USA > Virginia > Under the stars and bars ; a history of the Surry Light Artillery > Part 4
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A large comet is visible now in the northwestern sky, and is getting nearer and plainer to view every evening. Its shape is much like that of the Turkish cimeter. What it may portend, if anything, no one, perhaps, knows.
In consequence of the death of 2d Lieutenant I. O. Crenshaw, Lieutenant W. R. Barhamn has been advanced to the vacancy, and an election has been held to fill the vacancy in the third place. The contest lay between J. W. Whitley, Commissary Sergeant, and Orderly Sergeant T. J. Berryman, and resulted in Whitley's election. Milton H. Gray was, thereupon, appointed to the post of Commissary Sergeant. Gray came to us early in 1862, from the vicinity of Mill Swamp. He had been sutler at Camp Cook in 1861.
Brown-hued autumn is here again, and the now quiet and solemn woods of old Chesterfield are beginning to wear their many-colored robes of yellow and dun, and
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bronze and red, telling us that the reign of summer is over, and another winter is fast approaching. Not the sound of a gun is heard. Even the gunboats that patrol the James seem to have omitted their usual morning salute for the time being. We are reposing at ease. Rations are enough, but not as plentiful as a year ago. The boys forage for wild grapes (of which there are a good many near here this fall), and apples, and butter- milk, and so they sing their songs, and contrive to "while away the time" without getting into that mis- erable state denominated "the blues."
All is quiet in the vicinity of the two cities, and we are falling back into the easy ways of life in camp, until called forward again to more active duties in another field.
Grace and mercy be with you all.
Your friend, B.
[Of the 35-year men noted in this letter as having been discharged from service, only two subsequently returned to the army. J. T. Brown afterwards re- enlisted in the S. L. A., and continued to perform his duties until near the end of the war, when he died of small-pox. His death took place at the small-pox hos- pital in Richmond, in the latter part of the summer of 1864. His remains were buried in Oakwood, the Confederate cemetery, near the eastern limits of the city.
W. H. Little also re-enlisted. He joined Company H, 13th Virginia Cavalry, where he remained till the
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close of the war. Since the war, returning to his native county (Isle of Wight), he has twice married, and has been a prosperous farmer. He is still living (1909).
None of the other men ever returned to the army. J. W. Presson died at his home in Surry. in 1863. All of the others named died within a few years after the end of the struggle. Hatchell was, I believe, the last survivor of the thirteen, except W. H. Little, who is yet living.
About the time the above letter was penned, Lee's army, in its advance into Northern Virginia, had fought the great battles of Cedar Run and the Second Man- assas, and having "pushed Pope out of the saddle," to be succeeded by Mcclellan, who was again put at the head of affairs, were advancing into Maryland. In con- sequence of these movements, a few months' interreg- num of unusual quiet and peace prevailed around the Confederate Capital, and the country along the lower James, and in all Southern Virginia. The storm-centre of war had shifted from the James to the Potomac, and the Light Artillery was permitted to enjoy a few weeks' repose, ere the winter set in, and they were moved for- ward to other quarters. Visits from friends at home, or the arrival of boxes with needed articles of apparel, and other remembrances, fell into the otherwise dull routine of soldier life, like bright sunshine after days of gloom. The remainder of the summer of 1862 sped softly by for the S. L. A., and they rested and recruited.]
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LETTER ELEVENTH.
On to Manchester-The "wood brigade"-Resignation of Captain Ruffin-Promotions and election-The town-View of Rich- mond-Note.
MANCHESTER, VA., November 5, 1862.
My Dear Friend :- We abandoned our old quarters near Walthall Junction two weeks ago, and are now camping in a park by the old race course at Manchester on the James. It is a good enough place to camp in, except that both wood and water are rather scarce articles here, and these, as you may readily imagine, are very essential things for a soldier's comfort and welfare, especially as the nights are already getting rather cool, and fires are needed.
As to water, we manage to get enough for the men and for cooking, by going a little distance to the wells around, and the horses are driven to a brook half a mile away. And, as for wood, the several "messes" or- ganize their "wood brigades" daily, and the men go off a little distance into the country, pick up whatever they can find for fire, and lug it into camp on their shoulders. It would amuse you to see the grotesque pictures some of the boys make with their big turns of "sticks," such as brush, broken fence-rails, etc., etc., as they come panting and sweating back, under their loads of wood.
