Chapter I: Preface

During the summer of 1881 I was a sojourner for a few weeks at a popular hotel in the White Mountains. Among the two hundred or more guests who were enjoying its retirement and good cheer were from twelve to twenty lads, varying in age from ten to fifteen years. When tea had been disposed of, and darkness had put an end to their daily romp and hurrah without, they were wont to take in charge a gentleman from Chicago, formerly a gallant soldier in the Army of the Cumberland, and in a quiet corner of the spacious hotel parlor, or a remote part of the piazza, would listen with eager attention as he related chapters of his personal experience in the Civil War.

Less than two days elapsed before they pried out of the writer the acknowledgment that he too had served Uncle Sam; and immediately followed up this bit of information by requesting me to alternate evenings with the veteran from the West in entertaining them with stories of the war as I saw it. I assented to the plan readily enough, and a more interested or interesting audience of its size could not be desired than that knot of boys who clustered around us on alternate nights, while we related to them in an offhand way many facts regarded as too commonplace for the general histories of the war.

This trifling piece of personal experience led to the preparation of these sketches, and will largely account for the didactic manner in which they are written. They are far from complete. Many topics of interest are left untreated—they will readily suggest themselves to veterans; but it was thought best not to expand this volume beyond its present proportions. It is believed that what is herein written will appeal largely to a common experience among soldiers. In full faith that such is the case, they are now presented to veterans, their children, and the public as an important contribution of warp to the more majestic woof which comprises the history of the Great Civil War already written. That history, to date, is a history of battles, of campaigns and of generals. This is the first attempt to record comprehensively army life in detail; in which both text and illustrations aim to permanently record information which the history of no other war has preserved with equal accuracy and completeness.

I am under obligations to many veterans for kindly suggestions and criticisms during the progress of this work, to Houghton & Mifflin for the use of Holmes’ “Sweet Little Man,” and especially to Comrade Charles W. Reed, for his many truthful and spirited illustrations. The large number of sketches which he brought from the field in 1865 has enabled him to reproduce with telling effect many sights and scenes once very familiar to the veterans of the Union armies, which cannot fail to recall stirring experiences in their soldier’s life.

Believing they will do this, and that these pages will appeal to a large number to whom the Civil War is yet something more than a myth, they are confidently put forth, the pleasant labor of spare hours, with no claim for their literary excellence, but with the full assurance that they will partially meet a want hitherto unsupplied.

CAMBRIDGEPORT, Mass., March 30, 1887.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

THE TOCSIN OF WAR.

The Four Parties—Their Candidates—Freedom of Speech
Abridged—Secession Decreed—Lincoln Elected—Oh,
for Andrew Jackson! Exit Buchanan—“Long-heeled
Abolitionists” and “Black Republicans”—“Wide-awakes” and
“Rail-splitters”—“Copperheads”—The Misunderstanding—Northern
Doughfaces—Loyal Men of All Parties Unite—The First
Rally—Preparation in the Bay State and in Other States—Her War
Governor—Showing the White Feather—The Memorable Fifteenth of
April—“The Sweet Little Man”—Parting Scenes—The Three-Months’
Men 15

CHAPTER II.

ENLISTING.

The President’s Error—“Three Years Unless Sooner
Discharged”—How Volunteer Companies were Raised—Filling
the Quotas—What General Sherman Says—Recruiting
Offices—Advertisements for Recruits—A War Meeting in
Roxbury—A Typical War Meeting in the Country—A Small-Sized
Patriot—Signing the Roll—The Medical Examination—Off for
Camp—The Red, White, and Blue 34

CHAPTER III.

HOW THE SOLDIERS WERE SHELTERED.

The Distinction Noted Between the Militia and the U. S.
Volunteers—The Oath of Muster—Barracks Described—Sibley or
Bell Tents—A or Wedge Tents—Spooning—Stockading—Hospital or
Wall Tents—Dog or Shelter Tent Described—Chumming—Pitching
Shelters—Stockaded Shelters—Fireplaces—Chimneys—Door
Plates—“Willard’s Hotel”—“Hole in the Wall”—Mortars and Mortar
Shelling before Petersburg 43

CHAPTER IV.

LIFE IN TENTS.

