Putnam patriot., 1915-12-24
A VETERANS
CHRISTMAS
How a Putnam Soldier Shared His
Christmas Box With a Johnny Reb at
the Front
comrade Henry W. Johnson Recalls the
DAYS Of the BOYS in Blue

The following IS true story Of
Christmas dinner at the front during
the Civil war, written by Henry ".
Johnson, Company a, 9Th Regiment
Connecticut Volunteers, formerly of
Putnam, now of Providence. Conn
rade johnson was al the assault on
Fort Wagner and his company lost
number in killed and wounded.
Twenty oae led in the charge under
Lieutenant Marshall Tourtelotte, who
was killed, with four others, and three
were taken prisoners and later died.
Nine were wounded. Only four OF the
twenty-one reported for roll call the
following morning. In Lieutenant
Tourtellotte was lost one of the BRAY
est OF the brave. Others that enlisted
from Putnam gave up their lives for
the Old Flag.
The Veterans of the Civil war of fif.
ty years ago or more, reading the news
TO day, the call for help to send the
good things across the water, will
think of The days they spent entrants
front during the winter of 1854 The
veteran recalls the food and other
things the government furnished us.
and compares them with the chances
and conditions of the soldier of the
present war in Europe.
| do not question but there has been
hard fighting and much suffering, and
hungry ones, but the conveniences for
cooking food, the chance for change of
clothing. Who in the Civil war
thought of sending his laundry to the
rear rs is done in France In the pres
ent WARP How many times when on
the march | have seen comrade take
his only shirt from his back when
passing stream of water, wade in and
wash il, then put il on and let it dry
on his back as he marched along.
In my four years with my regiment
| do not remember of receiving but one
box from home. II came by express
about the middle of December, 1864
while in front of Richmond, north
of the James river, on the Darb2town
road
The huts that we built were about
7x14 feet, built of logs locked together
at the ends, and the roof was covered
with our shelter tents. Our floor was
the ground When we could get them
we made beds of poles. A few of the
huls had fire places mnde of sticks
placed crossways and covered with
Virginia mud, MS were the holes be-
tween the logs of the huts.
For door there was hole about
large enough for good sized dog to
get through. Here we spent the win.
ter, or until we were ordered, under
Gen. Terry, 10 go aad finish up a job
at Fort Fisher, n c., that Gen b. #.
Butler had undertaken and then back.
ed out, saying IL could not be done.
One day while was trying to keep
warm in my hut comr. de pulled
aside the old rubber blanket that we
called door, and said:
"rhe captain is calling you.p
| looked and saw that he was max
ing motions for me 10 come down
there. When | got there he pointed
to box and said:
"Theie is box from home.n
1t was not,very long getting to the
place i was then calling home, but |
soon found out that the door was too
small or the box too big, so had TO un.
pack 1t outside. | had plenty of help
TO do the job.
The cover was not long coming of.
The first | saw was pair of grain
leather boots that Mr.. Lewis Williams
sent me. He kept a store where Mr..
Mullan's store Is. MIR. Williams was
the father OF the publisher of the PAT
RIoT) Those boots came up to my
knees and were the only pair in our
company of about 10 men at that time.
Next came stockings, and mittens
with one finger SO we coud handle the
guns more handily.
Il
just can't tell them all When |
reached the bottom of the box found
something that brought out the "Ohsn
from the boys all right, II was a
cheese that an old Aunt had sent me.
| had lived with her some years be-
fore the war.
The cry went up, "Sell me pieeeW
| said, "Nolhing doing" and called
for knife, cut out quarter and gave
it to eomrade to divide. | also sent
the captain some That night we had
picnic ia our hut.
Some tine after this, il was the
night before Christmas, was detailed
for picket guard with sixteen others of
my company. 1t was twenty minutes
march from our camp. The men from
our company We're oil ON one post, We
had to throw out two videttes about
twenty yards in front of our post, both
night an day, TO guard against at,
tack. We relieved the videiIes, then
built big fire. We were in the pine
woods, there was snow on the ground,
and IL was very cold, SO that the men
on post ,were relieved every hour, as
men would get chilled through To re-
main longer
So we ,,sset he night sleeplne
what we cold ana relieving aus "a s.