexandria, signs of the presence of an army multiplied. Enormous trains of white canvas-topped wagons thronged the stony and hilly roads. Pain- fully crawling up the steep inclines, or plunging madly into the valleys, these wagons covered the face of the country like a colony of ants, indicating by their numbers the extensive scope of the quartermaster's department. Here and there, nestling among the hills, were encamped detachments of troops employed in guarding the railroad ; and on our reaching Cen- terville, I found more forts, more troops, and a perfect sea of wagons. I was at length in the Virginia Valley, and approach- ing the outskirts of the army. But, beyond the presence of a few cavalry pickets, which were scattered over the plains of Manassas, I saw no large body of troops until we reached Warrenton Junction. This part of the route was full of interest to me, for it was the first time I had seen the ground since the war began. On leaving Tom Marshall, I had saun- tered through this section of the country in tolerably happy mood. Now how changed was the landscape ! The country was destitute of timber; the fences had dis- 110 BULLET AND SHELL. appeared ; and in many places even the dwellings were gone. The smiling roads I had tramped over, with their hedges full of summer flowers, had been obliterated by the march of armed hosts ; and where the plow had turned the furrow for a harvest that was never to be reaped, unsightly earthworks frowned over the barren, deserted scene. The ravages of war were visible everywhere, and thousands of dead men lay only half covered by the earth they had fought over. Even the birds were mute, for the thunders of the battles had driven them to the mountains. Brown, bare, and silent, these desolate plains bore striking evidence of the destructive weight of contending armies. At length I caught sight of tents, and, looking up the valley towards the Rappahannock River, saw that every bit of rising ground was occupied by troops. At the Junction a few of the convalescents on the train left us to join their commands ; the remainder going to Warrenton, where the main body of the army was encamped. By the time our train cleared the confused group of sheds and tents at the Junction, the shades of evening had begun falling. As the light of day faded away, the darkness was strangely tempered by a subdued glimmer, the reflection of which rose high in the heavens. It was caused b)- the camp- fires of the great army, like the glow over a distant city. I was indeed approaching a city, — one built of canvas, which at an hour's notice could disappear, only to spring up again miles and miles away. A sharp turn in the road brought our train out of a belt of woods, and a moment after the immense camp of one hundred and fifty thousand men lay revealed before us. Viewed from the roof of our swaying car, as it rattled over the rudely laid rails, the scene was a wonderful one, even to me, accustomed to such sights. For miles, as far as the eye could reach, up and down the valley, the troops occupied the land. In broad bands, scattered clusters, or dense masses, the ,?^^;^ i'^\ ^^JmnJii AGAIN IN HARNESS. 113 tents occupied every available bit of ground; and, as every tent was illuminated by the lights within, their outlines were distinctly visible in the gathering darkness. It seemed more like a glimpse of fairy-land than a scene in real life. Thousands of camp-fires lent additional brilliance to the picture ; while high above our heads the sky was full of reflected light, which seemed to throw the mountains beyond into deeper and darker shadow. The sounds of many voices filled the air, mingling with the discordant braying of hungry mules, or the more musical neighing of artillery and cavalry horses. Above this confused murmur of sounds, rose the thrilling notes of the headquarter bugles, as they rang out in silvery cadence the usual evening calls ; then the monotonous roll of the drums came to my ear, like the bass notes of an organ, as they beat the tattoo. Amidst all these stirring sights and sounds, the train kept on its mad career until the scream of our locomotive- whistle drowned both bugle and drum by its piercing voice, rudely waking me from my reverie to discover that we were entering the town of Warrenton. On descending to the platform, every bone in my body aching from the effects of my rough ride, I saw it would be difficult to find my regiment in the darkness, so decided to bivouac for the night near the depot. From the drivers who thronged the platform, I learned that the whole army was now massed to- gether, and a general movement daily expected. Wrapping myself in my blanket after a meager supper, I once more slept on the soft earth, waking bright and refreshed early the follow- ing morning. Magnificent as had been the scene over night, the camps were fully as picturesque when viewed by daylight. The sun had just touched the tops of the mountain range, and wrapped them in a mantle of golden light, as I halted on some rising ground beyond the town, and gazed at the wilderness of canvas before me. Right in front lay the tents of my own corps ; and, as the mists rose under the warm rays of the sun, they revealed 114 BULLET AND SHELL. the breakfast fires of the men, while farther on more camps extended until lost in the distance. Noisy as had been the evening, the sounds were now of greater volume and diversity. The bugle and the drum were again active as they summoned the troops to the duties of the hour; and black dots in the landscape betrayed the presence of the assembling companies. Trudging over the dusty road, my heart grew light under the influence of these martial sights and sounds; and I felt a strange feeling of joyfulness at being once more within the limits of the army. The glamour of military life had again fallen on my eyes ; and I forgot the cruelty and horror of war in the presence of its pomp and magnificence. After a walk of nearly a mile, I at length reached our camp, receiving a hearty Avelcome from my comrades. The feeling in the army at the sudden removal of General ^NIc- Clellan, on the eve of a new campaign, was one of great bitter- ness ; for the general possessed that personal magnetism which makes popular leaders. The army entertained a great respect for Burnside, but it was felt that our old commander owed his fall to the machinations of the politicians at Washington. However, we had become seasoned by the heat of battle, and, being soldiers, were content to do our duty under any com- mander. To my surprise, the army remained in camp where I had found it, for nearly a week after my arrival ; Captain Burch having ample occasion for indulging in his favorite propensity for grumbling. At last orders came to move ; and by the middle of Novem- ber the entire army was on the march, in three grand divisions, under Sumner, Hooker, and Franklin, arriving a few days after on the banks of the Rappahannock River, near Falmouth. Our pickets reported a strong force of Confederate troops on the other side of the river, and the next day we saw lieavy masses occupying the heights beyond the city of Fredericks- burg. It seemed foolhardy to attempt the passage of a river in AGAIN IN HARNESS. 115 the presence of such an antagonist as Lee, yet that was what our general decided to do. Two or three days were lost in useless maneuvers, as if to give the enemy ample time to assemble his army, and fortify his position. Finally a feint was made below the town, which came to nothing ; the fact being explained by General Fletcher, telling us that there were no pontoons. " There we go again ! " grumbled Captain Burch. " Always some delay. Those confounded pontoons will cost us a thou- sand lives." " Yes," said Major Harding ; " and when they get you into hospital, I hope they'll mend your temper as Avell as your body." The pontoons arriving at last, preparations were made on the morning of Dec. 10 for crossing the river. Scarcely had the pontoon-train made its appearance on the bank, when a furious fire was opened by the Confederate pickets , a few light batter- ies being also brought into play. Our own artillery then came into action, thus presenting the singular spectacle of a battle being fought across a river for two or three miles of its length. Our brigade was now ordered forward to support and protect the engineers while at work. We soon reached the place where the upper bridge was being laid : so our regiment was thickly planted in the fringe of bushes along the top of the bank, finding a sharp shower of bullets flying over our heads as we fell into our places. The engineers went coolly to work, being partially hidden by a fog ; and, as boat after boat was launched, it was rapidly placed m position, until it seemed as if the bridge was bodily growing out of the river-bank. Under a galling fire of mus- ketry, these men chopped and hammered as quietly and steadily as they would in a workshop or shipyard ; but every few minutes some brave fellow would drop his ax or hammer, and slowly limp away, or be carried off by his comrades. Still the work proceeded with celerity, until it was nearly half-way across. 116 BULLET AND SHELL. Then the men found they could no longer stand before the destructive storm of lead that was pouring on the structure. As they retired, the reserve artillery of over one hundred guns began bombarding the city ; but even this terrible iron hail did not silence the Confederate riflemen lying so snugly behind the stone wall on the river-bank. Accordingly, a new movement was decided upon : our regiment was to cross the river in boats above the bridge, while another did the same below. With a wild cheer, our men ran down the cutting that led to the half-finished bridge, and leaped recklessly into the pontoon- boats awaiting us. As we pushed off on our perilous venture, our infantry on the bank behind us began a tremendous dis- charge of musketry, the batteries on the slopes beyond filling the air above our heads with percussion-shells. This had the desired effect ; for the fire of the enemy's riflemen visibly slack- ened, though frequent cries and groans in our boats showed that it was still effective. " By the powers above ! " exclaimed Dennis, as he crouched at my feet. " This is the worst yit. Whin I 'listed for a soger, it's little I thought I'd ever be a marine." " Never mind, Dennis," said I : " somebody had to do this. It's an honor for our regiment to be selected." " The divil fly away with the honor, say I ! It's bad enough to be killed by a bullet, but I don't fancy being drownded into the bargain," muttered Dennis in a dissatisfied tone. The distance from the end of the bridge to the opposite bank was fortunately very short; and as our boatmen verily plied their oars for their lives, we were soon on terra firma. As each boat struck the bank, the men sprang into the water, and began clambering up with rigid faces and bloodshot eyes. When my boat came up, I shouted to my men to follow me, at the same instant leaping over the gunwale. In a few minutes more we were at the top of the bank, as with a ringing cheer the regiment drove back the Confederate pickets. It was sharp work, though, while it lasted ; and we could see AGAIN IN UARNESS. 117 a column of infantry coming down to meet ns. But our sup- ports were prompt in joining us, so we were able to present a tolerably solid front. While we were thus employed, the work of building the bridge had been resumed, and proceeded so rapidly that we soon heard the steady tramp of the advancing columns over its completed span. In half an hour, sufficient 118 BULLET AND SHELL. troops had arrived to drive in the main line of the enemy, and the number of our forces increased every minute. The river had been seized. Considering the hazardous duty performed by the regiment, our loss was comparatively light; my company losing only three men, none of them killed, though the companies on the right, which had been the first to cross, suffered more heavily. The dead and wounded were sent back in the returning boats, and word was passed for the men to lie down and rest. The sun had by this time grown sufficiently strong to dispel the mists, and the slight hoar-frost on the ground also disap- peared. The Confederates had evidently abandoned all further effort to prevent our army crossing the Rappahannock, for we now held undisputed possession of the city. Hour after hour I sat on the bank, watching the troops tramping over the bridge, while down the river I could see the other grand divisions mov- ing across. Seeing these thousands of brave men advancing to do battle, I thought of those who would never return ; for many of them were fated to find graves on the slopes beyond the town. But they were all in high spirits, laughing and joking with one another as if going to a frolic instead of a deadly engagement. By two o'clock that afternoon the entire army was over the river, and our pickets were savagely at work outside the limits of the city. The field-batteries that had come over with their several corps were now taking up position on the right and cen- ter ; while the tremendous mass of heavy artillery assembled in front of Falmouth was again beginning to thunder, sending a perfect storm of shells into the enemy's lines. We were not slow to understand the tactics of our opponents ; for already the heights back of the city were alive with men busily intrenching themselves, the tops of the range of hills frowning with batteries. To face such a line of fire would be a terrible task : still our army coolly prepared itself for the ordeal. As the sun was nearing the horizon, our brigade was called up, and we marched through the streets of Fredericksburg. AGAIN IN HARNESS. 119 Long lines of wounded men were passing to the rear, and the frequent relays of hospital stretchers attested the severity of the conflict already begun. A continuous roll of musketry sounded sullenly on the left ; and then we heard a faint and distant cheer, as though some advantageous position had been seized. Beyond this we knew nothing of the results attained. Every house in the city had been abandoned by its inhabitants, the streets being littered Avith fragments of household property, evidence of the haste with which the residents of the unhappy town had endeavored to save something from the threatening- destruction. Shells were falling everywhere, both from our own and the Confederate batteries ; crushing in roofs, overturn- ing chimneys, shattering windows, and filling the air with dust and flying splinters. In one street a house had caught fire just before we came up ; and a party of pioneers were fighting the flames, which were, however, quite beyond their control. " Halt ! " cried Colonel Lloyd in obedience to a signal given by an officer standing in the street. While we were wondering at the order, a column of white smoke suddenly enveloped the burning house, followed by an explosion. Then we saw the entire building rise in a mass, flying a second after into a mil- lion fragments. "Faith, an' that's the way they do the blasting on the avenoo," exclaimed Dennis, as loquacious as ever. " But it's the first toime I ivir saw a house blown up with gunpowdher." At that moment we heard our colonel's voice, urging us for- ward. With a fierce cheer we dashed over the burning wood, and, entering a side street, marclied until we were nearly clear of the town. There had been some mistake, however, for we came to a position already occupied by troops : so the brigade faced about, and, turning down a narrow lane, started towards the right near the river-bank. This movement brought our regiment in the rear of the column. As we were about enter- ing the lane, an aide came tearing up the street, wildly gesticu- latinor with his sword as he leaned over his horse's head. 120 BULLET AND SHELL. " Halt ! halt ! " he cried on coming within speaking distance. " For God's sake, colonel, bring your regiment, and follow me." The order was i^romptly obeyed; and away we went after the staff-officer, wondering what new peril was threatening. As we reached the main street leading to the bridge, I caught sight of a mob of men running disorderly towards us down the hill. It was a panic-stricken regiment. " Stop them ! for Heaven's sake, stop them ! " exclaimed the aide hoarsely. " Stop the cowards, if you have to shoot them down ! " " Halt ! " shouted our colonel in a stern voice. " Fix bayo- nets I " The rattle of steel was heard, and the men without further orders gathered in solid line to receive the fugitives. I now saw that it was one of the new regiments ; and I noticed a mounted officer, probably their colonel, riding in the midst of the mass, slashing furiously right and left with his saber. Those who were in the advance saw our leveled bayonets bar- ring their passage to the river ; but it was too late for them to stop, the pressure behind being so great, that, despite efforts of our men, several of the dazed fools were impaled on the rows of glittering steel. For a second our column of veterans gave way before the impact of the flying regiment, but soon recov- ered its ground, and the disgraceful rout was checked. The colonel, evidently an old army officer, was fairly beside himself with rage, and continued to ply his saber savagely on the heads of his men, as he bitterly cursed their cowardice. Finally he dropped the point of his sword, and burst into tears. " My God ! I'm disgraced for ever ! " he exclaimed in a chok- ing voice. " Curse you, for a lot of cowardly curs ! You deserve to be led out and shot, every man of you." " How did this happen ? " asked Colonel Lloyd. " Why did they break in this shocking way ? " AGAIN IN HARNESS. 121 " I had jnst got them into Ime with the rest of our brigade," replied the discomfited commander, "and we were advancing in tolerably fair shape, when a shell burst over the battalion on our left, and knocked over a score of men. At sight of this my left company wavered, and, before we could check them, finally broke, and ran towards the rear. The whole regiment followed suit, like a flock of sheep going over a wall. If you hadn't happened to be at hand, I doubt if they would have stopped this side of the river." " Well, don't be discouraged," said Colonel Lloyd : " it's their first fight, I suppose. When they really get under fire they will do well enough." " Curse them ! Only let me get the cowards fairly within range, and I'll take them into the very jaws of that hell yon- der ! " exclaimed the old veteran impetuously. "Colonel, the general wishes you to bring your regiment back to the line," said another aide, riding up. " How the devil am I to get them there ? They'll be all run- ning away again." " I'll help you," replied Colonel Lloyd quietly. " Just you start them, and we will follow." By this time the routed regiment had partially regained its formation ; the men apparently beginning to be ashamed of themselves, for they listened to the vituperations of their offi- cers in abject silence. Obeying the command of their colonel, the battalion broke into column and marched up the hill, we following at a short distance. I could not help pitying the poor fellows in the ranks, for they were evidently destined to be severely punished for their conduct. By stampeding, many a man now moving toward the battle-field had sealed his own death-warrant ; for I knew very well that the regiment would be pushed forward without mercy. Entering a side street, the disgraced regiment moved out over the field beyond the town, marching in tolerably steady order 122 BULLET AND SHELL. towards the position assigned it. On, on, it went. A gap in the line opened, bnt the doomed battalion passed through. A fierce volley of musketry burst from the low foot-hills, and I saw the regiment begin to melt before the terrible storm of bullets. The colonel waved his sword a second, then reeled in his saddle, and fell dead beneath his horse's feet. It was a ter- rible example, but a necessary one ; but sad to see so brave a colonel sacrificed for his men. Colonel Lloyd now gave an order, and we started back to find our own brigade, but were again stopped by instructions to act as a sort of provost-guard in the streets of the city ; the bat- talion being soon scattered by detachments, busily employed in protecting property and driving stragglers towards the front. The firing along the main lines had now greatly slackened, and it was evident that some change was being made in the dis- position of the assaulting columns. Heavy bodies of infantry were seen moving towards the extreme left, while others rein- forced the center under Sumner. It grew dark soon after, and though the troops were in constant motion far into the night, they moved in silence , the only sounds that came to the ear being the pattering shots of the opposing pickets, as they kept up an aimless fire amid the darkness. Our company was now summoned to escort some prisoners to the rear, so we saw no more of the army until it had re- treated across the river. We were thankful for our escape, though our captain grumbled as usual because we had missed the disastrous engagement which shattered the army and drove its general from his command. 123 CHAPTER XI. '■ Behold in awful march and dread array The long-extended squadrons shape their way." URNSIDE had been succeeded by Hooker, and the winter had passed quietly. The woods — ' and forests which had hidden the corps and ' division camps when first established had now all disappeared, for the axes of the soldiers had swept away every tree and shrub for their fires. The entire country was bare, not even j^the shade -trees in the fields being spared. !<' Barns, out-houses, fences, trees, all were gone : even the gardens were obliterated. The rav- ages of war had withered every thing. With the beginning of February, signs of a new campaign became visible. Supplies of every kind poured into the lines of the armies, the hospitals were rapidly empty- ing, and the ranks of the regiments filled up amazingly. Then the grand review — the usual prelude to a general movement — took place. It was a clear, warm morning when our brigade started for the rendezvous of the army on the plains of Falmouth, opposite Fredericksburg. On our arrival, we found the entire command on the ground, preparing for tire review. The plateau selected sloped gradually to the river, with here and there a few slight dips in tlie ground on the right. The cavalry were in front ranged in solid masses, by regiments and brigades ; and as our 124 BULLET AND SHELL. regiment took up its allotted position, I saw that the infantry to the right and left were rapidly forming in like order. There were four lines, two corps in each ; the regiments standing like blocks with their colors in front, while the batteries of artillery were placed in the open spaces between the divisions. Our brigade happening to be stationed on the highest point to the left, I could see the whole army as it stood marshaled in grand array, on a plain fully two miles square. The sun was shining bright and warm as orders came for the men to rest, the slight breeze being just sufficient to stir the heavy silken folds of the regimental colors as they waved in their tattered elegance. It was a scene for the genius of a Vernet, with all its martial glory, and wealth of color. The bright rays of the sun flashing on a hundred thousand bayonets and sabers, as they were moved at the word of command ; the picturesque field-batteries, the dashing cavalry, and the long, dark lines of infantry ; the parti-colored banners of the corjDs, division, and brigade commanders, bearing their strange devices of star, crescent, and cross, — were the salient points in this liv- ing, animated picture. It was war in all its pomp and circum- stance ; and as I watched the sunlight play in dalliance on the burnished steel of gun-barrel and bayonet, or followed with curious eye the passage of the clouds, throwing their soft shad- ows over the assembled host as the breeze carried them swiftly over our heads, I began to feel all that warm delight and enthu- siasm that comes so naturally to a soldier at a time of holiday and parade. Here was a mighty army, ready for combat and campaign, marshaled in all its massive strength and power. As my eye wandered over the striking scene, my cheek glowed at the brilliance of the scene and the magic of the hour ; though I knew this grand review to be but the prelude to a long sum- mer of fatigue, danger, and privation. We had arrived about the hour of noon ; and, so well timed were all the arrangements, there was no confusion, no hesita- tion. Regiments and brigades and divisions formed with a pre- A FEINT. 127 cision due to long practice and perfect discipline, so that the several corps fell into line with marvelous rapidity. As we thus prepared for the final ceremony, I could see on the heights beyond Fredericksburg (which a few weeks before we had vainly tried to win) long brown lines. It was the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia gazing at its opponent in the field. There, no doubt, were the eyes of Lee, of Longstreet, and of Jackson, all fixed upon us. Seldom has an army moved in review before such spectators. There was no battle threatened, though the two armies were face to face. We were enjoying the brighter side of military life : the darker aspect was to follow in the near future. Let us enjoy our holiday while it lasts. In a few weeks we must meet those brave men in butternut, in a death- struggle. Both armies were equally brave ; and while the one paraded to receive the President, the other watched with curious eyes the splendor of the pageant unfolded before it. As I leaned on my sword, waiting for the signal that was to tell us that the review had commenced, I wondered if Tom Mar- shall was on those heights ; and my thoughts wandered back to the happy days in the Valley, and I saw again the old home- stead, the sweet, saucy face of Kate. Thus meditating on the past, and the change that had taken place, I was recalled to the duties of the present by the report of a field-piece. It was the signal. On the extreme left of the front line I had noticed a tall flag- staff, from which fluttered a huge ensign. As the sound of the gun died away, the flag fell and rose again. Then we saw the flash and smoke of another cannon ; and, as its booming came to our ears, a third was fired. An aide now went galloping along the front of the cavalry. Next the bugles sounded the " boots- and-saddle " call, and I saw the eleven thousand horsemen mount their steeds. Scarcely had the lines grown steady, when a battery stationed near the river began firing the national sa- lute. On the instant we heard a hoarse command, and a broad 'flash of light swept along the cavalry corps as the men drew 128 BULLET AND SUELL. their swords from their scabbards. Amid the smoke of the saluting battery, I saw a tall figure on horseback ride toward the center of the line. It was the President ; and at his side rode an officer we knew to be General Hooker, while behind them galloped his brilliant staff. As the President rode forward, color after color fell in obedience, and now and then a solitary sword dropped as the generals tendered their salutes. On, on, galloped the brilliant cortege, until the rolling ground hid it from our sight. Then the infantry bugles began their clamor, and our lines grew rigid. When the President came riding back, there were more flashes of light as the brigades presented arms, and the colors waved tumultuously in the increasing breeze. Up one line and down the other galloped the chief of the people, and I could distinguish Mr. Lincoln's face as he drew nearer and nearer our line. To the shrill note of bugle, and the measured roll of drum, our corps now stood ready to give salute. "Present — arms!" cries our colonel hoarsely; and, as the men's muskets pass from their shoulders to the front, I lower the point of my sword, and for a moment see a tall form crowned with a high black hat, and an erect soldierly figure, gallop past, side by side ; and now the staff go thundering by. "Shoulder — arms!" and the men remain like so many statues, until I hear the clatter of hoofs behind us. As these sounds die away, the order to rest is again given, and we watch the closing scenes. By and by the cavalry get into motion, wheel SAviftly into column, and begin counter-marching to the left. Next the lines of infantry break into column ; and an hour after our own turn comes, and we are in motion. As we reached the route of marching review, I could see, over the heads of my men, a long line of troops extending over two miles in the distance, moving toward the reviewing stand. At length we come to a signal-flag. We are approaching the President as he waits to see the army march by in solid, im- pressive array. A FEINT. 129 " Guide right, shoulder arms ! " cries our colonel over his shoulder ; and a minute after our regiment pushes forward with steady, swinging step. Following our colonel's example, I drop my sword in salute, and once more catch a glimpse of the President's face as he raises his hat in honor of our tattered, faded colors. Then comes the order to quicken our steps ; and, as we dash on at a headlong pace, we know the review is at an end for us. The days lengthened into weeks, until at midnight of an April Sunday we learned that the long-contemplated movement would begin at daybreak. The campaign had at length com- menced, and the troops were in high spirits as they prepared for the march. Extra ammunition and ten days' rations were served out : so we knew that it was a long and fatiguing march we were entering on. We were on the road by three o'clock, and kept moving forward, with few halts, until four in the afternoon ; having by that time reached the summit of a hilly ridge we recognized as leading to the fords on the upper Rappahannock. " I say, Wilmot, I'll have to sup with you to-night, for that confounded pack-horse of mine is somewhere in the rear." " All right, major : you are quite welcome," said I. " I come to you, Frank, for I know you are always well pro- vided," continued Major Harding, throwing himself beside the little fire where Dennis was cooking supper. " Shure, major, ye know ye're quite welcome," said Dennis. " But we've only got some fried bacon and an omalate to offer ye." " Bacon and omelet ! why, Dennis, that's a supper fit for a general, let alone a poor major who has lost his baggage. But how in the name of wonder, Wilmot, did 3'ou manage to carry eggs on this hurry-scurry march of ours to-day ? " " Oh ! I know nothing about it," I replied. " I am so accus- tomed to Dennis's surprises that I positively forgot to inquire. — How did you manage, Dennis? Tell the major all about it." 130 BULLET AND SHELL. " Well, ye see, major clear, whin thim ordhers came for us to move last night, I had just been down to the sutler's and got three dozen eggs; and as the leftinant and me only ate a dozen for our breakfast at daybreak, why, I saved the rest for our supper ; " and here Dennis gave his frying-pan a turn, believing that he had fully explained the whole matter. " But how did you save them, corporal? You couldn't carry two dozen eggs in a haversack over twenty miles without breaking them all," persisted Major Harding. "Shure, I broke every one of 'em before starting: they carried safe enough after that," replied Dennis. " Will you never come to the point ? " said I. " What do you mean by breaking eggs and carrying them afterwards ? " " Well, ye see, leftinant darlin', I broke the eggs in a pan, and thin poured them into a canteen, and our march stirred them up illigantly for the omalate ; " and, as Dennis spoke, he gave the mess a clever toss in the air to turn it. "Who but an Irishman would have hit on a plan like that?" remarked the major, taking the boiling coffee-pot off the fire. "It's glad I am, major, that you think all Irishmen aren't fools," said Dennis, dishing up the rude omelet. " Fools ! " replied the major, " I never saw an Irish fool in all my life. No, Dennis, Irishmen are far from being fools ; though I must say they lack wisdom sometimes." " That's what they used to call at school a distinction without a difference," said I. " But come, let us eat Dennis's canteen omelet before it gets cold." " An' don't be afi-aid of it. Shure, there's more left where it come from," added Dennis. " Well, major," said I, after we had discussed our supper, "what does this movement mean? " " It's intended to be a secret at present. But enough has leaked out to show that it is a flank movement on Lee's posi- tion. We are to be joined at the ford above by the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps." A FEINT. 133 "A flank movement, eh? Then, that accounts for our early start and this hurried march, our small supply-train, and so many rations on the men's shoulders." " Yes," assented the major ; " though it don't explain the absence of my pack-horse." " Oh ! never mind : he'll turn up in the morning." "I hope so, for we are to make a bold push to reach the Rapidan." " The Rapidan ! why, we can scarcely do that." "We must. General Fletcher said those were the orders. "We are to cross the Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford, and then make a forced march to the other river. If we succeed in doing what is laid down for us, Lee will be surprised in more ways than one." " I hope so," said I. " It would be a splendid stroke." " Yes, indeed. But I'll bid joii good-night, Frank : I'm in command of the pickets to-night." The corps was roused without sound of bugle or drum before daylight the next morning ; and as the sun began reddening the eastern horizon, we were already on the road. We made a long and painful march that day, over a rough and stony road ; finally halting at nightfall a mile or two below Kelly's Ford. Our start the third morning was not so early ; but we reached the ford by nine o'clock, finding the other corps already across the river, and waiting for us to join them. As we descended the long winding road down the hill towards the pontoon-bridges, I saw that the column was a complete army in itself. Besides the three corps of infantry, I could discern a strong force of cavalry in the advance ; and we passed some of the reserve artillery as we stumbled down the steep incline. Here were, at least, fifty thousand men of all arms: so the movement was indeed an important one. Hurrying across the frail bridge, our corps was soon bivouacked in the fields reserved for us. While the men were thus resting, Gen. Meade made his 134 BULLET AND SHELL. appearance at the head of his staff. When the men of his old corps caught sight of their commander, they greeted him with a joyous cheer. As the hurrahs rose in the still morning air, they were caught up by the other corps, and repeated with vigor. The general seemed surprised at first, but, soon recovering him- self, spurred his horse forward as if to escape the enthusiasm of his troops ; but the act only intensified the ardor of the welcome. The gray-haired and spectacled veteran then rose erect in his stirrups, rode proudly through the surging lines, and, lifting his cap high above his head, galloped bareheaded out of our sight. The scene vividly recalled the McClellan days to my mind. But there was no time for cheers or ovations ; for, soon after our general disappeared, the entire force was put in motion. Our corps was destined to strike Ely's Ford, the other two being headed for the Germanna. The distance across the tongue of land lying above the junction of the Rappahannock and the Rapidan was scarcely twelve miles : so we reached the latter stream by sunset, halting in the stony road for our pon- toon-train to come to the front. The stream proved too strong for our frail canvas boats, so the idea of a bridge had to be given up. Orders were accordingly passed along the line for the men to prepare to wade the river, swollen though it was. The scene that ensued was a hilarious one. Officers and men marched sturdily into the river, until nearl}^ all were breast high in the cold water ; being compelled to hold their weapons, ammunition, and food above their heads. It was quite dark when our brigade began crossing. Laugh- ing and shouting to each other, the men plunged into the icy water as though they were schoolboys on a frolic. There were no lights to illumine our watery path ; and as I waded I thought of Bunyan's description of the River of Death — but here Death stood waiting on the other side of the river. Many a man now laughing merrily was destined to fill a soldier's grave in the tangled woods beyond. A FEINT. 