USA > New York > Disaster, struggle, triumph. The adventures of 1000 "boys in blue," from August, 1862, to June, 1865 > Part 8
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The few rebels who had been left in barracks died or got well and were removed before the middle of October. But the same culpable negligence which marked the conduct of the authorities toward our own troops, was shown in their neglect of the bodies of the dead in the rebel barracks. In some instances they were left in these rat-infested places without burial. The consequences were too horrible for detail. Such things prove a most unpardonable remissness somewhere.
A very strong effort was made by the officers of the paroled troops to have them removed from their almost deadly quarters at Camp Douglas, to some more salubrious spot. Surgeon HAMMOND visited Washington and Albany for the purpose, and had personal interviews with the Secretary of War and Governor Morgan, and actually obtained an order for their removal to New York State; but for some cause or other, this order was revoked. Perhaps some con- tractor in Chicago who was making "a good thing" of having the troops there, was answerable for this; it is just possible that political motives were at work (New York Regiments were voters when in their own State) ; whatever the cause, no change was made, and the poor boys in blue continued to sicken and some of them to drop into unhonored graves in Camp Douglas.
C HAPTER
JX
IN the 19th of November, notice was received of the exchange of the New York troops, paroled at Harper's Ferry, who were to proceed to Wash- ington, and be armed and put on duty. The joyful news was carried about the camp in advance of the official promulgation of the order, and barrack after barrack became jubilant with cheers and mutual con- gratulations. Clothing, canteens, knapsacks and haver- sacks were drawn, and all was cheerful activity. On the 23d, orders were received to start on the 24th, at three P. M., by railroad, and in passenger cars, with four days rations, and coffee in canteens. When they were carried to Chicago it was in freight cars. A silent inference was drawn that the government now regarded them as men; and they received the announcement with lusty cheers. At dress parade that evening, when the order was to be read officially by the Adjutant, each man came out in his best array. Many of the sick appeared with them, their lank, jaundiced faces lighted up with pleasure; and three times three were given with a will. They were going to the front; to fight the enemies of their country; to redeem their names from disgrace. The hated Camp Douglas was to be left forever ! Small reason had they to regret
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leaving it. They went there strong, active, vigorous young men ; they found there filth, vermin, and a noisome atmosphere, that brought fever, jaundice and diarrhea, which laid strong men on their beds of suffering, from which some never rose again. Many, too sick to be removed, had to see their comrades go and leave them behind. More than one hundred of this one Regiment were thus left.
The troops left Chicago at three and a half in the afternoon. At Toledo hot coffee was furnished by the railroad company. At midnight they reached Pitts- burg, two months from the time of passing through there before. As usual, all are cordial in praise of Pittsburg, where they were bountifully supplied with every comfort ; not as if from a sense of duty, but as if from love to Union soldiers and the Union cause. The bands played, glee clubs sang, the Chaplain made a speech. No complaints, even from attendants, of the unseasonableness of the hour, or the difficulty of feed- ing so many. All felt themselves welcome; and this was the glorious testimony to Pittsburg throughout the war.
Pittsburg was left before daylight, and the cars wound their way up the tunneled mountain ridges of Pennsylvania to their wintry summits; thence into the genial valley of the Susquehanna, and so on to Balti- more, where a Thanksgiving dinner was furnished them at the Union Rooms. A Thanksgiving, indeed, to these freed prisoners! The loyal people of Balti- more were truly loyal and liberal; but the soldiers say : "There is only one Pittsburg !"
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In Washington the troops spent the morning visiting public buildings, which seemed magnificent, although, as a whole, the city disappointed them. One says : "It was more of a shabby country place than I expected to see." (In fact, the city has disappointed many besides these soldiers. Great outlay of money on public buildings and their grounds, and little out- lay on anything else, makes a shabby town. Poorly paved, or unpaved, streets, sprawling muddy or dusty avenues, mean shops and poor boarding houses, spoil a city which, from its situation and the amount of money spent upon it, might be the finest on the con- tinent.)
