Chapter 24 - On The March

CHAPTER XXIV

ON THE MARCH

Breakfast being hastily dispatched we were soon in line, our regiment, the 147^th  P. V. I. being in advance, we started out at full speed.

As we struck the road, we for the first time witnessed General Geary with his “mad up.”

The 2^nd Brigade, then commanded by the gallant little Kane of Buck-tail notoriety, was encamped on both side of the road, having been in the advance on the previous day, the men were waiting for us to pass so that they could take their place in the line of march for the day, which was in the rear.

As the head of our regiment got opposite to the 29^th Penn’a Regiment, “Old John” and his staff came riding up.  As soon as the men of that command saw him they began with one accord to yell:

“Crackers!  Crackers!!”

The General suddenly wheeled his horse around and rode with a gallop into the midst of the astonished men, raised himself to his full height, curbing “o1d Charlie,” his searching eyes caused the stout hearts in the old 29^th to quail.  Looking at the men in silence for a few seconds he suddenly broke forth with the following  in his usual emphatic manner:

“By G—d, I’ll shoot the first man that dares to yell cracker again.”  He then rode up to where General Kane and his staff stood and notified the General that he would hold him strictly accountable for the future conduct of his men.

General Kane attempted to offer an apology for his men, but the old General had his dander up, and with an impatient wave of his hand, and in language too pointed to admit of any doubt, informed General Kane that be would hear nothing from him or the men of his command.

We had frequently heard of the manner in which General Geary, or “old John” as he was familiarly called by the boys, made things get when in a bad humor but this had been the first demonstration of which we had any ocular proof.

It appeared that the incident had boiled up the old Generals blood and in about an hour be put us through at such a rate as not to allow much grass to grow under our feet.

This day we watched only about 10 miles and went into camp at Cockers Point, in a camp formerly occupied by Rebel troops.

 We looked anxiously about us for anything that we could pick up formerly owned by some Johnny Reb.  A number of the boys were successful, finding buttons, rebel newspapers, or rather pieces, parts of letters, rebel envelopes, stamps, all of which were prized highly by our boys, owing to the fact that they had never before had had an opportunity to get anything of the kind.

The old worn-out shoes were quite a curiosity to us, having been smuggled from England, and bore no more resemblance to the shoes we wore than a big canoe does to a river flat.  They were long and pointed, turning up at the toes similar to the shoes worn at the present time.

All day long we had heard the cannonading, and towards evening it became more frequent and distinct, and to us it appeared that our men were being driven back, and that that the rebels were advancing towards us.

Soon rumor was rife and was eagerly caught up and devoured by the men.  It is surprising to see how ingenious a line will be spun out of the most scanty picture.

When we lay down to sleep the night looked down serenely and the stars twinkled so brightly above us, and we did not for a single moment apprehend a storm, and subsequently made no arrangements to protect ourselves from one.

We stretched ourselves upon our ponchos and soon were asleep.  We were not asleep very long until we were awakened by the dropping of the rain drops on our face.

Being determined to make the best of a bad bargain, we threw one of the gum blankets over us, and tucking it under all around us, we made up our minds to do much as they do in the old country – leave it rain.

The storm grew worse, the rain came down in torrents.  Soon it commenced to reach through our clothes from the ground, and being a December rain, it was rather fresher than we had any relish for.

Soon the boys, one after the other, began to be roused up from the same cause, and then the growling commenced in good earnest.

It was the company’s first experience of rain whilst lying in camp without having any shelter, and it was no wonder that the boys were a little out of patience.

The rain continued until morning, thus making it impossible for us to rest ourselves as the only sleep we did get, came only while sitting upon our knapsacks, our rifles thrown across our knees and the gum-blankets thrown over us.

When the morning dawned, the rain clouds disappeared, and the smiling face of the great and genial sun soon drove the frowns from the faces of the boys.

We built large fires and dried our woolen bl­ankets, over-coats and other clothing, as well as we could, and when ordered to fall in, our knapsacks were from five to six pounds heavier than they had been on the previous day.

Our rations were now almost completely consumed, and what little we did have, were badly damaged by the rain.

As the General rode to the head of the column, preparatory to starting, the members ­of the company felt like making a demonstration similar to the one made on the previous morning by the 29^th, but knowing the result they very wisely considered that discretion was the better part of valor.

The marching during the day was the most disagreeable of any that we had yet been called to make. The rain which had come down during the preceding night, had caused the ground to partake of the nature of mortar, a characteristic of the yellow sad soil of Virginia, which to the pedestrian calls to mind the couplet in Aunt Emma’s plaster:

“The more you try to get away, the more you stick the faster.”

Our route during the day lay along a number of little streams, which rain that fell during the night had swollen so as to swell them out over the low marshy grounds adding greatly to the annoyance of the day’s march.

Upon the march we first heard of the battle of Fredericksburg and its disastrous results.  The news certainly did not add much to our encouragement and instead of cheering us up, it had a tendency to depress us.  Here we were trudging along, wet, tired and hungry, without the present necessaries to relieve our wants.

Those who have never felt the gnawings of hunger, cannot form the least possible conceptions of its pangs.  But those who have been placed in similar circumstances will be able to fully appreciate our condition.

When dinner time arrived, we were given twenty minutes for “coffee.”  A short piece from our halting place we marched through what had once been a corn field, and several of the boys were fortunate enough to find several nubbins of corn, which they roasted and shared with those who had no rations.

We happened to be among the ones who received a small handful of the parched corn, and we know that it was disposed of with a great deal of gusto.

With this send off we felt ourselves greatly refreshed and we were also informed by our officers that we would draw rations at our next stopping place.  This announcement caused the boys to brighten up, and they gave three hearty cheers.

When the men in the other companies discovered what “the Dutch company” was cheering for they started up and passed the “cheers” along.

The artillery firing had almost entirely ceased, save now and then a random gun discharged as it were for the purpose of feeling for the enemy.

In the afternoon at about four or half past four o’clock, we reached the camping ground for the night, about half a mile from the town of Dumfries, on a gentle eminence, over looking the ancient town.

Our officers were very particular in the formation of the line, corroborating the report of the defeat of the Army of the Potomac.  We anxiously awaited the arrival of the promised rations, but as night slowly drew her sable curtains around us we discovered that our cheers had  been some what premature.