RANDOM SKETCHES 
 
 AND 
 
 WANDERING THOUGHTS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 WHAT I SAW IN CAMP, ON THE MARCH, THE BIVOUAC, THE 
 
 BATTLE FIELD AND HOSPITAL, WHILE WITH THE 
 
 ARMY IX VIRGINIA, NORTH AND SOUTH 
 
 CAROLINA, DURING THE LATE 
 
 REBELLION. 
 
 
 
 WITH A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF 
 
 THE SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT, 
 
 EIGHTY-FIRST NEW YORK STATE V. I. : 
 
 A RECORD OF ALL ITS OFFICERS, AND ROSTER OF ITS 
 ENLISTED MEX; ALSO, AX APPENDIX. 
 
 BY B. S. I*E FOREST, 
 
 LATE FIRST LIEUTENANT AND R. Q. M. 
 
 ALBANY, ]Sf. Y!: 
 AVERT HERRICK, PUBLISHER. 
 
 1866. 
 
Knterod according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by 
 
 B. S. DE FOREST, 
 
 In the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the United States, for the 
 Northern District of New York. 
 
 AVKKY 1IKKRICK, 
 
 V/. 496 B 
 
 ALBANY R. T. 
 
TO THE VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LATE UNION ARMY, 
 
 FOR THEIR PATRIOTISM, COURAGE AND FORTITUDE, 
 IN THE HOUR OF OUR COUNTRY S TRIAL, 
 
 WHO STOOD AS A LIVING WALL 
 BETWEEN FREEDOM AND DESPOTISM, 
 
 THIS VOLUME IS 
 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 
 
 M15715S 
 
PREFA.CE. 
 
 When these RANDOM SKETCHES AND WANDERING 
 THOUGHTS were written, the Author had no idea of 
 having them published. They were first a memoranda 
 of events which transpired from day to day, in camp 
 and on the march, which was kept in a small field book, 
 in which was also noted such reflections as suggested 
 themselves at the time. The manuscript was looked 
 upon as a sort of reserve fund upon which to draw 
 for light reading, when it could not be obtained from 
 any other source, with which to amuse himself and 
 relieve the tedium of camp life; also as a record for 
 refreshing his memory in after years, in regard to the 
 leading incidents of the great struggle we were then 
 passing through. On reading some of the manuscript 
 to friends in whose judgment he had confidence, he has 
 been induced to have it published in book form. 
 
 People who are loyal, and appreciate sentiments 
 flowing from a patriotic heart, and those who think 
 well of the soldier, who left the comforts of home to 
 share in the dangers and privations of the battle field 
 and camp, may read and be entertained by it. They 
 will doubtless find that it contains faults, if they choose 
 
 *1 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 to look for them. It does not challenge criticism, it 
 makes no special pretension to literary merit, but simply 
 gives an unvarnished description of soldier life in the 
 field, and what the writer saw in the South, as it pre 
 sented itself to his mind at the time. 
 
 The history of the Second* Oswego Regiment, (81st 
 Xew York State Veteran Volunteer Infantry,) other 
 than of his own knowledge, was obtained from various 
 ivliuhle sources, and it is thought would be interesting 
 to many, in connection with the Sketch Book, especially 
 to those who belonged to the regiment, and to the friends 
 of those who are dead, reminding them of the scenes 
 through which they have passed. An account is also 
 given of the many hard fought battles in which the 
 regiment participated, with a record of the officers and 
 an alphabetical roster of the privates. Every member 
 of the regiment may well feel proud that his fortunes 
 were cast with such a noble band of our country s 
 defenders. 
 
RANDOM SKETCHES 
 
 AND 
 
 WANDERING THOUGHTS, 
 
 1862. 
 
 " They never fail who die 
 
 In a great Cause ; the block may soak their gore, 
 Their heads may sodden in the sun ; their limbs 
 Be strung to city gates or castle walls ; 
 But still their spirits walk abroad, though years 
 Elapse, and other s share as dark a doom, 
 They but augment the deep and sweeping thoughts 
 Which overspread all others, and conduct 
 The World at last to Freedom." 
 
 PATKIOTISM is one of the highest aspirations of the 
 soul. In a country like ours, there is every possible 
 inducement to give it the highest and purest expres 
 sion. If the Laplander, chilling among his banks of 
 snow the Russian, ground by the heel of oppres- 
 
8 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 sion the Turk, forced to be the tool of power, lust 
 and caprice and the Chinumun, shut out from the 
 world, where ignorant hordes are born and die, in their 
 ness and poverty if all these can bravely li^ht 
 and die for their Country, what ought not the Ameri 
 ca :i citi/en to feel and do in this great struggle for the 
 p.* - Tvation of Liberty and Self-Government? 
 
 At this moment a giant Rebellion is overshadowing 
 our land, greater in magnitude than has ever been 
 known in the World s history. Already has our fertile 
 soil been deluded with the blood of her sons, who have 
 gone forth in her defence. Many homes are already 
 draped in mourning, their inmates weeping for loved 
 ones slain. And mournful cries come wafting on every 
 hm-/ { nun the Southern land, imploring help to put 
 down tiva.-on, which seeks to destroy the Temple of 
 Liberty cm-ted by our Fathers. 
 
 In this irreat M niggle for Freedom, there should be 
 but one^Mitiment and one purpose to save our Coun 
 try with her free Constitutional rights unimpaired. 
 And it that black Main upon our Nation s past record, 
 Slavery, is blotted out in the conflict, let us all hail 
 the day with supreme delight, and from its ruins build 
 a more beautiful edifice, dedicated to Universal Free 
 dom, whose broad dome may be as expansive as the 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 9 
 
 blue vault of heaven above us, where myriads may 
 continue to find a welcome home and shelter from the 
 hand of tyranny and oppression. 
 
 It was in the summer of 1862 that I left the Bar 
 racks at Albany, having in charge one hundred and 
 eighteen men, to join the Army of the Potomac. We 
 took passage on the Steamer New World, and had a 
 delightful trip on the silvery waters of the noble 
 Hudson, beneath the calm rays of a harvest moon, 
 which lit us on our way. 
 
 As early dawn broke in upon us, we found our boat 
 nearing the wharf at New York. At roll call, all 
 except two of the men answered to their names. A 
 search was made for the absentees, and they were found 
 secreted in the hold of the vessel an initiatory step 
 for desertion, which had become so common in our 
 army. They were soon brought forth, and handcuffed 
 for the balance of the journey. 
 
 Before crossing the river for Jersey City, I experi 
 enced much difficulty in keeping the men in the ranks, 
 owing to their many pretended wants, most of them 
 having some plausible desire to be gratified; but I 
 remained firm in my purpose, not allowing any of thorn 
 to leave, on any pretence whatever, until we arrived at 
 
10 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 tl c depot. I lore I secured a large room, well adapted 
 for my command, as many of them were deserters. 
 
 Having securely guarded the doors, with sentinels, 
 I returned to New York, and spent the balance of the 
 day in making purchases for my anticipated wants in 
 the field. 
 
 After having secured my camp outfit, I rejoined my 
 command at Jersey City, and obtained transportation 
 to convey them to Baltimore, arriving there the follow 
 ing day. I reported immediately to the Chief Quar- 
 trrmaMer, who forwarded the men to their respective 
 regiments, relieving me of my first command of Union 
 soldiers. 
 
 1 1 was in the streets of this city that the first blood 
 WBfl shed in defence of the Union, on that memorable 
 day, the Seventeenth of April the same month, and 
 day of the month, that the first blood was shed in the 
 It. -volution of 1776, at Lexington, which is a singular 
 coincidence; also, that the martyrs were from the same 
 Btete. 
 
 From that day my heart beat high and warm. I 
 frit the safety of our Republic, though my eyelids had 
 oft. !! m. >M. tied when the ranks marched proudly by 
 me, as 1 >a\v them from my window, on their way to 
 th- ( apital, for its defence. Then mothers, maids and 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 11 
 
 old men waved their handkerchiefs, that were wet with 
 tears of their proud affection, and to-day I feel hopeful, 
 although in the midnight of our cause, that victory will 
 crown our banners. 
 
 On the arrival of my horses from New York, I left 
 Baltimore for Washington, sending the horses by the 
 overland route, a distance of forty miles, where I found 
 them the next morning, in good condition. 
 
 Washington is a city of distances, laid out in wide 
 avenues, of which Pennsylvania is the grandest, from 
 which can be seen our splendid Capitol, with its mag 
 nificent dome towering to the sky, its base supported 
 by mostfbeautiful colonnades, wrought in most elaborate 
 style ; away to the west is seen the President s mansion, 
 known as the White House, with its extensive grounds 
 and pleasant walks. I visited the east room. It is 
 painted and furnished in the most costly manner. Off 
 to the right is seen Washington Monument, towering 
 to the sky, like a huge pyramid, yet incomplete, the 
 Treasury Building, Patent Office, and Post Office, are 
 pure classical architecture, and are monuments of archi 
 tectural skill and beauty. 
 
 I found Washington full of life, with regiment after 
 regiment arriving from the loyal States, to help repel 
 General Lee and " Stonewall " Jackson from invading 
 
1 2 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 tin 1 Capital of the Nation. The day after my arrival 
 I heard tlu- first booming of cannon, far in the distance, 
 and >a\v tin- n -treat ing Army of the Potomac again in 
 the field before Washington, "ready to meet the rebel 
 hosts, \\ho were so eager to pillage the council halls of 
 our Nation. 
 
 The first news we received was that General Pope 
 had been driven across the Kappahannock, and was 
 flyiiur for safety to the defences of Washington. The 
 Army of the Potomac was already on the march, and 
 nin;:- to his relief. At this time a part of the rebel 
 annv had crossed into Maryland. 
 
 The city was filled with excitement, and ;tll means 
 of transportation pressed into service to convey the sick 
 and wounded from the battle fields. The clerks of the 
 Departments were ordered to report at the Treasury 
 ]>uilding for duty, to assist in burying the dead and 
 relieving the wants of the wounded and dying soldiers. 
 
 On the 30th of August I reported for duty to Major 
 (leneral Wadswnrth, and was ordered to join my regi 
 ment at Yorktown. The brigade to which they were 
 alta.-hed had been left to defend that place. I took the 
 
 ::ner for Alexandria, and on arriving (here, found 
 all bustle and confusion. The streets were filled with 
 1 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 13 
 
 mud. Troops were disembarking from transports, and 
 moving forward toward the battle .field of Bull Run. 
 The second battle was then being fought ; the artillery 
 firing I distinctly heard. 
 
 While here, I visited the Marshall House, and saw 
 the spot where Colonel Ellsworth fell, while in the act 
 of hauling down the rebel flag which was floating over 
 the building, and had been nailed there by the hands 
 of its occupant. For that accursed emblem .of treason, 
 young Ellworth lost his life, and the traitor Jackson fell 
 by the swift avenging hand of Frank Brownell. This 
 was the only place of note I saw while at Alexandria. 
 
 The city presents a very unseemly appearance. The 
 buildings are mostly old and dilapidated ; the sidewalks 
 were all mud; the courtyards and gardens were used 
 for pig stys, cattle pens and correls. Such a sight, to a 
 Northern man, was really offensive, I was glad to get 
 on board a transport, which, conveyed me to Old Point 
 Comfort. 
 
 On our way thither, we passed the TOMB OF WASH 
 INGTON, nearly hemmed in by the foliage growing on 
 the banks of the river. There, in that quiet vault, lay 
 the Patriot and Sage, the revered Father of his Country. 
 
 Here, amid the quiet of country life, had he slumbered 
 
 2 
 
14 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 for more than half a century undisturbed, with the 
 .-ill-lit waters of the Potomac gliding just beneath his 
 feet, and almost on the very spot where he spent his 
 ehildh- .".! .< years. But how changed the scene! Now 
 war is in tke land, and traitors to the Government 
 which he had helped to establish, through years of 
 bloodshed and suffering, were in possession of this very 
 soil, and threatened to disturb his last resting place. 
 Our boat was gliding swiftly by, and I gazed on that 
 -acred spot until MOUNT VERNON S shades faded from 
 my view. The memory of that hour will never be 
 blotted out. 
 
 The Potomac is a beautiful river, rising among the 
 Alle^anies and winding down through Virginia and 
 Maryland, until it empties into the Chesapeake Bay, 
 at Point Lookout. 
 
 Men- we left the land in the distance, and put out 
 
 M the breakers of the Chesapeake. The waters were 
 quite roii^ h, which tossed the vessel to and fro, and 
 made me r-iek, eoinpi Hiiig me to take a berth for the 
 remainder of the trip. 
 
 On my arrival at Old Point, I found an iiuineu-e 
 quantity of shipping in the bay. Off to the right lay 
 Hampton Roads, where the naval battle was fought 
 
I 
 WANDEEING THOUGHTS. 15 
 
 between our fleet and the rebels, and where that terri 
 ble combat took place between the little Monitor and 
 the huge Merrimac, in which the latter was driven to 
 more quiet waters, only to meet destruction by its own 
 hand. Off to the left lay the Rip Raps, where the 
 chain gangs are made to work the balance of their 
 enlistments, on the fortifications of Fort Wool. Farther 
 beyond is seen SewelPs Point, and away off, near the 
 horizon, lay Cape Henry, with its lighthouse, which 
 tells the mariner the dangers he is likely to meet with, 
 as he approaches the outlet to this great harbor. 
 
 I visited Fortress Monroe, and found fortifications 
 of immense dimensions, sufficient to garrison fifteen 
 thousand men, and mounted with guns of the largest 
 calibre. Not far from me lay the Union and Lincoln 
 guns, which are said to carry balls weighing four hun 
 dred and fifty pounds, and w r hich require eighty pounds 
 of powder to throw them a distance of six miles. This 
 kind of arbitrament will no doubt puove the final 
 Peacemaker between the North and South. 
 
 The Fortress is built of masonry and earthwork, its 
 slopes, ramps and glacis, are neatly sodded, presenting 
 a beautiful velvety appearance, of green color, bordered 
 in blue, which effect the stone coping presents to the 
 eye, at a short distance. 
 
16 HAXDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 A deep moat surrounds the fortress, which is con 
 nected with the main land by drawbridges. The inte 
 rior has casemates, caponniers, storerooms, offices and 
 officers quarters, all neatly fitted up for the purposes 
 intended. The Parade is sodded, having wide graveled 
 avenues running in every direction. This is the largest 
 and best arranged fort we have in this country, and at 
 pi\-rnt is the headquarters of Major General John A. 
 Dix, one of the staunchest Union men in the country. 
 
 Old Point Comfort was once a place of great resort 
 during the summer months, as a watering place for the 
 Southern aristocracy. A little way up the James river 
 is seen Newport News and Hampton, which latter place 
 was burned by the rebels, at night, on the approach of 
 our troops. 
 
 I took the steamer Thomas L. Morgan for York- 
 town, late in the afternoon, and after a journey of three 
 hours, arrived at the wharf. When I landed it was 
 dark; lowering clouds were gathering in the western 
 sky, and I felt a great desire to find shelter from the 
 impending storm. A contraband kindly offered to 
 guide me to our camp, for which I thanked him and 
 a<v< -pt d his services. We ascended the steep bluffs 
 and traveled about half a mile through the winding 
 fortification, which surrounds the place, to the south 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 17 
 
 gate of the fort, which we passed, the countersign not 
 being demanded from us by the sentinel. 
 
 I found my regiment encamped near by. The camp 
 fires were blazing, and the boys seemed quite cheerful, 
 living in this rude state, it being the first camp in which 
 the regiment had been left long enough to cook a ration 
 properly for five months; having passed this place after 
 its seige, some two months previous, on their way to 
 Richmond from Fortress Monroe, traveling night and 
 day, through burning sun, fighting from Yorktown to 
 Williamsburgh, Seven Pines, White Oak Swamp, and 
 Malvern Hill, retreating to Harrison s Landing, and 
 thence back to Yorktown. 
 
 One may readily, imagine their condition. They 
 were mostly without tents and clothing, with only such 
 covering as their ingenuity could devise. The regi 
 ment had left home with ten hundred and forty men, 
 all fit for duty. Now it could only muster about four 
 hundred. 
 
 In this plight I found the regiment to which my 
 fortunes were united. 
 
 Soon after my arrival, an attack was made on our 
 outposts, by the enemy, and we were ordered within the 
 
 fort. "We pitched our tents on a high bluff, directly 
 
 *2 
 
18 EANDOM SKETCHES 
 
 above York river, which gave us a most beautiful view 
 of the bay in the distance, and of Gloucester Point. 
 
 These fortifications are immense, covering an area 
 of some four hundred acres, including the village of 
 Yorktown and the old fortifications built in 1787, which 
 are yet visible. 
 
 There is an old graveyard in the village, situated on 
 one of the bluffs of York river, whose tombstones will 
 carry you back to the sixteenth, century, on whose 
 tablets are engraven the names of Nelson, Fairfax, and 
 other old Virginian families of note. 
 
 Near by is the old mansion of Governor Nelson, 
 which was occupied by Lord Cornwallis, as his hi ad- 
 (jiiatcrs, during the seige of Yorktown, in 1783. In 
 the south gable are distinctly visible cannon shots which 
 were sent from our artillery, by order of the Governor 
 himself, and which drove the occupants from the build 
 ing. It is now used as a hospital for our sick and 
 wounded soldiers. 
 
 The bricks which were used in constructing this 
 building were imported from England. The porch, 
 which stood in front, has been torn awav: the garden 
 
 / * 
 
 wall has crumbled down, and in its stead a hedge fence 
 is set -n, formed of box, which grows luxuriant in this 
 climate, and is found in abundance In -re. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 19 
 
 Like most other mansions in the South, it is neglected 
 and going fast into decay. A few years hence, scarcely 
 a landmark will be left of the old Cavaliers who once 
 prided themselves on their homes and ancestry. 
 
 York river is noted for the depth of its channel 
 and its fine fish and oysters. The scenery around is 
 rather monotonous. One vast field of pine forest carries 
 the eye to its utmost scope, in which the sun apparently 
 sets, and the echo of the evening gun dies amid its 
 foliage. 
 
 To-day is muster-day. The boys are in fine spirits, 
 but longing for the Paymaster, whom they have not 
 seen for the last six months. Many of them are penni 
 less. But no doubt the Government is doing the best 
 it can at present, and will soon be able to meet their 
 wants. In the meantime, great inconvenience is expe 
 rienced by many, and several amusing as well as serious 
 complaints were made by the men to their officers. 
 One day a private came to his captain \vith a very long 
 face, saying that he had just received a letter from his 
 wife, in which she stated that the pork barrel was 
 empty, and the flour almost gone, and if he did not 
 soon send home money she would have to make other 
 arrangements The poor fellow, with tears in his eyes, 
 said: "Captain, how would you feel if your wife 
 
20 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 should write to you that she would have to make 
 other arrangements ?" 
 
 This afternoon I took a ride on horseback along the 
 banks of the York river. After riding about three 
 miles, I came to a by-path leading off into the woods, 
 and iruve a loose rein to the animal; he followed it a 
 distance of three miles. It led into an open field, 
 through which there was a road. I followed the road 
 a short way, which brought me in sight of an old 
 mansion, whose gray boards and fallen verandah roof 
 told plainly that time was making its impression. I 
 spurred my horse and galloped on, and soon reached 
 the "Plantation Home." The girls who stood at the 
 door and saw my approach, ran up stairs. The pro 
 prietor met me at the gate and invited me in, which 
 invitation I accepted, and spent nearly an hour in con 
 versation with the old gentleman, but no women made 
 their appearance. I learned by the conversation I had 
 with him that they favored the Confederacy, and were 
 strong believers in State Rights. 
 
 I began to fear that there might be some plan laid 
 for my capture, and not feeling inclined to visit Rich 
 mond as a prisoner of war, concluded to leave, excusing 
 myself on account of its being so late in the afternoon. 
 The sun had just set, and I was five miles from camp, 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 21 
 
 and beyond our lines, away from any other habitation. 
 I mounted my horse and galloped away. The moon 
 was just peeping up from the eastern sky, throwing her 
 mellow light on field and forest. I reached the wood- 
 path I had lately left and traveled quietly along through 
 the swamp and chaparral, which somewhat impeded my 
 advance, all the while keeping a sharp lookout for 
 bushwhackers, who infest the surrounding country. 
 
 I suddenly came to a halt, finding an impassable 
 barrier before me, consisting of slashings. My first 
 thoughts were to bivouac for the night, but finally con 
 cluded to make camp that night, at all hazard. After 
 traveling for an hour through the dense forest, I found 
 a road which brought me out near Fort Magruder, and 
 within two miles of our camp, which I saw lighted up 
 in the distance. 
 
 On my way thither, I passed the spot on which 
 Lord Cornwallis surrendered his sword, in 1783. This 
 memorable spot is enclosed with a neat cedar fence, 
 containing an area of about thirty feet square. Here 
 occurred the closing scene of the American Revolution, 
 the surrender of the last British Army on our soil. 
 
 Adjoining this little enclosure is one still dearer to 
 every lover of his country THE UNION SOLDIER S 
 BURIAL GROUND, which is laid out in avenues, and 
 
22 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 enclosed with a Virginia rail fence; each grave having 
 a headboard, neatly marked, telling the hero s name, 
 his. company and regiment. In this sacred enclosure 
 lies interred those who have sacrificed their lives on 
 their country s altar, for the cause of Liberty. In 
 this lonely resting place on the plains of Yorktown, 
 .sleeps many a noble boy, far from his home and kindred, 
 with no kind friend to drop a tear, or sing a funeral 
 requiem. 
 
 I visited this spot by pale moonlight, when all was 
 quiet. Such feelings as then filled my breast can never 
 again be realized, for they come but once in a lifetime. 
 
 I arrived in camp late in the evening and soon 
 found repose on my rustic couch, falling into a quiet 
 slumber, only to be awakened by an alarm that our 
 pickets had been driven in at Williamsburgh, with a 
 cry of " To arms ! to arms ! " from the shrill bugle. 
 
 The thoughts of the late battle are still fresh in 
 our minds, and again the alarm is given, all expecting 
 the same scenes to be re-enacted. The battle of AYil- 
 liamsburgh was the first field of blood our regiment 
 had witnessed. 
 
 " I could imagine," said a friend of mine, who was 
 on the field of battle, and wandered over it, "nothing 
 more terrible than the silent indications of agony that 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 23 
 
 marked the features of the pale corpses which lay at 
 every step. Though dead and rigid in every muscle, 
 they still writhed and seemed to turn to catch the 
 passing breeze for a cooling breath ; staring eyes, gaping 
 mouths, clenched hands and strangely contracted limbs, 
 seemingly drawn into the smallest compass, as if by a 
 mighty effort to rend asunder some irresistible bond 
 which held them down to the torture of which they 
 died. One sat against a tree, and with mtmth and eyes 
 open, looked up into the sky, as if to catch a glance at 
 its fleeting spirit. Another had grasped his faithful 
 musket, and the compression of his mouth told of deter 
 mination which would have been fatal to a foe, had life 
 ebbed a moment later. A third clung with both hands 
 to a bayonet which was buried in the ground. Near 
 by lay a rebel Major, who had been in deadly conflict 
 with five Union soldiers. His countenance told the 
 terrible conflict he had just encountered. The dead 
 almost covered the field. The wood near by had been 
 set on fire by the retreating foe, for the purpose of 
 burning the dead who had fallen there. The stench 
 was almost impossible to endure by our advancing 
 column." 
 
 The Union troops had fought on this field with a 
 steadiness and determination rarely witnessed, and this 
 
24 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 exhibition of their courage taught a lesson to Southern 
 rebels, of a spirit that they had not expected in an 
 enemy whose valor they had been accustomed to deride 
 and sneer at, since the commmencement of Yankee 
 aggression, as they termed it. 
 
 November has arrived, bringing no chilly winds 
 nor frosty nights. The air is balmy, and the wild 
 flowers are jfet in bloom. From my quarters I can 
 see the boys bathing in the river; also, with their feet, 
 digging up clams, which are found here in great 
 abundance. 
 
 Last night I was awakened from my dreams by 
 music. The moon was shining brightly, throwing her 
 mild rays over our camp. I arose anck went to my 
 tent door, from which I saw a figure robed in white, 
 standing in the centre of one of our camp streets, 
 apparently singing to the moon. The song was a 
 great favorite in camp. The chorus runs thus: 
 
 " Roll on, silver Moon, guide the traveler his way, 
 
 While the nightingale s song is in tune ; 
 I ll never, never more, with my true lover stray, 
 By the sweet silver light of the Moon." 
 
 A crowd soon gathered around him, dressed in tl^ 
 robes of night, presenting a very comical appearance. 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 25 
 
 The officer of the day was making his grand rounds; 
 on his arrival, he ordered the men to their quarters, 
 and reprimanded the gay Lieutenant for molesting the 
 camp after "taps. 77 
 
 I have just recovered from a severe attack of camp 
 fever, caused by the want of proper diet, which we have 
 not been able to obtain for the last three months. 
 
 Thanksgiving has brought us a feast of fat things. 
 Through the exertions of our surgeons a table was spread 
 beneath the grateful covering of two large tents, the 
 mild autumnal weather allowing the entrance to them 
 to be opened; the Southern breeze imparting more of a 
 genial temperature to the interior, than otherwise. 
 After a blessing by the Chaplain, the guests drew 
 around the sumptuous board, and indulged in a splen 
 did dinner, such as had not satiated the appetite of any 
 soldier before, during the Peninsular campaign. 
 
 This little gathering of friends who are all embarked 
 in one common cause, assembling to commemorate the 
 day of general thanksgiving throughout the North, 
 was marked by universal hilarity, good feeling, and 
 sentiments abounding in wit, from the fluent tongues 
 of the officers. "The Ked, White and Blue" was sung 
 in fine style, by one of the guests, and the ancient 
 
 and humorous song of the " Hobbies," by the same, the 
 
 3 
 
26 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 chorus by the cntitc party. "The Sword of Bunker 
 Hill " was also beautifully executed ; all of which added 
 
 illy to the festivities of the day. An aged Captain 
 entertained us with two original stories, in which it 
 was easy to perceive "where the laugh came in." 
 
 The toasts finished the programme of the day. The 
 iirst was given by our Colonel: "The Commander-in- 
 Chiefof tin 1 Army and Navy, of this our once happy 
 but now distracted country, Honest Old Abe. Let us 
 each stand by him as long as we have a pulse that can 
 beat, or a drop of blood that can be spilt." This was 
 received with demonstrations of applause, and was as 
 appropriate as patriotic. 
 
 The Colonel is laboring under great physical dis 
 ability, occasioned by his wounds, and the closing sen 
 tence of his toast, uttered beneath the tattered colors of 
 i he rc/mieiit, which he led to that memorable battle 
 field, was nearly verified in his person. 
 
 The Chaplain otlered the following: "Our Friends 
 at I Ionic" Responded to by our Surgeon in a humorous 
 and happy .-tyle, in which he said: "On this occasion, as 
 well as many others during the past few months, we 
 have adopted, from necessity, the French motto, When 
 one has not that which he likes, lie must like that 
 which he has/ but my friend s allusion to home remind.- 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 27 
 
 us it cannot always serve, so : Here s to the gal I left 
 behind me. 7 " This was received with applause, each 
 one sharing with the Surgeon, from feelings of personal 
 sympathy, the sentiments embodied in his toast. 
 
 The Assistant Surgeon proposed the following : " Our 
 Colonel may he be speedily restored to health, and 
 return to duty among us." A hearty endorsement of 
 this expression was evinced in the approbation with 
 which it was received. 
 
 The following was also given: "Surgeons, present 
 and absent; may they never stand in need of our ser 
 vices nor we of theirs." 
 
 A hearty approval of the two concluding toasts was 
 manifested, and with expressions of thanks to the gen 
 tlemen for their kindness and hospitality, we with 
 drew, just as the echoes of the sunset gun were dying 
 away in the pine forests. 
 
 The next day I rode out on horseback to survey 
 the earthworks thrown up by General McClellan, 
 during his advance on Yorktown. They were many 
 miles in length, and quite formidable. I also passed 
 through the pond, on horseback, where the Fifth regi 
 ment of Green Mountain boys made their desperate 
 charge on the rebel works. Near by stood an Observa 
 tory, built during the seige, in log house style, with 
 
28 KAXDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 ladder to ascend from the outside. This towered up 
 above the tallest trees, from whose top could be viewed 
 the enemy s movements. On my return to camp, my 
 horse fell, throwing me headlong on tke ground, laying 
 me by his side, "Like a warrior taking his rest." AVe 
 both arose at once. I mounted him and rode to camp, 
 feeling somewhat damaged. 
 
 For the last three weeks our boys have been build 
 ing winter quarters, which the chilly winds and snows 
 of December admonish them to do. They have just 
 completed them, and to-night we received orders to 
 be ready to embark on board of transports for some 
 unknown point. The camp is all tumult and confu 
 sion. The men threatening to destroy their work, 
 compelling the officers to use severe measures to quell 
 insubordination. 
 
 We are relieved by a brigade of drafted men from 
 Pennsylvania. Many of them are substitutes, and have 
 been paid as high as a thousand dollars by the princi 
 pal. IVfy opinion is, that they will not make the sol 
 diers our volunteers do. A man who leaves his home, 
 wife and little ones, and all that is dear to him, is 
 inspired with different feelings and motives from those 
 who are bought or forced to fight. A regiment of the 
 latter is worth a brigade of the former. However, 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 29 
 
 this is an experiment of the Government, and time 
 will show whether my views are correct or not. I like 
 the voluntering system, for on that strong arm must 
 our Government depend for the maintenance of her 
 honor and the perpetuity of her free institutions. 
 
 Our transports sailed southward, stopping at Fortress 
 Monroe, where we were transferred to other vessels 
 suitable for sea. We set sail with sealed orders. Off 
 Cape Henry they were to be opened. As we passed 
 out to sea the wind freshened somewhat, but the sun 
 went down in glorious cloiids of purple and crimson, 
 and the evening was fair and calm above us. During 
 the night we passed Cape Henry, and morning dawn 
 found us on the broad ocean, the land only a blue line 
 in the distance. A few hours and that disappeared. 
 
 The next morning I was oii*deck, watching the 
 gradual rising of the sun in the distant waters. The 
 day passed quietly; some reading, some speculating on 
 the probable results of the war, while others were lying 
 sick below, in their berths, and some casting up their 
 accounts over the bulwarks of the vessel, noting the 
 shifting hues and forms of the waves, as the fish swal 
 lowed the contents of their stomachs. As the afternoon 
 
 advanced, the clouds began to gather, and the distant 
 
 *3 
 
30 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 roll of thunder told us a storm was fast approaching. 
 The sun was hid from our sight, and soon the dark 
 mantle of night covered the mighty deep. Naught 
 was heard except the dull roar of the ocean, and the 
 roll of the distant thunder. The white-crested waves 
 began to look like sheets of fire, as they rolled moun 
 tains high. A more sublime sight my eyes never 
 beheld. No pen can portray the grandeur of the ocean 
 in a storm. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 31 
 
 1863 
 
 IT is New Year s morning, and our vessel is in sight 
 of Fort Macon, where can be seen the Stars and Stripes 
 floating from her ramparts. They were hailed with 
 three cheers by all on board, and a welcome to our 
 destined port, which was Beaufort, North Carolina. 
 
 Our vessel soon reached the wharf, and landed our 
 regiment once more on terra firma, six hundred strong. 
 We took up our line of march for Carolina City, where 
 we encamped in shelter tents, which each man carried 
 with him as a part of his baggage. On reaching the 
 city, which consisted of four houses, one corn crib, two 
 barns, a small railroad depot, and a few fishermen s huts, 
 we pitched our tents, stowed ourselves away for the 
 night, and dreamed of the festivities of home, and the 
 little ones there. The heavy march of that day will 
 be long remembered by us all. The weather, for this 
 season of the year, was very pleasant during the day, 
 
 I 
 
32 RANDOM SKETCHES 
 
 although the nights were quite cool. Having no fire, 
 and sleeping on the cold earth, made it rather disagree 
 able for those who had enjoyed better quarters. 
 
 While we lay at this place awaiting further orders, 
 the ffllowing complimentary address was issued to our 
 brigade by the General commanding: 
 
 "The General lately commanding the brigade most 
 happily takes this occasion to congratulate the officers 
 and soldiers with whom he has been so intimately 
 associated. 
 
 " While memory lasts, it will continually recur to 
 the scenes of deprivation, danger, blood and battle, 
 through which you have passed, and you will remem 
 ber your inexperience and discontent, and then your 
 discipline and friendly, happy affiliation. 
 
 "All will remember with regret the deadly effects 
 of the swamps before Yorktown. 
 
 "You were the first in advance upon Williams- 
 burgh, and when ordered by General McClellan to sup 
 port General Hancock, the enemy gave up the contest. 
 
 "On the 19th of May, at Bottoms Bridge, you 
 waded waist deep in the swamps of the Chickahominy, 
 you drove away the enemy, and were the first to cross 
 that stream. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 33 
 
 "On the 23d, one hundred and seventy of your 
 number made a reconnoissance from Bottoms Bridge to 
 the James river, near Drury s Bluff, and returned, 
 bringing valuable information. 
 
 "On the 24th, 25th and 26th, after other troops had 
 failed, you made the gallant, dashing reconnoissance of 
 the Seven Pines, driving the superior force of General 
 Stewart from Bottoms Bridge to within four miles of 
 Richmond, the position nearest that city ever occupied 
 by our troops. 
 
 "On the 31st of May, at Fair Oaks, or Seven 
 Pines, occupying the above advance position, your 
 brigade made the most desperate, bloody and obstinate 
 fight of the war, and while we mourn the loss of one- 
 half of our comrades in arms, you have the consolation 
 of knowing that by your heroic sacrifice and stubborn 
 resistance you saved the Army of the Potomac from 
 great disaster. 
 
 "On the 27th, 28th and 29th of June, the rebel 
 General Jackson hurled his immense force upon our 
 right, and passed that flank of the army, and turned 
 with extreme solicitude towards the rear at Bottoms 
 Bridge, which, if crossed, would result in irretreivable 
 ruin; and it should be a source of great pride and 
 satisfaction in the future to remember that all this 
 
34 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 intense anxiety was dispelled, and all breathed with 
 relief and felt secure, when it rapidly ran through the 
 army that Xaglee s Brigade had destroyed the bridge, 
 and stood night and day, for three days, in the middle 
 of the Chickahominy, successfully and continually 
 resisting its passage. 
 
 "Again, on the following day, you held a post 
 of the greatest importance and danger. At the White 
 Oak Swamp the most determined efforts of the enemy 
 to cross the bridge in pursuit of our army were 
 thwarted by our artillery, and you stood for ten hours 
 supporting it, quiet spectators of the most terrific 
 cannonade, while other regiments were only kept in 
 place by being ordered back when they approached 
 your lines. Retreating all night, you stood ready in 
 position on the following day, expecting to be ordered 
 to take part in the battle of Malvern Hill. 
 
 " Retreating again all night, at Carter s Hill, on the 
 second of July, you stood by the artillery and w^agon 
 train, and, when all expected it would be destroyed, 
 you brought it safely to Harrison Landing. 
 
 "During December, you destroyed a dozen large 
 salt works in Mathews county, Virginia, and drove 
 the Rangers from that county, as well as from 
 Gloucester, Middlesex and King and Queens counties; 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 35 
 
 captured large herds, intended for the rebel army, and 
 destroyed all their barracks, stables and stores. 
 
 " At Yorktown, from August to the end of Decem 
 ber, you have restored the works at that place and 
 Gloucester Point, and they are by your labor rendered 
 strong and defensible. 
 
 " Thus is yours the honor of being the first to pass, 
 and the last to leave, the Chickahominy; and while 
 you lead the advance from this memorable place to near 
 Richmond, you were last in the retreating column, 
 when, after seven days of constant fighting, it reached 
 a place of security and rest at Harrison Landing. 
 
 " Your decendants for generations will boast of the 
 gallant conduct of the regiments to which you belong, 
 and when all Ire laid in the dust, History will still 
 proclaim the glorious deeds performed by you. 
 
 "Go on. Truth is mighty and will prevail/ Pre 
 tenders for a time may rob you of your just deserts, 
 but, as you have experienced, their evil reports will 
 certainly be exposed for your many friends at home, 
 ever watchful of and identified with your reputation, 
 will see that justice will be done. 
 
 "A new page in your history is about to be written. 
 Let it be still more brilliant than that already known. 
 Your past good conduct has won the warmest esteem 
 
36 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 and confidence of your late brigade commander. He 
 has no apprehensions for the future." 
 
 We were again ordered on board of transports, 
 which lay in the bay, near Fort Macon. At sundown 
 we got on board, amidst a heavy, rolling sea, tossing 
 our vessel to and fro, which told plainly Old Neptune 
 was angry. 
 
 After much delay we joined the expedition, which 
 consisted of fifty vessels, all under, the command of 
 Major General Foster. We weighed anchor and set 
 sail southward, under sealed orders. When off Wil 
 mington they were opened, and we found our destina 
 tion to be Port Royal, South Carolina. The sea 
 continued rough, causing much sickneaf on board. 
 
 After a sail of forty-eight hours, we anchored in 
 Port Royal bay. This Department is commanded by 
 Major General Hunter. A misunderstanding occurred 
 between the two Generals. This unhappy difficulty 
 delayed the purposes of the expedition, and for some 
 days the troops were compelled to remain on board the 
 transports, much against their wishes. The difficulty 
 was finally adjusted; and, after running up to Beau 
 fort, South Carolina, we returned and landed the 
 troops on St. Helena Island. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 37 
 
 After the troops had disembarked, we commenced 
 unloading the stock, which is rather a strange sight 
 to a landsman. The cattle are driven through the 
 gangway of the vessel* into the sea, the water being too 
 shallow for the vessel to reach the shore, which made 
 it necessary to anchor in the stream. They were headed 
 toward the shore, by some of the crew, in boats. They 
 are all natural swimmers, and soon found safety on 
 shore. In> this way many thousands can be unloaded 
 in a very short time, and very seldom are any lost. 
 
 The horses were taken from the hold of the vessel 
 by means of a sling made of sackcloth and ropes, 
 which is put under them, passing over their backs, to 
 which a block and tackle is attached; they are then 
 hoisted to the main deck and swung over the side of 
 the vessel, by means of a yard arm, and let down into 
 the sea, where they are detached from the sling and 
 readily swim to shore. 
 
 It is quite surprising to see these poor animals yield 
 so readily when once off their feet, hanging in mid air. 
 Many of them were terribly bruized, and had suffered 
 much during the voyage, as they will never lay down 
 to rest while on shipboard ; their first desire, on reach 
 ing land, is to do so, that they may rest their swollen 
 limbs, which is to them a greater luxury than feed. 
 
38 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 St Helena island is one of the most beautiful of the 
 Sea Islands, and is noted for producing the finest cot 
 ton in the world. There is also grown here large 
 quantities of lemons and oranges. I visited a grove 
 some four miles from our camp, consisting of several 
 acres of trees, from which I cut some walking sticks. 
 There is an old dilapidated mansion here, the owners 
 having abandoned it, and, I was informed, had joined 
 the rebel army, and their negroes had fled to our lines 
 for safety and protection. 
 
 This old mansion bears the marks of time. Every 
 thing appeared to be going to waste. It no doubt was 
 a heritage bequeathed to a prodigal son, they being so 
 common in the Soutljn 
 
 A large number of acres on this plantation were 
 fitted for the cultivation of rice, on land situated for 
 overflow of water, which rice requires at certain stages 
 of its growth. The building is used as a signal station 
 by our Corps, this point being nearly midway from 
 Hilton Head to Beaufort. 
 
 St. Helena Island is some sixteen miles lon and 
 
 o 
 
 extends from Beaufort to the ocean, which point is 
 termed Landsend. On this point is situated Fort 
 rd, captured by our navy. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 39 
 
 I visited Beaufort, which lies fourteen miles from 
 Hilton head, on an island of that name. This was 
 once the most aristocratic place in the South. Our 
 forces found it entirely abandoned on their arrival here, 
 with the exception of one man, and he was too drunk 
 to get away. The inhabitants, in their flight, left all 
 except such things as they could carry with them and 
 make good their escape. Many of them were made to 
 believe the Union troops w r ere Vandals, who only 
 came for the purpose of ravishing their womeii, cap 
 turing their negroes, carrying them to Cuba, for the 
 purpose of selling them, the proceeds of which sales 
 were to help pay the expenses of the war. Many of 
 the negroes have returned and are now occupying the 
 dwellings of their former masters, and enjoying the 
 privilege of using a walking- stick, and smoking a cigar, 
 which was considered an offence before the Union army 
 came. Such was Southern liberty. 
 
 At this place I found a regiment of Southern troops 
 (colored), called the First South Carolina Volunteers, 
 all well armed and equipped, and they compare well 
 with any troops in the service, that I have seen. Their 
 courage and fighting qualities I cannot doubt for they 
 love liberty, and hate slavery, and are willing to fight 
 for their freedom. 
 
40 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 Beaufort is pleasantly situated and handsomely 
 built, having many fine architectural productions. Its 
 streets are wide, and well shaded with trees. !M>st 
 of the houses have gardens, which are beautifully laid 
 out, studded with shrubbery of all kinds, suitable for 
 the climate, and for all seasons of the year. Fruit 
 is grown in large abundance here, such as peaches, 
 pears, figs, lemons, oranges and pomegranates. The 
 trees are now in full blow, delighting the eye of the 
 beholder with their scarlet blossoms. 
 
 On the main street, facing the bay, stands the 
 house in which the first Secesh meeting was held, the 
 residence of Barnwell Rhett, a notorious South Caro 
 lina nullifier and traitor of the Calhoun school. 
 
 As I stood under the shade of a magnificent tree, 
 gazing intently into the garden which surrounded the 
 mansion, I drank in the quiet spirit of the scene. I 
 thought how base a use this noble mansion had sub 
 served. Beneath that very roof and these garden walks, 
 with its budding orange groves and twining myrtles, 
 bc f one year ago sat the leading traitors of our country, 
 de v-berately planning, in sober council, the ruin of our 
 Government. Here, on this very spot, was nursed 
 and matured this gigantic rebellion, which has made 
 so many widows and fatherless children, that ambitious 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 41 
 
 slave owners might have their fling at the best Govern 
 ment in the world ; and on its ruins establish one instead, 
 devoted to Slavery and Free Trade. 
 
 Nearby stands the house in which our own starry- 
 eyed Mitchell died, of that dreadful disease, yellow 
 fever. The history of both these houses are significant, 
 and will never be forgotton. Off to the right is a quiet 
 nook in the bay, near which stands the fine old man 
 sion of Robert Barnwell, who was an advocate of State 
 Rights and Secession, and is now a representative in 
 the so-called Confederate Congress at Richmond. 
 
 This house bears the marks of time. Its antique 
 architecture, its rotten columns, decayed verandah 
 floors, weather beaten sheathing and moss covered 
 roof, all tell that a century has elapsed since its 
 erection. This house is now occupied by a widow 
 lady and her two daughters, whose charms make it a 
 resort for many of our officers. They are from Boston, 
 and came out here for the purpose of teaching the 
 blacks, and belonged to what was called "Gideon s 
 Band," a set of fanatics who thought the negro a little 
 better than the white man. They finally abandoned 
 the Sisterhood and opened an officers boarding house, 
 which they found far more profitable and congenial 
 to their taste. 
 
42 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 During my stay here, I received an invitation to 
 attend a marriage ceremony, which took place at the 
 Episcopal church, in the evening. General Saxton 
 was the recipient of the hand of a Miss Tlymipson, 
 formerly of the band, and was a teacher on one of the 
 plantations. The groom was dressed in full military 
 uniform; the bride in pure white, with a wreath of 
 flowers, fresh from the garden, around her head. The 
 altar and pulpit of the church were decorated most 
 beautifully with flowers and evergreens, whose per 
 fumes filled the house with delicious odor. This was 
 in early spring time, and produced a most charming 
 effect on the senses. My visit to Beaufort was pleasant, 
 and I shall long remember the widow and her charm 
 ing daughters. 
 
 On my return, I stopped at Paris Island. Near 
 the landing stands a low roofed veranded house, which 
 is so common in the South, but a few steps from where 
 the surf beats against the shore. It stands in a wilder 
 ness of roses, orange trees and tall oleanders, whose 
 fragrance filled the air, and was scattered far around 
 by the sea breeze, to many a quiet nook. 
 
 A camp lay in the distance, each tent looking like 
 a monument erected to the dead, and all was so quiet, 
 cool and shady, accompanied with the constant mur- 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 43 
 
 mur of the ocean, fills the air with so pleasant a 
 dreaminess that I thought that hither one might come 
 weary of the busy world and live contented forever. 
 
 A little farther down is seen Hilton Head, with her 
 hundred of masts peering up from the ocean, and the 
 black smoke stacks of the monstrous ocean steamers 
 and those of the little monitors, sending up fire and 
 smoke, as if Vulcan had his forge beneath the briny 
 deep, and was determined to make us smell a sulphurous 
 pit before .our i^ne. 
 
 The Arago had just arrived at Hilton Head, from 
 the North, loaded with a thousand different articles to 
 supply the wants of the soldiers. A great crowd 
 gathered around the Express and Postoffice, each one 
 eager to receive his packages and letters first from the 
 office of distribution. 
 
 The whistle blew and the bell rang, followed by a 
 shout, " All on board ! " which brought the passengers, 
 and the Planter, with her black pilot, Robert Small, 
 left for St. Helena Island. This was the same craft 
 that left Charleston by the inland waters, and came to 
 Beaufort unmolested, much to the astonishment of the 
 natives and officer in command at that place. The last 
 dying rays of a Southern sunset had disappeared, when 
 the black Captain landed me at St. Helena. I reached 
 
44 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 camp just as the echos of the evening gun were dying on 
 the distant waters. The inspirational feelings a sunset 
 produces here cannot be described by tongue nor pen. 
 
 To-day our regiment was inspected, after which 
 they formed a hollow square, and from the center was 
 read the following patriotic resolutions, which were 
 unanimously adopted by the regiment: 
 
 " The officers and soldiers of the Eighty-first Regi 
 ment New York Volunteers, citizens %f the State of 
 New York, having no recent opportunity of joining 
 their voices with those of her loyal citizens at home, 
 deem it proper in this .manner to express their views 
 and sentiments in regard to events and measures now 
 absorbing the attention of the country, to the end that 
 our friends at the North may strengthen their faith in 
 our cause and increase their zeal for the suppression 
 of the rebellion against which we fight ; therefore, 
 
 "Resolved, That our Government, which started 
 with principles declared, objects and aims set forth, 
 that must challenge the admiration of mankind, and 
 that cost as much of patriot blood and treasure, hard 
 ship and privation, as was required to maintain and 
 prosecute seven years war with one of the most power 
 ful nations of the world, is now worth as firm pledges 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 45 
 
 and determined support as a% the beginning of its 
 existence, and that it may justly demand and exact 
 them of its citizens; therefore, we hail with joy the 
 recent action of Congress, placing in the hands of the 
 President power and means adequate for such purpose. 
 
 "Resolved, That, while white men are liable to con 
 scription, and their property to appropriation, there can 
 be no valid reason why other persons/ whose rights 
 above all others, have become involved in the issue of 
 this contest, should be exempted or prohibited from 
 giving such aid and support to our cause as they may 
 give, and that whenever and wherever a colored man 
 may become available in suppressing the rebellion, then 
 and there his services should be required. 
 
 "Resolved, That when we enlisted in our country s 
 service, we put aside all political differences, and left 
 our homes to sustain her flag, maintain its glory and 
 fame, and rather than see one star stricken from its 
 azure field, or one stripe torn from its borders, we 
 would see every rod of territory in which this viper, 
 Rebellion, nests, a desolate waste of savage wilderness ; 
 sooner than consent to a peace that shall tarnish its 
 glory, or sully its fame, we would lay our bones to 
 bleach beside the graves of our fallen comrades, upon 
 soil already hallowed by their blood. 
 
46 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 " Resokcd, That if tRc time comes when our country 
 requires that our thinned ranks be filled, and her 
 strength be replenished, we will look for prompt and 
 cheerful acquiesence at home, and able and substantial 
 men to help us; and if at home any remain whose 
 cowardice conquers their patriotism, or whose mer 
 cenary love of gold exceeds their love of their coun 
 try s honor, we leave them to the scorn and indignation 
 of our mothers, wives and sisters, whose prayers and 
 hands are ever raised to sustain and comfort us here." 
 
 A grand review of all the troops on the island came 
 off to-day. They were reviewed by Major General 
 Hunter and staff. We were also favored with the 
 presence of his lady, which was quite a curiosity to 
 many soldiers, as some had not seen a lady for months, 
 and it was really refreshing, like an oasis in the desert 
 to the weary traveler. 
 
 The troops numbered about 15,000, and were com 
 plimented by the General for their soldierly appearance 
 and discipline. He also complimented our regiment 
 for their taste and love of the beautiful, as displayed 
 by our men in decorating their quarters and grounds, 
 which was mostly done with palm and palmetto trees, 
 and presented a very pretty appearance. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 47 
 
 On the fifth of April, eighteen hundred and sixty- 
 three, all the troops embarked on board of transports 
 for Charleston, South Carolina. Our regiment was 
 assigned to the steamship City of Bath. During the 
 night the troops were got on board, and at daybreak 
 we were ready to sail. 
 
 The morning is beautiful and clear The God of 
 day has just arisen from his repose. A fine breeze is 
 blowing from the west, all anchors are raised, and the 
 entire division is moving toward that hotbed of treason, 
 Charleston. The first division left during the night, 
 accompanied by General Hunter and staff. The day 
 was pleasant, and it being Sunday, our Chaplain 
 preached from the hurricane deck. He gave us a fine 
 discourse, forcibly impressing on the minds of the 
 soldiers their duty to their God and their country. 
 
 About 5 o clock we anchored at the mouth of the 
 North Edisto river. We were piloted up the Edisto 
 and anchored opposite a small village called Rockville, 
 which is situated on a tributary of the Edisto. We 
 lay here for five days, which time was mostly occupied 
 in gathering shells on the beach, and oysters, which 
 grow here in their natural state. There appeared acres 
 of them when the tide was out, growing upright in 
 clusters like grains of wheat in the head. Many of 
 
48 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 them arc large, of fine flavor, and nearly as good as 
 those cultivated at the Xorth. 
 
 This morning a party of six, including myself, 
 made a reconnoissance of Rockville. AVe went in a 
 small boat. When we arrived within gunshot, I 
 minutely examined the place with a field glass. No 
 living thing could be discovered. All was quiet, and 
 seemed entirely abandoned. AVe had been informed 
 that a rebel regiment lay just in the rear of the village, 
 in a thick wood, in which they were secreted. The 
 next day our mortar boats sent over some shell, which 
 no doubt disturbed them. 
 
