"What company?"
"K."
Going along the line with me to where the company was, he ordered the
officer (Lieut. Greeley) to put me under arrest.
"What will all this amount to, lieutenant?" I asked.
"Nothing," he laconically replied, "take your place in the ranks."
"What's the matter?" queried some of the men.
"Nothing," I replied, "only I've been arrested for shooting a reb."
"Is that all!"
Men were detailed, under the guidance of Major Frankle, Provost
Marshal, to put out the fires which had been kindled by the
retreating rebels, which, in a short time, was accomplished, and
the 9th New Jersey crossed over followed by the 17th. And here I
had an opportunity of seeing some of the most terrible evidences of
human strife. The bridge was actually paved with cast-off arms and
equipments, while in the midst of where some of the fires had been, I
beheld one of the most sickening sights that ever met my gaze. Some
of the poor fellows who had been wounded by our fire on the retreat,
or been trampled down by the rush of the flying host, were burnt to a
cinder, and I could actually see the fat seething and boiling in the
hollow of the temple of one of the charred remains.
Upon reaching the other side of the river we halted, amidst a
promiscuous mass of dead, dying, and wounded men--of clothes, arms
and equipments. It was here that the 9th New Jersey picked up
(captured?) the battle-flag of the 22d South Carolina regiment, a
magnificent silk banner, with the palmetto tree on one side of the
field, and a wreath of stars on the other, and the red, white and red
stripes.
A few yards from where we halted, was an abandoned field piece with
its caisson, which the rebs had left behind in their flight. It was
the same cannon which had fired the last rebel shot in the battle,
directed at our regiment, over which it burst, and wounded two or
three men. I had the curiosity to examine some of the cartridges in
the caisson, and found them, as well as the fixed ammunition of the
small arms used by the rebels labelled with the maker's name (which I
forget) 'London, England.'
After a short halt we advanced up towards the town of Kinston,
whither the 9th New Jersey had preceded us. The road wound along the
river bank to the left for a short distance, and then took a turn to
the right into the centre of the town. At the entrance to the town,
the 9th New Jersey were halted, and when we came up mutual cheers
were exchanged.
Just then Gen. Wessells came riding up at the head of his brigade
of Pennsylvanians and New Yorkers. He was a fine specimen of a man,
tall, straight as an arrow, and with a pleasing, and even gentle
expression of countenance, that indicated a humane disposition, and
these indications were not false, if the love and admiration of his
men were any evidence. He seemed, by his gray hair and a few wrinkles
on his noble face, to be over fifty years of age; but, otherwise,
in elasticity of movement, apparent vigor, and by the keen, quick
glances of his honest gray eyes, he looked much younger.
The rebels, after collecting their stores and all the cotton they
could gather into a heap, set them on fire. They also set fire to the
railroad depot, a handsome brick structure, but this was extinguished
by our men before it had made any considerable headway.
Previous to our entering the town, a flag of truce demanding its
surrender had been sent in; but as it was found the enemy had
abandoned the town, a messenger was sent back acquainting Gen.
Foster with the fact, the party kept on to find the skedaddlers, if
possible. About two miles beyond the town they came up with Evans,
who sent back word to Gen. Foster to have the women and children
removed, as he was going to return the fire, which all the while had
been kept up by our heavy guns upon his retreating forces. This was
simply a ruse to gain time; for, after our forces had been brought
up and disposed in line of battle, and the cavalry and skirmishers
had advanced up to where they expected to find the enemy, it was
ascertained the bird had flown.
Our regiment, which had been detailed from the brigade, and when
we entered Kinston was ordered on provost duty, in view of the
anticipated fight, was ordered to rejoin the brigade; but, when the
skedaddle was discovered, we were again assigned to provost duty, and
such marching and countermarching, and shifting, and looking around
for a vacant place to serve as quarters for the night, as the men of
Co. K had, never fell to the lot of so tired and hungry a set of men
to experience. I suppose some of the other companies could boast of a
similar experience.
But do not suppose the men of the 17th were satisfied with only one
job on hand at a time. No, sir. They could do provost duty; but
they could also, when hungry, find something to eat (and drink) if
such were comeatable. In this instance the way poultry suffered was
a caution; and there was something truly ludicrous, too, in the
exhibition of men gravely marching in the ranks, each having in his
hand a couple of hens, or a turkey, or a goose, all of which made
such a noise and flutter that it was next to impossible to hear the
word of command when spoken.
The Major (Frankle), who, as a general thing, was very severe in his
denunciations of such proceedings, replied to a woman, who complained
that she had lost all her fowl:
"Vat--all your shickens gone? You may be tankful it was no more! If
you did not have more to eat than my men, and march and fight so
hard, I tink you would take a little shicken, too!"
The town of Kinston is one of the neatest and most tidy-looking I
have seen in North Carolina, or, in fact, elsewhere. It is finely
laid out, in a splendid location upon the banks of the river, the
streets running at right angles; the houses well built, painted
white, and to each is attached a beautiful and tasteful flower
garden. The jail was a small but solid-looking structure, and empty.
A church, small, but with a high steeple, (the top of which had been
struck and bent by a cannon-shot), stood in the centre, and an air of
so much quiet and comfort--so different from anything we had seen in
Dixie, and so unexpected in this place--pervaded it, that the men of
the 17th incontinently fell in love with the place, and wished for
nothing better than to do provost duty in Kinston forever.
We had not been long in the town when mines of apple-jack, peach
brandy, and tobacco were discovered, and the various expedients
resorted to by the men to get at the same were as amusing as they
were generally successful. People who left their houses with clothing
and other matters behind, must have found a considerable change when
they came back. Indeed, some of them returned during our occupation,
and a more pitiable sight could not well be imagined, than those
small processions of timid women and helpless children who came
flocking back to their homes upon being assured of protection.
Apple-jack and peach brandy, which had been discovered somewhere by
the most expert foragers, soon made their influence felt, and incited
the soldiers to committing many curious pranks. Here would be seen a
burly soldier, with a woman's dress, even to the bonnet, put on over
his own, his musket still on his shoulder, and linked arm in arm with
another soldier, presenting as grotesque an appearance as could well
be imagined--while in another place could be seen a party intently
engaged in harnessing a diminutive mule to a vehicle, the quadruped
resenting such freedom as only a mule can.
A cavalryman passed us, with a bucket in each hand, urging his horse
to its utmost speed, and shouting as he went on--
"Plenty of rum, boys!--lashins!--lashins!"
The inhabitants (those who remained) looked glum and chop-fallen
enough; but the negroes--it seemed a gala day to them, especially the
juvenile portion, who ran around among 'de sojers' as if they were
friends returning after a long absence.
"How is you, Yankees? I's glad you'm come!" was the general
salutation; and the negro women vied with each other in emptying
their larders to give 'de sojers suffen good.'
Towards night (having, like Ishmaelites, wandered about all the
evening in search of quarters) we obtained an entrance into a
hardware and furniture store; but just as we were going in an order
came, directing us to guard the prisoners. We proceeded to the upper
end of the town, near the depot, and there took charge of a squad of
about 400 rebels, and escorted them to a large unoccupied building at
the other end of the town. On our way thither, I had an opportunity
of speaking with several of them. Although they differed in some
things, yet they all seemed to agree in one thing, viz., in being
heartily sick of the war, and desirous of peace.