Henry B. James

“ But our greatest peril was from our own line, a quarter of a mile in the rear of us, for there were several pieces of artillery continually sending shells and solid shot over our heads into the enemy’s lines, and some of them were too near us for comfort and safety, for we were on slightly rising ground in front of them, and the gunners, to do more execution, depressed their pieces so much that every now and then a shot or shell would skim by, or over us, as we hugged the ground. ”

“ Sunset. Another battle has begun, and brave men are now falling for their country and their homes. Ah, many a heart will mourn when they hear of this hour’s history, but may the thought cheer them, that their dear ones fell like heroes, as they are, in the holiest cause for which man ever fought.
[89] June 2. Five P. M. Again has the battle begun, and again we hear the hum of lead and iron, like hail in a storm. Oh, how terrible is the conflict of arms among men of one nation!
June 3. The battle began early this morning, and now many of my dear comrades are cold in death. ”

“ The feather bed was removed next day, and I slept very comfortably after that on the straw mattress.
How the happy days flew by, when friends vied with each other in making my furlough pleasant for me, and doing their best to spoil my appetite for army rations, with their cakes, pies, and all sorts of good things!
But all too soon we had to say goodbye. On February 17th we once more started for the South, arriving at camp Liberty two days later, warmly welcomed by the comrades we had left there, and proud of the title of “Veteran,” with all that it implied. ”

“ But the hardest trial of all was to have my comrades shot down on my right and on my left, and have to rush on with the rest in the charge, or in battle, leaving them behind to suffer and die.
No words can do justice to that experience, or the feeling of the battle-worn soldier, when he starts out after the battle is over to hunt up his comrades that have not answered the rollcall, will never answer it again, and he digs a [133] hole in the ground with his bayonet and wrapping a blanket around his dead comrade’s body, lays him to rest in an unknown grave forevermore. ”

“ Perhaps the simple record kept in my diary during that “Bloody May,” as it has been so often called, will give some idea of the life we led when we were constantly confronting the enemy, with, as we might well say, a musket in one hand, and a shovel in the other; we could not stop to rest without first shoveling up earthworks to protect us from the fire of the ever active enemy. ”

“ And now the year is gone with all its sorrow and care, never to return; but the memories connected with it can never die; they will ever bring to my mind many sorrows, and but few joys. So many of my dear companions in arms, who seemed like brothers, have been called to lay down their lives, but I have been spared in life and limb through the year that is past. ”

“ We had each to carry a musket, 40 to 80 rounds of ammunition, haversack with four to six days rations, knapsack, blanket, shelter tent, together with our canteen and other small articles that we could not do without, and to carry this on the march from ten to twenty hours at a time with only a few moments now and then to rest, often seemed more of a trial to me than the hardest fought battle I was ever in. ”

“ An event even in our eventful life to see those brave men move in battle line, with sabres drawn, steady as though on dress parade! Through the enemy’s line they went, dealing death right and left. Not all of them came back, but those who did, came with victory perched upon their banners.
Then on we went, across the state of Maryland, encamping at midnight July 1st at Hanover, Pennsylvania, after a forced march of sixteen hours. By this time we were about worn out with so much marching and fighting, but there was no rest for us yet ”

“ Before leaving home we had made a solemn promise to each other, that no man should be left unburied or uncared for on the field; that we would risk life and limbs that our wounded should be cared for, and our dead comrades tenderly laid in the bosom of mother earth. We usually waited until night before going out after our fallen comrades, but we could see the poor fellows lying there under the scorching sun, and felt that some of them would not hold out until night. ”

“ On the 13th the bloody battle of Fredericksburg was begun, one of the most disastrous of the war. It was a useless, ill-judged endeavor to rout Lee’s army from his impregnable position. In this battle more than thirteen thousand men were lost to the Union army, while the confederates lost less than half that number. My regiment lost thirty live men, killed and wounded. Defeated and disheartened, on the morning of the 16th, our army re-crossed the river and returned to our old camp.
On the 21st of January, 1863, we started on the “Mud march,” about four o’clock in the morning. ”

“ As we went up in front of Petersburg on the 18th of June, we were double quicked across an open field, and made a dash on the Norfolk railroad, where we made a stand.
It was in this charge that our beloved colonel, George L. Prescott, fell mortally wounded, while leading his men. He died the next day, and the whole brigade mourned his loss; he was a brave soldier, and a good man; always kind to his men, he treated them like brothers.
Many a time have I known him to let a sick man have his blanket, and then bunk in with a private who was lucky enough to have such an article. ”

“ As we drew near Gettysburg, word passed down the line [37] that General McClellan was again in command of the army.
How we shouted! How we cheered, and we moved on with quickened step, believing that our beloved general would lead us on to battle, and to victory! It was a false report, perhaps sent down the line to cheer our hearts and quicken our lagging feet. It served the purpose, but it was a sad disappointment, when we learned the truth.
[38] Chapter X.
GETTYSBURG.
God send us peace! ”

“ I will try to give you some idea of company B’s life in camp. Reveille is sounded at sunrise; our company falls into line, and the first sergeant calls the roll.
Each man then cooks his own breakfast, except when two or three tentmates agree to take [49] turns. In my case, my tentmate does the cooking, and I get the wood and water. Our rations when in camp are generally hardtack, pork, salt, sugar, coffee, beans, potatoes, fresh meat, etc., but we do not draw all of these things at once; some days we will draw hardtack and pork, sugar and coffee ”

