Chapter 19 - On Our First March

CHAPTER XIX

ON OUR FIRST MARCH

On the following morning, December 10th, 1862, we were awakened by the sound of the bugle at Division head-quarters, at 4 o’clock.  Soon the drum corps of four­teen regiments and the bugles of two Ohio regiments and Knap’s Battery, made the hills and valleys resound with martial music.

We turned ourselves on the other side preparatory to taking another short nap, but alas no sooner had we found the soft side of the plank upon which our bed was spread, then we were roused up by the orderly with the imperative command:

“Fall in G Company promptly for roll call!”

The members of the company rushed out of their quarters, and fell into line as though the fate of the nation depended upon the prompt manner in which the or­der was obeyed.

Never will we forget the scene which met our gaze as we emerged from our quarter’s just in time to give a sleepy “I,” in response to our name as it was reached by the orderly.

The entire heavens were illuminated with the reflection of a thousand camp fires.  In every direction as far as the eye could penetrate, everything was confusion and excitement.  Orderlies were galloping to and fro, the men of the different regiments were busy preparing their breakfast, whilst from the direction where the teams were parked the braying of the animals and the shouts of the teamsters, were adding a full share towards swelling the sum total of confusion which prevailed at every hand.

Whilst old Peter Laubenstine was preparing the hash for the Company, the boys had ample time to pack up and prepare for the march.  One little incident took place while he was getting breakfast, which caused considerable merriment on the part of all who witnessed it and shall not be omitted here.

It will be remembered by the members of the company that immediately north of the cook-house there was a deep slop pit, dug expressly for the purpose of receiving all the slops and refuse matter collected by the company.  At this time the pit contained probably four feet of the obnoxious refuse matter.  A guard had been placed around it consisting of a frame about eighteen inches high, but on account of the scarcity of fuel and the fact of our leaving, caused Yankee Garman to place the frame on the fire, it happened that a little Dutchman of company F, by the name of Adam Raas was on camp guard, and as our boys were standing around the fire blabbering dumb, which greatly delighted the said Adam, he made a number of halts at our  fire; but did not notice the pit and made several narrow escapes from steeping into it.  He was standing at the edge of the treacherous receiver of slops, with his gun at the order arms, when one of our boys called out:

“The officer of the Guard?”

Adam shouldered his musket, made a step backwards and went into the pit up to his—well, his cartridge box.

Several of the boys assisted him out, and a madder  Dutchman  we never heard before or since.

The boys took a hearty laugh at poor Adam’s expense.  The officers hearing the merriment, Captain Davis came to see what was the matter, and walked right into the pit just made vacant by Adam.  Feeling that he was going made a sudden leap, and was out almost before he was in.  When he was informed of Adam’s mishap, he enjoyed it hear­tily as any of us.

After breakfast was over three day rations were issued.  The crackers were old and were inhabited with bugs, a thing we afterwards learned was of common occurrence. We remember of hearing Serg’t         Townsend saying that if the crackers did not contain the initials B. C., they most certainly should.

Here we first received our shelter tents and we were surprised to see how small they were, having been accustom to nothing smaller than an A tent.  With the distribution of the tents came the announcement that we must now “mess” up, as the tents were only sufficiently able to shelter two persons.

Here was another encroachment on our way of living, slowly and steadily we found that the lines were being drawn on us and we soon began to realize that we were fast becoming soldiers.  At this time messes were formed which only were terminated by death or discharge.  It was the writer’s good fortune to mess with W. S. Keller and which we kept up as long as we remained in the company.

A detail consisting of Corporal Eby, Keller, McFall, the writer, and several others whose names we have forgotten, was made for advance guard.

We slung knapsacks just as the sun put in its appearance, and under Lt. Byers we were marched to Brigade Head-quarters ­where the detail was placed under command of Major Chapman of the 28^th P. V. I., who marched us to town where we remained about an hour.

Whilst lying in town a part of Blenker’s Brigade, then belonging to the 11^th Corps, joined us, and a harder and rougher looking se­t of men we never set eyes on.  When they first began to pass some one asked “whose regiment?” and received as an answer:

“Gheneral Blenker!”

This command was composed almost entirely of Germans, the majority having their heavy bushy mustaches so characterist­ic of the beer guzzlers.  The men carried the heaviest ladened knapsacks of any we had ever seen, whilst many of them carried mess pans, camp kettles, axes, shovels, spades and picks, in addition to their monstrous knapsacks.

As soon as Blenker’s Brigade had passed the bugle sounded the advance, and our first march was commenced.  Well do we remember the general appearance of the country with its winding roads and stone fences.

The ground was covered with snow to a depth of three or four inches, and the long mile we traveled wound its serpentine shape around a high hill, and owing to our being delayed by Blenker’s troops, the advance was in sight pushing us lively, when taking the fact into consideration that we were novices at the business, it was one of the most fatiguing marches we ever made.

After we had marched about three miles Major Chapman halted us, and ordered us to load without priming, telling us that he had a reason to apprehend a dash on us by one of Stuart’s rebel Cavalry, known to be lurking in the vicinity.

His announcement caused us to become somewhat excited and had the good effect of aiding us to overcome the fatigue of our march.

Having gained rapidly on the advance of our Division, which had been detained in assisting the Batteries in being taken up the steep hill, the Major ordered us to cook coffee and eat our dinners.  As we had a company cook, we did not have the coffee or the proper cups to boil coffee in and so we contented ourselves by munching our hard tack and lubricating them with a piece of cold “sow-belly,” which had been prepared on the day previous, and never before did “speck” and crackers taste so sweet before to us as upon this occasion.

Several of the “old soldiers” noticing that we did not make coffee, and upon learning the reason, kindly furnished us with kettles and coffee and we soon had the satisfaction of having a quart cup of coffee, almost strong enough to swim an iron wedge.

Our repast over and being greatly refreshed and strengthened, we again pushed ahead with rapid strides.  Several times during the day we passed through places where the road had been barricade with rails, all of which we destroyed, thus convincing us new recruits as well as the veterans of a summer’s campaign, that the game for which we had loaded our guns in the morning, was in the vicinity and there was no telling how soon we might run upon more of it than we would just exactly know how to dispose of.

Several times during the day we got a vague idea that we were much nearer Richmond than we had been in the morn­ing.

As the sun began to hide himself behind the western horizon, in our front we dis­covered the town of Hillsborough, about 10 miles distant from Harper’s Ferry, and ­were informed that we would encamp here for the night.  We were marched into a strip of woods to the left of an old fash­ioned schoo1-house.  Here we halted with instructions to be ready to fall in at a moments notice.

At this time we made another important discovery, which was to the effect that the advanced guards of the day become the pickets at night, and that instead of being able to secure a good snooze in our tents, as we had promised ourselves  we should, we found that we would be called upon to take the out-post, for at least four long hours out of the twelve.

We were moved a short distance northwest of the school house, where Eby, Keller, McFall and ourselves were placed on one post, on the outskirts of the woods. We were instructed to keep a vigilant watch, to allow nothing to approach the post from the opposite direction without halting it, and if the challenge was not obeyed, we were ordered to shoot.

The regiment arrived in camp nearly two hours after we did, and from the boys of the company we afterward learned that the march had been very severe on a number of Company G’s best men.