TO CENTREVILLE AND FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE—PICKET
CLOSE TO THE ENEMY—EXCITING
TIMES ON PICKET—BACK TO CENTREVILLE—THE
FIGHT AT
DRAINESVILLE
On the 24th of July, the brigade broke camp at Manassas and marched to
Centreville, where the Eleventh Regiment pitched its tents, just on the
outskirts of that little hamlet of a few houses.
Other troops were camped round about, all in fine spirits, fast learning
to be soldiers, always keeping up the drills, company and regimental.
Colonel Garland was a fine drill officer and had the regiment well
drilled. While here General Longstreet had brigade drills a few times,
but this did not amount to much, and was never tried again. In battle
the maneuvers practiced in drilling were seldom used; but drilling
learned the men to keep together, rally and get into line quickly when
separated. In battle few orders were heard except "fall into line,"
"load," "commence firing," "cease firing," "forward," "charge," and the
like. Sometimes, but not often, in the army of Northern Virginia, the
command was heard, "fall back."
ADVANCE TO FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE
On the 10th of August, 1861, the brigade moved to Fairfax Court House,
seven miles. The day was intensely hot, and many fell by the wayside,
going into camp just north of the town; not a very desirable camping
ground, as it was rather low and flat. It rained a good deal and there
was a great deal of sickness, measles, typhoid fever, and diarrhea. It
was surprising how many men had never had measles; it seemed that half
or more of the army had the disease the first year of the war, and large
numbers died from the effects. Typhoid fever frequently followed the
measles, often proving fatal. While here my brother Coon had measles
which was followed by fever. He was taken to the field hospital near
camp, and after remaining there in a tent a few days, Dr. Thornhill said
if he was not sent away he would die. I immediately went to work and got
a sick-furlough for him, carried him to Manassas in an ambulance, put
him on the train the next day on a mattress and started him for
Lynchburg; he was too sick and weak to sit up, but I could not go with
him. On the train, as good fortune would have it, was the Rev. H. M.
Linney, a Methodist preacher, who was or had been the year before on the
Campbell County circuit. Mr. Linney acted the part of the Good Samaritan
and ministered to his wants until the train reached Lynchburg, where he
was met by my brother-in-law, Mr. Geo. A. Burks, to whom I had wired.
Mr. Burks took him to his house where he had a long and severe spell of
fever.
PICKET CLOSE TO ENEMY—EXCITING TIMES
After the brigade moved to Fairfax Court House, we did a great deal of
picket duty down towards Alexandria and Washington City, close to the
enemy's line. We were sometimes in sight of the dome of the capital, and
could see the Yankees drilling on the high hills on the south side of
the Potomac River. The Yankees often had a balloon up in the air,
anchored by a long cable, at which a cannon shot would sometimes be
fired, and a shot brought it down. This shot, I think, was fired by
Lieut. Thos. L. Rosser, afterwards General Rosser. The principal picket
posts were at Mason's, Munson's and Upton's Hill's, Falls Church, and
near Annandale.
One night Company C, and a cavalry company commanded by Captain ——
Carter, were on picket near Annandale, close to the enemy's line, when,
about midnight, a squad of Company C, on outpost duty, came in to the
reserve post, and reported that a body of cavalry was approaching along
the road by which we had come from Centreville. It was at once
conjectured that the Yankee cavalry had, by another road, flanked our
position, gotten in the rear and was attempting to bag the Confederate
pickets. Captains Clement and Carter made disposition of the two
companies to give the enemy a warm reception. Company C was posted along
the fence by the roadside, while Captain Carter formed his company in
the field a short distance in the rear. Instructions were given to the
men to let the cavalry approaching pass along the road until the head of
the column reached the extreme right of our line, and then, at a signal
from Captain Clement, to open fire on them, when Captain Carter and his
company would charge; this was the plan and instructions in case the
approaching horsemen proved to be, as was believed, Yankees.
The night was dark; objects could be distinguished only a few feet away.
In silence we anxiously awaited the coming of the approaching
cavalrymen, the noise of whose horses' hoofs we soon heard coming down
the hill; the suspense was intense. Every man had his gun at a "ready,"
determined, at the proper signal, to pour a volley into the enemy, who,
when along the road in our immediate front, would not be more than ten
feet from the muzzles of the guns. On, the horsemen came in silence,
right along in our front; each man clutched his musket tighter; not a
word or whisper was uttered, until the front files of the column had
reached the right of the line, when Captain Clement, who had taken
position at that point, called out in his deep bass voice, in a firm
tone, "Halt! Who comes there?" In an instant the horsemen came to a
standstill and the answer to the challenge came from the front files,
"Friends, with the countersign;" whereupon Captain Clement called out,
"Advance one and give the countersign." One of the men came up and in a
low tone gave the word, which, as I remember, was "Richmond." Captain
Clement at once called out, "Countersign correct, advance, friends," and
the scare was over, and each party felt much relieved.
Explanations followed, which developed that this company had been sent
down to strengthen the picket post, and had not taken the precaution to
send a single horseman in front to notify us of their coming.
These men thought, they said, when they were halted and heard the click
of some of our men's musket locks, as they made ready to fire, that they
were right in the midst of the Yankees. If a single shot had been fired
by either side (and it is often hard to restrain men under such
circumstances), there would have been many friends slain by friends. I
think this was after we moved back to Centreville in the fall.