The Regiment was assigned to CASEY's Division, 22d Corps (HEINTZELMAN's), and was ordered to Camp Chase, on Arlington Heights. There they found the 125th, who had preceded them a day or two, and who furnished them coffee and food, thus returning the hospitality which the 126th showed them at Harper's Ferry, when they came in tired and hungry from Shepardstown. No fuel, except twigs and sticks, could be found ; the night was cold ; rolled in their one blanket apiece, with mother earth for bed and the clouds for coverlet, they tried to forget their troubles in sleep .*
November 29, they drew tents and pitched them, and had calls from acquaintances from the north.
* While at Arlington Heights, Lieutenant BARRAS was dismissed from the service for being absent from his post without leave, and for drunkenness. Major PHILLIPS had before preferred charges against him for cowardice on Maryland Heights, for drunkenness, and for conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
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November 30, the Chaplain preached, and at evening there was dress parade. Here Major BAIRD was duly notified of his dismissal from service, and Captain PHILLIPS was appointed acting Major of the Regiment, which here received its new colors. On the 2d December the men received arms and accoutrements, and were ordered to Union Mills, to do picket duty along Bull Run, on the outer defenses of Washington. On the 3d they were marched to Alexandria, where they saw vast numbers of " contrabands," and whence they went by rail to Union Mills. They climbed a long steep hill ; built huge fires of logs ; and, their tents not having arrived, slept on the ground near the fires. Next day wall tents arrive for the officers and "A" tents for the enlisted men ; and, there being no teams, the men carry them up the hill on their should- ers. Before half the tents are up, night comes on, and many sleep again on the ground, unsheltered. Decem- ber 5th, another move. The men are ordered to a low hill east of their first camp, where they pitch their tents in a heavy snow storm. The snow melts as it falls, and the men work in the mud and slop. There are no means of warming the tents, but ditches are dug around to drain them. On a little straw spread upon the soaked and "sticky " soil of the " Old Dominion," the men seek rest. Fortunately, they had brought from Chicago some bedding, sent by friends at home, or their sufferings would have been extreme. One Sergeant says : "It makes a fellow think of home, to sleep on the ground these frosty nights ; but we have to come to it." We have dwelt on
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these points to show those who know little of the pri- vations and hardships of a soldier's life that it is not all what a colored woman called "brass buttons and glory." A little glory is purchased by a vast amount of hard toil, sleepless or restless nights, and dreary days. Still further, to illustrate this, we will make an abstract of a page of Lieutenant RICHARDSON's diary : December and January, cloudy, cold and raw, were sickly months for us. The unhealthy camp at Chicago had sown the seeds of disease, that now developed themselves to an alarming extent. Small-pox, measles and mumps prevailed among all the Regiments here, and many deaths followed ; but the measles was more fatal than any other malady, for it left its victim in so weakened a condition that, generally, pneumonia super- vened and proved fatal. Such a case was that of W. T. LAMPORT, son of W. H. LAMPORT, of Canandaigua, who died of measles and pneumonia combined ; and his sorrowing comrades, while conveying his remains to a point whence they could be shipped home, met the father just coming to visit his son ! Few fathers are called to part with such a son. Manly and intel- ligent, he enlisted from patriotism ; and his parents, from like motives, gave him to their country ; and the sacrifice was sealed by his death, at the early age of eighteen .*
* Without his consent, we copy from Lieutenant RICHARDSON's diary another short passage, which tells its own story :
Journal-Dec. 6. " I got my tent up, and a sheet iron stove I brought from Arlington Heights. Also got a tick filled with straw, and anticipated a good night's rest; but by night I had several men sick, among them W. T. L. I went to the surgeons, but they had no accommodations for the
126 THE ADVENTURES OF ONE THOUSAND BOYS IN BLUE.
sick. I then got a large supply of wood cut for my stove, placed young L. and another in my bunk on my bed; then spread blankets under the bunk, and placed two more sick there, and fixed a little place on the floor in front for myself; but found that my servant (a genuine Uncle Tom, about forty- five years old), whom I had kept hard at work all the time, in the storm, was sick, so gave him the place I had reserved for myself ; sat up on the woodpile, made tea for the sick, and dozed away the night. In the morning I took L. to the hospital tent," &c., &c.
C PTE X.