·
C
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Some of them, by using a rope to tie the sticks into bundles, carry almost enough to fill a cart. And you had better believe that the men keep a sharp eye on their precious piles of wood, lest some of the less energetic among the men "snake" away a piece now and then on the sly. If you want to raise a little excitement in camp, all you have to do is to pretend to be after some fellow's wood. You had as well poke a hornet's nest.
"Get out of my wood-pile, you thief," is quickly heard, generally followed by some such article as a frying-pan, or a hatchet, or a stone.
And then the cries of, "Go for him, John !" "Lam him with a piece!" "Throw your skillet at him !" and similar expressions, resound from side to side of the camp, while the offender beats a hasty retreat to shelter.
It is such episodes as these that serve to keep our life in camp from becoming utterly unendurable, and such little tableaux are rather encouraged and taken part in by our officers. For, to the credit of our commissioned officers, let me inform you that they do not hold them- selves aloof from the men, but mingle with them, when off duty, with perfect familiarity and equality, re- garding the men, socially and every way, as upon the same plane with themselves.
There have been some changes in the grades of our commanding officers recently. Captain Ruffin having sent in his resignation sometime since, it has been ac- cepted, and he has lately bid his old Company adieu,
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and has retired from service for a time. It is stated that it is his purpose to enter the cavalry service. As the result of his withdrawal, James D. Hankins has been promoted to the Captaincy, W. R. Barham be- comes 1st Lieutenant, and J. W. Whitley, 2d Lieuten- ant, and an election has been held to fill the third place. The choice of the men was almost unanimous for W. W. Foreman for that office, and accordingly he becomes our 3d Lieutenant. He is very popular with all the men, and will make a fine commanding officer.
Manchester is a dingy and rather dilapidated old town, that appears to have been built without much regard to order or regularity, along the original high- way leading toward Powhatan and Amelia counties, and seems to have stopped growing entirely. There is a post-office, which, of course, is being largely patronized by the men, and several churches, where the boys are pretty regular attendants. Guards, however, are sta- tioned almost everywhere about the place, and a soldier cannot move around much without a written "permit." As many of our men as can get the consent of the "officer of the day" to do so, go along with the feed and commissary wagons as they go into Richmond every day, and thus manage to pass about without molestation from the guard.
The view of Richmond from this side of the James river is varied and picturesque. The State Capitol, which is now also the Capitol for the Confederate
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States, the post-office, and many churches, mills and factories, stand out prominently in the picture, and the whole city lies before you in queenly splendor and beauty. The river here is more than the fourth of a mile wide, but is much broken up with a multitude of rocky islets and bowlders, against which the waters are ever beating in angry fury and noise. The bridges of the P. & R., and the R. & D. railroads are prominent objects in the view, and lower down old Mayo's wagon bridge is seen. The prospect is inspiring and enrap- turing. Read Dyer's Gronger Hill, and apply the first few lines to the prospect that now calls forth these ap- preciative remarks from him who is now and always, Your friend, B.