 Our evenings have passed away quite pleasantly; 
 each evening we have what is called a circus on board. 
 The performance consisted of singing, dancing and 
 recitations from dramatic authors; all of which wen. 1 
 executed much to the credit of the artists. The 
 audience room was the cabin in which we ate, slept, 
 and performed. The real circus took place after tattoo, 
 which consisted of grand and lofty tumbling by th<r 
 who imbibed whisky too freely. The more sober ones 
 laughed at their folly, and usually put the artists to 
 bed about midnight, when peace and quiet was 
 restored. The soldier s life has its bright side as well 
 as its dark one. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 49 
 
 Two days after our arrival at this place, at 4 o clock 
 in the afternoon, the first ball was fired from our iron 
 clads at Fort Sumter. The firing continued from the 
 ironclads and sand batteries along the shore until dark. 
 The next day a council of war was held, which, after 
 deliberation, concluded not to continue the assault. 
 
 On the tenth of April, at noon, our division was 
 ordered back to Port Royal. We weighed anchor and 
 the whole fleet set out for sea. In crossing the bar 
 our vessel struck four times, and so hard as to throw 
 her boilers out of place, which produced leakage. The 
 pumps were set at work, and a flag of distress hoisted, 
 which brought the Key West to our relief. She took 
 us in tow, bringing us in safety to Hilton Head on 
 the following morning. 
 
 Here we disembarked. It was near sundown before 
 we took up our line of march for our camping ground, 
 which lay about three miles out, and was beyond the 
 fortifications. It was midnight when we arrived there 
 with our camp equipage. We were all much fatigued, 
 and bivouaced for the night, with the blue sky, filled 
 with twinkling stars, for our covering. I soon fell 
 into the arms of Morpheus, and was lost to all the 
 hardships of war, and the pleasant memory of home, 
 
50 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 which so often cheers the weary and lonely hours, and 
 makes life light and free from care. 
 
 Hilton Head is an island on which Port Royal 
 postoffice is situated. It is one of the Sea Islands, and 
 is- chiefly used for the cultivation of cotton. On the 
 northeast end is situated Fort Walker, which was 
 taken at the same time Fort Beauregard surrendered. 
 
 The fortifications on this island are immense, occu 
 pying an area of some two hundred acres, which is 
 mostly stockaded and deeply intrenched. The soil is 
 a pale yellow sand, instead of a black mold, which I 
 expected to find it, and which seemed useless for agri 
 cultural purposes, until I noticed it glistened with 
 white particles, which I found to be pulverized shell. 
 It is this that gives the soil its strength and sustenence. 
 
 The principal trees which grow here are the pal 
 metto and live oak. The latter is a straggling grower, 
 making an immense shade, for which purpose they are 
 often times transplanted. At a distance they resemble 
 our apple trees, both in foliage and form. The former 
 grows upright, free from limbs a distance of ten and 
 sometimes fifteen feet. At the top of the trunk their 
 leaves spread out in great abundance, resembling an 
 umbrella, making a beautiful shade for the negro driver 
 to sit under, when the sun is too scorching to use the 
 
THOUGHTS. 51 
 
 whip. These trees are interspersed all over the cotton 
 fields, and I was informed that they were left for that 
 purpose. The wood is porous, resembling cork, and 
 is said to last longer in salt water than any other kind 
 of timber. 
 
 In the tops of these trees, where the young leaves 
 are found, grows a kind of cabbage, which is eaten by 
 the negroes, and is said to very much resemble our 
 cabbage in flavor. 
 
 Here, early in the month of March, I found flowers 
 in full bloom, of almost every color, whose fragrance 
 filled the air with perfume. The jasmin grows rankly 
 in this loose sand, as well as the rose and honeysuckle. 
 The orange trees were white with blossoms. The 
 magnolia was just opening her spicy mouth, sending 
 forth her delicious breath on the evening air. 
 
 Oh, how delightful it is to wander amid those 
 groves by moonlight, and think of loved ones far 
 away! In such hours as these memory brings to us 
 our earliest and fondest associations, yet still I am 
 discontented and sigh for something better than earth 
 can give. 
 
 The landscape in this region of country is rather 
 monotonous, its carriage drives miserable, and by-paths 
 tedious. In my rambles now and then I found a 
 
52 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 quiet nook, which speaks of a peace that the sur 
 rounding war lias not yet succeeded in disturbing. 
 All the day long the birds sing merrily, of which the 
 mocking bird is Queen, not in beauty but in song. 
 She sends forth her notes in all the varied tones. 
 Sometimes she has the hoarse caw of the crow, then 
 the mew of the cat, and then her own peculiarly sweet 
 voice. These little natives of the forest are so free 
 from want and care that man may really envy them 
 their happiness. 
 
 We lay at Hilton Head only two days, when we 
 received orders to proceed to Newbern, North Carolina, 
 for the purpose of reinforcing General Foster. The sky 
 began to darken, and the winds commenced blowing 
 a perfect gale, with heavy rain. The transports which 
 were to convey us to that place could not reach the 
 wharf, and were obliged to lay at anchor in the bay 
 until the storm subsided. Our quarters became flooded 
 with water, making them untenable, and myself and 
 tent-mate concluded to abandon them; so we started 
 through the rain for the beach, where the headquarters 
 of the brigade were established. It was very dark, 
 and we lost our direction, which, after an hour s travel, 
 brought us on the beach, about a mile above the point 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 53 
 
 we were trying to make* following the shore until we 
 arrived at the camp, where we found good quarters for 
 the night; but we were drenching wet, which made us 
 feel rather uncomfortable. 
 
 That night, for the first time in my life, I slept 
 on the ocean shore, and enjoyed its deep, sweet music. 
 I felt that the Poet fully realized it all, when he said : 
 
 "There is a pleasure in the pathless woods; 
 
 There is a rapture on the lonely shore ; 
 There is society where none intrudes, 
 
 By the deep sea, and music in its roar, 
 From this our interview, in which I steal 
 
 From all I may be, or have been before, 
 To mingle with the Universe, and feel 
 
 What I can ne er express, yet cannot all conceal." 
 
 Morning came with a cloudless sky. The sun came 
 peeping up from his ocean bed, where he had slum 
 bered for the night, and kissed the horizon with his 
 effulgent rays, which betokened a pleasant day for our 
 anticipated journey. We struck our tents, and took 
 a double quick for the transport Belvidere, which lay 
 waiting for us. The afternoon was far advanced when 
 the troops and camp equipage was on board. 
 
 At sundown we passed over the bar, and was once 
 more on the billows of the deep blue sea, and soon 
 
 Port Royal lay far in the distance, appearing to us like 
 
 *5 
 
54 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 a huge bank of sand. I took my blanket and lay 
 down on the deck for the night, as berths could not 
 be had. I found it quite wet and uncomfortable. AV r e 
 made good headway during the night and the following 
 day, and at night anchored off Cape Lookout 
 
 Early the next morning we entered Old Topsail 
 inlet, passed under the guns of Fort Macon, and landed 
 at Morehead. From here we took the cars for New- 
 bern, arriving there at sundown, and encamped along 
 the Goldsboro Railroad, under the guns of Fort Rowan. 
 During the night we received marching or<Jers to move 
 at daylight, with five days rations. Early dawn found 
 our regiment ready for the march, and eager for the 
 raid which had been promised them. But, to our great 
 disappointment, the orders were countermanded. A\ e 
 remained here until the second day of May, when our 
 regiment was ordered to Beaufort, Fort* Macon and 
 Morehead. Our headquarters were established at the 
 latter place, on Calico creek. 
 
 This morning, May 18th, a party of fifty, myself 
 being one of the number, started on a pony hunt, as 
 it is called here, which was to take place about eighteen 
 miles off, on Shackleford banks, which lay to the east 
 ward. Pony penning was something new to us soldiers, 
 and we were all excited for the sport. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 55 
 
 We had chartered a small steamboat, and took in 
 tow a flatboat and a small sail boat, which we under 
 stood would be necessary to land us on shore, as the 
 water was very shallow at that point. The day .was 
 beautiful. The forest trees were dressed in their 
 loveliest foliage, which is so pleasing to the eye after 
 a cold, bleak winter. We sailed about fifteen miles 
 in the steamer, when suddenly we ran aground, and 
 found it impossible to proceed any further, as the tide 
 was fast falling, so we got on board the flatboat, hoisted 
 all sail and went three miles further, when we grounded 
 with her. The only alternative left us was to jump 
 overboard and wade to shore, or have the negroes 
 carry us, who were anxiously waiting in the distance 
 for a job. Some of the party brought them to their 
 relief, but most of us concluded to take our own con 
 veyance. When we arrived at the shore* we found a 
 swamp, which we had to pass through for nearly a 
 mile before we could reach dry land, and see the pony 
 penning. 
 
 We were fast, and had to face the difficulty. The 
 negroes led the way with their passengers on their 
 backs, and we followed, going up to our knees in mud 
 and water. It was a rather comical sight to see the 
 negroes with men on their backs, larger than them- 
 
56 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 selves, puffing and blowing as if ready to fall beneath 
 their weight. Suddenly one of them fell, throwing 
 his rider headlong into the mud. One grand hurrah 
 went up from the crowd, and for a few moments was 
 heard some tall swearing from the unfortunate rider, 
 who accused the darkey of falling on purpose to amuse 
 us footmen in the rear, for which he threatened to shoot 
 him, in case of its recurrence. He mounted the negro 
 again, pistol in hand, and off they went, the negro land 
 ing his rider in safety. 
 
 A short distance brought us to the pens. There 
 we found a crowd of Secesh, some two hundred, mostly 
 red haired, lantern-faced gentlemen. Many of the 
 wild ponies had been caught and penned. The pens 
 are yards enclosed with a rail fence some eight feet 
 high. After they are secured in these yards, the 
 negroes go iA and capture such as they wish to brand, 
 bringing them out and throwing them down, when 
 the brand is applied to the fore shoulder, which has 
 the marks of the owner on it. Such ponies as are not 
 sold are again allowed to run at large. These ponies 
 run wild and live in the marshes, on wild grass, digging 
 their own wells for fresh water, with their feet. They 
 grow from six to eight hands high. Some are finely 
 formed, and, it is said, will endure much fatigue. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 57 
 
 I soon became tired of pony penning, and took a 
 stroll across the island, through the deep and burning 
 sand. The sun was -excessively hot, and I was glad 
 to reach the beach, where I could lay down to rest. 
 Here was a grand sight. The tide was coming in. 
 The waves were tossing and rolling like boiling water; 
 I saw a vessel in the distance, which seemed forcing 
 its way through the mighty surges, as if seeking a 
 safe harbor. 
 
 Immense numbers of sea gulls infest these shores. 
 The air seemed filled with them. Their screams were 
 heard from every direction. These birds live mostly 
 on fish, and crumbs which float on the surface of the 
 water. They follow vessels for miles for the refuse 
 thrown overboard. 
 
 While I lay here gazing on the mighty deep, I 
 realized what the Poet expressed when he wrote : 
 
 " Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll ; 
 
 Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain ; 
 Man marks the earth with ruin ; his control 
 Stops with the shore ; upon the watery plain 
 
 The wrecks are all thy deeds, nor doth remain 
 A shadow of man s ravage, save thine own 
 
 When for a moment, like a drop of rain, 
 He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan, 
 Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined and unknown." 
 
68 RAXDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 I found large quantities of shell and coral along the 
 shore, which had been washed up from the bed of the 
 ocean. I loaded myself with them and started back 
 for the pony pen. On arriving here I found quite 
 a lively speculation going on in the purchase of those 
 little animals. After the sales were closed, we started 
 back for the boat, once more to wade through the mud. 
 The ponies were put on board the flats, which had 
 reached the shore, it being high tide. Our party took 
 a small boat and sailed down to the steamer, where a 
 fish and champagne dinner was awaiting us. We 
 enjoyed the dinner much, and the table bore witness 
 of the fact when we left it. The boat was still 
 aground, and could not be moved. So a party of six 
 of us took a small boat and set sail for Morehcad, 
 leaving the others to enjoy the festivities of the night, 
 which were already running high,- owing to the 
 uncorking of too many bottles. AVe reached our 
 camp shortly after dark. I was much fatigued, and 
 had my fill of pony penning in North Carolina. 
 
 The beautiful month of June is with us. The 
 nights and days arc mild yet, although the sun has 
 reached its highest altitude. Every tree, plant and 
 shrub, looks fresh and beautiful, which betokens a 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 59 
 
 plentiful harvest to t*he planter who has cultivated the 
 soil and sown the seed for nature to do its work. This 
 evening I took a stroll along the rifle pits, which 
 extend from Bogue Sound to Calico creek. On my 
 return to camp, much to my surprise, I found my 
 wife, who had just arrived from the North. She had 
 come all the way by water, having been eight days at 
 sea, in a schooner. Four other ladies arrived in camp 
 at the same time, on a visit to their "Liege Lords." 
 We fitted up our tents quite comfortably, and passed 
 a few weeks very pleasantly, leaving the ladies in 
 charge of the camp while we were off on raids, which 
 were of frequent occurrence. 
 
 The burning sun of July is now pouring down its 
 most fierce heat. To-night we go on a raid up the 
 Trent river, taking the cars to Newbern. On the 
 morning of the 4th we commenced our march toward 
 Wilmington. We were gone six days, having marched 
 some ninety miles through sand and burning sun, 
 bivouacing along the roads at night. We captured 
 several prisoners, negroes, horses, and a large quantity 
 of stores, having but little fighting with the enemy, 
 returning to camp pretty well used up, most of the 
 men being shoeless. 
 
60 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 Our boys had scarcely recovered from their sore 
 feet before we were ordered on a raid up Chowan river, 
 through Hertford county. We took the cars for New- 
 bern, arriving on the banks of the Trent river at mid 
 night, where we cooked three days rations, after which 
 the troops were put on board of transports, and at day 
 light sailed down the Neuse river into the Pamlico 
 Sound, passing Fort Hatteras, which is situated on 
 Roanoke Island; thence passing into the Albemarle 
 Sound, where we took in tow some bridges, which 
 were to be used on our expedition. We ascended the 
 Chowan river about sixty miles, and landed our troops 
 near Winton. Our artillery were drawn up the hill 
 by the men and placed in position. Our negro troops 
 soon captured some horses and brought them in, and 
 attached them to the field pieces, which were soon after 
 used on the enemy. At night two thousand cavalry 
 arrived from Portsmouth, by way of Dismal Swamp. 
 They were passed over the Chowan river on the 
 bridges we had brought with us, using our steamboats 
 for butments, they being anchored in the stream, equal 
 distance apart, suitable for the span. In less than two 
 hours we passed over all the cavalry in safety, with 
 their howitzers and stores. This was a feat which has 
 seldom be^p excelled. 
 
THOUGHTS. 61 
 
 Our infantry visited Winton and Murfreesboro, 
 while our cavalry advanced within ten miles of Wei- 
 don, and were driven back by some six thousand 
 rebels, whom they found strongly intrenched at Jack 
 son. Our cavalry made a charge, in which they cap 
 tured sixty prisoners and two hundred head of horses. 
 
 At Winton the infantry encountered some two hun 
 dred rebels, and drove them from their breastworks, 
 they leaving tents and equipage behind, which fell into 
 our hands. 
 
 Mount Tabor Church stood near by, in a beautiful 
 grove of trees, in which one of our regiments made 
 their quarters during their short stay. Our regiment 
 bivouced in the woods, just beyond the village. 
 
 There was a great scarcity of food here, and many 
 of us officers had to resort to foraging on our own 
 account, which was contrary to orders issued, but 
 "necessity knows no law." On one occasion a party 
 of three were privately detailed, on their own applica 
 tion, who guaranteed to furnish all the provisions for 
 our mess the country afforded, on condition that we 
 would protect them against punis*hment, which was 
 agreed to by the Captain of the company, from which 
 the detail was made, which company was known as the 
 "Forty Thieves." 
 
62 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 I furnished them transportation, which consisted 
 of a cart and a jackass. The next thing was to pass 
 them through the picket line, which I volunteered to 
 do, and which was very well executed by an under 
 standing with the picket guard, that they were a party 
 after forage for our horses, which came within orders. 
 
 The party did not return to camp until late at 
 night, when they were brought in by a guard, who 
 had arrested them as deserters. Their cart, however, 
 was well filled with geese, ducks, chickens, sweet 
 potatoes, &c., which the guard intended to take to the 
 general headquarters. Some of us, who were in the 
 secret of the expedition, parleyed with the guard, while 
 under the cover of night others secreted the contents 
 of the cart in a cornfield near by, unhitched the jack 
 and drove him off into the woods. 
 
 Our commanding officer ordered the foraging party 
 to be locked up, after which the guard returned for 
 their booty, but to their disappointment found the 
 contents of the cart had disappeared. 
 
 By a little sharp practice, the boys were released 
 during the night, for the purpose of dressing the fowls 
 they had captured and dividing the spoils among those 
 interested, which was done in good faith, and to the 
 satisfaction of all parties. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 63 
 
 The next day our commanding officer was invited 
 to dinner. He had played dummy all through the 
 act, and was as "deep in the mud as the boys were in 
 the mire/ 7 although they were not cognizant of the 
 * fact. I made the remark that I thought he had been 
 rather severe on the boys, whose acts were affording 
 us so much pleasure at present. He at once ordered 
 them to be returned to their company, with the under 
 standing that they were to be tried for violating the 
 articles of war, on their return to camp. The charges 
 against them were never presented by their Captain, 
 and were, of course, forgotten. 
 
 While here I was told by one of the natives that 
 Kenneth Kaynor had lately made a speech to them, 
 in which he said the Yankees were a set of cowards, 
 and wore not the human form, but had horns pro 
 truding from their heads, and that they were incapable 
 of riding a horse or firing a gun. This conversation 
 took place while two thousand of our cavalry were 
 passing (all live Yankees). My Southern friend con 
 cluded he had been sold. This is a specimen of the 
 manner in which the Southern people were deceived. 
 
 We brought back some three hundred horses, two 
 boat loads f negroes, and seventeen thousand dollars 
 worth of cotton, and about seventy prisoners, returning 
 
64 BANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 to Morehcad after an absence of eight days, greatly 
 exhausted. I could not really enjoy a hearty meal for 
 nearly a week afterwards. 
 
 We found our ladies anxious to see the regiment 
 return, and to know of our safety. We had traveled 
 some eight hundred miles. The country was too 
 impoverished to afford us much of anything to eat, and 
 when we arrived at camp we were nearly starved. 
 
 The sultry sun of August makes the atmosphere 
 as " hot as cotton." To-day the news reaches us of the 
 surrender of Fort Wagner, and tliejlestruction of Fort 
 Sumter, but with it comes sad news the death of our 
 gallant Colonel Shaw, who mounted the parapet and 
 beckoned his colored troops to follow, which they did 
 nobly. He, with many of his officers and soldiers, 
 filled a common grave. That night they were biyied 
 beneath the sands of Fort Wagner: 
 
 11 And they who for their country die, 
 
 Shall fill an honored grave ; 
 For glory lights the soldier s tomb, 
 
 And beauty weeps the brave ; 
 There is a tear for all who die, 
 
 A mourner over the humblest grave ; 
 But nation swells the funeral cry, 
 
 And triumph weeps above the brave." 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 65 
 
 The news of the fall of Fort Sumter will make 
 every free man rejoice. When the first rebel ball 
 smote her rocky sides, the rebound thrilled from shore 
 to shore, and awakened slumbering liberty in every 
 patriot soul. Selfishness and deception disappeared, 
 and patriotism rose from the swelling waves stately as 
 a Goddess. 
 
 When shall greatness of soul stand forth, if not 
 in evil times? When the skies are fair and the sea 
 smooth, all ships sail festively, but when the clouds 
 lower, the winds shriek, the waves boil, and soon each 
 craft shows its quality ; but here and there a ship rides 
 the storm. Thank God, this great conflict, which for 
 ages has agitated the world, is being fought in our 
 time, that long strife between right and wrong, between 
 freedom and despotism. We are placed in the van 
 guard. To-day we stand in the thick of the fray and 
 on the enemy s soil. 
 
 Shall we let this glorious cause fail? All life has 
 of noble heroic beckons us forward. Death itself bears 
 a golden crown for all who die in freedom s cause, and 
 prizes before which Olympian laurels fade are theirs. 
 This is the year of jubilee, when freemen and slaves 
 march lovingly to meet their fate, and die to save 
 
 a nation s life. 
 
 *6 
 
66 KANDOM SK ETCHES AND 
 
 To-day a year s experience closes, and how checkered 
 it has been. What the next year will bring is hidden 
 in the womb of time ; and who would dare draw the 
 vail? A kind Providence has guided my footsteps 
 thus far through the danger, giving me faith and hope 
 of the final triumph of our arms, which cheers me in 
 my darkest and loneliest hours. 
 
 Morehead is one of the most healthy locations in 
 the South, situated on a peninsula between Bogue 
 Sound and Calico creek. All through the summer we 
 have a fine breeze from the ocean each day, which 
 renders the air cool and healthful. The cool evenings 
 of September are with us, bringing her purple sunsets 
 and restless winds, making the tall pines which stand 
 like solemn sentinels, sing to us such mournful melo 
 dies. For the last two days we have had heavy winds 
 and rain, capsizing many of our tents, leaving the 
 inmates to the mercy of the storm. Last night we 
 had a tremendous gale, so terrific that it awoke me 
 from my slumbers, and compelled me to get up and 
 save my cotton house from capsizing. The storm of 
 last night I shall ever remember, it being the most 
 severe one I have witnessed in camp, during my 
 experience in the army. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 67 
 
 Our long expected mail has arrived. We have not 
 received any letters for a month. It brought joy to 
 the camp. In it I found one for myself, which I was 
 glad to receive. It was from my wife, and told me 
 of the news at home and her safe arrival there, and 
 how she found the little ones, and how they clung to 
 her all the day long, for fear she might leave them 
 again to visit Dixie land. Such were the feelings her 
 long absence produced. 
 
 Much of a soldier s comfort in camp results from 
 letter communication. Paper and ink are always on 
 hand, or a pencil, which answers the same purpose in 
 the field ; this, with a cracker box to write upon, makes 
 a very good secretary. Letters are the links that hold 
 the affections to the home circle, and make absence 
 and trials more easily endured amid the weary marches 
 and rough accommodations of the field. What would 
 we soldiers do without letters ? They are the only true 
 heart talkers. The soul measures itself by itself, and 
 tells of truth and love. I re-read my letters carefully 
 when a day is dark and gloomy, and my heart is sick, 
 thinking of all that is unreal and selfish in the world. 
 There, in my camp chest, are many of them bound 
 together; and what a heterogeneous mass of ideas they 
 contain. Some of love, some of hate, some on politics, 
 
68 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 and some on religion, all so carefully put away that I 
 can find them readily, even in the dark. 
 
 To-day a regiment of colored troops arrived at 
 Morehead, from Newbern, called the Second North 
 Carolina Volunteers, all armed and equipped. Their 
 destination was Charleston, South Carolina. I went 
 to the depot where they lay waiting transports, which 
 were soon to convey them to a more active field of 
 operation. The officers were all white, above the rank 
 
 of sergeant. I conversed with the Chaplain, who was 
 
 . 
 a colored man, and I found him well posted as to the 
 
 cause of the war and its probable results. He under 
 stood the policy of the Government, which many of the 
 Copperheads at the North have not yet learned, and 
 I fear, never will, for "there are none so blind as those 
 who will not see." He thought the Yankees were 
 doing things up right, and that it would be a 
 thorough work, as far as Slavery was concerned, saying 
 that if the institution was saved it would not be worth 
 preserving. I was much pleased with his remarks, 
 believing that he, with many of his race, will live to 
 see his sayings verified. He sagely observed : " AVhat 
 a Yankee leaves undone is not worth finishing." 
 
 To-day I visited Beaufort North Carolina, which 
 lay just in sight of our camp, across a beautiful bay, 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 69 
 
 whose waters glisten like sheets of silver on a moon 
 light night. I took my sail boat, with my darkey 
 pilot, and followed the windings of the channels, which 
 are numerous and difficult to trace, and at low tide 
 very shallow, being almost impossible for the lightest 
 draft boats to pass over the bars. 
 
 On my way thither, I saw large white heron on the 
 sand bars, devouring the crabs and small fish which 
 the tide had left behind. There were also wild ducks 
 and mud hens playing around in the water and basking 
 in the sunshine. The bay is filled with shoals, at high 
 tide mostly covered with water, on which immense 
 quantities of rushes grow, which make secure hiding 
 places for those birds to build their nests and hatch 
 their young. During the spring season hunters and 
 fishermen find immense quantities of eggs, which are 
 used for family purposes. The fish caught in these 
 waters are of the finest quality. The mullet is equal 
 to our mackerel at the North. Clams and oysters are 
 also found in great abundance. 
 
 We finally reached Beaufort, after an hour s sail 
 to gain an air line distance of three miles. Such is the 
 channel from Morehead to Beaufort. 
 
 The streets of Beaufort are narrow and sandy, with 
 but few shade trees along its walks. Its buildings are 
 
70 BANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 mostly old and dilapidated. It has four churches, 
 which present no architectural beauty. It formerly 
 had a large hotel, which extended out into the bay, 
 built on piers; but since our troops landed here the 
 building has been used for a hospital, and contains 
 eight hundred patients. The only thing here that 
 attracted my attention w r as the snuff dippers. Snuff 
 dipping is practiced by most of the women of the 
 South, also smoking, and they are two of the most 
 filthy habits that can be indulged in by females. The 
 process of dipping is performed by taking a small twig 
 from the black gum tree, battering the end flat, so as 
 to make the fibers into a brush. The snuff is kept in a 
 small tin box, in which the stick is rolled and gathered 
 full of snuff. Then it is swabbed through the mouth. 
 Old snuff dippers may be seen sitting all the day 
 long, with cup in one hand and swab in the other, 
 going through the process, and spitting like a tobacco 
 chewer. 
 
 The women look pale and haggard, possessing little 
 vitality, hardly enough to keep themselves looking 
 decent. They are narrow chested and seldom have 
 rosy cheeks, like many of our Northern " lasses." The 
 common classes are very ignorant, and seldom one is 
 found who can read or write. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 71 
 
 I returned to my boat and set sail for Fort Macon, 
 which lay just opposite, on the extreme end of an island 
 call Bogue Banks. On my way thither, I passed a 
 small windmill, built on one of the shoals. This 
 antiquated grinding apparatus furnishes the country 
 around with corn meal, from which they make "hoe- 
 cake" and "corn dodgers," which are used instead of 
 bread. 
 
 Fort Macon is beautifully located on a rise of 
 ground, mostly artificial in its construction. The 
 access to the fort is by a winding railway and footpath. 
 The fort is built of brick and stone, having an inner 
 and outer terra plain; between them is a moat, which 
 can be filled with water from the sea. The interior 
 has a fine parade, from which you can ascend to the 
 parapet by three stone stairways ; both terra plains are 
 mounted with heavy guns; underneath are casemates, 
 all neatly finished off for officers 7 and soldiers quarters. 
 Originally, the fort had no terra plain ; the guns were 
 mounted in the casemates, the embrasures of which 
 are now used for windows. Here I found all the con- 
 veniencies to make the troops comfortable. 
 
 From the ramparts you can take a beautiful view 
 of the ocean, and always be fanned by a delightful sea 
 breeze. Here can be seen the gunboats on the Jblock- 
 
72 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 ading squadron plying up and down the coast, from 
 this port to Charleston. Away off to the left are seen 
 Shackleford Banks and Cape Lookout, with its light 
 house, which stands like a lonely sentinel, with its 
 head of fire, warning the mariner at night from the 
 rocks and shoals he might encounter along this coast. 
 Away off to the west are seen Burnside s works, 
 from which he shelled this fort in the spring of sixty- 
 two, while our navy made a feigned attack by sea. 
 The marks of the shells are plainly visible, and will 
 remain as a record of the rebellion. I took a stroll 
 up the beach, and passed the breakwater and picket 
 station. About a mile beyond, was Burnside s fortifi 
 cations, which were loose sand, thrown up at night, 
 behind which his mortars were placed, from which he 
 sent shells so accurately as to drop them into the fort. 
 One of them struck the magazine, which suggested to 
 the inmates the idea of a surrender, before they were 
 all blown up. After a bombardment of eight hours 
 the fort was surrendered to our forces, our troops enter 
 ing it triumphantly, raising the stars and stripes once 
 more on the spot where they had been taken down 
 and trampled in the dust. The fort is now garrisoned 
 by three companies of the Eightj -First New York 
 Volunteers. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 73 
 
 This fort is of much importance, as it commands the 
 entrance to the harbor of Beaufort, and is also a place 
 of confinement for soldiers who have committed mili 
 tary offences. I visited the dungeon where some were 
 confined, where the rays of the sun never enter. It 
 was damp and dismal, and a strange feeling of sadness 
 came over me, as I stood within this dreary cell and 
 heard the murmuring of its inmates. And when its 
 huge doors were swung shut, and the bars grated on 
 my ears, liberty for a moment seemed a mockery. 
 
 I left the fort and set sail for camp, being carried 
 along by the tide, which was then setting in, arriving 
 at Morehead just as the last echo of the evening gun 
 died on the distant waters. 
 
 This is a beautiful afternoon. The sun is still high 
 in the heavens, with scarcely a cloud to obscure his 
 rays. A gentle sea breeze is blowing from the South, 
 whose cool air is so refreshing. Our camp is as quiet 
 as a New England village on a Sabbath day. After 
 dress parade, the regiment formed a hollow square, 
 and from the center our Chaplain spoke, and the Glee 
 Club sung one of their choice selections, called the 
 "Shining Shore." The music was really charming. 
 
 When I returned to my quarters, I found a letter 
 from home, from which I learned my brother had been 
 
71 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 shot at Ashby Gap, Va., while making a charge. He 
 foil from his horse, most of the squadron passing over 
 him. His comrades, after driving the enemy, returned 
 to bury their dead. They found life in him, and con 
 veyed him back to camp, a distance of fifty miles, 
 where he laid for nearly a week. The surgeon found 
 the ball had entered his skull, near the temple. "When 
 able to travel, he was sent home, where the ball was 
 extracted by Dr. Swinburne, some two months after 
 ward, weighing an ounce. He belonged to the Cali 
 fornia Battalion, attached to the Second Massachusetts 
 Cavalry. 
 
 This afternoon I took a ride to Crab Point, on the 
 Newport river. In passing through a pine forest, on 
 my way thither, I saw the negroes gathering ]. . 
 from pine trees, for making turpentine. The process is 
 simple. The trees are cut into, about six inches and 
 twelve inches above the base, in a manner which forms 
 a box; then the bark is taken off above, about t! 
 feet, in a semi-circular form; from here the pit -h 
 exudes and runs into the box below, from which it is 
 taken out, with small wooden clippers, and put into 
 buckets, and then into barrels, which arc interspersed 
 through the forest, at the most convenient points for 
 transportation to the factory. Here it is put through 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 75 
 
 a clarifying process, passing through a worm into a 
 large reservoir, in which it is condensed and becomes 
 turpentine. The tar is made from a fat wood, which 
 is put up in kilns, in the form of a cone, and burned, 
 the pitch leaving the wood and running into a gutter 
 formed around the base of the cone or pit; from thence 
 it is dipped up and put in barrels. At present this is 
 a very valuable export for the Northern market, 
 and is a very profitable business for the negro, who has 
 left his master and is working these trees for his own 
 benefit. 
 
 As I emerged from the woods, I came on a planta 
 tion where I saw some fine fig trees loaded with fruit. 
 I helped myself to them, and found they were the most 
 delicious figs I ever eat. The trees grew from ten to 
 twenty feet high, with very heavy foliage of dark green 
 color, with straggling branches. These trees are great 
 bearers, some yielding as many as ten bushels of this 
 luscious fruit. There are three kinds, red, white and 
 blue. The red is the most delicious, the white is the 
 most hardy, and the blue is the most beautiful. The 
 fig tree bears two crops a year. The first ripeitfkabout 
 the first of July. The second one about the first of 
 September, and continues until frost, which comes about 
 the first of November. 
 
76 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 Apples, pears, peaches and grapes thrive here, but 
 they are not of such fine quality as we cultivate at the 
 North. The finest varieties could be produced here 
 with little care, but this, like all other Southern States, 
 has the curse of Slavery written on it, and until that 
 is blotted out poverty anfl destruction must follow. I 
 think many of them begin to realize it already, and 
 the sooner they learn to work and wait on themselves 
 the better it will be for them and their children. 
 
 Yankee ingenuity and enterprise is all. that is needed 
 to make this "a land flowing with milk and honey," 
 where every one can live under his own vine and fig 
 tree. And if they will become loyal citizens none will 
 molest or make them afraid. 
 
 The poor whites and negroes are loyal beyond a 
 doubt, but the slaveholder is not. I have no confi 
 dence in their sympathy for Republican institutions. 
 How glad I am to see the noble stand our President has 
 taken against Slavery, with all its horrors, barbarities, 
 and shocking immoralities. Slavery, thank God! is 
 dead in this country, and nothing can resusitate it, and 
 those ^10 now uphold it will perish with it. No friend 
 of human progress will pray for its resurrection. Its 
 destruction was ordained when the Stars and Stripes 
 fell from Fort Sumtcr. That act was its death knell. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 77 
 
 It virtually proclaimed freedom to four millions of 
 human beings, a race who had been held in bondage 
 for more than two centuries. 
 
 This morning our surgeon and myself went on a 
 foraging expedition. We took our sail boat and pilot 
 and sailed down Bogue Sound. On our way we met 
 the steamer Guide, having on board conscripts for our 
 army. They were landed at Morehead, and from 
 there took the cars for Newbern. We crossed the 
 Sound for Newport river. On the way up the river 
 we saw large flocks of white and blue hcronj which 
 infest these waters; also curlews feeding on the shore. 
 I amused myself by firing at them, and soon found 
 they had no relish for gunpowder. Our route was a 
 very circuitous one, owin^ to the low tide, which com 
 pelled us to go some ten miles to gain an air line 
 distance of three. 
 
 We landed at the county almshouse, which is an 
 old dilapidated building, hardly affording shelter fit 
 for beasts It had two inmates, and both of them 
 were insane. I did not learn whether they were 
 insane when they were brought to this miserable hovel, 
 but I am quite certain that their wants and treatment 
 would have a tendency to make them so. Our surgeon 
 observed that he thought the superintendent "non 
 

 
 78 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 compus mentis." Everything around spoke plainly of 
 poverty; even the corn fields, near by, were incontro 
 vertible witnesses. We left the almshouse with sad 
 impressions. 
 
 We strolled off into the country, hoping to find a 
 farmhouse, where we could obtain some refreshment, 
 but all in vain. I purchased some eggs and sweet 
 potatoes at one house ; this was all we could procure, 
 after having traveled some four miles. 
 
 I made my dinner on raw potatoes, which stayed 
 my hunger for the time. The potatoes were dug by 
 two negro women, whom I found splitting rails for a 
 fence near by. These two slaves were all the help the 
 owner of the plantation had to do his labor. They 
 dug the potatoes with a larga plantation hoe, weighing 
 some ten pounds. They had never heard of a potato 
 hook until I described it to them. They " reckoned it 
 must be a right smart thing to dig tatcrs with." 
 
 I talked with them in regard to their condition, but 
 they seemed fully satisfied with their prospects, appa 
 rently having no desire above their animal wants. I 
 asked the youngest of the two how old she was. She 
 "reckoned about fifteen years." I asked her how 
 much older her mother was than herself. She 
 "reckoned about five years." This is a fair specimen 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 79 
 
 of negro intelligence in many parts of the South. Many 
 mothers do not know the ages of their own children. 
 
 We returned to our boats and set sail for the oppo 
 site shore. On our way we passed a windmill, grind 
 ing corn for hominy and hoecake. One peck of this 
 meal, five pounds of bacon, and one quart of molases, 
 is a week s rations for a man. We passed through, to 
 a wood near by, and took a woodpath which led us 
 to a plantation. After traveling some two miles, 
 through the chapperel and mud, we passed through 
 a field where some negroes were engaged in "saving 
 fodder," as they termed it, which we at the North call 
 topping corn. 
 
 I inquired of the darkies the distance to Crab Point, 
 which they told me was " a right smart distance, they 
 reckoned." Near the plantation house was a beautiful 
 grove of fig trees, and a few pomegranate trees, loaded 
 with fruit. I learned from the occupant that he was 
 a deserter from the rebel army. Here he married the 
 woman of his choice, and settled on this plantation, 
 of which she was the tvner. 
 
 The sun was fast declining in the west, and we put 
 back to our boat, doubling Crab Point just as the 
 flashes of the evening gun were seen from Fort Macon, 
 its echoes rolling along the waters, dying amid the 
 
80 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 mellow rays of a Southern sunset, which are beautiful 
 beyond description. 
 
 This afternoon I took a ride back in the country. 
 As I neared an old farm house, I heard a buzzing 
 noise, which reminded me of home in my boyhood 
 days, when I used to teaze my mother to turn the 
 spinning wheel, and oftentimes destroyed her spindle 
 of yarn, much to her discomfiture. I unceremoniously 
 entered the house, and found a girl spinning cotton; 
 I excused my abruptness, as soldiers generally do, and 
 took a chair without invitation. She informed me that 
 she was spinning cotton for a dress, which struck me 
 as being a very slow process to get one. She told 
 me she had spun the yarn and wove the cloth of the 
 dress she then wore, and allowed me the privilege of 
 examining it. I found it finely spun and finely wove, 
 and if it had been fitted to her person properly, it 
 would have looked neat and tidy. 
 
 Near by was a cotton field, a most beautiful sight. 
 The plants grow about four feet high, with numerous 
 branches. On them were blooms, green balls and 
 ripe ones. At this stage the shells burst open, and it 
 is ready for picking, which commences about the first 
 of September and continues until the frost kills the 
 plant. Cotton, after it is picked, is ginned and dried 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 81 
 
 in the sun, and then pressed into bales. This valuable 
 
 product can be raised for eight cents per pound. 
 
 
 
 On my return to camp I was much amused in 
 listening to an account of a panther hunt in the wilds 
 of Northern New York. The hero of this story is a 
 soldier in our regiment. He said : 
 
 " Some years ago, in the month of January, early 
 in the morning, I went out to find my sheep. On 
 finding my flock I missed some of them, and on looking 
 around discovered traces which convinced me some 
 animal had visited my flock at night and carried off 
 some of them for their prey. I returned home for my 
 gun, and told my wife where I was going; I also told 
 her to request two of my neighbors to follow up my 
 trail. I traveled all day, and when night came, 
 bivouaced, building a fire to guard me from any 
 attack from the foe I was in search of. The long and 
 weary night passed in earnest thoughts and longing 
 desires for the first glimpses of daylight. Morning 
 dawned at last, and after a lunch from my hunting 
 bag, I resumed my journey and traveled until late in 
 the afternoon, when I heard a shrill echo resounding 
 through the forest, telling me my dogs had found their 
 prey. With cautious steps and trembling limbs I 
 
82 KAXDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 advanced in the direction of the sound, and soon came 
 in sight of the dogs, who were at the base of a large 
 tree, anxiously waiting for their master. As I neared 
 the tree I gazed up and saw on one of the limbs a 
 monstrous panther, lying in an attitude of readiness 
 to spring at any moment. Now came the trying time 
 for me to quiet my nerves, as every muscle seemed 
 unstrung. The others had arrived in sight which 
 gave me more confidence and coolness, qualities so 
 essential at such a moment. I beckoned to them to 
 come up, and be ready to fire. At that moment I 
 sent a ball whizzing through the head of the animal, 
 striking him in the mouth, which left him minus one 
 tooth, and bleeding freely. 
 
 "The animal lay looking at me with eyes of fire, 
 showing clearly that his nature had been wrought up 
 to a fierce anger. The two others fired while I loaded 
 my gun, the balls striking him near the heart, at whirh 
 they aimed, seemingly without effect. The ninth shot 
 brought him reeling to the ground, writhing in agony. 
 One of the dogs attacked him, and with one stroke of 
 his claw the panther tore the dog to pieces, killing him 
 instantly, and at the same moment the panther expired. 
 
 " "We cut a rail and tie dour prize to it, carrying him 
 on our shoulders over a mile, to a farm house where 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 83 
 
 we weighed him and found we had one hundred and 
 eighty-seven pounds of panther flesh, including skin and 
 bone. From here we conveyed him to Utica in a 
 wagon, and from thence to Albany, by railroad, where 
 he was purchased by a taxidermist, who skinned and 
 stuffed him in the best manner, so true to nature that 
 to-day he appears to be alive, standing on all fours, as 
 he once did when he roamed over his native forest." 
 
 I have reason to believe that there is truth in this 
 story, as a friend of mine was presented with some of 
 the panther steak, and shared it with me at the time. 
 The recollection of the deliciousness of the meat gave 
 additional zest to the tale. 
 
 Another story was related by a member of another 
 regiment. He said : 
 
 " About fifty of us had been engaged for several 
 days in performing secret service, and were on our 
 return. We hacf to pass very near the rebel lines, and 
 to avoid being taken, and also to save a circuit of miles, 
 we resolved to encamp in a secluded place we knew 
 of, through the day, and under the shadow of night 
 pass unseen on the direct course to our camp, 
 
 The day was beautiful, and the spot we had chosen 
 for our resting place was one of those grassy nooks, 
 shut out apparently from the rest of the world by lines 
 
84 KAXDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 of hills, impenetrable underbrush, and a gigantic forest; 
 a small but clear and deep stream ran by it. We lay 
 down our arms, relieved ourselves of our knapsacks, 
 and spreading our provender upon the grass, dined 
 with a hearty appetite, refreshing ourselves from the 
 limpid waters of the stream, and then each one amused 
 himself as best he could. 
 
 "After resting awhile, some one of the party went 
 in to bathe, and one by one, as the pleasure seemed to 
 increase, followed, until the whole party were in the 
 stream. This lasted for about half an hoar, and most 
 of us had returned to the shore, and were dressing, when 
 a new feature was given to the scene by one of the 
 party saying he was going to wash his shirt. Now 
 most of us had worn these garments for some time 
 without washing, and there could be no doubt of their 
 
 needing it very much. We ^11 thought the" idea a good 
 
 # 
 one, and all hands immediately began to disrobe, and 
 
 soon we were as busy as washerwomen, rubbing away 
 like fulling mills. As the pieces jvere finished they 
 were hung on the limbs of trees, in the sun, or spread 
 out on the grass. 
 
 " Many were still engaged at their washing ; some 
 were stretched on the ground in deep sleep, some were 
 wrestling, others jumping, and some collected in groups, 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 85 
 
 telling stories, nearly all of us innocent of wearing 
 apparel as Adam was previous to forming acquaintance 
 with Eve, and about as happy as fellows could be, with 
 but one shirt, and that drying in the sun, when we 
 were startled by a volley of musketry, the balls of 
 which, very fortunately, only made a few slight flesh 
 wounds. 
 
 "The sound of musketry, although it surprised us 
 at first, we were too much accustomed to hearing, to 
 remain long under a panic; so the next moment found 
 each man of us in possession of his musket, and him 
 self covered by a tree. We had not long to wait, before 
 a large body of rebels broke through the underbrush, 
 which had concealed them, and charged with fixed 
 bayonets upon us. But their progress was suddenly 
 checked by our fire, which laid a number of them dead. 
 We had not time to reload, when the enemy charged 
 down upon us, and we were compelled reluctantly to 
 give way. We ran some distance, reloading, and stood 
 our ground. 
 
 " Up to this time we had not thought of our nude 
 condition, until one of our officers cried: Boys, will 
 you lose your shirts? Then, casting our eyes around, 
 we gave a shout: Now for our shirts! and rushed 
 forward like so many naked devils. 
 
b6 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 "As soon as the enemy came to our view, we 
 poured in a well directed fire, and immediately charged 
 with the bayonet. So suddenly had this movement 
 been made, that, having supposed we were still running 
 away, they in turn were completely surprised, and 
 then came their turn to run. After them we shouted 
 still, with our new watchword, " Shirts ! " The officers 
 of the enemy, having at length succeeded in securing 
 the attention of their men, wheeled them, and gave us 
 a return Jire, when we again took to our heels, and the 
 rebels, taking up our cry of "Shirts!" came pell-mell 
 after us. Again we turned and charged the enemy 
 running, and they in turn charging upon us, each 
 party shouting Shirts ! 
 
 At length, becoming somewhat exasperated with 
 the game, and constantly reminded of our shirts, by 
 the enemy screaming it in our ears, and recollect 
 ing, too, that we would not cut a very pretty figure 
 returning to quarters sans culottes, we made a most 
 desperate charge, and finally succeeded in gaining the 
 day, driving the enemy from the field. Several of our 
 party were wounded, but none killed, and putting on 
 our garments, we took the circuitous route which we 
 had avoided in the morning, and reached camp about 
 midnight, where we caused no little merriment when 
 
WANDEEING THOUGHTS. 87 
 
 we related our adventure, in which our shirts so nar 
 rowly escaped capture. 77 
 
 In this way many a long evening is passed in camp. 
 Most soldiers have some tale to tell, of hunting, fishing, 
 or encounters they have met with on picket, or the 
 battle field, and they are most generally the hero of 
 their own story. 
 
 Last evening the wind blew a perfect gale ; so hard 
 that it kept me awake nearly all night. The mighty 
 waves were rolling in the distance, against the break 
 waters on the shore of Bogue Banks. The roar told 
 me of a terrible storm at sea. During the night a 
 vessel had been driven ashore on Bogue Banks, and 
 became imbedded in the sand. The waves were dash- 
 iny over her, making her a total wreck. The crew 
 had just abandoned her, and floated to shore on spars. 
 
 Their carg<%onsisted principally of sugar and rum, 
 which, after the storm had abated, was taken off, by 
 cutting out the sides of the vessel, and carried away 
 on lighters. I visited the crew on the beach; they 
 told me they were from Cuba, bound for New York, 
 and had lost their course in the storm during the 
 night. They were a miserable set of men, being half 
 Spaniard and half negro, looking more like a band of 
 
SS RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 pirates than English tars, under which flag they sailed. 
 A few days afterward a Captain of one of our gunboats 
 told me he had chased this craft for two days, off the 
 coast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and that when 
 he crowded them they threw cannon overboard. He 
 was satisfied they were blockade runners, although 
 their papers showed to the contrary. 
 
 Our regimental inspection came off to-day. The 
 men and equipments were in fine order. The regiment 
 passed in review, and were highly complimented for 
 their military appearance. 
 
 After inspection, I found a notice at my quarters, 
 which required me to attend a court martial at New- 
 bern, where I was required to appear as a witness, 
 the following day. I took the cars in the evening for 
 that place, which is situated thirty-five miles from the 
 coast. I spent the night with one of fte surgeons of 
 the Ninety-Second New York Volunteers, who was an 
 old friend. The next morning I visited Fort Stephen- 
 son, on the banks of the Neuse river. It has three 
 guns, and is garrisoned by one company of the Third 
 Massachusetts Artillery. 
 
 Just across the Neuse is Fort Anderson, which was 
 attacked by the rebels, under General Pettigrew, last 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 89 
 
 spring. It was then garrisoned by the Ninety-Second 
 New York Volunteers, who nobly defended it, without 
 firing a shot; their guns not being mounted, they 
 awaited the charge of the enemy, who kept up a con 
 stant fire of grape, canister and shell, for some time, 
 destroying the quarters within the fort. In the 
 meantime Colonel Anderson, who commanded the 4 fort, 
 signaled to Newbern -for assistance. A gunboat soon 
 came to his relief, which drove the enemy back, and 
 Fort Anderson was saved. 
 
 Ncwbern is situated at the intersection of the Neuse 
 and Trent rivers, and compares well with most of the 
 Southern cities in point of size. It has a number of 
 fine residences surrounded with beautiful gardens, in 
 which are generally found grapes, figs, pears and pome 
 granates; also abundance of flowering shrubs, such as 
 honeysuckle, myrtle, magnolia, and the Rose of Sharon. 
 There are no curiosities of nature or art here, except a 
 kind of rock taken from the bed of the Trent river, 
 whose formation is composed of shells, which is used 
 for fence and building purposes, and resembles vermu- 
 lated ashler. 
 
 They have the same blue sky and twinkling stars 
 above them that we have at the North, but not those 
 
 noble mountains, with their deep gorges and silvery 
 
 *8 
 
90 EAXDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 cascades we have on the Hudson, and through some 
 parts of New England. The country, as far as the 
 
 eye can reach, is one vast pine forest. This is the 
 geographical character of the South, along the sea 
 board, extending some fifty miles back. 
 
 The battle field of Newbern lays about four miles 
 east of the city, between the Goldsboro Railroad and 
 the Neuse river. General Burnside drove the rebels 
 from that field to Newbern, and from there they 
 retreated to Kinston, setting fire to the bridge which 
 crossed the Trent river, after they had passed over 
 it; but our troops soon came up and extinguished the 
 flames. They also set fire to the city, which was 
 extinguished before much damage was done. 
 
 Newbern is at present strongly fortified, having 
 fortifications running from the Neuse to the Trent 
 river; before those works were built, it required about 
 fifteen thousand troops to hold this place, but I am 
 of opinion that the Government would have been 
 better off to have burned these places, when taken, tlian 
 to fortify and hold them, as they have done, even 
 if they were obliged to rebuild them. It is a great 
 expense to hold an inland city, and has a tendency to 
 make a department inactive, on account of accommo 
 dations it affords the officers. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 91 
 
 I returned to Morehead, in company with the Third 
 Massachusetts Artillery, who were to relieve a detach 
 ment of the Eighty-First Regiment New York Volun 
 teers, at Fort Macon. 
 
 A bright and beautiful October morning, with its 
 hazy sunshine and yellow leaves, tells me a change in 
 the year is already at hand. The heavy dew and cool 
 nights admonish us that the greatcoat and rubber 
 blanket will soon be needed, to prevent the chills and 
 fever, which is so common at this time of year in the 
 South. 
 
 The brig Release has just arrived in harbor, in 
 which Dr. Kane was brought home on his last journey 
 to the Arctic regions. She is now a gunboat, and is 
 connected with the blockading squadron. I visited 
 her, and w T hile on board, the mate told me she had 
 been remodeled since her cruise to the North Pole. 
 I felt pleased to tread her deck, because she had 
 released one of our country s adventurers from those 
 frozen regions of the North, where he had been bound 
 up in the ice, with his vessel, the Advance, for many 
 months, only to meet his death and find a grave in a 
 more genial clime, beside his kindred. He died in 
 early manhood; but his memory will live eternal as 
 
92 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 those hills of ice, in which he spent so many cheerless 
 months, and sunless days, with the natives of those 
 regions and his Arctic voyagers. 
 
