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YALE UNIVERSITY

> ^ LIBRARY
W  m
\ r /purchased from the income
\"^ of the bequest of
WILLIAM ROBERTSON COE
Honorary M.A. 1949, for
material in the field
of American Studies.

THE

STORY OF A TROOPER,

WITH MUCH OF INTEREST OONOERNING THE
CAMPAIGN ON THE PENINSULA,
NOT BEFORE WRITTEN.

By F. COLBURK ADAMS,
AtrmoE or Chbonicles of tub Bastilb; Oirr. World; The Ojjtoast;
TITEES or Majob Boqeu Siibbmah Pottbk, 4o., Sea

NEW YORK:
DICK & FITZGERALD, PUBLISHERS,
1865.

4 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
uncertain in everything, certain in notliing. If he an
chored to one thing to-day, he was sure to shift his
ground and place himself upon another to-giorrow.
Traitors used him as they would a mould ; he was
always ready to be shaped to their wishes ; and now,
when the follies of the South, which he had done so
much to encourage during his political lifetime, had
brought revolution and its attendant horrors on the
country, he stood amazed and like a powerless child.
War was a stern reality, but the shocks it was pro
ducing on the country failed to awake him from his
treacherous dream. He still hoped, still feared, still
wanted to wait.
And now this timid old man, dupe of demagogues
and object of the patriot's pity, has passed from power,
almost from the thoughts of his countrymen, and left
his country to struggle for existence in war and con
fusion. He has gone into unenviable exile, and sorrow
be to the historian who shall attempt to purify his
name. A ruder, but a man of higher purpose and better
character, had risen up and taken the destinies of the
people into his hands. He was to decide whether the
Republic should live or die, whether we should have
one nation or a divided people. But scarcely had he
itaken his place at the head of the nation, when the
clash of arms was heard in South Carolina, and Sumter
fell. The nation's flag had been insulted by those who
had needed its protection most, and the echo of the
guns that worked Sumter's fall awoke the insulted
people of the North from their dull, deep dream of

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 5
peace and prosperity. Still they were like children
confused with a new toy. Untrained to the arts and
hardships of war, they rushed to the field as if a sol
dier's life was to be a feast of pleasure. New York
formed the focus of this great excitement. She was
quick to send her legions and pour out her wealth in
support of the Government. You heard drums beat
ing in every street; the great- meeting had been held
in Union Square, where patriots stirred the people,
and even traitors promised never to be traitors again .
It was early in April, 1861. The President had
issued his proclamation calling for seventy-five thou
sand troops to put down the rebellion. New York
was quick to get herself into uniform, regardless of the
regulations; and the Union Defense Committee had
gone into the business of taking care of the nation and
endorsing the loyalty of travelers bound on a jour
ney to Washington. The military aspirations of men
ran high indeed, and colonel's commissions were
sought for by at least a regiment of worthies, few of
whom knew anything of tlie profession of arms, or in
truth any other honest profession. But they had a
ready stock of honor, which they were willing to pledge
at any time; could raise a regiment in a few weeks,
and bring their hosts into the field, to the terror of
the enemy. Indeed, I am not so sure but that if the
job of putting down the rebellion in a few weeks had
been ofiFered, there would have been any quantity of
these gentlemen found ready to take it, confident of
their own ability to perform what they undertook. In
fine, the soldier fever was on us all, but we were for
going to the war in our own way.

6 - . THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
An eccentric gentleman, who had sold jewelry in
Maiden Lane, thinking the Government might need an
extra regiment or so of cavalry before the war was
ended, had inserted in the Herald an advertisement,!
proposing a meeting at a hall on Broadway, for the;
Ipurpose of considering measures to raise a regiment ot
volunteer cavalry. A Colonel was wanted, to whom
would be presented a remarkable horse, of great value,
and a near relation to Patchen. There was somethingj
attractive about the advertisement, as there also was
about the wild, dashing life of a trooper. None but
skillful horsemen were to apply, horsemanship being!
considered necessary to a useful trooper. It must be
remembered that I am writing of what occurred beforci
the Government made that greatest of military dis
coveries, that it is not necessary a man first learn toi
ride before you entrust him with a horse and equip
ments, and send him, disabled with carbine, sabre and
pistols, into the field to fight the enemy. There were
those inclined to set this ambitious dealer in jewelry
down as a very indiscreet gentleman, to hazard his for
tune on so dangerous an enterprise.
"When night came, I found myself standing at the en
trance of a long, narrow passage, dimly lighted, on the
west side of Broadway, and leading to a hall used by
a singing society. I was hesitating whether to enter,
and began reading the big poster setting forth the ob
ject of the meeting. A thick-set gentleman passed in,
then one of lean figure. I was about to go away, when
a very tall man, in a slouch hat, muffled in a big cloak
and booted and spurred, passed in with a firm, military

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. . 7
step. He presented a true figure of the melancholy
man in black, a name we afterwards gave him.- ¦ His
gait and manner so attracted my attention, that I fol
lowed him into the hall, which presented a somewhat
quaint appearance, considering the military object of
the meeting. The two rows of benches on the floor
were occupied by about a dozen and a half demure
looking gentlemen, while on the raised platform in
front a dozen or so of very unmilitary looking men
sat in a semi-circle. For a time no one seemed inclined
to speak, and the meeting had an appearance of pass
ing off with remarkable quietness. At length the
gentleman from Maiden Lane came forward and, with
a defective intonation, stated the object of the meeting,
and was elected president. A young, active and in
telligent man, of the name of Bailey, and who has
since distinguished himself in several encounters with
the enemy, was chosen secretary. We were told that
Colonel Bayard Clarke, a gallant officer, and polished
gentleman, had gone to Washington to offer his services
to the Government to raise this regiment ; that much
j depended on the encouragement he received there. He
would return in a few days, when his report would be
laid before us. Colonel Clarke had served in the reg
ular cavalry, in the same regiment with Harney, and
had distinguished himself for gallantry during the last
Florida war. He had also served his country in Con
gress, and was now prompted by the purest motives,
in offering his services to the Government. It is fair
to presume that such a man knew something of cavalry,
and that his services would have been exceedingly val
uable to the Government.

O THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
There was now brought forward and introduced to
us a small, dark-visaged man, quick of speech, and
ornamented with the title of Major. I rarely ever
saw a more unmilitary looking gentleman. According
to the many accounts he gave of himself he had served in
several armies, was a particular friend and old acquaint
ance of General Scott, and had particularly distin
guished himself in Venezuela, in the wars of which he
had brouglit off scars enough to satisfy us that he was
a brave man. The Major had brought his sabre with
him, and after discoursing in detail on the various uses
of cavalry, setting forth in glowing terms how they
could break a column and throw the enemy's line into
confusion, how in charging upon and capturing a bat
tery they must first draw the enemy's fire, he went
through a few exhibitions of his skill in the use of the
sabre. Cavalry, with him, was the finest flower of our
army, and he had given his life to the study of its uses.
The Major was indeed clever with the sabre, and we
began to think we had a jewel of a trooper, under
whose leadership we were all to be made famous in the
history of the war. But he damaged his feathers some
what by the wonderful accounts given of his own ex
ploits performed in battles some of us liad never heard
of, and with which he would have entertained us until
midnight, each of his exploits far surpassing in bold
ness anything done by Murat, Nolan, Cardigan, or
Hodgson, but for an ill-looking and irrepressible
Scotchman who shuffled to the edge of the platform
and interrupted the speaker by requesting " to know"
if a little time could not be granted him to relate his

i^mi' S-r'^'  ^

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 9
exploits in India, which he was quite sure would ex
ceed in terrible interest anything the gallant Major
had done or indeed heard of in Venezuela. The Major
yielded, and the chair gracefully granted his request.
Our Scotch friend was evidently an honest, simple-
minded man, who spoke in a broad provincial accent,
which, with a total disregard of Mr. Murray, and his
rules of speech, afforded us much amusement. His
figure, too, was not such as to produce grave misap
prehensions, for he was a thick, solid man, excessively
short of leg, and with a flat, bald head, and an inexpres
sive face. Indeed, he must have cut a sorry figure when
mounted, either as a heavy or light horseman. But,
according to his own account, he had been a terror to
the natives of Oude, as well as Affghanistan. I noticed
also that the dark-visaged Major listened to his stories
with a solemn countenance, as if his feathers had fallen.
Our Scotch friend was proud of the service he had
seen, of his horsemanship, and of his skill with the
sabre. He had served in her Majesty's heavy horse,
also in the Bengal cavalry. As to the war in Affghan
istan he had been all through it, and won laurels enough
to make a hero of any man all the rest of his life. The
Major might show his scars; they were the jewels every
brave soldier wore ; but he would show him more
scars on a single leg. What he had done in battle was
not all. He had had combats with tigers while serv
ing under Hodgson, in Oude. On one occasion two
of the desperate brutes attacked him, one at each leg,
and would have unhorsed and devoured him but that
his boots came off, and the hungry beasts ran into
1*

10 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
a jungle thinking they had got his legs. A brisk Irish
gentleman of the name of O'Mara, interrupting, wanted
to know if tigers were not remarkably fond of break
fasting on one of her Majesty's fat troopers ? This was
rather too much for the sturdy trooper, who paused,
rested both hands on his big stick, and for a minute
seemed counseling his wits for an answer. "It is
neither here nor there, gentlemen," said he, regaining
confidence. " What I have said is God's truth, and I
have letters enough to prove what 1 have said, at home."!
Here he changed the character of his discourse, and
began giving us a few lessons on the best mode of se-;
curing a good seat, how to keep the bridle hand during
la charge, and how with a swift back stroke of the
sabre we could displace the head of an enemy at one
blow. He now commenced flourishing his big stick
with wonderful agility, making sundry strokes, until at
length he brought ii in contact with the young secre
tary's nose, much to the amusement of the audience and
alarm of those in his immediate vicinity. The young
secretary was not inclined to lose his temper, and
taking the ancient trooper by the arms kindly assisted
him into his seat, begging him to subside.
Mr. O'Mara, the bold Irish gentleman, now came
forward as tlie next speaker. I must here say that
this gentleman afterwards held a commission in the
Tammany regiment, and behaved with great gallantry
in the battle of Ball's Bluff. Mr. O'Mara had heard
gentlemen who had served in the jungles of India, and
gentlemen who had seen wonders in South America
talk before ; but lie could tell them there was no place

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 11
like the plains of America for a trooper to show his
pluck. They might tell about breaking the enemy's
columns, charging upon and capturing batteries, and all
that sort of thing; but had either of them been out
on the frontier fighting Indians ? Here he cast a look of
admonition at the ancient trooper and the little Major.
He had served in the mounted rifles, and had an hon
orable discharge. He had been a Ranger, too, in Texas
and knew what it was to do good fighting on the
plains. If any gentleman present thought he did not, all
he had to do was to afford him an opportunity of satis
fying him. The audience here laughed heartily, and the
speaker becoming conscious that he had thrown down
a challenge made a pleasant apology. O'Mara, was a
good soldier and sensible man. He gave us some good
advice in regard to the dangerous services cavalry had
to perform, what had been done on the plains, how also
to take care of horses, and indeed much more that was
valuable relating to the internal economy of the ser
vice. " Gentlemen," said he, in conclusion, " I am an
Irishman; but I love my adopted country, have served
her faithfully, and am ready to serve her again. If
you want a trooper, O'Mara is your man."
When the last speaker sat down, a tall, long-jointed
and squint-eyed man, of the name of Carr, rose and
made some very sensible remarks concerning cavalry
and its use. It was no trifling matter to raise a regi
ment of cavalry, and the first question to be determined
was, whether we could get skillful riders enough in
New York to do it. There were men enough who
could do fancy riding in the Park, but the kind of

12 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
riding necessary for the field, was a very different thing.
No doubt, a majority of men would prefer going to the
war a-horseback. It was a pleasanter way than tramp
ing through the mud with a knapsack and musket on
one's shoulders ; but he could tell us there was not one
man in ten you could ever make a trooper of. You
might mount men in the saddle and call them caYalry,j
but unless they were expert riders, and trained to fight
in the saddle, it was the readiest way in the world to
get them killed off. And it was not pleasant to be
killed for want of experience necessary to defend one's-
self. Beside, unless cavalry were well drilled, it was a
useless expense to the Government, and a costly incum
brance to the movements and efficiency of an army.
He had lived in the South, and knew southern men to
be very expert riders. Here he recounted what he had
witnessed many of them perform in the tournament,
and referred particularly to Ashby. He regarded it!
madness to go into the field until we were in a condi
tion to cope with these men. Let, however, the regi
ment be raised, and he would take hold and assist.
But we ought to first know whether the Government
wanted cavalry.
The last speaker was succeeded by a gentleman in
the body of the house. Mr. Briggs, for such was his
name, took occasion to say that what the gentleman
last up had said, was very discouraging to youno- men
anxious and ready to enter the service. He knew from
what he had read of the great hardships cavalry had
to undergo, of the dangers of the service, as well as its
lattractions. But he had great faith in the adaptability

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 13
of the American character. Americans could learn to
do anything and everything, perhaps not so thoroughly
as some other people, but well enough for all necessary
purposes, even war. If they undertook to make them
selves familiar with the business of cavalry, they would
do it, and quicker than any other people. This was
the first attempt to raise a regiment of Volunteer cav
alry for the war, and he would have every man present
brace up his patriotism, and put his shoulder to the
wheel. We must learn the art of war, just as we had
learned the various professions men followed. There
was in Westchester county a gentleman of the name of
Van Allen, who had made a move towards raising some
cavalry. We had better open a communication with
him, and see what our joint efforts would result in.
He was for raising this regiment, and showing what
could be done with volunteer cavalry. But he had un
derstood from good authority, that the Government at
Washington regarded cavalry with indifference.
Here the melancholy man in black, whom I had fol
lowed into the hall, rose, and laying aside his cloak,
begged permission to say a few words. He did not
come here to be the teacher of veterans, nor to take
exception to what had been said by troopers who
had served in India and Venezuela. He had traveled
in Labrador, in Newfoundland, and Canada, where
he had resided for many years. He did not know any
thing about this Mr. Van Allen, anJ would like a gen
tleman present to tell him if he knew anytliing about
cavalry. Because, if he did not, he was sure to want
to be Colonel of the regiment. He thought we had

14 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
better let Mr. Van Allen raise his own regiment. He
would, however, like to know if this Mr. Van Allen
was a bold, dashing man. For, without a bold, da,sh-:
ing leader, cavalry must be a dead weight about the
neck of the army. A gentleman on the platform inter
rupted the speaker, by saying that this Van Allen had
shown remarkable courage in an encounter (over a
dinner table) with a famous Russian Count, and would,
doubtless, when in battle, show himself a true man
and a soldier. This did not seem to carry the popu
lar sentiment, which was evidently ag9.inst having any-
, thing to do with Van Allen and his troopers.
The melancholy man in black continued. He would
have the regiment mounted on Canadian horses. They
were tougher, and better adapted to stand the severity
and exposure of a Virginia winter. He had seen some
service himself, and had served in South America. In
truth, he belonged to a cavalry family, and had a sabre
of great weight and age, which had come down to him
from his forefathers, and had a remarkable history. If
he only had it with him, he would show them what
could be done at a single stroke with the sabre. (This
queer sabre afterwards became celebrated in the regi
ment, and was captured and returned to him by one of
jimboden's officers.)
The night was now far advanced, and some eighteen
jor twenty persons having enrolled their names, the
meeting adjourned to meet at Palace Garden, on the
following night, and hear a report from Washington.

CHAPTER II.

THE SECOND MEETING, AND THE QUESTION OF FUNDS.
When we met at Palace Garden there was a large
increase to our numbers, many of them young men of
the right kind to give a successful turn to our enter
prise. We had got rid of her Majesty's talkative
trooper and a few others, who were calculated to inter
rupt rather than advance any enterprise. At that time
the press was a powerful aid to recruiting, and it had
generously lent us its power in attracting attention to
our undertaking. Among those who now joined us,
and who afterwards figured honorably in the fortunes
of the regiment, I will mention Joseph Stearns, Daniel
Harkins, and a young man of erect figure, and remark
able for his beauty, of the name of Henry Hidden.
There also joined us at this place a huge politician —
a character so remarkable for his eccentricities, that I
venture to assert this war has produced nothing to
compare with him. His stories of himself were as en
tertaining, if not as reliable, as anything written of
Don Quixote. No matter how absurd a story you told,
he could beat you in one told with himself as the hero.
His adventures in love, war and politics were numer-

16 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
ous as the stars. He had served in the Mexican war,
but up to this day none of us have been able to dis
cover in what capacity. He disclaimed ever having been,
a surgeon, and hints were thrown out that he mights
have been a sutler. He knew (at least he said he did)
and was on intimate relations with all the great men of
the country. In truth, General Scott always shook
hands with him when he met him, and no man ever
made him a bow who was not a particular friend. As
T have said before, he was a man of ponderous figure,
with a small, unintellectual head, crowned with a mat
of bushy hair. He was excessively vain of his appear
ance, knew and attended to every one's business but
his own, lived and flourished in an atmosphere of per
petual trouble, and could no more keep from making
mischief than a duck could keep out of a neighboring
pond. In a word, he was a sort of cross between
Turvydrop and Paul Pry.
We now numbered about sixty enrolled names and,
forming into squads, commenced drilling, with O'Mara,
the melancholy man, and a fine looking young cor
poral of the name of Myers, of the regulars, and
who was kindly permitted to act in this capacity by
Captain Eagle, then on recruiting service in New York.
There was also a Lieutenant Charles Ogle, formerly of
the regular cavalry, a man of rare genius, and an effi
cient officer, who, with one Sergeant Ditcher, who had
followed Nolan in his desperate cliarge at Balaclava,
Irendered us good service as instructors in cavalry tac
tics. Ladies came to witness our drill, friends offered
their assistance, and things went on with every appear-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 17
ance of a bright prospect for several nights. Then a
dispute arose in regard to the kind of drill tliat should
be adopted. The smart young corporal, who had be
come a favorite with us all, and O'Mara, were for
adopting the American system. The big politician,
although innocent of any and all systems of cavalry
tactics, wanted to instruct tliem all. He could gallop
a horse or swing a sabre with any of them, and thought
that all these new-fangled notions about cavalry could
but result in confusing the ideas of the men, as they
had his. The melancholy man in black did not agree
with any of them. He had brought his huge sabre
with him, and would show them what he could do with
it after drill. He would drill in his own way, and it
was not his fault if they did not understand it. Lieu
tenant Ogle listened and looked on with silent con
tempt, while the dark-visaged little Major was willing
to let them have it all their own way, and was so kindly
disposed towards a neighboring bar, that he took occa
sion to pay his respects to it while others were disput
ing. The Balaclava man would obey orders, and
drill according to the system we would be required to
fight under. He was a poor man, did not look for a
commission, and expected pay for what he did, for he
had a family with open mouths, and but little to put in
them. It was a soldier's duty to serve his country, and
he could do that best by obeying orders. This was said
in rebuke of the big politician, who had evidently
given what little power of study he possessed to the
regulations rather than to the tactics. He was one of
those persons this war has produced too many of; who

18 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
believe in first taking care of themselves, and doing as
little as they can for the country afterward. He
would make himself master of the regulations, for only
by that could a man know exactly what he was to get
for his services. What was the use of a man exposing
his life, unless he knew what he was to get for it.
There was no romance in being killed for thirteen
dollars a month, rations thrown in. In this manner
the big politician would have entertained us every
night until midnight, throwing himself back on his
dignity, and frisking his fingers through his bushy hair.
As for Ogle, he was a man of great good sense, and
blessed with an even temper. When, therefore, he had
shown his contempt for these disputes and the igno-;
ranee betrayed in them, he would sit quietly down t0|
his pipe, write sonnets to his lady friends, of whom he
had a number, or make merry over the names of those,
who presumed to know so much more about cavalry
than he did.

CHAPTER III.

BAD NEWS FKOM WASHINGTON.
Our number had increased to about one hundred, of
as good material as was ever got together. We had
held our regular drills nightly, in the great hall, the
outside grounds being occupied by Blenker, then organ
izing his 8th New York Volunteers, made up chiefly of
Germans, who were making themselves happy over
great heaps of bread and Bologna sausage.
Just as we had assembled for drill one night, it was
announced that Colonel Clarke had returned from
Washington, and would report what he had and had
not done. The Colonel soon made his appearance in
the body of the hall, and was received with three cheers.
But it was not difficult to see by his manner, that what
he had to say was not of an encouraging nature.
Forming around him in a circle, he began by compli
menting us on the progress we had made, and then gave
us a detailed account of his experience in Washington.
He had been received cordially by the President, who
admitted that there would be a necessity for cavalry
during the war. But he expressed alarm, when told
that as many as twelve or fourteen new regiments would

20 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
be needed. They might be needed, but he did not be
lieve the country would stand the expense. He was
not skilled in the profession of arms, but he wanted to
meet the expectations of the people, wlio would hold:
him responsible if he did not adopt the best and most]
efficient means of putting down the rebellion. But he
had intrusted the organization of the army to General
Scott and his Secretary of War. Colonel Clarke then
proceeded to the War Department and obtained, after^
some delay, an interview with Mr. Cameron, who was!
then, unfortunately for the country, the ruling spirit of
that institution. Mr. Cameron was too much of a pol
itician to have any very deep sympathy or respect fori
a soldier' educated to his profession. Indeed, so lively
was his distrust of every officer who had been in the
regular army, that he would, at times, treat with in-;
difference, and even discourtesy, men whose services
the country needed most. He was inclined, also, to
underrate the merits of his own countrymen, and to
give precedence to foreigners, who have since shown
how little they were worth in this war. Mr. Cameron,
as well as his successor, was unfortunate in falling into
the popular error of his party that fighting battles and
gaining victories was the business of politicians and
reformers, and that if you gave a soldier an odd job
now and then when his sword got rusty, it was merely
to have him show how far he was behind the spirit of
the times. All history teaches that the badly educated!
politician lives in continual fear of the overshadowing
figure of the soldier. The good soldier may be a very
useful thing to have at hand when there is immediate

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 21
danger, when his firm nerve is necessary to the politi
cian's safety. But once the danger is over, the politi
cian will mount his feathers and seek for a closet
where he can keep the soldier until it suits his conven
ience to give him another job. The man who has sought
and gained political power over a road both crooked
and muddy, who never had a conscience to accuse him
when selling the souls of some men and buying the
votes of others, is not the man to appreciate the spirit
of chivalry which rules in the heart and controls the
acts of every true soldier. His thoughts are fettered,
and his actions narrowed by the very means he was
forced to use to gain his position, which he holds with
out finding any real favor in the hearts of the people,
such being secured only where there is true worth. So
it was with Mr. Secretary Cameron. But I have made
a diversion from my subject.
The reception Colonel Clarke met from Mr. Secre
tary Cameron was not what he had a right to expect.
He refused authority to raise the regiment, was unde
cided as to the necessity that would arise for cavalry ;
had his prejudices, and so had General Scott. General
Scott, he said, had no faith in volunteer cavalry ; it
was a very expensive arm of the service ; it would open
an immense field for fraud and corruption. Nor was
he certain that in such a wild, rugged, and wooded
!country as we should have to advance through during
the war, cavalry in large bodies could be used to ad
vantage. We could not always depend on the country
we advanced into for forage, and the necessity of a
supply large enough for the animals would so increase

22 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
the trains as not only to impede the movements of the
army, but to quadruple the cost of transportation, and
render it extremely dangerous to advance far beyond
its depots. General Scott was of opinion, also, that
this war would have to be fought chiefly by riflemen
and artillery, and Mr. Cameron shared his opinion.
He advised keeping up the organization, but could give
no encouragement as to whether the regiment would
be accepted or not. Colonel Clarke was sorry he had
nothing better to report. As the Government had no
need of his services, there was nothing for him to do
but retire into private life. He retired, wishing us
every prosperity in our undertaking. This news fell
heavy upon our feelings, and several were ready to'
give up the enterprise, and would have done so, but for
the appeals of the more sanguine. We needed a
leader to lean upon and respect, and Colonel Clarke
was the man. There were young hearts, full of fire
and spirit, such as Bailey and Hidden, engaged in our
enterprise. But to make it successful we needed a di
recting head — a man of experience, indomitable energy,
and a will to overcome such obstacles as the Govern
ment was sure to throw in our way. Colonel Clarke
saw, also, that Mr. Cameron's thoughts and feelings
were wedded to Pennsylvania. If the Government
should need cavalry, he (Mr. Cameron) said, why go so
far as New York for it, when there was Pennsylvania
nearer. Mr. Cameron had not then (and I doubt if
his successor has now) discovered that there is some
idifference between the value to an army of a clever
, horse- thief and a skillful trooper. But if you compel

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 23
a man to practice law, who has been keeping a grocery-
shop all his life, you must pay dearly for his blunders.
No doubt Mr. Cameron was sincere when he fixed his
mind on Pennsylvania as opening the best field for ex
pert troopers. Indeed, it must be borne in mind that
the wants of the war had not then developed the fact
that Mr. Cameron's favored State has sent more clever
horse-thieves and less good troopers to the war than
any other.
Our drill masters put their squads through a series
of evolutions, and when the evening's work was over,
a few friends joined Colonel Clarke and retired to
Bigsby's, where good cheer was to be had and the
spirits of man so elevated as to forget his misfortunes.
Among the number was the big politician, who spread
over the Colonel and took him immediately under his
protection. Before we had half finished our first
punch, he began entertaining us with an account of
himself. He was a man of fortune, he would have us
all know, had filled varieois positions of high trust, could
show how he had reflected honor on them all, and was
making great sacrifices in joining the army once more.
He was sure the Colonel, who he knew from the high
: reputation he bore, as a statesman as well as a soldier,
had been badly treated. He (the big politician) would
see justice done him, if it cost half his fortune and
any amount of time. He had influence enough at
Washington, and, what was more, knew how to use' it.
There was not a Senator who would not be delighted
to serve him, and his word was enough to secure his
friends the position they wanted. The Colonel had but

24 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
to say the word, and he would proceed to Washington
(at his own expense, for he was indebted to no man for,
a dollar,) and see that his new friend, whose acquaint
ance he had just had the honor to make, was not only
made a Colonel, but a General. He had the power:
and could do it.
The Colonel listenedquietly to what the speaker had
to say, and, being a sensible gentleman, set his promises
down to the strength of the cups he had just drained.

CHAPTER IV.

THE OPPOSITION TO CAVALRY AND GENERAL SCOTT.
It may not be out of place here to say a few words on
a subject which has been brought before the public in
various ways, and is of vital injportance to the army and
the nation. The charge of opposition to the use of cav
alry when the war began, has been several timess brought
against General Scott. And the continued demand for
more mounted troops that has been made by the press,
in many cases prompted by interested persons, has been
used to show that his opinions respecting the usefulness
of a large cavalry force, were wrong. I have good rea
sons for saying, that General Scott's opinions on this sub
ject, when the war began, and at the present time, are very
imperfectly understood outside of the War Department.
I have reason to believe, also, that General Scott's name
was improperly used, in connection with this subject,
by the then Secretary of War, to cover his own short
sightedness. The politician's military horizon was at
that time very contracted and indistinct. General Scott
rose above it, and saw over it. If his advice had been
properly acted on, and his plans not interfered with
2

26 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
and opposed by presumptuous men, the country would
have been saved not only much blood and treasure, but
many a disgraceful defeat at the hands of an inferior
enemy. On the question of cavalry, General Scott
was too good a soldier and too far-sighted a man, not
to foresee that in advancing through a country possess
ing the peculiar features of Virginia and Tennessee,
cavalry, or in other words, mounted troops, would be
needed in various ways. To make quick movements,
|to take and hold the gaps of mountains before the
enemy could reach them, was the business of cavalry.
To act as videttes, to scout, to reconnoitre, to feel the
enemy's positions, to make diversions and raids, to
operate on flanks and harass the enemy's rear when in
retreat, were duties expected of cavalry. To do escort
duty, and protect supply and other trains through a
country where the rear of an advancing army was con
tinually exposed to the operations of guerrillas and
small bands of the enemy, cavalry was indispensable
But General Scott knew that to perform these services
well and effectively, the cavalry would require to be
well organized, well officered, and thoroughly drilled.
He knew that without these, cavalry, or what is called
cavalry, must sooner or later become nothing more than
a terrible drain on the nation's resources, and a per
plexing incumbrance to its armies. The duties per
formed by cavalry were more hazardous and laborious
than those expected of infantry or artillery. It should
be, and was, in European countries, regarded as a supe
rior arm of the service, better paid and better equipped.
Its officers and men should possess a higher standard

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 27
of nerve and intelligence than either the infantry or
artillery, to make it worthy of its name. And, too, a
trooper without natural love for his horse, and a proper
desire to see that he was well cared for, would be little
more than an animal killer — a sorry expense to any
government. General Scott knew also what was the character of
our people for rushing from one extreme to another,
and that the influence of this great error in our national
character, was soon to make itself felt dangerously on
the Government. No man knew better than he did
the true value to the nation of a well organized force
of any kind. What he feared was the confusion and
corruption which must result from every politician of
influence having a military plan of his own, and impa
tient to force that plan on the Government. Nor did
he fail to foresee that a Secretary of War, whose busi
ness it had been to practice law in a country village,
who was indeed innocent of any military experience,
must fall into the errors of such military men as he
was likely to call in as private instructors, and that
the result of this would be a conflict of authority dis
astrous to the nation's best interests.
If, then, General Scott had prejudices on the subject
of cavalry when the war began, they were directed
against the abuses to which it would be liable, not the
pses to which it might be put. And if the experience of
two years has taught us anything in the art of war, it
has also taught us that General Scott was as correct
Jn his opinions respecting cavalry, as he was in the
number of men it would require to carry on the war

28 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
successfully, and make it of short duration. In no
other branch of the service has there been so much
fraud, so much corruption, so much utter worthlessness.
Colonels' commissions were given, and men authorized
to raise regiments of cavalry wlio had never mounted
a horse ; who were physically, as well as mentally,
unfit to be soldiers. The conduct of a colonel stamps
itself on the character of a regiment, especially the offi
cers. And you cannot have good men, unless a colonel
shows by his own character that he is fit to prop
erly shape their conduct while in an enemy's country.
The Government made cavalry colonels of some men
who were as unfit to be at the head of a regiment as
a gambler would be to preside over a prayer meeting.
Such a position should be, and used to be, the reward
of merit, for it is one of great importance in our army.
The events of the war have shown that too many of
these positions were bestowed on political favorites.
Without experience, no heart in the war, or a thought
above what could be made out of the positions thus
improperly bestowed upon them, it is safe to say that
these men have not only been a great drawback, but
brought disgrace upon the service. Officers of the
regular cavalry were educated and honorable gentle
men ; but the spirit that ruled among them does not
seem to have descended to the volunteer. The Gov
ernment is to blame for this, since the remedy is in its
own hands, but it fails to apply it. Once armed with
authority to raise a regiment, these men go to work
picking up whatever sort of material they can find,
S-egardless of its fitness or anything else but numbers.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 29
Numbers are what they want, and when they get their
regiment full, probably not more than one hundred and
fifty or two hundred of its men are fit for or will ever
make respectable troopers. This is particularly the case
with some of the last regiments raised in Pennsylvania
and New York. No one can have been with our cavalry
long, and observed carefully the material of which these
regiments are made up, without being struck with their
great inferiority, mentally and physically, when com
pared with either the infantry or artillery. Strange,:
and almost unaccounta-ble as it may seem, I have no
ticed that an incompetent colonel was sure to want his
regiment officered by men who knew no more than he
did. This invariably resulted in exhausting quarrels
between him and his officers, and such quarrels have a
very damaging effect on the discipline of the men. I
have known regiments of cavalry to lay for a year use
less in the outskirts of Washington, the officers spending
most of their time in the city or, for want of something
better to do, quarrelling among themselves, the men
demoralized with dissipation, and finally the regiment,
which had cost the Government so much to organize
and support, dwindle away, until the amount paid to:
officers became greater than that paid to the men. It
used to be the fashion for officers who wanted to get
rid of an incompetent and useless colonel or major,
to join in signing a petition asking the President to
make him a brigadier general. But even that clever
expedient seems to have lost its virtue, since Mr. Lin
coln has not been taken in by it for some time past. I
have known not less than- a dozen colonels- of cavalry,

30 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
loitering about the streets and hotels of Washington
for weeks and months, not one of whom gave the slight
est thought to his men ; and all drawing pay for ser
vices they were incompetent to perform. It is not
difficult to understand what sort of discipline must rule
in a regiment commanded by one of these men, and
how little use it must be to the service.
It is not at all times pleasant to tell the truth ; but
the sooner it is told of this arm of the service, the
better for the nation. We have now upwards of two
hundred and twenty regiments" of cavalry in the ser
vice of the United States. These are exclusive of a
few independent companies. Many of these regiments
are very much reduced in men ; some of them not mus
tering for duty more than enough to make three full
companies. And yet many of these mere skeleton regi
ments are still attended with a full complement of
officers, all drawing full pay, while other expenses are
going on in little less ratio than when the regiment
was full. Some of these regiments have been left to the
command of captains, while their incompetent colonels
and majors were content to play ornament on the
staff of some friendly General. Now, when it is con
sidered that to organize, mount, equip, and put a cavalry
regiment into the field, it costs the nation between five
and six hundred thousand dollars, and between two
hundred and fifty and three hundred thousand for every
succeeding year it is kept in the service, the enormous
cost of this branch of the service can be estimated at
a glance. Nor can the necessity of keeping so costly
an arm of the service properly officered and actively

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 31
employed, be urged too strongly on the Government,
The politician tells us every day that it is not wise to
study economy while the very existence of the nation
is threatened. But a nation with so strong a founda
tion as ours has got in the patriotism of the people,
will find better protection and a safer refuge for its
honor in the hands of those who study economy and
know how to properly apply it for the benefit of all, and
at all times. Economy has no virtues during peace that
cannot be applied in war. And every good man whose
voice and acts form the administrative power of a na
tion should exert himself in its influence.
It might be asked what really the cavalry had done
for which it could claim credit corresponding to its
numbers and cost to the nation. Grierson, Straight,
Pleasanton, and a few others, have given some proof of
what might be done with a properly organized and
officered force of cavalry. But the west has been
more fortunate than the east, as well in the service per
formed by its cavalry, as the skill and dash of the offi
cers who commanded it. There is, indeed, as much
difference between the cavalry in these two sections of
the country, as there is between the 8th Illinois and
the 8 th Pennsylvania regiments, a comparison every
officer that knows anything of the cavalry attached to
the army of the Potomac will understand. In order to
be concise, I will limit what I have to say on this sub
ject to what our cavalry has done in Virginia.
On several occasions I could name, the country has
been sent into a fit of joy by the newspapers giving
glowing accounts of some remarkable raid our cavalry

32 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
had made into the enemy's country. Even the picture
papers, not to be wanting in enterprise, ha,ve aston
ished the younger members of our family with savage
looking troopers, mounted on fierce war studs, dashing
at terrible speed at the head of malicious columns into
the enemy's country. But when we sift these glowing
accounts down, and get at the real truth, we find it
an affair so tame as to reflect but little credit on us.j
McClellan had but little confidence in our volunteer
cavalry, and rarely used it. In the winter of 1861-62,
he was afraid to send it out, knowing that if he did, it
would be " gobbled up" by the enemy. On several oc
casions on the Peninsula, it was the means of throwing
the infantry into confusion, and doing serious harm.
The officer whose name has been most prominently,
before the public in connection with cavalry movements!
in Virginia, is General Stoneman. But the most ardentj
admirers of that gallant officer find their energies:
taxed when invited to show the fruit of his labor. Few!
will contend that he improved its organization during
the winter of 1861-2. He commanded a " flying col
umn" up the Peninsula during the campaign under
McClellan. Will any one tell me what he did from
the day he left Williamsburg until he reached Mechan-
icsville on the Chickahominy, beyond keeping a re
spectful distance between his own front and the enemy's
rear? He certainly did not hurry the movements of,
Johnson, who retreated up without leaving a sick sol-,
dier or a broken wagon behind. When Jeb Stuart
made his celebrated raid round our army at ColdHar-,
bor, and destroyed our trains at Tunstill's Station, Gen-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 33
eral Stonomanwas quietly resting near Meadow Bridge.
It is true we sent Phillip St. George Cook in pursuit of
his bold son-in-law. But that distinguished officer was
careful to sail on the same circle, and in that way gave
his son-in-law the advantage of a respectable start. In
truth, it would not do to attempt to cut off so bold a
trooper as Stuart, and Phillip St. George had a very
natural and, perhaps, commendable aversion to being
captured by his own son-in-law, and he a rebel. What
the cavalry did during the seven days' battles before
Richmond, is too well known to the country to need a
word from me. In many instances it was in inextri
cable confusion, and retarded, rather than assisted our
movements. Colonel Averill succeeded General Stone-
man, and received the appointment of Brigadier Gen
eral. As colonel of the 3d Pennsylvania volunteers,
this officer won great credit for the spirit and discipline
he infused into that regiment. But at the head of the
cavalry force he seems to have lost his capacity to
successfully command. His subordinate commanders
never had confidence in his Ability to handle a large
force, and the fights he was engaged in never resulted
in anything substantial.
W^hen the truth comes to be told, and the true his
tory written of these cavalry fights along the fords of
the Rappahannock and Rapidan, and of which so much
has been claimed by the press, the real results will show
but little to our credit. The luckless Pope, in his
memorable advance backwards on Washington, his le
gions as disordered as his own mind was bewildered,
took the opportunity to tell some severe truths of his
2*

34 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
cavalry. Some of it ran his infantry down in its haste
to be first into Alexandria. Had that unfortunate
General confined his strictures to his worthless troopers,
the country would to-day have shared its sympathy
with him, and lie would, indeed, stand better before it.
It is now December, 1863, and the question may be
asked — what is the condition of our cavalry in Virginia
to-day ? What benefit are we deriving from it in com
parison to the enormous drain it is making upon the
Treasury ? General Stoneman, with the rank, pay,
and emoluments of a Major General, has retired from
active duty in the field, and presides over a cumbrous
and costly "Cavalry Bureau" at Washington, estab
lished without authority of law, a thing unknown
among the acts of Congress, an expensive fancy of that
child of magnificent fancies — the present Secretary of
War, The duties of this bureau are such as might he
performed by any capable captain or lieutenant. Gen
eral Stoneman being a Major General, must have things
conforming to his dignity, and hence must have a staff,
though the nation suffA-. There is attached to this
" Cavalry Bureau," an expensive camp, for receiving
and remounting dismounted troopers. It is noticed
that since the organization of this camp, the number of
dismounted cavalry men has alarmingly increased. The
utility of this camp, as well as tlie influence it has on
the service, has been questioned by some of our most
experienced cavalry officers. Many of them regard it
as nothing less than a premium held out to worthless
troopers to break down their horses and get away from'
service and into Washington. It is very well known,;-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 35
too, that regiments and parts of regiments sent into
this camp to be remounted and re-equipped have, after
long delay, returned to the field scarcely improved in
their condition. Whether this expensive bureau and
extensive camp will work any improvement in the effi
ciency of our cavalry, remains to be seen.
General Pleasanton, who really did some good fight
ing with his cavalry, and has some claim on the gratitude
of the people, has to-day nothing more than a nominal
command in the field. He is powerless even to organ
ize and give proper rank to his own staff. He knows
what cavalry ought to be, and feels that he could im
prove its condition, if the Government would but give
him the power to act. But when politicians control,
he finds it impossible to be anything more than their
instrument. Disgusted at the position he holds and
does not hold ; disheartened at the condition of the
force nominally under his command, we have almost
ceased to hear of his name. Gregg, Buford, Custer,
and Kilpatrick, officers who have shown what they
could do with cavalry if they had the power to perform,
are so chained down by orders, that their dash and
bravery is lost to the nation. We have now some
thirty-five regiments and parts of regiments attached
to the army of the Potomac. The country may natu
rally ask how it is that with so large and expensive a
force, Moseby, with a mere troop cuts in and out
through our lines, whenever and wherever he pleases,
destroys trains and Government property in our rear,
and carries off his plunder and prisoners unmolested ?
What are our thirty-five regiments of cavalry doing

36 THE STORY, OF A TROOPER.
while Moseby and his troop play such pranks in our
rear? Our Generals know the map of his operations.
That they do not entrap him argues something wrong,
and the common sense of the country knows where to
fix it.
If we turn to the valley of the Shenandoah, so fruit
ful of disgraces to our arms from the beginning of the
war up to the present time, and all for want of proper
generalship, the condition of our cavalry will be found
most deplorable. In an angle formed by Harper's
Ferry, Martinsburg, and Winchester, there are some
nine regiments of cavalry, or rather what are called
cavalry, most of them wasting away in useless inactiv
ity. The cowardly part performed by some of these
regiments (especially those from Pennsylvania,) in run
ning away from the enemy, is too well known to the
country. The officers seem to have no confidence in
their men ; the men no confidence in their officers. It
has been a question with many which was the worst
cowards. To send them out on an expedition was to
see them scamper back at the very shadow of Imboden,
in disgraceful disorder. Their condition has been
little better than that of a confused mob, made more
useless by being mounted. Nor has the discipline and
efficiency of some of these regiments improved in the
slightest, though they have been nearly two years in
the service. This would not be so if the Government
did its duty and saw that these worthless officers were
removed, and proper ones put in their places. Now it
is well known that these nine regiments of cavalry
with their immense expense to the country, are kept at

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 37
bay by tlic more shadow of Imboden and his men. Any
one who knows anything of Imboden and his followers
can attest to their being made up of the most cowardly
and characterless vagabonds the confederates have sent
out to disgrace a country and damage a cause. They
have always been ready to run at any show of courage,
and have never dared to meet the first New York cav
alry in a fair fight. In truth, too, it is not adding much
to our credit to say that Imboden and his men might
have been captured or driven beyond hearing long
since, but for the unwillingness of our Generals to
give the order. At one time Imboden and his com
mand, with its train, was within the very grasp of the
first New York cavalry, the men of which were impa
tient to make the charge and capture it, as seen quietly.
moving away before their eyes. But the General in
command, an eye-witness to the prize it required only
an effort to secure, thought the risk too great to assume
the responsibility without orders from Washington.
He withdrew his forces and left Imboden to seek a
peaceful asylum in the mountains. I have more than
once suspected our generals commanding in the valley
of having a peculiar love for Imboden and his followers,
whose shadows served them to prolong the pleasures
and pay incident to high command.
To say our cavalry was never in a worse condition,
more disorganized and helpless than it is now, is only
saying what is known in the army to be the truth. Is
it not then the very extreme of folly to put the country
to the expense of raising new regiments that can be of
no earthly use to the service for at'least a year, when

38 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
we have so many in the field that should be at once
dismounted and made to perform duty as infantry ?
What we need is a reorganization and consolidation of
the regiments already in the field. Permanent com
mand should be given to some officer of known ability,
with power to purge the service of its worthless officers
and men, as well as to hold every colonel to a strict re
sponsibility for the discipline and efficiency of his regi
ment. Military men well know that one regiment of
good cavalry, well officered and well handled, will do
more actual service than ten poor ones. And this is
what Congress should understand, and act upon, for the
benefit of the country as well as the honor of the ser
vice.

CHAPTER V.

DIFFICULTIES TO BE OVERCOME.
Early May had passed, the nation's hopes and fears
had been relieved somewhat by the prompt action of
the people, and the middle of the month was come.
And yet we had received no encouragement from Wash
ington. The Government was still undecided as to
whetlier cavalry would be needed in this war, and Mr.
Cameron, without any convictions of his own on the
subject, had enough to do assigning sutlerships and giv
ing places of high trust to his small political friends.
We had worked manfully to keep the organization to
gether, but this repeated indifference to our claims at
Washington brought a feeling of discouragement on us
all. We were without a recognized liead ; and liow to
raise funds to relieve our fast increasing necessities was
a question that began to tax all the ingenuity we pos
sessed. Begging was in fashion just then, and men
(Germans especially) in all sorts of uniforms, were go
ing from door to door soliciting of generous citizens
money to aid in raising some real or imaginary regi
ment. This business was carried to such an extreme

40 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
that it assumed a degrading character, and those en
gaged in it were not the men to make good soldiers.
Large sums of money were collected in this manner.
And it is safe to say that a large portion of it went into
the pockets of worthless officers, and was never ac
counted for to the men for whom the donors intended it.
We were not inclined to adopt this rule, so generally
in practice, of raising the ways and means ; first, be-|
cause, with the single exception of the big politician,
we were none of us skilled in the art of begging ; and
second, to be dependent on charity for the means of
raising a regiment the Government must ultimately need,
seemed mean and despicable. The Union Defense Com
mittee was just then in the height of its power, and
had taken a new saint into its circle. This new saint
was no less a person than Fernando Wood, who had
promised to be as gooda Christian as any of them, and
never again to play the political or any other kind of
a sinner. He was now distributing the gentle influ
ences of his love and patriotism over the whole com
mittee, upon whose generosity he had made so deep an
impression as to secure a vote granting him sixty-seven
thousand dollars, or thereabouts, " to assist " in raising
the Mozart regiment. Tammany had raised a regi
ment; why should not Mozart display its patriotism
in a similar manner ? And then the famous Union
Saving Committee, which really did much good, and,
with a little practical knowledge of military matters
might have done much more, had a strange partiality
for giving money with a lavish hand to regiments
raised through political influences. It had no money

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 41
to give us just then. We were not up to the political
standard received by the committee. Mr. Wood had
promised henceforth to walk according to the new creed
provided for all good men and patriots. It would
indeed be withholding justice from this highly honora
ble gentleman and straightforward politician, not to
say that he conducted himself as a truly good Christian
should, during his probation at the board. If he did
not return to his seat after he had secured the object of
his heart's desire, it was not because he had failed to
impress the more pious members of the committee with
the great depth and value of his patriotism.
It has been charged, and very unjustly I think, that
Mr. Wood had selfish motives in thus setting up for a
political saint ; that his regiment was raised, not so
much to put down the rebellion, as to keep life in a
political enterprise he had invested capital in and was'
afraid would be swept into the dead sea of the past.
But it must be remembered that all great and good
men have, in all ages, been charged with selfishness,
audi see no good reason why Mr. Wood should not be
added to the long list of worthy persons who have been
martyrs to their honest intentions, rather than heroes
to their ambition. I knew something of this Mozart
regiment when it was on the Peninsula, where it did
some good service. Strange to say, the officers all
seemed to repudiate their great benefactor, against
whom several of them pronounced maledictions I would
protest against their writing on my tombstone. This
I charged to the ingratitude common among mankind,
and not to any want of integrity shown by Mr, Wood

42 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
when he squared his account current with the regiment.
But as Mr. Wood will not thank me for writing either
his political or military history, and fearing my labor
of love may be lost on the reader, I will return to the
Union Defense Committee.
I have said we got no money of this committee. We
did. After several applications to other members
General Dix generously came forward in our behalf
and procured for us the sum of five hundred dollars,
Small as this sum was, considering the magnitude oi
our enterprise, and the obligations we had already in
curred, it came like a fresh gleam of sunlight through
dark and discouraging clouds, cheering our spirits and
giving new life to our energies. The committee had,
perhaps, good reasons for not giving us more. Some
of its members told us what had become a stale story.
It was not certain that cavalry would be called for.
The authorities at Washington had advised raising in
fantry and artillery for immediate use. And cavalry
regiments were so expensive, volunteer cavalry could
not be depended on, and the country we had to operate
in was not suited to the maneuvering of mounted
troops. Such were the objections we had to overcome
and work against.
But we had lost O'Mara, one of our best spirits.
Frank, outspoken, manly in his every act, and with as
true a heart as ever beat in a brave Irishman, he had
served his country faithfully in the field when his su
periors had turned traitors. Like a good patriot, he
was again impatient to show his strength in doing
battle for her cause. He had given us his services

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 43
willingly, and without remuneration, and his prompt,
soldier-like bearing had endeared him to us all. Being
doubtful of our success, he was offered and accepted a
commission in the Tammany regiment, with which, as
I have said before, he distinguished himself for great
coolness and bravery,*
Our group of leading spirits, as assembled of a morn
ing in the little office at Palace Garden, to talk over
the affairs of the nation and our own troubles, would
have formed a fine subject for the pencil of Eastman
Johnson. There was the meditative Stearns, his bright
bald head, and his kindly face— never out of temper,
and ready to accept disappointment without a sigh — ¦
to look at the bright side of everything, and never
say give up while there was a hope. Harkins, who had
played on many a stage, was ready now to entertain us
with his amusing stories, his quaint humor, and his in
spiriting laugh. Active and impulsive, he would make
various incursions into Jersey, recount the wonderful
progress our regiment was making to his friends there,
and come away with a number of their names on his
roll. And these pleasant adventures after recruits he
would recount to us in the morning, in his amusing
style. There, too, was Bailey, whom we had all come
to love, for his cool nonchalence, his activity, and his
genial qualities, and his readiness to invite us all to
the Woodbine, over the way, where he would spend his
last dollar for what is known among soldiers as " broth
erly love," to keep the spirits up. And there was
* He afterwards commanded a western regiment, and fell like a
hero, leading it on at the battle of Chattanooga.

44 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
Leavett, (the indomitable Tom,) never behind any man
when there was work to be done. The handsome
Harry Hidden, restless, impatient to get to the field,
so prim in his attire, his black, piercing eyes warm with
intelligence, and a curl of manly contempt on his lips
for those who were desponding and ready to give up
the enterprise in despair. Fancy this group forming a
half circle, with the soldierly Ogle (well known in the
regular army) for a central figure, and you have one of
as companionable and genial spirits as ever sat together
discoursing their future prospects in the field. Nor
must I forget to mention a group that usually assem
bled outside and held their deliberations on the pave
ment. This was composed of the big politician, whom
the wits inside had begun to use as a fit subject for
their jokes, and whose wonderful stories of himself had
ceased to have effect, except on the mind of some new
recruit. The melancholy man in black, who had taught
cavalry tactics over the border, and was always in a
desponding mood, was sure we never could raise the
regiment, solely because we did not follow his advice.
Between the big politician and the melancholy man
there sprang up a fellow feeling which it was difficult'
either to understand or appreciate, since they were ap-
posites mentally and physically. The one had a big
sabre, and wore long, square-toed boots ; the other had
been a hero in the Mexican war. The little, dark vis-
aged Major of Venezuelian fame, fraternized with this
outside group, and indeed gave light and shade, if not*
picturesqueness to it. He was ready always to join
the big politician over his cups ; but would never agree

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 45
with him on a question of arms. And he would dis
pute for an hour with the melancholy man over horse
flesh, and his skill in the use of the sabre. I noticed
that all three of these distinguished officers were much
more inclined to waste time in disputes on their own
skill than to engage in the more urgent business of
bringing in recruits. The best recruiting officers were
those who were freest from self-laudation.
Hidden would attend of a morning to the recruits,
inspire them with confidence as to our success, and
whisper such words of encouragement in thfeir ears as
would make them feel impatient to be in the field. If
the recruit were an old soldier, he was sure to want a
dollar or two. He must drink our health ; he must
have success to thejegiment in a square drink or two
with a comrade who had served with him during some
war in Europe. If there were a few shillings left, he
would use it in first wetting the comrade's eye, and
then fastening him on the rolls. In this way the " old
soldiers " would frequently empty Harry's pockets, for
he had a kind heart and could not resist the appeal of
a soldier. It must be remembered, also, that at that
day men were not bought to serve their country with
corrupting bounties.
The question of how to get a colonel to act with us
either temporarily or permanently, was now troubling
us more than any other. Bailey had been up to West
Point to see Bayard, then our instructor at the acad
emy. Bayard was eager to get into the field, but could
not then get the necessary leave of absence from the
regular army to enable him to join the volunteers. Our

46 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
effort did not succeed. The big politician offered to
spend half his immense fortune to get us the right sor<
of a colonel, or, to accommodate matters, he would
take the position himself. But this kind offer was
unanimously objected to. In truth, instead of the big
politician showing us the color of his wealth, no sooner
had we got possession of the fund appropriated by the
Union Defense Committee, than he began to have seri
ous designs upon it. There was this must be done, and
it would take at least fifty dollars to do it. There was
that must be done, or we could never get on ; and it
would require sixty dollars to do it. One hundred
and fifty would be required to do something else
equally important, I noticed that the politician had a
queer way of accounting for these sums which he gen
erally got, and that was by assuring us upon his honor
that they had been properly expended.
Major Merrill, formerly of the regular cavalry, was
in the successful practice of law in Wall street. He
was an officer of good reputation, had seen considerable
service, and, we had been told, was anxious to again
give his services to his country, A deputation was at
once organized to wait upon him and tender him the
command -of the regiment. He received the deputation
kindly, offered to render us any service within his
power ; but, to our disappointment and chagrin, pro
duced proof that he had already offered his services to
the Government, in her hour of trial, and requested
authority to raise a regiment of cavalry. His offer
had been declined, peremptorily, by Mr. Cameron.
He did not know why. It might be because he had

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 47
some experience, and knew something of cavalry, which
the Secretary of War regarded as dangerous to the
rule he had set up for the army about to be organized.
He, however, offered to serve us to the extent of his
power, joined us, gave us his advice, presided over our
deliberations during evenings, and assisted us to make
a temporary organization.
And now the time had come to make a temporary
organization and elect officers to serve nominally.
There was a great stir at headquarters one night, and
all those ambitious to serve their country as captains
and lieutenants of cavalry, were hard at work solicit
ing influence and votes. Foremost among the most
active workers was the big politician, who was an
adept at wire-pulling, and had fixed his very soul on
the quartermastership, a position then considered to be
worth an immense prospective fortune to any man with
limited scruples as to what the Government lost and
a private gentleman made. But as this appointment
was within the gift of the colonel, after the regiment
should be permanently organized, and not to be voted
for at this time, the politician resolved to be content
for the present with the captaincy of company A,
When drill was over " the men," or rather those who
were considered the rank and file, went to their homes ;
while those who considered themselves the flower of
the organization proceeded up into the gallery, and
seated themselves at a long table, Major Merrill taking
the head. The major, before proceeding to the busi
ness which he had been called to preside over, made us
a neat little speech, full of good advice and sound com-

48 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
mon sense. He also expressed his surprise that while
the rebels were moving to action as if touched by one
spring, our Government should evince a disposition to
tiirow obstacles in the way of men whose energy and
patriotism were producing what it would most need.
Nor could he understand why the War Department
should be so averse to men who had seen service in the
regular army. Three cheers were given for tiie major,
and we went into the business of voting. The big pol
itician, to his own surprise, was declared elected cap
tain of company A. Rising with great gravity of
manner, he began frisking his fingers through his bushy
hair and pondering over his sentences, for it would not
do to be thus honored without returning thanks for it.
The speaker, after hesitating for some time, and acting
as if his mind were in pursuit of thoughts, which af
forded Harkins. an excellent opportunity for a display
of wit, began by saying he had made speeches enough
but was never good at the beginning. His language
was evidently refractory, for his words would insist on
coming out backwards, and sticking half way at that.
What he intended to say, but did not, was that such a
distinguished honor was intended, he feared, for some
one else. He had never sought positions of high trust,
and if he accepted them it was only because he was
conscious of having ability enough to fill thein satis
factorily. A man must not be a martyr to his modesty
when his country was in danger ; and if he had not
already, he would in good time, prove to us that patri
otism alone found him in our ranks. Harkins Stearns ii
Battersby, and the little dark-visaged major were also '

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 49
elected captains. Others were content to be first lieu
tenants, and some went away disappointed. However,
we were organized into working parties, and that was
something. When the evening's work was over we
retired to the Woodbine over the way, and joined hands
over a social glass.

CHAPTER YT.

PRESSING NECESSITIES.
The middle of May and still working without au
thority. McDowell was in command of the troops
around Washington, and the country was hung in sus
pense with daily rumors of terrible things the rebels
were doing out west and among the mountains of Vir
ginia. Regiments of volunteers were being quickly
formed in New York and sent to aid the Government.
At that time true patriotism was aroused, and wives
parted freely with husbands who went to the war, and
sisters rebuked brothers inclined to stay at home. It was
popular to be a soldier then ; even a poetic inspiration;
seemed to have seized on the people, and the man had
some courage who dared stem the rush to arms. These
things, however, did but increase our anxieties and
heighten the gloom that hung over our prospects. Other
regiments were fitting up and going off. We could
not get ours accepted. Our expenses for rent had in
creased alarmingly ; and our kind and forbearino- land
lord needed what we had not got in the exchequer to
give him. The man who had printed the big, flaming

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 51
posters, with the fierce looking trooper at a charge,
would look in to say he wanted a trifle, if it would not
inconvenience us. The gray-bearded man, who had an
advertising bill, and wanted to join us because he hated
the south and her " niggers," assured us his employers
needed money or he would not have troubled us. Rent
for recruiting stations outside was accumulating, and
the genius of Bailey was sorely taxed for assurances
that they (the importuning landlords) would be paid
at a future day. To have no money, and yet be able to
send a creditor away encouraged, is a merit not pos
sessed by every gentleman. The poor recruits, too, had
mouths and needed something to put in them. They
perhaps had little children looking to them for bread.
Recruiting officers had to be sent into the country to
stir up the patriotism of the people, and bring in the
ambitious youth impatient to swing a sabre. Money
must be provided for their transportation and other
expenses. We needed five thousand where we had only
five hundred dollars. It was not pleasant to give our
time and be compelled to run in debt to serve the Gov
ernment. Then we had to stop our drills of an evening. Blen-
ker's regiment of Teutons had spread over the large
hall, piled its sides with their blankets and mattresses,
and stacked arms in its centre. They used it for a camp
at night and a banqueting hall by day, with Bologna
sausage and foaming lager for the feast. Germany was
just at that time in high feather ; in high feather with
the authorities at Washington ; in high feather with
our politicians ; in high feather with themselves as

52 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
soldiers superior to all others. The Government was
inclined to give Germany all she demanded ; and there
was little connected with the army that she did not de
mand. Of course we yielded to Germany ; and taking
our departure from Palace Garden, located next at
Independence Hall, a narrow little loft over a livery
stable on Seventh avenue. Things did not prosper
well with us here, recruits began to get dissatisfied and
to drop off, and there was a fair prospect that we would
have to give up the enterprise and ask our creditors to
forgive us our sins. It was, however, proposed to send
another delegation to Washington to get authority for
Major Merrill to raise the regiment and take command.
It was thought that the little dark-visaged major, who
assured us he had an intimate acquaintance with all
the high military dignitaries at the capital, might work
a favorable result with Mr. Cameron. He did indeed
seem the sort of man Mr. Cameron had a weakness
for. If, too, the major failed to make an impression
by his wonderful stories of what he had done in war,
he was sure to effect his purpose with a few exhibi
tions of what he could do with the sabre.
Well, the major and myself were chosen a delegation
of two, and started for Washington of a Saturday af
ternoon. It was evident, however, that the major re
garded the expedition as an affair of pleasure, and was
inclined to make the most of it. We had not gone far
when he wanted to see a friend, and left the train for
the night. On the following day, (Sunday) the major
joined me at tlie Continental Hotel, in a most happy
state of mind. He had on a cavali-y jacket, was armed

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 53
with a sabre, and had been enjoying his cups with a few
friends of a military turn, whom he had chanced to meet
on the road. The wonders of Philadelphia must be
seen before the major could think of proceeding to
Washington to do business with high military authori
ties. There was Fairmount, and other attractive loca
tions to be seen, and the major rolled away in his car
riage to astonish people not in nniform. It was late in
the evening when he returned, feeling very happy, and
without a care as to how the war went. We started for
Perryville in the eleven o'clock train, the major armed
with a big black bottle, the contents of which we would
need, he said, for the night was wet and stormy. But
he soon went into a deep sleep, from which he did not
wake until we reached Perryville, then a place of some
military importance. Tlie road from Havre-de-Grace to
Baltimore was destroyed, and some parts of Maryland
were in a belligerent state. On alighting from the cars
we were brought to a halt by the guard, two sturdy Ger
mans, neither of whom could speak a word of English,
or were inclined to be on very social terms with any of
us. Indeed, they several times made feints to charge
into our solid column, bringing the points of their
bayonets into an uncomfortable proximity to our noses.
At this halt we were kept for more than ten minutes,
the rain pouring down, and sergeant of the guard No.
2, who was called for about every two minutes, seeming
resolved not to be disturbed from his sound sleep. Not
a few imprecations were bestowed upon the head of
sergeant of the guard No. 2, when he made his ap
pearance ; and a few were heard to very emphatically

54 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
condemn the folly of any military order that went to
restrict the progress of an American citizen.
Sergeant of the guard No. 2 gave the order to pass
on. The German sentinels shouldered arms and re
sumed their pacing, and the throng of passengers
rushed down the long and rickety wharf, lumbered
with all sorts of boxes and bales, and on board a small,
cranky steamboat that was to convey us down the Sus
quehanna to Annapolis. It would be difficult to
imagine anything more disagreeable than this passage.
The little boat was piled beyond her capacity with
freight, and swarmed with a suspicious-looking class of
passengers, a majority of whom had the seal of Israel
on their faces, and were bound to the promised land
just being opened for them by General Butler. There
was no place to lay down, and sleep was a luxury not
to be thought of. The mischievous employed the time
circulating reports of captures just made by the rebels,
of fights with our troops at the Relay House, of re
verses to our arms at Harper's Ferry, and various
other reports of an exciting nature, until the timid be
gan to wish themselves back on the safe soil of Penn
sylvania. Stories were told, too, of vessels captured
down the river, burnt, their owners robbed, or made
prisoners to the new government just started by Mr.
Davis, and which Maryland was just then strongly in
clined to coquette with. In tiiis way the effect of the
pitiless storm was relieved. Indeed, there were not a
few simple enough to inquire of the captain if there
was much danger of capture by some rebel craft lurking
along the coast.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 55
About two o'clock in the morning the little major
made his appearance, creating quite a sensation among
a throng of ill-featured persons in the after cabin, who
regarded him with no small degree of curiosity, for he
Avore his kepi, his cavalry jacket, and a sabre nearly
as long as himself. He began by lamenting the loss of
his black bottle, and charged it to the Jews, whom he
declared to .be an unrighteous set of cowards, not one
of whom dared to cross a sabre with him, or shoot at
ten paces on the upper deck. Here the major drew
his sabre and began flourishing it, to the intense alarm
of all unarmed passengers, for he -declared he would
show us how they treated the Jews in Venezuela when
he commanded the flower of her army. There were
not a few inquiries as to who the major was, and a
wag circulated it about that he was a distinguished
French General, sent over by Napoleon to instruct us
in the formation of our army. The more sensible set
him down for a mad adventurer, out of a job, and a
little tipsy. His expressions of hate for the Jews fail
ing to restore his lost bottle, he began drawing a map
of Venezuela on the deck, with the point of his sabre,
and then pointed out to the astonished bystanders ex
actly where her army was posted during certain battles
he had taken a prominent part in. In this wayhe would
have kept the passengers entertained until daylight,
but for a stalwart engineer, who picked him up in his
arms and carried him to the pilot's bunk, where he
slept soundly until we reached Annapolis.
Annapolis presented a busy scene just then ; wherever
the eye turned it met some fresh proof of the restless

5Q THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
activity and indomitable energy of General Butler
The harbor was full of barges, steamboats, and othei
light draught vessels, some crowded with troops, others
loaded with munitions of war, forage or subsistence,
The thirteenth New York (Brooklyn) militia were sta
tioned there, and as a proof of their industry and en
gineering skill, had built several extensive piers and
storehouses, and laid the railroad track from the de
pot in the town down to and along the Government
wharves. We arrived just in time to see the first train
make its entrance into the grounds amidst the cheers
of the troops, A great change had suddenly come over
Annapolis ; a change that might have been turned to
great results in the future, had the people made their
thoughts and actions conform to it. But they were
moody and sullen, and seemed to regard with distrust,
if not outspoken dislike, the busy scene that was being
enacted inside of the Government grounds. A little
after ten o'clock the train started for Washington, filled
with a motley throng of passengers. General Butler
and his staff accompanied us as far as the junction. He
was on his way to the Relay House, to direct some mili
tary movements going on there. All along the road, at
short intervals, were guards protecting the road, their
rustic huts, made of boughs and underwood, presenting
quite a picturesque appearance. The good Maryland-
ers along the road were very uncertain in their loyalty.
It was not safe, perhaps, to be open traitors, though
slavery had fixed their sympathies witii the south ; and
the question with many of tiiem was, would patriotism
be profitable? Not a few of the "most respectable" and

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 57
more wealthy among them would, under cover of dark.
ness, have picked up a rail here and there, or destroyed
a bridge, to show their contempt of the " Lincoln Gov
ernment." The storm had ceased, the day was warm and sunny,
and it was one o'clock when we reached Washington,
then transformed into a vast camp. War had already
begun to write the history of its work on objects
about the city. Armed with a passport from the Union
Defense Committee, setting forth that I was a good
and loyal citizen, I passed guards everywhere and
gained ready admittance " within the lines." Pennsyl
vania avenue was thronged with men in uniform ; sol
diers lounged on the grass plats, and disorder and
want of discipline were already working their evil
effect. And, too, it seemed as if all the bad and char
acterless men of the country had gathered into the
capital with a view of procuring prominent places in
the army. The nation and its cause has since suffered
because these men generally got what they demanded.