135 It was very cold as we emerged from the water, and clam- bered up the steep and slippery bank : so our general was com- pelled, despite the needful secrecy of our movement, to permit fires, in order that his men might be in condition to fight on the morrow. We had gained a foothold, however ; and, as our presence must be revealed at daylight, a few hours made but little difference. Gathering fence-rails and brush-wood, the troops built big CROSSING ELY'S FORD, RAPIDAN RIVER. fires, and danced merrily in the grateful heat. Wild shouts and occasional cheers made the night air vocal ; and as I stood dry- ing my clothes I could see by the lurid light of our fires that the remainder of the corps was still making the passage of the river, it being midnight before the rearguard got across. Up the river there was more light, showing that the other corps had also been compelled to ford the stream. Finding my uniform thoroughly dried, I followed Captain 136 BULLET AND SHELL. Burch's example, and wrapped myself in a blanket for sleep. But the men were too excited for rest, and they gathered round the fires discussing the movement. " I tell ye what it is, b yes," exclaimed Dennis, — " ould Meade's a trump. Won't Lee wake up in the mornin' whin he hears our guns bangin' away at his back door I " " You're right, corporal," replied Sergeant Foster. " But I'm afraid they'll see our fires." " Well, an' fhat if they do ? Shure, Hooker will be moving in on their front. Thin we'll have the Ribs between us." "Of course the main body will be moving. But if those bridges hadn't failed us we would not have needed those fires," replied the sergeant. " Arrah ! thin we'd have missed our hot coffee," said Dennis. " Bother your coffee ! " retorted Foster. " Wouldn't it be better to lose our coffee and make a complete surprise ? " "Stop that talking," exclaimed Captain Burch pettishly. "You men had better go to sleep instead of bothering your heads about our general's plans." " All right, cajitain darlin' : shure, won't we find it all out in the morning ? " said Dennis ; having, of course, the last word, as he coiled himself before the fire, and lapsed into silence and slumber. The fires began to smolder, the darkness grew heavier ; and I finally fell asleep with the shouts of the artillerists and wagon- drivers sounding in my ears as they urged their horses and mules through the river. When I awoke again the sun was shining bright and warm above the trees. FOREST STRATEGY. 137 CHAPTER XII. FOEEST STRATEGY. ' Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt : Nothing's so hard but search will find it out." HEN our column got in motion, after a hurried breakfast, we found the road from the ford in the possession of the artillery and our trains : so we pushed bodily through the tangled un- dergrowth on either side. After struggling ,^ ^^^ forward for an hour the corps emerged from IVSf] ^.. the labyrinth of vines and creepers into a di- lapidated plank-road, which intersected the dense woods on a line as straight as an arrow for two or three miles ahead. Passing a clus- ter of half-ruined houses, known as Robert- son's Tavern, we pressed on until late in the afternoon, when the command was ordered into bivouac among some young oak-woods. By this time we had lost all trace of our bearings. As yet there were no signs of the enemy, so the situation was becoming both exciting and interesting. The next day was Friday, the first of May, and the fifth since we had broken camp at Falmouth. It was evident that the expected battle Avould soon occur; for our movements were now slow, and marked with caution and deliberation. We were early on the move, marching slowly up the road for a mile or two, when we suddenly entered the fields around the Chancellor mansion, where I learned General Hooker had estab- lished his headquarters. Here we found the Second Corps 138 BULLET AND SHELL. massed, and General Fletcher informed us that the Third would probably be up before dusk. " Then this is the main body of the army," I remarked. " Yes," replied our brigadier. " Being largely reinforced, we have changed positions." "But, general, I thought we were to attack Lee on his flank," " That was the intention when we crossed the river," replied the general. " But something has changed the plan." " We seem to have wasted much valuable time since we reached this side of the river: why is it?" " Wiser heads than j-ours have asked that question, Wilmot. Even generals do not understand it." The column now began moving across the open ground, and our brigadier spurred forward to his position in the line. Turning sharply to the left, we passed the Chancellor House. On the piazza stood General Hooker, his clean-shaven face wear- ing that look of supreme confidence so characteristic of the man. Leaning against one of the pillars the general watched our corps march past ; but he received no greeting from the men, for there was a feeling in the ranks that a valuable oppor- tunity had been lost. Citizen soldiers are quick to perceive errors and resent them ; for when men come out to light for principle they want no experiments, and will not tolerate inde- cision or timidity on the part of their leaders. The army had begun to doubt its general, so it was not surprising to see a corps pass him in silence. Once across the fields, we entered a road that pierced a bit of woods on the right, soon after cross- ing a marshy creek, and again came into some open country. As the head of our division emerged from the woods, I saw a few dots of smoke, and knew from the sound of the dropping shots that our line of skirmishers were going into action. In the hollow just behind them I noticed the first division under Griffin forming in regular line of battle. General Sykes, our division commander, then galloped forward to select our position. FOREST STRATEGY. 139 we following him on the rim. Scarcely had we quickened our footsteps than the guns of a Confederate battery opened a rapid fire on our advancing column from the edge of the woods at the other end of the fields. At first we received shells, which flew high above our heads; but finding the distance too short they sent us solid shot, almost at point-blank range. Whiz ! whiz ! whiz ! went the iron balls ; and a dozen heads near me involuntarily ducked as the flying missiles flew close. Bang, bang ! whiz, whiz ! now the shot came faster and faster ; but they did no harm, so the men trotted along with steady, rapid step. At last the gunners got the range. As our regiment passed over a rise in the road, I saw that the shots had taken effect ahead, for there were several men down ; and when we reached the spot where the balls had plunged through the ranks of the leading brigade, there were six or eight men lying dead in the roadway, and twice as many writhing in the ditches on either side. But it was no time for faltering, so on went the division at a headlong pace. As we passed these dead and dying men, our brigade left the road, and began forming in line of battle in the field ; the woods on our right being occupied by more troops. It now looked as if we were going to engage the enemy in earnest ; for the skir- mishers were firing furiously, and our batteries began shelling the woods in front. "Halt! Lie down!" cried Colonel Lloyd, as he caught the call from our division bugler. We Avillingly obeyed the order, for our sharp run down the road had winded the men. The rest was of short duration, however : for the lines in the woods on our right began to move forward ; and our leading division advanced steadily across the fields, closely following the skir- mishers, who seemed to be rapidly driving in the Confederate pickets. We were soon called to our feet again, and the line marched forward in support ; the third division coming down the road and taking position behind us. "Lieutenant Wilmot," said Major Harding, as he galloped 140 BULLET AND SHELL. along the rear of our regiment, "the colonel desires you to take a few men, and set fire to that hut by the roadside : Gen- eral Fletcher thinks it helps the enemy's batteries to get our range. Be quick about it, for those confounded guns are doing a great deal of mischief." "All right, sir: I understand," was my reply as I summoned three or four files to fall out of the ranks. Though I had pur- posely omitted calling Dennis, I was not surprised to find him at the head of my little party, as we ran towards the hut. " I didn't call you, corporal. Why did you come ? " I asked. " Av coorse ye didn't. Shure, didn't ye know I'd come wid- out callin' ? " replied Dennis naively. "You should always wait for orders. You are constantly doing the wrong thing." " Arrah, leftinant darlin' ! don't be angry wid poor Dinnis. Don't ye know I'd walk through fire and water to sarve ye ? " And the cunning fellow spoke in the wheedling way he always adopted when found fault with. I said no more, finding it useless ; though I felt provoked, for it had become a recognized fact in the company, that, wherever Lieutenant Wilmot went. Corporal Malone was sure to be near at hand. We had only a short distance to go, and on reaching the hut of course found it empty and deserted. It had evidently been a negro-cabin, for there was only one room with a sort of rude loft overhead. The logs composing the walls were old and dry ; and my men busied themselves in collecting some broken fence- rails, to build a fire near the chimney. Standing in the door- way, watching the progress of the work over Dennis's shoulder, I was startled by a sudden crash on the roof, — a few of the rafters and rough shingles tumbling about our ears. "Marciful powers I An' what was that?" exclaimed the corporal, ruefully rubbing his cheek, which had been struck by a piece of a broken rafter. "It was another of those troublesome round shot," said I. FOBEST STRATEGY. 141 " The general was right in thinking tins shanty a fair mark. Hurry up, boys, and get a fire going." " Begorra ! an' if that ugly bit of iron had come in at the windy instead of the roof, some of us wud be dancing a jig by this time," remarked Dennis. " Or lying dead on the dirt floor," said I. " But there, that will do. The logs are in a blaze. Come, men, let us join the regiment." Scarcely had my party emerged from the hut, when we heard another cannon-ball go whizzing through the air, followed by a crash which told us it had struck the blazing hut. This time the projectile had hit the side wall, and torn a ragged gap between the logs. It was a narrow escape. We had left the hut just in the nick of time. " The saints presarve us, but we'd the blessed own luck that toime!" exclaimed Dennis as we all involuntarily shuddered, and gazed at the shattered wall. "Troth, an' that hole will make an illigant draught for the fire, anyhow." " The deuce take you, Dennis ! " said I, laughing. " Only an Irishman would have thought of that. We have had a lucky escape, men, and must now overtake our regiment as soon as Ave can ; for here comes the third division on our heels." But there was no need of any hurry: for before we reached our command the line had halted, and did not advance any farther ; the evident intention being to make a feint in strong force, and so maneuver for position. The artillery-practice continued for half an hour on both sides, with very little result in casualties, and then slackened until only two or three of our guns were at work. While leading my party back to the regiment, we had passed over the abandoned position of a battery belonging to Gen. Griffin's division ; the deep furrows cut in the sward by the wheels of the pieces showing that it had been in action there. A broken caisson lay on the ground, and the dead body of an artillerist beside it told the story of a Confederate shell. The sight presented by the torn and dis- 142 BULLET AND SHELL. figured corpse was a horrible one, but we had no tune to reflect upon the man's fate. After reaching our places in the ranks, there was a great deal of marching to and fro, to very little purpose as it seemed to us ; and it was quite dark when we were given an opportunity to rest, finding ourselves among some young pines towards the left of the fields. The men contented themselves with a few of their crackers, no fires for coffee being permitted. After waiting for over an hour, we received orders to fall back to the creek we had crossed during the day ; and on reaching it the corps formed in line along its banks, the others march- ing to the rear, straight up the road to the top of the hill, on the crest of which they began erecting a strong line of breast- works. " There'll be no coffee for us, jSIaster Frank," said Dennis, as he sat beside me after our line had been formed. " Of course not," I replied. " We can not have fires : they would reveal our position." " Well, if we can't have hot coffee, we'll be contint wid cowld chocolate," responded Dennis mysteriously. " What do you mean now, Dennis ? Some more of your commissariat surprises ? " " Shure, a cracker and a chunk of chocolate cake will be bet- ter than nothin'. I've got a bit in my haversack I saved for a rainy day like to-night ; " and Dennis handed me a generous share of the cake. " Upon my word, Dennis, you're a genius ! This couldn't be improved. I really don't know how I should fare if it wasn't for you." "Oh! I'm a janius, now, am I?" replied the corporal in an injured voice. " Than, why the divil do ye always be a-scoldin' av me because I always thry to kape near ye, loike this after- noon whin we burned down that artillery target of a hut ? " " Well, well. I'll not find fault with you any more, Dennis. But now that you are a corporal, I don't think it quite right for FOREST STRATEGY. 143 you to be my cook. You know I can not induce you to accept payment for the service." " An' is it money ye wud offer nie ? Don't ye always pay for the extras we get, and haven't I the same as yersilf ? Share and share alike was yer own words. Troth, Master Frank, an' I'd often go hungry, as the rest of the boys sometimes do, only for you." " Oh ! if you balance the account in that way, I've no more to say. But what's this? You have two haversacks now. One seemed enough this morning. Where did you get the other ? " " Why, I stumbled against it down the road, a bit ; an' it's half full of sugar." " And are you going to keep it? " I asked. " How the divil can I foind the owner now ? " he cried. " It's an officer's, because there's so much sugar. As for kapin' it, there's Bobby Wilson, he lost all his coffee and sugar whin we wint swimmin' in the river. I'll give him half of it, and share the rest among the boys. But I'll kape the shpoon, though." "Ah! there's a spoon, is there?" " Yis; an' an illigant silver shpoon it is too; an' it's got one of those things on the handle, we used to see on the quality's coaches in dear ould Dublin." " I suppose you mean a crest? " " Yis. That's it. There's a crown wid a shield undher it." " A crown ! Then it's an old relic. Was probably picked up in Fredericksburg last December." "Maybe so," replied Dennis: "but I got it in the road, so I'll kape it." At that moment Colonel Lloyd walked along the line, caution- ing his officers to keep their men awake, but silent. He also directed that the men put their knapsacks on. This was proof to us that an attack or a movement was anticipated. As I lay on the carpet of decayed leaves, I could hear the men whispering among themselves, their half-distinct words 144 BULLET AND SHELL. making the enforced silence all the more oppressive. Two hours passed ; and I was almost forgetting the order about keep- ing awake, when Dennis clutched my arm. " Hist, leftinant ! Didn't you hear any noise ? " " No. Did you ? " "I thought I heard a twig snap, beyant there, across the creek." " You must have been half asleep, Dennis, like myself. A broken twig don't signify much." As I spoke, however, the sound of a man slipping and floundering into the water could be distinctly heard. " There, now ! " exclaimed Dennis, " I knew it was a man." " It must be one of our stragglers trying to find the road," I replied. " Now, yeou uns ! North Carry-lin-ians, there ! From fower ranks to tew ranks, right smart. G-i-t-t ! " cried a strange voice among the trees on the other side of the creek. It was the Confederate line advancing upon us I The effect was electrical ; for on the instant, and with one impulse, the men of our brigade sprang to their feet, and poured a sudden and murderous volley across the creek. As the crash of the guns died away, we could hear infantry precipitately retreating among the trees and brush. Then followed the groans of the wounded. Our brigade volley set the rest of the corps to emptying their muskets, and it was several minutes before the fire slackened. As we received no counter volleys, it was evident that the Con- federates had been misled by our fires on the hill, and walked unwittingly into our line while forming their own. As our position was now revealed, orders came for the men to cut clubs with their hatchets, and hammer on the standing timber. This and the felling of a few trees by ax-men made a very good imi- tation of a chopping-bee. Whether it deluded our antagonists, or not, we could only conjecture. FOBEST STRATEGY. 145 Midnight came without any more aLarms or musketry, and we received orders to move silently to the rear. '•' What's up now, major ? " said I as my old friend passed me, while the men were getting ready. " We are going to fall back, and take a fresh position. The main line is on the hill," he replied : " we have only been acting as a blind." " There seems to be a great deal too much of these feints and blinds," I remarked. PASSING THE SLEEPING CORPS. "Why, Frank ! are you taking a leaf out of Burch's book? " said the major. " Oh ! I'm not grumbling ; but the men are not fools, and they are getting tired of this forest strategy." " Well, well. Let us be patient. Mind, the orders are to make no noise." The movement was executed very silently. So careful were the men, that they carried their tin cups in their hands lest the utensils might rattle against their bayonets. Stealthily the fifteen thousand men composing the Fifth Corps marched up 146 BULLET AND SHELL. the steep hill, leaving no sound behind them. There was something Aveird in this hurried, silent movement of so many armed men, whose muffled tread had a ghostly sound. There was no moon, and the stars were hidden by clouds : but there was sufficient light reflected from the Avatch-fires on the hill- top for one to distinguish the outlines of the trees on either hand ; and I almost fancied there were leering faces on their shadowy trunks, for my eyes were haggard from want of sleep. Half-way iip the hill, we passed a new picket-line ; and I ascertained from a sentinel that it belonged to the Eleventh Corps. On the crest there was an excellent barricade, behind which the main line of the corps was sleeping in long, double rows. Pushing across the fields, we passed some more troops lying in reserve, and next half a dozen batteries snugly parked. With the exception of a few sentinels scattered about here and there, all the men were fast asleep. Leaving these dreaming warriors, the corps now entered a belt of pine-woods; and, passing down a narrow road for nearly a mile, we went into position and line-of-battle. A picket-line was thrown forward; and then the exhausted men flung themselves on the ground, and slumbered. A NIGHT OF TERROR. 147 CHAPTER XIII. A NIGHT OF TEKEOK. ' O niglit ! when good men rest, and infants sleep, Thou art to me no season o£ repose." AWOKE finding the day far advanced. Every thing had been quiet along the lines during the night, save a few muttering shots from ^, some distant picket-post. No orders had been received ; and, hidden as we were among the pines, no one seemed to know our exact posi- tion in the line, while a few impatient spirits ' began to imagine that we had been forgotten. To me the prevailing silence was oppressive ; for I could not forget that these dense and tangled woods contained nearly a quarter of a million of men ready and eager to fly at each Once I fancied that I heard distant cannon- ading ; but, as no one else could distinguish the sounds, I soon forgot them. "Well, Harding, what's the news?" said Captain Burch about sunset, as the major strolled over to where we were lying on the crisp pine-needles carpeting the ground. " Good news," replied the major. " They say the First and Sixth Corps have crossed the Rappahannock below Fredericks- burg, carrying every thing before them." "Then that was cannonading you heard, Frank, after all," remarked Captain Burch. others' throats. 148 BULLET AND SHELL. " I thought I was not mistaken," said I. " But, major, how far have they carried every thing?" " They've already taken the city and a portion of the heights beyond, and are still pressing the enemy hard." " Then, why the devil don't we get to work here ? " exclaimed the captain, finding fault as usual. " Why, we haven't fired a single shot to-day, and scarcely heard one, either." " There's a good deal in what you say, Burch," replied Major Harding. "But I make it a rule never to criticise. There may be good reasons for this inactivity. We don't know all the circumstances attending our movements." " I don't care. I think it's a " — Neither Major Harding nor myself heeded the close of Cap- tain Burch's angry exclamation ; for at that instant a sudden and terrific crash of musketry broke out on our right. Judg- ing from the constancy and volume of the volley, it was quite evident that something serious had happened. "What can that be?" said the captain, forgetting all his spleen in the surprise of the moment. "A sudden assault by the enemy, no doubt," replied the major. " Well, Burch, you can't grumble now at not having something to do. We are likely soon to have all we can attend to. By Jove ! that musketry is simply terrific, — awful work going on somewhere ! I wonder where it is. " The fusillade of small arms continued with unabated inten- sity and vigor for several minutes more, until it seemed to be coming, like a mighty wave, nearer and nearer ; while the racket was now increased by rapid cannonading. Affairs were beginning to look serious, and both officers and men fell into line without orders. There was no telling when we should be called upon to assume our share of the conflict. As we stood silently listening to the roar on our right, an officer of our brigade- staff rode up, his horse plunging and crashing through the trees. " Colonel Lloyd, we are to move to the right. Please make haste ! The whole corps is in motion." A NIGHT OF TERBOE. 149 " By the right flank ! forward ! " shouted our colonel, " double quick ! " We obeyed the colonel's order, as the aide disappeared to repeat his instructions down the line ; and dashed through the trees in column, the low dead branches of the pines whipping and cutting our faces until we were half-blinded. Finally we came to one of those wide paths so common in Virginia woods ; and as our regiment entered it, I could see that for nearly half a mile ahead the road was full of hurrying troops. Here the pace became even more rapid; and our colonel seemed half- mad with furious excitement, as he urged us to make more speed. Something terrible must have happened to cause this headlong rush of the corps. " I say, Wilmot, what can be the matter ? " gasped Captain Burch as we ran panting side by side together. " Why, the enemy must have come up in heavy force from some unexpected quarter," I replied, fairly out of breath with our long hard run. " They're always doing something of that sort," grumbled the captain. " Keep moving, boys, keep moving ! " cried Major Harding cheerily, as he swerved his horse to avoid trampling upon an exhausted man who was falling out of the ranks. "Troth, major, we're not letting much grass grow undher our feet, anyway," replied Dennis hoarsely, the sally causing a laugh among the men. The musketry increased in vigor and fury as we proceeded, and I knew that in a few minutes more we should be on the scene of conflict. The rapid firing of the batteries, the cease- less rattle of small arms, and the shrieks of flying shells, gave ample token of the severity of the engagement : so it must be a moment of peril for our army. All of a sudden the road ended in a bit of open ground, and the next moment our regiment was in the midst of a harrowing- scene of confusion and terror. 150 BULLET AND SHELL. The field was the same we had crossed during the previous night, when abandoning our masking position on the creek. Then we had moved diagonally over it towards the left of Hooker's line : now we came out into a sort of pocket where the woodmen had cut a little deeper into the forest. In this sheltered field lay several batteries of our artillery, evidently a part of the reserve, all huddled confusedly into one corner. Rushing impetuously into the open ground, we found our passage impeded by tumultuous masses of disordered troops, struggling furiously, madly, among themselves. It was not yet dark: so I could see that here in this nook were thousands upon thousands of panic-stricken men, fugitives who had broken in the presence of the enemy, acting more like a flock of fright- ened sheep in a pen than trained soldiers. Many had thrown aside their weapons in their frenzied flight, each man only intent on his own temporary safety. It was part of the Eleventh Corps, which being taken in flank had fallen back in dire disorder. Looking over the heads of these frenzied men, I saw, in the red light which follows sunset, the Confederate lines, as they coolly, steadily advanced over the field to seize their expected prize, the field-guns and the broken division. But they were too late ; for at that moment the old Fifth Corps tore its way through the mob of fugitives, and faced the enemy in solid line of battle. It was a terrible task, though, to push as we did through the confused mass of panic-stricken men; and I remembered afterwards that more than one musket had been clubbed, and used to clear a path for our advancing columns. Though they were our comrades, the men of the Fifth knew that they had put the army in sudden peril, and so for the moment treated them as enemies. The right of our corps, being the first to arrive on the scene of disaster and dismay, of course bore the brunt of the des- perate hand-to-hand struggle which ensued. When our brigade A NIGHT OF TERROR. 153 came up, we were sent to the center of the large open field to support the artillery ; and a weary tune we had of it. But the Confederate advance had by this time been checked : the aban- doned breastworks were partially retaken and held. Nothing is more trying to the nerves of even a veteran soldier than a furious battle at night. The darkness conceals the foe, and adds to the difficulty of executing the necessary move- ments. Uncertainty and doubt weigh upon the hearts of the bravest; while the impossibility of ascertaining your precise position increases the sense of danger, which becomes exagger- ated because unseen. Laboring under these influences, as the brigade stood to arms in the field, I became oppressed by a dread I could not easily shake off. It was indeed an aAvful moment. "What the end would be, no one could tell. It soon grew quite dark, the stars being hidden by the sul- phurous clouds of smoke that enveloped the battle-field ; and our eyes were blinded by the frequent flashes of the guns as they maintained an incessant shelling of the woods in front. It Avas curious to see, as the scene was illuminated by these rapid artillery-discharges, the frantic efforts of the officers in the shattered corps, as they strove to restore order and disci- pline among their men. They made but little progress, how- ever ; and, a body of cavalry coming up, both officers and men were driven into a corner, and held there until daylight. As we took our position behind the batteries going into action, I began to think that we were being surrounded ; for shells sputtered and hissed over our heads from almost every point of the compass, until it seemed that the missiles would, the next minute, come tearing through our ranks from the rear. But I soon lost all sense of danger amid the sights and sounds around me. The deafening roar of cannon, the fierce though monotonous rattle of musketry, the detonations of exploding shells, and the crash of falling trees, made a hellish Babel of sounds ; yet there was a strain of music in the dread- ful din that accorded with the scene and the hour. Under the 154 BULLET AND SHELL. crash and swell of this mighty orchestra of war, there was an undertone equally trying to the nerves. Fierce curses were uttered by excited officers as they gave their hoarse commands, and with them there came to my ears the pitiful cries of the wounded who were falling all around me in the darkness. Leaning on my sword, listening to all these discordant sounds, the groan of one of our men, dying almost at my side, thrilled me with its mournfulness. Once I was thoroughly startled by the screams of a disabled and plunging horse attached to one of the caissons just in front of our regiment. It was indeed a night of terror. For three long hours we stood thus, in the very midst of a passionate combat, passive, yet ready to act, losing men every moment, but firing no shot in return. At length the woods caught fire from the shells, thus adding a new element to the scene of destruction and carnage. " My God ! this is awful work, Wilmot ! " exclaimed Captain Burch in an awed tone. " Here we stand idly waiting to be shot down like cattle. Curse those cowards ! A pretty pickle they've put us into ! " " You ought to be happy, Burch, at having so much good reason for grumbling," said I. " There's altogether too much to grumble about. I don't like such large doses." " By the right flank, forward ! " cried out our colonel. We obeyed the order, and moved a little farther to the right; but soon after the regiment was sent back to the left. As we halted the second time, a fresh battery dashed up, and unlim- bered on the ground we had just abandoned. Bang, bang ! went two or three of the pieces, the increasing clamor deafen- ing me. The battery discharged its guns with great rapidity ; and as the men loaded by the light of their own pieces I saw that they were firing at point-blank range, showing that the enemy's lines were close at hand. Using shell and solid shot at first, the gunners soon began throwing grape and canister A NIGHT OF TERROR. 