 Our Chaplain and myself took a sail to Shackleford 
 Banks, and visited the fishermen, whom we found hard 
 at work, cleaning fish and putting them in barrels; in 
 one haul they caught one hundred and thirty barrels. 
 High noon had arrived, and we began to feel hungry, 
 so we started off in the wood, and found a grove of 
 cedars, underneath which we spread our cloth on the 
 sand, and partook of a hearty repast from our haver 
 sack. After satisfying our hunger, we went in search 
 of grapes and chinkpins, a kind of nut which grows 
 here; we had to make our way through a thick 
 chaparral, on all fours, for nearly half a mile, with 
 the pleasant idea of coming in contact with snakes 
 and lizards, without speaking of the mutilation to our 
 clothing. I at last found a beautiful vine; it clung 
 to a large oak, and in the top hung large clusters of 
 fine grapes, ripening in the sun. 
 
 I laid off my haversack and canteen, and got into 
 the tree with much difficulty, the vines being woven 
 together. I accomplished my object, and soon satisfied 
 my appetite with grapes, which I found to be very 
 delicious; I then dropped myself down again with less 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 93 
 
 trouble than I had in getting up, yet not without 
 some scars. 
 
 Here, in these woods, grows a fine quality of mus 
 cadine grapes, equally as sweet and large as those cul 
 tivated at the North, but not in such large clusters. 
 We whiled away an hour in the woods, and after some 
 trouble got out, taking the sun for our guide. 
 
 The fishermen live principally in huts, in which I 
 saw poverty and ignorance, such as I could not believe 
 existed, if I had not witnessed it ; for it had almost run 
 into insanity. They were really heathens; and this in 
 " Free America," as it is called. I told our Chaplain 
 if any place on God s footstool needed missionaries, this 
 was the spot. I asked one of the women if she did 
 not get lonesome, living on this island ; she " reckoned 
 right smart." The whole family did not appear to 
 have any knowledge above their animal wants. 
 
 We took our boat and floated back with the tide to 
 camp, just as the sun sank beneath the distant waters; 
 when we received orders to be ready, at a moment s 
 notice, to proceed to Fortress Monroe, on the arrival 
 of transports from that place. 
 
 The One Hundred and Fifty-Eighth New York 
 Volunteers have just arrived from Newbern, to relieve 
 us; they are a rough looking regiment, having some 
 
94 RANDOM SKETCHES 
 
 three hundred sick, and the remainder hardly fit for 
 duty. Our camp is all excitement now especially 
 among the officers wives. Packing up is the order 
 of the day. Since we have received orders to be ready, 
 it has rained, accompanied with much thunder and 
 lightning. 
 
 The waves of the ocean are keeping up a continual 
 murmur, which makes melancholy music, and the pat 
 tering rain falling on my tent, makes one feel gloomy 
 and lonesome. How true it is that the weather and 
 seasons affect our minds; our natures are so much in 
 sympathy with them. 
 
 Our last act at Morehead was to release from 
 bondage a negro family. About a mile from our 
 camp were held a colored man s wife and four children, 
 as slaves the master forbidding the husband visiting 
 them. The husband complained to our Colonel of 
 their treatment, and assured him they were held 
 against their wishes. 
 
 The master was summoned to appear the next day 
 at our headquarters, at a certain hour, which he failed 
 to do, but the negro was on hand, and insisted upon 
 having his wife and children. 
 
 Our Adjutant volunteered to rescue the negro family 
 from bondage. I furnished him with transportation 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 95 
 
 and off they started through a heavy rain storm, as 
 there was no time to lose, for we were momentarily 
 expecting to leave North Carolina. Half an hour s 
 ride brought him to the plantation; they found the 
 negroes overjoyed at the thought of being released 
 from that despotism which had enchained them daring 
 their lives. The old matron and daughters "showed 
 fight." The officer told them to keep quiet, as he was 
 there in the discharge of his duty, and did not wish to 
 be charged with shooting a woman, but the negroes 
 should have their freedom at any sacrifice. The hus 
 band picked out his wife and children ; they were put 
 in the wagon, with their luggage, and left the planta 
 tion amid the curses and groans of the mistress. 
 
 At midnight we received orders to strike our tents 
 at daylight, and get aboard transports at sunrise. Long 
 before day the boys commenced tearing down and burn 
 ing up, and at daylight our camp presented a scene of 
 desolation. 
 
 We are now leaving the dock, with flying colors, 
 for the briny deep; the boys are jolly, and many of 
 them well filled with whisky, which is a great curse 
 to most of the men and officers. At sundown the 
 land lay in the distance, hardly visible to the naked 
 
96 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 eye. The moon is high in the heavens, yet in her 
 crescent form, making the ocean look like billows of 
 silver; a fine, steady breeze is blowing from the south, 
 as if to urge us on to our destined port, which is Old 
 Point Comfort. 
 
 Many on board are sick, and not able to keep their 
 dinner, for which they have just paid. I feel quite 
 uneasy myself, but am determined not to yield to the 
 sickening influences of the vessel. It is midnight, and 
 the last pale ray of the moon has disappeared; dark 
 ness and silence surrounds us; our vessel plows steadily 
 through the waves, leaving a track of fire behind her. 
 
 The gray morning is at last breaking, and I am the 
 first on deck, to greet the " God of day," as he comes 
 peeping up from the eastern waters, throwing his rays 
 in every direction. 
 
 The sand banks which skirt the shores of North 
 Carolina are again in view, but lay away so far that 
 they appear like a dark cloud on the horizon ; we soon 
 came in full view of the sandy beach ; away off to the 
 west stands the lighthouse off Cape Henry; we now 
 enter the great harbor, and see Virginia s shores on 
 either side. 
 
 Directly in front of us stands Fort Wool, known as 
 the Rip Raps. We passed under its guns, and came 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 97 
 
 to anchor. Our Colonel reported to General Foster, 
 who commanded the Department of Virginia and 
 North Carolina, who ordered our brigade to encamp 
 at Newport News, which is situated on the James 
 
 river, about six miles above the Fortress. 
 
 * 
 
 Newport News is situated on a high bluff, and just 
 opposite, in the river, lay the Cumberland and Con 
 gress, in which an hundred seamen found a watery 
 grave; they stood by their guns so long that many 
 found it impossible to gain the upper deck, and went 
 down with their gallant ship, standing by the flag of 
 their ^country. The river is about four miles wide, 
 with a channel deep enough for the largest vessels 
 to sail in. 
 
 Opposite is seen the waters of the Elizabeth and 
 Nansemond rivers; on the former lays Portsmouth 
 and Norfolk, and on which also Gosport Navy Yard is 
 situated, which was burned in the early part of the 
 rebellion, to prevent the rebels from taking it. At 
 the mouth of these rivers lay the gunboats Roanoke, 
 Cambridge, and Minnesota. The former is a three- 
 turreted monitor. These vessels form the blockading 
 squadron on the James river. 
 
 One of the greatest luxuries we have here at New 
 port News is plenty of good water; which I have not 
 
98 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 tasted before in seven long months. One of the 
 greatest hardships which our army suffers is to be 
 deprived of water, and it is probably the main cause 
 of fever. 
 
 The autumn leaves are falling, and the hazy sun- 
 .sliine of November gives timely warning of approach 
 ing winter. I took a walk along the James river, 
 above our camp; on my way I passed a graveyard, 
 where lay some of the defenders of our country, some 
 of those who died in the early part of the Peninsula 
 campaign. As I gazed on those little mounds, sad 
 feelings came over me; they were the graves of the 
 illustrious dead, our country s heroes, who had fallen 
 by the wayside, while hope and faith glimmered in 
 the future. 
 
 Only eighteen months ago one hundred and thirty 
 thousand men had passed this point, on their way to 
 Richmond, full of hope, and love of country, to inspire 
 them on their toilsome march. But a sad record is 
 told along the road. Not less than thirty thousand 
 found their graves on this peninsula. Here they rest 
 in peace, free from toil and care, nor do the ravages 
 of war disturb them, for they have fought their last 
 battle. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 99 
 
 The sun was fast disappearing behind the western 
 forests, as I turned reluetlantly from a spot so sacred, 
 and full of historic reminiscences; aside from these 
 associations, the scenery in view was magnificent beyond 
 description, bathed as it then was in the golden sun 
 set, which made it doubly beautiful. I could not 
 resist the temptation to linger there until the twilight 
 shades deepened into night. 
 
 This morning our Major, Chaplain, and myself, 
 mounted our horses and rode over to Hampton, a 
 distance of seven miles from our camp; the day was 
 warm and beautiful, the forest leaves were dyed with 
 many different colors, and showed plainly that a frost 
 had visited them ; * ut on our way, as we rode across 
 the fields, we saw many wild flowers still in full bloom, 
 which reminded us of the month of June. 
 
 We arrived at Hampton, after an hour s ride. The 
 first building we saw was the remains of an old Epis 
 copal church, which is said to have been built over 
 two hundred years ago; its porch had fallen, but the 
 gables and side walls yet stand, a monument of rebel 
 barbarity. The building was built in Roman style, 
 and in form of a Latin cross; the grounds in which it 
 stands are enclosed with a brick wall, well studded 
 with weeping willows, and like most ancient church- 
 
100 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 yards, had been used for burial purposes by those pro 
 fessing the faith. 
 
 This was once a delightful spot, but now the 
 ravages of war has made it desolate; its monuments 
 thrown down, and the slabs which cover the last rest 
 ing place of the honored dead are broken, and many 
 of the inscriptions defaced. I sat down by a tomb 
 whose inscription bore the date of 1701, a date which 
 carried my mind back one hundred and sixty-two 
 years. From this spot I took a sketch of the old 
 church, after which we left our horses in charge of a 
 negro boy, and took a walk about the village. Most 
 of the buildings had been burned by the American 
 vandals, and the burnt spots were being supplanted 
 by negro shanties, which were built here in great 
 numbers. We stepped into one of them, and found 
 an oyster vender; we partook freely of the bivalves. 
 They were the finest I ever ate. After we had worried 
 the darkey some twenty minutes in opening them, we 
 paid him his bill, which was only fifty cents. Oysters 
 are found in great abundance in the bay, near by, 
 and are often sold at the rate of fifty cents per gallon, 
 solid meats. 
 
 We returned to camp just in time to miss our 
 dinner, which was quite a disappointment to us, after 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 101 
 
 having rode some fourteen miles on horseback, much 
 fatigued and very hungry. 
 
 It is Saturday night, and I am alone in my tent, 
 having no kindred spirit to commune with. In these 
 solitary hours my mind wanders back to my home and 
 the loved ones there. How little they realize the 
 lonely hours *f camp life. The soldiers have many 
 such seasons for reflection, and no one thought pre 
 dominates in his mind more than that of "Home, 
 sweet Home." 
 
 Home and mother are the first words that become 
 indelibly impressed on our minds; they have an 
 invincible power that can never be lessened. There are 
 no two words that so powerfully excite our feelings, 
 and electrify our hearts with such wild emotions. 
 How many have left their happy homes, and gone 
 forth in defence of their country! Many will never 
 return ; their moldering bones bear the record of the 
 strife, in which they were severed from the spot they 
 most loved, and their friends are called upon to mourn 
 their 1 ss. Dark hours will come to all of us.; yet they 
 cannot always last, the light will come again. 
 
 We must not give up in despair, in this struggle 
 for liberty. Commer we must, for our cause is just. 
 
 Then we shall have a peace which will satisfy our 
 
 *9 
 
102 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 highest aspirations, with a Union and a country worth 
 preserving : 
 
 "For right is right, since God is God, 
 
 And right the day must win ; 
 To doubt would be disloyalty, 
 To falter would be sin." 
 
 | 
 
 The news reaches us to-night that the loyal people 
 of New York have declared, by their votes, that the 
 Government shall be sustained, and the war prosecuted 
 with vigor, until the rebels lay down their arms and 
 submit to the laws. 
 
 Copperheadism has received its death blow in the 
 Empire State; she has declared by her recent vote that 
 her armed sons in the field, who have braved the storms 
 and dangers of deadly strife, shall have their thinned 
 ranks filled up. Hereafter let there be but one senti 
 ment, and that UNION. 
 
 We must stand by the country, right or wrong; do 
 not let us falter or step back ; our radiant flag must be 
 kept untorn and floating to the breeze. Let not one 
 star be torn from its azure field, nor one memory lost 
 of its glorious record. Each link in memory s chain 
 makes a chapter in our country ^ history; from its 
 pages we may trace golden letters formed into burning 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 103 
 
 words, standing boldly out as monitors, pointing us 
 upwards to higher and nobler deeds and purposes. 
 The cause of humanity, and hopes of freedom, through 
 out the world, are involved in this deathlike struggle 
 for our nation s life. Let not our hearts grow cold, 
 or our sympathies die out; let not patriotism be 
 exchanged for gold, or bartered for an inglorious 
 peace. Our ^Revolutionary fathers fought for liberty ; 
 the right of self-government, that precious heritage, 
 has been bequeathed to us by them. The sons of sixty- 
 one will maintain that right, and the rights of man, 
 both white and black. Many of the former are no 
 better than slaves, in these rebellious States. God 
 grant our objects and purposes may soon be accom 
 plished, and we soldiers return to the bosom of our 
 families, to enjoy the sweets of domestic life. 
 
 The morning is bright and clear, except the mist 
 that lays on the waters of the James river; the little 
 steamer Flora was being fired up to take a trip to Nor- 
 folk, and I took passage for that place. We made for 
 Se well s Point, and thence up the Elizabeth river. 
 On our way we passed a great many oystermen in their 
 boats, raking up the bivalves from the river, where 
 they are planted in beds, grow to a large size, and are 
 plump and luscious. 
 
104 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 The water here was about ten feet deep ; the rakes 
 they used were iron toothed, made in pairs, and fas 
 tened like tongs, having long handles; by this means 
 the oysters are brought up. Thousands of bushels are 
 taken from this river every season. 
 
 We passed Craney Island, and the old mooring 
 of the far famed Merrimac, which is a large block 
 of wood, some ten feet square, and firmly secured by 
 means of anchors. A mooring of this kind is much 
 more handy than to cast anchor ; for in case of a sudden 
 attack,, the cable can be dropped in much less time than 
 an anchor can be raised. Not far from this point lay 
 the Merrimac, sunk just beneath the water s edge, 
 awaiting the wreckers pleasure to be raised. I under 
 stood from one of the wreckers, they were to have 
 forty-five per cent of her value, when she is afloat. 
 
 We passed Fort Norfolk, and landed at the city 
 dock, just in time to take the ferry boat for Ports 
 mouth. At the navy yard I saw the old United 
 States, which had just been raised and brought to the* 
 yard, to have the iron and copper taken from her. 
 
 I returned to Norfolk, and rambled through its 
 streets. I found it a handsome place, containing many 
 fine buildings. The Custom House is a large stone 
 structure, built in Grecian style, after the Corinthian 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 105 
 
 order. It also contains two hotels, the National and 
 Atlantic. In a sitting room of one of these hotels, I 
 saw a bill posted, notifying the guests that no political 
 discussions would be allowed, either in the house 
 or on the stoop. While there I saw many seedy old 
 gentlemen hanging around, who appeared to belong to 
 the F. F. V. s, and it seemed to me they had seen 
 better days. Their threadbare coats and old fashioned 
 hats bespoke a loss that none understood as well as 
 themselves ; their hats appeared to be at least ten years 
 behind the age, and those who wore them, at least fifty ; 
 they were men not fit for the rebel service, and were 
 left to take care of the women and children, many of 
 whom are now widows and orphans. 
 
 Norfolk and Richmond w r ere the principal slave 
 markets. Here, before the rebellion, could be seen the 
 whipping post and slave pens; also the father and 
 mother, with their children, brought to market and 
 sold from their masters, like sheep, to be separated 
 forever; and this in a land where we have boasted so 
 many years : That all men were born free and equal, 
 and endowed with certain inalienable rights; among 
 them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 
 Thank God ! that day is past. Many of those slaves 
 are now Union soldiers, and are helping to fight the 
 
106 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 battles of our country. I returned to camp much 
 pleased with my visit to Norfolk. 
 
 This evening (Nov. 17th) our regiment received 
 marching orders, to be ready to embark on board of 
 transports, bound for Portsmouth. "We had our stores 
 and equipage on board in due time, and on arriving 
 there, received orders to go to Northwest Landing. 
 
 I transferred my stores on board of a barge, and 
 was towed up the Elizabeth river, entering the Albc- 
 marle and Chesapeake Canal, near Great Bridge, while 
 the regiment took the road on foot. In going up we 
 went through a desolate country, and passed the mouth 
 of the Dismal Swamp Canal, which unites the waters 
 of the Elizabeth with the Pasquotank river, and 
 empties into Albemarle Sound, making water commu 
 nication with Elizabeth City, North Carolina. 
 
 We passed the mouth of the canal just at sundown. 
 As the twilight disappeared, the moon came peeping 
 up from behind the thick forests of Dismal Swamp, 
 and afforded us a beautiful light for our journey. 
 Through this dreary region all was quiet, not a mur 
 mur, even from the toads, was heard. It was quite 
 cool, and ere midnight I was compelled to get up and 
 rub my limbs to keep warm. Long looked for day- 
 
WAKDEKDTG THOUGHTS. 107 
 
 light appeared at last, and we went ashore and built 
 a fire, by which we warmed ourselves. Our regiment 
 had bivouaced near by us, in the woods, and were 
 ready to continue their march to Northwest Landing, 
 a distance of fifteen miles across the country, which 
 was infested by guerillas. Eleven wagons were loaded 
 with camp equipage, and followed the regiment; I left 
 a guard of twenty men in charge of the balance of the 
 stores. We reached Northwest Landing at dark. 
 When within a mile of the place two soldiers, who 
 w r ere in advance of the guard, were suddenly attacked 
 by some guerillas; one was shot, the other taken 
 prisoner. The regiment bivouaced for the night in a 
 pine grove, at a place called Plug s Hills. Here we 
 built winter quarters. 
 
 Thanksgiving has arrived, and we have kept it 
 much to our credit, in these backwoods of Virginia. 
 In the morning the regiment was formed in a hollow 
 square. Our Adjutant read a letter from Governor 
 Seymour; also his proclamation. The Chaplain offered 
 up a prayer, the Glee Club sang, and the drum corps 
 played Hail Columbia, after which the Chaplain 
 made a few appropriate remarks on the war and its 
 prospects. The exercises closed with Yankee Doodle. 
 
108 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 At two o clock we sat down in a beautiful pine 
 grove, having a rustic table built, well loaded with the 
 good things of this life, such as turkeys, geese, ducks, 
 chickens, quail, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, and 
 other vegetables, with plenty of ale, and pumpkin pie. 
 The day was cool and pleasant, and will long be 
 remembered by us all, as the Thanksgiving dinner in 
 the backwoods of Virginia, near Dismal Swamp. 
 
 Bleak November is drawing to a close; to-day is 
 Sunday, and I am ordered to Norfolk for supplies. 
 Myself, teams, and a cavalry escort, started through 
 the storm, riding a distance of twenty-five miles, 
 arriving in Norfolk after dark. It was the hardest 
 half day s journey I have experienced in the army, 
 and I was too tired to sleep soundly, even on a feather 
 bed, which would have been a luxury under other 
 circumstances. 
 
 December comes in mild and beautiful, much like 
 our delightful Indian summers at the North, although 
 the long nights are cold and cheerless in our old and 
 much worn canvas houses. 
 
 Our camp is situated in a pine grove, which was 
 once a cornfield, the hills of which are plainly visible. 
 On this spot some Tories were hung during the Revo- 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 109 
 
 lution, they having given the enemy information as to 
 the movements of our army, at that time. 
 
 Some three miles from here is an old brick church, 
 which was erected one hundred and fifty years ago. 
 The roof has fallen in, and its walls are covered with 
 moss, which show solidity, after having stood the 
 storms of so many years. 
 
 In this region of country there is plenty of game, 
 such as bears, wild cat, quail, squirrels, &c. I was 
 awakened by the cry of a wild cat, last night ; he made 
 the forest ring with his screams, making night hideous. 
 This is a dense wilderness, our camp lying on the 
 borders of Dismal Swamp, whose waters flow into the 
 Northwest river, and is called juniper, which shrub 
 is abundant in this swamp, making the water of a red 
 color, and it is considered a healthy drink. 
 
 This great swamp covers an area of some three hun 
 dred square miles, Lake Drummond being in the center 
 of it, from which Dismal Swamp Canal is fed. The 
 cypress and cedar grow very large here. Juniper is 
 found in abundance, and woodbine grows wild and 
 rank, clinging to every shrub and tree within its reach. 
 
 This was formerly a great rendezvous for the run 
 away negroes. Some would remain secreted here for 
 
 months, living on game and roots. In the season when 
 
 10 
 
110 EANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 corn is fit for use, they would travel miles to obtain 
 it, and return again to their hiding places before day 
 break. The bloodhounds were often used for hunting 
 out these poor creatures, and when found many were 
 shot before they would be captured. I was told this 
 by one who had experienced it. In the same conversa 
 tion he said his master told him he could not take care 
 of himself, if given his liberty. He told him he was 
 willing to try the experiment, as he and his family had 
 from their labor supported both themselves and their 
 master and his family; he also remarked: "Now, I 
 say, let the negro have his freedom, and if he wont 
 work let him root hog or die/ dese ar my sentiments." 
 
 A story is told of a young man who lost his mind, 
 upon the death of a girl he loved, and who suddenly 
 disappearing from his friends, was never afterwards 
 heard of. As he had frequently said, in his ravings, 
 that the girl was not dead, but gone to the Dismal 
 Swamp, it is supposed he hqd wandered into that 
 dreary wilderness, and had died from hunger, or got 
 lost in some of jts dreadful morasses. 
 
 The celebrated poet, Tom Moore, while on a visit 
 to this country, hearing the above related, composed 
 the following verses, which give a truthful description 
 of this dismal region: 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. Ill 
 
 Away to the Dismal S\vamp he speeds 
 
 His path was rugged and sore, 
 Through tangled juniper, beds of reeds, 
 Through many a fen, where the serpent feeds, 
 
 And man never trod before. 
 
 And when on the earth he sunk to sleep, 
 
 If slumber his eyelids knew, 
 He lay, where the deadly vine doth weep 
 Its venomous tear and nightly steep 
 
 The flesh with blistering dew: 
 
 And near him the she-wolf stirr d the brake, 
 And the copper-snake breathed in his ear, 
 
 Till he starting cried, from his dream awake, 
 
 " Oh ! when shall I see the dusky Lake, 
 And the white canoe of my dear 1 " 
 
 He saw the Lake, and a meteor bright 
 
 Quick over its surface play d 
 "Welcome," he said, "my dear one s light," 
 And the dim shore echoed, for many a night, 
 
 The name of the death-cold maid. 
 
 Till he hollow d a boat of the birchen bark, 
 
 Which carried him off from shore ; 
 Far, for he follow d the meteor spark, 
 The wind was high and the clouds were dark, 
 And the boat returned no more. 
 
 But oft, from the Indian hunter s camp, 
 
 This lover and maid so true 
 Are seen at the hour of midnight damp, 
 To cross the Lake by a fire- fly lamp, 
 
 And paddle their white canoe. 
 
112 IVAXDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 Our flag presentation took place to-day. The regi 
 ment was formed in a hollow square, and our Colonel 
 stated briefly the object of the parade. The drum 
 corps played the Star Spangled Banner, when the flag 
 was brought forward and Captain Ballard made the 
 following presentation remarks : 
 
 I 
 
 " Colonel, Officers and Soldiers of the 81st Regiment : 
 
 " The morning I left home for the regiment, I was 
 handed one hundred dollars by Mr. Ingcrsoll, of Lee, 
 Oneida county, to purchase a flag for our regiment. It 
 was an unexpected event, to me, and in my embarrass 
 ment and thankfulness I am afraid I did not make a 
 suitable acknowledgment for the gift. 
 
 "It may be proper here for me to say a few words 
 in regard to Mr. and Mrs. Ingersoll, for I apprehend 
 they are in company in this, as they are in every other 
 good work, although but one of their names appears in 
 the letter of presentation. 
 
 "The great Sahara of human selfishness and avarice 
 is all dotted with green and fertile spots, where the 
 weary traveler finds encouragement, refreshment and 
 repose, and the remembrance remains in his heart. 
 The home of the ones who make this gift is one of the 
 oases in life s desert, among the many who are half dis- 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 113 
 
 loyal, among the many who make noisy, but empty pro 
 fessions of their faith in our final triumph. They are 
 those who show their faith by their works; they are 
 emphatically, and devotedly, the friend of the soldier 
 and the soldier s family. In their homes are shown 
 what age, youth and woman can do, when inspired 
 by patriotism and a love of right, to help preserve 
 our National life. From the first outbreak of the 
 rebellion their hands and purses have been the servants 
 of their prayers. The dearest object of their affections 
 has not been counted too dear for an offering to their 
 country. It is not an exaggeration, when I affirm that 
 in this struggle had every Northern man, and every 
 Northern woman, worked with a zeal and an energy 
 like theirs, before this time war s bloody tide would 
 have been stayed, and thousands who have perished, 
 and will yet perish on the battle field, might have been 
 spared, to bring comfort and gladness to their homes. 
 
 "It has been said that ( A thing of beauty is a joy 
 forever. The American flag is a thing of beauty; 
 beautiful in its chaste simplicity; beautiful because 
 it is the emblem of Liberty, Union, Justice, and 
 Equality; and there is an additional beauty imparted 
 to it when presented as now, in this our country s hour 
 
 of peril and trial, by those who possess loyal hearts. 
 
 *10 
 
114 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 "We are in arms to-day to fight, if necessary, that 
 the flag may retain its proud pre-eminence among the 
 nations of the earth, and that it may be a joy forever, 
 to all people, even to those who shall till the fertile 
 fields of the South. By every effort in its power, in 
 the future as in the past, may the Eighty-First see to 
 it in regard to our country and its free institutions, 
 in regard to our gallant dead, in regard to the loyal 
 living at home, in the field and on the sea, in regard 
 to future generations, and the estimable lady who 
 makes us this gift, may the Eighty-First New York 
 see to it that no dishonor stains its folds." 
 
 To which our Colonel made the following reply: 
 
 " Captain Bollard: 
 
 "In behalf of the regiment which I have the honor 
 to command, allow me to say that I was not a little 
 surprised and delighted on hearing from you that we 
 had in our very camp, surrounded as we are by the 
 enemies of our country, a new and beautiful Star 
 Spangled Banner ; coming as it does at this opportune 
 moment, being destitute of a suitable banner around 
 which to rally in the hour of battle, and at a distance 
 from the headquarters of the Department to which we 
 are attached, and in sight of those who would trample 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 115 
 
 it under their feet, should the opportunity offer, which 
 may God forbid. By the strong arm of the Eighty- 
 First New York, it is more than welcome. 
 
 "That flag presented to us by a representative of 
 the fair sex, will be doubly dear to us; it being an 
 emblem of the Union of States not only, but of hearts 
 and hands/ Every time we gaze on its azure field, 
 may we call to mind our brothers, wives, sweethearts 
 and sisters that we have left behind, and remember 
 that we, in defending that ensign, are protecting from 
 invasion the firesides of our loved ones at home. 
 
 In accepting this National emblem from Mrs. E. 
 C. Ingersoll, in behalf of py command, I can but 
 feebly express to her, through you, our heartfelt thanks 
 and gratitude for this donation at this time; no one 
 thing could be received by us of more importance; and 
 I trust that each and every member of this regiment 
 will consecrate himself anew to the work in which we 
 are engaged; and may this beautiful flag never be pol 
 luted by the touch of traitor hands. 
 
 "And now, fellow soldiers, one and all, it remains 
 for you to say whether this flag, respected and honored 
 by all the nations of the earth, far and near, shall be 
 saved from disgrace at home. Your silence tells me 
 in language not to be mistaken that each of you, if 
 
116 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 needs be, will lay down his life to defend it to the last 
 from enemies abroad and traitors at home. 
 
 " Captain, I thank you, we all thank you, and that 
 Heaven s choicest blessing may descend on the donor 
 is the fervent prayer of him who has the honor to lead 
 this noble band of our country s defenders/ " 
 
 The flag was then placed in the hands of Sergeant 
 Michcls, of Company E. 
 
 On motion of our Surgeon, three cheers were 
 given for the flag, after which the Chaplain asked a 
 blessing on the donor and the regiment, in future. 
 The companies were ordqped to their respective street, 
 and stood at "parade rest" while the drum corps 
 played the sunset retreat, to the tune of Sweet Afton. 
 The scene was beautiful, the music most charming, and 
 when its last echo had died far away amid the lofty 
 cedars and twining woodbine of Dismal Swamp, we 
 returned to our quarters and partook of a hearty supper 
 which our French cook had prepared for us. 
 
 Our regiment becoming short of rations, obliged 
 us to resort to foraging. A detail was made and put 
 under the command of an officer, who went out some 
 three miles from our camp and captured a number of 
 hogs and beef cattle. They were owned by a disloyal 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 117 
 
 citizen, named Wilson, who protested against having 
 them slaughtered, as they were all he had for his win 
 ter s use, and he was much afraid he would starve if 
 they were taken. We told him necessity knew no 
 law, and without further parleying, the hogs were shot. 
 The boys yoking the cattle to his cart and wagon 
 brought them to camp, where they were skinned, 
 dressed and distributed to the different companies. In 
 the meantime Wilson went to Norfolk and took the oath 
 of allegiance. A few days after he came to our camp 
 and asked pay for his property. I told him that we 
 did not pay cash, but would give him a receipt for the 
 number of pounds of pork and beef received, in the 
 name of the United States Government, which he 
 seemed willing to take. Across the face of the receipt 
 I wrote, with red ink, "disloyal citizen" which he at 
 the time did not notice. After he returned home he 
 examined it more closely, and found he had been 
 classed as a rebel, which did not seem to suit him. 
 The next morning he came to my quarters and asked 
 me to change the receipt, as he had taken the oath of 
 allegiance. I told him I could not do that, for at the 
 time his property was taken he recognized the Con 
 federate Government as paramount to the one at 
 Washington, which I represented. He left with a sad 
 
118 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 countenance, seeming to think his receipt would be of 
 little use a wiser, if not a better man. 
 
 The clouds look gray to-day, and the air is chilly, 
 indicating the approach of a cold storm. Our men 
 have commenced rebuilding the bridge across North 
 west river, which will take some days to complete. 
 
 This afternoon, while writing, I heard martial music 
 in the distance, which soon aroused the whole camp. 
 An officer came galloping in, and announced to us the 
 arrival of the 5th United States colored troops, on their 
 way to North Carolina. The music sounded beautiful, 
 which was to the tune of " We are marching along." 
 One company of black zouaves accompanied them as 
 far as our camp. This company was drumming up 
 recruits for the 10th Virginia regiment, which was 
 then being organized at Norfolk. Their dress is very 
 attractive, which induces many to join their ranks. 
 
 The negroes are flocking around the old flag by 
 hundreds ; soon we shall have an army of them, suffi 
 cient to cope with the thinned ranks of the rebels. 
 They make good soldiers, can endure hardships and 
 privations, and love Liberty and their homes. 
 
 "The naked negro panting on the line, 
 Boasts of his golden sands, and palmy wine ; 
 Such is the patriot s boast where e er we roam ; 
 His first, best country, ever is his own." 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 119 
 
 This afternoon the Surgeon, Chaplain and myself, 
 took aTide on horseback, about two miles beyond our 
 picket and videt posts, to a place called Hickory 
 Ground ; on our return we found a grove of persimmon 
 trees, which were loaded with fruit. I rode under one 
 of the trees, stood on my saddle, and ate my fill. 
 
 They are of a most delicious flavor when ripe; but 
 before they are matured, the most bitter fruit 1 ever 
 tasted; the trees resemble the hickory, and the fruit 
 that of small rotten apples, the flavor; that of a date. 
 The natives here use the fruit for beer; and it is said 
 to be good for fevers. 
 
 On our return we took a by-road, which brought 
 us out of the woods in sight of a small house. "We 
 drove up to the door and found it was occupied by two 
 ladies, who had just commenced housekeeping; they 
 invited us to call again, when they got settled. 
 
 We drove down the road bout half a mile, and 
 returned on a full gallop, soon reaching the w r oods, just 
 beyond the house. A few moments after one of our 
 officers was fired on from the rear of the house. No 
 doubt the Bushwhacker was in the house at the time 
 we were conversing with the ladies. 
 
 That night a scouting party of fifty men went out 
 about eight miles, as far as Indian Creek, and at day- 
 
120 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 light arrested a number, and brought them into camp 
 for examination, but could find no clue to the ekmy. 
 
 To-night is cold and cheerless; the moon shines 
 brightly, and nought is heard except the sentinel s 
 tread as he walks his lonely beat. In these silent hours 
 of the night the heart wanders back to home and loved 
 ones there, but soon returns, unsatisfied with imagina 
 tive enjoyment, and then it dreams of its early boyhood 
 and the fond associations of those dreamy days of 
 youth when wandering along the banks of the Mohawk 
 in my native valley; all those fond recollections come 
 pressing upon my mind. What would I not give were 
 it possible to recall back one hour one single hour 
 over whose memory many tears have been shed. How 
 I would love to view again those pleasant scenes where 
 I was delighted, before hope was seen glimmering 
 through a dark and misty future. 
 
 To-night the old school house presents itself to 
 my mind, with its windbreaks of pines which sur 
 round it, and the fleshy and jolly old schoolmaster, 
 who used his whip so freely over our backs, to make 
 us respect his position. Near by was a little cottage 
 hemmed in by trees, and underneath the shades of one 
 was an old well with its "Old Oaken Bucket," from 
 which I have drank many a draft of cool water on a 
 
THOUGHTS. 121 
 
 hot summer s day ; here once lived a happy heart, now 
 passed away. 
 
 I see the old mill, with its brook still serenely flow 
 ing the old miller long since gone to rest; there is my 
 native city in the distance, lying quietly among the 
 hills that skirt the Mohawk, with its tall spires silently 
 tracing life s changeful story, and pointing to those who 
 have fled and gone to rest; further on, in the distance, 
 I see the river moving in silent majesty, on its way to 
 the sea; on the hillside is the old family graveyard, 
 where lies the remains of one who was dear, and around 
 which spot niy heart still clings. It is my mother s 
 grave. Near by my little sister rests; it is long since 
 she died; yet the scenes are fresh before me; how 
 plainly I see her still, and methinks I am wandering 
 with her on the play ground, but which is no longer 
 pleasant, for the happy heart that enjoyed it so fully 
 has passed forever from my sight. The trees have 
 grown old; the flowers have faded and withered, and 
 I shall see their bright smiles no more. 
 
 The remembrance of by-gone days, almost destroys 
 my happiness; vainly have I hoped to still the mur- 
 murings of my heart, forgetting in the stern realities 
 of the present, those fond days of the past; still hope 
 
 is with me, and when every tie that binds me to earth 
 
 11 
 
122 EANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 is broken, when life appears a dreary waste, and every 
 stream that feeds the heart is dried up, still this magic 
 fountain continues to play, whose murmurs are music 
 to my weary soul. 
 
 I hear stray shots on our picket line. The long 
 roll is sounded, which brings our regiment into line, 
 and four companies are dispatched to different points. 
 The following morning brought us the news that a 
 large rebel force had crossed at South Mills, on the 
 Pasquatank river, and were advancing on General 
 Wilde, whose colored brigade were raiding through 
 that section of the country. Our Colonol dispatched a 
 squadron of cavalry, under command of our Major, 
 who advanced as far as Curratuck Court House, and 
 found the General with five hundred troops, ready to 
 march toward our camp, having sent the other portion 
 of his brigade by different routes to Norfolk, with their 
 contrabands and spoils. 
 
 He arrived at our camp about midnight, with a 
 train of seventy wagons and carts, of all descriptions. 
 The moon shone brightly as they passed; every vehicle 
 had from three to six negroes of different sizes; it 
 reminded me of the story I had read of Moses 7 flight 
 out of Egypt, they bringing their masters mules, oxen 
 and carts with them. They bivouaced in a wood near 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 123 
 
 by. The weather was quite cold. We made the 
 children as comfortable as our means would allow. I 
 surrendered a part of my quarters to the women who 
 had small babes. 
 
 General Wilde and staff were our guests during 
 their stay. We gave them a backwoods supper, which 
 consisted of coffee, bear meat and potatoes; they had 
 lain by their camp fires for the last two weeks, and 
 were much fatigued. The General is a tall, slender 
 man, with one arm, the other having been shot off at 
 the battle of Antietam ; he is a thorough Anti-Slavery 
 man, and is proud of his command. At Indian Town, 
 North Carolina, he had a fight with a large band of 
 guerillas, killing and wounding many of them; he hung 
 one of them to the limbs of a tree, and burned their 
 camps, many of which he found back from the road, 
 in swamps, and had to march his men single file over 
 fallen trees to reach them. One of his men was cap 
 tured, and he took the wife of a Lieutenant of the band 
 as a hostage for his safe delivery, declaring she should 
 meet the same fate. The ammunition that was found 
 was marked " Birmingham, Eng." This shows British 
 neutrality, with a vengeance. 
 
 The shortest days of the year are now with us, 
 bringing long dreary nights. Our pickets are again 
 
124 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 firing. I took my gun and went out with a party, 
 and found they had shot a poor negro woman, who, 
 from fear of being captured, had run away from home 
 and her little ones, and through her ignorance, not 
 halting when demanded by the sentinel, received her 
 death wound. Her husband and a number of other 
 plantation hands had been run over the lines during 
 the day by emissaries of the Confederate Government. 
 The poor woman was brought to camp, and soon after 
 ward died. During the night her husband escaped and 
 came into camp, where he found his dead wife. This 
 was for the love of freedom. 
 
 " Yet it may be more lofty courage dwells 
 
 In one weak heart which braves an adverse fate, 
 Than his whose ardent soul indignant swells, 
 
 "Warmed for the fight, or cheered through high debate." 
 
 The next day a party of soldiers w r ere sent to the 
 place where those negroes lived. Off in the woods was 
 found a guerilla rendezvous. They burned all the 
 buildings, leaving it a scene of desolation. 
 
 Old Year s day has arrived, and the scenes around 
 us, which we lately beheld, have assumed a new and 
 chilly aspect. The trees are shorn of their foliage ; the 
 fields have lost their verdure, and the wild shrubbery 
 
\YANDEEING THOUGHTS. 125 
 
 yields no perfume. Autumn, like a friend in adversity, 
 is now forsaking us ; everything around looks dead, and 
 the sweet song of birds will not be heard again till 
 spring time returns. 
 
 Winter has its pleasures, even in camp. The boys 
 congregate around their camp fires, and tell their 
 youthful stories, their past pleasures, and their antici 
 pations for the future. The long and tedious marches 
 are abandoned, and winter quarters taken, in place of 
 bivouacing in open fields, or woody glens. 
 
 Although the life of a soldier is one of toil, hard 
 ship and privation, still there is a charm in it that 
 influences all of an enthusiastic or daring disposition. 
 When the soldier is exhausted by fatiguing marches, 
 or overcome by the heat of a Southern sun, he may at 
 times sigh for a return to a life of ease, and long for 
 the quietness of home, and its domestic comforts; but 
 ^en the joys of meeting friends, and visiting old 
 familiar haunts, are over, he again wishes to return to 
 the exciting scenes of the soldiers life in the field. To 
 day we have had a proof of this, in our own camp, as^ 
 over one half of our veteran men have re-enlisted for 
 the war. 
 
 It has been remarked that war unfits men for peace, 
 and anxious fears are entertained that it will be impos- 
 
( 
 
 126 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 sible for our armies in the field to lead peaceful lives, 
 after this great struggle is over. I have no fears as to 
 such a result, although they dare face the enemy s can 
 non, and the rattle of musketry, still they are humane 
 and law abiding citizens, whose sympathies are easily 
 excited, even to tears. Such are the true qualities of 
 a noble and daring heart. Then who would not be a 
 soldier? especially when engaged in such a grand and 
 righteous cause. 
 
 1 have just visited the pickets on the distant out 
 posts. Along a lonely and scarcely beaten path I 
 walked. Not a murmur was heard. The gray clouds 
 had deepened into night; the pale moon had not yet 
 risen from her accustomed repose to light my footsteps. 
 On my return I am challenged by our pickets at the 
 river side. A voice is heard to say: "Who comes 
 there?" "A friend with the countersign," is the 
 reply. The command is to halt, and advance oge 
 step, while the sentinel receives it from you, with the 
 bayonet at your breast; this is the routine, with either 
 ^friend or foe. 
 
 The midnight alarm often brings the soldier from 
 his happy repose ; but he is ever ready and willing to 
 meet the foe of his country. He is often sent through 
 the country far beyond the picket and videt posts, to 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 127 
 
 watch the movements of the enemy, through drenching 
 rains and chilly winds, night after night, having no 
 shelter except that which nature affords, with his gun 
 secured under his arm ; here in solitude he whiles away 
 many a tedious night, while the stars are kindly smiling, 
 and the flowers are weeping tears of dew; then his 
 thoughts are roaming, thinking of by-gones, still there 
 are griefs in his bosom he cannot quell; no heart near 
 beating in sympathy with his, and no kiss greets him 
 with morning dawn ; but hope springs up in his heart 
 that a message will come from some dear loved one, to 
 revive his almost drooping spirit. Homesickness creeps 
 on, as he watches day by day for these comforters of 
 his lonely heart, he becomes discouraged oftentimes, 
 and then deserts; men call him a coward, when he is 
 only starving for sympathy. We should deal kindly 
 with such, for each heart has its own sorrows, which 
 earth cannot always dispel. 
 
128 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 1864. 
 
 THE 1st of January is with us. Here we are pent 
 up in our canvas houses, shivering before our little fire, 
 giving us ample time to reflect on the events of the 
 past year, and the great uncertainty of the future. It 
 is a lovely morning; the sun in its majestic splendor 
 has left the horizon, and is climbing the imaginable arc 
 overhead ; the air is piercing cold, instinctively bringing 
 us near the burning embers. The river near by is 
 frozen over, the ice looking like polished glass on 
 which the boys are sporting. 
 
 This is New Year s morning, but I can scarcely 
 realize it, here in the backwoods of Virginia; but 
 when I hear the greeting of " Happy New Year," I 
 am reminded of by-gone pleasures and unalloyed happi 
 ness which I enjoyed beneath the paternal roof. 
 
 War has deprived us all here of the pleasant asso 
 ciations which so often greeted us on the happy New 
 Year s morning. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 129 
 
 Our respective friends might all enjoy a visit here 
 to-day, to see our cainp, and the comforts of camp life 
 near this great Dismal Swamp, if there are any. The 
 tents are neatly arranged on the streets, and mounted 
 on log cabins, with doors on the street front, and chim 
 neys on the rear, built with barrels, towering high, for 
 flues, with the smoke from them curling upwards. 
 
 As you enter a dwelling so rudely constructed, and 
 inquiringly scrutinize the interior, a couch mounted on 
 poles attracts your attention, and perhaps on it lies a 
 lazy inmate; he may be smoking, or engaged in social 
 amusement, having a game of cribbage or euchre with 
 his comrade, to dispel thoughts of home. 
 
 In one corner stands his faithful musket, from 
 which has issued many a deadly missile, aimed at the 
 heart of traitors; in another corner stands a rustic 
 rack, whereon hangs a canteen, towel, haversack and 
 looking glass ; also a pipe and tobacco in a pouch near 
 by. Under the couch you may see a box of hard tack 
 and a piece of pork, with the grease running from it, 
 all ready prepared, for a march. 
 
 With all these camp comforts the soldiers winter 
 quarters are dreary and monotonous; and nothing is 
 so inspiring as a good social letter, especially from the 
 
 "family." Newspapers are always welcome, and are 
 
 * X 
 
130 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 eagerly sought for by the soldiers, and read, even to 
 the advertisements, with an interest little dreamed of 
 by the kind friends at home, who send them. 
 
 This morning a party of fifty men went out on a 
 guerilla hunt; when near Indian Creek Bridge, they 
 saw off in the woods an old building, which was said 
 to be a guerilla* rendezvous. They cleared the house 
 of its inmates, |ind set fire to it, also the outbuildings, 
 laying them all in ashes; in a stack of corn fodder near 
 by was found a double barreled gun, loaded with shot 
 and ball, which, no doubt, was hid there for use 
 against the Yankees. 
 
 This afternoon our veteran recruits were sworn in 
 for another three years; they are to receive a bounty of 
 eight hundred and seventy-five dollars. Everything is 
 quiet in camp, with the exception of occasional firing 
 on our pickets, and it is rumored that the enemy are 
 advancing on us, by way of South Mills. 
 
 February is very mild and pleasant thus far. To 
 day we commemorated* the birthday of WASHINGTON, 
 and to-night we have received an order from Major 
 General Butler to report to our Governor, at Albany, 
 New York, for the purpose of enjoying a furlough of 
 thirty da^s in our native State. This brings joy to 
 
I 
 
 WANDERING THOUGHTS. 131 
 
 many an old soldier, some of whom have not seen 
 their families in over two years, and they are almost 
 wild with delight at the prospect of a speedy reunion 
 with friends at home. 
 
 This morning, the 23d of February, we take up 
 our line of march for Norfolk. At sundown the regi 
 ment bivouaced near Great Bridge, and resumed their 
 march in the morning, arriving at the defences of Nor 
 folk late in the afternoon, where they bivouaced in the 
 fields two nights, awaiting the arrival of transports 
 from New York. 
 
 On the 27th, our whole brigade embarked on board 
 transports, the Eighty-First on board the Prometheus, 
 the Ninety-Sixth on the Cambria, and the Ninety- 
 Eighth on the New Jersey. 
 
 It was noon when we weighed anchor and set sail 
 for Hampton Roads. At sundown we cast anchor off 
 Fortress Monroe; a heavy sea was setting in and we 
 dare not venture out that night; it blew a perfect gale 
 during the night. Morning s dawn brought a change 
 of wind, and at sunrise we set sail for the briny deep. 
 "We soon rounded Cape Charles, bound northward. 
 The next morning we found we were off Jersey shore, 
 passing Cape May with her monstrous hotels in the 
 distance. This is a great resort for Northerners during 
 
132 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 the summer months. The highlands of New Jersey 
 are beautiful, standing up boldly from the ocean bed, 
 as if to defy the rolling billows, as they come beating 
 against them. 
 
 Away off in the distance is seen Neversink, one of 
 the finest elevations in America, with its peaks tower 
 ing to the sky, and on its summit stands a beautiful 
 lighthouse, throwing its rays of fire off on the briny 
 ocean, giving the mariner light to avoid the shallow 
 waters, where thousands have been wrecked, and many 
 lost, never to tell their fate. 
 
 The sea became calm as our vessel neared the main 
 land, giving us a delightful view of the beautiful 
 scenery which presents itself on either shore, as AVC 
 sail up the channel which brings the traveler to the 
 great Emporium of America. As we sail up we see 
 the defences of New York and its surroundings, which 
 are immense fortifications of stonework and earth, on 
 which are mounted not less than three hundred guns, 
 some of which are of the largest caliber. 
 
 We anchored off Castle Garden; the sun was at its 
 meridian; the waters were quiet, without a ripple on 
 their surface; the sky as beautiful as was ever seen 
 from Oriental shore. This was the last day of winter, 
 but one of the lovliest of the year. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 133 
 
 Our Colonel, Adjutant, and myself, went ashore 
 in a small boat, and reported to the commanding 
 officer of the Department. 
 
 The next day, which was the 1st of March, our 
 troops disembarked, and proceeded to the Park bar 
 racks, where they found good quarters for two days, 
 and in the meantime were reviewed by the Mayor and 
 Common Council, in front of the City Hall; from 
 there we were escorted to Union Square, by the Eighth 
 and Thirty-Seventh New York National Guard, and 
 were again reviewed, by General Burnside ; after which 
 the brigade marched to the National Armory, and par 
 took of a collation; from thence we marched to the 
 Hudson River Railroad and took the cars for Albany, 
 arriving there the next morning. 
 
 On the following day we were reviewed by the 
 Governor and Legislature, and addressed by Speaker 
 Alvord, in fitting terms. In the evening the regiment 
 took the cars for Oswego, where we were received the 
 following afternoon, in a most sumptuous manner by 
 the citizens of that loyal city. 
 
 The day had been wet and exceedingly unpleasant, 
 but our arrival brougttfc out an immense crowd, which 
 
 filled the streets; although exposed to a drizzling rain, 
 
 12 
 
134 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 they were eager to catch a glimpse of the returned 
 veterans. We were received amid the cheers of the 
 multitude. The merry pealing of the bells, and roar 
 of cannon told our welcome. We were escorted to 
 Babcock s Block, by the National Guards and the 
 several fire companies of the city, from the balcony 
 of which we were welcomed in behalf of the civil 
 authorities, by Mayor Grant, as follows: 
 
 Officers and Soldiers: 
 
 As the executive officer of this city, I have been 
 requested to congratulate you on your safe return to 
 your homes, and to extend to you that cordial wel 
 come which a grateful and generous people are ever 
 ready to bestow on the brave defenders of their rights, 
 and the liberties of their country. 
 
 To me, personally, it is a great pleasure to be the 
 medium of communicating the high appreciation of 
 your townsmen and fellow citizens, of your heroic 
 deeds, your gallantry, and noble bearing as soldiers. 
 You came not unheralded ; you have not been forgotten 
 while absent; the eyes of your immediate friends and 
 fellow citizens have been upon you. Already have 
 they watched you, and deeply fiavc they sympathized 
 with you in your long and fatiguing marches, your 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 135 
 
 exposure and self denial, your patient endurance of the 
 hardships, perils and deprivations of a soldier s life, 
 as well as the determined spirit and unflinching 
 bravery exhibited on the battle field, in the midst of 
 death, carnage, and the war of artillery; when your 
 brave fellows and compatriots were falling around 
 you like the ripe grain before the sickle. 
 
 We are happy to greet and welcome you beneath 
 these gloriously dilapidated flags of the noble Eighty- 
 First. If they are tattered and torn, pierced and 
 blood stained, they have never been soiled by the 
 unhallowed hands of the enemy. Under these flags 
 fell the gallant McAmbly. Most nobly have you 
 sustained and bravely defended them; we are proud 
 of you, and honor and respect you. 
 
 Officers and soldiers, your record is a glorious one, 
 that of participating in the attack, bombardment and 
 capture of Yorktown, in the bloody battle of Williams- 
 burgh, in the fatigue and inevitable hardships of the 
 camp, the march, and battles of the Peninsula, in 
 the unavoidable exposure, and intense suffering in the 
 swamps of the Chickahominy, in valiantly and success 
 fully sustaining the attack and holding the position 
 against a vastly superior force of the enemy for three 
 and a half hours, in the unequal yet glorious encounter 
 
136 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 of Fair Oaks, in which heroic and sanguinary battle 
 about eighteen hundred of your brave comrades were 
 slain or wounded, out of five thousand. 
 