3*

CHAPTER VII,

STRANGE SCENES IN THE CITY OP WASHINGTON.
But if the city was a great camp, it had indeed the
appearance of being without a commander. Rhode
Island troops had turned the south end of the Treasury
building into a barracks, and some Baker who needed
employment as a spy was daily discovering rebel plots
to blow it up. These ridiculous reports, originating
with bad men among ourselves, seriously disturbed
the slumbers of certain aged ladies, and also weakened.
the nerves if not the knees of a weak-kneed Cabinet.
Bad men out of business sought and found employment
through the fears of those in high office. A French
philosopher once told me that it had cost some nations
more to arm their fears than to defend themselves I
against their foes. With what I saw around me I be
gan to think there was some truth in what this savan
had said. Some rulers so fear their friends that they
lose half their strength when they undertake to fight,;
their country's enemies. It looked to me at this mo-'
ment as if fear was to lead us into many damaging er
rors. But of this I shall say more in a more appropri
ate place.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 59
Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts
troops swarmed over the city ; were quartered in
stores and houses along the avenue, and made the very
air echo with their merry voices, for war was a novelty
then. The Patent Office shared with other buildings
its spacious halls for the accommodation of troops.
How little control the officers had over their men,
what must have been the discipline and the spirit of
recklessness that ruled among all, might have been
read with pain on the defaced and disfigured walls of
those noble buildings. Men who would have scrupu
lously protected their own property at home, and in
deed blushed at the vandal who dared lay vile hands
on the public buildings of any country, saw their men
deface these noble monuments of our progress without
a word of rebuke. And what, let me ask, could be
expected of men in an enemy's country whose acts
were to destroy rather than protect our own public
buildings ?
It was, however, in the Capitol of the nation that the
finger of desecration had written its work in the boldest
outlines. This building, so admired by men of taste
of every nation, was turned into a garrison. The lower
floor served as a storehouse, its costly tiles broken
into crumbs, and the frescoed walls, blackened and de
faced, frowning upon huge piles of beef and flour bar
rels. The second or main floor presented a still more
isad and unsightly scene. A Brooklyn regiment, com
posed chiefly of Germans, were encamped here, and the
¦men seemed to regard it their duty to deface or des
troy whatever they came in contact with. The beau-

60 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
tiful corridors, on which art had exhausted itself in
decoration, were wantonly defaced, and strewn with
the litter of filthy mattrasses. You could here see how
soon war lets loose all the bad passions and makes man
the most destructive of animals. You could see, also,
how the soldier, once his spirit of destruction is aroused,
does not stop to inquire whether the property he des
troys belongs to friend or foe. If works of art in tlic
Capitol of tiie nation found no respect at the hands of
our soldiers, how littie could we expect from them for
property in an enemy's country ?
In the new hall where our representatives assemble,
there was being enacted when I entered a strange and
grotesque scene. It would be doing injustice to this
history did I not record it. In the Speaker's chair sat
a grave but stalwart German, with the short thick
neck and broad shoulders of an Hercules, a big bullet
head, close cropped, a flat inexpressive face, and his
brawny arms bared to the elbows. His only raiment
was a shirt and trowsers, and no Speaker within my
recollection has ever presented so giant-like a figure.
Behind him bristled stacks of bright muskets. Accou
trements hung here and there from and disfigured the
walls, while pistols and side-arms lay before him on
the Speaker's desk. In front of this desk several of his
comrades had gathered, having taken part in a very
boisterous but good tempered debate. The man then
addressing the chair, or rather he who sat in it with
such clever mock gravity, was tall, lank of figure, and
the features of his face would have done justice to Don
Quixote. He spoke with great fluency, clear emphasis,

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 61
and fierce gesticulation. He spoke in the tongue of his
fatherland, and I could not get from any one near me,
so intent were they on listening, what the subject un
der debate was. The speaker was evidently a man of
some humor, for every few minutes he would send his
audience into a roar of laughter, and so disturb proper
decorum that the man in the chair would rise and com
mand order. It was clear they were burlesquing, per
haps imitating, scenes enacted by the country's legisla
ture in the same place. The tall man was evidently a
great favorite, for there was great cheering when he
sat down, and not a few of his companions gathered
about him offering bread and sausage, and indeed be
stowing upon him various tokens of appreciation. A
little frisky German, who had several times attempted
to interrupt the tall man in the course of his speech,
now rose and was greeted with cries I could under
stand to mean — put him out. He had a short, crooked
nose, this little man, a tea-kettle shaped head, and was
what is called b'andy-legged. He reminded me of Foot
when he rose in the Senate. He always wanted to be
up, and nobody could keep him down. He was never
happy in his seat, and when he was up he seldom had
anything sensible to say.
The little frisky man began by frisking in and out
among his comrades, making strange motions with his
head and fingers at the man in the chair. The chair
was not inclined to receive this without rebuke, and
rising, in defense of its dignity, threatened to throw a
Colt's revolver at the bulgy head of the peace dis
turber. At this the littie man made several polite

62 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
bows, and would have put a question of privilege had
not the chair summarily ruled him out of order. But
he was resolved not to regard himself out of order, and
turning to some one in a distant part of the house be
gan ejaculating something I could not understand, and
shaking his clenched fists in a paroxysm of passion.
The chair now ordered him in arrest, and a file of three
men bore him off to one of the committee rooms, then
used as a guard-house. Several other things common
to parliamentary usage were gone through, with con
siderable resemblance to the reality. But it was im
possible to witness this strange scene without feelings
of pain and sorrow. Some of the members' desks were
broken to pieces ; others were rendered useless ; others
were used by half-clad soldiers to rest their feet upon.
Soldiers sat in the chairs of members, cleaning their
muskets, or brushing up their belts. The gleam of
bright muskets and bayonets shooting up through the
body of the house, and resting against the frescoed
walls, excited a recollection of Rome, when soldiers
¦ entered the Senate and murdered or drove out the Sena
tors, The costly furniture, sofas, and settees, that
stood along the rear of the hall were broken to frag
ments, A similar scene of destruction might have been
seen in the galleries. And this work of wantonness,
this vandalism of the nineteenth century, the officers
who permitted it meriting the severest censure, the
Germans now on duty charged as the work of the First
iNew York Zouave.s — a regiment made up of, I regret
to say, firemen. My own opinion is that the Germans ;
idid quite as much, if not more titan the Zouaves, to

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 63
produce this scene of wreck in the capital of the na
tion. I went from the House of Representatives to the
Senate chamber, of which we were all so proud. It
was filled with soldiers ; its furniture was broken, its
desks destroyed, the paintings on the walls bleared and
defaced. Respect and reverence seemed gone, and the
brutal conduct of men placed here to guard and protect,
deserved the severest censure. Tiie President's desk
was used as a rack for fire-arms, and the broken sofas
and chairs were piled in a promiscuous heap against
the side walls. There was no need of turning the Sen
ate Chamber into a camp. There was no need of dese
crating the Halls of Congress, and turning the Capitol
of the nation into a barracks. Its grounds afforded
ample shelter for the troops, and if the enemy had con
templated an attack upon it the troops could have de
fended it as well from without as within. But the
enemy, with all his crimes, and they are manifold, never
seriously contemplated an attack on Washington.
His policy when the war began was to act strictly
on the defensive. When he changed that policy he
well knew how strongly Washington had been for
tified, and what an attempt to take it would cost
him. I must now return to the object of my mission. I
had been three days in the city, and through the kind
ness of a friend in the War Department had succeeded
in getting two interviews with Mr. Cameron. It
seemed to me there was no man in the United States:
more to be pitied, since nearly all his time and atteh-

64 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
tion was absorbed (or at least I thought it was) in giv
ing sutlerships to old friends in Pennsylvania, and in
vesting needy lawyers with authority to raise regiments.!
As to cavalry he was still uncertain about its useful
ness in this war. He had consulted various writers,
and was trying to make up his mind as to what cavalry
had and had not done in other wars. He was not sure
that cavalry added much to the real strength of an
army. Young men would no doubt like to ride to the
war at the country's expense ; but to open a great na
tional riding school for the accommodation of these
young gentlemen was a question requiring very serious
consideration. At all events there wag- no need of
going beyond Pennsylvania for cavalry. Pennsylvania
was a great horse-growing State. Her people were
honest, and most of them could ride. Her farmers, in
many places, still went to mill mounted. It was clear
that Mr. Cameron's faith in raising cavalry enough for
the war was firmly fastened to Pennsylvania, while the
innocence of his ideas respecting that arm of the ser
vice was worthy of therDuke of Newcastle, once Eng
land's Minister of War,
The Secretary saw another serious obstacle in the
way, and no means of overcoming it. He regarded
i" the regulations" as his master ; and there was noth
ing in the regulations to warrant him in supplying
horses to our volunteer cavalry. Every man must
provide his own horse and equipments. For the use
of the horse the Government would pay forty cents
a day, with an equal amount for forage. Now, it is
very easy to see how few men willing to enter the

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 65
cavalry service would have the means of providing
their own horses and equipments. Such a system, if
continued, would have been fatal to the organization
of a volunteer cavalry. There were undoubtedly men
enough ready to have stepped in and supplied the
horses ; but few can fail to see how wide a field for
the operations of speculators in bad horse-flesh it
would have opened. General Meigs took a more in
telligent view of this subject, and to him is due the
credit of opening the eyes of the Government to the
necessity of changing this system and mounting our
volunteer cavalry at its own expense.
It was early June, and although Mr, Cameron could
give us no encouragement as to whether the regiment
would be accepted, he advised keeping up the organi
zation, and trusting to what the further necessities of
the war might produce, I had scarcely left the War
Department, however, when I heard that the " Gov
ernment" had made a colonel of Mr. Carl Schurz, and
authorized him to raise a regiment of cavalry, to be
composed chiefly of Germans, whose military skill the
Government was at that time inclined to place a high
price upon. Indeed, it may be added with truth, that
the Government had at that time a strange and unac
countable weakness for German soldiers, and was quick
to bestow its favors on such as applied for high com
mands. This may account for the readiness with which
Mr. Schurz, a gentleman of fine literary tastes, ob-
!tained what had been refused experienced officers who
Jiad served in our regular cavalry. Events have since
shown how much the Government had to learn before

C6 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
it came to place a proper value on American courage
and American talent.
I had been four days in Washington, and seen noth
ing of the littie Major since our arrival. I began to
be much concerned about him, for he had expressed to
me great anxiety to get into the very heart of Vir
ginia, and give the rebels a taste of his courage. He,
however, confronted me in the afternoon, in the sitting
room of Willards' hotel, very mellow, physically as
well as mentally ; and the story he related to me was
very remarkable, as well in its manner of delivery as'
in its deliberate disregard of truth. " Bin troubled
iver since we arrived," said the Major, with an
unsafe motion of the body, '' with ickups and tic-
dol-rue. Had a d — 1 of a time, altogether. Regi
ment's no go. Government don't want it, won't ac
cept it — no use for cavalry, no how. Cost the country
too much, you know. Seen General Scott, renewed
old acquaintance. Said he had not seen anybody he
was so glad to see since the war. Gave me his chair
and took another. Talked over Mexico, Took two
cocktails with him, one before breakfast, t'other just
after, Man of solid ideas, sir, and a soldier. Knows
just the kind of men needed for this war. Ap
pointed me to the command of the scouts — right off,
to-morrow. You'll hear from me, old fellow, Man's
curious : up David to-day, down David to-morrow.
David's up to-day." The Major continued in this
strange strain for several minutes, then oscillated into
a chair, drew close to me, and continued in a whisper,
" Got the whole plan of the war. So much for the old

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 67
general's confidence in me. Off into Virginia to
morrow. Paid respects to President ; exchanged jokes
with him ; told him he could rely on me when he wanted
a friend. Bless you, sir, these big men all know me.
Caleb Cashing (met him yesterday and tipped glasses)
said, what can I do to serve you, Major ? say the word
and I'll see you made a general. Seward invited me
to dine with him, and wanted to know how long the
war would last. Said he was sorry I could not dine
with him, and laughed when I said the war would last
a year. Cameron was studying the Regulations. Said
I might be at better business than raising cavalry to
ruin the nation. Couldn't see cavalry that wasn't
raised in Pennsylvania, where people were honest."
The Major rose from his chair, bid me good bye, and
taking the arm of a companion, also under the influ
ence of tic-dol-rue, they both went oscillating out of
the room. This was the last I saw of the little Major,
nor have I heard of him during the war.

CHAPTER VIII

THE WAY WB GOT A COLONEL.
When I returned to New York a great change had
taken place in our affairs. Our headquarters had been
removed back to Palace Garden, and the prospects of
our organization were brighter than I had expected to
find them. Mr. Carl Schurz, in addition to his commis
sion as colonel of cavalry, had been appointed Minister
to Spain. Not many years ago we were represented^
or rather misrepresented, at that Court by a frisky
Frenchman, who excited among Spaniards the remark
that it was strange a people so intelligent as the Amer
icans had to get foreigners to represent them abroad. ¦
We were now to be represented at the Court of
Madrid by a very talkative German, between whose
countrymen and the Spaniards there never existed any
very high respect.- What sending a German to repre*
isent us at the Court of Madrid could do to heighten the
respect of Spaniards for us, I leave such of my readers
as have resided in Spain to form an opinion. Some
persons have said Mr. Schurz could have been better
provided for and made more useful at home. Certain
it is he was in great tribulation, and for some time un-

THE STORY OF A THOOPEE. 69
decided whetiier to go into the field — ^a hero at the
head of a regiment of troopers — or to proceed to Spain
and enjoy the dignity of a four years' residence at
Madrid, To be sure, he knew nothing of cavalry,
although he had recently given himself to the study of
books on the subject. And he had authorized Count
Moltki, as fierce a looking trooper as ever swung sabre,
to proceed to the formation of a German organization.
The Count gathered about him several other gay
troopers from fatherland, and, be it said to his credit,
was not long in collecting a goodly number of Teutonic
braves ready to take the field under his command.
Colonel Carl Schurz walked the streets of New
York day after day, now fancying himself at the head
of a regiment of troopers, making brilliant charges on
the enemy's lines, and for his gallantry winning fame
that would live and brighten in the history of the war;
now fancying himself a Minister at Madrid, the com
panion of distinguished diplomatists and the sharer of
Queen Isabella's smiles. The would-be trooper could not
resist the attractions of Madrid. He decided to go to
Spain. The question now was how to get rid of his
commission as colonel, and also to escape the suspicion
that he was afraid to take the field, for there was any
number of swash-bucklers in the market at that time,
!and to be numbered among them was fatal to a gentle
man with high diplomatic pretensions.
We, too, had got a colonel, a gentleman who claimed
Ireland as his birthplace ; was proud that he could
claim her, but was just from Michigan, where he had
for some vears been engaged in the twin professions of

70 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
law and politics. In appearance one might have mis
taken our new colonel for a village schoolmaster some
time out of a job. He was a man of middle stature,
with a round pleasant face, and hair that hung far
down over the collar of a shabby black dress coat.
His neck was encased in a stiff satin stock such as New
England clergymen used to wear twenty years ago.
His vest was of well-worn black satin ; a big cameo
pin illuminated a dingy shirt bosom, his trousers
were black and thready, and a pair of dilapidated mo
rocco boots ornamented his feet. I had almost for
gotten to mention a tall and somewhat damaged hat,
which he wore jauntily on the top of his head, and a
pair of heavy brass-bowed spectacles, that worked
every few minutes to the tip of a blunt nose, and gave
him a deaconish air. But our colonel was a man of
rare genius, and not to be judged by his clothes. In
deed, I have no doubt he wo~re the latest and most
approved style of dress known to the legal professiom
in Michigan, I must add also that he had fought, and
gallantly, too, in our war with Mexico, where he was a
captain of cavalry. He had charged side by side with •
the gallant Kearney, when with a mere troop of cav
alry he (Kearney) drove the enemy in confusion over
the causeway and up to the very gates of the city of
Mexico, The brave Kearney lost his arm there. There,
too, our colonel was wounded, and he showed you a
paralyzed arm as the proof of his valor. He was ripe^
of those genial qualities which give strength to friend
ships between men, and are exceedingly valuable in
pamp. If he lacked quickness and decision, he could

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 71
sing you a good song, tell you a story of something
pleasant in the past, enjoy a companion over his cups,
yes, and he had a speech for you after dinner, and few
could beat him at a rubber of whist.
Here was an excellent opportunity for Colonel Carl
Schurz to get rid of the difficulty the War Department
had fastened upon him. That astute diplomat and
candidate for martial honors saw in McReynolds, for
such was our colonel's name, a means of transferring
his commission as colonel of cavalry, and proceeding
on his way to Spain, where he could enjoy in peace the
pleasures of a residence near the Court of Madrid,
The big politician, too, thought this an excellent op
portunity to display his talents, and taking both
colonels under his shadow, seriously disturbed their
peace of mind with his attentions. There was nothing
he could not do for them, even if his influence had to
be exerted over the Cabinet at Washington. There,
he would assert, his patriotism was appreciated, though
not a few of us knew he was at heart as arrant a rebel
as could be found south of Culpepper, But so afraid
was he that either colonel should suspect him of being
janything less than a patriot, ready to shed his blood
or spend his immense fortune for the cause of the
Union, that ifwas difficult to get him to leave them,
if only for an hour. Or, if he left one it was to ap
pear before the other, his hat in his hand, making
sundry obsequious bows. He always wanted to assure
the Minister to Spain that he could serve him in
various ways, and consider it an high honor to be
afforded the opportunity. And so persistent were his

72 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
offers that Mr. Schurz began to regard himself as reg
ularly beseiged. He was much concerned, too, and
spent many sleepless nights, lest he should not get the
eagles soon enough on the shoulders of our colonel.
Indeed, there was little business he did not manage to
get himself mixed up in, to the serious injury and delay
of whatever we undertook ; and yet he never for one
hour attended to his own, which was to recruit for
Company A, which he boasted of having the honor to
command, though every man in it had long since set him
down for a fool, and not to be served under for a day.
Various meetings were held, and after the exchange
of several propositions it was agreed on the part of
Carl Schurz, Minister to Spain and colonel of cavalry,
on the one side, and our colonel, for himself, on the
other : first, that the commission held by Mr, Schurz,i
with the authority it conferred to raise a regiment of
cavalry, be transferred to our colonel; second, that
four companies of Germans were to be admitted a part
of the regiment ; third, that they should elect officers
of their own countrymen ; fourth, that the position of
lieutenant colonel should be given to a German, This
done, Mr. Schurz was free to proceed on his mission to
Spain; to seek civil and not military glory. This
compromise, so quickly agreed upon and so satisfactory
to Mr. Schurz, had to be sanctioned by the War De
partment before it became valid. A delegation must
be sent to Washington; money must be provided to
pay its expenses. Here was a nice job for the big pol
itician, whose fingers always had a remarkable itching
for what little money we had in the treasury. This

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 73:
remarkable delegation, to effect what could have been
done in an hour by one man, consisted of our colonel,
Captain Stearns, Captain Boyd, (who was raising a
company for us in Philadelphia,) and the big politician,
who was sure nothing could be done in Washington
without him. This man must have three hundred and
fifty dollars, at least, to pay the expenses, and as that
was just the amount we had in the treasury, the contri
bution of a generous friend, there was not a shilling left
to warm up the courage of a new recruit at the Wood
bine. What earthly use the big politician could be in
Washington not one of us could see. Seriously speak
ing, one might as well have sent our little bugler, as
ill-begotten an item of flesh and blood as ever was born
into this or any other world, and a melancholy illustra
tion of all the vices known to human kind, though he
boasted of having sounded his bugle from Maine to
Mexico. The War Department was inclined to regard Ger
mans as superior to Americans for cavalry, and hes
itated to ratify the agreement. The President, how
ever, stepped in and put an end to the delay by ordering
the regiment to be accepted, with Colonel McReynoWs,
and filled up with all speed. This done our delegation
!returned to New York, much elated with its success,
Ithe credit of which the big politician took entirely tp
himself. We now went on recruiting rapidly — the
Germans for themselves, the Americans for themselves.
And as we were in better spirits, we changed our head
quarters to Disbrow's riding school, where many an
4

74 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
amusing scene in the history of our recruiting was
enacted. The Germans were a fine, soldierly looking set of
men, especially their officers, and adapted themselves
to circumstances better than the Americans. Most of
them had seen military service in their own country,
were familiar with the tactics, and, indeed, knew all the
details of organizing much better than we did. Nor
were they free from boasting of their superior military
knowledge, and what they would do in battle when the
time came. We were always giving ourselves much
trouble as to who was to pay the subsistence bills ive
were incurring, for Congress had not yet passed tlie
twenty million act for the reimbursement of such per
sons as had paid money for recruiting, subsisting, and
organizing new regiments. The Germans gave them
selves no such concern. Their officers enjoyed good
dinners with an abundance of Rhine wine, and enter
tained their friends. With them lager was a potent
recruiting sergeant, and there was no stint of it among
the men, who fared sumptuously and also entertained
their friends, A merrier or better natnred set of fel
lows never bivouacked. They gave themselves no con
cern as to who would pay the bills, having great faith
in the large generosity of the Government they were to
fight for. And when they had eaten their credit out in
one place they would quietly move to another, form the
acquaintance of a new host, and enjoy his fare. In this
way there came to be numerous confiding Germans,
each with a bill for several hundred dollars, and anx
ious to get them paid without delay. The German

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 75
officers were polite gentlemen, who would put their im
portuning creditors on the rack and tell them not to
get impatient. Our creditors were likewise uneasy, and
had to be put off with the' best kind of promises we
could invent. But recruits came in rapidly, and our
companies were filling up, some of them with sons of
the first families in New York. The big politician was
making a great deal of trouble for us outside, and had
not recruited a man for his company, which was being
filled up through the efforts of Ogle, Bailey, and others.
The tall melancholy man in black, too, had taken it
into his head to feel aggrieved, and instead of recruiting
his company (B) had placed himself under the shadow
of the big politician ; and both went about like bears
in tribulation, creating bad feeling between the Ger
mans and Americans. Sometimes they would be accom
panied by the little bugler, who had a strange weakness
for keeping their company, and, indeed, blowing his
trumpet for them in exchange for a sixpenny dram, to
which they would frequently invite him. It is indeed
doubtful whether Company B would have been made up
in New York, had not Captain Henry B. Todd stepped
in and with remarkable energy filled up its ranks.
There was among the Germans a short, fair-haired
man of ponderous dimensions, weighing more than three
hundred pounds, and blessed with a good temper. He
was short of legs and body, had a strange gait, and
required the aid of four men to mount his horse. His
name was Hurtzog, and he was known in the regiment
as little Bob, the light-horseman. Bob was a right
merry fellow, was kind to his men, never out of temper,

76 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
brave withal, and continually falling in love with little
women. He was fond of dancing, and could sing toler
ably well. In truth, he afforded us much amusement,
and was always ready to enjoy a joke made by any one
at his expense. I mention him here because fie per
formed some amusing parts during our campaign on
the Peninsula.

CHAPTER IX

SUNDRY MATTERS.
I may, perhaps, have written much that may seem of
a personal character, and not particularly interesting
to the general reader. My object, however, is to show
how one or two improper, as well as incompetent per-
-eons, fastened on a regiment through intrigue and fraud,
and whose loyalty is at least open to suspicion, may
destroy discipline and endanger the usefulness of that
cregiment. This was the case with our regiment ; and
it was not the only one in the Army of the Potomac
that had to contend against the bad influence of a few
officers, obnoxious to the rest of the regiment. On the
breaking out of the war the worthless men who had
ifastened themselves on the public institutions of the
country during the administrations of James Buchanan
and Pierce, found themselves discharged and out of em
ployment. Many of these men were as rank secession
ists as were to be found under the immediate shadow of
Mr. Jefferson Davis. The outward signs they gave
were no proof of what their hearts felt and their hands
would have done, were it not for the fear of detection
land that loyal public sentiment, then so thoroughly

78 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
aroused. These men must have something to do, and
finding themselves dismissed from offices they had dis
graced, fastened themselves on the army only to corrupt
it. Those familiar with tiie many obstacles General
McClellan had to overcome in organizing the Army of
the Potomac, also know how much trouble these men
gave him. Innocent of all military knowledge, and car
rying into the army with them all that spirit of intrigte
common to the petty politician, they were continu
ally increasing the labors of generals, continually
spreading dissensions among the men for selfish mo
tives, and never found attending to their proper duties.
Many of these worthless men sought and obtained
positions as quartermasters, a position regarded, when
the war began, as affording the means of making a
great fortune in a short time. What their peculations
have cost the nation is too well and painfully known
to the people. Political influence obtained for others
positions as field officers ; this over the heads of worthy,
loyal, and brave men. Feeling their own incapacity,
many of these men sought to screen it by leaving to
more competent subordinates the labor Government
was paying them to perform. The Administration was
in a measure to blame for this, since in its haste to con
ciliate the opposite party, it was constantly giving
places of high trust in the army to men known to be
without character, and utterly unfit mentally or morally
to fill them. I have noticed also, that the most worth
less of these men were the most ambitious of rank and
and pay ; generally succeeded in getting both. It is safe
to say that one worthless officer costs the Government

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 79
ten times as much as an efficient one. Indeed I think T
am not wrong in saying that I have known officers at
tached to the Army of the Potomac, whom the Govern
ment might, with profit to itself, have paid to fight in
the ranks of the rebels. Experience has shown me also,
^hat one disloyal officer in our own ranks, can work a
more damaging influence than a whole regiment of the
enemy in our front.
It was now July. The Germans had carried a very
high feather for some time, passing us with an air of
coldness and high military superiority, and it was evi
dent that some influence was at work exciting a very
bad feeling between us. We were for some time at a
loss how to account for this feeling, but as it grew
deeper and deeper every day, and was likely to be very
damaging in its results, means were instituted to dis
cover its source. It was soon discovered that the big
politician was at the bottom of it. In order to make
friends with the Germans he had hung about their
camp, shared their hospitality, flattered their vanity,
iand caused them to believe that the Americans were all
intriguing against them. He could do a great deal for
them, and intended to do it. He was their true friend,
and all they had to do was to stand by him. He always
^id like the Germans, and it was the regret of his life
that he could not speak their language. The Ameri
cans were jealous of his wealth and his power ; but he
|W0uld show them that they must do justice by the
Germans. This was but a specimen of the means the
Ibig politician used to effect an object. He had set his
heart on being quartermaster of the regiment, and was

80 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
using this means to get the German officers to rccom.
mend him as a fit and proper person for the position,
His mischievous propensities, however, did not rest
here, for he sought among the Americans, and used
similar means to excite bad feeling against the Ger
mans. This war, I may say, and with truth, has had
no more remarkable character, for while lie was rest
less in spreading mischief, he could not be got to attend
to his proper business for an hour ; and there was no
indignity he would not submit to with a bow.
There was great excitement at headquarters one day,
caused by a letter just received from the collector of
the port, making a strange disclosure in which the loy
alty of our political friend was involved. A group of
our officers stood in the centre of the ring as I entered,
and I recognized the manly figure of Harry Hidden,
his face flushed with indignation. Anything mean or
deceitful found a terrible enemy in Harry, and he was
giving vent to his feelings in strong and earnest lan
guage, at the traitor who dared show himself amoilg us
in the disguise of a loyal man. The letter was handed
me to read and suggest some course of action. I must
say here also, that it was shown to our. colonel. Hav
ing had good reasons for suspecting the loyalty of the
big politician, and hiring that he had been employed
in the Custom House, one of our officers wrote to the
collector making inquiries concerning him. This letter
contained the reply, which set forth that he had been
dismissed for open and avowed sympathy with the
traitors of his country. And this was the man who,
had given us so much trouble ; who was working to he

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 81
made quartermaster of the regiment — a position where
he could distress brave men and plunder the Gov
ernment he secretly hated. He was called up by Ogle
and others as soon as he appeared at headquarters, and
asked what he had to say in reply to the grave charges
contained in the letter, which was handed him to read.
His answers not being satisfactory, he was given to
understand that hereafter his absence from headquar
ters would be more welcome than his presence. We all
now enjoyed a feeling of relief, and flattered ourselves
that we had got rid of a man who had given us much
trouble, and whose presence in the regiment could not
fail to have a damaging effect.
And now I must turn to a different phase of our
organization, and, for a time, leave our political friend
in obscurity.
It was interesting, as well as instructive, to witness
the distinctive traits of national character . developed
by recruits as they presented themselves for enlistment.
The American joined the service because he wanted to
serve his country and put down the rebellion. So did
the Irishman, whose earnestness was such that no man
could question his loyalty. Englishmen were full of
conceits, did not care much about the war, were willing
to fight on that side which paid best, and as the Ameri
cans didn't know much about war, were sure always to
want to give us a great deal of instruction as to how
they did it in their country. While a few of us were
seated in the office one day, quietly enjoying our pipes
and suggesting plans to get some of the companies mus
tered in, a little bandy-legged Englishman presented
4*

82 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
himself, and witii an air of great self-importance de
manded to see the recruiting hofficer. He had on thick-
soled shoes, his bandy legs were incased in a pair of
tight-fitting breeches ; a short blue coat with huge side
pockets scarcely reached his hips, and a tall hat, of
sloping crown, gave a quaintness to his short figure,
" Seein as 'ow you wus raisin a cavalry regiment," said
he, addressing one of our officers, " I thought I'de just
drap bin 'an see if you'd ban hopinin for a mon whoes a
first rate rough rider, Doeant hunderstand mich about
rough ridin in this kuntry, I take it ?
In reply to an inquiry as to where he had served, he
said : " In Lunnun, sir, Bien rough rider to Lord
Cardigan : he as fought so bin the Crimear, Eard o'
him, sir, 'spose ? Dun a deal o' rough ridin, here and
there. Seein in the journals as 'ow you wus a raisin a
regiment, I says to mysel, here Hugh, a chance now
offers to .get the possishun as hinstructor in rough
riding." Here the little man, who was the very picture
of an English groom, began to draw from a side pocket
numerous grimey papers, which he said bore testimony
to his character as an honest man as well as his skill
as a rider. It was agreed among us that something
must be done for the rough rider. We proposed to
make him a lieutenant of cavalry and general instructor
in rough riding, though no such position could be found
in the Regulations. Would he give us a taste of his
skill before we enrolled him a candidate for the parch
ment ? That would just suit him. If any gentleman
" 'ad a OSS as wusent wiel broken to the zaddle," let
him be brought out, and he would show us two or three

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 83
things in rough riding none of us Americans had seen
before. Now, as I have before said, there was in the regi
ment one Sergeant Ditcher, a poor but honest man.
He had served under Lord Cardigan, and was one of
the very few who returned from that desperate charge
at Balaclava, led by the brave Nolen, An admiring
friend had made Ditcher a present of a horse, a brute
^0 vicious that few dare go near him. It required
some courage as well as skill in horsemanship to mount
this animal, for when he took it into his head he woirid
unsaddle his rider in a trice. The horse was brought
out, and the ring prepared for an exhibition of the
rough rider's skill. He examined the bit and found
fault with it; he found fault with the headstall, with
the apparent docility of the animal. He called the
saddle (McClellan) a rocking chair, made of wood
when it ought to have been made of leather. The foot
guards no skillful rider in his country, he said, would
think of using. In England, saddles were made of
pig skin, and her Majesty saw -that her troopers all
had soft seats. After the little rough rider had ex
hausted his fault-finding propensities we induced him
to mount, which he did with some effort. Once or
twice the animal bounded wildly around the ring.
Some one cracked a whip, he stopped, made a sudden
back motion, and the teacher of rough riding was seen
turning a somersault over his head. The horse stood
motionless over the prostrate figure on the ground.
But the unfortunate rider was soon on his feet, saying
he was not hurt much, and lamenting the destruction

84 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
of his tall hat, and the damage otherwise done to his
breeches. He would not give in to a horse like that,
he said ; and to show us that the misfortune was en
tirely owing to his own carelessness he would mount
again. Of course we admired his courage, and had
excuses enough for the accident, which might have
happened to any one. After a good deal of frisking
and rubbing and brushing he mounted again, when the
animal set off at increased speed. Once, twice, thrice,
he went round the circle at a furious rate ; then with'
a sudden bound he threw the rough rider from the
saddle, his head striking with great force against the
woodwork of the ring. He was picked up seriously
stunned. Whisky was brought, and sundry applica
tions internally as well as externally soon restored him
to consciousness and sound health, . A dollar rewarded
him for the exhibition he had given us of his horse
manship ; but he was vain of his skill, and " would
like to show us gentlemen that he was not the man to
give in to a 'oss like that un." We invited him to
come the next day and give, us a second lesson, and he
promised to do so. He took his departure soon after,
and that was the last we saw of her Majesty's rough.
rider.

CHAPTER X.

MUSTERING IN.
The middle of July was come, and the War Depart
ment has changed its policy, so far as it respected cav
alry. I have already described how opposed it was to
the employment of cavalry when the war began. It
now seemed more than impatient to get cavalry regi
ments organized and sent forward. We received des
patch after despatch from the Secretary of War, from
General Scott, and other high officials, urging the ne
cessity of filling up our regiment " at once," and send
ing it forward. It was a weakness of the War Depart
ment at that time to do its business with bankrupt
editors, speculators with doubtful antecedents, and
ambitious keepers of hotels. The despatches sent were
not directed to the colonel of the regiment, but to Mr,
Clarke, Mr. Stetson, (Astor House,) and others ; show
ing either that there was a very confused state of
things in the Adjutant General's office, or that Mr.
Cameron preferred to do the military business of the
nation through his political friends.
McDowell was at this time preparing, or trying to

86 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
prepare, his militia troops for a grand dash on the
enemy at Manassas. He said, or some one had said
for him, for it was current in Washington at the time,
that he had not a cavalry officer upon whom he could
rely to make a proper reconnoissance of the enemy's
position. The War Department may have had some
knowledge of this, which may account for its sudden
waking up to the fact that there existed a necessity it
had not before discovered. This haste on the part of
the Government, however, had a good effect on our
officers, and excited them to renewed efforts to fill tiieir
companies, each rivalling the other to get mustered in
first. According to orders from the War Department,
companies could not be mustered in until they were
full. This policy cost us a great many men, who, im
patient to get into the field, would stray away and join
regiments just leaving.
Through the exertions of Ogle, Bailey, and Jones,
Company A was nearly full. Todd was encouraging
his recruits with a few dollars each, and being popular
with his men was nearly ready to muster in. Harkins
wanted but a few men to complete his number, and
Stearns and Hidden, both ready to help a friend when
he needed, had got a large number of men enrolled.
Some of the officers looked on Stearns' men with a long
ing eye, and would occasionally send an old soldier into
their ranks with a view to making them comrades in
his own company. And this the old soldier generally
did with a few glasses of whisky and a dollar or two.
These little raids were conducted in perfect goodna
ture, and as the sweet spirit of love ruled paramount in

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 87
Steam's character he was generally selected as the sub
ject of them.
About this time, a little, boyish and beardless man of
the name of Bennett, brought a company down from
Syracuse, where he had raised it. I doubt if Syracuse
will ever sufficiently repay Captain Bennett for reliev
ing her of this motly collection of men, many of whom
must have been a terror to the place. The question
was frequently asked where this young, innocent look
ing man, who dressed with scrupulous care, had picked
up such a combination of human nature in its lowest
form. Hogarth could not have drawn a better cartoon
of human depravity, as pictured in the faces of these
men. There was the model Bowery boy, as we used to
see him twenty years ago, with his oily head, his expan
sive garments, and his love for brass buttons. There
was the thick-framed and bullet-headed shoulder hitter,
ready always to settle a private quarr^ with friend or
foe. There too was the wild, ungovernable youth, the
misfortune of his parents, who were glad to get him
into the army, as a fit place to reform his morals.
These men seemed never without a quarrel. Indeed
the company enjoyed a perpetual state of war, and
when its members were not fighting among themselves,
which was seldom, they were disturbing the peace of
the neighborhood. Their officers had no control over
them, and an attempt to enforce discipline enjoined
a risk they were not willing to undertake. Indeed the
officers were inclined to treat their men on those terms
of equality common among men in a country town, but
which cannot be carried into the army without des-

88 ' THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
troying discipline. And here let me say that I have
frequentiy noticed that the class of men I have just
described are rarely to be depended on in battle.
Captain Harkins was the first to fill his company,
and after the excitement incident to the election of ofS-:
cers, which in many cases was a mere matter of form,|
the men were marched to the arsenal in Centre street,]
and the process of mustering in gone through. Withj
some men mustering in is a test of courage. The timid
see in it a solemn obligation to serve the country as a
soldier for a term of years, to submit to all the rigors
of martial law, to undergo all the vexations and hard
ships of camp life, to face death in battle, and what is
more trying to the patriotic spirit of every honest sol
dier, to submit tamely to the tyranny and insults of
officers unfit, as well by birth as education, to be their
superiors. Many a man, anxious to do his part in put
ting down the,rebellion, ponders these things over'in
his mind until fear gains the victory, and he falls out,
unwilling to take the oath that is to make him a sol
dier. Instances of this kind occurred when our first
company was being mustered in. Several who had
marched in the ranks to the arsenal, dropped out before
tiie oath was administered, and at one time it was
doubtful if we should get the requisite number. The
company however was mustered in without a man to
spare. And then there was great cheering, great
shaking of hands among the men, and exchange of con
gratulations between officers. Major General com
manding a corps never felt prouder than did Harkins
as he walked up and down in front of the men he said

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 89
he was to lead in battle, addressing them words of en
couragement. This was to be a new phase in his life.
The stage was a new one to him, and the part he had
to play was strange and novel. Company B, Captain
Todd, was next to muster in, and presented a fine ap
pearance, for it was composed of men of a superior
class. The companies, as fast as mustered in and pro
vided with tents, were sent to camp in the breezy shades
of Elm Park, to which the tents of our German com
panies had already given a picturesque and martial
look. We had great trouble in getting the company
of plug ruffians from Syracuse mustered in. Some of
them left, or strayed away, as soon as they reached
New York, and it was with great difficulty respectable
recruits could be got to take their places. Day after
day the mustering officer was summoned, and as often
had to go away disappointed. Some of them would be
away enjoying a fight with a friend, others might have
been found at some bar-room, disabled by the too free
useof whisky. At length, through the influence and supe
rior energy of one Sergeant McCormack, the only man
that seemed to have any control over them, the requis
ite number was got, and they were mustered and sent
to camp, much to the relief of the neighborhood and
every one about headquarters.
Stearns and Hidden, between whom there existed
feelings that had grown and ripened into the truest
friendship, had generously given their men to assist
others in filling up their companies, and neglected
themselves. They were now without men enough to
muster in, and how to obtain them was a very difficult

90 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
problem to solve. Some of the means we had to resort
to at times to get a man or two in order to make up
the number required by tiie regulations were really of
the meanest kind, although tiiey afforded us some amuse
ment. In one case, where it was found that we only
lacked two men to fill up a company, a sergeant and
two men (old soldiers) went out on a raid, and soon
returned with a smutty blacksmith, to whom they had
given five dollars to come and be mustered in for a sol
dier. This was given him with the assurance that as
soon as mustered in he might go free. But the black
smith was suspicious that we were setting a trap for
him, exhibited much uneasiness during the process of
being made a soldier, and was quick to take his depar
ture as soon as the ceremony was over. The raiders
also made forcible seizure of a poor inoffensive looking
baker, on his way to his master's customers with a bas
ket of loaves. The poor baker was frightened out of
his wits, and lustily pleaded the necessity of getting
bread to his master's customers in time for dinner. He
was told that he would get five dollars to come and.be
sworn in for a soldier, after that he might go where he
pleased. But he was not inclined to understand this
way of making a bargain. He declared he did not
want to go for a soldier, was indeed a poor but honest
man, had a family of small children with stomachs to
fill, and would never get absolution if he took an oath
be did not intend to respect. The absolution seemed
to trouble him most. But the sergeant and his com
rades were insensible to these appeals, and while one
took charge of his basket of loaves, the others brought

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 91
liira by force into the building', where they threatened
to hang him unless he consented to be sworn in for a
trooper. The poor fellow consented at last, though in
great fear that this was only a plan to deprive him of
his liberty. Indeed it was with great difficulty he could
be kept from breaking away during the ceremony of
mustering in. When it was over he was given the five
dollars, and speedily went about his business, declaring
by the saints he never would be caught in such a scrape
again. Many amusing incidents of this kind might be
related, showing to what straits we were at times put
to get one or two men to fill up a company.
And now the time had come for mustering in Com
pany A, about which the big politician had caused us
so much delay and trouble. We had seen nothing of
either him or the melancholy man in black for several
days, and fears were entertained, not that they had
taken final leave of us, but that they had carried off
the little bugler for some selfish purpose. It was very
well understood that no man could blow his own trum
pet better than the big politician, and what need the
melancholy man in black could have for the little bu
gler, unless it was to carry his weighty sabre, none of
us could tell. Nor could wo understand the remark
able and deep sympathy existing between the melan
choly man and the big politician, for while the latter
was a man of huge stomach and small brain, a Falstaff
in vanity, and exceedingly illiterate, the former was a
man of cultivated tastes. Indeed he was something of
an artist, as well ag a poet, and was given to writing
sonnets to ladies, and painting flowers for their albums.

92 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
Just as the company was about to proceed to the
election of officers, we were all surprised to see the big
politician come tramping into the circle in all his
magnificence, followed by the melancholy man in black
and the littie shark-moutiied bugler. He stood expand
ing himself for a few minutes, then began circulating
among and conversing with the men, Qne or two of
them assured him he was immensely popular with every
man in the company, and would undoubtedly be elected
their captain. This gave him encouragement. He was
sure they could not desire a more warlike leader. And
ho warned them not to forget how great a responsibility
they were about to assume, and how necessary it was
that they elect men of first rate military talent and
gentlemen for officers. Such qualities, he was proud
to say, he had been told he possessed. But that was
neither here nor there ; he had seen service in Mexico,
and had a good record, notwithstanding some evil-
minded persons (and he always loved his enemies) had
said they could not find it.
Now the men of this company were remarkable for
their intelligence, and received what the big politician
said as a very good offset to the joke they were attempt
ing to play on him. Indeed they induced him to write
a vote for every man, to whom he gave particular in
structions what to do with it. But, to the great sur
prise of all those not in the secret, when the votes
came to be opened and counted they were all for Ogle,
who was proclaimed captain with loud cheers. The
big politician affected not to understand this ; thought
the men must have made a mistake, shook his head, and

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 93
at last intimated that he would go where first rate mili
tary talent was in better demand. " Hard, hard," he
said, running his fingers through his bushy hair, " that
when a man is brave he can't have a chance to show
it." Some of the men expressed great sympathy for
him. One hoped to meet him on the battle-field. An
other intended to vote for him, and it was through a
mistake that he did not, A third declared him fit for
a Brigadier General, A fourth knew he would get the
stars if the authorities at Washington only knew as
much of him as we did. He had a bow for every one
of these compliments. There he stood for some time
frisking his fingers through his shaggy hair, and hint
ing that the time would come when first rate military
talent would be appreciated. Again he took his de
parture, followed by the melancholy man, who, at that
time, was always to be found in his shadow.
We had now nine companies mustered in ; eight in
New York and one under Captain Boyd, in Philadel
phia, And I must here say that Captain Boyd was
making great efforts to be the first company of volun
teer cavalry in the field.

CHAPTER XI.

BULL RUN.
At the time these pleasant and somewhat amusing
scenes were being jierformed in New York, (say from
July 17th to July 23d, 1861) others of more terrible
importance to the nation were being enacted on the
plains of Manassas. The first battle of Bull Run, if
indeed it rises to the dignity of a battle, had been
fought with most disastrous results to the nation's
honor and arms. The nation's brain was reeling under
the burden of its conceits when this battle was fought,
and the political folly that assumed to control the ac
tion of ouir army was clearly illustrated in the result.
An army of thirty thousand men, composed chiefly of
nndisciplined militia, good enough for ornaments in
fair weather, but not to be depended on as fighting
soldiers, badly officered and indifferently equipped,
vain of its own strength and yet so weak that it was
ready to crumble to pieces under the first shock of
battle, marched forth with great pomp and circumstance,
confident of its ability to crush an army equal in num
bers, holding positions of great strength, and whose

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 95
power in earnestness and courage our rulers at Wash
ington had not thought it worth while to consider.
There were those who expressed great surprise that
this thing of show and glitter, of such great cost to the
people who had fondled it as a child fondles a new toy,
should have been beaten. But there was really nothing
in it to be surprised at. Folly always pays such pen
alties for its crimes. What, indeed, was to have been
expected of an army in which whole regiments, on the
eve of a battle in which their country's honor was to
be staked, refused to obey orders and asserted their
right to return home because their last day of enlist
ment was come? In other regiments officers were
encouraging a spirit of insubordination among their
men because of some fancied default in rations on the
part of Government. And, too, there were regiments
that broke up and scattered at the firing of the first
gun. One regiment was so ready to exchange its honor
and the honor of the country for its own safety, as to
march off the field with the echoes of the enemy's guns
sounding in its ears. In a word, there were far too
many in the ranks of this showy army who considered
themselves the superiors of their .officers, and who were
always ready to make personal considerations an ex
cuse for their bad actions. To hold a general respon
sible for the acts of such an army is to insist that he
shall do what is beyond the power of man.
While, however, other nations regarded war as the
greatest scourge they could be inflicted with, and re
quiring their most serious attention, our people had
felt none of the horrors incident to it, and were inclined

96 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
to treat it in the light of a novelty ; something out of
which money was to be got, and profit made by the
excitement it was to keep the country in while it lasted.
This truth finds an apt illustration in the conduct of
that immense rear guard of civilians of all classes that
swarmed over the hills and spread over the fields of
Fairfax county; that followed and blocked up the
roads in the rear of the army, and made itself joyous
with the hope of being an amused spectator at a slaugh
ter of human beings. There, mingling in that strange
mob, were grave Senators and common excitement
seekers, Congressmen and gamblers, political char-
letans and the professional gentleman common to Wash
ington, the writer, the actor, and the artist, the woman
of chaste virtue and the painted harlot. Light-hearted
and giddy-headed, the anxiety with which each pressed
forward to be at the scene of battle first, reminded one
of the Romans of other days, when they went to a
fight between wild beasts, or the English of to-day as
they fill the^ roads on their way to the Derby races.
And then there -was to be a feast after the fight, and
such as could carried with them abundant luxuries to
spread the banquet tables. These scenes, which every
serious thinker contemplates with a feeling of sadness,
did no credit to either the heads or hearts of those who
participated in them. They were there as excitement
seekers, and nothing else ; they were there hoping to
find enjoyment in the most savage scenes human inge
nuity can devise. But the injury did not stop here.
It interfered with and confused the action of the army,
excited the fears of the timid, and greatly increased

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 97
the magnitude of our disasters when we retreated.
The wonder is that such an army, surrounded by so
many bad elements, commanded by a general it soon
saw was unequal to the position, and fighting under
such adverse circumstances, should not have been
thrown into disorder and panic sooner.
Let us turn now and look at the southern army as it
appeared on the day of battle. A lower state of civil
ization ruled in the ranks of that army; but candor
compels us to admit that it was better officered and
more capable of effective handling than ours. These
were, indeed, essential advantages in the fighting ma
terial of our army. And then the officers of that army
were stern, earnest, and resolved. We cannot deny
many of them the claim that they believed they were
there to fight for principles as dear to them as liberty
itself. It was our error not to place a proper value
upon this stern earnestness of the South when the war
began. And, too, the men composing the rank and file
of the southern army wore stimulated to action by the
firm belief that they were fighting for their homes and
all that is dear to home. That belief had increased
into a fanaticism more terrible and dangferous than
that which at the North had driven our rulers at
Washington to send an army into the field to fight
before it was ready.
Nor must it be forgotten that the institution of slav
ery had done its part in making these men fierce
fanatics and formidable in war. The institution re
quired a severe discipline for its proper regulation ;
and the enforcement of that discipline had its effect in
5

98 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
steeling the hearts of the lower classes against suffering
and torture. It made the ignorant white man brutal,
and yet subservient to the intelligent and rich. It
accustomed men to the use of arms, made them vigilant,
reckless of human life, savage in dealing with the weak,
and quick to put their courage to the test, if only for
effect. Among the ruling classes slavery begat a spirit of
command and feeling of superiority. The man who
had been reared and educated among, and indeed all
his life witnessed the utter abjectness of his slaves,
whose word was law, and who felt that he was to be
promptly obeyed in everything, was not to blame for
considering himself a superior being, born to command.
Southern society, too, had constituted itself a tribunal
for the test of courage, and these tests, so frequently
applied between gentlemen, engendered elements of
character which, however much to be admired when
under proper control, became fierce and warlike when
aroused. It was the southern man's worst error that
he carried this spirit of command and feeling of supe
riority out into the world with him, and in his haste to
exercise them offensively over his equals, made enemies-
where he needed friends. These elements of character,
however dangerous and to be deprecated in private
life, were just what were required to make an array
fierce and formidable. Our army had all these quali
ties to acquire through training and experience in the
field. The northern man had also done much to in
crease the southern man's belief that he was much his
superior in courage. And this belief, with its joint
value in war, the southern man brought into the field

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 99
with him. Was it then matter for surprise that these
armies, brought together under such circumstances,
should have produced the result they did ? The very
savageness with which some of the southern regiments
fought cast a feeling of terror into the ranks of our
more undisciplined troops. Nor had the battle pro
ceeded far when it became evident to both the officers
and men of our army, that the southern troops were
being handled with superior skill ; that our general,
if he had a definite plan, was taking no proper meas
ures to carry it out. Some regiments were fighting
without orders, and in confusion ; batteries that lost
their positions had no one to tell them where to take
new ones ; regiments that ought to have been active in
the fight stood looking on ; and the reserve stood
waiting for orders it never received. All these things
combined to excite the fears of our men, and once this
fear broke into a panic, control was beyond human
power. Soldiers and civilians became mingled in the
confused and terrified mass, made more desperate in its
struggle for safety by the shadows of a few cavalry-men
the infantry had turned its back upon. The broad
landscape now became dark with this terror-stricken
mob, rushing back in wild disorder upon Washington, to
alarm the country with a thousand stories of blood and
savagery, and make the Government feel itself a mere
child. General McDowell returned to Washington a
forlorn soldier without ah army. His army, if an army
it might have been called, had got there before him, a
disordered mob, scattered through the streets of a

100 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
capital it had left at the mercy of an enemy ignorant
that its gates had been thrown wide open to him,
I have searched in vain tlirough most that has been
written on this battle for an intelligent analysis of the
cause of the panic that seized on our troops. General
Barnard says '' we should have undoubtedly gained a
victory but for the panic that seized on our troops ;"
and Doctor Bellows, an equally profound authority on
military philosophy, says, " I am told that we really
gained the victory, but threw it away on our fears." I
have no doubt that both these wise conclusions will be
fully appreciated by an intelligent people. Every mil
itary man of observation knows that- fear and its effects
have much to do in deciding battles. But when fear
in an army degenerates into a panic, the cause must be
looked for in its discipline and generalship. Some
writer has said fear was the great quicksand of the
human breast, but no one could tell where and when
its sands were going to shift. It certainly makes
children of timid men ; and it even disfigures the ac
tions, at times, of the brave. Shall we, then, a natu
rally brave people, credit to fear bur first great misfor
tune on the plains of Manassas ? We ought, I think,
to look for it in the character of our generals.
Still, out of this great misfortune there came good.
It taught us to distinguish between the value of a fair
weather and a fighting soldier. It exposed the worth
lessness of our conceits and reformed the ideas of the
nation, if not the Government, as to what really con
stituted an effective army. It ought, also, to have
opened the blind eyes of the Government to the real

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 101
value of military experience in conducting a war. But
it did not. The dainty fingers of the men who had
been most active in producing this disaster — in urging
an army to fight before it was ready, were still per
mitted to meddle with the business of generals, and to
work mischief for our cause. These men wanted to
reverse the old standard rule of war, and place the
reformer in advance of the soldier. Who is there
to-day that can tell us what their attempts to make
experiment take the place of reason has cost the nation
in blood and treasure ?

CHAPTER XII.

IN CAMP.
Our little town under canvas, as it nestled among
the deep green foliage and under the breezy shades of
the tall trees of Elm Park, was fast filling up with a
strange mixture of people. It began, too, to put on
a busy and military air. The Germans and Americans
had drawn well defined lines of distinction, and indeed
pitched their tents on separate ground. There were
Austrians, Prussians, Poles, and Hungarians composing
the former, and, as a natural result, there was at times
some bad blood manifested between " the nationalities."
The Irish and Scotch joined ithe American companies,
the former always being ready for a fight with " the
Dutchmen," as they called the Germans. Now and
then they amused us with a little tongue fight across
the street, in which sundry challenges would be sent
and returned ; an Irishman offering to bet a bottle of
whisky — of which dangerous fluid he had taken a little
too much — that he could whip six Dutchmen; or a Ger
man offering to bet a keg of lager that he could whip
ten Irishmen before eating his supper. Sometimes

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 103
these tongue battles ended with an Irishman irnd a
Dutchman being sent to the guard-house to keep cok.>
pany and cultivate more friendly relations. Not un-
frequently these quarrels were in pantomime of the
fiercest description, one party not understanding a
word of what the other said.
This camp life has its quaint lights and shades. It
develops and brings boldly out all the good and bad
qualities of men — all their virtues and their vices.
Here the gentle and generous nature performs its mis
sion of good for others. Here the firm will and the stout
heart of the physically weak rise superior and assert
their dignity over the man of coarse nature. Strange
associations are formed in camp ; warm, sincere, and
enduring friendships spring up between men, and will
be remembered and cherished through life. Charity
takes a broader range in camp, heart meets heart in
all its longings; strangers from a distance meet to be
come friends and brothers; tent shares its bread audits
bottle with tent next door, and the faults and follies of
men are judged in a more generous and Christian
spirit than that which rules in higher places. Here
every man tells the story of his life's love and disap
pointment. Here, over a pipe, after taps, the man who
has roamed over the world in search of fortune, re
lates his strange adventures to his listening compan
ions, whose sympathies he touches and whose bounty
he is sure to share, for the world's unfortunates always
: find a warm friend in the true soldier. In camp, as our
army is composed, rich and poor meet in the ranks as
equals, and the educated and the ignorant find shelter

104 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
under one tent, They are here as brothers, enlisted
for a common purpose, to stand shoulder to shoulder
against a fierce enemy, and fight to preserve the very
life of their country. And the arm finds strength when
sure that true friends are near.
We had reached that stage when the realities of .a
soldier's life, and what was before us during the three
! years of our enlistment, became subjects of conversa
tion. What dangers we wdWd,^have to share, what
hardships we should have to undergo, what scenes of
blood to witness, and perhaps participate in ; how
many of us would fall in battle, or die of disease and
jneglect ; how many of us would return to recount in
pleasant homes all the vicissitudes of war our regiment
had passed througli, were subjects of contemplation as
well as conversation. These subjects, too, were much
enlarged by the old soldiers, who found apparent de
light in exciting the fears of the timid and hesitating.
Love also had leaped the gates of our camp, and we
had more than one case where the tender passion was
yielding to the charm of Mars. Every fine afternoon a
pretty,- elastic-stepping girl of eighteen used to come
tripping over the lawn, her black braided hair arranged
in such beautiful folds, and her eyes beaming with love
and tenderness, to see one of our handsome captains.
We had several, and they were just out in bright new
uniforms, which gave them quite a soldierly appear
ance. The other captains envied this one tiio beautiful
captive he was soon, as report had it, to carry off. He
would meet her half way down the lawn, and there
was something for a bachelor to envy in the sweet

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 105
smile that played over her pale oval face as the distance
shortened between them. Then there was the warm,
hearty shake of the hand; he had a sly but honest way of
imprinting a kiss on her peachy cheek. And there were
other little love tokens so tenderly expressed that it
needed only a glance to read in them how truly heartwas
speaking to heart. She would always bring him some
little present. Then they would stroll together to the
tent door, and sit talking their heart secrets until some
duty called him away. I have seen her sit working
some piece of worsted for him, her soft eyes looking
up lovingly in his face as his hand stole under her
shawl and almost unconsciously around her waist.
And then he bid her such an envied good-by as he
left her at the gate, and waved his handkerchief as she
turned half way down the lane to toss a last fond
adieu for the night. This was the high noon of their
love dream, and Heaven was sweetening the enchant
ment with the perfume of flowers.
And there was a pretty blue-eyed blonde, with
round, cherub-li^e face, and curls the breeze used to
play with as she came tripping with such artless gaiety
down the lawn to see one of our dashing lieutenants.
Her tight-fitting bodice, cut after the fashion of a habit,
gave a bewitching roundness to her form ; and there
was something so childish, so artless in her manners
that it seemed as if Heaven had blessed her with the
sweetest of natures. We called her the June flower of
our camp, and gave her a hearty welcome, for her
presence was like bright sunshine after a dark storm.
She brought the young lieutenant flowers, put his tent
5*

106 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
in order, and rollicked about with the air of a girl
just from school. And the young lieutenant was so
proud of her, patted her so gently on the shoulder, and
spoke in such tones of kindness. And when they
parted, I could see that a feeling of sadness invaded
her light heart, for a tear would brighten like a diamond
in her blue eyes, and then write the story of her love
down her cheeks as she went away.
Our camp at times would also be enlivened by an aged,
leather-faced woman in big spectacles. Armed with a
bundle of tracts she would distribute them among us;
tell us what the Lord was doing for us, and how we
Iwould need his help in battle, and must pray to Him,
and read the tract before we slept. This aged lady
was in no very high favor with our parson, (we had
got both a parson and a doctor,) who regarded her
efforts as an infringement of his right to get us all
made Christians in his own way. Nor did the doctor
and the parson quite agree as to the best way to save the
souls of soldiers. Indeed, they too often had their lit
tle differences as to what sort of medicine would best
improve the spiritual and physical condition of the
men. But the doctor generally got the best of it, for
he was active and skillful, and what was more, gained^
favor with the men by setting them good examples,
while the parson, eloquent enough in speech and prayer,
was weak in the flesh, and so given to the bottle as to
become its slave.
Love also had its votaries among our German compan-'
ions across the road. A little frisky Dutch woman, with
a bright bulging forehead, and a face like an over-fed

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 107
doll, and dressed in pink and blue, would come of an
afternoon to see little Bob the light-horseman. Bob
was now a lieutenant, had a tender and generous heart,
and never went into a neighborhood without falling in
love with all the small women in it. There was no
happier being in this world than Bob When the little
frisky Dutch woman sat at his side in front of his tent,
with empty beer kegs for seats. She always brought
something good for Bob, which they enjoyed with the
addition of a bottle of Rhine wine. The captains, too,
had their jolly buxom wives, who came and spent the
day, setting their husbands' tents in order, preparing
good dinners, and adding an air of cheerfulness to the
camp. Indeed our German side of the camp seemed to
be in favor with the women, who brought abundance
'of good cheer to their friends.
Notwithstanding the pleasant scenes I have described
above, they were at times marred with acts which told
us how much bad blood had been stirred up by some
one between the Germans and Americans. That there
should have been any bad feeling between us was a
misfortune, and arose solely from a misunderstanding
'as to the temper and intentions of the Americans to-
Iwards the Germans. This misunderstanding was
Icaused by the bad influence of one man. Indeed, tlie
Americans were kindly disposed towards the Germans,
'and ready to give them credit for more knowledge of
!cavalry, and better skill as soldiers. In truth, all that
was required to make us good friends was a better
Iknowledge one of the otiier, and the exercise of a con
ciliatory spirit. And these followed when we had

108 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
been a short time in the field, and formed a better ac
quaintance. In truth, the time came when American
officers were so much in favor with the men of the Ger
man companies that they were pleased when placed
under their command. This was no doubt owing to
the fact that American officers were more tolerant and
less severe with their men than the Germans. Indeed,
I have noticed in regiments made up chiefly of Ger
mans that there was no very good feeling existing be
tween the men and their officers.
It becomes now my duty to record the first appear
ance of a battle. The morning of the 28th of July was
warm and sunny. It was nearly noon when the calm
of our camp was suddenly broken by signs of war.
The hotel near by was the scene of great commotion.
Somebody had insulted somebody. Angry words had
been exchanged for blows. The slumbering unity of
the nationalities had become disturbed, Snd it seemed
as if satisfaction was to be got only through the sabre
and pistol. The commotion which began at the hotel,
soon spread to our camp, and officers and men were
only too ready to take part in it. Men did not stop
to think, while the report ran with lightning speed
th^t there was a fight between the Germans and Amer
icans, Officers buckled on their sabres and, grasping
their pistols, called on their men to form in line. The
little bugler, who had been roaming here and there in
search of some one to give him an order, raised his
horn and blew what sounded very like "boots and sad
dles," Then he seized a big knife in one hapd, and with
his bugle in the other, took position at the right pf Com-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 109
pany A. The fat Dutch bugler was not to be outdone by
the little bugler, and raising his horn blew a most dis
cordant strain, sending the ruddy faced Dutch women
screaming to the tents of their husbands and sweet
hearts. Men armed themselves at this signal, some
with sticks and clubs, others with rusty old sabres,
crooked as reaping hooks, and of so strange a pattern
that one of our officers declared they must have been
used in the wars of the Assyrians who had bequeathed
them to the ancestors of the Union Defense Committee,
which loaned them to us with an injunction that we were
not to take them to the field, Tiie German officers
seemed to have little control over their men, who turned
out in great confusion, talked loudly, and threatened
to do an immense deal of harm. Several times they
broke into disorder, and advanced as if to make a sud
den and desperate charge^ and as many times they halted,
as if to exhaust their courage in loud and fierce denun
ciation. The American companies were not to be
daunted by loud talk, and stood firm, and with solid
ranks, ready to receive the attack. German offi
cers began expostulating with American officers, but
as one could not understand a word the other said, the
more they attempted to reconcile matters the more ex
citement they made among the men, who began to be
lieve the trouble was to result in a fight between their
officers. There was every sign now that blood would
ibe shed, and the peace of the camp seriously dis-
'turbed. Our little bugler blew another blast of his horn, and
the officers told their men to stand firm, and the fat

110 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
Dutch bugler answered with a shrill blast from his
horn. This was followed by a sudden movement on
the German side of the field, as if a real charge was to
be made. Two lucky circumstances occurred just at
this moment, and to these circumstances I am in
debted for not having to record what might have
been one of the bloodiest battles in the history of
this war. Little Bob, the light-horseman, with com
mendable courage, threw himself, with drawn sabre,
among his countrymen and pleaded for peace. And|
just as he did this our colonel appeared on the
field, and his presence was the signal for a stay
of hostilities. Great effort was now made to get at
the cause of the misunderstanding, to do which required
the exercise of a good deal of patience. First the men
were sent to their tents, to which they went with some
reluctance. Then such of the officers as were most in
clined to peace met in council, and after much and pa
tient research, discovered what the cause of the trouble
was, and likewise came to an agreement as to the sat
isfaction. It seems that a German had said or done
'something whereby the wife of one of our officers, a
llady of very sensitive feelings, considered herself in-
teulted. The husband came forward as the guardian of
his wife's honor, as was natural enough, and threatened,
jor really did, chastise the offender. On this point,
however, the testimony was somewhat confused ; nor
did what the little bugler said concerning it help to
make it a bit clearer ; for although he swore to seeing
a " Dutchman' struck in the stoniach," to use his
own language, he was of opinion the blow came from
" another Dutchman," and not from the lady's husband.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. Ill
It was now agreed for the Germans, on the first part,
and the Americans, on the second, that the offender or
offenders when found should be sent to the guard-house
for two days on short rations ; that they should be
peprimanded and advised not to do so again. Now, as
these terms were accepted as satisfactory, the husband
regained his usual good nature, and the lady ceased
weeping, and indeed spent the rest of the day in an in
nocent flirtation. As to the officers they spent the rest
of the day over such good cheer as their friends had
provided, thankful that they had escaped without & scar.
We were not; however, to leave Elm Park without
a real fight; and the shedding of some blood. Tues
day, the 4th of August, witnessed a scene more serious
in its results. At another point of the same park there
was encamped the nucleus of a cavalry regiment, call
ing itself the " Lincoln Greens," which seemed like an
attempt to steal the name of our regiment. These
" Greens" were made up chiefly of Austrians, for whom
the Germans of our regiment had the bitterest hate.
There were the Prussians, who regarded them as arro
gant cowards ; the Hungarians, who despised them in
their hearts ; and the Poles, who only wanted an op
portunity to pay off the old national score against
them. It can readily be seen what a state of feeling
must have existed between these conflicting elements.
The " Greens," too, were inclined to fly a high
feather when speaking of our Germans. This bad feeling
grew more deep and bitter every day. The men had
enjoyed little fights between themselves, which their
officers had regarded with indifference.

112 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
About two o'clock of the day I have named, several
pistol shots, in rapid succession, were heard in the vi-j
cinity of the hotel, the scene where almost every disturb
ance began. These were followed by loud calls for help.
Then came the clashing of sabres, the heavy blows o^
clubs, and such other weapons as were at hand. A re
port spread through the camp like lightning that the
Germans of the Lincoln Cavalry were fighting with the
" Lincoln Greens." The excitement became general.
Officers and men seized their weapons and prepared for
battle. Again the report of pistol shots rang on the
ear, and word came that one man had been killed and
two severely wounded. The fighting was on the brow
of a hill, down which our Germans were being pressed
slowly, before superior numbers. The American
officers held their men in restraint, being inclined to
let the Germans fight it out between themselves, and
not caring much which got hurt most. Indeed, the
only Americans much concerned about it were our
colonel and the little bugler. The first gave orders
our Germans neither understood nor obeyed, for, hav
ing armed themselves with all sorts of weapons, and
particularly the old sabres of the Union Defense Com-,
mittee, rushed up the hill to reinforce their hard-
pressed comrades ; the second made the noise and con
fusion more intense by blowing all manner of calls on
his bugle. And these calls brought out the fat Dutch
bugler, who blew away until his very face turned
purple, making a noise that rose high above the clash
of arms.
The reinforcements at once took up the fight, which

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 113
became desperate and bloody, considering the ancient
character of the weapons they fought with. One
wounded man after another was carried to a place of
safety, bleeding. But the Greens were overpowered
and began to fall back, at first in regular order, then
in considerable confusion. The Germans fought with
jgreat earnestness, and were not inclined to show much
imercy to their enemies, whose officers had sought safety
in the kitchen of the hotel. Finally, there was a gen
eral rout of the Greens, who fled in disorder across
the fields towards the park, followed and beaten by
our infuriated troopers. The Colonel ordered the re
call sounded ; the little bugler ran until he was out of
breath, mounting one stone wall after another, and
sounding the recall, which echoed over the fields, un-
!heeded. The fat Dutch bugler was ordered to follow
and sound the recall, but he was no more successful in
bringing back the fierce' victors than was the little
bugler. In less than half an hour from the time the
fight began, not a " Lincoln Green" was to be seen in
the adjacent fields. When our men returned, which
they did of their own accord, they were cursed by
their officers for scoundrels, and sent to their tents, to
'Which they went willingly enough, knowing that what
they had done had the secret, if not avowed, approba
tion of their superiors. Some of our German officers
then made a search for the officers of the Lincoln
Greens, and finding them in their various hiding places,
|Cursed them right soundly for cowards who had incited
their men to these desperate acts, and then refused to
share in the result. High words passed and blows

114 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
had nearly followed, when our parson stepped in as a
peace maker. And the good efforts of the parson, who
declared that blood enough had been shed on the
Lord's day, and that he would hold service in the after
noon, to which he invited them all, were increased by
the pleadings of two frightened women, sweethearts of
the Austrian officers, whom they^ saved from fur
ther harm by the profuseness of their tears. The
result of this terrible battle, fought between the na
tionalities, on the friendly soil of Elm Park, and of
which no account has heretofore been written, were
three Lincoln Greens wounded, one seriously and two
slightly. Two men of the Lincoln Cavalry received;
severe cuts. I must not forget to record here that this
battle was fought without a general or reporter.

