After the battle of Malvern Hill, our column moved on to Harrison
Landing. We arrived there after daylight, in the morning. Made coffee,
and rested a little. The Rebels followed up in small force, and
commenced shelling us. We were moved out and formed in line of battle.
In front of us was timber; in our rear was mud, and plenty of it, of a
slushy nature. The Rebel guns threw railroad iron at us. They fired
high. The missiles went to our rear. As these pieces of iron struck
the mud, caused the slush to mount high in air, and in sheets. A New
York regiment had just arrived by boat, (a new regiment.) They were
moved to our front. I noticed the officers had hand satchels, and had
paper collars around their necks. Our fellows cried, "Soft bread,"
"Fresh fish," and other appellations. The poor devils passed on into
the woods, but the Rebels were in full retreat. Hooker had gone out
with a brigade, and took them in flank. From here a detail from our
regiment was sent to our State to recruit, to help fill the depleted
ranks. The writer was one of this number.
We boarded a mail boat that plied between the landing and Fort Monroe,
and with an escort, a turtle gun boat, started down the James, for
Fort Monroe. On our way down, our boat was the target for Rebel guns
along the bank of the river. The pilot house was sheeted over with
iron, and when the musket balls came in contact with the iron, it
caused a terrible racket. At one place, a bend in the river, they had
thrown up a redoubt, and had two pieces of cannon ranged on the river.
But our little turtle wiggled up, (gun boat,) and hurled a few shells
at them; causing them to limber up and skedaddle very sudden. We
arrived all right at the Fort, took steamer for Baltimore, and to
God's country. Recruiting was slow, for the old regiment men feared to
enlist for it, as they would be pushed immediately to the front. I
would prefer an old organization, as I would get the benefit of their
experience. Whereas a new regiment, if pushed to the front, would
labor under a great disadvantage.