 In the terrible and glorious seven days fight of that 
 memorable and skillful retreat to James river, you 
 occupying the rear position in that successful move 
 ment, your embarkation for South Carolina, and your 
 trip to the Dismal Swamp, are all convincing proofs 
 as to your loyalty to your country. 
 
 Amid the hilarity and the convivial congratulations 
 of this proud and glorious day, is to be seen the 
 evidences of real sadness interspersed among this 
 assembly; the mournful eye beholds the remnant of 
 this once full but now decimated regiment with feelings 
 of sorrow and affliction, with the only consoling reflec 
 tion that the slain valiantly sacrificed their lives in 
 behalf of their country s cause. Their return we can 
 not welcome, but their daring deeds, their patriotic 
 devotion to their country, its Constitution and laws, 
 and to the good old Union under which we have 
 become so popular and powerful a people, are engraven 
 in letters of living light upon the hearts of their coun 
 trymen, and their memory will be hallowed by future 
 generations. It has been your fortune to escape the 
 terrible fate which befel so many of your comnuU-s, 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 137 
 
 and once more to visit your homes, and again embrace 
 the dear ones who have so anxiously and constantly 
 awaited your return. 
 
 The exhibition of public respect and feeling mani 
 fested by this large gathering of your fellow citizens, 
 who have come together to do you honor, is a flatter 
 ing testimonial of their confidence and high regard 
 for you. The noble cause in which you are engaged 
 has had much to do in rousing up and bringing forth 
 this demonstration of public sentiment. 
 
 A great outrage had been perpetrated on the flag 
 and liberties of our country. The execrable and 
 intolerable dogma of the right of secession of munici 
 palities was proclaimed, the Union was separated, the 
 Constitution entirely disregarded, and the laws set at 
 defiance ; treason raised her hydra-head, open rebellion 
 announced, and civil war with all its horrors was 
 inaugurated. The country called for troops and, to 
 your honor will it ever be credited, you answered 
 promptly, and voluntarily offered your lives upon 
 your country s altar, and for the preservation of her 
 liberties. 
 
 The people deem it to be a duty, as it is a pleasure, 
 thus to give a befitting reception to their brave 
 
 defenders. This duty we shall ever be happy to 
 *12 
 
138 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 perform as long as there is an absent soldier to return ; 
 and our joy and gratitude at your return is only 
 marred by the recollection of the absent faces left 
 behind. Well has the Poet said : 
 
 " Princes and Lords may flourish, or may fade, 
 A breath can make them, as a breath has made, 
 But a brave soldier is his country s pride, 
 Once destroyed can never be supplied." 
 
 About three years ago a wicked and gigantic rebel 
 lion was projected and inaugurated, to sever and destroy 
 this then happy and glorious Republic. Our laws 
 were violated, our shipping, our forts, our munitions 
 of war, and our revenues, were seized by the ruthless 
 hands of misguided men, in open acts of sedition and 
 conspiracy. Even our noble flag, the priceless legacy 
 handed down to us by our illustrous ancestors, was 
 most insultingly fired upon. A civil and vindictive 
 war being thus instigated, you, with others, most nobly 
 offered your services, your lives, your all, in your coun 
 try s cause. Your achievements, your heroism, your 
 perils in war, your comrades fallen on the battle field, 
 all, all will be recorded in the history of your country, 
 and the glorious Eighty-First will live on the historic 
 pages, when those here assembled shall be no more. 
 
WANDEBINQ THOUGHTS. 139 
 
 The tountry has again called for troops. Your 
 friends and fellow citizens, knowing your gallantry, 
 and lofty devotion to your country and to the cause 
 so dear to your hearts, have solicited a renewal of your 
 services, in these times of imminent peril, relying con 
 fidently upon your cheerful acquiescence in the demand 
 and wants of your Government. 
 
 Noble and veteran warriors! correctly did they 
 judge that you possessed the patriotism, courage and 
 indomitable spirit of our Revolutionary sires; that 
 you would again volunteer to participate in the hard 
 ships, perils, toils and bloody conflicts necessary to 
 quell this rebellion For this purpose you have cheer 
 fully re-enlisted for three years more. For this "great 
 sacrifice and devotion to the rights and interests of 
 your countrj we cannot repay the debt of gratitude 
 we owe you, by any act of ours. 
 
 With joy and pleasure do the multitude here 
 assembled hail and congratulate your return. If your 
 return has produced this delight and raised this senti 
 ment of public respect, with what real, heartfelt grati 
 tude and enthusiasm will your fellow citizens receive 
 the intelligence that your patriotism has prompted you 
 again to volunteer, and to re-enter upon this terrible 
 strife, and see it through to the bitter end. 
 
140 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 Officers and soldiers, for this great sacrifice of yours, 
 as well as for your former achievements, you have our 
 thanks, our unfeigned gratitude ; our most ardent desire 
 and sincere wish is that your future career may be as 
 prosperous and successful as the undertaking is praise 
 worthy and glorious. May success attend you in every 
 effort; may the fortunes of war be with you in every 
 undertaking, and may all of you live to return again 
 to your friends, after having conquered a peace, quelled 
 the rebellion, restored the Union, maintained the Con 
 stitution, and vindicated the outraged law T s. 
 
 You have enlisted in a glorious cause; in it you 
 have our ardent desires for a successful and triumphant 
 termination. May your movements be guided by wise 
 counsels, and your progress be onward, and forward, 
 until the last rebel is forced to lay down his arms, 
 sue for mercy, and ask for an honorable peace. 
 
 Finally, in the name, and also in behalf of your 
 numerous friends, and of all such as are dear to you, 
 I bid you, a most hearty welcome. 
 
 The Mayor s adddress was received by the boys with 
 enthusiastic cheers. 
 
 Our Colonel, in behalf of the regiment responded 
 as follows : 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 141 
 
 Mr. Mayor, Members of the Common Council and Citi- 
 
 . zens of Oswego : 
 
 Allow me, in behalf of the gallant Eighty-First 
 New York State Volunteers, to tender you a soldier s 
 thanks for the spontaneous outburst of warm hearted 
 feeling manifested by this enthusiastic reception, by 
 the masses of this goodly city. If the people of 
 Oswego are satisfied with our course, we feel amply 
 .repaid for all our sacrifices and sufferings. In making 
 and enduring them, we feel that we have only done 
 our duty to our country in this her hour of peril ; and, 
 sir, we have not only done all that has been asked of 
 us, but we have, after carefully canvassing the matter, 
 determined to return to the field and do all we can 
 for three years to come, if needed. 
 
 Allow me % , sir, to refer to the time when those tat 
 tered and worn colors that now adorn the platform 
 on which you stand, were presented in yonder park. 
 Two years have elapsed, yet the sentiments of the 
 Hon. Mr. Fitzhugh, uttered on that occasion, are still 
 ringing in our ears: "Go boys, go, and sustain the 
 glorious Stars and Stripes, just presented to you, and 
 you not only, but your children will bless the day, and 
 feel proud when they remember that their fathers 
 helped to crush out bhe great rebellion of 1861." That 
 
142 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 * 
 
 sentence, sir, will continue to prompt us to action, and 
 if we, like others that have left ffefore us, should not 
 return at the next return of the Eighty-First, you will 
 do us honor by saying, that by our blood was our 
 nation brought to life. Again let us thank you for 
 this kind reception. 
 
 Cheer upon cheer was given for the Eighty-First 
 by the surrounding multitude, and responded to by 
 the boys, when they marched to Doolittle Hall. Here 
 the ladies of Oswego had been busy during the day, 
 preparing a banquet for the veterans which was a 
 grand affair. 
 
 The hall was decorated with flags, and while the 
 veterans were partaking of the good things which the 
 table afforded, the band discoursed delightful music, 
 and the ladies made themselves attentive in waiting 
 on the care worn soldiers, many of whom were the 
 wives, daughters and sisters of these men. After the 
 cloth was removed, speeches were made by a number 
 of the officers, complimenting the ladies of Oswego 
 for their kind reception, and telling them how anxious 
 t^ey were to return and receive their smiles and best 
 wishes. It was midnight before all the audience left, 
 yet the tables were well supplied *vith refreshments. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 143 
 
 The following day our men were furloughed* for 
 thirty days, to visit their respective homes, while the 
 officers were detailed on recruiting service, all of whom 
 were to report at Fort Ontario, on the 1st of April. 
 
 Our regiment rendezvoused at Fort Ontario, from 
 the 1st to the 12th of April, and then left by rail for 
 Albany, arriving there the next morning, and at night 
 took the steamer St. John for New York. On our 
 arrival there we proceeded to the Park Barracks, 
 where we remained two days, and then embarked on 
 board the transport Ericson, for Fortress Monroe, 
 where we arrived on Sunday evening after a delightful 
 voyage of forty-eight hours. 
 
 We lay at anchor until morning, when we were 
 ordered to Yorktown with our whole brigade. I was 
 ordered to Northwest Landing, our old camp, for a 
 detachment of our regiment, and our camp equippage. 
 I left Norfolk at midnight, on horseback, for our camp, 
 arriving there at daylight, having had a very lonely 
 ride, sleeping part of the time on my horse, that faith 
 ful animal, who brought me through in safety. 
 
 The troops, and seven loads of baggage, started for 
 Great Bridge ; myself and detail awaited the return of 
 the teams, with seven others, which were to be sent me 
 
144 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 by the way of Deep Creek, from Portsmouth. The 
 next morning we left our winter quarters, with thir 
 teen loads, direct for Norfolk, arriving there at sun 
 down. At midnight we were all on board the steamer 
 Webster, bound for Yorktown, where we arrived the 
 following morning, and the old members of the Eighty- 
 First were united with the re-enlisted veterans, who 
 were encamped on the plain, just outside of the forti 
 fications, nearly on the same spot which we had occu 
 pied after the retreat from Harrison s Landing, in 
 August, 1862. 
 
 It is the last of April, and the weather is quite 
 mild. We have received orders to send all our lug 
 gage to Norfolk, except so much as can be put in a 
 small valise, which each officer will be allowed trans 
 portation for, during our active spring campaign. The 
 18th Army Corps is rendezvoused at this place, at 
 Gloucester Point. On the opposite side of the river 
 lays the 10th Army Corps, which has just arrived 
 from the Department of the South, where they have 
 been for the last year hammering at the gates of 
 Charleston, and reducing Fort Sumter. 
 
 The entire force is commanded by Major General 
 B. F. Butler, who is a particular friend of Jefferson 
 Davis and the Southern ladies. I hope he may be 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 145 
 
 privileged soon to issue some of his New Orleans 
 orders in the city of Kichmond, where they are so 
 much needed; also to release our prisoners from Libby 
 and Belle Isle, who are now starving. The Thirty- 
 Eighth Pennsylvania passed through our camp, having 
 a tame bear with them, weighing about three hundred 
 pounds ; it is kept by the boys as a pet, and has been 
 with them ever since the regiment took the field. 
 
 This is a beautiful May day. The sun is high in 
 the heavens, throwing its genial rays over hill and 
 plain. The cold winds have ceased to blow, and quiet 
 spring has returned again with her verdant fields and 
 balmy air. The fruit trees are all in blow; the buds 
 which have been so long concealed, have burst forth 
 from their winter prison, giving joy to every eye. 
 
 Just two years ago to-day Yorktown was evacuated 
 by the rebel army, under General Magruder, and our 
 forces under General McClellan, entered it triumph 
 antly, planting our flag on the ramparts, which has 
 floated there ever since. 
 
 We leave Yorktown to-day, which is the 4th of 
 May, on board of transports; our destination is yet 
 unknown. It is a grand sight to see so many trans 
 ports, loaded with troops, and the Stars and Stripes 
 
 13 
 
146 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 floating from so many mastheads. During the night 
 we anchored off Fortress Monroe, and in the morning 
 our transport, John A. Warner, set her bow up the 
 James river. 
 
 The sun rose beautiful, and a more splendid May 
 morning I have never beheld. Not less than seventy- 
 five transports, of various sizes, accompanied the expe 
 dition, with probably not less than thirty-five thousand 
 men on board. 
 
 The James river is wide and deep; its banks are 
 high and well studded with wood. Occasionally is 
 seen a country residence through the thick foliage. 
 This is one of the finest rivers in .America/and witli 
 Northern enterprize could be made to compare favora 
 bly with the Hudson, in point of commerce, but not 
 in variety of scenery. 
 
 A portion of our troops are disembarking at Fort 
 Pochahontas, on the east side. Here lay the far-famed 
 rebel craft, Atlanta, which was taken by our gunboats 
 at the mouth of Savannah river. She is a splendid 
 ironclad, carrying eight guns, with an iron cased roof 
 over them. 
 
 We reached Bermuda Hundred at sundown. The 
 troops were hastily landed, and our regiment marched 
 out about a mile, and bivouaced in a wheat field for 
 
WANDEEING THOUGHTS. 147 
 
 the night. I sought shelter with my horse under a 
 holly tree. Here lay together for the night all our 
 field and staff officers, with their horses by them, with 
 nothing but the earth to rest upon. We flanked our 
 selves with rails from a fence near by, to prevent the 
 passing troops from running over us. Revielle was 
 sounded, and orders given us to march in fifteen 
 minutes, in which time we had to boil our coffee, and 
 eat our pork and hard tack. 
 
 Soon our Corps was on the march for the Peters 
 burg and Richmond Railroad, which lay within ten 
 miles of us. Our regiment marched about six miles, 
 and encamped. About two o clock heavy firing com 
 menced on our front. The Colonel, Adjutant and 
 myself went forward. On our way we met General 
 Butler and staff; we saluted him, which compliment 
 was returned by the General, who stopped a few 
 minutes for conversation, and informed us that the 
 troops on our right had carried an elevated point, 
 near the railroad, which was an important position. 
 The day was very warm, but our troops were in fine 
 spirits, and felt confident of holding their ground. 
 
 This morning, May 9th, we received orders to be 
 ready at daylight, with one day s rations and sixty 
 rounds of ammunition. At sunrise the whole army 
 
148 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 commenced to move. During the afternoon sharp 
 firing was heard on the right and left; at midnight our 
 left wing was attacked by the Twenty-Fifth South 
 Carolina regiment. They engaged the Twenty-Fifth 
 Massachusetts, who drove them back with the point 
 of their bayonets, with great slaughter. I saw the 
 dead lay in heaps on the field. After the fight I took 
 a walk along the railroad, and found the Third Brigade 
 bending the rails and burning the ties. I went through 
 the woods about a mile, and came upon a turnpike, 
 which led to Richmond; this is the best road I have 
 seen in the South. 
 
 Some very heavy firing commenced on the right 
 of our line, which caused our left to be drawn in. We 
 built a barricade across the railroad, to prevent the 
 rebels seeing us withdraw our force, which was done 
 in good order, leaving General Beauregard without an 
 enemy in his front, and returned to our entrenchments. 
 Many fell out by the wayside, exhausted and overcome 
 with the heat. The woods were on fire, spreading 
 over an immense territory, destroying everything in 
 its way. 
 
 We are again ordered to march at daylight. Bc:ui- 
 regard has left Violet Station, where our last battle 
 was fought, and has taken his troops to Richmond. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 149 
 
 Our forces are on his heels, driving him at double- 
 quick, and we are already within nine miles of the 
 rebel capital. We have succeeded in taking the first 
 line of rifle pits, and our right is within two miles of 
 Fort Darling. 
 
 It has been raining for four days, and our troops 
 have lain in the trenches all this time, under fire of the 
 enemy, with very little to eat. Our greatest want at 
 present is vegetables. Symptoms of scurvy are now 
 prevalent, and many of us have sore mouths. Our 
 rations for the last ten days have been hard tack, salt 
 pork and coffee. This kind of diet, and lying on the 
 damp earth at night, is rather unwholesome, but we 
 can do no better at present; we must bear our priva 
 tions patiently, for a soldier has no right to complain, 
 when the Government is doing the best it can. 
 
 I have returned to camp. It is the solemn hour 
 of night; the wasting moon sheds a hallowed light 
 upon the earth, and the stars but faintly gleam in their 
 far distant homes. The lone sentinels pace their beats 
 with a firm step; fear is a stranger to their breasts, 
 nor do fancies of unseen danger fill their thoughts, 
 for their visions are on home, and those dear loved 
 ones who are waiting around the old hearthstones for 
 
 their return. 
 
 *13 
 
150 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 In the distance the plain is dotted with tents; the 
 camp fires have ceased to burn; within the tent the 
 soldier sleeps, dreaming not of battle fields, nor of 
 scenes of sorrow, but of happy faces and happy days, 
 which makes his sleep so refreshing. 
 
 A deep and hollow rumbling comes wafted by the 
 night winds, from the far end of the lines, while the 
 echo sounds far over the plains and through deep 
 ravines. It is the long roll the cry of " To arms ! " 
 Next comes the cry of "Fall in! fall in!" ringing 
 through the camp. The men obey the summons, and 
 prepare for battle; some may tremble and turn pale, 
 but not a word is spoken. Shadows of loved ones and 
 home flit across their memory in quick succession. 
 They are on the eve of battle, and they know it. 
 Who of them will not return? With hearts stout 
 and brave, they march silently to the conflict. Such 
 are the scenes presented to the soldier s mind when on 
 the eve of battle. 
 
 The morning dawn brought on a general engage 
 ment, on the right of our line, near Drury s BlufF, or 
 Fort Darling, which soon extended along the lines, 
 and lasted until nightfall. Many a brave man fell 
 that day, while battling for his country. Our boys 
 stood their ground nobly. The enemy, with their 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 151 
 
 thirty thousand reinforcements from Richmond, could 
 not drive our troops from the position which they had 
 taken in front of the rebel works. 
 
 As the declining sun was throwing its last rays on 
 the bloody battle field, we received orders to fall back 
 to our entrenchments. Our regiment was the last to 
 leave the ground, which was done under the cover 
 of night. Ere midnight our dead were buried, our 
 wounded were all cared for, and our troops once more 
 secure within the fortifications, between the Appo- 
 mattox and James rivers. Our loss that day did not 
 exceed three thousand men in killed, wounded and 
 missing. 
 
 " In fame s eternal camping ground, 
 
 Their silent tents are spread, 
 And glory guards with solemn tread 
 The bivouac of the dead." 
 
 The battle of Drury s Bluff will be long remem 
 bered and talked of around the hearthstone of many 
 families both North and South. 
 
 This morning, at one o clock, we were aroused from 
 our sleepy couch by heavy musketry, very near our 
 camp, which proved that the rebels were advancing 
 on us. After about twenty minutes firing, they fell 
 
152 EANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 back, and at daylight renewed their fire with increased 
 vigor, until sundown. They were met by our troops 
 with a coolness seldom witnessed. At night our whole 
 brigade commenced strengthening their works, and 
 slashing timber in front of them, forming an abattis. 
 At daylight the rebels sent their shot and shell whiz 
 zing over us like hail. The night being foggy, they 
 succeeded in planting some batteries on our flanks, and 
 within a thousand yards of our works. I heard balls 
 from their sharpshooters whiz over my head distinctly. 
 
 The rain has commenced pouring down again. 
 The sick call is beating, and not less than two-thirds 
 of the regiment are excused from duty, on account of 
 sickness, and exhaustion. 
 
 I have just visited Point of Rocks. On this high 
 cliff stands a sturdy oak, whose leaves have fallen from 
 its boughs for more than two centuries, and under 
 whose shade tradition says Pochahontas saved the life 
 of Captain Smith, when her father, Powhattan, was 
 about to sacrifice him to gratify his savage band. 
 
 A most delightful view is seen from this rock of the 
 Appomattox, as it winds its way through the high 
 bluffs which skirt it on either shore. Its bed is inter 
 spersed with islands covered* with dense foliage, which 
 presents a very picturesque appearance. In the far 
 
WANDEEING THOUGHTS. 153 
 
 distance is seen Petersburg, quietly nestling among the 
 highlands of the Appomattox, with her spires point 
 ing heavenward, and the smoke of her factories hang 
 ing like mist around her dwellings. 
 
 Here is also a fine old farm house, formerly the 
 residence of an F. F. V. ; at present Uncle Sam occu 
 pies it for a hospital. The former occupant left it 
 suddenly, on our arrival here; no doubt thinking 
 Secesh air would be more congenial to his feelings. 
 An ice house was found here, well filled with that 
 article, which was much needed for the sick and 
 wounded soldiers, which at this time was a God-send 
 to us. This ice was made in the winter; it was taken 
 from the river and put together in layers, and then 
 frozen, which made good solid ice. 
 
 On my return I rode along the lines of our earth 
 works, to the James river, and suddenly came upon a 
 group of officers sitting on its banks. I learned it was 
 General Butler and staff, watching the movements of 
 the enemy, who were trying to erect some batteries on 
 the opposite shore. 
 
 In the river just beneath our feet, lay several iron 
 clads, which occasionally threw a shell at the enemy. 
 On the opposite side I saw beautiful wheat fields, 
 and a delightful country; the ravages of war had not 
 
154 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 yet visited it. On my return the rebels had com 
 menced an attack on our front. My horse had taken 
 the wrong road, which brought me near their shell 
 and shot, at one time they flew thick and fast around 
 me, sometimes striking too close to be pleasant. 
 
 The 20th has already arrived, and to-day we had 
 quite a severe battle; the left wing of the 10th Army 
 Corps were engaged near our camp. It commenced 
 at midnight, and lasted until four o clock in the after 
 noon, when the enemy fell back. At night they drove 
 in our pickets, and commenced a general attack; the 
 roar of artillery was immense on both sides. It was 
 a grand spectacle by moonlight. One of our shells 
 struck a caisson, and up it went, like a volcanic explo 
 sion, spreading destruction all around. A grand hur 
 rah went up all along the lines. We soon silenced 
 their guns, and all was quiet again. At daylight the 
 enemy sent in a flag of truce, asking permisson to bury 
 their dead. 
 
 This morning, May 27th, we received orders to 
 strike our tents. In less than an hour our whole 
 corps was on the move. It is a grand sight to see the 
 moving columns in the field, and always brings joy to 
 the soldier; but this is not all that goes to make up 
 the life of the soldiers who compose the grand army 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 155 
 
 of the Union. Every soldier on the march is literally 
 a moving kitchen, for he carries his bed and tent, and 
 all that belongs to the culinary department, upon his 
 back ; hence, whenever a soldier halts, he is at home, 
 and can proceed to housekeeping at once. 
 
 We marched toward the James river, passing 
 through a dense woods and swamp, where we found a 
 corduroy road had been built for us by our Engineer 
 Corps. These roads are formed by first filling in 
 with brush, and then laying timber down for sleepers, 
 or string pieces, after which they are covered with 
 small logs, laid parallel with each other, which are 
 also covered over with earth. In this manner army 
 roads are built through swamps and low, moist ground, 
 enabling the heaviest wagons and artillery to pass over 
 as easily as on our best Macadamized roads. 
 
 After a march of three miles through the woods,, 
 we came into an open field, where we remained two 
 days; from thence we marched to Bermuda Hundred, 
 and embarked on board transports, bound for West 
 Point, on the York river. 
 
 The day is beautiful. The trees which stud the 
 banks of these noble streams are fully leaved. As the 
 sun was sinking in the western sky, throwing a halo of 
 light over the waters of the Chesapeake, we passed Old 
 
15G RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 Point, bound up York river. The night was pleasant, 
 and, without the least obstruction to impede our pro 
 gress as we forced our way through the deep waters, 
 early the next morning we arrived at West Point, 
 which lays at the intersection of the Pamunky and 
 Mattapouy rivers. 
 
 We made our way up the Pamunky in haste, which, 
 by the way, is clearly one of the most crooked rivers in 
 America, and is formed by the waters of the North 
 and South Anna. The Mattapony is formed from the 
 the waters of the Matt, Ta, Po and Ny. 
 
 Early in the afternoon we arrived at the White 
 House. This is a place of great note, and has been 
 known by the name of White House since the Revolu 
 tion. It is one of the sacred spots of Virginia. The 
 Custis family owned this plantation, which comprised 
 many hundred acres. 
 
 At this house Gen. Washington courted and mar 
 ried Mrs. Martha Custis. The trees under whose shades 
 they have often wandered are still alive, and in full 
 vigor, forming now a delightful shade for our sick and 
 wounded soldiers. The house was formerly a wooden 
 building, with brick foundation. At present nothing 
 remains but the chimney and foundation, it having 
 been burned since the breaking out of the rebellion. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 157 
 
 The property is now owned by General Fitzhugh Lee, 
 of the rebel army, and its occupancy by the military is 
 not materially improving its condition. 
 
 This is the last day of Spring, and we have com 
 menced our march towards Richmond. We reached 
 New Castle about midnight, where we bivouaced. 
 
 This morning, which is the 1st of June, we received 
 orders to march to Games Mills, which we reached 
 about five o clock in the afternoon. The day was 
 very warm, and the road very dusty; many fell by the 
 roadside, exhausted by heat and fatigue. We were 
 ordered at once to the front, where the enemy lay 
 awaiting us, behind their entrenchments, at a place 
 called Cold Harbor. Soon the shot and shell com 
 menced flying, as well as railroad iron. The 6th 
 Corps engaged the enemy, and the fighting lasted until 
 near midnight; in the meantime a number of other 
 corps were arriving. 
 
 After the fighting ceased my Sergeant and myself 
 laid down to sleep on the battle field, among the dead 
 and dying. We were very much exhausted, and could 
 find but little rest; the earth was cold and damp. I 
 was compelled to get up during the night and warm 
 
 myself by the camp fire, which was feebly burning; 
 
 14 
 
158 EAXDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 around it sat some wounded soldiers, who had just 
 been brought in from the picket line. A continual 
 cry for water was heard from the wounded and dying 
 around us ; I took my canteen and gave drink to those 
 near by. When morning came, I found many had 
 died, among them were several to whom I had given 
 water but a few hours before. The trenches were 
 already dug by a fatigue party, detailed for that pur 
 pose, and before sunrise all the dead were buried, 
 together with the limbs which had been amputated 
 on the previous day. 
 
 Early this morning Lieutenant Burke, of our regi 
 ment, was killed on the picket line. He was tied up 
 in a shelter tent, with a pole passing through it, which 
 was hung on the shoulders of two boys, and carried to 
 the rear. He was a joival fellow, and often had 
 afforded us much amusement in camp by his histrionic 
 readings, songs and laughable stories. 
 
 On the 3d of June a grand charge was made by 
 the 2d, 5th, 6th, 9th and 18th Corps; not less than 
 125,000 men were engaged. Our Corps, the 18th, 
 made a desperate charge, and carried the works in 
 their front, which made it the most desperate kind 
 of fighting. Night found us in quiet possession of 
 their first line of rifle pits, although repeated charges 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 159 
 
 were made to retake them. All officers were required 
 to be with their respective regiments, and Surgeons 
 within three hundred yards, which brought them 
 under a heavy fire. Our hospital was so near that the 
 enemy s shells passed in and over it, which made it 
 a very unpleasant place for amputating limbs. Our 
 Surgeons worked nobly, looking like so many butchers ; 
 many were bareheaded, with sleeves rolled up to their 
 arm pits, some of them spotted all over with blood; 
 they really looked horrifying. 
 
 The morning was dark and cloudy, with rain at 
 intervals; the day was cool, and far more favorable for 
 fighting than the hot Wednesday which witnessed our 
 last struggle at Drury s Bluff. 
 
 Our regiment made a charge across an open field, 
 and through a dense woods, in which the enemy had 
 a continuous line of rifle pits. The slaughter was 
 terrible; but the works were held with unsurpassed 
 valor. Throughout the day a perfect hail of musket 
 balls and shell were poured in on us, as we lay con 
 cealed behind the earthworks. I saw General Grant 
 on the field that day, smoking his cigar as usual, and 
 taking everything with the utmost coolness. 
 
 In this engagement our regiment lost fifteen officers 
 and one-half their men. My brother was shot in the 
 
160 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 foot, in the early part of the engagement. I helped 
 carry him from the field, and had his foot amputated} 
 after which he was sent to the White House. The 
 engagement at Cold Harbor was one of the most severe 
 battles of the campaign. Our loss was not less than 
 twenty thousand killed, wounded and missing. Our 
 Corps lost over five thousand men, and the most of our 
 dead were left unburied on the field. 
 
 The body of Captain Ballard was brought from the 
 field with much difficulty, by friends, under cover of 
 night. I took him, Lieutenant Burke and Colonel 
 Weed, of the Ninety-Eighth New York, to the White 
 House, had them embalmed and sent North. The jour 
 ney with them, at night, was a tedious and dangerous 
 one, carrying them and one other dead officer in an 
 army wagon, without an escort, a distance of seventeen 
 miles through the enemy s country, which was infested 
 by bands of guerillas. 
 
 The next morning I returned to the front, in charge 
 of a wagon train, two miles long. About midnight 
 we passed through a deep ravine and swamp, through 
 which a corduroy road had been built. One of the 
 teams, near the rear, got off the road into the swamp 
 and fastened, which delayed us an hour, and we were 
 in danger of being captured. The night previous we 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 161 
 
 had lost eighteen teams near this place, taken by the 
 enemy. It became so dark that we could proceed no 
 further, and we bivouaced for the night in an open 
 field, arriving at the front the next morning shortly 
 after sunrise. I went to the rifle pits where our regi 
 ment lay, and delivered a mail. 
 
 The rebel sharpshooters kept up a constant firing 
 at us here for twelve day^. "When the whole army 
 was ordered to the James river, our regiment was sent 
 back to the White House, and took transports for 
 Bermuda Hundred, where we arrived on the 14th and 
 inarched to Point of Rocks, bivouaced for the night, 
 and at daylight crossed the Appomattox on a pontoon 
 bridge. After three hours march, we encountered the 
 enemy, and drove them from the first line of defences 
 of Petersburg, and at sundown stormed and carried 
 the forts which lay within two miles of the doomed 
 city. The charge was made on the first line by the 
 colored troops, who showed no quarter to the foe. 
 
 From an elevated line of the captured forts we 
 could see the spires of Petersburg, quite visible,, 
 through the foliage of the surrounding timber land. 
 Here and there could be seen little clouds of smoke, 
 
 bursting suddenly into existence, followed, after several 
 
 seconds, by the booming of cannon, marking the posi- 
 
 *H 
 
162 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 tion of rebel batteries. Most of them were opposite 
 our right wing, and on the other side of the river, 
 farther in the distance, can be seen the clouds of dust 
 arising from the enemy s wagon train. 
 
 Yesterday morning, at this hour, the strong breast 
 works on which I now stand were garrisoned by rebel 
 troops. From here is obtained a splendid view of the 
 surrounding country, spread out like a panorama, with 
 fields, hills and valleys, dotted over with the camps 
 of the two opposing armies, the one commanded by 
 General Grant, the other by General Lee. 
 
 It was a good day s work, when we consider the 
 value of the captures and the importance of the posi 
 tion gained; and all the glory is attached to the 18th 
 Army Corps. This achievement, added to the service 
 rendered by this corps at Cold Harbor, for thirteen 
 days, makes our record in conjunction with the Army 
 of the Potomac, truly a brilliant one. 
 
 By the present movement on the south side of the 
 James, a new order of operation begins; we not only 
 threaten the communication of the enemy, but we 
 plant ourselves across it, and cut them off from the 
 city of Richmond, which will cause Lee to change his 
 base of operations, or lose the use of the railroads 
 coming into Petersburg from the South. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 163 
 
 Returning to the rear to-day, I overtook some 
 soldiers carrying an officer from the field. They 
 halted a moment to rest, and I inquired of them who 
 they had there. They informed me it was the Major 
 of the One Hundred and Eighteenth New York. I 
 immediately dismounted, as it was my friend and 
 townsman, Major Charles Pruyn, and accompainied 
 his remains to the rear, where he was put in a small 
 outbuilding. On examining his wound, it appeared 
 to be made by a shell or solid shot, carrying away his 
 heart and lungs. I saw a Chaplain, who promised 
 me he would have Mm embalmed and sent home. I 
 gave him his mother s address, and afterward learned 
 that the promise had been fulfilled. 
 
 Only a few days ago I was with him at Cold Har 
 bor, sitting under a tree on the battle field quietly 
 taking a lunch. He was then suffering from the effects 
 of a wound in his foot, from which he had not yet 
 recovered. He seemed full of hope, expecting to be 
 mustered out of the service at the end of the summer 
 campaign. This was the last conversation I had with 
 him. He was a noble fellow and a brave officer, and 
 his loss was deeply felt by his comrades. 
 
 The commanding General issued the following con- 
 
 
 
 gratulatory address : 
 
164 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 " To the Eighteenth Army Corps: 
 
 "The General commanding desires to express to 
 his command his appreciation of their soldierly quali 
 ties, as they have been displayed during the campaign 
 of the last seventeen days. 
 
 " Within that time they have been called upon to 
 undergo all the hardships of a soldier s life, and been 
 exposed to all its dangers. Marches under a hot sun 
 have ended in severe battles; after the battles, watch 
 ful nights in the trenches taken from the enemy. 
 But the crowning point of the honor they are entitled 
 to has been won since the 13tk inst., when a series 
 of earthworks in a most commanding position, and of 
 most formidable strength, have been carried, with all 
 the guns and material of war, of the enemy, including 
 prisoners and colors. The works have all been held, 
 and the trophies remain in our hands. The victory 
 is all the more important to us, as the troops have 
 never been regularly organized in camp, where time 
 has been given them to learn the discipline necessary 
 to a well organized Corps d Armee. They have been 
 hastily concentrated, and suddenly summoned to take 
 part in the trying campaign for our country s being. 
 Such honors as they have won will remain imperish 
 able. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 165 
 
 "To the colored troops comprising the division of 
 General Hinks, the General commanding would call 
 the attention of his command. With the veterans of 
 the 18th Corps they have stormed the works of the 
 enemy and carried them, taking guns, and prisoners, 
 and in the whole affair they have displayed the quali 
 ties of good soldiers." 
 
 On the 17th of June we were ordered to Point of 
 Rocks. Crossing the Appomattox on pontoons, we 
 arrived there at midnight, and bivouaced in a field, 
 where we remained three days, to obtain a little rest, 
 clothing, and change of food. On the night of the 
 21st we returned to the entrenchments we had lately 
 left, which were within about one mile of the city of 
 Petersburg. 
 
 Pontoon bridges are built by using small boats for 
 butments, anchored in the stream, parallel to each 
 other, a distance of twelve feet apart. These are flat- 
 bottomed, being about four feet wide, thirty feet long, 
 and nearly two feet deep. The string pieces are about 
 three by six inches thick, and the floor plank one inch 
 thick, all of oak, which are secured by pins and ropes. 
 Sometimes straw is put over the bridge floor to prevent 
 the enemy hearing the tread of the troops while cross- 
 
166 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 
 
 ing. These bridges are very readily constructed by 
 the pontoniers, who have charge of this work. A half 
 a mile can be laid in one night. They are transported 
 on pontoon carriages, drawn by eight horses, through 
 the country, following the army ; each boat contains the 
 timbers, floor plank and anchors necessary for a span. 
 This branch of the service is under charge of the 
 Engineer Corps, who have been of great service during 
 the war; their duties have been numerous, arduous 
 and dangerous. 
 
 This afternoon we were visited by President Lin 
 coln and General Grant; they passed our lines amid 
 the deafening cheers of the army. 
 
 The weather is very dry and hot, and I have* 
 pitched my fly in a jiine grove, to escape the hot rays 
 of the sun. Here I found a quiet sleep, the first I 
 have had in six weeks. 
 
 A general cannonading commenced early this morn 
 ing, along the line of the rebel earthworks, throwing 
 solid shot and shell into our quarters, which compelled 
 us to leave them, for nearly an hour. One shell 
 exploded over my head, throwing its fragments all 
 around me; another fell among the horses, but did 
 not explode. I picked it up and laid it away for 
 future use. In the meantime the rebels charged on 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 167 
 
 our pickets, driving them in. Our boys were ready 
 to receive them, as they advanced. When the rebels 
 found our fire was too hot for them, they fell down 
 and surrendered themselves up to our brigade. There 
 was some four hundred of them, and about two hun 
 dred killed. 
 
 I had a conversation with a rebel prisoner, who had 
 lost his leg, and was patiently waiting for our surgeons 
 to opperate on him. He remarked to me that he 
 thought it very strange to meet with our regiment in 
 so many engagements, the places being so remote from 
 each other. He said his regiment had engaged the 
 Eighty-First at Violet Station and at Drury s Bluff, 
 then again at Cold Harbor, and a few days afterward 
 he was taken prisoner by them in front of Petersburg., 
 He said our Corps, the 18th, was called by them the 
 "Flying Corps." Our men were kept in light march 
 ing order; they were allowed to carry only a blanket 
 and a half shelter tent with them. Our corps was 
 designed to act with the .Army of the Potomac, when 
 necessary, which they did, and, I understood, much to 
 the satisfaction of the Lieutenant General. 
 
 After every battle comes saddening sights. If you 
 wish to see the "wrinkled front" of "grim visaged 
 war," visit the hospital aft^f a battle. Go to the 
 
,168 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 operating table and observe the delirium of the subject, 
 as the great finger of the surgeon is exploring his 
 bleeding wound, while the sufferer is under the effects 
 of chloroform, that blessed neutralizer of pain. 
 
 Sometimes the subject lies passive under the severest 
 operation; at other times he imagines himself on the 
 battle field, in deadly conflict with his antagonist, and 
 then again singing some favorite song; his physical 
 energies exhausted, he sinks into a short sleep, and on 
 awakening finds his wounds dressed, and oftentimes 
 minus a limb. There are some who sleep that sleep 
 which knows no awakening, gone a to that bourne 
 from which no traveler returns." 
 
 Return to the hospital in the morning, by gray 
 twilight, ere the sun has arisen ; there you will see the 
 attendants bringing out those who have died during 
 the night, laying them in their blankets, for their 
 wind ing sheet, some with their martial cloak around 
 them, in a row outside of the hospital, preparatory to 
 their burial. Go count those little headboards, made 
 from cracker boxes, which stand in rows over the 
 graves of the dead. Under yonder tree, perchance, 
 the form of some acquaintance, or soldier friend, whose 
 warm hand, which is now cold in death, you but yes 
 terday grasped, may rest*beneath one of those head- 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 169 
 
 boards. Virginia is filled with such little mounds, 
 where the dead heroes lie, with nought else to mark 
 their last resting place, or tell the tale, that here lies 
 one who fought and died for his country s cause, which 
 is the cause of mankind. 
 
 The cars have commenced running on the road 
 leading from City Point to Petersburg, which will 
 make transportation much easier, both for the wounded 
 and supplies. 
 
 I received orders this afternoon, from headquarters, 
 to proceed to Norfolk, for the purpose of bringing our 
 regimental books and papers. I took my horse and 
 orderly and rode to City Point. The day was hot and 
 dry, the road one cloud of dust, which was as fine as 
 flour, and almost suffocated us. At City Point we 
 passed by the quarters of Lieutenant General Grant, 
 which are in a fine old mansion, standing on a high 
 bluff, at the junction of the James and Appomattox 
 rivers, beautifully hemmed in with foliage; at the base 
 of the hill is the new wharf, which had just been 
 finished, with the cars on it, loaded and ready to be 
 drawn to the front. The river was filled with trans 
 ports, many of which were loaded with troops, who had 
 just arrived to fill our depleted ranks. The sun had 
 
 just set, and I learned from the Quartermaster at that 
 
 15 
 
170 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 place, that no boat would leave for Norfolk until 
 morning. This made it necessary to secure lodgings 
 for the night, which I found on board the Sanitary 
 boat, where I had a comfortable bed, and in the morn 
 ing a good breakfast, which was the best I had eaten 
 in nearly two months. 
 
 I took passage on the Highland Light, having a 
 delightful sail down the James river, arriving at Nor 
 folk about six o clock in the afternoon. 
 
 On the 1st of July I returned to Fortress Monroe 
 and took the steamer John A. Warner, for City Point, 
 arriving there at sundown. I obtained a conveyance 
 from the Quartermaster, and started for the front. 
 The night was beautiful, the moonlight beaming from 
 a soft Southern sky, floating through the forest trees, 
 lighting them with a bewitching kind of beauty. The 
 air was balmy, and the sky without a cloud; fireflies 
 sparkling like diamonds in the dense forest were 
 flitting around; the cry of the whippoorwill resounded 
 through the woodlands and along the banks of the 
 river; while the hoarse cry of the croaking toads rose 
 from the marshes. 
 
 Soon I heard the booming cannon far in the dis 
 tance. A little later continuous volleys of musketry 
 
THOUGHTS. 171 
 
 
 were heard, indicating plainly that I was nearing the 
 
 enemy and our outer lines. Soon after I reached camp 
 much fatigued with my journey. 
 
 Independence morning is ushered in by the boom 
 ing of cannon from our forts far and near, and the 
 bands and drum corps are discoursing beautiful music 
 at the diiferent headquarters along the lines. 
 
 Good music is a great accessory to an army. Often 
 times it drowns the groans of the wounded and dying 
 on the battle field. The soldiers perform all their 
 duties by the blast of the bugle or the taps of the drum, 
 and the calls are under charge of the chief musician or 
 Drum Major, who details one drummer from the corps 
 each day to perform the routine duties of the camp 
 calls. First com.es Reveille, at sunrise; then the Sick 
 Call, when all the sick assemble at the Surgeon s quar 
 ters, where they are examined and, if necessary, excused 
 from duty for the day; next the Sergeants Call, who 
 assemble at the Adjutant s quarters, and report the 
 number of men in their charge, to him, and also receive 
 special orders ; at nine o clock, Guard Mounting, which 
 is beat on the color line. Officers , Breakfast, Dinner 
 and Supper Calls are also made ; then comes the 
 Retreat, at sundown ; at nine o clock the Tattoo, and 
 half an hour later, Taps, peremptorily requiring that 
 
172 EAXDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 
 all lights to be put out in camp. The most interesting 
 
 of all calls is the Long Roll, which brings the regiment 
 into line of battle. 
 
 Both armies seem to be quiet. Large trains are 
 arriving from City Point, with sanitary stores, such as 
 lemons, oranges, potatoes, cabbage, and, best of all, 
 onions, which we have been so much in need of for 
 the last two months. I think sundown found the 
 entire stock devoured. 
 
 For the last two weeks I have been very busily 
 engaged in making out my returns. Having very sud 
 denly been taken ill, with symptoms of a fever, our 
 Surgeon sent me to the field hospital, near Spring Hill. 
 Here I remained nineteen days, gradually failing for 
 want of proper treatment, and over doses of quinine, 
 which the surgeons seem to give for every ailment, from 
 a sore toe to a headache. 
 
 On the 24th I was sent to the Chesapeake Hospital, 
 on a steamer, with three hundred others, sick and 
 wounded, arriving there at noon. 
 
 It is a beautiful August morning. My window at 
 the Chesapeake Hospital opens on the green and 
 velvety lawn, in the center of which floats our glorious 
 banner, from a high flagstaff. The bleating sheep, 
 
THOUGHTS. 173 
 
 the plaintive cry of the sea birds, and the enchanting 
 beauty of ocean, sky and land, all present a scene 
 which Eden itself could hardly have rivaled. 
 
 The building is large, and well adapted to hospital 
 purposes, it being used exclusively for officers. Its 
 apartments are well furnished, and the building is well 
 provided with ventilation. One of Ericsson s caloric 
 engines fills the massive tanks near the roof with 
 water, so there is an abundant supply in each story, 
 for bathing and other purposes. The building was 
 originally erected for a young ladies school, and was 
 used for that purpose until the madness of treason 
 desolated the homes of Virginia. 
 
 There are about six hundred patients at present, 
 mostly the sick and wounded from the battle fields of 
 Virginia. They are constantly coming in, as there has 
 been no cessation of hostilities for the last two months. 
 This hospital will accommodate about twelve hundred 
 patients. To the right and left, in the foreground, are 
 barrack hospitals, built in the form of a Greek cross, 
 cottage style, and each will contain about two hundred 
 patients. 
 
 When a patient is received at the hospital, he is 
 conducted to his room, At the head of his bed is a 
 
 card case, and in it a card, on which is written his 
 *15 
 
174 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 name, rank, regiment, and corps; also the place he was 
 sent from, his disease or wound, his age, nativity, and 
 postoffice address. If he dies while here, as many do, 
 he is taken to the end of the hall, in the ward where 
 he lies; at this point a dumb waiter passes from the 
 ground floor to the attic story, on which conveyance 
 he is carried down to the first floor, and from thence, 
 on a litter, to the dead house, where he is embalmed 
 or placed in a coffin and prepared for burial. 
 
 Every soldier who dies here, either white or black, 
 is honored with a military funeral. An escort with 
 trailed arms follows him to the grave; the Chaplain 
 performs the burial service, and a volley of musketry 
 from the escort proclaims that the tired soldier sleeps 
 that last sleep from which there is no awakening. A 
 headboard with the name, rank and regiment of the 
 officer painted on it is always carried with the coffin, 
 and placed at the head of the grave. 
 
 The mail is received here every morning. The 
 Postmaster makes out a list of the letters to be dis 
 tributed, and gives them to the master of each ward, 
 who delivers them to the patients, and for all regis 
 tered letters takes a receipt, which is carefully filed. 
 The same care is exercised in reference to boxes received 
 by express. If the soldier has died, they are returned 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 175 
 
 to those who sent them, as well as all other effects 
 belonging to him, to which business it is the special 
 duty of the Chaplain to attend. 
 
 Connected with this hospital there is a farm and 
 garden, consisting of an hundred acres of fertile land. 
 The soil is light and easily cultivated. The farming 
 and gardening afford very amusing and healthful 
 employment for the numerous convalescents. The 
 morning glory and cypress vine thrive here with 
 wonderful luxuriance, putting forth flowers in the 
 greatest profusion. The fences are entirely covered 
 with a dense background of dark green, enlivened 
 with bursting buds of the most brilliant colors. Thus 
 this military farm is appropriately girded with breast 
 works, ramparts and bastions of gorgeous flowers. In 
 front of the officers quarters, where the invalids are 
 continually passing, a neat little flower garden is laid 
 out, which is chiefly under the superintending care of 
 our lady nurses. 
 
 There is no beam of sunshine so bright as that 
 which flows from the consciousness of a useful life. 
 Ft is well that flowers should adorn the parterres of 
 such homes ; and these flowers will bloom in none the 
 less lovely hues, and will emit no less fragrant odors, 
 because the pale, tottering invalid soldier is charmed 
 
176 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 by their beauty, and his senses refreshed by their per 
 fume. Every home should be adorned and beautified 
 with flowers; they leave a lasting impression, especially 
 on the minds of the young. 
 
 The Surgeon in charge, Dr. McClellan, the head 
 of this establishment, endowed with energies which 
 never tire, throws the support of his encouragement, 
 and the vigilance of his eye, upon every measure to 
 promote the general good; and he has shown liberal 
 economy in expending tens of dollars now, that he 
 may save hundreds in the autumn. 
 
 Between two and three thousand bushels of pota 
 toes will be raised here this year, and melons and 
 squashes by the wagon load. The demand for the hos 
 pitals is such that everything must be furnished by 
 tens and hundreds of bushels. 
 
 Early in May last, I am told, the vegetable garden 
 began to yield its fruits. From that time until the 
 frosts of December the patient will receive an abun 
 dant supply, with the morning dews upon them. The 
 soil and climate is such, that two crops each year can 
 be raised on most of the land. The cavalry camps in 
 the vicinity afford, for the present, an abundant supply 
 of dressing for the land, which is a great item in the 
 expense of cultivating a garden. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 177 
 
 The Hampton hospitals are near by, just across a 
 small stream which flows into the bay; they form quite 
 a picturesque village, consisting of about thirty cot 
 tages. These buildings are so placed as to form a 
 triangle, embracing within its spacious area a lawn of 
 many acres, traversed by walks, and lined by young 
 shade trees. The hand of taste has scattered here and 
 there, beds of blooming shrubbery and flowers. Most 
 of these cottages are called hospital wards, containing 
 fifty beds each. These spacious rooms are open to the 
 ridge, are well warmed, and thoroughly ventilated, 
 at the apex of the roof, and are kept in a perfect state 
 of neatness, which the most accomplished New Eng 
 land housewife cannot excel. 
 
 The advantages of the cottage form of wards are 
 manifest; there are no stairs to climb, no impure air 
 to be inhaled by the patients; and in case of fire, the 
 sick and wounded can be instantly removed. There 
 are also many advantages in having the sick together. 
 The soldiers, accustomed to the most social life known 
 upon earth, would be lonely in separate apartments. 
 In the ward they are company for each other, as the 
 vast majority are not seriously ill. There are over 
 two thousand sick and wounded here now; some are 
 sitting up in their beds, reading; others talking or 
 
178 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 singing, playing chess or some other innocent game, to 
 while away the slowly passing hours of hospital life. 
 
 The man who is convalescent, or whose wounds are 
 healing, and who is soon to be discharged, to go home 
 to his friends, is often the happiest of men. The sick 
 man who is recovering, sees a smile in every blade of 
 grass, and hears a song.of joy in every whisper of the 
 sea breeze, as it fans his feverish cheek. 
 
 Near by is the country seat of the late ex-President, 
 John Tyler; his parlor is now used as a school room 
 for contraband children, where is being conferred the 
 blessings of education upon a race just emerging from 
 barbarism. Also, near by is the beautiful mansion of 
 Senator Mallory, who is now a member of the rebel 
 Congress. His broad acres are confiscated, and are 
 bearing abundant food for the invalid soldier. His 
 residence affords a beautiful home for the Surgeon in 
 charge of these hospitals, who is a man that knows 
 how to appreciate the good things of this world. 
 
 There are thousands in our land who have had, 
 and who still have, friends sick and wounded in the 
 hospital. Many a patriotic father has had his heart 
 torn with anguish, as he read the name of his own son 
 in the list of wounded. Many a heroic mother, who 
 girded her son with her own hands, for this most holy 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 179 
 
 war for human rights, cannot sleep at night, as she 
 thinks of her loved boy, bleeding and languishing far 
 away from friends, in the wards of a hospital. 
 
 It is indeed a hard lot; and yet how few of these 
 sorrowing ones have any conception of the abounding 
 comforts which our Government has provided for its 
 stricken soldiers; comforts, generally, vastly greater 
 than could be found in many homes. 
 
 I am convalescent, and have been anxiously await 
 ing the reply to my application for a leave of absence, 
 to go North, for the purpose of recruiting my health, 
 by inhaling the cool mountain air, which is so much 
 more invigorating than the miasmatic breeze that 
 sweeps over us here, from the swamps and lowlands 
 of this Peninsula. 
 
 The clerk has just notified me that my papers have 
 arrived, and have been approved, which makes me feel 
 almost like another man. Out of one hundred appli 
 cations but four were approved by General Butler. 
 