CHAPTER XIII

FIRST REAL CAVALRY FIGHT OF THE WAR, WITH OTHER MATTERS.
On the 5 th of August our American companies broke
camp at Elm Park and moved to Bellevue garden, on
the East river, leaving our German friends to recon
cile matters with their Austrian enemies. It was a
pleasant breezy spot, this new camp of ours, overlook-
ling one of the prettiest scenes on the East river, and
affording good bathing for the men. And we had kind
land hospitable neighbors, whose families cheered us
!with their little gifts, and did all in their power to
make our stay comfortable. These little attentions
'have always a good effect on the conduct of the men,
since by them they are reminded how much they are
thought of by those whom war does not call to the
field. The question began to be frequently asked why were
we not off to the field, when there was so much need
of us there. The fact was we were waiting for the
tailor. We had been supplied with tents, but had not
received our clothing. And the tailor was not to be
hurried, though the fate of the nation depended on his
efforts. The Government had ordered our uniforms

116 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
made in New York, and there had been a difference
between the tailor and the Post Quartermaster, the
tailor wanting a few cents more a suit than the Quar
termaster was willing to pay. Hence the delay. In
fact, there is no knowing how much our arms have suf
fered by these misunderstandings and banterings over
a few shillings between exacting tailors and unyielding
quartermasters. While we were quietly smoking our pipes at head
quarters one morning, news came that the big politician
had been seen down town in a military cap, and yel
low stripes down his breeches. This had a look of
cavalry in it. Ogle cast a glance at Harkins ; Stearns
exchanged a sad expression of face with Hidden ;
Harry turned to Bailey, and shaking his head, said :
" If there is any manhood left in the fellow, he won't
make another attempt to get into this regiment."
" He will," said the man who brought the news,
" He is doing it now. He has got authority from the
Colonel to raise a company of Germans for this regi
ment, and as he won't understand a word they say,
much happiness may he have with them. And I can
tell you this, too." continued the man, knowingly, " he
is raising money from citizens to pay his recruiting
expenses." " Money ! " interrupted one of the company, " why,
where is the fortune he has been boasting about ? Like
his common sense, we have not seen the color of it yet."
The news was indeed true, and cast a feeling of sad
ness over the Camp, since it foreshadowed the fact that
a man was to be forced upon us whose presence in the

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 117
regiment was sure to keep it in perpetual trouble.
That a man so very unacceptable to the Americans,
and who had been rejected by them, should have been
authorized to raise a company of men whose language
he could not speak, showed us too plainly that some
grave wrong was to be perpetrated. Now, there was
among the Germans a man of .the name of Gustave
Otto, a Quixotic sort of person, who had dashed about
in a gay uniform, big spurs, and a dangling sabre, and
otherwise assumed the mighty man of war. Otto had
served in the cavalry in Europe, knew something of
the tactics, and was, so far as looks went, a soldier.
But he was inclined to be cruel, and had an excessively
bad temper, which led him into frequent quarrels with
his fellow-countrymen. He aspired to the captaincy of
one of the German companies ; but failing to get a
vote when they were organized, was left outside. In
truth the men were afraid of him, just as ours were of
- the big politician. These two men now joined fortunes,
and with the addition of the melancholy man, who still
wore his black clothes, formed a sort of mutual sym
pathy society, for I must here mention that the last
named gentleman, having failed to get a position in the
regiment, had taken to writing poetry of a heavy order.
This trio of forsaken men now held frequent meetings,
discussed their misfortunes over frothy lager, and were
joined by the parson, who evinced remarkable sympa
thy for them, and would share their cups until his mind
got into a lofty mood. To tell the truth, Father Ruley
had a free use of blarney when under the influence of
his cups, and it was seldom he was not, " Faith, gen-

118 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
tlemen, there never was such injured men as yourselves
since the world began. Leave the matter to me, and
I'll have the three of you generals afore the war's
over," he would say. But if they found sympathy in
the parson, they were as thoroughly hated by the doc
tor, who was a man of courage, and said what he
thought of them to their faces, I verily believe he
would have found pleasure in making a pill to send
them all to tiie devil, and thus end their mischief. He
was willing to excuse the parson getting a little tipsey
at times, but he would have him look better after the
souls of the men, that being the business the country
paid him for.
The authority then to raise this new "German com
pany," was given to Otto and the big politician ; to the
first, that he might have a company to command; to
the second, that he should be eligible as quartermaster
when the regiment was organized, a position he had
laid siege to with an energy worthy of a better cause.
Captain Lord and Lieutenant Pendegrast, two gentle
men from Ireland, were also authorized to raise a com
pany, and were exerting every energy to that end.
And here I must leave this stale matter for the pres
ent, and request the reader to bear me company into
the field beyond Washington, where he shall witness
the first cavalry fight of this war, for Captain Tomp
kins' charge into Vienna, dashing as it was, could not
be called a fight. While we were quietly wondering
and waiting under the breezy shades of Bellevue Gar
den and Elm Park — waiting for the tailor, and won
dering when we should get orders to proceed to the'

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 119
field, Captain W. H, Boyd, with an energy worthy of
all commendation, had filled up his company in Phila
delphia; wasmusteredinon the 19th of July ; proceeded
to Washington on the 22d, and in less than ten days
from that time was mounted and equipped, and doing
service in the field, scouting the country beyond Fair
fax Seminary, Those who expect me to describe a
battle, in which fierce charges and counter-charges
were made, where great skill in the use of the sabre
was displayed, and hand to hand combats were waged
for the mastery ; or, indeed, where any very clever
horsemanship was to be seen on either side, will be
disappointed. I am going to describe a cavalry fight
just as ifwas, and just as any sensible man, with the
slightest knowledge of cavalry, must have known it
would be, made up, as one side was, of troopers fresh
from their firesides in Pennsylvania, and to whom war
was a new business. There were good men' in this
company, men not wanting in courage ; but, like all
other companies and regiments, it had its share of men
who are quick to take alarm at the first sign of danger,
and, what is worse, to so communicate their alarm to
others as to make its effect general. Such men as
these are always seeking to excuse their want of cour
age by casting reflections on the competency of their
commander. It is true, however, that nothing so
stimulates the courage of soldiers, and especially such
as are new to the field, as the knowledge that their
commander is a soldier and competent to take proper
care of them in a fight, A fool for an officer will be
sure to msik-e brave men appear like cowards ; and

120 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
nothing is so true as that in the Army of the Potomaic
We have had too many fools and knaves at the head of
regiments of brave men.
It was early in August that Captain Boyd, with his
company of gallant troopers, might have been seen
winding over the hills beyond Fairfax Seminary, leaving
the Littie River turnpike to the left, and heading to
wards Fairfax Court House. Butler's Big Bethel, and
Schenck's wonderful display of milifary science, as
shown in his charge backward into the enemy's coun
try with a locomotive and train filled with soldiers,
were still fresh in the minds of our men. Masked bat
teries and ambuscades were our dread, and Captain
Boyd very wisely felt his way with great caution. An
advance guard was out, and flankers were kept con
stantly in motion. Every clump of woods ahead was
regarded as an excellent lurking place for the enemy, now
made bold by his success at Bull Run, and who had the
advantage of knowing every foot of the country. These
clumps of wood were the signal given every few min
utes for a halt. This done, men were sent cautiously
forward to scour the woods, or, in the event of discov
ering a force concealed there, to return and report.
Several of these positions, regarded as extremely dan
gerous, were passed in safety, the gallant troopers
breathing freer when the report came that no enemy
was near. And I am sure there were no braver troop
ers to be found than our boys when they heard the ad
vance sounded, and were told that the road ahead was
clear. Nor must I forget to mention here that the gal
lant captain heard only with one ear. The other, how-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 121
ever was particularly sharp, and the quickness with
which he lent it to the amusing reports of every negro
he met in the road was remarkable. If the negro car
ried a bundle, and were a fugitive in search of freedom
and our lines, his appearance was sure to cause a halt.
In most cases the negro was a prodigy of intelli
gence, a perfect index to all rebel secrets, an inti
mate acquaintance of Mr. Jefferson Davis, and very
recently enjoying friendly relations with General Beau
regard, who had, while at breakfast one morning, given
hirii the exact strength and position of his army. Here
was a storehouse of valuable knowledge, just what our
general in command wanted, what the country needed,
and what the necessities of a free press demanded for
the entertainment of its readers. The gallant captain
knowing what a hungry ear the public had for the sto
ries of these very reliable colored gentlemen fresh from
Secessia, would send them as fast as picked up to head
quarters. Indeed, he was already becoming famous for
the amount of this kind of loose wisdom he had secured
for the benefit of the country. The trouble with this
person, known subsequently as the " intelligent contra
band," was that he knew so much more of the rebel
army than it was possible for even General Beauregard
to know, that our generals were astonished rather than
instructed by the magnitude of what he had to tell.
If, also, a hapless farmer left his plow and came to
peer over his gate at the uncommon sight, a halt was
called, and the farmer made to discover all he knew
about the country ahead ; how the roads ran, and
sphere they intersected ; whether he had seen any of
6

122 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
the enemy, in what force they were, and indeed all he
knew concerning the enemy and his movements. And
this poor hapless man was made to say much he did
not want to say, and in his fear give such information
to-day as might appear wrong to-morrow. He must
save his property, and keep his family from starvation ;
to do which he must be a Union man to-day and a rebel
to-morrow, just as one force or the other might charge
down upon his acres. The rebels will to day tiireaten
to burn his house down over his head unless he tells
them all, and in truth more than all, he knows concern
ing our movements. To-morrow some Union officer,
flushed with the great importance of small power, will
threaten to burn his house down unless he discloses all
the information concerning the enemy in his possession.
The question recurs to him, what is a poor man to do
with two such friends ? I can affirm that between them
both his house is almost sure of being burnt down, and
his family sent to wander homeless, perhaps among un-
sympathising enemies. One party would not believe
him when he told the truth, the other always suspected
Ifim of knowing much more than he was willing to tell.
He might to-morrow discover an enemy in the officer
he had to-day mistaken for a friend. I have come to
believe that no greater misfortune can befall a man
than to live on ground separating the fronts of con
tending armies during war. Both are sure to want his
sympathy, to distrust his sincerity, and neither can give
him permanent protection — the only thing that will
make him of any real value to either side. The Gov
ernment cannot, or will not, give him power to assert

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 123
bis manhood to-day; to-morrow it may make him a mar-
6yr to events he had no part in producing. He was
tn4eed fortunate if he escaped being made a prisoner,
and carried off by some young officer, vain of his au
thority and in search of promotion. If you would
know the number of these hapless and now homeless
beings, you may read it on those tall gaunt and black
piles by the road-sides of Virginia, writing their tales
of wantonness in clear and sharp lines against the mid
night sky. These black remnants of war are no proof
that treason once had a,hiding place here. They mark
alike the spots where good Union men, as well as reb
els once had happy homes.
I have wandered somewhat from my subject to show
how dangerous it was to act upon information picked
up in the manner here described, and more especially
at that time. The Government had great faith in the
"intelligent contraband," and so had the "friends of
the party ;" but our generals in the field knew that on
questions of fact he was somewhat like his rebel mas
ter, a very uncertain person. Boyd and his company
of gallant troopers advanced cautiously, exploring the
country, rod by rod, and mile by mile; halting every
few minutes to pick up information, after the manner
described above. They had now reached a piece of
woods, were advancing through it and approaching a
spot where the road forked and opened into a clear
ing. A halt was suddenly made, the flankers closed
in quickly, and the advance guard was seen returning
at rapid speed, and making -such signs of " danger
ahead" as spread general alarm among the men. One

124 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
of the advance guard came up, and reported "a largif
army of the enemy " just ahead and moving down upon
us. Delivering his report in a hurried and excitable
manner, the man was about to put spurs to his already
jaded animal, and make the best time he could back to
the Seminary ; but the company, which had been ad
vancing by fours, now stood in that position, blocking
up the road. This, however, only seemed to increase
his excitement, which had already began to show its
effect injuriously on a majority of the company. The
captain hesitated for a minute, as if undecided what
to do, or what command to give next. Cavalry move
ments require quick thought and quick action. Two
more of the advance guard were seen returning, and
increasing their speed as they advanced. Seeing the
Qaptain hesitate, some of the men mistook it for defi
ciency of knowledge in the tactics. Now tiiere was
an old cavalryman in the company, and it was charged
upon him tha,t he gave the command : " By fours, left
about, wheel — forwa,rd ! " It matters not who gave
the command. It is enough to know that the company
got about in some confusion, and away it went over
the road towards camp, some trotting, some galloping,
others having enough to do to keep themselves in the
saddle and their horses in the road. It flashed sud
denly on the mind of the gallant captain, who was not
wanting in courage, that his men were running away
before they had seen the enemy, or even tested the
metal of his sabres. And it was punishment enough*

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 125
that he had to follow them in retreat, instead of leading
them against the enemy in a good fight.
One of the two advance guards I have described as
seen returning, rode up to him and, luckily for the
honor of our arms, on the side he was sharp of hearing
on. " Captain," said the man, " the enemy is not in
large force. It is a troop of cavalry, not stronger
than we are, if as strong. They are halted. You
know  is short of sight. There is cattle grazing
near them, and these he mistook for cavalry in re
serve." Catching what the man said with remarkable
quickness, Boyd called his son, a fine young man of
twenty, and bidding him follow, dashed after his
troopers, and gaining the head of the now disordered
column, drew his pistol, and placing himself in an atti
tude of resistance, commanded them to halt or he
would shoot the first man who disobeyed orders.
Seeing their captain so determined, they halted and
formed in order, when he addressed them, appealing to
their honor as men, to their courage as soldiers. Point
ing to his son, he told them lie was willing to sacrifice his
own life and that of his son, rather than have it said
they were cowards. He had more to lose than they
had, but if they would stand by him, and go back and
meet the enemy, he would stand by them. His words
fell like electricity on the men's feelings. Courage
now took the place of fear. They cheered and ex
pressed their anxiety to be led on to the fight. Wheel
ing by fours they were soon faced about and proceeding
back at a brisk trot. They soon met the enemy in the
edge of an open ground, when he prepared for action,

126 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
his force being about equal to ours. The captaii^
formed his men in line, advanced until he got within car-l
bine range, and then made a sudden dash upon the enemy,
the men discharging their pieces as they closed up, and!
emptying two saddles. The suddenness and impetu
osity of the dash surprised the enemy, for he broke iu
confusion and scampered down the road, our men
cheering and pursuing. They soon came to where the
road forked, and here the enemy divided, a few of his
troopers taking one road, and the larger number the
other. Our force also divided, the larger number fol
lowing the smaller of the enemy on one side, and the
smaller the larger on the other. In this way they fol
lowed the enemy, at times discharging their pieces.
until it became evident that he was close upon his
infantry reserves. The recall was now sounded, the
men fell back in good order, and returned to camp
victorious, btit with the loss of one man killed. The
effect of this little fight was never lost on the men. It
taught them the true value of courage, and also what
advantages were to be gained by these sudden and
impetuous charges on the enemy. After this they were
always quick to charge whenever they met the enemy ;
and no company of cavalry did better service, or
performed its duty more satisfactorily during the mem
orable seven days' battles before Richmond,
I have frequently noticed that the impression pro
duced on men when first led into a fight, either through
defeat or victory, had much to do in shaping their con
duct during a campaign. Defeated at first, it was a
difficult matter to restore their courage: and when

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 127
brought a second time to face the enemy, they did it
with feelings chained to the fear of a repulse. If vic
torious at first, it gave them a name that acted with
electric effect on their future conduct.

STORY OF A TROOPER

book: II.

CHAPTER XIV.

HIGH OFFICIALS AND CONFUSION.
Thanks to our tailor, who had for several weeks
aspired to rule our destinies, he had fulfilled his con
tract, and we were in uniform. Still, with the excep
tion of one company, whose exploits I have described
in a foregoing chapter, we were yet in New York,
waiting for somebody, for something, nobody knew
what. We wondered why we were not ordered to the
field ; the Secretary of War wondered why we did not
come on ; and an impatient public began again to
clamor for another forward movement to Richmond.
The first onward movement had not shaken the enthu
siast's belief that to take Richmond all that was neces
sary was to move on. Mud and opposing armies formed
no part of his reasoning.
Our German officers, who had fared sumptuously
every day, and incurred numerous and heavy bills for
subsisting themselves and their men before mustering
in, declared their men should not move an inch until
their accounts were settled. In looks, our German
friends were sturdy soldiers eno.ugh ; but fhey were
exceedingly exacting, and a little too much given to
13

132 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
indulge their vanity with the belief that no battle
could be fought with success until they took the field.
It was no more than right that Von Blitzen and Hana
Stiennieg, who had furnished piles of bread and Bo
logna sausage, with sundry kegs of lager thrown in,
should be paid. Both affected to be poor men now,
though well enough off in their own dear Germany.
We were all much concerned about these men, but how
or from what source we were to get the money to dis
charge their bills was a question none of us had yet
been able to solve. I was sent to Washington in pur
suit of knowledge, for on many things we had been
working in the dark. A belief prevailed among us
that the President might order these bills paid out of
the secret service fund.
It was the 19th of August, ISgl, when I arrived in
Washington. I had letters to Mr. Seward and the
President. I called on Mr. Seward first. Cold as an
iceberg just out of the North Sea, he lighted his segar
and smoked away, like a man without a care, and in
tent on showing how indifferent he could be to the
great events that were developing themselves all around
him, and giving a new and strange character to our
history. He read the letter I handed him, and having
writien the following on its back, returned it : " Will
General Meigs please look into this. William H. Sew
ard. I have read this."
There was no more to be done with Mr. Seward, so
I left him to his segar, and proceeded to the White
[House. The President expressed a deep interest in the
matter, saw at once what was wanted, and acted

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 133
promptly. Expressing his surprise at the delay that
had been caused in getting the regiment forward, he
wrote as follows to the Secretary of War :
"Executive Mansion,
"August 19th, 1861.
" Will the Secretary of War see Mr. Adams, and
take measures to have this regiment come forward at
once. "(Signed,) A. LINCOLN,"
The Secretary could and did issue an order to bring
the regiment to ¦ Washington ; but his genius was at
fault as to how we were to get funds to satisfy the de-
manda of our German friends. He said we must jump
over that difficulty in some way ; how, he did not ex
actly see. He hinted at the Union Defence Committee;
at Colonel Cummings, of the World, a newspaper with
pious tendencies ; and that great medium of all good
intentions, Thurlow Weed, Esq. Either of these
might point us to the road out of our difficulties, I
discovered in this that Secretary Cameron was a joker
as well as a patriot, and was anxious to get rid of me
by this clever display of his genius. He might, with
pqual propriety, have suggested my going to Richmond
to raise funds for a monument to the political memory
of James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania. Or, what would
havo been equally profitable, to seek in New Jersey
money enough to christianize the Jews. Finally he
suggested a conference on the subject with General
Moigs. A melancholy looking sutler came in and oc-

134 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
cupied tiie Secretary's attention just then, so I retired
and went in pursuit of the Quartermaster General;
General Meigs was quick to see the necessity that de
manded payment of these bills, and promptiy wrote :
" Let him present bills for supplies furnished, certified
by Quartermaster and Colonel, and I think I can ar
range to pay them. Signed, M. C. Meigs."
This was so far satisfactory. The organization of
this regiment, let me say here, presents a record of
economy that cannot be surpassed by any regiment
raised for the war ; and the credit of this is due to the
four energetic young men (afterwards captains of com
panies) who did the recruiting. We were three months
organizing the regiment, and yet eight thousand dol
lars would have covered all the just bills to be paid by
the Government for recruiting, subsisting, rent of quar
ters, and, indeed, all such expenses as are necessary to
the organization of a regiment; and more than two
thirds of this amount was created by' our friends of the
four German companies. ,
It will indeed seem strange to the intelligent reader
that Congress, having at its extra session passed an
act appropriating twenty million dollars for the pay
ment of just such bills as were here presented, so few
of the heads of Departments should have any distinct
knowledge of its provisions. Business had accumu
lated with great rapidity in the Departments, and there
was a great lack of system and proper business knowl
edge everywhere apparent. There was confusion in
the War Department, confusion doubly confused in the
Adjutant General's Office, confusion everywhere. If

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 135
the President or General McClellan advanced your
business a few steps, some new and airy clerk of some
Department was s-are to exert his genius in putting it
back. You needed the patience of Job to get through
the dead-wood of the Departments. What the Quar
termaster General said was his business, the heavy-
headed Adjutant General was sure to say was none of
his business. Clerks had their conceits to air, and very
many of them went about their business as if they were
conferring a favor on the Government by doing it.
This was particularly the case with civilians just ap
pointed. They were the very dead-wood of the De
partments. If your business brought you in contact
with an officer of the regular army you were, as a rule,
treated with courtesy, and got what you wanted done
promptly and properly. Much of the delay caused in
organizing and equipping the army after the first battle
of Bull Run may bo traced to the incompetency of regi
mental officers, and the unwillingness of clerks in the
Departments to do their duty.
I hastened back to New York with General Meigs's
instructions, and these seeAied to appease the military
dignity of our German friends, who promised to be
ready to move when the order came. Their impor
tuning creditors wore brighter faces, quaffed large
quantities of lager, and set to work getting their bills
certified and sent to me for collection and settlement.
And here I must relate a somewhat amusing incident
that occurred on the mustering-in of our last German
company. Having got the requisite number of Teu
tons, Gustave Otto was elected Captain without a

136 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
murmur. When, however, the big politician presented
himself ft candidate for First Lieutenant, there was a
decided commotion. " Nine, nine, nine," and other
expressions of opposition were heard all through the
company. The captain lost control of his men, and
they gathered together in knots, and talked witii much
earnestness in their own tongue against what they
regarded an imposition. The big politician stood like
one confounded by some new and remarkable discovery.
Becoming very puffy he fell back on his dignity, and
declared ho could not understand this opposition. In
truth he had fancied himself very popular with these
Germans, to gain whose favor he had furnished numer
ous kegs of lager. He was sure, too, they would be
quick to embrace the honor of being led against the
enemy by a man of such great political popularity,
whom no great man in the country would pass without
a bow ; and more than that, he had once shaken the
hand of a President. All this he desired the Captain
to tell them, in a tongue they could understand; but the
effect was rather to increase their opposition, for they
cried, or shouted, " Nine, nine, nine," more vehemently
than ever, and also replied to the Captain with jeers,
the purport of which there was no misunderstanding.
Now, there was in this company an honest German,
whom I shall call Earnst Von Hubner, Earnst was a
respectable man, and every inch a soldier. He had
served for several years in the Prussian cavalry, knew
his business, and had letters of recommendation no man
could doubt. Prompted by motives of patriotism, he
had come to the country at the beginning of the war,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 137
to fight for our cause and gain promotion. Since join
ing the company he had given his comrades many proofs
that he was a good man and a brave soldier. In this
way he had endeared himself to them ; and they, in
return, had resolved that he should be their First Lieu
tenant, He could also speak their language and make
himself understood when they got into a fight with the
enemy, Earnst felt proud of these manifestations in
his favor, and took advantage of them. He declared
there was neither right nor justice in forcing upon the
company a man rejected by his own countrymen, who
could not understand a word of their language, and
knew nothing about cavalry. By not knowing his
business he might get them all killed the first time they
met the enemy. Three cheers were here given for
Earnst, and so great was the confusion that followed,
that it began to look as if there was to be a dead-lock
in the company, and the mustering officer would have
to go back without finishing his job,
"Say to them, sir," said the big politician, addressing
the Captain, "that I am their particular friend, I
don't lack courage, I don't. I will show them I don't
when we meet the enemy !" Here he frisked his fingers
through his bushy hair, and grew ponderous, " Tell
them I am ready to give any man satisfaction *who says
I'm a coward. Don't forget to put tha't in." He
touched the Captain significantly on the shoulder, " You
see I cannot understand a word they say, yet it seems
to me, the more I tell them I am tiieir friend, the more
they take me for their enemy. If it is more lager they
want, they shall have five kegs ; and, if that is not

138 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
enough, ten I In addition to this, each man shall have
a dollar as soon as I have proof that he has given me
his vote,"
The Captain smiled, and communicated what had
been requested to his men. This so increased their
texcitement that they would have laid violent hands on
the big politician, and indeed driven him from the field,
but for the appearance of our Colonel, who was a great
peacemaker, and enjoined them to listen for a few min
utes to what he had to say, " Ya, ya, ya !" echoed
along the ranks. The men came to order, and listened
attentively, while the Colonel addressed them, with the
Captain for his interpreter. He assured them that the
gentleman who offered himself for a position in their
company was a man of profound wisdom, (here the big
politician raised his cap and bowed;) and although, like
himself, he could not speak their language, he was in
every way worthy of their favors. The gentleman only
wanted this position as a means to securing a higher
one, which he was sure of getting as soon as the regi
ment reached Washington. And he pledged his own
honor that, if they honored the gentleman with this
position, he would resign it in less than three weeks,
when it would again be open to the man of their choice.
Some cheered for the Colonel, others shook their heads,
others declared they could not understand what they
were required to do in this strange and irregular man
ner, A vote, however, was taken, and the big poli
tician declared elected First Lieutenant, For this mark
of high favor the Colonel thanked them, and the big
politician made them a speech. He was sure they never

THE STORf OF A TROOPER. 139
would be sorry for what they had done ; and, although
he should not remain long with them, he would never
forget that it was through their kindness that he had
gained a position in the regiment. The men had all
at once become exceedingly good-natured; and, al
though they could not understand a word the speaker
was saying, they laughed heartily and went to their
tents and their rations.
Our German battalion was now full, with Captains
Von Schickfuss, Hourand, Stosch, and Otto, four as fine
looking officers as were to be found in this or any other
army, in command.

CHAPTER XV.

OFF FOR th:e field.
The 25tii of August was a bright and sunny day.
From early morning there had been great bustle an(J
confusion in camp, and by ten o'clock we were moving
into Fourteenth street, to form in line, previous to
embarking, our right resting on Union Square. The
Americaii companies were on the ground first. The
men were afoot, the officers mounted. Then our Ger
man friends joined us, with an extraordinary flourish!
of trumpets, making quiet people along the road stare
and wonder. Now began the business of forming a
line. Some wanted the German battalion on the left,
others wanted it in the center. The German battalion
was inclined to suit itself, and took position on the
right. The melancholy man had been appointed Adju
tant, in consideration of his disappointment. His boots
came nearly up to his waist; his spurs were of extra
ordinary length, and the horse he rode was remarkable
for much bone and little flesh. He had brought his
trusty sabre with him; and, thus mounted, he presented
a figure few could have contemplated with serious face.
This business of forming a regimental line was new to
140

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 141
the Adjutant, who was not a little confused, and went
clattering and tilting up and down the line, now shout
ing and flourishing liis saber, now reining in his horse
suddenly and bringing the poor animal to his haunches,
now stopping to inquire of some more experienced
officer what he should do next. What one told him
was right, another told him was wrong. One cursed
him for not doing what another cursed him for doing,
till at length the poor man became so confused as not
to know what he was doing; and his horse, that had
knocked down a dozen or so of the bystanders, was
nearly exhausted. Then the big politician, aflccting
to assist the discomfited Adjutant, went dancing over
the ground with his horse — now being up on the right
of the line, now on the left, and returning the saluta
tions of ladies, who waved their handkerchiefs from
adjacent windows. He had friends, he said, in all those
houses, and when the ladies waved their handkerchiefs
he knew they were friends of his, and it would be very
unkind of any military gentleman not to return their
salute. The poor Adjutant had exhausted his wits and his
knowledge of the tactics, and still there was disorder
in the ranks. He could not get the regiment into line
properly, and began cursing the big politician for his
interference. The little bugler now stepped out on the
left, and blew numerous shrill blasts on his horn, by
whose order or for what purpose not one of us knew.
This brought out the fat Dutch bugler on the right,
who returned the compliment by sounding an officer's
assembly call, A fierce-looking, fair-haired, and very

142 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
lean Dutch bugler, now appeared in the center, and
raising his horn blew a number of sounds, more loud
and discordant than either of the others. This broughl
the German officers galloping and shouting to the front,
where they joined the Americans, and formed opposite
the center, A flourish of trumpets by the three buglers,
and the Adjutant turned, saluted the Colonel, and re
ported the regiment in line. The band then struck up
and played a march, ladies waved their handkerchiefs
and pressed forward, and the crowd filled up the space
necessary for maneuvering the regiment. Then we' had
an oratorical entertainment of rare quality, A few
kind friends had bought a horse for the Colonel; and
it would not do to present him without a speech ; and
Richard Busteed, Esq., better known as General Bus-
teed, Governor of Yorktown, &c., &c., was called on to
do us this high honor. The General was on his highest
horse that day, could build up a new kingdom or kill a
rebel, fight a dozen battles and win as many victories,
in one sentence. Being a man of uncommon ingenuity,
he spoke at the horse and the Colonel, then at the coun
try and the horse, for nearly an hour, and got the
patriotism so confoundedly sandwiched in with the bun
combe, that it was impossible to tell which had the
better part. In the course of his speech the speaker
alluded to the gods and the devils, to Mars and Ap-
pollo, to glorious patriots and rebels with devilish inten
tions, to fields convulsed with the slain and red with
glory, and to the terrible 'part this regiment would
liave to play in preserving the life of the nation. In
short, according to the speaker, some one connected

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 143
with the regiment was to do a great deal of fighting,
and kill a great many of the enemy, but whether it was
the horse or the Colonel was not quite clear. But the
men repaid the speaker with a great many cheers, and
when he was done the Colonel mounted the horse, and
thanking his friends for their valuable present, gave
us a long speech, in which the state of the nation was
strangely mixed up with the exploits to be performed
by the Lincoln Cavalry.
It was high noon when the Colonel ended his speech;
and now the time for parting was come. Husbands
kissed their wives, caressed their children as the part
ing tear wrote their heart's tale, and " God bless and
protect you," came trembling from their lips. Many a
young lover kissed his sweetheart slyly, shook her hand
warmly, and lisped that good-bye iu which love speaks
to love, and future hopes and joys brighten even in the
hour of darkness. It was indeed the heart's day of
trial to many a young man and woman; and tears were
writing honest tales of love down their cheeks. There,
weeping, was our airy little June flower, the gentle
breeze playing with her golden locks. The bright
smiling face that had so often shed its pleasing radiance
over our camp was now turned to take a last look at
him on whom all the affections of her heart were fixed.
And truly she had fixed her heart upon one worthy of
her, for he was a young man of handsome figure, and
God had blessed him with a noble nature. And there
were other fair friends whose hearts were with us in
the war, and who had come to share with us such boun
ties as heaven had blessed them with; and these were

144 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
to cheer the soldier on his journey. And while theii
hands, brought us good cheer, their lips breathed pray
ers that a merciful God would watch over and protect
us in the day of conflict. Among these messengers ol
mercy was the good Mrs, Kirkland, who went about
Jamong the men distributing havelocks and other little
things necessary to their comfort. Nor must I forget
to mention the diminutive little Dutch woman, who had
found the idol of her heart in Bob, the light-horseman.
She had come to bid him a last good-bye, and her sor
row seemed- uncontrollable. Indeed her sorrow had so
much affected Bob that he mounted his horse with a
tear in his eye and a heavy heart.
The little bugler and the fat Dutch bugler^ now
sounded their horns. The officers took their places,
the order was given, the band struck up, the regiment
wheeled by fours, and Ave were soon marching down
Broadway amidst the waving of handkerchiefs- and
cheers of the assembled. Scarcely had we reached
Canal street, however, when an accident occurred that
might have proved very serious in its results. The
horse on which Bob, the light-horseman, was mounted,
slipped and fell to the pavement, and his rider came
heavily upon the stones and rolled for some yards, like
a huge ball of India rubber. The bystanders ran in
great alarm, saying the poor man must either be killed
or seriously hurt. The fat Dutch bugler fell out and
sounded a halt, but the regiment continued on. Four
men raised the dismounted trooper to his feet, when it
turned out that he was not even hurt, for he began
making merry at his misfortune, as his sorrowful look-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 145
ing animal shook the dirt from its sides. The question
now was, how to get the man upon the animal's back
again, for so short were his legs, and so long his body,
that it required some skill to get him safe into the
saddle. One suggested a barrel, another the tail of a
cart, from which the gentleman might mount his horse
with ease. Through the kindly offices of four sturdy
bystanders, however, he was got safe into the saddle
again, and went off at a rapid pace in pursuit of the
regiment, the bugler following as fast as his legs would
carry him, and sounding a call every few minutes for
the crowd to make way.
Our embarkation on board one of the Camden and
Amboy's steamers was conducted with remarkable good
or.der, and at five o'clock we were steaming down the
harbor on our way to Washington. It was ten o'clock
on the night of the 27th, when we reached that city,
thanks to a line that boasts of possessing extraordinary
and adequate facilities for promoting the Government's
interests. The night was dark and dreary, rain fell
steadily, the great capital was lighted up brilliantly,
and, seen through the darkness, had a bewitching ap
pearance. Little or no provision had been made to
receive troops at the depot, and the men were com
pelled to seek shelter for the night as best they could.
On the following day an order came for us to encamp
on Seventh street, about a mile and a half from the city,
and near the Park Hotel. We moved at onco, and
began arranging camp on a piece of stumpy land called
Moore's farm. No more unfit location could have been
selected, for a portion of the ground was low and

146 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
swampy, the road leading from Seventh street to i^
almost impassable, and the first heavy rain that fell
washed our German battalion clean out of their tents,
and brought curses without number on the heads ol|
those who had selected such a location.
There was encamped near by us the First Kentucky
cavalry, a regiment raised in Pennsylvania by a discon
solate looking man of the name of Young, who was
daily giving his sorry looking troopers their first lesson
in the art of horsemanship. Why Kentucky should be
punished by having her name used by this regiment,
even Colonel Young could not explain. The Colonel
had his wife with him, and being a courageous woman
and a clever rider, she generally took a position at the
head of the column. Indeed it came to be said that
she was a better soldier than the Colonel, since she had
dash and knew something of the drill,
I must here say that I have noticed in too many of
our officers a weakness for taking their wives and fam
ilies to the war with them, I can imagine no greater
incumbrance, or indeed anything that can work so much
injury to the service. Some of our Generals have not
been free from this weakness; and whether. from an
excess of patriotism, or a desire to make the service
wear a domestic appearance, the reader must judge,
when I say I have known several of them fill up their
staffs with their needy relatives. Probably this is on
the principle that it is good philosophy to make the
Government take care of men who never could or did
take care of themselves. Officers of the rebel army
take a different view of their military duties, and very

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 147
wisely let their families remain at home. But enough
of this for the present.
The man Moore, whose little farm we occupied, and
who saw with a sorrowful heart his fences disappearing
to make camp fires, was a rustic of extreme good na
ture, and bestirred himself to make a little money by
providing a mess for our officers. He had an old negro
or two, and these were enough to incline his sympathies
to the South. His mind, too, was fettered with that
terrible incumbrance, that it was very hard to disturb
ihe relations of an institution so firmly fixed in the
affections of the southern people. But he had no ob
jection to being loyal when assured that it would ulti
mately be profitable for him to be so. His little rickety
house bore evidence of decay and want of care; but he
was contented, he said, and had little ambition for the
luxuries of life. His table was spread with plain fare,
and several of our officers messed at it, being cour
teously and kindly served by his two buxom daughters.
The big politician occupied his comfortable little parlor
for a sleeping room, for he had a terrible aversion to
canvas, and never allowed it to shelter him when there
was a house within a mile of camp. There was also,
within a short distance of camp, several families who
treated us with great kindness, and extended their
hospitalities to such of our officers as were disposed to
cultivate friendly relations with them.
On the 3d of September we were joined by a company
of Michigan men, raised at Grand Rapids, in that State,
and commanded by Captain Norton, with Lieutenants
Granger and Martindale, These men were the giants

148 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
of the regiment, some of them standing more than six
feet, and of large muscular development. You could
not have selected better representatives of the gener
ally accepted idea of the western man. Michigan, be
it said to her credit, has sent some of the very best
troops into the service of the Government, and in no
instance have they disgraced their State. But experi
ence proved that very many of these men were too
heavy for cavalrymen, and in addition to breaking down
their horses, were less able to withstand the exposures
and hardships of camp life than many of the delicate
looking young men who had been brought up in luxury
in New York,
On the 10th of September our last company raised
in New York (M,) by Captain Lord and Lieutenant
Pendergrast joined us, and completed the regiment.
We now began to draw our horses and equipments.
But owing to the number of regiments whose requisi
tions had to be filled, and a want of proper system in
the Departments, as well as the unwillingness of regi
mental officers to attend to their duties, the process of
mounting and equipping went on slowly. At one time
we could get liorses but no equipments; at another,
equipments but no horses. Then sabres were not to be
had, although it appeared as if everybody was offering
to sell the Government sabres. Few, indeed, were the
pistols to be had; and it was months after before we
could get a carbine. Still, we were considered by an
impatient public, ready to take the field and run a tilt
with the well-armed enemy as soon as we were mounted.
But after you have armed, equipped, ,and mounted a

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 149
man, something more is necessary to make him a good
trooper. That something is drill and discipline; and
these cannot be properly attained in a month or a year
unless the officers are men of superior ability, and give
their whole attention to their duties.
The horses we were getting were of the very worst
description, and not one in six of them fit for the cav
alry service. They were of bad stock, many of them
blemished beyond cure, and of an age that showed that
they should have long since been sent to die in a differ
ent and less hazardous service. The Government, it
was true, did not pay a very high price for these ani
mals; and this fact was used as a plea by those who
needed a shelter for their frauds. Many of these horses
had evidently been nursed into tolerably good condi
tion externally; but they would show their defects, and
break down under the least hardship or exposure. In
deed it was clear enough that our honest friends from
Pennsylvania had got rid of their aged and infirm
animals, that a good natured Government might have
the honor of paying for their death and burial. I have
said Pennsylvania, for if you inquired at the corral you
were told that these horses all came from that State,
It was very kind of Mr. Cameron to entertain the opin
ion, which he did at that time, that it was not necessary
to purchase mules and horses in any other State. His
friends acknowledged him to be a better judge of mules
than men; but even this should not have found so high-
minded a gentleman turning the environs of Washing
ton into a graveyard for the decayed horseflesh of his
native State, I have heard malicious persons charged

150 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
this aud'that, as malicious persons always will, to hit
noble generosity, to his domestic habits, and to his
well-known resolution never to forget home and friends.
But I am sure the purity of his patriotism is a sufficient
shield against any such charges. Indeed, it seems to
me that Mr. Cameron deserves credit for affording his
State so excellent an opportunity for ridding herself
of her old, and introducing a now and better breed of
horses. ' A friend who has read some portions of the manu
script of this work, say.s he found in it some things not
recorded in the Rebellion Record. That is just what
I intended there should be. I intend to deal only with
things that come under my own observation.
Up to this time the field and staff of our regiment
had remained unorganized. Pew of us could under
stand the reason for this. Want of decision somewhere
was causing great delay and confusion. The big poli
tician seemed to be the dead-wood in every one's way.
He had been laying siege to the position of quarter
master, and had at least four score letters, all setting
forth his many virtues, as well as fitness for the place,
and explaining what the Government would save by
appointing a man of such rare experience. These were
the letters of politicians, and with them the applicant
was besieging the Quartermaster General, morning and
night. It is known that during this war the move
ments of armies have been delayed, plans deranged, and
the honor of our arms endangered, because it was not
decided what officer should have command. It was so
with us. The organization of the regiment could not

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 151
go on until it were ascertained whether this one man
had secured the position he had set his heart on. He
failed, however, to secure the appointment, and there
was great rejoicing in camp when it was known that
Baily, the regiment's choice, had been appointed to the
place. There were times when it looked as if the regi
ment was to be turned into a political machine for the
benefit of two or three persons, rather than serve as an
instrument in putting down the rebellion.
General Stoneman was Chief of Cavalry at this time
and, annoyed at the delay that had been caused, he sent
a peremptory order to organize the regiment and get
it into working shape. And this was the signal for as
great an excitement in our camp as if a shell from the
enemy's battery had exploded in it. Captain Frederick
Von Schickfuss, than whom the service had not a better
officer, was appointed Lieutenant Colonel. Ogle was
nominated for Major of the first battalion, and Captain
Hourand (a German) for the second. No objection
was made to these appointments. Indeed, they were
good and proper. But, to the surprise of every one,
the name of the big politician was added,- for Major of
the third. This was a new and novel way of making
a Major, of raising over the heads of officers of higher
rank, and forcing upon the regiment, a man in every
way unfitted for the position, and who never could be
got to learn or attend to the duties of a soldier, and
whose appearance in the regiment, as experience proved,
was fatal to good order and discipline. Against this
outrage a strong protest was drawn up by the officers,
with Major Ogle at their head.

152 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
The officers gathered into Ogle's tent, to hear him
read the protest, in which the big politician was de
scribed as an incubus, a man much given to mischief,
much wanting in common sense, and not to be trusted
in an enemy's country, where the lives of loyal and
brave men would be more exposed by traitors in our
own ranks than enemies in arms on our front. Before
sending this to the Colonel, the big politician was
invited into the tent, and came, smiling and brushing
his hair, as if he expected to be the recipient of a com
pliment. " Lieutenant," said Ogle, " we have sent for you, on
business not of the most agreeable kind — "
"It doesn't matter," interrupted the politician, "I
am accustomed to kicks, and never take them as unkind
when I know a man's a particular friend."
" You have resolved," continued Ogle, " to honor
this regiment with your presence; and believing that
you are neither fit for a soldier nor an honest man-
that you can do the service much harm and no good;
that this regiment would be better without you, we
have subscribed to this protest." Here he read, in a
loud voice and with clear emphasis, what I have before
stated. The politician shook his head, listened, and
trembled in his boots.
"I'd have you know that it is no compliment to a
man," said the politician, " to set him down for a fool;
and no one said I was not an honest man when I had
the honor of holding a position in the New York Cus
tom House  "
"A night watchman, I suppose," interrupted Ogle.

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 153
" Nothing less than a full inspector, if you please,"
he continued, making a profound bow, and assuming an
injured air. " You must know that I have come to the
war, not so much to fight as to make peace between the
contending parties. As for your opposition to me, this
I can tell you, I do not mean to stay but a week or two
in the regiment. As to the position of Major, it will
only serve me until I am made a General, which I will
soon show you I have friends enough to do. Why, I
have great respect for my enemies, and never speak ill
of them." Here he made another profound bow, and
considering that he had gained a triumph, withdrew
and went in pursuit of the little bugler, whom he soon
had armed with a long paper and going about the camp
in search of signatures. This paper set forth that the
big politician, who hereafter will be known as Major
Von Flopp, was an highly respectable and honest man,
as well as a soldier of much experience, and in every
way worthy of a majority. Several signed this for the
sake of merriment; others added their preference for
the little bugler, and wrote, much to the annoyance of
Von Flopp, that they considered him a person of great
military experience, and in every way worthy of the
high position. To be put on a footing with the little
bugler so disturbed Von Flopp's mind that he sent for
the Chaplin to advise with him as to what he should
do to resent so grave an insult. Now, the Chaplain
was a man of a fighting turn, and in no way inclined
to have his honor damaged by an insult. It was no
prime to fight, he argued, provided a man went into it
to resent an insult offered to his dignity. Von Flopp
8

154 . THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
always agreed with what the Chaplain said, even to the
number of glasses a man could drink without loosing
his wits or ceasing to be a gentleman. " Being a man
of courage," said the Chaplain, " and what is more, a
gentleman, you must demand satisfaction of these fel
lows. If you do not, there is an end to your peace of
mind." " In that I agree with you," replied Flopp. "And
tliat I have courage enough you shall see when we get
into battle. But tell me, your reverence, is it not a
waste of courage to call all these fellows out, and fight
them one at a time ? That's what I should have to do,
you see, for they are all my enemies. Then again I am
told it is not military etiquette to fight a man who is
Bot your equal in rank." Here the Chaplain inter
rupted him. "A military man may take off his coat
and ask his opponent to do the same, and then the little
matter of rank is out of the way."
"Your reverence is right," continued the Major,
warmly; "I didn't think those men were on an equal
when their coats were off. But, your reverence, does
a man serve his conntry who throws away his life in a
duel ?"
" When courage is in the scale, gentleraen never stap
to philosophize. There is no peace for yon unless you
fight," responded the Cliaplain, turning to his cups.
The Major paused for a minute, and y^s evidently
not inclined to regard the Chaplain's consolation with
favor. " I am not the man to hesitate when my honor is on
trial. But a man -who looks to the future for his re-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 155
^ards never sacrifices his life in trifles. And I was
turning it over in my mind that if by chance I should
be killed by one of these fellows — having to fight the
whole of them — there would be an end to my being
made a General  -"
"I see you were not born in Ireland," interrupted
the Chaplain, reproachingly. "An officer born in Ire
land would first take care of his honor and think of
the General afterwards." And the Chaplain raised his
glass and looked through it, squintingly, atVon Flopp.
" It is the quality of your pluck, sir, that these fellows
must see, and see quickly," he concluded, draining his
iglass. Von Flopp shook his head, and began to turn pale.
"I don't wish to offend your reverence, who has so
|oftea shown us that you are a man of courage. But I
,have read that a man's courage depends on the state of
his stomach. If his stomach be disordered, so is his
courage. The same with his honor. A coward may
call a brave man a coward. That does not make him
one. To tell you the truth, what gads me most is not
that they should doubt my courage, but that they should
call me a simpleton. If I knew the fellow who put
that in the protest I would demand satisfaction of
him  "
" I'll give you the name, sir; you shall not pine long
for that," interrupted the Chaplain, raising the bottle
in his unsteady hand, and letting the whisky he sup
posed was filling his glass fall on the table. " Write
your ¦ challenge, choose your friend and a doctor, and

156 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
let the affair come off at once. But let it not be said
I had a hand in it,"
Von Flopp was quick to understand the meaning of
this caution, and as quick to take advantage of it.
" Then I am sure your reverence will do me the honor
to carry my challenge, and this fellow shall soon siriart
for calling me a simpleton,"
The Chaplain set his glass on the table and raised
his hands while his face expressed surprise and astonish
ment, " May the Apostles save me !" he exclaimed,
"A man of my profession carrying a challenge. Well,
well! It is for me to save the souls of the regiment.
My good temper never lets me get angry; but I can
tell you Major, your invitation conveys an insult to a
minister in good standing." The good Chaplain, who
was a man of rare mental gifts, would willingly have
preached Von Flopp's filneral sermon, for he was elo
quent over the grave, could draw delicate comparisons,
and allude so tenderly to things connected with the life
of the brave dead; but carrying a challenge was not in
his line.
" Then if your reverence will not carry my challenge
there is an end to the whole matter, for I have not an
other friend in the regiment, except the little bugler,
and it would not do to send him. As for the doctor,
he only wants the opportunity to give me a pill that
will insure my passage into another world,"
Here the two parted, the Chaplain not being well
pleased at the way Von Flopp got out of the fight, and
Von Flopp firmly believing that it would be gaining a

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 157
victory over his enemies not to fight any of them, but
to nurse his courage until the day of battle, and then
show tiiem that he had pluck of no mean kind.
The protest was sent, but it failed to produce any
effect, for our good-natured Colonel put it in his pocket,
and there it remained. Tiien, too, Von F.lopp remained,
a political fact, forced on the regiment to destroy its
usefulness, just as politicians of more mental capacity
were making mischief destructive to the whole army.
A remonstrance against this strange proceeding, signed
by a large number of the officers, was sent to General
McClellan, praying that he would take such action as
would relieve us from the burden about to be forced
upon us. The General acted promptly in the matter,
and an order soon came, directing the Colonel to make
an inquiry into the matter, and report. This order
produced great fluttering in camp for a day or so, and
Von Flopp began to think his prospects of being soon
made a General were at an end. But I have noticed
in the volunteer service that it is one thing to issue an
order and quite another to get it obeyed. The inquiry
was never made, and General McClellan's order, like
the protest, found a quiet sleeping place in the Colonel's
pocket. Promotions are made in this way.

CHAPTER XVI.

CHANGE OF GAMP, AND GRAND REVIEW.
We had been twice drenched out at Moore's farm;
and the wet, swampy nature of the ground had already!
affected injuriously the health of the men. We struck!
camp on the 19th of September, and moved to Meridiani
Hill, a high and healthy position, overlooking Wash-,
ington and its beautiful surroundings. Here our little!
town under canvas began to assume a more orderly
and regular appearance, thanks to Lieutenant Colonel
Schickfuss, who began to win the respect of the mem
by showing that he knew his business thoroughly, and
was resolved to enforce discipline. Under his direction
schools of instruction were opened, and the officers
applied themselves to the tactics. We had company-
driUs, too, nearly every day, but the work of training
new horses so that they could execute movements with
celerity progressed slowly. Efficiency was a thing not
to be attained in a month or even a year; nor was it
difficult to see from the slow progress we made in im
provement what an herculian task it was to make an|
army a general could feel safe with in the face of au;
enemy. There was, however, littie for mounted troops
158

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 159
to do on the Virginia side of the Potomac, for the enemy
had his fierce looking Quakers pointed at us from
Munson's and Upton's Hills, and the pickets of both
armies were keeping up a lively exchange of leaden
compliments* almost in sight of the Capitol.
On the 8th of October General McClellan ordered a
grand review of the troops in and about Washington.
The field designated was the broad plain east of the
Capitol, and we were ordered to be on the ground and
in position at three o'clock. This was to be our first
appearance before the Commanding General, and our
little town under canvas was all astir at an early
hour. The men labored hard to get their horses well
groomed, their equipments clean, and their arms bright.
The Adjutant was kept busy issuing a string of orders,
and contraband servants hurried about, making a great
deal of noise among themselves, some cleaning the
horses, others the boots and uniforms of their new
masters. The lager-beer man was driving a brisk
business with the German battalion, which was as usual
making a great deal of noise, and old women with their
leathery pies were circulating about, their baskets
nearly empty. By noon the noise and excitement had
increased to its highest point. Every few minutes the
fierce-looking face of the German Major, his long mous
taches twisted into papers, was seen protruding from
the canvas of his tent, as if for the amusement of those
near by. Then he would call lustily for his servant,
Franz Hertz, who was enjoying lager with a friend at
tiie beerman's stand. Ogle sat contcmplatingly in his
tent, and hinting to those around him that we should

160 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
not make a very respectable appearance on revie-w.
He protested that mounting men and calling them cav
alry before they could ride was a libel on the service.
But the subject that afforded the camp most merri
ment, as well as alarm for what he would do on review,
was Von Flopp. He had made up his mind to be a
great feature in the review, as well as to make a deep
impression on the mind of the Commanding General.
Indeed, it was not of the slightest consequence to him
that he was innocent of all knowledge of cavalry, and
could not give a correct command to his battalion.
Early in the morning, he had created no little amount
of merriment in camp by one of the strangest orders
that ever emanated from a diseased brain, and which
began thus : " The battalion I have the honor to
command will," &o., &c. The Major had a weakness
for showey uniforms, and so concerned was he lest a
coat the tailor had just made him had not lace becom
ing to an officer of such rank, that he called in the
little bugler to give an opinion. Then he could not
find his servant, one Von Cycle ; and in order not to
be behind, had to give a shilling to a strolling contra
band to polish up his big boots. This done, he
appeared in his shirt and breeches, big boots and im
mense spurs, and paced in great tribulation before his
teut, the little bugler admiring him from a stump near
by, and every few minutes making the most aggravat
ing sounds on his horn,
" Sound a call for that servant of mine, bugler," said
tiie Major, " and let it be loud and strong, for the fellow
is asleep somewhere,"

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 161
" The d — 1 1" rejoined the bugler, opening his shark
like mouth ; "I can sound an officer's call — never heard
of one for servants before."
" Go blow your bugle all about the camp, or where-
ever you think that servant of mine is, and when you
have found him, say I will send him to the guard
house — yes, chain him to a ball, unless he conies at
once and attends to my uniform." The Major said this
in an angry tone, and the bugler t»ok his departure,
blowing all sorts of discordant sounds on his horn, in
return for which he received numerous kicks and cuffs.
To those who inquired what he was aharraing the camp
for, he replied that what he was doing was by order of
Major Von Flopp. He soon returned, however, ac
companied by a flabby young fellow, ill-favored, with
heavy jaws, and a tongue perpetually protruding
from his mouth and thickening his speech. He came
'forward muttering and shaking his head ; and instead
of going meekly to work getting his master into uni
form, lik;e a military servant, he commenced cursing
M^Hif^'i' a fool who had disturbed him at a game ol
sfiveD-upi whereat he had won twenty or more shillings
from his comrades.
"Hold your tongue, sir," said the Major. "Don't
vou know you are using language disrespectful to a
superior officer ? You shall be well punished for this
when review is over."
"Won't hold my tongue," replied the servant, shak
ing his clenched hand at the Major, who was re-enter
ing his tent "won't hold my tongue. Take off our
coats, and I'm as good a man as you. Did'nt enlist to
8*

162 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
play boot-black to that spooney— won't do it neither ;!
can't make me do it. Government ain't a paying mo
thirteen dollars a month for playing shoe-black to such
a spoony. Pays me to fight secessionists, does."
" You would'nt a talked that way in the regulars,"!
interposed the little bugler, reprovingly.
Here the Major returned, bearing on his arm his
vest, coat, belt, and sabre, his dress hat and feathers.;
"Now, get your bi-ush," said he, "no more of this dis
respect to a superior officer, but have these things well
cleaned. Be careful with the hat, and see that the
feathers are nicely shaken. Keep your behavior good,-
and you shall be a corporal one of these days."
The man caught up his brush, looked sullenly at the
Major, and taking the clothes from his arm, mounted the
hat on his own head. Then he began applying his
brush, and again cursing his master, who was much|
concerned about his hat, and peremptorily ordered thatj
the man remove it from his head, or be sent to the
guard-house. The man removed the hat reluctantly
from his head, saying he supposed he must obey orders.
Numerous persons had by this time gathered about the
Major's tent, looking on with wonder at the strange
scene. Again the Major disappeared into his tent, and
again the refractory Von Cycle mounted the hat and
feathers, much to the amusement of those looking on.
" Say, little bugler," ejaculated the servant, extend-,
ing his arm and pointing with his brush. " Hard, ain'tJ
it ? Come down here to fight rebs, then be told you
can't cuss a muff like this Major, without having the
guard-house shook in your face,"

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 163
The Major had been watching his servant through an
opening in his tent, and, seeing his new uniform dashed
to the ground, ran out in a state of great excitement, and
calling a guard, had the man marched off to the guard
house, declaring he would have him court-martialed for
language disrespectfhl to a superior officer. He now
called in the aid of the bugler, who never failed him,
and in the course of half an hour appeared before his
tent in full uniform, his pistols pouched and his sabre
clattering about his heels. But his hat and feathers
were nowhere to be found.
The time for forming the regiment was now at hand.
Indeed, boot and saddle had been sounded, and the
Major went about camp like a man of deranged brain,
offering ten dollars to any man who would bring him
his liat, and the name of the thief that stole it. No
body, seemed inclined to earn the reward. It now
flashed across the Major's mind that his unruly servant
might have born it to the guard-house on his head. It
was found there, but in no condition to be mounted by
an officer of such high rank. But the Major's mis
fortunes were not to end here.
Again the bugles sounded, companies began to fall
in, the line was formed, and the regiment, mounted,
was ready to march. Some mischievous wag had
stolen Von Flopp's horse. He had allowed himself to
get into a state of intense excitement, and approaching
the Colonel, beseeched him not to move the regiment
until he had found his animal, since there was not
another in camp he would appear on before so distin
guished a general as McClellan. In another minute

164 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
the regiment was moving off at a brisk trot, the
Major's battalion in command of the senior captain.
This was General McClellan's first grand review;
north of the Potomac. He was then the military idol
of the day, in the very highest of his popularity, his
every movement noted, magnified, and heralded over
the land. He was on the field when we got there, sur
rounded by a brilliant staff, a number of general
officers, and his celebrated body-guard of troopers, all
mounted on the finest horses the conntry could pro
duce, McClellan knew the value of show on the mind
of the soldier, and took advantage of it whenever he
could. A great multitude of people, some in car
riages, some mounted on gay steeds, others afoot, had
gathered on the field to be spectators of the grand and
imposing scene. The troops to be reviewed were for
the most part cavalry and artillery. Bright and for
midable-looking batteries, mounted and equipped in
such perfect condition, swept gaily past, tiieir guidons
fluttering in the breeze. Then there came long lines
of cavalry, with banners flying and bands playing
inspiring airs. Now the very air resounded with
martial strains, and the eye scanned over a scene rich
with the pomp and show cf war. The troops were
soon formed in a grand and imposing line, the batteries
glaring and fl.ashing in the sunlight, and flaunting colors
throwing -their inspiring influence over the bewitching
scene. In tiiis gorgeous array of military pomp, of out
ward show, and deceptive strength, figured tiie men upon
whose strong arms and earnest hearts the nation had
rested its hope of salvation. The little fair-haired man

'the story Of a trooper. 165
¦who formed the central figure of that brilliant group
(brilliant mentally as well as ornamentally) was the
great object of attraction, for he was being worshipped
as only a people who dislike kings can worship a
commoner. Just here a very ludicrous scene occurred. When
the line was formed and the column was about to move
in review, great cheering was heard on the left of the
line among the spectators. It was caused by Von
Floop, who came galloping upon the ground, after the
manner of Ichabod Crane, his poor horse reeking with
foam, and himself almost breathless with excitement.
His manner created great alarm among the troops,
many of the officers taking him for a madman, who, in
an odd freak, might charge upon them and do them
serious bodily harm. Nor did his strange pranks fail
to attract the notice of the Commanding General, who
isent one of his staff to inquire who the man was, for
he kept galloping up and down the front, now charg
ing through and putting a stop to the music of some
band, now frightening officers from their positions. It
was seen at last that the man was in search of his regi
ment ; but such was the state of his mind that he had
rode past it twice or thrice without recognizing his
own command. At length the good Cliaplain, seeing
his distress, went to him and put an end to his gala-
vanting. The massive column was now in motion, and with
bands playing and colors flying swept proudly past the
reviewing General, and presenting a formidable appear
ance. But, after all, it was but a tiling of show and

166 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
appearance. The experienced eye saw at once that the
two most essential things to the efficiency of an army —
drill and discipline — were wanting, and could only be
attained with time. Horses were new to the business;
officers did not know how to give commands correctly;
and when they were given, the men did not understand
how to obey them. This was especially so with the
cavalry. An attempt to execute anything but the
simplest movements resulted in lamentable confusion.
To have led such a force against a formidable and de
termined foe would have been next to madness on the
part of any general.
We were glad when the scenes of the day ended, for
the part we had taken in them did not reflect much
credit on either our drill or discipline. But it must be
remembered that ours was a new regiment; that we
had been mounted but a few weeks, and hence little
could be expected of us.

CHAPTER XVII.

HOW NOT TO DO IT.
There are few objects more entitled to sympathy than
that of a man with a bundle of accounts under his arm,
besieging some crusty, ill-mannered disbursing officer
for their examination and payment. I was found in
that position once; I hope never to be again. During
the month of September I was besieging the Quarter
master General's office for examination and payment
of the bills we had incurred in organizing the first
regiment of volunteer cavalry raised for the war.
General Meigs, who was quick to grasp what the ne
cessities of the times demanded, saw at once that unless
such bills as these were paid, and paid promptly, there
would be a check to recruiting in the Northern States.
Supposing that the funds appropriated by Congress for
the payment of recruiting bills had been placed to the
credit of his Department, which indeed they ought to
have been, he promptly referred me to Captain (now
Colonel) Perry, with a request that he would examine
them at once, and report. I found in the Captain one
of these pleasant, genial, and companionable gentlemen,
whose gentle natures have shed a charm around the
167

168 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
associations of West Point. He had recently returned
from Fort Pickens, where he had been to reinforce that
stronghold when the rebels were in the hey-day of their
defiance. He was suffering from a severe injury to one
of his feet, received while on duty at Pickens, and al
though suffering great pain, was daily performing the
immense amount of duty incident to his new position
in the Quartermaster General's Department.
Captain Perry had such an amount of business al
ready on his hands, and so many volunteer officers who
knew nothing of their business to instruct, that he had
but little time to give to the examination of accounts.
However, we got alonj very pleasantly together, and
a man softens impatience by doing all he can to pro
mote your interests. Seven or eight days past, and we
had nearly got to the end of the tedious accounts when
the Captain's health gave out and he was forced to
keep his room for nearly a week. One morning he
went to work with his usual cheerfulness; the accounts
were examined, and a favorable report made. Then
they had each to be numbered and registered, every
item copied and indorsed. To do this required several
days' time, and the exercise of more than ordinary pa
tience. I now began to flatter myself with tiie hope
that I was nearly to the end of the immense reel of red
tape I had been trying to unknot for nearly three
weeks. No such good fortune was in store for me.
When I thought myself done with the red tape of
the War Department, the important discovery was
made that the fund appropriated by Congress had been
assigned to the Adjutant General and not the Quarter-

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 169
master General for disbursement. All our time and
patience proved to have been wasted, and I had to
shoulder my budget and commence a new siege at that
tomb of the dead-wood, the Adjutant General's Office.
Here I was referred to a newly appointed disbursing
officer, who had an office across the street, I shall
never forget this gentleman and my first interview with
him. He was a Lieutenant of regulars, a brave bitu
minous sort of person, ready to catch fire at the slight
est touch, and composed of all the ill-tempered odds
and ends of some very ill-tempered family. He lived
and flourished in an atmosphere of perpetual quarrel
ing. And when there was no one else to enjoy a
quarrel with he managed to get up a quarrel with him
self He spoke with a strong nasal twang, and his free
use of profane expletives, as well as his odd manner of
mixing them up with what many would call pious invo
cations, marked him as a man of some inventive genius.
This, considered as a merit in a disbursing officer, may
account for his appointment by Adjutant General
Thomas, with whom, I was told, he was a great favorite.
But I must say of the poor man that he had the work
of a dozen men to do, and in this he found an excuse
for being more proficient at inventing profanity than
discharging his duties with ease and quickness. His
business knowledge was of the most limited and crude
kind, and he seemed to regard his position as one giv
ing him full authority to block the wheels of the Gov
ernment as much as he could. Ho did not think much
of volunteers, suspected the motives of every one who
liad helped raise a regiment, snarled at those who asked

170 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
him questions he held not exactly proper for him to
answer, and regarded as a thief any man with a bill it
was his business to pay. To any one at all acquainted
with business it would have appeared strange that such
a man should have been entrusted with the disburse
ment of millions of dollars of the people's money. And
yet in addition to being a disbursing officer, he was an
inspector of mules and horses, as well as mustering
officer. At one time he would be gone to Harper's
Ferry to be absent three or four days, inspecting mules
and horses, while applicants by the score were besieg
ing his office to get their accounts settled. At another
he would be away for a day, mustering in or mustering
out troops. And when he gof home he was generally
so distracted with the amount of business that had
accumulated, and his incapacity to get through it
properly, that it took him no little time to collect his
thoughts. His clerk, for he had only one, would coolly tell you
you would be mistaken if you expected to get accounts
examined to-day. I rarely ever met a more strange
pair than this young man and his master. * One seemed
to echo the other's aversion to persons having business
with the office. He. was what is commonly accepted as
a nice young man, this clerk, dressed in the highest
feather of fashion, and wore painfully tight and bright
patent leather boots. These boots evidently gave him
more concern tlian the war and its necessities. The
weather being incessantly warm, you generally found
this nice young Mr. Deadwood sitting in a chair, one
boot off, and airing his chaffed foot out of a window.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 171
" Now, here you are again, botherin' me about them
accounts," he would say to each visitor, screwing his
face into a wrinkle. Then -lie would draw in his boot
less foot, rub his toes, and curse his bootmaker. " Have
to suffer the torments because that feller didn't under
stand me when I told him to make 'em bigger." It
was no matter how much a person had done to serve
the Government, how far he had come, what expense
he was at in the city, he would find his ardour damped
by this nice young Deadwood, of a dead-wood Depart
ment. Once when I called to inquire if the disbursing
officer had got back from inspecting- mules, Mr. Dead-
wood was hobbling across the floor, a boot in one hand
and fanning himself with the other.
" Now, you don't think there's going to be any ex
amining accounts done here to-day?" he said, increas
ing the motion of his fan. " Got no authority to do
notliin' when Lieutenant isn't here. Got enough to do
to keep cool this weather." Mr. Deadwood had evi
dently enough to do to take care of his own physical
comfort, and .was not to be disturbed by persons who
had been engaged at the mean work of recruiting regi
ments. An intimation that the system of doing business, at
his office could not promote the interests of the Gov
ernment, disturbed his mental equanimity, for he rose
to his feet, and after an ineffectual attempt to pull on
his boot, ejaculated: " There'd be a d — d fuss if I took
what yon say for what you meant." Here he threw
his boot on the floor and followed it with his hat.
" There's such a d  d heap o' work," he muttered,

172 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
rather than spoke. Then, raising his voice, he con
tinued: "When we get at work, we get at it, and it
goes some, Man what makes most noise don't do the
most work; it's the man with the settled purpose,"
Here he picked up his hat, settled himself back into Ids
chair, and returned thanks for the delicious breeze
blowing in at the window, " Tell you," he said, de-
ppondingly, " this war's going to upset things generally.
All brought on by them d  d abolitionists. Man
here yesterday from St. Louis; been here six weeks; got
his wife with him; hard case, he thinks, (I don't;) havn't
got his accounts through yet." Here he spoke in a
tone of encouragement. " 'Nother chap been here three
weeks from Cincinnati; he hasn't got his accounts
through yet, swears some; don't do him no good; Lieu
tenant's down on him." I was about to intimate that
I did not see exactly how this could help me, or give
me a more favorable opinion of the manner of doing
business in that office, when he interrupted by inquir
ing if I played on the flute. I replied in tiie negative,
when he patronizingly informed me that he was taking
lessons regularly.
I was in no temper to appreciate this condescension,
and intimated that I did not see what playing the flute
had to do with the business that had brought me to the
office. " Well, man, you better keep cool," he replied,
"there's nothin' gained tiiese tim'^s by going into a
state of excitement. There's a heap of people here
wanting their accounts settled; been waitin' longer 'an
you. Look a here I" he shook his head earnestly, " you
ain't got no pity on a clerk what only gets twelve hun-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 173
^red a year, and no chance to make an outside drive.
No you ain't. And look what a heap a cussin' a clerk's
got to take here." Here Mr. Deadwood went to fann
ing himself with prodigious energy, and continued until
a tall, precisely dressed, and very anxious looking man,
with a large bundle of papers under his arm, made his
appearance, " Well, well, well," said Mr, Deadwood, " if here
isn't another." And with a forced laugh he interrupted
what the man was about to say by saying: " Not a ghost
of a chance for you to-day,"
The man had the appearance of a clergyman, spoke
in a voice at once pleasing and musical, and seemed not
a little surprised at the style of his reception, " You
see, sir," said he, bowing, " I am from Massachusetts,
represent a body of men who have done good service
for the Government, I have been referred here, as you
know, by the Adjutant General, (here he again bowed
politely,) and it is necessary I get my business in Wash
ington done quickly, and go home  "
"Business in Washington done quickly!" interrupted
Mr. Deadwood, with a loud laugh. " Who ever heard
of such a thing ? Havn't been in Washington long, I
reckon." " I have not, sir," replied the man from Massachu
setts, again bowing politely, " and as I am one of a
committee to attend to the spiritual condition of our
soldiers, am very anxious to get through this business,"
' Mr, Deadwood rejoined in a half audible voice :
!" Spirits! our soldiers get spirits enough, God knows."
[Then, raising his voice, he continued: "Fact is, Mr,

174 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
Massachusetts, my opinion is — my opinion's gener9,lly
correct you know — that them bills a your'n won't be
paid at this office. Got so many things mixed up in
:'em." At this the precise gentleman from Massachusetts
stood looking at the young man with an air of amaze
ment. In truth, it was evident he regarded him as a
physiological phenomenon the Government had placed
here for some purpose he could not exactly understand.
He had mused on Bunker Hill, and studied Theodore
Parker while taking his morning walk around the big
tree in the Boston Common; but never in his life had
he met so queer a specimen of human odds and ends as
the young man who now faced him, " May I venture
to tell yoil, sir," (he now made a bow in which there
was something positive,) " that Congress has passed a
law making ample provision for the payment of all such
accounts." " Congress! Congress!" interpolated Mr. Deadwood,
half rising in his chair, and making another desperate
effort to get his boot on, " that's just like Congress !
Congress ain't nothin' now-a-days; nobody cares for
Congress; Congress don't know nothin' about the reg
ulations. Them accounts got to be paid according to
the regulations; what does Congress know about war
and the regulations ? Congress never touched any
thing but what it didn't make more work for the
clerks." By this time several persons had gathered
into the office, and all stood amazed at hearing Mr.
Deadwood place himself so firmly down on the dignity
of Congress. He never did like Congress, It made

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 175
more work for him; it disturbed his peace and comfort;
it interfered with his religion. The man from Massa
chusetts took his departure, intimating that this was
no way to treat people who had come so far and done
so much, and Mr, Deadwood declared his intention to
shut up for the day.
After performing attendance for nearly a fortnight
at this office, waiting, hoping against hope, patience
taxed to its utmost, annoyed and almost insulted for
doing what the Government required to have done, I
succeeded in gaining the attention of the disbursing
officer. But it was only to discover how incompetent
he was for the responsible and very important position
he held. He knew little or nothing of the provisions
of the act of Congress, which were to govern him in
the disbursement of the large sums of money placed in
his hand. No sensible merchant would have employed
such a man in his counting room, unless, indeed, he
were in haste to bring ruin on his affairs. In short, he
was ready to dispute everything, and could pay nothing
until he had consulted the Auditor of the Treasury as
to whether sundry items would or would not be stopped
against lijm.*
Finding it impossible to make the slightest headway
against the Dead-woods of this office, I appealed to
Colonel Ruggles for relief. The Colonel promptly
referred me to Colonel D, B, Sackct, recently appointed
mustering and disbursing officer at New York, I shall
* This officer was aftei-warda transferred to New York, and it
was during his cliarge of tlie disbursing office there that such stu
pendous frauds on the Government were committed.

IHE STORY OF A TROOPER, 176
never forget the feeling of relief afforded me by this
change. My previous associations with army officers
had made me familiar with the reputation of Sacket,
I have rarely met so pleasant a gentleman to do busi
ness with. Ready to take kind and generous views of
what the necessities of the time demanded, he was
prompt in the discharge of his duty, and never per
mitted prejudice to interfere with his decisions. He
knew that he could best promote the interests of the
Government by seeing that it promptly discharged its
obligations to citizens. Colonel Sacket had but two
assistants, and with these he was compelled to dis
charge the immense amount of business then crowding
upon his office. My accounts, however, were examined
promptly, and such of them as came within the instruc
tions he had received from the War Department, re
specting the settlement of accounts, paid, and all within
a few days of the time I presented them.

CHAPTER XVIII.