ONION MILLS is so named from flouring mills formerly worked there; Bull run furnishing the water power. "It is, in fact, no place at all ;" there being but three houses at the station, and some farm-houses scattered about the country. The Orange and Alexandria railroad crosses Bull run, near the mills, on a trestle-bridge, which was frequently destroyed by rebels and rebuilt by our armies; and was in a dilapidated state when our troops were there. There were a good many earthworks on the hills around, which were erected by BEAUREGARD; and, with their famous guns, did good service for the rebels by checking MCCLELLAN's advance one whole winter. Here our men found a good many barracks, built of logs, and pretty comfortable, which had been occupied by the rebels in the winter of '61-2. Across the run, the men found scattered fragments of lace and crinoline, and broken bottles and hampers, which told of luxury the preceding winter, and also that female society had enlivened the rebel camp. It lies southwest of Wash- ington, twenty-three miles from Alexandria, and three or four miles from Centreville. The battle-fields here have one feature of frightful interest, viz., the unburied or half buried skeletons of horses and men everywhere
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to be seen. In some instances the head and feet, in others the hands, or, sometimes, a single upraised finger were visible. Sometimes a ghastly skeleton sat, propped against a tree, just where he died. "Unwept, unhonored and unsung," without even a coffin to pro- tect their poor remains from insult and violence, here lay the hope of many a proud house ; the joy of many a fond mother !
Bull run is a small stream, easily swelled by rains, and crossed by several fords. One of these, Blackburn's, was the scene of General TYLER's feat (and defeat) at the first Bull run battle, when, fancy- ing that the enemy would run if seriously menaced, he commenced firing at them across a stream,-thus developing our situation and disconcerting General McDOWELL's plans ; a mile above this is Mitchell's ford, and four miles farther, on the turnpike from Centreville to Warrenton, is the famous "stone bridge," where the storm of battle raged so fiercely on the fatal 21st of July, 1861. Going down the run from Union Mills there are other fords, the last of which is Woodyard ford, just before the stream unites with the Occoquan at Wolf run shoals. Thorough- fare Gap and Manassas Gap are both in view from the heights around the mills. The country had been thickly wooded, but savage work had been done among the trees by both armies to obtain fuel and timber. Heavy slashings were numerous in front of forts and rifle-pits. The soil is poor, but abounds in springs and "runs" of water. Captain WHEELER says : "One near our camp rejoices in the name of
-
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Johnny run." Bull run is a tortuous stream, finding its way among ravines, hills, and huge rocks ; render- ing the labors of the picket-guard stationed along its course exceedingly severe. The men detailed as pickets were obliged to be out from twenty-four to forty-eight hours in cold, wet or snow, without tents, and often without fires. Marching back and forth between the stations, the more distant of which were from four to eight miles from camp, their tedious watch was rarely broken by an adventure, yet must never be intermitted. Captain WHEELER writes, under date of December 7th : "Laid out our picket line from Union Mills to Blackburn's ford ; remained out twenty-four hours. After this, our line was from Union Mills to Woodyard's ford, and we were out forty-eight hours. It looked very gloomy, wading through the snow out through an unknown place to unknown danger; but, after a while, it was looked at merely as our business, and preferred by the men to camp guard." Not much respect had these pickets for the "sacred soil" of Virginia, "which," says Lieutenant SEAMANS, "we used to scrape from our boots in disgust." Such exposure, after their Chicago experience, would naturally bring on disease ; and pneumonia, and typhoid soon claimed many victims.
On the 10th of December Colonel SHERRILL, his wound nearly healed, appeared in camp, and was greeted with the warmest enthusiasm.
Dec. 11 .- The monotony of camp life was broken by an odd exploit of Colonel D'UTASSY, of the 39th New
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York, commanding the Brigade, who seems to have had a genius fertile in invention. Wishing to recon- noitre the railroad toward Manassas, he determined to send a railway train for the purpose, which was made up of, first a car made of boiler iron with port holes on all sides, furnished with a piece of artillery and . plenty of shell; then the engine, and then platform and box cars. Captain AIKINS and Lieutenant RICH- ARDSON, with forty men were detailed to accompany the expedition. Colonel d'UTASSY, a detail from the artillery to serve the gun, some pioneers, a telegraph operator with a portable battery, and the infantry, set forth in the afternoon and proceeded to Bristoe station, taking observations on the way, but at Bristoe found the track so encumbered with the ruins of cars and property destroyed in the raid on General POPE the August before, that they could not proceed, but returned to camp at eleven o'clock in the evening. No good was done by this singular reconnoissance, nor, as it happened, any harm; but had they met the enemy or roving bands of guerrillas, the little Hunga- rian Colonel, might have wished himself and his unwieldy apparatus back within our lines.