[Doubtless my comrades will recall, with some degree of complacency, those few pleasant weeks that sped by all too fleetly during that sunny autumn at Manches- ter-will remember Mathews, the postmaster, and the little ricketty hospital, where some of our men were cared for in sickness-also Dr. Childs, the head physi- cian there-and, perhaps, too, will recall to mind the little match factory on the side of the main street, where friction matches were made. They remember yet the cotton mills down by Mayo's bridge, then idle and silent, and the little church, where they loved to attend the prayer-meetings. Of course, there have been great changes in the town since that pleasant autumn of 1862. But, for us of the S. L. A., the pictures of Manchester
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that memory will call up, will be of those olden things that were there when first we saw the place, during the ruder days of war. But, for more of our soldier life there, see the next letter. And here, as well as any where, I will name the new men, the recruits, that came to us during 1862 :
Archibald R. Atkins, William T. Atkins, and Calvin Baker, Alexander Baker and James Baker, three brothers, all the above from Isle of Wight county; Joseph H. Barham, from Surry, early in the year ; Wil- liam O. Barlow, from Isle of Wight; William T. Bell (Boston), from Surry; Thomas T. Cockes and Abner B. Cofer, both from Surry; Peter F. Crocker and Wil- liam Crocker, from Isle of Wight; Edward L. Collier and Robert A. Collier, brothers, from Surry; George W. Dean, Matthew A. Delk, and Hezekiah Delk, from Isle of Wight ; John W. Edwards, Thomas N. Edwards, An- son Goodrich, from Surry county ; John P. Goodson, Milton H. Gray, and Junius Gray, from Isle of Wight ; John A. Gwaltney, from Surry, and Pembrook D. Gwaltney, from Isle of Wight; James Hatchell and William E. Harris, from Surry; Bird Harvey and George C. Holmes, from Southampton; Thomas A. James, Wiley Jones, James Judkins, Benjamin O. Jud- kins and John R. Kea, from Surry; William E. Long and William B. Moore, from Surry; William J. Pres- son, from Southampton, and John F. Ramsey, from Isle of Wight; Asa Rogers (our "Commodore"), from Surry; and Benton D. Thomas, from Petersburg;
0 20
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Lewis L. Turner, James M. Turner, and W. Henry Turner, from Isle of Wight; James C. Underwood, from Surry; Linnaeus W. White, from Isle of Wight; and Thomas H. Williams (the shoemaker), from Prince George county.
A goodly array of names, and it includes much of the very best material of our Company. These addi- tions, forty-six in all, joined to the twenty-four who came in during the latter part of 1861, make the total list of names on our muster-roll 123. From this deduct, for deaths and discharged men of the 35-year list, 21, and the net strength of the Company, at the close of 1862, was 102 men.
Of the above recruits, Pembrook D. Gwaltney, now of Smithfield, Va., never served with the Company. Being an expert artisan and gunsmith, on joining our Company in July, 1862, he was at once detailed for service in the Ordnance Department, where he remained till the close of the war. See an appendix at the close of the book. ]
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LETTER TWELFTH.
Frame barracks-Sick men-Foreign residents-Lee at Fred- ericksburg-The city defences-A snow storm-Rations- Note.
MANCHESTER, VA., Nov. 20, 1862.
My Dear Friend :- The S. L. A. having been or- dered to occupy Battery No. 16, on the western confines of Manchester, where there is plenty of water and a fair supply of wood nearby, we are now supposed to be in winter quarters, good frame buildings, with brick chimneys. Accordingly, our tents have been packed, and we have barracks where we may have fires inside and a little more room for bunks.
But, as yet, we have to cook out of doors-when we have anything to cook-for there is no room in the barracks for the camp kettles and mess-pans and other utensils, and, if there were room enough, the fire- places are too small for cooking anything larger than a snow-bird. If we stay here long, maybe the different messes will build them cooking shelters, and then we will have both great-house and kitchen, and will feel almost as if we were living at home again. It is by no means certain, however, that any such good luck awaits us.
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This battery was constructed for heavy guns, and for infantry, but only a few of the large pieces have been put in place. There is no infantry here, and no magazine or storeroom for arms or ammunition. It is an unfinished place, and perhaps will never advance be- yond the present stage of completion.
A dozen or more of our men are on the sick list, and most of them have been sent to the little rickety hos- pital down in the village. An old snuff factory near Mayo's bridge has been converted into a temporary hospital for the few soldiers that are now on this side of the river, and a Doctor Childs, a resident physician of Manchester, has charge. The ladies of the town devote some attention to our sick, and sometimes they furnish from their own homes some delicacy or nourishment for the men. So the little wayside hospitals, as it were, like this one here, are the best, after all.
There are a great many able-bodied foreign residents in this place, who, but for the fact that they are of foreign extraction, would, I suppose, have to be in the army. They claim to be exempt from military service because they have never become naturalized citizens of the State, and hence our Government has no right to force them into service. They remain at home in their case, while their betters are marching, entrenching and fighting, to protect them and their property from mo- lestation. This looks hardly fair to the native sons of
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the State, who are baring their breasts to the storm in all its intensity and fury. If these men would work to help produce food for the rest of us, it would be less unequal. But nearly all of them that I have seen appear to be thoroughly idle and worthless. They are non-producers, and therefore only parasites, living and loafing at the expense of the general public.
