Chapter 20 - On The March

CHAPTER XX

ON THE MARCH

We soon had our supper prepared and about as hastily dispatched the same, after which we begin to make our preparations for the night.

Corporal Eby proposed that he would take his trick on duty, which would save him the necessity of remaining awake to post the relieves, and at the same time re­duce our duty to that extent. Giving Eby the preference on account of his stripes, he took post first, whilst the remainder of us wrapped our blankets around us and soon found repose and forgetfulness in profound slumber, which was not disturb­ed until we were aroused by one of the boys to take our station on duty.

To those who have paced the lonely beat, or stood silently watching for the approach of an unseen enemy, or perhaps crouched upon the earth with the organs of sight and hearing taxed to the utmost tension, to discover anything that might possibly be occasioned by the stealthy approach of the much dreaded bushwhacker, will be able to fully sympathize with us upon this occasion.  The various pick­et fires which in the earlier part of the night had blazed forth so brightly had almost disappeared when we took our trick, and only now and then as the dying embers were stirred up by some guard or half-frozen soldier, was there any fire vis­ible.  As is the experience of all soldiers, the two hours that we were on duty, were apparently much longer than the six we were off. At length however we heard the other pickets along the line being re­lieved, and after standing a little while longer we called McFall and again laid down to sleep, thankful that half of our trick had been faithfully performed.

Long before our time had come to go on post, we were awakened by old General Jack Frost, and when we got up we found that the old General had wakened up the rest of the boys, who had gathered around the fire and were endeavoring to coax some green twigs to burn, but which like the old woman’s chimney would do nothing but smoke.

After a number of ineffectual attempts to make the fire burn, we gave up in despair, and seated ourselves upon our ponchos, threw our blankets over us and tried to resign ourselves to our fate, but it was no use, the cold was too much for us.

At last a happy idea struck Eby, which was nothing more or less, than that we spread the four ponchos, or gum blankets, on the ground with one of the woolen ones and then use the other three blankets over us.  We did so, and were astonished to find how much warmer three blankets were than one.

Just as the east sky began to be streaked with the light gray tints of the morning, heralding the approach of the king of day, the division bugle announced that preparations for the day’s advance would now be in order.  Soon the Brigade bugles took up the strain and were soon responded to by the regimental drum corps.  The pickets began to pack up and prepare to join their respective commands.  It did not take us long to get ready to join the boys, but finding that we did not get relieved as soon as we expected we ate our breakfast, which like on the previous day consisted of crackers and speck.  We had some of the coffee left that had been given us on the previous day, and all that was needed was a proper vessel to boil it in.  While we were debating how to get one, an officer’s servant passed the post with a two quart coffee kettle dangling from his haversack.  Maxey McFall seized his gun, and aiming it at the darkey and commanded him to drop the kettle, this at first he refused to do.  “Click” went the hammer of the gun, as Maxey cocked it, and the darkey getting excited, handed over his kettle to us.

Soon the regiments began to move, but by some oversight we were not relieved until after 9 o’clock, when we were pushed rapidly ahead.  The road was filled with teams, artillery and troops, and we found it very difficult to make very much progress.

Whilst on our way to overtake the line, Gen. Geary and his staff came riding up.  The General halted us and upon learning where we belonged and how we had been left behind, ordered us to move forward briskly until we should join our regiment.  We had heard of the General’s hasty temper, as well as of his big boot, and were all somewhat nervous when he first talked to us, and we just more than made haste as long as he remained in sight.

We came up to the regiment at about 5 o’clock, and soon after our Division moved into a field and cooked dinner.   Here the Colonel found fault with the company for the first, and we believe only time, we were ordered to stack arms, and our company not having any arms before the day previous, we were naturally a little awkward, and since the greater part of the Division officers witnessed our blunder, and being anxious to have his regiment show up well, was naturally a  little nettled, and riding up the company on a gallop said: “D—m you Captain Davis, will your men never learn to stack arms?”

“Wait and see Colonel,” was the quick reply of our Captain.

The Colonel road to the rear of the regiment amidst the smiles of those who had heard the reply.

The boys soon had a roaring fire going and, Laubenstine coming up, the coffee kettles were hung over it, and in less time than it takes to tell it we were ordered to fall in for coffee.

