Hardtack and Coffee

Battery Manoeuvres-Sham Fights - Drilling by Bugle Calls -
"Dinner Call". "Retreat"-Scolding Time-"Assembly of
Guard"-The Reliefs-Fun for the Corporal-Some of lis
Trials "Next Tent Below" "Tattoo" Reminiscences
Taps"Put out that Light!”—“Stop that Talking!”.

CHAPTER X.

RAW RECRUITS.

A Scrap of Personal History-A Parent's Certificate - The Lot of a

Recruit Abused by the Old Hands-Flush with Money - A

Practical Joke-Two Classes of Recruits-The Matter-of-fact

Recruit a Final Success-The High-toned Recruits-Their Loud

Uniform - Scoffers at Government Rations-As Hostlers-The

Awkward Squad —The Decline in the Quality of Recruits — Men

of '61-2-Unschooled Soldiers - Hope Deferred "One Last

Embrace" -French Leave Furloughs-Life in Home Camp-

Family Knots-A Mother's Fond Solicitude - Galling Lessons of

Obedience Bounties Paid Recruits-"I'm a Raw Recruit"

"The Substitute"

Sending for a Box

CHAPTER XI.

SPECIAL RATIONS. BOXES FROM HOME.

A Typical List of Contents

- Impatience at its Non-arrival-Its Inspection at Headquarters

- Its Reception at Camp - The Opening-Box-packing as an Art

-The Whole Neighborhood Contributes - Soldiers Who Had No

Boxes The Box of the Selfish Man-His Onions -"We've

Drank from the same Canteen"- THE ARMY SUTLER - His Stock-

in-trade His Prices - The Commissary Army Fritters -

Sutler's Pies-Sutler's Risks - Raiding the Sutler-What a Sutler

Lost near Brandy Station - War Prices in Dixie.

164

198

Strictly Prohibited at First-Two Reasons Why-The Right and

Wrong of It Innocent Sufferers-Unauthorized Foragers-The

Destitution of Some Families - The Family Turnout - Wantonness

at Fredericksburg Authorized Foragers - Their Plunder

Foraging at Wilcox's Farm-Tobacco Foragers - The Cavalry in

Their Rôle-The Infantry - Incidents Risks Assumed by

CHAPTER XIII.

CORPS AND CORPS BADGES.

What was an Army Corps?- How the Army of the Potomac was

Organized — Brigade and Division Formations-"All quiet along

the Potomac "-"Why don't the Army move ?" - How Corps

were Composed - Their Number-Corps Badges-Their Origin

-The Kearny Patch-Worn First by Officers, then by the

Privates Hooker's Scheme of Corps Badges - Its Extension to

other Armies―The Badge of cach Army Corps Described

250

CHAPTER XIV.

SOME INVENTIONS AND DEVICES OF THE WAR.

Improvements in Firearms-In War Vessels-Catch-penny Devices

for the Soldiers - Combination Knife, Fork, and Spoon - Water

Filterers Armor Vests and Greaves-Havelocks - Revolvers and

Dirk Knives" High-toned" Haversacks - Compact Writing-desks

Smoking-caps and the Turkish Fez - Hatter's Caps Versus Gov-

ernment Caps-The Numbering and Lettering of Knapsacks —

Haversacks and Canteens-How these Equipments Changed

Where Raised - Where the Government Obtained Them · What They

were Used for― Compared with Horses - Mule Fodder-How a

Mule Team was Composed - How it was Driven-How Mules

were Obtained from the Corral - The Black Snake and its Uses-

An Incident - Mule Ears - His Pastimes-As a Kicker the Original

Mugwump-What Josh Billings Knows about Him - His Kicking

Range - How He was Shod-The Mule as a Singer - Under the

Pack-saddle - The Mule as a Stubborn Fact - His Conduct under

Fire Captured Mules at Sailor's Creek -What Became of All the

Mules? The Mule Mortal - Charge of the Mule Brigade" . . 279

CHAPTER XVI.