INTO VIRGINIA.
We struck tents on the morning of the 10th of Oc
tober and moved over into Virginia. Rumors of all
kinds were freely circulated as to the object of our
movement. And the more wild and absurd these
rumors were the more readily did they seem to find
believers among the men. One set afloat at the head
of the regiment soon found its way to the rear, creating
its share of excitement or amusement all along the line.
As usual, every man had his own rumor, and open ears
for the rumors of others. One had it that we were to
join a force of infantry and artillery on the south side
of the Potomac and move on Leesburg; another, that
the rebels had advanced a strong force to Annandale,
where Ashby had his cavalry, which we were to attack
and drive back. A third knew it for certain that the
Army of the Potomac, with General McClellan at its
head, was to move on and thrash the rebels out of
Manassas, and that our regiment was to form the ad
vance guard.
The weather was damp and the roads heavy, but the
men were in fine spirits, and amused themselves by
9 177

178 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
cheering each camp they passed along the road, and
singing patriotic songs. The fact that they were to
approach the enemy had an inspiring effect on thein,
and tiiey would have desired nothing better than to
have met him. The country through which we passed
had a cheerless and deserted air, espc(;ially after we
passed the long line of hills on which the grand Army
of the Potomac was then encamped. The iron hoof of
war was already producing its work of desolation. We
had many of us read of, and even enjoyed, those pleasant
homes and green fields of Virginia, The sights which
now everywhere presented themselves produced strange
and painful recollections. Many of these pleasant homes
had been deserted by their former occupants and were
now used by our soldiers to hold their nightly.revels in.
Others were destroyed entirely, and only their ruins re
mained to mark the spots where they had stood. Those
green productive fields had been turned into camping
grounds, and those pretty oak groves of which Virginia
once boasted were being cut down to make fuel for camp
fires. What few inhabitants remained were of the
poorer class, who hoped to save what little they had
through the instrumentality of our army, which they
had been led to believe was one of protection. But
the destruction that marked its advance gave them
little encouragement for the future. You would find
one here and there who openly acknowledged sympathy
with the South; but the majority were moody and
downcast; indeed like a people seeking friends and
assistance among strangers who had come suddenly to
repopulate their country but had no sympathy for their

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 179
misfortunes. The thought forced itself painfully on
lione's mind that Virginia's prestige, which once claimed
iso much power in the body-politic of the nation, was
gone forever. The images of her great men, whose
virtues the civilized world had come to admire, seemed
to rise up, one after another, and hover in our thoughts.
And the consciousness that these bright images were
things of the past, and that the noble old Common
wealth reared by their genius was being torn to pieces
by Virginians of a different stamp, produced feelings of
sorrow and pain. It had come to that, that Virginians
were Virginia's worst enemy; and having .given her
soil as a free grave-yard for her sons, the scourge of
war was fast finishing up the work the curse of slavery
had begun by corrupting their minds.
We had marched about six miles when the whole
column was thrown into a state of excitement by the
shrill sound of a bugle in our rear. This was followed
by the sharp tramp of hoofs, the clashing of sabres, and
Ihc shout of horsemen. It was at first thought that
Ashby might have got in our rear with the intention
of harassing us. But then he would not be likely to
come under the sound of bugles. On looking in the
'direction the sound came from, three horsemen were
iseeu emerging from a wood we had passed a few min
utes before, and advancing down a hill at full speed.
Tiie officer in command of the rear guard halted his
men and formed across the road, ready to receive the
istrangers and hear what account they had to give of
themselves. That they were on a mission demanding
the quickest execution, and had important orders, not

180 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
one of us doubted. Judge, then, of our disappointment
when I say that as they came up, their liorses reeking
with foam, he who rode ahead was recognized as our
little bugler. And this roving fellow was followed by
no less a person than Major Von Flopp, who in turn
was followed by his new servant, an unsightly negro,
who had a pair of long, wabbling legs, was without hat
or shoes, and rode a lean gray horse, with a heavy old-
fashioned rocking chair secured behind.
And here I may mention that this venerable chair
was a piece of property Major Von Flopp was trans
porting to the field to carry out a maxim he had often
asserted — that no really good trooper ought to go to
the war without furniture to make himself comfortable.
In truth, the I\Iajor had so much furniture with him
that it was evident he intended to make a permanent
settlement somewhere in the sunny country, and at
no distant day.
Now, it was with great difficulty those three remark
able riders could be brought to a halt, or made to give
any account of themselves. The Major fell back on his
rank, and insisted that the officer of the guard, who
was only a Captain, had no right to stop him or call
his conduct in question; and unless his bugler was
allowed to proceed, and himself to pass, he would have
him arrested for disrespect to a superior officer. The
reader can better imagine tiian I can describe the puffy
figure cut by the Major and his men. It seems that in
order to keep him away from his battalion, which it was
feared would break out into open mutiny whenever he
appeared before it, tiic Colonel had very wisely detailed

I '¦:Vf~ ' ¦¦ "

^ 7 M'/

I A'

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 181
.him to remain behind and assist the nurses in taking
care of and bringing forward the sick. The Colonel
hinted that he had made the detail out of compliment
to his large humanity, and as such he accepted it, and
would have performed the service cheerfully enough
but for a mischievous steward, who saw through the
deception and enlightened the Major as to the trick
that had been played upon him. As may be supposed,
the Major was indignant at the insult that had been
offered to his high rank. "You are a sensible man,
steward," said he. " What is more, you are a good
friend of mine, and I always said you was. I have
studied the regulations, and there is nothing in them
that says an officer who has the honor to command a
battalion shall do hospital duty as a nurse."
A few minutes more and the Major had his faithful
bugler at his side, his servant and the big chair mounted.
Then there was a shrill blast; all three were mounted,
and away they went, alarming all the timid people
along the road, the little bugler blowing his horn every
few minutes, warning all wayfarers to make way for
his master.
The Major now insisted that he must take command
of and ride at the head of his battalion, and the Cap
tain of the rear guard giving way, he put spurs to his
jaded animal and proceeded on, followed by his servant
and the rocking chair. But no sooner had he appeared
in front of his battalion than the temper of the men
broke out into open disorder. They began treating
him with ridicule, and, indeed, saying and doing all
sorts of things inconsistent with good order and disci-

182 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
pline. The disorder kept increasing until the rear com
pany struck up the rogue's march. This was so great
an indignity offered to his high rank that the Major
could stand it no longer. He thereupon rode to the
rear, and began expostulating with his officers on the
bad behavior of their men, who were now as quiet as
mice. But the front now took up the song, and sang
it so merrily that he hastened forward, having first
drawn his sabre, to put an end to it. In this way they
kept the Major riding from front to rear, and from rear
to front, followed by his flapping servant, for nearly
half an hour. The disorder and confusion at length
became so great that the whole regiment was thrown
into convulsions of laughter, and indeed brought to a
halt. The Major brandished his sabre, said he was no
fool, and not to be laughed at by his battalion; and if
they continued it he would have them all punished for
disrespect to a superior officer. The Colonel having
appeared on the ground in the hope of putting an end
to these proceedings, and restoring order, the Major
appealed to him for protection. " You shall see, sir,"
said he, " before the war is over, that I have courage
enough, and am no fool." Then he whispered: " Say
to them, Colonel, that General McClellan is a particu
lar friend of mine; and it will go hard with them if this
matter is reported to him,"
The appearance of the Colonel restored order on the
part of the men. And after reprimanding Von Flopp
for the part he was performing, and also for abandon
ing the sick, he ordered him to proceed in advance and
select a camping ground. The Major regarded this

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 183
new order as highly complimentary to his judgment,
and lost no time in proceeding to execute it. Indeed,
he left his battalion at a gallop, his faithful bugler in
advance, and followed by his servant with the rocking
chair. The regiment cheered and shouted as he passed
along, and not a few wished he might never return.
The regiment marched along at a slow pace, and it
was well nigh dark when we encamped near Ball's
Cross Roads. Here we reported to General Palmer,
and formed a part of his command. A more dreary
and inhospitable spot for a camp it would be difficult
to imagine. The weather was cold and damp, and the
ground exceedingly wet and spongy. Indeed, it soon
became a soft bed of oily clay, and so difficult to per
ambulate that the men said the soil of Virginia had no
bottom. The camp they were inclined to call " mis
fortune." It was well on in the evening Avhen we got
our tents up, camp fires lighted; and the preparation of
supper gave an air of cheerfulness to our new camp.
It takes some little time to get settled in a new camp,
just as it does in a new house; indeed it takes a day
or two before the military and subsistence machinery
of a camp get working smoothly. The officers were
exploring the contents of their mess-chests for some
thing for supper, and he who had anything left in his
bottle was free to share it with his companion in arras.
In truth, wo had to content ourselves with rather a
scanty supper, for the roads were bad and neither oiir
sutler nor our supply train had come up. The few
buildings that in other days had constituted the cross-
. ing, where politics were discussed and the gossips of the

184 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
neighborhood were wont to congregate, were either
demolished or occupied by our troops, who were fast
working their destruction. As for the few farmers left,]
they were exceedingly poor, and had little to supply
their own wants. Indeed they were continually seek
ing- to excite our sympathy by recounting the most
painful stories of their losses by our troops.
We were at the front now, where a more strict dis-!
ciplinc was required, as well as greater vigilance on
the part of the guards. Some of the people were sullem
and treacherous, appearing in our camps as friends
during the day, and at night firing at and sometimes
killing our men when they appeared outside. The
temper of these people was a problem few of our offi
cers seemed to appreciate, or even give themselves the
trouble to study.
We were now only about ten miles from Washington,
and yet we suffered greatly for subsistence and forage.
For nearly three days we were without forage, and the
sufferings of the poor animals was painful to witness.
They would knaw the bark of trees, and indeed tell us
more plainly than words could speak how intensely,
they were suffering for something to sustain life,|
Several of our animals died before wo could get the|
means of saving them. When we did get forage, the
quality was so bad as to make one feel like inflicting
the severest punishment upon the dishonest contractor
who furnished it. The climate of Virginia is very try-;
ing on the constitution of northern horses, most of!
which are raised with great care, and well sheltered
during winter. The cavalry horse is exposed to all

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 185
the tests of. this most changeable climate, and want of
forage too often ends the life exposure had begun to
destroy. It was well on in the evening, tattoo was being
sounded, the countersign had been given out, roll had
been called, and no one had seen or heard anything of
Major Von Flopp, whose tent still lay on the ground
unpitchcd. One and another began to inquire for him,
and fears were entertained that he had kept on into
the enemy's lines, and been captured. In that event
we should have to regret the loss of Crump, the little
bugler. The guard at the crossing was interrogated,
and such information there obtained as led to search
being made for the Major and his men at a neighboring
farm-house. And there he was found, having engaged
comfortable lodgings for himself and men.
Now this history would be incomplete did I not
describe the benevolent occupation the Major was
found engaged in. The officers who went in search of
him happened to look in at the window before enter
ing, and, to their great amusement, discovered the
Major in his shirt sleeves, working away at an old-
fashioned cliurUj assisting the good woman to make her
butter. The woman, who was anything but prepossess
ing, and plainly clad, sat rocking herself in the Major's
big chair, while the little bugler was busy washing
the supper dishes, and the negro servant lay stretched
before a blazing fire, his feet nearly into the ashes and
his head on a big shaggy dog. The Major expressed
great surprise when the officers entered, ceased his
9*

186 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
work at the churn, and made haste to j)ut on his
uniform. " What has brought you here at this hour ?" inquired
the Major, reproachfully, and at the same time wiping
the splashes of cream from his nether garments.]
" This is no time to be away from your regiment."
" We are in search of you. Major," replied one of
them, "and have orders to bring you in arrest to!
camp." "Arrest a superior officer?" returned the Major.;
" You can't practice a trick like that on me. Thisj
poor woman is in great distress. Her husband is;
away in the Confederate army, and she has no one left!
to protect her  "
" Them 'ear sadjers o' yourn," interrupted the woman,
increasing her rocking, "give me a right big skaar
when they com'd ere fust. Done me a right smart
heap a harm since — tue. Han't got a pig nor a sheep —
and only one keouw left."
" There now," interposed the Major, " you hear the
poor woman's own story. Did'nt ask you to believe
me. I considered it a soldier's duty to protect this
poor woman. If the enemy comes to-night, you will
know where to find me."
" He's bin mighty kind to me, this 'ere gentleman
has," replied the woman. " That are butter he was a
churnin' is the fiust I've made for more nor a month."
Here the Major made an attempt to turn the conver
sation by saying his battalion had not treated him well,
and he thought to punish it by making his headquar-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 187
ters at some distance away. But the woman was not
to be silenced by this interruption.
" Used to work," said she, " at the millinery busi
ness. Arn'd a right smart beep of money at it afore
the war broke out, did. Gentleman says he'll set me
up in the business if I'd go with your regiment to
Richmond. Husband's in the Thard Virginy. Would
go anywhar to see him."
" I said," rejoined the Major, apologizingly, "that
since the poor woman had no husband, I would see her
protected. You may laugh, gentlemen," and here he
lowered his voice to a whisper ; " but I hold it the first
duty of a soldier to protect the distressed."
Seeing that remonstrance with the Major was use
less, and that he was not to be persuaded into leaving
his comfortable quarters, nor, indeed, to consider him
self in arrest, the officers returned to camp and report
ed what they had heard and seen. But no sooner had
they taken their departure, than he turned to the
woman, saying : " There, you see, madam, my regiment
thinks it can't get along without me for a night.
These officers will be frighted out of their wits all
night, just because I'm away."
The officers resolved among themselves that the
Major's slumbers should not be so tranquil, and,
indeed, concocted a plan to disturb them. It was after
midnight, the grand army of the Potomac slept undis
turbed along the hills of Arlington, and the stillness
that hung over the broad landscape was broken only
by the hoarse voice of some weary sentinel, demanding
the countersign. Suddenly the shrill notes of a bugle,

188 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
sounding the alarm, were heard, the men responded
quickly, and in a few minutes the camp was all astir.
'Rumor had it that the enemy, meditating a surprise,
had advanced and driven in our pickets. Major Ogle
and several other officers were seen in a group near
the headquarters, their horses saddled and ready to
mount. The buglers sounded boots and saddles, and
the call was as quickly responded to, for there was
great rivalry among the companies to see which should
be ready to mount first. And when the line was
formed and mounted, the little bugler appeared in
camp to inquire for Major Von Flopp what was the
matter in camp, and if the battalion he had the honor
to command needed his services.
The little bugler was sent back to say that the
enemy was rapidly advancing in strong force, and as
the fight was likely to be a desperate one, there was
great need that Major Von Flopp be here to command
his battalion.
The Major not making his appearance witiiin a rea
sonable time, the regiment wheeled by fours and moved
out on the Little River Turnpike about two miles.
It now began to return by a different road, and when
about one hundred rods from the littie farm-house
where Von Flopp had taken lodgings, a company was
feent ahead, at a gallop, to surround and surprise the
inmates. The heavy tramp of tiie horses made tiic
very ground tremble, and sat all the curs in tiie neigh
borhood to barking. The officers, having reached thei
house, dismounted and knocked heavily at the door,
" Who's thare ?" inquired a feminine voice.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 189
, " Confederate officers, with a portion of the Con
federate army," was the quick reply. " It has been
reported to us that your house is a resort for Yankee
officers," The good woman opened the door quickly, and in a
delirium of joy thanked Heaven that her hopes had
been realized, asked certain questions concerning her
husband, when they had left Richmond, and if they had
come to stay and drive the cursed Yankees out of Vir
ginia, To all of which the officers gave satisfactory
answers. "And now," continued the good woman,
lowering her voice to a whisper, " thar ain't much in
the house, but yer shall have the best I got. Them
are Yankees eaten up most all I got." Then touching
one of the officers on the arm, she drew him aside,
saying, "There's two on 'em in the house now; and a
nigger tue. Under the bed in t'other room."
The officer was quick to take the hint, for an invita
tion to enter the room was just what he wanted. Then,
taking the candle from her hand, he motioned his com
rades, and they proceeded cautiously into the room.
After casting about for several minutes, for it would
not be polite to make the exposure too soon, a pair of
remarkably long legs and feet, stockingless and boot
less, were discovered protruding from under a bed in
one corner of the room. But they were black and
crusty, and could not belong to Major Von Flopp.
The owner of them, however, was commanded to dis
cover himself, which he did after the manner of a tor
toise, bac-ing out of his hole. When the tall figure
of the negro stood erect he was in a sorry plight.

190 THE STORY OF A TROOPER. ff
He was commanded to give an account of his master.
" My mas'r ? my mas'r ? He stowed away in dar, boss,
in dar," said he, in an agitated voice, and pointin"-
under the bed.
They now began to draw forth sundry old blankets
and quilts. Then they made divers thrusts with their
swords, and other demonstrations of doing serious bodily
harm to whomsoever was concealed there. At length
a voice cried out: " Heavens, gentlemen, spare my life,
and I surrender to you a prisoner of war." Then the
Major's ponderous figure came rolling out from under
the bedside: "I was only here," he said, "to protect this
poor woman and her property." And he rose to his feet
and stood amazed at the appearance of his captors, in
whom he recognized not confederates, but three officers
of the first battalion. The Major shook his head, sat
down in his rocking chair, and never was a man so dis
turbed in his dignity. " You may think this all very
fine, gentiemen," said he, looking askance at his cap
tors, " but I am no such fool as you would make me
appear before this good woman" 
" So ! so !" interrupted the woman, " then they arn't
our officers. You Yankees beats all for bein' cute."
The woman discovered the serious mistake she had
committed, and was inclined to make amends for the
doubtful quality of her loyalty.
"I'm a gentieman," resumed the Major, " and not to
be trifled with in this way. There shall be a court of
inquiry into tiiis matter. I have read the regulations,
and am sure there's nothing in them that permits the
dignity of a field officer to be outraged in this manner."

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 191
An end was put to this colloquy by one of the offi
cers threatening that unless the Major immediately
packed up his traps and accompanied him to camp, force
would be called in to compel obedience to the order.
Search being made for the little bugler, he was found
among the branches of an apple tree hard by. And
now, all being ready, the truent party were mounted on
their animals, and inarched to the road, where the regi
ment was halted. No sooner had the men caught a
glimpse of the Major's portly figure than they sent up
cheers and groans without stint, for they saw in him
the object they had been sent out to capture. The
regiment now returned to camp, in the very best of
temper; and here we must leave the Major making an
effort to pitch his tent, and procure shelter for the rest
of the night.
The ruse served a good purpose; it proved how
quickly the regiment could turn out on the sound of
alarm; and also in what spirit the men were ready to
face the enemy.

CHAPTER XIX.

MOVING HEEB AND THERE.
Our camp at Ball's Cross Roads became churned
into a broad clay bed, of a consistency sufficient
for brick making. So, on the 21st of October, we
moved to a place called Brown's farm, where our ani
mals again suffered for shelter and forage. Our camp'
at Brown's farm was no improvement over the one we
had just left, and on the 24th we were again in motion;
and this time encamped near General Palmer's head
quarters. It began to look as if we were moving from
place to place merely to see with what facility we could
change camp, for no sooner had we got our canvas to
rights in one place than an order came for us to move
to another. And the last camp was sure not to be an
improvement over the first. It got to be a by-word
that we were practicing to take Richmond, which some
of our politicians were sure could be done by a brigade
of men on horseback. At last we were becoming skill
ful in the art of moving camp, which Avas something
gained in the grand object of making a fighting army.
It will be remembered, also, that about this time the
great impatient and exacting American public had
192

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 193
again become restive, and demanded that the Army of
the Potomac move on and take Richmond, having first
thrashed the rebel army out of Manassas. There were
divers politicians, too, who were sadly oppressed with
profound military ideas, and these ideas becoming de
veloped into plans, they were forcing upon and con
founding the Government with. Even the President
began to think it was not much of a job to take Rich
mond. Indeed the politicians were ready to show
exactly how Richmond could be taken if we only had
generals who were not in sympathy with the people
they were sent to fight. But I have noticed that there
is the greatest difference possible between a quiet gen
tleman in his comfortable home taking Richmond over
his tea-cups of an evening and a great army stuck fa»it
in twenty-four-inch mud before it has made a day's
march toward the object it seeks to destroy. But even
the ordinary observer could not fail, on a short con
nection with the Army of the Potomac, to see that
however strong it might be in numbers, in earnest
hearts, and active spirits, it was weak in the three great
essentials to military success — drill, discipline, and
equipment. Our regiment was a fair sample of the whole army.
We had the men, and they were mounted; but less than
two thirds of them were not yet equipped. And the
standard of our discipline was quite as low as our drill,
of which little could be said. Indeed the officers who
ought to have taken hold and drilled their men either
knew nothing whatever of cavalry, or spent the most of
their time in some frivolous occupation. We were in-

194 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
debtedatlasttoLieutenantColonel Schickfuss, an officer
who knew his business, and was always ready to perform
it, for taking hold of the regiment and improving its
drill and discipline. Indeed, he had in a few weeks:
so improved our battalion and regimental drill that
we performed some of the evolutions with commendable
precision, and also began making scouts along the
front. Again we were ordered to move, and on the 28th of
October broke camp, and, by order of General Mc
Clellan, divided the regiment. Six companies, under
command of Colonel Schickfuss, joined General Heintz-
leman, at Fort Lyon, near Alexandria; the remainder,
under Colonel McReynolds, joined General W, B,
Franklin's division, at Fairfax Seminary, We were
now fairly settled down with the Army of the Poto-;
mac. The country around Waslri»g*5n is remarkable for
the picturesqueness of its hills and the beauty of its
scenery. On one of the most prominent of these hills,
and distinctly seen from Washington, stands Fairfax;
Seminary, distinguished before the war as one of the
best conducted institutions of learning in Virginia, I
doubt if our country affords a more charming picture
of hill and dale than that seen from the cupola of this
Seminary, When the Army of the Potomac lay
stretched along these hills for a distance of twenty
miles, with its showy paraphernalia flashing and gleam
ing among the oak-crowned slopes, the scene it presented
was indeed grand and bewitching. The effect at night
was beyond description, forming one of the most inter-

THE STORY OP A TROOPER, 195
esting subjects for study and contemplation. If you
looked East you had the dusky old city of Alexandria,
with its faint, dreamy lights, seeming to sleep at your
feet, and the almost motionless Potomac cutting through
the background like a belt of silver. I ascended to
the cupola one night to view this grand and rare
scene, and shall never forget the effect it had on my
feelings. There was no moon, but the stars were out
in their brightest, and not a cloud tinged the clear blue
sky. Not a bugle sounded, nor a drum beat. A mys
terious stillness hung over the earth that all at once
seemed peopled with shadowy figures just transported
from some fairy land. Far away in the North signal
rockets were going up and mingling their bright colors
with the brighter stars. Then the answers to these
appeared rising from those dark hills cutting the hori
zon in the direction of Fairfax Court House, in the
West, and sailed through the air like birds of exquisite
plumage. South, West, and North, as far as the eye
could penetrate, the bright, flitting shadows of twenty
thousand camp fires were adding enchantment to the
already touching scene. Then a misty glow spread
over the heavens, and iu it each figure of this vast camp
was reflected in the clearest outlines. Another change
came. The misty glow rolled up into fleecy clouds,
and the illusion became so strong that all sorts of
figures in real shape seemed taking the place of dancing
shadows. Again and again these gave place to what
seemed chariots and steeds, to long lines of horse and
artillery, surging forward as if in pursuit of an enemy.
Then came the soft, listing notes of a bugle, sounding

lyy THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
tattoo on the far-off fort. Another and another bugler
followed, the accustomed ear detecting their identity,
and their strains sounding louder and louder, echoing
and re echoing over the hills in one grand chorus.
And when the bugle sounds had ceased the bands
struck up and played their martial airs with such har
mony and sweetness as made the broad landscape re
verberate with melody.
Imagine, reader, if you can, what must have been the
effect of this grand and exciting night scene, as seen
when the earth was white with snow. I saw it once,
and shall never forget it. The shadows of twenty
thousand camp fires, spread for twenty miles over a
range of sloping hills, were flitting and dancing over
the clear, crusty surface, and reflecting strangely on
the misty heavens.
Our camp was close by the Seminary, and our white
tents nestled on a hill sloping to the East and North,
and studded with fine young oaks that formed a de
licious shade. We named it Camp Kearney, after the
brave and generous General Kearney, who was now
our neighbor next door. Indeed, our headquarters
were separated from his by a picket fence, I may add,
also, that he soon came to regard our regiment with
the highest favor, Kearney had for headquarters an
elegant mansion, supplied with all modern improve-!
ments, and from which a beautiful view of the surround
ing country was had. This mansion, with its grounds
laid out with such good taste, was the property of a
bishop, who had strayed from his flock when the war
began, and gone down South, where " his sympathies''|

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 197
were, to assist Mr. Davis in setting up his new govern
ment and developing the glories of human slavery.
Our camp, too, was on clerical ground, for the
garden our tents were pitched on was the property
of a clergyman, whose comfortable villa we had taken
for our regimental headquarters, and which was the
scene of very many pleasant associations during the win
ter. Indeed, the good shepherd had no further use for
his villa, having, as he said, elected to be loyal to his
opinions and joined the southern army in the capacity
of Chaplain. He left many little articles of furniture,
which helped to increase our comfort during the win
ter. He also left us a lithographic likeness of himself,
and a number of books on theology, of which we took
scrupulous care, not permitting one of them to be re
moved, even by our own Chaplain, v/hile we remained.
The people in the neighborhood told us this clergy
man was a good and devout man, charitable to his ene
mies and generous to his friends; that he went away
reluctantly when the war began, but that his trust was in
God and the strength of southern arms; and he told them
he would be back among them soon. He did not want to
appear in the sight of Heaven as a man who had been
false to his opinions and his State; I have not a doubt
that he was a firm believer in the " holy institution of
slavery," and, according to the rule accepted among
clergymen of Virginia, a good and devout man. But
that he was misled by a popular fanaticism, fatal to the
State and the cause of true religion, events have since
proved. The opinions he entertained were at war with
right, justice, and humanity. Indeed there was some.

198 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
thing painful in the thought that clergymen anywhere
should be the strongest advocates of human slavery.;
There would indeed be something to admire in the con
duct of men who give up home and everything that is
dear to it for opinion's sake, were it not for the incon
sistency with which they set forth their love of State
while denying their country.

CHAPTER XX.

APPEOPEIATING OTHEE PEOPLE'S PEOPEETT.
Very many of the houses in this part of Fairfax
county were spacious and airy, and indicating by their
surroundings the wealth and taste of their owners.
Pretty sloping lawns, dotted with fine old shade trees;
gardens ornamented with rare shrubbery; and the
crispy cedar hedges that lined the roads, gave a singu
lar charm to the landscape. In many instances the
pictures here presented forcibly reminded one of the
scenery in the west of England. In some of the houses
pictures of some value were found; while in others
were libraries of well selected and standard books — a
good proof of the character and intelligence of their
owners. Our army had not been long here when a change
painful to contemplate came over the face of the coun
try, socially as well as physically. War was writing
a new and dark chapter of history on this, the fairest
portion of Virginia. And nowhere was this unsightly
transformation more forcibly illustrated than in the
vicinity of our camp. Landmarks of all kinds were
disappearing, fields were no longer carpeted with green
199

200 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
 the iron hoof of war had tramped their surface into
bald clay. Rude hands were destroying the dark cedar
hedgerow's, gardens, orchards, and even the oak forests.!
And much of this was done in sheer wantonness. Even
the fine old shade trees, with their broad embracing!
branches, giving such a picturesqueness tO the lawns,!
were being cut down and made fuel for camp fires. It
was indeed sad to see how in a single month war had
made desolate what it had taken a century to beautify
and perfect.
But even this desolation, as seen on the surface of
the country, was not the worst punishment war was
afflicting the people with. That was to be found in the!
almost daily acts of high-handed robbery of the private!
property of citizens, many of whom had had no hand
whatever in the rebellion. It did indeed seem as if the
spirit of plunder was destined to destroy the morale!
and discipline of our army. And I regret to say that!
some of the very worst cases of plundering on record
were committed either by men in the uniform of offi
cers, or by those who would share with them the ill-
gotten gains.
Posterity will yet do justice to Generals McClellan
and Franklin for their efforts to protect private prop
erty while in the enemy's country. But even their
more stringent measures to prevent plundering failed
to save the helpless citizen from the acts of the merce
nary wretches who had connected themselves with our
army only to disgrace it, and to make enemies of men
whom kindness and protection would have turned into
true and substantial friends. The private soldier, be

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 201
it said to his credit, had no part in this disgraceful
work. Fairfax Seminary was plundered of its valua
ble library, of its works of art, of its scientific and
musical instruments, of its furniture, and, indeed, every
thing of value found within its walls. There was no
thing sacred to the despoilers. Even the wardrobes
of the professors, who had left with the expectation ol
returning soon, did not escape the fingers of the mer
cenary wretches who thought it no disgrace to turn
thieves in an enemy's country. This Seminary Avas,
early in the war, turned into an hospital, and the person
most prominent in plundering it of its contents was a
woman who affected to perform the part of a Florence
Nightingale in taking care of and administering to the
wants of our sick soldiers, when in reality she was fill
ing and furnishing her house in New Jersey with prop
erty plundered from its halls. This, however, was
but one case out of an hundred that might be cited.
Such couduct deserved the severest punishment; not so
much for the effect it had on the discipline of the army,
as tiic fact that it was cloaked by the very worst spe
cies cf hypocrisy. When this matter of plundering
the Seminary was brought to the notice of General
Kearney, nothing could have exceeded his indignation;
but his efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice failed.
There was a higher power somewhere affording protec
tion to these miscreants, and the brave Kearney found
iiimsclf powerless to prevent them from carrying away
their plunder in safety.
Private houses shared the same fate. Some of these
had been left in charge of housekeepers, or perhaps a
10

202 THE STORY 0^ A TROOPER.
few old servants. This afforded an excuse to some of the
field officers of our divison for taking " military posses-!
sion" of them, and setting up an elegant headquarters.!
It was not unfrequently said that the object of this'
" military possession " was to protect -the property!
from injury by the soldiers. But I invariably noticed
that the sort of protection the property received was
very similar to that which General Milroy gave to the
property of the people of Winchester. .In truth," but a
few weeks would pass after these gentlemen had set up:
their elegant headquarters, when the books, pictures,
furniture, and even those little treasures so dear to:
friends, would mysteriously disappear, and there wouldj
be nothing left but the blank walls. If the truant!
owner ever returned, he would have to seek in some
rural village of Pennsylvania for the articles his home
was so comfortably furnished with before the war.
You must not think, reader, that tiiese despoilers
intended their work as a punishment for the disloyal ;
for even those who had looked to our army as a pro
tection against the folly of their own politicians, found
themselves alike the victims of this greed for plunder.
To such an extent did this mercenary spirit develop
itself, that nurses, surgeons, chaplains, and profess
ing philanthropists, became participants in theft, to
the neglect of their proper duties. In truth, I have
heard more than one of these professing philanthro
pists assert tiiat there was no sin in " appropriating "
property found in an enemy's country. There was a
time when theft was publicly honored and rewarded in
Sparta, under the delusion that thereby the interests

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 203
of patriotism were encouraged and supported, and
some of our people were copying the example to an
alarming extent. But there was this difference, that
when our Spartans found nothing to plunder from the
enemy, they turned their attention to our own hospi
tals, stripping them of the delicacies, clothing, and
indeed all those supplies furnished so profusely by our
Government for the sick. And even piety and charity
were called in to furnish a cloak for these acts. The
Government was not prompt in bringing these persons
to justice, although its attention had been repeatedly
called to their crimes.
Now, here let me say a few words in regard to Gen.
Franklin. Pitching his simple tent on the brow of a hill,
in the open field, here he remained during the whole
winter, holding no communication but that of an
official nature with the people, nor permitting himself
or any of his staff to occupy their houses. His tent
was his headquarters, and, like a true soldier, he never
forgot that he was there to perform his duty to his
God and his country. Quick to interpret between right
and wrong, with a nature keenly susceptible to the de
mands of justice and true humanity, modest and unas
suming in his manners, a rigid disciplinarian, always
encouraging by his example true manliness in his
officers, it was his highest aim to promote the interests
of his soldiers, and so increase their efficiency as to
reflect honor on themselves and their country in the
day of battle. By deciding such cases as were brougli t
before him with impartiality, and on their true merits,
he soon gained the confidence and esteem of his soldiers,

204 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
and formed that firm structure known afterwards in
the army as the " noble old Sixth Corps." He was a
strong believer in the policy that it was our duty to
fight and conquer the enemy wherever we found him in
arms, but to render protection to the defenceless and
innocent. He saw that in the early stages of the war
we were too much inclined to yield to unnecessary
fears, and thereby bring distress upon the innocent ;
and he was too deep a thinker not to know that justice
and moderation, when wielded in an enemy's country,
form a mightier weapon than the sword.
Franklin cherished an honest contempt for hypocrisy,
in whatever form it showed itself; and so free was he
in his manner of rebuking it when it interfered with the
discipline of his troops, that the selfish and evil-minded
began to misconstrue his acts, and even to whisper
doubts of his patriotism. And these whispers soon
reached and had their influence on persons in high
places ; for it was one of the greatest evils of the day
that the reckless and the ignorant found willing listen
ers for all their stories at the head of the Government.
More particularly was this so when they had chai-gcs
to make against a General who refused to sink the
moralities of his manhood and war against the inno
cent as well as the guilty. People were not of one
mind as to what caused the rebellion ; nor were our
greatest and best public men agreed as to the policy
wc should pursue in putting it down. It was easy for
the unprejudiced mind to see that many of tiic South
ern people, in entering the rebellion, were, either mis
guided by (heir leaders, or deluded by their ignoi-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 205
ance, the latter being the natural offspring of sla
very ; they, indeed, were not only hurried into wrong
deeds, but were fostered into wrong sentiments after
wards. The reflecting mind finds no difficulty in dis
covering how easy these things are brought about
under the influence of that cupidity and revenge which
are so continually changing the sentiments of the hu
man heart. Franklin was too serious and calm a
thinker not to comprehend this in all its details ; and
hence his anxiety to be merciful to the innocent while
punishing the guilty. In performing his duty to his
country, he felt and acted like a man conscious that
God is the true guardian of all just judgments, and
that whatever earthly rulers may do, He will mete
out justice to him who takes for his guides conscience
and reason, truth and right. And from these guides
no amount of political sophistry ever swerved General
Franklin.

CHAPTER XXI.
A SCOUTING PAETT SUEPEISBD AND CAPTDKBD.
November, 1861, was a stormy, blustering month. A
great deal of rain fell ; and the chilly, damp weather
had a very severe effect on the health of the men. Our
animals, too, were without shelter, and suffered in
tensely, many of them dying from sheer exposure and
neglect. The opinion prevailed among officers, not"
withstanding the appearance now and then of a forward
movement, that the Army of the Potomac would win
ter on these bleak hills. In short, we were in daily
expectation of orders to go into winter quarters ; but
none came. The men, however, began banking their
tents, cutting ditches through their camps, and provid
ing themselves with all manner of little stoves. The
officers put up comfortable huts, constructed of logs ;
and when December came, the camps of our division
began to assume the appearance of a new settlement
far away in the backwoods. Here was to be our home
for the winter ; and he who did not put his house in
order against the storm must suffer. A clump of woods
near by was selected, and in it some of our companies
put up rude but comfortable stables for their horses,
the good effect of which soon began to show itself in
their improved condition. 206

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 207
Just at this time the more impatient and thoughtless
of our people had again begun to clamor for an onward
movement to Richmond or the removal of General Mc
Clellan, of whom much more was demanded than it
was in the power of man to perform. Those who knew
anything of the real condition of our army, and the
time it took to school our volunteer officers, so that
they could perform properly those duties which the
short-sighted were holding the commanding General
responsible for, must have appreciated the utter folly
of making such an attempt. But to appreciate the
impediments in all their strength one must have a
thorough knowledge of the rapid and wonderful changes
that take place in the climate and soil of Virginia
during winter, A day of sunshine and balmy breezes
may be succeeded by snow and rain, driven by a pierc
ing wind, making roads good to-day impassable to
morrow, Man cannot control the elements, and even
were we efficient in numbers and equipment, we could
gain nothing by making a movement that after a single
day's mardi would find us fast in the tenacious clay,
and with every stream so swollen as to render us help
less. The rebels were defiant in their strongholds at Ma
nassas and Centreville, and the question was frequently
:asked, why don't we drive them out ? The answer is
simply that they could do us no more harm at Manassas
during the winter than if they had been in position
around Richmond, la truth, their near proximity to
our army served a good purpose in various ways. It
inspired vigilance in our men and afforded many oppor-

208 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
tunities for testing the quality of our officers. It also
served our interests to keep the enemy where he was
until we could move with some certainty of success,
since by so doing we were putting the burden of trans
portation on his shoulders and relieving our own. But
I must return to our regiment,
1 havo said before that six companies were for a time
under the command of General Heintzleman, at Fort
Lyons, The General had a happy way of always find
ing something for cavalry to do, and would frequently
send them out to reconnoitre along his front, where
there were several localities considered exceedingly dan
gerous. These reconnoissances came in time to be con-
i isidered very pleasant affairs, since the enemy was rarely
seen, and many of the farmers along the road, affecting
friendship, would supply the men with milk and other
little things so much valued in camp. Our officers, too,
would embrace these opportunities to cultivate friendly
relations with their families. And to such an extent
were these friendly relations carried that many of our
officers began to forget that they were in a hostile
country, with embittered enemies lurking in almost
every house and clump of woods.
On the 9th of November, Captain Todd, with his
I company of troopers, and Colonel Berry, with a por
tion of the 4th Maine infantry, were ordered to make
1 a reconnoissance, to proceed to and across the Accotink
I at what was known as the Bone Mill, and from thence
I south-eastwardly to Pohick Church, where they were
to meet and communicate witii another force sent on a
lower road. They proceeded as far as our outposts

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 209
at Mount Olivet Chapel, and there camped for the
night. At daylight on the morning of the 10 th they
formed in order and proceeded along the old Fairfax
road, the infantry acting as flankers and skirmishers,
for there were dense woods on both sides for nearly
two thirds of the distance. The cavalry performed the
duty of videttes. The Accotink was passed without
seeing or hearing anything of the enemy ; and after
turning into the road leading to Pohick Church, the
command made a short halt. Then Lieutenant Innis,
with most of the cavalry and a portion of the infantry,
proceeded on ahead, and when they had nearly reached
Pohick Church discovered on the brow of a hill, and
neiar a piece of woods, a force of infantry and cavalry,
their arms gleaming in the sun, and which they mistook
for the enemy. Our cavalry came scampering over
the road, and, to tell the truth, considerably frightened,
the Lieutenant reporting that he had come upon the
enemy in force. There was no doubt of the force seen
being composed of our own men ; but for reasons not
necessary for me to explain here, they were not com
municated with.
The force now began to return at a slow pace over
the same road, the infantry in advance of the cavalry.
The captain was a man of pleasant manners, disposed
to be friendly with the farmers and their families, and
to treat them kindly. At this time he was in just such
a mood as you may suppose a man to be in when he
has made a pleasant visit to a distant relative. The
greater part of his company had preceded him nearly
half a mile ; and he had with him only a bugler, a sor-
10*

210 THE STORY' OF A TROOPER.
geant, and three or four privates. On reaching the
vicinity of the bone mill, a halt was made at the gate
of a fine old farm-house, about which there was an air
of comfort not common in that part of the country.
He walked up to the door and was met by the ladies
of the house, who receiA'cd him with marked cordiality,
the men having all " gone South." He was invited'
into their parlor, and the ease and gentleness of their
manners so captivated the gallant captain as to make
him resolve within himself that hereafter his sword;
should be at the service of Apollo, not Mars. Dusky
servants hied here and there, brought out the whitest
linen, and to such hospitalities as the house afforded
the captain was invited to sit down. Was it some
beautiful, some sweet dream, that was weaving such a
charm about his too susceptible heart ? Never before
had he felt so much poetry in his nature ; never before
had he fallen in with such charming society. Could it
be that we were at war with our blood, with a people
whose families were ideals of love and tenderness?
What to him were his troopers,
With clattering sabres and glistening steel ;
The fair angel beside him had golden hair.
The lady of the house engaged him in conversation,
while her beautiful daughter, a delicate flower that had
just bloomed into her seventeenth summer, sat down to
the piano and won his heart with a song. The captain
has said many times since that this damsel had the facei
of an angel and voice of a bird. But he never for a
momen. thought that these charms form a dangerous
power — one which even monarchs have found irresist
ible.

HE STORY OF A TROOPER, 211
And as there must be an end to all things earthly, so
it was with our Captain's first visit ; he parted from
his amiable acquaintances with many expressions of
regret and promises to call again. He now set off at
a brisk gallop, hoping soon to coihe up with his com
mand, which had halted some distance ahead. He had
crossed the Accotink, and just turned into a road lead
ing at right angles to the one he had been following,
and through a dense wood. A few paces further, and
the quick, sharp sound of rifles sounded on the air, the
bugler fell dead from his horse, another of the men
was severely wounded, and the Captain's horse shot
from under him. A dozen men rushed from their place
of ambush, and in another minute Captain Todd and
his wounded companion we.re' hurried into the thicket
and made prisoners, A small squad of his men came
riding back at a full gallop, when they were fired at
by the secreted enemy, and thrown into confusion. At
this time several of the men were wounded, a number
of horses captured, and three more prisoners added to
the list. The whole scene must have been enacted
within sound of the main body of the cavalry and a
portion of the infantry; but either from stupidity or
want of courage on the part of the officers in command
not the slightest effort was made either to recapture
the prisoners or punish their captors. There were not
more than ten or twelve of the enemy, at most, and
they were permitted to carry off their prisoners and
plunder unmolested.
The Captain's dream of love and beauty had suddenly
changed. He was a captive, in the hands of rude

212 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
:rebels, men of our own blood, to be sure, but fierce and
icruel. Indeed, these men of our own blood found pleas
ure, and even amusement, in treating their prJsoncr.s
harshly. After stripping them of nearly everything of
value they possessed, they were compelled to marcli all
night through mad and rain, and kept without food for
nearly thirty hours. Not even the wounded were ex
empt from this harsh treatment. On reaching Manassas
the Captain found himself an object of intense curiosity,
for a rumor had spread through the rebel camp that a
brother of Mrs. President Lincoln had been captured;
and not a few insisted that lie could be nothing less
than a spy. Indeed, it was not until the real brother
of Mrs. Lincoln, then on duty at Manassas, corrected
the slander, that the Captain enjoyed any peace of mind.
The prisoners were a few days afterwards sent to
,Libby prison, where they remained guests for several
months. The Captain, I am informed, has not made a
second visit to those amiable ladies, having uade up
his mind that appearances are very deceptive.

CHAPTER X X 7 I

A NEW CIIAltACTER, AND AN AMUSING ADVENTURE.
We had got into December, the weather was clear
and fine, and the roads fast coming into good condition.
Our regiment was together again, in Camp Kearney,
and better satisfied at being under the command of
General Franklin. Our time was employed doijig
picket duty, and scouting along our front from Fall's
Church to the quiet little town of Annandale, the in
habitants of which were more than once seriously
alarmed by our dashes through their streets. Wc
would also make frequent expeditions beyond our lines
into the enemy's country, sometimes to procure forage,
at others to observe the enemy. The farmers were not
inclined to approve our mode of relieving them of their
surplus forage, and would frequently protest against
it, and even assert that they were loyal to our cause
a? a means of protecting it. These little attentions on
f/ur poit the enemy would frequently repay with com-
]ioui;d interest. If he did not get even with us in the
maticr cf .''orage he was sure to be more than square in
prisoners. Indeed, ho had an impudent way of coming
into our lines, deceiving and capturing our pickets;
213

214 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
sometimes he would carry off a Avhole outpost in the
most cool manner. He had also a mysterious process
of obtaining our signals fi-om day to day ; and thc;-e
he would turn to his own advantage. In truth he could
beat us at inventing mischief and taking advantage oi
circumstances. He had his spies everywhere, and his
secret telegraph, it was clear, extended into the highest
places of our Government.
There joined us about this time a sturdy and remark
able Irishman, a man of great power and strength, ol
the name of Alexander. He was a fellow of infinite
humor and great nimbleness of tongue, ready always
to fight with or do a favor for any man in the regiment.
Fists, sabres, or pistols were equally in favor with him,
and the man who opposed him could have his choice.
He would make friends with all the distressed damsels
in the neighborhood, and would «pend his next month's
pay account, and as much more as he could raise, to
relieve their wants. Alex, for such was the name he
went by, never was known to throw whisky over his
shoulder, and no man wanted for a bottle while he had
a dollar in his pocket. His mind seemed to be con
tinually at war with the sutler and Major Von Flopp.
He would propose to buy out the former's traps and
distribute them among the men; the latter he always
wanted to get into a fight, merely for the amusement
of others. Indeed, Von Flopp became so alarmed at
the queer pranks this brusque Irishman would cut that
he held his life unsafe while in his company, and, in
accordance with what he considered prudence and wis
dom, never crossed his path if he could reach his tent
bv any other road.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 215
Alex was soon favored with a Lieutenant's commis
sion, and in time became amusement for the whole
camp, for he could play a good flute, sing a good song,
sound a good bugle, b*eat any man at telling an im
probable story, and furnish a dancing party with music
on the violin. His exploits in Western Virginia, per
formed since the time I write of, have given him a
name among the people of that region, that will live
long after this war. He had served, too, in the regu
lar cavalry, and had seen active service in California,
where he made an extraordinary escape from his ene
mies by riding forty miles on the bare back of a mule,
and in no other uniform than his shirt. And this ex
traordinary feat was performed at night, in a drenching
rain. Now it so happened one day thatour good Chaplain,
who had been sharing Alex's bottle somewhat freely,
got into a quarrel with him on a matter of religion.
But the question, not being very clearly understood by
either gentleman, soon shifted to one of muscle. The
Chaplain, I may mention, was a man of good fighting
qualities, and loosing his temper at the moment de
clared it useless to argue with a fellow whose head
.was incapable of comprehending the simplest question
of the Trinity, .Here was an opportunity of accommo
dating the camp with a fight of a very novel and inter
esting character.
The Lieutenant was quick to doff his coat and invite
the Chaplain to do the same. He had been insulted,
and must have satisfaction. The parson began quietly
to put off his coat and lay aside his spectacles, while

216 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
the Lieutenant brought out a pair of huge pistols, and
called in several of the officers who had been attracted
to the scene to measure the ground and see fair play.
He then picked up a couple of«Babres, and handing one
to the parson, whose countenance assumed an air of
surprise, said in an emphatic tone: ^'Here! your'
reverence — pistols or sabres ? There is no passing this
fight ; and we'd as well get the job over afore sTinset,
Send for a doctor at once."
'• Sinner that I am," muttered the parson, confusedly,
" to be seen with this. sabre iu my hand when it is thel
Bible I should have had,"
The Dominie was evidently taken at a disadvantage,
and became somewhat pale and nervous, for he remem
bered that he was not skilled in the use of either of
these death-dealing weapons. Happily at this moment
Major Yon Flopp, preceded by Crump, the bugler,
made his appearance, and began pumping up his cour
age to the highest guage,
" Good heaveas ! your reverence Is not going to fight
with this Irish Lieutenant, who is not your equal, andi
would like nothing better than furnishing the camp
with a funeral every day — "
Von Flopp made a low bow, and was about to pro-
I ceed further, when the parson interrupted, and in a
a manner that surprised and confounded him,
" Am I to be insulted in this way ?" said the parson,
" and by one I took for a friend ?"
" Heavens, me !" interposed Von Flopp, " there is
: not a man in camp that does not take me for an enemy,
' do what I will to oblige him." Then raising his voice,

TUE STORY OF A TROOPER. 217
he continued : " I was going to say, your reverence,
that as I was ranking officer present, and no officer
of the day on the ground, I would order this Irishman
in arrest, and have him tried by court-martial for con
duct disrespectful to our chaplain."
" Have you no manners, Major?" interposed the par.
son, in an angry tone. " 1 an Irishman, and you insult
me by casting reflections on an Irishman ! It is said
every fool pays dear for his folly." He was about to
proceed further, wiien the Lieutenant, who had sent
one man for the doctor and another for a friend, in the
warmest gush of his nature, grasped the parson firmly
by the hand. " If you'll pass the quarrel 1 will," said
he. " There's no cause of fight atween us, onyhow.
And here's the man as '11 be yer friend in all future
quarrels ye may have."
They shook hands and exchanged other tokens ol
future friendship. The Lieutenant, who had been cast
ing wicked glances at Von Flopp, drew his sabre and
rushed at the doughty Major, who took to his heels
and ran faster than he had ever been known to do be
fore. Indeed he ran far beyond the limits of the cam.p,
the Lieutenant close at his heels ; and in attempt
ing to get over a fence tumbled into a deep ditch of
mud and water, from which he was extricated in as
sorry a plight as m.au ever was seen in, and so fright-
tened that nothing was seen of him in camp for several
days, " It was tlie mission of Him who came on earth to
save us all, to preserve peace between men." The
speaker was a meek little man, with a smooth, round

21» THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
face, and his hair parted over the center of his head.
On hearing that there was a fight between an Irish
Lieutenant and the Chaplain, he ha-d forced his way
through the crowd and into the presence of the latter,
who was still holding the sabre in his hand.
" And pray, who are you ?" inquired the Dominie,
replacing his spectacles, and fixing hiseyes on him.
" I am a worker in the holy cause of the Christian
Commission," responded the man. "Have been dis
tributing tracts and socks through the camps, and pray
ing with the sick in your hospitals. And may heaven
give me strength to do this good work well, for there
is much need of it. The flock looks to us for example ;
and it is meet that we set them a good one." He said
no more, but quietly took his departure. And such
was the force of the rebuke that the Dominie put the
sabre away and sinking into a chair wept like a child.
A few days after what I have related above hap
pened, a squadron of Von Flopp's battalion was or
dered to proceed oyer the Little River Turnpike on a
reconnoissance, with orders to proceed as far as possi
ble in the direction of Fairfax Court House. The
squadron was mounted and ready to march, when Von
Flopp made his appearance in camp, boiling over with
courage. He was in a new uniform, ornamented with
much lace, prodigiously booted and spurred, and armed
to the very teeth, if I may use a phrase so common
among writers on the war. Indeed no less than four
pistols hung from his belt, while his sabre was of un
common length, and kept up such a clattering as he
paced to and fro before his tent, casting a challenging

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 219
glance at each officer as he passed, as much as to say :
'' You took me for a fool and a coward ; but now if
you want a quarrel — here's your man." Once or twice
the Irish Lieutenant passed him, and as he did the Ma
jor would strike the hilt of his sabre violently and
assume a defiant air.
No sooner was Vou Flopp in camp than he began giv
ing all sorts of orders to all sorts of persons, creating
general disturbance. He sent buglers'one way, order"
lies another, and servants another. Then he set Crump
to sounding all sorts of calls, none of which either
officers or men could understand. A servant brought
his horse, when he mounted and commenced cavorting
up and down in front of the officers' tents, which was
the signal for all sorts of shouts and cries from the
men, upon several of which he made a charge with his
sabre drawn. And this sad state of things was not
put an end to until the Colonel came out and reproached
Yon Flopp for his folly; in fine, calling him a fool and
threatening to order him in arrest for disturbing the
peace of the camp.
He now claimed the right to coni|nand the squadron,
and there being no other way of of keeping him from
doing further harm in camp, (except placing him in ar
rest,) the Colonel granted his request, much to the dis
gust of the officers, who knew there was no better way
of putting an end to the uselessness of the expedition.
The day was fine, however, and tiie squadron pro
ceeded along the Little River Turnpike at a brisk trot,
the Major accompanied by his faithful bugler, and iu
thft rear, for he asserted that it was written in all

220 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
books on war he had -ever read that no commanding
officer, on whose life so much depended, would ever
think of advancing into an enemy's country at the head
of his command. It was in vain that the officers as
sured him we were at least eight miles from our picket
line, and would not be considered in the enemy's country
until we had got beyond it. Officers as well as men were
disposed to make merry with him, and various plans to
get him to ride*at the head of the column were resorted
to in vain. He assured his officers, when told there
was not the slightest danger, that it was not danger
but respect for the rules of war that shaped his con
duct. " It will not do," he would say, " for an officer
high in command to trust to luck, for hi? life. You
know there's no knowing what our enemies may do
with a man of my rank when they get him."
In order to change the subject somewhat, the Major
began to give the officers an amusing account of the
numerous affairs of honor he had been engaged in,
from Tennessee to California. I say amusing, for they
afforded Jiis hearers much merriment. Out of these
little affairs he ha^ always come out a hero, in high fa
vor with all the women of the neighborhood in which
they were enacted.
The squadron had now reached Benton's Tavern,
where we had a station, and a company of infantry.
The officer in command had his guard turned out to
salute the cavalry, and the men, seeing the Major, be
gan to cheer heartily, for his fame had spread through
out the division, and there was scarcely a man in it
who did not know him.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 221
" These men are cheering in honor of you, Major
Von Flopp," said one of the officers, riding up and
touching his hat respectfully.
"I take it!" replied the Major; "you are right.
Lieutenant ; and it is only right and polite that I thank
them in a speech. Let the squadron be halted,"
The order was quickly obeyed and the command
formed in line, facing the infantry, two deep. This
done, the Major rode to the center, and raising his hat
began to speak thus : " I always did respect soldiers ;
and now I love them because they have so many
hardships and so few comforts. And this I can tell
you of myself, that if I was not edycated to the pro
fession of arms — not ground out at West Point — I was
born of a military family. And if a man be born of a
military family and the blood of the soldier be in his
veins, that's enough for me." He continued in this
strain, discoursing of himself, of the high political po
sitions he had held, and the great sacrifices he had
made to join the army, for nearly fifteen minutes, and
until the men began to turn what he said into ridicule,
for indeed they saw that he was either a fool or the
strongest sort of an egotist.
The officer in command of the station at length lost
his temper, and interrupted the Major's speech in a
very rude manner. Indeed he called him a balloon
[i. e. a gas bag.) and various other names not recorded
in the regulations. He also declared that if he did not
take himself off he would report him at headquarters
for disturbing the peace and discipline of his post. Tlii.i
BO astonished and surtirised the Maior that he called

222 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
loudly for Crump, saying it would not do to pay this
rude fellow any further respect.
Crump sounded his bugle, the troopers wheeled into
line, and in another minute were moving forward in the
best of temper. But the Major did not relish this want
of respect to a superior officer, xind after proceeding
a few minutes in silence he called one of the officers to
him, saying : " Knowing you to be a friend and no en
emy of mine, I would have you make note of what this
Captain of infantry said to me. He called me a bal
loon, mind you ; and what could be more insulting to
the honor of a soldier ? Mind you, gentlemen, he is
only a Captain of infantry ; and talks in this way to
a field officer of cavalry. He shall be court-martialed,
gentlemen. He called me a balloon, which means a
wind bag; you shall be my proof of that,"

CHAPTER XXIII.

SUEPEISE OF MAJOE VON FLOOP AT THE CONDUCT OF AN INDIGNANT
FEMALE— MOEB INSTEUGTIONS TO HIS OFFICEES AS TO UOW WAK
OUGHT TO BE CAREIED ON— CAPTUEE OF AN IMPORTANT PlilSONEE
AND WHO HE TURNED OUT TO BE.
The troopers had not proceeded many miles beyond
Benton's Tavern, when they came to a neat little farm
house, at the door of which a woman of respectable
appearance, and well dressed, stood looking anxiously
at the column. The Major immediately began to rein
in his horse and put on the best appearance he was ca
pable of. He also called Crump, the bugler, saying :
" When you have sounded a trot, you will follow me,
for I intend to make my compliments to the lady you
see there."
He also told the officers that it would not do for him
to pass without paying his respects to this lady, ascer
taining what her politics were, and what news she had
concerning the rebel army, " And you will see, gen
tlemen," said he, " that it will not take me long to win
her affections. Never saw a woman yet I could'nt
make an impression on at first sight ; and I say this
not boasting." In another minute he was prancing up
to the gate, followed by his faithful bugler. The wo-
223

224 THE STORY OF A TROOPBU.
man stood almost motionless as the Major alighted and
advanced up the path with an air of great self-confi
dence, for he was in full feather, and no general in the
army'had more brilliant trappings for his horse.
As he was about to ascend a few steps that led to
the door the woman made a backward motion, as if to
retire. " I would speak to you, Madame," said the
Major, raising his hat with his left hand, and frisking
the fingers of his left through his bushy hair. " I am
an officer of the Federal army, and want to prove to
you that I am no enemy — "
" Yeou arn't a bit better nor the rest on'em," inter-:
rupted the woman in an angry tone, disappearing into'
her house and shutting the door." Never was door so
quickly shut in a man's face.
"Zounds, me!" ejaculated the Major, " the woman
has misunderstood me. Don't you think she has,
Crump?" This last sentence was addressed to the
little bugler, who had dismounted and joined him, in
the hope of sharing any milk and hoe-cake that might
result from his master's visit,
" Reckon not," replied Crump, " These secesh wo-|
men don't make friends ea.sy,"
Of all the rebuffs the Major had received there was
none that took such a deep effect on his feelings as this.
He looked north and he looked south ; he first rubbed
his hands and then his head. How could he stand such
a cold, stinging defeat as this, inflicted by a woman'
And this, too, when it had been truly said of him that
no woman's heart was safe when he was near. Thus
mused our crest-faJlen hero, until the troopers had nearly
passed beyond sight.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 225
" I once knew a woman," said Crump, suggestively,
" who shut the door in a man's face, and what com'd
his best friend after, I'd knock at the door. Major."
" This is a good suggestion of yours, Crump," re
plied ther Major, regaining his courage, " I knew a
woman marry a man two days after she had shut the
door in his face," Thus saying he ascended the steps
and tapped gently at the door, while he bent his head
in a listening attitude. There was no response. Again
and again he tapped in the same gentle manner,
" Thar now, jist you git away, Ye'h arn't a bit bet
ter nor the rest o' them Yankees. Ye'd steal my chick
ens jist as soon as them tother fellers," said the woman,
replying from within,
" Worse and worse !" exclaimed the Major, " If
these women will have us enemies when we come to
make peace wi th them, what are we to do ? We must give
tliis matter up. Crump, for there is no making a woman
polite when she makes up her mind she won't be. But
say not a word about it to the officers." Giving up in de
spair, he mounted his horse and set off at a full gallop in
pursuit of his troop, which he found halted at our outer
picket post, on a liill overlooking Annandale and the
plains beyond. Colonel Pinto was in command here,
and when the Major caine up was sharing what broth
erly love there was left iu his bottle with our officers.
Of course, tie Major was invited, and, in addition,
treated to a bowl of soup, which hospitality he was re
solved to repay in his usual manner. " You arc a
brave and gallant man, Colonel Pinto ; and now that
I have the honor of shaking ,so famous a military
11

226 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
man by the hand, I will say that I consider you in
every way worthy of being placed at this post of
danger and honor." Here he made a low bow, and
continued : "You shu,ll have fame, sir, in accordance
with your merits ; and I will see that what you have
performed here on this outpost shall be set forth in the
newspapers, for I feed and have a large acquaintance
with a number of fellows who write for them." The
Colonel smiled and blushed, for he was a modest man,
and had never before had his merits so openly sounded.
Indeed he began to wish the Major at least ten miles
away in the enemy's country.
" You shall have the honor to receive a good report
of this expedition of mine into the enemy's country.
The Commanding General has great confidence in me,
and said as I was coming away : ' If you meet the en
emy, Major, crush him.' Yes, sir, and it shall be done,
too. If fortune favors me so much as to throw the
enemy in my way he shall be scattered right and left,
and banished — yes, sir, banished clean out of sight.
Sir, you must know that the only true way to carry on
war is to first frighten your enemy and then scatter
him. Frighten him first and you can always whip him
after." There can be littie doubt that Von Flopp's
policy of conducting the war was treated with serious
consideration by men whose duty it was to shape the
military affairs of tiie nation, when tiie war began. " If
you can't frighten a man you can't whip him," conclu
ded the Major ; " and if you can't whip liim so that he'll
fetay whipped, why, there's no victory."
! An officer of his own troop, seeing that if he went

THE BTOY OF A TROOPER. 227
-on much longer in this strain he would discover himself
the fool he really was, inquired wliat success he had
with tlie lady at whose house he called. " You would
have been astonished, gentlemen, at the heartiness of
the welcome I received. Asked me into the parlor,
brought out a table, and spread it with the very best.
She on parting made me promise never to pass that
way without stopping and spending an hour. The
poor woman (he assumed an air of sympathy) was iu a
sad state of mind concerning her husband and son, who
were in the Southern army." Then shaking his head,
he said, " I parted from the lady reluctantly, I did."
Crump, who had been listening to his master's ac
count of his visit, began first to stretch his mouth wide
open, then to put the bugle to his lips and caper round
like a merry-Andrew, to the surprise of the soldiers
near by. When asked by one of them to explain his
conduct, he re[)lied in a whisper : " Should like to see
the mau who could tell a better lie nor my master, or
blow his own horn louder."
The Major would have remained here recounting the
pleasures of his reception until sun-down, had not the
senior Captain ordered "boots and saddles" called,
and indeed taken it njion himself to put the troops in
motion. Whcu the Major had mounted his horse, he extended
liis hand to Colouel Pinto, saying : " And now, sir,
I must part with you, for the service demands that I
go and perform the duties of a soldier. Sir, you have
treated me like a gentleman, and I part with you reluc
tantly. Your subordinate, at the post below, is no gen-

228 THE STQRY OF A TROOPER,
tleman. He called me a balloon, yes, sir, a balloon !
and the insult is that balloon means a w'ind bag. He
shall be brought before a court-martial and punished
for his insult,''
He now put spurs to Lis horse and proceeded after
Ills troops at full gallop, the little bugler close at his
heels, and blowing the most shrill sounds his horn was
capable of. Half an hour more and the column disap
peared beyond our lines, preceded by an advance guard,
and flankers out right and left. Officers as well as
men were inclined to have their measure of jokes with
the Major, and when tliey had got about four miles
beyond our lines two of the advance guard and an
officer, whose name it will not be necessary to mention
here, came galloping back in a state of great anxiety,
and reported that a force of tlie enemy was posted just
on the edge of a clump of wood, and could be seen
from a bit of elevated ground a few rods ahead. He
had a battery and a flag-staff, with infantry supports
just iu the edge of the wood.
The Major became suddenly pale, and was also
seized with a trembling in his limbs. He ordered
Crump to sound a halt, which the column quickly
obeyed, and came to a rest in the road. " And now,
gentlemen," said the Major, addressing the officers as
they gathered round him, preserving an air of great
seriousness, " affairs look serious, and we must consult
together as to what is to be done,"
" Wc are here for that object. Major," they replied,
" and to get your orders as to how the troops shall
move and be disposed, and if we are to make an attack,
to get your plan,"

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 229
"How would you have me give you a plan without
knowing the strength of the enemy ? " returned the
Major. "If you will proceed with me to the front, sir," in
terposed one of the officers, " we will go near enough
to make a correct estimate of their strength."
" I know you for a man of truth and a good soldier,"
resumed the Major, " and will take your word that the
enemy is in strong force. There is a latin maxim
somewhere that says, prudence is necessary to success
in war. And there is another maxim somewhere that
says, it is not wisdom for a commanding officer to ex
pose himself unnecessarily at the front when careless
firing is going on." Von Flopp insisted on making his
headquarters where he was, while two of the lieuten
ants went to the front to get a more correct view of
the enemy. Presently one of them came riding back,
saying the enemy was but a mere handful, and could
be easily whipped and captured.
" Roast me ! " exclaimed the Major, pumping up his
courage, " wc must not let this chance slip. They must
be crushed, gentlemen, crushed ! And if we can't crush
them wc must frighten them first, and then scatter
tiiem—" The officers here interrupted -by demanding to know
in what order the troops should move, for there Avas
no time to be lost.
"Gentlemen," he answered, rubbing his head, "1
am not an adept in your military technicalities got at
West Point, and have not at my tongue the exact
orders it would be necessary to give in making the

!230 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
movement you are to make. But if a man have miii-'
tary aptness, as I have, they will come to him as W.-11
out of AVest Point as in. Roast me! if a man can't
be a good General without being learned with West
Point knowledge. - Listen now to what I say. Divide
your forces; let one go to the right, and the other go
to the left; then Crump and the other bugler shall
gallop along the front and sound their bugles. Tliisi
will surely frighten the enemy; then when you sSehini
begin to shake in his boots, dash in and scatter him..
That's the way to properly conduct the war. Find out
where the enemy's fears lay, and when well frightened
you can capture him without shedding a drop of
blood."* A sergeant of the advance guard now rode up and
reported that the enemy was discovering himself in the
edge of the wood and advancing rapidly in strong fore'\
The officers preserved an air of great anxiety, and
again appealed to the Major for his plan of action.
"This changes the whole complexion of things,"
said the Major, making a motion to mount his horse.;
"Prudence is necessary to overcome trouble; and it
looks as if there was to be trouble enough here. I
have it now, I have it ! My orders are only to observe
the enemy; not to make a demonstration. It follows!
then that if the enemy does not run away from us we
must get away from him. Them's our orders, you see.
So do you order a retreat; that it may be said we f-ll
* It was evident that the Major had acquired his military scii-nce:
by reading Schenck's history of Vienna and Butler's expedition to
Big Bethel.

TUE STORY OF A TROOPER. 231
back before superior numbers. If we cannot frighten
them and scatter them we must fall back. That's my
plan, gentlemen; and if it be not a good one I have no
faith iu your high science got at West Point."
The Major mounted his horse, and was about to
commence the retreat, when the other Lieutenant, who
had gone to the front, rode back to say that a closer
observation had revealed the fact that what appeared
to be a battery and a flag-staff was only a cow with
her tail up, and the infantry supports were only a
row of young saplings. A scene of merriment fol
lowed this announcement such as I cannot describe
here, but which for a time completely destroyed all
order and discipline. The Major declared he could
not appreciate it; and as he had taken no part in pro
ducing it, so they must not make him share its dishonor.
'¦ If you had performed your duty properly, officers of
the advance guard," he said, assuming an air of pro
found wisdom, " the history of our war would not have
been disgraced by this affair." The gallant Major:
could not see that he had bee.': ^ade the victim of what
might have turned out to be a very serious joke.
Tlie troops soon moved forward and reached a high
piece of ground within a few miles of Fairfax Court
House, the dome of which was plainly in sight. Hero
the enemy's pickets were discovered on the edge of a
belt of wood, just beyond an open field. They began
making a movement as soon as our men discovered
themselves. Then a number of their cavalry appeared:
in sight and began to advance, as if with the intention
of off-'ring battle. Of course this was the signal for

232 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
considerable excitement, and Major Von Flopp, who
had resolved not to " smoke his new uniform," and kept
at a prudent distance in the rear, was called upon to
know what was to be done. The men were in fine
spirits, and began to engage the enemy in a free and
easy sort of a way, without orders.
" Do ? that is the great question," replied Von Flopp,
nervously. "D — 1 take me if I know what to do." And
he scratched up his thoughts and struck the hilt of his
sabre. " This is an important matter, gentlemen, and
no subject to laugh over just now," he resumed, notic
ing that some of the officers wore smiling at his inno-!
cence. " Things have a serious look; but I would have
you bear in mind, gentlemen, that the battle was not
brought on by mj- or.ders; and if there's a defeat don't
make me responsible for it. I have heard it said that
caval,ry should not fight without infantry for supports."
The Major became evidently agitated, and as the firing
increased lost all control over himself, and declared it
his intention to go back to Colonel Pinto and bring up
a force of infantry, it not boing prudent to trust the
honor of the nation to these cavalrymen. And he would
have returned but for. one of the offi".crs, who assured
him that it would bo extremely dangerous for an officer
of his rank to pass over a road infested with rebels.
There was another and. more serious obstacle to the
Major's return. Crump was at tho front, making all
sorts of noises on his bugle, and increasing the excite
ment. Von Flopp would not think of travelling a mile
without bis faithful bugler.
The skirmishing was kept up for more than half an

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 233
hour, and was remarkable only for the little harm done
to either side. Indeed, if I remember right, the only
damage done was to the Major's nerves, for tlie enemy
kindly kept beyond carbine range, and we very pru
dently followed his example.
On the return of the troops Von Flopp recovered
his courage and became marvellously brave. He pro
ceeded to show that the expedition had gained a great
victory; and that in all but one of its results had been
highly satisfactory to him, and he would take it upon
himself to see tha it was properly announced to the
nation. One of the officers wanted to know, what the excep
tion was, " Prisoners, sir, prisoners," replied Von
Flopp, '' If we had taken a few prisoners we might
have had it a grand affair in the newspapers." They
had not proceeded far, however, when one of the ser
geants, seeing a side road, dashed down it at a brisk
gallop, as if to see where it led to, and what was to be
found on it,
" That sergeant is a brave fellow," said one of the
officers. " Were it not that he' takes too much on himself, and
acts as if he had a commission in his pocket, he might
set up for the bravest man in the regiment," rejoined
another. "He never Avaits for orders, but is always
dashing off in search of adventure — "
"It is my opinion, genfJemon," interposed a third
officer, "that the regiment has no braver officer than
Major Von Flopp."
Von FI?)pp caught the compliment, and raised his
11*

234 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
hat in appreciation of it, " Time's coming, gentlemen,"
said he, his hat still raised, " when you will not call
me a fool, but do justice to my courage. If, therefore,
you accept what you have seen as a proof of this ser
geant's courage, I will show yon that your command
ing officer is not behind any man." Thus saying ho
called Crump, ordered him to sound his bugle, and in
another minute was dashing after him, the sergeant, at
full speed. The men were astonished and amused at
this strange scene, and cheered the Major at the very
top of their voices.
He had proceeded only a mile down the road, when
he came up with the sergeant, who was holding a par
ley with a man of strange appearance, and, as he said,
suspicious action. The sergeant, who was zealous in
the discharge of his duty, had just met the man " com
ing across a field," The man was extremely lean of
!figure, wore a soft white hat, bound with a sash of deep
crape. His clothes were of brown homespun, and very
shabby. Altogether he was a fine specimen of what
might be accepted as the shabby genteel gentleman of
Old Virginia, His hands were small and white, an air
of melancholy shadowed a countenance on which care
and disappointment had written deep furrows, and his
manners indicated that he had seen better days.
" Arrested this man," said the sergeant, saluting llie
Major, "because he was found under suspicious circum
stances. He came out of the woods yonder — tells the
d  St story you ever heard — it don't hang together,
though," "You're right, sergeant, you are a Ircvc fellow.

THE STORY OF. A TROOPER, 235
But the prisoner belongs to me," replied Von Flopp,
" He's a spy ! There's no getting over that, because
he looks just like a spy. Roast me! I'd not be sur
prised if he. was a bushwhacker," Then turning to
the prisoner, who was nervous and confused, he contin
ued. " It'll go hard with you. Yes it will. You're a
bushwhacker and a spy, and you know you are. You
may lie as fast as a rain storm, but you can't deceive
me," Here the Major began flourishing his sabre,
which so alarmed the poor prisoner that he essayed, to
speak in his own defence. He had not proceeded far,
however, when his voice failed him, and his eyes filled
with tears that coursed down his cheeks, writing their
tale of sorrow as they went,
" Heaven can bear me witness that I am no spy, but
a man full of trouble, and driven from my home, and
separated from my friends by this cruel war — "
" You can't deceive a military man like me with that,
dodge. You must prepare to get hung, and well hung,
as every spy deserves to be," interrupted the Major
exultingly, " Has it come to that," the man muttered rather
than spoke, " that I must not speak in my own defence?"
" There's no saving your neck with these tears of
your's, and what you have got to say will keep until
you get to headquarters,"
So proud was the Major of having secured a prisoner
that he would not listen to anything the man had to
say. He was therefore ordered to prepare for a tramp
to Fairfax Seminary, a journey he was ill prepared for,
since his toes were out of his shoes, and his raiment

236 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
not sufficient to keep out the cold. The prisoner was
told in what manner he must proceed, and just as he
was about to set off a very amusing scene occurred,
which I must describe here, or the true history of this
expedition will not be complete, I remember also that
a very .grave and serious account of the achievements
of this expedition appeared in several newspapers con
spicuous for their veracity, and which, it was asserted
by several officers of the regiment, could have been
written by no other person than Von Flopp himself, as
not a word was said about the officer who called him a
balloon. The sergeant declared the prisoner his by right of
capture. This the Major disputed, asserting that the
prisoner was his by right of rank. To which the ser
geant, who had rare courage, replied that the Major
was a fool, who got brave enough when there was no
danger, and was meddling with business that did not
concern him. Indignant at this slander on his wisdom,
the Major drew his sabre and declared the sergeant
should feel the weight of it. The sergeant, however,
was equally quick in drawing his sabre, saying he was
ready to try strengtli of weapons with his superior.
He now began to maneuvre his horse, and instead of
putting himself in an attitude of defence, made ready
for a sudden charge on his commanding officer. This
completely changed the aspect of affairs, and so con
tracted the bounds of Von Flopp's courage that he]
called lu.stily on the prisoner to stand by him and save
him from the vengeance of this cruel-hearted sergeant.
He also sent Crump back to the intei-ijection of the road,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 237
there to blow as loud as he could on his bugle until
help came.
This terrible sounding of Crump's bugle soon alarmed
the troop, which came back at a brisk trot to sec
what was the matter. Indeed several of the officers
gave signs of serious alarm, for they feared Von Flopp
had fallen in with the enemy and been captured. When
told by Crump that it was only a fight between his
master and the sergeant, and all about a scraggy-look
ing prisoner, they rode quickly to the spot, expecting
to find one or the other dead. Judge then, if you can,
of their disappointment, when they found the Major
and the sergeant dismounted and shaking hands, appa
rently the very best of friends,
" We have a trifling difficulty," said the Major, call
ing one of the officers aside and whispering in his ear,
"but we have settled it amicably between ourselves,
and there is no need of any further reference to it, I
honor this sergeant, arid can endorse him for a bravo
man and a soldier,"
They now mounted tiieir horses, and having joined
the troop, set out for camp in the best of humor, the
prisoner proceeding on foot between the Major and the
sergeant, for in the accommodation it was agreed that
he should belong to them jointly. When within a few
miles of the Seminary the Major began to consult with
himself as to the results of so important an expedition.
He must make a report, and give it sound and ciicuiu-
stance. Audit would hardly do to round off the report
of an expedition that had been so eminently successful
with a single prisoner, and he so shabby an one. In

238 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
short, ho concluded within himself that it would not dq
to have less than three prisoners. As fortune was with
him just then, so two inoffensive travellers were found
sitting by the roadside, for they were weary and needed
rest. And these Von Flopp proceeded forthwith to
capture as prisoners of war. The men were on tiieir
way home from Alexandria, where they had been to at
tend to some law business, and were armed with passes.
which, however, the Major declared he was not bound
to respect.
The other officers remonstrated with him against the
wisdom of making such strange arrests; one of them
even called him a fool and a madman. But it was all
to no purpose, the Major asserted his rank; and tlie
prisoners were necessary to make up what he calle I
his complement. It mattered not how much tlicy
pleaded their innocence and offered to show their
passes — how much distress was brought on their fami
lies ; they were ordered to join tho first prisoner an 1
move forward.
The bugles were sounding tattoo when the troop
reached Camp Kearney, Crump had been sent in ad
vance to announce the approach of his master, to whicli
lie added all sorts of stories as to the events of the day.
According to Crump his master had borne a consiiic-
uous part in several battles th-e troop had been engaged
in; that he had with his own hands captuVcd and was
bringing in a number of prisoners. This story set t!ie
camp all astir, and the men broke away from all re
straint and gathered in crowds about the gate, giving
the troop three hearty cheers as it wheeled into camp.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 239
Anxious inquiries were also made concerning the pris
oners; and not a little disappointment prevailed when
the true story of the expedition got out, and the men
were told there were only three prisoners, neither of
whom were taken with arms.
The Major entered camp a few minutes after the
troop, carefully guarding the prisoners. Instead of
cheers and other complimentary demonstrations, his
ears were greeted with cat-calls, and other sounds of a
very unpleasant nature. Indeed the peaceful quality
of his prisoners excited sympathy rather than joy in
the feelings of the men. One said he ought to be
ashamed of himself to capture such men. Another
said he had found the devil and two friends and brought
them in to help fight his battles, A third was sure
they were only three Jews, employed by our sutler in
the bone, and rag bnsincss. The big Sergeant Major
would have the little bugler tried by court-martial and
punished for disappointing the camp with these lies
about his master's victories over the enemy. And a
nice little fight was got up in Hugh McSourley's teut ;
for Hugh had invited Fin, Maginnis to come over and
join him in finishing the last end of his bottb, and the
guest not content with the whiskey, had something dis
respectful to say of Major Von Flopp. Now Hugh
was au old soldier, and declared he would not stand
by and hear language disrespectful to a superior officer
spoken in his tent. Fin. would not take back a word,
and the result was that Hugh, who liked a fight, aiad
all the better if ho could have it before breakfast, ac
commodated his guest with a very black eye.

