Leaving Camp.
March Through Spottsylvania.
Louisa.
Hanover, Petersburg.
First North Carolina Campaign.
Heavy Snowfall and Battle.
Accident to Anderson Meadows Near Chester.
Camp Near Petersburg.
Gardner Exchanges Hats.
Lieutenant Stone in a Box.
To Weldon, Goldsboro and Kinston.
At Suffolk, Virginia. Return via Petersburg, Chester, Richmond, to
Taylorsville.
John, the Drummer Boy.
Professor Hughes, Frank Burrows and Others.
Across the Pamunkey, Return Taylorsville and to Culpeper.
Monday, February 16, 1863, in the midst of a storm of snow and sleet,
Pickett's division took up its line of march heading toward Richmond.
Reports were rife relating to destination, some saying Charleston,
others Savannah or Blackwater; all were on the list of probabilities,
the line of march being through the counties of Spottsylvania, Louisa
and Hanover. At Hanover Junction Sergeant A. L. Fry, who had returned
from captivity, rejoined us. Within eight miles or so of Richmond the
moving army went into camp, resting a few days from fatiguing march,
then proceeding through Richmond to Chester station on the Richmond and
Petersburg railroad.
The brave Lieutenant-Colonel Flowerree of the 7th regiment, having
imbibed a little freely, as we passed through Richmond was placed in
arrest, charged with the breach of soldierly good conduct. He was
finally restored to us on the return from Gettysburg; a streak of luck
that saved the Colonel from being in the great battle.
The day of our arrival at Chester was cool, the early night was clear,
the sky blue, the stars shining--nothing that betokened any sudden
change of weather. Awakening next morning we found we had a blanket of
snow twelve inches deep--the men lying in rows reminding one of a
cemetery, and on rising, of the resurrection day. We soon built roaring
fires and went out and fought a great snowball battle. The explosion of
cartridges in a cartridge box that had been hung up too near the fire
came near costing Anderson Meadows the loss of his eyes. Meadows was
quite a remarkable man. When he went into the army he could neither
read nor write, but during the service he became quite proficient in
all, was a number one cook and a brave soldier, surviving the war.
Our next move took us to a point about a mile southeast of Petersburg,
where we went into camp. The weather had somewhat moderated, but snow
still on the ground. Our Lieutenant Stone, who had been home on
furlough, returned to us here. The camp was always more lively when he
was present, for there was no fun or mischief started in which he did
not make a full hand, and in the army anything that cultivates
cheerfulness is of real value. Many of the men went into Petersburg,
some without leave, among them Gardner of Company D, who, on his
return, was discovered wearing a good looking hat instead of the old,
dingy cap he had worn away. Inquiry being made as to how he became
possessed of the hat, he replied: "I swapped with a fellow--but he
wasn't there!"
March 25 a shift was made to the Weldon and Petersburg railway station,
and while the train to carry us south was being made ready, some of the
men took on too many drinks, our jolly Lieutenant Stone being one, and
becoming boisterous, fell into the hands of the city police. To keep
our Lieutenant out of their clutches, the men of the company put him
in a box car, fastening the doors, but as he did not fancy being a
prisoner in a box car he kicked off one of the doors, coming out with
it, hanging as he came on a nail or part of the door, the leg of his
trousers catching the same a little above the knee, tearing one leg of
his trousers.
Next morning found us at Weldon, where we remained several hours, and
while here Pat Wood, an Irishman of the 1st regiment, started some kind
of a row, which brought General Ransom, the commandant of the post,
upon the scene, and which resulted in a peremptory order for the whole
command to move on, which it did. Crowded into box cars, without fire,
the weather cold, the result cold feet and general discomfort. But a
soldier equal to almost any emergency, especially where his personal
safety and comfort are concerned, and determining to have fires,
covered the floor of each car with sand. On this fires were made of
longleaf North Carolina pine. The smoke was dense, and, having no
escape, settled upon the men, so that when Goldsboro was reached that
evening we were thought to belong to the "colored brigade."