HOSPITALS AND AMBULANCES.

The First General Hospitals - The First Medical Director - Army
Regulations Insufficient - Verdancy of Regimental Surgeons —
Hospital Tents—The Origin of Field Hospitals in Tents Their
Capacity-No Ambulances before the War - Two-Wheeled and

Four-Wheeled Ambulances - Organization of the Ambulance Corps
-The Officers and Privates- The Outfit - Field Hospitals
Their Location-The Men in Charge-Captured Hospitals — A
Paroled Prisoner-A Personal Reminiscence-Legs and Arms
Unnecessarily Amputated - Anecdote of a Heavy Artilleryman —
The Escort of the Wounded-The Insignia of the Ambulance Corps
A Personal Experience-Hospital Railway Trains and Steam-
boats-The Cacolet . .

298

316.

CHAPTER XVII.

SCATTERING SHOTS. THE CLOTHING.

The Allowance-The Losses of Infantry-Clothing of Garrisons-
First Maine Heavy Artillery-Their First Active Campaigning.
-ARMY CATTLE - The Kind Referred to- Where They Came
from-Wade Hampton as a Cattle-stealer-Cattle on the March
Their Route by Day and Night — The Sagacious Leader - The
Slaughter-The Corps Herd-HEROIC HORSES-Their Conduct
in Action When Wounded-A Personal Reminiscence -
Anecdote of General Hancock-Sagacious Horses

CHAPTER XVIII.

BREAKING CAMP. ON THE MARCH.

Marching Orders-When They Came -What was Done at Once-The
Survival of the Fittest "Waverly" Correspondents - The
Night in Camp after Marching Orders Came - Camp Fires and
Hilarity"The General"-The Wait in Camp - Forward,
March!-The Order of March- Corps Headquarters — Division
Headquarters-The Division Flags Described - Brigade Head-
quarters Brigade Flags Described - Battle Flags - The Mule of
Regimental Headquarters - His Company-Light Batteries-
Lightening Loads - The Chafed and Footsore - Fording of Streams
The Same by Night- Personal Reminiscences—"Close up!” -
Marching in a Rainstorm Camping in a Rainstorm-Horses in
the Rain and Sloughs - A Personal Reminiscence - Flankers
Column, halt!"-Double quick!"—"They've found um

Grant's Military Railroad — The Impedimenta - An Army Wagon -
An Army Minstrel Troupe - The Transportation of a Regiment -
What They Originally Carried - Baggage Trains on the Peninsula
- Chaos Illustrated - The Responsibility of Train Officers -What

330

They had to Contend with-The Struggle for the Lead - Depot

of Transportation-The Officers of the Quartermaster's Department

-What Wagons Took Into the Wilderness The Allowance on

the Final Campaign - Incident - Early Order of McClellan

General Orders, No. 153-The Beginning of the Supply Trains -

What General Rufus Ingalls Did - Meade's General Orders, No. 83

- Strength of a Corps Supply Train-Of the Army-Its Extent

- Its Place on the March-A Reminiscence of the Race for

Centreville-General Wadsworth's Bull Train - Its Rise and Fall
-Trials of a Train Quartermaster He Runs Counter to Meade
and Sheridan in the Discharge of his Duty

CHAPTER XX.

ARMY ROAD AND BRIDGE BUILDERS.

The Engineer Corps-Their Duties-Corduroying - Trestle Bridges
— Slashing — Making of Gabions, etc.- As Pontoniers- Xerxes
as an Early Pontonier-His Bridge over the Hellespont Described
-Our Earliest Pontoon-Bridges of Canvas Boats; of Wooden
Boats Pontoon Bridge Material Described Balks, Bays,
Chesses, Rack Lashings Pontoon Train Pontoon Bridge
Building Described — Taking Up a Pontoon Bridge-The '62
Bridge over the Chickahominy-Over the James - Pontoon Bridge
Laying before Fredericksburg - The Stability of such Bridges –
Incident - Life of an Engineer