240 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
The camp was, indeed, all disorder and confusion,
and although the bugles had sounded taps, and the
lights were all out at General Kearney's headquarters,
it was wit I great difficulty the men could be got to
their tents, so intent were they on playing pranks with
the Major and his prisoners. But Von Flopp was not
to be cheated out of his laurels in this way, and with
an air of pomp few could assume, proceeded to head
quarters with his motley prisoners.
The Colonel was examining some papers by the light
of a candle when the Major entered, in all his serenity.
" If your honor," said he, rubbing his head, " has time
to libten, I will illuminate what we have done. We
have had excitement enough for one day. Colonel — "
The Major hesitated, rubbed his head again, turned to
his prisoners, and then was about to continue.
" So I understand, Major," interrupted the Colonel,
raising his eyes and looking inquiringly at the prison
ers over his spectacles; " and I am told you conducted
yourself with great coolness and gallantry."
" It would not serve me much to speak of myself."
The Major bowed, and smiled in return for the compli
ment. " The officers shall be the judges of my bravery.
The enemy felt the weight of our sabres; yes, and he
had occasion to run several times. My brave men
would have followed me anywhere."
" I am sure of that. Major," rejoined the Colonel,
suppressing a smile. "But who, pray, are these men
you have here?'"
" These here men ? Prisoners of war, sir: prisoners
of war; desperate characters; cut-throats; famous all

THE STORY OF A TRdOPER. 241
over the country for their rascality," he replied, warm
ing into enthus'asm.
" You give them very hard characters, Major, but
what proof have you — "
" Listen now, listen," interrupted the Major, point
ing to one of the men who was about to speak in reply
to the charges; " you will hear him talk treason by the
page." " We are peaceable citizens, sir," said the man, ad
dressing the Colonel, " and it's not right for the Gov
ernment to arrest us this way — "
"Roast me! Just hear him. Colonel, He does'nt
open his mouth but treason comes out. They can't
deceive me with their innocence — no they can't, Colo
nel!" Here the Major spread his hands and became
eloquent over his prisoners. " Why, sir," he resumed,
"look you. This one has red hair and a disreputable
look," He referred to the prisoner taken first, " These
two, why sir, you can tell their dangerous faces as far
as you can see them,"
The men looked at their accuser with an air of sur
prise mingled with contempt. Both men had passes
from the Provost Marshal, and were indeed as peace
able persons as could be found anywhere. After hearing
their statements the Colonel ordered their release, had
them comfortably provided for during the night, and
sent to their suffering families in the morning.
" Umph! " ejaculated the disappointed Major; "ain't
no good to take prisoners if they are to be let loose in
this way. "But you won't turn this one loose, I know,
Colonel. He's a spy. You can read it in every wrin-

242 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
kle of his countenance. You'll give him tiie guard
house and the halter, I know ! "
The man turned toward him with a look of scorn.
" There is a judge above who shall sit when my loyalty
is on trial," he spoke, suppressing his emotions. " Hea
ven knows I have already suffered enough for my opin
ions, but I have been true to my country and my con
science; and I have been punished because I have been
true to my country. My property has been destroyed,
my home threatened with the torch, and with my family
I have been night after night driven to the woods for
safety. If but half the tale of my sorrow were told,
it would ^e a sad one indeed. A merciful God pro
tects us all, and to Him I look for deliverance." Here
he drew a paper from his pocket, and passing it to the
Colonel, who was affected by the man's manner, sank
into a chair and wept like a child.
When he had read it he passed it to the Major, say-!
ing : " You have made one of those mistakes which do
us more injury than good." Von Flopp scanned and
scanned over the paper, then shook his head and bowed
himself out of the room. The paper, was a protection,
signed by no less a person than General George B.
McClellan. "I offered to show him my protection," said the
man, becoming more calm, " and when I did he treated
me with increased rudeness."
" I am sorry for what has happened, sir," replied the
Colonel, his face warming with benevolence. " I am
also sorry that any one connected with my regiment
should have added to your sorrow, sir. Tl:.cre is more

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 243
power in one kind word than in twenty swords. Your
wounded feelings shall be healed, and you shall go to
your home rejoicing. You shall have a supper and a
bed, and both shall be the best these headquarters af
ford, for I see you are weary and hungry. It is mad
ness to call a man a criminal who is merely a sufferer ;
and he who does it has a heart without sympathy.
Charity to the sorrowing heart is like dew to the
drooping rose ; it is the sweet incense of the soul ; and
he who has the noblest nature bestows it most."
This evidence of generosity on the part of the Colo
nel so touched the man's feelings that he again gave
vent to his tears.
" Cheer up, cheer up!" continued the Colonel, " war
makes us all the children of misfortune ; all liable to
the abuse of that little brief authority so dangerous
in the hands of the thoughtless." And he again pressed
the man's hand warmly and tenderly,
" There was my little garden," sobbed the man,
" which made us all so happy to see the flowers when
they bloomed. It has all been destroyed. Not a shrub
remains, I have no place to shelter my head in safety,
and I meet my family to-day not knowing where they
will be to-morrow. My father was a patriot, a gen
tleman ; lie served his country long and faithfully in
the Senate of the United States, Think you I would
dishonor his name by being faithless to my country ?
No ! never."
" Dickens ! Dickens !" interrupted the Colonel, " why,
1 knew him well,"
" He was my father," rejoined the man, " and may

244 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
Heaven keep hallowed the names of the great men who
respected him,"
" Bless the good old man; may his name live forever.
Why, sir, I knew your father well ; his kindness was
as bright as the stars of heaven, and fell on all who
enjoyed it like a good spirit. You are twice welcome
at these headquarters," When the Colonel had done
speaking he turned to Tantery, the sooty negro, and
ordered him to prepare supper and a bed for the poor
prisoner, which was done, " And you shall have a good
warm punch," resumed the Colonel, " for I see you are
suffering from the cold," But on going to the closet
he found his bottle empty, an unfortunate result, pro.
duced by Tantery, who had an uncommon weakness
for strong drink ; and as to the rights of property, ho
held them in utter contempt. "
" The bottle is empty, and the sutler has gone to
bed," said the Colonel, setting the bottle down with an
air of disappointment.
Alex, the Irish Lieutenant, entered just at this mo
ment, and being told what was the matter, exclaimed :
" Ye'd niver want a bottle, and a dollar is in my pocket.
Do ye mind that! And bad luck to the sutler what
'ud refuse it had'nt I a dollar in my pocket!" Alex
was never so happy as when he was relieving the wants
of some distressed individual. He started for the sut
ler's shanty, and found that avaricious person reluc
tant to rise from his blanket and serve bis customer.
" Git up ye divil splittiii cross atween a Jew and a
Quaker," roared the Irish Lieutenant, thundering away
at the sutler's door, " Git up, ye divil, ye, or by the

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 24-5
powers yer shanty '11 come down, Ud ye see a poor
man suffer for a bottle, and he sick ?" The sutler re
cognized the voice of his customer, and knowing there
would be trouble if he did not get up and give him
what he wanted, soon opened the door, " Three 1
three ! three ! bottles ; the best ye got, and that's
mighty bad. Hand them out, quick now," demanded
the Lieutenant,
" Cash or booked ?" inquired the sutler, rubbing hia
eyes, " Cashed or booked, is it, ye say, ye thief?" responded
Alex, poising his left, " Musha, bad luck to ye, would
ye tiirow a shadey of discredit on my responsibility —
and it night, too? Repate that and I'd mighty soon
thrash dacency into ye,"
" Three bottles," muttered the sutler, sullenly, "six
dollars. Booked."
Alex grasped the bottles eagerly from the sutler's
hand, and retiring to headquarters, soon had a hot
punch prepared for the poor prisoner. He also as
sisted Tantery in getting supper ready, and which the
prisoner partook of with a keen appetite, for in truth
he had not tasted food since early morning, when he
breakfasted on a potato and a slice of bread.

It was on the 4th of December that a good deal of
excitement was caused throughout the division by the
Note. — In coloring my picture it m.ay not be exact in all its tints. I have endeav
ored, however, to give a triithfnl account of tbis expedition. The prisoner referred
tp v:tu> It von of the vencraldo Diekous, who so long hold an boaorablo position in tho
Seu:.tu of the United State's. '

246 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
news that a man of our regiment had been captured
while deserting to the enemy. The man, William H.
Johnson, was a private in Company D. lie had been
on picket near Benton's Tavern ; and leaving his com
panion under pretence of watering his horse at a neigh-
:boring brook, deliberately proceeded to give himself
up to the enemy,
Johnson was a man of weak intellect, with a down
cast but inoffensive countenance; and no doubt a natu
rally bad man. But the many stories told of him at
the time, and some of which got into the newspapers,
were nothing less than the rare inventions of camp
gossips. Johnson's parents resided in Louisiana, where
he was, according to his own account, born and raised.
Like many others of his class, he was leading a sort of,
vagabond life at the North when the war began, and
only joined the army because it afforded him a quicker
means of aiding the bad cause in which his heart was
engaged. Justice was swift to overtak: him and bring
his career of mischief to an end.
He had got but a short distance beyond our outer
picket line when he was met by a party of officers of
t:c First New Jersey Brigade, returning from an ex
cursion outside our picket posts. Mistaking them for
Confederates, a mistake they were quick to discover
and take advantage of, he proceeded to give then) a
minute account of what he knew concerning the dispo
sition of our forces, and more particularly the strength
and position of our picket posts, exulting at the same
time in his crime. When he had sufficie-.illy convicted
himself out of his own mouth, the officers discovered tp

TUB ETOEY OF A TROOPER, 247
him who they were, disarmed him, and brought him
back a prisoner; a man than whom none could have
been more wretched,
Johnson was arraigned before a court-martial, of
which Colonel N, J. Jackson, 5th Maine Volunteers,
was President, found guilty, and sentenced to be shot
to death. General McClellan, in approving tho sen
tence and fixing the day of execution, (the 13th of De
cember,) concluded his remarks with these words : "For
simple desertion the penalty is death. For desertion
coupled with such treachery there can bo no mercy,"
Tiiere are few things more solemn and touching than
a military execution, when properly conducted. And
the present one, I venture to assert, has never been ex
celled for its force and impressiveness. The place of
execution was a broad, level plain just north of the
Seminary. Three o'clock was the hour appointed for
the division to be in position; but it was nearly four
when all the troops had taken their places. The scene
was then grand and imposing. Three sides of a square
were formed, in double lines, the space between being
twenty paces. General Slocum's Brigade formed one
side of the square, on the Leesburg turnpike; General
Kearney's at right angles, and resting on his right;
and General Newton's forming the other side, the cen
tre facing west. Then the artillery formed on one side
of the square ; the cavalry on the other. General
Franklin and his staff, the Brigade Generals and their
staffs, making a brilliant display, took position beside
the place of execution. Then a great crowd of spec
tators came, some in gay equipages, others afoot, all

248 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
eager to witness the putting to death of this wretched
man. The young laughing girl and the grave Senator
mingled with painted harlots and their gaudily dre.:sed
companions. The sad procession approached at last, and the im
patient crowd pressed forward to catch a glimpse of the
condemned. There was the music, and the Provost
Marshal and his aids ; the wagon with the coffin, the
prisoner,- and his priest; the carbineers with reversed
arms, and the escort. It began its solemn inarch by
entering between the lines at the right of the division,
the front battalions facing to the rear as it opproached,
and in that manner passed along to the extreme left,
one band after another striking up and playing a dirge,
with an effect not easily described. Now the proces
sion halted at the place of execution. The last faint
strains of music had died away. The prisoner crouched
on the foot of his coffin, for he was overcome, and there
was no courage in his soul. The priest whispered a
benediction and took a parting farewell. The carbi
neers were at their places; a strange and solemn still
ness prevailed, and the red, setting sun clothed the
scene in mysterious shadows, mingling with the gleam
of arms, and giving deeper solemnity to the picture.
The Marshal waved his handkerchief. It was the final
signal. There was a flash, a crack of caroincs, a
wreath of pale white smoke curled away, but the
wretched man was not dead. At least a groan had
been heard, and the reserve was called up to finish the
work of death.

STORY OF A TROOPER

S003C III.

CHAPTER XXVI.

DISAFFECTION IN HIGH PLACES.
From early in December, 1861, until about the 7th
of January, 1862, the weather in Virginia had been
remarkably fine, the roads good, and tolerably dry. The
army took advantage of this to improve its drill and
discipline. Indeed, so great was the improvement
made during this fine weather, that few could fail to
notice it. General McClellan, too, had appeared
among his men almost every day, and by his constant
attention to their wants had gained their affections
and confidence to a remarkable degree, He had the
power of making the soldier feel that he was his true
friend; and so carefully and kindly did he exercise this
power that he gained a complete mastery over his
impulses. Whatever may be said of General McClel
lan as a politician, it cannot be denied that as a soldier
he had the love and confidence of his troops,
Wliile, however. General McClellan was embracing
the opportunity this fine weather afforded to improve
the condition of his army, a feeling of dissatisfaction
seized upon the public mind, because he did not venture
forth while it lasted, and do all sorts of impossible things
against the enemy. Men who had been careful not to
251

252 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
get within hearing of drum-beat or bullet-sound, sud
denly became wise in military matters, and were ready
to show the nation how the rebellion could be put down,
if they were only put in command of the army. War
was a new thing to us then, and impatience had come
to be the besetting sin of the pation. And the thought-!
less, and the reckless, and the weak-minded were quick
to take advantage of this impatience, to exert their
bad influence over an administration daily discovering
its inability to properly understand the military neces-!
sities of the day. So persistently did these men urge
their conceits upon the President, whose natural good
judgment should have been a sufficient protection against
such bad influence, that they succeeded in making him
believe, that he only had to issue an order commanding
the army to move forward and conquer our enemies,
and it would be done. Men sensible enough in other
things, became wild when they talked of war. Many
of them talked and acted as if they were sincere in the
belief that President Lincoln was a second Joshua, and
putting on the mantle of that ancient warrior, could
control the winds, the weather, and more than all, tlie
mud of Virginia, while our army went forth to conqner,
Washington was, indeed, just then, full of men wise
in the art of war. Clergymen were ready to take the
field, and went about the streets muttering their dis
trust of generals, and discoursing learnedly on strategy.
And there were a number of doctors, too, who had never
distinguished themselves in their own profession, but
ready enough to be made generals, just to show us that
an army could be organized and led to victory, as well

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 253
by a man accustomed to the syringe as a man educated
to the use of the sword. Tipsy Senators set up for
rare military critics; and having seldom appeared in
the Senate without bringing discredit on those who sent
t lem there, now went about seeking in public places
listeners to their criminations against General McClel
lan's patriotism, as well as generalship. Because
he did not condescend to make them his confidants, they
made him the object of their bitterness. Instead of
exerting their influence to preserve harmony in the
army, so much needed at that time, these reckless men
went about excitingjealousy and insubordination among
officers, and fanning the fire of malignity already burn
ing too deep in society.
The Congressman last from his country-home, with
fresh and new notions of public duty, took to this nov
elty of war as a child would to a toy, playing with it
until his fancy became dazzled. He knew nothing of
military affairs, and yet he meddled with them, and was
ingenious at making mischief; and nothing else. With
out capacity to gain public attention on the floor of
Congress, he hoped, by meddling with military matters,
to share a portion of that cheap popularity so plenty on
the streets of Washington. And the clamor rung by
these men so constantly into the ears of the thought
less soon found its way to the camp, and had its bad
effect on the conduct of the soldier. Generals caught
up the spirit and gave license to their jealousies ; offi
cers neglected their men, and began intriguing one
against the other, seeking promotion and neglecting
their proper duties, until crimination and bitter feeling

254 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
divided their councils and weakened their usefulness.
Petty officers, following the example set by their supe
riors, forgot that they were brothers in arms, forgot
that a great and holy cause had brought them into the
field, forgot what was their first duty to their country
in its day of trial, and even forgot that during war the
spirit of Union is the throne of power.
Generals who had shown themselves incapable in
the field, who had brought disaster on our armsin our first
struggle with the enemy, and who had lost the respect
and confidence of their men, were again taken into the
confidence of the administration, and their advice lis
tened to most when it was most damaging to McClellan,
What the nation wanted, just then, to put down this
clamor, to stay the discord made by little men whom
the tempest of war had lifted into high places, was a
firm hand, guided by broad judgment, and a superior
mind at the head of its affairs. It wanted an admin
istration bold enough and strong en6ugh to strengthen
the hands of the commanding general, by showing that
it had confidence in him. But the administration be
trayed its own distrust in acts that only increased
public clamor, fettered the movements of the general
in command, and gave the advantage in military power
to the enemy. Instead of standing up boldly against
the disaffection of politicians, it sought in the most
dangerous expedients, a temporary relief from the
pressure that was being brought upon it by the reck
less and thoughtless. In fine, it yielded up its own
better judgment, and became a weak instrument in
their hands.

(3

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 255
The old Secretary of War, Cameron, was out ; and
the impatient were pleased for a day because we had
got a new one. Fawning flatterers now surrounded
the President, complimenting him for his firmness at
one moment, and at the next acting as if they expected
liim to make a traffic of his favors. He accepted their
flattery ag pure friendship, and failed to discover that
it was only froth from the fraud concealed in their
h-earts. The President had friends, good and true; but
they were not among those who CQ,st doubt On his wis
dom by assuming to control his measures.
Few men in the army knew or had ever heard of this
new Secretary of War; and many were the inquiries
concerning his military experience. I ouly found three
officers who had answers for these questions. One
affected to know him as a smart lawyer from Steuben-
ville, Ohio. A second said he had got rich by pursuing
tlie business of a claim agent. The third presumed to
know him as a clever attorney, prominent at procuring
patents. They were all dumb as to his military expe
rience. It was indeed hinted at the headquarters of
one of our generals, that if the spirit of the War De
partment was to be controled by patent lawyers, the
effect of the misfortune must fall heavily upon the
nation, TJiis new Secretary of War was simply a busy, bust
ling man, wliose patriotism was beyond doubt, earnest
and energetic in the performance of his duty, of a stout
figure and fierce countenance, impulsive, and, at times,
wrong-headed; deficient in that calmness of tempera
ment necessary to just judgments, a combustible but

256 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
successful lawyer, rash when combatting legal difficul
ties, and reckless in the use of language when the ends
were more easily obtained by logic and calmness. Am
bitious of power, he had no sooner got it than it became
a dangerous weapon in his hands, as it is sure to do in
tiie hands of all those who fear the public will not be-
: lieve them honest in the use of it. He made enemies
of men whose friendship he should have been quick to
secure, and chose for his friends mere flatterers and
: favor seekers, who should have been kept at a proper
distance, since all history has shown that the political
influence of such men is the most dangerous thing a
Cabinet officer can traffic in.
The new Secretary had some reputation as a politician.
But even that was gained by aiming at broad and spas-
: modic effects, rather than by the constant and stern
1 advocacy of any of those great principles which have
conferred benefit on mankind. It is never pleasant to
deal with dead men who have enjoyed an unenviable
; reputation while living. During the administration of
that deal man, James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, and
while its arm chairs were filled chiefly with traitors,
our new Secretary's loyalty shone forth like a bright
star breaking through leaden clouds, -But he tried in
vain to awake that dead ruler from his treacherous
sleep. And although earnest and energetic in his efforts
to defend the nation against traitors, he (the Secretary)
had none of those higher and more generous attributes
of character which carry force with the people and
reflect at all times the real statesman.
His greatest misfortune as a public officer, however,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 257
was his manners, which repelled instead of attracted,
and which at times were rude, and even offensive. He
had no natural sympathy for military men, and hence
it was that he could not appreciate those courtesies
which rule among and give tone to the conduct of offi
cers, and also foster that respect so necessary between
superiors and subordinates. Nor was it his fault that
he lacked all those finer qualities of the heart which
excite the enthusiasm of the soldier, and are so essen
tial to a good understanding between the army and the
War Department. That he had a task to perform in
his new office requiring the strength and energy of an
Hercules cannot be denied. Whether he surrounded
himself with men qualified to lighten and make his
labors easy, is a question many have doubted. Some
men simplify, systematize, and make labor easy. Other
men confuse, complicate, and bestow a great deal of
labor on a small amount of work. The new Secretary
has at least had the credit of being one of the latter.
The jealousy, intrigue, disaffection, and even insub
ordination of which I have spoken, as cropping out
in the Army of the Potomac, was not confined there.
The virus had extended its poison to the West. General
Buell had taken offence at his superior, Halleck ; and
that his insubordination might not be mistaken, sent
his reports direct to Washington. Such conduct should
have insured his summary dismissal, instead of which
it found favor at headquarters. In truth, General
Buell found a defence for his conduct in the example
set by his immediate superior. For while Halleck
commanded the armies of the West from his easv chair
12*

258 THE STORY OP A TROOPER,
in St, Louis, far from sight of his men, who had begun
to regard him and speak of him as a magnificent phan
tom, he was working up a nice littie quarrel with his
superior, McClellan, and betraying his insubordination
by sending his reports direct to the War Department.
These quarrels between generals were not only para
lyzing the military power of the nation, but a source of
increasing anxiety to the President and Secretary of
War, whose time was absorbed in trying to reconcile
them, while other important public business was neg
lected. It has since been proved that the officers most
active in producing this state of things were less scru
pulous of the nation's honor than anxious for their own
promotion. The President had it in his power, not to reconcile
these quarrels, but to put a stop to them. It was only
necessary that he openly avow his confidence in Mc
Clellan, endorse his instructions, and give him such
power as would insure respect for his orders on the
part of his subordinates. It is not for me to say
whether the President lacked resolution or was guided
to his duty by too much charity; but he did not adopt
this wise course. No; he gave to quarreling generals
a plea of excuse for their conduct, by "jumping" Gen
eral McClcUah and holding a council with two of his
subordinate generals, to inquire what they knew of
their superior's plan, whether indeed he had one, and
what he was going to do with the army. The reckless
and the restless in the army wanted no better apology
for their conduct than this avowed distrust of McClel
lan's capacity to command the army, on the part of the
President, Insubordination is a contagion that works

TUE STORY OF A TROOPER, 259
upon an army with the poison of a pestilence; and no
ruler of a great nation can afford to encourage it un
less he expect his people to reap the dead fruit. It has
been said that politicians in all times have been the
dread of generals and the scourge of armies. The
truism was now brought to our own door in the most
forcible and damaging manner.
Those who knew theTresident best, who understood
and were capable of appreciating his devotion to what
he supposed to be the people's will, needed no assurance
that what he did was with a view to promote the pub
lic good. But he mistook public clamor for the peo
ple's judgment, and in underrating the position and
casting doubt on the capacity of the general he had
placed in command, set a dangerous example to the
army, the result of which, as shown by the disasters of
Pope, Burnside, and Hooker, came very near proving
fatal to it.
General McClellan had not been seen by the army
for several days; and the news that he was dangerously
sick in Washington ran from camp to camp, and was
received with feelings of regret, and even despondency,
by both officers and men. This news was succeeded in
a few days by rumors the most wild, exciting, and
unsatisfactory. It was only necessary for some officer
to invent an absurd story in the morning, and before
evening it would have a thousand believers among
sensible men. One had it that the President, impa
tient that General McClellan had kept the army in
sight of Washington all winter, was resolved to dis
miss him, and having furbished up his own military
knowledge, would take command of the army himself.

260 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
Officers gathered together in groups, and with serious
faces discussed the President's ability to perform such
a duty successfully, expressing their dissatisfaction
in unmistakeable language. The men, following the
example of their officers, shook their heads and mut
tered their discontent in their teats. Then the whole
army was agitated with a rumor that the President had
sent privately for Generals McDowell and Franklin, to
consult with them as to whether General McClellan
had a plan, and, if he had, whether it was a good one,
and if he (McClellan) could be relied on to carry it
out. This rumor I knew to have too much foundation
in fact. Indeed, there was not a clamor-making poli
tician in Congress who did not fancy either that Gen
eral McClellan had no plan, or that he had a better
one himself.
Then we had a rumor that McClellan had been
relieved, and McDowell appointed to take his place.
This report seemed to increase and make the dissatis
faction complete. Officers of all ranks openly declared
him a failure, arraigned his management of the first
battle of Bull Run, and threatened to throw up their
commissions rather than serve under him. A man sel
dom hears what is said of his character by tiiose under
him. From what I could see and hear, I was satisfied
that General McDowell had, unfortunately for himself,
lost both the confidence and respect of the Army of the
Potomac. The desire of the army leaned towards
Franklin, who would have been acceptable to both offi
cers and men, for they knew him to be McDowell's
superior mentally, and he had already gained the repu
tation of being a good soldier and a pure patriot.

CHAPTER XXVII.

CURIOUS RESULT OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S WAR ORDER, NO. i.
When this great struggle for national life shall have
become a thing of the past; when the clash of arras
shall have ceased, and the ghastly figures of the battle
field become as mere shadows in a distant dream; when
future generations shall look calmly back upon us, and
review in all their relations the acts of men who con
trolled our affairs, civil as well as military, then, and
only then, will the great Christian world do full justice
to President Lincoln for his emancipation proclama
tion. It was a just, a timely tribute to that great pro
gressive spirit of humanity every good man ought
to be interested in, and which is shaping and directing
all great events throughout the world. It required a
clear mind to grasp the spirit, and rare independence
to perform the act; and the good and the great will
honor him for the blessings he will have conferred on
a race that had suffered through generations of bondage.
It will be very different with the future historian
who attempts to deal seriously with Mr. Lincoln's ca
pacity as a commander of armies. Three of the most
remarkable war orders history has any account of
stand recorded as on a monument of brass, showing261

262 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
! him to be but an indifferent soldier. Mr, Lincoln, T
I am sure, must by this time join the nation in its wish
that these innocent war orders had never seen the light
of day. We have improved by experience since then,i
land can now read them by the light of reason. You
read them, expressing a regret and suppressing a smile.
You regret that they contain so little of the soldier and
1 so much of the lawyer. And you wish they had neither
defied the elements, nor tortured wisdom with their in-!
nocence of what an army can do.
The fine weather of early January was succeeded by
the severest storms. To-day it would be freezing cold.
To-morrow a drenching rain, filling the streams and
overflowing roads, would be accompanied by hail, sleet,
and a fierce, cutting wind. Then snow would cover
the ground, and the Army of the Potomac would lay
for weeks buried in a mud drench. Mud churned up
everywhere, as only mud can churn up in Virginia,
Picket reliefs struggled and picked their way over fields
and through woods to get to the outposts. Subsistence
wagons stuck in the mud; teamsters labored in mud
knee deep; and the poor animals plunged and struggled
in vain to do their work. Mud covered cavalrymen,
their jaded animals, reeking and dripping, presented!
the most forlorn appearance as they dragged and strug
gled in mud. Mud dragged into headquarters, rami
filled the log cabins and disfigured the tents; the whole
army struggled in mud. Artillery could not be moved,
forage teams were st,uck fast in the road, and our poor
animals suffered and died for want of something to eat.
And there was little cl;ange for the better until fur!

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 203
into February. This severe weather had also a bad
effect on the men. Many of them were seized with
fevers and other diseases peculiar to the climate, and
our hospitals, not very well provided at that time, soon
became filled with the sick, A peculiar feature of this
effect of the climate was, that its first victims were
among those apparently the most robust and strong.
Young men tenderly brought up, and accustomed to
the indulgencies of city life, seemed to preserve their
health and endure the hardships of camp best.
And here I must relate a curious result of the Presi
dent's war order. No. 1,
I was picking my way from headquarters to one of
the officer's tents one morning, during a driving rain,
when I discovered the figure of a man, apparently fast
in the mud, for he remained almost motionless, and
gave no heed to the storm. As I approached nearer I
discovered him to be Hugh McSourley, of whom I have
before spoken. His back was to the storm, his body
a little bent, his hands joined before him, and his couu-
tenance wore a downcast and dejected air.
" Is that you, McSourley ?" I inquired, and he turned
towards me with a look of sorrow, and shaking his
head, replied :
"It is, an troth — an sorry am I it is me. Its no good
luck brought me here, Captin,"
" You had better go to your tent, out of the storm,"
I continued. His Irish enthusiasm quickened, and his
face brightened with a smile, '' How'd I go to my
tint, an I ankered here to the mud ?" he replied, mak
ing an effort to drag up his right foot, when I discov-

264 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
ered the shackle that secured him to a ball and chain,
I had rarely seen a more pitiable object, or one which
touched my feelings more deeply. Hugh was a brave
man, and not a bad man, except when his temper was
troubled with whiskey.
" I am sorry to see so good a soldier as you under
going such severe punishment in this storm " —
" Faith it might be worse, Captin; " he interrupted,
with a good-natured smile. "But won't the ribilspay
for this, thin I Stay awhile till I git em within lingth
of my sabre."
McSourley laid all his sorrows at the door of the
rebels. No matter how much he suffered, he found
consolation in the promise that the rebels would have
to pay for it when he got within sabre reach of them.
I confessed my inability to see how the rebels could
have had anything to do in bringing this punishment
upon him.
" May the Saints forgive me 1 " he exclaimed, rais
ing his hands. " Would I be here only for the ribils ?
Bad luck to thim, and the breed o' thim; and may the
divil git'm afore they git absolution." Here he made
a desperate struggle to move forward, and, with his
hand extended in a threatening manner, and with much
earnestness, ejaculated, " And was'nt it the likes of
you, too, that brought me here ? " I turned to see
what had caused him this sudden agitation. It was a
stalwart negro, passing a few paces behind me, to his
master's tent. I remarked that, like himself, the poor
negro was an object of syjnpathy.
" An its a mighty lot of it they gits, " he replied,

1 wi ' r, \

,11 "

|l|T I

^

F'it f

r/^-
THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 265
quickly, " If the ribils had the naigars, and the divil
the pair o' thim, would'nt I be home, living in pace wid
the ould woman ?"
I now endeavored to get from him what was the im
mediate cause of this punishment. Slipping his fingers
into his vest pocket, he drew forth a small, dirty slip
from a newspaper. " Perhaps ye've read that before;
anyhow ye can read it agin." It was the President's
remarkable War Order No. 1, and read thus :
PRESIDENT'S SPECIAL "WAE OKDEE NO. 1,
Executive Mansion,
Washington, January 31sf, 1862.
Ordered .- That all the disposable force of the Army of the Po
tomac, after providing safely for the defence of Washington, be
formed into an expedition for the immediate object of seizing and
occupying a point upon the railroad southwestward of what is
known as Manassas Junction, all details to be iu the discretion of
the commander-in-chief, and the expedition to move before or on
the 22d day of February next.
[Signed,] ABPvAHAM LINCOLN,
I was still at a loss to see what this had to do with
it, and told him so. He srailed, apparently at my inno
cence, and putting the bit of paper carefully back in
his pocket, soon made me understand that the President
had in him a more sincere friend, and one ready to de
fend his authority with a stronger arm, than many of
those who fawn about and flatter him in the hope of
securing his favors.
Then raising his right hand, he exclaimed with an
emphasis and depth of feeling I have rarely heard ex
ceeded : " A mighty curse upon your head Finn.
McGinnis 1 "
" So then it was another fight between you and Mc
Ginnis, and whiskey, I suppose, had something to do

266 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
with it ?" I rejoined, making a motion to leave him, and
ordering him to his tent.
" Stay, Captin, stay," said he, anxiously, " an I'd
tell ye all about it. 'There was a mighty dale o' talk
in camp, as ye know, about Gineral Micklillin laven us
an the Prisident takin a spil at commandin the army.
There was thim as said perhaps he could do that same;
thin there was thim as said perhaps he could'nt do that
same. Och 1 the whole camp was mighty agitated — I
ye know that. And there was Corporal Rooney and
private Teddy O'Brien and Mister McSourley (misilf
ye know) in the tint beyant, behavin like gintlemen,
when Finn. McGinnis drops in widout sayin by your
lave. ' Have ye's heard de news, boys ?' says he.
" ' What news have ye now? ' says I.
" ' Gineral Micklillin laid on the shilf and the Presi
dent himsilf commands the army. Much luck may he
have wid his new ockupashun,' says Finn,, radein the
Prisident's order till us, and spakin derrogrutory of
the Prisident as a Gineral, ' Musha ! should'nt I like
to see the Gineral that oud move an army an it stuck
in the mud : a good time he'd have wid his artillery,
crossing strahms an his powder wit, Botherhashin to
that man as would sit in his aisy chair and till the army
to move an it fast in the mud,' says Finn,, spakin of
the Prisident as did'nt become the likes of him," Here
Hugh shook his head and paused for a moment,
" And you used striking arguments in defence of the
President's military capacity ? " I interposed, with an
encouraging nod.
"Faith I did! Wus'nt it my duty to stand up for

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 267
de man as commands us, 'Yer a blackguard, Finn,,'
says I, ' an its not sayin much for ye as a sodger that
ye refuse to obey orders, oneyhow.'
" ' Oud ye reapate that ? ' says he.
" ' I oud,' says I, ' an more, too, bedad. An do ye
mind this, Mister McGinnis. The man's no gintleman
what inshults the Prisident in my tint. Doent yees git
yer rashuns, and doent yees git yer pay, and doent yees
git yer clothes ? An seein that, is'nt it yer duty as a
sodger to yeald obadience to the orders of your supa-
rior ? '
" ' Is it the likes o' you that's come to tache me my
duty^ ' says Finn. An did'nt myself tache him bit
ter manhers by knockin him down ! An what does the
spalpeen do but cry, ' Murther ! murther ! would ye,
Mister Sourley, murther a man in your own tint ?' 'I
would,' says I, ' an its that same ye desarve for yer
disrespect to the Prisident.' An its not the half mur-
thered he was.
" Thin I was arristed and had comodashuns in the
guardhouse, beyant. Thin charges, an spisafikashuns,
an all that, an more too; an I was thried afore a chourt-
marshal fur the half murtherin Finn. McGinnis. Musha,
was'nt there a dale of lies told ! The divil a woord
I'd be allowed to say fur mysilf, an I innocent as the
lamb. An its here I am, payin the pinality. Ye have
it all, Captin. Good luck to ye; may ye niver do
duty of this sort.
" But won't the ribils pay for this, an they within
the rach of my sabre ? " Having concluded his story,
I left him extricating the ball from the mud, and mak
ing a desperate effort to reach his tent.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

HOW TO MOVE THE AKMT,
When a great governor takes the reins of power
into his own hands, it were well that he examined
carefully the whole road he purposes to drive over,
to see that it be safe in every part, in order that he
perform the enterprise without endangering the lives,
the liberties, and the property of others, as much in
terested in the result as himself. This Mr. Lincoln
docs not seem to have done when he issued War Order
No. 1, imperatively commanding that the army move
on or before the 22d day of February, 1862. A great
general may, it has been said, order what he pleases;
but if the gods be not with him, and the elements con
spire against him, his orders will fall as harmless as
did tiiose of the Emperor of China who ordered his
people to frighten a powerful army from their country
with ugly figures painted on paper lanterns.
The 22d of February came, and yet the capricious
elements seemed to mock at the President's War Order
No. 1. We had rain, we had snow, and we had mud;
and enough of each to convince the most stubborn un
believer in General McClellan's military capacity that
268

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 269
artillery and subsistence trains could not be dragged
through the roads.
Then it was whispered about the headquarters of
certain generals that we were to have a change of base,
a subject with which General McClellan was inclined
to confuse his mind. This change of base, it was said,
was with a view to flanking instead of fighting the ene
my, to frightening him into his works at Richmond
instead of fighting, demoralizing and destroying his
army as far away from his own door as possible. And
this idea was in high favor with a large number of ner
vous officers, Manassas was a terror in the thoughts
of some of our generals; and too many of our officers
were indeed pleased at the thought of getting the rebel
army back into Richmond without a fight, not for a
moment thinking that he would there choose his own
ground, and, with his superior advantages, hold us un
til he was ready to strike his heaviest blows. Nor did
it seem to occur to them that an army always fights
best, and with fewest disadvantages, at its own door.
The whispers I have referred to soon increased into
rumors and spread through the camps, affording themes
of discussion for every degree of subordinates. Gen
erals, too, had different opinions as to what line we
should move on to reach Richmond and gain most ad
vantages over the enemy. I have more than once
thought that some of our generals were more anxious
to avoid the enemy than fight him out of his strong
position in front of Washington, Then there was a
great confounding of plans. The President had a plan
of his own, and was for sticking to it because hia

270 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
friends admired it, A ghost in the broadcloth of Jef
ferson Davis, and in the act of capturing Washington,
brought him sorrow by day and hovered in his dreamt
at night. There was no knowing what the rebel^
might do were Washington " menaced." His plan was
to move the army on what was called the overland line,
fighting and driving the enemy from position to posi
tion, until we had reached the very gates of Richmond,
and left Washington secure.
Generals McClellan, Fitz John Porter, and a few
others, had a plan of their own, and opposed that of the
President as liable to incur a greater loss of life and
give the enemy too much advantage in positions. They
not only urged, but almost insisted on a plan which
experience has since shown to have exposed the army
to greater delays, increased the expense enormously,
and opened greater and more numerous avenues to
fraud and peculation. It took the army completely off
its feet, essentially changed its condition, and subjected
it to natural and artificial impediments of the nmst
dangerous kind. It proposed that each portion of the
army, infantry, cavalry, and artillery, with all their
encumbrances, should make a long and tedious back
ward movement to Annapolis, Md,, eniibark on trans
ports, and having nearly circumnavigated lower Mary
land, ascend the Rappahannock to Urbana, and then
land and proceed across the country to West Point,
This, it must be confessed, was a very roundabout way
of reaching a point to which there was a short and
straight road by land, and which General McClellan
might have opened at small^ cost had not his mind be-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 271
come completely overburdened with strategy. In truth,
he soon resolved into the victim of his own strategy,
saw huge impediments at every turn, and the longer
he delayed the greater these impediments became. The
adoption of such a line argued also the incompetency
of the navy to silence a few of the enemy's batteries
on the Potomac, and keep the passage clear from Alex
andria to the Rappahannock,
General McClellan had a misunderstanding with the
navy; and the navy, not particularly popular at that
time, had a misunderstanding with General McClellan.
The misunderstanding was indeed mutual — so much so
that one was never ready to move when the other was.
The navy shrugged its shoulders and threw out hints
that McClellan was not so much of a general after all.
And the General, in turn, lost no opportunity of show
ing by his acts how little faith he had in the ability of
the navy to clear the enemy's batteries from the banks
of our rivers. It must be remembered, however, that
monitors were a new feature in our engines of war
then, and had not been tested. Nor is it too much to
say that General McClellan's respect for the efficiency
of even wooden gunboats was materially increased as
his army subsequently marched up the Peninsula, where
they did good service along the banks of the York and
Pamunky rivers.
Now, you cannot take an army off it's feet and put it
afloat except at enormous cost, increasing the dangers,
and rendering its movements more uncertain. Aside
from this, the procuring of so enormous and peculiar a
fleet as was necessarv in this instance was not the

272 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
-work of a day, a week, or a mouth. Vessels of vari
ous sizes and models, adapted to the navigation we
were to undertake, as well as suited to carrying the
different arms of the service, had to be bought or char
tered in different ports of the North, where their own
ers were sure to take every advantage of the Govern
ment's necessity. To get many of these vessels to a
place of general rendezvous was a work of great hazard,
since they were not adapted to sea service, and had to
proceed slowly and cautiously along the coast. Then
they had to undergo such alterations and preparations
as were necessary to fit them for this new service. Our
gallant cavalry had to move on schooners; and these
had to be got ready for carrying horses, men, forage,
and all its various paraphernalia of war.
The whole history of war does not afford another
instance where so enormous a body of horse and artil
lery was moved so long a distance by sea to gain a
point to which there was so short a road by land. Pew
beside those who saw this fleet when it conveyed the
army from Alexandria to Fort Monroe can form any
correct idea of its magnitude and appearance.
The Quartermaster's Department, to which the em
ployment of this fleet properly belonged, found itself
perplexed and confused by the War Department assum
ing the responsibility of chartering the vessels, and,
indeed, entrusting the labor to one of its Assistant
Secretaries, a gentleman with some reputation as a
skilful keeper of a hotel, but very little knowledge
of ships. Indeed, he know just nothing of the usages
governing their charter, as was afterward;? sliown, to

TUE STORY OF A TROOPER, 273
the nation's cost. New England ship-owners were not
disposed to deal tenderly with the Government. Old
worn out steamers, barges of odd construction, canal
boats, and, indeed, all sorts of queer and aged water
craft, were brought from the places of rest they had
long since been assigned to, and sold or chartered to
the Government at enormous prices. North river and
Sound steamers were chartered by the day, at a cost
that soon amounted to their gross value. And although
the distance to be navigated was short, and the service
required of this great fleet of the most insignificant
kind, the cost of preparation and maintenance was fully
equal to that of transporting an army a thousand miles.
The cost increases with delay. It is the preparation,
the embarkation, and the disembarkation that consti
tutes the great expense of such a fleet.
No official account of what it cost the nation to
transport the Army of the Potomac from Alexandria
to Fort Monroe has ever appeared; but officers compe
tent to judge have assured me that it was even greater
than that paid by the allied powers for transporting
tiieir armies to the Crimea, Even that, I fear, is below
the reality, for very many of the most expensive ves
sels remained idle for weeks, and even months, drawing
full pay from the Government, The avaricious found a
rich opportunity here for the display of their meanness;
and there were many things done on the voyage that
illustrate human depravity in its worst form. Our
brave soldiers were imposed upon by New England
captains, whose haste to make money out of the suffer-
iugs of others outran tiieir hate of the rebels. Many
13

274 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
of these men paid no respect whatever to the conditions
of their charter, evading their obligations to the Gov
ernment, and in their greed for money committed all
sort:? of abuses. So imperfectly were these charters
drawn up, that many captains would not permit either
officers or men to enter their cabins until they were
]mid in advance for what they were pleased to call the
jd-ivilcge. In many other instances the men were
cliarged for every meal they were permitted to cook in
the ship's galley, asserting at the same time that the
Government had chartered nothing but the ship's hold
and (lock. The mate of a vessel on which Captain
Arnold was transporting his celebrated battery threat
ened (o shoot a lieutenant for asserting his right to
enter the cabin without charge^ He was arraigned
before a court at Cheesman's Ipinding, and acquitted
on llio ground of defect in thepharter.
Other steamers and saillng/>essels_ seemed to have
little or nothing to do, Antlit not unfrequently hap
pened that splendid steamers, for the use of which the
Government was paying a thousand, and even twelve
hundred dollars a day, exclusive of fuel, would be ap
propriated by airy young gentlemen, upholstered in the
tapestry of brigadiers — young men with a weakness
for finery and feather-beds — as headquarters for them
selves and staff. And this was too frequently done
while their men were crowded on old, unsafe boats,
where comfort was out of the question. In this weak
ness to indulge in elegance and luxury, it must be con
fessed General McClellan set his subordinates a very
bad example. He appropriated the largest and most

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 275
costly steamer (Sound) of the fleet (the Commodore)
for his headquarters, which had the air and elegance
of the drawing-room. But we must not forget that
vanity in officers is a commodity the nation always has
had to pay dear for.
In embarking the troops new difficulties arose at
every step, causing serious delays and adding to the
confusion. Officers who ought to have superintended
tiie work entrusted it to others; and these, in turn,
acted as if it were none of their business. The men
detailed to do the work either did not know their busi
ness, or performed it with unmistakable reluctance.
Then the supply of coal would run short, and we had
to wait until it could be procured ; and what would
be assigned as the work of a day might not be finished
for a week. In fact, it soon appeared that we were
not skilled in the art of moving an army of such mag
nitude by water; and the nation had to pay dear for
the lessons of experience we were taking. Nor was it
reasonable to suppose that such a movement could be
made without the enemy knowing all about it, and, in
deed, foreseeing all our intentions. In fact, it could
not be executed without giving him time to so dispose
his forces as to be able to confront us as effectually in
our new position as in the one we had left.
General Franklin, and a few friends who had faith in
his judgment, favored a more effective and less expen
sive plan, which was to move directly up the York
liver, laud at West Point, and then march on Rich
mond direct, over a level country; or, having done that,
cr ss (o (he south side of the James river at City Point,

276 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
make a rapid movement and capture Petersbjrg, and
then close up on Richmond at the soutii, while another
portion of the army held the north side. So far as
flar.king the enemy and compelling him to evacuate
Manassas and withdraw to Richmond was concerned,
this plan had superior advantages over the other. But
to insure expedition and success, it was necessary that
the York river have only such impediments as could
be easily overcome by the gunboats. And there can
be no doubt that General Franklin, whose opinions had
great weight in the army, did not make sufficient allow
ance for the strength of the enemy's defences along
that river.
The thing of first importance in considering these
different lines or roads to Richmond, was a thorough
knowledge of the topographical features of those sec
tions of Virginia through which they ran. It must,
indeed, be confessed that few of our general officers
had any very correct knowledge of the peculiar fea
tures of that portion of Virginia we purposed to cam
paign over. Slavery forbade rather than invited emi
gration; and so far as population was concerned, the
State had stood almost stationary for nearly half a
century. In truth, Virginians were non-progressive,
and the country, which had not been " opened up " as
it has since been, was as much a mystery to most of
our people as are the wilds of Nevada at the present
time. Farmers residing in one county could give you
very little correct information concerning the surface
ll-aturcs of the next. We were very likely to (iiid
£;vi-aiiip and woods where they told us v.c would iiiid

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 277
high and cleared land. Men had fished in the streams
and water courses, and affected to know all about them.
When, however, wc came to question them closely, we
found they knew nothing of their source, their course,
the features of the soil along their banks, or the changes
to which they were so frequently subject. Plodding
farmers who had travelled over tiie pikes and bye-roads
on their way to and from market could tell us that they
were dry here and wet there; that they ran to Jones's
Corner or Smith's Mill, and that was about all. They
knew little or nothing of those peculiar features of the
country so essential to the successful movements of an
army, and so important for a general to know. As for
the local maps of the country, not the slightest reli
ance could be placed on them. The generally accepted
opinion among general officers of the Army of the
Potomac, at that time, was that what was called the
overland route to Richmond crossed a number of very
capricious streams with high southern banks, affording
the enemy great natural advantages, which could be
easily strengthe;ied and made almost impregnable; and
from which wc could not successively drive the enemy
without great sacrifice of life and time. It was urged,
too, that the tenacious clay which formed the soil of
this section of the country and rendered the roads
almost impassable with every rain, would be a danger
ous impediment to our movements. These were the
disadvantages urged, and I am inclined to believe with
too much per.'jistcncy. It was true these roads were
bad in wet weather, but they soon became dry and hard;

278 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
and once so were less liable to be cut up by our trains
than where the soil was light and spongy.
Among the advantages urged in favor of the Penin
sula werO that the country was more open; had few if
any dangerous streams to be crossed; and that the soil
was of such a character as to render the roads good
and safe at all seasons of the year. General McClel
lan, in his letter to the President, dated February 3d,
1862, in urging the advantages of the route up the
Peninsula, says : " The roads in that region are passa
ble at all seasons of the year." Again he says : "The
country now alluded to is much more favorable for of
fensive operations than that in front of Washington,
(which is very unfavorable,) much more level, more
cleared land, the woods less dense, the soil more sandy,
and the spring some two or three weeks earlier," Ex
perience has shown that General McClellan's informa
tion on this subject was sadly at fault; and this he
discovered to his sorrow before he had marched ten
miles from his base at Fort Monroe, The soil, it is
true, was more sandy. But it was also light, spongy,
and treacherous, full of dangerous quicksands, into
which our animals sank and plunged and soon became
powerless to drag out the trains they were attached to.
Indeed, the soil was so light and spongy that it seemed
to be destitute of bearing qualities, and the roads be
came a bog with the slightest rain. In some places
these roads had to be corduroyed for miles before a
team could pass over them, and even then it was ex
tremely hazardous, as tiie corduroy would give way in

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 279
places, and the plunging animals break their limbs in
trying to extricate themselves.
In truth, wliere General McClellan had looked Au-
hard dry soil and cleared land, he found dense fore.-is
and deep swamps. Where he had expected to find tho
enemy in small force and take him at a disadvantage,
he found him much more strongly intrenched than lie
was at Manassas, both his flanks protected by river.-,
and ready to defend himself behind a line of works
the most extensive and formidable of any he had yet
erected. The opportunity of turning him on either
flank was now less favorable than at Manassas, Indeed,
there was no alternative but to fight him in front; and
as there was an excellent opportunity for the display
of some magnificent engineering, General McClellan sat
quietly down to asiege. General Barnard, our engineer,
hoisted his petard, his men went to work making gabi
ons and sand bags, the infantry took to the spade, and
our dashing cavalry had nothing to do but get demor
alized, which it did pretty thoroughly.

CHAPTER XXIX.

MOVE PORWAKD— DASHING CAVALRY CHARGE, AND DEATH OF A GAL^
LANT YOUNO OFFICER.
Sunday, the 9th of March, came in with a pale grey
sky and a damp, chilly atmosphere. Bugles were sound
ing, drums beating, and bands playing along the whole
line. Mounted orderlies and staff officers were gallop
ing to and fro, from division to brigade headquarters,
carrying orders. Indeed, everything indicated a move
ment of the army at onc6. For several days previous
all sorts of rumors respecting a forward movement had
circulated in camp ; and a color of truth was given to
them when the impatient and brave Kearney, with his
First New Jersej Brigade, (an honor to the State that
sent such a fine body of men,) moved out to Burke's
Station. The army was provided with rations for six|
days, and a feeling akin to joy ran through it at the
prospect of meeting and trying strength once more
with the enemy.
About three o'clock the first battalion of the 1st
New York or Lincoln cavalry received orders to
inarch and join General Kearney at Burke's Station.
Later in the day, an order was issued for a general
movement of the army. The battalion proceeded over
280

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 2.81
the Little River turnpike and joined General Kearney
at Burke's Station the same night. On the following
day, the lOth, they advanced to Sangster's Station,
on the Orange and Alexandria railroad, and were en
gaged protecting a working party building a bridge
and repairing the road. There was a piece of rising
ground to the right of the Station; and just beyond
this an open, level field, skirted on the west by a belt
of thick wood. Early in the afternoon it was discov
ered that the enemy had an infantry picket of about
one hundred and fifty men posted near a clump of
woods on the western part of this field. Kearney at
once ordered Captain Stearns, of Company H, to send
one of his best and most reliable officers and fifteen or
twenty men to feel their position, and, if possible,
dislodge them. Lieutenant Harry Hidden, of whom
I have before spoken, was selected to perform this ser
vice, and given only sixteen troopers to aid him in carry
ing out his orders. Hidden was loved and respected by
the regiment. He was brave and fearless, full of the
spirit of command, and earnest in the cause of his coun
try. He had won the respect of his superiors for his
strict attention to duty, and his men loved him because
he was kind to them, and they knew him to be devoted to
their interests, and brave. He had a fine, handsome
figure, a face of rare beauty, and, withal, was a skillful
horseman. He was proud at being selected to perform
so hazardous a service, and his dark, flashing eyes
beamed with satisfaction as he proceeded to perform it.
He selected from his company sixteen of the best and
most reliable men, among whom was Hugh McSourlev,
13*

2S2 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
the man I left in a preceding chapter moored to a ball
and chain ; and one Corporal Lewis, a brave young
New Yorker,
With this mere handful of men, armed with sabres
and pistols, Hidden moved in the direction of the enemy,
General Kearney and other officers watching his ad
vance from a hill near by. The enemy was on the
alert, and began forming bis line and advancing as
soon as he discovered our troopers. Indeed, he came
out bold and defiant, and indicated an intention to re
sist the advance. Steadily the little band of troopers
advanced, until they got within half a mile of the en
emy, who received them with a few shots. Here Hid
den halted, and formed his men for a charge against
the infantry's steel. They were soon ready, drew
sabres, and away they went over the field, first at a
brisk trot, then, when the enemy's fire was drawn,
dashed down upon him at full gallop, cutting and
slashing with the sabre. McSourley and Corporal
Lewis had their horses shot dead ; still they rushed
on, engaging the enemy in hand to hand conflicts,
Union sabres againt rebel bayonets and knives. Tlic
struggle was desperate and bloody while it lasted, and
so excited Kearney's adhiiration that he gave vent to
his feelings in applause. The enemy fought bravely,
but could not stand the impetuosity of our troopers,
and began to give way and fall back. Our men fol
lowed up quickly, until they came to a fence, which
gave the enemy a momentary advantage. Some of
the hoi-ses took this fence handsomely, and the Irooni rs

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 283
proceeded to keep the enemy in confusion by quick and
effective use of the sabre ; others balked.
Hidden was riding the bugler's horse, an awkward,
unwieldy aniraal, who balked and refused to take the
fence. In turning him for a second attempt, an enemy's
bullet entered his left shoulder, twisting upwards into
his neck, cut the jugular vein, and the gallant young
officer fell dead from his horse, his blood watering the
spot where he lay. The little band of troopers nowfought
more desperately than before, and soon had the enemy
driven in confusion into the woods. They had killed
several, captured more than double their number of
men, and two officers. These officers were captured
after the most desperate resistance, and only yielded
when they were prostrate and disarmed. Young
Lewis displayed great coolness and judgment in fight
ing his men after Hidden had fallen, and bringing them
off the field, with their prisoners. Kearney was fond
of these displays of courage, and complimented Lewis on
the spot for his bravery, as well as recommended him
for promotion in his report. McSourley, who had
sworn that the rebels should pay dearly for all his
troubles, embraced this as the first opportunity to
prove that what he had said was really in earnest.
He fought a good fight, was a brave Irishman, and
when he had put three of his antagonists hors du corn-
hat in hand to hand fights, brought off four prisoners
in triumph.
Another act of bravery in this sharp, short fight 1
must not forget to record. Alex, the Irish Lieutenant,
admired Hiddon_ for his promptness and bravery, and

284 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
seeing him engaged in a desperate struggle, mounted
his horse and galloped to his assistance, resolved to
help him out of the fight. Hidden fell from his horse
when Alex was within a few paces of him. Thinking
he had been thrown and slightly injured, Alex dismount
ed quickly and raised the lifeless body from the ground,
the whistling bullets still flying thick about him.
Twice he called the name of the dead officer and as
often felt his pulse. There was no answer. The life
spark had gone out ; and the warm blood still stream
ing from his wound was the last and most costly tri
bute he had to pay to his country's honor, "He
is dead 1" said the Lieutenant. And tears filled his
eyes while sorrow touched his heart, for beneath that
rough outside there was a nature full of generosity
and kindness. The struggle had not yet ended, but
he took the lifeless body in his arms, and, mounting
his horse, bore it away from the field,
I cannot help thinking that ordering such a charge
evinced more indiscretion than judgment on the part
of General Kearney. It was, indeed, no test of what
cavalry could do in force ; and the only wonder is that
every trooper was not sacrificed. As it was, a valua
ble life was lost to the service and nothing of any con
sequence gained. General McClellan, when the affair
was reported to him, commended the courage of the
young man who had so nobly given his life to his coun
try, but very properly expressed his displeasure of the
spirit that ordered the charge with so few men.
The cavalry and a portion of the First New Jersey
jpfantry now formed an advance guard, and marched

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 285
ill two columns, one over the old Braddock road, the
other through Fairfax Court House, to Centreville,
which it i;eached before the sun had set. Colonel Taylor,
with the Third New Jersey infantry, was sent along the
line of the Orange and Alexandria railroad, and made a
rapid march in the direction of Manassas during the
night. The advance guard had orders from General
Kearney to push on as fast as possible, and when it
reached Centreville the works presented a picture not
soon to be forgotten. The enemy had evidently aban
doned the place in haste. Most of the heavy guns had
been removed ; but the strong, formidable earthworks
stood silent and grim. A few shabby negroes hovered
about the still burning camp fires ; kettles hung over
the dying embers in the kitchens of the men ; private
and official papers were left untouched ; and in nu
merous comfortable log cabins an abundance of good
provisions was found. Then people from the neigh
boring houses gathered around the Union troops, some
giving what information they could about the retreat
ing rebels, others relating pitiful stories of the treat
ment they had received at the hands of their professed
protectors — the Confederates. And as night ap
proached, throwing strange shadows over the broad
and silent ramparts, and these again mingled with the
flitting glare of the camp fires, giving a spectral hue to
tlie figures grouped around them, the scene was indeed
grand and enchanting. The giant had been despoiled
01 his strength; and there was now nothing left but a
picture for some Church or Bierstadt to employ tiieir
pencils on.

286 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
Some of our men searched in vain for the famou^
quaker guns, on which some writers, with more love
of excitement than respect for truth, had expended so
much wisdom. Our officers were satisfied that these
objects of terror had existence only in the excitable
brain of some special correspondent.
It rained steady nearly all day, and the roads were
lieavy and almost impassable. Having rested the
horses and gained all the information we could con
cerning the evacuation of Manassas, the advance guard
pushed on over the heavy road, feeling its way cau
tiously, and about two o'clock on the morning of the
lltli reached the brow of the hill, from which a fine
night view of the broad plains of Manassas was had.
The Blue Ridge mountains were cutting a clear, bold
outline along the horizon from north to southwest,
and as far as the eye could reach in that direction a
broad plain stretched out, the dark shroud of night
broken here and there by the flicker of smouldering
camp fires or the forked flames of some building to
which the retreating rebels had just applied the torch.
Here, again, there was ample proof that the enemy had
evacuated his stronghold in haste. About a mile
and a half to the south of us the lurid light of a fire
threw its glare over some tall, gaunt chimneys, and to
these the guide pointed as the place where the head
quarters of the rebel army had been. Scouts were
sent out, and soon returned to report that the plain
was deserted. At this news the advance guard marched
in and took possession, before it was daylight. Gen-
oral Kearney came up early, aiid was received with

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 287
cheers by the men. On going a short distance down
the railroad, Colonel Taylor was found in quiet pos
session of a redoubt, over which his flag was -flying.
Sentiments of joy were everywhere exchanged between
officers and men ; and the sight of the old flag flying
in triumph over Manassas called forth shout after shout
of applause.
Manassas presented a scene of wreck only the eye
accustomed to war and its devastations can compre
hend. The ruins of several buildings and the railroad
depot still smouldered and smoked. Heaps of burning
wagons, of stores, of cars, and of various war material
spread over the ground in all directions, A charred
and disabled locomotive stood, like a helpless giant, on
the track. Camp fires still burned here and there, and
sooty negroes huddled round them, trying to extract
¦warmth from the dying embers. Others hailed our
appearance with expressions of joy and welcome, deep
and earnest. From the more intelligent of them we
got much valuable information. Many of them had
been the servants of rebel officers, and had cunningly
taken advantage of their hasty retreat to secure free-
dora. Long lines of ingeniously built and comfortably pro
vided log huts were left untouched. Indeed, in very
many of them fires were burning, cooking utensils stood
or hung in the spacious fire-places, and hams and bacon
decorated the beams. In a word, the enemy left us
plenty of good rations and a largo stock of curiosities,
which the men had manufactured during the winter,
but neglected to carry away. Our men stood much

288 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
in need of the rations, for they had got little beside
coffee and hard bread since leaving Camp Kearney,
and ate them with thanks to the enemy for his bounty.
Indeed, they took peaceable possession of the huts, and,
with plenty of fuel, made themselves quite comforta
ble. Not a few of the troopers took their horses into
the huts with them, an act of kindness the poor ani
mals seemed to appreciate, for they had suffered much
from the wet and cold, and had been almost without
forage for two days. The large stock of curiosities
were soon appropriated, and sent home as mementoes
of Manassas.
A short distance from the station stood, untouched,
the house in which General Beauregardhad had hishead-
quarters. In this a large quantity of official and pri
vate papers were found, some of them of a very curious
and interesting character. From such as were official
reports we gathered a pretty clear idea of the compo
sition of the rebel army, and what it had performed
during the year, I found, among a number of papers
brought to me, several reports made by Colonel Lay,
formerly on the personal staff of General Scott, of what
service he had performed for the Confederacy in the vi
cinity of Harper's Ferry, I had enjoyed a slight ac
quaintance with this gentleman while he resided in
New York, and when he affected the most sincere at
tachment for the General, He was quick, however,
to forsake the idol of his love, and turn traitor. to his
country merely because he was a Virginian, It was
also instructive to learn from these reports of Colonel
Lay how proud he was of the work of destruction he had

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 289
performed against dams, canal locks, and railroads. In
truth, he had been performing a madman's work, and
was pleased to regard himself clever in the art of de
struction. Early on the morning of the 10th a general move
ment of the Array of the Potomac was made. Colonel
Averill, with the 3d Pennsylvania Cavalry, and the 2d
and 3d battalions of the Lincoln Cavalry, Col, Mc
Reynolds, moved in advance over the Little River turn
pike, reaching Fairfax Court House, where a halt was
made, about 10 o'clock. This picturesque old town, with
its comfortable and airy residences, began to change its
appearance in a few hours after the troops had entered
it. Here again I am compelled, reluctantly, to record
scenes of plunder and wanton destruction on tho part
of our troops, disgraceful alike to those who took part
in them and those who permitted them. The spirit of
mischief and plunder for a time seized upon the men,
who lost all respect for discipline, and began an indis
criminate pilfering. The Pennsylvania soldiers, always
more ready to steal than fight, joined with the Teutons
of our German battalion, never of much value as sol
diers, and both were soon active in tho work of destruc
tion. They broke open the venerable old Court House
and other buildings, destroyed the county records, tore
up old and valuable parchments, and strewed the floors
a foot deep with papers and books. Many papers,
valuable as historical reminiscences, connected with
and bearing the signatures of members of the Wash
ington, Custis, Fairfax, and other Virginia families
distinguished in the nation's history, were carried off

290 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
by the soldiers. Many of these valuable papers an^
parchments fell into the hands of sutlers and the very
worst class of camp followers, who I afterwards found
offering them for sale in Washington, Gen. Kearney ,i
on learning what had taken place, expressed his indig
nation in language more emphatic than polite. He at
once took measures to put a stop to it. Like a true
soldier, Kearney regarded it his highest duty to fight
the enemy in the field, not to destroy private property;
the result of which was sure soon to flnd us with a po
litical as well as military battle to fight. Col, McRey
nolds, too, on coming up, proceeded to put a stop to
this work of destruction.
Colonel Averill reached Centreville a little after
one o'clock, P, M,, on the 10th; and a portion of his
force joined us at Manassas Junction on the 11th, On
the 12th a considerable portion of the infantry and
artillery joined us, and the junction presented a busy
scene. The irresistible Yankee was there in quick
time and had his shanty up; and the persevering Jew
was everywhere competing with him in the sale of
those almost worthless trifles which the soldier, like a
child, must have, if only to please his fancy. There,
too, was your " New York Hotel," erected in a few
hours, of rough boards; your " Continental," and your
" Metropolitan," where a breakfast of ham and eggs
and a cup of intolerable coffee was to be had for half
a dollar. And for another half dollar the enterpri
sing landlord, who could show you Gen, McClellan's
protection, would accommodate you with a blanket and
rude shelter for the night. These busy, enterprising

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 291
persons set an example in getting up supplies that
some of our quartermasters might have imitated with
credit to themselves and comfort to the soldiers.
It had rained steadily for nearly three days, so that
the roads had become almost impassable, and the rail
road was not yet in running order. The weather, too,
was cold and chilly, and both men and animals suffered
terribly. Neither subsistence nor forage trains could
be got up, and for three days the men had little beside
coffee and hard bread for rations, and the animals no
forage of any consequence. Complaints loud and deep
were heard everywhere along the line, quartermasters
were blamed, and curses instead of compliments show
ered on their heads. But they could not control the
elements, and Virginia mud ruled in all its majesty,
damping the feelings with discouragement. Many of
our poor animals died or became permanently disabled
from exposure and want of forage. Men apparentiy
the most strong and robust, broke down and added to
the already fast increasing sick list.
In addition to bad roads, the streams were swollen
to an unusual height, the speed of their currents in
creased to a dangerous extent, and their passage ren
dered impossible without pontoons. Many of the
bridges, too, were swept away; others were rendered
unsafe for either cavalry or artillery to cross on. With
this condition of things before him, tiie intelligent
reader will easily see what an attempt to follow the
enemy would have resulted in. The main body of the
Confederate army had fallen back to the south side of
the Rappahannock; but his rear guard was on this.