155 into the edge of the woods ; and orders were passed down our line to form and stand steady. Twenty minutes passed with- out any volleys from Confederate rifles, and the battery was withdrawn with the same celerity observable when it went into action. As it disappeared, our brigade moved obliquely forward to take its place ; and, as we did so, I stumbled over the body of a man that had been crushed out of shape by the ponderous wheels of the retiring guns. While we were thus engaged, two other batteries on our left wheeled their pieces round to the right, and began a furious shell practice across our front ; the hissing of the balls being startlingly distinct. " Now, men, steady ! " shouted our brave colonel in the dark- ness. " When you get the word, remember and fire low." As he spoke, a shell burst over his head ; and, before the light was extinguished, we saw both horse and rider go down. A cry rose from the ranks ; but it was soon checked, for our ears were gladdened by the sound of Colonel Lloyd's voice as he disentangled himself from the dead animal. " I'm all right, boys," he shouted cheerily, his words being drowned by a spontaneous cheer. At that moment Major Harding rode up, and surrendered his horse to the colonel, who at once remounted, and controlled the enthusiasm of the regiment. All at once, and without warning, we received a volley of musketry right in our faces, and a score or two of the men fell beneath it. Kneeling quickly at the order, we began pouring in a steady, merciless fire towards the woods. The cross-fire of our artillery was now redoubled in fury and intensity ; but, a few minutes after, orders to stop firing were given. There now seemed nothing more for us to do ; the Confeder- ates changing front, and renewing their assault farther down the line. So we lay in position during the remainder of the night, listening with curious ears to the progress of the battle as it ebbed and floAved around us. I longed for the daylight, even if it brought with it a fiercer struggle ; for then we should 156 BULLET AND SHELL. at least be able to see our antagonists, and so lose the feeling of uncertainty which now oppressed every heart. Standing in the midst . of the fight, we remained silent under the shells thrown into our devoted ranks by distant and unseen Con- federate batteries, our own guns maintaining their part in the stubborn midnight duel. Sitting down on the cold earth, I at length fell asleep from exhaustion and fatigue, desj)ite the turmoil prevailing all around me. I did not wake again until rudely shaken by Dennis, who thus warned me that the regiment was moving. As I fol- lowed the command off the field, in the gray of the morning, I noticed one of my men still sitting on the ground. Going up to rouse him, I was shocked to find him dead, his breast torn open by the fragment of a shell. BEATEN DOWN. 157 CHAPTER XIV. BEATEN DOWN. " The beaten soldier proves most manful That, like his sword, endures the anvil.' N reaching the edge of the woods we met the Third Corps coming up a road that led to United-States Ford. Reynolds and his men had marched all night from Fredericksburg, and I learned from one of the soldiers that Sedgwick's corjjs was now all alone on Burn- side's old battle-field. So it was clear that Lee had changed front, and was in full force in these interminable woods. We had only- seen the beginning of the struggle: the hard- est part was yet to come. Knowing this, the silence prevailing at the moment was ominous. Even the pickets were hushed, and it seemed as if both armies were sleeping. Rubbing my eyes to keep awake, I could scarcely realize that we had passed through so noisy and turbulent a night. Though I was sur- rounded by all the ghastly evidences of battle, our struggle in the darkness seemed more like a phantasmal dream than stern reality. Weary and sleepy I staggered on, careless alike of the present and the future. " Where are we going now, major ? " said Captain Burch, as our old friend appeared on foot beside us. " We are to act on the reserve again," he replied. " Having had such a hard night of it, I suppose .they consider the corps 158 BULLET AND SHELL. entitled to a rest. It won't be a very long one, I fancy ; for things don't look altogether right, to my mind." "Why, major!" I exclaimed banteringly, "you are borrow- ing a page from Burch's book now. Surely you are not getting discouraged ? " " ' Discouraged ' is not the word : ' anxious' would be better. You know, Wilmot, I'm not given much to croaking ; but we are now acting entirely on the defensive, which seems strange after our successful flank movement. I can not understand it," and the major shook his head mournfully. " I must confess to the same feeling," said I. " There seems to have been a sad bungle somewhere." " You have just hit it, Frank. ' Bungle ' is the only word for it. We do seem to have the worst of luck, and always get tied up." " That's because our generals waste so much time getthig ready," said Captain Burch. " There's some truth in that," replied the major. " Oh, well ! it's not our fault, so we must make the best of it," said I. " You are a little out of sorts, major, being on foot again." " Perhaps so," he replied, laughing. " I confess I do feel a little out of my element, off my horse ; but Colonel Lloyd needs him now more than I do." " You came near being made a lieutenant-colonel last night," said I. " That was a narrow escape for our colonel." " It was a close shave, indeed. But I don't want any pro- motion to come through my friends' death." Neither Major Harding nor myself thought that one year later he would find himself suddenly made a colonel on that very ground. The future is mercifully hidden from mortal eyes. Our division now formed the extreme left of the corps, and the rear of our column had just entered the woods when we were ordered to lie down under the trees in line of battle. Worn out as they were, the men gladly obeyed ; and in a few minutes BEATEN DOWN. 159 scarcely one of the fifteen thousand was awake. As for my- self, I had barely stretched my limbs on the carpet of dead leaves when my eyes were locked in tired slumber. How long I slept, I know not ; but when awakened suddenly by a tremendous volley of musketry, the sun had risen high in the heavens. So great was the crash, 1 almost fancied I felt the ground quake under me. The outburst had brought the whole corps to its feet; and as we stood listening to the fearful, vengeful rattle of small arms, we knew that the enemy was AKTILLERY GOING INTO ACTION. again making a desperate effort to pierce our lines. Precisely where the attack was being made, I could not at first determine, for our movements during the night had confused me. It was, however, quite near : that was certain. For several minutes the corps stood listening with bated breath to the awful, rolling sound, yet it lost none of its incessant vigor : on the contrary, it grew in volume until fully fifty thousand muskets were en- gaged. The minutes went on : yet at the end of an hour the terrible, incessant volley continued, the roar of the battle being 160 BULLET AND SHELL. made more maddening by terrific cannonading. Being liidden in the woods, we could see nothing ; and tliougli accustomed as we were to being held on reserve, I felt my nerves thrill at the painful suspense. " Be the powers, leftinant ! an' that's a moighty big scrim- mage going on bey ant, wherever it be ! " ejaculated Dennis, as he eased his knapsack against a tree. " You are right," I replied : " there's desperate work afoot. That musketry is very heavy." " Where is it, anyway ? " queried the corporal. "I know as little as yourself; but, as near as I can judge, it must be where we lay all night." "• Begorra I an' it wasn't much laying down we did lasht noight," grumbled Dennis. "Shure, it was the divil's own dance we had of it, from first to last." The musketry now became even heavier and more fierce than before : the battle seemed to be coming nearer and nearer. So long a time had elapsed since it began, the affair was becoming monotonous. The men were now lying down again, some of them even asleep, despite the convulsion of arms going on barely half a mile away. " Come, Wilmot," said Major Harding : " let us go to the edge of the woods, and see what is going on." We passed up the road to the left of the brigade ; finding our- selves, in a few minutes, on the wide field, among a group of officers, all watching the movements. As the major and myself emerged from the woods, a couple of our corps batteries came thundering up, and, passing us at a hard gallop, speedily un- limbered on the open ground. A minute after the guns opened a shell fire, at long range, over the tops of the trees in front, their trunks hidden by a great bank of smoke. The entire field was now a scene of terrible confusion. Ammunition-wagons were being hurriedly unloaded in the center, the boxes of car- tridges moving on men's shoulders in the direction of the en- gaged line ; while hundreds of wounded men were streaming to BEATEN BOWN. 161 the rear, a long string of stretchers accompanying them. J^either the major nor myself could distinguish the troops at work ; for the ground was covered by a dense white smoke, the line of breastworks being marked only by a fierce and angry light playing through the sulphurous vapor. It was the con- stant flash from thousands of muskets, and so continuous was the fusillade that the flame never died entirely away. As we looked, a brighter, blinding light appeared for an instant in the field, and I knew that one of the ammunition-wagons had been set on fire by a Confederate shell. The air was a moment after filled with a perfect cascade of fragments : the body of a man rose amid the flame and smoke enveloping the vehicle, and then came tumbling headlong to the ground. The horses attached to an empty wagon near us took fright, dashing wildly into the woods, their progress only being stopped by the trees ; while the ill-fated driver was hurled from his seat, and killed. Still there was no slackening in the murderous musketry, the struggle increasing in fury until the woods in which the opposing lines were fighting actually caught fire. A blinding smoke soon covered the whole field, and penetrated the entire forest. Among the trees beyond where the wagon had been wrecked, two or three dozen coatless surgeons were at work, their arms bare to the shoulder, all busy at their horrid task of amputation. Rude tables had been erected in irregular rows, and on each lay a mutilated soldier losing a part of his shat- tered and bleeding body. Groans and piteous cries resounded in these forest shambles. It seemed as if hell itself had come on earth for a time. " Those fellows of ours are fighting manfully, aren't they ? " said Major Harding to me. " Yes, indeed. The attacking force must be a strong one. I wonder why they don't order us up." " All in good time : we'll have our share before long. The battle has scarcely begun." " But those men can not stand that sort of thing all day." 162 BULLET AND SHELL. "No," replied the major; "neither can the Confederates. Unless our line gives way soon, Lee will be compelled to slacken his fire and withdraw his troops. But come, Wilmot, we must not stay here : our corps may soon be moving." Orders for us, however, never came ; the corps lying there idle all day. For four long hours we sat and listened to the ceaseless musketry, it abating no jot of its angry fury. The flames in the woods spread, until the smoke became so suffocat- ing that we were compelled to hug the earth for air to breathe. Still the battle continued. Though it had been begun at eleven o'clock, and my watch now told the hour of three, there were no signs of the conflict ending. About four o'clock the firing began losing its strength. Once broken in volume, the volleys slackened rapidly, and there came brief lulls, followed by fiercer outbreaks. We knew that the battle was nearing its end. Was it a victory, or a defeat, for the Federal side ? The lulls in the musketry grew more and more frequent, the artillery paused, and finally there came a period of comparative silence. At this moment the Third Corps appeared in the road on our front, when we learned that a part of our established line had been abandoned. The men were wear}^, and they told us of heavy losses. Their faces were blackened by powder, and many exhibited traces of bullets in their clothing. One gray- haired man had a watch in the case of which a rifle-ball had left its mark. A young, boyish-looking sergeant showed me a daguerreotype of his mother, a bullet being embedded in the center of the picture. He had carried it in the breast-pocket of his blouse, where lying over his heart it had undoubtedly saved the wearer's life. Throwing open his shirt, the proud boy revealed the imprint of the embossed case on his bosom. " I wouldn't take the best farm in our county for that i^ic- ture," said he. " Mother always said she would pray for me, and this is an answer to her prayers. God bless her ! I've felt like crying ever since I found this bullet. That would look nice for a sergeant, wouldn't it ? " BEATEN DOWN. 163 " I don't think so," I replied. " It's natural for you to love your mother." " Of course it is. Well, we made a good square fight of it, anyway. Good-by, sir: I must be off; " and the little hero ran after his comrades. The troops marching past seemed aston- ished to learn that we had been idle so near them. Though they made no complaint, we felt humiliated at having been kept out of the engagement. After the Third, came a part of the Second Corps ; and we understood that the line was to be extended on the right. "You'll have to stand the next assault," remarked an ofScer to me as I gave him a drink from my canteen, " so keep your powder dry." As the rear of the column slowly straggled by, a group of mounted officers appeared. It was General Hooker and his staff. Our men began cheering him ; but he held up his hand, and the noisy salutation died away as quickly as it had been begun. " He's wounded ! " cried out a score of voices as the general put his hand to his head and slightly wavered in his sad- dle. "No, no, boys," responded the general quickly, "not wound- ed, only a little stunned : I'll be all right by and by." The men gave a hearty, gladsome cheer ; the general gallop- ing forward to escape their enthusiasm. Now that the road was clear, our bugles somided the advance ; and we moved forward to a line of breastworks hitherto occu- pied by our pickets. A dead silence had by this time fallen on the woods, and the fighting seemed to be over for the day. We had, however, been in position only a few minutes, when our ears were saluted by what seemed scattering musketry. No attack was made on our line ; and I leaned against the breast- work, listening to the singular sounds, conjecturing what this strange, intermittent firing could be. " I say, Wilmot, that's a queer sort of musketry," remarked Captain Burch. " It don't sound much like picket-firing, and 164 BULLET AND SHELL. there's not enough of it for breastwork fighting. I wonder what it means ? " "I am as much puzzled as yourself, old fellow. I never heard the like of it before." " The fire out yonder must be growing stronger ; for there's less smoke, and I feel the heat more. I hope it ain't coming this way, though that would be just our luck," continued the captain, in his grumbling way. " It would be odd indeed," said I, " if we were compelled to retreat before the flames instead of the enemy." " There ! Don't you hear the fire crackling ? " interrupted the captain. " I do plainly. As sure as you live, Wilmot, the fire is coming this way. We shall be burned up or burned out." As he spoke, a sergeant belonging to the pickets came scrambling over the pile of logs and earth. "What's the matter, sergeant? ,Are you wounded?" I asked. " No, sir : I'm all right. But I thought this was the Hun- dred and Fortieth : where are they ? " " A little way to the right. But why have you come in ? " " Why, the woods are all on fire out there, and we're going to dig a trench to keep it from spreading : so I've come in for more men and some tools. Do you know the woods over there are all full of wounded ? " "Good heavens! Is it possible?" I exclaimed in horror. " Can't you save them ? " " Too late, I'm afraid. That's been tried already. Why, we calculate there are two or three thousand dead and wounded, both Federal and Confederate, lying there under the burning trees," said the sergeant, disappearing in the direction of his regiment. " That accounts for the queer musketry, Wilmot," remarked the captain. " It's the fire exploding the muskets lying on the ground." BEATEN DOWN. 165 "Very likely," I replied ; "but I'm thinking of the wounded. It's horrible to think of those hapless men being burned to death. I'll go and see the major." On my telling Major Harding the awful condition of affairs, he decided at once to rescue the wounded. He soon gained the approbation of our brigadier : so, with a force of nearly a hundred volunteers, he and I started for the abandoned bat- tle-ground. Crossing the field where we had watched the progress of the engagement, we found it entirely deserted by both armies, but thickly strewn with debris. Knapsacks and canteens, muskets, cartridge - boxes and bayonets, shattered artillery caissons, and broken wagons, dead horses and men, lay scattered on the ground in dire confusion. In the distance, towards the Chancellorsville House, I could distinguish a body of infantry which I recognized as a Confederate line. As we were not going within range of their rifles, our party pushed boldly across the corner of the open ground. On reaching the left of the line occupied by the Third Corps, we found the irregular dropping musketry fire still going on ; and the omin- ous roar of the advancing flames betrayed the rapidity of their l^rogress. As we proceeded, I could hear the screams of pain and frenzied appeals for succor uttered by the hapless wounded, who seemed doomed to a dreadful fate. " Come, men ! into the woods with you, and pick up every live man you meet ! " cried the major. " In with you, boys ! Leave your muskets behind j-ou. — Lieutenant Wilmot, you remain here, and see that the rescued are placed in safety." The men quicklj^ unslung their knapsacks, and, sticking their bayoneted guns into the ground, disappeared among the trees, led by Major Harding. In a few minutes some of them re- turned, carrying groaning men ; and I busied myself in seeing tliem comfortably disposed of at a safe distance from the fire. In doing so, I saw that our fellows were making no distinction ; for the blue and the gray came side by side as they had fallen. The Confederate infantry we had seen across the field now 166 BULLET AND SHELL. began firing at us : but after a few rounds they apparently dis- covered our errand ; for they at once ceased, giving a wild sort of cheer to encourage us, their yell sounding strangely amid the crackling of the flames. In a few minutes we had thirty or forty poor creatures in the field, who loudly cried for water, water ! We gave them what we had, and I sent for some am- BRINGI>G OFF THE AVOUNDED. bulances. As I gave the order, INIajor Harding appeared, his face and hands black and grimy. " It's no use, Frank. We can do no more. The fire has got such headway, we can't face it and live. Heaven help those poor wretches! we can do nothing. My God! it makes my blood run cold to hear them scream ; " and, as he spoke, the stout-hearted officer threw himself on the ground, tears coursing down his besmeared cheeks. It was indeed a hopeless task , and, as our party re-assembled, every man's face grave and awe-stricken, we listened silently to the cries of those beyond all mortal aid. Curses and yells of pain, piteous appeals and spasmodic prayers, could be distin- guished , but though we could hear their voices, we were cut off from them by a wall of fire. The flames roared more fiercely; BEATEN DOWN. 167 the cries grew fainter, until at last they were hushed. Look- ing into the burning forest, I saw that every shrub, tendril, and sapling was being consumed : even the monarchs of that wild region were scorched and killed by the fire. No human being could live in the presence of so fierce a heat ; and as the fiery torrent rolled on madly, swiftly, we stood and watched its progress, knowing that in those few fleeting moments hundreds of brave men who had struggled in mortal combat with each other, amid the tangled growth of vines and trees, had now passed through a horrible death together. The ambulances soon arrived, when the men set to work placing the rescued men in them. On turning toward the row stretched on the earth, I found three already dead, and a fourth quietly slipping away into the dark valley. Before all of the ambulances were "dispatched, seven were dead; their bodies being left on the ground where we had laid them. " Wilmot, you and I have seen some tough scenes since we entered the service," said Major Harding, as we marched back to our regiment ; " but this last experience is the toughest of them all." " Yes, indeed ! " I replied. " It's bad enough to find your comrades falling all around you, not knowing when it will be your own turn ; but to see helpless men burned to death, and be unable to save them, is simply awful." There was no more fighting anywhere along the line, so the day passed into night without further disturbance. At sunset news came that Sedgwick was moving on the heights behind Fredericksburg, which explained the silence of the Confeder- ates along our own front. The fire in the woods died away, and the night proved a quiet one for us. The next day and night we lay in position, hearing Sedg- wick's guns, and wondering why we made no aggressive move- ment. In the morning we learned that Sedgwick had been beaten back. The intelligence was received by the men in silence, for they knew that Lee had now crippled both wings 168 BULLET AND SHELL. of our divided arm}'. Our general had missed his opportunity. Still the troops waited confidently for orders. None came, however; and after sTinset we were surprised by the appearance of the entire reserve artillery, moving silently, secretly, along the road. The wheels of the caissons and guns were swathed in blankets, and the batteries took the road to the ford. " A retreat, a retreat ! " were the words that ran along the lines. It was indeed a retreat. Lee had out-manenvered Hooker. We were now to fall back across the river. The artillery having disappeared, infantry came next, a whole corps, followed by more cannon. Then we received orders to bnild large fires along the lines of our position. This move- ment had a double purpose, — that of deceiving the Confeder- ates, and affording light for the marching columns. The troops continued moving far into the night, and I learned from a staff officer that the advance had already crossed the Rappahannock. No orders came for our corps, so we continued to hold our line of battle. A heavy rain set in ; and the men gathered round their fires, discussing the situation. A feeling of despair was in every heart, for all knew the honor of the army had sus- tained a blow difficult to recover from. The retreat of the other corps lasted until after midnight ; the silent, mysterious march of so many armed men, as they plodded on through the rain and mud, being an appalling spectacle, for demoralization was already visible in the ranks. About two o'clock in the morning, word was passed down the line to increase the fires : so our men proceeded gloomily to tear up the breast-works, now useless, and heaped up the friendly logs until the woods seemed to be again in flames. By this time the army had disappeared : we were evidently alone in the forest ; the task of covering the retreat had fallen to us. Scarcely had the fires been freshened in their generous glow, when our corps was put in motion. Leaving the blazing line, we struck off" through that part of the Avoods where the field BEATEN DOWN. 171 hospitals had located on that terrible Sundaj'. On we went, stumbling in the darkness over ghastly heaps of human legs, arms, and hands, grim evidence how active had been the imple- ments of the surgeons. Among these dreadful proofs of the cost of war, lay manj' a corj)se, unburied, uncared for. As the day dawned, we emerged from the woods, having fol- lowed no regular path, being guided solely by occasional cut saplings and blazes on the larger trees. In a field near the ford, the ground thickly sprinkled with clumps of young pines, we found the main body of the army hurriedly crossing the river. In a few minutes the corps fell into line to hold the approaches to the ford. The men, finding their muskets wet and rusty, began snapping caps in harmless fusillade as they endeavored to dry the nipples. While they were thus engaged. General JNIeade, our corps commander, came slowly riding along the line. " What the devil are you doing, men ? " he exclaimed in an angry tone. " What's all this noise for ? " " Shure, gineral," replied the irrepressible Dennis, " we're only thrymg to dhry our guns a bit. Faith, an' we couldn't fire a shot if thim divils should come at us now." " Well, you could give them your bayonets," responded the general wearily. " Yis, sir : so we can," retorted the corporal, determined as usual to have the last word. " But if it's all the same to you, gineral, we'd loike to give 'em bullets as well." " Officers, see that your men do not waste too many caps," said the genertil, endeavoring to hide a smile as he rode on. By noon all of the other corps were safely over the Rappa- hannock, when it came onr turn to cross. As yet we had seen nothing of the enemy beyond a few horsemen who appeared on some rising ground in the direction of Fredericksburg. On moving down towards the ford, we found the road leading to the pontoon-bridge in a terrible condition ; the pressure of so many thousand feet, and the heavy wheels of the artillery and 172 BULLET AND SHELL. wagons, having cut up the soft wet earth until it was a perfect sea of mud, through which we floundered up to our knees. The river itself was also greatly swollen by the rain of the previous night, and the last remaining bridge seemed in instant danger of being swept away. Several hawsers fastened to trees on either bank held the swaying structure in position, but we were compelled to wade through the increasing freshet before reaching the precarious bridge of boats. Our brigade hap- pened to be the last to cross ; and, being detailed to bring up the stragglers, Dennis and I were on the bridge when the engi- neers cut loose the fastenings on the western bank, and sent the pontoons swinging round in the angry, foaming current. For a moment I imagined we had gone adrift. " Begorra, Master Frank, an' I don't loike these rivers at all ! " exclaimed Dennis, endeavoring to keep his foothold. " Ivery toime we get on thim, the wather tries to dhrown us. Shure, I volunteered to foight on the land and not in the navy." " Silence, you fool," said the engineer officer in charge of the bridge. " Stand read3s all, to jump when we near the bank. Keep cool, there's no danger." " Thank ye for the information, sir," replied Dennis in a low tone. " Couldn't ye give us a feather-bed to jump on ? The wather's dreadful cowld." "If you give me any more of your impudence," cried the engineer wrathfully, "I'll fling you overboard." " Do as you are bid, corporal," said I. " Captain, give the word when you are ready, please." He nodded in silence, as he watched the bridge swing round. " Stand ready to jump, now — jump ! " My little party instinctively obeyed, finding themselves waist- deep in the icy water ; but in a few moments all had floundered safely ashore. The road up the steep bank was blocked with broken wagons, and the woods were full of men. There was no longer any cohesion, any discipline. Corps, divisions, and brigades had BEATEN DOWN. 173 become inextricably mingled together. Regiments melted to a company, some even lusing their colors for a time. Officers and men straggled into the woods to cook such food as remained, rank being forgotten for the moment ; for all seemed reckless as to the future. Though the army was safe from pursuit, the bitter feeling of defeat was uppermost in every man's mind. Demoralization reigned supreme. The magnifi- cent army that had a few weeks before passed in proud array before the President was now humbled and shattered. Dennis and I scrambled up the rocky defile, and on reaching the heights above plodded forward through the mud in hopes of overtaking'our regiment. But, after a weary march of a few miles, we lost all trace of the corps in column, though the men composing it were thronging the forest on either hand. " Halloa, Wilmot ! where are you going to ? " cried a familiar voice. Turning to see who spoke, I saw our major lying on the ground in front of a fire, near the roadside. "Why, I'm seeking the regiment, of course. Where is it?" " Everywhere. The whole corps seems to have gone strag- gling. I sprained my foot among those confounded rocks at the ford below, and had to halt here. Come, sit down and rest." " This is an awful state of affairs, Harding," said I, accept- ing his invitation ; Dennis at the same time preparing to cook some coffee. " You may well say that," replied the major. " But the men will soon get over it. In a few days the army will be all right again." " I hope so, though it's dreadful to see a whole army broken and scattered as ours appears to be." " Oh ! don't get down-hearted, Frank. We have need of all our courage now. It's the fortune of war." Finding that Major Harding's sprain was a severe one, Den- nis and I shared his bivouac for the night. The next morn- ing he was able to walk with tolerable ease : so we started quite 174 BULLET AND SHELL. early for our old winter-quarters, picking up such of our men as we chanced to overtake on the way. That evening we reached our old camp with nearly one hundred muskets, while others were still plodding on. We were greeted most heartily by ;-■ -r^^"-^^^. \ , :'.' * ' (It rF- KETURN TO THE ABANDONED CAMPS AT FALMOUTH. Colonel Lloyd, he being evidently glad to see so many of his men once more. No reproof for our absence was uttered ; it being considered the most natural thing in the world, in presence of the general disorganization. Indeed, the colonel informed us that he had ridden into camp with scarcely fifty men at his horse's heels, while others had been coming in all day. Our party comprised nearly all the missing since our roll-call on the battle-field, and on the following morning there were no absentees unaccounted for. The army was already resuming its old formation. 175 CHAPTER XV. " The war, that for a space did fail, Now, trebly thundering, swelled the gale." ."T first General Hooker's headlong retreat - demoralized his army, but its morale remained intact and unimpaired : and it soon recovered from the stunning blow sustained in the woods of Chancellorsville, rapidly regaining all of its accustomed elasticity and mobile power. It was this quality of recuperation that made the Federal Army of the Potomac so grand a body of troops. Broken by its efforts to seize Richmond under McClellan, and humili- ated by being compelled to share in Pope's "" ---- -. .f' defeat at Manassas, the army had by its des- valor clutched a decisive victory at Antietam, only to find itself hurled by Burnside against an impregnable posi- tion at Fredericksburg. Following Hooker, it had halted on the verge of destruction amid a labyrinth of virgin woods ; and, now after a few short weeks of rest, was again ready for the field, undismayed by the reverses of the past, only remember- ing its victories and successes. Though the army had been greatly weakened by its losses, it longed to meet the enemy. April and May passed with the army still in camp, but June at last brought the threatening movement. A reconnoissance by Sedgwick revealed the fact that Lee had assumed the initiative ; and on the day we learned the news, Pleasonton's perate 176 BULLET AND SHELL. cavalry corps began marching past our division camp. The next morning the entire army was in motion. Our corps was thrown along the line of the Rappahannock River, above the junction of the Rapidan ; and we lay in scattered brigade camps until the middle of June. A cavalry engagement between Pleasonton and Stuart, on the plains of Brandy, unmasked Lee's movement towards the Shenandoah Valley, thus com- pelling Hooker to attempt a counter-stroke. He accordingly set his columns in motion along the interior line. It came my turn to go on picket-duty a few days after the cavalry fight ; my command receiving ten days' rations, for all knew that the corps might take the road at any moment. Out- post duty was to me a decided relief from the stagnation of regimental camp-life and routine. It was therefore with posi- tive pleasure that I rolled up my overcoat and blankets, — my faithful friend and follower Dennis making a perfect pack- horse of himself with a tremendous stock of provisions. "Av coorse it's a heavy load now," he replied to my re- monstrances, " but it will be loighter before we're relaved ; and besides. Master Frank, we haven't fur to go." " Have your own way, Dennis, as you always do," said I, knowing how futile argument was with him. " To be shure 111 hev me own way," retorted Dennis. " You're an officer, and I'll obey your ordhers to the death ; but whin it comes to carryin' coffee and sugar and a thrifle of a ham or two, it's me own back's the masther." Bidding my brother officers adieu, I set out with my detail for our post of duty. The day was bright and warm ; but the woods were delightfully cool and shady in their fresh young foliage, our narrow path under the trees being fringed with wild flowers, fragrant and beautiful. The twitter of the mating birds overhead, the soft hum of the insects, and the splash of a brook as its waters went tumbling over the steep bank into the river, sounded in my ears as I marched at the head of my little column, until I almost fancied myself in my native A PAUSE. 177 woods ; the lieavy tread of our party and the clink of steel alone destroying the illusion. We were to relieve a part of the pickets lying a few miles above the junction of the two rivers ; and, as the post was scarcely three miles distant from our camp, we were not long in reaching our destination. On finding the officer in command, I discovered, that, though I had an equal number of men, I was expected to cover a longer line than his ; the pickets of the other brigade having been, for some unexplained reason, entire- ly withdrawn, consequently I was assigned to the entire divis- ion line. As the retiring pickets had been on duty for five days, I expected a similar period of service. It was a matter of indifference to me, however, for we had an ample supply of food ; the men seeming to share my delight at escaping from camp duty and drill. Going over the ground to be guarded, I ascertained that we held fully a mile of the river, so, while post- ing ray sentries, was careful to caution the men to keep up frequent communication with each other, and avoid giving needless aJarms. Having occasion to change the location of the reserve post, I directed Sergeant Foster to pick out a suitable position, while I arranged the line. By noon I had accomplished the latter to my satisfaction, and, after seeing the old picket-guard sling their knapsacks and depart for camp, turned my footsteps towards the center of our extended position. The spot selected by Foster for our reserve bivouac lay among some immense rocks that had evidently been piled up on the river-bank, in chaotic confusion, by some mighty convulsion of nature. Ad- mirably adapted for defense, and approached by a rude path which wound around the bowlders at the top, the little rocky nest was entirely hidden, though we had a complete view of the river, both above and below the bend. The dense undergrowth that overhung these disrupted rocks formed a leafy canopy above our heads, completely sheltering us from the rays of the sun. 178 BULLET AND SHELL. I found my men quietly awaiting me ; and, as I at once approved of the sergeant's choice, they were not long in making every thing snug and comfortable. There was ample room for two hundred men ; and, as my whole command was scarcely half that number, there was plenty of elbow-room for those off duty. Dennis soon fixed a quiet corner for me ; while others busied themselves in gathering a stock of fuel for our watch-fires, finding an abundant supply in a heap of dry drift-wood depos- ited at the foot of the rocks by the frequent freshets on the river. Leaning against one of the massive stones forming the ram- parts of our natural fortress, I gave myself up to reflection. Gazing on the swiftly moving river, its current narrowed and deepened in the bend by the intrusive, unyielding presence of these conglomerate rocks, and watching the shifting shadows as they played on the angry surface of the turbulent stream, I thought of the weary marches and thrilling battle-scenes I had participated in. The toil, perils, and excitements attending army-life gave zest to the present, and led me into bright anticipations for the future. I knew the approaching campaign was to be a severe and protracted one, but my heart beat high with hope as I forecast the probable scope and result of the movement. " Leftinant, dinner's ready," said Dennis sententiously. " Shure, ye must be hungry by this toime." I laughed as I turned to obey the summons, for with it had flown all my dreams. The time passed quickly, and we had been three days on picket-duty without any incident happening to disturb us. There were no challenges during the flight, no signs of the enemy by day. Indeed, I began to suspect that we were guarding the river against nobody ; for the Confederate pickets, who had maintained a pleasant intercourse with our predecessors in exchanging coffee and tobacco, were now no longer visible. In this belief I was joined by Lieutenant Martin, commanding A Pause. 179 he Zw m" ""^^ "'■ '"^ "' ^0"— icated our suspicions to the field-officer who visited us; but he failing to shire them, we contnmed as much on the alert as though the opposit bank Avere frmged with hostile riflemen. I had just returned from an inspection of my line on the afternoon of the fourth day, having found every fhing provok! cool the breeze down the river being laden with the perfumel lit. tT^ I experienced a fresh degree of pleasure in viewing the romantic scene after supper, carelessly louncin. W;n drift' '' ' '°"^'^^-' ^""'"^^ "^^ P^l-- ''y ^^--I-^^^« began drifting away again; and I had wholly forgotten my " An' what the divil was that ? " me"Sftrf9''''''-rr''^- ^^^''' ^^ y°^ "^^'-^^^ by startling me Ike that? said I, angry at the unwonted interruption VV hat are you staring at, you idiot ? " " Why I thought I saw a man down there on the other side " "It seems to me, Dennis, that you are always seeing some- body or something," I retorted sarcastically. I Hang ft, Zn be^quiet I see no one ; and, if I did, he can not eat us." 1 roth an we wud be a tough mouthful. But, if ye didn't see^hini. Master Frank, I did. Yis : there he is now." "Where? ' I whispered, now thoroughly aroused. "Why, over there, by that big birch-tree. There he is sitting down on that flat bit of rock, for all the world like a big brown toad;" and Dennis pointed excitedly towards the upper end of the bend. Following the direction of Dennis's finger with my eyes, I saw that he was right. A man was there, sure enough, s ttiig 180 BULLET AND SHELL. " It must be one of the Confederate pickets," said I : " they are beginning to show themselves again. Tell Sergeant Foster I want him." In a few moments Sam was by my side. "Sergeant, take your rifle, and pass along our line to the right. See that the men are on the lookout. There's a man down there on the opposite bank, and no doubt more above and below. Tell Sergeant Coulter to take the left and do the same." The two sergeants disappeared on their respective errands ; while I continued to watch the stranger, Dennis and the rest of my reserve scattering among the rocks for the same pur- pose. There was no need to enjoin silence, for all seemed to appreciate its necessity. The sun had gone .down, but there was sufficient light left for us to discern the man crouching under the trees. I had noticed that he had no musket , and, as I watched him, I won- dered what he intended to do, for it was now evident that his presence on the river had a definite purpose. Ten or fifteen minutes passed, yet the man made no sign or movement ; and I was getting somewhat impatient, when he rose to his feet, and, turning round, dragged a log of wood from under the bushes, silently launching it into the water. As he did so, I saw that he had a revolver slung around his neck. " Begorra ! he's going to cross," whispered Dennis, over my head. " Shall the b'yes give him a volley ? " " No, no ! Let him come, and we will capture him. Pass the word for no one to fire." As I uttered the words the Confederate placed himself astride of the log, and plunged boldly into the stream. It was evi- dently an old experience, for the fellow guided his log so adroitly that the current was carrying him straight towards our position. I saw that he intended to land among the drift-wood under the rocks : so, hastily calling on three or four of the men nearest me, I crept down the bank to receive our visitor. By A PAUSE. 