We lay in the field for several hours, when the bugle again sounded the advance and we moved forward again being greatly refreshed by the rest and dinner.  On passing a farm house in the course of the afternoon, the boys discovered some chickens in a field and immediately started in hot pursuit.  The Colonel called the men back, one of our boys having almost succeeded in capturing one, was rather slow to give up the chase, and the result was, in the evening after the regiment had gone into camp, he was sent for to carry wood for the Colonel’s fire, as a punishment for violating the order prohibiting foraging, and how the Colonel knew the boys name will be easily understood when we inform the reader that the forager carried a knapsack that bore the following inscription:

“J. C. Long, Co., G, 147^th, P. V. I.”

Considerable trouble was also occasioned by the fact that we did not know our guns as yet, which difficulty was increased by several parties, Lot Ulrich in particular, who had his name written upon the strap of no less than half a dozen guns, so that he would be able to claim, and also prove the claim by showing his name, which he had no trouble to do.  So well did this become known that when he claimed his own gun he had trouble to keep it.  It frequently happened that some one of the boys, bent on a little fun, would steal his gun and when Lot would claim the gun, the matter would be left to the company, which certainly would decide against him, and the fun would commence.  Lot would go from gun to gun and before he was through would claim a dozen, and at least one of someone else’s and cut or write his name upon the strap.

Those who have carried a musket or a knapsack during the late unpleasantness or any war, will bear us out that the assertion that growling soon becomes ­chronic, and that some one can be found at all times who upon the slightest provocation will furnish the “chin music” for the benefit of his comrades.  We at least have no hesitancy in stating that old Company G had a sufficient number of growlers to stock a brigade.  We had our marching growlers as well as our camp growlers and cowardly skulking growlers, in short we had them of all kinds.  Foremost upon the list of marching growlers came Jeremiah Moyer.  He always carried one of the heaviest knapsacks, never played out or skulked, but he had a terrible habit of fault finding as soon as we started on the march.  If the command moved slow Jerry would say, “I wish they would a march, if they a going to.”  Whilst on the other hand, if they marched fast, Jerry would say, “die verflucht kelver sie dadet une behauf dote marche eb sie uff geva.”  Thus after marching several hours Jerry would begin to find fault and universally end with a threat to soon fall out if the column did not halt to rest.  A threat which he never once put into execution, being always on hand for any emergency.

At about 4o’clock we came in sight of Leesburg, and went into camp about half a mile from town, having marched about 14 miles.

Chapter 22 - On The March

CHAPTER XXII

ON THE MARCH

To make up for the tongue Ehrhart claimed the liver, which was conceded to him, and which more than compensated him for his loss.

After cutting up his ox-ship into numerous pieces, in order to make it convenient to carry, and after dividing it out into parcels, which was done by two of our company boys, after the reported manner in which choice fish were divided at a certain fishery, located not many miles from Selinsgrove, Lot Ulrich turned his back and Serg’t. Eby pointed out the lots, and whenever he came to a choice parcel, he would prefix the word “and” to the usual question, thus, “and, whose is this?”

The ownership would be sure to fall to some one of company G’s boys, thus verifying the  old saw “that everything is fair in war.”

After we had secured all the meat that we possibly could, we returned to the camp, feeling mighty proud over our success as foragers, and soon had all the company camp kettles in use,  making the air redolent with the odor of boiling beef.

The evening passed pleasantly, we had the means to fill our stomachs, and were subsequently happy.  Ehrhart was somewhat riled when he discovered who had the tongue, but Yankee Garman made things all right when he told him that he had better taken the whole ox.

The next morning, December 12^th, bright and early the Army made arrangements to move, and by seven o’clock we were moving along as though the fate of nation depended upon our Division.

During the day we passed through a number of deserted camps which we at first supposed had been occupied by rebel troops, but upon investigation, we found old envelopes, letters and papers promiscuously scattered about, that the quarters had been occupied by the 1^st Division of our Corps, under the command of General Williams.

It was upon this march, when about halfway between Gum Springs and Fairfax courthouse that we first saw the Commander of the old 12^th Army Corps, Major General Henry Slocum, who with his staff and military escort galloped past us.

Never, in the course of our military experience, had we been more completely taken by surprise than we were when General Slocum was pointed out to us, General Geary, who was a large man in our eyes filled the measure of what a General should be, and so when a small, quiet and unostentatious man rode past us, we were scarcely prepared to believe this was the brave and gallant Corps commander, of whom we had heard so much.

It was soon after the General had ridden past us, that we heard anything definite concerning the advance of the Army under Burnside.  It did not take long get the grape-vine telegraph into operation and we were soon supplied with all the information needed, each operator receiving different information.

