Chapter 55 (Near the Rapahonnock)

CHAPTER LV

On the morning of the 31^st the enlivening music of the bugles and the stirring martial music  of a score of Drum Corps, made the air melodious and hastily called us from our beds to make preparations for the “on to Richmond move.”

We were soon up and doing and as it does not generally take a soldier very long to arrange his toilet we hastily performed that part of our task, after which we set busily to work to get our morning meal ready and ere long the scent of boiling coffee and frying bacon and crackers filled the nostrils of Uncle Sam’s boarders.

After the meal was prepared and disposed of, we tore down our tents and prepared to pack up our household and kitchen furniture as well as all of our other personal effects, this accomplished we seated ourselves in groups discussing the probabilities of the day’s march and awaiting the command of our superior officers to “fall in.”

By 9 o’clock, a. m., we were on the move with the head of our column turned South-ward.  We moved along quite leisurely, evidently it was the intention of the officers to make amends for the hard marching we had been do­ing since the Gettysburg campaign, and even now some of the boys with the true characteristic of the American soldier, found fault with the snail’s pace that we were then traveling with, won­dering why in the deuce, (or a deuced sight more emphatic) why the Army did not move.  Towards evening we arrived near the Rapahannock River, in the vicinity of Kelley’s Ford.

We went into camp on the left of the road, where we received orders to make arrangements to camp for the night.  The boys threw off their knap­sacks and accouterments with a cheer, and immediately made preparations to carry the orders into effect, and in a short time a thousand camp-fires sent up their red glare heavenward.  The boys were busily engaged getting their suppers, when we were ordered “to fall in quietly and promptly,” with strict orders not to disturb our fires but to add fuel and to allow them to burn brightly.

It was then that the grumbling and growling began, the boys were worse than that many bears with sore heads, and woe to the unfortunate sol­dier who was rash enough to take the officers part, but then luckily there was no one who at that time desired to vin­dicate the author of what appeared to us to be a very arbitrary and unreasonable order.  We filed out into the road and moved rapidly towards the river where we were drawn up on the bank, there we suddenly found what was going on.  On the banks of the river we found the Pontoon drain drawn up and the Pontooners were making preparations to put a bridge across the river.  Instantly the growling ceased as the boys discovered the ruse that General Geary had played upon the unsuspecting rebels.

The bridge was rapidly thrown over the stream and our regiment was ordered across the bridge to protect the same.  Whilst crossing the bridge Col. Griggs had a premonition that he would never live to re-cross the river again which premonition, strange to say, was never verified, and in due time the Col. was permitted to re-cross all safe and sound.  No sooner had we been drawn up in line than a squadron of rebel cavalry came charging down on us, but a few shots from Company A, who had been thrown out as skirmishers, checked their advance, and after emptying their carbines they galloped out of harm’s way, greatly to our relief.

Our company and Company B, under command of Captain Davis, were sent forward to strengthen the skirmishers line.   The two companies moved forward in line until we reached the line, when the Captain strengthened the skirmishers by a detail from the right and left of the two companies, and with the remainder of the men formed a reserve post a short distance in the rear.  After the arms were stacked and a guard placed over them, the Captain permitted the men to lie down behind the arms, but upon no condition were we to remove our accouterments.

We had halted on low sandy soil and owing to the innumerable mosquitoes who “held the fort,” it was utterly impossible to sleep.  We threw ourselves upon our ponchos, and for a while fought the “bugs” manfully but at last we were compelled to crawl under our beds, and even then we were not out of reach of their bills.  In all our experience, we never before, nor since, passed such a night, and oh, how we longed for morning, even had the rebel cavalry put in an appearance we would have welcomed them, in fact anything that would have given us a relief from those terrible plagues wo’d have been preferable to them, as it was we could but hide and wait for morning.  At last the rosy God of day put in his appearance, the mosquitoes undoubtedly sunk to rest totally exhausted by their night’s labors at “hide an seek,” and such a set of looking bunged up soldiers we never beheld, one blotch upon another covered the face and hands of a large number of the boys.

At about 10 o’clock we were relieved and joined the Division on the other shore.  As our company stepped off of the Pontoon Bridge Yankee Garman said: “Well, Kriggs back again and didn’t get shooted, you must eat de speck mit der lean.”  Griggs growled and the boys smiled.

After having prepared our breakfast and dispatched the same, we passed some time in bathing in the stream, and as the water was rather deep we had a delightful time.

In the afternoon the sound of artil­lery was heard in the distance and in the evening we learned that it was occasioned by an engagement that Kilpatrick had with the enemy’s cavalry ­in which the rebels had been severely handled.  We passed the rest of day in trying to escape from the scorching rays of an August sun and did not suc­ceed very well, the day being one of the hottest of the year, and even the fear of mosquitoes did not prevent us from longing for the approach of night which in this section of the country is always cool, it matters not how warm the day may have been.

Sunday, August the 2^nd, dawned bright and fair, evidencing that the day like its predecessor would be a “stinger.”  At noon we received or­ders to be ready to move, and shortly afterwards the Division bugle sounded the advance and General Geary and his staff rode past us towards the rear.  The Division was promptly put in mo­tion and we soon had the satisfaction of turning our backs upon the river.  The heat was almost intolerable and the command could not be moved beyond a quarter of a mile without halting to rest, and even at this rate a large number of the men as well as several horses fell by the wayside exhausted.  We continued are march until nearly dark when we went into camp near Barnet’s Ford and about five miles from Harwood Church, having made, considering the short march and the length of time we were at it, the most fatiguing march we had as yet been called to undergo.

On the following morning, August 3^rd, we moved about one-half mile and went into camp near Ellis’ Ford.