181 yA<^ > this time he had reached the middle of the river, coming swiftly towards us, evidently unconscious of the reception awaiting him. As he neared the pile of drift-wood, the daring voyager shifted his right leg off the log, and, sitting sideways, made a sudden leap for the landing. So accurately had he judged his ' distance, that as he abandoned the log he was able to scramble up among the loose chips and sticks forming the cmris, soon rising to his feet. "Surrender, sir. You're my prisoner!" I exclaimed as I rushed forward to seize the intruder. I was, however, too precipitate; for like a startled deer the Con- federate turned before I could lay hands on him, and with a jeering laugh leaped lightly in- to the river. " Fire ! " I shouted. At the same moment, I felt the mass of dry wood give way under my feet; and I fell into the water, hearing my men's muskets ring out a spattering volley as I took my involuntary bath. The current being so rapid, I believed I must swim for my life under the shower of bullets my men were sending after the fugitive ; but the next instant my outstretched hand caught a friendly branch, so I was able to draw myself up to a safe footing. Scrambling over the rocks, I saw the Confederate gain the opposite bank in safety. As he reached the shore he waved his hand derisively, and then disappeared among the trees. " Are you much wet, lieutenant ? " asked Ferguson, one of the men who had accompanied me down the path. THE CONFEDERATE SPY. 182 BULLET AND SHELL. " Up to my waist. But that's no matter : it's losing that impudent scamp that annoys me." " I don't see how we missed hitting him," remarked Fergu- son. " There must have been twenty bullets sent after him." " You all fired too hastily, and he was going with the cur- rent. I am glad, though, that he escaped unhurt," said I, squeezing the water out of my pantaloons. "It would have been a shame to shoot him like a rat in the water." " Why, you told us to fire ! " replied Ferguson reproachfully. "I know it. It was on the impulse of the moment. So brave a man deserved to get off." And, as I spoke, I led the way up the crooked path to our rendezvous. Stripping before a fire, I soon dried my clothes, and then made a tour of my line. The incident caused considerable excitement among the sentries, each man ofi"ering his own explanation ; but I was convinced in my own mind that we had missed a scout who was endeavoring to get through our lines. The following day, word came along the chain of sentinels that Lieutenant Martin wished to see me. On joining him, I found the young officer much excited. " Do you know that the corps has broken camp and marched away ? " he exclaimed as soon as we met. " Impossible ! They would not go away without recalling us." "But they have, though," retorted the lieutenant. "And all the pickets on my left are gone too." " Indeed ! How did you find out all this ? " " Why, I got out of coffee, and sent one of my men to camp for more. He came back, saying the troops had all disap- peared. He also discovered the absence of the pickets down the river." " This is a nice fix," said I. " Tell your sergeants to keep a sharp lookout while we go and see the officer on the right." Sending one of my men ahead to notify the officer above of our coming. Lieutenant Martin and myself followed. Half an A PAUSE. 183 hour later we met my messenger, who reported that there were no pickets above. This was startling news, for it was quite evi- dent that through some blunder or accident we had been over- looked and forgotten. The question was, what were we to do? My brother lieutenant, having only recently received his com- mission, naturally shifted all the responsibility to my shoulders, as his senior in rank. " I tell you what," exclaimed Martin, after we had discussed the matter for some time : " my men discovered a horse and equipments concealed in the garret of a house near our jDOst. You take him, Wilmot, and ride over the camps j^ourself." " A capital idea. That horse must belong to the scout we missed capturing last evening." An hour later I was riding through our deserted camp, find- ing that the corps had indeed abandoned us. The fires were all dead and cold, so the column must have moved the previous day, if not before. My course was therefore clear : we must follow and endeavor to overtake the main body. Strictly speaking, I ought to remain until recalled; but I knew that it would be ridiculous under the circumstances. Early in the afternoon I had assembled both Lieutenant Mar- tin's pickets and my oAvn. Forming the force into four com- panies, we soon organized a little battalion. " Martin," said I, " you will please act as lieutenant-colonel, and take the rear of the column. Sergeant Foster is to be our adjutant, and the other sergeants will command the compa- nies. Corporals, take the line of file closers." "All right. Colonel Wilmot," replied Martin, laughing at the oddity of our position. " Now, men," I continued, " we must do our best to overtake the corps, so I shall expect you to move rapidly. If any one falls out and straggles, he does so at his own risk. Forward, march ! " We were a tolerably strong body ; and, though the men were somewhat excited over the novelty of our situation, I felt con- 184 BULLET AND SHELL. fident they could be depended upon in case we fell into any danger. Dennis, at his own urgent solicitation, was given command of the advance-guard, and I also threw out a few flankers to prevent surprise. These precautions taken, we trudged merrily forward. At the end of two hours we struck the main road, finding it ankle-deep with dust : so I ordered my men into the fields, and moved briskly on. We knew that forced marches would be necessary to overtake the army ; and, the men knowing that their only safety lay in keeping well together, I had no trouble in holding my little column in tol- erably good shape. After marching eight or ten miles, we halted at night-fall in a clump of woods in the vicinity of a small brook, a few fires only being permitted. Our sentinels being undisturbed during the night. Lieutenant Martin and myself managed to get some sleep, though both of us naturally felt very anxious. At day- break the men were roused, and after a hasty and scanty break- fast we again hurried forward. We were now in a wide tract of open country, broken here and there by tiny bits of woods; but there were no signs of any large body of troops. The day was a very hot one, and the men began to feel the effects of our rapid pace ; but I urged and encouraged them as best I could, finding them cheerful and responsive to my appeals. At noon we made a halt of an hour, learning at a house near by that Federal troops had passed the day before ; but, they being horsemen, I could not tell how far the corps was in advance. Marching steadily on until the sun began to creep down the western sky, we came at length to a cross-roads, where I halted my wearied command to decide our future route. Both of the roads betrayed the passage of troops, but which to take was a perplexing problem. "Halloa!" suddenly exclaimed Lieutenant Martin, as we stood debating the question. "There's cavalry coming," and he pointed down the road to the right. " Attention, battalion ! " I shouted, leaping into my saddle. A PAUSE. 185 " Lieutenant, let the men form behind that fence, and see that every musket is ready. Courage, boys ! We may have to fight : if so, we must give a good account of ourselves." A brisk cheer was the only response, as the men obeyed orders, and rapidly fell into line. The cloud of dust raised by the advancing cavalry came nearer and nearer. The moment that was to decide our fate was almost at hand. Despite my outward coolness, I was very nervous; for it seemed hard to be overpowered and made prisoners, as we might be, when another day would probably place us safely within the lines of the army. But, as the approaching cavalry was evidently not a very strong force, I determined to fight, if necessary, for our liberty. By this time the column had discovered our presence ; for it halted, and threw out a few troops to reconnoiter. Scarcely had these men emerged from the cloud of dust that enveloped the main force, when I discovered they were Federals. Im- mensely relieved, I rode out on the road, and hailed them. " Who are you ? " shouted a sergeant as he unslung his car- bine. " Union troops," I replied, " trying to find the army." The sergeant wheeled his horse, and, followed by his com- rades, galloped back to the column. In a few minutes the entire body of horsemen advanced, and I saw there were three or four squadrons. ''How came you so far in the rear?" demanded the major as' we met in the road. " We belong to the Fifth Corps, and were left on the picket- line," was my reply. "By Jove! this is a lucky meeting," said the major in a gratified tone. " Why, we were coming after you ! The mis- take was. only discovered to-day. You did just right, lieuten- ant, in coming on : we shall now be able to overtake the army to-morrow." This was delightful news, for I had no desire to be an inde- 186 BULLET AND SHELL. pendent commander any longer. My little battalion gave a rousing cheer as the cavalry rode up : and we were soon trudg- ing on over the road in high spirits, every knapsack being taken by the riders in order to lighten and ease my men. While Major Stephens and I rode forward at the head of the combined column, I learned from him that the army was con- centrating towards Centerville, and that it was understood that Lee's advance was already beyond Winchester, heading for the Upper Potomac. Another invasion of Maryland was in- tended, and we would soon be on the old ground where the army had maneuvered the previous summer under McClellan. An early start the following morning enabled us to overtake the rear of the army, when my men took back their knapsacks, and INIajor Stephens bade me good-by. There was no further need of his protection, and he was all the more anxious to get forward on learning that Pleasonton was moving his corps towards the Loudon Valley. It took us another day to catch up with our brigade, our safe arrival being considered quite an event. General Fletcher seemed glad to see us ; but how we came to be abandoned, or who was to blame, I never knew, for there seemed to be a desire at headquarters to forget the incident. I found the army in regular campaign order; and after a week of almost constant marching we crossed the Potomac at Edward's Ferry, and advanced to the line of the Monocacy River, halting at length on the outskirts of Frederick City in Maryland, MOVING TOWARDS BATTLE. 187 CHAPTER XVI. MOVING TOWARDS BATTLE. " His marches are expedients to this town, His forces strong, Ms soldiers confident." OW the great army lay in camps around Fred- erick City. As yet nothing was definitely known regarding the movements of the Con- , federate army, beyond the fact that Lee was ■' ^ already overrunning the rich and fertile valley ,. of the Cumberland. We learned that his ad- vance had reached the Susquehanna River, ., near Harrisburg. All was doubt and uncer- tainty about our own programme. For two years we had marched hither and thither while "^ ■'«.^~':;#?' ^^^ gigantic game of war was played by our '■"■" several commanders, and now waited patiently for the signal that was to hurl our columns against the antago- nist we had so often met before. Every man in the ranks, Avhether he carried a bayonet or a sword, knew that a great and decisive battle was at hand ; yet all felt prepared to stand the issue. I had been ordered to see a culvert in the road near our camp properly repaired. While overseeing the fatigue-party, young Jenkins, General Fletcher's aide, rode up. ^ " Have you heard the news, Wilmot ? " said he, reining in his horse to avoid my men. " News ! no, I've heard nothing. We rely on you fellows of the staff for that article," I replied with a laugh. " What is 188 BULLET AND SHELL. new now? Are we going to move to-night, or to-morrow? If to-night, I must hurry up and finish this culvert." "Oh! we won't march to-night. You must know that Hooker has been removed, and Meade has been given the com- mand of the army. That's news, isn't it ? " " Yes, indeed. Where did you hear it ? " " Down in Frederick, to be sure. General Hooker started for Washington at noon. We are to have the official orders to- morrow. Every thing is in confusion at headquarters, and no wonder: this constant change of commanders plays the very devil with the army." " You are quite right, Jenkins. We are like the shuttlecock in the old school-game." " Well," replied the young aide, gathering up his reins, " it's a comfort old gray-haired George has got it this time. If he only does as well at the head of the army with his spectacles as he did with our corps, we men of the Maltese cross will have good reason to be proud of the old man." " Three cheers for General Meade ! " cried one of our men. The call was responded to most lustily. "You see, Jenkins," said I, "the new commanding general will be popular in the old Fifth. But who's to be our new corps general ? I hope it's one of the regulars." "You have your wish, old fellow. Sykes takes the corps, and Ayres carries his long black beard to the head of our divis- ion. But I must hurry on, or my brigadier will hear the news before I reach him." Thus came another of those changes which so often tried the temper and morale of the Army of the Potomac. General Meade's order was read to the troops the following day ; the men smil- ing grimly as they listened, for these veterans had learned by bitter experience how often political intrigue had crippled and paralyzed the army. Contrary to all previous usage, General Meade refrained from issuing dramatic bulletins, evidently appreciating the fact that his troops were not apt to be roused MOVING TO]VAEI)S BATTLE. 189 into temporary enthusiasm by empty words or loud-sounding phrases. Simple and direct in his announcement, the new com- mander won the confidence of his army at once, finding them responsive to his touch when the emergency arrived. No sooner was the change formally announced, than we began moving. Corps after corps broke camp with accustomed celerity, marching rapidly through the narrow streets of Fred- erick, or skirting the old-fashioned town to the right and the left. Our corps was among those to pass through the quaint little city, which we found crammed with the impedimenta of war. Wagon-trains choked the side streets, waiting in helpless confusion for the marching columns to pass, and clear the road. Small bodies of cavalry, on escort-duty, forced their way through the crush of vehicles, while excited staff-officers galloped to and fro, carrying orders to the front or rear. At the door of almost every house in the main street, lounged groups of mounted orderlies, the men holding their reins in their hands in anticipation of a sudden call for duty. General officers were abundant, showing that we were approaching army headquarters ; and at every window I saw the wondering faces of women, as they watched with bewildered eyes the busy and martial scene before them. The fluttering of the tattered ban- ners and colors, the brazen blare of the bugles, the shrill notes of the fifes, the reverberating rattle and roll of the drums, gave life and sound to the picture, as regiment after regiment, bri- gade after brigade, division after division, pushed forward witli steady measured step to the music. Marching on the flank of my company through the queer, ancient-looking town, with its picturesque gables, its crooked, half-paved streets, I imagined myself in some European hamlet. The residents even seemed strangely foreign, for they appeared to take but languid interest in our movements through their streets. The Federals were in possession to-day, to-morrow it might be the Confederates. Either way they were pushed to the wall, compelled to wait until the tide of war drifted 190 BULLET AND SHELL. away from them, and left the town to its wonted peace and qniet. With these fancies passing through my head, our regiment came to an old tavern that stood in the heart of the city, its wide piazza filled with general staff-officers, their broad shoul- der-straps glittering in the glancing afternoon sunlight. From the balcony above drooped the flag of the army-commander, and under its waving folds stood General Meade. The hot- tempered but good-hearted veteran had checked the head of his old corps in their wild greetings to his familiar face : so we con- tinued to march before him, proudly, silently, with no other recognition from our old commander than the occasional lifting of his cap as the regimental colors fell in silent salute to his rank. I only saw him for a moment, but I thought his eyes glistened behind his glasses as he watched the corps march past. Erect and motionless the new leader of the mighty army stood beneath his great banner as if on parade. As the general thus watched the passage of the long column of bayonets, I caught brief glimpses of Warren's nervous features, and Webb's smiling bearded face as he nodded in reply to some remark of Hunt the artillerist. A moment more, and we were gone, soon after entering the open country beyond the town. Our route now lay to the right ; and as the sun went down we crossed a stone bridge which spanned the romantic wind- ing Monocacy, soon finding ourselves on a high ridge over- looking the little city. As we marched forward over the macadamized road, I noticed two other columns of infantry moving through the fields below us ; but they were too far away for me to distinguish tlie corps symbols on the staff ensigns. In the road under the ridge, between us and the distant infantry, moved the reserve batteries of artillery, in ponderous, massive arra}' ; the rumble of the heavy wheels coming sharp and distinct to my ears through the still air, as the pieces jolted over the stony roadway. Far away beyond the town glistened the white tops of the endless supplj^-trains ; MOVING TOWARDS BATTLE. 191 and beyond them, again, the rays of the setting sun were caught by the shining muskets of more troops in rapid motion ; while straight ahead, on our own road, I could see the cavalry under Pleasonton and Kilpatrick as they cantered gayly onward in advance of the whole army. It was evident by all these signs that before many days we would reach the expected battle-field. "An' whare are we going, leftinant, annyhow?" asked Cor- poral Malone as he trotted along at my elbow. " When are we goin' to foight ? " " You are as wise on that point, Dennis, as I am. We will know soon enough where the battle is to be fought, when we get there." " Arrah ! any fool knows that, iAIaster Frank. But I liope we won't be long getting there, for this knapsack is a tiirifle heavy for convanient marchin'." " We must not be impatient, Dennis," said I. " When it does come, the battle will bring death to many of us." "Av coorse. That's the forthune of war, more's the pity. But the b'yes are getting used to that, like the cat we gossoons used to throw into the Liffey just for the fun of seeing it crawl out agin." "Ah, Dennis! you're the same light-hearted Irishman, no matter what happens. Here you are, far away from the Liffey, fighting in a strange land, you hardly know what for." "Shure, foightin' comes as nateral to an Irishman as his mother's milk. And as for knowing what we're foightin' fr, ain't it for liberty or death, as my countryman Pathrick Henry said in the good ould days whin the red crass of England was f urninst him ? " "Well," said I, laughing, "I never heard Patrick Henry called an Irishman before, though the name is suggestive." " To be sure," responded Dennis confidently. " Though he never trod the ould sod, he was a thrue Irishman, wherever he was born." 192 BULLET AND SHELL. " He proved himself a brave man in perilous times ; but he was an American, and stood up to defend his native land, while you have no such incentive." " That's a big word I don't precisely understhand," responded Dennis, hitching uneasily at his knapsack. " But shure, I've left dear ould Ireland for ever, and may as well die on the battle-field as in my bed. It's the land of liberty, anyhow." " Too much liberty sometimes. If there had been less, this war would have been avoided." So saying, I lapsed into silence, seeing the evening deepen into night, as we moved slowly onward. At nine o'clock the corps halted for bivouac in some open fields. The two succeeding days were toilsome ones ; for we marched constantly from early dark until dusk, over dusty roads, past fruitful fields of wheat or corn, across rickety wooden bridges too weak to bear the artillery, through thriving and peaceful villages, until we reached the border-line between Maryland and Pennsylvania. Each night I had flung myself on the ground too tired to care for the supper Dennis so cheerfully prepared for me ; and I began, like him, to long for the approaching battle. Any thing was preferable to these fatigu- ing, exhausting marches, through rolling valleys or over steep mountains. My feet were sore, my head seemed bound by a band of iron. My old wound, too, was beginning to make itself felt at almost every step, until it required all my pride, and strength of will, to keep me in my place. Late in the afternoon of the first day of July we reached the picturesque town of Hanover. Near the cross-roads were lying the bloated carcasses of half a dozen cavalry horses, evidently slain in a brief skirmish between Pleasonton's and Stuart's troops, a few hours before our arrival. Close to the road, near the scene of the cavalry fight, stood a farmhouse, at the gate of which was an old-fashioned pump and horse-trough. The pump-handle was in constant motion, as the weary, foot-sore soldiers flocked around it to quench MOVING TOWARDS BATTLE. 193 their thirst with the delicious water that flowed into the mossy trough. Coming up and waiting for my turn to drink, I noticed a sunburnt, gray-haired man, leaning over his rude gate, watch- ing the troops. He was dressed in a faded, well-worn suit of homespun, having no doubt spent the day in the hayfield ; and I could see that he was pleased that his pump was doing such good service. v^4J#w THE CONFEDERATE GRAVE UNDER THE ROSES. " Good-evening, sir," said I to him, removing my cap, and mopping the perspiration from my face. "It's rather hot weather, this, for marching." " I 'spose it 'tis, though I never did any marching," was his brief response. As the old farmer uttered the words he moved a little ; and my eye was attracted by a new-made grave among a clump of rose-bushes, just inside the fence. Wondering at the sight, I ventured to ask the reason for its being there. 194 BULLET AND SHELL. " Whose grave is that ? " said I, pointing to the mound of fresh earth. " A reb's," he replied laconically. " One that got killed in the fight the horsemen had here to-day." " Indeed ! and so you buried him." " Yes : buried him myself. They left him lyin' in the road, out thar, just as he fell. I could do no less, you know." " Of course ! but why did you make your rose-garden a graveyard ? " " Wa-al, it was the wimmen that wanted it so. Yer see, stranger," and the old man's voice trembled and grew husky, " yer see, I had a boy once. He went out with the Pennsyl- vany Resarves, and fou't along with McClellan, down thar among those Chicka-oming swamps. And one day a letter come. It was writ by a woman ; and she told us as how a battle had bin fou't near her house, while she and another woman lay hid all day in the cellar. When the battle was o'er, them wimmen came out, and found our Johnny thar, his hair all bloody and tangled in the grass. So they digged a grave in the soft earth of their gardin, and buried my boy right amongst their flowers, for the sake of the mother who would never see him agin. So when I saw that poor reb a-layin' out thar, all dead and bloody in the dust of the road, I sed I'd bury him. And the gals, they sed, 'Yes, father, bury him among the rose-trees.' That's why I did it, stranger." Then the poor old father's voice was choked by a smothered sob, while a faint cry behind him betrayed the presence of a sister to the dead hero lying in his garden grave near Rich- mond. " Indeed, sir," said I, feeling my own throat tighten over the sweet pathos of the little story, " I can appreciate the love you bear your dead son. It must be some consolation to remember what you have done for the man whose body lies there under the bushes." " Yes, stranger : that 'ere grave ain't much," — and the old MOVING TOWARDS BATTLE. 195 man turned to look at the rude mound his hands had made, " it ain't much, but it will be something to remember our Johnny by."^ Bidding the farmer good-by, I hastened after the regiment, my eyes dimmed with tears, but my spirits strangely strength- ened by this touching instance of human love and forgiveness. 196 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER XVII. A NIGHT MAKCH, Now was tlie noon of night; and all was still, Save where the sentinel paced bis rounds." UR corps went into camp just beyond the Pennsylvanian town of Hanover, in a wide field of ripening wheat, which was trodden fiat as the divisions of infantry marclied over it to their respective positions. The farmer owning the land seemed the picture of de- 'm^ spair, as he stood at the gap in the fence, watching with astonished eyes the ruthless destruction of his grain. The unfortunate farmer becoming troublesome, I was stationed in the road with a guard for the double pur- pose of keeping him quiet, and at the same time preventing our men from straggling towards the town, its modest church-spires being visible beyond a strip of woods on our right. " I say, Mr. Officer," cried the man, as I pushed him aside with my sword to let the column pass, "you've no right to go in there. That's my wheat them soldiers are treading into the dirt." " Oh ! we won't argue the question of rights," said I: " when on the march, as Ave are, armies can not stop for trifles. At any rate, your grain is doomed: so stand aside, sir, and let the troops go on." " But that's wheat. Do you understand ? Wheat ! Almost A NIGHT MARCU. 197 ready to cut too. Why didn't that general of yours take his men into the meadows ? The grass there is all mown. Why does he spoil my wheat ? " " My good man," I replied, " I know it seems hard to destroy your wheat-crop; but don't you see that our artillery and wagons are going into the meadows ? Had Ave gone there, they would have been compelled to take your wheat-field, and ploughed ground is too soft for wheels. Besides, they need the hay for their horses and mules." " I'm a ruined man," groaned the distracted farmer. " Why, now they are carrying off my fences ! What are they going to do with them ? " "Burn 'em, me darlint," said Dennis, who had, as usual, chosen to join my temporary guard. " Shure, thim rails makes illigant fires." "Fires! Burn them! Why, they'll tear down my house next." " Come, come, my friend. There's no use your staying here, for you can not stop the destruction of your property. You had far better see the general, and get his certificate of the damage done. The government will pay you for it." " That so ? Well, if I get the pay for it I don't care how much they take," exclaimed the farmer, as he started across the fields to find General Sykes. " An' do ye think Uncle Sam will pay him ? " queried Dennis, a look of blank astonishment spreading over his fun-loving face. " One of these days, I suppose, though there won't be much haste about it," I replied as we fell in the rear of the brigade to rejoin our regiment. Our expectations of a quiet night's rest were, however, doomed to be disappointed ; for the men had scarcely finished pitching their little shelter-tents when the bugles sounded the ominous call to strike them again for the march. In less than an hour after we had entered the wheat-field the entire corps was in rapid motion. 198 BULLET ANT) SHELL. The sun was dropping behind the range of hills we had crossed during the afternoon, as we entered the main road. We soon learned the cause of this sudden, unexpected move- ment ; for word ran along the line that the Confederate army had been encountered in force at a village called Gettys- burg, that there had been a heavy skirmish by the First and Eleventh Corps under General Reynolds, and that the general himself had been killed, so the engagement must have been a determined one. Indeed, Major Harding told me that General Sykes had received peremptory orders to march all night, and, if possible, reach the scene of hostilities before daylight : we had therefore a tramp of twenty-odd miles before us. This was nice news after the thirty-six miles we had traveled since sunrise ; but the necessity was evidently an urgent one, for the officers were instructed to keep their men well together. Tired and exhausted as I was by the fatigues of the past few days, since leaving Frederick City, the knowledge that Ave were now hurrying to the battle-field gave me fresh strength ; while Dennis was bursting with delight at the prospect of another scrimmage, his sallies keeping the company in excel- lent humor. As darkness fell we entered a string of villages, the inmates who were gathered at their gates being wild with enthusiasm over our coming. Stalwart men stood unweariedly pumping water for the thirsty troops, while the women handed more fortunate soldiers broad slices of bread-and-butter with rich draughts of pure milk. Over the gateways hung lighted lanterns, and from the limbs of apple-trees the stars and stripes fluttered in the cool night air. Our veterans cheered lustily as they passed under the flags, while the villagers waved their hats and handkerchiefs to the men passing onward to do battle for them. It was an exciting and wonderful scene. Many a touching incident I witnessed duiing this memora- ble night march. Young girls shed tears as they watched the brothers of other women march on to possible death; while A NIGHT MABCH. 199 many a soldier, begrimed with dust and exhausted by fatigue, thought of the old home where he had left his own loved ones. Stopping for a moment at the gate of a dwelling, I noticed a young mother leaning over it with her chubby child in her arms. Above the woman's head swung a couple of common stable-lanterns, their soft light falling full upon her face. The child was crowing with delight at the strange pageant, as it watched the armed host pass on. " I beg your pardon, ma'am," said Jim Manners, one of my men, as he dropped the heel of his musket on the ground, and peered wistfully into the faces of the mother and her child, — "I beg pardon, but may I kiss that baby of yours ? I've one jiist like him at home ; at least, he was when I last saw him two years ago." The mother, a sympathetic tear rolling down her blooming cheek, silently held out the child. Jim pressed his unshaven face to its innocent, smiling lips for a moment, and then walked on, saying, — " God bless you, ma'am, for that ! God bless you ! " Poor Jim Manners ! He never saw his boy again in life , for a bullet laid him low the next day as we made our first charge, and he found his grave on the field where so many thousand brave fellows fell. As we buried him in the twilight, I remem- bered the kiss he had given the stranger's child, drawing from the incident another lesson of the depth of human love. So rapidly did the corps march during the night, that, about one in the morning, we had arrived within striking distance of the position assigned us ; then came the welcome order to lie down and rest. As the column halted in the darkness, the men threw themselves on the narrow strips of sward by the roadside, sleeping in long rows as they lay wrapped in their blankets and ponchos. For me, however, sleep was not so easy. The excitement of the night march, and the pain of my swollen foot, as the tender flesh of my old wound rebelled against the strain put upon it, 200 BULLET AND SHELL. combined to drive slumber from my eyes. As I lay on my blankets, gazing at the stars, my thoughts were busy with the past, back to the days of my boyhood when there was no dream of civil war in the land. I saw in fancy the quiet old home, as it stood under the shadows of the big elms, while the face of my dear mother, who at that moment might be praying for the safety of her boy, seemed to be close to mine. Then I thought of Kate in her native valley ; and we were once more galloping over the picturesque roads, the woods resounding with our light and joyful laughter. But how different were these fancied scenes from those around me ! A confused murmur of sounds came to my ears amid the darkness, for the movements of troops had by no means ended. The low, monotonous rumble of artillery ran along the ground ; and, as I leaned on my elbow, I could distinguish the outlines of the heavy guns and their caissons, as the batteries moved slowly forward to some advantageous position selected for them. Now and then a hoarse command was uttered, followed by a sudden increase of speed ; and the earth under me trem- bled and shook with the jarring motion of the wheels as they were jolted over the deep ruts in the road. Then came a curious clattering sound, which my accustomed ear knew to be caused by the hurrying movements of cavalry, and soon after a long column of horsemen passed up the middle of the road, by the side of which ray comrades were so calmly sleep- ing. Silently yet rapidly these mounted men rode by, their heavy sabers jingling in musical cadence as their horses' hoofs thundered on the soft earth, " Steady, men ! " said an authoritative voice ; and the column slackened its pace for a minute or two, only to be put into swifter movement by the sharper cry of, " Forward ! " The cavalry gone, I began to hear the creak of more wheels, and saw, in the fields on the opposite side of the road, the faint outlines of the ammunition and supply trains going into park to await further orders. As I saw wagon after wagon move into A NIGHT MARCH. 