As we approached a small a tributary of Goose Creek, we were ordered to left-oblique, in order to give the batteries, which were hurried to the front, room to pass.

Soon in our immediate front was heard the report of artillery, in quick succession, and from the low rumbling sounds we made up our minds that it was not many miles distant, and that in a very short time we expected that we might be called upon to face the foe in martial array.

We think that this little episode created the greatest scare that the company ever had.

We do not know how we looked upon the occasion but distinctly recollect how we felt, whilst we also have a faint recollection as to how a number of the boys looked upon the occasion of that innocent little scare; cards flew and bibles were in demand.

As Our company gained the brow of a little eminence, they made a discovery that quickly dispelled the anxious forebodings which had taken possession of them but a short time ago, when they heard the artillery (?)

In a large field to the right of the pike the batteries were parked, and the men were getting dinner.

General Geary and staff passed us, and as their horses crossed the temporary bridge that spanned the stream, we discovered where the cannonading was.

The Division filed to the field, and in less time than it takes us to describe it every vestige of the fence had disappeared and a thousand fires burned in the field on which six thousand men were boiling coffee, toasting hard-tack and salt pork.  The meat which we had foraged for and prepared the evening before, furnished us with a sumptuous repast and for which the 12 miles we had already traveled since we broke camp, had sharpened our appetites so that we were fully able to do it justice.

It was strange to behold the change that had come over the members of the company, since they had received the scare but a very short time before, then all were scared, now it would have been impossible to find anyone that would own that he had been frightened. We re­member of one of the chaps who had pitched his euchre deck away, tried to borrow one we carried, to play a game while we were resting, and when he was twitted about it, said that he would not have done so only that his cartridge box strap passed over it and the darned cards rubbed him so.  Of course old Bill’s reason, under the circumstances, were considered ample, as we should undoubtedly have had followed his example, had it not been owing to the fact that we had packed it in our knapsack and were unable to get at it at the time of the alarm, since we know that we were  scared fully as bad as any of the rest.

After a halt of an hour, the bugle sounded the advance, and we started on what proved another hard and long march.

Those of the boys who were in ranks on that, our first campaign, remember how anxiously we longed for camp, and how as we gazed down along the level farms on either side of the pike for miles, and not a vestige of camp could be discovered, we were quite prepared to agree with Solly App, “that playing soldier at Harrisburg was all very nice, but to march 24 miles, carrying knapsacks, gun, accouterments and rations is horse of it different color.”

It was the fortune of the company to do its full share of marching subsequently but we never beheld the camp fires in the distance more joyfully than upon the evening of the 12th of December 1862.

The Division went into camp at Fairfax Courthouse, and in the formation of the line, our regiment was placed in a piece of woods, in which the under brush was so thick as to be almost impenetrable.  Of course there was no growling or nothing as the men, almost exhausted with the fatigues of the day, stumbled, staggered and fell around in that woods, whilst the Colonel was vainly endeavoring to form a line.

As soon as the command had arms stacked a number of the members of the company, hastily cleaned up the rubbish sufficiently to make room for their beds, spread out their blankets, and stretched out their tired limbs, without eating a mouthful of supper, were soon lost to the world.

Whilst a number of the boys, not-with-standing the fact that they were also nearly played out, attempted to get supper.

We found it rather difficult to procure water for coffee, and when we had water it was  almost impossible to get fire started, as we had no fuel save the green bushes and twigs that grew in the dense dark woods in which we were encamped, and never shall we forget the fearful smoking we got while attempting to boil that cup of coffee, and how when it was finished it tasted more of pine and smoke than of coffee.

It was our bad luck, in company with Peter Lahr, John C. Long and Jacob Leider of our company to be placed on camp guard, thus being on duty four hours out of the 12.

Early in the morning, long before light, we heard the dull far off b-o-o-m of a heavy gun, which no doubt was the big gun fired in what afterwards proved to be the disastrous battle of Frederickburg.

In the morning when we told Freddy Ulrich about the cannonading we had heard, he replied, “oh, you was only addled again, Lumbard, at the noise made by some battery of artillery passing over the bridge.”

This sally of Freddy’s caused the boys to laugh at our expense, but ere the smile had time to disappear from the faces of those who happened to hear Freddy, there ears were saluted with sound, following each other in quick succession announcing that in all probability the much talked of advance had been made by the Army of the Potomac under Burnside, and the guns we now heard were those served by the Rebels, hurling death and defiance into the ranks of the veterans of the U. S. Army.

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.