Life in a Sibley—The Stove—The Pastimes—Postage Stamps as
Money—Soldier’s Letter—“Nary Red”—Illustrated Envelopes—Army
Reading—The Recluse—Evenings of Sociability—Pipe and Ring
Making—Home Gossip—Music and the Contrabands—War Song
Revived—The “Mud March” Prayer 61

CHAPTER V.

LIFE IN LOG HUTS.

The Plan of a Camp—Inside a Stockade—The Bunks—The Arrangement
of the Furniture—Æsthetic Dish-washing—Lighting by Candles
and Slush Lamps—Candlesticks—Night-Gowns and Night-Caps—The
Shelters in a Rain—“I. C.” Insect Life—_Pediculus Vestimenti_,
the Old-time Grayback—Not a Respecter of Rank—The First
Grayback Found—(K)nitting Work—“Skirmishing”—Boiling Water
the Sovereign Balm—Cleanliness—The Versatile Mess-Kettles—No
Magee Ranges Supplied the Soldiers—Washerwomen—No “Boiled
Shirts”—Darning and Mending—Government Socks—Cooks—Green Pine
as Fuel—Camp Barbers—Future Tacticians 73

CHAPTER VI.

JONAHS AND BEATS.

The Jonah as a Guardsman—A Midnight Uproar—“Put him in the
Guard-house”—The Jonah Spills Pea-Soup, and Coffee, and
Ink—Always Cooking—Steps on the Rails—Tableau—Jonah as a
Wood-chopper—Beats—The Beat as a Fireman—Without Water,
and Rations, and Money—His Letters Containing Money always
Miscarry—Allotments—The Beat as a Guard Dodger—His Corporal
Does the Duty—As a Fatigue Detail—Horse-Burying as a
Civilizer for Jonahs and Beats—The Detail for the Burial—The
Over-worked Man—The Rheumatic Dodge—The Sick Man—The Chief
Mourner—The Explosive Man—The Paper-Collar Young Man—Forward,
Grave-diggers!—Hurrah! Without the H 90

CHAPTER VII.

ARMY RATIONS.

Were They Adequate?—Their Quality—A List of Them—What
was Included in a Single Ration—What was a Marching
Ration?—Officers’ Allowance—The “Company Fund”—“Hardtack”
Described—Its Faults Three in Number—Served in Twenty Different
Ways—Song of the Hardtack—“Soft Bread”—The Capitol as a
Bake-house—The Ovens at Alexandria and Fort Monroe—Grant’s
Immense Bake-house at City Point—Coffee and Sugar—How
Dealt Out—How Stored—Condensed Milk—Company Cooks—The
Coffee-Dipper—The Typical Coffee-Boiler—Bivouac and Coffee—How
the Government Beat the Speculators—How a Contractor Underbid
Himself—Fresh Meat—How Served—Army Frying-Pans—Steak from a
Steer’s Jaw-Bone—“Salt Horse” Not a Favorite Dish—Salt Pork
and its Uses—The Army Bean—How it was Baked—Song of the Army
Bean—Desiccated Vegetables—The Whiskey Ration—A Suggestion as
to the Inadequacy of the Marching Ration 108

CHAPTER VIII.

OFFENCES AND PUNISHMENTS.

The Offences Enumerated—“Back Talk”—Absence from Camp
without Leave—The Punishments—The Guard Tent—The Black
List—Its Occupations—Buck and Gag—The Barrel and its Uses—The
Crucifixion—The Wooden Horse—The Knapsack Drill—Tied
up by the Thumbs—The Sweat-Box—The Placard—The Spare
Wheel—Log-Lugging—Double Guard—The Model Regiment—Commanders
often Tyrants by Nature, or from Effects of Rum, or Ignorance—A
Regiment with Hundreds of Colonels—Inactivity Productive
of Offences and Punishments—Kid-Glove Warfare—Drumming
out of Camp—Rogue’s March—Ball and Chain—Sleeping on
Post—Desertion—Death of a Deserter Described—Death of a Spy
Described—Bounty-jumpers—Amnesty to Deserters—Desertion to
Enemy—Hanging of Three Criminals at Once for this Offence
Described—Number of Executions in the War 143

CHAPTER IX.

A DAY IN CAMP. “ASSEMBLY OF BUGLERS.” “TURN OUT!” “ASSEMBLY.”