201 line with its fellows, their white tops glistening in the uncertain starlight, I knew we were still in the rear : the projected battle- ground must be some distance beyond. Listening to all these confused sounds, I realized the majesty and magnificence of war, the fascination and romance that surround the soldier on actual field-service. The masses of infantry, the columns of swiftly moving cavalry, the ponderous field-batteries, and the interminable supply-trains supplied the principal features of the wild picture, which had a solemn dignity about it one could not ignore. To the inexperienced eye the confusion would seem inextricable ; but I was aware that there was a system in it all, that a decided, persistent plan of operations was being carried out. Then I thought of the uncertainty of my fate during the next few hours. Thousands of brave soldiers, who had passed scathless through many a hard-fought battle, would on the morrow see their last fight, make their final charge, and from living men, full of daring ambition and fervent hope, become mere clods of clay. Many a fine fellow would, in the flush of his manhood, be lying the next night cold and stiff on the field , and beside these fated ones there were others, who, though still alive, would be writhing in pain from wounds that might yet end in death. Despite all these horrors that I knew were to come, there was a glamour over my eyes ; for I began once again to glory in anticipation over the turmoil and fierceness of the approach- ing struggle. I even forgot the grave issues at stake, so readily does the trained soldier become hardened in his trade. It mat- tered but little to me at that moment, whether slavery was crushed, or the Union of the States preserved. I recked nothing of the ends in view. It was only the tremendous game of war I felt an interest in : beyond that, there was no thought of the future. It is this feeling that molds the soldier into a true hero, and explains the motives of so many brave men passing from coun- 202 BULLET AND SHELL. try to country, from camp to camp, only eager for and intent on employment in the field of danger. To these soldiers of fortune, the cause they fight for is of secondary importance. What they seek is the exhilarating excitement of battle, the shock and clash of arms : their whole aim is to join in some headlong, desperate charge. The spice of danger is the great charm that possesses them, for to your true soldier the fear of death never comes. He may experience a nameless dread at the first moment of going into action ; but, that once over, he is cool and collected, yet full of daring and momentary rage. The glare and smoke of battle intoxicate him : the shadow of death that liovers over him is lost sight of in the brightness and grandeur of the scene in which he is an actor. O War ! War ! How natural thou art to mankind ! How slow would be the progress of history or civilization, did not thy torrent of fire and blood sweep aside every obstacle, thus doing at a single stroke what years of diplomacy would fail to accomplish ! Lying thus on the moist and fragrant earth, with these con- fused fancies flitting through my. brain, I thought once more of Tom INIarshall, and wondered if he were still alive. It was now almost three years since we had parted on the bridge, but be- yond the one letter received from him in college I had heard nothing from or of him. " Oh that this struggle were over ! " I exclaimed, forgetting all about the romance of war. " Would that to-morrow's battle were the last ! " With these words on my lips, my tired body succumbed at length to fatigue, and I sank into a dreamless and heavy slum- ber. CHARGE AND COUNTER-CHARGE. 203 CHAPTER XVIII. CHAEGE AND COUNTER-CHAKGE. " The shout Of battle now begun, and rusliing sound Of onset, ended soon each milder thought." HEN the bugles of our corps rang out the reveille, the sun had already risen clear and warm, throwing long red streaks of light over the fields and woods. Leaping to my feet, I found every thing already in commotion. Thousands of little camp-fires were blazing in the fields, as the men prepared their frugal breakfasts ; the lines of stacked muskets alone showing the position of the different regiments and brigades. The mists were rising in rifts and circling wreaths under the combined influ- ~'~"^" ence of the sun's rays and the heat of the countless fires, only lingering among the tree-tops of the adja- cent woods. The atmosphere was, however, still raw and chilly; the heavy dew that had fallen during the night making the grass quite wet. In every direction there were signs of intense activity. Troops were moving up, the wagons had already drawn out of park, and the hum of many voices mingled with the neighing of horses or the bellowing of mules. It was, indeed, a true • battle morning, the beginning of a struggle the result of which none could forecast. As I looked about, watching the march- ing columns or listening to the careless laughter of the soldiers 204 BULLET AND SHELL. near me, I realized, that many a joj'ous fellow, now onl}^ intent on his hard-tack and coffee, woiild never see another sunrise or respond to the familiar reveille. " What are you thinking about, Wilmot ? " asked Captain Burch. " Getting nervous over the battle ? " " Not at all. It was the thought that so many lives must be sacrificed to-day." " It will be a tremendous fight, no doubt," remarked the cap- tain. " Some difference from our first battle at Big Bethel, eh ? " " That was only a brief skirmish, Burch, compared to what we are going to have here." "Leftinant, the coffee's ready," said Dennis. "Won't you come too, captain ? " " Of course I will," replied the captain. " I am as hungry as a wild-cat." The scene by daylight was far different from what I had imagined it to be in the darkness. To my surprise, I saw we were near a cluster of houses, the outskirts of Gettysburg. It had evidently been a beautiful spot before the remorseless tread of the army came to crush out its smiling features. The fences had disappeared for fuel, a few scattered posts alone marking where they had stood,- even the hedges were destroyed as wagons and cannon had been cruelly driven through them ; and a barn near by was a complete wreck, the boarding having been stripped from the frame to strengthen a bridge over the creek for the passage of our artillery. Ruin and destruction had begun : the iron heel of war betrayed its presence every- where, the ruthless despoil of property attesting the unavoida- ble severity of all military operations. Although our corps had not yet received orders to move, other troops were on the march ; for a column of infantry was hurrying across the fields to our left, their artillery pass- ing up the road we had occupied during the night. As the guns rumbled along, I noticed that* they were stripped and ready for action. Far away in the rear I could see another CHARGE AND COUJSfTER-VUAEGE. 205 corps coming up, heading to the right. Tlie army was girding up its loins for the struggle. While Captain Burch and I were quietly sipping the coffee Dennis had provided, an ominous rattle of musketry began beyond some woods in front, showing that the pickets of the opposing armies were already at work. This was the overture to the terrible concert; these dropping shots sounding musically in our ears, as their sharp patter rose and fell. Before we had finished breakfast the rolling musketry grew heavier; and a battery opened a desultory fire for a few minutes, only to lapse into silence again, as the picket duel slackened, and finally ceased altogether. Our bugles now began their brazen clamor : so I hastily swal- loAved the last of my coffee, and, buckling on my sword and revolver, answered the call for our regiment to fall in. A few minutes after, the entire corps was in motion. We went for- ward for about a mile, when the head of the column turned off into a piece of open woods, on the right of the road, where the line of battle was formed. As no skirmishers were thrown forward, I knew we were still on the interior line, so flung my- self on the ground while the corps awaited orders. An hour passed in silence, our brigade being moved a few hundred yards to the left to straighten the line. While thus occupied, an aide galloped up, and distributed General Meade's order to his army. On the brief address being read by Fitz- gerald, our adjutant, we learned that our general intended to give all the honors of the battle to his soldiers, relying on their steadfast courage to successfully carry out the simple plan of operations he had decided upon. We were reminded that to win the battle was to shorten the war, that to lose it would entail fresh sacrifices on the army and the nation. Our antag- onists were as brave as ourselves : so it would require all our heroism, strategy, and strength, to obtain a victory. Such was the simple, unpretending appeal of our general; and it was curious to observe the effect it had upon the men in the ranks. 206 BULLET AND SHELL. Every face wore a look of resolution, every hand grasped its musket more firmly. It was evident our leader had shrewdly touched the right chord this time. The battle Avas already half won. This brief ceremony over, the different brigades were formed in masses ; and the corps marched slowly, deliberately, en eche- lon, through the woods into some scattered fields. Finally we entered a bit of open country ; and, as the command passed obliquely over some rising ground, I caught a glimpse of the main line, the outlines of the batteries in position being clearly defined against the cloud of white smoke raised by the inces- sant skirmish-fire now going on. Here we were halted, word being passed that we were again to occupy our old position of reserve. It was evident that the battle would soon begin in earnest, that we were only to be summoned when a decisive blow was to be dealt. It was an old experience with vis. Finding that no further maneuvers were contemplated, the men threw them- selves on the soft earth, and fell asleep. Having passed so wakeful a night, I slumbered with the rest. I had been asleep some hours, when the headquarter bugles rang out the alarm ; every man springing instinctively to his feet, as the shrill notes sounded in their ears. The sharp call was repeated again and again, as the several commands took up the refrain, the entire corps standing to arms before they had ceased. Then I saw General Sykes gallop forward with his stafp over the field ; and the next moment our division began follow- ing him towards the main line, now fiercely engaged from right to left. "What's the matter?" I inquired of Major Harding: "where are we going?" "Away to the left, somewhere," he replied: "our line has got doubled up there. At least, so said the aide who brought the orders. He must have come right through the line of fire, for his face was bleeding badly when he galloped up." CHARGE AND COUNTER-CHARGE. 207 " How ' doubled up ' ? I don't understand," said I. " General Fletcher sent our colonel word that Sickles at the head of the Third Corps has got into a hole ; so I sui^jjose we are going to his assistance." " Close up, men, close up ! " shouted Colonel Lloyd, turning round in his saddle. " Major Harding, keep the men well up together there, in the center. We shall be on the double-quick in a minute." The crisis was assuredly a critical one ; for, as we were get- ting the column into tolerably good shape, the voice of our colonel was again heard. Looking up, I saw him standing in his stirrups, waving his sword, and urging the regiment forward on the run. By this time we had entered a narrow road, with thick hedges on either side ; and I saw that the first division, under Griffin, was moving over the field on our right in columns by brigades, as though anxious to reach the scene of conflict before us. We went on in this pell-mell fashion for over a mile, still obliquing to the left ; the shells from the Con- federate batteries beginning to fly over our heads as we ad- vanced. But their guns had not yet got the proper range, so we managed to hold together pretty well. All at once a deafening roar of rapid cannonading broke out near the head of our column, as the corps batteries, gallop- ing furiously forward, unlimbered and went into action. The musketry we were approaching now grew more intense and vengeful. It was quite evident that before many minutes we should be in the midst of the mSlee. " General Fletcher ! For God's sake, hurry up your brigade ! " cried a young staff-officer as his horse leaped over the hedge into the road. " Make haste, sir, or you will be too late." As he uttered the words in a passionate manner, the speaker once more plunged his spurs into the dripping flanks of his foaming steed, and galloped off to urge haste on Griffin's troops. He was but a boy in years, though a veteran in cour- age; and I watched him admiringly as he dashed across the 208 BULLET AND SHELL. field. He had ridden scarcely a dozen rods when I saw a puff of white smoke break over his head, showing that a shell had burst ; while at the same instant the doomed officer reeled in his saddle, and then fell headlong with his horse to the ground. Both had been killed. The young soldier was at rest: the re- mainder of the battle must be fovight Avithout him. But I had no time to reflect upon his fate, for just then we were called to face our own. As we reached the crest of a rise in the road, the situation of affairs was revealed at a glance. Below, in a narrow sort of glen, was massed the left of the Third Corps, fighting stubbornly, but confusedly, with a strong force of the enemy. Colors waved tumultuously amidst the wedged mass of men, while mounted officers wildly endeavored to restore order, and reform the shattered ranks. A merciless fire of musketry and grape-shot was being poured into the flank of the devoted corps, and for the moment it seemed as if the enemy were carrying every thing before them. General Fletcher, our brigade commander, was now riding at the side of our column, uttering some orders ; but so deafening was the roar of musketry and cannon, I could only understand by the look on his face, and the movement of his sword-arm, that he was urging us forward. At that moment thirty or forty men came hurrying by in a body on their way to the rear. Those in the center were carrying a stretcher on their shoulders, and I caught a glimpse of a velvet cuff among the blankets. "Who is it?" cried two or three of our men. " General Sickles," was the whispered reply. "Much hurt?" " Leg shattered by a shell. May be dying." As the hospital party disappeared, our division rushed for- ward with a wild hurrah, in columns by brigade. Soon piercing the confused lines of the enfiladed corps, we threw ourselves in front, and began foi'ming in line of battle. My regiment hap- pened to halt at the edge of a small clump of woods, lying a CHARGE AND COUNTER-CHARGE. 209 little way to the right of the Little Round Top ; and as we fell into position, the entire brigade opened a well-directed volley on a heavy force of Confederates coming upon our front. Scarcely had the men begun emptying their muskets, when an order came to cease firing and prepare to charge. Hastily reloading their pieces, our men stood pretty steady under the galling practice of the enemy's batteries. It was a painful period of suspense, to wait thus for the word ; but it was of GENERAL SICKLES, WOUNDED. brief duration, for just then, the bugles sounding the advance, away we dashed across the rocky hollow. Right in front, on the other side of the glen, stood a battery of some three or four wide-mouthed Napoleon guns. It was to take or silence these that the brigade was sent forward. " God bless you. Master Frank ! " exclaimed Dennis earnest- ly, as he seized my hand. " We mayn't see each other alive again. Be jabers ! but this is the divil's own scrimmage." I returned the honest corporal's grasp without a word, for we were already on the move. 210 BULLET AND SHELL. As we crossed the glen at a mad, headlong pace, the guns of the battery ojDened on us with a murderous discharge of grape and canister, at close range. But we were now going down hill, so escaped the greater part of the shower of iron pellets, which went whistling over our heads; though a good many men dropped. Before the gunners could reload we were upon them, and a desperate hand-to-hand fight ensued. The dash of our brigade was so sudden, and our progress across the glen so rapid, the movement was a surprise for the Confederates ; con- sequently the battery fell into our hands before their infantry supports could come up. On reaching the muzzle of one of the guns I found myself confronted by a tall gunner, who having seized a musket made a lunge at me with the bayonet. In- stinctively warding off the thrust with my sword, the point of the fellow's bayonet became entangled in the guard, and I felt it pierce my fingers. Before I could recover myself. Corporal Malone sprang to my side, and drove his own bayonet through the throat of my brave antagonist, who, with a groan, fell to the ground as the piece became our prize. The other regiments had meanwhile pushed on to either side of the battery, and engaged the attention of the enemy's sup- ports : so we enjoyed a brief breathing-spell. Looking about me, I saw that the battle was now raging furiously on our right, the headquarter fiag of General Sykes being in the very midst of the fierce melee. The bright flashes of the muskets illumined the clouds of powder-smoke, and revealed the ranks of the combatants as they struggled, foot to foot, for the mas- tery. It seemed strange that we should so suddenly have noth- ing to do in the center of so hot and deadly a combat, but our respite was only a temporary one. While Griffin's division was uttering a wild, triumphant cheer, on seeing the Confederate line stagger and begin to give way, the left of our brigade fell off in the direction of the Round Top ; and in a minute after our regiment followed in its turn. I then saw that the face of the hill was in the hands of CHARGE AND COUNTER-CHARGE. 211 a considerable force of Confederate troops. Nothing daunted, the head of the column gave a rousing cheer ; and up we went over the loose, slippery rubble. The Confederates made a gallant eifort to hold their vantage-ground, but we outnum- bered them .; and though it was a terrible task to clamber up the rocks in the face of a galling fire, we accomplished it, and were in a few minutes at the very top, with the enemy in full retreat. It was with a frightful loss, however, that we had won the position ; for the rocky hill was thickly strewn with our dead and wounded. As I looked about me, trying to discover who were missing, my first thought was of Dennis ; for the timely aid he had rendered me over the brass gun in the glen was not to be readily forgotten. I remembered, that, just after we had begun our awful climb through that storm of bullets, I had lost sight of him : so I glanced anxiously along the line of my com- pany, hoping to see his face. As I did so the brave fellow appeared by my side. " The saints be praised, an' I foind ye all roight and safe ! " was his joyful salutation. " But what's that ? Yer face is all bleeding. Are ye much hurt ? " Putting my hand to my cheek, I was surprised to find it covered with blood, for I had felt no wound. Then I remem- bered that a shell had burst over our heads when half-way up the hill. A chip of it must have grazed my cheek. The wound was, however, very slight. " Oh ! it's nothing, Dennis," said I, " only a scratch. Are you all right?" " Iviry bit of me is here," responded the corporal quaintly ; " though at one toime I thought I was a goner. Down by that big stone below, which we had to go round, I fell behind, for me fut shlipped ; and I found mesilf all alone, forniust a big fel- ler who had hid behind the rock. Begorra ! before I could say ' How are ye ? ' he sthruck his murdherin' gun into me face. I belaved mesilf a dead man ; but just then a bullit kem along, 212 BULLET AND SHELL. and tuk him by the side of the head. He forgot to pull his trigger, so I come up and left him." As Dennis finished his speech, Colonel Lloyd appeared. "Wilmot, have you seen any thing of Adjutant Fitzgerald?" he asked. "No, colonel, not since we left the glen," I replied. " I hope he's not hit," said the colonel. " Well, I think he is," remarked Captain Burch : " I saw him stumble and fall just as we passed through that line of alder- bushes below." " Some of you run down and find him," said the colonel. Half a dozen men darted over the crest of the hill towards the alders; soon returning with the adjutant, who was evidently badly wounded. " Well, Fitz," said I, leaning over the poor fellow, as they laid him down, " what is it ? Where are you hit ? " " Somewhere in the chest," he responded faintly : " I don't exactly know where. But I'm afraid it's all up with me." " Don't say that, Fitzgerald," exclaimed the colonel. " Ah ! here's the doctor. He will soon put you to rights." Surgeon Humphrey's face wore a grave look as he gazed at the wounded officer. Kneeling down, he opened the adjutant's coat and shirt, then silently rose to his feet. " It's mortal," he whispered to me, with a mournful shake of his head. " Who is to tell him ? " The dying man had, however, narrowly watched the surgeon, reading his own fate in the averted face and whisper. "Well, doctor? If I'm going to die, why don't you say so, and be done with it ? " he exclaimed petulantly. " I'm afraid you are badl}^ wounded, Fitzgerald," replied Sur- geon Humphrey ; " but I'll have you carried to the rear, Avliere you will rest easier." " No ! no ! Let me stay here with the boys. Let me die with them around me. Ah ! I shall never form the parade for them again. Good-by, colonel. Good-by, Frank : you'll find CHARGE AND COUNTEE-CUARGE. 213 my mother's address in my note-book here. When I am dead, Frank, write her how I died, and tell her my last thoughts were of her. Dear old mother ! This will be sad news for her. You will write, Frank, won't you?" " Yes, Fitz, if T live," I replied. " Ah ! yes, I forgot. This fight isn't ended yet. If not you, Frank, some one else must do it." As the adjutant uttered the words in a faint, weary manner, a loud cheer rose from the glen. "What's that?" he exclaimed in a stronger voice, trying to rise. "• What's that cheer for?" " The ene- my has fallen back. We have regained the lost ground," replied the sur- geon as he wiped the dy- 1 n g man s the dying adjutant. damp brow. " That's good. Lift me up, Frank. Let me see them once more." We lifted him tenderly, and he took a long and wistful look into the glen. Griffin had taken up a strong position, and was now holding his line intact. Though full of smoke the scene was readily understood by Fitzgerald. " Thank God ! we have driven them back," said he. " I'm glad to know that. Good-by, boys ! Good-by, Zou-zous ! Don't forget Tom Fitzgerald when he is gone. Good-by, Frank ! Remember — my — mother. — Re — mem — ber — mo — ther." And as the brave spirit fled, we laid the dead body on one 214 BULLET AND SHELL. side to prepare for continuing the battle. Orders had been passed down the line for the men to imitate their fellows on the lower ground, and build breastworks out of the loose stones so abundant on the hill-top. In a few minutes a low, irregular wall rose in serried outline along the crest of the hill ; while the j)ickets, half way down, dug little pits with their hands in the rubble to protect them from the bullets that were still whizzing about their ears. As I was watching the men build their rude stone breast- work, Dennis touched my elbow, whispering, — "I say, leftinant, there's Gineral Warren. Maybe ould Meade ain't fur off." " Where ? " " Right over there. Don't ye see him sitting on that stone beyant ? " " Yes : now I do. I wonder what he is doing here." " He's looking to see if there isn't a chance for another scrimmage," muttered Malone. " Shure, he's niver so happy as when there's a rigilar row." While he was speaking, the general rose from his seat, and approached me. " Lieutenant, do you know General Crawford when you see him ? " he asked. "Yes, general, quite well," I replied. " Well, he"s waiting with his division down there," pointing towards the road over which we had advanced an hour or two before. " I want to give him an order, and have no aide with me." " I'll go with pleasure," said I, thrusting my sword into its scabbard. " What is your message, general ? " " I want him to charge over that glen again. ■ Don't you see they are forming to storm this hill ? We must anticipate their charge by one of our own." "Would't it be better for me to bring General Crawford here ? You can explain the situation to him." CHARGE AND COUNTER-CHARGE. 215 " Yes," replied General Warren. "• If you can do so quickly. Otherwise tell him to move forward at once, and charge on that line to the right of those rocks ; " and he pointed to the spot where we had advanced on the battery. "All right, sir," said I, running along the ridge. I had gone some fifty paces towards the rear when I met a mounted officer, his horse carefully picking his way over the loose stones. It was General Crawford. "I was sent to look for you, sir," said I to him. "General Warren wishes to see you." " Where is the general? " "Just above, sir. I'll show 3'ou the way," I replied, retra- cing my steps. " What ! haven't you gone yet ? " angrily exclaimed General Warren as I re-appeared. " Didn't I tell you " — " Here is General Crawford, sir. I met him coming to meet you," I interrupted ; for I well knew how quick-tempered the general could be. " Oh, all right ! I beg your pardon, lieutenant. — Why, Crawford, where in the devil's name have you been ? " "Where you left me," replied General Crawford quietly. " Having received no orders, I came to see if we were needed." " I want you to take four or five regiments into this Devil's Glen, as these men have aptly named it," said General Warren. " It's a hot place, though. Are your men in good spirits? " " Never better. They are really impatient at being kept standing idle under fire." • " Well, lose no time in taking them in. Send out a heavy skirmish-line, and charge with your main force. Break up that movement of the enemy before they get too strong. Do you think you can do it ? " " If it's possible for any troops, general, the Pennsylvania Reserves can do it," said General Crawford somewhat haughtily, as he stroked his luxuriant side-whiskers. " They ought to fight well on the soil of their own State," 216 BULLET AND SHELL. muttered General Warren grimly, as he returned the salute of our third-division commander, who immediately disaj^peared. A few minutes after, the Bucktails Regiment came forward in close skirmish-line ; and on looking towards the road I saw several regiments moving to the front. Rapidly forming in line of battle, the Pennsylvanians dashed forward with a loud cheer, their general at their head with one of the colors in his hand. Battery after battery opened fire on the heroic bat- BUCKTAII-S GOING INTO THE HEVIL'S GLEN. talions, wrapping them in flame and smoke, until a loud cheer announced the success of the hazardous movement. It was now getting dark, and we fancied the day's work to be over. But in this we were mistaken ; for, as Crawford's men fell back, the Confederates gathered fresh strength, and made another bold and desperate move. Above the dip in the ground wliere the road ran, one of our field-batteries had been placed, though it was not visible to the enemy. Our line seeming to be weak just there, they made a CHARGE AND COUNTEli-CUAllGE. 217 dash upon it in the gathering twiliglit ; evidently expecthig to pierce our line, and so cut off the Round Top. The rapid fire of our skirmishers, as they lay in the glen, was the first intimation we had of an attack ; but orders came run- ning down the line at the same moment for our men to reserve tlieir fire until they saw something to aim at. "That comes from Warren," remarked Captain Burch. "I remember how he swore at Big Bethel because our green troops banged away before they were within range." On came the Confederate column in the uncertain light, and we were begiiniing to see a dark mass moving silently, swiftly, towards the narrow road ; when suddenly our battery on the knoll opened a tearing broadside of grape and canister. As the flashes of the guns lightened up the scene, I saw that the entire glen was swarming with men. Now was our opportunity ; and as the battery sent another shower hurtling through the air, our infantry fired a deafening, blinding volley into the surging columns. Exposed to so heavy and unexjsected a fire, the Con- federates wavered a moment, and began falling back. Then the two brigades of regulars rushed out on the charge. We again held possession of the glen. This ended the fighting on the left of Meade's line for that day ; and the darkness soon put a stop to the incessant fusillade all along our front, from the Round Top to Culp's Hill. But we knew the battle had come to no definite result : we should have it fiercely renewed the next day. 218 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER XIX. A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. And thousands had sunk on the ground overpowered, The weary to sleep, and the wounded to die." IGHTFALL found me asleeiD under the lee of a bowlder, when I was awakened near mid- night by Colonel Lloyd. He informed me that a reconnoissance by a small party had ^ been ordered to be made along a sunken road , by the side of a creek considerably to the left of our position. Signs of some mysterious movement had been reported by the pickets : so I had been selected to command the little expedition, consisting of twenty or thirty vol- unteers, for the purpose of ascertaining the scope of the enemy's maneuvers. "Pick out your men carefully, Wilmot," said the colonel, " and run as little risk as possible.'' " Rather a good joke, colonel. Order a fellow off on a bit of dangerous duty, and tell him to run no risks ! " I replied with a laugh. " I promised General Fletcher I would caution you, Wilmot, when he mentioned your name in connection with this move- ment. You are to find out all you can, but the general wishes no foolhardiness. He is sending a small party, because you can all the more easily escape attention.'" " All right, sir," I replied : " I'll do my best to come back safely, and report. May I tell Major Harding I am going? " A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 219 " No, I will do that. You must get off quietly. If that old bear, your captain, hears you are chosen instead of him, he will rouse the whole regiment with his grumbling." " Captain Burch's grumbling means nothing," said I. " He's as brave as a lion." " Of course he's brave," replied the colonel. " If he wasn't he wouldn't be an officer in my regiment very long. But come, Wilmot, go pick out your men, and be off with you." I had no difficulty in obtaining the necessary number of volunteers. After getting my men together, and receiving such brief directions as our colonel deemed necessary, I gave the word, and started down the hillside, succeeding, after sev- eral tumbles over loosened rocks, in passing quietly through the picket-line, and mustered my little command in the glen. Moving round the base of the hill, now thickly covered with troops, we entered a road which ran along the bank of a creek. Going on towards the Confederate lines until we could hear voices, I called a halt. Every thing seeming exceedingly quiet, I established a few sentries, and made up my mind for a com- fortless bivouac while awaiting developments. My men, having volunteered for what they expected would be exciting duty, were naturally restless over the apparently barren result of our midnight expedition. In this mood they began poking about the bank of the creek like so many deer- hounds who had lost their scent. Cautioning them not to stray away too far, I wrapped myself in my cape, and, leaning against a massive rock, speculated on the events the coming day would bring with it. Despite these thoughts I had almost fallen asleep, through sheer weariness, when Dennis roused me with an excited whisper. "■ Leftinant darlint, thim divils, the Ribs, are up to some mischief beyant." " Where ? What are they doing ? " " Down the road, a bit. Shure, Sergeant Foster and mesilf saw thim, just now." 220 BULLET AND SHELL. "Come, come, Dennis, no nonsense now. What did you see, or did you only imagine something? " "• Now, did I ever give ye a false alarrum ? " " Not that I remember, Malone. But why don't you speak to the point ? " " Oh, av coorse ! That's the way wid yez all. An Irishman's a fool always." Finding that Dennis woiild take liis own time in imparting his information, I walked rapidly down the road ; at the same time ordering him to get the men together and follow me. Half a dozen rods below I found Foster, the sergeant, crouching at the edge of the creek, intently peering across. Slipping down by his side, I asked Foster what had happened to alarm liim. "I scarcely know, myself," he replied; "though I'm sure something queer is up on the other side there." I followed his eyes to the opposite bank as he spoke, but could discern nothing. At the same time Dennis came up with the men, who, taking their cue from me, crouched on the grass in silence. "But you must have seen something, Sam: else why send Dennis to me ? " I remarked in a low tone. "Well, you see, sir, Dennis and I found a cherry-tree just above ; and we climbed into it to get some. While we were feeling our way among the limbs, I distinctly heard a voice give the command to halt, and with it the sound of sev- eral men dropping the butts of their muskets on the grass. A few minutes after, some order was given, which I did not understand ; when something heavy was thrown on the ground. Dennis and I then slipped out of the tree, and I sent him to tell you." I made no reply to this whispered explanation, contenting myself with listening. A few seconds after, we all heard some- thing fall into the water with a sudden splash. Bidding my men keep quiet, I took Foster with me, and crept cautiously down the creek a few paces. A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 221 " See there ! " whispered the sergeant, as he excitedly seized my arm. " Where ? " " Why, there ! " he replied, pointing eagerly to the figure of a man dimly seen struggling through the deep water of the narrow creek. " Hush ! Pass the word for our men, and make no noise,'' said I, watching the fellow in the water. As my men joined me, we crawled noiselessly towards the spot where the intruder evidently intended landing. When he clambered up the bank, Foster and I caught him by the throat, thus preventing his giving an alarm. The Confederate, com- pletely surprised by our assault, surrendered almost without a struggle ; the touch of my revolver to his forehead showing him the folly of such an effort. Tied to his waist was a strong cord, which I divined to be for the purpose of hauling some object across. The men gave it a steady pull, soon having in their possession a stout pole. I was now satisfied that a reconnoitering party was endeav- oring to cross the creek ; and, as the end of our bit of timber had another cord fastened to it, I told my men to pull it also, and so landed a second pole. In the mean time I had mustered the whole of my party, preparatory to receiving whoever might venture across the rude bridge. Scarcely were these arrangements perfected, when a Confederate officer crawled slowly over. He was immediately seized, but made so desperate a resistance I was afraid our presence would be discovered by those left be- hind. The affair had now become really exciting, my men being crazy with delight at the fun in prospect. We had not long to wait ; for, soon after the officer had been disposed of, they began creeping, one after the other, over their narrow bridge. As each new-comer appeared, he was seized in silence, and hur- ried to the rear, until Ave had bagged nearly thirty; Dennis 222 BULLET AND SHELL. keeping tally in excited whispers, as the captured birds were taken from the trap they had themselves contrived. Our visitors were evidently astounded at the unexpected turn of affairs ; for, as each man came over, he was made a prisoner before he realized the fact. Indeed, I began laughing quietly as the number of our prisoners increased, wondering how long it would last. As Dennis tallied twenty-eight, a second officer was captured. After him no more came, so I concluded that the entire party must have crossed. Sending our prisoners to the pickets for safe keeping, I ordered Dennis and a couple of the men to go over on the logs ; a low whistle from the corporal speedily announcing that all was clear. As soon as nearly all my men had followed me across the creek, I left Foster and a squad of four or five men in charge of the bridge ; while I started to explore the fields with the remainder, taking the precaution to droj) a few men at intervals to keep our trail should a hurried retreat be necessary. Cautiously leading the detachment over the soft turf, I made my way towards a solitaiy tree, dimly discernible in the faint starlight. Every sound seemed hushed, yet I felt that our adventure was nearing a crisis. Leaving my party in a hollow, Dennis and I crawled along on our hands and knees, with a couple of men, until we stum- bled on a sentinel, whom we quickly overpowered, and sent to the rear. On reaching the tree, I saw that we were on a picket- line of the enemy, though why it extended in that direction I could not for the moment imagine. The mystery was speedily solved, however , for we soon heard the monotonous rumble of artillery, accompanied by the shuffling tramp of infantry, — sounds which told us that a large force was in active movement on the interior line. For several minutes the corporal and I lay prostrate under the tree, listening to the movements of the enemy. As the different orders were hoarsely repeated, I was convinced that at least a division was being massed on the plain before me ; A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE. 223 the natural inference being that some important demonstration on our flank was contemplated. Surmising that the Confed- erates were preparing for an assault upon the Round To^j at daylight, I decided to return to our lines, and report the facts. Directing Dennis to take our men quietly back to the creek, I remained for a few seconds to take a final survey of the situa- tion. A hasty glance towards the columns of troops I fancied I could see moving in the darkness was all I dared venture on : so I reluctantly turned to follow my men. As I did so, one of the neighboring sentries approached the tree in the belief that I was his comrade. Seeing it was too late for a quiet retreat, I hastily picked up the captured man's musket, and assumed his vacant place, determined to risk being taken prisoner in order that my brave little squad might get away in safety. "How still they 'uns are over thar ! " said my unwelcome friend, as he came up, and pointed with his musket towards the creek. " Yes, they are quiet," I replied in a guarded tone, at the same time keeping a close watch on the man I felt would soon prove a deadly antagonist. "What mought they be a-doing?" " I don't know," I replied. Scarcely had the words been uttered, when the sentinel, who had now come up quite close, suddenly dropped his head as he caught sight of my gold shoulder-strap. " Why, who be yeou? " he cried, making at the same moment a sudden, instinctive rush upon me. I was ready for him, however ; and, with a desperate sweep of the musket I had clubbed in my hands, dealt the unfortunate sentry a terrific blow on tlie side of the head, which felled him to the earth like a log. On seeing the man fall, I dropped the musket, and, drawing my revolver from my sword-belt, started on a run towards the rendezvous of my command. The strug- gle on the picket-line had, however, attracted the attention of 224 BULLET AND SUELL. the sentinel on the right, who sent a bullet after me as I dis- appeared in the gloom. The report of his piece at once alarmed the entire line, for they immediately opened a spattering but harmless fire. When I reached the bridge of poles, I found my men form- ing to resist the attack they expected, my appearance among them being hailed with evident satisfaction. Hastily re-assur- ing them, I lost no time in sending the command scrambling over the logs, one or two of the men tumbling into the creek in their eager haste. Once over, we destroyed the bridge by throwing it into the water ; and I was glad to find that I had not lost a man, only one of the party being slightly wounded by a random bullet. We had no time for congratulations, however ; for the Con- federates were now swarming along tlie creek. The rapid exchange of musketry brought us reiiiforcements, and I pro- ceeded to report my discovery at brigade headquarters. The information was deemed of such importance, that the fusillade of the pickets was soon drowned by the roar of our battery on the hill, as a score of shells were hurled in the direction of the massed force of the enemy. Dennis was in ecstasies over the novelty of our adventure, and always insisted afterwards that it had a decisive influence on the battle of Gettysburg. A WONDERFUL CHARGE. 