South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-02-08
lconrIxusD.1

very well In the way 0fratiOns, cloth
ing, etc. We had the usual army
rations-one pound and two ounces
of -four, three-fourths OF. a pound of
bacon or one aud onc-fourth pounds
of beef. coffee, sugar, rice, beans,
niolasses, ETC., but on account Of trans.
portation and the blockade it began
to come down TO meat and bread,
with ah occasional sprinkle of those
others, 80 whenever we made such a
haul as we did from BANKS We Jared
sumptuously until the quartermasters
got it in their clutches. aud that was
the last OF it, especially the sutler
stores. Therefore, the soldiers began
to appropriate anything in the way Of
grub to their own use, such as hogs,
chickens, apples, corn. etc. We would
not allow any mans chickens to run
out in the road and bite us. We
would not steal them, oh no who
ever heard OF soldier stealing but
simply took them.
Now some wag in the brigade had
got up mick name for every regi.
ment in the brigade. The second was
called the innocent sccond,' because
they never stole anything; the fourth
was called the harmless fourth be-
cause they had no fights in camp;
the fifth was called the fighting fifth
because it was the largest regiment
and would have some rows III camp
the twenty-seventh was sthe bloody
twenty-seyenth,' as there were several
Irish companies in it; and thirty third
(ny regimehO WAS sthe lousy thirty
third, because it was the first regi-
ment i'll the brigade that found any
lice on them. So this is the way it
went from camp to camp, sthe inno-
cent second,' She harmless fourth the
fighting fifth 'the bloody twcnty-sc-
venth, and the lousy tliirty-thi.d.'
We lay in camp near CharIcstown,
several days, picketing and skirmish.
ing near Uarper's Ferry. ! suppose
jackson could have taken Harper's
Ferry, but he had to watch some ar
mics that We're threatening his rear.
so one morning MY company, being
then on picket, was ordered to join
the regiment, and we all started on
the march towards Winchester,march-
ed hard all day. & at dark were with.
in q few miles of Winchester. wine n
our colonel canie riding back along the
line, and told US We would have to
make fore d march, that he did not
know how far we would 90 before
camping, and desired all of us to keep
up if we could, if not, to keep on com.
ing until we did get up with the regi-
menf. Bnt when we got to Winchcs-
ter myself and three others of my
company concluded we would stop all
night with :ome Of our friends, and
that carly in the morning, refreshed,
would soon oyertake the command.
We had a good supper, good bed and
good breakfast, aud started out early
and found good many eoders in
town that bad done as we bad, and
found ont at tile same time that the
quartermasters had failed to take all
OF the sutler stores from town which
had been captured, and had turned
them over to the soldiers, and most Of
them were loaded with good things,
but we had missed it all, which We
regretted very au b. We also found
out that the army had marched eight
miles beyond Winchester that night
and went into camp near Newtown.
Therefore we struck out in hurry to
overtake them, and on reaching New
town, we met some of our cavalry
who Gen. Jackson had sent back TO
inform all stragglers that the enemy,
under Gen Shields, were approach .
ing from the east, and also force un-
der Gen. Fremont was coming from
the west ard had formed a junction
at Middletown between Us and our
army, that all stragglcrs should leave
the road and take TO the mountains
on our right and follow the mountains
on mp to the valley until we got with
our command.
The next morning We went to camp
and found tie brigade had marched
towards Gordonsville about one half
hour before we arrived, and some of
the boys had put our guns in the wagon
but our knapsacks, full of nice thin %
that he had COTTON NJ tho Richmond
fight, were carried off by some strag-
glers, which we regretted very much.
We soon followed the brigade up The
railroad towards Cor lousviile, and
before overtaking it a train OF cars
passed Us loaded with wounded from
Richmond, taxing them TO Stanton.
and as it was running very slowly we
jumped aboard aud rode to Gordons
vile, getting there ahead OF the bri,
gade. While VIC were eating dinner
the brigade marched through town
aud went into camp about one mile
beyond. Gen. Winler, commanding
our brigade. hs1 issroi :
.--yrnrng stating that when the regi.
ments halted to camp, and stacked
Al 4