Chapter 35 - On The March

CHAPTER XXXV

ON THE MARCH

We remained in this camp, known to our boys as the “Orchard Camp,” until the 27^th of April  On the evening of the 26^th we received marching orders, to hold ourselves in readiness to move at short notice.

In the morning, on the 27th, we broke camp and moved toward Fredericksburg with eight days rations.

The first night we encamped near Potomac Creek.  About ten miles march the route we pursued.  The day had been excessively hot and we suffered considerably from the fatigue of carrying such an unusual load.

At this halting place the commissioned officers of the regiments tried their skill at jumping and Captain C. S. Davis came off victor, greatly to the chagrin of some of the boys of the “old” companies, but the matter could not be changed.  The boys of the company gave the Captain three hearty cheers upon his success as a “jumpest.”

The writer in company with a number of the boys visited the Church in the vicinity, which had been erected in 1754, and found it to be a quaint old superstructure, with high backed seats, and the pulpit box-like in shape, facing the high old fashioned gallery in the east.  As we seated ourselves in the venerable looking chancel and cast our eyes over the vacant looking room, we could not help but feel a solemn reverence for the, old deserted church, and closing our eyes we fell to musing, and before us we saw seated the early pioneers of the old Dominion, men who did not hesitate to throw off the galling yoke of oppression which King George and his hired minions were attempting to place upon their shoulder, whilst seated beside them were the noble women who buckled the swords upon their husbands and sons and bade them go and meet the vandals that dared to invade and pillage their homes and sack their fire-sides.  Then again the scene changed and we saw the building filled with men and women preparatory to the leaving of a company of men who marched under the “stars and bars” intent upon the destruction of the government which their sires had founded at the cost of untold blood and treasure.  We opened our eyes and the sacred old edifice was filled with blue coated veterans, men who left their far Northern homes to defend the Government born amid the din of battle and handed down to us by our revolutionary sires.  We left our seat feeling that we stood upon holy ground and that the building was hallowed by many fond recollections of the past.

Upon a tablet under the chancel was chiseled the announcement that several of the early pastors of the church were buried in a vault in ­the building.

On the 28^th we broke camp early in the morning and had a hard days march making about 14 miles and encamping in the vicinity of Harwood Church.

On this march our Division lost 3 men and 5 horses owing to the excessive heat.  Men and horses dropped by the way-side, the horses were dragged out of the line of march, while the men were carried along-side the road and were covered over with blankets.  When the ambulances came up the men were placed in them and interred in the rear of Harwood church when the ambulances reached camp.

Upon the Northern wall of the church, a soldier belonging to the 1^st Michigan Cavalry, had sketched a cavalry charge, having used a piece of charcoal for his pencil.  The sketch was seen by a large number of soldiers, all of whom pro­nounced it a capital representation.

At this camp we had the pleasure of meeting with Lts. Frank Keller , M. L. Wagonseller, Serg’ts. Burkhart and H. H. Gemberling, Corporal Joseph Glover, Jacob J. Houseworth, M. L. Fisher, and a number of other members of Capt. ??????? company, who were attached to the 11^th Army Corps, and who visited our camp in the evening, after spending a short time with us a number of the boys accompanied them to their regiment, there where a pleasant time was had shaking hands with the boys from the town and county.  We remained in their camp until nearly midnight, when we returned to our camp and secured a few hours sleep.

Bright and early in the morning we were aroused by the reveille and were soon actively engaged in making arrangements for the day’s march.

The 147^th Regiment was in advance of the Brigade, and the Brigade was in advance of the Division.

At about 9 o’clock we crossed the Rappahannock at Kelly’s Ford, over a pontoon bridge, and for the first time we ourselves occupying the front line army.

We marched briskly until nearly two o’clock when we came to a halt and the 11^th Corps passed us.

We took advantage of this halt and prepared our supper, which owing to the long fast we dispatched with considerable relish.

After a halt of an hour, we moved briskly forward, and soon reached the Rapidan River, at Germania Ford.  There we saw 200 Rebel prisoners, that had been captured by the advance of the 11^th Corps, whilst busily engaged in constructing a bridge to be used by General Lee’s contemplated move upon the Union Army.

So cautious and skillfully had General Hooker handled his Army that he had entirely deceived the wily rebel general, that he had been enabled to throw the greater bulk of his Army in close proximity to the Confederate lines, before General Lee or his able Lieutenants discovered that the Union Army was on the move or that anything unusual was transpiring which piece of skillful strategy served to rank Gen. Hooker as one of the leading military men of the age.

These prisoners were the first “fresh ones” we had seen, and they were obviously of special interest to us. They belonged to a Mississippi Brigade and were a rough looking set of men.  They were apparently well satisfied with being captured and jokingly informed us that:

“That there is a right smart charge of rebels over yander,” pointing the way we were traveling.

“How far from here?” asked one the boys.

“Don’t be uneasy, Yank, you’ll find ‘em when you get thar,” was the smiling reply of a strapping big sergeant.

Whilst we were halted at the unfinished bridge, which General Geary was getting ready for us to cross on, the troops of the 11th Corps were fording the river.  It was amusing to stand on the bank and watch the little stout Dutchman ford the stream.  The water was from three to four feet deep, and the bank where the river was entered was very steep and if the men were not very careful in getting into the stream they would lose their balance and fall head over heels into the river.