225 CHAPTER XX. A WONDERFUL CHARGE. ' One effort — one — to break the circling host! Tliey form — unite — charge — waver — all is lost ! ' ' EVERE as had been the fighting on the first and second days at Gettysburg, it was des- tined to be surpassed in heroic daring and savage courage on the third day. The two armies had so often tried each other's mettle, they knew that this day would bring the cru- cial test of strength and valor ; that it would not only decide the campaign, but also the duration of the war. Therefore no bugle was needed to wake our men at sunrise, for all anticipated a day of desperate struo-gle and awful carnage. It was almost daybreak when I and my reconnoitering party rejoined the regiment. As we climbed up the hill, which was still encumbered by the unburied dead who had fallen the previous day, we found the entire army on the alert. Already the breakfast-fires were shedding a fitful glow over the wide field. Standing, as I was, on the highest ledge of the Round Top, I could distinguish the outlines of our entire position, even at that early hour, as they were betrayed by the bivouac fires of the army. As far as the eye could reach, a belt of flame lay upon the fields. Extending along the ground, in a slightly curved line, for over three miles, it then turned to the left, dou- bling round like a fish-hook : the shank rested on the Round 226 BULLET AND SUELL. Top, the stem lay along Cemetery Ridge, the elbow near the village of Gettysburg, while the barb touched Gulp's Hill. Quietly enjoying my breakfast of biscuit and cofi'ee, I sat and watched the mists and shadows disappear as the hot July sun rose over the South Mountains on our left. Bit by bit the wide landscape lay revealed, and the details of the battle-ground were distinctly visible ; enabling me to gain a clear idea of the strategic importance of Meade's line. Along the base of the ridge, and closely following the irregularities of its contour, I could trace the low stone breastworks. Behind this improvised rampart lay a broad bank of dark blue : it was the infantry in position. Nearest us, almost under our feet, lay Griffin's divis- ion ; and beyond it I saw the banners of the Third and Second Corps, with a part of the Eleventh and Sixth, Sedgwick hav- ing come up during the night. In front of the main line of battle, I could pick out the faint ribbon of the skirmish or picket line ; while, behind the infantry, the artillery had taken its position on the higher ground in the center. It was a for- midable array of guns; for, even at that distance, I could count over sixty pieces standing silent and grim in the early sun- light. The army was indeed stripped and ready for the com- bat, the deep silence which rested on the battle-field being ominous of the coming strife. Hour after hour passed, and the day rapidly advanced in all its brightness and warmth ; yet not a single musket-shot had been heard since sunrise, no sound occurring to betray the presence of two great armies in deadly antagonism. But this deceitful calm was at length broken ; for, as our colonel ordered his officers to examine their men's muskets, a solitary picket- shot was fired in the glen, quickly followed by others. There seemed no occasion for the firing, it being probably started in a spirit of mischief ; but once begun, the rattle of musketry ran along the whole front of the army, like the snap of a mighty whip-lash. Then, being expended, it died away, and silence again fell on the field ; only a few dropping shots being heard, A WONDERFUL CHARGE. 227 here and there, among the trees beyond the glen. By and by the extreme right woke up, and I coukl see that the skirmishers there had some provocation for their activity. The distance was too great for us to hear their fusiUade ; a thin pencil of white smoke alone betraying the fact, as it slowly drifted in the morning breeze over the rocks forming the ridge. Thus the two armies rested in the hot sunshine. Noon came, yet there was no movement apparent on either side. Fresh ammunition and rations had been served out to us : every mus- ket was ready. It was a period of suspense, as well as rest ; for every man in the ranks experienced a curious feeling of expec- tation. In the midst of it all I fell asleej), only waking when Dennis announced dinner as ready. "This waiting for something to do is confoundedly tiresome," said Captain Burch, as he stretched himself listlessly in the shade of the big rock we were sheltered by. "I wish they would move somewhere. Any thing would be better than this." " You are always impatient, Burch," replied Major Harding. " For my part, I am very glad to have a rest. I should think that you who have had to foot it from the Rappahannock River into Pennsylvania would be quite satisfied to lie still." " Oh ! that's all very well in one way," retorted the captain ; " but I wouldn't mind betting that nine out of ten of our men are of the same way of thinking." " W-w-well, I s-s-sup-pose so," stuttered young Whipple, a tall, raw-boned lieutenant, who was the butt of the regiment; "b-b-but y-you kn-know we had a d-d-dread-f-ful h-hard t-t-time of it y-yes-terday. W-w-what's the use of g-getting ang-ang- anx-ious ? " " Come, come, Whipple, that will do : none of your long speeches," said Captain Burch with a laugh. " If we had to wait for you to give the orders, we would n-n-never get them." " I don't know about that," remarked the major. " It's odd, but did any one ever hear Whipple stutter in a fight? While we were clambering up this queer-shaped hill yesterday, he 228 BULLET AND SHELL. encouraged his men, and swore at the enemy, as straight as any of us." " T-t-that's b-be-because I g-get too excited, and for-forget to st-stut-tutter," exclaimed Whipple. " Halloa ! I say ! What's that they're up to, over there ? " exclaimed Captain Burch, as he took a survey of the field through Major Harding's glass. " Where ? where ? " cried two or three voices. "• Why, there ! Over by the edge of those woods, on the other side of the field. Don't you see they are putting a bat- tery in position ? " " So they are," said Major Harding, peering through the glass Captain Burch had handed him. " It's not one battery, but two of them. I can see eight pieces in line already." As the major spoke, I shaded my eyes with my hands, and distinctly saw that several guns had been unlimbered, almost at the edge of the woods Ave knew must be occupied by the enemy's center. There was some important movement on foot : that seemed quite certain. These batteries meant mischief. " See ! There's more of them ! " cried the major again. " A little farther on. And now there's another. By Jove ! Burch, you won't have long to wait for something to do." " I am devilish glad of it," muttered the captain. Other eyes besides our own had noticed the enemy's move- ment ; for there was a sudden stir among the rank and file, while the signal-men on the rocks above our heads began wav- ing their flags furiously. " To your places, gentlemen ! " shouted Colonel Lloyd. " Every officer to his post." Buckling on our swords, we obeyed the order, and liurried to our places along the line. " They're bringing up a lot of artillery over there, lieutenant, aren't they?" said Sergeant Foster to me, as I reached the company. " We'll be getting some of their shells pretty soon, I expect." A WONDEliFUL CHARGE. 229 " No doubt," I replied. " Tell the men to your left to keep themselves well covered. You lie down too, Sam : there's no use your exposing yourself." " Be jabers, there'll be the divil's own row whin thim guns begin barkin'," exclaimed Dennis, gazing at the long line of Confederate guns which had now been placed in position. "Now, none of your nonsense, corporal. Lie down, sir, and keep that silly head of yours out of danger." "All right, leftinant. But why don't ye do the same? " " By and by. Now, men, keep Avell under cover. This hill is a good mark for those fellows." The men obeyed the order quietly ; then Captain Burch and I crouched behind a rock, and watched the assembling batteries. I could see that there were ten or twelve batteries in line by this time, with more steadily moving up, until there were at length fully one hundred guns in the formidable array. Half an hour passed, yet not a shot had been fired : the batteries silently waited for orders to begin the combat. Looking down our own line, I found that the Federal batteries on the ridge were on the qui vive ; for in the gaps I had noticed in the line during the morning there were now others moving in, until the ledge of irregular rocks was one mass of heavy guns. It was now evident that a terrible and tremendous artillery duel would soon commence. During the half-hour of painful suspense, the pickets on both sides were strangely silent. They knew that their puny efforts would be thrown away in presence of so much heavier metal, so they waited with the main body for the cannonading soon to begin. Suddenly a puff of smoke appeared on the extreme left of the Confederate line of guns, and I heard the shrill scream of a shell as it flew over the silent field toward our central position. Then another, and another gun was fired ; then the shells came in couples ; next by the score. Piece after piece opened fire in regular succession, and battery after battery went into action, 230 BULLET AND SHELL. until the whole of the one hundred Confederate cannon were pouring a deadly, dreadful storm of bursting iron on our de- voted center ; while we men of the little Round Top also found the shrieking demons flying over our heads or burying them- selves in the loose rubble below our feet. The bombardment of the enemy had been fully and fairly opened before our batteries deigned any reply, but when their guns did get to work the pieces were rapidly served. The fierce and furious combat was now progressing in dead earnest. Despite the efforts of the officers, our men, becoming excited as the engagement grew hotter and hotter, persisted in rising to their feet to watch its progress. As we shared their feelings, we gave up the effort to keep them down. The roar of the cannonading now became deafening in its rapidity and intensity. The enemy's batteries were hidden from our view by a great bank of sulphurous smoke which hung over and enveloped them ; the bright flashes of the guns, as they belched forth their iron hail, alone indicating the posi- tion of the pieces engaged. On our side the artillery were, however, clearly visible ; for the smoke from the guns lay over the lines of infantry, hiding them entirely as they crouched be- hind their breastworks. We had now fully ninety of our heaviest pieces at work, huddled together on the ridge held by Hancock's corps. The army was held spell-bound by the mag- nificent spectacle ; for the opposing batteries made terrible music, the hills and mountains reverberating with the awful roar of nearly two hundred active cannon. For two long hours this terrible double bombardment con- tinued, and a dense white cloud \?ij upon the entire field like a hot mist. The fierce, maddening shrieks of the shells, as they flew noisily through the scorching sunshine, or burst over our heads, the groans of wounded men lying all around us, the fragments of ragged iron whistling about our ears, scattering death everywhere, made up a scene never to be effaced from memory. A WONDERFUL CHARGE. 231 The smoke prevented my seeing the effect of the Federal fire on the Confederate line of guns ; but on our side caisson after caisson exploded, and several guns were either dismantled or drawn off the field as they grew too hot to handle. But the removal of these did not lessen the fury of our fire, for no sooner did a battery go galloping to the rear than its pdace in the awful line was promptly taken by a fresh one. As the cannonading proceeded, the shells directed at the Round Top increased, and our casualties betrayed the accuracy of the practice. Stretchers were constantly passing to the rear in the fields below, and lines of dead were accumulating as the men carried the bodies of their comrades away from the breast- works. Our men now needed no caution to shelter themselves, for the merciless shells drove them to their breastworks. Poor Whipple would never stutter again : he lay dead near me, his head shattered by the fragment of a shell. Every now and then some poor fellow in the ranks gave a groan of pain, and went crawling over the rocks in search of the surgeon, or after a convulsive shudder lay passive in death. The monotony of this fearful duel between the Confederate and Federal batteries became at length oppressive , and I longed for it to cease, even though its ending brought to us the more deadly storm of leaden bullets. Then we should at least be active, and could give as well as take : now we were power- less in the presence of the cannon, having to submit to their blows in silence. At the end of two hours the fire from Lee's guns visibly slackened, an example soon followed by our exhausted artiller- ists. The Confederates had evidently tired of the fierce Titanic struggle, and the cloud of smoke on their side of the field began slowlj^ to lift as piece after piece grew silent. Still the fusillade of shells was by no means to be despised, for the air continued to be filled with deadly fragments. In half an hour, however, the awful music fell into a monotone, and then it gradually dwindled down to a few sulky guns on either side. 232 BULLET AND SHELL. Finally our batteries stopped firing altogether, the enemy after a few spiteful discharges also becoming silent. The lull that ensued was more appalling than the thunders that had preceded it, and it was with a feeling of awe that we waited to see the next movement of Lee ; for, the Confederates having assumed the initiative, we knew that Meade would re- main on the defensive. The sun soon dispelled the heavy clouds of smoke, and the broad expanse of territory occupied by the two armies was once more visible. Then I saw that the Confederate batteries had suffered as well as our own ; for several pieces were lying on the ground, helpless and useless. Major Harding, with his glass to his eyes, also announced that the . ground occupied by their guns was covered with dead. The terrible account had been duly balanced. Now that the artillery was hushed, our corps pickets began firing rapidly : so we looked for an assault upon our elevated position. But this skirmish musketry came to nothing, the enemy having no doubt made a feint to draw away our attention from the real movement soon to be disclosed. " I say, Wilmot," exclaimed Captain Burch, " don't you see that man on a white horse ? " and he pointed towards the belt of woods occupied by the Confederates. " Yes. It must be an officer giving orders. I wonder what is coming now." " Probably an advance by their whole line," replied the cap- tain. " What a dreadful task it will be to come across that big open field ! " I did not reply : so we silently watched the white horse, as he carried his rider swiftly along the lines which were evidently forming under cover of the trees. Now the animal would dis- appear in a hollow, only to re-appear and be lost to sight again, as the ground rose and fell. On, on, he galloped, without any perceptible check to his speed, until at length both horse and rider melted from our view in the far distance. Just then I became aware of a sudden bustle among the A WONDERFUL CIIABGE. 233 loose pile of rocks near the left of our regimental line. Turn- ing round to discover the cause, I saw that General Meade had come up to survey the field. None of his staff, except Warren, were with him. Both officers gazed intently through their glasses along the enemy's lines, for some minutes, being at the same moment joined by several general officers. " A council of war," whispered Captain Burch in my ear. A COUNCIL OF WAR ON LITTLE KOUND TOP. I nodded silently, and continued to watch the group. On the right of General Meade stood Sykes, our corps commander, and with him Sedgwick of the Sixth. Behind these two corps generals, higher up among the rocks, sat Pleasonton of the cavalry, and near him Ayres who now commanded our division. The generals couA-ersed quietly together, seeming to be com- paring notes. Warren was, as usual, nervous in his move- ments, and intense in his watch upon the enemy. Sedgwick stood like a statue, his bearded face giving no sign of his 234 BULLET AND SHELL. thoughts; while tlie nattily dressed cavalry commander slapped his long boot with a slender riding-whip, apparently as care- less of the result as he would be on a review. Sykes, like Warren, was busy with his glass. In the midst of the distin guished group of officers sat the gray-haired commander of the army, quiet and steady as of old. His soldierly figure, and impassive, intellectual face, betokened a man fully prepared to do his whole duty, yet conscious of the tremendous responsi- bility resting upon his shoulders. Calmly listening to the comments and suggestions of his generals, and nodding now and then in answer or acquiescence, Meade watched Warren's face, as his chief engineer eagerly scanned the woods beyond for signs of a movement in the enenay's lines. " Here's that white horse again ! " exclaimed Captain Burch. Turning my eyes away from the little knot of generals, I saw that the captain was right ; for the mysterious horseman was returning as rapidly over the ground as he had gone. There was something new to see this time, however ; for as the rider came galloping back, lines of troops appeared at the edge of the woods behind him. As he rode swiftly towards us, these lines lengthened, until we could distinguish whole brigades and divisions forming in line of battle. For over a mile the white horse passed, and the Confederate infantry extended in close array over the entire distance. Then the officer and his horse disappeared behind a clump of trees, and the enemy's troops moved slowly into the field until their entire line became visi- ble. There it halted, and seemed to be aligning itself on the center. As we watched the progress of this portentous move- ment, with quickening pulses, a second line of battle appeared, and, marching out of the woods, halted a few paces behind the first. " They are going to charge," said Major Harding, glass again in hand. " I can see the skirmishers forming now in front of the line." The major was correct ; for, as he spoke, we all saw a thin A WONDERFUL CHARGE. 235 line of men moving out from tlie main body. It was quite evident that a general advance in force was contemplated by the Confederates. This cool preparation for a desperate charge was indeed a startling and thrilling spectacle. Thousands upon thousands of veteran soldiers were quietly getting ready to advance over an open field, half a mile wide, for the purpose of attacking an army fully their equal in strength and cour- age. As I watched those dark-brown lines my blood, already hot with the excitement of the hour, coursed madly through my veins until I felt my cheek flush with suppressed emotion. At length the preparations seemed complete, for a gun was fired near the center ; and as its solitary shell flew towards our line, the colors in the Confederate ranks began waving, and the two compact lines of infantry marched slowly, steadily forward. "Isn't that magnifioent?" cried Captain Burch. " Positively grand," replied the major. I looked round for a moment at the group of generals, find- ing a marked change in their attitudes and demeanor. General Meade stood in the center ; but he was as motionless as the stones under him, his eyes intently fixed upon the advancing lines. Not a muscle of his face moved ; yet I saw he felt the crisis, for a look of stern determination rested upon his fea- tures. Warren was leaning forward, the very picture of eager, hopeful expectation ; and there was a restlessness about the man that accorded well with his thin, nervous face. Sedgwick had brought his steel-scabbarded saber round in front of his body ; and he stood unconsciously at j^arade rest as he watched the Confederate movement, his heavy jaw and massive beard giving his entire figure that air of resolute courage so charac- teristic of the Sixth Corps leader. Pleasonton, though still perched up on his aerial seat, no longer tapped his polished boot ; for he, too, was watching with steady, curious eyes the threatening advance. Ayres had disappeared ; but behind Pleasonton peeped Kilpatrick, his face the most excited of all. 236 BULLET AND SHELL. and he was evidently uttering rapid comments on the scene in progress. Suddenly General Warren stepped a pace or two forward, and gave some order to a signal-officer, turning at the same time to his chief, as if asking consent. General Meade nodded affirmatively, and the flags were soon waving in cabal- istic fashion to their fellows on the right and center. The com- manding general had now grasped the scope of the intended movement, and was preparing his army for the onslaught. " I say, leftinant, who the divil is that chap ? " asked Dennis, pointing to a man dressed in civilian attire. I was as puzzled as the corporal, for the sight of a citizen in such a place was a novelty to me. He seemed to take matters very coolly ; for he stood leaning against a huge bowlder, and gazed through a large field-glass he carried slung over his shoulder. Then he turned, and, walking deliberately towards the assembled generals, asked some question. General Sedg- wick gave the answer, when the stranger took a note-book from his pocket, and began writing. I then knew he was a news- paper correspondent, a fact I explained to Dennis. "An' do thim writin' fellers ever get killed?" " Sometimes," I replied. " What is he doin' here, anyway ? " continued the corporal. " They always keep as near the commanding general as pos- sible," said I ; "to get the news, I suppose." " Well, this is a quare world anyhow ! " said Dennis. " A fellow with a pencil and a bit of paper helpin' to foight a battle ! " The correspondent was evidently at his ease, for he strolled about as nonchalantly as if there were no such things as shells or bullets. Though his dress was not at all military, still there was something about the man that betrayed his connection with army and campaign life. A suit of navy-blue cloth, the coat cut short for horseback-riding, and closely buttoned across the chest, revealed a symmetrical figure, while his feet and legs were incased in a pair of boots made of tan leather and reach- A WONDERFUL CHARGE. 237 ing nearly to the hips. A dark -blue flannel shirt, the collar confined by a black-silk necktie tied in sailor fashion, and a wide-brimmed felt hat, completed his costume. As I stood watching him, he put a hand into his pantaloons-pocket; the action revealing the butt of a revolver, which appeared to be fastened round his waist by a leather belt. Altogether he looked like a man ready and perfectly able to take care of himself. " Why, there's Charle}^ Osborne," said Major Harding, as the stranger approached us. "And who may Charley Osborne be, major?" said I. " He used to be an officer ; but now he is a war-correspondent, and a devilish clever one too, I believe." "How are you, major? " said the new-comer, as he stepped forward. " This is a splendid place to view the ground. No wonder Meade came up." "I suppose you have been all over the field," remarked Major Harding. "Pretty much. I had to leave when poor Reynolds was bowled over, in order to send a dispatch. But I got back last night, and have been in the saddle nearly all day." " What are they doing on the right, Osborne ? " asked the major. "Waiting, just as you are doing here. I tell 3^ou what it is, major : there's going to be an awful row here pretty soon, when tliat line gets fairly moving," said Osborne as he sharpened a pencil. "Of course: any one can see that," responded Major Harding. " But I think we can beat them back." "I hope so. But our line is fearfully weak in the center, and Meade knows it. He seems tolerably confident, however." " I am glad to hear that," said I : " confidence on the part of our general is half the battle." " Quite right. By the way, isn't your name Wilmot ? " " Yes, sir." 238 BULLET AND SHELL. " Excuse me," said Major Harding. " I ought to have intro- duced you to one another. Please consider it done." " You were pointed out to me just now, Mr. Wilmot, as the officer who made that reconnoissance last night : so I came to get your story. It will make a capital incident in my descrip- tion of the battle." " Oh ! it's not worth talking about," said I, surprised to find myself getting famous. "• You can surely find something more important and interesting than my adventure to write about." "I don't know about that," replied Osborne. "People at home want wayside pictures as well as big canvases. Come, lieutenant, just tell me how it was ; for we shall all be busy very soon." At that moment another cannon-shot was fired on the Con- federate side of the field : and, as we all turned to look, I saw it was a new signal ; for the advancing lines of battle now quick- ened their motion, and came forward even more rapidly than before. Both Osborne and myself forgot our conversation in watching the coming charge, for at the same instant our artil- lery opened fire on the Confederate lines of infantry. Once begun, the cannonading soon became general along our whole line, a deadly storm of shells being poured into the ranks marching so gallantly across the open ground. The Confeder- ate batteries replied; and under cover of their stubborn fire their infantry came on, and on, until they won the admiration of their opponents. As yet no Federal musketry had broken out, our veterans knowing too well the value of every bullet in a crisis like this. Still the assaulting lines continued to march on, until it seemed, from where I was standing, that the leading one touched the breastworks along our center. Then, and only then, a vivid flash sprang from the earth, followed by a sharp rattle as the Federal skirmish-line opened fire. The volley had no appar- ent effect on the Confederates, who continued to advance steadily, sweeping the skirmishers before them like chaff in the A WONDERFUL CHARGE. 241 wind. A minute later, a deafening crash of musketry broke upon the ear, and we knew that the main line had opened fire. Despite the sunlight, the flame from our men's muskets could be distinguished as it played to and fro along Cemetery Ridge. Then for the first time the Confederate line seemed to waver ; but only for an instant, for it soon rallied, and, as if by one common impulse, dashed itself like a mighty wave against the wall of steel before it. The Federal artillery on the higher ground behind our infantry now tore the enemy's ranks with a storm of iron balls until it seemed that none could stand before them and live. But the troops under Longstreet had gained an impetus which carried them clear up to, and at intervals into, our lines. For twenty minutes the terrible hand-to-hand strug- gle continued ; and I saw, by the sudden movements of Han- cock's corps, that his line had been pierced and broken. It was, however, soon reformed ; and, although the second line of the Confederates joined and strengthened the first, our defense was too fierce and stubborn to be overcome. Finally the at- tacking force quivered, and a moment later the entire body was in full retreat. A tremendous thrilling cheer now rose from the throats of our army, only to be drowned by the renewed broadsides of our batteries as they savagely played on the shattered and retiring divisions. " That scene is good to me for a couple of columns at least," said Osborne, as we all resumed our places in the line at the call of our colonel. " Halloa ! By Jove ! Old Meade is off, so I must go too. Good-day, gentlemen : this is the last you will see of me on this field. I shall ride all night for a telegraph- wire." " Do you consider the battle over, then ? " asked Major Hard- ing. " Sufiiciently so for my purpose. You may have plenty of fighting, but I doubt it. Lee can never get his army in shape after such a repulse. No : unless I find a different opinion 242 BULLET AND SHELL. prevailing at headquarters, I shall gallop off to announce a victory." "Good-by, Osborne," said the major. "When do you expect to join us again ? " " Oh ! I shall ride to Frederick City, and telegraph my story, and overtake you on the other side of South Mountain in time to see another brush, should there be one. Take good care of yourself, old fellow." As he spoke, Osborne ran down the hill, swung himself into his saddle, and disappeared over the road we had advanced the previous afternoon. By this time the Confederate lines had reached the shelter ^'~''^'--'^t*':pSwm '*^^-^**'"»A^« L *vuwito»-»*«)*fcj^j^i^«. s^i^H^^lx^'^^^i- KELIEVING THE WOUNDED. of their own guns, and soon after entered the woods from whence they had emerged to make the desperate charge. We never saw them on the field of Gettysburg again. The bloody plain, over which Longstreet had led his men, was thickly cov- ered with the dead and dying ; for, even when the defeated troops had escaped out of musket-range, the shells from our guns mowed them down by scores at every discharge. Once more comparative silence rested on the battle-field ; and we busied ourselves in succoring our wounded, or removing the dead that had fallen on our own line. FACE TO FACE. 243 i- CHAPTER XXL FACE TO FACE. 