Dec. 12. - Another adventure. The Regiment had orders to join General SIGEL and part of his Corps on the way to Fredericksburg. Accordingly they set forth on a terribly muddy road, reached Fairfax sta- tion, built fires and prepared to be comfortable, when, at eleven at night, came an order for all to march back again except two Companies, C and K, who were left to do provost duty at Fairfax. Rather hard
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marching along the railroad track in the night, cross- ing bridges on the "stringers," but they reached camp again at daybreak. While at Fairfax, a tele- gram came from the War Department for General SIGEL, and Colonel BULL sent Sergeants WHEAT and CoPP, of the 126th, on cavalry horses, to over- take him and deliver it, which they did, but return- ing, were set. upon by guerrillas at night, lost their horses and themselves barely escaped capture.
The reason that picket duty was excessively severe while the army lay at Union Mills, was not only the length of the picket line, the coldness and wet of the weather, and the rough nature of the country, but that there were so few able bodied men fit for the work. The 151st Pennsylvania, of 800 men; the 39th New York, 400; and the 126th, between 600 and 700, performed the service mostly ; but as many were sick, and many on extra or daily duty, it left so few to picket and protect the long line, that the men were obliged to go on every other day. And a day meant twenty-four hours.
The usual routine of a soldier's life while at Union Mills was: 1st. Rise at reveille, dress and take his place in the street of his Company to answer to roll call. 2d. Prepare for breakfast. This preparation consisted of putting one or two day's rations in his haversack, according as to whether he was to remain on picket one or two days; packing knapsack, roll- ing blanket and strapping it neatly to knapsack, cleaning his gun thoroughly, blacking shoes and belts, brushing clothes and burnishing buttons and brass 9
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plates. 3d. Breakfast; after which guard-mounting and dividing the troops into detachments for picket duty, and sending the pickets to their posts and sta- tions, where they relieve those who have preceded them, and get instructions from them.
The most important object of the picket line was to prevent any communication which evil disposed per- sons might try to carry on between rebel Virginia and Washington. Another object was to guard against attacks. Sentinels stood within hearing of each other along Bull Run, with the strictest orders to let no one pass or repass unless sent by the General command- ing. In the rear of this line was another, where two sentinels were posted together, at longer intervals, to assist the front line in case of emergency; and in the rear of this, there was still a reserve force to be called on in case of attack or difficulty. Each sentinel remained on guard two hours, and was then relieved by one, and then a second, from those in the rear, so that he was strictly on the watch one-third of the time that he was on picket ; and must observe and care- fully report everything by signals previously agreed upon. At the reserve posts, bough houses were built, which were sometimes warmed by fires, and so were often quite comfortable.
In order to reach his post, or beat, the picket often had to travel five, and even seven or eight miles and then commence his two hour watch. Then, when relieved, he went to the rear, warmed and dried him- self, boiled his coffee in his pint cup, toasted his meat on a forked stick, and managed his hard crackers as
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best he could. (This was not luxurious living, but fatigue and hunger gave it a relish which many a sluggard at home might sigh for in vain.) Then he might rest two or three hours, and then he must take another turn at the front. When the twenty-four or forty-eight hours for which he was out expired, he marched back to camp, washed, dressed, cleaned gun and accoutrements, and had dinner, after which came writing letters, washing clothes, cutting wood, and the inevitable drill; then everything must be made nice and presentable for a dress parade at sunset. The precision and dexterity required at dress parade can only be attained by months of study and careful practice ; but when the details are all mastered, and the discipline is perfected, nothing can be more beau- tiful than the military evolutions of a large body of men, all seemingly actuated by the same will .*
After dress parade, supper ; then news, gossip, reading and letter writing, and at "tattoo" all must prepare for bed, by placing clothes, arms, everything, where they can be seized and put on at a minutes' warning. Then came "taps," when lights must be put out, and silence reign in camp, until, if no night disturbance happens, "reveille" calls all from bed to their various duties once more. Such is soldier-life in
* What a picket's duty was may be illustrated by an extract taken at random from G. IRVING ROSE's diary : " January 27th-On picket. 29th- Relieved. 31st-On Brigade guard. February 1st-Relieved. 2d-On camp guard. 3d-Relieved. 4th-On picket at Blackburne ford. 5th- Relieved. 7th-On Brigade guard. 8th-Relieved. 10th-On picket." And so on. This extract shows how often the poor fellows were called to this twenty-four or forty-eight hours service. At another time he records : " Cold, and a foot of snow." And again : "Snow melts, and deep mud."
