That was the last we saw of Bragg's army for many a day. He had left
Kentucky with what was left of his 60,000 followers who were with him
when he entered the state, in disgust perhaps at the non-military manner
in which our army was manœuvred, or perhaps in order to more easily
obtain supplies; at any rate he was "gone from our gaze like a beautiful
dream," and we went into camp at Crab Orchard. At this place the
character of the country suddenly changes. It becomes rough and barren,
affording scarcely enough corn for its spare population; and the road
passes through defiles where a small force can resist, with great
effect, a large one, where in fact the use of a large force is
impracticable. The little forage there was in the country had been
consumed by the enemy in his retreat, rendering it impossible to subsist
any considerable number of animals. Here it was the measles broke out in
the regiment, and we were in the worst possible condition for such a
guest, a simple thing to manage when the surroundings are favorable, but
a dreadful distemper in the condition we were at that time. The weather
was chilly and cool, and the wind would blow all day long. It was a sad
sight to see the boys who were afflicted with the disease, stretched out
on the bare ground, with nothing over them but a blanket. We were
thankful it did not rain, if it had the mortality would have been far
greater than it was, many died however, and there were very few who were
able for duty. We remember assembling for dress parade one evening, but
as our number was so small, the colonel ordered us back to our quarters.
We had had no tents issued to us yet, and the most of us had thrown away
our overcoats, being unable to carry them. But now we felt the need of
them, as the nights were cold, and none of us had more than one blanket
apiece. There was grumbling and swearing, but at last some fellow solved
the problem and restored us all to good humor. No one ever knew how
"camp rumors" ever started, but start they would, and the better they
suited our frame of mind, the faster they flew. So one morning the word
went round "that the war was over, and we were all going to be
discharged and sent home right away, this was the reason why new
overcoats were not issued to us." This was the report and was swallowed
as gospel truth. When we were ordered to pile our knapsacks, the morning
of the battle of Perrysville, of course we complied with it, and when
they were brought up to us again there was much of their contents
missing; blankets were gone, had disappeared in some way, and all that
many of us received was our empty knapsacks, they were not in so great
demand, as they could not be utilized for any other purpose than that
for which they had been intended, so every fellow got his knapsack but
minus its contents, the writer got his, but the blanket which it had
contained was gone, and we thought we would have much preferred keeping
it than to have lost a dozen knapsacks. However we did not waste many
tears over it but took the first opportunity to make the loss good by
putting some other fellow to a like inconvenience. One morning while at
Crab Orchard as we were passing around the company quarters trying to
cheer up those who were sick, by sympathy and encouragement, we were
hailed by a comrade to come and help him dust and fold his blankets. We
went, of course, and when stooping over to gather up the corner of his
blanket, lo and behold there was our private mark, which we had made by
slitting the corner in three pieces. "Hello, Mac," we said, raising up,
"where did you get this blanket?"
"Why, drew it from the quartermaster of course. Where did you suppose I
got it?"—this with the blandest and most child-like air.
"Drew it from the quartermaster," we replied. "Yes I know how you drew
it, you drew it from my knapsack at Perrysville, you rascal, that's how
you drew it."
"What in thunder are you talking about," said Mack, "here help me shake
it, and don't go to insinuating that I stole your old blanket."
But we knew the property was ours, and intended to hold on to it, not
that we particularly needed it, for we had obtained another one, but we
did not propose to be robbed, as we thought we were being, in that way.
This was our blanket, there was the mark, and we were going to have it.
Mack was getting riled a little.
"Are you going to help me shake that blanket?" he asked.
We replied "no," that we were going to keep that blanket ourself. We
were in earnest and he saw it.
"I'd like to know what makes you think that its yours?" he said, in the
most innocent manner.
We held up the corner to him. "Do you see that; that's our mark."
Mac's countenance fell, he had never noticed that before, and never
another word did he say. He stooped over to pick up another one, for he
was, or had been until I came to him by his invitation, the fortunate
possessor of two. We were not mad nor out of humor the least bit, for as
the saying is: "we had been there ourself," but we requested Mac to tell
us where he got it. Seeing that we had doubled up the blanket and held
it under our arm, and was not the least bit inclined to give it up, he
said:
"Well, now, if you won't tell anybody, I'll tell you how I got it. I was
coming along the other night past Doc. McElroy's quarters, and I was on
the lookout for a blanket. I came right by where the doctor's darkey had
made down his bed for him, so I just reached down, and gathered onto
that blanket and scooted; hold on, I'll tell you the rest of it," he
said, as he recovered from the fit of laughter into which the
recollection of his theft had thrown him. "I made down my bed pretty
close to the doctor's, to see what he would say to the darkey when he
came. I did not have to wait long; here came the doctor. 'Boy, got my
bed made yet?' 'Oh yes, doctor, all right sah, made you good bed
to-night, doctor,' the darkey replied, and soon the doctor proceeded to
test the assurance. There was the bed, sure enough, but when the doctor
got down on his knees, and went to turn, as he supposed, the top blanket
down, nothing was revealed to his astonished gaze but the bare ground.
Then, said Mac, the trouble commenced. Calling the darkey he asked him
if that was what he called a good bed, where's my other blanket? he
yelled, and the air was blue with oaths.
"Deed, doctor, I lef him dar not more'n ten minutes ago, shuah, but he
done gone now, das a fac," and the darkey gave a groan. "I spec's some
of de sogers mus have stole him, doctor." And then Mac said he heard
more oaths, and a noise as if some one was in distress, and then a
sudden cracking of the bushes as of some one running, and he heard the
doctor yell out: "Leave here, you lazy rascal, you'd loose your head if
it was not fast to you," and gathering his only blanket, he saw him
making off with it with the intention, as Mac supposed, of bunking with
some body else who was blessed with more cover than himself.
Oh! said Mac, I thought I would die laughing. I could not hear all that
was said for I was laying on my back almost ready to burst. I never
laughed so in all my life, and as laughing is contagious, we were soon
laughing with him at the remembrance of his stealing the doctor's
blanket. But such was life in the army. Whenever we were in camp we
could obtain from the quartermaster anything we needed in the shape of
clothing or blankets, but on the march it was different, and if a fellow
lost anything he generally managed in some way to make himself whole, by
appropriating some other chap's property. But this was only done in case
of necessity, there was too much sterling integrity and manhood in the
regiment to allow of stealing maliciously and wantonly. The quiet
appropriating from some other mess of a blanket, canteen, mess-pan or
camp kettle, by a fellow who had lost his own, was thought nothing of,
provided the purloiner was not caught by the real owner. In that case
restitution was demanded, and if he could prove his case, the property
would be restored.
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