Chapter 20 - On The March

CHAPTER XX

ON THE MARCH

We soon had our supper prepared and about as hastily dispatched the same, after which we begin to make our preparations for the night.

Corporal Eby proposed that he would take his trick on duty, which would save him the necessity of remaining awake to post the relieves, and at the same time re­duce our duty to that extent. Giving Eby the preference on account of his stripes, he took post first, whilst the remainder of us wrapped our blankets around us and soon found repose and forgetfulness in profound slumber, which was not disturb­ed until we were aroused by one of the boys to take our station on duty.

To those who have paced the lonely beat, or stood silently watching for the approach of an unseen enemy, or perhaps crouched upon the earth with the organs of sight and hearing taxed to the utmost tension, to discover anything that might possibly be occasioned by the stealthy approach of the much dreaded bushwhacker, will be able to fully sympathize with us upon this occasion.  The various pick­et fires which in the earlier part of the night had blazed forth so brightly had almost disappeared when we took our trick, and only now and then as the dying embers were stirred up by some guard or half-frozen soldier, was there any fire vis­ible.  As is the experience of all soldiers, the two hours that we were on duty, were apparently much longer than the six we were off. At length however we heard the other pickets along the line being re­lieved, and after standing a little while longer we called McFall and again laid down to sleep, thankful that half of our trick had been faithfully performed.

Long before our time had come to go on post, we were awakened by old General Jack Frost, and when we got up we found that the old General had wakened up the rest of the boys, who had gathered around the fire and were endeavoring to coax some green twigs to burn, but which like the old woman’s chimney would do nothing but smoke.

After a number of ineffectual attempts to make the fire burn, we gave up in despair, and seated ourselves upon our ponchos, threw our blankets over us and tried to resign ourselves to our fate, but it was no use, the cold was too much for us.

At last a happy idea struck Eby, which was nothing more or less, than that we spread the four ponchos, or gum blankets, on the ground with one of the woolen ones and then use the other three blankets over us.  We did so, and were astonished to find how much warmer three blankets were than one.

Just as the east sky began to be streaked with the light gray tints of the morning, heralding the approach of the king of day, the division bugle announced that preparations for the day’s advance would now be in order.  Soon the Brigade bugles took up the strain and were soon responded to by the regimental drum corps.  The pickets began to pack up and prepare to join their respective commands.  It did not take us long to get ready to join the boys, but finding that we did not get relieved as soon as we expected we ate our breakfast, which like on the previous day consisted of crackers and speck.  We had some of the coffee left that had been given us on the previous day, and all that was needed was a proper vessel to boil it in.  While we were debating how to get one, an officer’s servant passed the post with a two quart coffee kettle dangling from his haversack.  Maxey McFall seized his gun, and aiming it at the darkey and commanded him to drop the kettle, this at first he refused to do.  “Click” went the hammer of the gun, as Maxey cocked it, and the darkey getting excited, handed over his kettle to us.

Soon the regiments began to move, but by some oversight we were not relieved until after 9 o’clock, when we were pushed rapidly ahead.  The road was filled with teams, artillery and troops, and we found it very difficult to make very much progress.

Whilst on our way to overtake the line, Gen. Geary and his staff came riding up.  The General halted us and upon learning where we belonged and how we had been left behind, ordered us to move forward briskly until we should join our regiment.  We had heard of the General’s hasty temper, as well as of his big boot, and were all somewhat nervous when he first talked to us, and we just more than made haste as long as he remained in sight.

We came up to the regiment at about 5 o’clock, and soon after our Division moved into a field and cooked dinner.   Here the Colonel found fault with the company for the first, and we believe only time, we were ordered to stack arms, and our company not having any arms before the day previous, we were naturally a little awkward, and since the greater part of the Division officers witnessed our blunder, and being anxious to have his regiment show up well, was naturally a  little nettled, and riding up the company on a gallop said: “D—m you Captain Davis, will your men never learn to stack arms?”

“Wait and see Colonel,” was the quick reply of our Captain.

The Colonel road to the rear of the regiment amidst the smiles of those who had heard the reply.

The boys soon had a roaring fire going and, Laubenstine coming up, the coffee kettles were hung over it, and in less time than it takes to tell it we were ordered to fall in for coffee.

We lay in the field for several hours, when the bugle again sounded the advance and we moved forward again being greatly refreshed by the rest and dinner.  On passing a farm house in the course of the afternoon, the boys discovered some chickens in a field and immediately started in hot pursuit.  The Colonel called the men back, one of our boys having almost succeeded in capturing one, was rather slow to give up the chase, and the result was, in the evening after the regiment had gone into camp, he was sent for to carry wood for the Colonel’s fire, as a punishment for violating the order prohibiting foraging, and how the Colonel knew the boys name will be easily understood when we inform the reader that the forager carried a knapsack that bore the following inscription:

“J. C. Long, Co., G, 147^th, P. V. I.”

Considerable trouble was also occasioned by the fact that we did not know our guns as yet, which difficulty was increased by several parties, Lot Ulrich in particular, who had his name written upon the strap of no less than half a dozen guns, so that he would be able to claim, and also prove the claim by showing his name, which he had no trouble to do.  So well did this become known that when he claimed his own gun he had trouble to keep it.  It frequently happened that some one of the boys, bent on a little fun, would steal his gun and when Lot would claim the gun, the matter would be left to the company, which certainly would decide against him, and the fun would commence.  Lot would go from gun to gun and before he was through would claim a dozen, and at least one of someone else’s and cut or write his name upon the strap.

Those who have carried a musket or a knapsack during the late unpleasantness or any war, will bear us out that the assertion that growling soon becomes ­chronic, and that some one can be found at all times who upon the slightest provocation will furnish the “chin music” for the benefit of his comrades.  We at least have no hesitancy in stating that old Company G had a sufficient number of growlers to stock a brigade.  We had our marching growlers as well as our camp growlers and cowardly skulking growlers, in short we had them of all kinds.  Foremost upon the list of marching growlers came Jeremiah Moyer.  He always carried one of the heaviest knapsacks, never played out or skulked, but he had a terrible habit of fault finding as soon as we started on the march.  If the command moved slow Jerry would say, “I wish they would a march, if they a going to.”  Whilst on the other hand, if they marched fast, Jerry would say, “die verflucht kelver sie dadet une behauf dote marche eb sie uff geva.”  Thus after marching several hours Jerry would begin to find fault and universally end with a threat to soon fall out if the column did not halt to rest.  A threat which he never once put into execution, being always on hand for any emergency.

At about 4o’clock we came in sight of Leesburg, and went into camp about half a mile from town, having marched about 14 miles.