How the Men Came into Line—A Canteen Wash—The Shirks—“I Can’t
Get ’Em Up”—“All Present or Accounted For”—“Stable Call”—Kingly
Cannoneers and Spare Horses—“Breakfast Call”—“Sick Call”—“Fall
In for Your Quinine”—The Beats again—“Lack of Woman’s
Nursing”—“Water Call”—Where the Animals were Watered—Number
of Animals in the Army—Scarcity of Water—“Fatigue Call”—What
it Included—Army Stables—The Picket-Rope—Mortality of
Horses—Scarcity of Wood—“Drill Call”—Artillery Drill—Standing
Gun Drill—Battery Manœuvres—Sham Fights—Drilling by Bugle
Calls—“Dinner Call”—“Retreat”—Scolding Time—“Assembly
of Guard”—The Reliefs—Fun for the Corporal—Some of His
Trials—“Next Tent Below”—“Tattoo”—Reminiscences—Taps—“Put out
that Light!”—“Stop that Talking!” 164

CHAPTER X.

RAW RECRUITS.

A Scrap of Personal History—A Parent’s Certificate—The Lot of
a Recruit—Abused by the Old Hands—Flush with Money—A Practical
Joke—Two Classes of Recruits—The Matter-of-fact Recruit a Final
Success—The High-toned Recruits—Their _Loud_ Uniform—Scoffers
at Government Rations—As Hostlers—The Awkward Squad—The
Decline in the Quality of Recruits—Men of ’61-2—Unschooled
Soldiers—Hope Deferred—“One Last Embrace”—French Leave
Furloughs—Life in Home Camp—Family Knots—A Mother’s Fond
Solicitude—Galling Lessons of Obedience—Bounties Paid
Recruits—“I’m a Raw Recruit”—“The Substitute” 198

CHAPTER XI.

SPECIAL RATIONS. BOXES FROM HOME.

Sending for a Box—A Specimen Address—A Typical List of
Contents—Impatience at its Non-arrival—Its Inspection at
Headquarters—Its Reception at Camp—The Opening—Box-packing as
an Art—The Whole Neighborhood Contributes—Soldiers Who Had
No Boxes—The Box of the Selfish Man—His Onions—“We’ve Drank
from the same Canteen”—THE ARMY SUTLER—His Stock-in-trade—His
Prices—The Commissary—Army Fritters—Sutler’s Pies—Sutler’s
Risks—Raiding the Sutler—What a Sutler Lost near Brandy
Station—War Prices in Dixie 217

CHAPTER XII.

FORAGING.

Strictly Prohibited at First—Two Reasons Why—The Right and
Wrong of It—Innocent Sufferers—Unauthorized Foragers—The
Destitution of Some Families—The Family Turnout—Wantonness at
Fredericksburg—Authorized Foragers—Their Plunder—Foraging at
Wilcox’s Farm—Tobacco Foragers—The Cavalry in Their Rôle—The
Infantry—Incidents—Risks Assumed by Foragers—Union Versus
Confederate Soldier as a Forager 231

CHAPTER XIII.

CORPS AND CORPS BADGES.

What was an Army Corps?—How the Army of the Potomac was
Organized—Brigade and Division Formations—“All quiet along
the Potomac”—“Why don’t the Army move?”—How Corps were
Composed—Their Number—Corps Badges—Their Origin—The Kearny
Patch—Worn First by Officers, then by the Privates—Hooker’s
Scheme of Corps Badges—Its Extension to other Armies—The Badge
of each Army Corps Described 250

CHAPTER XIV.

SOME INVENTIONS AND DEVICES OF THE WAR.

Improvements in Firearms—In War Vessels—Catch-penny Devices
for the Soldiers—Combination Knife, Fork, and Spoon—Water
Filterers—Armor Vests and Greaves—Havelocks—Revolvers and
Dirk Knives—“High-toned” Haversacks—Compact Writing-desks
Smoking-caps and the Turkish Fez—Hatter’s Caps _Versus_
Government Caps—The Numbering and Lettering of
Knapsacks—Haversacks and Canteens—How these Equipments Changed
Hands 269

CHAPTER XV.

THE ARMY MULE.

Where Raised—Where the Government Obtained Them—What They were
Used for—Compared with Horses—Mule Fodder—How a Mule Team was
Composed—How it was Driven—How Mules were Obtained from the
Corral—The Black Snake and its Uses—An Incident—Mule Ears—His
Pastimes—As a Kicker the Original Mugwump—What Josh Billings
Knows about Him—His Kicking Range—How He was Shod—The Mule as
a Singer—Under the Pack-saddle—The Mule as a Stubborn Fact—His
Conduct under Fire—Captured Mules at Sailor’s Creek—What Became
of All the Mules?—The Mule Mortal—“Charge of the Mule Brigade” 279

CHAPTER XVI.