Next day we proceeded about twenty-five miles to Kinston, on the Neuse
river, about thirty-five miles west from Newbern. From Kinston we did
some scouting and picket duty on the roads leading to Newbern, the
object seeming to be to keep the enemy at Newbern close in, while our
commissariat gathered supplies, as General Longstreet with Hood's
division was likewise doing at Suffolk, Va. The enemy had occupied
Kinston the preceding winter, and many of the houses had been
destroyed; the inhabitants had removed, either inside the Union
military lines, or to the interior of the state. The village, in fact,
was entirely deserted.
Our brigade left Kinston April 9, moving by rail to Goldsboro and
Weldon to a point twenty or more miles south of Petersburg, from whence
we marched through the Blackwater region--the counties of Southampton,
its county town Jerusalem, Isle of Wight--to the neighborhood of
Suffolk in Nausemond County, where we united with the division of
General Hood, then closely investing the town.
I will here relate two incidents occurring on our journey to and from
Kinston. While halting at Goldsboro, a soldier of Company F, 24th
Virginia, named Adams, went to a pie stand kept by an old lady, took
part of her pies and was walking away without paying therefor, when he
was arrested by a town policeman, whom the soldier sought to resist,
and in the fight Adams was killed. The other incident was, as we were
being transported by the railway in box cars between Kinston and
Goldsboro, a part of the men were on top of the boxes, and along
portions of the railway were overhead bridges for the accommodation
of travelers on the county roads. One, Manly Reece of Co. G, 24th
Virginia, standing erect on one of the box cars, and not observing an
overhead bridge, was struck, knocked from the car and killed.
At Suffolk lively skirmishing was kept up for quite a while, sometimes
approaching a battle. While here we were formed into line of battle to
receive the foe, but he did not come. Matters thus continued until we
retired, as hereinafter related.
From a letter I wrote to a friend dated April 25 (the original
furnished while writing these pages), it appears we reached Suffolk the
12th of the month. I state in the letter: "This is the 13th day that we
have been in close proximity to the enemy." While at Suffolk three of
my Company D--Hugh J. Wilburn, James H. Gardner and John S. W. French,
deserted to the enemy.
Having accomplished the object of the expedition, the troops quietly
withdrew from the front a little after dark on the evening of Monday,
May 4. On reaching South Quay, we heard of the great Confederate
victory at Chancellorsville. Pushing ahead through Petersburg to
Chester Station, we again halted there for a few days for rest and
recuperation. While here in camp, Isaac Hare and Travis Burton of
Company D took "French furlough" and joined themselves to a portion of
the Confederate army serving in southwestern Virginia. The cause of
this action was never explained.
Baldwin L. Hoge, in handling a knife, accidentally wounded himself in
the knee, was sent to the hospital, and was not able for field service
for several months.
It was here also that the men of the divisions of Pickett and Hood
heard with sorrow of the death of General Stonewall Jackson, an
irreparable loss; for his place could not well be filled, and it seemed
that with his loss our cause began to wane. The humblest private in all
the armies of the South deeply mourned the loss of this Christian man
and able general.
Hood's Texans were encamped across the railroad from us, amusing
themselves by putting musket caps on the rails just in advance of the
approach of a passenger train, then taking their stand close beside the
track, bushes or brush in hand. On the caps exploding, the passengers
would put their heads out of the windows to ascertain the cause of the
popping, and found on drawing their heads back into the coach that they
were hatless--a slick trick of the soldiers to get for themselves a
supply of hats.
Resuming the line of march May 12, we passed through Richmond to
Taylorsville in Hanover County, not far from the Junction, the crossing
of the Virginia Central over the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad.
A series of religious meetings were here held and many professed faith
in Christ, the writer among the number. From a letter to a friend at
home, dated at Taylorsville, May 26, I see that I stated: "We are now
resting from our hard marches, which, however, may be resumed at any
time. There is a religious meeting going on here now. Rev. Dr. Pryor of
Petersburg is preaching for us. I think he will be able to do great
good. Nearly every man in the brigade seems to take an interest in the
meetings. I hope that much good may be done. Our soldiers are loyal to
their country, and Oh! how grand if they would only be loyal to God."
