Preface war: it is a history of what the war did to poor little me, and of no general interest except as it indicates what it did to other little me's, thousands of them. I make one exception. I sent the proofs of the chapter on Gettysburg to Major Gen. Sickles, to whom victory in that battle was due, and the only survivor of the great generals of the war. He did me the kindness and the honor to correct the proofs with his own hand, to send me additional material and the photograph I have reproduced on page 223, and to say that the account as given is absolutely correct and of interest to military men as well as to the general public. I do not know of any other published account except the story of the battle in the volumes published by the New York Monument commission, from which I have quoted freely, that makes clear the purpose of Gen. Sickles's movement on the afternoon of the second day. It is commonly referred to as the advance of the 2nd division of the 3rd corps to the Emmitsburg road, but that movement was only a result of the main movement, 9 which was the wheeling to the south of the 1st division, to prevent the confederates from turning our flank by advancing from the south. The resemblance of this attack at Gettysburg to the attack at Chancellorsville is as marked as is the contrast between the defence of Gen. Howard and that of Gen. Sickles, and between the results of the two battles. I should have liked to write a book like that of Lt. Col. Dwight of the 2d Mass. He was a Harvard graduate, a high minded officer, a noble patriot in life and in death, of whom his family and his college and his country may be proud. But unfortunately I wasn't that kind of a soldier, so I have to tell my own poor little story of a very ordinary little boy. On the other hand Lt. Col. Dwight does not describe lob scouse and I do. I suppose there is a place for lob scouse books as well as for memorials, and if here and there mine. finds a niche on this humblest shelf, I shall be content. Syracuse, N. Y., Oct. 12, 1910 Impatient to join my regiment-Steamer to New York-Union Relief Saloon in Phila- delphia-The ferry at Havre de Grace, and another at New London years afterward-Wash- ington-Sailing down the Potomac-Alexan- CHAPTER III. BREAKING IN A RE- Record of the 1st Mass.-Demoralization- The shelter tent-Pillows-Recruits unwelcome - ground with nothing under or over-Bugle Made at home in a Virginia family-Lowe's balloons-The telegraph in the field-Rifling a sutler's wagon-Easy life of the wagoners- Darkey drivers-Fredericksburg-George Wash- ington and his mother-Falmouth-The Rap- pahannock and its fords-Change from drum The seat of five battles-Routes to Richmond Pope forgot what the other fellow might be doing Pontoon laying-Sacking a city-Under fire, and well scared-Charge of the Irish bri- gade-In action-Esprit de corps-The test of courage-The dying soldier's last thought- Where the drum corps belongs-The sur- geon's work-How it feels to be wounded— Carrying men in from the field-Wills made on the battlefield-A letter home-A gloomy CHAPTER X. REFLECTIONS AFTER THE Drummers on the battle-field-Protection in battle-The British soldier's stolidity-Fero- cious fighting accounted for-Officers want efficiency-Reckless indifference to danger— Contents CHAPTER XI. TENT ARCHITECTURE Trading in camp-Disappearance of timber- Confederate camps-My Brandy Station hut— CHAPTER XII. BURNSIDE STUCK IN The farce hurt more than the tragedy-The fords of the Rappahannock-Corduroy road- building-Marching in the mud-Inextricable CHAPTER XIII. WINTER CAMP AT FAL- Fighting Jo Hooker-A bow and a faint smile from Lincoln-Army clothing-Lieutenant Doherty-Whiskey as rations-Pork and crack- ers-Officers and men-Straggling vs. marching in line-Our lieutenant-colonel as an artist- Drumming out-Guardhouse punishment-A grand review-Form of enlistment-The com- Playing cards-Cheating a comrade-Becom- CHAPTER XV. BATTLE OF CHANCEL- Brilliantly planned-The joy of battle- Breaking of the 11th corps-Gen. Howard's CHAPTER XVI. LAST DAYS AT FAL- Six weeks of idleness-Rations; official allow- ance-Military funerals CHAPTER XVII. MARCH TO GETTYS- Twenty-seven miles day-Suffering for CHAPTER XVIII. BATTLE OF GETTYS- Everything at stake-Carr's brigade-An accidental location - Old Goggle-eyes- Crisis 11 Wheel to the south of Birney's division-Was Gen. Sickles justified?-Testimony of Gen. Longstreet-A second Chancellorsville avioded- The fifth corps dilatory-Change of front- CHAPTER XX. BACK TO VIRGINIA 239 Meade fails to follow up his victory-Harper's CHAPTER XXI. BATTLE OF WAPPING Meant for a greater than Gettysburg-Thor- oughfare Gap-Blackberries the saving of the army-One of Meade's disappointments-A ----- Draft riots-Our regiment sent north-Gover- CHAPTER XXIII. AT THE FRONT ONCE The army had fallen back-Tearing up rail- CHAPTER XXIV. BATTLE OF LOCUST Mine Run to Meade what the Mud March was CHAPTER XXV. IN CAMP AT BRANDY Shot for desertion-Whiskey and the officers Order of companies in the line-Psychogical effect of skirts-Gen. Grant commander-in-chief -I lose a tooth-Beards and mustachesCulpepper on the sly CHAPTER XXVI. BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS 300 Difficult to follow and to understand-Our division breaks—A change of base CHAPTER XXVII. BATTLE OF SPOTSSLYVANIA 306 to mean something-The charge on the salientRain changes Grant's plans-Ordered home CHAPTER XXVIII. MUSTERED OUT 312 Uncle Sam kept faith with us—A night march to Fredericksburg-Stringing the long bowA Boston editorial-Ended my army life with two dollars-Sharp practice of the old Bay state-I get back pay-Fun with the pension office-Identity difficult to establish-Soldiers A struggle to the death-Regulations begin, and affidavits. ILLUSTRATIONS Page from Jonathan Nutting's account book 5 A skirmisher 22 The 1st Massachusetts at Williamsburg 22 Union Relief Saloon, Philadelphia 24 Budd's Ferry on the Potomac 26 Town Hall and Market, Alexandria, Va. 27 Marshall House, Alexandria, Va. 27 Fort Albany 29 Knapsack and accoutrements 30 Interior of the tent of a cavalry private 31 Shelter tent 32 Summer camp of shelter tents 33 He remembers his shelter tent kindly 34 Boxes from the good women of Boston 43 Sentry in the rain 49 Antennae of the army 49 "Advance and give the countersign" 50 "O hell, I thought it was the relief" 52 One picket shooting another 58 Pickets firing near Fairfax 62 |