Chapter 102

CHAPTER CII

The next day we returned to our camp, a number of the boys going along with us.  We endeavored to pay our visitors all the respect possible, and from the appearance of the “boys” we think we succeeded very well.

May 20^th. Today orders were issued for the men to prepare for the grand Review of the soldiers of Sherman’s Army, which was to take place on the 24^th, inst.

The men at once set themselves busily to work to prepare for the review, guns were cleaned, plates and buttons burnished, white gloves and paper collars purchased for the occasion, and in short every possible arrangement made for the purpose of showing the Army to the best advantage.

The time was all taken up in making the necessary arrangements, and when the morning of the 24^th of May, 1865 dawned it found the soldiers of the Army of the Southwest anxious and ready for review.

The Army was reviewed by leading Generals of both departments, as well as by the President and Vice President of the United States and the leading statesmen of the day, and a grander military pageant never was witnessed on this Continent.  And without a single word of disparagement of the other troops, it was the universal sentiment of all who beheld the two grand Reviews, that the soldiers of Sherman’s Army, were well deserving of the name and honor they had so richly earned upon the march, as well as on the field of Battle.  A very large number of civilians witnessed the affair.

After the review our troops were moved to near Bladensburg, Md. where they went into camp.

Bladensburg was a small village, having been destroyed during the war of 1812 by the British Army under General Rose, and hence it possessed attractions for us.

Besides the fact related above it was noted for having been the scene of fully a half dozen duels, it being contingent to Washington, and offered a splendid field where the Chivalry of the South might be afforded satisfaction for either real or imaginary wrongs.

Immediately after the review, orders were issued to discharge all three year troops whose time of service was nearly expired.  This order embraced our Company, as well as F and H of our regiment, and as may well be supposed it occasioned great rejoicing among the boys.

After the review, Gov. Curtin and a number of distinguished Peunsylvanians passed along the troops of our state.  The Pennsylvania troops in our Brigade the 28^th P. V. I. and the 147^th P. V. I. were drawn up in line to receive the Governor and his suite, but owing to some cause, best known to his Excellency, we were not visited.  We explain this want of courtesy on the part of the Governor, to the fact that the old 28^th was recruited by General Geary, by orders direct from the war department, and this matter had engendered a little feeling on behalf of the great war Governor, since the 147^th was a child of the old 28^th P. V. I. we presume the Governor remembered the proverb, “Like father, like Child,” and he also slighted us.  This is a little fact that always clouded the name of Gov. Curtin, in the writer’s estimation.

On the 3^rd of June, all the detailed men of our company, were returned to       the command, and for the first time for many a month, the surviving members of Company G were again united, and the Company again assumed the appearance of what it had been in its earliest days, although the well-known faces of many of our dearly loved comrades were missing, and we listened in vain at roll-call for the voices of those who were long since sealed in death, and who had sealed the measure of their devotion to the cause of their bleeding Country.

On the 4^th of June, we were ordered to clean our arms and have them ready to turn over on the following day.  The writer had a very dirty gun which. had been doing service for the last nine months, tied to the ridge pole of a wagon cover and which he refused to clean.  Capt. Byers threatened to compel him to do so, but the term of service having too near expired the attempt proved futile.  Lewis Millhoff coming to the rescue, cleaned the gun.  Tuesday, June 6^th, 1865, on this day we were mustered out of service and we feel confident that no one will contradict us when we state that it was the happiest day of our life.

After we were mustered out of service a number of the men, received several canteens of Commissary, and took up their head-quarters near the spring and soon became too full of “spring water” for utterance, and a sicker set of men, we never beheld.

After being mustered out of service the writer in company with several others started for the City, and were arrested by the Provo Guards, and by them conducted to the guard-house, in which we passed the last night we were in Washington.