292 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
side, and not far from us. To have followed with any
hope of inflicting injury would only have more forci
bly shown the weakness of human efforts.
General Stoneman, famous for moving cautiously,
was, however, sent forward on the 14th, with a consid
erable body of cavalry, regular as well as volunteer,
and some infantry, to feel the enemy's rear and, if pos
sible, harass him. But -Gen, Stoneman could neither
get his troops through the mud faster than a slow walk,
nor subsist his men. Indeed, after getting as far as
Union Mills, his fears seem to have increased lest he
should not get back safe, the mud became so deep and
tlie rise and fall of the streams so capricious. And if
we may credit the stories of some of his officers, his
anxiety to return was heightened by the appearance of
some of the enemy's cavalry, looking bold and confi
dent ; indeed acting as a rear guard to hasten his back
ward movement. He also heard ears running during the
night, and very naturally inferred that the enemy was
bringing up reinforcements that might gobble him up, a
matter no ambitious Brigadier would consider as a
pleasant end to his expedition. To add to this appear
ance of danger, some one told him there were tw^o or
more regiments of infantry at Warrenton,
The part taken by General Kearney in this advance
on evacuated Manassas did not meet the approbation
of either General McClellan or McDowell. The for
mer is said to have censured Kearney's haste in severe
terms; while the latter, meeting him on his return to
Centreville to report what he had done and seen, in
quired of him (Kearney) by what authority he had

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 293
taken it upon himself to get his troops so far beyond
the advance of the army, and thus expose them to un
necessary danger, Kearney had a ready answer, and
one characteristic of the mar He had no very high
opinion of McDowell, as a general, and very naturally
felt restless and sore at being placed in a subordinate
position under him. It was said, too, that Kearney,
in moving thus rapidly into Manassas, acted without
orders, and in disregard of what he knew to be the
intentions of the commanding General. What Kear
ney did had an air of independence about it, at that
time very alarming to such of our generals as were
tied down to extreme caution. It was also somewhat
mortifying to the feelings of several gallant officers,
who were ambitious to be first into Manassas. I may
also say that it can easily be proved that Kearney,
who was at Sangster's Station when Averill started
out with his cavalry, had orders from General Frank
lin's headquarters to " push on." That he did not halt
to inquire whether " push on " meant that he should
stop before he got into Manassas and let Col. Averill
go ahead, is very clear.
The above remarks have been called out in conse
quence of a very great difference of opinion among
officers in the army as to the course pursued by Kear
ney on this occasion. General McClellan was inclined
to ignore it altogether, and so were very many of his
friends ; and this, I have no doubt, led to the opinion
among many that Colonel Averill was first into Ma
nassas, an error which to this day has full force in the
iiiiiids of many. Kearney moved one portion of his

294 THE STORY OF A TROOPER;
force from Sangster's Station up the railroad, under
Colonel Taylor, and the other over the old Braddock
road. And, as I have before described, Taylor was
first into the enemy's works, and hoisted the old flag ;
and was found there in quiet possession, early in the
morning, by the cavalry. In returning towards Cen
treville to report, Kearney, accompanied by two of hia
aids, met Averill's force advancing cautiously, with
skirmishers and flankers out. The advance guard mis
took Kearney and his companions for rebels, halted
them, and compelled them to give an account of them
selves. It was shortly after this that the interview
took place between Generals McDowell and Kearney.*
A good deal has been said and written concerning
the strength of the enemy's position at Manassas Junc
tion and Centreville, and also the number of troops he
maintained there during the winter. He had indeed
displayed great engineering skill on his works at Cen
treville, which were not only extensive but very strong.
And these, added to a naturally strong position, would
have afforded him the means of a formidable resistance.
Manassas was also a very strong natural position ; but
the works thrown up were of the weakest kind. In-
* Since writing the above I have read Grencral McClellan's re
port, and am somewhat surprised to find that he does not mention
General Kearney' s name in connection with the advance on Manas
sas, and Indeed leaves the reader to believe that Colonel Averill
was first into Manassas. I confess an unwillingness to believe that
General McClellan would knowingly doinjiirj"-, evon by omission,
to any brave officer, much loss Kearney, whose gallantry as a sol
dier should have been accepted as .atonement for any errors of
judgment he may have committed vv-hile speaking of his comand-
ijj- oOM'ora!.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 295
deed, so far as I could judge, the feeling among both
officers and men was that of surprise and disappoint
ment at the sparcity and weakness of the works
we found there. There was even more than this. The
opinion everywhere prevailed that we had been
deceived by the stories of spies and deserters, who had
frightened some of our generals with the very names of
Beauregard and Manassas. In short, we had accepted
for truth the vast amount of engineering skill some of
our newspapers had credited General Beauregard with
expending on this imaginary stronghold. Several of our
officers, whose opinions I have always found to be valua
ble as well as reliable, declared that General Beauregard
could not have intended to make a formidable resist
ance here, or he would have taken more pains to
strengthen it. There were, it is true, long and intri
cate lines of rifle pits radiating from the Junction ;
but beyond these, I again repeat, the works were weak
in comparison with what we been led to believe them.
It was also the opinion of many officers that Gen
eral McClellan had been misled in regard to the num
ber of troops kept by the enemy during the winter at
Manassas and Centreville. It must not be forgotten
that there is a natural tendency to over-estimate large
bodies of men ; this is particularly so with civilians
when estimating the number of a body of troops. Gen
eral McClellan estimated the number of the enemy's
troops at and in the vicinity of Manassas and Centre
ville at eighty thousand. But it must not be forgot
ten that this estimate was based on information pro
cured through spies, railroad engineers, constructors,

296 CHE STORY OF A TROOPER.
and baggage masters. It is very well known that
General McClellan's confiding nature too frequently
led him to attach an undue importance to the opinions
and acts of men, many of whom were not entitled to
his confidence. Railroad engineers, constructors, and
baggage masters, will hardly be accepted as cor
rect judges of the number of troops composing a large
army ; and yet the General, in his report, gives great
importance to the opportunities these men had for
forming correct opinions.
Some of our officers who professed to have made a
careful examination of the rebel camps, as well as pro
cured information from Confederate sources, put the
number down at sixty thousand. I am inclined to
believe this number nearer correct. Intelligent citizens
residing near Centreville and Manassas, and with whom
I conversed on the subject, never estimated the rebel
force in that vicinity over sixty thousand.
The part performed by General Kearney in this first
advance on Manassas, whether irregular or in conform
ity with orders, was such as to deserve some mention
from the commanding General, None whatever was
made. Indeed, by this silence General McClellan
leads the reader to infer that Colonel Averill, with
his cavalry, formed the advance, and was first into
Manassas, which is erroneous. And this impression
has so gained force in the minds of many as to give
rise to innumerable disputes, as well in as out of the
army. It was also reported at the tine that Kearney,
in his anxiety to be into Manassas first or have a trial
of arms with the enemy acted in disregard of General

' THE STORY OF A TKOOPER, 297
McClellan's orders. There was no truth in these
reports, some of which found their way into the news.
papers, I know that General Kearney had orders for
what he did. I know, also, that he received those
orders from the headquarters of General Franklin, the
General to whom he was immediately responsible for
his acts.

CHAPTER XXIX.

COUNCIL OP WAE— MOVEMENT FOR THE PENINSUIA.
On the 13th of March, in the little quaint old town
of Fairfax Court House, thronged now with soldiers of
the Union, and its usual quiet disturbed by the tramp
of horsemen, General McClellan called a council of
war, composed of his four corps commanders. There
was the discontented McDowell, the brave and patri
otic Sumner, that quaint and impatient little soldier,
Heintzelman, and the mild mannered Keyes, The group
was of itself an exquisite picture, for the men forming
it possessed rare peculiarities of form and feature, and
were as opposite mentally and physically as it is pos
sible for nature, iu her wildest freaks, to form men.
To this council of war McClellan submitted his plan
for the campaign on the Peninsula, with his reasons for
urging it in preference to the " line of the Rappahan
nock," It must be remembered that these officers were the
President's choice, selected and assigned to their posi
tions by him, by virtue of that power which he de
scribed as giving him the right to order what he pleased.
Indeed, in making these appointments the President
did not deem it worth while to consult the feelings of
298

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 299
the commander of the army, whose orders they' were
to obey and execute, and between whom the most es
sential requisite to success was harmony and good
feeling. It was very natural, then, for General Mc
Clellan to regard this singular action on the part of
the President as setting a very dangerous example to
the officers of the army, by treating his position with
indifference and showing want of faith in his judgment.
McClellan knew also that at least two of these gen
erals were hostile to him; and he had reasons to fear
that they would oppose his plans, from motives they dare
not explain to the public. He was led to believe, also,
that they would support the President's plan in prefer
ence to his, unless he could overbalance their opposi
tion with arguments of the strongest kind. One of
these generals, McDowell, had allowed his hostility to
his superior to take so open and undisguised a form du
ring the winter, that it became a subject of conversa
tion in the hotels of Washington, and was condemned
by all right-thinking men. The reproach of his own
miserable failure at Manassas was yet cutting deep
into McDowell's feelings. Disappointed and restless,
he went about the streets like a man made sorrowful
with a perpetual grievance, and seeking consolation in
criticisms damaging- to the capacity and plans of an
officer it was his first duty to show respect for and
obey. The great mind, as illustrated in the true sol
dier, does not seek either relief or glory in such means.
Time, it is said, is the great corrector of all wrongs.
I am not a believer in this kind of philosophy. Time
and events, however, have satisfactorily proven that iu

300 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
selecting these officers for corps commanders, the Presi
dent did not exercise correct judgment. Indeed, it
must be clear to him now, as it is to every right-think
ing man. that the country would have been the gainer
had he consulted the opinion, and yielded something to
the feelings of General McClellan before making these
appointments, McClellan's choice, it was well known,
would have been Sedgwick, Sumner, Franklin, and
Fitz John Porter, officers who already had the respect
and confidence of the army, and who would have dif
fused through it a moral influence such as cannot be
overestimated. But the administration was at that
time a martyr to its political fancies, and in its timidity
could not divest itself of the idea that a man cannot be
a good soldier unless he have political prejudices of
the accepted color.
Enough has been written about the proceedings of
this council of war to fill several large volumes, Plence
the nation need have no fear of being left in doubt
concerning what transpired. Busy politicians have
sprung up in various parts of the country, and made
desperate efforts to astonish the nation with tiieir
knowledge of what took place at that council of war,
Idcnouneing at the same time the desperate strategy
resorted to by General McClellan and officers in his
confidence to secure a decision in favor of his plan.
Then some spiteful brigadier comes forward, lays aside
his sword, and with a few strokes of his pen proves
that what the politician said was all false. And the
fight goes on between the politicians and tiio brigadier,
increasing in warmth and bitterness, until there comes

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 301
up a writer for the newspapers, a cunning fellow, who
knows all about war, and carries the secrets of our
generals in his portfolio, a place of safety he will as
sure you has numerous advantages over the War De
partment. Cutting right and left, he soon has both
the politicians and brigadier demolished, and, at the
same time, proves to the astonished reader that he only
has the true history of this council of war, and can
tell you what improper influences General McClellan
brought to bear to insure a decision in favor of his plan.
Now, the proceedings of this council of war were of
the most simple and direct kind; and no outside or
irregular influence was used by McClellan or his
friends to shape its decision. The chief questions dis
cussed and passed upon were : The availability of the
two lines; the efficiency of the navy to neutralize the
power of the enemy's steamer Merrimac; water trans
portation; the force necessary to secure the safety of
Washington, and whether the navy could furnish a suf
ficient auxiliary force to silence the enemy's batteries
on the York river, of the strength of which all our
generals seemed to have very imperfect information,
while the navy does not appear to have given itself
much trouble to procure any at all. This council of
war closed its deliberations by adopting Fort Monroe
as a base of future operations, the two reluctant gene
rals yielding, as they were reported to have said, be
cause they knew General McClellan had made up his
mind to transfer his operations to the Peninsula. A
correct history of the proceedings of this council of

302 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
war may be got from the testimony given before the
Committee on the Conduct of the War.
There can be no doubt about the feeling in the army'
favoring the new line by the Peninsula ; and when
news came that it had been decided to move by that
route, it was received with general approbation.
On the 15th orders were issued, and the main por
tion of the army began to move back to its old quar
ters on the banks of the Potomac, much to the relief
of quartermasters, who had seen men and animals suf
fer terribly, without being able to get subsistence or
forage up, owing to the bad condition of the roads and
the small amount of motive power then on the railroad.
In truth, the whole machinery of transportation worked
badly, and seemed to be in inexperienced hands. It
seemed as if we could not go any distance from our
base without the army suffering for forage and sub
sistence. A portion of Sumner's corps was left at Manassas
to disguise our movements, as it was facetiously said,
and observe the enemy.
A drenching rain fell on th-e 15th, and although the
roads were churned up into a clay bed, and tiic jaded
animals in a sorry plight, the men were in good spirits
at the prospect of taking another, and, as they believed,
a better road to Richmond. We were all back in our
old quarters on the 16th, and entered them with feel
ings of joy. Indeed, the old camping grounds had a
sort of home charm about them; and on entering tiiem
the men acted like members of a family that had been

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 303
scattered and absent returning home and greeting with
kind sympathy the little objects they had stored it with
ill their childliood. And now, camps had to be put in
order anew, equipments polished, and arms made bright
and clean. In a day or two, however, the men ap
peared on parade in as good condition as before their
march. It was rumored that the First Corps, to which Frank
lin's division belonged, would embark first. Men and
officers were greatly elated at this news, and waited
impatiently for orders to proceed on board. Then we
received news that a change had been made by the
President, and that we were to embark last. This
caused a feeling of general disappointment throughout
the division; and by none more than the general offi
cers. These were Franklin, Kearney, Slocum, and
Newton, men whose ability McClellan knew and ap
preciated. These were the officers who gave whatwas
afterwards the old Sixth Corps its pre-eminence, its
fighting stamina. And these are the men whose ser
vices to the country will receive their proper reward
when truth and reason shall have gained the victory
over passion and prejudice.
Our disappointment was increased on tho 17th of
March, when the embarkation of troops began, and in
stead of our own, we saw Hamilton's division of Heint-
zelman's corps going on board. No sooner had the
work of embarkation begun than the difficulties of
transportation showed themselves. Vessels arrived
slowly, and many of them were not suited for the busi
ness. When enough was got to transport the infantry

304 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
of a division, there would be few left fit to carry either
cavalry or artillery. Then there was the immense
number of animals, wagons, &c,, necessary to the land
transportation, all to be moved by water , and the means
to do it with not at hand. An American army cannot
move far without its mules.
The consequence of this inadequate transportation
was that one arm of the service had to be left behind
while the other went ahead. This not only caused de
lay, but seriously interrupted organization and disci
pline. And so openly was this new movement talked
about, and even our destination and object discussed
in camp, that tho enemy, who had friends and spies in
every house from Alexandria to Manassas, could not
fail to know all about and have ample time to take
advantage of it. To show how slow and tedious this
work of shipping the troops was, I need only say that
although it commenced on the 17th of March, the
troops forming the expedition had not all reached Fort
Monroe on the 5th of April, The War Department
had assumed a part in the programme it did not under
stand, and had assigned persons to carry on and per
form the service who were not equal to its duties.
General McClellan reached Fort Monroe on board the
stately steamer Commodore, and in a style almost re
gal, on the 2d of April, to find things very different
from what he expected, A large portion of his artil
lery was yet afloat, and only a small portion of his cav
alry had arrived. The same was true of his land
transportation. In truth, things seemed mixed up in
inextricable, confusion.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 31)5
To add to this, jealousy had broken out atresh be
tween generals, some of whom never could or did agree
on anything. One claimed rank in virtue of this;
another claimed rank in virtue of that. One slighted
orders; another refused to obey them because they
were not worded to suit his pride. The service suf
fered because these gentlemen, into whose hands the
country had committed its honor, saw fit to behave
like petted children. General Wool was in command
at Fort Monroe, Pie agreed with none of them. In
deed, the venerable General had an independent com
mand, and desired that no one should disturb it or
interfere with his authority. And this very damaging
quarrel was not diminished when Gen, Wool applied
to the President to have his fears and his pride pro
tected, and his command made independent of Gen,
McClellan's orders. It was exceedingly kind of the
President, so good-natured in military matters as to
want to accommodate the feelings and grant the desires
of any general but the one in command, to please Gen,
Wool in a matter which concerned only his pride. But
the most ordinary observer cannot fail to see how
damaging the granting of such indulgencies must have
been to the service, as well as mortifying and discoura
ging to the General whose duty it was to direct active
movements in the field.
The morning of the 4th of April came in warm and
spring-like. Birds were making the very air melodious
v/itli their songs, fields were putting on their suit of
green, and trees were in bud and blossom, while the
wind whispered warm and lovingly over the bright
14*

"HUB THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
landscape. It reminded one of some soft Arcadian
scene, suddenly invaded by all the terrible pomp of
war. The army began its first movement of the disas
trous and costly campaign of the Peninsula about 8,
A, M., on that day, advancing in the direction of York-
town, in three columns. The country was flat, swampy,
thickly wooded, and made almost impenetrable with a
thick undergrowth of tanglewood. Indeed, the openings
along the road were small and few, and the houses of
the poorest kind found in Virginia, indicating poverty
as well as want of enterprise in their occupants. Most
of these houses were left in charge of the females of
the family and a few old and faithful servants, the men
capable of bearing arms being in the Southern army.
Some of tiiese females exhibited considerable fear at
our approach, for they had been told that our troops
would commit all sorts of outrages, and make their
condition too degrading to contemplate. And these
ridiculous stories were magnified and made' more terri
ble to these helpless women by the very men who had
deserted them to blindly follow the fortunes of the
demagogue Wise, The conduct of our soldiers, how
ever, was so unexceptionable that these people soon
regained confidence, and a good understanding between
them and our troops was the result, I must here say,
also, that the conduct of these women towards our
troops was respectful and kindly. It only required re
spectful treatment to get the same in return. Many of
them hoisted the white flag at their garden gates, and
: readily brought out any little things our men might
require, giving or selling for a price we might set.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 307
Their conduct did indeed form a beautiful contrast to
the treatment our soldiers received from the farmers of
some parts of Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863.
Nor did I discover on the part of any of these females
that disposition to be refractory and insult our men
which caused General Butler so much concern, and
furnished so much employment for the young gentle
men of his staff. But it must not be forgotten that
the behavior of our soldiers towards peaceable citi
zens was always good under McClellan, Public re
spect for the army ran high then; the War Department
had not succeeded in making it unpopular, and its ranks
were filled with men whose hearts were earnest in the
cause of the countrj'-, and who asked no bounty to fight
for the life of the Republic, Judges of criminal courts
in the North did not degrade the army then by sending
convicted felons into its ranks instead of the peniten
tiary. Nor had village authorities come to regard our
patriot soldiers good enough associates for all their
bad characters.
The march of the first day, although we only made
about nine miles, was an exceedingly fatiguing one,
and must, I think, have convinced General McClellan
that he had been deceived, both in regard to the
strength of the enemy's position and the topographical
features of tlie country. The soil, it is true, was light
and sandy; but the sand was not of that kind that
hardens under rain. It was light, spongy, and almost
destitute of bearing qualities. The infantry got over
the roads with some difficulty; but wherever they at
tempted to take the fields they were sure to find capri-

308 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
cious quicksands and get into trouble. Artillery and
transportation wagons ploughed into the roads and
buried to the hubs; and tho poor animals plunged and
struggled for a foothold until they became helpless and
exhausted, and gave up, unable to drag them out. It
became evident that we could not get either rations or
forage up over such roads as these, compared with
which those of Northern and Western Virginia were
like turnpikes. The engineers were soon set to work,
corduroying the roads in some places, building long
bridges and causeways in others. And yet so soft and
spongy was the soil that the corduroy soon gave way
and became unsafe for heavy trains to pass over.
Still the army was in good courage, and resumed its
march cheerfully on the 5th, when there was some skir
mishing with the enemy, who was making a quick re
treat into his defences at Yorktown, Rain fell heavy
during the afternoon, streams began to overflow, and
the roads became impassable, causing much suffering
for want of rations and forage. The infantry strug
gled on through the wet and mud; but neither artillery
nor supply trains could be got up. About three o'clock
in the afternoon the advance infantry halted on the left
bank of the Warwick river, in front of the defences of
Yorktown, and was for some lime exposed to a sharp
artillery fire from the enemy's guns on the opposite
bank. Before night five divisions of our infantry, and
two regiments of cavalry had come up, and were taking
position in front of Yorktown. The weather con
tinued bad on the Gtli, and t'.c roads did not improve.
Owing to our laud transportation uot being lauded in

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 309
time, the troops moved with very scanty supplies; and
now the men had only coffee and hard bread, and our
animals went nearly two days without a bite of forage,
Reconnoissances were at once pushed forward, but
were attended with great difficulty, owing to the dense
woods and the activity of the enemy's sharpshooters,
who infested the opposite bank of the Warwick, These
reconnoissances, however, developed the great strength
and magnitude of the enemy's defences, which were
found to form a continuous line directly across the
isthmus from the York to the James river. Here the
enemy had expended his very best engineering skill, and
with slave labor erected works the extent and strength
of which those at Manassas were not to be compared.
The skill with which these works were constructed ex
cited the admiration of every engineer officer that exam
ined them after Yorktown was evacuated. Indeed, I
doubt if stronger earthworks were ever built. And
these, it must be remembered, were supplied with the
heaviest and, in many places, the most approved ord
nance. There was no turning this position, for the James
river was sealed up by that terror to our navy, the Merri
mac, And this monster phantom so haunted the mind
of Admiral Goldsborough, and limited his action, that
he confessed his inability to render any assistance in
reducing the water batteries at Yorktown and the
works at Gloucester Point — both necessary to a move
ment on the York river. But, if this position were
strong on the flanks, it was still stronger in front, wlici-o
nature had provided a protection it would have been
difficult to overcome. That protection was the Warwick

310 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
river and its marshy banks, which I will try to de
scribe. Fancy yourself, reader, having travelled ten miles
westward over a level, swampy country, with the very
worst of roads, the ditches full of water, and densely
timbered on both sides, just come to where it termi
nates in what appears to be a marsh, varying in width
from one hundred to six hundred yards. Clumps of
stunted pines, cedar, and gumwood give a picturesque
ness to the view, A stream, very insignificant in ordi
nary times, cuts its crooked way nearly north and south,
now almost lost to view among trees, now stretching
itself through the marshy level, as far as the eye can
reach. You are looking west now, over the defences
of Yorktown, frowning in all their extent and strength
on the opposite bank. From a rod or two wide this
little capricious stream expands itself at points a mile
or so distant into broad dams and mill-ponds. This is
the Warwick river. An hour of rain will overflow its
marshy banks, so increase the rapidity of its current
as to make crossing dangerous, and, indeed, give to it
the appearance of an important stream. Its left bank,
the one you stand on, is broken into points and inden
tations, and also covered with a dense jungle of under
wood, crowned here and there by clumps of tall pines.
Long causeways extend over the approaches to this
stream, the soil on which they are made being soft and
marshy. The enemy has destroyed all the bridges,
and has powerful batteries to sweep all the approaches
from this side, over the mill dams.
Roads must be cut through this dense wood and the

THE STORY OF A TEOOPER. 311
timber cleared away before a safe foothold can be had,
or our army take up its position, and to do this is a
work of extraordinary labor, for each road has to be
corduroyed throughout, and a solid foundation made in
front of the enemy's line, before our defensive works
are begun. And all this has to be done while our
working parties are exposed to the unerring aim of
the enemy's sharpshooters, concealed in trees and
clumps of shrubbery on the opposite bank. The
enemy has adopted the old line used by the British
during the revolution, but has made it ten times more
strong and effective. And to further add to the strength
of his position, his engineers have constructed ingeni
ous dams across the Warwick, destroying its fords and
controlling its rise and fall. Our engineers declare
this to be the strongest line of defences ever thrown
up by the enemy. On the right bank, and back to the
enemy's outer works, the ground is a stumpy level, soft
and marshy, and over which the enemy's guns have a
clear sweep of all our approaches. It is said he can
bring at least fifty guns to bear on these approaches,
many of them of the heaviest calibre. Oh our right,
and immediately in front of Yorktown, where the ene
my's works are strongest, the ground has the appear
ance of a rugged, stumpy plain, but is broken into
intricate ravines and spongy formations, declining
eastward into Wornily creek.
To have attempted ah assault over ground so treach
erous, and against works than which none could have
been stronger, and with troops, few of whom had been
under fire, would have been simple slaughter. No

312 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
good general would risk the lives of his men in an en
terprise so desperate that the chances were all against
him. And this was tiie case here. And yet there
were officers reckless enough to gain a little noto
riety by such a waste of human life as to urge that
the attempt be made. It was discouraging and morti
fying enough for McClellan to find that he had not im
proved his advantages with his change of base ; that,
in a word, he had taken his army off its feet, and made
a sea voyage to find Yorktown a mountain of difficul
ties where Manassas was but a mound. There was no
taking Yorktown except by a regular siege. To erect
the formidable works necessary to carry on such a
siege, must cause a delay that would again excite the
people to impatience, and give the thoughtless dema
gogue in Congress new weapons to carry on his oppo
sition to McClellan, Delay is a condition of war ex
perience has taught the people it were best to endure
with patience. But the people had not then so trained
their minds as to accept it on such conditions. Here
there was no alternative consistent with good judg
ment. The army changed the rifle for the spade, and
went to work erecting the preliminary works, none of
which were ready to receive siege guns until the 17th
of April, or perhaps I should say the morning of the
18th, I cannot close this chapter without briefly referring
to a matter which gave us much trouble and, at times,
caused serious confusion on the Peninsula, This was
the utter want of correct information concerning the
enemy's strength and positions, as well as the face of

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 313
the countrj' — a want certainly not very creditable to
tl;c generals who had commanded at Fort Monroe pre
vious to our arrival. During this short march of
scarcely twenty miles, the army had twice been thrown
into confusion by the inaccuracies of maps furnished
to us for true guides, but which had neither the roads
nor tho streams laid down correctly. After the disas
ter at Big Bethel, General Butler and his staff seem to
have come to the conclusion that it was safer to turn
an honest penny at a little trade and invest largely in
popular humanity, than to venture in pursuit of knowl
edge that might be useful in a military way beyond
the narrow circle of our own picket line. It is said
somewhere that the devil, having done all the mischief
he could, must needs be a reformer, and to that end put
on the armor of a saint, and went about with his hands
raised, in search of a cure for his stricken conscience.
But so shrewd a saint was he that he soon turned his
new occupation to profit, which so bent the ambition of
his soul that he fell a martyr to the love of gain. Per
haps this case of the d — 1 does not bear any resem
blance to that of General Butler; and perhaps it does.
At least the General was content to believe he had
performed the duties of a Major General when he had
organized a system of moral reforms for freed slaves,
with whom he had suddenly fallen in love and now
worshipped with the zeal of an apostate. That, per
haps, was necessary, for every new reformer who sets
up as a teacher of the people has trouble in making
them believe him sincere. Hence his anxiety to punish

S14 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
those who refused to accept his mode of repentance as
the true one.
Before Butler became a general, and took to the
sword, his political master was Mr. Jefferson Davis, the
same man who set up a government of his own at Rich
mond, and is now making such desperate efforts to main
tain it. This master he served well and faithfully, as
sisting him to drive home the last rivet in the fetters that
were to bind more gallingly the limbs of the despised and:
down-trodden slave; forgetting that in doing this servile
work for so haughty a master, he was insulting themaiili^
ness of the great free North, and the great free West,
And yet this ungrateful master betrayed his servant
as soon as his despicable work was done, and sent him
away without the wages he had asked for. Was not
this sting enough to make an aspiring gentleman, left
in this manner without party or political stool to stand
on, suddenly tack his political ship go in search of
new friends and bear down on his old ones with all the
force of outrageous patriotism ? It was asking too
much of this Major General that he attend to the dis
cipline of his troops, that he get information concern
ing the enemy beyond his picket line, that he fight
battles, gain victories, and assist in putting an end to
the war. He had to purify himself in the sanctimony
of his new friends every day, to manifest unbounded
love for a race he had tried so hard to keep iu degra
dation, to wink at mammon and prove to the innocent
that there was no dross in his philanthropy.
General Wool, a better soldier, seems also to have been
remiss in his duty so far as to procuring correct inform-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 315
ation of what was going on beyond his lines. He had a
large and highly respectable staff of young gentlemen,
unexceptionable in dress and appearance. But judging
from what they did, the inference to be drawn is that
this staff was more ornamental than enterprising. From
them General McClellan got a very large amount of
very unreliable information concerning the short dis
tance of country we had travelled over, I have in my
mind a German officer attached to our division, who
wore an elegant uniform, spurs of prodigious length,
and a pair of spectacles. This officer was several
times sent out in command of scouting parties, but
could never find the road to the enemy after he got be
yond our lines. He however always returned with a
fund of valuable information picked up along the road,
and which he would assert was more reliable than any
thing that could be got by actual observation. Indeed,
he could tell us all we wanted to know, and a great
deal more. Some of General Wool's staff seemed to
have adopted the same pleasant mode of gaining infor
mation concerning the enemy's strength and country.
We were indebted, also, to gentlemen of Gen, Wool's
staff for maps on which a great deal of time and un
limited imagination had been spent. On these maps,
which we were assured described the country accu
rately, imaginary islands were set up for real ones, and
streams made to run down at right angles from their
natural course.

CHAPTER XXX

BACK ON THE BANKS OF THE POTOMAC.
Let US, for a time, leave General McClellan's engi
neers erecting these works before Yorktown, which
afterwards became famous in his Peninsula campaign,
and return to the banks of the Potomac. The First
Corps is yet encamped on Arlington hills, near the
Seminary; and the officers and men of Franklin's divi
sion are waiting with impatience for the order that is
to send them to the Peninsula.
The deserted camps along the Arlington hills as
they appeared on the morning after our first advance
on Manassas, formed so striking a picture to what they
had done the day before, as to merit a few words of
notice. The day came in with all the softness and
sweetness of a bright May morning. The trees were
alive with birds, singing their first welcomes to spring.
There was neither drum beat, nor bugle sound, nor tho
tramp of cavalry heard that morning. A dreamy,
mysterious stillness hung over the scene. A plodding
farmer, heartsick and sad at the desolation of his home,
picked his way listlessly over the rutty roads, pausing
now to gaze over the deserted camps or to inquire of
some homeless negro what had become of the soldiers,!
316

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 317
then muttering his curses at the wickedness that had
brought SO much sorrow to his door. A few invalid
soldiers straggled carelessly over the hills and through
the fields; others smoked their pipes contemplatively
under trees. And when it was nearly noon a singular
change came over the scene. A swarm of persevering
Jews, so numerous that one wondered where they had
all come from, swarmed over the hills and through the
deserted camps, like the locusts of Egypt, gleaning
whatever there was left by the soldiers. Some came
with odd-shaped carts and lean horses; others with
sacks on their backs and prod-hooks in their hands.
Bits of canvas, scraps of leather and iron, dirty rags
and beef bones, old shoes and empty bottles, everything
included in the debris of a camp, was whipped up and
carried away. Nothing of the slightest value escaped
them, not even a soldier's button. No matter how
filthy these things were, the Jew saw value in them;
and, to use his own language, could be turned so quick
into monish so clean as gold. These thrifty people,
prosperous everywhere, and everywhere to be found,
had foreseen that when the army moved there would
be a rich harvest in their line, and no sooner were the
guards removed than they advanced to their work. I
have often noticed that in all phases of camp following
the Jew is prominent; and although his nerves may
not be of the best kind, nor his motive in following
the army good, he is less an extortioner than your un
improved Yankee, who sets up in business as his rival.
But I must turn again to matters concerning our divi
sion.

318 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
We had seen the fleet of transports, presenting a
grand and exciting scene, depart with their freight of
troops, return and again depart, increasing the sting
of our disappointment, which in Franklin's division
was daily manifesting itself in various ways. This
feeling of disappointment was increased into open ex
pressions of dissatisfaction when a rumor came that
the President had made a change in the programme,
that the First Corps had been detached from General
McClellan's command, and that we were not to go to
the Peninsula. This report was soon confirmed; and
the confirmation produced a feeling of indignation it
would be difficult to describe. Officers gathered to
gether in groups, some discussing, others boldly de
nouncing the means by which such a change had been
brought about. The men took up the feeling and dis
cussed the subject in their tents, in their rude but hon
est way. Their hearts and their confidence were with
McClellan; and their anxiety to be with him and under
his command was the best proof of the opinion they
held concerning McDowell as a general. It was re
ported at the same time that this change had been
brought about through the influence of McDowell; and
the report gained force from the fact that he was much
in Washington, and had not been seen by the army for
several days. Some officers high in rank even charged
that, with his proverbial weakness for intrigue, he had
taken advantage of McClellan's absence to prejudice
the President's mind against the plan of campaign on
the Peninsula ; and that after he had sanctioned it in
the council of war on the 18th of March. 'The com-

THE. STORY OF A TEOOPER. 319
monest understanding can easily see what must have
been the effect on soldiers by reports such as these.
It may have been very pleasant to General McDowell's
feelings to bo thus accommodated with an independent
command ; but, to a great majority of the officers of
Franklin's division, it was mortifying indeed to be
compelled to serve under such a commander. These
may not be grateful words to the ears of some persons,
but the truth is best told when it is told undisguisedly.
The feeling which at that time existed in the corps
against this unfortunate General may be compared to
that whicli manifests itself in the genius who is com
pelled to be subordinate to the man of less than com
mon understanding.
This was the temper of the First Corps on the 3d of
April, when orders were distributed through the camps
for the men to prepare to march, with four days'
"boiled rations." On the 4th, our division broke
camp at the Seminary and marched to Centreville.
We halted at Centreville nearly all day, waiting for
the supply train to come up. The roads in places were
almost impassable, and the trains had to struggle along
under the greatest difficulties. The railroad was still
scantily supplied with rolling-stock, and the trains
were nearly all occupied in bringing up infantry, at
that time a favorite way of moving troops. We
marched from Centreville to Manassas on the Gtli, oc
cupying the comfortable log huts we had left on the
15th of March. The weather became cold and chilly,
and both men and animals suffered terribly. It be
gan raining- on the 7th, the wind came sharp .and cut-

320 THE STORY OF A TRO.OPER.
ting from the northeast in the afternoon ; and tiie cold
increased until big fires and overcoats were necessary
to keep the men comfortable. Hail succeeded rain
and snow succeeded hail. Snow fell fast and heavy
during the night and day of the 8th, until tho ground
was covered two inches deep, and the roads churned
up into a bed of soft red clay, through which neither
man nor beast could get without a desperate struggle.
The people of the country told us that for severity
they had seen nothing like this weather in Virginia.
Blenker's division had been sent to Warrenton, and
it was reported that it was suffering for want of sup
plies. A train was sent to its relief, guarded by a
company of the First New York Cavalry.
On the 7th a small force of the First New YorkI
Cavalry and some artillery and infantry was sent out'
with orders to proceed to Catlett's Station. On the
morning of the 8th it had only reached Bristow Sta
tion, some six miles. Here its progress seemed to be
stopped by snow and rain, whiclrchurned into the mud
until it were impossible to move with any degree of
certainty as to when we would make another mile. It'
continued to rain on tho 9th, and alternated with sleet
and snow. No weather could be more trying to the
constitution of man. The men had only coffee and
hard bread for rations ; and the poor animals had lit
tle or no forage for nearly three days. Men, appa
rently the strongest and best able to endure hardsliip,
broke down under tho severity of this weather, and
had to be sent to tho hospital. Colds were contracted
which brought on permanent disability ; others were

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 321
seized with intermittent fever. At such a time as this
a moderate ration of whisky or some similar stimulant
would have been a benefit to the men. But there was
none to be had. One of those absurd orders, so fre
quently issued by the War Department at that time,
and illustrating how little the rulers of that depart
ment knew what the soldier needed on a trying march,
had forbidden the sutlers to follow the army until fur
ther orders, and the commissary was not provided with
stimulants. General Kearney, who always studied the
best interests of his men, sent to Washington at his own
expense, and, it was said, in violation of orders, and
had his men provided with stimulants necessary to
preserve their health. He declared that no absurd
order of the War or any other department should pre
vent him from giving his men what they needed to
relieve their suffering.
On the 9th the advance reached Broad run, which
was swollen to an uncommon height and its current
very rapid. Fording was out of the question, and the
old bridge, which our men made an attempt to repair,
was not in a condition to cross artillery. The banks
were also high and difficult. On the following morn
ing, the 10th, the water having subsided a little, some
of the First New York Cavalry began swimming the
stream, but the current ran so swiftly that the men lost
command of their horses, both being carried far down
the stream, and only gaining the opposite bank after
a desperate struggle. Indeed, we lost several horses
in this bold attempt to cross a dangerous Stream. Cap
tain Stearns and Lieutenant Granger, two brave offi-
15

i522 THE STORY OF A TROOPER
cers of the First New York, were carried away from
their horses in the middle of the stream, and only res
cued from drowning after the most heroic efforts made
by Lieutenants Martindale and Bailey, When brought
to shore they were completely benumbed and almost
insensible. It was indeed next to madness to attempt
to cross such a stream with the means then at hand.
Captain Arnold very properly refused to trust his bat
tery on such unsafe means, and did not'cross. In the
afternoon the water rose some two feet in as many
hours. Some of our men attempted to get back; but,
finding the danger too great, gave it up and proceeded
to make themselves as comfortable as they could for
the night. Some of them got into an old mill, taking
their horses with them, cooking their coffee at a fire
made from the machinery. Others sought refuge in
farm houses near by, cultivating an acquaintance
with the inmates and securing a necessary supply of
provisions. Some of the farmers in the neighborhood
had very valuable sheep and cattle, which it was no
ticed our German troopers laid violent hands upon
without making the first inquiry as to the owner's loy
alty. With these Germans the farmer who had fat
mutton and beef in his yard was sure to be disloyal,
and unworthy of having his table spread with such
delicacies, which they would coolly transfer to their
own. Sometimes they would invite the owner to dine
with them, but that was a matter of politeness only.
On the 11th, the weather having improved and the
water in Broad run considerably subsided, we crossed,
with some difficulty however, and proceeded on our

TUE STORY OF A TROOPER, 323
march to Catlett's Station. The people here were un-
mistakably in favor of secession, and openly manifested
their sympathy for the South arid their hatred of the
North. If you asked them why they did this, they
could give you no good reason. They knew only what
they had been taught by their political demagogues;
and these they followed with the mental blindness of
children. And, indeed, so bitter was the hate enter
tained for us by some of these people, that men out at
night were shot and killed inside our picket line.
Learning that the enemy had fallen back behind the
Rappahannock, and, indeed, was retreating with his
main force towards Richmond, our division (Franklin's)
fell back to Manassas, recrossing Broad run on the
12th, Here Franklin received the order detaching
him from McDowell's command, and ordering him to
proceed with his division and join McClellan on the
Peninsula, I was not present when General Franklin
received this order, but those who were told me that
he received it with evident satisfaction, his face light
ing up with a smile in which any one acquainted with
him could read the feelings of his heart. The news of
this order, as it spread through the division, was re
ceived with great rejoicing among both officers and
men. In writing of it at the time, I made use of the
following langnage : " I do not know why it is, but
among the men (and here is where you get correct opin
ions concerning the worth of commanders) there is a
want of proper respect for McDowell. His lack of
generalship, so convincingly displayed at Bull Run, has
cost him their confidence. While among officers of

324 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
the regular army, men whose sense of honor has not
yet been blunted by political associations, there exists
a feeling of deep dislike, engendered, no doubt, by the
shape his hostility towards McCI'':ian has taken. Our
division was never happy under him; and there was
great rejoicing to-day among officers and men when
the order came that was once more to transfer us from
his command to that of McClellan."
The weather had changed for the better, and the
roads continued to improve. Our backward move
ment commenced early on the morning of the 12th,
and the scene that followed was exciting in the ex
treme. The men cheered, exchanged congratulations,
and as they marched along sang songs in which Mc
Clellan was the hero. Each railroad train, as it came
rushing down the road crowded with soldiers in enry
part, numbers riding on the engines, made the very air
resound with shouts of joy. Before dark our infantry
were nearly all located, some in new quarters near
Alexandria, others in their old camps on the hills out
side, A general cleaning up and getting out of the
mud followed.
The Lincoln Cavalry made the first long and rapid
march of the war during this movement. Two battal
ions were at Weaverstown when the order came to
return to Alexandria, In less than half an hour after
receiving it the men were in the saddle and moving.
Taking the road through Centreville, they reached
Camp Kearney before sundown, making a march of
forty miles in less than twenty-four hours. This was
good marching for horses that had been without forage

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 325
more than half the time since leaving the banks of the
Potomac, Indeed, the poor animals seemed animated
with a knowledge that they were going in the direc
tion of forage, and seemed quite as anxious as the men
to get back to their old quarters.
On the 14tli we moved down to the vicinity of Alex
andria, and got ready to embark with the rest of the
troops.

CHAPTER XXXI

HUMOROUS SCENES.
Our campaign to Catlett's Station and back, although
made through deep mud and in the severest of weather,
was not without incidents of an amusing character.
Neither Crump, the bugler, nor Von Flopp, his master,
whose exploits have been faithfully recorded in this
history, had been seen near the front during our first
advance into Manassas, It was reported that Von
Flopp took Crump with him to bear witness that what
he said was truth when he made love to the secesh la
dies, for indeed he was in the habit of giving such ac
counts of himself that no sensible person would believe
them unless he had an endorser for everything he said,
and this he found in his trumpeter. And now, various
were the surmises as to what had caused thiS' absence
of Major Von Flopp and his bugler. The Major, it
was well known, had come to the field possessed of a
variety of shoulder-straps, denoting ranks varying
from a first lieutenant to a major general, all of which
he expected to wear at no very distant day. Those
bearing the two stars he would show to his friends
with an air of exultation, saying that to win them a
326

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 327
man had only to show that he had courage, which he
intended to do when a chance offered.
The Major, I may add, spent much of his time, and
also the time of his bugler, in procuring certificates of
his great military ability. And these he would get by
the score, from good-natured officers who wanted the
regiment rid of him, and saw no surer way of securing
the blessiflg than by recommending that the President
honor him with the highest promotion in his gift. It
may not be generally known that this mode of getting
rid of worthless or obnoxious officers was quite com
mon in the army at one time, which may, in a measure,
account for the great number of useless brigadier
generals now on the hands of the nation, but out of
employment. When all other means of getting an
incompetent out of a regiment failed, the officers would
furnish him with any number of certificates, and work
until they had secured his promotion to a brigadier
general or any other rank that would relieve them of
his presence. The army is not so prolific of fools now;
hence there is less need of practicing such deceptions.
And, too, our good-natured President has come to be
much wiser in military matters; and, indeed, is less in
clined than formerly to waste his admiration on men who
come to him for promotion blowing their own horns.
Some said Von Flopp had gone to Washington
armed with a huge bundle of these certificates, and
was astonishing the War Department with his wisdom
on war. Indeed, it was more than hinted that he had
found a way to the affections of the Secretary of War,
who promised that he should be a brigadier general

328 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
whenever he could induce one to get killed off and cre
ate a vacancy. Others said the Major, when last seen,
was enjoying his arm chair and feather bed at the
house of a violent secessionist, for whose political
opinions he had the highest respect and sympathy.
Be this as it may, I only know that the battalion
Von Flopp claimed the honor of commanding, but never
did, was moving quietly along the Little River turn
pike, during ©ur second advance to Manassas, when
the Major suddenly made his appearance, accompanied
by Crump, who sounded a halt on his bugle. The sun
was setting in a deep black cloud, and the column was
within a mile or two of Annandale, as quiet a village
as could be found anywhere, and as seen through the
deep shadows of evening, seemed to sleep peacefully
in the valley at the foot of some high hills. The Ma
jor's appearance created no little excitement as well as
amusement among the men, who were sure to greet
him with all sorts of unpleasant sounds. As to his
bugler, they more than once tossed him into a ditch, a
way they had of showing their disrespect for his
master. The Major was mounted on his best charger, was
armed to the very teeth, upholstered in his gayest uni
form, and, indeed, was in every way as feathery as an
Austrian sub-lieutenant. The column came to a halt,
and the senior Captain, who was in command, and knew
that Von Flopp would give him no little trouble and
annoyance, rode up, and after making the customary
salute, inquired why he interfered with his command."
"Roast me!" ejaculated the Major. "Did you ever

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 329
hear anything like that, Crump?" Here he turned to
Crump, who blushed, but made no reply. Then turn
ing to the Captain, he continued : " You are a good sol
dier and a brave man, Captain, and therefore it is that
I have always respected you and spoken well of you
in the face of your enemies. Now, sir, let there be no
more of this disrespect to a superior officer — "
" We have no time to spend here," interrupted the
Captain, who was a sensible man, and one of the best
officers in the cavalry service. " It is still ten miles
to Fairfax Court House, and we must camp there be
fore nine o'clock."
" As I say," rejoined the Major. " You must know,
sir, that I assume command of this battalion. Yes,
sir, I command this party, and see you now that you
respect my rank and obey my orders." The Major
said this with such a degree cf pomp and self-satisfac
tion that the Captain smiled and was about to return
to his position and put the column in motion.
" Stop, sir, stop," said the Major; " your superior
officer will dismiss you when he is done with you. And
now, see you, sir, I have a job for this battalion, and
intend that it shall distinguish itself. But roast me,
Captain, you must respect my rank and obey my
orders — "
" You shall be respected, and your orders obeyed,"
interrupted the Captain, who saw there was no other
way of getting over the annoyance. "I will receive
your orders."
" Then bring your men to front face, two deep," re
plied the Major, lifting his hat, " for I have a speech
15*

330 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
to make to these men, and you will see what an effect
it will have on their courage." The Captain obeyed
the order and soon had his men in line, and the officers
in their places. The Major now spurred his charger
and pranced up and down the line with his sabre
drawn, two or three times, followed by Crump, making
all sorts of grimaces behind his back, which drew
roars of laughter from the men. He now halted in
the centre of the line and began addressing 'them in a
manner so wild and rambling as to increase the merri
ment he was affording them. He complimented them
on their fine soldierly appearance, told them he knew
they were all friends of his, that the good condition of
their horses wa^ an honor to them, that he felt it an
honor to be their commander, that the time would come
when, like himself, they would all hold high and hon
orable positions in the army, and have a grand and
glorious record for their children to be proud of. He
told them he had resolved on the capture of Annandale;
that they must make a sudden dash into it, and take it
while the enemy was in confusion; that they must show
by their deeds that they were brave men and gentle
men; and that he, as their commander, would show
them that he was a brave officer and a gentleman.
The men greeted this speech with increased laughter,
" You see, sir," said he, turning to the Captain, " the
speech has had a good effect on the men. This applause
is proof of it,"
" Applause ?" interrogated the Captain, a curl of con
tempt on his lip, " Do you not know that they take
you for a fool, and are laughing at your folly ? — "

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 831
"Roast me I" interposed the Major, who had been
called a fool so often that he only smiled to hear it re
peated, " Many a wiser man than me's called a fool;
and a man is always master of his enemies when he
treats them as if they were his friends, I know you
are a friend of mine, Captain, and a clever fellow, and
shall not ask you to give me satisfaction for this in
sult. We came here to fight the enemy, and it shall
not be said of me that I got up quarrels with my
friends. Get the column in motion, and we will pro
ceed to the taking of this town,"
" You cannot be sincere in this matter ?" returned the
Captain, with a salute, " I know of no town so much
at peace with the world as Annandale, There has not
been a rebel in it these six weeks; and as for the
women and children who remain, their thoughts are
most occupied about how they are to get something to
eat," " All the better," replied the Major, with a bow; " if
there are no rebels in the place then there will be no
harm done. An appearance put in is just as good as
a victory gained, A good general counts the moral
as well as physical effects he can produce. If, then,
we dash in and capture this town of Annandale, and it
turn out that there be no rebels in it, in which event
there w^ould be no bloodshed, why, there would be a
great moral effect gained. In this, mark you, Captain,
that it would show the rebels what sort of men they
had to deal with, and when their commander once re
solved to take a town, he would do it if it were
crammed with rebels."

332 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
Seeing there was little use for any more reason, tii^
Captain put his column in motion, proceeding by fours,
at a brisk walk. It -was now quite dark, the roads
were heavy, and in places very wet, for it was begin
ning to rain, and a cold biting wind made the weather
quite uncomfortable. They had not proceeded many
yards when the Major called Crump, and directed him
to say to the Adjutant that he wanted to see him. Now,
the Adjutant was a fine young soldier, a man of sense
and good education. He bore the Major no good will,
and, indeed, had several times made him the victim of
practical jokes, for which the Major was resolved to
make him a fair return whenever he got an opportu
nity. The Adjutant rode up, making a reluctant salute,
and inquiring what orders he had to give.
" Orders enough to keep you on active duty all
night," said the Major, assuming an air of great pomp.
" And see that you execute them like an honest man,
and an officer. Ride you now to the head of the col
umn and tell Captain H  to trot." Away v/cnt
the Adjutant, his horse tossing the mud at every step,
delivered the order, and came back to report. The
column now proceeded at a brisk trot for several min
utes, " As you delivered that order so well, Adjutant,
I have another. Ride again to the head of the column
and tell Captain H  that the officer in command
desires him to move the column at a gallop," Away
went the Adjutant again, throwing mud at every jump,
delivered the order and came back to report. The
column now struck a gallop, which so covered the Ma-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 333
jor with mud and threatened serious damage to his
new uniform, that he ordered Crump to sound a halt
on his bugle. This not being heeded, he ordered his
Adjutant to again proceed to the head of the column
and say it was the order of the officer in command
that the column proceed at a walk. In this way he
kept the poor Adjutant riding to and from the head of
the column until his feelings were outraged, his pa
tience exhausted, and his spirited little horse com
pletely jaded out, and reeking with foam and mud.
But the Major was only asserting the power which
rank gives to a fool.
" I care nothing for myself, Major," said the Adju
tant, " but if you have any pity for my poor horse,
please show it by shortening the number of orders you
would have me execute."
The Major made no reply to this request, but again
ordered the Adjutant to proceed to the head of the col
umn and say to the Captain that the officer in command
ordered him to trot when he got within a mile of An
nandale, and when within half a mile dash full gallop
into the town, " Say to him," he added, " that as there
are four buglers, they shall ride ten paces ahead, blow
ing on their instruments and making all the noise they
can," The Adjutant was about to proceed with the
order, when the Major stopped him suddenly, and, with
an air of great concern, said : " Tell him not to get
frightened if he sees the enemy, since his superior offi
cer will lead the charge and make the capture in
person," The Adjutant shrugged his shoulders and muttered

334 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
something about a madman who had mistaken his busij
ness. He proceeded, however, to execute the order,
which the Captain received with an exclamation it
would not be proper to insert here.
" What did he say about carrying out my orders,
Adjutant?" inquired the Major, as that perplexed and
fatigued officer returned to report,
" Many things it would not be pleasant for a Major
of cavalry to hear," i-eplied the Adjutant, dryly, as he
shook the rain from his cap, " Among others, that
you were a donkey in shoulder straps, but didn't
know it,"
"Did he, though?" rejoined Von Flopp, with a
forced laugh. " He is a clever fellow, that Captain,
and must have said this in the way of a joke. You
see. Adjutant, he is a friend of mine, therefore it would
not become me to demand satisfaction of him for these
little slips of the tongue. When you carry another
order, give him my compliments, and say that his supe
rior officer holds him in profound respect."
In a few minutes m.ore the column was dashing at a
full gallop into Annandale, the Major flourishing his
sabre at its head, and shouting, come on men ! come
on ! follow your leader ! The four buglers, I must add,
rode a few paces ahead, making louder and more dis
cordant sounds than have been heard anywhere since
the fall of Jericho. The blowing of these horns, the
sharp clanking of sabres, and the quick, heavy tramp
of horses, awoke the still, sleeping village from its
slumbers, and so alarmed the poor people that they
thought their last day had come. Here a light glim-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 335
mered in a window, and there a pale face looked out
into the shadowy darkness. There a shadowy figure
stood in a half opened door, then disappeared at the
appearance of a drenched and muddy trooper. The
column dashed up and down the town for several min
utes, the Major being in a state of distraction, and not
knowing how to give the command necessary to bring
it to order. Annandale was agitated that night, but
not one of its alarmed inhabitants ventured out be
yond the threshold of their doors.
When the column was brought to order, the Major
proceeded to compliment the men for their bravery.
He told them they were all brave men and gentlemen;
and that the capture of this town should be recorded
to their honor. He then ordered strong guards posted
in various parts of the town. The inn and the town
pump had an especial guard, with instructions not to
let the people poison the water of the latter, nor our
troopers get any bad whiskey at the former, which was
as shabby-looking a concern as could be found any
where in Virginia, He also ordered pickets posted in
the outskirts, to the west and south, declaring that no
enemy should surprise him that night.
This done, he ordered Crump to call the Adjutant,
" And now. Adjutant," said he, addressing that officer,
" knowing you to be a brave man, and not afraid of
your duty, I have selected you to bear an important
order to General Kearney, who is a friend of mine, a
gentleman, and always salutes me when he meets mc-
Go to him with all speed, report that I have captured

bat) THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
Annandale, and don't forget to add that I intend to
hold it until he sends me a reinforcement of infantry,"
The Adjutant stood amazed at such an order, and
well he might, for his poor horse was jaded out, and he
had not tasted food since morning. Besides, there was
no knowing where to find Kearney, whose command
was on the road to Manassas, And to convey so ri
diculous a report to so sensible a general would only
have been to excite his indignation and bring the poor
Adjutant to grief at the reply he would get. He
thereupon remonstrated with the Major on the folly of
sending such a report, as well as the impossibility of
delivering it without killing his horse. But the more
he remonstrated the more demonstrative the Major be
came, declaring that he would not have an Adjutant
of his battalion cross arguments with him when he had
an order to send.
Thereupon the Adjutant drew his sabre, saying :
" If you are my superior, it is only in the shoulder-
straps. Take fliem off ; and if you insult my argu
ments I can cross sabres with you ! Do you under
stand ?"
"No, sir!" replied the Major, "I never understand
that sort of talk from a man who is only a Lieutenant."
He now called Crump and ordered him first to sound
boots and saddles, and then bring the senior Captain to
him. And while he was gone, seeing there were no
witnesses within hearing, the Adjutant began cursing
the Major for a fool and a madman ; told him he ougli t
to be whipped at the tail of a cart, and then drummed
out of the army for a noodle.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, '631
" Stop sir, stop !" said Von Flopp, assuming an air
of profound wisdom, " Do you not know that by the
rules of war it would be my duty to shoot you down
for language like this, addressed to a superior officer
in the face of the enemy ?"
"As to shooting," replied the Adjutant, angrily,
throwing aside his water-proof cape and touching the
hilt of his pistol, " two can amuse themselves at that
play. You have made a fool of yourself to-night, and
if you have any message for General Kearney, take it
yourself, I don't want to get kicked out of his tent."
Von Flopp had captured the town of Annandale, and
found it a sore burden on his hands. If he didn't get
the report of his victory to some general officer, and
that very soon, why, the glory would all slip away from
him. The senior Captain now rode up, and reported
that both men and horses were suffering terribly from
cold and wet ; that the horses were jaded out, and the
men had not tasted food since morning ; that, as there
was no enemy near, it was the first duty of those in
command to see that they had food and some place of
shelter for the night,
" A good soldier," said the Major, smiling, " never
minds cold and rain ; and as to rations for the men,
and forage for the horses, why, sir, when I was in Mexi
co fighting for my country, and had General Scott for
a friend, we used to go forty-eight hours without either,
and think nothing of it. But, roast me, sir, I have a
matter of more importance to bring before you. Hav
ing captured this town, which is showing you that I

338 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
am no lout, but a man of courage, this Adjutant of
mine insults me by calling me names — "
" Pray, what did he call you ?" interrupted the Cap
tain, " Names not commonly mentioned in the regulations,
sir, I assure you," returned Von Flopp, in a whisper.
Then turning to the indignant Adjutant, he continued,
" And now, sir, if you will be kind enough to repeat
what you said, just for the benefit of the Captain, you
know," The Adjutant shook his head and begged to be ex
cused, " If I must do it myself, I will," said the Major,
" But it is grievous, very grievous, sir, to be called so
many of these names and know you don't deserve
them," Here he drew near to the Captain, and whis
pered in his ear : " You shall know, sir, that he called
me a fool. Yes, sir, and he added madman !"
" You should order him in arrest at once," returned
the Captain, jokingly, " file charges against him, and
have him tried by court-martial. You will then have
an opportunity to prove that you are a sensible man,
and no fool,"
" Thank you. Captain, thaak you," returned the
Major, raising his sabre and making a respectful bow,
" You give me the advice of a friend. Roast me, but
I shall follow it. And now, Adjutant," he continued,
turning to that officer, " get you in arrest, and there
remain until you receive further orders from me,"
The Adjutant made a salute and thanked him, for he
was glad to be free from a commander who had given

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 339
him so much trouble and labor. He then rode quietly
away to the inn, got up the innkeeper, a tall, leathery
sort of man, with an ochre-colored face and a haggard
look, and dressed in coarse, well-worn homespun, and
in whose every motion there was alarm and suspicion
depicted. " Hain't got much to give you," said the innkeeper,
as the Adjutant entered, shaking the water from his
clothes, then swinging his cap for the same purpose.
" Folks about here was mighty well to do once. Bin
stripped of everything now, first by your folks an
then by ourn — I meant to say (he corrected himself)
first by ourn folks, then by yourn. Polks is might)'
poor round here now. Hain't a pig nor a chicken in
the village. Hain't bin a race nor a chicken fight in
more nor two years. Nothin made by keepin tavern
now. Virginy's mighty bad off since this war beginned.
Niggers is all runned away, ten." Thus he moodily
muttered his complaints, while catching the few words
of sympathy that fell from the Adjutant's lips, as if
they afforded him sweet consolation.
" I only want some fodder for my horse," said the
Adjutant, taking a seat before the great old-fashioned
fire-place, from which a few charred sticks gave out a
sickly light. " And if you couM get me up a punch I
would be thankful, and pay you, too." The man pro
vided corn husks for the horse, and the Adjutant was
in a few minutes enjoying a good warm punch, for
which he thanked the landlord and the man that made
apple-jack. He continued to enjoy himself in this
way until nearly midnight

340 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
In the meantime the Major had been galloping up
and down the main street, for Annandale only had one,
keeping up a general state of alarm. Then he sent
orderlies to inspect the guards and pickets, and bring
him back reports. He also kept Crump busy, making
all sorts of noises on his bugle, which, he said, was to
let the people know that he still held their town, and
was master of the situation.
The captains now got together and proceeded to
remonstrate with Von Flopp on the extreme folly of
his conduct, as well as the suffering it was inflicting on
the men and animals. The group had, for shelter,
taken a position under a tree just in front of a two
story wood house. Presently a light glimmered in one
of the upper windows. Then the window slowly
opened, a trembling hand protruded, and was followed
by a tall white night-cap and an agitated head. All
eyes were now turned towards the strange figure, for
the face was pale and spectre-like, and a big pair of
spectacles gave deeper strength to the picture. The
Major lifted his reins, as if to change his position,
" Don't get alarmed. Major," said one of the officers,
" its only a woman, and old at that."
" Is you the man what's creatin all this arr raket ?"
inquired a dry, husky voice, speaking in a broad, Vir
ginia accent. " Is you the man what's bin a tuten on
his horn all the living night long, disturbin sick folks,
and makin it so a body can't git a winko' sleep. What
on arth do ye want here, anyhow, a frightenin peace
able folks most to death ? Thir ain't nobody in this
village what's goin to hurt yen,"

'i'\

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'^c**

'0^

/

\' i'

^],\ If? I _ I <i-,:\

1

«i^

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 341
This, for a moment, upset all the Major's pomp and
dignity. " Madame," said he, " I have been known
all my life for my politeness to ladies. We are here
to protect you. Yes, madame, to defend you against
your enemies, and to see that you are not disturbed by
rebels—" " Tute'n on yer horn ain't no way to do it," replied
the woman, her agitation increasing, and her voice
growing more husky. " If its whip'n on the rebels yen
come'd here fir, why don't ye go out an whip 'em ?
Ye'U find 'em ready for ye, any time 1 'Taint sayin
much for yer courage to be tute'n yer horn round here
all night, keepin folks awake. Might find somethin
better fir makin a livin at. Your folks thinks they's
mighty smart, disturbing us poor people this ere way."
This little episode was cut short by the fat Dutch bu
gler, who came at a full gallop up the muddy street,
blowing his bugle at the very top of his wind, and
creating intense alarm. The woman withdrew, shut
the window, and put out the light, just as the Major was
about to reply, and say that he was a man of peace, and
had come with these horsemen to show her that he was a
friend of the Southern people. The noisy bugler cut
short his little speech, however, and threw the speaker
into a state of deep agitation, for he brought a report
that a large force of Ashby 's cavalry had got in our rear,
and was manoeuvring to cut us off. Von Flopp now
begged the senior Captain to lose no more time in An
nandale, but get the battalion in order and move at
once for Manassas. That as there was no further need
of his presence, he would go in search of his friend,

342 . THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
General Kearney, and report in person the capture he
had made, and show to the Adjutant that he, at least,
was no coward. The last seen of Vou Flopp that
night he was making his way out of the town at a full
gallop, followed by Crump and two orderlies.
It is almost needless to tell the reader that this was
a trick, played by the officers to get rid of Von Flopp,
who they knew was an arrant coward, without the
slightest taste for fighting. In truth, his love for
the eneniy never found him within pistol shot of him.
The battalion was now got in order, the Adjutant de
prived of his comfort at the inn, and proceeded to the
outskirts of the town, where there was a respectable
looking farm house, and a stack of fodder, which was
served to the hungry and shivering animals. Here a
bivouac was made for the rest of the night, and the
men made fires and proceeded to make themselves as
comfortable as the weather and the means at hand
would admit.
Setting out early on the following morning, the bat
talion reached Manassas Junction and encamped during
the afternoon. Von Flopp, with his bugler and order
lies, had arrived some hours before, circulating reports
of the most extraordinary kind concerning his adven
tures at Annandale. Indeed, he had told no less than
a dozen lies, all of which Crump was ready to swear
to, notwithstanding the orderlies, who were men of
truth, declared every one of them to be sheer romance.
Among other things, he told them that in capturing
Annandale he found a force of rebel cavalry and drove
them through and at least two miles beyond the town,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 343
in the direction of the Occoquan; that he would have
captured at least a troop of them but for the cowardly
conduct of some of his officers; that at least a dozen
bullets came so close to him that he could feel them.
With such stories as these, and a few of a different
kind which Crump added to make the account square
with his master's, he quite astonished a number of very
enterprising newspaper correspondents, who gathered
about him and eagerly noted down every word that fell
from his lips, which they would have given to the world
for truth but for the senior Captain, who came up in
time to prevent so great a misfortune. There was this
to be said of Von Flopp, that, holding that truth had
no advantages over falsehood, he came in time to be
lieve there was truth enough in whatever he told, and
all that was required was to stick to it.
The Major now saw there was a storm brewing about
his ears, and that a number of unpleasant epithets were
being aimed at him, for the part he had taken in the
capture of Annandale, To avoid these, he made his
way to a neighboring farm bouse, where he engaged
comfortable lodgings and such fare as the good woman
could spread her table with. Two days passed, and
nothing was seen of Von Flopp or his faithful bugler.
The next day was Sunday, and the quiet of the after
noon was broken and the camp thrown into a state of
violent excitement by a report that Major Von Flopp
had got into a difficulty with one of the Dutch captains,
and there was likely to be some bloodshed. Now, the
name of this Captain was Gustave Otto, a man of fiery
temper and fierce appearance, for no man in the regi-

344 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
ment carried a higher head or wore longer spurs, or,
indeed, could eat more Bologna sausage. He com
manded the company through which Von Flopp found
a means of getting into the regiment as a lieutenant;
and after being the firmest of friends they had become
the bitterest of enemies. The cause of the quarrel was
some unsettled account, in which the German charged
that he had been defrauded by Von Flopp; and finding
he could get a settlement in no other way, applied to
him all manner of epithets he could command, calling
him everything but an honest man and a gentleman,
and, indeed, challenging him to mortal combat. The
officers in the immediate vicinity gathered around the
combatants, but were not inclined to interfere, feeling
that it was a falling out between rogues, and if one
told the truth of the other, the result would be a bene
fit to the regiment. It soon became apparent, however,
that there would be no blood spilt, for Von Flopp
heard the character given of him by the German with
out the slightest resentment, saying that as he was un
armed he would not give him satisfaction then, nor
would it become him to do so on the Sabbath day. He
would, however, pledge his honor as an officer and
gentleman, that this insult to a superior officer should
receive his attention on the following morning. Thus
saying, he took his departure for the farm house, cheered
by several of the officers, but somewhat crest-fallen.
The prospect of a duel on the following morning
created quite a lively feeling among many of the offi
cers, and bets were freely offered and taken as to
whether the affair would end seriously. Alex, tlid

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 345
Irish Lieutenant, was wild with joy over the prospect
of a fight, and sent his compliments to the Major to
say that if he wanted a friend he had only to call on
him, and he would sit up all night to get the weapons
ready. In addition to this, the little doctor, who would
have enjoyed nothing better than seeing Von Flopp
killed, sent to say that as the Major might need his
services in the affair of honor that was to come off in
the morning, he would be ready at any hour he might
please to name.
These little attentions had a serious effect on Von
Flopp's mind, for his courage was brought to a test at
last it was never before put to. He sat up until a late
hour that night, now walked the room, now examined
his pistols, then sat in his rocking chair, moody and
contemplative. The good woman at whose house he
was, noticing his distressed state of mind, sought sev
eral times to console him, and at length begged that
he would tell her what was causing him this anxiety
of mind.
He shook his head, put his right hand to his heart,
and then heaved a heavy sigh. " Its no trifling matter,
madame — no trifling matter," said he, his voice tremb
ling and choking. " If I should be brought in a corpse
in the morning — "
" A corpse ! a corpse !" interrupted the woman, rais
ing her hands in astonishment, as the Major raised his
eyes sorrowfully. " Then there's going to be a battle
atween our folks and your'n ? La's me, heow your
folks did run at Bull Run. Don't want to see 'em run
so again. You war'nt with 'em that time ?"
16

MG THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
" No, madame, its not a battle — a matter of a more
serious character. An affair of honor. And if I am
killed by jny antagonist, there's an end of me, and
you'll see me brought in a corpse; " replied the Major,
shaking his head.
" An affair of honor !" exclaimed the woman. "La's
me. What do you Union officers want to fight duels
for. Think they might find fightin enough with our
folks. My poor husband had a duel once. Afore he
jined the Southern army, though."
Von Flopp was somewhat disappointed that he did
not receive more sympathy from the woman, who pro
posed now to make him a cup of strong tea and get
hot water for his feet. She also wanted to know if he
could not settle it with the gentleman in some more
quiet way than shooting at him with pistols.
" Ah, madame," he replied,, taking and squeezing her
hand, " there's my honor. What am I to dp with that?
The whole regiment expects me to protect it against
the insults of this man, who is no gentleman, as you
would have seen if you had heard the language he
used. By the rules of the service, either he must kill
me or I must kill him. If he kills me, I pray you,
madame, to see me decently buried."
" La's me," replied the woman, quickly, " there shan't
be nothin wanting as I can do to, give you a genteel
funeral." " A genteel funeral," repeated the Major to himself,
"doesn't sound well when a man is so far away from
his friends."
He now requested the woman to bring him some

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 347
paper and ink, as it would be necessary for him to
make a will; and as he had few friends, and no rela
tives he cared for, and an ample fortune, he would leave
her comfortable for the rest of her life. This he would
do as a reward for Tier kindness, and because he saw
she was a good and honest woman, against whose vir
tue not a word could be said.
The woman now shed numerous tears, but they were
tears of joy rather than sorrow. Hastening into an
other room, she soon returned with a bottle of ink and
paper enough to make a dozen wills. " Oh, sir," she
said, setting them down on the table, " you are too
kind to remember me in your will. Depend on it, sir,
if you are killed I will see that you have a genteel fu
neral." The woman was about to withdraw and bid
him good night, when he put his arm about her waist
and would have kissed her, merely to lighten his grief,
" Please don't do that, sir," said the woman, drawing
quickly away from him, " or I shall not think you so
kind and generous as you would have me think you.
Good night, sir, good night, I shall rise early and at
tend to your wants." The woman retired for the night,
leaving Von Flopp, a disappointed man, to his ink and
paper. The weather on the following morning was raw and
chilly. Reveille had sounded and the camp was astir
early. At six o'clock Crump was seen sitting on a log
near headquarters breakfasting on numerous hard
crackers and a piece of salt pork. One asked him
why he was not messing with his master; another in-
(juired how his master slept. Crump was not inclined

348 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
to reply to these questions, lest what he might say
should bring him a kick or a cuff. It was the misfor
tune of Crump that he was made to share the ill-will
the regiment bore his master, and, indeed, got no end
of kicks and cuffs on his account. When however, he
had eaten his breakfast he began capering about and
making sundry guttural noises on his bugle.
Several of the officers, who were sitting in a group
near headquarters, sent for Crump, and demanded to
know -why he was making these strange noises. Crump
wiped his mouth with his sleeve, shook his head, looked
first at one, then at the other. " Somebody's blood '11
be shed this morning," he stammered out. "Su-sum-
some — body's b-b-b-blood '11 be spilt — somebody '11 git
hurt." " Who's going to do all this desperate work, Crump?"
one of the officers inquired, smiling. " My master !
Got his courage all screwed up. Bin keepin it screwed
up all night. Bin shootin at a bull's eye out of a win
der for more nor an hour. Got so now he can hit it
plump every shot. Got four big pistols in his belt.
There '11 be some on ye burst when he comes down."
The officers now sent for Captain Otto, and made
Crump repeat what he had said in his presence, telling
him at the same time that he had better make his will
and prepare to get killed, for the Major was coming
with no less than four pistols, and there was sure to be
somebody hurt this time. Indeed, we all began to
think, from what the bugler said, that Von Flopp had
really got his courage up, and we should be entertainedl
with a sort of offhand duel, fought without seconds or

THE bTORY OF A TROOPER. 349
doctors. The German, however, was in nowise daunted,
made light of the Major's courage, and intimated that
he was ready to cross sabres or do him at ten paces
with pistols.
I ought also to inform the reader that the good wo
man was up early and had an ample breakfast for the
Major, and, indeed, did many other little things to
quiet his mind and make him comfortable, for she re
membered what he had said about seeing her provided
for in his will. And when he left the house she bid
him good bye, adding : " And now, sir, I shall pray for
you until I hear you are safe. Indeed, sir, I shall
look for you back to dinner, for I am sure that with
so many pistols you must kill your adversary," As
soon as he was out of sight she repaired to the table in
search of the will, for she was anxious to see what
share of his large fortune she was to get. Instead of
the will she found he had not wasted a sheet of the
paper. Indeed, to tell the truth, Von Flopp had not
a shilling in the world beside what came to him from
his pay as an officer, and instead of wasting an inch of
his candle over a will, had gone quietly to bed and
slept soundly during the night. The good woman was
grievously disappointed at this discovery, and began
to think she had been deceived in the character ol
her guest.
And now things began to look .serious about head
quarters, for Von Flopp appeared, in full feather, ad
vancing over a piece of rising ground in the direction
of the camp, two pistols in his belt, one in ea,ch hand,
his longest spurs mounted, and his sabre dangling about
bis heels. There was not a more ponderous figure to

350 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
be seen anywhere, and as he loomed out through the
cold gray mist, his fat sides shaking as he picked his
way through the mud, the picture he presented was ex
tremely ludicrous.
The officers made way as he came up. " By the
holy St. Patrick !" exclaimed the Irish Lieutenant,
thrusting his hands deep.into his breeches pockets andi
moving aside, " here's a fight oneyhow; an the divil a
chance for a fellow to get a hand in." He had scarcelyj
uttered the sentence when the Major confronted the
German Captain, and, in a menacing attitude, demandedi
to know what he had to say for himself; in other words,,
what excuse he had to offer for not being killed on the
spot, " I would have you know, sir, that these pistols
are loaded, and with balls, too, every one of thera,"
said the Major, becoming pale with excitement, and;
his hands trembling violently. "I am a brave man,
and I take it you are a brave man. Now, either you
will repeat what you said yesterday and give me satis
faction, or make a proper apology, and I will forget|
the matter and consider you a gentleman."
"As I do not understand English very well," replied
the German, more quietly than he had ever done be
fore, "this little fellow shall interpret for me, and at
ten or a dozen paces, as you may choose." Here he
drew from a side pocket a pistol of exquisite finish,
and with which Von Flopp had seen him make some
remarkable shots from the saddle. The sight of it,
and the hostile attitude the German was quick to take,
increased the Major's nervousness to a remarkable de
gree. " I'm not to be frightened," he stammered rather
than spoke, " not to be frightened — no, I'm not— by