 I left the Chesapeake Hospital, where I had spent 
 three weeks. I took the horse cars, for the Fortress, 
 which was about a mile and a half distant, winding 
 its way through a wilderness of tents, occupied by 
 happy contrabands. At the Fortress I took the steamer 
 Georgiana for Baltimore. "We left near sundown, and 
 
180 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 proceeded up the bay. The night was dark, with a 
 heavy sea rolling in from the ocean, the boat making 
 the waves look like sheets of fire in our track. We 
 stopped at Point Lookout to put ashore some prisoners, 
 recently taken at Dutch Gap. Morning dawn found 
 our boat nearing Fort McHenry, one of the defences 
 of Baltimore. A little further beyond is seen Federal 
 Hill, which overlooks the city, and is manned by 
 volunteer troops. 
 
 The boat landed at the city wharf. I took my 
 breakfast at the Maltby House, and from ttare took 
 the cars for the Quaker City. At Havre de Grasse 
 the whole train of cars were run on board of a steam 
 ferry boat, carrying us across the river in safety. We 
 then proceeded on our journey, without a change of 
 cars, and arrived at the City of Peace, at noon ; we 
 continued our journey, arriving at Jersey City at six 
 o clock P. M. The ferry boat conveyed us across the 
 bay; as we were nearing the shore, the North river 
 boat was just leaving the dock, much to my disappoint 
 ment, as I had expected to connect with it. 
 
 I took the day boat the next morning. It was a 
 beautiful day, and the boat was loaded with passengers, 
 mostly on a pleasure trip. The boat s bow was turned 
 up the river, and left the dock with flying colors. 
 
THOUGHTS. 181 
 
 Hoboken lay just opposite, with her walks shaded with 
 large trees, and extending for nearly two miles along 
 the banks of the Hudson, terminating with the Elysian 
 Fields. This place is noted for its many fine villas 
 and country seats of opulant citizens, which gives the 
 place an air of rural comfort not often met with so 
 near a large city. A little above this, on the same 
 side of the river is Weehawken ; it lies near the water s 
 edge, and is severed from the land view by a precipi 
 tous ledge of rocks, which give it the privacy usually 
 sought for in such places. 
 
 Here it was that General Hamilton fell mortally 
 wounded in a duel with Colonel Burr. There was 
 formerly a monument standing on the spot where he 
 fell, but it has been removed. We soon passed Fort 
 Washington, on the east bank of the river, which was 
 taken by the British in the early part of the Revolu 
 tion. Opposite this place, upon the brow of the Pali 
 sades, is the site of Fort Lee, which was abandoned 
 by our forces. Here the Palisade rocks present, all 
 along on the west margin of the river for many miles, 
 a perpendicular wall, varying from two to five hundred 
 feet in height. These are sometimes covered with 
 brushwood, sometimes capped with stunted trees, and 
 
 sometimes perfectly bare, but always showing the 
 
 16 
 
182 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 upright cliff, at the base of which is scarcely room 
 enough for a foot path. Here and there, in the cleft 
 of a rock is seen a fisherman s hut, extending to the 
 very margin of the stream. The water, a very few 
 feet from the shore is deep, so that vessels run quite 
 close to its rocky sides. 
 
 We passed Spuyten Duyvel and the mouth of Har 
 lem river, which forms Manhattan Island. A few 
 miles further ride brings us to Sunnyside, the beautiful 
 rural residence of Washington Irving, the great Ameri 
 can historian. 
 
 Tarry town is near by, at which place Major Andre 
 was arrested by those noble patriots, Paulding, Wil 
 liams and Van Wart. 
 
 We are now nearing Sing Sing, which lays off to 
 the right, on a quiet bay, with its white buildings, 
 looking like monuments in the distance. Haverstraw 
 lies to the left, on the opposite bank of the river, which 
 is a neat little village. Just above is Stony Point, 
 the site of a fort during the Revolution ; a lighthouse 
 now crowns the apex. 
 
 Peekskill is in sight; it is one of the most romantic 
 places on the Hudson. On the opposite shore is seen 
 Dunderburg, or Thunder Mountain. Near by is the 
 place where Palmer was executed by order of General 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 183 
 
 Putnam, whose memorable repty to Governor Tryon, 
 who wrote a letter, threatening vengeance if .he was 
 executed, deserves an enduring record. It briefly and 
 emphatically unfolds the true character of that distin 
 guished hero. The note ran thus : 
 
 "SiR Nathan Palmer, a Lieutenant in your ser 
 vice was taken in my camp as a spy; he was tried as a 
 spy; he was condemned as a spy; and you may rest 
 assured he shall be hanged as a spy. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, yours, &c., 
 
 "ISRAEL PUTNAM." 
 
 "P. S. This afternoon he is hanged." 
 
 One mile above Peekskill is seen Anthony s Nose. 
 This mountain is a complete mass of rocks ; it rises very 
 abruptly from the river, to the height of eleven hun 
 dred feet, with the Dunclerburg on the opposite shore. 
 Various stories are told concerning the manner in 
 which one of these mountains obtained its name; but 
 little credit can be given to any of them. 
 
 We are just turning the steep bluff which brings 
 us, unquestionably, to one of the most romantic places 
 on the Hudson, West Point. Here the mountain 
 towers to the ethereal vault above, making our vessel 
 
184 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 appear to a spectator qp its summit, but a mere skiff. 
 The ascent is very abrupt on all sides, and the sur 
 rounding craggy hills seem to be nothing but masses 
 of rocks, fantastically heaped by nature, crowding the 
 stream into a channel less than half a mile in width. 
 
 West Point is noted chiefly as the seat of the Mili 
 tary Academy, where most of our regular army officers 
 graduate, receiving a military education at the expense 
 of the Government. Many of the rebel officers were 
 educated here, including Jeff Davis, all of whom have 
 an oath registered to defend the Union and support the 
 Constitution, which they are now basely seeking to 
 destroy. No punishment can be meted out too severe 
 for such perjured villains, when captured. On the 
 river bank near the parade ground is Kosciusko s gar 
 den, whither he was accustomed to retire for study and 
 reflection. Near this spot is a clear boiling spring, 
 enclosed in a marble reservoir. Near the landing is 
 the rock from which was stretched across the river a 
 chain, during the Revolution, to prevent vessels ascend 
 ing the river. Some of the links are preserved as a 
 curiosity ; they are near three feet long, made from bars 
 of iron, two inches square. 
 
 A few miles above this place is Undercliff, the resi 
 dence of General George P. Morris, the poet. It is 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 185 
 
 situated on an elevaied plateau, rising from the eastern 
 shore of the river, in which he has displayed great taste 
 in the selection of such a commanding and beautiful 
 position. Immediately opposite, rising almost perpen 
 dicular from the water, stands the " Old Crow s Nest," 
 one of the most beautiful elevations in America. The 
 following is a description given by Drake : 
 
 " Tis the middle watch of a summer s night 
 The earth is dark, but the heavens are bright, 
 Nought is seen in the vault on high, 
 But the moon, and stars, and the cloudless sky, 
 And the flood which rolls its milky hue, 
 A river of light, on the welkin blue ; 
 The moon looks down on the old Crow s Nest, 
 She mellows the shade on his shaggy breast, 
 And seems his huge gray form to throw 
 In a silver cone on the waves below ; 
 His sides are broken by spots of shade, 
 By the walnut boughs and the cedars made, 
 And through their clustering branches dark 
 Glimmers and dies the firefly s spark, 
 Like starry twinkle, that momently break 
 Through the rifts of the gathering tempest rack." 
 
 We are approaching Newburgh. Before us lies a 
 beautiful bay, curving to the north, until it is lost in 
 the distance. Sprinkled through the whole course, 
 
 with the white sails of the numberless vessels that float 
 16 
 
186 RAXDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 upon its surface, in the distance, is seen fine cultivated 
 fields, elegant villas, and neat rural cottages, gleaming 
 through the tufts of foliage that surround them. 
 
 A short distance south of the village of Newbogh 
 stands the old stone mansion in which General Wash 
 ington held his headquarters, when the army was 
 encamped here, during the Revolution. 
 
 It is noon, and we have made half our journey, 
 which brings us to Poughkeepsie, the first table land 
 along the Hudson, and is seen conspicuously, both in 
 ascending and descending the river. 
 
 The gong is sounding for dinner; my journey has 
 given me a ravenous appetite. A grand rush is being 
 made for the saloon below, and my weak knees hardly 
 feel able to stand the pressure of the stronger ones. I 
 have secured a good seat at the head of one of the 
 tables, which is loaded with all the delicacies of the 
 season, and got up in the most approved style. The 
 guests spent an hour in devouring the eatables. When 
 I returned to the deck, the Catskills could be seen 
 through the misty air, far in the distance. We sailed 
 for near an hour before we seemed to near them. Sud 
 denly our boat took another course, following the bend 
 in the river, and soon we were brought in full view of 
 the high peaks, and of the far famed Mountain House, 
 
WANDERING- THOUGHTS. 187 
 
 which is one of the coolest places of resort during the 
 summer months, commanding an extended view of the 
 surrounding country. 
 
 We are sailing through the deep water, and round 
 ing a point of land which brings us to a high bluff, 011 
 which is situated the city of Hudson. Ships can ascend 
 the river as far as this place, which is one hundred and 
 twenty miles from Manhattan Island. Tradition says 
 that Henry Hudson, who was the discoverer of this 
 river, ascended as far as this place, which bears his 
 name. He went on shore in one of the canoes, with 
 an old Indian, who was the chief of forty men and 
 seventeen women, whom he found in a house made of 
 the bark of trees, which were well finished. He saw 
 large quantities of corn and beans, already gathered to 
 dry, beside a great deal more growing in the fields; 
 two mats were spread to sit on, and eatables were 
 brought in red wooden bowls. 
 
 Two men went off with their bows and arrows, to 
 kill wild fowl, and soon returned with two pigeons; 
 they also killed a fat dog, and in a very little time 
 skinned it with shells, which they got out of the water. 
 He was invited to stay with them for the night, which 
 invitation he did not accept. When he was ready to 
 return to his ship, the natives concluded he would not 
 
188 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 c 
 
 stay with them for fear of their bows and arrows, they 
 broke them in pieces and threw them in the fire. He 
 also found grapes, plums, other fruits, and pumpkins, 
 growing here in great abundance. 
 
 Two hours sail brought us to the Capital of the 
 Empire State, which presents a most beautiful appear 
 ance from the river, being a city built on five hills, 
 with Buttermilk creek, Beaver creek, Fox creek, and 
 Tivoli creek passing down through and under its 
 streets. The State Hall and the Capitol stand on the 
 brow of a hill, some two hundred feet above tide water, 
 from the domes of which a most beautiful view of the 
 river and the surrounding country can be obtained. 
 To the west is seen one vast sandy plain, extending as 
 far as Schenectady, an Indian name, signifying the end 
 of the pine plains. 
 
 The picturesque beauty of the Hudson river is 
 beyond description; its banks forming gentle grassy 
 slopes, or covered with forests to the water s edge, or 
 crowned by neat and thriving villages. The legendary 
 and historical interests associated with numerous spots 
 combine to render the Hudson the classical stream of 
 America. 
 
 Just two years ago I passed down this beautiful 
 river, under the pale rays of a harvest moon, flushed 
 
 t 
 
I 
 
 WANDEEING THOUGHTS. 189 
 
 with health and cheered with the hope that peace 
 would crown our efforts. I left ray home, wife and 
 little ones for the privations and dangers of the battle 
 field. It was a subject which had long agitated my 
 mind, and no easy one to decide upon. But my 
 patriotism finally triumphed over my selfishness. I 
 knew the time had come When a great and crushing 
 blow must be dealt, or our country would be lost. 
 My wife did not try to weaken my resolution, but 
 helped fit out my wardrobe for the field. 
 
 "The wife who girds her husband s sword, 
 
 Mid little ones who weep or wonder, 
 And bravely speaks the cheering word, 
 
 What though her heart be rent asunder, 
 Doomed nightly in her dreams to hear 
 
 The bolts of war around him rattle, 
 Hath shed as sacred blood as e er 
 
 Was poured upon the plain of battle ! " 
 
 Now I return from the battle field, sick and weary 
 from the toils of an active campaign, and almost dis 
 heartened, even amid victories which have crowned our 
 arms, but as I near home a cheering hope fills my 
 bosom, with thoughts of the old hearthstone and the 
 loved ones around it, who are so anxiously awaiting 
 my return. At sundown I again gazed on the beautiful 
 peaks of the Catskill, which lay off to the south, and I 
 
190 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 
 once more saw the rural cottage in the distance, with 
 
 its porch and tower, where the woodbine climbs so 
 graceful, and hangs in such profusion, with the Stars 
 and Stripes floating above the battlements, where they 
 were raised at the commencement of the rebellion. I 
 sir its winding roads and walks, the green lawn, with 
 its trees, flowers and shr%bbery, which makes it a 
 delightful spot to me, for it is my home : 
 
 " T is sweet to hear the watch dog s honest bark 
 
 Bay deep mouth d welcome as we draw near home, 
 T is sweet to know there is an eye will mark 
 Our coming, and look brighter when we come." 
 
 The sultry days of August have faded and gone. 
 The distant hills are bathed in a smoky light as I 
 view them from Woodbine Cottage. The pure air 
 from the hills around will help renew my strength, 
 and I then shall be able to return to my duties in the 
 field, with renewed hope in the final triumph of our 
 arms, resulting in a lasting peace. 
 
 This is a beautiful September morning; the land 
 scape never looked more lovely. The dewdreps sparkle 
 in the sun like diamonds, from every leaf where they 
 had gathered during the night. Fruit and flowers are 
 in abundance, all producing such a contrast with the 
 once peaceful and sunny South. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 191 
 
 The original term of enlistment of some of our com 
 panies has expired. For three long years have they 
 been in the service, and how varied has been the scenes 
 and terrible the conflicts in which they have been 
 engaged. How little do those at home know the suf 
 fering that has been endured by these brave soldiers 
 on the battle field, in prisons, and hospitals. Our 
 country should ever be grateful for their services. 
 Many of those brave men had left pleasant homes, 
 expecting to be absent from them only a few months ; 
 fears were really entertained by some of them that 
 they would not be required to take part in the great 
 struggle for liberty and human rights; but in this 
 they were disappointed; they have all been called, 
 and hundreds of thousands of others. Many now lie 
 in the c6ld arms of death ; they fill a soldier s grave 
 on some battle field, or in a hospital graveyard. 
 
 The conflict still rages with a determination the 
 world has never before witnessed. Success attends the 
 Union armies everywhere, and with such Generals as 
 Grant; Meade, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, and others, 
 to lead our gallant soldiers in the field, there can be 
 no such word as fail. The cause in which we fight 
 is just, and when in the providence of God, the rebel 
 hosts shall be dispersed, peace will come again, crowned 
 
192 RANDOM SKETCHES AN 
 
 with liberty to the captive, who has been so long in 
 bondage, and ruled by the iron hand of despotism, 
 which has sought to perpetuate the institution of 
 Slavery at the sacrifice of a Republican Government. 
 The day is breaking and the dark clouds which have 
 mantled our sky are passing away, showing bright 
 gleams of the far away blue. 
 
 An overwhelming majority of the votes of a free 
 people will soon declare that the Union candidate for 
 the Presidency, Abraham Lincoln, who has a solemn 
 oath registered in Heaven to preserve and defend the 
 Constitution, is their chosen pilot to conduct the ship 
 of State through the storms which have threatened to 
 destroy her. 
 
 The re-election of President Lincoln and the defeat 
 of General George B. McClellan will save our country 
 from everlasting disgrace, thereby rebuking the Chicago 
 Convention, that nest of traitors who were willing to 
 barter the liberties of twenty millions of freemen for 
 the votes of a few Southern slaveholders, also bringing 
 into contempt our grand army of patriots, who are 
 struggling for Constitutional freedom against tyranny, 
 that bitter foe to free institutions and humanity. 
 
 The day of jubilee is near at hand. The signs of 
 the times plainly indicate that the rebellion is near its 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 193 
 
 end. Its leaders see there is no hope for the Confede 
 racy. They are quarelling among themselves, and will 
 soon be ready to make the best terms possible to save 
 their necks from the halter, which is now being made 
 from a plant growing on their own soil. The only fear 
 I now have is, that they may escape just punishment 
 through the magnanimity of the best Government the 
 world has ever known. 
 
 The occupation of peace men and peace newspapers 
 is gone. Peace is coming from a different direction 
 than that indicated by the prophecies of the peace 
 patriots. It is coming as the legitimate end of a suc 
 cessful war, not as the unhappy result of disgraceful 
 compromise. It is coming with the glorious old flag, 
 not with the white rag of submission to the South, or 
 the Stars and Bars of Southern independence. Soon 
 will be heard the booming of cannon, ringing of be r ls, 
 and the huzzahs of the people, in one continous echo 
 all through the land, from the St. John river to the 
 Rio Grande, from the rolling billows of the Atlantic 
 to the quiet and peaceful waters of the Pacific, rejoicing 
 for the preservation of our glorious Union and the 
 triumph of our dear old flag. 
 
 "Long may it wave, 
 
 O er the land of the free and the home of the brave." 
 17 
 
194 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 The following letters were written from the army to 
 a friend North, and it is thought may prove interest 
 ing to those readers who have gone with us through 
 our Random Sketches and Wandering Thoughts : 
 
 CAMP EIGHTY-FIRST REGIMENT, N. Y. VOLS., } 
 YORKTOWN, VA., September 23, 1862. ) 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND You will see by the above, our 
 location in the Army of the Potomac. After the retreat 
 from Harrison s Landing, our brigade was sent here 
 to defend this place. The Army of the Potomac has 
 had some hard fighting, and been unfortunate in many 
 respects, still I have not lost confidence in its leader, 
 " Little Mac." Croakers at home and abroad, as well 
 as the weak kneed and feeble, are often discouraged, 
 even in the brightest hour. 
 
 I supppose many were frightened when they heard 
 the rebels had crossed into Maryland. I wished they 
 had went on to New York; it would be just the place 
 to have them. I think it would awaken the North to 
 a sense of their duty, for they would then realize what 
 war really is. 
 
 Many of the rebels will never see Richmond again. 
 We, of course, must expect to lose many a brave fel 
 low, but that, you know, is the fortune of war. I hope 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 195 
 
 our depleted ranks will soon be filled up, and that 
 the fight will continue until the surrender of the rebel 
 Capital. I think we can stand the loss of men better 
 than they. Constant fighting will conquer them, and 
 finish up the rebellion. , 
 
 I have great faith in the Government putting down 
 this rebellion. As sure as the sun shines in the east, so 
 sure will this Union be saved, and her free Constitu 
 tion left unimpaired. These croakers at the North are 
 nothing more than Squaw men, who would abandon 
 their homes and families, through fear, or surrender 
 the Government into the hands of traitors, and become 
 the subjects of a Despotism. 
 
 For one, I am satisfied to deprive myself of the 
 comforts of home fer the good of my country, and the 
 future advancement of the human race; and they who 
 are not willing to sacrifice anything to preserve the 
 heritage bequeathed to them by their fathers are not 
 worthy the name of American citizens. 
 
 Thoughts of home often come to the soldier in camp, 
 with a thousand pleasant memories. He often thinks 
 of the loved ones he has left behind, and may perhaps 
 never again hear their pleasant voices, or see their 
 smiling faces; but these feelings are not to be indulged 
 in by the soldier, for his duties will not permit it; such 
 
196 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 thoughts almost unfit him for the duties devolving on 
 him; he must drive them from his mind. I find a 
 good antidote for this in the saddle. Each day I take 
 a ride through the country; my horse, "Jim/ 7 works 
 well under th^ saddle, and has been much company to 
 me since I left home; I hardly know how I should 
 while away the monotony of the camp without him. 
 
 President Lincoln s proclamation has been issued, 
 freeing all negroes in the States which may be in rebel 
 lion on the first of January next. It creates quite a stir 
 in our camp among the officers and men. Some are 
 rejoicing over it, while others are threatening to aban 
 don the service, declaring that they came to fight for 
 the Union and to maintain the Constitution. They 
 regard the President s policy as a direct infringement 
 of it. I think the "second sober thought" will show 
 them that it will deal the death blow to the rebellion, 
 and without it we cannot succeed in the work we have 
 undertaken. To -turn the negro against them will be 
 an element of great strength ; fighting them, as it were, 
 with their own weapons. 
 
 Our accomodations in camp are poor. We have 
 old shelter tents, which will hardly keep the dew off. A 
 tin cup and plate, a pocket knife and fork, a rough 
 table, and a cracker box for a stool, constitute my 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 197 
 
 dining room and kitchen furniture. Vegetables are 
 very scarce here, and we have but little to eat, except 
 pork, beef and hard tack. "We have much sickness 
 among our troops, which I think is owing to the want 
 of proper food and good water. 
 
 Yorktown seems to me to be a very unhealthy place, 
 although it is situated high above the river, and has 
 many ravines for drainage. The oldest inhabitants 
 here seem to be subject to fever at certain seasons 
 of the year 
 
 I am quite well, hoping to continue so, but I fear 
 the accommodations of the camp will not agree with 
 me. Write me soon, without fail, and believe me, 
 
 Yours truly, B. S. D. F. 
 
 To J. 8. R., Albany, N. Y. 
 
 CAMP EIGHTY-FIRST REGIMENT, N. Y. VOLS., } 
 ST. HELENA ISLAND, S. C., March 24, 1863 ) 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND To-day is rainy, and every 
 thing is dull in camp, and it seems lonely and dreary, 
 so I thought I would devote a few moments to you, 
 informing you how things are down here in Dixie. 
 Here I sit in my canvas house, all alone, with my 
 
198 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 great coat on, and feeling as cold as though it were a 
 December day; still we have had weather here lately 
 when the thermometer would mark ninety-eight in the 
 shade, so great is the change. 
 
 While I am writing, the rain is pouring down in 
 torrents, showing no mercy to the poor sentinel with 
 out, as he treads up and down his lonely beat. Very 
 lucky for me that I have a good tent, with a fly over 
 it, or I should get soaked through to the skin. Such 
 days as these make me feel lonesome; but when the 
 sunshine comes again I shall be happy, that is, as 
 happy as we can be in the camp with army rations. 
 
 In these dreary hours the heart often flies back to 
 its home, and the loved ones there. And how little 
 those at home know the mysterious feelings that pass 
 like a cloud over us; yet, in the silent hours of the 
 night they come, and in the busy bustle of camp life, 
 or in the silent retreats of solitude, overshadowing all 
 the bright hopes and sunny feelings of the heart. 
 
 Who can describe, and who has not felt the bewil 
 dering influence of the heart; and still it is a delicious 
 sorrow, and is like a cloud dimming the sunshine of 
 the river, and causing a momentary shade of gloom to 
 enhance the beauty of returning brightness, and fit us 
 once more for the battle of life. 
 
THOUGHTS. 199 
 
 War is a terrible thing, and a civil war more than 
 any other. How many hearts have been draped in 
 mourning; and how many widowed tears have fallen 
 for the loved ones slain ? It really makes me feel sad 
 when I think of it; and still it may all end for good. 
 
 I sincerely believe our cause is just and right, and 
 he that is armed in a righteous cause is doubly armed. 
 Although we endure hardships and privations, I still 
 feel that the sacrifice is but small when compared with 
 the blessings we shall achieve, for ourselves and our 
 children, in maintaining and upholding the Union and 
 the Constitution made by our . fathers. God grant that 
 we may never see them destroyed. Croakers at home 
 may cry for peace, and discourage the weak ; but I tell 
 you that there can be no peace as long as there is a 
 traitor in arms; and the Union army to-day fear the 
 traitors and Copperheads at home more than Jeff Davis 
 and his legions here. Only let there be a healthy sen 
 timent at home, for a vigorous prosecution of the war, 
 and I will guarantee that ninety days will finish up 
 the rebellion. You may think I am sanguine on this 
 subject, but I speak from what I have seen and what I 
 know. You know that the aid which the Northern 
 dough-faces have given to the rebels is tremendous, and 
 I assure you that if we are defeated in putting down 
 
200 EANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 the rebellion, the curse is on them, and not the Union 
 army, for the rank and file of the Union army are 
 loyal. There may be a few traitors among the leaders, 
 but they are pretty well sifted, and the army to-day are 
 more united, and in better spirits, than they were a 
 year ago. 
 
 We soon expect to make an attack on Charleston, 
 and feel sanguine of success. A simultaneous attack 
 by the army and navy will, I think, make that strong 
 hold of rebellion tremble. We may be defeated at 
 first, but it must eventually fall. Oh, what a glorious 
 day that will be ! To see the Stars and Stripes floating 
 over the ramparts of Fort Sumter. Here and at Vicks- 
 burg will be the death struggle of the rebellion. If we 
 are successful in the capture of those two strongholds, 
 Davis & Co. will soon pack up their traps and leave. 
 
 This evening I received a letter from California; it 
 was from my brother, who wrote me he had enlisted 
 in a battalion of cavalry, which is to be sent North, 
 and attached to the Second Massachusetts. I have 
 not seen him in over nine years. There are now five 
 brothers of us in the service, which makes a very good 
 representation for one family. I think if we all come 
 out of this struggle alive, we will be fortunate; but 
 this is more than can be expected. 
 
WANDEKING THOUGHTS. 201 
 
 Our Colonel is in command of our brigade, Acting 
 Brigadier General. The brigade is composed of the 
 Eighty-First New York, Twenty-Third Massachusetts, 
 Ninety-Eighth New York, and Ninth New Jersey, 
 making a very fine brigade, and we expect to do some 
 thing big in the next fight. 
 
 We are within fifteen miles of Savannah, and fifty 
 of Charleston. We can hear the guns of Fort Pulaski, 
 which is garrisoned by a New York regiment. I think 
 of taking a trip down there in a few days, to see the 
 fort and its surroundings. 
 
 Our regiment was never in better health. Remem 
 ber me to all my friends. Write me on the receipt of 
 this and I will keep you posted hereafter. 
 
 Yours truly, B. S. D. F. 
 
 To J. 8. R., Albany, N. Y. 
 
 CAMP EIGHTY-FIRST REGIMENT, N. Y. YOLS., J 
 MOREHEAD CITY, N. C., June 21, 1863 ) 
 
 MY DEAR FEIEND I have answered yours of 
 April 27th and have received none in reply. To-day 
 the Colonel handed me a letter he received from you, 
 which was sent by our Chaplain, in which you state 
 
202 KANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 I had not answered your last. I have received two 
 letters from you, both of which I answered promptly ; 
 your last may not have reached me; therefore I will 
 while away a few minutes informing you how things 
 are progressing down in old North Carolina. 
 
 This is the very heart of Dixie, both as to negroes 
 and poverty. This portion of the State can never be 
 any more than it is, on account of the poorness of the 
 soil and shallowness of its waters. For fifty miles 
 back from the sea shore it is all white sand, washed 
 up from the ocean, and after a time it has produced 
 shrubs and yellow pine, and these pine trees have 
 afforded a living for the inhabitants, for the past fifty 
 years, in manufacturing tar and turpentine. The trees 
 are dying off and when they are gone the soil will be 
 of little value ; therefore, this part of the country can 
 never be much. 
 
 The interior of the State, no doubt, is the granary 
 from which the people of this locality are fed, for the 
 country around us here cannot produce enough to sus 
 tain life ; it is not in the soil to do it. Meadows and 
 pasturage, which is so common with us at home, are 
 not known here. 
 
 We are busy fortifying ourselves at this place, to 
 prevent rebel raids down here. We are building a 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 203 
 
 fort, on which will be mounted six guns, and a chain 
 of rifle pits on either side of the fort, running to Bogue 
 Sound and Calico creek. Those earthworks are of 
 large dimensions, and I think will be capable, with the 
 Eighty-First behind them, of resisting an attack of 
 vastly superior numbers. We are here alone to guard 
 Fort Macon, Beaufort, and this place, and I under 
 stand we are to be left here. Garrison duty is rather 
 monotonous, not quite so much excitement as to be on 
 the march, chasing an enemy, but, nevertheless, I think 
 we have traveled around enough, and we should be 
 satisfied, especially where we have the cool, refresh 
 ing sea breeze from the ocean to cool our heated blood, 
 caused by the Southern sun. 
 
 We are having an awful thunder storm this after 
 noon; the rain is pouring down in torrents, and the 
 wind blowing a tremendous gale, with thunder and 
 lightning. A few days since I received a severe shock 
 in my right arm, which I felt for some hours after 
 ward ; this is rather close quarters. 
 
 You, no doubt, as a loyal citizen of this glorious 
 Republic,^ would like to know what this Department is 
 doing toward crushing the rebellion. Well, I would 
 say, we are at present acting on the defensive, trying 
 to hold what we have got. 
 
204 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 Many of the troops in this Department are nine 
 months men, from Massachusetts, whose term of ser 
 vice is about to expire; therefore, we cannot advance 
 much at present. But we are enrolling every white 
 male citizen within our lines, and all negroes that come 
 in, or are already in; they will form quite an army. 
 
 I cannot agree with some of my friends on this 
 negro question. I do not believe that the negro is any 
 better to face the enemy s bullet than a white mail* nor 
 do I fear they will be treated any worse than a white 
 soldier, if the Government does its duty, which it must, 
 at any sacrifice of rebel life. The negroes are willing 
 to take up arms and fight under the old Stars and 
 Stripes, with the prospect of their freedom, if we will 
 protect them as soldiers; and if we use them as soldiers 
 we must protect them as such, and if any of them are 
 captured and hung by these slave traders, I say, take 
 the same number, of equal rank, and hang them as 
 you would a murderer. Let this once be understood, 
 and we can enlist one hundred thousand negroes in 
 the service of the United States. They will make 
 good soldiers; I have seen many of them, and they 
 compare well with the whites, as to drill and soldierly 
 appearance, and they have the love of liberty planted 
 as deep in their bosoms as most white men, and more 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 205 
 
 than the white men of the South. And more than 
 this, he should be recognized as equal with the white 
 soldier, when they are engaged in one common cause. 
 But when he lays off the blue jacket, he is a negro 
 still, and should be treated as God designed he should 
 be, as an inferior, with kindness and sympathy, but 
 not as an equal, in a social point of view. These are 
 my sentiments. 
 
 We have received papers of the 18th, by which I 
 learn that the Rebs are in Pennsylvania. I hope they 
 will reach some of the Copperheads, and make them 
 feel the sore effects of invasion, and bring them to a 
 sense of their duty. These vagabonds have prolonged 
 this war by their peace doctrine ; and now the rebels 
 are invading Northern soil. This is the result of their 
 infamous scheme for a dishonorable peace. I wish we 
 could have every mother s son down here. I think 
 we could taj^e the peace out of them in three months, 
 by making them do picket duty in the rivers and 
 swamps of North Carolina, among the fleas and mos 
 quitoes, under a burning sun. 
 
 Such men will be eternally cursed, for all time, by 
 the soldiers of the Union army. I think if Vallandig- 
 ham had been turned over to the soldiers, for punish 
 ment, he would have received his just deserts. He 
 
 18 
 
206 KAXDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 would have been on his way to glory by this time. 
 God is just, and will take him in his own good time. 
 Be patient and firm. 
 
 Yours truly, B. S. D. F. 
 
 To J. S. R. Albany, N. Y. 
 
 EIGHTY-FIRST REGIMENT, N. Y. VOLS., J 
 FORT MACON, N. C., August 14, 1863. ) 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND Your kind letter was received 
 in due time, but I have not been able to answer it until 
 now, owing to the multiplicity of business going on 
 raids and making out monthly returns, &c. 
 
 The Colonel received your letter last night, and in 
 it you speak of my owing you a letter, which prompted 
 me to a little extra exertion, and as I have just put my 
 wife on board the steamer Guide, bound for home, I 
 shall be more prompt to answer my friend^ who think 
 well enough to write to me. 
 
 Our last raid was on the Chowan river. We left 
 our camp at night, and took the cars for Newbern; 
 there we got on board steamers, went down the Neuse 
 river, through Pamlico Sound, into Albemarle Sound, 
 and thence up the Chowan river about sixty miles, to 
 a place called Winton. We landed so quietly that the 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 207 
 
 inhabitants were taken by surprise. The infantry, who 
 numbered about two thousand, disembarked first. "We 
 then drew the artillery up by hand, not having any 
 horses for them. The next move was to capture some 
 horses, which was soon done, and on we went some five 
 miles back in the country, the inhabitants fleeing to 
 the woods. We had a few negro soldiers with us, 
 who went out in advance, yelling like so many Indians, 
 and firing in the air, which made the inhabitants believe 
 it was a negro insurrection, which they dread more 
 than anything else. 
 
 The houses that were found vacant had to suffer, as 
 they were supposed to be owned by rebels. I captured 
 a sabre and belt, the owner of which had just time to 
 leave before we arrived. At another place we found, an 
 immense quantity of corn stored, which was designed 
 for the Confederate service. We also found a large 
 quantity of cotton and fodder, horses, negroes, &c., 
 which were all taken. I found a fine young horse, 
 whose master had abandoned him in his flight. 
 
 About three miles out we found a rebel camp, sur 
 rounded with rifle pits. They fired two volleys on our 
 men, who made a charge and drove them out, and took 
 possession of the camp and equipments ; they left every 
 thing, even their guns. The same night we passed 
 
208 RANDOM SKETCHES AXD 
 
 over the river about two thousand cavalry, who carae 
 from Suffolk to meet us. The next day they went 
 within ten miles of Weldon, scouring the country, and 
 had a little fight at Jackson, after which they returned 
 with some two hundred horses and seventy prisoners. 
 The cavalry again crossed the river and returned to 
 Suffolk, and we returned to Newbern, with a load of 
 cotton, two loads of negroes, and about three hundred 
 horses. We were gone eight days, and came very near 
 starving, as there was not much to eat in that vicinity. 
 We lived most of the time on raw pork and hard tack. 
 This was one of the tightest times we have seen in the 
 service. The raids sharpen the appetite and make one 
 tired, especially in hot weather. 
 
 I tell you in all truth, the rebels are hard up. We 
 found them with but very little to eat, and such tilings 
 as are common to us are almost impossible for them to 
 get; for instance, coffee is $4 *$ ft)., flour $50 ^ barrel, 
 common army shoes $25 ^ pair, a common straw hat 
 5, sugar $2 ^ ft). This is so, for I have it from their 
 own lips, and they all admit that the Confederacy lias 
 gone in. You can tell that by the cries of Jeff Davis 
 in his last appeal to the Southern people. 
 
 Now for Charleston. Let the Government reinforce 
 General Gilmore with white and black soldiers. Those 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 209 
 
 who know what they are fighting for, those who have 
 been on many a hard fought battle field, and those who 
 have felt the master s lash, are the ones to level that 
 stronghold; men who prize liberty and freedom above 
 their lives, not conscripts, that are bought up in the 
 market like so many sheep, and sent to be the com 
 panions of brave men, who have endured the heat and 
 burden of the struggle. 
 
 To take Charleston requires steady and undaunted 
 courage, and before it is done our soldiers must wade 
 through rivers of blood. This is no small undertaking, 
 it will be a second Yicksburg, and, as I wrote you last 
 spring, the taking of these two places will bring on the 
 final death struggle of the rebellion. The taking of 
 Charleston will give us Savannah and Wilmington, 
 then what will Richmond be worth? 
 
 Our recent victories have darkened the hopes of the 
 Confederacy. The sky is dark for them, with hardly 
 one cloud that shows a silver lining ; but with us is only 
 seen a speck here and there on the horizon. God grant 
 it may all soon be clear, and that every soldier in the 
 army may return to his home and family, is my earnest 
 and sincere desire. I hope a kind Providence will 
 guide the destinies of our armies in the field so that 
 
 every encounter may be a success to the Union cause, 
 *18 
 
210 KANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 until not a ray of hope is left to inspire the rebels in 
 their wicked course. My prayer would be this even 
 for the sake of humanity, if nothing else. 
 
 This war is a terrible thing; no man knows so well 
 as he who participates in it. Think of the battle field 
 and hospital where thousands lie buried and wounded, 
 then go back to the homes of these soldiers and see the 
 misery there; the widowed wife and orphan children. 
 I tell you it will not do to reflect upon. If I should 
 allow my mind and sympathies to dwell on such things 
 I should go mad, and every bugle note to war sounded 
 would weaken my courage and unfit me for the sacri 
 fice. This is no imagination, but a reality, and such 
 feelings as these I find with our bravest soldiers, the 
 most daring are also the most tender hearted. 
 
 What will become of our weak-kneed friends, the 
 Copperheads, who will neither go themselves nor let 
 others go? their destiny is written as visibly to my 
 mind as the handwriting on the wall was to the old 
 King at his feast. 
 
 Yours truly, B. S. D. F. 
 
 To J. S. E. Albany, N. Y. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 211 
 
 CAMP EIGHTY-FIRST REGIMENT, N. Y. VOLS., j 
 NEWPORT NEWS, YA., November 17, 1863 ) 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND Your letter of the 9th came 
 in due time, and as I am disappointed this morning in 
 taking a ride to Warwick, on account of the blustering 
 wind, so I will devote a short time in writing to you. 
 Yesterday we had a review of our Brigade, which is 
 composed of the Eighty-First New York Volunteer 
 Infantry, Ninety-Eighth New York, Twenty-Seventh 
 Massachusetts, Twenty-Fifth Massachusetts, Ninth New 
 Jersey, Twenty-Third Massachusetts, with the Third 
 New York Cavalry, one battery of Third Khode Island 
 Artillery, and a battery of the Third New York Artil 
 lery, making one of the finest brigades in the service. 
 We are expecting to be ordered to the Potomac or 
 Tennessee; however, this is mere surmise. In war 
 time, you know, things are very uncertain, and the 
 soldier has no choice as to where he is sent. 
 
 My own greatest desire is to have this rebellion put 
 down, and return to old Albany, to enjoy once more the 
 comforts of home life, for it is a great privation to be 
 separated from society and the family. I often think 
 of those pleasures and comforts which you are enjoying, 
 while we poor fellows are trying to keep warm by a 
 
212 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 little fire in a canvas house, which is nothing more 
 than a windbreak against the storm without. I think 
 I shall never become accustomed to field life, and still 
 I can stand it quite as well as the best of them. I see 
 plainly that it tells on my constitution ; the gray hairs 
 begin to come. 
 
 Last Saturday I went over to Norfolk to spend the 
 night. It was the first time in nine months that I had 
 slept in a house. I had a good room and bed, but I 
 caught cold in sleeping in such apartments. I could 
 have taken a blanket and laid out all night, and felt 
 better in the morning; this is the case with most of the 
 soldiers; when they once become accustomed to living 
 in tents, house accommodation unfits them for service. 
 
 It was really laughable to see the seedy gentlemen 
 around the bar room; the so termed F. F. Vs. Their 
 coats were threadbare, and their hats were of a style 
 worn at least ten years ago. Many of them wear the 
 large, old fashioned collars, and swallow tailed coats. 
 The hat, coat and collar made them look like " Dandy 
 Jim from Caroline." No doubt they are the old clothes 
 they cast oflP, when negroes sold more freely than at 
 present, in the South. This place was once a great 
 negro market. Poor old Virginia! how she has fallen 
 from her high estate; her villages burned, her fields 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 213 
 
 laid waste, and the blood of martyred brothers crying 
 unto her from the ground. The day of retribution is at 
 hand when her traitor sons will have to repent in sack 
 cloth and ashes, or flee to the mountains for refuge, and 
 call upon the rocks to hide them. 
 
 The news which reached us after election was glo 
 rious, and cheered every soldier s heart. We feel that 
 our friends at home prize the sacrifice we are making. 
 It gives us new life and faith that the North is loyal, 
 and will stand by us through this conflict. You say 
 the Union ticket is elected by 30,000 majority. That 
 is glorious, but if the soldiers could have voted you 
 would have seen 100,000 majority. Copperheadism 
 is dead, and I hope it will be buried so deep that it 
 will never know a resurrection. 
 
 We must stand by our country and sustain our 
 Government. Do not let us falter or step back. Our 
 
 radiant flag must be kept untorn, and floating to the 
 
 x^ 
 breeze. Let not one star be stricken from its azure 
 
 field, nor one memory lost of its glorious history. The 
 cause of humanity and the hopes of freedom through 
 out the world are involved in this deathlike struggle 
 for our nation s life. Let not our hearts grow cold or 
 sympathies die out, for there is much earnest work to 
 do. Let not patriotism be exchanged for gold or bar- 
 
214 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 tered for an inglorious peace, which mealy mouthed 
 traitors are now trying to do. I hope the heads of 
 Government will stand firm, and not be seduced by 
 their wiles. 
 
 I am glad to hear that your business is good, and 
 that old Albany is going along in the way of improve 
 ment. It is doing finely in the way of horse railroads; 
 keep her going. 
 
 I wish you would visit us. I think it would pay 
 you to come to Old Point Comfort. If you can I will 
 furnish you with a blanket and a soft board to lay on. 
 Your bones may feel sore for the first few days, but 
 you will soon get used to it. We will give you hard 
 tack and raw pork for a hasty dinner, and coffee with 
 out milk. You must not be negligent in writing; you 
 see I am prompt. 
 
 Yours truly, B. S. D. F. 
 
 To J. S. R. Albany, N. Y. 
 
 CAMP EIGHTY-FIRST REGIMENT, N. Y. VOLS., 
 IN THE FIELD NEAR PETERSBURG, May 8, 1864 
 
 <S.,) 
 
 MY DEAR FRIEND You will see by this that pen 
 and ink is "played out/ and Fourth of July soldiering 
 is at an end for this campaign. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 215 
 
 We left Yorktown on the 4th of May, with about 
 thirty-five thousand troops, mostly veterans, on board 
 of transports bound for some unknown point. We 
 sailed down to Hampton Roads and anchored for the 
 night. The next morning we put up the James river 
 and landed at Bermuda Hundred, which is just above 
 City Point, at the mouth of the Appomattox river, on 
 which Petersburg is situated. The 18th Army Corps 
 landed at this place, while the 10th Army Corps landed 
 at City Point. 
 
 Our regiment has the extreme right of the 18th 
 Corps, being the First Brigade of the First Division. 
 We disembarked at dusk, moved out about a mile, 
 and bivouaced in a wheat field. I rolled myself up in 
 my blanket, in company with the rest of the field and 
 staff officers, our horses lying by our side, ready for a 
 march at a moment s notice. The night passed amid 
 bustle and confusion, caused by the continual arrival 
 of troops. At daylight we were ordered off toward 
 Petersburg. Our regiment led the advance, and took 
 a position about six miles out, where the bend of the 
 James river makes the distance from the Appomattox 
 only three miles. Across this point intrenchments are 
 being made. We shall no doubt hold this place, as a 
 base of operations, having gunboats in both rivers, 
 
216 RANDOM SKETCHES AND 
 
 which I believe will render our position secure, in case 
 of a heavy force being thrown upon us. 
 
 I joined our regiment the following day, having 
 been left to bring tip our baggage, which consisted of 
 a small valise for each officer. I took the advance of 
 our wagon train, after having loaded my horse with 
 nearly an hundred pounds of baggage, and started 
 ahead. When about three miles out I was fired upon 
 by a bushwhacker, who appeared to be concealed in the 
 woods; the ball passed me and lodged in a tree; it 
 made the limbs rattle. I however proceeded on my 
 iourney at a slow pace, and reached our regiment in 
 safety. I have always felt more danger in following 
 up the regiment in this way, than when directly with 
 it, as the rebels are much given to lying in ambush for 
 Quartermasters and their supplies. 
 
 This afternoon, which is Saturday, fighting com 
 menced on our left. Three of our brigades were 
 engaged, and took a high bluff, which commands the 
 railroad to Richmond. Our boys made a charge on 
 the rebels, and at first were repulsed; they rallied and 
 drove the rebels, and now hold the road, dnd have torn 
 up about four miles of it. Beauregard has arrived 
 at Petersburg, with about twenty thousand men, from 
 the South, who intend to obstruct our further advance. 
 
WANDERING THOUGHTS. 217 
 
 I took my horse and rode out to the front, in com 
 pany with the Colonel and Adjutant, and saw the 
 smoke ascending, and heard the heavy booming of 
 cannon and the rattle of musketry, which was within 
 half a mile of us. General Butler and his staff were 
 returning from the fight, and informed us that all was 
 right, and said we had gained an important position. 
 
 Last night quiet reigned supreme. Nothing was 
 heard save the measured tread of the sentinel, while 
 here and there might be seen a single soldier seated by 
 the expiring embers of a camp fire, thinking, perhaps, 
 of the fondly remembered pleasures of home, from 
 which he had torn himself to save his country from 
 impending dissolution. How little do those at home 
 know the soldier s feelings in the dreary hours of night. 
 These are the hours for reflection. 
 
 The calm and quiet of last night is but a forerunner 
 of a storm which is impending. No doubt a battle 
 will be fought to-day ; both armies are making vigorous 
 preparations. The road is filled with ambulances going 
 to the front, which is an indication of warm work ahead. 
 God grant we may be victorious, and before the com 
 memoration of our National Anniversary I trust we 
 will have the pleasure to know that the rebel Capital 
 
 has fallen, and that the glorious armies of the Union 
 
 19 
 
218 RANDOM SKETCHES. 
 
 have captured the rebel host, including Jeff Davis. 
 This, so far, has been a successful expedition. Not 
 less than seventy-five transports brought the troops up 
 here, without a single accident occuring. AVe came 
 very unexpectedly on Johnny Reb. ; he seemed totally 
 unprepared to receive us, giving us a fine opportunity 
 to land all our troops. 
 
 I am writing this on a cracker box, under a burn 
 ing sun, and the roar of artillery is heard in the dis 
 tance. This being my third letter to-day, I begin to 
 feel somewhat tired. You will excuse this hasty and 
 imperfect sketch, but if you will answer more promptly 
 I will hereafter give you a more vivid picture of the 
 soldier s life iu the field. 
 
 Yours truly, B. S. D. F. 
 
 To J. S. E. Albany, N. Y. 
 
HISTORICAL SKETCH 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT, 
 
 (EIGHTY-FIRST N. Y. S. VOL. INFANTRY.) 
 
 THE rebellion, after the battle of Bull Bun, assumed 
 a most formidable shape. Their recent success had 
 given the rebels courage and confidence, and that which 
 had at first been blustering on their part toward our 
 Government at Washington, became real. 
 
 The standard of treason was now lifted in every 
 slave State of our Union, with many sympathizers at the 
 North, as well as in Europe, where they received every 
 encouragement which monarchical governments dared 
 aiford to belligerents. The great magnitude it was 
 assuming had not been anticipated by many of our best 
 Statesmen, and our Government was but poorly pre 
 pared to combat it. The forces which were already in 
 
220 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 the field seemed entirely inadequate to cope with the 
 rebel army, and we were compelled to act on the defen 
 sive for a time, much to our mortification. 
 
 The President, on the recommendation of Congress, 
 issued a call for three hundred thousand troops, and 
 a short time after, a call for three hundred thousand 
 more, which would make a formidable army of six 
 hundred thousand men, besides those already in the 
 field, all to serve for three years or during the war. 
 
 The response of the North to the call made upon it 
 for soldiers was without parallel in the history of the 
 world. Camps of instruction were formed in various 
 sections of the country, and regiments organized and 
 drilled in every Congressional District. Flags waved 
 from almost every building, public and private. The 
 people seemed determined that the disasters of Bull 
 Run and Ball s Bluff should be avenged, and the tide 
 of success which had from the first set against us, be 
 reversed. 
 
 It was such feelings that prompted several leading 
 citizens of Oswego to make an application to Major 
 General Morgan, then Governor of the State, for the 
 privilege to raise the Second Oswego Regiment of 
 Infantry, to be quartered at Fort Ontario until fitted 
 for the field, which application was finally acceded to. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 221 
 
 Brigadier General John F. Rathbone, then in com 
 mand of the Depot of Volunteers, at Albany, was 
 directed to send an officer competent to take charge of 
 a branch depot, to be established at Oswego. Where 
 upon Major Jacob J. De Forest, Inspector of the 
 Ninth Brigade, N. Y. S. M., was directed to proceed 
 at once to the above mentioned place, and when eight 
 companies of thirty-two men each should be recruited, 
 their services should be accepted and rations furnished 
 by the State. 
 
 On the 25th day of August, 1861, Major De Forest 
 proceeded to the city of Oswego, and entered upon his 
 duties. After consultation with the friends of the 
 enterprise, it was concluded to call a meeting of the 
 officers and privates of the Forty-Eighth Regiment 
 of militia, then in existance, and ascertain how many 
 companies were willing to enlist for three years, unless 
 sooner discharged. 
 
 After repeated meetings and consultations of officers 
 it was ascertained that not one company of the regi 
 ment were willing to embark in the enterprise. The 
 committee finally concluded to organize an entire new 
 regiment, thinking that a large proportion of the men 
 in the Forty-Eighth Regiment could be induced to 
 
 enlist from* patriotic motives. But in that hope they 
 
 *19 
 
222 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 were disappointed, for not more than thirty of the regi 
 ment ever joined the ranks of the Eighty-First New 
 York Volunteers. 
 
 On the 14th day of September the requisite number 
 of men had been recruited from various sections of 
 the State, and enrolled themselves, and were divided 
 into eight companies, viz : A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, 
 and were then mustered into the service of the United 
 States, by Capt. D. B. McKibbin, 14th U. S. Infantry. 
 
 On the 1st of October, Company I was organized, 
 and on the llth following, Company K completed its 
 quota, and they were also mustered into the service of 
 the United States; after which an election for Cap 
 tains and Lieutenants took place under General Orders 
 No 73, Section 7, Headquarters State of New York, 
 which resulted in the following choice : 
 
 Co s, CAPTAINS. FIRST LIEUTENANTS. 
 
 A, William C. Raulston, Hamilton Littlefield, Jr., 
 
 B, John McAmbly, Augustus G. Bennett, 
 
 C, George \V. Berriman, Henry W. Greene, 
 
 D, John B. Edwards, Jr., Leverett C. Adkins, 
 
 E, Edward S. Cook, Elias A. Fish, 
 
 F, T. Dwight Stowe, Daniel C. Rix, 
 
 G, Henry C. Thompson, Henry N. Hamilton, 
 H, John B. Raulston, John W. Oliver, 
 
 I, Selden E. Clark, AValter B. Thorp, 
 
 K, Joel Dorman Steele. Julius F. BiUard. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 223 
 
 From November 1st to December 20th, the regi 
 ment continued to increase 1 in number and improve in 
 discipline, except the company commanded by Captain 
 Clarke. After consultation with the friends of the ser 
 vice it was decided to make application to headquarters 
 for the privilege of consolidating it with other smaller 
 companies, thereby making nine companies of ninety- 
 seven men each, which order was granted, when the 
 following Second Lieutenants were elected: 
 
 Company A, R. Henry Eddy. 
 
 Company B, Hugh Anderson, promoted, 1st Lt., and 
 
 Martin J. De Forest, elected. 
 Company C, James Martin. 
 Company D, John D. Phillips. 
 Company E, John T. De Forest. 
 Company F, Henry Sharpe. 
 Company G, Rodolphus D. S. Tyler. 
 Company H, Peter French. 
 Company K, Lawrence J. Steele. 
 
