The Republican journal., 1882-06-15
NUMBER "a.
Sketches of Army Life.
SERIES. NUMBER ELEVEN


| APPOMATTON TO RICHMOND.
On Saturday April Is, 1860 at O'Clock in the
afternoon we broke camp at AppomattoX, bade
farewell to this our last battle field and march
ed in an easterly direction The rain was pour
| ing from the clouds in torrents the mud was
very deep. We passed number of plantations
that afternoon. and white flag was flying from
| each one of them. Occasionally we would meet
group Of soldiers in gray uniforms who Were
| marching across the country to their homes or
We're in search of plumber. They Were all
| friendly and gave us informatiOn about the
country through which we had to march. The
word was passed along the line that our bag
gage wagons We're some fifteen miles from Ap-
pomattoX, and that we should probably reach
them to draw rations that night: and so we
plunged on through the mud without complaint
It was after dark before halt was ordered. and
then the cheering intelligence was given us that
we had marched about two miles upon the wrong
road. So with many bitter, and | fear some
wicked words, we retraccd our way. When we
reached the point from which We had taken the
wrong road we We're ordered to halt for the
night. and there considerable irony in the
command to EHat ad m"le yonlsc'leS roa toft1bLe
fot tie Nights" We We're in the WoDds-a thick
growth of pine trees the ground was marshv
and % completely soaked With rain hat it sank
under our feet as we stepped upon it. The rain
was falling rapidly and we had 70 materials
With which to build fires our clothes and
blankets were AL Wet. The weather was cold
and raw: very much like 4 NOtenbCi storm in
Maine. There was only one thing to do: Mae
and | spread our blankets across the re OTIS of Il
pine tree and laid down to sleep. Tie water
poured in streams upon u> from the top Of the
pine trees, but slept >oundly and wen. | have
an indi>tinct recollection that Mac turred and
wanted me to help him pitch a tent; but of
course did not hear him. and continued to
sleep, while my indignant comradc stamped
about in the rain nearly all night, expressing
his disgust in broken Irish, and declaring that
"a Yankee would sleep if the Dyil himself
broke loose" The next morning daWncd a.
black and rainy the day previous. 70 say
that was hungry would not do Justice to the
OCCASION and all We're in the same situation.
one Of the boys gave me a small piece Of fresh
beef weighing perhaps one half Z pound. It
had Been taken from the neck Of creature
several ,iy before. AMI was tainted 80 strong
ly with garlic when Killed that il was considered
worthless. He had carried ii in his dirty huycr-
sack for nearly week, which, t. >av the least
had not added to its value a, All article of food
| received it with gratitude, roasted it upon Il
stick, and ate it with raycnou~ appetite. Then
the march recommended, still following the line
nft M r.,ilr .thII nt ".
should have ration~ and we marched rapidly
ON. About one O'Clock we crossed the Apo
mattoN river upon 4 temporary bridge aud
reached the small village Of Farmyile. 1t
was 4 beautiful little town nesting upon th,
banks Of the river. The clouds had CLEARED
away Is we marched TO the top of Il hill that
overlooked the town. The view was very
beautiful; and tu our great Joy we saw ON
baggage wagons and Knew that Wc were soot
to draw raton~. Within All hour, thrcr days
ration> were dealt out tolls, and we also rrcciv
ed letters from home. Those We're plea~an
hours as Wr loungcd upon the green grass il
the warm ~un>hnr and began IL Uomprrhcu,
that the WarWa> over. There had been 50 mucl
excitement and confusion up t. this time W,
had not realized the truth of tile situation. W,
took stroll around the town, which very muci
rescmhltd Northern village III t> cleanliness
and enterprise. We visited the little cemetery
on the hillside and found that Il larg, number ~
confederate soldiers had been buried thcr.
many of whom had fallen within few We, H.
The inhabitants ntrc all Very quiet. Lit trv.tr,
u> with courtc~yand have no doubt they Wcr,
clad the war was over.
We returned TO camp and found that 4 @rra
cloud Of grief Ild Settled down upon our com
/ rldcs in our ah~cncg. \ telegram Had been rc
ceiNed giving Us tile information that Preside N
Lincoln had been a>>a->uattd. At first ",
| could not believe it. but when we could II,
| longer aoubt it- truth, we naturally suppose
that hc haj been ~hot I'M some If tile ronfpdrr
t aIc>. never saw men - desperate as wDr,
the soldiers at that time and it was fortuuat,
thing for both armies. doubtless that the South
rrn army WH- not with IT, a. it had been h few
days btforr for i'll that State of affairs tn, pas
sionS thus aroused would have caused a colli
sion and blood~hcd. We soon learned tn,
, manner in which he bad been shot, and the cN
element passed daWay, while the sadness incrra~
: cd We had all loved Prt >idrnt Lincoln. W,
had never doubted lis integrity through Il,
those long years when we We're obliged to los,
: confidence in the men whom we had houorr,
and loved No cloud of suspicion had ever Oh
2 scurrd the kindly features Of the man in WHOM
we trusted, and when we gra>pcd the fact tina
5 he was indeed slain by the aS>a~>n> hand
: strong men who had marched through the hor
: rorS Of war unmoycd, sat oh the Side of thl
I beautiful hill in the gathering twilight mC
, Sobbcd like children.
, From FarmyiIlc we marched in the direction
I of Burkyir which We reached after Il har,
days march, ana Wc thus continued our wa,
back toward Petersburg. At some point, VI,
, halted several days al Il timc 50 that our marcl
! was It comparatively easy one, and There Wrr,
J but few incidents OF interest. There was on,
: which We cannot forget from the fact that i
was the last time that wr ever "rullied on
suffer- We We're not many miles from Peters
e burg md halted to rest near where regimen
: of Massachusetts colorrd cavalry was cucamp
! ed. They had Just Been mustered into the ser
f vice and in their ncW uniforms were quite airy
\ squad of our men went up to their Sutcr'
and found that he had a large stock of eata
: bles, fruit and confectionery. The tent wa
! surrounded by coored guard. Our boy
! began to look around the tent. when the corpo
5 raj of tn" guard Il stout, black fellow, told then
$ to leave the premises or he would put then
III the guard house. The poor fellow had no
4 been in the army long enough to know Wht
: hearty yctualS We're. The fellow to whom h
made the threat knocked the corporal Scverl
: rods at the first blow In moment there wa
4 great uproar, and in less time than it require
! me to write it, our boys, numbering at least on
: hundred had made an advance upon that sutlcr
| His tent was torn down and his wares wer
scattered TO the -four winds of heaven. Tn
, poor negroes looked on in horror They ha,
! never seen things done in that way before
: Their officers Were white men, but as the
We're fresh in the service knew but little NOR