In the interim of our arrival at Taylorsville and leaving there, the
division took a journey across the Pamunkey into King and Queen County,
returning to Taylorsville. A few days thereafter we had division
review, being drawn up in line to receive General Pickett, to whom, as
he passed by, we were to lower the flags and present arms, the drums to
beat. John Whitlock was the drummer boy for our regiment, a little waif
picked up in Richmond by some one of our regimental band or drum corps,
of which Professor Hughes was leader, with Frank Burrows and others
members of the band. John Whitlock was a mischievous boy, who, to keep
from beating the drum, would lose or throw away the sticks; so when on
this review he was ordered by the Colonel to beat the drum, there was
no response, on account of which, on return to camp, I was ordered to
place on John a drum shirt, which consisted of taking the heads out of
the drum and slipping the barrel down over his arms. John cried and
begged, and I let him go upon his promise to do better in the future.
At Taylorsville Pickett's division, fully equipped, was made ready for
the most active field service. The ranks were recuperated by those who
had been sick, those recovered from wounds, as well as by recruits, and
all vacancies in the officers of the line and staff, among them Captain
John H. Parr, who had been appointed Adjutant to fill the vacancy
occasioned by the death of Adjutant Starke, killed in the battle of
Frazier's Farm. Company D had lost up to this time, killed in battle,
died of wounds, disease, transfers to other commands, detached service
and desertion, nearly 70 men; had received no recruits except those
received in August, 1861, and some were sick and in hospital.
It is probable we left Taylorsville for Culpeper June 3, as I see from
a letter written by me on the 11th of June from a point about eight
miles from Culpeper court house, that I say: "We have been marching for
the last eight days, have now halted eight miles from Culpeper court
house. Our cavalry had a severe fight with the enemy day before
yesterday. I think we are to have a hard summer's campaign. It is
reported that the Yankees have moved back to Manassas and Bull Run.
There has been some fighting at Fredericksburg, where some of the enemy
have crossed and are throwing up fortifications."
It was our custom to call the enemy Yankees; some said "D--d Yankees,"
and they likewise called us "D--d rebels," neither side meaning any
offense, nor the expression carrying any personal ill will. It is told
by General Sherman in his Atlanta, or some other campaign, that he
heard an old negro praying, saying among other things, "Oh! Lord, bless
the d--d Yankees." We used the word Yankee, prior to the war, applying
it to the New England people, the descendants of the Puritans, the
people whose ancestors landed on Plymouth Rock, of whom General Early
is credited with saying, "If that rock had landed on them, we would
never have had the d--d h--l fired war." The word Yankee is of
uncertain derivation though said to be an Indian corruption of the
French word, Anglais, meaning English. The Union soldiers usually
called us "Johnnies," or "Johnny Rebs."
The army had been organized with three corps--first, Longstreet's;
second, Ewell's, and third, A. P. Hill's. While at Culpeper, where the
Confederate army was being mobilized, additional numbers were being
received into the ranks. The passionate ardor of our people for their
country's cause had brought to the army nearly every man fit for the
service. It was perhaps the largest efficient number of men, and
composed of the best fighting material that General Lee ever led to
battle. Most of the men were well inured to the service, and well
prepared to undergo the greatest privations and hardships; and by
this time most of the cowards and skulkers had either gotten out of
the army or had never gotten in, or gone over to the enemy. In these
men General Lee imposed the utmost confidence, and this confidence was
reciprocated. It is stated upon authority that as the army went forward
on its march to Pennsylvania, while passing through the valley of
Virginia not far from Berryville, near which General Lee had stopped
and dined with a friend, that in the act of mounting his horse to
depart, his host remarked: "I have never had any confidence in the
success of our cause till now I see our army marching north." Promptly
came General Lee's only reply: "Doctor, there marches the finest body
of men that ever tramped the earth."
The usual order to cook rations and prepare to move at a moment's
notice was given, and everything was put in readiness; the camp was all
bustle and confusion.