'Thou Shalt not see me blush, Nor change my countenance for this arrest." HARLEY OSBORNE had hardly departed when we were surprised to see General Meade and his staff return to the Round "^^.J Top, where they remained until sunset, as |fe our elevated position afforded a magnificent view of the field. Now that Long-street's corps had buffeted itself to pieces by its heroic charge, the general held quite a levee of distinguished officers. Generals from the right and center came up, one after the other, to report the results of the engagement, or re- ceive orders for their future movements. Fre- quently these officers clambered among the rocks that were piled up at the apex of the hill. Their bright shoulder-straps soon attracted the attention of some Confederate sharpshooters ensconced in an out-cropping ridge of rocks on the opposite side of the glen. So annoying did the persistent practice of these marksmen become, that General Fletcher was requested to send a party down into the glen for the purpose of silencing them. "Lieutenant Wilmot, the general wishes to see you," said the sergeant-major to me as Captain Burch and I were washing down a few crackers with some coffee. " General Fletcher ? What can he want ? Do you know ? " said I. 244 BULLET AND SHELL. " Not exactly, sir. But there's some sort of movement on foot ; for I heard General Warren say somethmg about the glen, and Colonel Lloyd mentioned your name." " Another reconnoissance, Frank, by Jove ! " said Captain Burch. "• You are in luck again, my boy ! Why the devil can't they give a captain a chance ? " " I wish they would. I think I've had enough of extra duty. However, we must obey orders." And I at once proceeded to report to the general, finding him among the assembled corps commanders and their brilliant staffs. " General, you sent for rne, I believe," said I, saluting. " Yes, Wilmot : you were down in the glen last night, were you not ? " " Yes, sir : down in the sunken road by the edge of the creek." " Precisely. — General Meade, this is the young officer who captured the party of Confederates so cleverly last night," said the brigadier. "A very neat affair," replied the general, smiling at me through his spectacles. " I congratulate you, sir." I bowed, feeling my cheek flush at the old general's praise. " You see those sharpshooters in that cluster of rocks across the hollow?" said General Fletcher, pointing towards them. " Yes, sir." " Well, Wilmot, I want you to volunteer to lead a party down there, and either drive them out, or keep their infernal rifles quiet. What do you say ? " '■'• You might as well order me down there, and be done with it," I replied laughingly. " Of course I'll go if you wish it, general." "Thank you, Wilmot. I was sure you would be willing, though it will be ugly work. Now go and pick your men : forty will be enough. When you get them together, Colonel Lloyd will give you further instructions." I touched my cap, and withdrew. Calling Sergeant Foster FACE TO FACE. 245 and Dennis, we soon had our party organized. There was no delay in securing sharp, willing fellows ; for our men had been cooped up on the hill so long, that any thing promising excite- ment was a decided relief. Among them was Sergeant Johnson from another company, who was accepted at his urgent request. On reporting to Colonel Lloyd, I received my instructions. We were to go forward in skirmish order, and once in the glen I was to act according to circumstances. "Do nothing rash, Wilmot," said the colonel. "General Fletcher expressly said so. We don't want to lose you, now that you are on the road for promotion. Keep cool, my boy, whatever you do." " I'll do my best, colonel," I replied, touched by his kindness. " Good-by, Frank : good luck to you," said Colonel Lloyd, holding out his hand. I returned his hearty grasp, and, turning to my men, gave the word. We were soon going helter-skelter down the precipi- tous face of the Round Top ; the men spreading out to the right and left like the edge of a fan, as I had directed them to do. Scarcely had we begun the descent when the sharpshooters sent their bullets whistling among us. Two of the men fell wounded before we got half-way to the bottom ; and b}^ the time our scattered line reached the level ground three more were down, one of the poor fellows being killed. I had previ- ously instructed the party to cover themselves as best they could on reaching the glen, only advancing when I waved my handkerchief as a signal. Every man was to fire whenever he saw something to aim at ; and, as all their pockets had been filled with extra cartridges, I knew we could keep up a steady and constant fusillade for some time. When I reached the foot of the hill, I dropped behind a bowlder standing conveniently in my path, and saw that the men were following my example. The line being thus estab- lished, we opened a rapid fire sufficiently accurate to keep 246 BULLET AND SHELL. the enemy's riflemen tolerably quiet. From bowlder to bowlder we darted forward at intervals, thus gradually reducing the range ; and, looking up, I had the satisfaction of seeing Gen- erals Meade and Warren standing undisturbed on the lookout station. We had made their station a safe one, at all events. An hour passed in this way ; then General Meade retired, and a signal was given for me to return. On attempting to obey, I found it would cost too many lives, so decided to remain for the present. If we must be hit, it was better to fall fighting GOING FOR" THE REBEL SHARPSHOOTERS. instead of retreating. Shaking my head at Colonel Lloyd's mute command, and trying to prove in pantomime the hazards of a retreat, I prepared to advance on the sharpshooters. Gen- eral Warren, who was still standing on the rock, seemed to be pleased with my decision ; for he waved his hand encouragingly, the simple act setting my men to cheering lustily. Their shouts accomplished what the Confederate rifle-bullets had failed to do, for the general immediately disappeared from our sight. "That's jist loike Gineral Warren," remarked Dennis, who, as usual, was near me. "He'd make a good Irishman, he's so fond of a scrimmage." FACE TO FACE. 247 " Well," I replied, " I'm glad he approves mj^ plan, for then the colonel can not scold when we get back." " We'll not get back so aisy, leftinant darlmt. But you're in the roight : it's betther to die facin' thim divils beyant, than to be shot runnin' away from thim, loike so many rabbits." " Pass the word to the sergeants that we are going forward, but that no man must go too far in front of his neighbors," said I, hoping to put a stop to the corporal's loquacity. " We're a noice lot of naybors, anyhow," muttered Dennis as he repeated the order. Little by little we crept forward, with the loss of only one man, until the line reached the narrow strip of clear ground in the middle of the glen. Here I knew we should be compelled to charge : yet I hesitated at giving the order, because I had no idea of the real strength of our opponents. The question was, however, settled for me in an unexpected manner. Sergeant Johnson, who commanded the left, had succeeded in adroitly working his way, with half a dozen men, into a clump of bowl- ders that overlooked the rocky nest in which the Confederate riflemen were hidden. Seeing the importance of his position, the sergeant sent a well-directed volley among them, which, being followed by another from our main line, caused evident confusion. This was our opportunity, so I waved my handkerchief; and we dashed forward, seizing the ledge in good style, as the enemy retreated, though we missed taking any prisoners be- yond three wounded men lying behind the rocks. As we won our little victory, I heard our brigade cheering us ; and, though we knew our party could not well be relieved before morning, the praise of our comrades repaid us for the danger passed through. Making such disposition of my command as seemed best for holding our new position, I made up my mind to pass another wakeful night. Of course we could have no fires ; so I munched a cracker or two by way of supper, Dennis grumbling discon- 248 BULLET AND SUELL. solately at the meager fare. One of the men offered me some hoe-cake he had found in the haversack of a dead Confederate, but I declined it with a feeling of horror. Dennis was not so squeamish ; and, as I watched him munching tlie dead man's provender, I realized the vicissitudes of war, and how soon men become hardened in the presence of danger and death. The sun went down, and the night proved a dark one. Already the sulphurous gases engendered by the heavy cannon- ading and musketry during the past three days were gathering vapor in the sky ; and I knew, that, as on all great battle-fields, we should soon have rain. The feeling that the enemy's power was broken for the time made our army careless, for numerous fires were blazing all along the main lines. The Little Round Top was clearly defined in outline by these ruddy flames, mak- ing our advanced position appear all the darker by the contrast. Thus the day passed into night. Midnight came ; and I had just seen the sentinels changed, when one on the right fired his musket. I immediately ran over to him. " Why did you fire, Ferguson ? " I asked. " I think there's somebody down there in front, for I heard the clink of a musket against a stone just before I let drive," was Ferguson's answer, as he finished reloading his musket. " Well, don't fire again, unless you really see something, until I return. I am going down along the line." All of the sentinels were excited by Ferguson's shot, so I found them naturally on the alert. Sending one of them for the reserve, I went back to the man causing the alarm ; finding him kneeling, and on the lookout for developments. Soon after Dennis came up with ten or fifteen men. " What's the matter, leftinant ? " he whispered : " are we attacked ? " " Not yet," I replied in the same low tone ; "but we may be soon, if Ferguson here is right. He thinks he heard some one in the hollow below." FACE TO FACE. 249 " Look ! look ! '' cried Ferguson eagerly, as he pointed out into the darkness : " don't you see somebody now ? " " No, I don't ; but wait a minute, corporal : scatter the men a little, and send Sergeant Johnson word to be ready to resist an assault on the left," said I, as quietly and composedly as I could, though I now began to fear we were in a bad box. I had scarcely uttered these words, when I distinctly saw three or four men creeping over the ground a few rods in front. Knowing that a bold stroke was best, I changed my tactics, and, instead of acting on the defensive, determined to attack. Dennis and his men had not yet time to move : so, with a sudden impulse, I shouted, — "Forward, Zouaves! Charge!" My men followed me willingly, so we went bounding over the rocks like so many deer. Our movement was entirely successful ; for the Confederates were in a little bunch, only half-prepared for the assault they contemplated, so found them- selves surrounded. Two or three attempted resistance when summoned to surrender; but they were promptly knocked down, our prisoners numbering nearly twenty men. Sergeant Foster coming up with some of his men, I sent him to the rear with our captives, keeping Dennis with me a few minutes to see if there were signs of an}^ more. " Begorra ! Master Frank," said Dennis, laughing gleefully, " if you kape on at this rate, we'll be afther gobblin' the whole of Gineral Lee's army." At that moment, as if he had sprung through the earth, we were confronted by a man. " Come, you fellows ! " exclaimed the new-comer authorita- tively, " we must go back. There's not enough of us to seize those rocks, now that the Yanks are on the watch. Come, fall back, I say, and make no noise." " You are my prisoner, sir," said I, clutching his arm, and thrusting the muzzle of my revolver into his face. " Surrender, sir, as your men have done." 250 BULLET AND SHELL. "Damnation! Trapped? and by a Yankee." " Yis, trapped loike a burrd," replied Dennis, seizing the pris- oner's other arm. "• Ye see, it's a thrap of yer own contrivin', so you can't complain." " Oh ! I know I'm caught, safe enough. You needn't hold me like you would a dog. I surrender. It's the fortune of war." And, as the Confederate spoke, he unbuckled his sword- belt, and handed his weapons to me. As I put out my hand for the belt, the prisoner seized my arm in his turn, hoarsely ex- claiming, — " Is that you, Frank Wilmot ? Good God ! Am I your prisoner?" " Tom Marshall ! " I cried, thoroughly startled and amazed at the recognition. " Yes, Tom Marshall. Very much at your service, sir," he replied sarcastically. " So we meet again, Mr. Wilmot, do we ? But under rather different circumstances from when we parted." " I wish to God you had fallen into other hands than mine ! " I replied, touched to the quick by Tom's sneers. " An' is this an ould frind of yours. Master Frank ? " asked Dennis wonderingly. " Yes, Dennis ; one of my dearest friends." "And now we are sworn enemies, meeting on the battle- field," interrupted Tom. " No, Tom," I replied warmly, " not enemies. We can never be that. Remember your last words when we parted, — ' broth- ers always.' " " Pooh ! we were boys then," retorted Tom. " Bein' yer frind, av coorse ye'r sorry he's a prisoner ? " per- sisted Dennis. "I'm sorry the chance fell to me to make him one," said I. " Thin, why not let him go agin ? Shure, there's nobody here but our three selves. None of the b'yes knows we've another prisoner." The suggestion was a startling one. Could I do it? And I FACE TO FACE. 251 began weighing my duty against the warm feeling of friendship I still entertained for my prisoner. " Arrah ! an' why don't ye let yer frind go ? " said Deimis, in a pitying voice. " Shure, nobody will be the wiser." " I will ! " I cried. " Tom, you are no longer a prisoner. Go in peace, and God bless you, old fellow ! " " Do you really mean it, Frank ? " he asked, evidently be- wildered by my words. "Yes. I release you. Here is your sword again. Kate Marshall shall never say I made her brother a prisoner of mine." " Well, I now believe in the old saying that women rule the world," said Tom with a light laugh, as he took back his sword and revolver. " Dennis, go back to the line. I'll follow you in a moment," said I. The corporal took the hint, leaving Tom and me alone together. As he disappeared, Tom seized my hand, and wrung it heartily. " This is very good of you, Frank. I know how hard it is for you to do this, for I can appreciate your sense of duty to your own side of this miserable quarrel. God bless you, my dear boy, for letting me go ! I'll never forget it while I live," and Tom's voice grew tender as we clasped hands once more. " I'll walk a little way towards your lines : I suppose it's safe ? " " Oh, yes ! Our pickets are a good ways off, else you might have been my prisoner instead of my captor." " How so ? I don't understand." " Why, when that fellow of yours fired off his confounded musket, I saw we were discovered, so I told my men to lay quiet until I got reinforcements ; but I changed my mind, and was coming back to withdraw them when you caught me. Do you know, I took you and that Irishman for some of my own men," and Tom laughed carelessly. 252 BULLET AND SHELL. " That explains why we captured you so easily. But this is ■a strange thing, Tom, our meeting here to-night." " Isn't it ! You know I said we would meet again." "And what a change has come over the country since we last saw each other, three years ago ! " " Ah, yes ! "Why, Frank, you would scarcely know the old valley now." " How so ? " " It's a perfect wreck. The fields overrun with weeds, shade- trees cut down, houses and barns destroyed by fire or shattered by shells : even the negroes are gone. My God ! what a price we're paying for secession ! " " You are indeed, Tom," I replied. " Of course you now see that that very act of secession has precipitated the evil you so much dread- ed. The slaves are now emancipated." " Yes, — by Lincoln's proclamation ; but that only holds good where your armies have trod, or are in possession. We have plenty left yet." " It is only a question of time," said I. " You can not ex- pect, surely, that the South is going to finally win." " To tell you the truth, Frank, I do not. But we must part here. Yonder fire is my line." And Tom seized my hand in a fervent grasp. " Good-by, Tom. Let us hope that when we meet again it will be under happier auspices." " Oh, this war is gone up ! The Southern cause is dead. This battle has already turned the scale against us. I suppose GOOD-BY, TOM.' FACE TO FACE. 263 we sliall be running away from you soon," said Tom bit- terly. "I wish the war ivas over. I am tired of this terrible slaugh- ter," said I. " So am I. But Bob Lee won't give up just j-et. Ah ! Frank, I'm cured of my foolish ideas of State and Southern rights and wrongs ! There was no need of our going to war." "Is that the feeling in your army?" " To some extent, though it is not expressed in words." " Then, why not say so openly ? Peace can be made if your leaders speak the word." "But the terms, Frank! There's the rub. No, there will be a good deal more fighting before there's peace, more's the pity." "It's sad business," I replied: "would the end were near!" "Would it were, indeed! But I must be going. We part now, Frank, dearer friends than ever. Good-by, old fellow ! " and as Tom wrung my hand he darted away in the darkness. I was again alone. 254 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER XXII. LOST AMONG THE DEAD. ' "With shivered armor strewn, and on a heap Chariot and charioteer lay overturned." ■ S Tom was disappearing in the darkness, I stood listening to his retreating footsteps until they died away in the distance. Then I realized that I had parted once more from an honest heart and true friend. What did it signify that he wore the Confederate gray, and I the Federal blue? we were still brothers at heart. Soldiers on opposite sides of a mighty struggle, we were still held by the bonds of our college friendship. I therefore felt re- joiced at our meeting, even though it had led " ^---^ ,' me to swerve from the strict line of my duty in releasing him. When we had parted three years before, it was in the sun- shine, and our paths lay among the signs of peace and pros- perity. Now Tom had left my side in the gloom of night, on the battle-field, strewn as it was with the stiffened corpses of those whose fate it had been to fall. What a contrast ! Putting aside these thoughts with an effort, I at length turned my steps towards the little picket, whose fortunes were for the time bound up in my own. I had proceeded only a short distance, when I became aware that I was on new ground ,• the rocks and bowlders over which Tom and I had stumbled being no longer in my path. This LOST AMONG THE DEAD. 255 was a dilemma for wliicli I had little relish, for I was anxious to reach my command as soon as possible. I knew it was danger- ous to shout, for I might draw upon me the fire of my own pickets ; and there would be little glory in being shot by Fed- eral bullets. Impatient and angry at my own stupidity in not having kept the bearings of my position, I took a careful survey of the lights along our main line, hoping by that means to discover the rocks. But the fires on the interior lines were smoldering as the army slept : so I was the more confused, not knowing which way to turn. Walking cautiously towards such lights as I could see, I had not gone far Avhen I suddenly tumbled headlong into a wide ditch. Rising to my feet again, I was startled to find that I had fallen over some corpses. Then the dismal fact dawned upon my mind: I had missed my way, and Avas lost, — lost among the dead of the battle-field! The sickening odor that rose from the bodies I had unwit- tingly disturbed by my fall, proved that they had been dead some time. The men had, no doubt, fallen early in the day when we were hurried from our reserve position to succor the Third Corps. Still, this knowledge gave me no clew to my whereabouts, for I did not remember having seen any ditch during the few minutes my brigade had remained in the glen. The absence of any rocks or outcropping ridges was proof that I had strayed: so I endeavored to find the way back, by turning sharply to the right, hoping soon to find my feet on familiar ground. But this movement, instead of bringing me to the rocks I had left, carried me farther over the field ; and I began wandering recklessly about, neither knowing nor caring whither my errant footsteps might lead me. It was my first experience of a deserted battle-field in the darkness of the night ; and, though not easily cowed, I became possessed by a feeling of nameless horror at being thus com- pelled, as it were, to keep unwilling companionship with the dead. Danger might be faced, — indeed, would have been wel- 256 BJLLET AND SHELL. corned as a relief; but the feeling that I could not escape from this labyrinth of death was indeed an awful sensation. Once I tumbled, at full length, over two bodies, my horror increased at finding my face close to the swollen and bloody features of the dead man who lay uppermost. The corpses seemed to be everywhere, for at times I could not put my foot to the ground without feeling some portion of a man's body beneath it. Turn where I would, I found myself surrounded by these revolting evidences of man's hatred and strife. My head grew dizz}^ and a feeling of sickness crept over me, as I staggered over the ground, carpeted, as it was, with the slain of both armies. Here were confused heaps of dead men, Federal and Confederate, lying mingled as they fell fighting one another. Feeling my way among them, I found three or four lying clo^e together, side by side, at their feet another body, at their heads two more. One poor fellow had evidently struggled a moment for life after receiving his mortal wound, then, pillowing his head on the breast of a dead comrade, lay passive as Death swept his dark wings over the plain. Judging from the position of some other bodies I stumbled over a few paces beyond, a fear- ful shower of grape and canister must have torn the ranks of a regiment into shreds ; for fifty or sixty men lay here in a row, some on their faces, others on their backs, while the attitudes of a few betrayed the agony endured before death ended their sufferings. Though these bodies could be but dimly seen in the darkness, I fancied the glazed eyes of the dead were leering at me. Leaving the sleeping battalion, I came across the corpse of a little drummer-boy, who lay -sVith his arms still clasped around his drum, his head shattered by a shell. Brave boy ! he had beaten his last rataplan. Now the scabbard of a sword jingled as my uncertain foot struck it, the wearer being in a sitting posture, his legs shattered by a round shot. Death ! death everywhere, in all its horrid, awful forms ! The swift bullet and the cruel shell both had been at work ; and I realized what a price is paid for victories. LOST AMONG THE BEAD. 257 Still, I could not find ni}- picket-post, and was wholly igno- rant of my whereabouts; for now I came to the scene of another desperate, bloody struggle, the bodies rapidly accumulating under my feet, as they lay in confused masses on the grass. Tumbling over one of these ghastly mounds of half-rotten flesh, I was startled at finding a human hand thrust into my face. For a moment I imagined I had found a living man amidst the dead, but on closer scrutiny I saw that the hand was a lifeless one. The soldier's death had been so instanta- neous, that, as he fell with outstretched arm, the muscles became rigid, the stiffening fingers remaining poised in death, pointing to the heavens whither the spirit had taken its flight. The man's musket lay across his chest ; and, putting my hand on the weapon, I found it still clutched by the dead owner. Half mad, with a feeling of fear tugging at my heart-strings, I dashed wildly from the spot, and, stumbling and falling, con- tinued my career over the encumbered field. Yet I did not escape the presence of the dead ; for, as I sub- sequently discovered, I was going round and round, like a man entangled in the depths of a forest. Owing to the darkness, I imagined that I had traveled a mile, though in reality I did not leave the vicinity of the glen. Besides the bodies, my feet encountered muskets and knapsacks in extraordinary confusion; and once I narrowly escaped a fall over the distended carcass of a horse, killed perhaps while his rider was bravely cheering on his men, or trying to restore order in a broken line. Next my knee struck an exploded caisson, and a moment after I ran full tilt against a dismantled cannon. Round the piece there had been an awful combat, for the sod was thickly covered with the dead. Utterly exhausted by my unavailing efforts to extricate myself from this mass of moldering corpses, I deter- mined to halt where I was. " I'll go no farther," I cried. "If I must lodge with the slain, I'll do it here." Seating myself on the broken field-piece, I waited impatiently 258 BULLET AND SHELL. for the dawn that was to drive away these wild fancies and restore me to my men. But the darkness still held my senses inthralled ; and, as I threw myself on the disabled cannon, I fan- cied that weird arras were pointing with shriveled fingers at the living, shrinking man in their midst. Try as I would, I could not shake off the feeling that uncanny shapes were abroad ; and LOST ON THE I5ATTLE-FIELD. I fell more and more under the influence of these ghostly fears, despite my better reason. The exciting duty I had performed since reaching the field of Gettysburg had so affected my nerv- ous system that these hallucinations seemed dread reality. Thus I watched for the daylight. Not a shot had been fired since I parted with Tom INIarshall. Both armies were exhausted by fatigue, and they slumbered in silence. Nearly two hundred thousand men were sleeping around me, while I was sitting wakeful and alone among the dead. When I began hoping that the day would soon break, strange lights appeared in the distance, disappearing as soon as seen. LOST AMONG THE BEAD. 259 Supposing them to be carried by ambulance-parties in search of wounded, I rose to meet them. But before I had taken many steps, I was surprised to see one of these mysterious lights quite near me, though there were no footsteps, no voices. The flame grew brighter and brighter, and then suddenly expired. Then the truth flashed upon my mind : the light was caused by the mephitic gases escaping from putrefying corpses. " Help — help — water — water ! " The words were uttered a little way off, in a moaning voice ; and when I heard them I knew some wounded wretch needed succor. With a feeling of relief at the presence of some human life among the dead, I hastened towards the sounds. "Water — wa- ter ! — my God ! — is there — no ~ help — water — a — little — wa- — ter ! " ^ The faint and weary cry was now almost at my feet. Drop- ping on my hands and knees, I crawled cautiously forward. "Where are you? I bring you water," I cried cheerily, my nerves now as firm as steel. " Here," said the voice more faintly. In a moment I was at the man's side, finding him in the midst of a group of the dead. " Here you are," said I, unslinging my canteen and holding it to his lips. " But don't drink too fast." The wounded man clutched the vessel, and soon I heard the water gurgling down his throat: when he stopped for breath I WATER, FOE GOD'S SAKE ! 260 BULLET AND SHELL. took the canteen from him, fearing that if he drank too much it would kill him. " Ah, that was heavenly ! Oh, how thirsty I was I I thought you would never come ! " " I only heard you call a moment ago, and came as quickly as I could. How long have jo\x been lying here ? " " I don't know. I was hit when we first began to fall back, and could not get up again. Then I fainted, I suppose. When I came to again, I found my leg was smashed." "That must have been the day before yesterday. Do you belong to Sickles's corps ? " " Yes. We got doubled up in the orchard here." "But how did you contrive to live so long without food or water?" I asked, marveling at the man's tenacity of life. " I had a little water when I went down, and I managed to get some more from the canteen of the dead man here beside me. I did not care much for food, though I did eat a little yesterday. But I was afraid of those shells. I expected every minute to be hit. One of them burst a little way off, and blew a dead man all to pieces. I thought the same thing would happen to me before they stopped. Oh, it Avas awful to hear those shells ! " and I could feel the poor fellow shudder at the recollection of his fears during that terrible artillery duel. " Well, you will be all right now," I replied encouragingly. " When daylight comes, I'll see you safely carried to the rear." " Give me another drink. I feel so thirsty and faint ! " I gave him back the canteen, and he took a long, long draught. But it was to be his last ; for the strength gained by imbibing the water set his pulse beating quicker, and tlie hem- orrhage of his wound broke out afresh. " Say, friend, I feel very weak. Am I going to die ? Oh, say I'm not dying ! " and the wretched man's voice quivered with agony as he asked the question. "I hope not, my man. Keep quiet now. It will soon be daylight." LOST AMONG THE BEAD. 261 " All right," he replied, resting his head on a corpse behind him. By this time the first faint streaks of daylight began stealing over the field, enabling me to distinguish objects at a little dis- tance. Still kneeling beside my new-found charge, I watched the trees and rocks reveal their outlines. Next the corpses of men and horses, the broken cannon, the scattered muskets, all the debris of the battle, became visible in their rude deformity and confusion. Little by little the light grew stronger, until my whereabouts could be ascertained. I then found, that, on parting with Tom Marshall, I had unwittingly moved to the right of our line, and so wandered in a circle scarcely a thou- sand yards from my little party. Looking across the open plain, I could see the ground thickly covered with the dead, the result of the Confederates' mad but heroic charge. In rifts like new-mown grass in the hayfield, lay long lines of slain men ; while here and there were confused heaps of corpses, as though Death, the reaper, had already begun to reckon up and garner his harvest. Everywhere, on. either hand, before and behind me, jyas death, — death in all its diversity of form. Here lay the placid figure of a young man, as though asleep, his head resting on the arm that held his musket. Death had come to him with a light touch, swiftly, mercifully. Before the body had fallen to its mother earth, the spirit had soared aloft above the shock and turmoil of battle. Near this young and apparently sleeping soldier, the shattered and contorted limbs of a gray-haired man betrayed a different fate ; for the swollen and blackened face of the corpse bore traces of the suffering endured before death had set its irrevocable seal on the life struggling for supremacy. Averting my eyes from this broad expanse of slaughtered men, I turned my attention to the wounded one before me. Alas! death had added another victim to the long list to be made upon that bloody field ; for he had expired, silently, peace- 262 BULLET AND SHELL. fully, while asleep. If I had been too late to save him, I had at least the consolation of knowing that I had soothed his last hour. I should never know who he was ; and none of those who loved him would know that in the silence of the night, with his head pillowed on a corj3se, his life had ebbed away. " And this is the glory of war ! " I exclaimed, rising from my knees to join my command. MOVING IN PURSUIT. CHAPTER XXIII. MOVmG IN PURSUIT. ' The army, like a lion from his den, Marched forth with nerve and sinews bent to slay.' OON after I had rejoined the regiment with my men, Sedgwick's corps advanced across the field in heavy columns. But how diiferent was the scene ! When the Confederates came, they had to face a storm of lead and iron, only to be beaten back after frightful loss. Now the Sixth Corps marched quietly over the plain, heralded by no sound of cannon. Amidst pro- found silence the three long columns reached the trees where Lee had formed his lines for the charge. When the Federal army saw the corps carry their Roman-cross banners into the woods, it knew that the Confederates had abandoned their position. '^ Lee has retreated ! See ! Sedgwick crosses the line with- out firing a shot ! " exclaimed Major Harding, gazing through his glass. "You are right," said Colonel Lloyd. "General Warren said yesterday he believed the enemy had fallen back." " Then, why didn't we have a general advance at once ? " grumbled Captain Burch. " That's a question I have just asked myself," said the colo- nel ; " for I heard Warren urge Meade to send Sedgwick's and 264 BULLET AND SHELL. our corps over right after that terrible charge of theii'S. But Meade preferred to wait a day : he perhaps feared a trap." " Trap ! As if we couldn't charge and fight as well as they," exclaimed the pugnacious captain angrily. " We always lose the fruits of our victories by indecision and cautiousness. I'm sick of it,"' and the choleric captain began swearing in a fright- ful way. "Come, come, Burch," remarked Major Harding in his usual good-natured tone. " You always find fault. Remember the great responsibility resting on Meade's shoulders. A single false step might imperil the whole campaign." "It's those people in Washington, who are to blame," said Captain Burch. " Never mind, captain : we have good reason to be grateful for our victory," said Colonel Lloyd. " This battle is the turn- ing-point in the war." " A good deal to brag about, after losing twenty or thirty thousand men : very satisfactory that, I must say." " Upon my word, Burch, you are exceedingly difficult to please. Battles can not be fought without somebody being killed," replied the colonel impatiently. " Oh ! never mind him, colonel," said Major Harding. " Burch is never so happy as when he has a fair chance to grumble : it's his way." " That's right, go ahead : I'm used to being abused." As the captain spoke, our sergeant-major approached the colonel. " Orders from brigade headquarters, sir. We are to be ready to move at a moment's notice." "Of course. Now that the bird has flown, we are to go on an infernal chase until we haven't a leg to stand on," growled Captain Burch, evidently delighted at having a fresh oppor- tunity to vent his spleen. "Do be quiet, Burch," said Major Harding sharply. "If you don't like campaigning, why don't you resign ? " 3I0VING IN PURSUIT. 265 "• What ! go home before the job's over ? No : I "11 stick it out, and see the end of this confounded war, if it don't put an end to me ; " and the captain laughed in a jeering Avay that grated on my ears. Tlie sound of our brigade bugle put an end to the conversa- tion, and we busied ourselves in seeing the men into their places. As Captain Burch and I listened to the sergeant's roll- call of our company, we found twenty-one men absent, nine of them reported as killed. There was no time for sorrow, how- ever ; for the brigade began moving off the hill immediately after. As we descended into the road, I saw that the whole army was in motion ; our batteries were already leaving the crest of Cemetery Ridge, and long lines of infantry were on the march. But, instead of following the Sixth Corps, we were going towards the rear. Away on our right a column of cavalry appeared on the road, where we had seen the rider of the white horse previous to the Confederate charge ; and, as they came galloping up, I knew the pursuit had begun in earnest. An hour later, and the field of Gettysburg was deserted ; its unburied dead and sinister rows of new graves alone attesting the recent presence of the contending armies. " Well, Master Frank, that's the end of the biggest scrimmage we've had yit," said Dennis as we turned into the road. " Yes, indeed. Yon and I, Dennis, will remember Gettysburg as long as we live," I replied. " Begorra, I don't want to forgit it : we had more fun there than ivir before. An' that frind of yours, he'll not forgit it in a hurry, aither."' " We will not talk of him, Dennis. I saw General Fletcher this morning, and told him the whole story." " An' what did he say ? " "He looked grave at first, but, as I went on, his face brightened, and he seized my hand, and called me a right good fellow." 266 BULLET AND SHELL. " The ould brigadier is a thrump, that's what he is," said Dennis enthusiastically. " He gave me a bit of advice which I shall follow, and I want you to do the same." " I undherstand. The divil a word more I'll shpake about it," and Dennis dropped away from my side as if to avoid further temptation. We had marched only a few miles when the threatening rain descended, and soon we were all drenched. So pitiable was our condition that a halt was called near a range of hills ; and as the men put up their shelter-tents, and built fires, I heard the dull booming of distant cannonading. I knew by this that the advance had struck Lee's rear-gviard, so we would be soon at his heels. The corps broke camp at daylight the following morning, in a pouring rain which continued until noon. Wet to the skin, the troops splashed through the mud merrily, and crossed South Mountain during the afternoon, leaving the rain behind us as we passed over the range. By forced marches we finally reached the Upper Potomac, near Falling Waters, three days after. As the corps joined the army, we were ordered into line of battle ; and at the same moment I was called for picket-duty. We had scarcely reached our post when orders came to advance as skirmishers. " Troth, and we're in for another scrimmage," said Dennis, examining the nipple of his rifle ; " though this skarmishin' is nasty work." " You need not have volunteered to come." "I volunteered because we have the divil's own luck to- gether," replied Dennis. "Don't I always have lots of fun along wid ye ? " " There will be precious little fun here," said I, tightening my sword-belt, "but plenty of hot work," Just then the bugle sounded, and away went the line through the woods. Cautiously moving from tree to tree, we had gone MOVING IN PURSUIT. 