 Captain E. G. Marshall then proceeded to muster 
 in the regiment, with the field and staff officers, with 
 the exception of Colonel and Chaplain. 
 
 In the re-muster, Captain Marshall mustered out 
 eighty-seven men who had been regularly mustered by 
 
224 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Captain McKibbin, and furnished clothing and rations, 
 many of them for three months, and some of the very 
 best men in the regiment, simply because the parents 
 consent had not been preserved. In many cases the 
 men had them, and when they found that Captain 
 Marshall was taking that course, they refused to pre 
 sent them. It was also found that ninety men had 
 deserted, from time to time, so that the entire strength 
 of the regiment, after taking out the deserters and those 
 mustered out by Captain Marshall, only amounted to 
 six hundred and ninety-five men. At this time the 
 regiment was presented with two beautiful flags by the 
 citizens of Oswego. The presentation speech was made 
 by the late Hon. Mr. Fitzhugh, who addressed the 
 soldiers in patriotic terms, which was replied to by 
 Colonel Rose, in a few appropriate remarks. 
 
 On the 20th day of December 1861, the following 
 field and staff officers were mustered in : 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel JACOB J. DE FOKEST. 
 
 Major JOHN MCAMBLY. 
 
 Surgeon WILLIAM H. RICE. 
 
 Assistant Surgeon CARRINGTON McFARLAND. 
 
 Adjutant EDWARD A. COOKE. 
 
 Quartermaster ROGER A. FRANCIS. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 225 
 
 The regiment then left for Albany, arriving at that 
 place the next day, when it proceeded to the Barracks, 
 where it remained until ready for the field. While 
 here it was consolidated into seven companies, the sur 
 plus officers being mustered out, four of them against 
 their wishes; these were promised the first vacancies 
 that should occur, which promise was faithfully kept 
 by Governer Morgan. 
 
 About the 1st of February the regiment received an 
 accession of about three hundred and fifty, who had been 
 recruited in Oneida county, N. Y., which was called 
 the Mohawk branch of the regiment. They were 
 formed into three companies, viz.: Companies C, E, 
 and I, which completed the organization of the regi 
 ment. 
 
 On the 10th of February the remainder of the men 
 and officers were mustered into the service of the 
 United States, by Major Sitsgrave, U. S. A., including 
 Edwin Rose as Colonel and Rev. David McFarland as 
 Chaplain. 
 
 On the 21st of February, 1862, the regiment, num 
 bering ten hundred and forty men, including officers, 
 left the Barracks, at Albany, for the seat of war. As 
 they passed through the streets they were greeted by 
 thousands who thronged the sidewalks. From bal- 
 
226 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 conies and windows they were cheered by the old and 
 young, which was returned by the boys in blue who 
 were in high spirits, and anxiously looking forward to 
 active service in the field. Soldiers are always well 
 pleased with change of location or duty. 
 
 At sundown they took the cars for New York, 
 arriving there the next day. After taking refresh 
 ments at the Park Barracks, they were ordered to 
 Staten Island, where the regiment remained in bar 
 racks eight days. 
 
 On the 5th of March they were ordered to Washing 
 ton, which place they reached on the 7th, and on the 
 8th went into camp for the first time, on Colorama 
 Heights, just beyond the city. At this camp they 
 remained twenty days. While in this camp the regi 
 ment was attached to the Third Brigade, Brigadier 
 General I. N. Palmer, Casey s Division, 4th Corps. 
 
 On the 28th of March they marched to Alexandria, 
 Va., seven miles from Washington, and bivouaced near 
 the city until the morning of the 30th. During this 
 time a severe storm of rain, snow and sleet prevailed 
 for fifteen hours, to which both officers and men were 
 exposed, without tents or shelter, the tents having been 
 left standing at the camp they had lately left, by orders 
 from headquarters. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 227 
 
 On the morning of the 30th the regiment embarked 
 on the steam transport C. Vanderbilt, for Fortress 
 Monroe, which place was reached on the 1st of April, 
 1862; here the Army of the Potomac was concentrated. 
 On that day the regiment disembarked and marched 
 seven miles, toward Newport News, and camped on 
 low, flat ground, saturated with water, with no chance 
 to drain it, or obtain water for cooking purposes, where 
 it remained fourteen days, exposed to the weather, 
 which brought on sickness, and many were sent to 
 the hospital. 
 
 On the 15th of April, they marched fifteen miles, to 
 Young s Mills, bivouaced, and marched next morning 
 two miles, toward and near Warwick Court House, 
 and camped, where the regiment remained five days, 
 still without shelter, except such as could be made 
 from trees and fence rails, and scarcely able to find a 
 spot dry enough to lay upon. 
 
 * On the 21st they marched four miles and camped 
 in front of the enemy s works at Lee s Mills, and upon 
 low ground, very wet, with no drainage, nor good 
 water, where they remained thirteen days. While in 
 this camp shelter tents were issued to the men, the first 
 protection from rains they had enjoyed since they left 
 Washington. This was a great oversight on the part 
 
228 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 of the Government, and was one of the main causes of 
 our army being so reduced during the spring campaign. 
 At this camp Colonel Edwin Rose left the regiment, 
 on a sick leave, the command devolving on Lieutenant 
 Colonel De Forest. 
 
 On the 4th of May they marched eight miles, 
 toward Williamsburgh, passing to the left of York- 
 town, and bivouaced till the morning of the 5th, when 
 they marched eight miles further, by a circuitous 
 route, to the plain in front of Williamsburgh, on which 
 they camped, and remained until after the battle was 
 fought ; Casey s Division being the reserve of the army, 
 was not brought into action. 
 
 On the morning of the 10th they broke camp and 
 marched fifteen miles, to Rogers Church, where they 
 remained two days, encamped on good ground. On 
 the 12th they marched eight miles to New Kent Court 
 House, where they found a dry camping ground, and 
 remained three days; broke camp on the 15th, and 
 marched six miles, on the 16th, six miles, and on the 
 17th, three miles, to a large plain, near Bottom s Bridge, 
 where they camped upon good ground, until the 23d, 
 when they broke camp, crossed the Chickahominy, 
 marched five miles, and bivouaced ; on the 24th they 
 marched four miles, and on the afternoon of the 25th 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 229 
 
 moved three miles, to Seven Pines, where the regiment 
 remained three days; on the morning of the 28th they 
 advanced three-quarters of a mile, to the earthworks, 
 on the extreme front, where they remained until the 
 battle of Seven Pines, which was fought on the 31st. 
 At the first alarm on that day the regiment, under 
 command of Lieutenant Colonel De Forest, promptly 
 took the position assigned it, on the left wing of the 
 line of battle, in an open field, unsupported, fifty yards 
 in advance of a skirt of woods. 
 
 The enemy in front, screened by a thick under 
 growth of bushes, poured several volleys of musketry 
 into the regiment, and although this was the first 
 regular engagement in which they had participated, 
 yet they stood Irae veterans. Volley after volley was 
 poured into the bushes, with deadly effect. Soon find 
 ing that they could not maintain their exposed position, 
 the regiment fell back in good order to the edge of the 
 woods in their rear. During this time both field 
 officers fell, Lieutenant Colonel De Forest pierced 
 through the chest by a ball from the enemy s sharp 
 shooters; he was carried from the field; Major John 
 McAmbly and Captain Kingman were killed and 
 left on the field, together with many privates. Captain 
 
 William C. Raulston being the senior officer present, 
 20 
 
230 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 then assumed command, and in the position then taken 
 they kept up a constant fight with the enemy in front 
 for two hours, when a large force, afterwards ascertained 
 to be a brigade, entered the field they had left and 
 deployed in such a manner as to approach them both 
 in front and flank. To save themselves from being 
 taken prisoners, the order was given to fall back toward 
 the center of the line, which was on the Williamsburgh 
 road, half a mile distant. While moving in that direc 
 tion, the center gave way, and was being forced down 
 the road. To meet this, they were obliged to change 
 direction, passing through a thick wood and slashing, 
 gaining open ground half a mile in the rear of the first 
 line of rifle pits, which they entered, and continued the 
 fight until the day closed ; the enerd^ in possession of 
 the battle field, including the camp wibh all the tents, 
 the personal baggage and extra clothing of the men 
 and officers. 
 
 It was noon when the action commenced, and it was 
 kept up until darkness began to gather over the land. 
 The sun went down behind the green pines without a 
 cloud, and the tranquil stars came out one after the 
 other upon the sky, shedding their gentle light upon 
 field and wood, all unconscious of the dead and dying, 
 who had looked their last on the blue heavens. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 231 
 
 That night the brigade was ordered down the Wil- 
 liamsburgh road, a mile and a half, where the men lay 
 upon their arms, awaiting the dawn of morning. The 
 next day, June 1st, they were in line part of the day, 
 and the remainder was spent in reconnoitring the 
 enemy s right, and burying the dead on the field from 
 which the enemy had been driven, when they ascer 
 tained that the rebels had suffered more than the Union 
 troops. At night they lay on their arms. The second 
 day they occupied the same position. 
 
 At this time the following address was issued by 
 he commanding General, which inspired the troops 
 with new vigor: 
 
 HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, 1 
 CAMP NEAR NEW BRIDGE, VA., June 2, 1862. ) 
 
 Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac: 
 
 I have fulfilled at least a part of my promise to 
 you. You are now face to face with the rebels, who 
 are held at bay in front of their Capital. The final 
 and decisive battle is at hand. Unless you belie your 
 past history, the result cannot be for a moment doubt 
 ful. If the troops who labored so faithfully and fought 
 so gallantly at Yorktown, and who so bravely won the 
 hard fights at Williamsburgh, West Point, Hanover 
 
232 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Court House, and Fair Oaks, now prove worthy of 
 their antecedents, the victory is surely ours. 
 
 The events of every day prove your superiority. 
 \\lierever you have met the enemy you have beaten 
 him; wherever you have used the bayonet he has given 
 way in panic and disorder. 
 
 I ask of you now a last crowning effort. The enemy 
 has staked his all on the issue of the coming battle; let 
 us meet him and crush him here, in the very center of 
 the rebellion. 
 
 Soldiers, I will be with you in this battle, and share 
 its dangers with you. Our confidence in each other 
 is now founded upon the past. Let us strike the blow 
 which is to restore peace and union to this distracted 
 land. Upon your valor, discipline and mutual confi 
 dence the result depends. 
 
 (Signed) GEO. B. MCCLELLAN, 
 
 Major General Commanding. 
 
 On the fourth day they marched to White Oak 
 Swamp, six miles, where they quartered, being with 
 out tents, blankets, or extra clothing. The ground 
 was sufficiently elevated to be dry, and also in the 
 vicinity of good water. Here the men refreshed them 
 selves, and received a new supply of shelter tents and 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 233 
 
 clothing. While at this camp Colonel Rose rejoined 
 the regiment which remained here until the 28th, when 
 they received orders to join the advance, on their march 
 toward James river, and reached the vicinity of Mal- 
 vern Hill on the morning of the 30th, after a march 
 ^f fifteen miles through mud and mire ; it was impossi 
 ble for many teams to get through, and the wagons and 
 stores were destroyed, to prevent their falling into the 
 hands of the enemy. 
 
 On the 1st of July the regiment was assigned to 
 the reserve force, but was not brought into action on 
 that day. On the 2d they took up their line of march 
 toward Harrison s Landing, and when near the ravine 
 which was afterward selected for a line of defence, it was 
 assigned a position near the road, where it remained 
 until all the baggage and troops had passed. The men 
 lay on their arms that night, and next morning crossed 
 the ravine and took position on .the edge of the woods, 
 which they maintained until the line of defences were 
 fully established, and our army was once more secure 
 under cover of our gunboats on the James river. 
 
 On the 8th they camped near the James river, upon 
 high grounds, well shaded with trees, sufficiently open, 
 however, to allow the air to circulate freely. Here 
 
 they remained thirty-nine days, doing but little duty. 
 
 *20 
 
234 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 The whole army was again on the defensive. At this 
 camp Colonel Rose tendered his resignation, which was 
 accepted on the 7th of July, leaving Major Raulston 
 in command, who had been promoted in the meantime. 
 
 On the morning of the 16th of August the regiment 
 being the rear of the army, broke camp and mart-he^ 
 twenty miles, toward Williamsburgh, bivouaced, and 
 resumed the march the next morning, crossing the 
 Chickahominy on a pontoon bridge, at 3 o clock P. M., 
 at nightfall bivouacing, after a march of twenty miles; 
 resumed their march again on the morning of the 18th, 
 passing through Williamsburgh at 9 o clock A. M., and 
 continued their line of march toward Yorlftown, which 
 place was reached on the 19th, the men being nearly 
 exhausted, and many had fallen by the road side, over 
 come by heat and fatigue. Here they went into camp 
 upon a high bank of the York river, and near good 
 water. They remained at Yorktown until the last of 
 December, doing fatigue duty on the fortifications, the 
 men materially improving in health and strength, and 
 the sick list proportionately decreasing. While at this 
 place Colonel De Forest rejoined the regiment, having 
 sufficiently recovered from his wounds to take the field. 
 
 On the evening of the 29th of December the regi 
 ment embarked for Beaufort, North Carolina, which 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 235 
 
 harbor was reached on the morning of January 1st, 
 1863. On that day they disembarked, marched three 
 miles, to Carolina City, and camped upon sandy ground, 
 dry at the surface, but saturated with water two or three 
 feet below. They remained here twenty days, and then 
 re-embarked on the steam transport City of Bath, and 
 on the 28th sailed for Port Royal, South Carolina, 
 which place was reached on the 30th, the regiment 
 remaining on transports until the 10th of February, 
 when they disembarked and camped on St. Helena 
 Island, upon low, sandy soil, full of water just below 
 the surface, where they remained fifty-three clays, being 
 drilled each day, constantly improving in discipline. 
 
 On the 4th of April the regiment re-embarked and 
 sailed to North Edisto Inlet, where it remained on 
 shipboard until the 10th, when they returned and 
 landed at Hilton head, and went into camp until the 
 15th, when it again embarked and sailed for Beaufort, 
 North Carolina, making that harbor on the 17th; on 
 that day disembarked and moved by railroad to New- 
 bern, thirty-five miles distant, where it remained until 
 the 2d of May, when the regiment was ordered back 
 to Morehead City. Three companies, B, D and G, 
 under Major D. B. White, were ordered to Fort Macon, 
 for garrison duty. Three companies, E, I and K, were 
 
236 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 sent to Beaufort, as Provost Guard, under the lamented 
 Captain Ballard, and the remaining four companies, A, 
 C, F and H, remained as guard to Morehead City, 
 which was the headquarters of the regiment, then com 
 manded by Lieutenant Colonel W. B. Haulston. 
 
 While at* this post the Eighty-First was called 
 upon, with other troops in the District, to participate 
 in several important raids in the interior of the State. 
 On the 1st of July they made a raid in the direction 
 of AVilmington, in which some prisoners were captured, 
 they also partially destroyed the railroad to that city. 
 Soon after an expedition was sent to Swansboro, cap 
 turing some prisoners and property. Another raid 
 was made in the same month, under Brigadier General 
 C. A. Heckman, penetrating through the country to 
 within six miles of Weldon, capturing prisoners, small 
 arms and about one hundred bales of cotton, returning 
 to Morehead on the 2d of August, after an absence of 
 eight days, the men much exhausted by privation and 
 fatigue. 
 
 The regiment, while here, was principally engaged 
 in building fortifications and doing picket and guard 
 duty. It remainft. at this place until the 18th of Octo 
 ber, when they embarked on board steamers, and sailed 
 for Newport News, Virginia, which place was reaelml 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 237 
 
 on the 20th; encamped within one mile of the ground 
 occupied by the regiment in April, 1862. Nothing of 
 importance occurred while in this camp, where they 
 remained until the 18th day of November, when it 
 was ordered to Northwest Landing, twenty-five miles 
 south from Norfolk, near the borders of North Caro 
 lina, arid in the vicinity of Dismal Swamp 
 
 While en route for this post the regiment was fired 
 into by bushwhackers, just at nightfall, losing two men, 
 one wounded and one taken prisoner; the enemy made 
 their escape through the swamp and woods, crossing 
 the river into North Carolina in safety. 
 
 The camp was established on the 19th, near North 
 west Landing river. The bridge had been destroyed 
 some time previous by the enemy, and it was rebuilt 
 by a detail of men from the regiment, who prided 
 themselves on their skill in the art of bridge building; 
 in it they placed a draw, ingeniously contrived for the 
 destruction of the enemy, in case of a charge. A few 
 raids on the enemy restored quiet through this portion 
 of the country; the inhabitants feeling more secure 
 under the Yankee Government than the one lately 
 adopted by them. 
 
 While in this camp Mrs. C. E. Ingersoll, of Lee, 
 Oneida county, presented to the regiment a beautiful 
 
238 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 heavy silk National Color^in place of those presented 
 by the citizens of Oswego, which had been returned to 
 them while the regiment lay at Morehead City, North 
 Carolina, by the lamented Captain Fish, who went 
 North on a leave of absence. They had been carried 
 in triumph over the enemy s soil, as well as on many 
 a hard fought battle field, and were so dilapidated as 
 to be of no further use to the regiment, but will remain 
 in the archives in which they are placed, as an evidence 
 of the courage of those who carried them. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1864, the men of the regi 
 ment having less than one year to serve, were solicited 
 to re-enlist for three years, under a call from the AVar 
 Department. On the 23d of February, two-thirds of 
 those men had re-enlisted, which made the Eighty- 
 First a veteran regiment, and entitled them to a fur 
 lough of thirty days; when it was decided that the 
 brigade to which the regiment was attached should go 
 home in a body, on a veteran furlough; accordingly, 
 on the 23d, the re-enlisted men of the regiment left 
 camp at Northwest Landing for home, arriving at the 
 defences of Norfolk on the 24th, where they bivoiuurd 
 for three days awaiting the arrival of transports which 
 were to convey them to New York city. While here 
 they suffered much from the cold. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 239 
 
 On the 27th, at four o clock, A. M., the veterans 
 embarked on board the steamer Prometheus, homeward 
 bound. The weather was pleasant, and all on board 
 enjoyed the voyage. * 
 
 At two o clock, P. M., on the 29th, the vessel 
 dropped anchor in the harbor of New York. On the 
 1st of March the regiment was mustered for pay, ill 
 the City Hall Park, which was very gratifying to the 
 men, especially at this time, having such a fine oppor 
 tunity to use the money, which they did freely. 
 
 On the 2d day of March the brigade was reviewed 
 by the Mayor of the city, and escorted to the Arsenal 
 by the Eighth and Thirty-Seventh Regiments N. Y. 
 S. National Guard, and was also reviewed by Major 
 General Burnside, at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. The 
 parade was a success, and the veterans did themselves 
 great honor by their soldierly bearing and demeanor. 
 After doing justice to the sumptuous entertainment pro 
 vided by the city authorities, the troops were escorted 
 to the Hudson River Railroad, and took the night train 
 for Albany, where they arrived next morning at seven 
 o clock, and remained three days. While in Albany 
 the Brigade was reviewed by His Excellency, Governor 
 Seymour, and Members of the Legislature, after which 
 took the cars for Oswego. 
 
240 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 On the arrival of the Eighty-First at Syracuse, it 
 was met by a committee from Oswego, when breakfast 
 was served to the regiment at the principal hotels, the 
 Syracuse JJouse, the Globe, St. Charles, and Yoorliees 
 House, after which they took the cars for Oswego, 
 where they arrived at four o clock, P. M., the same day. 
 Although the rain poured down in torrents, yet the 
 mass of the population turned out to welcome home 
 the veterans of the Eighty-First, who were escorted by 
 the military of the city, and the Fire Department, to 
 Doolittle Hall, where the ladies of the city had pre 
 pared a splendid repast, to which the soldiers gave their 
 most earnest attention. 
 
 On the following day the men were furloughed for 
 thirty days, and proceeded to their several homes, 
 where they remained until the 5th of April, when the 
 regiment re-assembled, but owing to want of transpor 
 tation, did not leave for Albany until the 12th; thence 
 they went to New York on the steamer St. John, and 
 on the 16th embarked on board the steamer Ericsson, 
 arriving at Yorktown, Virginia, on the 18th. 
 
 Here the brigade was encamped, preparatory to the 
 spring campaign. Soon after the men that were left 
 at Northwest Landing joined the regiment, when the 
 Eighty-First was assigned to the First Brigade, Firtt 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 241 
 
 Division, 18th Army Corps, Army of the James. On 
 the 4th of May the regiment embarked on transports, 
 arriving at Bermuda Hundred on the 5th, at sundown, 
 and on the 6th moved northward, and took a position 
 about six miles from the landing, where they com 
 menced building fortifications. 
 
 On the 9th the Eighty-First was deployed as skir 
 mishers and continued as such in the advance during 
 the entire day, in the direction of Petersburg, where 
 they engaged the troops of Beauregard. Constant 
 skirmishing was kept up until nightfall, when a spirited 
 engagement took place, in which the enemy were routed 
 at Violet Station, on the Petersburg and Richmond 
 Railroad. During the night the enemy made several 
 attempts to regain the position lost by them, but with 
 out avail. 
 
 On the 10th the Union forces were ordered to their 
 intrenchments at Bermuda Hundred. On the 12th 
 another advance was made toward Richmond, the regi 
 ment being temporarily attached to the 10th Army 
 Corps, under command of Major General Gilmore, 
 which, on the 13th, engaged the enemy at Kingsland 
 Creek, capturing a strong position on the enemy s 
 right. The loss was quite severe on both sides, the 
 enemy being driven out, and a long line of works was 
 
 21 
 
242 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT 
 
 captured, together with many prisoners. The fighting 
 continued until midnight, the rebels making several 
 charges to retake the works. 
 
 On the 14th the regiment was ordered to support a 
 battery, in which it suffered some loss. On the 15th 
 they were ordered to throw up rifle pits. On the 
 morning of the 16th the battle of Drury s Bluff was 
 fought. The enemy taking advantage of a fog, and 
 smoke, succeeded in forcing through the right of our 
 lines, commanded by Brigadier General Heckman, 
 which caused some hard fighting, the enemy capturing 
 many of our men, also the General. 
 
 The Eighty-First was complimented by Generals 
 Butler and Gilmore for gallantry during the day, on 
 two occasions, repulsing charges of the enemy. At 
 nightfall the Union forces were compelled to fall back 
 to their intrenchments which they did under cover 
 of night, having sustained a loss of about 3,000 killed, 
 wounded and missing. 
 
 On the 28th of May the 18th Army Corps was 
 ordered to the James river, and on the 29th embarked 
 on board of transports and proceeded to the White 
 House, Virginia, on the Pamunky river, where they 
 arrived on the following day, pitched their tents and 
 found a little rest for the night. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 243 
 
 On the afternoon of the 31st the 18th Corps moved 
 forward to join the Army of the Potomac, bivouaoing 
 at New Castle, on the Pamunky river. At daylight 
 they continued their march; the day was suffocatingly 
 hot, and many of the men fell by the road side from 
 exhaustion, reaching the left of that army on the 1st 
 day of June, at Cold Harbor. Although the whole 
 command was nearly exhausted from excessive march 
 ing through the burning sun, the 18th Army Corps 
 was ordered to engage the enemy, taking their position 
 on the left of the 6th Corps, which had just arrived. 
 The men did not murmur, but went into the fight with 
 a determination seldom witnessed, capturing a strong 
 line of works before nightfall. 
 
 The Eighty-First, with the rest of the brigade, were 
 selected to hold the works during the night, and the 
 enemy were repulsed several times in trying to retake 
 them. 
 
 On the 2d the Eighty-First were to have been 
 withdrawn^ but owing to some cause, were advanced 
 to a more dangerous position. During the day it lost 
 over seventy in killed and wounded. Among those 
 killed was Lieutenant J. W. Burke, of Company K. 
 
 The 3d day of June will long be remembered as the 
 date of one of the most bloody battles of the war, 
 
244 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 which was participated in by the entire army, under 
 General Grant, not excepting the gallant Eighty-First, 
 which had been four days on constant duty, with little 
 food and no sleep, and the men were worn out; still 
 the regiment sustained its former reputation, and added 
 new laurels to its proud banner. Seven Captains out 
 of nine were either killed or wounded. Captain AV. AV. 
 Ballard, of Company I, and Captain James Martin, of 
 Company K, were killed. The regiment lost thirteen 
 officers. The color guard was completely annihilated, 
 and one-half of those who were engaged that morning 
 were either killed or wounded. During the twelve 
 days they were engaged at Cold Harbor over two- 
 thirds of the regiment were swept from the ranks. 
 Owing to the reduction of the number in the regiment 
 an order was issued to consolidate the companies, pro 
 visionally, into four, in which form they did duty 
 afterward. 
 
 On the 12th of June the Eighty-First returned witli 
 the 18th Army Corps to the White House, embarking 
 thence, on board of transports, for Bermuda Hundred, 
 arriving at Point of Rocks, on the Appomattox river 
 on the night of the 14th, where they bivouaced. The 
 Corps had expected rest; but there was no rest in the 
 programme of the Lieutenant General, and two o clock 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 245 
 
 the next morning found the Eighty-First en route for 
 Petersburg, crossing the pontoon bridge at daylight, 
 arriving in front of that city at noon, where it added 
 new laurels to those already won, in driving the enemy 
 out of the first line of their fortifications, which were 
 forts mounted with heavy guns. The line of battle 
 was formed in a skirt of woods, the artillery placed 
 in front, the pieces leveled to send the shot into the 
 embrasures of the forts, which was so accurately done 
 that it prevented them from working their guns. Our 
 artillery fired rapidly for about twenty minutes, when 
 a charge was made by the whole corps, crossing an 
 open field for a quarter of a mile, down a steep hill, 
 and then up the fortifications, which were about forty 
 feet high, driving the enemy with the point of the 
 bayonet. This was one of the most successful charges 
 of the campaign. 
 
 On the 16th the regiment was engaged in support 
 ing an assaulting column, and subsequently employed 
 in skirmishing, until a late hour at night, when again 
 it threw up breastworks along the line, which were 
 half a mile in advance of the forts lately captured. 
 
 On the 26th the enemy opened a terrific bombard 
 ment with artillery, continuing about an hour, when 
 
 they made a charge in two columns, in front of the 
 
 *21 
 
246 SECOND OSWEGO REGIME .\ ;T. 
 
 First Brigade. When at a proper distance our troops 
 opened a most destructive fire, literally annihilating 
 them ; every man that was not killed or wounded was 
 compelled to surrender. 
 
 In this engagement the Eighty-First lost very few 
 wounded, and took more prisoners from the enemy 
 than they had men in the ranks. The weather at this 
 time was very warm, and its men suffered a great deal 
 from the effects of it, as well as being annoyed l>v the 
 shells from the rebel batteries, or those of our own, 
 many of which were premature explosions, and fell into 
 our camp, which was then midway between Petersburg 
 and the forts we captured of the 15th. This made it 
 very uncomfortable for us, oftentimes driving us into 
 our bomb proofs, called gopher holes by the boys, 
 which afford a secure protection from the shells. 
 
 On the 9th of July the regiment was engaged, with 
 our division, in supporting the 9th Army Corps, return 
 ing the next day to the trenches, where it remained 
 until the 30th, when it took part in the Burnside mine 
 explosion. After the repulse of the 9th Army Corps, 
 the Division was placed in the front line, near the 
 crater, and did effective service, in covering the retreat. 
 Several men of the Eighty-First were wounded in this 
 engagement, although none were killed. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 247 
 
 On the 2d of August the regiment returned to the 
 trenches, near the Appomattox river, where it remained 
 until the 26th, when they returned to Bermuda Hun 
 dred, taking a position in the front line. On the 28th 
 new orders came, and at nine o clock, P. M., the regi 
 ment was in light inarching order. At three o clock, 
 A. M., of the 29th, crossed the James river on pon 
 toons, advancing across an open country. It soon came 
 in full view of the enemy s strong position, called Fort 
 Harrison, behind which they were found to be in force. 
 In carrying these works a fearful loss was inflicted on 
 the Union forces. 
 
 The Eighty-First was the first to plant its colors 
 on the rebel works, capturing two redoubts, several 
 pieces of artillery, large numbers of prisoners, and one 
 battle flag. In this engagement Captain Rix, Lieu 
 tenants Tuttle and Nethaway were killed, and Captain 
 Fish, Lieutenants Dolbier, Porter and Copeland mor 
 tally wounded, with many privates. Nine officers were 
 either killed or wounded in this action, leaving only 
 three officers to command the balance of the regiment. 
 On the 30th the regiment lost quite a number of men, 
 as the enemy made several attempts to dislodge our 
 troops from the fort, but without success. A large 
 number of prisoners and two battle flags were cap- 
 
248 . SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 tured from the enemy by them. During the two clays 
 fight the Eighty-First lost one hundred in killed and 
 wounded, including nine officers, out of twelve. 
 
 The Eighty-First remained at Fort Harrison, doing 
 picket duty, until the 27th of October, when it took 
 part in the movement on the enemy s left, near Seven 
 Pines, and on the 29th it engaged the enemy on the 
 same ground on which it fought two and a half years 
 before, with opposite results of the first engagement, 
 driving the eneniy back to Richmond, after which the 
 troops returned to their old quarters at Chapin s Farm. 
 . In recognition of their services, the regiment was 
 presented with a stand of silken colors, by the War 
 Department, on the recommendation of Major General 
 Butler, commanding the Department, on which was 
 inserted the following names: Yorktown, Seven Pines, 
 Savage Station, Malvern Hill, Winton, Violet Station, 
 Kingsland Creek, Drury s Bluff, May 13th, loth, 16th, 
 Cold Harbor, June 1st, 2d and 3d, Petersburg, June 
 15th, 16th and 24th, and July 9th and 30th, Fort 
 Harrison (Chapin s Farm), September 29th and 30th, 
 Fair Oaks, 2d, October 27th, 1864. 
 
 On the 5th of November the regiment was ordered 
 to Xew York harbor, where they arrived on transports, 
 and remained during the Presidential election. From 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 249 
 
 thence they returned to their old camp, in front of 
 
 
 Richmond, arriving on the night of November 18th. 
 
 On the 20th of December the 10th and 18th Army 
 Corps were consolidated, and the Eighty-First was 
 assigned to the First Brigade, *Third Division, of the 
 24th Army Corps. 
 
 On the 8th of January, 1865, General Butler was 
 relieved of the command of the Army of the James, 
 which he had been connected with from its organiza 
 tion. In taking leave of his officers and soldiers he 
 issued the following address : 
 
 "Soldiers of the Army of the James: 
 
 " Your commander, relieved by order of the Presi 
 dent, takes leave of you. Your conduct in the field 
 has extorted praises from the unwilling. You have 
 endured the privations of the camp and the march 
 without a murmur; you have never failed to attack 
 when ordered; you have stormed and taken works 
 deemed impregnable by the enemy; you have shown 
 the positions to be so by holding them against his 
 fiercest assaults in the attempt to retake them. 
 
 " Those skilled in war have marveled at the obsta 
 cles overcome by your valor. Your line of works has 
 excited the wonder of the officers of other nations, who 
 
250 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 came to learn defensive warfare from the monuments 
 of your skilled labor. Your deeds have rendered your 
 name illustrious. In aftertimes your General s proudest 
 memory Vill be to say, with you : I, too, was of the 
 Army of the James/ To share such a companionship 
 is pleasure ; to participate in such acts is honor ; to have 
 commanded such an army is glory. 
 
 "No one could yield it without regret, knowing 
 your willing obedience to orders, witnessing your ready 
 devotion of your blood in your country s cause. I have 
 Ifcen chary of the precious charge confided to me. I 
 have refused to order useless sacrifices of the lives of 
 such soldiers; and I am relieved from your command. 
 The wasted blood of my men does not stain my gar 
 ments. For my action I am responsible to my God 
 and my country. 
 
 " To ilie Colored Troops of the Army of the James: 
 In this army you have been treated not as laborers but 
 as soldiers. You have shown yourselves worthy of the 
 uniform you wear. The best officers of the Union seek 
 to command you. Your bravery has now the admira 
 tion even of those who would be your masters. Your 
 patriotism, fidelity and courage, have illustrated the best 
 qualities of manhood. With the bayonet you have 
 unlocked the iron barred gates of prejudice, opening 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 251 
 
 new fields of freedom, liberty and equality of rights 
 to yourselves and your race forever. 
 
 "Comrades of the Army of the James, I bid you 
 farewell. Farewell. 
 
 "BENJAMIN F. BUTLEK, Maj. Gen." 
 
 That portion of the regiment which did not re-enlist 
 were discharged during the month of January, 1865, 
 reducing the regiment to two hundred and fifty men, 
 present for duty, who were mostly veterans. 
 
 The regiment remained at Fort Harrison doing 
 picket duty, until the advance was ordered, "On to 
 Richmond ! " On the morning of the 3d of April the 
 Eighty-First were deployed as skirmishers, in front 
 of "Wetzel s forces, and was the first infantry regiment 
 to enter the rebel Capital. 
 
 This was the last and crowning act of this noble 
 and gallant regiment. On entering the city, their first 
 work was to release the Union prisoners confined in 
 Castle Thunder and Libby Prison, putting in confine 
 ment the same number of rebels. Then our starry 
 flag was raised above the prison wall, amid the deafen 
 ing cheers of the soldiers and now happy contrabands 
 and prisoners, all of whom had long been wishing for 
 the time when they should be released from prison and 
 
252 . SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 a bondage worse than death. After which the soldiers 
 were engaged in extinguishing the conflagration which 
 was then raging in different parts of the city. The 
 released prisoners and contrabands went in for a share 
 of the spoil which such an occasion generally affords. 
 
 After doing duty for some weeks in and around the 
 city, the regiment were ordered to Williamsburgh, 
 where they remained until the last of July. From 
 there they were ordered to Fortress Monroe, where 
 they were mustered out of the service on the 1st day 
 of August, and ordered to report at Albany, N. Y. 
 They took a steam transport for New York, and from 
 there proceeded to Albany, by boat, under the com 
 mand of Colonel D. B. White. While at Albany they 
 encamped on the heights along the Hudson river, north 
 of the city, and in the rear of the new barracks. 
 
 The following is a list of the sieges, engagements 
 and raids, in which the regiment participated: 
 
 Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, May 3d, 1862. 
 Battle of Williamsburgh, Virgina, May 5, 1862. 
 Battle of Bottoms Bridge, Virginia, May 11, 1862. 
 Battle of Savage Station, Virginia, May 22, 1862. 
 Battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia, May 30th, 1862. 
 Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia, May 31", 1862. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 253 
 
 Battle of Chickahominy, Virginia, June 24, 1862. 
 Battle of Charles City Cross Roads, Virginia, June 
 
 25, 1862. 
 
 Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia, July 1, 1862. 
 Siege of Charleston, South Carolina, April 7, 8, 9 and 
 
 10, 1863. ^ 
 
 Raid on Washington, North Carolina, April 18, 1863. 
 Raid on Trenton, North Carolina, July 4, 1863. 
 Raid on Winton, North Carolina, July 28, 29, 30, 1863. 
 Battle of Violet Station, Virginia, May 9, 1864. 
 Battle of Kingsland Creek, Virginia, May 13, 1864. 
 Battle of Drury s Bluff, Virginia, May 16, 1864. 
 Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia, from 1st to 12th of 
 
 June, 1864. 
 Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from June 15th until 
 
 August 26, 1864. 
 
 Battle of Chapin s Farm, Va., September, 29, 1864. 
 Battle of Fair Oaks, 2d, Virginia, October 27, 1864. 
 ENTERED RICHMOND, Virginia, April 3d, 1865. 
 
 The firearms used in these engagements were mus 
 kets, calibre 58. The first arms were the Springfield, 
 drawn at Albany, just previous to the regiment leaving 
 the Military Depot, and were used during the cam 
 paign of 1862, when they were exchanged for the 
 22 
 
254 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Austrian. These gave great dissatisfaction, being very 
 inferior in style and manufacture, and were finally 
 returned, receiving the Enfield in exchange, which 
 compare well with our Springfield. They were used 
 by the regiment during the remainder of the war. The 
 n ion of the regiment pride^l themselves much on their 
 guns, in keeping them clean and bright, their barrels 
 glistening in the sun like silver. An order was issued 
 by the commander of the regiment, relieving the pri 
 vate from certain duties, whose arms and equipments 
 bore the best inspection, when they were required to 
 wear white gloves, boots neatly blacked, and knap 
 sacks properly packed, which caused no small degree 
 of rivalry among the men. 
 
 The colors of the regiment were never in the hands 
 of the enemy. They \vere carried triumphantly on 
 every field of battle in which the regiment participated. 
 
 The original colors are deposited in the archives of 
 the city of Oswego. The other two flags which were 
 presented to the regiment, one by Mrs. E. C. Ingersoll, 
 of Oneida county, and the other by the War Depart 
 ment, in recognition of their services during the war, 
 and especially at Fort Harrison, Virginia, are now 
 deposited in the Bureau of Military Record, at Albany, 
 
SECOND OSWEGO KEGIMENT. 255 
 
 N. Y., to remain there as evidence of the loyalty and 
 courage of the regiment who bore them in the hour of 
 our country s peril and danger, amid carnage and death, 
 many of whom fell beneath them, and are now resting 
 quietly in unknown graves. 
 
 "Unmentioned, unreturning braves! 
 
 Who perished far from friends and home, 
 And found unmarked but sacred graves 
 Beneath the blue of Heaven s dome ; 
 
 To you, who left alike behind, 
 
 And left for aye, your friends and fears; 
 
 To danger, not to duty, blind, 
 We yield the tribute of our tears. 
 
 Ye perished in a hostile land, 
 
 In prison, hospital, or fight; 
 But never lifted lawless hand, 
 
 Nor struck a blow, but for the right. 
 
 Whether the field was lost or won 
 
 On which ye perished, reck not ye; 
 Success is sure in duty done, 
 
 To die for right is victory. 
 
 Soft stream the sunshine overhead, 
 
 Green grow the grasses on your graves; 
 
 Heaven will remember you, though dead, 
 Ungarlanded, immortal braves." 
 
256 SECOND OSWEGO IVI:<;IMI-:XT. 
 
 The marches of the regiment were often through 
 drenching rain, mud and swamps, and sometimes under 
 a burning sun. The men often became exhausted from 
 fatigue; many of them, on the march, were obliged to 
 abandon their extra clothing to lighten their burthen, 
 which sometimes consisted of a great coat, knapsack 
 well filled, a blanket, haversack containing three days 7 
 rations, canteen holding three pints of water, a gun 
 weighing fourteen pounds, besides equipments, with 
 forty rounds of cartridge in their boxes, and twenty 
 extra rounds in their pockets or knapsacks; their feet 
 would often blister, compelling them to fall out by the 
 wayside, where they were left to the tender mercy of 
 the enemy; frequently shoeless, and sometimes throwing 
 away their shoes, traveling through the heated sand 
 to find a little relief. 
 
 The following are the marches made by this regi 
 ment from the time it left Fort Ontario, in 1861, until 
 it returned to Albany and was discharged, in 1865, 
 including railroad and steam transportation. Some 
 of the steam transports were rickety old vessels, which 
 had been let or sold to the Government agents at the 
 most enormous rates, for the purpose of carrying troops 
 from place to place along the coast and inland waters, 
 were unsafe, and not fit to carry cattle : 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 257 
 
 MILES. 
 
 Osvvego to Albany, - - - 183 
 
 Albany to New York, 150 
 
 New York to Washington, - 225 
 
 Washington to Alexandria, D. C., - 7 
 
 Alexandria to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, - - 116 
 
 Fortress Monroe to Seven Pines, Virginia, - 65 
 
 Seven Pines to Harrison s Landing, Virginia, - - 17 
 
 Harrison s Landing to Yorktown, Virginia, 52 
 York town to Carolina City, North Carolina, ... 278 
 
 Carolina City to Port Royal, South Carolina, 250 
 
 Port Royal to Beaufort, South Carolina, - - 16 
 
 Beaufort to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, - 14 
 
 St. Helena Island to North Edisto Inlet, South Carolina, 58 
 
 North Edisto Inlet to Hilton Head, South Carolina, - 56 
 
 Hilton Head to Newbern, North Carolina, - 287 
 
 Newbern to Fort Macon, North Carolina, - 38 
 
 Fort Macon to Trenton, North Carolina, - 90 
 
 Trenton to Morehead City, North Carolina, - 88 
 
 Morehead City to Winton, North Carolina, - 250 
 
 Winton to Morehead City, North Carolina, - 250 
 
 Morehead City to Newport News, Virginia, 259 
 
 Newport News to Northwest Landing, Virginia, - 41 
 Northwest Landing to Oswego, New York, ... 625 
 
 Oswego to Yorktown, Virginia, - - 620 
 
 Yorktown to Bermuda Hundred, Virginia - - - 130 
 
 Bermuda Hundred to Cold Harbor, Virginia - - 225 
 
 Cold Harbor to Petersburg, Virginia, - - - 235 
 
 Petersburg to Fort Harrison, Virginia, ... 25 
 
 Fort Harrison to New York city, - - 470 
 
 New York city to Fort Harrison, - - 470 
 
 Fort Harrison to Richmond, - 5 
 
 Richmond to Williamshurgh, ... 32 
 
 Williamsburgh to Fortress Monroe - 37 
 
 Fortress Monroe to Albany, New York, - - 380 
 
 - 6,043 
 *22 
 
258 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 On the 17th day of August, 1865, the men received 
 their final pay from the Government which they had 
 so faithfully served, many of them more than four 
 years, and now were again to become citizens of the 
 Republic which they had helped defend from the foul 
 hands of traitors. It was a most glorious epoch in their 
 history; the proudest record of their lives. 
 
 The nation was never served by braver men, nor a 
 more loyal regiment. They were among the first to 
 respond to their country s call, and among the last to 
 leave its service, and not then until war s bloody tide 
 was stayed and the supremacy of the Government had 
 been established, with freedom for its corner stone, and 
 justice to all men for its motto. If valor and fidelity 
 are passports to honor and places of emolument, then 
 the soldiers of the Eighty-First Regiment should share 
 some of them. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 259 
 
 I 
 
 RECORD OF COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. 
 
 THIS record shows the names of all the commissioned officers who 
 served with the Eighty-First Regiment, New York State Volunteer 
 Infantry, from 1861 to the close of the war, which is one hundred and 
 nine, to whom one hundred and eighty-two commissions were issued 
 during the terms of three different Governors, viz. : Major General E. 
 D. Morgan, Hon Horatio Seymour, and Hon. Reuben E. Fenton, giving 
 the dates of commissions, and a record of discharges, resignations, 
 wounds received in action, killed or died from disease. 
 
 Most of the officers had served in the ranks, and won their promo 
 tion through merit, which is an honor they may well feel proud of, and 
 which is the only true mode of advancement. This method encourages 
 the private soldier to perform his duty, and produces a generous rivalry 
 among the officers, who are so ambitious for power and distinction. 
 
 EDWIN ROSE, Colonel, February 19, 1862; resigned at Harrison s 
 Landing, July 7, 1862; afterwards appointed Provost Marshal for 
 the First Congressional District of the State of New York ; was a 
 graduate of West Point; served in the Florida War, as Second 
 Lieutenant; afterward resigned and retired to civil life, until the 
 breaking out of the rebellion. Died in 1864. 
 
 JACOB J. DE FOREST, Lieutenant Colonel, December 20, 1861; 
 wounded at the battle of Seven Pines, Virginia, May 31, 1862; 
 promoted to Colonel July 19, 1862; discharged September 1, 1864, 
 on account of physical disability, incurred in the service. 
 
 JOHN McAMBLY, Major, February 19, 1862; killed at the battle of 
 Seven Pines ; buried on the field. 
 
260 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 EDWARD A. COOKE, First Lieutenant and Adjutant, February 19, 
 1862; promoted to Captain, o^vember 15, 1864; mustered out at 
 expiration of term of service. 
 
 ROGER A. FRANCIS, First Lieutenant and Regimental Quarti-riiiast-r, 
 February 19, 1862; promoted to Captain, December 17, 1863; 
 wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864; dis 
 charged for physical debility incurred in the service. 
 
 WILLIAM II. rflCE, Surgeon, February 19, 1862; was Division Sur 
 geon in the campaign of 1864, and served in all the battles in which 
 the regiment was engaged ; mustered out at expiration of term of 
 service. 
 
 JOHN N. MILLER, Surgeon, February 25, 1865; mustered out at the 
 close of the war. 
 
 CARRINGTON McFARLAND, Assistant Surgeon, February 19, 1862; 
 promoted to Surgeon in the One Hundred and Fifteenth New York 
 Volunteers; mustered out at the close of the war. 
 
 EPHRAIM W. BUCK, Assistant Surgeon, July 24, 1863; mustered out 
 for promotion, in another department. 
 
 JOHN X. OLIVER, Assistant Surgeon, August 25, 1864; mustered out 
 at the close of the war. 
 
 GEORGE W. EARLL, Second Assistant Surgeon, August 27, 1862; 
 
 resigned. 
 
 SYDNEY D. GRASSE, Second Assistant Surgeon, April, 27, 1863. 
 DAVID McFARLAND, Chaplain, February 17, 1862; resigned. 
 ISAAC G. DURYEE. Chaplain, October 17, 1862; mustered out at the 
 
 close of the war; died February 8th, 1866, from disease contracted 
 
 in the service. 
 
 WILLIAM C. RAULSTON, Captain, February, 19, 1862; promoted 
 to Major, June 20, 1862, to Lieutenant Colonel, July 19, 1862; 
 resigned September 6, 1863; afterward promoted to Colonel of the 
 Twenty-Fourth New York State Volunteer Cavalry; was captured 
 in front of Petersburg, Va. ; shot in prison, at Danville, Va., while 
 attempting to escape, from which wounds he died. 
 
SECOXD OSWEGO REGIMENT. 261 
 
 AUGUSTUS G. BENNETT, Captain, February 19, 1862; promoted to 
 Lieutenant Colonel in the Twenty-First United States Colored 
 Troops ; mustered out at the close of the war. 
 
 FRANKLIN HANNAHS, Captain, February 19, 1862; promoted from 
 
 the ranks ; died while in the service. 
 LEVERETT C. ADKINS, Captain,. February 19, 1862; resigned. 
 
 DAVID B. WHITE, Captain, February 19, 1862; promoted to Major 
 October 23, 1862; mustered out at expiration of term of service; 
 afterward re-enlisted as a private, and promoted to Lieutenant 
 Colonel February 17, 1865; promoted to Colonel July 12, 1865; 
 mustered out of the service at the close of the war ; originally pro 
 moted from the ranks. 
 
 T. DWIGHT STOW, Captain, February 19, 1862; resigned. 
 
 HENRY C. THOMPSON, Captain, February 19, 1862; resigned. 
 
 JOHN B. RAULSTON, Captain, February 19, 1862; promoted to Lieu 
 tenant Colonel November 24, 1863; mustered out at the expiration 
 of term of service. 
 
 LYMAM M. KINGMAN, Captain, February 19, 1862; killed at the 
 battle of Seven Pines, Va., May 31, 1862; buried on the field. 
 Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 J. DORMAN STEELE, Captain, February 19, 1862; resigned. 
 
 EDWARD S. COOK, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; promoted 
 to Captain July 19, 1862 ; resigned. 
 
 HAMILTON LITTLEFIELD, JR., First Lieutenant, February, 19, 1862; 
 dismissed the service. 
 
 HUGH ANDERSON, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; promoted 
 to Captain, August 27, 1862; wounded at the battle of Seven Pines, 
 Va., May 31, 1862, also at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 
 1864; "mustered but at the expiration of term of service. 
 
 ORIN J. FITCH, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; resigned. Pro 
 moted from the ranks. 
 
 JOHN G. PHILLIPS, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; resigned. 
 
262 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 WILLARD W. BALLARD, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; pro 
 moted to Captain, October 29, 1862; killed at the battle of Cold 
 Harbor, June 3, 1864; his body was sent home. Promoted from 
 
 the ranks. 
 
 EDWARD A. COOK, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; promoted 
 to Captain, July 19, 1862; resigned. 
 
 GEORGE W. BERRIMAN, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; 
 resigned. 
 
 JOHN W. OLIVER, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; discharged 
 on account of wounds received at the battle of Seven Pines, Va., 
 4 May 31, 1862. 
 
 WALTER C. NEWBERRY, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862: pro 
 moted to Captain, October 22, 1862; dismissed the service; after 
 ward promoted to Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel of the 
 Twenty-Fourth N. Y. S. V. C. ; mustered out at the close of the war. 
 
 HEXRY W. GREEX, First Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; resigned. 
 Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JAMES MARTIN, First Lieutenant, July 19, 1862; promoted to Cap 
 tain, February 17, 1863; killed at the battle of Cold Ilarbor, Va., 
 June 3, 1864; left on the field. 
 
 BARTHOLOMEW S. DE FOREST, First Lieutenant, August 26, 1862; 
 promoted to Regimental Quartermaster, February 17, 1863; dis 
 charged September 19, 1864, for physical debility incurred in the 
 service. 
 
 GEORGE W. STEADMAN, First Lieutenant, November 21, 1862; 
 resigned. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 CHARLES R. JOHNSON, Tirst Lieutenant, December, 1862; promoted 
 to Captain, January 14, 1865; mustered out at the close of the 
 war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JOHN W. BURK, First Lieutenant, February 17, 1863; killed at the 
 battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 2, 1864; his body was sent home. 
 Promoted from the ranks. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 263 
 
 SEWARD ZIMMERMAN, First Lieutenant, November 20, 1803 ; was 
 wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864; dis 
 charged on account of wounds received in action ; promoted from 
 Sergeant. 
 
 CHARLES C. COVAL, First Lieutenant, November 30, 1863 ; wounded 
 at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864; discharged oa 
 account of wounds received in action. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 BYRON B. MORRIS, First Lieutenant, July 21, 1864; promoted to 
 Captain, January 31, 1865, to Major, July 12, 1865; mustered out 
 at the close of the war. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 HIRAM P. BALLARD, First Lieutenant, September 16, 1864; pro 
 moted to Captain, June 17, 1865 ; mustered ont at the close of the 
 war. Promoted from Sergeant Major. * 
 
 CASPAR J. COOKE, First Lieutenant, November 30, 1864; promoted 
 to Captain, January 31, 1865 ; mustered out at the close of the war. 
 Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 EDWARD A. BLAKELY, First Lieutenant, November 30, 1864; pro 
 moted to Captain, March 14, 1865 ; mustered out at the close of 
 the war. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 HENRY SQUIRES, First Lieutenant, January 31, 1865 ; promoted to 
 Captain, June 29, 1865; mustered out at the close of the war. 
 Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 WILLIAM BREDOW, First Lieutenant, January 31, 1865; promoted 
 to Captain, May 31, 1865; mustered out at the close of the war. 
 Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 JOHN WALKER, First Lieutenant, January 31, 1865 ; mustered out 
 at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 WILLIAM P. BABCOCK, First Lieutenant, January 31, 1865 ; pro 
 moted to Captain, July 6, 1865; mustered out at the close of the 
 war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 ALBERT H. MAYNARD, First Lieutenant, January 31, 1865; mus 
 tered out at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JOSEPH BARTLETT, First Lieutenant, January 31, 1865; promoted 
 to Captain, July 13, 1865; mustered out at the close of the war. 
 Promoted from the ranks. 
 