“ We heard indications of battle all day from the direction of Aldie, and I suppose this forced march was thought necessary, but I can truly say that I much preferred all the horrors of the battlefield to these terrible long marches, when it seemed impossible to keep up. To drop out was to lose sight of your regiment, and perhaps die uncared for, or be gobbled up by guerrillas, who were plentiful all through that God forsaken country.
To be captured by guerrillas was sure death or imprisonment, which to me seemed [35] worse than death on the field. ”

“ When traitors tried to destroy the best government that ever existed, and dishonor their country’s flag, I felt if was my duty to enlist and do what I could for my native land, and I have never been sorry that I did so.
My health was always good, and I was fortunate in battle, never being laid off duty until I was wounded, just before the last battle in which my regiment participated. In thirty-eight battles, I shared the dangers with my comrades of company B. But where are the 101 men of my company who left Concord for Fort Warren on that cold morning of December 3rd, 1861? ”

“ I had lost my regiment, but saw the Pennsylvania Bucktails fixing bayonets for another charge, so I stepped into their ranks to charge with them, when I saw my regimental colors, with four of the color guard near by, so joined them and waited for the boys to rally under the old flag, when we again advanced into the bloody fray. ”

“ Morning came, and our brigade remained near Little Round Top, receiving our full share of the storm of iron hail, throughout the artillery duel of the third day. Then came Pickett’s desperate charge, the final effort of the enemy, who never got further north than here. Then came the retreat of the enemy, and our pursuit of them back into Virginia.
During the battle, my cousin, James A. Shepard, of the 18th Massachusetts received his death wound, while going to a spring to fill several canteens for his comrades. I saw him the day before the battle bright and cheerful. ”

“ Across the plain we follow far,
And backward push the fray;
Cheer! Cheer! The grand old army
At last has won the day!
Stedman.
I can give the further movements of my regiment after I was wounded, only from what I learned later from my comrades, for to my great regret, I was not with them to the end. The Fifth corps kept on in spite of the enemy’s artillery, until they reached around the extreme right of the confederate line of works in front of [124] Petersburg. Next day they were relieved by the Second corps, and moved off again to the left, a little to the west of the Boydton road. ”

“ The first sergeant of each company receives it, and divides it among the men.
One day’s rations consists of ten hardtack, half a pound of salt pork, a few spoonfuls of coffee, and the same of sugar. In drawing fresh meat, it is cut up into pieces, the orderly calls the roll, beginning one day at A, and the next at Z, and as each man’s name is called, he steps up, takes his choice of the meat, and the last is “Hobson’s choice.”
After breakfast, surgeon’s call is sounded, and if sick or unfit for duty, the boys report to him ”

“ For a week we lived on hardtack, and the morning of Thanksgiving day, we received the last of the supplies in our regiment, half a cracker for each man. This was all we had until afternoon; our officers were out all the morning hunting in every direction for food, and at last succeeded in borrowing twenty boxes of hard bread, which was all that the officers and men had that day.
How we thought of home that day and the good dinners that we had enjoyed on former festival days! How little our friends at home would have enjoyed their feast, could they have [24] known that we were starving! ”

“ The rifle’s crack, the hiss, the thud;
The sizz of the on-hurtling shell;
The dying cry; the trickling blood—
The sights, the sounds we knew too well.
Rev. Minot J Savage.
On the 3rd of June, before daylight, we were called up to do our part in the battle of Cold Harbor. The troops that had relieved us at the front the day before had been driven from their works, and our division was called upon to re-take them.
It was the same along the whole line. We were to charge across an open field, under a terrible [80] fire from the enemy, strongly entrenched behind earthworks. ”

“ We never even got a bite,
The general had the feast!
L. M. James.
My company was detailed to guard the ammunition train on its way back into Virginia. Before starting on the march, we had general orders read to us, forbidding all foraging in Maryland. On the first day’s march towards [18] Harper’s Ferry, several of the boys, myself included, noticed a number of small pigs in a field near the road.
As we had been on very short rations for about a week, it seemed to us a good chance to have a feast when we went into camp, so over the fence after the pigs we went. ”

“ It took me several days to settle down to army life, and army diet, but the stern discipline and hard service soon brought back my appetite, and my readiness to do whatever was required of me.
About eight o’clock in the morning of the 25th, we were ordered to fall in and move to the right, for the enemy had attacked us in that quarter; then moved to the left and attacked them; hard fighting continued all day, without food or rest. This fight was called the battle of Fort Stedman. ”

“ Ah, the time is never wasted, that is spent in writing to the soldiers at the front, assuring us [105] that we are not forgotten in the homes to which we may never return. We cannot get too many letters, to help us fight the battles that must come before the war is over.
Dec. 31. On guard in a snow storm. One year ago I was on picket at Liberty, Va. What changes have taken place in one short year! Oh before the close of the next year, may this war be over, and myself, with all my brave comrades be at home with our friends. ”

“ My comrades saw me drop, and I heard a shout, “Mosby’s hit!” I was up in an instant, and on with the rest. On we went until we reached the works, from which we drove the enemy, but they only fell back to their own line of works, about two hundred yards away. We remained in the recaptured works, and kept up a constant exchange of fire all day long; on neither [81] side could a man show his head without being shot at, but we hindered them as much as we could from using their battery upon us. ”