HOSPITALS AND AMBULANCES.

The First General Hospitals—The First Medical Director—Army
Regulations Insufficient—Verdancy of Regimental
Surgeons—Hospital Tents—The Origin of Field Hospitals in
Tents—Their Capacity—No Ambulances before the War—Two-Wheeled
and Four-Wheeled Ambulances—Organization of the Ambulance
Corps—The Officers and Privates—The Outfit—Field
Hospitals—Their Location—The Men in Charge—Captured Hospitals—A
Paroled Prisoner—A Personal Reminiscence—Legs and Arms
Unnecessarily Amputated—Anecdote of a Heavy Artilleryman—The
Escort of the Wounded—The Insignia of the Ambulance Corps—A
Personal Experience—Hospital Railway Trains and Steamboats—The
Cacolet 298

CHAPTER XVII.

SCATTERING SHOTS. THE CLOTHING.

The Allowance—The Losses of Infantry—Clothing of
Garrisons—First Maine Heavy Artillery—Their First Active
Campaigning.—ARMY CATTLE—The Kind Referred to—Where They Came
from—Wade Hampton as a Cattle-stealer—Cattle on the March—Their
Route by Day and Night—The Sagacious Leader—The Slaughter—The
Corps Herd—HEROIC HORSES—Their Conduct in Action—When Wounded—A
Personal Reminiscence—Anecdote of General Hancock—Sagacious
Horses 316

CHAPTER XVIII.

BREAKING CAMP. ON THE MARCH.

Marching Orders—When They Came—What was Done at Once—The
Survival of the Fittest—“Waverly” Correspondents—The
Night in Camp after Marching Orders Came—Camp Fires and
Hilarity—“The General”—The Wait in Camp—Forward, March!—The
Order of March—Corps Headquarters—Division Headquarters—The
Division Flags Described—Brigade Headquarters—Brigade Flags
Described—Battle Flags—The Mule of Regimental Headquarters—His
Company—Light Batteries—Lightening Loads—The Chafed and
Footsore—Fording of Streams—The Same by Night—Personal
Reminiscences—“Close up!”—Marching in a Rainstorm—Camping
in a Rainstorm—Horses in the Rain and Sloughs—A Personal
Reminiscence—Flankers—“Column, halt!”—Double quick!—“They’ve
found um” 330

CHAPTER XIX.

ARMY WAGON TRAINS.

Grant’s Military Railroad—The Impedimenta—An Army Wagon—An
Army Minstrel Troupe—The Transportation of a Regiment—What
They Originally Carried—Baggage Trains on the Peninsula—Chaos
Illustrated—The Responsibility of Train Officers—What
They had to Contend with—The Struggle for the Lead—Depot
of Transportation—The Officers of the Quartermaster’s
Department—What Wagons Took Into the Wilderness—The Allowance
on the Final Campaign—Incident—Early Order of McClellan—General
Orders, No. 153—The Beginning of the Supply Trains—What General
Rufus Ingalls Did—Meade’s General Orders, No. 83—Strength
of a Corps Supply Train—Of the Army—Its Extent—Its Place on
the March—A Reminiscence of the Race for Centreville—General
Wadsworth’s Bull Train—Its Rise and Fall—Trials of a Train
Quartermaster—He Runs Counter to Meade and Sheridan in the
Discharge of his Duty 350

CHAPTER XX.

ARMY ROAD AND BRIDGE BUILDERS.

The Engineer Corps—Their Duties—Corduroying—Trestle
Bridges—Slashing—Making of Gabions, etc.—As Pontoniers—Xerxes
as an Early Pontonier—His Bridge over the Hellespont
Described—Our Earliest Pontoon—Bridges of Canvas Boats; of
Wooden Boats—Pontoon Bridge Material Described—Balks, Bays,
Chesses, Rack Lashings—Pontoon Train—Pontoon Bridge Building
Described—Taking Up a Pontoon Bridge—The ’62 Bridge over the
Chickahominy—Over the James—Pontoon Bridge Laying before
Fredericksburg—The Stability of such Bridges—Incident—Life of
an Engineer 377