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 351
the sight of that weapon. You don't know me if you
think you can frighten me so easy, I am convinced
now that you are no gentleman, therefore it would not
become me, a superior officer, to put myself on a level
with you by shooting you on the spot. But you shall
be punished for this conduct of yours, and I have the
power to do it," Here he affected to get himself into
a passion, and instead of shooting the German, rushed
frantically to the Colonel's quarters, the crowd cheer
ing as he went, reported the insults he had received
from Captain Otto, and demanded that he be placed in
arrest. The Colonel was at first inclined to sympathize with
Von Flopp, and granted the order, whereupon the Ger
man proceeded quietly to obey it, for he regarded the
whole affair as a ridiculous farce, as indeed it really
was. When, however, the Colonel had received a true
account of the whole affair, he laughed as heartily as
the rest, and when 10 o'clock came put an end to it by
releasing Captain Otto and sending him with his com
pany to guard a supply train on its way to Warrenton,
to relieve Blenker's division, w'Jch was reported to be
in great distress for want of rations.
Here again Von Flopp's courage gave out when the
crisis came. Indeed, he never could get it up when
there was the slightest danger. He now went back to
his comfortable lodgings, his feathers drooping and his
powder wet — for it began to rain fast — disappointed at
the luck he had met, as also was the good woman who
was waiting him at the door.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

SCENES IN AlEXANDKIA— EMBAEKATION FOR THE PENINSUIA
From the 12th to the 18th of April the sombre old
town of Alexandria, in whose streets secession had
raised so haughty a head when the war began, but where
its advocates might now be seen looking humbled and
dejected, presented a busy scene. Long lines of infantry |
marched and counter-marched through its streets, with:
banners flying, drums beating, and bands playing na
tional airs. Staff officers and mounted orderlies dashed'
up and down the rugged pavement, carrying orders and
arranging the details of embarkation. All night long
the heavy tramp of horsemen, the ominous clatter of
sabres, the "halt!" of the provost guard, and the'
rumbling of artillery and subsistence trains, might be
heard breaking the silence -with their harsh sounds.
Alexandria reminded one of a city long gone to de
cay, hopelessly conquered, its people broken in spirit,|
just waking up with a new and improved lease of life.
Provost marshals ordered all saloons to be closed, and
issued stringent orders against the sale of liquor to sol
diers. But these orders seemed to have little effect, for
the soldiers got liquor in some way, and not a few cases
of disorder resulted from it. Then guards were kept
352

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 353
busy day and night searching for officers and men who
had been decoyed from their commands by the gambler
and the harlot — those vampires who hang about an
army and harvest on the misfortunes of the soldier,
Alexandria swarmed with them then, as Alexandria
swarms withithem now, to the disgrace of the military
authority that sets itself up as a necessity to preserve
law and order.
The scene on the river and at the wharves was equally
busy and exciting. A long line of transports, some of
them sea steamers of the largest capacity, the light,
airy, and spacious North river " floating palace," ships,
brigs, and schooners, lay moored on the bosom of the
placid Potomac for a distance of at least three miles.
In places these huge transports lay five and six abreast,
making a grand and imposing appearance. Then a
swarm of small, odd-shaped craft, from the unsightly
canal boat to the clumsy barge and puffing tug, threaded
their way through the fleet, each performing its pecu
liar service. Now great steamers move in line to
the wharves, soon fill up with their living freight,
and return to their places in the stream, their decks
swarming with merry soldiers, who dance and sing,
and are as gay as if they were bound on a party of
pleasure. There are long lines of schooners and brigs
in the stream, packed with horses and mules, the long
ears of the latter giving a touch of quaintness to the
picture. The mules keep up an intense braying, espe
cially at night, and the horses are restless. The sol
diers say the mules are holding a caucus and object to
this new way of marching to a new base. The shipping
16*

354 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
of these mules affords the soldiers a great deal of
amusement. There was a scene of excitement on the
wharf just now. A refractory mule lopped his ears,
shook his head, and made decided objection to the plank
method of putting him on board. Then he broke away
from his keepers, charged at a gallop up the wharf, up
set several persons, and performed numerous odd freaks,
as a mule will when in the humor, and caused great
cheering among the lookers on. A race now follows,
and the mule seems to have the best of it, and treats
the intentions of his pursuers with an amount of ca
price remarkable even for a mule. A mounted guard
is at length called in to capture him, and he is brought
back a more submissive if not wiser mule; and after
being well kicked and cursed he is put into the slings
and whipped on board in a manner that seems to as
tonish him. I never could exactly understand the
relations existing between the soldier and this long-
eared friend of his. The soldier always seemed to
have a strong attachment for the animal, and, indeed,
to regard him as a true friend, which he really was, but
never seemed so happy as when he was either kicking
him or heaping imprecations on his head.
General Franklin had his unpretending headquarters
on board the little steamer Mystic, and her movements
were watched with interest throughout the fleet, as
they were supposed to indicate those of the General,
During the time of our embarkation, Franklin made a
visit to the army at Yorktown, to consult with General
M'Clellan about our movements, and get some knowl
edge of the situation. On his return he gave us a

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 355
pretty clear idea of the situation of affairs before York
town, and, also, of the part we should have to take in
the plan that was being so slowly developed. The
little comfortable cabin of the Mystic was the scene of
several conferences between Franklin, Kearney, New-
top, and Slocum, concerning our future movements.
And these conferences were conducted with so much
courtesy and apparent good feeling, that any one wit
nessing them would have found it difficult to believe
that even a difference of opinion could have existed
between such gentlemen. But even here the rank weed
of jealousy had taken root, and beneath that appa
rently calm surface there was a current of troubled
waters which subsequently showed itself in open
violence. The morning of the IStli of April was warm and
summer-like. The fleet, consisting of nearly two hun
dred vessels, ranged along in a formidable line, ready
to sail. The wind came light and breezy up the river.
Suddenly the whole fleet was hung with flags that
floated and coquetted in the breeze, and gave a gay and
picturesque appearance to the scene. Then signals
were exchanged along the line, and the boatswain's
whistle sounded on the gunboats. Tugs steamed and
puffed through the fleet, the steamers got up steam, and
the noise of windlasses as the ships hove short, echoed
and re-echoed along the river; and gave a mystic touch to
the grand pageant. Now a huge steamer starts her
wheels, forges ahead a few rods, then drops back to her
anchor. Soldiers swarm the decks of the larger trans
ports, and cheer after cheer goes up along the whole

356 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
line, until the very air resounds. The steamers that
are to tow the sailing vessels are seen to lift their
anchors, and drop quietly into line, and affix their tow
ropes. At half past ten o'clock the fleet was ready,
and the signal for sailing had been made.
The scene that now followed was grand and impos
ing beyond precedent, for the novelty and variety of
the craft composing the fleet gave to it features such as
Iiad never been seen in a fleet before. Two trim, taunt
looking gunboats led the line, and moved off with a sort
of defiant air. Then the big sea steamers, and the huge
river boats, with their lofty cabins, moved majestically
into line, their decks covered with cheering troops.
And these were followed by steamers towing long
lines of ships, brigs, schooners, and barges, the whole
forming a bright and dazzling picture as it swept
majestically down the Potomac, with bands playing,
banners flying, and the troops cheering.
The day continued fine until sundown, and the fleet
swept along at a rapid speed,. when heavy, threatening
clouds festooned the heavens in the south, portending a
sudden storm. Then quick, vivid" flashes of lightning,
followed by the deep rumbling of distant thunder, indi
cated the rapidly approaching squall. The fleet had
become stretched out over a distance of eight or nine
miles, and being at a point where the river curved,
presented the appearance of a semicircle. And as
the lightning played through the rigging of the fleet,
lighting up and giving a clear outline to each hull,
the effect was grand beyond description. Indeed,
there was something mysterious and spectre-like about

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 357
the scene, and the beholder might have fancied
himself suddenly transported to a land of enchant
ment. Then each craft sent up her blue, red, and whito
signal lights, and the scene became more brilliant
and dazzling. There was now considerable commotion
along the line. The wind murmured violently through
the rigging of the ships and saloons of the steamers,
and soon the whole line assumed the appearance of a
lighted city in a vaulting mood. Signals were made
to slacken speed. But the thunder storm was upon
us, and without waiting for the signal to come to
an anchor, steamers began cutting away from their
tows, and taking position before coming to anchor.'
The fleet had scarcely come to anchor, however, when
the storm broke in all its fury, accompanied by hail and
rain, but was of short duration. Here we rode at
anchor for the rest of the night.
We were underweigh early on the following morning,
and reached our destination in Poquosin river during
the afternoon of the 19th. The French fleet under
Count Rochambeau had occupied the same position
during the revolution, when it blockaded the York
river and assisted Washington in effecting the surrender
of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. The coast here pre
sented a long, low line of white sand, fringed with
scrubby pines, the deep green foliage forming a pretty
contrast. Little white houses nestled here and there
beneath the foliage, and gave a picturesque air to the
quiet picture. The channel of Poquosin river was very
narrow and crooked, but deep enough for several miles
up for our largest vessels. A long, low sand spit curved

358 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
from the south entrance to Poquosin river, extending
nearly to the channel, and forming a breakwater foi
the fleet inside, which anchored in the form of a semi
circle, and was well sheltered from the bay. An
other spit to the north of us, and on which there was
a clump of scrub pines, separated us from the York
river. This Poquosin river ran up to Cheesman's Land
ing, about five miles, where subsistence and munitions ol
war were being landed in immense quantities, for Gen
eral McClellan had made it a base of supplies, its dis-
t-.nce from our works in front of Yorktown being about
six miles. The river was full of little creeks and in
dentations, some of them cutting through thickly tim
bered swamp three and four miles, with water deep
enough for our largest river steamers to float in.
The continual ingoing and outgoing of steamers and
supply vessels gave to this usually quiet sheet of water;
the appearance of a busy commercial port, doing an ex
tensive trade,
York river is famous for the quantity and fine
quality of its oysters, and no sooner had the fleet
come to anchor than numerous expeditions were fitted
out to raid on the beds. Indeed, before tattoo it seemedj
as if the whole division, officers and men, were ban-'
quoting on the finest oysters, served in a variety of
styles, Negroes showed us where the best beds were
to be found, and we helped ourselves without inquiring
whether their owners were in the Southern army, or
still carrying on the oyster trade with New York, A
large number of wooden canoes, or " dug-outs" were
found secreted up the creeks, and these were brought

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 359
[out and appropriated by our officers, who soon became
experts in the use of them, and made daily voyages in
them in search of fish and oysters. In short, the little
river swarmed with them in a few days, and so intent
were our officers on indulging in these aquatic sports
that an order was issued directing all the " dug-outs"
to be turned over to the quartermaster. This put an
end to " dug-out" sailing, and brought many a young
hero who had invested his fifteen or twenty dollars for
a ship of his own to sail in, to grief. We had also an
abundance of fine fish, for the river and adjacent creeks
were full of bass, rock and other species.
Our officers became inquisitive as to what sort oi
people lived in those pretty little white houses that
nestled so lovingly among the deep green foliage on
shore. Numerous visits of discovery were made, and
in a few days relations of the most friendly kind were
cultivated. Distance had certainly lent enchantment
here, for on a near view tiiese houses were found to be
of the plainest description, and their occupants simple-
minded people, who knew little of the world beyond
Poquosin river, and had got an honest living by fishing
and oystering. Nearly all the men were away in the
Southern army, and had left their little homes and
farms in charge of a hardy, healthy looking race of
women. Four fresh, buxom girls, the youngest sixteen,
and the oldest just twenty-one, were the sole occupants
of one of these houses, the father and two brothers
having joined the Southern army, and left them to do
the fishing and protect themselves against " the insults
of the rude Yankees." I noticed, however, that these

360 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
unprotected damsels had a remarkably coy way witii
tiiem, and although each affected to have a lover in the
South, they did a great deal of coquetting with our
officers, and, indeed, came to regard their visits as little
pleasant affairs they would like to have repeated as
often as possible. There was something really good
about these honest-hearted girls, who always spread
before us such fare as they had, and with such a true
and sincere generosity as to touch the tenderest sym
pathies of the heart. Indeed, I may venture the asser
tion that if their " Southern lovers " could have seen
to what an extent these damsels coquetted with our offi
cers, there would have been explanations demanded,
and perhaps something more. We returned their kind
ness by giving them many little things they stood in
need of; and we left them with a prayer that God might
guard and protect them. In another house there was
a widow and her two daughters, one a girl of remark
able beauty, with a bright, peachy complexion, dark,
flashing eyes, raven black hair, an oval face in which
every feature was beauty and delicacy, and a finely
rounded form. We came to call her the belle of Po
quosin river, and not a few of our officers paid her
visits out of compliment to her beauty, and, indeed,;
would have given her their hands and their hearts, and
made her happy for the rest of her life. She received
their attentions coldly bat respectfully, told them she
had a lover fighting us in the South, and in whose keep
ing her heart would remain until he returned. In
short, I noticed that whenever she spoke of this lover
tears welled into her beautiful eyes and her voice failed

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 361
her. She gave us his name when we left, and also
showed us his portrait which she kept in a little locket
nestling on her fair bosom ; and she begged us to be
kind to him if we met him in battle, for she was sure
he would be kind to us.
Another and somewhat different sort of person was
a woman who resided near the head of the creek, and
whose farm extended half way across the broad plain.
She was a woman of ponderous figure, weighed at least
two hundred and forty pounds, and the most talkative
person I met on the Peninsula, The soldiers called
her Mrs, Heavysides, out of respect to her figure, I
suppose. She had three rustic looking daughters, who
were much given to flirting with our soldiers, which
seemed to keep her in a state of perpetual trouble.
Three or four decayed old negroes hobbled about tlie
garden and yard, and received her scolding with the
most perfect indifference. She took a dislike to the
Yankees, she said, some years ago. A jolly brick-maker
from Staten Island had come that way on an oyster boat
and carried off one of her daughters. She regarded
that transaction as rather an ink spot on the family rec
ord. But she had not quite made up her mind whether
to be a secessionist or remain true to the Union, She
would rather wait a little while and see which whipped
before giving her political opinions a decided color.
She didn't like Jeff. Davis any more, she would say,
nor Abe Lincoln, and thought if they were both put
in a bag and well shook up, and then tossed into Po
quosin river, honest folks would have been a deal bet
ter off. The soldiers of General Sickles's brigade^

362 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
which was encamped for a time near her house, kept
her in a state of continual excitement, for they not only
persisted in courting her daughters, but stole all her
pigs and chickens. But the most amusing part of it
was that she insisted in charging the theft of her pigs
land chickens to the General himself.
This talkative woman afforded me a great deal of
entertainment. I would find her of a morning filling
up her front door, her hands tucked under her apron,
and ready to fire a volley at General Sickles and the
Yankees in general. Her first salutation would gen
erally be : " Another shoat's gone. You fellers keeps
on this ere way, you'll get every shoat and chicken I
got. That Gineral Sickles I he is a pretty right smart
Gineral to steal all a poor woman's pigs and chickens
in this way. Have one cooked for dinner to-day —
I reckon, and '11 ask his friends in to help eat 'em.
Need'nt tell me he won't. Would'nt believe one on
yen." I made several attempts to defend the General's
character against these serious charges, but without
effect. She would insist that it was the General who
stole her pigs, not his soldiers, who had no means of
cooking them. Then her mind would run from the
General and her poultry to Yorktown and General
Magruder. " Whare on airth did you Yankees all come from ?"
she would inquire, sarcastically. Mighty smart heap
on yeu — there is. What did yen come down here fur,
raisin sich a hub-bub — disturbin the peace of we poor
Poquosin folks. Want to get Yorktown, 'spose ?

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 363
Yorktown ain't no town after yeou git it. Makin a
right smart fuss over Yorktown, firing them arr big
guns every day and killin folks. Ain't a dozen good
houses in Yorktown when yeou deou git it. Wish you'd
a gone some other way to take Yorktown, if its York-
town you want; and not bringed that are Gineral
Sickles here a stealin all my shoats. There's this,
hain't got a gineral among you Yankees what can
drink more whiskey nor Gineral Magruder. Its a
mighty little whiskey you'll find in Yorktown when
yeou deu take it." The old lady would talk in this
strain until attracted by the appearance of some sol
diers who had come to court her daughters and needed
a little watching.

CHAPTER XXXV

UNCERTAINTY ABOUT LANDING— THE WEATHER, ETC., ETO.
Our division left Alexandria with the expectation of
landing on the Severn river, under cover of gunboats,
moving on the enemy's works at Gloucester Point, op
posite Yorktown, and having the first fight with the
enemy. But we remained afloat day after day in
Poquosin river, until both officers and men became im
patient at the delay, and it was evident there was a
hitch somewhere. To-day a report would be circulated
that gunboats to cover our landing could not be got,
and then the navy would come in for an amount of
crimination I dare not venture to describe here. To
morrow this report would be contradicted, and the de
lay charged to the engineer's department, which, it was
said, had not provided the proper means of landing.
A feeling of disappointment and impatience prevailed
throughout the division. General Kearney was still
with us, and had his headquarters on board the fine
steamer Elm City, which lay a few rods from us. The
General's impatience at being kept afloat in this man
ner found expression every day in language more em-
pha,tic than the rules of the service warranted. Gen
eral Franklin, who felt chagrined at the part we were
364

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 365
compelled to perform, made frequent visits to the front,
but generally returned without anything favorable to
communicate. It was indeed mortifying to him to
have his fine division cooped up in this manner on ship
board, to be conscious that both men and animals were
suffering terribly, and no immediate prospect of afford
ing theni relief. The rigors of ship-board soon be
came more trying than those common to camp life.
On the 20th, Lieutenant Colonel B. S. Alexander
joined our staff. He enjoyed the reputation of being
one of the most skillful engineers in the regular army, a
man of rare genius, of quick perception, great coolness,
a keen sense of the ludicrous, and a genial disposition.
He began his work by collecting a large number of
barges, old canal boats, and scows, with which to form
landing stages. His movements were watched with
the deepest interest, as their progress was supposed
to denote the time of our relief from this sea prison.
I must say here that I found in Colonel Alexander an
old acquaintance whom I had met while stationed in
Savannah several years ago, and who, like myself, had
enjoyed to their fullest many of tiiose pleasant scenes
so common to Southern society before the war. The
recollection and recalling of those pleasant scenes, with
the images of old and congenial friends, many of whom
held prominent places in the Southern army, and were
arrayed against us as enemies, afforded us entertain
ment for many an hour after the labors of the day were
over. The Colonel was a prominent feature in the
campaign on the Peninsula, for he was to be seen
wherever active operations were going on, directing or

366 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
taking a part in them. His eye was as quick in grasp
ing the advantages of a position as in detecting the
errors committed by a general on the field. And to
his clear judgment and correct knowledge of military
science, many officers of higher rank were indebted for
the means of escaping from the serious disasters that
might have resulted from their own blunders. The
Colonel was a man of Falstaffian figure, with a round,
ruddy face, and a merry twinkling eye. He wore big
canvas boots, and a broad brim hat ; and, as seen at
night, with his inseparable lantern, presented a picture
worth preserving and not easily to be forgotten. Sol
diers are always quick to attach odd and unique names
to officers prominent in any particular arm of the ser
vice. Some of ours called the Colonel " Old Pon
toons," Others knew him as " Old Corduroy," In
the staff he was known as Diogenes, He enjoyed;
these names as much as those who applied them ; in
deed, he was fond of applying quaint names to others,
and no man enjoyed a good joke more. If he could
have his at the expense of some incompetent brigadier,
so much the better. We were together through most
of the campaign, and the bright recollection of so
agreeable a companion is something I shall carry
with me through life.
When, however, the Colonel got his landing stages
ready, it was reported that the navy could not furnish
the requisite number of gunboats to co-operate in our
intended movement, and another delay was the result.
Then every one became impatient to know why Gen
eral McClellan, whose siege guns had been going for-

THE STORY OF A TEOOPER, 3G7
ward for at least a fortnight, did not open the siege.
One attributed it to this, another to that. The general
impression was, that he wanted to make a grand dis
play of his engineering skill by completing his works
and opening fire along the whole line. Officers whom
he had counted among his best friends, became restive
and impatient at the delay this policy was causing, and
openly expressed their doubts of its wisdom. A few
were malicious enough to say that General McClellan
had again changed his mind as to the practicability of
his base, and was contemplating a new plan, which
would change the destination of our division. Again,
it was whispered that there was a serious misunder
standing between General McClellan and the authori
ties at Washington, which had brought on an unpleas
ant controversy, and was likely to end in a change of
commanders. To this it was added that sundry mis
chievous politicians in Washington had so influenced
the President and Secretary against General McClellan
that they were doing everything in their power to
destroy his plans and damage him in the eyes of the
public. These reports had a very bad effect on the
army, and more especially on its officers. They placed
McClellan in the position of an injured man, with an
army to fight in front of him and a worse enemy in his
rear, and yet did him no real good. Respect for
the authorities at Washington was already too, low in
the Army of the Potomac, and reports like these were
not calculated to promote that good understanding
between the executive powers and our army so neces
sary to success. The General who seeks strength in

368 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
the sympathy of his army, places himself in a more un
safe position than if he were to work patiently,
avoid political entanglements, and do • the best he can
with the means at hand. It was the misfortune of Mc
Clellan not to separate his military duties from the
political entanglements of the day. He believed, and
sincerely, that the fate of the nation was in th« hands
of the Army of the Potomac, and that he was the polit
ical as well as military saviour of the republic. In
deed, all his mental energies seemed directed to the
preservation of this army, which he fancied repre
sented the political as well as military status of the
country. He seemed to forget that what strength an
army gathers on the field of battle may be thrown
away in inactivity as well as want of boldness and de
cision in its commander.
There was also a too prevalent disposition among a
certain class of officers to treat with indifference the
authorities at Washington, and even to cast ridicule
on their want of military knowledge. Nor were the
men slow to catch up this feeling and add their influ
ence to an instrument that was working serious injury
to discipline.

STORY OF A TROOPER,

boo:k: iv.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

APLOAT IN POQUOSIN VET,
As a partial relief to the impatience of which I have
before spoken, we were entertained every day with a des
ultory cannonading at the front. Then a rumor would
pass from ship to ship that the sieg-e had really opened
at last. But after an exchange of ten or fifteen shots,
the cannonading would cease, only to increase our dis
appointment. In short, this thing became such a fa
miliar, every day affair that we could easily distinguish
between the deep thugging sound of mortars and the
sharp ring of Parrotts and the loud booming noise of
the enemy's hundred-pounder, which afterwards burst
on his works.
We had been a week in Poquosin river, cooped up
on ship board, and yet there was no prospect of land
ing. The poor animals began to suffer terribly for for
age and water. Closely packed on the schooners, ex
posed night and day to the capricious weather, with no
opportunity to lay down, their legs became stiff and
swollen, and many of them died from sheer exhaustion.
It was evident that something must be done to relieve
their sufferings, and that very soon. On the 26th,
Captpins Arnold and Upton landed their batteries and
371

372 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
horses. A portion of the cavalry was also landed^
audit was a pleasing sight to see how the poor animal^
enjoyed their freedom on shore. Some cavorted and
gamboled over the broad plain ; others rolled and
sported in the sand. And in this way they manifested
their satisfaction until the bugle called them to hay
and oats. General Kearney ran his steamers up to the
bank, and indulged his Jersey Brigade with permission
to go on shore for exercise.
The weather all this time had been very capricious.
I find the following note of it in my memorandum :
April 19, 5 P- M. — The fleet came to anchor in Po
quosin river. Weather fine, sea smooth, wind light
from the west. Anchorage good. A negro in a dug
out told us where to find good oysters.
20f/i. — Weather changed. Wind east-northeast,
squally, rainy, and cold. Vessels straining at their
anchors. A heavy sea on outside. Overcoats and
fires in great demand.
2l5^. — The storm- has increased. Wind strong from
the east, and an ugly sea outside. A gunboat has near
ly dragged afoul of us. Outside vessels move up for
better shelter and holding ground. Snow and hail in
small quantities, and rain in large. Cold and very dis
agreeable on deck. No sign of landing.
22cZ.— Rainy and squally, but less cold. Wind
changing to the northward. Animals suffer terribly
from exposure, and we are almost out of fresh water
and forage. No sign of landing, A report was cir
culated yesterday that General Magruder had been
shot by a Berdan sharp-shooter, which is not very
likelv, '

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 373
23d. — Wind west, and pleasant weather to-day.
Magruder not so dead as reported yesterday. Loud
cannonading at the front, our every day entertainment
after oysters. The fleet in a very peaceable mood.
Kearney, with impatience looking out of every feature, is
impatient to get his troops ashore, and has gone up to
see what the prospect is.
24</i. — Weather has had a change of mind during
the night; cold and rain. Strong wind blowing from
southeast, and a sharp sea in tho bay. Stoves are
pleasant companions ; overcoats are in demand. Strange
weather this for Virginia. Rain has made the roads
leading to the front a quagmire. Fleet is in a weep
ing mood. Camp croakers are circulating all sorts of
ridiculous rumors respecting General Baldy Smith's
affair with the enemy on the 16th, Sensible men put
no faith in them. These camp croakers the besetting
sin of the army. They are themselves the most
arrant cowards, catch at everything damaging to our
generals, and serve the enemy by circulating stories
that cast a shadow of gloom and despondency over the
army. They are worse than members of Congress,
and their influence on the spirit of an army is equally
damaging. 2bth. — Weather still cold and raw. Heavy cannon
ading at the front. I made an excursion to Fort
Monroe on board the steamer Hero, Colonels Torbert
and Simpson of the Jersey Brigade, Captains Sturgis
and Wilson of General Kearney's staff, with Major
Ryerson and several other officers of the Jersey Brig
ade, formed a pleasant party ; had the fine band of the

3^74 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
8d New Jersey on board; reached Hampton Roads; full
of war ships, with steam up and ready for an encounter
with the Merrimac, making a fine appearance. Our
band struck up God save the Queen as we passed the
English war ships; paid a similar compliment to the
French ships by playing the national air of France,
Ships acknowledged the compliment by dipping their
flags; an attempt at cheering by the sailors on the
French ships. The little mysterious looking Monitor
lay moored in the stream, an object of great curiosity.
The above will give the reader a pretty clear idea of
what the weather was during the whole time we re
mained afloat in Poquosin river.

CHAPTER XXXVII,

GENERAL BALDT SMITH— FALL OP TORKTOWN— BATTLE OF WILLIAMS
BURG.
It was the 1st of May, and we were yet in Poquosin
river, wondering at the cause that kept us here, and
waiting in vain for the order that was to give us some
thing to do. The roads to the front were in the worst
condition it is possible to imagine; and it seemed as
if all the engineering skill we could bestow upon them
failed to work the slightest improvement. The work
of getting up material for so great 'a siege, and supplies
for so large an army, can only be properly estimated
by those who witnessed it. Sometimes the roads would
be blocked from one end to the other with strug
gling teams, which had worked so deep into the sand
that it seemed impossible to extricate them. Fragments
of broken wagons, and dead animals, were strewn, all
along the roadsides, in places marking the spot where
a huge team had broken down, or perhaps sunk nearly
out of sight in the soft mud. And it was a sad sight to
see these trains struggling one way, and ambulances
bearing the sick, the wounded, and the dead, struggling
another. These sick and wounded were brought to the
steamer Commodore, which had been turned into a
375

376 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
hospital, and lay quietly moored in a little creek at the
head of Poquosin river.
There occurred on the 16th of April, at Lee's Mills,
on the Warwick river, an affair in which impatienc^
and perhaps the rashness of a good General cost us a
number of valuable lives, and came very near proving
much more serious in its results. I refer to the disaster
in which the Vermont troops of General Baldy Smith's
division were engaged, and for which that General was
not only held responsible before the country, but his
conduct misrepresented, and his character grossly as
sailed. Camp gossips were quick to seize upon this
little reverse to our arms, to magnify every incident
relating to it, and to misrepresent the facts. And
what they could not say bad enough of the General
who directed the movement, gossirs on the floor of
Congress said for them.
The facts were simply these. On the opposite bank
of the Warwick river, and in a line with General
Smith's position, the enemy had a battery, and this, as
well as his sharpshooters, used to annoy our working
parties every day, and,_ indeed, give us a great deal of
trouble. The annoyance increased until General
Smith's impulsive nature could stand it no longer. He
became impatient to have a trial of strength with them,
and to that end applied to General McClellan for per
mission to make a demonstration, and, if possible, drive
the enemy from his position. It will be necessary to
add here that the enemy's position was almost wholly
concealed, by the old mills on one side, and a clump of
scrubby wood on the other. Nor was it possible, for

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 377
the same reason, to get any correct knowledge of the
ground intervening between the opposite bank and the
enemy's position. The river had to be reached by a
narrow causeway, and then crossed over an old mill
dam, with a deep and ugly ditch cut on the west bank,
rendering the passage of a charging column extremely
precarious, as well as exposing it to a concentrated
fire. General McClellan had great confidence in Gen
eral Smith's judgment, for he knew him to be a first
class engineer and a gallant officer, who sincerely
believed that he could accomplish what he undertook.
It is due to him, however, to say that he granted the
request with reluctance.
I must add, also, that several reconnoissances had
been made here, and it was the opinion of General
Smith that this was the weakest point in the enemy's
line. A strong roconnoitering force now moved across
under a sharp fire, but found considerable difficulty
on reaching the dam and ditch, which they overcame
gallantly and gained the opposite bank with cheers.
Smith had his forces drawn up and held in readiness to
support this force, if needs be, by an attack in force.
The troops now over became engaged with the enemy,
who began to discover himself in stronger force than
had been expected. Another and then another regi
ment of the Vermont brigade was pushed over, though
with considerable difficulty, owing to the narrow and
unsafe condition of the passage over the dam, and ad
vanced gallantly to the support of their comrades, and
fought with great steadiness against superior numbers
and great disadvantages, for the ground was found to
17-"-

378 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
be soft and spongy and full of dangerous quicksandaJ
The fire of the enemy's guns in the battery immediately
covering the dam had been silenced, but others and
more formidable ones, before unknown to us, opened
on our attacking party, and with severe effect. For
two hours or more our troops fought gallantly, advan
cing foot by foot over the broken, marshy ground, until
it became evident they were being led into a dangerous
trap. One part of the line, too, got entangled in a
swamp, whence the men could with difficulty extricate
themselves, and where they were exposed to a raking
fire of the enemy's concealed batteries, which had just
opened. The fact showed itself in all its force, that
we had been deceived, as well in regard to the nature
of the ground as the strength of the enemy's works
and the force he had to support them. The struggle
was a gallant and deadly one ; but it was like sending
a child to fight a giant. Our brave men fell rapidly,
an J the line began to falter. General Smith saw the
mistake that had been made when it was too late. He
struggled hard and did what he could to get over re
inforcements ; but his efforts were in vain. A move
ment of the enemy to cut off the force on the other
side had thrown it into a panic, and it came rushing
irresistibly back in disorder, blocking up the passage,
causing portions of the dam to give way, and suffering
terribly from the enemy's concentrated fire. The en
emy pressed on hard, and advanced in such force that
General Smith was ordered to entrench his position
commanding the dam, so as to keep the enemy in check
and prevent him from crossing and attacking us. Tho

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 379
disaster was mortifying indeed, and to none more so
th.an General Smith. He had put his hand into the
lion's mouth to see if he would bite, and paid dearly
for his temerity. The enemy followed our disordered
and retreating troops boldly to the bank, exulting over
his victory. He also sprung a dam and flooded the
stream, into which a number of our men were carried'
and drowned. Others were shot in the water while
trying to escape. Our loss in killed, wounded, and
missing was about two hundred. Smith had watched
every movement with intense interest, but finding that
the enemy had suddenly discovered this overwhelming
force, and that the tide of battle had turned against
us thus disastrously, mounted his horse and rode ofi
to direct his covering movements. He had gone but a
few rods when his horse plunged into a treacherous
quicksand and threw him to the ground.
Camp gossips at once seized upon this accident, and
circulated the report that the General's fall was the
result of intoxication. He must have been intoxicated
they said, or he never would have fallen from his horse.
Reports like these, under such circumstances, only illus
trate the evil there is in human nature. They are
the filthy driblets that fall from the foul tongues of
the heartless. And yet, unworthy as these reports
were of the slightest consideration among respectable
men, they found ready believers in Congress, and a
member to spread them abroad for profane and malig
nant ends. Among officers of the army, General Baldy
Smith's character for sobriety needed no defenders.
He was, perhaps, rash and impetuous ; and if these

380 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
were faults in an officer, they were the result in this
instance of over-earnestness to promote the cause of
his country, and punish her enemies. With a fine sense
of honor, the service had no purer patriot, no more ac
complished gentleman, than Baldy Smith. The country
knows him better now than it did then; and the slander
hurled with so much malignity at his reputation only
served to brighten it when the truth became known.
The result of this affair gave rise to an unpleasant
"eeling between Generals McClellan and Smith, whoi
b.\d up to this time been on the most friendly terms, -
Atd it is safe to say that at least one officer prominent
on General McClellan's staff iirged that General Smith
be censured for his rashness. Indeed, it would not be
difficult to trace Smith's hostility to McClellan during-
tbe remainder of the campaign to what took place on
this occasion.
The garrison of Yorktown had been heavily rein
forced by troops under General J. E. Johnston, who
succeeded Magruder in command. He kept up the
appearance every day of strengthening and extending-
hia lines ; and, as May approached, annoyed us exceed
ingly, making demonstrations at various points of our
line every evening, creating considerable excitement?,
drawing the fire of some of our batteries, and driving
in our pickets. He continued these demonstrations,
sometimes accompanying them with sharp and continu
ous cannonading, up to the night of the 3d of May, In
deed, their artillery fire was kept up until nearly mid
night on that night, and had rarely been more vigorous.
It was evident that the enemy contemplated some iir,.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 381
portant movement, but so well had he kept his own
secrets that our scouts w6re all deceived in regard to
his intentions. Some of our generals looked for an
attack rather than an evacuation. We heard his
bugles sound and his drums beat that night; our pickets
heard his sentinels challenge; and lights we had been
accustomed to see from tree tops at night burned as
brightly as ever in the old town.
The firing ceased about half past ten o'clock, and an
ominous stillness prevailed up to midnight. About
two o'clock on the morning of the 4th, news reached
General McClellan that the enemy had evacuated York-
town, his rear guard marching out about midnight.
The excitement and confusion about headquarters that
followed, may easily be imagined. Staff officers were
despatched in various directions, and generals waked
from their peaceful slumbers to receive orders; some
to go in pursuit of the retreating enemy; others to
proceed and occupy his abandoned works.
The news was kept from the army generally until
morning, and it woke up to find that the enemy had
stolen away unmolested, and left us as a legacy for our
labors his huge, frowning earthworks, his heavy artil
lery, and a large quantity of supplies and munitions of
war. No cheers went up. The feeling among both
officers and mon was that of disappointment rather
than joy. The enemy had bequeathed us his strong-
position; but we had not gained a victory over his army;
and no bulletin the commanding General could issue
would change the color of the stubborn facts before us.
Wc were already in possession of the old town, ard

382 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
when the sun rose, the stars and stripes floated on the!
citadel, and our troopers paraded the streets. Ccl.
l^tcReynolds, with six companies of the Lincoln Cav
lalry, had been furnished with a guide, and ordered to
proceed and occupy the town immediately after the
news of the evacuation reached us. The men were
-quick in the saddle and moving, but owing to the dark
ness of the night, the density of the woods, and the
intricate character as well as bad condition of the
roads, the column became confused, took a wrong road,
and went several miles beyond Yorktown before find
ing out the mistake. Indeed, they came very near
falling on some straggling forces of the enemy. On
finding out the mistake, however, they wheeled about,
and after gaining the right road, proceeded at a brisk
trot, entering Yorktown just in the gray of morning.
Several of the roads in the immediate vicinity of York-
town were found planted with little villainous torpe-'
does, a number of which exploded, killed and injuredj
several of our horses, and excited alarm among the
men. We accepted this contemptible mode of warfare
as a proof of the spirit in which the enemy left his
works. We also found a number of these torpedoes
planted in such parts of his works as he thought our
men would be likely to gather about.
The last of the enemy's troops had evidently left in
great haste, for their officers' quarters remained just as
they had occupied them, with an ample stock of good
provisions in their larders, and clothing and extra
equipments hanging on the walls. Indeed, we had
lioShing to do but step in and preparf the feast that

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 383
had been left by our enemies. Even the fires were left
burning, and the cooking utensils ready for use. And
for this kind consideration, this warming and making
the house comfortable for us to occupy, many thanks
were returned. There was a large quantity of the
very finest bacon, of which our officers laid in an ample
stock. In short, we had "Yorktown bacon" during
our dead watches in the swamps of the Chickahominy,
The stout old lady at the head of Poquosin river
was right about Yorktown, It was not much of a
town after all. A few scattering houses, some of them
perforated with our shells, and none of any importance,
except the historical interest that attached to them,
constituted all there was left of the decayed old town.
Indeed, it looked like a place that had been tumbled
about a good deal in the turmoil of war, and had
squatted down behind huge hills of red clay to seek a
hiding place from the rest of the world. But these
huge clay hills, on a closer acquaintance, you would
find to be defences, unexcelled for completeness of con
struction and strength. They contained long and finely
arched galleries, connecting with spacious bombproofs,
solidly constructed platforms and traverses, magazines
of the most improved style — all showing that the enemy
was at least not deficient of the best engineering
skill. The few white persons we found in the town were
composed chiefly of old men and women, who assumed
a sullen air, and were not inclined to enter into friend
ly relations with what they were pleased to term the
invaders of their homes. There was little or no

384 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
Union sentiment in the place. They nursed the idea
that we had come to carry off their negroes, and more
than one of their women reproached us for enticing
their servants to run away and making white people
slaves to their own household. There was evideutiy
a great struggle going on between their pride and tiie
poverty they were reduced to by the circumstances of
war. Nor was this struggle softened by the negroes,
wlTo, taking advantage of our appearance, and believ
ing that their liberation was the object we had come
for, at once threw off all obligations to their owners, and
began packing up their traps for a new and indepen
dent voyage down the stream of life. The most spite
ful and nimble-tongued secessionist we found in
Yorktown was the little black-eyed daughter of a hum
ble cordwainer, who had cobbled the soles of the aris
tocracy for at least a quarter of a century. And after
all, it was said of him that he was a poor wretch, and
didn't own a single negro. His dapper little daughter,|
however, assumed all the airs of an F, F, V,, and, in
deed, acted in such a manner as to lead us to believe
that the pride of the Old Dominion had been entrusted
to her keeping, I never heard so glib a tongue, and
she would keep it continually tripping in contempt for
" the Yankees." Some of our soldiers, under the pre
tence of getting their boots mended, would drop in at
the humble cordwainer's cottage, and good-naturedly
make love to this damsel, which would sorely increase
her misery. More than one of them proposed a matri
monial alliance, but this only increased her indignation,
and made more emphatic her expressions of loyalty to

THE 8T0RT OF A TEOOPER. 385
old Virginia, and undying hate to the Yankees, who
once cheated her father by selling him bad leather. In
truth, I am afraid it was the leather that did the thing
for her loyalty. I may add, however, that before leav
ing Yorktown I detected her carrying on quite a flir
tation with a dashing young cavalry oflEicer ; and that,
too, over a nice cup of tea she had prepared with her
own hands.
Orders were also sent early on the morning of the
4th to General Stoneman, chief of cavalry, to move im
mediately with his command over the Yorktown and
Williamsburg road, press vigorously forward, and, it
possible, cut off that portion of the enemy's rear which
was retreating on the road passing Lee's Mills, The
command consisted of four batteries of artillery, (the
finest in the service,) the First and Sixth U, S. Cavalry,
(regulars,) the Third Pennsylvania and Eighth Illinois,
and Barker's squadron, (General McClellan's body
guard.) all picked troops. General Stoneman's move
ments, although making no inconsiderable display on
paper, never were pressed very vigorously, and, to say
the least, there -was always something uncertain about
their results. In this instance there was some delay
in starting, then more than two hours were spent in re
pairing a bridge before his command could pass safely
over the Warwick, and in passing the enemy's works to
gain the Yorktown road several torpedoes exploded,
killing two (some said three) of his men and disabling
several horses.
The explosion of these torpedoes, and the alarm re
sulting from it, rendered it necessary to proceed with

386 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
extreme caution for several miles. The country here
was very level, the roads narrow and intricate, and
frequently cutting through wood, the dense foliage of
which hampered the actions of our officers. And when
ever we approached these woods, we had to feel our way
cautiously, to halt and reconnoitre, for they were capi
tal places for the enemy to conceal himself and take
our cavalry by surprise. And wherever the roads cut
through these woody belts, we were sure to find them
wet and in an almost impassable condition. In some
places, although the weather had been fine for three
days, it was almost impossible to get artillery through.
All these difficulties had to be overcome ; and the
reader can easily see how much they must have retard
ed the movements of the column under Stoneman. But
there was even a greater hindrance than these. None
of our officers seemed to know anything of the country
before them, the local maps were of no use, the people
we met were dumb when we wanted information, the
negroes knew everything but could communicate noth
ing correctly, and- bur guides were either stupidly in
competent or afraid to perform their proper duties
And, too, the country was full of little bye and cross-
roads, their course from the main road varying bu
slightly, and any one of which might be mistaken for
it by the stranger. These only served to make the
confusion more perplexing. A few of the enemy's
stragglers were picked up along the read, and it was
noon before the column reached a point only eight
miles from Yorktown, on the road to Williamsburg.
To say the least, this was not very rapid marching for

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 8S7
what was called a flying column. Here, in accordance
:with instructions from General McClellan, who seems
also to have lacked correct knowledge of the roads and
surface character of the country, Stoneman despatched
Emory with a battery of artillery and the Third
Pennsylvania Cavalry, under Averill, by a cross-road
towards the Lee's Mill road, upon which Baldy Smith
had moved his division, and with the object of acting
in concert with that General in attacking or cutting
off any portion of the enemy's rear guard that might be
retreating that way. This movement was at least of
doubtful utility, as a reference to the map will show.
We had no short line to operate on, and the hope of
cutting off any portion of the enemy's column by these
movements was slight indeed. Beside this, the enemy's
infantry was well out of the way, and cutting off cav
alry that is worthy of the name is not an easy matter.
Smith, for reasons which will appear hereafter, had
transferred his command to another road, and Emory
was not a little confused at not finding him. He how
ever came upon some cavalry and a battery under Gen
eral Jeb Stuart, who was falling back, and manifested a
disposition not to have his movements hastened. In
deed, Stuart assumed a bold and defiant attitude, and
some skirmishing followed, the enemy slowly falling
back, but keeping his line intact. It was reported
that we drove him some distance back in the direction of
Lee's Mill, but the position does not warrant the con
clusion, and I am inclined to think there was no truth
in it. It is more probable that Stuart, whose knowl
edge of the roads was perfect, fell back a short dis-

388 THE STORY OF A TROOPER
tance in that direction, but only to secure abetter road
of retreat along the James river side of the Peninsula,
Shortly after Stoneman left, Smith and Hooker, with
their divisions, were ordered to follow, within support
ing distance — the latter along the Yorktown road, the
former along the road from Lee's Mill, Both these
divisions moved promptly enough; but Hooker and
Smith were men not likely to agree very well, and fol
lowed out the bent of their own inclinations rather
than obeyed orders. Indeed, each seemed to regard
himself as having an independent command, privileged
to take what road he pleased, fight the enemy how and
where he pleased, and be responsible for the result to
no one. Smith had not gone far when he met a strag
gling force of the enemy, the strength of which was
much magnified at the time, and engaged it, but with
no valuable result. The enemy met us resolutely, and
after exchanging shots, fell back regularly and in
good order. One of the French princes on General
McClellan's staff captured and brought in a number of
the enemy's stragglers.
The road Smith had taken was full of dangerous and
soft places, as well as other obstructions, through which
it was almost impossible to get his cannon, and in
his impatience to reach Stoneman, transferred his column
by a cross road over to the right, or Yorktown and
Williamsburg road. The result of this was to increase
the obstructions on that road, to disarrange the general
movement, and to cause a block that came well nigh
proving serious iu its results. The first bad effect of
tins movement was seen about four o'clock in the after-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 389
noon, when the head of Hooker's division reached a
point in the road called the Half-way House, and found
Smith's troops filing into the road in his front. This
gave rise to the belief that the plan of movement had
been changed, and caused considerable irritation on
the part of Hooker, who was anxious to be first in
reaching Stoneman, But here he had to halt for nearly
three hours, which confused and delayed the troops in
his rear, for the divisions of Kearney, Casey, and
Couch had moved later in the morning, and were com
ing up — Kearney on the Yorktown road, and Casey
and Couch on the Lee's Mill road,
I ought to state here that Kearney had been pro
moted and assigned to the command of a division in
Heintzelman's corps, leaving his Jersey Brigade of
Franklin's division with feelings of regret and no little
reluctance. The block caused by Smith thus unexpectedly occupy
ing the Yorktown road, and Hooker's Jialt of three
hours, was felt all along the line. One part of a column,
in its impatience to get ahead, would attempt to pass
another and get stuck in the mud. Everybody seemed
to be giving orders in a state of excitement, and no
body obeying them. General officers gave orders of
one kind, and field officers gave orders of another.
Rank and authority seemed to have lost their force. If
a corps commander gave an order that did not exactly
agree with a division commander's notions of what
ought to be done, he would either disregard it al
together, or execute it in such a manner as to destroy
its force.

390 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
Now a battery of artillery would demand the road,
make a desperate struggle to get past a regiment o^
infantry, and after a few ineffectual plunges, in wliichl
the poor animals would do their very best, sink to thei
axles in the soft sand, amidst the imprecations of the!
gunners. Ammunition trains would meet the same
fate. And the block and confusion would be appar
ently complete, until some young and newly feathered
staff officer, with more zeal than brains, came along in
charge of some headquarters wagons, which he would
insist in getting past everything else on the road — his!
fear lest the General be kept hungry when supper time
came, rising superior to every other thought. Nor
was the confusion and excitement abated by the sound
of Stoneman's guns, which had been ringing painfully
in our ears the fact that he had engaged the enemy.
When the last of Smith's column had filed past,
Hooker followed for nearly two miles, then turned off
into a cross road on the left, and marched for the Lee's
Mill road, which Smith had left. They thus changed
places, so that if an order had been sent from head
quarters to General Smith on the left, he would have
been found several miles away on the right. The same
would have been the case, in, reverse, with Hooker.
This change entailed others, absorbing time, and fatigu
ing the men.
Let us now proceed forward and see what Stoneman
is doing. The country for ten miles after leaving York-
town is flat, sandy, and with but few openings. The
roads for a great part of the way cut through a dense
underwood, and are fringed with a luxuriant foliage.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 391
which was now in full bloom, and impregnating the air
with s^veet scents. The two roads over which our
columns marched from the Warwick river, one leading
from Yorktown, and the other past Lee's Mill, form a
triangle, and connect about five miles east of Williams
burg, where the Peninsula presents the appearance of
a narrow neck, made so by College creek running up
from the James river on one side, and Queen's creek
from the York on the other. Little tributary streams
break the marshy land on either side of this neck, their
banks being dotted with clumps of jungle, rank sedge
grass, and scrub cedars, all forming a picturesque
enough appearance, but rendering the ground very un
favorable for the manoeuvring of troops.
A mile or two before reaching that point where the
roads connect on this neck, the country became more
open and the view less obstructed. The spires and bel
fries of Williamsburg were seen in the west, just beyond
a belt of rising ground. Looking in that direction, you
saw well cultivated fields, deep, dark hedges, and the
ground green with clover and rye. As the eye glanced
over the soft and beautiful landscape, it rested at every
turn to admire some spacious and well built mansion,
with its white out-houses, its sloping lawns, its dark
hedge rows, and its long lines of elms and oaks bending
so gracefully over the broad avenue leading to its en
trance. We had reached a portion of Virginia in
which there was at least wealth and refinement, and a
class of society differing essentially from what we had
found in the vicinity of Yorktown.
Across this neck of land, and within easy range of

392 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
the ground where Stoneman must debouch after reach
ing the junction of the roads, the "enemy had erected
strong works for the defence of Williamsburg. In the
centre stood Fort Magruder, with its frowning bas
tion, and its deep ditch filled with water, and several
strong redoubts on each side and epaulments for field!
guns. The timber immediately in front of this posi-!
tion, which was naturally a very strong one, had been
felled, so that the enemy's guns had a clear sweep overj
it, while nearly all of the dykes and bridges over the!
little streams had been destroyed. A strong network!
of rifle pits and abatis stretched along the front of
these works, offering a formidable barrier to our move
ments. Here the enemy was strongly posted, with artil-;
lery, cavalry, and infantry, and as Stoneman's advance
debouched into the open plain, received it with a galling
fire, which did considerable execution. The thunder of
cannon and the sharp crashing sound of infantry folloWedj
in quick succession and became deafening. The enemy
was in stronger force than Stoneman had expected to
find him. Not a minute was to be lost. He knew
the courage of his troops, and must make a bold move
ment or retire to shelter, for Smith had not come up
with his infantry. Quickly wheeling what artillery he;
had up into position, he replied with great spirit to the'
enemy's fire, and the cannonading became fierce and
rapid. At the same time the Sixth Regular Cavalry,
under command of Major Lawrence Williams, was sent
round by the right to feel and make a demonstration;
against the enemy's left. The ground was soft and
spongy, and the road it had to proceed over almost imi

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 393
passable. Encouraged by the indomitable spirit of
their commander, a young officer full of dash and cour
age, the men struggled over every difficulty, gained the
outer redoubt, which they found unoccupied, and had
nearly reached the rear of the second, when a force of
cavalry and infantry, double the strength of their own,
came down upon them. The Major drew his men up
in line of battle, and placing himself at their head,
made one of those desperate charges in which the iron
hearts of the few are tested against the steel of a supe
rior force. The Sixth did its duty that day. The im
petuosity and boldness of the charge caused the enemy
some confusion, but it was for a minute, for although
the men crossed sabres, and steel clashed against steel,
and the fierce conflict raged until the stoutest heroes
lay dead on the ground, still grasping the bloody
sabre they had so manfully disputed for life, they
were forced to give way before the fast accumulat
ing force of the enemy. But there was no sign of a
rout, no disorder. Valuable information respecting the
position had been gained, and Major Williams seeing
that it would be madness to expose his men any longer,
gradually withdrew them. Once during the retreat
the enemy charged on the rear squadron, commanded
by Captain Sanders, a remarkably cool and gallant
officer, who suddenly wheeled his troopers and repelled
the charge in handsome style, emptying a number of
the enemy's saddles. This ended the cavalry move
ment on the right, for that day, and Major Williams
returned to report a loss of some thirty of his men and
a greater number of horses.
18

394 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
Additional artillery had come up, and the fight in
front had been carried on with great spirit and tenaci
ty for nearly two hours, the enemy having a perfect^
range of our position and inflicting serious damage.
Artillery horses were killed on all sides of us, and our
men suffered from the unerring aim of sharpshooters,
covered in the rifle pits on our front. The struggle
brought out the true courage of our men, but against
such a force, entrenched as it was, and with the means
of concentrating at least thirty guns against the
eight or ten we had brought into action, it was
useless to longer contend. Our forces were now
withdrawn out of range to await reinforcements. In
making this movement, one piece of artillery got into
a quicksand and could not be extricated. Most of the
horses had been killed by the enemy's shells, but extra
teams were attached, and the men worked as if they
had staked their reputation and their lives on the sav
ing of " that gun," but all" in vain. The enemy con
centrated his fire on it, almost covering it with the
dirt thrown up by his shells. When our men withdrew
he fancied he had only to advance and secure the
trophy. But it was not yet within his reach. As his
forces advanced to secure the prize, the 1st Regular
Cavalry, under command of Lieut. Colonel Grier, made
a gallant charge, driving them back in confusion, killing
and wounding about twenty, and capturing a number
of officers and men and a stand of colors.
The struggle now ceased for a time, and the troops;
rested on the field. They soon became impatient,'
however, for another trial of strength. They wanted

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 395
to recover " that gun," and declared their determina
tion to make another effort. Later in the afternoon
the General gratilicd their desire, and a brisk fight was
tlie result. Out the enemy again discovering himself
in heavy force and conccntra1;ing his fire on the disputed
gun, our troops fell back cheering.
While this was going on General Sumner appeared
on the ground and took command. Generals Heint
zelman and Keyes also appeared on the ground, but, if
report be true, only to disagree as to what was best
to be done.
It was a few minutes after five o'clock when the
head of General Smith's division debouched into the
open plain, and, after deploying to the right, began to
take position on ground much broken by small streams
and encumbered with dense woods, rendering it ex
ceedingly difficult to make a movement and preserve
any regularity of line. Nor was it possible to sec
what was going on in front of his position. In short,
he had to advance against the eaemy like a man feeling
his way in the dark, and apprehensive every moment of
coming against something he did not want to find.
The reader will pardon me for pausing in the narra
tive of battle to say a few words on a subject of
l>erhaps not less importance A report came to us on
the afternoon of the 4tli that there had been consider
able "jarring between generals" at the front. There
was indeed too much truth in that report. All that
took place during the Itli and 5tli of May cannot be
written here, nor would tlic [mblic be benefitted now
if it were. Althouii-h there were manv JliiiiKS done

396 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
which affected the public service seriously tiiey be
longed more particularly to the personal affairs of
Lho army. It is enough to say that tlii.s "jarring
between generals," as it was called, did much to
damage our cause during our whele campaign on the
Peninsula. Much of it was tho natural offspring of
an injudicious selection and assignment of general
officers by the authorities at Washington, who, it was
clear, knew little or nothing of tiieir mental pcculiari-
lic?, and had put the right men in tho wrong places.
Here -vvere men esteemed in the old army for superior
intellect and liigli soldierly qualities, subordinate to
those who had been regarded as their inferiors. It is
easy to sec what a source of dissatisfaction this must
have been, and to what damaging influences it must
havo given life.
Fitz John Porter was not likely to entertain a very
high opinion of the military ability of either Sumner
or Heintzelman, nor to give them vigorous support
unless their orders squared with his own notions of
wba t was rigli t. The feeling bctwocnKeyes and Heint
zelman was anything but amiable, to say the ]east ;
indeed, on the field of Fair Oaks it took a more danger
ous turn. Nor were the Generals I have named here
likely to get along very well with Sumner, or yield
prompt obedience to his orders.
Sumner was brave, patriotic, and earnest, but he was
i;ot quick to grasp the advantages and disadvantages
of a field ; nor was ho always governed by correct
judanicnt. But tho soldiers honored him for his many
virlnes and pn-got lii.j (cw faults ; and the sountry will
do the r-aiiie.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 397
I have before named the time when Sumner appeared
at the front and assumed command. Although the
cavalry fight ought to have developed the ground and
given us a clear understanding of the enemy's position,
no one seemed to know much about it, or where and
how to form a strong lino. Our officers seemed merely
10 have been figliting, not thinking. Sumner examined
1 lie ground hastily, but did not, it seems, comprehend
its~ difficulties, nor the strength and extent of the
enemy's works.
It was nearly six o'clock, and Smith's troops, then
in the position I have before described, were hungry
and fatigued by their crooked march over the heavy
roads. In short, they needed rest and refreshment,
and were in no condition to fight. And yet Sumner's
first thought was to press this division forward and
attack the enemy's left, where he had strong advantages
of ground, and had evidently concentrated his forces
where he drove our cavalry back, .The movement, how
ever, was attempted ; but, owing to the dense woods
and the broken character of the ground, the column
soon got into confusion,onepartof it getting separated
from and in advance of another. The result was any
thing but satisfactory; and after some desultory firing
the broken and confused line fell back and bivouacked
for the night.
And such a night it was ! A drenching rain began
to fall just after dark, and continued during the night,
overflowing the already soft ground, turning the roads
into brooks, and causing great suffering among men
and animals. There was no sleep on the field that

398 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
night, and the men alternately hoped and prayed foi
the dawn of morning. The gloom that hung over th(
scene was relieved only by the indomitable courage o;
the troops. And when morning came they welcomed
it with expressions of readiness to move forward anc
engage the enemy.
Early on the wet and misty morning of the 5th
Hooker appeared with his division debouching on the
left, nearly in front of Fort Magruder. He had made
an heroic struggle to get up, had marched a part of the
night, and, by his example of earnestness, had encour
aged his men to put forth all their strength. Quickly
forming his line of battle, arid without waiting for any
detailed information as to what was in his front, en
gaged the enemy in his own way, I say in his own
way, for he seems to have " gone iu " without orders,
and to have fancied it a fight between himself and the
rebel general — that the troops were mere accessories,
necessary to help out.
It was evident, too, that the brave and gallant
Hooker preferred not to receive orders from any one,
had no great faith in supports, and, in short, desired
to be left to square the account with his antagonist
across the brook according to his own notions of what
was a good fight. He had formed his line with a nar
row and crooked front, and his artillery was badly
posted, and for some time was of little use to him. In
truth, he had put his faith in small-arms and iron
hearts ; and these he hurled in vain against breast
works and cannon. At one time he had nearly silenced
the guns of Fort Magruder, but the enemy brought up

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 399
fresh troops rapidly, and throwing them with great
recklessness of life into the gaps, would repel the fierce
charges made by our columns. Charge and counter
charge was made with the most desperate valor, and
for nearly four hours this unequal contest, this struggle
for life and honor, all that was dear to men, was kept
up. But it was valor thrown away. The enemy had got
the exact range of our 'line, and swept it as with a
tongue of fire. Our men had nearly exhausted their
ammunition, and with it their strength ; and their ter
ribly thinned ranks told but too plainly that we were
fighting without a plan and needlessly exposing our
men. The enemy, too, was taking advantage of our
errors, not least of which was that of keeping our forces
on the right inactive, and allowing him to concentrate
his on and crush Hooker, Full fifteen hundred of these
brave troops lay killed and wounded on the narrow
field, and yet there were no reinforcements. Every
thing looked gloomy. The tide of battle had turned
against us. And Hooker's efforts to encourage his
weak and shattered column began to loose their force.
The men had fought, and fell, hoping for reinforce
ments, and still none came. And between the disagree
ment of Generals and the increasing disorder every
where apparent, the gloom increased. And while this
clash of arms was trying the stoutest hearts, tho divis
ions of Casey and Couch were blocking up the roads
in the rear, inactive, and the gallant Kearney was
making the most desperate struggle to get past thera,
and to the aid of Hooker, He had been in command

400 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
of his division only a few days, but his efforts fairly
electrified his men, and wherever he appeared they re
ceived him with every conceivable manifestation of joy,
redoubling their efforts to, press forward and join iu
the fight.
At eleven o'clock the drenched field presented one of
those ghastly pictures it is as difficult to forget as de
scribe. The figli t had been a good one, but we had been
outnumbered and beaten. In addition to the killed and
wounded, everywhere disfiguring the field, we had lost
one battery, and the horses of another had all been killed,
and it was likely also to fall into the enemy's hands.
What we needed now was generalship. We needed
also prompt action and harmony on the part of subor
dinates, and generals who could think only of their
country and forget themselves. General Peck, with
his brigade, came up in time to save this second battery,
and the sight of his troops as they deployed on the
right of Hooker's shattered column encouraged his
men, and gave fresh impulse to the fight, which again
raged furiously.
It was now thought advisable to make a diversion
on the enemy's left, and Smith was ordered by Sumner
to send a brigade for that purpose, Hancock was se
lected to make the movement, and with his brigade
liioved off in gallant style. This brigade had already
secured a high reputation for drill and discipline, and
it was during this movement that its brave commander
first displayed those sterling qualities as a man and
soldier which have since distinguished him among our
generals. Moving across a narrow dam, and then

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 401
over intricate and dangerous ground, he soon gained
the enemy's first redoubt, which he found unoccupied.
A second was also unoccupied. Here his quick eye at
once caught the advantages of the position in front of
him. He saw that it gave him the enemy's fl iik, and
the power of threatening his communications. The
enemy also saw the danger that was likely to follow
froni this movement, and began to increase the strength
of his force before him. The infantry at onco became
engaged, with severe fighting. Hancock saw that if
he could get reinforcements and hold his position the
day was ours. But he seemed to fail in his efforts to
make General Sumner understand the great importance
of the movement he was making. His repeated re
quests for supports remained unanswered. The little
brigade stood its ground manfully, encouraged by its
commander, who was in the very thickest of the fight.
But it was an unequal fight, for the enemy had brought
up twice his number, and fought with unyielding tena
city, Hancock's position, too, was a dangerous one,
for both his rear and right flank were exposed, and the
enemy had already made two attempts to cut him off,
Hancock's feelings at finding himself unsupported' and
with the prospect of being compelled to give up so
important a position, may easily be imagined ; but he
remained cool and determined, resolved not to yield it
while there ¦ was a hope. Twice, it is said. General
Smith was ordered to support him with the rest of his
division, but, for reasons I have never yet heard ex
plained, did not. Indeed, the rest of the division
remained inactive until night. It would be unjust to
18*

402 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
General Smith's well known courage and anxiety to
join in a fight, to believe that he was in any way re-i
sponsible for this inactivity.
After this heroic contest between Hancock and the
enemy had been waged for some hours, and at a moment
when he had been led to believe that reinforcements
would be up, he received an order to fall back. To
have fallen back before such a force would not only
have had the very worst effect on his troops, but con
sidering the very broken and intricate ground he would
have had to retreat over, could not have been done
without serious loss of life. He carried that order in
his 'head for some time, and showed by his manner that
he was unwilling to throw away what he had gained by
such a hard struggle, and which, if held, would give
us the field. After a time, however, he affected a slow
retreat, which encouraged the enemy to press forward
with great boldness. This was what Hancock wanted,
and when the enemy's forces had come close enough, he
turned, and having delivered some rapid and well-aimed
volleys of musketry, charged upon them with the bayo
net. The impetuosity of that charge has not been ex
ceeded during the war. The enemy broke before it in
confusion, losing about 570 in killed, wounded, and
captured, while we lost only some 30 or 40 men. Han
cock held his position, and the victory on this part of
the line was complete.
We must now pass to another part of the line.
Hooker's troops, driven back and exhausted, had in
creased the enemy's boldness in his front, when Kear
ney came up. He had made superhuman efforts to pass

r^< »

I

3,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 403
the obstructions on the roads, and his appearance on
the field was received with shouts of joy, " Kearney
has come ! Kearney has come ! ! " ran along the con
fused line, and had a strange and inspiring effect on
the men. That slender, one-arraed raan, with the "eye
of fire," riding with so much recklessness up and down
the line, was like a meteor among his men, exciting
their courage everywhere to the very highest. Reliev
ing Hooker, he threw his division promptly into the
fight, and for two hours the battle raged with great
fury. There was no faltering in the ranks where Kear
ney was. The enemy had the advantage of ground,
and met him at every step with fresh troops, making
• attack after attack on his right flank, which he repelled
iu tlie most gallant style. Two of his aids, Barnard
and Wilson, were killed. The latter was a fine young
officer, who had fought with Garibaldi in Italy,
¦ It was five o'clock, and still the battle raged with
desperate fury. The enemy had evidently sent back a
heavy force, which some of our generals had mistaken
for his rearguard. His most stubborn resistance, how
ever, was again made in front of Kearney, the good
fighting of whose troops began to have its effect on
the enemy's line, which now wavered and fell back, and
then came sweeping forward, as if inspired with new
strength, causing our line in turn to fall back. Never
did forces seem more evenly balanced in strength and
valor. Our men were steady, resolute, and determined.
The enemy, dashing, defiant, and reckless of life. Both
fought with desperate valor ; and the wish was con
tinually uppermost in our thoughts that it had been in

404 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
a different cause. But the enemy's fire began to slacken,
his line became less steady, and his charges more and
more feeble. Then Kearney began to drive him back,
and recover the ground lost by Hooker. Night, too,
was comijig on, rain fell in torrents, and the dead and
wounded lay iu unsightly heaps wherever the eye fell.
Want of harmony between generals in the early part
of the day had done its damaging work. So apparcntj
was this, that it excited considerable alarm among a;
number of "amateur soldiers" present with the army,!
and who are always more ornamental than useful ;
and one of these, who seemed more concerned than the
rest, started off in pursuit of McClellan. This was aj
young man of the name of Sprague. from Rhode Island,
who was studying tlic art of war under Stoneman, and
doing the ornamental soldier in the upholstery of a
brigadier general. A few persons were mischievous
enough to say that this little gentleman was the best
alarmed man that day. I am not ready to vouch for
the truth of this. It is certain, however, that he gal-
lopped all the way from the battle-field to Yorktown,
and appearing before General McClellan in a state of
great excitement, begged him to go to the front, where
things were not going on right.
General McClellan reached the field a little after
four o'clock, while Kearney was in the thickest of the
fight. The news of his appearance on the field ran
along the line, and cheer after cheer went up, and the
men seemed to take new courage. If Kearney pos
sessed the power of making these men fight, McClellan
had also the power of gaining their confidence and ve,;

TUB STORY OF A TEOOPER. 405
spect. These men knew that our troubles in the early
part of the day were due to want of generalship in
handling them, not their valor. And this enthusiastic
reception on the field was but another proof of the hold
McClellan had got on the feelings and' affections of his
troops, McClellan found the troops fighting on three sides
of him, our line full of gaps, no communication between
the centre and left wing, and our centre pressed back,
and on the east when it should have been on the west
side of a belt of woods between the enemy's position
and our own. Not a very skilfully planned line of
battle this, to say the least. But perhaps tho three
corps and half a dozen or so of division commanders
then on the field were not to blame for its defects. We
had not fought many battles then, and the practical
in generalship was something new to even our best
generals. McClellan quickly re-formed the line, and took ad
vantage of what positions we had for artillery, Tho
good effect of this was visible at once. He at once
comprehended the value of Hancock's movement, and
sent two brigades to support him, but that General had
finished the job before they got up. He also ordered
General Emory, with a force of four regiments of in
fantry and two batteries of artillery, to move along a
road on our extreme left, and, by a quick movement,
turn the enemy's right. Quick movements were not
popular at that time, and there was an unaccountable
delay in getting this small force in motion. Various
reports were circulated concerning this delay, and the

40G THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
feeling against General Emory for the manner in which
he moved to execute the order was very strong.
It was said that General Emory complained of inad
equate force, want of knowledge of the roads, of want
of guides, and various other things equally insignifi
cant. At least they would be considered so at this
day. It was nearly dark when he began to move.
And he lost his way before he got far, his column
became confused, and the whole thing was a miserable
failure. It was common among soldiers at that time to
say when a movement of this kind failed, that the offi
cer in command could not find his way to the enemy.
The saying will apply with considerable force in this
case, Kearney held the field, and, night coming in, closed
the contest. The morning of the 6th came in bright
and beautiful, A renewal of the contest was looked
for, but the enemy had withdrawn during the night,
leaving us his deserted works and Williamsburg filled
with the dead and wounded, A sad and sickening
scene was presented to the eye when we entered the
old towii^ Public buildings and private mansions were
turned into hospitals. In the porticos of private dwel
lings the wounded lay stretched in groups, without any
one to care for them. Others lay writhing in their
agonies on the lawns. These were the enemy's wounded
who had been removed to the rear, and left.
No pen can describe the suffering of our own wounded
during the terrible night of the 5th, Our means of
taking care of them were very inadequate at that time.
Many died for want of prompt attention and proper
care. Others had crawled into the woods to die, and

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 407
were found two and three days after, breathing their
last breath.
The conduct of the people of Williamsburg during
this trying scene merited the severest censure, and
should be marked with condemnation as long as our
history lasts. At a time when all political differences
should have been kept out of sight, and every thought
and energy given to the care of the wounded, without
distinction of army, these people, and especially the
women, seized every opportunity to display their hate
and bitterness. They would even pass by our wounded
and suffering with an air of scorn, and carry to their
own the delicacies with which their houses wore v/ell
filled. Nor did our offers to pay in gold induce them
to part with anything that might relieve the suffnriugs
of our men. One woman resisted an attempt to carry
a wounded officer into her house, insulted the officer
accompanying him in the most gross manner, and had
to be removed by force. Another, when asked if she
could give a room to one of our wounded officers, replied
by saying she would not have her house " polluted by
a Yankee," And those "high bred" Virginia ladies,
when meeting our officers on the streets, would insult
thera in various ways. Indeed, it seemed as if all that
is infernal in human nature was just tlicn concentrated
in the hearts of these women, who had sharpened their
treason with education and refinement, for they be
longed to the better class of society.
The Americans of our army, soldiers as well as offi
cers, bore these indignities with great forbearance, and,
indeed, treated them as matter for amusement. Not so
with our soldiers of foreign birth. They regarded

408 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
whatever fell into their hands as legitimate prize, and
I noticed not a few officers of German and Irish birth
who were ready to repay these insults in a very sum
mary manner, and were only prevented by their respect
for the discipline that then ruled in the army of the
Potomac, Care for the wounded and suffering absorbed all
General McClellan's attention during the morning.
The roads were in such a bad condition that following
the enemy with any prospect of success was slight in
deed. Colonel Averill, however, was despatched with
his own regiment of cavalry, (3d Pennsylvania,) and
parts of two others, and succeeded, during the day, in
picking up a small number of stragglers, and " captur
ing" four guns that had stuck in tho mud and been aban
doned. This achievement complete, he returned to
Williamsburg to supper, having neglected to carry that
very necessary article with him. On the Sth, General
Stoneman set off in pursuit, over the Williamsburg and
Richmond road, with General Sprague and his "flying
column." Our loss, in killed, wounded, and missing, summed
up about 2,340. There were various estimates, but I
am inclined to believe this one, which I procured from
a very reliable source, nearly correct. The cnemy't*
loss was also heavy, but probably less than ours, as
he fought behind entrenchments most of the time, and
his men were well handled. Perhaps it wore charity
to forget much that took place at this battle of Wil
liamsburg, to cover u[) forever the omissions of those
who erred, and to remember it only in the lustre of tlic
deeds of valor performed by Hancock and Kearney.