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camp. With regard to the camp itself, we will say a few words, although it is a little out of place. A camp is usually laid out in streets, like a village; and in a Regiment of ten Companies there will be ten streets, with twenty rows of tents, beside those of the company, staff and field officers. A guard is daily posted round the camp, commanded by a Lieutenant, called officer of the guard, and over him is a Captain, called officer of the day, whose duty lasts twenty-four hours, and who is responsible for the neatness, good order and quiet of the camp. The men are ordered to their posts and duties by drum and bugle calls, which they learn to distinguish and understand. (In a cavalry Regiment the horses learn the calls, and obey them readily.) The "streets " are kept tidy by sweeping. Not a scrap of paper or "whittling" must be seen by the inspector.
Between the 24th and 30th of December occurred one of the rebel STUART's famous "raids," so disas- trous to us, and carrying such comfort to the half-fed confederates. He was absent from Richmond several days, burned a number of bridges on the Alexandria railroad, and captured or destroyed large quantities of national stores. With a large cavalry force, cross- ing to Falmouth, on the Rappahannock, he got to the rear of the army of the Potomac, whereupon the cavalry of that army moved round to the west, threat- ening him. On this, STUART with his "merry men" dashed through the outer lines of the defenses of Washington, and passing between the capital and Fairfax station, where large quantities of military
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stores and forage were collected, attacked the sta- tion ; but meeting a stubborn opposition he hurried northward, and, finding a telegraph station, sent some saucy messages to the war department at Washing- ton ; broke through the lines again, and got back to the Rappahannock with his plunder. On learning the advance of STUART, the fords were immediately guarded by detachments of the 126th New York, and 151st Pennsylvania. These detachments marched on the double quick, and were halted on a commanding ridge, between Woodyard ford and Fairfax station, to watch for the enemy. The night was clear and bitter cold. The men, heated with their march, had no blankets and must build no fires. Their suffering was extreme, nor were they rewarded by even a sight of the nimble-footed enemy. SLOCUM's (12th) Corps were also out on STUART's track, and part of the 126th were watching for him at Union Mills and at Centreville, but "his foot was on his native heath ;" he knew every gorge and defile of the mountains, while our boys were in a strange land. This was the secret of the success of many rebel raids.
Feb. 27 .- A detachment of Pennsylvania Reserves, temporarily attached to the Brigade, and encamped near it, became fractious and refused to do duty, whereupon General HAYS called out the 126th, and ordered them to disarm the insubordinates, who were condemned to fatigue duty in the rifle-pits ; the 126th standing guard over them while they worked. This soon brought them to terms; but the incident was
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pleasant to our boys, showing them the confidence placed in them by superior officers.
On the 8th of March, Brigadier-General STOUGHTON was kidnapped by the guerrilla, MOSEBY, in an exceed- ingly dextrous manner. The General's whereabouts were betrayed by a Miss FORD, the famous rebel spy, who carried with her a pass commanding all the con- federates "to obey, honor and admire her." MOSEBY got within the lines of pickets near Fairfax Court- house by stationing one of his own men as a sentinel between two of our pickets, where he learned the countersign from the patrol. He thus got in with twenty-nine men, went, as he says, to Fairfax village, rode right up to the General's quarters, took him out of bed and brought him off. He says: "I walked into his room, and, shaking him in his bed, said, 'General, get up.' He said, 'What does this mean ?' I said, 'It means STUART's cavalry are in possession of this place, and you are a prisoner.'" The guards were kept silent by a pistol pointed at their heads. MOSEBY claims that at the same time he got thirty other officers and privates, and fifty-eight horses .*
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