And who knows but that some of them are spies, watching our Government, and the trend of affairs, and keeping the .enemy informed by some sort of "grape- vine telegraph" of all that is going on here at the Capital of the Confederacy? I, for one, believe that a strict watch should be kept over all these people. I am told there are great numbers of them in Richmond. In one sense it may be. politie to allow them to batten here, but it seems to me to be unwise, if not weak, to do so. .. One of these same parasites had the audacity, a few days since, to say to me :
"I could spike every gun in that battery," meaning Battery No. 16.
I simply replied to him: "Come and try it, then. We have a guard there now."
The remark seemed to be inspired by a spirit an- tagonistie to the Southern cause.
After fighting some terrible battles in Maryland, and after the capture of Harper's Ferry by General Stone- wall Jackson, General Lee has returned to Virginia, and is now in the vicinity of Fredericksburg. MeClel-
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lan, as he did not succeed in whipping Lee, as it was his business to have done, has again been "bounced" by his Government, and a General Burnside has succeeded him. Whether the last elevation will be able either to burn or turn any one's sides, remains to be seen.
There are rumors that stirring events are expected to happen hereabouts soon. Burnside is manifesting great activity, though it is so far advanced into the season of winter, and a battle may take place very soon. It is reported that both the York and James rivers are full of transports, and it is conjectured they are conveying an army to attack Richmond. In this event, with Lee engaged with Burnside on the Rappahannock, the forces around Richmond would, doubtless, have more than they could do to hold back an invading army, advancing on us from the York or the James.
So far as I have seen, or learned, there are very few forces stationed here now. How easy it would seem for any foreign citizen (?) so disposed, to inform an advancing enemy of our weak condition just at this time, and then a leader with any push about him, by making a sudden dash upon the defences here, might easily ride over them into the very heart of the city.
And our earthworks-these on the southern side of the city, at least-even were there plenty of men here to ocupy them, look to be weak and entirely inadequate for checking an army of resolute men. Let us hope that, despite our suspicions and fears, there are really no spies here to betray us into the hands of a wily and watchful encmy.
.
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We have had quite a snow storm up here, and the ground is carpeted with a four-inch layer of the most beautiful white plush, spotless and pure as a maiden's prayer. It is cold to-day. A brisk and biting wind is coming down across the James, that finds its way readily through the faded and thin uniforms of the men. In the absence of overcoats, the men go about wrapped in their blankets, which are thus made to do double service-a cover by night, a protection by day. Even a piece of an old tent, anything that can be utilized, serves to keep out some of the cold. I trust the families at home, the women and children, are better provided for against the coming storms and blasts.
Rations are out in camp. But this is "draw-day," as the men call it, and our wagons have gone into town for supplies. But they will not return before the after- noon, and all will have to fast until then. True, Jack, with his pies, may be around soon, but money is almost as scarce in this camp as are rations. And it takes a big bill to buy a small pie from Jack. O, for a dash at the sweet potatoes, corn pone, and sorghum molasses down in old Surry !
May the good angel guard and keep you all, now and everinore.
Your friend, B.
[The Company did not repose long at Battery 16. And, after all, it would have been but a bleak, cold place for a winter camp. There were no thick woods around
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to break off the northern winds, which would have had a clear sweep upon us, across the James at this point. It was well for us that we were moved to another and more sheltered position on the eastern side of Rich- mond. ]
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LETTER THIRTEENTH.
Christmas eve-Church bells-Christmas boxes-Fredericksburg- Attached to Lightfoot's Battalion-Our camp-No snug cabins-Note.
CAMP ROPER, VA.,
Dec. 24, 1862.
My Dear Friend :- It is now December 24th- Christmas eve again, the second that we have passed in camp. But how great the contrast in our condition and surroundings with those of last year, down at Camp Pemberton, in Isle of Wight! Then rations were plentiful and good, and we could get plenty of good things from our homes, not a great many miles away. Here the most of us are but thinly clad and scantily fed, and we have no snug cabins to shelter us from the blasts and snows of winter.
The day is bright and beautiful, but cold, and there is no appearance of the good cheer and extra fixings that used to come to us at Christmas time. How I would like to look in upon the homes of old Surry, to see if her people are thinking of the soldier boys to-day !