Another, and for a time rather serious, but in the end, amusing incident
occurred while on picket near Falls Church. Here the lines were close
together and the pickets often in sight of each other. The picket forces
were heavy, sometimes with a battery of artillery along. On one occasion
the Yankees had a post in a house a few hundred yards away, across a
wooded ravine, and the captain of the battery concluded he would shell
this Yankee post. Company C was drawn up in line, near by, as a support
in case the Yankees made a dash to capture the guns. Two guns were let
loose on the house, and it was fun to watch the Yankees scamper out and
take to their heels. Pretty soon some one said, "Don't you hear the
Yankees bringing up their guns? They are going to shell us." This
changed the humor of the men very quickly from hilarity and good
feelings to solemnity and anxiety for their own safety. Just as it was
expected the Yankee guns were about to open fire, one of the men,
looking pretty nervous and rather pale about the gills, like most of us,
turned to Captain Clement and said with earnestness, "I don't think it
is _far_ to have cannon on picket." It was great fun to see the Yankees
skedaddle, but quite another thing to be shelled. The Yankees did not
shell us, but we laughed at Peter Cary many times afterwards about this
remark.
While on picket down there at Falls Church we fared fine. I remember
some of us would go every morning to a house for breakfast, where we
feasted on buckwheat cakes, butter, honey and milk.
Near Mason's Hill, at a picket post, there was a large farm occupied by
a Yankee, who had abandoned it upon the approach of the Confederates,
and gone within the Yankee lines, leaving a fine garden, large
cornfields, fruit, etc. The soldiers were told these things had been
confiscated by the Confederate authorities for their use, on account of
the disloyalty of the owner, and they fairly feasted on roasting-ears,
potatoes, tomatoes, etc.,—boiling camp kettles full of potatoes and
corn. Some of the men would eat as many as twelve or fourteen ears of
corn at one time; Ned Gilliam, I believe, was the champion corn eater,
and Tom and Jabe Rosser, Sam Franklin, the Tweedy and Jones boys, and
others, were close seconds. I think maybe they appropriated some
bee-gums, or their contents, and perhaps some jars of preserves and
other sweets. I must say that Company C had very few men in it who would
forage illegally. On one occasion a year or two afterwards, I suspected
some of the company of killing a hog while down in the south-side of
Virginia, though I did not know it, and took no pains to investigate, as
meat was very scarce about that time: in fact, we had none, and it was
right hard for a soldier to let a hog bite him and not kill it when
hungry. I have heard soldiers say that they would kill a sheep if it
tried to bite them. Some of the boys told a story on R. H. Jones about
eating, or rather, not eating "stolen hog." Bob was quite young and very
conscientious. On one occasion his mess had fresh pork for breakfast
which they did not draw from the commissary. When the chops were fried
brown and crisp, the boys gathered around the frying-pan and began
eating. Bob sat aloof, munching on his corn pone, when some one said,
"Bob, have some meat." "No," drawled Bob, "I don't eat stolen hog," all
the while looking at the pan and nibbling away on his dry bread. Again
some one said, "Bob, you better have some, it's mighty good." Bob
reached over towards the pan with his bread and said, "I won't eat any
of the meat, but will take a little of the gravy."
While encamped around Fairfax Court House, the whole army was thrown
into a high fever of excitement one day by the beating of the long roll.
Under the army regulations the long roll is never beaten except in cases
of emergency—the sudden and unexpected attack or approach of the enemy.
When the long roll is sounded it is the duty of every drum corps in
hearing to take it up and repeat it, and every man is hastily called to
arms. On this occasion the long roll was started without cause by a
_fresh_ "officer of the day," as he said, "to see what effect it would
have." For miles around the drums rolled and there was much hurrying and
scurrying of staff officers and couriers. I think the "officer of the
day" got a court-martial for his freshness, and very likely, if "old
Jube" had the say-so, a good _cussing_.
BACK TO CENTREVILLE
On the 19th or 20th of October, 1861, the army moved back to Centreville
and went into camp—the Eleventh Regiment on the same ground it had
before occupied.
The whole army was encamped round about and along Bull Run; rations were
plentiful and the men passed a very comfortable winter, making pipes and
trinkets from ivy roots dug up along Bull Run, which had now become
historic.
The Fifth Louisian Regiment was camped about one-half mile from the
Eleventh Virginia. The Louisian Regiment had a fine band, and every
afternoon would play many patriotic pieces, including "Dixie," "The
Bonnie Blue Flag," etc. The Eleventh Regiment also had a very good band,
led by Geo. W. Lyman, of Lynchburg.
We still picketed down close to Fairfax Court House. While on picket
there during the winter I was taken with break-bone fever and sent home
on a sick furlough. It was a rainy time, and I slept one night on a pile
of rails, and the next morning every bone in my body was aching. I
remember telling old Dr. Withers of this after I got home, when he
remarked, "Sleeping on rails is well calculated to make one's bones
ache." I had never seen our little boy, Dixie, who was born on the 25th
of September, 1861, and was then about five months old. He was a fine
little fellow, and a great comfort to his mother in my absence. Of
course, we all enjoyed the home-coming.
While I was away the regiment went on a foraging expedition, in support
of Stuart's Cavalry, north of Centreville. Near Drainesville they got
into a fight with the Yankees, when Wm. H. Hobson, of Company C, a
cousin of my wife, was mortally wounded, being shot through the bowels,
dying soon afterwards. He was the first man of Company C killed. Lieut.
H. C. Chalmers, of Company A, lost an arm in this fight.
As soon as I was well again, I returned to the army, which was still at
Centreville, where it remained for some time.
While in camp here, Governor Letcher visited the army and presented each
Virginia Regiment with a new State flag. The troops were all drawn up
around one of the forts, the colonels going up into the fort, the
Governor making a speech to each as he presented the flags, and the
colonels, on receiving them, replying. I remember Col. Eppa Hunton, of
the Eighth Virginia, said in his speech, "Every man in Fauquier County
shall be carried home feet foremost before his flag will be
surrendered." I think this was the summer or fall before or during our
first encampment at Centreville.