CHAPTER
XXX
IN
CAMP
Time passed along smoothly, our time being taken up
between camp guard, picket duty and drill, company and regimental, and the building of winter
quarters.
It was here that Lieut. Wm. H. Schroyer met with a
serious accident, which came near breaking his leg, he being in command of a
detail to bring in wood to build officers quarters, and while assisting in
tearing down an old house one of the pieces of timber fell on him and injured
him severely, causing him to be unable for duty for the greater part of the
winter.
Up to the present time, the 12th of
January, the health of the company had been very good, but now a number of the
boys, among them Lewis C. Schroyer, Ellis Noll, Corp. VonNeida and several
others were removed to the regimental hospital, having been taken with Camp or
Typhoid fever of the worst form.
The boys in the
hospital had considerable sport at the expense of poor Ellis Noll, who had the
fever settle in his feet and they presented the appearance of a mammoth pair of
boxing gloves and were as black as a silk hat.
Noll suffered excruciating pain in his pedal
extremities, and would frequently give utterance to expressions, near to the
following:
“These feet, them feet, those feet gracious what feet,
oh, them feet.”
At one time it was feared that mortification had set
in and that it would be necessary to amputate his feet in order to save his
life, but his disease took a turn for the better, and he was, enabled to use
“those” feet again.
Lewis C. Schroyer continued to grow worse, until on
the morning of the 17th of January his spirit quit its frail tenement
and entered into the presence of the great Judge, then and there to give a
strict account of the deeds done here below, and to receive the reward or
punishment, in accordance to the verdict of the Judge.
The death of Lewis C. Schroyer, it being the first,
excepting Rev. Hall (who did not properly belong to our company as he was a
candidate for the Chaplaincy of the regiment to which we might become attached)
caused considerable feeling among his comrades.
Had he been stricken down in battle it would have not appeared so hard
but to have fallen a victim to the malignant fever seemed to his companions a
severe stroke.
Sergeant Stuck was detailed to accompany the corpse
home, and accordingly on the morning of the 18th
of January, 1863 , in company with a number of the boys, we had the
last fond look at one who had been a companion of our earliest childhood, and
whom we had ever esteemed as a true and tried friend. The lid of the rough box was fastened down
and placed in an ambulance was taken to the landing from whence in due time it
arrived with its escort, and was interred with all the honors of war, in the
1st Lutheran Cemetery, within a few paces where he had passed the greater part
of his life, and where he is silently enjoying that sleep which shall know no
awakening until Gabriel’s trump shall sound the alarm which shall cause the
grave to give forth its dead.
On the afternoon of the 22nd a snow having
fallen to the depth of four or five inches, the right of our regiment was
attacked by the 28th P. V. I., which was attached to our Brigade and
occupied a position to our right and front, and they were making it very lively
for our regiment, using snow balls, having driven the right back as far as
Company E., here they were struggling to get possession of the company flag,
bearing the letter “P” which was their letter in the old regiment whilst in the
147th they were “E.”
Our company, about 80 strong were anxious to have a
hand in the fracas but owing to the fact that the company persisted in claiming
to belong to the 28th we held aloof and it was not until Lieutenant
Tourison called upon Captain Davis to bring G Company to the relief of Company
“E.” This was all that the company
wanted, the Captain sprang forward, and with a shout we threw ourselves into
the breach and the flag was saved. In
vain the boys of the gallant old 28th attempted to drive us
back. Never, we believe, did a mimic
fight partake more of the nature of a genuine engagement than did the snow-ball
battle at Dumfries . And as James Kilmartin furled up the company
flag, which had caused the battle, he proposed three cheers for Company “G,’
which were given with a will.
After the cheers had subsided, Serg’t. Baker proposed
three cheers for Company E and the 147th P. V. I.
The cheers were given with a will and from this time
forward much of the ill-will which existed between the old and the new
companies was forgotten and the best of feeling soon prevailed in the command.
About this time a number of the boys who were in the
hospitals at Baltimore, came up to the company, from among them we remember
Joseph S. Ulsh, who made his appearance decked out with a paper collar and
necktie at the sight of which the boys greeted him with hearty cheers. Joe informed the boys that the train in which
they came up to the regiment had met with an accident whereby his baggage was
destroyed, or he would have been able to supply the company with collars, as it
was the only thing which he had left was the collar he wore and a pint bottle
of “speerits” which Serg’t. Townsend drank as he-gulped about the half of it
down, greatly to the disappointment of about half-dozen of the DRYEST of the
men. He pronounced it worth more down a
parched throat than all the paper collars in the great United
States , an opinion which a number of those present emphatically
endorsed.
On the morning of the 25th of January the
hearts of the boys were buoyed with the announcement that those who desired it
could now have packages sent from home.
The boys hastened to their tents and soon were busy
sending the glad tidings to friends at home, informing them of the news and
requesting the forwarding of home luxuries.
We have before us a letter which was saved by the person
to whom it was addressed, which we here publish, just as it was written,
showing how the tastes of the writer run:
Captain Davis having told us that we can now have
parcels sent us from home, if you can, I ask that you would send me a small
request. Boil 2 doz. eggs, hard; a can
of apple butter; a cake of chocolate; 1 pint of brown sugar; tell the boys to
crack and pit me about a pint of walnut g??????; a few sweet cakes; a little
bag of flour to make gravy to my beef; send me the directions how to make sour
dip; send ground pepper; get me a quart tin like Schroyer’s to boil
my coffee in; make me three little bags to carry my salt, coffee and sugar in,
make them large enough to hold a little more than a lb. with a string to draw
them shut; send me a piece of ham; bake some fat cakes, a loaf or two of bread,
several apple mince pies, right strong; put in several fish hooks and a line;
if you can think of anything else that I am in need of send it along. Send the box as soon as you can. Send me the recipe in the next letter you
write after you send me the box.
S.—Send a roast chicken, a piece of dried beef and
some pickled cabbage.
No more at this time.
From
Yours
affectionately,
The above letter we consider about an average one of
those written home with a view of hurrying along the good things, and in all
cases, when it was possible, the wishes of the writers were pleasingly
gratified.
The time passed away slowly enough whilst we were
expecting the good things from home, and anxiously did we await the arrival of
the first information that the boxes had been shipped, and that they were on
their way, intended to cheer the hearts as well as fill the stomachs of the
lucky receivers of the boxes containing the innumerable good things, prepared
by the fond and willing hands of the near and dear ones at home.
John P. Haas was the fortunate individual who received
the first box, and never we will forget his “damt ??? it” when upon opening the
box found the greater part of its contents was spoiled.
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