264 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 GEORGE W. HALEY, First Lieutenant, March 14, 1865; mustered out 
 at the close of the war. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 THEODORE HARTER, First Lieutenant, March 14, 1865; mustered 
 out at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 CHAUXCEY C. RUMILL, First Lieutenant, June 29, 1865; mustered 
 out at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 WILLIAM H. BRACKETT, First Lieutenant, July 6, 1865; mustered 
 out at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 HARVEY C. TAFF, First Lieutenant, July 12, 1865; mustered out at 
 the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JAMES G. FOOT, First Lieutenant, July, 12, 1865; mustered out at the 
 close of CTie war. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 MELVILL ERWIN, First Lieutenant, August 19, 1865. 
 
 ELIAS A. FISH, Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; promoted to 
 Captain, July 19, 1802; wounded at the battle of Cliapin s Farm, 
 Va., September, 29, 1864. Died from wounds received in action. 
 
 MARTIN J. DE FOREST, Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant, October 22, 1862, to Captain, Decem 
 ber 24, 1803; wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 
 1804 ; discharged on account of wounds received in action; appointed 
 S<von<l Lieutenant in the Third Veteran Reserve Corps; originally 
 enlisted as a. private in the Twenty-Fifth N. Y. S. M., and was in 
 srr\ice three months; afterward enlisted in the Eighty -First Regi 
 ment, and was promoted from the ranks. 
 
 1 JKN.I A M I N K WOOD, Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862 ; resigned. 
 Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 RODOLPHUS D. S. TYLER, Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; 
 promoted to First Lieutenant, July 19, 1862, to Captain, August 
 27, 1802; wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864; 
 discharged on account of wounds received in action. 
 
 SETII J. STEVES, Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; resigned. 
 Promoted from the ranks. 
 
t 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 265 
 
 DANIEL C. RIX, Second Lieutenant, July 19, 1862; promoted to First 
 Lieutenant, July 19, 1862, to Captain, August 24, 1863; killed at 
 the battle of Chapin s Farm, Va., September 29, 1864; his body was 
 sent home. 
 
 HENRY H. HAMILTON, Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; 
 resigned. 
 
 PETER FRENCH, Second Lieutenant, February 19, 1862; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, October 22, 1862 ; afterward promoted to Major 
 in the New York Volunteers. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 LAWRENCE J. STEELE, Second Lieutenant, February 22, 1862, 
 dismissed from the service. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 EDGAR ABEEL, Second Lieutenant, June 24, 1862 ; promoted to Cap 
 tain in the Twenty-First United States Colored Troops. Promoted 
 from Sergeant. 
 
 R. H. EDDY, Second Lieutenant, June 24, 1862 ; mustered out. 
 
 BENJAMIN W. RICHARDSON, Second Lieutenant, July 19, 1862; 
 promoted to Captain, October 22, 1862; wounded at the battle of 
 Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864 ; discharged on account of wounds 
 received in action. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JOHN T. DE FOREST, Second Lieutenant, July 19, 1862; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, February 1Y, 1863, to Captain, June 13, 1863 ; 
 discharged on account of physical disability, incurred in the service . 
 died May 25,. 1866. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 HENRY SHARP, Second Lieutenant, July 19, 1862; promoted to Cap 
 tain in the Twenty-First United States Colored Trorps. Promoted 
 from Sergeant. 
 
 R. HERBERT WILLOUGHBY, Second Lieutenant, July 19, 1862; 
 promoted to First Lieutenant, October 22, 1862; promoted to Major 
 in the Twenty-First United States Colored Troops. Promoted from 
 Sergeant. 
 
 J. EDMOND MALETTE, Second Lieutenant, October 21, 1862; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant and Adjutant, December 24, 1863 ; was 
 wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864; dis. 
 charged on account of wounds received in action. Promoted from 
 Sergeant. 
 
 23 
 
266 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 LEWIS B. PORTER, Second Lieutenant, October 21, 1862; promoted 
 to Captain, July 8, 1864; wounded at the battle of Chapin s Farm, 
 Va., September 29, 1864; died from wounds received in action. 
 Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 BRANTLE G. REED, Second Lieutenant, October 21, 1862; promoted 
 to Captain in the Twenty-First United States Colored Troops. Pro 
 moted from the ranks. 
 
 EDWARD D. COOK, Second Lieutenant, October 21, 1862; wounded 
 at the battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864; resigned. Promoted 
 from Sergeant. 
 
 NEWTON H. GILBERT, Second Lieutenant, October 22, 1862 ; resigned. 
 Promoted from Commissary Sergeant. 
 
 JAMES L. BELDEN, Second Lieutenant, October 22, 1862; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, February 17, 1863; resigned. Promoted from 
 Sergeant Major. 
 
 EDWARD A. STIMSON, Second Lieutenant, October 24, 1862; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant, April 2, 1864, to Captain, June 28, 
 1864, to M^or, December 7, 1864; mustered out at the expiration 
 of term of service. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 GEORGE C. SMITH, Second Lieutenant, February 17, 1863 ; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, June 13, 1863, to Cap tain, November 19, 1864; 
 mustered out at expiration of term of service. Promoted from 
 Sergeant. 
 
 SAMUEL DOLBIER, Second Lieutenant, February 17, 1863; wounded 
 at the battle of Chapin s Farm, Va., September 29, 1864; died 
 from wounds received in action. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 MAURICE P. TIDD, Second Lieutenant, June 13, 1863; wounded at 
 the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864; promoted to Cap 
 tain, November 19, 1864; mustered out at expiration of term of 
 service. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 SQUIRE M. TUTTLE, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1863; killed 
 at the battle of Chapin s Farm, Va., September 29, 1864. Pro 
 moted from Sergeant. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 267 
 
 
 
 JULIUS H. CLARK, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1863; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant, December 24, 1863., to Captain, Sep 
 tember 16, 1864; resigned. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 JOHN J. WHITNEY, Second Lieutenant, December 19, 1863; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant, November 19, 1864, to Captain, Decem 
 ber Y, 1864; discharged. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 JEFFERSON W. BROCKWAY, Second Lieutenant, September 6, 1863 ; 
 resigned. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 J. MORTIMER BAXTER, Second Lieutenant, December 24, 1863 ; 
 promoted to First Lieutenant, December 30, 1863 ; resigned. Pro 
 moted from, the ranks. 
 
 ALBION P. MARTIN, Second Lieutenant, Februaay 12, 1864; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant, June 21, 1864, to Captain, November 
 
 11, 1864; wounded at the battle of Chapin s Farm, September 29, 
 1864; discharged *on account of wounds received in action. Pro 
 moted from the ranks. 
 
 AMOS M. COPELAND, Second Lieutenant, March 2, 1864 ; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, December 7, 1864 ; died from wounds received 
 at the battle of Chapin s Farm, Va., September 29, 1864. Pro 
 moted from Sergeant. 
 
 DRAYSON FORDRED, Second Lieutenant, April 9, 1864; killed at the 
 battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864 ; his body was left on the field. 
 Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 ^LUCIUS V. S. MATTISON, Second Lieutenant, July 9, 1864; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant, November 19, 1864, to Captain, Decem 
 ber 1, 1864, to Major, March 7, 1865, to Lieutenant Colonel, July 
 
 12, 1865 ; mustered out at the close of the war. Promoted from 
 Sergeant. 
 
 DAVID NETHAWAY, Second Lieutenant, July 21, 1864; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, September 16, 1864; killed at the battle of 
 Chapin s Farm, Va., September 29, 1864; buried on the field. 
 Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
268 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 JAMES J. BUTLER, Second Lieutenant, September 16, 1864 ; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, November 11, 1864, to Captain, January 
 31, 1865; mustered out at the close of the war. Promoted from 
 Drum Major. 
 
 SAMUEL WILSON", Second Lieutenant, September 16, 1864; mustered 
 out at expiration of term of service. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 WILLIAM APPLEBY, Second Lieutenant, September 16, 1864; pro 
 moted to First Lieutenant, November 19, 1864, to Captain, January 
 31, 1865 ; mustered out at expiration of term of service. Promoted 
 from the ranks. 
 
 JOSEPH M. HALL, Second Lieutenant, November 15, 1864; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, December 1, 1864, to Captain, March 14, 1865; 
 mustered out at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JAMES H. BERRY, Second Lieutenant, December 19, 1864; promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, May 31, 1865; mustered out at the close of the 
 war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 GEORGE WART, Second Lieutenant, December 24, 1864. 
 
 JOHN F. YOUNGS, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; mustered 
 out at expiration of term of service. Promoted from Quarter 
 master s Sergeant. 
 
 WILLIAM II. HORTON, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; was 
 wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1864; dis 
 charged on account of wounds received in action. Promoted from 
 Sergeant. 
 
 FREDERICK ENGLEMAN, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865. 
 Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JOHN KING, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; wounded at the 
 battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 2, 1864; discharged on account 
 of wounds received in action. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 RILEY WORMER, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; wounded 
 at the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862, also at Drury s Bluff, May 
 15, 1864, and at Cold Harbor, Va. June 3, 1864. Promoted from 
 Sergeant. 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 269 
 
 JEDEDIAH GREGWARE, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; 
 
 mustered out at the close of the war. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 n 
 
 EDWARD TAYLOR, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; mus- 
 te^pl out at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 JOSEPH B. STANTON, Second Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; mus 
 tered out at the close of the war. Promoted from Sergeant. 
 
 NICHOLAS F. GREEN, Secoftd Lieutenant, November 30, 1865; 
 mustered out at the close of the war. Promoted from the ranks. 
 
 REGIMENTAL ROSTER. 
 
 THE following presents a complete Roster of the Field, Staff, and 
 Line Officers of the Eighty-First Regiment New York State Volunteer 
 Infantry, (Second Oswego Regiment,) after its consolidation with the 
 Mohawk Rifle Regiment, on the 10th day of February, 1862, and as it 
 left the Barracks, at Albany, for the seat of war, on the 21st day of 
 February following. Also, a complete Roster of all the enlisted men 
 that ever belonged to the Regiment, as far as can be ascertained from 
 the muster rolls and enlistment papers now on file in the Adjutant 
 General s office. It is stated that some mustering officers neglected to 
 forward their muster rolls, and did not make returns to this office, as 
 they should have done. In case any names of enlisted men who belonged 
 to the Regiment should not appear on this Roster, the above, it is hoped, 
 will be a sufficient explanation for such omissions. It has been the 
 Author s desire to furnish a complete muster roll of the officers and 
 men, to be engrossed in the History of the Regiment, on which he has 
 spent much time in research. 
 
 Non-commissioned Staff, Musicians, Sergeants and Corporals will be 
 found under their respective heads, as far as the records show, and the 
 Privates in alphabetical order : 
 
 *23 
 
270 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO KEGIMEXT. 
 
 Field and Staf Officers. 
 
 COLONEL EDWIN ROSE. 
 
 LIEUTENANT COLONEL JACOB J. DE FOREST. ^ 
 
 MAJOR JOHN McAMBLY. 
 
 ADJUTANT EDWARD S. COOK. 
 
 QUARTERMASTER ROGER A. FRANCIS. 
 
 SURGEON WILLIAM H. RICE. 
 
 ASSISTANT SURGEON CARRRINGToltf McFARLANE. 
 
 CHAPLAIN DAVID McFARLAND. 
 
 Line Officers. 
 
 COMPANY A. COMPANY F. 
 
 WILLIAM C. RAULSTON, Captain. T. DWIGHT STOW, Captain. 
 HAMILTON LITTLEFELD, JR., 1st Lt. EDWARD S. COOK, 1st Lieut. 
 ELIAS A. FISH, 2d Lieut. D. C. Rix, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 AUGUSTUS G. BENNETT, Captain. 
 HUGH ANDERSON, 1st Lieut. 
 MARTIN J. DE FOREST, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 FRANKLIN HANNAHS, Captain. 
 ORIN J. FITCH, 1st Lieut. 
 SETH J. STEVES, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 LEVERETT D. ADKINS, Captain. 
 JOHN G. PHILLIPS, 1st Lieut. 
 R. D. S. TYLER, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 LYMAN M. KINGMAN, Captain. 
 W. C. NEWBERRY, 1st Lieut. 
 D. G. HARRIS, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 HENRY C. THOMPSON, Captain. 
 HENRY H. HAMILTON, 1st Lieut. 
 WILLIAM F. GREEN, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 JOHN B. RAULSTON, Captain. 
 JOHN W. OLIVER, 1st Lieut. 
 PETER FRENCH, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 D. B. WHITE, Captain. 
 WILLARD W. BALLARD, 1st Lieut. 
 B. F. WOOD, 2d Lieut. 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 J. DORMAN STEELE, Captain. 
 GEO. W. BERRIMAN, 1st Lieut. 
 LAWRENCE J. STEKLE, 2d Lieut, 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 271 
 
 Non- Commissioned Officers. 
 
 STAFF. 
 
 JAMES L. BELDEN, Sergt. Major JOHN F. YOUNGS, Q. M. Sergt. 
 NEWELL II. GILBERT, Com. Sergt. CHARLES S. HART, Hosp. Steward. 
 WILLIAM S. WINTERS, Drum Major. 
 
 SEEGEANTS. 
 
 Amos Copeland, 
 William Anthony, 
 John Boigal, 
 George P. Ilolley, 
 William F. Morrell, 
 William Moore, 
 Gilbert Stewart, 
 J. Edmond Mallett, 
 John Wilson, 
 William S. Bennett, 
 John H. Oilman, 
 Elijah S. Curry, 
 James Crolins, 
 Lewis B. Porter, 
 Maurice P. Tidd, 
 Lucius V. S. Mattison, 
 Edwin C. Kuowlton, 
 George C. Smith, 
 Frederick Brehstett, 
 William II. Horton, 
 Nelson C. Spencer, 
 Samuel Wilson, 
 Jared L. Shepard, 
 Edward Chappel, 
 James Crumley, 
 
 Lafayette Hanchett, 
 John Willis, 
 Louis N. Holden, 
 Elijah B. Payne, 
 Samuel Dolbier, 
 Philip Ostrander, 
 Mont Pel ton, 
 Edward A. Blakely, 
 John H. V. Gilman, 
 Albert Bloodgood, 
 Kiley Wormer, 
 Alex. Gould, 
 Edward A. Stimson, 
 Seward Zimmerman, 
 Joseph V. Perkins, 
 John J. Whitney, 
 Nicholas Miltz, 
 Joseph Gregoir, 
 Joseph Danquier, 
 Jedediah Gregoir, 
 R. H. Willoughby, 
 Edwin Malony, 
 Edwin Slack, 
 Miles Sullivan, 
 David Nethaway, 
 
272 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 MUSICANS. 
 
 Lewis B. Boaner, 
 Simeon J. Vandish, 
 Henry S. Hunt, 
 Earliest Shalkenbeck, 
 WillVed M. Chappel, 
 Robert McCulley, 
 Richard Chester, 
 "\Villiam C. Hinman, 
 Charles H. Fordham, 
 Cassius W. Newton, 
 
 Jonas Slauson, 
 Charles Bechstadt, 
 Samuel Durant, 
 William Williams, 
 George W. Warren, 
 Charles A. Taylor, 
 Albert Wells, 
 Willis Van Buren, 
 George P. Coats, 
 Paul Shalkenback. 
 
 CORPORALS. 
 
 Nicholas Mily, 
 Vandusen D. Babcock, 
 Lewis Young, 
 Frederick Beckstedt 
 George C. Sole, 
 Alexander Champang, 
 John Labare, 
 Joseph Dauker, 
 Robert Durant r 
 Earl Prowty, 
 William Van Wagenham, 
 Alonzo H. Youman, 
 James A. Havens, 
 Hezekiah Allen, 
 Albert Dewey, 
 James Robinson, 
 Joseph Albring, 
 Michael Halley, 
 William Appleby, 
 Joseph H. Stanton, 
 Lumau Knapp, 
 Joseph Monette, 
 
 William P. Babcock, 
 William Bracket, 
 Chauncey C. Rumill, 
 Eben L. Hill, 
 Martin Chesbro, 
 Benjamin Titus, 
 William Brown, 
 Charles F. Burleigh, 
 Edwin B. Mason, 
 Leon Tilton, 
 William E. Dunham, 
 Isaac Bunn, 
 Edward Bum, 
 William H. Howe, 
 Henry M. Johnson, 
 Stephen Wynans, 
 Henry Wormer, 
 Ira Hills, 
 
 James H. Cooper, 
 Mathias Zingler, 
 Elias B. Wrightman, 
 Waterman B. Reynolds, 
 
SECOND OSWEGO KEGIMENT. 
 
 273 
 
 Gt*>rge R. Snow, 
 Otis Minor, 
 Levi Blair 
 Thomas Lawton, 
 George E. Darling, 
 William G. Angell, 
 Franklin Edic, 
 Freeman Miner, 
 Chavles A. Redfield, 
 William M. Sutton, 
 James G. Foot, 
 
 James Anderson, 
 John Labere, 
 Joseph G. Perkins, 
 Isaac E. West, 
 Authur Yeomans, 
 Christopher F. Hoey, 
 M. S. Moses, 
 Charles W. Patrick, Jr., 
 David Sears, 
 James II. Wade. 
 
 Privates. 
 
 Anthony, Edwin J., 
 Abbott, Orsin, 
 Adams, William, 
 Arlen, Alonzo, 
 Aylsworth, Ervin G., 
 Aggs, William, 
 Abbott, Hewellgan, 
 Aylwood, Philip, 
 Allen, John T., 
 Austin, Daniel H., 
 Anthony, George A., 
 Austin, John W., 
 Auringer, Lewis, 
 Allen, Joseph W. S., 
 Allen, Henry, 
 Aldrich, David, 
 Anderson, A. W., 
 Archer, Robert, 
 Berton, John W., 
 Burnham, Charles H., 
 Bracy, Hi nun, 
 Benson, Samuel, 
 
 Burt, Lawrence B. 
 Barnes, William H., 
 Bass, Charles, 
 Brown, William, 
 Bigley, Michael, 
 Bennett, Charles, 
 Biglow, John, 
 Buford, French, 
 Buckingham, Arthur, 
 Biron, John, . 
 
 Bulock, Benjamin, 
 Button, Charles, 
 Burns, Ward A., 
 Branshaw, Charles, 
 Borden, Lorenzo N., 
 Blair, William, 
 Boucher, Jeff., 
 Boland, John, 
 Bownes, Elijah, 
 Bronshott, Charles, 
 Bates, Nelson D. 
 Bridges, Thomas C., 
 
274 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Beers, Charles E., 
 Brown, Allen, G. P., 
 Boothe, Henry, 
 Bookman, Morris, 
 Brinnan, John, 
 Blackmail, Dennis, 
 Burt, George W., 
 Barnes, Lorenzo, 
 Brown, Francis G., 
 Barnard, Adelbert, 
 Brown, Charles, 
 Bishop, William, 
 Brown, Anson H., 
 Blosier, William, 
 Bright, John W.. 
 Burnside, William, 
 Burch, Walter N. 
 Brink, Cicero, 
 Bbhop, Serens L., 
 Brown, Wm. W., 
 Banks, Horatio, 
 Braya, Samuel L., 
 Beaumond, Porter W., 
 Beeles, Sanford, 
 * Bacon^ Lester, 
 Bunn, Caspar, 
 Becker, Daniel E., 
 Burns, John, 
 Burrows, Edward, 
 Bishop, John T., 
 Beach, William, 
 Babcock, Gilbert B. f 
 Bell, George, 
 Boyne, Andrew B., 
 Burt, John W., 
 Brower, Ezra, 
 Bruen, George, 
 
 Benjamin, Oscar A., 
 Berry, James H., 
 Baxter, J. Mortimer, 
 Burnett, Joseph I. 
 Bootle, William W., 
 Burnett, Orvis E., 
 Brock way, Jefferson W., 
 Burt, Charles, 
 Bailey, Norman B., 
 Brooks, George M., 
 Billard, Jules F., 
 Bartlett, Devolson, 
 Butler, James J., 
 Brown, William, 
 Brown, John, 
 Brown, Thomas, 
 Burns, James, 
 Benny, Jaint s, 
 Burbanks, William H., 
 Barry, James, 
 Badgley, Jeremiah A., 
 B;illard, Hiram P., 
 Benedic, Francis, 
 Bailey, William H., 
 Brewster, David, 
 Brewster, Daniel D., 
 Boynton, John W., 
 Bone, John J., 
 Bone, Joseph F., 
 Bacon, James H., 
 Ballard, Martin, 
 Beech, Charles, 
 Buckhart, James, 
 Badgley, Alfred, 
 Button, Warren K. . 
 Benches, Jeffers, 
 Buck, Albeit, 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT., 
 
 275 
 
 Bonner, Ephraim, 
 Broan, George A., 
 Bailey, Marshall, 
 Ballard, Eugene L., 
 Button, Henry, 
 Barker, Harvey, 
 Brown, George, 
 Biggs, John, r 
 Birch, John, 
 Braley, James, 
 Best, William, 
 Bradt, Fred. H., 
 Burns, Patrick, 
 Bigley, Michael, 
 Bellarra, Lewis, 
 Becroft, Francis F., 
 Borhans, Lewis, 
 Baup, William, 
 Blowers, John, 
 Bradon, William, 
 Bump, J., 
 Bartlett, Joseph, 
 Baker, Ebenezer, 
 Ballard, Willard W., 
 Ballard, Benjamin, 
 Ballard, Martin, 
 Baker, Ely E., 
 Byam, Charles, 
 Benjamin, Amos A., 
 Barnhard, Earnest, 
 Coon, Francis, 
 Coffinger, Francis J., 
 Clouse, John, 
 Conrad, Joseph, 
 Casten, William, 
 Coon, David, 
 Cady, Lucius H., 
 
 Charnick, George^ 
 Carpenter, Charles, 
 Colby, Ernest B., 
 Coon, Oscar, 
 Carpenter, James M., 
 Champang, John, 
 Ghanteau, Gloud, 
 Comstock, William, 
 Cross, Charles J., 
 Culen, James, 
 Coroy, Peter, 
 Coffinger, Higgins, 
 Culver, William 0., 
 Churchill, William T. 
 Cunningham, Andrew, 
 Cook, Ziba, 
 Chase, Rensford, 
 Clark, Patrick, 
 Crosier, David, 
 Cook, George W., 
 Chappel, Wilfred M., 
 Chapin, Judson, 
 Crumb, George W., 
 Coe, Jerome H., 
 Clifford, James, 
 Calkins, D. C., 
 Cole, Francis M., 
 Coy, Roswell, 
 Chapel, William, 
 Chapel, Dyer, 
 Gary, Norton, 
 Carr, William, 
 Conklin, Caleb H., 
 Coats^ George P., 
 Converse, Jerome, 
 Clark, Isaac H., 
 Clark, John, 
 
276 
 
 .SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Cole, Ira, . 
 Calahan, James, 
 Collins, George W., 
 Conklin, Alferd S. 
 Collett, William H., 
 Cook, Edward D., 
 Govern, John, 
 Champion, Pqter, 
 Cooper, James C., 
 Crawford, John B., 
 Colburn, Henry C., 
 Cornish, George T., 
 Cradell, Benjamin, 
 Colins, Thomas II., 
 Crane, Eli B., 
 Coger, Charles C., 
 Chapell, Eugene, 
 Crocker, Adelbert, 
 Conradt, Nicholas, 
 Cornwall, William G., 
 Cook, James, 
 Cook, George A., 
 Cameron, Augustus, 
 Cresier, David H., 
 Cornwall, William G., 
 Cornwall, William, 
 Coy, Henry,. W., 
 Conrad, Nicholas W., 
 Corkins, Gillett, 
 Carwell, Thomas, 
 Carty, George, W. 
 Cheadel, Rufus K., 
 Cook, James, 
 Cook, George A,, 
 Chapson, Alexander, 
 Conklin, George W., 
 Campbell, Van Buran, 
 
 Carroll, Thomas, 
 Corcoran, James, 
 Cumming?, John, 
 Conway, John, 
 Campbell, Timothy, 
 Cornish, George T., 
 Cheesman, William J. 
 Churchill, William H., 
 Cusker, John M., 
 Covall, Charles C., 
 Cook, Chasper I., 
 Crawford, John B., 
 Coonradt, Thomas, 
 Crowley, Timothy, 
 Culver, Milton II., 
 Colborn, Henry C., 
 Coonradt, Philip A., 
 Drew, Jacob W., 
 Dunlop, Henry, 
 Darling, Benjamin, 
 Dooris, Alexander, 
 Darling, Ezra, 
 Darling, George E., 
 De Forest, M. J., 
 De Lancy, James, 
 Darling, John, 
 Drake, Chestin, 
 Davids, Charles, 
 Dibble, Asel, 
 Daly, John, 
 Decutah, Areull, 
 David, Edward A., 
 Davis, Ebenezer, 
 Duel, Eben, 
 Dikeman, Edward, 
 Dunn, Hugh, 
 Daily, John, 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 277 
 
 Dubois, Henry D., 
 Dubois, George, 
 Davis, Napoleon B., 
 Disbrow, Benjamin F., 
 Davis, George, 
 Delancy, Theodore, 
 Dunn, John, 
 Doolittle, James A. t 
 Dunsmore, Deloss, 
 Dalby, Joseph, 
 Den ess, John, 
 Dunham, Samuel W., 
 Dodge, Milton, 
 Devoe, Martin, 
 Dines Norwood R., 
 Dines, James, 
 Danforth, Mathew, 
 De Forest, John T., 
 Decory, Septua, 
 Danforth, William, 
 Davis, David A., . 
 Dewey, Franklin W., 
 De Clercy, Charles, 
 Dimond, Nathan, 
 Dean, Nathan, 
 Duly, Joshua, 
 Drein, John, 
 Dolby, Moses, 
 Diss, Leger Jim, 
 Dillon, Michael, 
 Drake, David, 
 Denson, Charles, 
 Dalton, James, 
 Doty, Newell, 
 Dunlop, George, 
 Dennce, Robert S., 
 Dumble, Albert, 
 
 Dawley, Samuel E., 
 Dawson, William, 
 Duglas, George, 
 Desmond, John, 
 Dooley, David, 
 Davis, Charles, 
 Davis, Edward A., 
 Dawson, Thomas, 
 Dugert, William M., 
 Dunn, Charles, 
 Davis, John T., 
 Drake, C. A. 
 Dunbar, Delaney, 
 Dormer, Henry, 
 Davis, John C., 
 Duffy, James, 
 <Daniels, James A., 
 Davenp^t, Isaac, 
 Derby, ffanklin M., 
 Duel Harrison, 
 Emlen, Nelson, 
 Ellis, Russel, 
 Ensworth, Horace B., 
 Egleston, Edward, 
 Eason, Charles G., 
 Ernst, Herman, 
 Estman, Edwin, 
 Evrts, Edwin, 
 Elsie, John, 
 Enslow, Charles W., 
 Ellsworth, Robert M., 
 Edwards, Benjamin W., 
 Edwards, H. Edwin, 
 Echuerd, Hugh R., 
 Este, Alfred A., 
 Edwards, E., 
 Edie, Charles J., 
 
 24 
 
278 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Edwards, Hugh, 
 Evans, Thomas J., 
 Evaus, Richard, 
 English, James, 
 Ecker, William W., 
 Farr, George R., 
 Fitzgerald, James, 
 Freeman, Milton, 
 Finyland, George, 
 Fenton, John, 
 Foster, Harmon, 
 Fagan, Thomas 
 Francis, John W., 
 Ford, Charles H., 
 Fish, Orin S., 
 Flowers, Marshall A., 
 Fisher, Jacob E., 
 Featherly, John, 
 Fuller, James M., 
 Fuller, George, 
 Fleming, William R., 
 Fagan, Michael, 
 Farley, George, 
 Fay, David H., 
 Fisk, George II., 
 Filer, George, 
 Foster, William D., 
 Foreman, William, 
 Fordham, Charles H., 
 Ferguson, William J., 
 Fitzgibbon, Patrick, 
 Fry, John S., 
 Farrar, Adam H., 
 Fry, William, 
 Ferris, Dorance, 
 Fero, George, 
 Furgeson, Abram A., 
 
 Fordred, Drayson, 
 Fordred, William Jr., 
 Featherly, Charles, 
 Featherly, David, 
 Fitzgerald, John, 
 Featherly, Henry, 
 Ferguson, Allen I., 
 Frederick Newman, 
 Francis, John W., 
 Furnia, Peter, 
 Featherly, George, 
 Fitch, B. J., 
 Fellori, Edward, 
 Fitch, Orin J., 
 Fitzgerald, Michael W., 
 Foster, Antrim, 
 Foster, Harrison H., 
 Ferguson, William J., 
 Francisco, Peter J., 
 Griffiths, John E., 
 Griffith, David R. 
 Godden, George, 
 Greens, Wesley, 
 Gotham, Oscar, 
 Greenia, F. H., 
 Green, John C., 
 Greek, James, 
 Green, Hiram J., 
 George, J., 
 Gilchrist, George, 
 Green, Nicholas F., 
 Gem, George, 
 Green, Simon P. P., 
 Green, Charles E., 
 Gardener, Benjamin Jr., 
 Gage, Daniel G., 
 Graves, Francis P., 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 279 
 
 Graves, W. C., 
 Green, James R., 
 Gough, John D., 
 Grotus, Lewis J., 
 Graves, James 
 Graves, Maurice A., 
 Gear, Clem, 
 Guiltbil, William, 
 Gilbert, William, 
 Gary, Frank, 
 Gumm, Peter, 
 Gayer, C., 
 Gray, John, 
 Guile, Daniel, 
 Goit, James A., 
 Graves, A. S., 
 Griggs, George G., 
 Guile, Orson, 
 Goodwin, Charles H. f 
 Garnett, John, 
 Gregoire, Joseph, 
 Gilbert, William, 
 Gang, Frank, 
 Gregoir, Jedediah, 
 Gilman, John H., 
 Gilman, Levi L., 
 Galigar, Patric, 
 Gould, Joseph, 
 Gordon, John, 
 Gordon, Abram, 
 Gill, Frank, 
 Glood, David, 
 Gifford, Arthur, 
 Green, Luther, 
 Gates, George W., 
 Glood, Joseph, 
 Geer, Elias, 
 
 Gordon, Morris, T., 
 Gard, James, 
 Gray, Charles, 
 Gray, Frederick, 
 Griffeu, William, 
 Greenwood, Lewis, 
 Green, William, 
 Geisel, Ludwig, 
 Garner, Henry, 
 Gordon, George, 
 Gonion, Peter, 
 Gaylord, Perley M., 
 Holly, Charles H., 
 Hubbard, Alvin, 
 Hackett, Charles E., 
 Harvey, John, 
 Hughes, Thomas, 
 Harvey, Michael, 
 Huttoo, Neil, 
 Horton, William, 
 Hagenbouch, Aug., 
 Hines, Joseph, 
 Hammel, Henry, 
 Hagerty, John, 
 Holiday, Levi F., 
 Happ, George I., 
 Harrigan, Jeremiah, 
 Hager, Joseph, 
 Hesson, James, 
 Hunt, John, 
 Hughes, Joseph, 
 Huson, Leonard, 
 Hoag, George A., 
 Hewitt, Adam, 
 Hill, Charles E., 
 Hannum, Warren D., 
 Hall, Joseph M. 
 
280 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Hulbert, Alonzo, 
 Ilovey, Oliver, 
 Harrigan, John, 
 Ilutchinson, John, 
 Heenan, John, 
 Hainlin, John, 
 Mndrelet, Joseph, 
 Hutchens, George, 
 Harp, Allen, 
 Huguin, John S., 
 Holiday, Ruben, 
 Hoose, James, 
 Hinman, Jacob, 
 Hawley, William, 
 Hand, Thomas, 
 Hines, Edmund V., 
 Hindman, Jacob, 
 Haley, George, 
 Hill, Henry, 
 Hathway, Daniel, 
 Hyatt, Willet L., 
 Hard castle, Samuel E., 
 Holmes, David, 
 Hydom, Philip, 
 Hydom, James H., 
 Ilanigan, John, 
 Hadlow, Henry, 
 Havens, Charles 0., 
 Halsey, Jesse C., 
 Hinman, William C., 
 Heudryt, Lemuel C., 
 Hills, Benjanin, 
 Ho well, Orlando J., 
 Howell, James S., 
 Horter, Theodore, 
 House, George, 
 Holt, George S., 
 
 Hammersly, Thomas, 
 Hubbard, Heman A., 
 Hills, Clark J., 
 Harmon, Decatur, 
 Hubbard, Willard, 
 Hardendorf, Myron E., 
 Howell, Robert, 
 Hoisted, Cassius C., 
 Hurd, William, 
 Humphrey, Edward, 
 Hagener, Theodore, 
 Hermance, W., 
 Hillman, Shadrack, 
 Hawks, John, 
 Hardy, Henry R., 
 Hallock, James, 
 Hubbard, E., G., 
 Holang, Perry, 
 Ilowland, Edson, 
 Hall, William H., 
 Higgins, Thomas, 
 Hurd, W. W., 
 Hall, Charles C., 
 Hall, Arthur L., 
 Hayes, Charles B., 
 Hall, Luther, 
 Hermans, Alfred S., 
 Hyde, Henry J., 
 Harris, Charles E., 
 Hubbard, Herman, 
 Humaston, George, 
 Hummel, Windsalyin, 
 Hamilton, John, 
 Harin, John F., 
 Hone, Edgar, 
 Hone, James, 
 Hone, W. H., 
 
. SECOND OSWEGO KEGIMENT. 
 
 281 
 
 Eemstreet, John J., 
 Hemstreet, Ebenezer, 
 Holleubeck, Jooper, 
 Hounds, Franklin, 
 Hall, Wilber F., 
 Hitchcock, Joseph, 
 Hyde, Charles E., 
 Barter, Theodore, 
 Hoke, Mathias, 
 Hoose, George, 
 Hoy, James, 
 Hyer, Frederick, 
 Jackett, Alexander, 
 Jones, Joseph, 
 Johnson, William G., 
 Jackson, James S., 
 Jones, Charles H., 
 Johnson, Frederick D., 
 Jeffries, John, 
 Jewett, Melun E., 
 Jacobs, John E., 
 Jackett, David, 
 Johnson, William, 
 Judge, Patrick, 
 Jones, Charles H., 
 Jones, John J., 
 Jones, Thomas J., 
 Jacobs, George W., 
 James, Channing, M., 
 James, A., 
 Johnson, Charles R., 
 Jesse, John, 
 Johnson, Florence, 
 Jones, Edward, . 
 Jena, George, 
 King, Joseph, 
 Kelly, Michael, 
 
 Kent, Robert, Sen., 
 Kent, Robert, Jr., 
 Kibbe, Amos N., 
 Kenyon, Lorenzo R., 
 Knight, Hiram J., 
 Kingsbury, John E., 
 Koen, Charles H., 
 Kenyon, John E. t 
 Klock, Harrison, 
 Kay, John D., 
 Ketchum, Harry, 
 King, Benjamin F., 
 Kinney, Hanson, 
 King, George, 
 Kenyon, Andrew F., 
 Kenney, James M., 
 Kimbell, Edwin, 
 Kimline, Martin, 
 Kilburn, Jacob, 
 Knaps, George M., 
 Kilse, Abraham, 
 Kelly, John, 
 Kent, James R., 
 Kendall, Charles N., 
 Kane, John, 
 Keogh, Henry, 
 Kingman, Lyman L., 
 Knapp, Luman, 
 Kimmey, Hanson, 
 Knight, Arthur, 
 Lovejoy, Edward H., 
 Lawton, William H., 
 La Point, Valentine, 
 Lawton, Thomas, 
 Laland, Joseph, 
 Looker, Manvill C. 
 Loudin, Frank, 
 
 24* 
 
282 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Leroy, Louis, 
 Lindsley, Charles W., 
 Looker, John W., 
 Loungsley, Charles, 
 Leroy, Frank, 
 Lary, Joseph, 
 Lewis, Charles S. f 
 Lay ton, Charles, 
 Lynch, John, 
 Low, James, 
 Lacy, Martin, 
 Lord, Enoch, 
 Leonard, James, 
 Lampman, John C., 
 Liddle, John, 
 Labolt, Chandler D., 
 Lawrence, R. E., 
 Lodely, Ambrose, 
 Looker, Justice, 
 Lee, Frederick, 
 Litchfield, Silas W., 
 Laplant, Adolphus, 
 Leroy, Simon, 
 Long, Hiram, 
 Lovejoy, John F., 
 Lukentally, Ira, 
 Lyndsay, William, 
 Leffier, Adolph, 
 Letson, Rhodes, 
 Letson, Isaac W., 
 Letson, Peleg C., 
 Leroy, Henry, 
 Lewis, Bartholomew, 
 Lewis, James C., 
 Leary, George, 
 Lnthrop, Charles D., 
 Love, William, 
 
 Loper, Thomas, S., 
 Lawton, Thomas, 
 Labere, John, 
 La Buff, Joseph, 
 Loftis, Thomas, 
 Morris, Byron B., 
 McGrath, James, 
 McDonald, Thomas, 
 Moore, George F., 
 Murray, James, 
 May, William H., 
 Morrison, Charles E., 
 Mason, James, 
 Mason, Marcus, 
 Miller, Horace, 
 Miller, Philip P., 
 Martin, Albion P., 
 Maurer, Charles, 
 Mauro, Andrew, 
 Mensoy, Sanford, 
 Moses, M. S., 
 Marble, Daniel, 
 Murphy, John, 
 Murphy, Jefferson, 
 Miles, Stephen S., 
 McEvoy, John J., 
 McEvoy, John A., 
 Myers, Charles H., 
 McCusker, - 
 Marden, William, 
 Markem, John, 
 Moore, George F., 
 Mabb, Charles, 
 Max ton, George M., 
 Moore, John, 
 McClintock, George, 
 Marshall, Andrew, 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 283 
 
 McJanner, II., 
 Mattice, Spencer, 
 McGrane, Henry, 
 Maloy, John, 
 Meigs, Edgar C., 
 Moore, Charles, 
 Myers, Charles H., 
 Miller, Smith, 
 Murphy, William H., 
 Mitchell, Patrick, 
 McLaughlin, Hugh, 
 Myers, John, 
 Miller, Philip C., 
 Murphy, Thomas, 
 McVanner, Henry S., 
 Moore, Elijah, 
 Mykel, Stephen, 
 Main, Alonzo 0., 
 Mitchell, William, 
 McTye, Michael, 
 Maxen, Gurden, 
 Muroin, Gorsline, 
 McQuinney, Thomas, 
 Miller, John F., 
 Michael, Harvey, 
 Morton, William H., 
 Morton, Daniel, 
 Murks, Ruben, 
 Mahoney, Jerry, 
 Mason, Frederick R., 
 McCoy, James, 
 McCormick, James, 
 McDumor, William, 
 Morrell, Justin, 
 Miner, Willis H., 
 Miner, Otis M., 
 McGraw, James, 
 
 Marshall, John, 
 McLean, William F., 
 McCatharine, John, 
 Matteson, Marshall, 
 Marsh, Perry E., 
 Mills, Samuel D., 
 Matteson, Charles E., 
 McLean, James A., 
 McCoy, Robert, 
 Madden, Daniel, 
 Mattison, Benjamin F., 
 Mattison, William, 
 Martin, Henry, 
 Macomber, Henry, 
 McKoon, John E., 
 Morton, Harvey, 
 Morrison, Seth, 
 Mosier, Josiah W., 
 Morgan, Charles H., 
 Myers, Peter, 
 Merick, Warner, 
 Marshall, Joseph, 
 McAmbly, Jesse, 
 McManus, Thomas, 
 Martin, Frank, 
 Mimmack, George, 
 Miller, William E., 
 Morris, Michael, 
 McClaggan, John, 
 McDonald, John, 
 Maynard, Ezra, 
 Mead, Joseph, 
 
 Mead, Sylvester, 
 Mitchel, Edward, 
 Mulford, Charles J., 
 McKerrick, John, 
 Mitchell, Truman W., 
 
284 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Michere, John, 
 McMillen, George, 
 Marden, William, 
 Newton, John, Jr., 
 Newton, Louis W., 
 Noonan, John, 
 Narv, John, 
 Neill, Thomas, P., 
 Niel, Michael, 
 Nichols, Samuel, 
 Nichols, James, 
 Nearkern, John, 
 Noyes, William T., 
 Nettleton, Elisha, 
 Nolan, Patrick, 
 Nose, Charles, 
 
 Nostrant, , 
 
 Nichols, John H., 
 Northrop, Remond L., 
 Osborn, George W., 
 Ormsby, W T illiam, 
 Oswald, John, 
 Owen, George Leroy, 
 O Leary, John, 
 O Briene, Daniel, 
 O Connell, George T., 
 Ostrom, James, 
 Osborn, Charles L., 
 Owens, John J., 
 O Neil, John, 
 Prosser, James, 
 Prucellf Michael, 
 Panu lmrn, Martin V. B., 
 Perkins, Joseph, 
 Parker, Marshall E., 
 Philips, James C., 
 Place, Albert, 
 
 Prosser, Henry, 
 Peters, Myron C., 
 Furdy, Marshall D., 
 Perry, Thomas, 
 Phillips, Patrick, 
 Parker, William I., 
 Penfield, Chester, 
 Peck, Daniel M., 
 Planter, Stephen, 
 Pierce, Willard, 
 Perry, William, 
 Puff, Francis, 
 Pitcher, Otis, 
 Patten, William H., 
 Patterson, Ilenry, 
 Pluff, Alex., 
 Parkhurst, William C., 
 Phillips, Charles H., 
 Premo, Anthony, 
 Phillips, Benjamin E., 
 Proctor, Roselee, 
 . Palmer, John, 
 Palmer, Harvey, 
 Pruyn James M., 
 Phillip, George W., 
 Pepper, James, 
 Penfield, James B., 
 Parker, Horace, 
 Page, Dewitt C., 
 Paine, Elias H., 
 Payne, Benjamin, 
 Peterson, John, 
 Pierson, Nathan H., 
 Phillips, Benjamin E., 
 Perry, Jacob I., 
 Polly, Edwin R., 
 Paddock, William H., 
 
SECOND OSWEGO EEGIMENT. 
 
 285 
 
 Preston, Delavan M., 
 Phillips, Richard, 
 Peckham, William C., 
 Perry, Paul, 
 Patterson, James, 
 Petrie, Joseph, 
 Palmer, Hiram J., 
 Pollard, George H., 
 Patterson, John E., 
 Perry, Samuel H., 
 Peckham, James, 
 Proctor, Charles W., 
 Pooler, Georg^ 
 Patterson, Daniel, 
 Phillips, Henry, 
 Paddock, Richard J., 
 Peckham, Wells, 
 Palter, Albert, 
 Quinlan, Charles J,, 
 Randall, Moses, 
 Reed, Charles, 
 Reed, Brantley G., 
 Richardson, Henry, 
 Ravey, George, 
 Rollinson, Clinton, 
 Ramsdell, Russell, 
 Russell, James 0., 
 Robinson, Fay C., 
 Booker, Ira, 
 Robinson, George H., 
 Rubert, Charles, 
 Reinhart, Julius B. v 
 Ross, Samuel D., 
 Reed, Giles B., 
 Remington, Joseph, 
 Russell, Moses, 
 Russell, Levi, 
 
 Rudd, Alvin S., 
 Ringwood, Edward, 
 Riker, Charles E., 
 Ryan, John P., 
 Rodden, Robert, 
 Richards, Daniel, 
 Reheenhart, Philip, 
 Robinson, Fernando, 
 Rogers, Benjamin F., 
 Rungan, Lyman, 
 Reese, Ephraim, 
 Reese, William F., 
 Remore, Andrew J., 
 Rea, Walter, 
 Richards, John, 
 Remore, John, 
 Remore, Benjamin F., 
 Remore, Chester W., 
 Richardson, Ruben F., 
 Rowley, John 0., 
 Rice, G., 
 Roach, M., 
 Reason, Thomas, 
 Rudy, Nelson, 
 Riley, W. M. S., 
 Rudy, William, 
 Reney, John W., 
 Redfield, Henry G., 
 Roberts, Edward P., 
 Rudd, Alonzo C., 
 Reed, Levi, 
 Roch, Henry, 
 Rhady, Hugh, 
 Reynolds, Henry, 
 Rice, George C., 
 Regan, Daniel 
 Rich, Adelbert, 
 
286 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 Rider, John, 
 Rathbone, Thomas, 
 Reese, Orlando, 
 Root, George, 
 Simpson, James, 
 Shugan, John, 
 Stone, George H., 
 Stafford, William F., 
 Shaw, Freeman F., 
 Stone, George W., 
 Slialkenback, Paul, 
 Simmond, John, 
 Smith, John K., 
 Sehmeeder, Sebastian, 
 Scranum, William H., 
 Smith, Biron G., 
 Sydman, William, 
 Sydinan, Albert, 
 Snow, George B., 
 Strong, Joseph, 
 Sparks, Francis H., 
 Sparks, Benjamin, 
 Sha, David, 
 Seymour, Anthony, 
 Steven, Reuben C. A., 
 Smith, James, 
 Smith, John, 
 Spencer, George 0., 
 Smith, George, 
 Smith, William, 
 Sprague, Wells 0., 
 Stetham, Robert A., 
 Sly, Eli, 
 Shepard, John, 
 Scan Ion, James, 
 Smith, Thomas W., 
 Smith, Henry, 
 
 Smith, Mathew, 
 Shafer, David, 
 Strebeck, William, 
 Slialkenback, Ernest, 
 Stackpool, Patrick, 
 Shippy, John, 
 Smith, William H., 
 Springer, Aaron P., 
 Shaver, Jacob, 
 Snyder, George II., 
 Snyder, Cassius N., 
 Stewart, William F., 
 Snyder, Walter, 
 Snell, George W., 
 Stocking, Charles A., 
 Sanford, Monroe, 
 Spencer, Seymore, 
 Soules, Perry W., 
 Strutmatter, Michael, 
 Sylvester, Charles, 
 Sully, James, 
 Sheldon, Curtis W., 
 Smith, Allen, 
 Smith, William, 
 Sampson, George Leroy, 
 Shean, William, 
 Shaffer, Abram, 
 Sanford, Henry H., 
 Shay, William, 
 Sherman, Samuel, 
 Sherman, George R., 
 Stillick, William, 
 Stowell, Alva, 
 Stone, Charles, 
 Smith, Almon B., 
 Stephenson, Morris, 
 Shell, David, 
 
SECOND OSWEGO KEGIMENT. 
 
 287 
 
 Sears, Charles H., 
 Sheldon, Charles, 
 Sherman, John A., 
 Sieves, Martin, 
 Squires, Henry, 
 Smith, William A., 
 Samson, Dexter, 
 Smith, Alonzo, 
 Stearns, Daniel F., 
 Steele, Lawrence J., 
 Steadman, George W., 
 Sherman, John A., 
 Smith, John, 
 Sparks, Alphonso, 
 Satterlee, Clark W., 
 Smith, Fayett W., 
 Scott, John, 
 Sherman, James, 
 Sears, Charles, 
 Smith, Harrison, 
 Seymore, James D., 
 Sexton, Wells, 
 Sexton, Emory, 
 Sanford, Raphael G., 
 Snow, Ebenezer C., 
 Sweezey, Richard M., 
 Sanford, Charles G., 
 Spencer, David W., 
 Sisson, William H., 
 Steeple, James B., 
 Servis, Charles, 
 Snell, Orvill H., 
 Stephen, John, 
 Snow, Elisha, 
 Stone, Celestine, 
 Smith, Bryon, G., 
 Stratton, Enos J., 
 
 Smith, Thomas A. 
 Sartwell, Irvin, 
 Steves, Seth J., 
 Sizer, Franklin J., 
 Scheneider, Albert, 
 Sharpie, John, 
 Starkwether, Meritt, 
 Tobin, James, 
 Tygh, Robert, 
 Troy, Frank, 
 Truckey, Henry, 
 Trowbridge, Byron, 
 Teller, Lewis B., 
 Teller, Isaac L., 
 Turngate, William, 
 Terney, Andrew, 
 Titus, Peter B., 
 Toomy, Silvester, 
 Terney, Charles B., 
 Thayer, Samuel, 
 Taylor, Ansel, 
 Taylor, Andrew J., 
 Trask, Herman, 
 Tripp, Jeremiah, 
 Tillinghast, Charles E., 
 Tinker, Charles W., 
 Thompson, William C., 
 Town, Chauncey, 
 Thayer, James J., 
 Tschishart, Theobald, 
 Timmerman, Ransford C., 
 Thomas, Henry, 
 Thompson, Allen, 
 Try on, Luke J., 
 Tunbull, Hugh, 
 Todd, Robert, 
 Trotinan, Joseph, 
 
288 
 
 SECOND OSWEGO KEGIMENT. 
 
 Topping, Edward, 
 Tanney, David, 
 Taylor, Edward, 
 Torr, James, 
 Tuttle, Chester B., 
 Taff, Harvey C., 
 Tuttle, Squire M., 
 Taff, Rufus, 
 Thomas, John S., 
 Tower, Chauncey, 
 Theall, John B., 
 Town, Leverett, 
 Thomas, John T., 
 Thompson, Oscar, 
 Taylor, Saxton, 
 Van Alstyne, Walter, 
 Van Patten, William 
 Vanderwarken, Henry, 
 Vermilyea, Daniel, 
 Van Zandt, Henry, 
 Van Patten, Frederick, 
 VanBuren, Willis, 
 Vermillia, Silas, 
 Vandercook, Winslow, 
 Vandusen, James, 
 Virginia, Silas, 
 Van Volkenburgh, Charles, 
 Vorce, Charles, 
 Van Natter, Lorenzo, 
 Vandee, Andrew, Jr., 
 Vandusen, R. Scott, 
 Vank, Francis, 
 Vader, Bishop, 
 Wilson, William H., 
 Witney, Adelbert, 
 Wilkinson, George, 
 Wilson, John, 
 
 Wells, John P., 
 White, John, 
 Wilber, John, 
 Wright, John P., 
 Walters, John, 
 Walker, John, 
 Wiseman, Samuel, 
 Wilkes, Charles H., 
 Wright, James, 
 Wooldridge, Warren, 
 Watson, Riley S., 
 Wilbur, Christopher, 
 Williams, William, 
 Walker, John, 
 Wallace, Robert W., 
 Weeks, Joseph, 
 Wood, Mortimer, 
 Wornes, James, 
 Whalen, Andrew, 
 Willard, Samuel, 
 Walters, George, 
 Witney, Alstin C., 
 Weed, Ira T., 
 Weed, Fayett, M., 
 Wimple, John, 
 Winn, John, P., 
 West, Issac E., 
 Wells, Henry C., 
 Wells, William, 
 Wimple, Edward D., 
 Wheeler, Merten E., 
 Wood, Elias A., 
 Wheeler, John D., 
 Woolworth, William G., 
 Wing, Henry, 
 Wilson, Charles, 
 Washburn, John W., 
 
SECOND OSWEGO REGIMENT. 
 
