The National tribune., 1902-08-28

|
and nothing lacking, ,ands for once the in
mates of Stewards Mansion Hospital en-
joyed a feast fit for a hundred kings. Il
would have been BETTER f the generou:
| supply of food furnished pm that occasion
could have been used for the benefit OF
the inmates of the hospital by increasing
their daily rations for q month instead
of stnfiing themselves, foF one meal only
| and then going back to their old meagei
| fare, but probably not ope of the ladie:
who participated in supplying that feas
knew that they were, furnishing dinner
for the hospital inmates as far above theil
everyday fare as heaven is above the
lowest depths ,,
That dinner if served in an Alexandria
hospital would without doubt have made
n fat graveyard, but in Baltimore its eff.
pressure all right, and did not learn of
single death resulting therefrom. The
next day l informed the Surgeon in
charge that any man who could eat the
dinner l ate on Christmas without n re-
lapse must be out of immediate danger,
and, therefore, 1 was ready to go to the
front. The Surgeon seemed to agree with
me, and the following day l returned to
the Army of the Potomac by way of
Washington and the Potomac River. find
ing my regiment in Winter quarters about
a mile and half from Belle Plain Land.
ing.
BURNsIDE's MUD MARCH
After the disastrous battle of Freder-
icksburg the Army of the Potomac went
into Winter quarters, its left resting on
the Potomac River and its right on the
Rappahannock in the vicinity Of Fal-
mouth. South of the Rappahannock Lee
occupied his old and secure position along
the Fredericksburg flights. My regiment
was part of Franklin's Grand Division,
rs Burnside then had the army subdi-
vided into three Grand Divisions, known
as the Right, Left and Center, command
ed respectively by Gems. Sumner, Frank
lin and Hooker. Our regimental quar-
tiers stood among the wooded hills and
far from the shore of the broad Potomac,
which served as u highway over which
all supplies came to the army.
From Jan. l to Jan. 20, 1868, the
weather was about the finest we ever ex.
perienced in Virginia during the Winter
months. No rain fell. There was hardly
a frosty night. The roads were dry and
hard, and soon became nearly as dusty
as in Midsummer. Gladly the army would
have enjoyed such superb weather all
Winter, while it rested and recuperated
its wasted energies after the wearisome
and discOuraging campaigns of 1862; but
very soon it became evident to the vision
Of every soldier that preparations were
going on for another forward movement,
and that nothing short of Divine inter
position, to compass change in the
weather or in the knowledge and military
sagacity of the Commanding General,
would save us from taking upon our Shout
ders the heavy burdens of Winter cam
paign.
Gen. Burnside had been terribly defeat
ed and Inundated Mt the battle of Fred
ericksburg in December, and in his great
anxiety to retrieve his waning fame he
seemed incapable of realizing the fact, so
plain to every private soldier in his army,
that, situated as he was, with river in
his front and the opposite side guarded
by skillfully posted, victorious army,
under the eye of n vigilant and war-wise
General, always ready and determined to
dispute his passage, a Winter campaign
could not be a success Even if he won
a battle, he could not hope to gather the
full fruition of victory, but could do no
more than Winter his army south of the
Rappahannock, with O. river at his back
instead of in front of him, thus increas-
ing the danger of his position and depriv
ing his army of much needed rest.
Many, therefore, We're the silent prayers,
as soldiers pray, offered up to the God of
Battles and disposer Of the destinies of
never fail in Virginia, might come speed
lily; or, if not, that Burnside might be
made content to utilize the Winter months
which were really a God-send to him
and his greatly -demoraliZed army-and
the strong and secure defensive position
which he occupied, in thoroughly resting,
and reinforcing his army.
But prayers were of no avail, so far as
they related to Gen. Burnside's ideas;
nevertheless, God controlled the elements
and interposed the hand of His power in
due season, whether in answer to our
prayers or of His own good pleasure it
really does not matter.
Our marching orders, which we had
been expecting for several days, finally
came ON the afternoon Of Jan. 10. At
daylight on the following morning we
broke camp and the long-to-be-remem-
bered Winter campaign began.
The position of rear-guard Of the Left
Grand Division Of the Army had been as
signed to our brigade, and after moving
but from our camp on the main highway
the road, stacked arms and waited for the
Grand Division to pass. Jan. 90, 1868,
dawned beautifully upon us, without so
much as a cloud in all the heavens; but
as we waited by the wayside for the
troops to pass we noticed n gathering haze
in the east, which gradually thickened and
ere long obscured the sun. Then a gentle
mist began to fall, which rapidly in
creased in volume and dampness, and by
10 o'clock a. IN. q regular Old-fashioned
Virginia rain had set in in dead earnest
As the day advanced the dOwnpour be-
came heavier. Still we waited and still
the troops marched by, the artillery plow-
ing up the highway, the long trains of
baggage wagons mixing the roads into
endless mortar-beds, through which the
infantry waded and waliowed; and still
The rain poured down.
asst of the Grand Division had passed;
then we of the rear-guard fell in and fol
Owed in their wake. Night closed in
early, and by 5 o'clock p. m. it was dark
as Egypt in the days of the plague. Then
he tlood-gates of heaven seemed to open
Upon our heads, but still we plodded and
ioundered forward in the darkness and
mud, drenched to the skin, chilled to the
very marrow in our bones by that icy
Winter rain. 1t was night to be re-
q march that could not be for
gotten.
About o'clock the next morning we
halted and went into camp, where we
could find neither stick, hummock nor
solid ground, but literally a wide sea Of
mud. There we pitched our tents, using
our muskets for tent-poles and our bayo-
nets for tent stakes, and spreading our
cool blankets on the soft ooze found a
peaceful repose.
When morning dawned we moved our
position to a place where we could obtain
wood for our campfres, and proceeded to
make our coffee. About noon the shower
eft I'm and we imDrOyed the balance of the