The church bells of the city are sounding out loud and clear, doubtless calling the ladies' aid societies and committees together for the purpose of devising ways and means, and planning for pleasant surprises for friends and kindred somewhere in the army. Many,
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no doubt, will get the Christmas box to-morrow, and thus be made happy. It is well. It is pleasant to be remembered. It is pleasant to remember. And I know that the wives and daughters, and mothers and sisters, of the men of the S. L. A. will think of their loved ones in the army, and at least send up a prayer to the throne of grace for their safety and well-being, if they can send no box or token of remembrance to the men.
But perhaps there will be some boxes, too, from the friends in Surry and Isle of Wight. The wagons go into town early to-morrow morning, and one of them will eall at the depot, to see if there may be anything for any of the men.
Letters from home! And Christmas boxes! How these things will cheer the hearts of the men and revive their drooping spirits! How sweet to have tangible evidence that some one cares for you ! Blessings on the senders of the letters and boxes.
In the recent great contest of arms at Fredericks- burg, Burnside appears to have been badly beaten, and his army has returned to its first position on the north- ern side of the river. He got his own sides burned «with a vengeance, especially on Mary's Hill. It was a decided victory for the Southern arms.
Our Company has but recently been attached to Col. Charles A. Lightfoot's Battalion of Light Artillery, composed now of three batteries, namely, Captain
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Rives's Battery, of Albemarle county, six fine guns ; Captain Thornton's Battery, from Caroline county, also six splendid guns; and our own, or Hankins's Battery, of four guns. But they are not the same four small, light pieces that we had at first. Those were turned in some time ago, and were replaced with four good and effective cannon of greater calibre and weight. Two of them are brass 12-pound Napoleon field pieces, and two are 9-pound rifled guns of the best pattern. Thus the Battalion has sixteen good guns, with horses and all necessary equipments for effective warfare. It is regarded as a strong command. Colonel Lightfoot is fast becoming popular with the men. He is a native of Culpeper county.
We are now in camp on the eastern side of Richmond, one mile from the corporation line, and near Battery No. 2, where Captain Harrison's Prince George-Surry Heavy Artillery is stationed. As to quarters, we have none yet, except our cloth tents (which have been brought into requisition again), and such shanties as the men have been able to construct, to cook and eat in. The outlook is, that a piece of cotton cloth will be our only protection from the snows and storms of winter, while we remain at this place. I trust the season will prove to be a mild one. Few of the men have any good and warm clothing, and they will miss the snug quar- ters that we had a year ago. But there is plenty of wood, and also good water here, and we are sheltered from the northern winds by a piece of forest, on the
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border of which our camp is laid out. The guard duty will be light this winter, as we will have no outpost to fill.
May the sun shine warm upon you at home. Your friend, B.
[Our chances for passing the winter comfortably at Camp Roper were far better than they could have been at Battery 16, and it was a fortunate circumstance for us that we were moved. Besides plenty of wood for fires, the water was excellent, and we were camped near to men who, to numbers in our Company, were old ac- quaintances and friends. Many of the men in Battery 2 were from Surry county, and, therefore, well known to many of the S. L. A. The intercourse between the two commands became general and frequent, and, in a social way, the winter of 1862-'63 passed very agree- ably for us. There was but little sickness among the men; the season was mild, with but little snow, and nothing occurred to disturb our repose, or call us out of our quarters, except one little false alarm. ].
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LETTER FOURTEENTH.
A night on picket-Snowed under-Only a cavalry raid-And a false alarm-Note.
CAMP ROPER, VA., Jany. 11, -1863.
My Dear Friend :- After a few weeks of almost blissful repose for the soldier life, we have had another little experience of war-"bitter-sweet" some of the boys called it, since, though we suffered considerably, we met no enemy, and, of course, did no fighting, and soon returned to our camp.
On Thursday afternoon, the Sth instant, our Battery received orders to march at once. It was near sunset when the despatch came, and we were in for a night on the outer lines. We were to occupy a position on the York river railway where it intersects the outer line of defences, for there are three separate lines of earth- worths or other defences, that circumvallate the city on all sides. It was near 10 o'clock when we reached the designated place.
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