 289 
 
 Wilson, Richard, 
 Wetherly, Asa B., 
 Warren, Martin, 
 Wolcot, Henry R., 
 Wilcox, James N., 
 Warren, George G., 
 Woodham, George, 
 White, Otis, 
 Worden, John W., 
 Wells, Martin L., 
 Wood, Joseph L, 
 Willson, Justin, 
 Woodward. Alonzo G., 
 Ward, Alison, 
 Wright, Martin, 
 Wells, Albert, 
 White, Oscar, 
 White, Frederick D., 
 Wilson, Joseph, 
 Watley, Joseph, 
 Wood, Henry L., 
 Wood, Parley. 
 Williams, Patrick, 
 Walker, John H., 
 Whent, Calvin J., 
 Wright, Henry E., 
 Wood, William, 
 Wade, Charles B., 
 Webb, Job, 
 Williams, Lewis, 
 Wattenback, John, 
 
 Ward, James, 
 Warne, John, 
 Warren, John, 
 Welch, James, 
 Williams, Henry, 
 Wimple, Charles T., 
 White, Joseph C., 
 Williams, George, 
 White, John, 
 Wilbur, John, 
 Willson, R., 
 White, J. E., 
 Winters, Peter H., 
 White, Byron D., 
 Wetmore, Frederick, 
 Willard, Samuel T., 
 Wallace, Thomas, 
 Wood, William A., 
 Wood, B. F., 
 White, David B., 
 Wiggens, John H., 
 Waters, Winslow W., 
 Wildy, Harvey B., 
 Wrightman, Elias B., 
 Wever, Michael, 
 Wade, James H., 
 Westcott, Norm an, 
 Wilcox, J. D., 
 Witham, George, 
 Williams, James, 
 Whalain, Andrew. 
 
 25 
 
A. I> I END IX. 
 
 The following are the proceedings of the Social 
 Union of the commissioned officers of the Eighty-First 
 Regiment New York State Veteran Volunteer Infan 
 try, in camp, between Albany and Troy, just previous 
 to its disbandment: 
 
 HEAD-QUARTERS 81sT X. Y. S. V. V. I., 
 
 ALBANY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1865. 
 
 A meeting of the Officers and Ex-Officers of the 
 Eighty-First N. Y. Veteran Volunteers, convened by 
 request this day, was called to order by Colonel D. B. 
 "\\ liite, who moved that Jacob J. De Forest be requested 
 to occupy the Chair, which was unanimously adopted. 
 
 Colonel De Forest, on taking the Chair, briefly 
 stated the object of the meeting. It was held for the 
 purpose of organizing an Association to perpetuate the 
 friendly intercourse of those ^vho for the past four 
 eventful years had been associated together in the field, 
 laboring to establish the Supremacy of the General 
 Government, and the success attending the first call 
 for a meeting should warrant an annual assemblage. 
 
APPENDIX. 291 
 
 On motion of Lieutenant Colonel Mattison, Adju 
 tant Kenny was unanimously appointed Secretary. 
 
 On motion, Colonels De Forest, White and Matti 
 son, were appointed a committee to draft a suitable 
 Constitution for the use and government of the Asso 
 ciation. 
 
 After some friendly conversation, the meeting 
 adjourned till the next evening, Sept. 17, at 7 o clock, 
 
 at Stanwix Hall. 
 
 JACOB J. DE FOREST, Chairman. 
 
 John W. Kenny j Secretary, 
 
 STANWIX HALL, ALBANY, Sept. 17, 1865. 
 
 Pursuant to adjournment, the Officers and Ex- 
 Officers of the Eighty-First New York Veteran Volun 
 teers assembled to complete the organization of their 
 Association. 
 
 Present Colonel Jacob J. De Forest, Colonel D. 
 B. White, Lieutenant Colonel L. V. S. Mattison, Major 
 Byron B. Morris, Surgeon J. N. Miller, Captains B. 
 W. Richardson, James J. Butler, E. A. Blakely, H. 
 P. Ballard? Henry Squires, William Bredow and Joseph 
 Bartlett; First Lieutenants B. S. De Forest, R. Q. M., 
 J. Walker and C. C. Rumill. 
 
 The meeting was called to order by the Chairman, 
 and the Constitution, as reported by the Committee, 
 was read : 
 
 I. The Association shall consist of the Commissioned 
 Officers of the Eighty-First Regiment New York Vete- 
 
292 APPENDIX. 
 
 ran Volunteers, Infantry, any of whom may become 
 members thereof by subscribing their names, (with 
 Postoffice address,) to the Constitution, or by letter 
 signifying the same, directed to the Secretary. 
 
 II. The elective officers shall consist of a President, 
 Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall 
 serve for one year, or until their successors are duly 
 elected. Said election to be by ballot. 
 
 III. There shall be a Board of Records and Memo 
 rials, who shall serve one year, (and of which the Presi 
 dent and Secretary shall be ex-officio members,) whose 
 duty it shall be to prepare a History of the Regiment, 
 from its organization to the present time; a Roster of all 
 the Officers who have belonged to the Regiment; to 
 prepare and present to the Secretary, from time to time, 
 memorials of Officers and Men who have been killed in 
 battle, or died while in the service; to secure biogra 
 phies of the living, and to chronicle the changes which 
 may occur in the membership of the Asssociation, from 
 any cause, hereafter. 
 
 IV. There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Asso 
 ciation, at such time and place as may be determined by 
 a majority vote of the members, at any regular meeting, 
 at which each officer shall make an annual report. 
 
 V. The Committee on Records and Memorials shall 
 consist of five members, to be appointed by the Presi 
 dent, on the nomination of the members in open meeting. 
 VI. Everything pertaining to the History of the 
 Eighty-First Regiment, New York Veteran Voluteers, 
 Infantry, to be carefully preserved by the Secretary, 
 
APPENDIX. 293 
 
 in the archives of the Association, and each member 
 hereby pledges himself to furnish to the Committee on 
 Records and Memorials all assistance in his power, so 
 that a true History of the Regiment may be published 
 at the earliest possible date, under the direction of the 
 Association. 
 
 VII. Special meetings of the Association may be 
 held on the call of the President, signed by five mem 
 bers, of which each member shall receive due notice 
 by mail. 
 
 When, on motion, it was adopted. 
 
 The meeting then preceded to the election of officers 
 for the ensuing year, which resulted as follows : 
 
 President Colonel JACOB J. DE FOEEST. 
 
 Vice-President Colonel D. B. WHITE. 
 
 Secretary Captain JAMES J. BUTLEK. 
 
 Treasurer Lieutenant Colonel L. V. S. MATTISON. 
 
 On motion of Colonel White, the following named 
 officers were appointed a Committee on Records and 
 Memorials of the Regiment Surgeons W. H. Rice 
 and J. N. Miller, Captains E. A. Blakely, H. Squires 
 and B. W. Richardson. 
 
 It was moved, by Lieutenant B. S. De Forest, that 
 the organization be known as the "Social Union of the 
 Commissioned Officers of the Eighty-First New York 
 Veteran Volunteer Infantry" which was adopted. 
 
 Moved and carried, that a member of the Associa 
 tion be selected to deliver an address, at its first annual 
 meeting. 
 
 25* 
 
294 APPENDIX. 
 
 ) 
 
 Colonel D. B. White was unanimously requested to 
 deliver the Address. . 
 
 On motion of Lieutenant John Walker, the time 
 fixed for the first annual meeting was April 3d, 1866, 
 that being the Anniversary of the regiment s triumphal 
 entry into Richmond. 
 
 On motion of Captain Squires, it was decided that 
 Albany, X. Y., should be the place for holding the first 
 annual meeting. . 
 
 Adjourned, to meet as above. 
 
 JACOB J. DE FOREST, President. 
 
 James G. Foot, Secretary pro tern. 
 
 On the 3d of April, 1866, the first annual meeting 
 of the Social Union of the Commissioned Officers of 
 the Eighty-First Regiment New York State Veteran 
 Volunteer Infantry, was held in the State Hall, at 
 Albany, N. Y., 
 
 When it was moved and seconded that J. W. Brock- 
 way be appointed Secretary pro tern. Adopted. 
 
 The President presented a number of letters which 
 he had received from various officers, from abroad, 
 expressing their regret in not being able to attend the 
 first annual meeting of the Social Union. The follow 
 ing were read to the Association by the Secretary : 
 
 IlEAD-QCARTERS SOUTHERN SUB-DlSTRICT, PORT ROYAL, ) 
 
 HILTON HEAD, S. C., March 14, 1866. j 
 
 COLONEL I have the honor to acknowledge the 
 receipt, this day, of your communication and its 
 
ft. 
 
 APPENDIX. 295 
 
 enclosures, of the 7th inst., extending to me an invita 
 tion to be present at the first annual meeting of the 
 Social Union of the Commissioned Officers of the 
 Eighty-First New York State Veteran Volunteer 
 Infantry, which takes places at Albany, N. Y., on the 
 3d of April next. Having always felt a deep and 
 lively interest in the old Eighty-First, nothing, I assure 
 you, could be more gratifying to me than to meet in a 
 collective capacity, the officers of my old regiment. I 
 regret, however, that circumstances over which I have 
 no control, are such as to utterly preclude the possibility 
 of my being present on that occasion. 
 I am, sir, very respectfully, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 A. G. BENNETT, 
 Lieut. Col 21st U. 8. C. Infantry, 
 
 (Late Captain 81st Infantry, N. Y. Y. 
 Colonel JACOB J. DE FOREST, President Soeial Union, &c. 
 
 CHARLESTON, S. C., MARCH 23, 1866. 
 
 MY DEAR COLONEL Through the kindness of 
 Lieutenant Colonel Bennett, I have been favored with 
 a perusal of your letter of invitation to "all at Hilton 
 Head who feel an interest in the old Eighty-First/ 7 to 
 the First Annual Meeting of the Social Union of the 
 Commissioned Officers of the Eighty- First New York 
 Veteran Volunteers. Although I am at present sta 
 tioned at Charleston, I take the liberty to include 
 myself among those invited, and yet it will be impos 
 sible for me to attend on that occasion, much to my 
 regret, owing to the exacting nature of my duties as 
 
296 APPENDIX. 
 
 President of a Military Commission, now in session 
 here; nevertheless, I desire to assure you, Colonel, that 
 your worthy Association and its laudable objects have 
 my thorough and hearty sympathy; and I shall always 
 be willing to co-operate in anything that aims at the 
 glory of the old regiment, and the honor of its mem 
 bers, dead and living. Although claiming no connec 
 tion with the veteran organization of the Eighty-First, 
 I still cherish for it the strongest feelings of regard; 
 and, eventful as my experience has been since leaving 
 the "original," my attachment to it, and the affection 
 I had for many of its officers and enlisted men have 
 not in the least diminished. I followed its career in 
 the later stages of the war with the deepest interest, 
 and felt as proud of its growing fame as if I still had 
 been numbered among its members. Indeed, it was a 
 source of regret to me that I was not with my old com 
 rades, when I read of the movements and battles in 
 which they participated. How I longed to be with 
 them at Cold Harbor ! And yet what a sad sight it 
 would have been to see so many whom I loved deprived 
 of life. It w r as with a moist eye that I perused the 
 fearful list of killed and wounded that characterized 
 that battle, where our dear friends, Ballard, Martin and 
 Burke, and many other honored patriots, yielded up 
 their lives as a sacrifice on the altar of their country. 
 Peace to their ashes! Their names and the names of 
 all its martyrs should be held in sacred remembrance; 
 and around their memories, at each Annual Meeting, 
 the voice of sympathetic eloquence should weave its 
 
APPENDIX. 297 
 
 fitting tribute. I trust the word Veteran, as applied to 
 the regiment in the title of the Association, docs not, 
 although it seems to, exclude from its membership and 
 connection those who left the regiment previous to its 
 re-organization. Offshoots as we are, and in many 
 cases without reason, we still feel a certain pride in that 
 portion of our record that pertains to the Eighty-First, 
 and a very natural desire that the archives of the regi 
 ment should contain more than a meagre narrative of 
 that period. I therefore hope that all prejudices and 
 ill feeling will be cast aside, and that the fullest oppor 
 tunities will be given to all the old officers to co-operate 
 with those of the veteran organization, in the purposes 
 of the Association. 
 
 It is a singular coincidence that the Eighty-First 
 was among the first to enter Richmond, while Colonel 
 Bennett, an offshoot of that regiment, was the first man 
 to enter Charleston; and I,, another offshoot, having 
 command of the first regiment (having in itself many 
 old members of the Eighty-First,) that entered the 
 "Cradle of the Rebellion." 
 
 With sincere wishes for the welfare and kindest 
 regards to all my friends of the " Social Union," 
 
 I am, Colonel, 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 R. H. WlLLOTJGHBY, 
 
 Major 2lst U. S. Colored Troops. 
 
 (Formerly 1st Lieut. Co. E, 81st N. Y. V.) 
 Colonel J. J. DE FOREST, President Social Union, &c. 
 
298 APPENDIX. 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS, IND., March 18, 1866. 
 DEAR COLONEL Your kind invitation of the 10th 
 inst., to be present at the first annual meeting of the 
 officers of the Eighty-First Regiment, was duly received, 
 having been forwarded to me from Utica. 
 
 I regret exceedingly that it will be impossible for 
 me to be present on that occasion. I heartily approve 
 of this Association for several reasons; for besides the 
 pleasure it will afford each member to meet the others 
 annually, it may be made the means of much lasting 
 good to all. True, our military life is, for the present, 
 over, but as citizens we should realize that we hold as 
 responsible positions for our country s weal or woe as 
 while engaged in military service. 
 
 I would suggest that at the annual meetings each 
 member present be requested to give, either verbally 
 or in writing, a short sketch of whatever of general 
 interest has occurred to them since last meeting. This 
 would, I think, occupy a few hours pleasantly, besides 
 having a tendency to create more intimate and fraternal 
 feelings. 
 
 At any time that I can be of service to the Society, 
 by furnishing any matter relating to Article III. of 
 your Constitution, I shall be most happy to do so. 
 
 Although I cannot be with you on the day of your 
 meeting, I shall constantly, on that memorable day, 
 bear in mind my old friends, and the object of your 
 meeting; and while so gathered in pleasant re-union, 
 let us all think reverently of the noble brave, our com- 
 
APPENDIX. 299 
 
 rades in arms, who have laid down their lives on the 
 altar of our country. Please present my kindest regards 
 to all members present, and attach my name to the 
 Constitution. 
 
 Hoping to meet all members on your second anni 
 versary, I am, 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 CHARLES R. JOHNSON, 
 
 fLate Captain 81st N. Y. V.) 
 Colonel J. J. DEFOREST, President Social Union, &c. 
 
 BRIDGE HAMPTON, L. I., March 22, 1866. 
 
 DEAR COLONEL I received two circulars from you 
 last evening, which reminded me that I ought to have 
 written to you before; but time speeds so swiftly that 
 many things are delayed. 
 
 I should be glad to meet my old associates in the 
 service of our country, and review those scenes of toil, 
 privations, hardship and suffering, but I must forego 
 that pleasure. I cannot leave, nor is my health good. 
 I had hoped the past winter that I was getting well, 
 but for some little time past I have felt the effects of 
 those Southern miasmas. 
 
 I would be glad to join your Association, for I yet 
 hold dear the memory of the Eighty-First New York 
 Volunteers, as an organization, as well as many of the 
 individuals composing it; and while I cannot be present, 
 I can bid you God speed ; and may it ever be ours to 
 stand up in defence of justice and right. Let not per 
 sonal interest swerve us from the right; but may we 
 
300 APPENDIX. 
 
 labor for our country s good, and watch that no wily 
 enemy may sap the foundation of our loved land until 
 we shall have sounded the alarm, and have gathered 
 her forces in defence. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 JOHN F. YOUNGS, 
 
 (Formerly 2d Lieut. 81st N. Y. V.) 
 Colonel J. J. DE FOREST, President Social Union, &c. 
 
 
 The following resolution was oifered by Surgeon W. 
 
 H. Rice, and was unanimously adopted : 
 
 Resolved, That the term "Veteran Volunteer," in 
 the first Article of the Constitution of the Association, 
 was not designed to, and does not, exclude from it any 
 officer who is, or at any time was, a member of this 
 regiment, either as officer or private, and is now in the 
 service, or has been discharged. Regarding them all 
 as brethren who served in the same cause, and endured 
 the same hardships and privations, this Association is 
 formed in no spirit of exclusiveness. 
 
 The reports of the different officers were read, after 
 which the following officers were elected for the ensuing 
 year : 
 
 President Surgeon WM. H. RICE. 
 
 Vice-President Major E. A. STIMSON. 
 
 Secretary Captain JOHN T. DE FOREST. 
 
 Treasurer Captain E. S. COOK, 
 
 On motion of Surgeon \Vm. H. Rice, a committee 
 of three was appointed to draft resolutions on the death 
 
APPENDIX. 301 
 
 our late Chaplain, Isaac G. Duryea. The President 
 appointed Surgeon William H. Rice, Major E. A. 
 Stimson and Major Byron B. Morris, as such com 
 mittee, who reported the following resolutions : 
 
 Whereas, the Rev. Isaac G. Duryea, our late Chap 
 lain, has been called to the reward of the good and 
 the just. 
 
 Resolved, That remembering his Christian virtues, 
 his faithful services to his country, his solicitous care 
 for his comrades; that his hands were ever prompt in 
 charitable deeds, as his heart was ever overflowing 
 with kindly utterances, and that his last labors were 
 for our benefit, we tender to his afflicted family our 
 grateful and hearty sympathy, though sorrowing not 
 as those without hope. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent 
 to the family of our friend and faithful Chaplain. 
 (Signed) WM. H. RICE, 
 
 E. A. STIMSON, 
 BYKON B. MORRIS. 
 
 Adjourned to meet at the Globe Hotel, at Syracuse, 
 N. Y., on the 3d day of April, 1867, at 2 o clock P. M. 
 
 f 6 
 
302 APPENDIX. 
 
 SKETCHES OF WAR PRISONS IN VIRGINIA, 
 NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 THE following description of Southern war prisons, 
 and of the treatment of Union prisoners confined in 
 them, taken from the Third Annual Report of the 
 Bureau of Military Record, of the State of New York, 
 cannot fail to interest the general reader, and more 
 especially all who had friends who suffered or died in 
 them. The Author believes the narrative to be truth 
 ful, having received nearly the same statement himself 
 from returned prisoners who had been confined in these 
 dens, while with the army in the South : 
 
 RICHMOND TOBACCO WAEEHOUSES. 
 
 The most liberal rations issued to men incarcerated 
 in the earlier prisons, tobacco warehouses, consisted of 
 a small piece of cold beef, (or some rice in lieu of it,) 
 and five ounces of bread, at ten o clock A. M., and at 
 seven o clock P. M., about a half pint of soup and five 
 ounces of bread. The rice was often wormy, and the 
 meat (cooked two days before consumption, and kept 
 in a trough) was dirty, stale and hard, its juices having 
 
APPENDIX. 303 
 
 been extracted for the previous day s soup ration. So 
 goaded by hunger were the prisoners here that they 
 have been known to hunt for a bone in the pile of 
 filth, and gnaw eagerly upon it. The Federal officers 
 were confined on another floor of the warehouse, and, 
 having funds in their possession, were enabled to pur 
 chase additions to their daily rations; their condition 
 was more endurable, as rank and station usually com 
 manded some consideration on the part of rebel officers. 
 They continued to get a sufficiency of food, such as was 
 jpurchaseable, and were able to send some surplus frag 
 ments to the destitute occupants of other floors. Every 
 day, from early morning until late at night, emaciated 
 soldiers may be seen waiting longingly for the surplus 
 bread and meat from the officers 7 table. It is a scene 
 of piteous sadness when a steward brings forth a pan 
 of bread to distribute among them. As he appears,, 
 every soldier s eye glares with a hungry look, arms 
 are stretched forth beyond the sentry s musket, and 
 each man jostles with his neighbor for a crust of bread, 
 and crunches his share with eager, ravenous haste. 
 
 In this primary prison-house of the South, seven 
 Federal soldiers were shot dead by sentinels for inad 
 vertantly approaching the windows. There was but 
 one hydrant for the use of five hundred and fifty men, 
 and every day they were kept hours waiting in here 
 before they could obtain water. The same buckets 
 used in the distribution of meat and soup, were fur 
 nished to them for the washing of their bodies and 
 clothes. One small stove was placed in a room eighty 
 
304 APPENDIX. 
 
 feet long, by fifty wide, with open windows, and the 
 men were often forced to walk half the night, to reani 
 mate their chilled frames. The dirt, bones and other 
 refuse matter, accumulated in disgusting piles in a 
 corner. 
 
 Such was the condition of enlisted men in the first 
 prison at Richmond. When the defeat of our forces at 
 Manassas threw a large number of Federal officers and 
 privates into rebel hands, there was no distinction 
 made between them. Six hundred enlisted men were 
 thrust with the officers into a warehouse where, swd-, 
 tering under the heat of midsummer, with closed win 
 dows, and not sufficient room for them all to lie, wedge- 
 packed, upon the floor, they remained suffering and 
 without food for nearly twenty-four hours. 
 
 There was some pretension, at this time, to furnish 
 medical treatment in hospitals adjacent to the prison 
 warehouses. The hospital buildings contained three 
 floors, each receiving eighty camp cots. Twelve nurses 
 were allotted, eight during the day, and four at night; 
 two sergeants having charge of the medicines and alter 
 nating on post. The wards were kept in good order 
 at that time, the attendants being prisoners of war them 
 selves. Supplies of clothing and necessaries w r ere 
 received from the Federal authorities, and distributed 
 to our sick and wounded, and it is reported (unoffi 
 cially) that the entire stock of lint and bandages in the 
 hospital was sent in by the Unionists of Richmond, 
 after the battle of Manassas. 
 
APPENDIX. 305 
 
 LIBBY PRISON. 
 
 The Libby Prison, at Richmond, comprised a row 
 of brick buildings, which had formerly been used as 
 tobacco warehouses. The structure was three stories 
 in height, and overlooked the canal and James river. 
 The buildings were made to communicate by doorways 
 opened in their partition walls. Each loft or room 
 was one hundred feet in length, by forty in breadth. 
 In six of these rooms there were confined at one time 
 twelve hundred Federal officers of all ranks, from that 
 of Brigadier General to that of Second Lieutenant; 
 allowing a space of about twenty superficial feet of floor 
 to* each man, (ten feet by two,) wherein to cook, eat, 
 wash, sleep, and exercise. In the quarters of these 
 officers there was a sufficiency of water, a tank for 
 bathing purposes being placed on each of four rooms. 
 Seventy-six windows in the six apartments admitted 
 air, there being no glass or shutters in winter or sum 
 mer. A sink was constructed outside the building, the 
 upper portion of its sides being left open for ventilation. 
 
 Under the primary rules of Libby prison the occu- 
 cants were allowed no furniture or bedding, but were 
 obliged, (as a prisoner expresses it,) to "huddle upon 
 their haunches like so many slaves on the middle 
 passage." Subsequently they were permitted to con 
 struct chairs and stools for their own use, out of barrels 
 and boxes in which clothing had been brought from 
 the North. Two stoves were allowed to a loft during 
 the winter season, but the supply of wood was insuffi 
 cient to warm an apartment which remained exposed 
 26* 
 
306 APPENDIX. 
 
 to the cold from open windows. The ration of daily 
 food in the officers 7 quarter w r as a small loaf of corn 
 bread, weighing about half a pound, and about two 
 ounces of beef. The quality of the bread ration is 
 suggested by the remark of an officer, who said : " I 
 would gladly have preferred the horsefeed in my 
 father s stable." It is testified by prisoners that the 
 quantity of daily food was at no period enough to sup 
 port healthful life, and during the greater part of the 
 period of incarceration the inmates of Libby were sub 
 jected to slow starvation, except in cases where "extra " 
 food was sparsely admitted for purchase by those who 
 could command the means to buy. During these terms 
 of compulsory famine, it is proved that there was an 
 abundance of superior provisions in the possesion of 
 rebel authorities, much of it having been received from 
 the North and withheld from the prisoners for whose 
 use it had been forwarded. On one occasion, as is 
 related, the inmates of one of the rooms were enabled, 
 by removing a plank in the flooring, to penetrate to a 
 cellar under the building, wherein was stored supplies 
 of the finest wheat flour, potatoes and turnips. During 
 months the famishing inmates of Libby were aware that 
 boxes of food and clothing from Northern Triends, sent 
 for their use, were piled in neighboring warehouses, to 
 the number of three thousand, while a mere pretence 
 of delivery was made of a single box, perhaps, daily. 
 Often, when permitted to buy necessary clothing or food, 
 at exorbitant prices, our officers found the purchased 
 articles stamped with the mark of the United States 
 
APPENDIX. 307 
 
 Sanitary Commission, which had contributed them for 
 the prisoners relief. The regulations or rather caprices 
 of rule in Libby prison, were tyrannical in the extreme. 
 Dungeons were contrived beneath the buildings, fit only 
 for dens of reptiles, and into these places our imprisoned 
 soldiers were thrust, by order of the prison authorities, 
 for the most trivial offences, or assumed offences. The 
 commander of the department, during the existence of 
 these abuses, was Major General Winder. The com 
 mandant of the prison was Major Turner, and Richard 
 Turner was prison inspector. The arbitrary will of 
 these men was law without appeal. 
 
 * 
 
 PRISON AT BELLE ISLE, VIRGINIA. 
 
 Belle Isle is a small insulation on the James river, 
 opposite Richmond. In time of peace, and during the 
 vernal season, its name may properly describe it, for the 
 place is not destitute of natural beauty. To Union 
 war prisoners, however, Belle Isle mu^t always be a 
 reminHcence of misery. 
 
 During the rebellion, Belle Isle was appropriated, 
 or rather the barren portion of it was used as a place of 
 confinement for the rank and file of Federal prisoners. 
 There was Ao regular stockade, but an enclosure of 
 about six acres, surrounded by an earthbank, some 
 three feet in height, having a ditch on either side. 
 The space thus bounded was destitute of trees or ver 
 dure, the ground being low and sandy, exposed in win 
 ter to wind and storm, and in summer time scorched 
 under the heat and glare of noonday, or dank with the 
 
308 APPENDIX. 
 
 malarious fogs of night. On the edge of the exterior 
 ditch was a sentry line, which extended around the 
 prison ground. On this line, guards walked their 
 beats, at distances of forty feet from post to post, com 
 manding the enclosure with their guns, by day and 
 night. A provision for shelter was attempted by the 
 laying out of a sort of encampment, of ragged Sibley 
 tents in rows, with streets or passage ways between; 
 but these tents only sufficed to contain the first prisoners 
 of war, and became totally inadequate for the protection 
 of thousands who were afterward brought to Belle Isle. 
 This prison yard speedily became a torture field and 
 grave of Union soldiers, within sight of Richmond, 
 and under the immediate notice of the self-styled Con 
 federate Government. 
 
 No variety or even regulation of rations seems to 
 have been known at Belle Isle. The prisoners were 
 fed as the swine are fed. A chunk of corn bread, 
 twelve or fourteen ounces in weight, half baked, full 
 of cracks, as if baked in the sun, musty in taste, con 
 taining whole grains of corn, fragments of cob, and 
 pieces of husk ; meat often tainted, and a mere mouth 
 ful; two or three spoonfuls of rotten beans; soup thin 
 and briny, with worms floating on its surface; the 
 whole ration never one-half the quantity necessary for a 
 healthy man, and no two articles being given together. 
 The prisoners at Belle Isle gnawed refuse bones or 
 broke them in pieces to make soup. They begged for 
 stale bread from the guards; they caught and ate rats: 
 they devoured a dog which had strayed into the enclo- 
 
APPENDIX. 309 
 
 sure. It is unnecessary to dwell further upon what 
 must have been the suffering of our soldiers at Belle 
 Isle, by reason of hunger alone. 
 
 It has been mentioned that tents were arranged for 
 the shelter of earlier prisoners. These tents were old 
 and rotten at first, and were capable of containing 
 only a small portion of the prisoners, there being at 
 some periods of the war as many as twelve thousand 
 turned into the enclosure, like so many cattle, to find 
 what resting place they could. When crowded thus, 
 the average space apportioned to each man, was from 
 two feet by seven to three feet by nine. Most of these 
 unfortunates were obliged to lie upon the ground, to be 
 drenched by rain, and often frozen by the cold. During 
 the severe winter months, while the mercury ranged 
 below zero at Eichmond, and ice formed on the James 
 river, our gallant boys at Belle Isle endured the days 
 and nights, shelterless, unclothed, sick and disease- 
 smitten. Some crawled for protection into the ditch, 
 heaped against each other, and of those the " outer row " 
 often froze to death during sleep; some dug holes in the 
 sand, and burrowed in them; hundreds passed the cold 
 nights in running to and fro, to keep their blood from 
 coagulation. Every morning numbers were found frozen 
 stiif in the embrace of death. The hospital and death 
 carts were constantly bearing out loads of dying and 
 dead. The men lost strength, spirits, and sometimes 
 reason. Blindness and dizziness made them faint on 
 the least exertion. Diarrhoea wasted them, scurvy ate 
 into their bones, vermin tortured them, and they became 
 
310 APPENDIX. 
 
 mad with fevers. A broad beach sloped to the water 
 in front of the encampment, and the prisoners might 
 have enjoyed cleanliness, if denied all other indulgences. 
 But the rules permitted only about seventy-five men 
 to bathe in one day, in squads of half a dozen at a time. 
 Hence, a man s "chance" to wash his person, when the 
 person was least wounded, might come but once in six 
 months. Their condition from filth became horrible. 
 Being forbidden to approach the sinks at night, the 
 densely populated quarters became loathsome w r ith filth. 
 The wells were tainted, the air was filled with disgust 
 ing odors. Such was the prison at Belle Isle. 
 
 PRISON AT DANVILLE, VIRGINIA. 
 
 The prisons at Danville were tobacco warehouses. 
 There were four buildings used as prisons, respectively 
 designated as Xos. 1, 3, 4 and 6; the other numbers, 
 2 and 5, being used to distinguish a commissary build 
 ing and an unoccupied warehouse. Four of these 
 buildings face a square, where the rebels were accus 
 tomed to mount guard, and we were thus allowed the 
 pleasure of seeing a little "military." "When we 
 entered this prison, (July 22d, 1864,)" says a -Federal 
 soldier, "and for three or four months subsequently, we 
 were guarded by regular Confederate States troops, but 
 these were aftewards sent to the front, and we remained 
 guarded by Home Guards from neighboring counties, 
 whose treatment of us was much better than that of 
 their predecessors. The officer first in command was 
 one Major Morfit, who was succeeded by Captain Kidi- 
 
APPENDIX. 311 
 
 ardson, who, in turn, was succeeded by Lieutenant 
 Colonel Smith, who continued in command when we 
 were paroled. The latter officer was kind, and did his 
 best for us, but of the others the least said the better. 
 When we entered this prison our rations were quito 
 tolerable, consisting of corn bread and meat, the latter 
 having been furnished by the United States Sanitary 
 Commission; but after this supply was exhausted, we 
 had very little meat, and from the middle of December, 
 1864, until the last of February, 1865, we had not a 
 mouthful. Very many boxes sent to our men were 
 detained in Richmond until the news of the general 
 exchange came, when they were forwarded, the con 
 tents, in most cases, being utterly worthless. Our suf 
 ferings during the winter were intense; we were obliged 
 frequently to walk the building the entire night to keep 
 the blood in circulation, and some had their feet and 
 limbs badly frozen." 
 
 The prison buildings were all about the same size, 
 brick structures, forty by eighty feet, three stories high^ 
 with the first story used only as a way or passage to 
 the yard, which latter was about twenty feet long by 
 the width of the building, contained the sinks, and was 
 a place of reception for the sweepings of the room. 
 
 In the buildings occupied by our enlisted men the 
 first story was also used for the sick, who were not near 
 enough death to be removed to the hospital. This 
 room possessed an advantage over the others in one 
 respect, having more fresh air, as there was no glass in 
 its windows, and but a poor apology for a Southern coal 
 
312 APPENDIX. 
 
 stove. The coal used was so bad that half of it came 
 out, after burning, nothing but hot stone, and it gave 
 so little heat that a person might stand all day within 
 two feet of the stove without any discomfort from heat. 
 Of course this was just the room for our sick, no other 
 place being so efficient in filling the graveyards, or 
 reducing Union ranks. Too many of our noble men, 
 battling for the old Stars and Stripes, could live, month 
 after month, and year after year, on a bit of coarse 
 corn bread a day and something must be done to 
 purge them. 
 
 The stockade at Salisbury appears to have rivaled 
 that of Anderson ville, in the history of rebel ill treat 
 ment and the record of prison sufferings attached to it. 
 The story of exposure, sickness and death, is the same 
 in detail, as regards both of these places. 
 
 The hospital house was originally a cotton factory, 
 ,a building about ninety by thirty feet inside of the 
 stockade, into which the prisoners were seldom admitted 
 until ready to die. 
 
 The mass of prisoners were confined in the yard or 
 pen, as in other prison grounds, and a pretence of shel 
 ter was furnished by the issue of three Sibley tents to 
 100 men. Not more than one-third of the prisoners 
 were sheltered by tents; the bulk of them built mud 
 hovels and fire-places, or burrowed in the ground ; some 
 crawled under the hospital buildings. The prisoners 
 were organized in divisions of a thousand each, these 
 
APPENDIX. 313 
 
 subdivided into squads of one hundred each. The 
 rations were delivered to these divisions irregularly, 
 the supply generally insufficient, being issued about 
 once in ten days. The sufferings at this prison are 
 described by returned prisoners as extreme. One 
 account says it was unspeakable. "What we got for 
 one day s rations was not enough for one good meal ; 
 sometimes we went a day without rations, at one time 
 fifty-six hours, with only a cup of rice soup to a man. 
 I have seen men pick up bones out of human excre 
 ment, clean them and crack them for the grease inside; 
 I have seen them pick up corn and eat it raw." 
 
 The water from the wells, three or four in number, 
 was scarce and unwholesome. The principal supply 
 of water was from a brook outside the prison yard, 
 brought in barrels, one barrel being allowed to each 
 squad, which did not afford enough for daily drinking, 
 and was wholly inadequate for washing purposes. 
 
 In reference to shelter, it is testified that, besides the 
 few Sibley tents, there was no other protection against 
 the weather than what the men provided for themselves; 
 the burrowing holes were four feet deep, excavated 
 round, and they could sit down in them, but could not 
 stand up; these had fire-places to them, with holes 
 punched for chimneys. They built a little porch over 
 the mouths of the holes, to turn the rain, but in a 
 hard rain some of these would fall in, as they were 
 built of mud. 
 
 In a period of five months from the close of Septem 
 ber, 1864, to the close of February, 1865, we have the 
 27 
 
314 APPENDIX. 
 
 sworn testimony of the prisoners employed in hos 
 pital service at Salisbury prison, that fifty-one hun 
 dred prisoners died, mainly from want, hunger and 
 exposure, out of the ten thousand confined at that time. 
 During this period, no clothing whatever was issued by 
 the rebel authorities. Very few of the prisoners pos 
 sessed blankets, all were thinly clad, and they were 
 left without shelter of any kind, except such as could 
 be obtained by digging holes in the ground and bur 
 rowing in them to escape the cold, fhe weather was 
 severe, with hard frosts and heavy rains. The rations 
 of food were insufficient to sustain health. The daily 
 allowance to a man never exceeded one-half pound of 
 corn or sorghum bread, or one pint of corn meal, ground 
 with the cob, and one-half pint of very thin soup, with 
 out seasoning. Twice in a month the heads, livers and 
 tripe, and inferior extremities of beef cattle were served 
 out, raw and bloody, in morsels, each about the size of 
 a man s two fingers. No other meat of any kind was 
 allowed to the prisoners. Sometimes, but never in con 
 nection with the above issue of beef, sorghum was given, 
 two or three spoonfuls to the man. This distribution 
 was made about once in the week. No salt was ever 
 furnished. At least one day in each week was com 
 pulsory Cast day, no ration of any kind being given to 
 the prisoners. 
 
 On Thanksgiving and Christmas days, of 1864, 
 no food was served, the reason assigned being that 
 as Yankees were feasting at home, the Yankee pri 
 soners should fast. During the greater part of the 
 
APPENDIX. 315 
 
 term above stated, the water for drinking was sup 
 plied in scanty quantities, and was very nauseous and 
 impure. 
 
 Wells and cisterns had been sunk, but the drainings 
 from the prison yard, and filth from the sinks, were 
 washed into these reservoirs, rendering the water dis 
 gusting. It was impossible to procure a sufficiency for 
 bath, washing and drinking, and the majority of the 
 prisoners were unable to cleanse their persons, and 
 became so blackened with dirt and smoke as to be 
 undistinguishable (except by the hair) from negroes. 
 
 PRISON AT FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The prison at Florence, Arlington county, South 
 Carolina, was a stockade like that of Andersonville, 
 with a swamp in its center, and a hill on .either side. 
 The enclosure was about fifteen acres, one-third of 
 which was depressed and marshy. The palisade was 
 constructed of rough trunks of trees, set side by side in 
 the ground, and banked up by earth on the outer side, 
 nearly to the tops of the timbers. This outer earth 
 work formed a, sort of parquette or elevated platform, 
 on which the guards were posted, walking their beats, 
 and overlooking the stockade. At Andersonville, sen 
 try boxes afforded the guards a command of the interior, 
 but the south bank at Florence answered the same pur 
 pose. At Andersonville the "dead line" was marked 
 by low posts and a railing, but at Florence it was 
 defined only by a shallow ditch running around the 
 interior almost. 
 
316 APPENDIX. 
 
 The stockade at Andersonville was lengthwise, north 
 and south, at Florence, east and west. Andersonville 
 boasted its inhuman master in the jailor, Wirz, but 
 Florence had its overseer also, a Georgia Lieutenant, 
 named Barrett, of whom it is said, "a greater wretch 
 never lived." 
 
 The . stockade at Andersonville was surrounded 
 by forts and artillery, and that of Florence was like 
 wise encircled by its two lines of breastworks, with a 
 square platform at each corner, on which to mount 
 field pieces; a deep ditch running along the whole. 
 Guards constantly traveled the raised banks, and gun 
 ners stood by the angle of guns, ready to discharge 
 them into the stockade, to repress any outbreak. At 
 the "great jail delivery" of Andersonville prison, some 
 twelve thousand were removed to Florence. 
 
 A Federal private from New York State, after being 
 confined at Andersonville nearly four months, was 
 transferred to Florence stockade, in September, when 
 the Andersonville camp was broken up. "The pri 
 soners," he says, "were sent to different places, and I 
 went with eleven thousand to Florence. I had suffered 
 with the chronic diarhoea and the typhoid fever, at 
 Andersonville, and at Florence was attacked again with 
 the typhoid, and also with the dropsy, which very nearly 
 killed me, and would, had I not got away when I did, 
 in February, 1865. At Florence we were treated in 
 the same way as before, with the exception that we 
 received no meat at all. Our rations were a pint of 
 corn meal, a half pint of peas and sometimes a little rice." 
 
APPENDIX. 317 
 
 PRISONS AT COLUMBIA, S. C. CAMP SORGHUM. 
 
 This prison camp was located in an open field that 
 was once used for growing corn, but had become over 
 run with scrub vegetation. A few dwarf pine trees 
 afforded the only shade, and the shelter consisted of 
 brush hovels, constructed by the prisoners. The area 
 within guard lines was about four acres. The treat 
 ment of Federal officers at this place was very severe, 
 and occasioned much suffering. The rations consisted 
 of a pint of corn meal daily; less than a fourth of a pint 
 of sorghum, and a teaspoonful of salt. 
 
 ASYLUM PRISON. 
 
 The yard of the Insane Asylum, at Columbus, was 
 enclosed on three sides by a brick wall, ten to twelve 
 feet high, and the fourth wall was composed of boards, 
 which separated the prison yard from the main build 
 ing. The enclosure comprised about two acres. Sen 
 try boxes were erected, at intervals, outside of the walls, 
 commanding a view of the interior. The board fence, 
 dividing the prison from the .Asylum, was pierced with 
 port holes, and in the space beyond * it two pieces of 
 artillery were mounted in readiness for service. It had 
 been intended to provide thirty-two buildings, as bar 
 racks for the war prisoners, but only a portion of these 
 were completed, and the residue of shelter was made 
 up of old tents and pieces of canvas. These appliances 
 being insufficient to protect the mass of prison inmates, 
 a great number were compelled to burrow in the ground 
 or construct clay houses, in the form of Esquimaux huts, 
 
 27* 
 
318 APPENDIX. 
 
 to shield their bodies against the storms and piercing 
 cold. The fuel ration issued was scanty, and insuffi 
 cient to allow of the comfort of a fire. Prisoners were 
 often obliged to walk through the night hours to keep 
 their blood from stagnation. The rations at this place 
 were meager, consisting of a pint of coarse corn meal 
 and a gill of sour sorghum, daily, and two tablespoon- 
 fuls of rice and two of salt, for five days. During one 
 hundred and thirty-three days at Columbia, the pri 
 soners of war never received* a particle of meat. 
 
 JAIL YARD, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The prison ground comprised about an acre, sur 
 rounding the City Jail, a brick building, four stories 
 high, with a frontage of six hundred feet and a depth 
 of one hundred feet. It is a castellated structure, with 
 an octagon wing and flanking towers. From the center 
 of the octagon wing rises a strong tower or citidel, forty 
 feet high. A number of negro soldiers, made prisoners 
 of war at Fort Wagner, were incarcerated in this middle 
 prison. The walls enclosing the edifice were twelve 
 feet in height. 
 
 The shelter furnished to the Federal prisoners in 
 this jail yard consisted of A tents, sufficient to cover 
 about two thirds of the number confined. The quar 
 ters were crowded and exposed to the sun. A single 
 pump supplied water, and a noisome sink, used by the 
 jail prisoners, occupied a corner of the close and stifling 
 yard. This place of detention was used for officers, in 
 transition from prison to prison. 
 
APPENDIX. . 319 
 
 ROPER HOSPITAL, CHARLESTON. 
 
 This edifice was four stories high, constructed of 
 brick, plastered to resemble brown stone. The main 
 building was seventy-eight feet front by sixty feet deep, 
 and wings extended east and west, three stories high, 
 and each one hundred feet long, with a tower buttress 
 ing either end. The front grounds were laid out with 
 shrubbery, but the rear was very filthy, the sinks 
 exhaling noisome vapors. A well and some old cis 
 terns furnished poor water, in insufficient quantities for 
 the prisoners who consisted of paroled Federal officers, 
 under fire from the guns of General Gilmore. The 
 shells from the United States fleet and batteries were 
 constantly showered about this prison, but during all 
 the time that the Federal officers were there confined, 
 under fire, there was but one slight casualty, a flesh 
 wound inflicted upon one of the prisoners by a frag 
 ment of shell, the shell itself descending through the 
 roof and passing through the flooring of the building. 
 
 CRUELTY TO UNION SOLDIERS IN REBEL PRISONS. 
 
 The story of abuse and cruelty, in its repulsive full 
 ness, cannot indeed be written out. Its recital would 
 be an endless repetition of harrowing descriptions of 
 degrading details concerning facts too deplorable for 
 humanity to dwell upon. And yet it is necessary that 
 the prison experience of our brave soldiers, dismal as it 
 was, should have a proper record, and that the acts of 
 
320 APPENDIX. 
 
 treason, in dungeon and stockade should be chronicled 
 as faithfully as its acts in council or on the battle field. 
 Entire impartiality we may not attain, because the 
 sense of outrage will always remain more or less intense, 
 and the pulse of every sufferer must throb with the 
 recollection, even after years elapse, of the uncalled for 
 cruelty which was a feature of prison treatment through 
 out the South. But though the memory of wrong mav 
 color, at times, the impressions of soldiers who recall 
 their miserable existence as prisoners of war, it cannot 
 heighten or broaden the astounding facts which under 
 lie all mere narration. The horrors of stockade and 
 barrack incarceration, under rebel rule; the unmitigated 
 rigors of forced marches, the robbery and insult of offi 
 cers and privates, the systematized starvation, the denial 
 of fuel in the midst of winter, of shelter against the 
 
 / o 
 
 elements, of eyen that common boon of nature water, 
 to quench the thirst or cleanse the body, the neglect of 
 sick and dying, the deliberate murders of the "dead 
 line," the malignant desecration of the dead these 
 appalling and indisputable FACTS require no embellish 
 ment of language or feeling to make them stand out 
 terribly distinct before a Christian world. 
 
 The treatment of prisoners of war is a significant 
 test of the civilization of any people or nation. It is 
 the one amenity that redeems a thousand violences 
 engendered by belligerent relations, or it is the one 
 cruelty that casts all others into the background. In 
 proportion as we find a tribe or community advanced 
 in human progress, we are prepared to expect a sympa- 
 
APPENDIX. 321 
 
 thy for the weak or defenceless; and it is only in bar 
 barous or savage life that we look for the torture 
 of unarmed men, or the abuse of non-combatants. 
 Hence it is difficult to realize that a distinct and large 
 portion of the American people should be chargeable 
 with such enormities of prison maltreatment as have 
 become matters of fact and history during four years 
 of civil strife. And yet we are constrained, by posi 
 tive evidence, to arraign the Government and citizens 
 of rebel States on charges of cruelty such as disgrace 
 civilization and belie Christianity. 
 
 From the beginning of the rebellion to its close no 
 greater distinctitn is noticeable, between the two belli 
 gerent sections, than that manifested through the expe 
 rience of war prisoners. Under rebel or Confederate 
 authority, the experience (as rehearsed by Union sol 
 diers) is replete with every detail of suffering that 
 imagination can conceive, every circumstance of cruelty 
 that irresponsible power could add to the burthen of 
 captivity. 
 
 At the will of their captors and enemies, they were 
 stripped of every necessary; scorged as negro slaves; 
 kicked as dogs; hung up by the thumbs; chained up to 
 posts, or forced to drag cannon balls; compelled to 
 stand bareheaded and barefooted for hours, under a 
 torrid sun; obliged to mark time eight hours on a 
 stretch; immured in underground dungeons; harried 
 and mangled by bloodhounds; deprived of food for 
 three days at a time; refused water during whole days 
 and nights; shot at in their beds, or as they walked in 
 
322 APPENDIX. 
 
 their camps, or while dragging their feeble frames to 
 the sinks, or while seeking a breath of air or a cup of 
 water; deprived of their limbs at the whim of incom 
 petent surgeons, or murdered in hospital by vile drugs, 
 or barbarous neglect. These dreadful facts of treatment 
 must become matters of historic record, and be trans 
 mitted to posterity as the deeds which treason and rebel 
 lion could perpetrate, when inspired by the spirit of 
 human slavery. 
 
 Maltreatment on the march was of different degrees 
 of barbarity. It comprised the forcing of jaded or 
 wounded men to unnatural foot marches; the depriva 
 tion of water and of food on the route } the confinement 
 of persons by night in pestiferous jails; the packing of 
 them by sixties and eighties in close and filthy box 
 cars, on the railroads, or their exposure to cold and 
 storm in shelterless flats; the goading of feeble persons 
 by blows of the sabre, bayonet stabs, and the dragging 
 of them forward by lassoes, tied to the saddle bows of 
 mounted guards. In the forced foot marches* great 
 numbers of our disabled men succumbed to fatigue, low 
 nourishment and exposure. Their graves are land 
 marks of the routes traveled in various Southern States, 
 by the dismal processions of captured Union men. 
 Frozen to death in sleep, shot down or bayoneted by 
 day, sinking under disease or from weakness, they fell 
 by the way, and were buried in the roadside ditches. 
 
 Respect for the dead is looked for among all civil 
 ized people. It is a simple expression of piety which 
 ought to distinguish the Christian from the barbarian 
 
APPENDIX. 323 
 
 or savage. But the record of prison treatment at the 
 South is made blacker by the accounts of contumely 
 inflicted on the poor dust of humanity, the desecration 
 even of the inanimate remains of our soldiers, who died 
 the victims of neglect and cruelty. In times of 
 epidemic disease, where mortality is incessant, and 
 death waits at every door, there is apology that no 
 bell tolls and no funeral cortage moves. So, likewise, 
 when fevers and acute disorders of all kinds were carry 
 ing off scores and sometimes hundreds per diem, in 
 such lazar houses as Andersonville and Salisbury and 
 Florence prisons, we might find some palliation for 
 rebel authorities" if they simply hurried the burial of 
 dead prisoners, omitting all marks of outward respect 
 to enemies of their cause and objects. But when we 
 know they added insult and ignominy to indifference 
 or carelessness; that* they suffered the dead bodies of 
 our poor soldiers to lie for whole days festering in the 
 sun, or piled them, stark naked, in heaps, as wood is 
 corded, upon carts, and flung them like dead brutes into 
 ditches, and covered them so scantily with earth that 
 their arms and legs protruded; and when we remember 
 that the human remains thus dealt with ,were those of 
 brave soldiers, who had fallen into captivity by the for 
 tune of battle, and had perished through the barbarity 
 of the captors, w r e cannot dw r ell with calmness on the 
 story of this latest outrage on the civilization of our 
 age and nation. 
 
 Our soldiers, in most of the burial trenches of prison 
 grounds, lie by thousands in moldering heaps. A head 
 
324 APPENDIX. 
 
 board may indicate the spot where rests husband, son, 
 or brother; a number, entered in a hospital book, may 
 be an index to the dead soldier, whose nude body was 
 thrust, with scores of other atrophied forms, into a com 
 mon receptacle, there to crumble into dust. 
 
 The fond respect of friends may make a place of 
 pilgrimage of those honored graves, and the visitor may 
 feel that he kneels upon a sod which covers the coffin 
 of some friend beloved in life; but memory must go 
 back, mournfully, to the deep, wide trendies, and 
 behold the bodies of our dead soldiers massed shroud 
 less together. It is a sad task to attempt an identifica 
 tion of the many unknown graves. Better that the 
 bones of all be collected and placed, with fitting cere 
 monies, under a National monument, and that their 
 ashes be embalmed by the tears of a great people, for 
 whose union and freedom they^Lil the death of 
 martyrs. 
 
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