267 only a few hundred yards, when bullets began singing in the air, like the buzz of angry bees. At the same moment the men in possession of a road on the right began firing rapidly. The musketry ran rippling along the line as the men advanced, and the woods rang with the reports of our rifles. Judging from the rapidity of our opponents' fusillade, they were in strong force ; and, though we gained ground, several of our men were hit. " Captain Hoyt is killed, sir," said a sergeant from one of the other regiments, as he ran towards me. "Killed? How?" " He started from one tree to another near the road, but was picked off directly he showed himself." " Well, you must go to the left, and tell Captain Judkins he is in command now, and say I have taken the right of our line until he can come up. Look out you don't get hit yourself.'' As the sergeant disappeared on his errand, I proceeded cau- tiously towards a brick schoolhouse that stood by the side of the road. Just as I reached the last tree nearest the build- ing, I heard Dennis's voice. "For the love of God, don't come any closer, leftenant darlint, or you're a dead man. Shure, they've got the range on us." Wondering where the corporal could have got to, I looked in every direction, but failed to see his face. "Where the dickens are you, Dennis? " I shouted. " Here, sir : here amongst the children's copy-books," cried Dennis, his face peering at me from inside the schoolhouse-door. " Come out of that, you skulker," I shouted angrily : " what possessed you to go in there ? " " We thought it wud be an illigant place to shoot from , but thim divils in the abbathy beyant have got the dead wood on us, and we durstn't stir a hand or a fut." "How many are there of you? " " Foive, besides mesilf; an' thim Ribs are puttin' their bul- 268 BULLET AND SHELL. lets in the door-frame as thoiigh they were drivin' nails in a man's coffin." " Well, stay where you are for the present." Darting from tree to tree until I gathered eight or ten men, we crept into the abatis that blockaded the road. Here we had a clear range of the pits commanding the schoolhouse ; our bullets breaking up their fire, and enabling the corporal and his comrades to escape. " Shure I've heard it said that too much larnin' is a danger- ous thing, but I never knew how much thruth there was in the ould sayin' until I got caught in that murdherin' bit of a shkoolhouse," said Dennis, as he and his party joined me among the fallen trees in the road. " I wonder what the schoolmaster will say when he comes, and sees how they have riddled his door and windows," re- marked one of Dennis's companions. " Troth an' I dunno. But if the leftinant hadn't come up as he did, faix, some of us would have finished our eddication by this toime. As fur the door, it's splintered into kindlin'- wood." The Federal musketry had now became general all along the skirmish-line of our corps , those belonging to the division on our right succeeding in breaking through the pits occupied by the Confederates, their men falling back sullenly. As we entered the open fields, Captain Judkins came towards me, holding his arm as if in pain. " I've got it pretty hot, Wilmot," said he, " and must go to the rear, for the wound is a bad one. You are in command now. Remember you are the only officer left, so take care of your- self." Nodding in reply, I continued to push my men forward in order to straighten the line. The Confederates at the same moment broke away on a run ; and off we went with a rush after them, my men loudly cheering. Suddenly the bngle sounded a halt ; and we obeyed the call, though we could not MOVING IN PURSUIT. 269 imagine why it was given. Sitting clown on a stump, I waited for further developments. To my surprise, there was no sign of any strong force of the enemy, no batteries on the rising points of ground as one might expect. It was very strange. The stubborn fight made by their pickets, followed by so hasty a retreat, was so unusual, I could not understand it. "An' where the divil have they all gone to?" said Dennis; " an' why have they stopped us now roight in the middle of the hunt?" " I'm sure I don't know," I replied. " It seems like a general skedaddle, over there." As I spoke, the corporal's eyes became fixed on some object in the distance. " An' what can that be ? " he asked. "It looks like a man," I replied. " Why, it's a nagur," shouted Dennis, leaping to his feet. The contraband continued to approach until stopped by one of the sentinels, who pointed to me. The negro at once came forward to where I was sitting. "Is yer de gineral ? " he asked with a broad grin on his ebony features. " What general do you want? " " Why, de big gineral, — de biggest of dem all. I just thou't as tho' yous mou't be a gineral." "What do you want to see the general for? " "I wants fur to tell him de inforbation. I golly! I'se a heap of news fur de old man," and the darky laughed glee- fully. " Tell us what ye mane, ye murdherin' black sarpint," ex- claimed Dennis, his eyes blazing with anger. " Out wid it this minnit, or I'll send ye to kingdom come in a jiffy." " I'se no brack sarpint, no mor' dan yous be. I'se a cullured gem'man. Dat's what I is," undauntedly replied our sable visitor. 270 BULLET AND SHELL. "Be quiet, Malone," said I. " Come, my fine fellow: you must tell me first what your news is, before you can see any general." " Arrah, let's hang the black divil to the tree below. He's a spy," cried Dennis, evidently intending to frighten the poor negro. " Say, boys, shall we do it? " "Yes, yes. Up with him ! " replied two or three of the men, joining in with Dennis's hvunor. " O massa, massa ! I'se no spy. Don't you go fur to hang DEY S ALL DONE GONE, SAH! dis yah nigger. I'se Pete, a rigilar Union man. I'se tells yer all I knows, an' dat's a fac'." Seeing that the man was thoroughly frightened, I took ad- vantage of Dennis's joke. "Well, be quick about it, then. What do you know?" " Well, yer see, massa ossifer, dey's all done gone dis heah four hours." " All gone ! Who has gone ? " " Why, massa Lee and all the Varginny sodgers. Dey's he's clar' gone 'cross de ribber." MOVING IN PURSUIT. 271 "Are you sure of that? Come, my colored friend, be care- ful what you say." " Fo' God, massa, it am de trufe. Day's bin all gone. I'se seen dem go 'cross dis yeah morning wid my own two eyes ; " and the negro raised his hand as if taking an oath. This was indeed news for General Meade ; and it explained the activity of the Confederate pickets and their precipitate retreat when we finally entered the open country. Sending the contraband to the reserve, in charge of a file of men, the entire line of pickets soon received orders to advance. The men dashed forward like a pack of schoolboys at play, but we found no trace of Lee's army until we reached a road in the hollow. Then the story of the retreat was easily read. Knee-deep in mud, I saw that one of Lee's columns had pushed through it in great haste : infantr}^ cavalry, and artillery, all left their traces ; while two or three wrecked wagons, half-buried in the mire, showed how urgent had been the haste. Lee had once more out-maneuvered, out-generaled us : we must now seek him on the old familiar ground along the line of the Rappahannock and the Rapidan. The fox had doubled on the hounds, but we would soon catch the scent again. While my men were rummaging among the debris of a de- serted camp in search of trophies, the several corps came ad- vancing towards us in grand lines. But it seemed a foolish show of numbers, now that the foe had so cleverly escaped. Along the river-bank a cloud of cavalry was galloping , and as they rode forward, and were hidden by a belt of trees, some dropping shots told too plainly the fate of the Confederate pickets who had so bravely held us in check while their com- rades crossed the Potomac in safety. That night our army began moving for the fords below Harper's Ferry, in hopes of being able to head off Lee at the gaps in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 272 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER XXIV. AN ADVENTURE ON THE ROAD. " He that stands upon a slippery place, Makes nice of no vile hold to stay him up." E had reached the Pleasant Valley, in the most picturesque part of Marj'land, and were al- ready in sight of the South-Mountain range. The movement of the army was very rapid; for the need of haste was urgent, Lee having secured the interior line of operations. The constant and fatiguing marches we had en- dured ever since leaving Gettysburg had so inflamed my injured foot, the pain became at last unbearable , and I was compelled to ask "J^-. ^— - -?;'-:r^ permission to fall out of the line for rest. I ^^ '^''' made my application to General Fletcher, when the column halted during the afternoon a few miles after Ave passed Antietam bridge. "I'm very sorry you are unable to keep up with us, Wilmot," said the general, as he countersigned my surgeon's pass. " If I had a spare horse, you could serve temporarily on my staff, but unluckily we are short of horse-flesh. You can be of great use, however, even in the rear. It is very necessary that all the stragglers should be hurried forward, for we shall probably cross the Potomac in tAvo or three days. So you will please use all possible diligence, lieutenant, in overtaking us , and I rely on your zeal in bringing up the laggards." AN ADVENTURE ON THE ROAD. 273 " I'll do my best to do so, sii'," I replied, delighted at having a definite duty to perform, though in the rear of my corps. "I've no doubt of it, Wilmot," said the general kindly, "else I would not ask you. Of course you will find unruly fellows among the stragglers, as well as good, willing ones : so use the latter to discipline the others. Good-by : I see the column is in motion ahead." It was with strange emotions that I saw the brigade march on, leaving me sitting by the wayside. I almost felt that my com- rades had deserted me. I had been sitting by the stone wall for nearly an hour, watching the fag-ends of the command creep on after the main body, when to my astonishment I perceived Dennis Malone leisurely walking back over the road. As soon as he caught sight of my face, the faithful fellow flourished his fez over his head, and ran towards me. "Why have you left the regiment, Dennis?" I exclaimed, as he coolly sat down by my side and unslung his knapsack. " You are not sick or wounded? " "The saints be praised, no! I'm as solid and sound as a six-pound shot. But, master Frank, you mustn't be angry. Though I'm not sick, I felt bad enough whin I found you had fallen out of the ranks becase of yer fut. So I made bould, an' tould the docther I'd take a pass mesilf, and look afther ye." And the simple-hearted corporal turned his beaming eyes to mine. "And the doctor excused you?" said I incredulously. "To be shure he did. Why not? Don't iverybody in the rigiment know I'm yer silf-appinted guardeen ? Ould Physics laughed whin I tould him, an' sed I'd be no good in the ranks widout ye . so he handed out the pass. Here it is." " Well, Dennis, I am very grateful to you, though I am often at a loss to understand why you think so much of me." " That's what ye always say," retorted Dennis. " You forgit the day ye saved me loife in the shwamp, whin we were foightin' our way to the James. But I'll niver forgit it, anyhow." 274 BULLET AND SHELL. " Oh ! you canceled that debt at Gettysburg, when you thrust your bayonet through that poor fellow's throat, while we Avere fighting over those guns. But never mind, sergeant: we will be able to overtake the regiment in a few days." "Sargeant? What dye mane by that? Is it a sargeant I am ? " exclaimed Dennis eagerly. " Yes : Captain Burch handed your name to the colonel this morning. Sergeant Foster is a lieutenant now. All the pro- motions will be announced to-night as soon as the regiment goes into camp." " Wirra, wirra ! " whimpered Dennis. " To be read off a sar- geant before the b'yes, an' me a sthraggler! " It's all your own fault," I replied, laughing despite my pain at the woful face of my new sergeant. "It's your own fault. You are always putting your foot in it." " Nivir moind, leftinant, so long as it's not the wrong one," said Dennis, with a grin on his honest, good-humored face. " You and me are together, an' that makes it all roight." " Thank you, sergeant. To tell you the truth, I am glad enough to have you with me, for I can scarcely walk. Until I get a good rest, I shall not be able to take the road. Let us choose a spot for camping." Dennis jumped up, climbed the stone fence behind me, and took a survey of the surrounding country with all the gravity of a staff-engineer selecting suitable ground for the encamp- ment of a corps. "• Now, what is it to be ? " he asked, descending from his perch of observation. " Is it to be an open camp, or a close one ? " " What in the name of common-sense do you mean ? " "Is it to be in a house, or undher a tree? Ye hev yer choice." " Under a tree, by all means," I replied, " and near water where I can bathe my foot. It's so long since I slept under a roof, I should suffocate." AN ADVENTURE ON THE ROAB. 275 " Wicl all the pleasure in loife. Vm in favor of an open camp mesilf, an' thare's an illigant spot down in the hollow beyant." So saying, Dennis picked np my blanket and haversack, and helped me to rise. With some difficulty and intense pain I contrived to reach the wide-spreading tree he had selected, find- ing it situated near a mill-race. The afternoon was nearly spent by the time we had settled ourselves ; and while Dennis went on a foraging expedition, I enjoyed a bath in the swiftly running water, afterwards falling into a delicious sleep. When I awoke, Dennis was by my side, busy over tlie fire preparing supper ; and at his bidding I remained stretched on my blanket, grateful for my rest and relief from pain. It was the first time I had fallen so far in the rear of the army, since we had been abandoned on the Rappahannock picket-line ; and the novelty of the situation amused and inter- ested me. Though the evening was fast approaching, I could see that the main road was still full of straggling soldiers, many of them evidently loitering simply for the freedom of action it gave them, though the greater part were suffering from illness and exhaustion. Even horses had succumbed to the fatigues of the march ; a section of a battery having fallen out, and gone into bivouac in the fields on the other side of the road. As the sun began to sink behind the distant range of Tatoc- tin Mountains, the white tops of a wagon-train could be seen in the distance, as it slowly proceeded in the direction the corps had gone , and I heard the clatter of a cavalry patrol or escort as it trotted over the little wooden bridge that spanned the creek. The voice of a plow-boy shouting to his cattle, the loud barking of a dog at a neighboring house, and the mournful caw of a crow flying overhead, were then the only sounds. All else was quiet ; and it was strange to find one's self in the midst of peace so soon after the excitement of battle, and the stirring sights and sounds attending an active campaign. 276 BULLET AND SHELL. After supper and a quiet smoke of our pipes, Dennis wrapped a wet handkerchief round my swollen foot, when we went to bed with our weapons safely stowed between us. It was not until the afternoon of the second day that I ventured to take the road ; having a double purpose in view, — to rest my foot, and give time for the stragglers to get well on ahead. We had proceeded only a few miles Avhen we fell in with a party of a dozen who had gone into what seemed a permanent camp. I at once ordered them to pack up and accompany me, which tliey did after considerable grumbling. In this way I gathered nearly fifty men before sunset, and then halted for the night. The next day we were on the march in good season ; and I was fortunate in overtaking another officer, my junior in rank, besides two or three sergeants. As I now had over one hundred men under my command. Lieutenant Beach was a great acquisition. With his help and that of the sergeants, I managed to keep my ill-assorted battalion in decent soldierly shape ; and we were near the South Mountains when the hour for camping arrived, the number of men being now nearly two hundred. The next morning I roused the men for an early start, as I hoped to reach the lines of the army before nightfall. A few of the stragglers had decamped during the night , their absence not being regretted, for they -had kept the rest in ill-humor by their mutinous spirit. Dennis had found a stray horse some- where during the night, and improvised a saddle with his blanket, and one of the men picked up a broken bridle and bit: so I was duly mounted, and presented a tolerably imposing appearance at the head of our little column. We made a march of five or six miles before the sun was warm, hoping to get to the mountain-gap before noon. In this we were doomed to disappointment ; for at a cross-roads we suddenly encountered a force of fifty or sixty cavalrymen, under command of a captain, having in custody some three hundred Confederate prisoners. Halting to let them have the AN ADVENTURE ON THE ROAD. 277 road, I was surprised to see their commanding officer draw rein. " I'm glad we have met you, sir," said he courteously. " You are to take charge of these prisoners." " Nonsense ! " I replied. " These are a lot of stragglers I've picked up. Why should I take your duty off your hands ? " " Because such are my orders ; which were, to turn these men over to the first infantry column I met, and return to my brigade, now on a reconnoissance." " But this is not an infantry column, I tell you : only a few stragglers I am taking into camp." "You seem to have got them into pretty good shape," remarked the captain. " From the looks of your command you can't deny you are infantry, and in column." " But it's a difficult job for infantry, as you are pleased to call this ragged battalion of mine. We can not ride a man down as you can, should he attempt to escape." " Pshaw ! Haven't you your muskets ? If any should at- tempt to run, shoot them down," replied the captain coolly. Finding that there was no help for it, I called my command to order, and saw that every musket was properly loaded; then, reluctantly signing a receipt for the prisoners, watched the cavalry gleefully gallop away. " This is a nice piece of business, Beach," said I, looking at the prisoners seated in the road. "It's a bad job, but we must do our best." " Well, do you know now, I rather like it, Wilmot," rejplied the lieutenant. " Begorra ! it's the best thing that could have happened. It'll give the b'yes something to think of, an' kape them out of mischief," remarked Dennis. " I hope so," said I. " Lieutenant, }' ou will take the head of the column, while I ride in the rear. Malone, you stay with me. The other sergeants must keep well out on the flanks." These directions being obeyed, I gave the order to march. 278 BULLET ANT) SHELL. On mounting my horse I found that Dennis had obtained a spare saddle and bridle from one of the cavalrymen, so I felt more at ease on my steed. The captain had advised me to take the road to the right, as it led direct to Harper's Ferry, distant some twelve miles : therefore I took the new road, and proceeded. The prisoners seemed quite content, and gave us no trouble. Indeed, one informed me that the cavalry had hurried them greatly, so our more moderate pace was an agreeable relief. I had announced that all who obeyed would be kindly treated, but if any one attempted to run away he would be shot. As these orders were expected by the Confederates, they jogged along very amicably. We marched at a sharp pace for infantry ; because I was determined to reach the Ferry before nightfall, and so rid myself of my troublesome charge. In an hour or two we reached tho- outlying spurs of the mountains that help to form Pleasant Valley, and by noon were in the midst of the range. Halting my command, I marched into an open bit of ground in the woods to the left of the road, and allowed my prisoners and their guard to rest by the side of a mountain brook which went tumbling noisily over its rocky bed. The Confederates were huddled together in the center, with my men sitting around them, a few files being on guard. Though our halting-place was entirely hidden from the road, I deemed it prudent, as we were going away from the army at every step, to throw out a few pickets among the trees on the side of the road. I gave the command of these pickets to Dennis, instructing him to keep them concealed. Much to the annoyance of both prisoners and escort, I forbade the lighting of fires, as the smoke might betray our presence. This precaution proved to be a wise one. With my revolver on the grass beside me, I sat apart, nib- bling a biscuit or two, thinking of the many adventures I was having, and wondering if this was to be the last one. Suddenly Dennis came running in. AN ADVENTURE ON THE ROAD. 279 " Be all the powers ! we're in the divil's own scrape now. Shure, there's a lot of Rib cavalry coming down the moun- tain. Begorra ! the boot's on the other leg now ; for we'll all be captured, and go to Richmond the wrong Avay." " Don't talk so loud ! " I exclaimed, thoroughly startled at Dennis's words. " Are you sure that they are Confederates ? " "• Shure ! Don't ye suppose I know a butthernut coat from a blue wan ? " replied Dennis in an indignant tone. " Go back and reconnoiter. If they discover us, fire off your piece, and take to the trees. We will do the same at your sig- nal. Cavalry can not pursue us in these woods. Meanwhile I must keep these fellows quiet." As Dennis saluted, and darted into the woods again, I called to my men, and ordered them to cover the group of prisoners with their muskets, and at the same time telling the Confeder- ates that any outcry on their part would be the signal for a volley into their midst. It was a dreadful moment. Here I was prepared to slaughter unarmed men, purely at the instinct of self-preservation ; for I had no desire to be made a prisoner, and marched to the Con- federate capital. The prisoners failed at first to understand our alarm and sudden change of demeanor, but the sight of two hundred muskets ^sternly leveled at their breasts taught them we were in danger. Still the love of life was too strong for them to make any effort for liberty, so they cowered down and remained silent, motionless. Then the sharp clatter of horses' hoofs sounded in the stony road, and I felt as if my heart had stopped beating during those few moments of terrible suspense. Our only danger was that my horse might neigh at the near presence of the cavalry, and I uncharitably wished the animal dead. To my delight, the intelligent creature remained quiet, only pricking up his ears at the sounds in the road. In a few min- utes, which seemed hours to me, the column passed on : still Dennis's musket remained mute. I began to breathe again, 280 BULLET ANB SHELL. when Dennis came back, waving his hat, a sign that the dan- ger was over. " Hurroo ! They're gone, the saints be praised ! They're in a hurry, as though the divil was afther 'em. We're all safe, b'yes." " That was a narrow escape, Wilmot," said Lieutenant Beach. " I've not had so close a squeak of it since I've been in the army. Thank Heaven, they didn't molest us ! for I hated the alternative of shooting down these poor devils." " We would ncft have had much time to do it, even if I had given the word," I replied. As I spoke, we were again startled by the sound of more horsemen. Dennis disappeared under the trees, but soon re- turned shouting out that it was a force of Federal cavalry. I ran out to the road, bidding Lieutenant Beach to bring our column after me. On reaching the road, I found myself in the midst of one of Kilpatrick's regiments. "Are you in pursuit of that Confederate cavalry that has just passed ? " I asked of an officer, as he drew rein in astonish- ment at my unexpected appearance. *•' Yes. Are they long gone ? " "They can not be more than a mile or two ahead." "All right. But who are you? and what is this you have with you ? " asked the officer as my command began filing into the road. " A lot of prisoners bound for Harper's Ferry," said I. " We had fortunately halted in the woods, or we might have been captured in our turn." " Oh, no ! They knew we were too close after them for that, I fancy. Though they might have split a few heads open. But this won't do for me : I must be off." " One moment, sir. Is the road to Harper's Ferry quite clear? It's ticklish business, this guarding prisoners on foot."' " Oh ! it's quite safe," was his response : " you can move ahead without fear. Good-by, and good luck to you ! " and AN ADVENTURE ON THE ROAD. 281 then, putting spurs to his steed, the speaker dashed off after the rear of his column. We had not gone far when we heard rapid shots being ex- changed among tlie hilLs ; and, on looking back, I could see that our cavalry had overtaken their quarry, and were pushing them hard. If my men had been willing to do duty before, they were now enthusiastic. Their narrow escape from capture had shown them the danger of straggling, and the value of disci- pline and organization. True, we were taking a longer march than if we had kept straight on after the army ; but the novelty of our situation and the comparative freedom of our move- ments delighted them. The Confederates were naturally de- pressed by the fact that they had been so near freedom, but they accepted the situation without a murmur. We reached Point of Rocks, a few miles below Harper's Ferry, by sunset; and, as my command descended the steep road to the river-bank, I heard my name uttered by some one in the rear. Turning in my saddle, I recognized Osborne, the corre- spondent. "What in the world have you there, lieutenant?" he cried on overtaking me. " A lot of prisoners taken by our cavalry with a train they destroyed over in the valley." " Where did you find them ? " " I didn't find them," I replied with a laugh : " they found me." " I never was any hand at guessing 'riddles," said Osborne rather impatiently. " How did you come by the Confeds ? " Briefly explaining, I halted the column under the towering- cliffs of stone which give the place its name, and announced my intention of proceeding to the Ferry. "You had better stop here for the night," remarked the corre- spondent. " It will be quite night before you can reach the Ferry, and may lose some of your prisoners in the darkness. I 282 BULLET AND SHELL. would advise you to go down the river instead of up. They won't thank you for your prisoners there." " Why ? Is the place threatened ? " I asked. "Not yet. But there's no telling what Lee may do. A part of his army is still at Martinsburg." " I am disposed to follow your advice, but where am I to stow away these bothersome prisoners ? " "Why, right here in the sheds. They're all empty. The quartermaster can have no objection." "Speaking of quartermasters, reminds me that we have no rations. Perhaps, after all, I had best go to the Ferry." " Nonsense ! I'll introduce you to Marston. He's a crusty old chap, and may make a fuss at first ; but he'll come round in time." " Oh ! if I'm to beg for supplies, I prefer going to the Ferry. The general in command will, of course, see that I am taken care of." " You're almost as crotchety as old Marston," said Osborne. " Come along and see him." " You correspondents take matters very easy, Osborne." " Why shouldn't we ? Independence is our motto." " So I judge, by your way of doing things," I replied. " Where is this paragon of quartermasters to be found ? " " There are his quarters," said Osborne, pointing to a house near the railroad-sheds. Requesting Lieutenant Beach to keep the men together, I followed the correspondent. "Major Marston," said he, accosting an elderly officer we found seated on the veranda, " allow me to introduce Lieuten- ant Wilmot. He's got a lot of prisoners, and wants rations." "Haven't any to spare," replied the quartermaster ungra- ciously. " How many men are there ? " "About five hundred in all," I replied. "We have not a mouthful to eat." " Where are you going ? " AN ADVENTURE ON TUE ROAD. 283 " I did intend going to the Ferry, but Mr. Osborne tells me they are expecting an attack up there : so I think I'll stay here over night, and start down the river in the morning." " You had better," replied the quartermaster. " They would give you a blessing up at the Ferry, and send you kiting back." " Well, major, if you will let me put the prisoners in the sheds, and give us a day's rations, I shall be all right." " Oh ! I'm not going to issue any thing : most of our stores were sent away days ago." " Come, major, let Mr. Wilmot have the grub for his party. I'm going to write a dispatch to-morrow, and shall mention the arrival of the prisoners: it will look well to say that Major Marston supplied them," said Osborne coaxingly. " Well, if you intend that, I don't mind doing something," replied the quartermaster, evidently mollified by the prospect of a little newspaper fame. " Bring up your party, lieuten- ant." "Didn't I tell you we would manage it?" said Osborne, as Ave rode back to my command. "There's nothing these quarter- masters like more than being mentioned in the newspapers." "What earthly use can it be to them?" " Oh ! you see, they are always in the rear, and are seldom thought of. Why, I know one fellow who keeps a scrap-book ; and he is always doing correspondents favors, just for such chances." A few minutes after, I marched my nondescript battalion to the sheds, and had the gratification of seeing both prisoners and guards bountifully supplied with food. Declining the quartermaster's invitation to supper, Lieutenant Beach and my- self quartered ourselves in a corner of the shed, and watched Dennis prepare our supper. He had managed to buy some bacon and eggs, and was in his element. " By George ! " said Osborne, sniffing at the odor of the broiling bacon, " I guess I'll bunk in with you myself, if you have no objection." 284 BULLET AND SHELL. " None in the least. You forget what service you have been to us," said I. " Fudge ! old Marston was bound to help you. I only hastened his decision." " Well, sit down. What's the news ? " " Meade is pushing rapidly for the gaps in the Blue Ridge. His advance is already past Leesburg, and the main body will cross the river to-morrow or the next day. Your corps is at Berlin. I suppose you heard of Vicksburg ? " " Vicksburg ? no : we've heard nothing. What has happened ? not a defeat ? " " Defeat ! I should say not. Why, don't you know that Pemberton has surrendered, bag and baggage ? " said Osborne wonderingly. "Surrendered! you don't say so!" exclaimed Lieutenant Beach. " Of course we haven't heard any thing : you forget it's nearly a week since we saw the army." " Well, it does seem odd to find anybody who don't know of Grant's victory." " When did it occur ? " said I. " On the fourth of July, the same day we beat Longstreet back at Gettysburg. I tell you what it is, that fellow Grant's going to make his mark before this war is over." " Well, Meade has given Lee the hardest blow he's got yet," remarked Lieutenant Beach. " That's so," said Osborne : " he won't make any more inva- sions. Do you know, I begin to see the beginning of the end ? " " I'm not so sure of that," I replied. " The Confederates will fight as long as they have a leg to stand upon." " Of course they will," retorted Osborne ; " but hang it, man, they can't fight for ever." "No, but they'll not give up until every resource is ex- hausted." "Sure enough," said the correspondent. "All the more glory in whipping them." AN ADVENTURE ON TUE ROAD. 285 "Well, Osborne, you won't have much share in it. Why- did you leave the army ? " "My wound was a pretty bad one, — I got it at Antietam, — and they mustered me out : so I went back to the pencil and note-book. It's more exciting and pleasant, besides being better paid." " Supper's ready," cried Dennis, dishing up the bacon and eggs. The night passed quietly; and, after breakfast the next morning, I bade Osborne and the quartermaster good-by, tak- ing the road for Berlin, a little straggling village on the river- bank, arriving there during the afternoon. Marching up to our corps headquarters, I made my report to General Sykes, who seemed astonished at my arrival. " Upon my word, sir, you deserve great credit for your suc- cess. Bringing up so many stragglers in such shape was a good thing, but to escort a lot of prisoners with such a commo.nd was a greater feat." "Thank you, general; but Lieutenant Beach deserves as much credit as I do." " You both did well. I am proud to have two such officers in my command," replied the general warmly. " The provost- marshal will relieve you of your prisoners ; then you and your men can return to your respective regiments." The transfer was soon made, when, after saluting the general, I dismissed my battalion, and soon after was among my brother officers, relating my adventures. 286 BULLET AND SHELL. CHAPTER XXV. FENCING FOR AN OPENING. '■ Leading on land his bravely toiling men, Sought a possession he could safely hold. HE Fifth Corps began crossing the Potomac on the following day ; and we entered on a tedious campaign, Avhich, though conspicuous for rapid marches and frequent skirmishes, was unmarked by pitched or decisive battles. But, though Meade failed to do more than occui^y Lee's attention in the Virginia Valley, events in the West and South-west moved rapidly. The battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg were followed closely by the capture of Port Hudson, so the Mississippi was practically free its entire length. Then came news of the battle of Chickamauga, with its terrible losses and partial defeat. The crippled condition of the forces under Rosecrans and Thomas took from us the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, while the draft-riots in New York further weakened our strength. Lee sent Longstreet and his corps to Tennessee, consequently our antagonistic operations fell naturally to the second rank in their relative importance. Preventing the Confederate army passing through the lower gaps, we rested a few weeks along the line of the Rappahan- nock, only to fall back on Centerville before a threatening move- ment by Lee, finally regaining possession of the valley and the line of the Rapidan. Meanwhile Burnside's escape by the rais- 1_J. FENCING FOR AN OPENING. 289 ing of the siege of Knoxville, in Tennessee, was followed by the desperate battles at Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, and Mis- sionary Ridge. During the winter Meade made an effort to get a foot-hold on the southern bank of the Rapidan ; but we were checked by the intense cold at Mine Run, so fell back to Culpepper to await in winter camp our spring campaign and the coming of Grant, the new lieutenant-general. The frost and snow had disappeared, the grass in the fields was again green, and the buds on the trees were beginning to burst, when signs of preparation for a movement multiplied. Besides the drafts of recruits, and the convalescents from the hospitals, a large number