CHAP T E R X X X. V 1 1 1 .

MOVEllENT Oi? TUB RIGHT WING.
Tlie fleet in Poquosin river presented a busy, bust
ling scene during the 4tli and 5tli. Franklin was or
dered to move with his division up the York river on
West Point, at once. It was hoped by this movement
to cut off or intercept some portion of the enemy's force
retreating up tho Peninsula. But a flank uioveincnt
by water, even for so short a distance, was likely to bo
attended with considerable delay. Such of the divi
sion as had been landed had to be i-e-shi|)ped, and the
work of getting animals and artillery on board was
heavy. And there was not room in the river, nor
wharf facilities, to work to advantage. Officers and
men worked night and day, and did their best, des
patching the vessels round to Yorktown as soon as
they were loaded, but it was not until nearly noon of
the 6th that the division was. on board, and the fleet
inline before Yorktown, ready to move.
The day was remarkably clear and springlike, and
the river smooth. The signal was given at one
o'clock, and the fleet moved in two lines, preceded
by gunboats, and presented a grand appearance. These
gunboats were at that time a terror to the people along
409

410 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
river banks ; a few shells thrown ashore causing many
of them to leave their homes and seek safety at a
distance,, The landscape here was new and strange to us. It
did, indeed, seem as if we were sailing on a grand ex
cursion, with a gay and joyous company, through some
fair and beautiful garden. The beautifully sloping
banks of the river, the deep green fields, the fine farm
houses, with their pretty gardens, their orchards in full
blocsom, their brOad avenues, and lawns dotted with
shade trees, and the cattle grazing in the distance,
formed a pastoral picture of great beauty. The people
came out at times from their houses, and stood along
the banks, watching the movements of the fleet. The
masts of a sunken vessel or the booming of a gun on
one of the gunboats were the only things that gave a
tinge of war to this beautiful picture.
Twenty miles above Yorktown the water began to
shoal, and the river seemed to expand into a lake,
Tiiere was a thickly wooded ridge on the south shore,
and extending nearly at right angles from this, and
well across the head of the stream, was a broad level
plateau, at the northern extremity of which a little
brick house stood. This was Brick House Point The
river here made a sweep to tlie right, or north, and
opened into what seemed a sequestered cove. About
a mile and a half ,beyond this, and to the west, was a
narrow point of land, on which stood a number of
large wooden buildings or sheds. This was West
Point, the buildings marking the terminus of the Rich
mond and West Point railroad. The Mat ta pony on

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 411
the one side, and the Pamunky on the other, swept
past this point, mingled their waters in the cove be
low, and formed the York river.
Our light draught steamers and sailing vessels de
ployed along this broad plateau, some of them within
one hundred yards of the shore, and prepared to land
the troops, while the gunboats took position to cover
the landing. The 15th New York, (engineers,) under
command of Colonel McLeod Murphy, were soon at
work, preparing landing stages of old canal boats and
barges. In less than an hour from the time wo had
taken position, the water swarmed with all sorts of odd
craft, from pontoons to canal boats. Newton's brigade
was to land first, and began filling the pontoons.
Slocum's, and then Taylor's, (late Kearney's,) were to
follow. But the enemy was not inclined to let us do
this work in peace.
As soon as the first fleet of pontoons started to make
a landing, the enemy opened from a battery concealed
on the lower end of the ridge I have before described.
His shells and round shot flew thick and fast ; some
of them exploding among the pontoons ; others paying
their compliments to the fleet. The pontoons kcf)t
steadily on towards the shore, which the men readied
with cheers. But there was intense excitement anion,!;-
the fleet, and it was amusing to see the alarm created
among some of the captains ; some ran up inio tlio
rigging, thinking it a better place of safety than tlio
deck.. Others sought shelter on the outside of iheir
vessels. A shot whizzed past one who hud nought
shelter in the rigging, and he canic to i!;c deck so quick

412 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
that many thought him killed. But he was up in an
instant, over the side of his vessel, and sculling away
for dear life in his boat. That captain was remembered
long after this event, and furnished the subject for
many a pleasant joke. He had been brave among the
bravest while we lay in Poquosin river. But he was
not the only New England captain ready to forsake his
ship at the first sound of the enemy's guns.
One shot cut clean through the smoke-stack of the
steamer Vanderbilt, A second lodged in the cabin of a
steamer, A third cut the rigging of a schooner. Officers
began to inquire what our gunboats were doing- that they
did not open. The enemy's.shot and shell fell too thick
and fast to make the work of landing pleasant. The
fact was, that owing to want of water the gunboats
found it difficult to get within range of the enemy's
batteries. They however succeeded at last, and a few
well directed shells silenced the enemy and drove him
from his position. The work of landing now went on
unmolested, and it was surprising to see in what a
short space of time the engineers had the landing
stages ready. When the sun went down we had one
brigade of infantry and two regiments of another
landed. We also had three batteries of artillery,
Arnold's, Xamer's, and Upton's ; and, two companies,
A and C, of the Lincoln Cavalry. Quartermasters,
too, were rapidly landing supplies. Professor Low
was up taking an airing iu his balloon, but came down
without bringing us any valuable information concern
ing the enemy. He thought he saw signs of the enemy
north of West Point, but was not sure. I am afraid

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 413
the balloon, as an instrument of war, was, like many
of our cheap generals, a sad failure. The Secretary
of War, I am happy to record to his credit, does not
even give a passing word to the balloon corps in his
report. Drums beat, bugles sounded, and bands played on
Brick House Point that night ; and as the shadows of
the setting sun played over the broad plateau, over the
gleaming bayonets and flying banners, and over the
ships on the broad river, giving to each a strange and
shadowy outline, the scene became grand and imposing.
The troops formed in line of battle as soon as landed,
the right stretching away towards the Pamunky river,
the left reslfing ne£[r the south bank of the York, and
facing the ridge of wood where the enemy had his bat
teries. In a word, our thin line stretched nearly
across the plateau, on each side of which there was a
road leading to the wooded position in which the en
emy was supposed to be concealed.
We wore entirely in the dark as to the enemy's
strength, position, and intentions. Pickets were posted,
and scouts were pent out, who soon returned and re
ported tho enemy's pickets just in tl-.o edge of the
wood, a few hundred yards south of us. The few
people we found at Brick House Point had no informa
tion to give UP. About ten o'clock at night our pickets
captured a.nd sent in two of Ihe enemy's men, who, for
Fome time, would give no particular account of them
selves, except that they belonged to a Texas regiment,
were out for a " look round," and did'nt know our
lines were so near their own. They were both intelli-

414 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
gent men, and fine looking soldiers. One was botii
silent and sullen ; from the other we ascertained that
the rebel General Whiting, with two brigades of in
fantry, a small portion of Wade Hampton's caV'
.airy, and two batteries of artillery, (one a Louisiana
battery,) some of the best troops of their army, was
in position in the woods in front of us, and would at
tack at daylight in the morning. This force consisted
of that portion of the_enemy's troops retreating along
the bank of the York river..
A consultation was held at headquarters, and dispo
sitions made to meet this attack with Newton's brig
ade, Newton being assigned to command the field. At
nine o'clock, A. M., of the 7th, the enemy opened the
fight with his skirmishers on our right and centre.
This was the first time the troops of our division
had been under fire, but they met the enemy with
steadiness and fought with great spirit. The batteries
on both sides opened about. ten o'clock, and a fierce
cannonading was kept up until one o'clock, the en
emy fighting most of the time under cover of the
woods. He now began to demonstrate on our right,
and made several bold and desperate attempts to get
possession of the road and turn our right. As soon
as our batteries were got into position these attempts
on our right were handsomely repulsed, with heavy
loss to the enemy, regaining the ground we had tempo
rarily lost, Newton was everywhere in the thickest
of the fight, displaying remarkable coolness, great
skill in handling his troops, and considerable power in
encouraging his men, A little after one o'clock the

THE STORY OF A TEOOPER. 415
95th Pennsylvania, or Goslin Zouaves, were ordered
to advance across a piece of open ground, and dislodge
the enemy from a piece of wood, from which he had
annoyed our center and left considerably. This regi
ment always had a bad reputation in the division, its
material being of the very worst description.
It was noticed at this time that the regiment moved
to its work in bad order, and with evident reluctance.
It reached the edge of the woods, but broke in confu
sion at the enemy's first fire, and ran back like a flock
of frightened sheep. The officers were quite as bad
as the men. It was indeed amusing to hear the stories
these distressed heroes told of meeting the enemy's in
fantry four deep, of getting waist deep into a swamp, of
being led into a trap and cut down without any chance
of defending themselves. Not a few of them sought
a cover for their cowardice by attacking tiie general
ship of the officer in command.*
This disgraceful affair of the Pennsylvanians encour
aged the enemy to make one or two more bold move
ments on our right and center. The 31st and 32d
NewYork were now ordered up to do the work. It
was a beautiful sight to see these regiments move
proraptly forward in a steady straight line, receive and
return the enemy's fire as they approached the wood,
and then charge into it, sweeping everything before
them as they advanced up the hill. The enemy met
Ili3in here with a deadly fire, the effect of which was
seen in their thinned line. But there was no waver
ing in the ranks. Tlic grouud was here contested with
* Some of tiiese absiu-cl Ptor'md gol into tlic iiew.sp^pers.

416 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
great bravery on both sides, but the enemy began to
give way before the steady advance of our troops, his
fire slackened all along the line, and finally ceased
about three o'clock, when he gathered up his dead and
wounded and left the field. Just as the fight ended,
the gunboats, which had found some difficulty in get
ting into position, owing to the tide, opened on the en
emy's right, hastening his movements from the field.
Various strange and somewhat romantic accounts
have been written of this battle, if such it may be
called, and given to the public for true. In nearly all
of them the victory is credited to the gunboats, whereas
they did not open their guns until the fight was essen
tially over. In one, General Morrill was credited with
fighting the battle, and acting with great gallantry,
Morrill was at least twenty miles away, and was much
amused when he saw the part he had taken in a battle
he was not in so carefully described by the veracious
writer. Another intelligent correspondent wrote so
remarkable a description of this battle as to astonish
all the generals who were in it, and a good many who
were not. He also described himself as continually in
tiie thickest of the fight, and so " begrimed by the smoke
of battle" as scarcely to be able to see the paper he
was writing on, when, to tell the honest truth, he was
spending the day on the West Point side of the river,
gathering wild flowers.
This was called a little fight, but there was some
good fighting done, and General Newton deserves
c^reat credit for his coolness and gallantry during the
a Virginian, reared and educated

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 417
amongst, and long the intimate associate of those who
were now fighting to destroy the Republic, he stood
firmly by his country, and no influence they could bring
could make him a traitor. There were also three offi
cers of' lower rank whose coolness and bravery on the
field that day deserve to be recorded. These were
Colonel Pratt, of the 3lst N, Y, V,, and Colonel
Matheson and Major Lemon, of the 32d N, Y, V,, (for
merly 2d California.) Nothing could have exceeded
the steadiness and bravery with which these officers
led their regiments into the woods, in the face of the
enemy's hottest fire. They have since distinguished
themselves on several battle fields, Pratt still lives,
but was severely wounded at Gaines' Hill. The other
two have given their lives to their country. Poor
Lemon, in whose breast a more generous heart never
beat, died of wounds received at the battle of Cramp-
ton's Gap.
The casualties of this battle, which was fought at
Brick House Point, not West Point, as has been erro
neously stated, were forty-four killed, and one hundred
and fifty-two wounded, many seriously. We lost seven
teen fine young officers killed. And out of a company
of seventy-four men (31st N. Y, V.) which charged
into the woods, only eight returned. The remainder,
including its officers, were either killed or wounded.
During the severest fighting on our right, Lieut,
Baker of General Franklin's, and Captain Montgomery
of General Newton's- staffs, rode beyond our line, got
confused, and fell into the enemy's hands, A minute
or two after, one of our batteries happened to drop a
19

418 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
shell close to the spot where they were captured, caus
ing the rebels to make a sudden movement for safety.
Baker, who still had his horse, took advantage of this,
started at full speed, and made his escape, Mont-!
gomery was not so fortunate. Pie had lost his horse,
and lay on the ground affecting to be dead, when some
rebel officers came up and began an inquisitive inquiry|
into the extent of his valuables. In the exercise of
their chivalry his pockets had to be delicately exam
ined, and as articles of jewelry and spare cash could
be of no earthly use to a dead man, what harm could
there be in appropriating them? "During this little
operation," said the captain, " they tickled me, I could!
not stand that, and had to come to life, laughing." He
claimed good treatment as their prisoner of war ; but
his captors were both sullen and earnest, and not dis-!
posed to enjoy such a joke, which they characterized
as a mean Yankee way of " playing possum," But
the captain was a pleasant gentleman, and by his man
ners soon succeeded in reconciling them to him.
We had set the captain down as a prisoner. About
10 o'clock at night, however, he relieved our anxiety
by walking into headquarters, and, of course, giving!
us a very interesting account of the way in which Jie
made his escape, and what the rebels said and did
while he enjoyed their hospitality. The captain's uni
form was somewhat damaged ; but the loss of his
horse, sword, and watch was the most serious.
There were acts of savagery committed on our dead
and wounded by the enemy during this battle that were

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 419
a disgrace to civilization, and should stand as an in
delible proof of the cruel spirit which ruled in the
southern army during the early stages of the war.
One of our officers was found with his throat cut from
ear to ear. And this act of savagery had been per-
forraed after his body had been pierced by balls. The
bodies of two others had been brutally cut with knives.
The raen reviewed these disfigured bodies with feelings
deeply excited. Many of thera swore to take revenge
at the first opportunity; but the spirit of retribution
did not accord with their notions of manliness, and I
never heard of their treating the enemy's wounded and
prisoners except with respect and kindness.
It was reported in camp that these acts of savagery
were comraitted by Cherokee Indians, attached to
Wade Harapton's coramand. It was also reported that
negroes were seen dragging these bodies into the
woods after they fell, and having stripped them of
everything valuable, inflicted these wounds with knives.
Being unable to trace these reports to a reliable source,
I am inclined to discredit them, and to believe that
these savage acts were committed by men with whiter
hands, if not hearts.
During the afternoon Lieut. Hoff, of General Frank
lin's staff, was sent with a steamer to West Point, to
bring away about forty persons, mostly women and old
men, who belonged in the vicinity of Fort Monroe,
and had been taken and held by Magruder as hostages
for a similar number'of civilians " with rebel tenden
cies" arrested and held by Butler. The rebel force

420 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
retreating from Gloucester Point had left them here.
Lieut. Hoff found them in a most destitute conditionj
and took immediate steps to supply their wants and
restore them to their homes. I shall not attempt to
draw a picture of these poor people. Several of them
were young, delicate girls, who told a sad and sicken
ing story of the treatment they had received at the
hands of men claiming to be southern gentlemen-

CHAPTER XXXIX,

A MARCH TO ELTHAM— A CHICKEN CONFLICT— AN OLDEN-TIMB HABI
TATION. •
The morning after the battle (the 8th) came in bright
and beautiful. The crash and clash of battle had
ceased, and although its fierce engines were still here,
and the dead were there to harrow up the feelings of
the living, and the wounded to call for succoring hands
and sympathizing hearts, the quiet picture was in strange
contrast with that of yesterday. We were surrounded
by one of those soft, quiet landscapes than which none
could be more beautiful. A gentle breeze, sweet with
the breath of flowers, came playing as it were over the
river. And the calm, winding waters of the Pamunky
and Mattapony, the vast green fields that stretched
away from their banks, the dark, luxuriant foliage that
gave such a crispness and outline to the picture, with
flowers everywhere in full bloom— all seemed to com
bine in one enchanting harmony. Here nature had
just put on her most beautiful robes, as if to excite the
soul's love. Strange thoughts forced themselves on the
mind, one after another, while sitting on the bank of
the river contemplating this gorgeous scene. How
is it, I asked myself, that a God who is all goodness, 421

422 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
and controls all things, has made man the most destruc
tive of all His creatures, and perraits him to lay waste
these beautiful scenes, to scourge the earth with war ?
There were arrivals from Washington and New York
this morning, and we again had the sutler and the news
boy in camp, both doing a brisk business. The battle
of Williamsburg was just then absorbing our atten
tion, and as we were anxious to get the lists of killed
an€ wounded, everybody bought a newspaper.
Portions of Sedgwick's, Richardson's, and Porter'sj
divisions had come up by water from Yorktown during
the night. About 9 o'clock there might have been
seen about the headquarters' tents groups of generals,
some of whoso names will have a prominent place in
the nation's history. In one stood the tall, thoughtful,
and brave Franklin ; tho affable and courteous Fitz
John Porter ; that sturdy, frank, and unpretentious
soldier, Sedgwick ; and the blunt, but good-humored
Colonel Alexander, surrounded by a number of their
staff officers. In another stood the slender, meditative,
and restless Slocum, with his bronzed face and sharp
features ; the genial and brave John Newton ; Dana,
and the rolicking and energetic Torbert, of the Jersey
brigade. There, too, was the honest-hearted Richard
son ; all surrounded by a number of staff officers, many
of whom have since been killed or disabled for life ;
others have risen to high commands.
About 10 o'clock, an enterprising German arrived
from Washington with a supply of refreshing lager,
which found a hearty welcome at headquarters, for the
rnorning was warm and sultry. Our friends, the newly

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 423
arrived generals, were invited to join us. and numerous
glasses were quaffed, with thanks to the man who first
made lager.
About one o'clock, Franklin's division was ready to
march, and after the wounded were taken care of, and
the solemn ceremony of burying the dead performed,
moved forward on a narrow, swampy road, five miles
to Eltham, on the right bank of the Pamunky, which
here made a beautiful curve, and to the west of which,
and following the course of the winding stream, exten
sive meadows stretched away as far as the eye could
reach. This Eltham was a broad, level farm, of some
two thousand acres, the soil remarkably rich and pro
ductive, and even now under tolerably good cultivation.
It had evidently been a place of considerable impor
tance, and had a history full of romance. Time was
when the wealth, the fashion, the beauty, and the wits
of the country round about assembled at Eltham, and
held high court on the lawns and in the halls of the old
mansion. But Eltham, like Virginia's pride, (a pride
strongly reserabling that found in England,) was coming
down, and going to decay. An old black man, who
had passed his five-score years, still lived on the place,
and could tell you with great distinctness of the time
when Eltham was gay and festive, and when the great
men of Virginia were the welcome guests of his master,
and the feast set before them was " the best in all the
land," Extensive fields of flowering clover, of rye, and wheat,
stretched away from the river, and into these our di
vision debouched and bivouacked, the animals enjoying

424 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
the feast thus spread before them. In forty-eight hours
these fields, so luxuriant of the coming harvest when
we entered them, presented only a surface of bald clay.
A landing was also made on the bank of the river, and
a temporary depot established, and the fleet of trans
ports and steamers came sweeping up in grand style,
their spars and funnels presenting a novel appearance
among the trees and deep green foliage with which the
river banks were lined.
Our information respecting the capacity of the Pa
munky river was somewhat confused at first. Few
vessels of any size had ascended above West Point,
Virginians had not given themselves the trouble to sound
it, nor to consider the advantages it might give them
in properly developing so rich a country. Hence it
came to be regarded by the people along its banks as
navigable only for oyster boats and small craft of very
light draught. Some of the negroes, who had acted as
pilots and oystermen on the river, thought a channel
could be found much further up for nine and even ten feet
of water. In order to settle this question, a gunboat,
commanded by Captain Nicholson, with Colonel Alex
ander, of the engineers, Captain Arnold, of the artil
lery, (then on Franklin's staff,) and two other officers,
whose names I have forgotten, started on a voyage of
discovery up the river, the object being to establish
our depot of supplies as near Richmond as we could
get by water.
The old Eltham mansion was a -large, high, double-
storied brick house, with tall chimneys at each end, a
spacious hall in the centre, quaint gable windows on the

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 425
steep roof, and large airy rooms, filled with substantial,
but old-fashioned furniture. But little pains had been
taken to keep the building in repair, and there was a
dingy, antiquated air about it, inside as well as out.
Several buildings used for servants' quarters, and which
bore evidence of having been spacious and comfortable,
were now tumbling down in decay, A large brick
building, a few yards from the house, was used permis-
cuously for a kitchen, a chicken loft, a carriage house,
and the quarters of several old and infirm negroes.
But the whole more nearly resembled the shop of a
blacksmith, who had taken a rag-seller and sootty cook
into partnership.
The present owner of this plantation, a rank seces
sionist, whose name I have now forgotten, left for a place
of safety as we approached, leaving everything to the
care of an overseer, a swarm of sootty women and chil
dren (slaves) of all colors, and a few very old men.
The able-bodied field hands, except the few he had in
duced to go with him, had all gone in pursuit of freedom.
Those left had had it all their own way for a day or
two, and the house was in nice state of confusion when
we entered it. The overseer, too, was in a state of
greatgrief at the way things were going, and wished,
as he said, every hour in the day, that Mr,  had
stayed at home to look after the property. What
grieved him most was that the negroes treated his
orders with contempt, and " grinned at him, and said
they won't," He wanted to apply the lash, and whip
them into obedience, as he had' been accustoraed to.
When told that if he attempted it he would find him-
19*

426 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
self in the guard-house, and perhaps in irons, he thought
it very hard of us to interfere in this way with his au
thority. This overseer was a little, lean, leathery man,
with a sallow complexion, or perhaps I should say, no
complexion at all, a sharp, angular visage, and a small
dull eye. He wore a shabby grey coat, that reached
almost to his heels, a soft hat slouched over his eyes,
and seemed to be shirtless. He was a strange and
quaint item of humanity, this little old man, this sov
ereign of the lash, who had so long controlled the af-|
fairs of the plantation. His mind seemed to be in a
continual state of confusion and perplexity. He would
pace up and down in front of the old mansion, now
pausing and looking with an air of wonder over the
fields that were being desolated, then mutter to himself
as if crazed with some new care. Then he would stand
for an hour, fixed as a statue, but like a man full of sor
rows, and without knowing what to do. If any one
asked him a question he would answer civilly, moodily ;
and he would generally end by saying, " Things have
changed so mightily since Mr,  left, I don't know
what's best to be done," Then he would shake his head
and inquire if we intended to send them all away and
sell the place, " If you do," he would add, " there'll
be no more for overseers to do." The picture of this
little, moody old man, as he passed up and down before
the antiquated mansion, contemplating at times the
troops that had so suddenly and rudely destroyed his
fields, was one I shall not soon forget.
We took possession of the old mansion, and converted
it into headquarters for Generals Franklin, Slocum,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 427
and Newton, The "young gentlemen" of the staff
made themselves comfortable in the upper rooms, which
were spacious and airy, and well stocked with feather
beds and massive high-post bedsteads. General Frank
lin ordered that nothing be taken from the house, and
the furniture, as far as possible, be preserved from harm.
An inquisitive correspondent, however, found raeans of
getting into the bureaus, and brought to light a nura-
ber of ancient and curious docuraents, some of them
valuable for their connection with the history of the
place. There was also a considerable number of valua
ble old books found in one of the rooms, and which I
fear were destroyed after we left.
When we arrived, the yards and gardens swarmed
with pigs, turkeys, geese, and chickens, and against
these an indiscriminate war was carried on until the
provost marshal came up and put an end to it. The
generals had gone out to examine the front and direct
the disposition of troops ; and several " young gentle
men" of the staff, seeing such an excellent opportunity
of replenishing their larders, set upon the astonished
poultry and defenceless roasters with a fierceness and
energy they had not displayed in battle. Clubs, stones,
pistols, and swords were used freely, and it was, to say
the least, somewhat amusing to see a race for life be
tween the smallest kind of a porker and a brilliantly
uniformed staff officer. Another, with a taste for
chicken or turkey, would draw his sword and begin the
chase, not stopping until he had secured his game. The
most amusing scene during this " chicken war," at El
tham, which was not waged without the loss of some

428 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
blood, was enacted between a tall, gaunt, fair-haired
German officer of cavalry, in spectacles, and prodi
giously booted and spurred, on the one side, and a goose
he wanted for dinner on the other. The goose resolved
not to be captured, and made desperate use of both
wings and legs, and the stalwart trooper was equally
resolved not to be done out of his dinner ; so the chase
was kept up for at least twenty minutes, the trooper
gaining on the goose at every stride, cutting right and
left with his sabre, and each time missiog his aim, owing
to short-sightedness. In truth, the goose was likely
to get the better of the trooper, when the assistance
of an Irish orderly was called in and the gabbler
brought down with a stone. Other gentlemen were
equally persevering in their pursuit of turkeys and
chickens ; and what with the loud gabbling of geese, the
squeals of pigs, the screams of chickens, the loud gob
bling of turkeys, and the wild enthusiasm of little ne
groes, who joined in the chase, the medley of ungrate
ful sounds became deafening. Two splendid peacocks,
alarmed at the slaughter that was going on, sought
safety on the top of the house, and remained perched
on one of the tall chimneys, where we left them two
days afterwards, cautiously viewing the scenes below,
but exhibiting no inclination to come down for food or
water. The little old overseer was very much di sturbed in
his mind at seeing the ranks of his poultry tiius uncere
moniously thinned out, and seemed greatly relieved
when the provost marshal ordered him to lock up what
there was left, and sell them for gold, which he did.

THE STORY OF A TEOOPER. 429
finding ready customers. Now, this war on the poultry
of the Eltham plantation had its serious, as well as
humorous aspects, and came very near resulting in a
duel between two gallant gentlemen of the staff, A
question of right to a chicken arose, and resulted in a
very angry dispute between Captain Walden and Lieu
tenant Baker, Menacing attitudes were taken, and
language used not common among gentlemen. It
looked, indeed, as if we should be called on to measure
ground for the gentlemen, and send for surgeons, pis
tols being the only means left of insuring satisfaction
and settling the dispute. It may disappoint the rea
der, however, to know that no blood was shed, and that
the dispute came to an end by each striving to outdo
in the use of very bad language.
A short distance in the rear of the old mansion, near
the bank of the river, and shaded by some fine old
trees, was an ancient cemetery, surrounded by a high
brick wall, and entered through an arched gateway,
with stone lintels. In the centre of this cemetery
stood a raoss-covered tomb, with the slab broken in the
centre, and otherwise defaced. Aftgr clearing away
the moss, I succeeded in reading the following inscrip
tion on the slab :
" Here lyes Intered y= body of j» Hon, William
B. Bassett, Esq., and Bridget, his wife,
of the County of Southampton,
in yi Kingdom of England.
He married Joanna, eldest daughter of Lewis Burwell, Esq., with
-whom he happily lived 29 years and ten months, and was blessed
with 5 sons and T daughters. He departed this life y= 11th of Octo
ber, 1723, in the 53d year of his age. ¦ He was a good Christina, an

430 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
affectionate, obliging husband, a kind and indulgent father, and a
good master. His loss was greatly lamented by his county, his
country, aod family, and inexpressively to his mournful, disconso
late widow, who also departed this life y= 1th day of October, 1727,
in yo 53d jear of her age."
There is no doubt that good Squire Bassett was a
fine Virginia gentleman of the olden time ; that he
kept choice hounds and fleet horses ; that he entertained
his friends at the chase ; that he had many slaves ; that
the lords and ladies of the land were welcome guests
at his mansion ; that, in a word, he lived as a fine old
gentleman ought to live, and died a good christian.
But that was before the hearts and souls of Virginia
gentleraen were made corrupt by the degrading busi
ness of slave-breeding, Eltham had fallen from its high
estate; genius, beauty, and wealth no longer held court
in its halls ; its gardens were overgrown with rank
weeds, and the traces of its former grandeur fast wear
ing out in decay; and there was proof enough that the
present owner made slave-breeding Eltham's chief
source of profit,
" You used to raise a good many slaves on this place,
I suppose ?" inquired a Union soldier, stopping and
accosting the little, old overseer,
" A right smart heap," replied the man, curtly,
" About how many ?" queried the soldier,
" Say from fifteen to twenty a yeer ; prime hands ;
brought a right smart bit of money ; wus wurth from
ten to twelve hunderd a head. Niggers all runed away
whin you cura'd. Aint wuth much now. Slipperyest
property now a man can have."

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 431
"What did you used to do with them?" continued
the soldier, fixing a stare on him ; " sell them in the
market with your pigs ?"
" Down South," replied the man, confusedly ; then
turning to the soldier, with a look of sympathy, he con
tinued, in broken sentences, "Bin a prayin all iiiglit
that the Lord would deliver us from this cuss as is cum
upon us."
" Old raan," replied the soldier, with a look of
scorn, "better if you had prayed to the devil. God
don't heed the prayers of wicked men like you."

CHAPTER XI

SOCIAL PICTURES.

When night came, and the bright moon was shining,
and the heavens were made beautiful with stars, and
the flitting, hovering moonbeams, and the camp-tires,
and the signal lanterns of the fleet, all mingled their
shadowy lights, the vast landscape of wood, water,
and plain presented one of those grand and bewitch
ing scenes the pen fails to describe. We had supped
from rustic tables erected on the lawn, and were sitting
in groups before the old mansion, smoking and discus
sing various subjects connected with the war. The
chief group was made up of general officers, with
Franklin for a central figure. The subject most ear
nestly discussed was in regard to what course the au
thorities at Washington would pursue; whether they
would fully appreciate the military necessity of the time,
and sustain General McClellan, or, yielding to the in
fluence of his impractical enemies, they would continue
to decrease his forces, rendering it impossible for him
to carry out his plans. Great anxiety was felt on this
point, and the discussion of it was conducted with more
or less warmth of feeling until a late hour. It was
conceded by all that the President was a man of good
432

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 433
intentions, and meant to do what was right for the
benefit of the country, so far as he knew ; but it was
evident that he did not clearly comprehend our military
necessities, and great fears were entertained that he
would yield to the bad infiuence of men who knew less
of war than himself, and by underrating the enemy's
strength and resources, destroy the combination it was
absolutely necessary to carry out in all its parts to in
sure success. It was felt and discussed that the Presi
dent, in reducing the force of the main army, from
120,000 to about 80,000, was placing it in a dangerous
position, and dangerously exposing the best interests
of the nation. What seemed to annoy some of these
generals raost, was a very general apprehension that
the authorities at Washington were shaping their mili
tary acts according to the notions of a very mischiev
ous class of civilians, who had shut their eyes to the
nation's necessities — men who made their opposition to
McClellan superior to everything else, and urged it
upon a wavering and kind-hearted President, from pas
sion and prejudice, instead of principle and judgment.
Again, the subject of conversation would turn on
the cause of our delay, and the question would be asked
why we were consuming so much time in these move
ments. This would at once bring up the name of Mc
Dowell, who was expected to move up from Fredericks
burg, and take position on our extreme right, when
we should reach the Chickahorainy, The papers would
bring us the news every raorning that he was still in
Washington, consulting with the authorities, and this
would increase the feeling against him. His appear-

4o4 THE STOEY OF A TROOPER,
ance in Washington, when he should have been witii
his troops, and performing his part of tiie plan, was
discussed in language more emphatic than complimen
tary. It was argued that our movements must be made
in accordance with his ; and it came at last to be a by
word, that we were waiting for McDowell to move.
These subjects were discussed until a late hour ; then
a band played sweet music on the lawn, and a man
with an exceedingly fine voice, (a soldier in one of the
New York regiments,) sang us several songs, and our
first evening at Elthara will be long remembered by all
who enjoyed the pleasant scenes around headquartei'S.
The most amusing scene of the evening was yet to be
enacted. General Franklin was sitting quietly, smok
ing his cigar, and about to retire for the night, when
Major Von Flopp, in his feathers and brightest uniform,
made his appearance, followed by the inseparable
Crump, his bugler. Not a little surprise was felt at
his appearance at this hour, and many inquiries were
made as to what brought him here. But as the fellow
had become well known for a simpleton throughout the
whole division, and had been made the victim of innu
merable jokes, it began at once to be suspected that
some one had sent him on a fool's errand. The gentle
men of the staff now gathered about him, as he began
to evolve himself in the presence of Franklin,
Lowering his hat and making one of his lowest bows,
the Major proceeded : " Though I didn't take part in
that battle, and regret that I was not up in time, so
that you should see that I am no coward, my heart was
in the thickest of it with you. You, General Fraiiki

THE STORY OF A TKOOPER. 435
lin, are a great General, and it does me honor to serve
under you, and to know that your fame shall live
among future generations. I liixve come now to pay
my respects to you after this victory, as it is the duty
of every field officer to do." Here the Major paused,
rubbed his head, as if there were some more ideas in
it he would like to get out, turned first to his bugler,
who was making grimaces behind hia back, then to
General Franklin, who was blushing- and nodding.
The Major accepted this nodding as approval of what
he was saying, and would have continued his compli
ments until midnight, affording us no end of amuse
ment, and making Franklin out the greatest General
history had any account of. The General saw that
some wag had been playing a joke on the Majoi-, and
would have made short work of his flattery, had not
a more mischievously inclined Brigadier invited the
Major to entertain us with an account of the capture
of Annandale,
Annandale was a rather sore subject with the
Major, who shook his head, frisked his fingers through
his bushy hair, and finally called on Crump to bear
witness to the courage he displayed in performing that
act, " If an officer captures a town, (my bugler here
knows' that I did !) why he captures it. If he holds
it, so ranch the better, because then the prospect of
peace looks well. And if it turn out that there was
no enemy in it when he captured it, whose fault is it?
Why, sir, the enemy's, at not being there." Here the
Major paused and made a low bow, satisfied that he
had at least upset tiie logic of his adversaries. "A

43G THE STOEY OF A TEOOPER,
man with a large number of enemies," he resumed, " is
no fool. And these enemies of mine, who would make
me a fool every hour in the day, are wasting all their
capital on wind."
" Major !" interrupted the General, " you will have
no objection to doing your country and the service
some good in a practical way, I suppose ?"
The Major bowed and smiled, and at length replied :
" I am to obey your orders. General, and shall show
you that I have the courage to carry them out like a
true soldier."
" Captain Purdy," returned the General, addressing
his Adjutant General, " let Major Von Flopp go to one
of the landings, and superintend the landing of animals,
to be relieved in the morning at 9 o'clock,"
The Major regarded this assignment at first as a
compliment to his military genius, and did not discover
lii.s mistake until he had been three hours on duty
among cattle, horses, and herdsmen, and so seriously
damaged his new uniform as to cause him great grief
for a week. The officers of his own regiment were
much amused at the turn the joke had taken, for they
bad made him believe that it was customary after a
battle for field officers to pay their respects to the Gen
eral in command. Hence the Major's appearance at
headquarters, I must inform the reader that this was
the last time he appeared at headquarters to pay his
respects during the campaign of the Peninsula,
On the morning of the 9th, we got news that Gen
eral McClellan had reached Roper's church, about nine
miles across country, and established his headquarters.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 437
Communication was thus opened between our right
and centre ; and Generals Franklin and Porter, with
several members of their staffs, rode over to General
McClellan's headquarters, and held an interview with
him, Slocum's brigade moved out about three miles to a
stumpy, new clearing, called the cross-roads, and en
camped. Stoneman, with his flying column of cavalry,
and General Sprague, passed up about four miles south
of us, and had a skirmish wifli the enemy's rear guard,
but, as usual, without inflicting any serious injury on
him. Under the belief that he could do something of
real value if he had infantry to support his cavalry,
Stoneraan had obtained an order on our division for
two regiments, which were sent to him from the Jersey
Brigade. It was surprising to see how much opposi
tion this order excited among some of our brigadier
generals, who prevaileco the "1 General McClellan to
rescind the order and ^ed in 1p infantry back to their
brigade. The rest of he afte^'=- was spent at Eltham,
landing cattle, supplies, i»d meivalry, the last being very
slow in getting up, Indta£f/it was almost impossible
to tell why this cavalry should have been sent from
Yorktown by water, subject to all the expense and de
lay of embarking and discharging, as well as cost of
transports, when a good road was open all the way up,
and fields of clover a foot deep.
The first supply train from Yorktown came through
in charge of Alex, our Irish Lieutenant, who had been
selected for the duty. The gunboat we had sent up
the Pamnnky reached Cumberland landing early on the

438 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
morning of the lOtli, having passed a number of sunk
en vessels, and removed a variety of obstructions
placed in the channel by the rebels, A good, saf^
channel, with ten and even eleven feet of water, was,
however, found and marked out up to the landing,j
which was at Tooler's plantation, a vast open plain,
affording magnificent advantages for encamping the
whole army, A high ridge, on which the plantation
bouse stood, overlooked aniramense extent of country,
and gave the spectator iT' view which, for picturesque
ness, I have rarely seen excelled, A pale mist hung
over the hill, and a camp with three or four white
tents was dimly seen from the deck of the gunboat,
pitched a few yards in front of the plantation house.
As the mist lifted, the shadowy figures of the camp
guards stood out in clear relief. The question was
whether they were the enemy or our men. A glass was
brought into use, and tbj fceei^ overcoats decided the
question. It was Ston-?^ l^gi.,j;amp. He had halted his
flying column, and waljjj j^s tc^S ^oi' the infantry to
move up. He had lost, ^ of } reported, several of his
men in an affair with the yig ay near New Kent Court-
House, the evening before.
Colonel Alexander, Captain Arnold, and several
others landed and made their way to the camp, but
with the exception of the guards, everything appeared
in undisturbed slumber. While, however, the Colouel
was making inquiry of the guard as to where he could
find General Stoneman, a small-sized head protruded
from one of the tents, and a somewhat husky voice in
quired who the strangers were. The head and voice

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 439
were General Sprague's. The General seemed some
what confused, and could not exactly understand that
the flying column had been overtaken by a gunboat.
The strangers soon had a pleasant greeting with
General Stoneman, who gave them an account of some
skirmishing had with the enemy on his way up. They
now made an examination of the ground in the vicin
ity, and in the direction of New Kent Court-House,
procured correct information concerning the roads,
and returning to the gunboat proceeded back to
Eltham to report the success of their expedition. All
the light draught vessels of our fleet could ascend the
crooked Pamunky to Cumberland Landing, and on
this being reported to -General McClellan, it was at
once determined to establish our depot of supplies
there. On the morning of the 10th another brigade of our
division moved over to the cross-roads I have before
mentioned, and encamped in the stumpy fields and on
the wooded hills. In the afternoon General Franklin
and his staff rode out and met General McClellan and
several members of his staff at Slocum's headqaarters,
where they were very handsoraely entertained. Accora-
panying the General was his favorite aid. Colonel
Sweitzer, the Duke de Chartres, Count de Paris, and
the Prince de Joinville, whose agreeable manners
always added a charm to the company he was in. A
very pretty and intelligent boy, belonging to a poor
faraily in the neighborhood, who had been in Richm.ond
about a week before, was brought into headquarters
and introduced to General McClellan, who questioned

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 441
many others in his neighborhood, struggled hard
against the men who carried Virginia into rebellion.
There was something so sincere, so kindly about the
man and his wife, who seemed a very model of good
ness, as to make us forget that we were in an enemy's
country. He was not one of the rich, opulent planters,
owning a hundred slaves, and therefore hating the
Union that afforded them protection. They were to be
found Off the rich bottom lands adjoining the river,
where wealth seeined to give greater force and bitterness
to treason . Martin lived on what was called the ordi
nary upland, several miles away from the river, where
the people were less educated and wealthy, but among
wliora I noticed a strong love for the Union and a more
kindly treatment of our soldiers, Martin's farm com
prised about five hundred acres ; three hundred of it
finely wooded with oaks and chesnut, the balance of
it under that very ordinary kind of cultivation which
has been followed in Virginia for at least a century.
The farming implements here were of the rudest kind,
and Pcould not suppress a feeling of regret that all
these fine lands should remain unproductive for want
of a little of that science and energy which has done
so much for the advancement of agriculture in Ihe
Nortii and West, Martin had but a few slaves, and
rultivated his soil chiefly with free labor. We re
lumed to. Eltham that night at a rapid pace, and
Captain Jackson's fine horse fell dead a few minutes
after we reached, headquarters.
Early the next morning we moved with the remain
der of the division, and established our headquarters
20

442 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
about a mile beyond the cross-roads. On the 12th I
went out with the provost marshal and a company of
cavalry to post guards along the road to protect prop
erty. In one house we found an aged mother and her
only daughter, a young woman of eighteen, with an
infant in her arms, the father, their only support, hav
ing been conscripted into the rebel army. A more
terrible picture of poverty and distress could scarcely
be presented. In another house were two young girls,
and an aged, infirm father, the two brothers who
worked the little farm having fallen victims to the
inexorable conscription officer. The house of the
sheriff or tax collector of the county was deserted, its
furniture broken, and its floors strewn a foot deep with
papers, old books, and manuscripts. Three or four old
negroes still remained in the cabins, and told us this
destruction was the work of some of our soldiers, who
had passed that way the day before, and learned that
their master was an arrant rebel.
On returning, I took four cavalrymen and stopped
at Martin's house, to protect his property, while the
army marched up on the next morning. During the
day I observed that he exhibited considerable anxiety;
of mind about something. He at length disclosed to
me the cause of it. The wife of a Major Jones, who
was in the rebel army, had been frightened from her
house on the banks of the Pamunky by the shells of
our gunboats, and leaving in a state of great distress,
had made her way through the woods, and sought shel
ter under his roof. The poor woman was now secreted
in one of his garrets — a fact he considered it his duty

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 443
to disclose to me, especially as he had been assured that
the distressed and innocent would receive protection
and be treated with kindness. Assured of protection
and kind treatment, she came trembling frora her hiding
place, but in a state of nervous excitement enough to
awake the tenderest sympathies of one's heart. She
was a timid, delicate little woman, of refined raanners
and evident good family. The depth of her distress
was increased by the fact that she was soon to give
birth to a child, and her home had been made desolate
by her own negroes, several of whom had threatened
her life. My efforts to relieve her mind of all apprehen
sion of personal danger failed to remove the intense
nervous excitement under which she was laboring. She
thanked me, however, in the most tender manner for
my offer of protection, deplored the war that had
brought this misery upon her, and with tears sealed
the sincerity of what she said,
I sent this trembling woman to her home in charge
of a guard, but it was not the home she left. The ne
groes had held high festival in its halls for several
days, and the scene of destruction which everywhere
met the eye showed how regardless they had been of
the value of property.
I could not help feeling how thankful we ought to
be that our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sis
ters, lived beyond this terror of war, where peace reigns.
And yet the aching head and sorrowing heart of this
poor woman is as a feather when compared with the
accumulation of woe war brings on the people into
whose country it is carried.

CHAPTER XLI,

ORGANIZATION OP NEW ABMT CORPS— MARCH TO CUMBERLAND LANDtN'G.
To insure a better understanding between generals,
to obtain harmony of action, and lessen the influence
of errors committed by the authorities at Washington,
in the appointment of corps commanders. General
McClellanobtained the President's permission to organ
ize two new provisional army corps, Franklin's andi
Smith's divisions were formed into the sixth provis
ional army corps, under command of General W, B,
Franklin, Franklin and Smith were old friends, con
genial in their, political and professional sympathies,
entertained the highest respect for each other, and were
likely to get along well together. The divisions of
Fitz John Porter andSykes, with the reserve artillery,
was formed into the fifth provisional army corps, under
the command of General Porter, in whose military
ability General McClellan had the highest confidence.
In regard to this respect and confidence in General
Porter, I heard more than one general officer say that
the commanding general's action was governed more
by personal friendship than correct judgment as to
what was necessary for the good of the service.
In this fifth provisional corps the regulars were in-
444

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 445
eluded, and the command was regarded as one of pre
eminent importance. Now, Fitz John Porter was
never " comfortable" under General Heintzelman,
whose military ability ho wuh not inclined to respect
in such a manner as to insure his orders implicit obe
dience. Beside, once in command of this corps, Porter
could be nearer McClellan — a position very desirable
to him. Between him and Sykes, also, there was ])er-
fect harmony of feeling, as there would also be of
action. We struck tents on the morning of the 13th, and
marched from the cross-roads to Toller's farm, on wliicii
Cumberland Landing was located. It was a damp,
foggy morning, the roads were slippery, and the march
ing slow and fatiguing. The weather cleared up about
twelve o'clock, and a more imposing and grand sight
cannot bo imagined than that of the divisions as they
debouched down the high hill on which Toller's house
stood, and spread over the broad plain stretching nearly
as far as tiie eye could reach to the West and South,
and covered with clover a' foot deep, and wheat and rye
that waved and cavorted with tho wind. But all this
fine prospect of an abundant harvest was trampled
down by the multitude of soldiers, Vv'hich poured into
the plain for three hours, then formed iu three long,
glittering lines, with banners flying and bands playing,
with batteries of artillery and troops of cavalry
galloping into position on the flanks and centre, the
whole forming one of those grand and imposing scenes
rarely seen, and never forgotten. A dark belt of wood
stretched along the horizon just beyond our outer lino,

446 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
giving a more clear and bold outline to the field, LookJ
ing to the left, in the direction of New Kent Courts
House, the plain was dotted with clumps of trees, under
which the white tents began to nestle, in beautiful con
trast to the deep green foliage. And, too, the soldierd
hung their tents with wild flowers, for the woods were
filled with them, and the very air was sweet with their
perfumes. On the right we had the beautiful river,
which was narrow here, and curved gently for a dis
tance of four miles, its banks, near Toller's house,
being covered with fine old trees. As the three gun
boats, followed by the fleet of transports, swept round
this bend, their tall ma?ts and dark funnels peering
above the trees, the effect was magnificent. Cumber
land had never seen such a sight before, and the negroes
ran out and shouted for joy.
I reached Toller's house about 9 o'clock, having
passed two divisions on the road, and brought up a
company of the provost guard. There was great ex
citement at the old plantation house when I got there,
and the house servants, of which there was a great
number, of nearly every variety of color, were in a
state of mutiny. Toller, a round-shouldered, lean,
and hard-featured specimen of the Southerner, was as
craven-hearted a creature as it is possible to find any
where. Pie was an arrant rebel ; had taken an active
part with the men who attempted to carry Virginia out
of the Union, and had voluntarily sent iiis slaves to
work on the fortifications at rorktowa and Williams
burg, where they had been treated with great cruelty.
He was now as servile as a wirnoed v-ar, and weat

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 447
about offering to do almost anything we wanted, if we
would only protect him and his property. Very many
of his field hands had left him that morning, and I
ascertained that only a few hours before he had been
whipping several of them. When rebuked for this, and
told that he would be put in irons if he did it again,
he thought it very hard that his authority over his
property should be interfered with. He said, in a sub
missive tone, that if he were not master of his slaves,
his slaves would soon be master of him. I at once took
such measures as made him comprehend that a different
order of authority now ruled on his plantation, and
that he must respect it if he wanted to save his prop
erty from total destruction.
Mrs. Toller was a very different person, and exhib
ited much more courage aad independence of spirit.
xVfter selecting a spot for General Franklin's head-
qaarters, I went to the kitchen to order some break
fast cooked. Here a BiiEBber of the house servants were
holding a sort of indignation meeting, and the sooty
cook told me, " Missus would'at let her do nothin for
us." I was anxious to know what all this indignation
among the colored population meant, and was informed
that Mrs. T. had, with her ©wn hands, applied the
lash to two or three of her servants for cooking for
Union officers that morning. One of the victims was
an aged, but very sprightly house servant, tho mother
of a large number of bright and intelligent children,
one of whom, (Miss Jane,) seemed to have the direction
cf every Ihing about the hduse, and had a neat and com
fortably furnished cabin of her own. The whole family

448 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
were indignant at this act of cruelty towards their
mother, and I confess it was with some difficulty I could
restrain my own feelings, when this old woman showed
me her neck and shoulders, yet red with the marks of
the lash. While assuring them that tiio like should
not occur again, and endeavoring to quiet their feel
ings, this Mrs, Toller appeared among them, the lash
still in her hand.
I rebuked her act of cruelty in severe terms, and
warned her not to repeat it, or I would not be answer
able for the consequences. She very coolly informed
me that this plantation, and these slaves on it, were
her private property, and she would not have her au
thority interfered with. And this she repeated several
times, giving a peculiar emphasis to the declaration
that this was her private property ; that our army had
no right here, and that we must not interfere with her
slaves. She also, in a broad nasal twang, peculiar to
Virginia, wanted to know if I was in command of the
" geuard ;" if I was, she insisted that " a double geuard"
be placed on her house and gardens ; also that a
" geuard" be put over the cabins, to keep " what nig-i
gers there wus left from runnin away," She also;
wanted me to go to General McClellan, and tell him that
he must get away with his army as quick as he could,
or there would be a heavy bill of damages for destroy
ing her private property, I soon relieved the old
lady's mind of the idea that her property was sacred,
and finding no other way of getting rid of her, sent
her to her house in charge of a guard, who kept her
out of harm's way for the rest of the day.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 449
The negroes were very thankful for this interposition
in their behalf, and evinced their gratitude in various
ways. The house servants here formed so strange and
grotesque a group, that Brady, the celebrated photog
rapher, had a picture of them taken and placed in his
gallery. There was the old African grandmother, of
lour-score and ten, very black and very taciturn. And
there were her two daughters; one very dark, the other
the bright, fat, and kindly wo'.uan I have described as
having undergone the castigalion; and her numerous
progeny, of every variety of color, from the darkest
crispy head to the almost white with flaxen ringlets.
Miss Jane was her oldest daughter, and directed the
household affairs with rare smartness and energy. Her
husband, Henry Armistead, was a very black, bu^,. cry
intelligent and worthy man, -ivhose master resided in
Richmond, and of whom he y archased his time, which
he employed fishing and oystering on the York and
Pamunky rivers. About midnight, Henry entered my
quarters, laboring under great anxiety of mind. He
wanted my advice, he said, for he recognized in me a
friend of his people. He had upwards of eleven hun
dred dollars in silver, the fruit of his labor for several
years, buried in the cellar. He had been saving up
this money, he said, to purchase the freedom of him
self and" wife, and now that our army had come, he
vvranted to place it in my hands for safe keeping, Avhile
he took his wife and people and fled North. He said
a man had advised him to pack up and leave that night,
to take his money and go to New York, where he wou'd
be provided for by Mr. Iloraco Grcelev, and live like a
20-

450 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
prince. Knowing that the country in the rear of our
army was full of stragglers, and tiie very worst species
of camp followers, many of whom were robbing the
poor colored people, who were making their w^ay to
a place of safety, I advised him to do nothing of
the kind, but to remain quietly on the plantation, keep
the possession of his money a secret, and when we had
taken Richmond, he would be at liberty to go with his
faraily and relatives where he pleased. I was of opin
ion that neither his condition nor his prospects would
be improved at the North ; that the time would soon
come when men of his class could make theraselves
more useful in the South, where they were born and
reared ; and so I advised him. I have often thought of
tiiiB .--oj-tliy man and his family, and wondered what
became of them.
There was an air of comfort and plenty about the
cabins of these people, which showed that they had
been indulged more than is common on Virginia plan
tations. Indeed, it was astonishing to see the number
of turkeys, pigs, chickens, hams, eggs, bacon, and various
kinds of vegetables they had to sell us, and how ready
they were to exchange them for our gold. (We paiil
gold for everything during the campaign on the Penin
sula.) I noticed also that they were continually brinp-
ing out their last, and yet the reserve slock seemed to
be without end. In fine, we fared sumptuously every
day while at Toller's plantation, and left his enterpris
ing servants quite an amount of our gold.
The pride of caste was kept up among these pcrvanfs
in a manner that was quite amusing. They spoke of

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 451
Toller as a very low bred man, and spoke of him with
an air of contempt, because he was once an overseer
on the plantation. And the grave offence of Missus in
marrying her overseer they had neither forgotten nor
forgiven. They spoke of their old master with feel
ings of love and affection ; told us what a fine gentle
man he was, and where he was buried, and scouted the
idea that Toller was to be compared with hira, " He
is'nt nuffin but a low bred man ;" they would say, " 01
Mas'r was a gentleman."
We pitched our headquarters near the cabins of
these people, where we had a fine view of the array
stretched out over the plain below. About one o'clock,
and before all the divisions had taken position, a stam
pede took place along a considerable portion of the
front, occasioned in the most singular manner. Mes
sengers qame galloping up to headquarters, and reported
that the eneray had turned, was advancing in force, and
had driven our cavalry back in disorder. The report
spread with great rapidity, and there was evidently
considerable excitement along the 'front, Franklin
was in the saddle in a trice, and with several members
of his staff and a portion of the body guard, dashed
down tiie hill and across the plain to the front, where
he soon had his corps in line of battle and prepared for
the attack. Other generals followed his example, and
in less than an hour a formidable line of battle was
formed, cutting a half circle, and stretching away
among clumps of trees on the left, as far as.the eye
could reach. The array was ready and waiting, with

452 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
i guns loaded, skirmishers out, and troopers mounted
But no enemy came to expend its wrath upon.
It turned out that Stoneman's cavalry had engaged
the enemy's rear guard just beyond New Kent Court-
House, when a troop of the Eighth Pennsylvania Caval
ry, a regiment that had gained an unenviable reputation
for the speed it made in getting away from the enemy,
became alarmed at the serious complexion things were
assuming, and came scampering down the road at a
headlong pace, spreading a report that tho eneray was
close at their heels. Indeed, these gallant racers had
looked neither to the right nor the left, but had urged
their poor animals on at the very top of their speed,
and were so frightened and excited that it was with
much difficulty they could be made to halt and give an
account of themselves. When it became known that
the whole army had been stampeded by a few fright
ened troopers, and that the enemy was not within a
dozen miles of us, our generals felt somewhat mortified.
General McClellan came up and established his head
quarters just below us during the afternoon, his white
tents increasing the picturesqueness and martial air of
the hill-side.

CHAPTER XLII.

THE WHITE HOUSE.

A cold easterly wind came up on the 14th, and it
rained heavily during this and the following day.
Stoneman had driven the enemy's rear guard to Bal
timore Crossings, and Colonel Alexander, with the
gunboats, had gone up the river, very crooked and
intricate above Cumberland Landing, and found a good
channel as far up as the White House, where naviga
tion for our fleet ended. A railroad bridge crossed
the river here, and just above it the channel made a
sharp bend and the water became very shoal. The
eneray had destroyed the bridge, which now stood a
mass of charred timber. It was only five miles from
Cumberlard Landing to White House by land, while
by water it was nearly fifteen.
The morning of the 15th was wet and misty. A
dull gray fog_ hung over the plain, over the hill, over
everything ; and the figures moving about in it, uov/
disappearing and again appearing, had a strange and
shadowy^ appearance. We had been told that we had
the -worst piece of road in Virginia to travel over, and
were up at three o'clock, saddled up and ready to
move. At four o'clock tents were struck all along the
4-53

454 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
line, and the column began its silent, muddy march.
It is impossible to conceive anything worse than this
five railes of road was, or a march more fatiguing.
The road passed over an almost continuou.^ swamp ;
the corduroy gave way for want of a foundation and
became a network of loose logs, and the horses sank
and plunged into the soft clay in a manner that alarmed
their riders. Infantry labored and worked, artillery-
stuck every few minutes, horses broke their limbs and
had to be killed, and headquarters wagons broke down
in the general wreck. Some of the infantry were ten
hours getting over the five miles of road, in light
marching order. Some of the supply trains were
thirty hours getting over it.
I started with Captain Purdy and the cavalry guard
about five o'clock, and after struggling for nearly four
hours, and picking most of our way through the woods,
reached the White House before the head of the
I column debouched into the open fields. About six
o'clock the rain began to pour down, and continued;
until one, when we were all drenched to the very
skin, and so hungry. Slocum and other general
I officers came up, dripping wet, and having given direc
tions to the troops where to camp, were glad to accept
shelter in the dingy cabin of an old negro, the few
smouldering embers in the great open fireplace afford
ing us a little warmth.
The plantation here was an extensive level plain of
rich and productive soil, easy of cultivation, and evi
dently under good care. It extended about five miles
along the bank of the river, and nearly three inland.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 455
There were .fields of clover a foot deep, and rye, and
wheat, and corn, looking so bright and healthy, extend
ing as far as the eye could reach. Clumps of fine old
shade trees broke the monotony here and there, while
broad avenues ran in various directions, fringed with
willows and cedars. The plantation had belonged to
the Custis estate, and, like the rest of that property,
had descended to the Lee family.
The scenery, as we advanced up the Pamunky, be
came more and more beautiful, the plantations more
extensive and under a higher state of cultivation, and
the people more wealthy and intelligent. In short, it
seemed as if our march was through a succession of
beautiful gardens, on which the eye dwelt with ad-
miratio-^ The people, however, were considerably
alarm d at first, and approached us with an air of
timidity'. Now there was a sort of feudal air about these es
tates which reminded me of many parts of the West of
England. A high ridge extended along the bank of
the river, which was obscured here and there by tall
trees and clustering vines, affording delightful shade
in summer. The Lee house, a small, neat cottage of
modern style, with gotliic windows, pointed gables,
and little balustrades, stood at the upper end of the
ridge, overlooking the river, and was surrounded by a
green lawn in which there were a few shade trees, A
gravelled walk led to the front entrance. The grounds
were small, but laid out with considerable taste. In
deed, everything about the cottage was neat and plain.
There were also flower and vegetable gardens near by,

456 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
both under good cultivation ; and it was here that we
had the first strawberries and green peas of tiie sea
son. Then there were extensive fodder yards, barns,
and cribs, filled to their utmost capacity with wheat,
corn, aiid other cereals. Below these there was quite
a village of negro cabins, stretching along the ridge
and divided up into classes, with streets running be
tween. The many-colored occupants of these cabins
seemed well provided for and contented. According
to the Custis will, they would all be free on the -ith of
July, I conversed with a number of them, found them
much attached to the place, and quite indifferent about
changing their condition so long as they could be
made safe against being sold off the plantation.
On the inside of this ridge there was a deep ravine,
filled with tangle-wood and vines, and a number of
bubbling springs, giving out a plentiful supply of pure
cold water, Mrs Lee and her sister, and a few old
servants, yet remained in the house, and solicited pro
tection from us. We at once placed guards over the
house and gardens, and the Quartermaster placed a
guard over the grain and forage. These were neces
sary as a means of preserving the property from use
less destruction. We wanted the forage aud grain for
our own use. And as we asserted that our army
came into the South to protect the people and their
property, not to burn down their houses and make war
on defenceless women and children, placing guards
over this little house and garden seemed to me per
fectly proper, I always found that the bravest officers
were those who were most kind and generous to the

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 4S7
defenceless, I have noticed also that officers who were
always ready to fight with women for what they would
say, seldom or never brought their courage on the bat
tle-field with tliem. It may be set down as good phi
losophy that a woman's tongue is a weapon against
which the true soldier has no other defence than love
and kindness ; and the best way to gain advantage
over her is to let her talk until the strength of her
weapon fails.
These guards, however, afforded the ill-natured a
subject for controversy and misrepresentation, A
number of inquisitive Congressmen came down to see
the Army of the Potomac, but were unwilling to share
its hardships, and affected to consider their dignity
insulted because the guards would not let them enter
the house during a rain storm. As these Congressmen
did not wear badges on their hats, and possessed noth
ing, either mentally or physically, by which a guard
could distinguish them from ordinary people, and con
sidering that there were a large number of pickpockets
and other doubtful characters following the army,
neither the guards nor the General who placed them
there were to blame for the wetting these gentlemen
had to endure. It was also publicly reported that
guards were placed over the springs, and tho soldiers
compelled to got water from the river. There was not
a word of truth in this. Our headquarters were be
tween these springs and the main body of the army,
and all were free to use them, provided they did not
pass through our tents.
The young gentlemen of the Sanitary Commission

458 THE STOEY OF A TEOOPER.
coveted the house, and complaints were made because
they could not get it for a hospital. The good inten
tions of these gentlemen were not always advanced
with ^ood judgment ; for although tliis house might
have afforded very pleasant and comfortable accom
modations for a number of themselves, it would have
made a very poor hospital, not being capable of ac
commodating more than could be j)rovidcd for in two
hospital tents.
It ceased raining about two o'clock, and at fiiur
General McClellan came up and pitched his headquar
ters tents on the lawn in front of the house. We all
had a short supper that night, and slept in our blankets
on the wet ground,
A large number of pigs ran loose on the plantation,
and soon became an object of envy to our soldiers,
several of whom laid violent hands on them, thereby
endangering that exact discipline which ruled in the
army under McClellan, and discovering also an unpar
donable want of respect for the orders of General
Andrew Porter, our Provost-Marshal General,
I have spoken in the early part of this history of the
melancholy man in black, who figured in the organiza
tion of the 1st New York Lincoln Cavalry, He was
now a Captain of the regiment, and being exceedingly
hungry, aud not having the fear of certain orders be
fore his eyes, paid an old negro two dollars, good and
lawful currency, for the privilege of shooting a pig.
For this grievous military offence the melancholy man
was placed under arrest, and confined to his tent, with
a guard over him, for the sp-aco of ten days. It was

THE STOEY OF A TROOPER, 439
reported that the General who ordered this severe pun
ishment of an officer had the pig for supper. The
melancholy man, I ought to mention, employed his time
in giving license to his poetical inspirations. Indeed,
he wrote a number of poems, and painted several
amusing figures, all illustrating the great military
offence of killing a pig in an enemy's country. And
when he had sufficiently repented of his crime, he wrote
a letter to the Commanding General, setting forth the
great reform that had taken place in his morals,
and promising that if he were restored his liberty,
never to shoot another pig without a special order
from the Provost-Marshal General This had the de
sired effect, and the melancholy man was welcomed
back to liberty and his regiment by his brother officers,
who complimented him on his escape from being tried by
court-martial and shot for killing a pig in an enemy's
country, Keyes and Heintzelman's corps advanced up by New
Kent Court-House, towards Bottom's bridge. Wo
remained here until the morning of the 19tli, waiting,
it was reported, for the command of General McDowell
from Fredericksburg, " Why don't McDowell move ?"
was the question asked aud discussed from one end of
our line to the other by officers of all rank. Various
answers were returned, none of them satisfactory.
General McClellan, who had been cheerful and san
guine of success up to this time, it was noticed, had
become nervous and impatient, aud at times seemed to
lack cheerfulness of spirits. Indeed, it was no
ticed by those accustomed to read his thoughts in his

4G0 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
manner that he was laboring under some anxiety of
mind that was fast becoming a burden he was unable
to overcome. The mental struggle was evidently too
great for the man, aud was fast changing his resolute
nature. On the 16th our fleet of transports came up, and with
it a swarm of inquisitive Jews and speculating "Yan
kees," who commenced trade on the river, and were
soon carrying on a brisk business with the soldiers.
The White House plantation soon changed its color
and character. J\lrs. Lee, not fancying the demonstra
tive character of her new visitors, nor tlie freedom
they made with her fields, applied to be sent through
the lines to her husband. Her application was granted
a few days after, and, with a flag of truce and an escort
of cavalry, she was delivered outside of our lines, with
an amount of ceremony beyond even what gallantry de
manded. On the 17th, the day being remarkably fine, Capt.
Baker and myself, of General Franklin's staff, took a
troop of the Lincoln Cavalry, with Captain Stearns
and Lieut. Granger, and proceeded out about five miles;
then scouted along some by-roads that cut through oak
forests, the trees forming a beautiful shade for several
railes. Among other objects of interest visited, was
the little, quaint old church where it was said Washing
ton was married, and where he had worshipped. It was'
a little, old-fashioned brick building, with vines creep
ing up its sides, and shade-trees investing it with a mel
ancholy air, A pair of rickety old stairs on the out
side led to the littie gallery, which was set apart for

THE SIOEY OF A TROOPER. 461
the negroes to worship in. There were two rows of
pev/s an the floor, and little tablets erected to the
memory of various persons, dcsci-ibed as distinguished,
stood between a- number of the windows, 'i'hcre, too,
wa.s the old box pulpit and the sounding-board above,
and I he little altar before which Washington had bowed.
There was a deserted air about this little old church
now; but no sacrilegious hand had touched it. In the
old grave-yard outside, time had left deep finger-marks;
moss and rank weeds had overgrown the tablets, and
nearly obliterated their inscriptions. I sauntered
among them for some time, attempting in vain to read
a few of them, Wc permitted the men to dismount,
and I was pleased to see with what an air of reverence
they approached and viewed the sacred spot. Some of
them broke boughs; others gathered wild flowers, of
which there was a great abundance, and brought
away as mementoes. While viewing this spot, sancti
fied by time and happy associations, I was forcibly re
minded of the little old church at Teddington, on
the Thames,
During our scout we visited a number of extensive
and finelyTdiltivated plantations, and were hospitably
entertained by the families on several of them. Indeed,
the people seemed communicative andfriendly, con versed
freely about and regretted the war, several of them
giving us valuable information concerning the country
ahead and the condition and strength of the Confede
rate army. Among the most friendly of these planters
was a Doctor Macon, who had a large and valuable
estate near Tunstall's Station, and raised some of the

4G2 THE STORY OF A TEOOPER,
finest stock in Virginia. We visited Tunstall's Station,
where our cavalry had a skirmish with the enemy a
few days before, and where, from a hill just beyond,
the enemy's camp fires could be seen at night. We
also visited the home and plantation of a sly, taciturn
old man of the narae of Templo, as arrant a rebel as
was to be found. He invited us into his house, gave
us milk, and even bread, for which we paid him. He,
affected to regret the war. When we inquired abQut|
the roads ahead, and the army, he could give us no in
formation. In short, one would have supposed, to hear
himtalk,thathehad never heard of the Confederate army
passing (hat way, and had never been to Richmond, He
had sent his family and a number of his negroes "away
into the South" about a week before, and would have
gone himself but for fear of losing his property.
There were a number of intelligent servants about the
place, and the story they told did not conform to their
master's. They told us that he had been one of the
raost active rebels in the neighborhood, had two sons
and other relatives in the rebel army ; that he had
visited thein a few nights before, and until very re
cently had permitted his house to be used for tlie pur
pose of secreting arms. On further inquiry we found
that what these servants told us was true. Temple's
house stood on a high hill, just beyond Tunstall's Sta
tion, from which an extensive view of a fine, opeu
country was had, with fields of waving wheat stretch
ing away in the direction of the Pamunky, as far as
the eye could reach. We established a signal station
at the house of this ventrablc rebel, and when I again!

TUE STORY OF A TROOPER, 4G3
visited it, about ten days afterwards, it bore evidence
of rough usage.
During our ride we frequently came upon squads of
our own men scouring the woods. In one or two in
stances we came upon them suddenly, and were very
near exchanging shots with our friends, whom we mi.^-
took for enemies. At one time we met a troop cf
cavalry coming at a gallop down a hill less than half
a mile from us. A halt was sounded as soon as they
discovered us. They began to manoeuvre, and, feeling
sure they were rebels, for their uniforms were gray
with dust, we formed in line across the road, and threw
flankers into the field. He whom we mistook for the
enemy was evidently preparing to make a dash, and
we as quickly prepared to meet it. One of our men
suggested that they were equipped with the saddles of
the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, We stood watching each
other for a few seconds more. Then, their bugle
sounded, and, as it did. Lieutenant Granger rode forward
and made a signal, which they recognized. They were
a scouting party of the brave Eighth Illinois Cavalry,
old friends of, oars, jsfhom we greeted with feelings of
pleasure. Neither of us had seen anything of the
enemy. They, however, had been four miles beyond
us, and gave a glowing account of the beauty and rich
ness of the country.
There was one thing which particularly impressed
me while we were marching up the Peninsula, and
which I have often recurred to as affording proof of
the friendly disposition of some of tiiese people: When
ever we found the slightest love for the old Union re-

4G4 THE STORY OF A TEOOPER,
maining, we could get correct information ; and the
people thus friendly disposed toward us all agreed that
Johnston was only faUing back to the Chickahominy
for a stronger lino of defence, and. where the whole
Southern army would be concentrated against us for a
great battle. They also gave us a minute account of
the Chickahominy swamps, of the malignant fevers^
prevailing in them during the summer, and warned
us against being caught in thera by Johnston, In
short, they told us that the fevers of these swamps, if
we remained in them long, would be more effective in
destroying our army than the enemy's bullets. Manyi
of our officers began to regard these stories as mere
romance, got up to frighten us. But the air of sin
cerity with which they were told convinced me that
they were worthy our serious consideration. I re
member well how one honest old farmer warned us to
" keep out them d — d swamps or there'll be an end of
ycu," This White House plantation has since been a promi
nent feature in the war, I visited it about two weeks
after the time we first occupied it, and found it trans
formed into a city of tents, inhabited by Jews, sutlers,
and speculators. Streets were laid out and named,
and long lines of tent-shanties, in which a brisk trade;
was carried on, gave a gay and picturesque appear
ance to the place. Here a persuasive Jew made his
bow, and invited you in to buy his cheap clothing and
his flimsy haberdashery; there, an enterprising gentle
man from Boston had opened a showy establishment,
and had everything the soldier wanted, from a bunch

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 465
of matches to a leathery cheese. Then a respectable-
looking gentleraan frora New York invited you in to
see the extensive stock he was just opening, and intended
to sell at cost and expenses. He didn't want to make
a dollar out of the soldier, he was sure he didn't ; and
as for the like of a bottle of good whiskey, why he
always threw that in as a matter of friendship. The
"Broadway Saloon" rivalled with the "Philadelphia
House" in the quantity and quality of the dinner given
you for a dollar. Both had their female contraband
waiters, draped in the gayest attire; both swarmed
with flies, and steamed with the heat of a furnace.
Steamboats in the pay of the Government were turned
into lodging-houses by their enterprising captains, who
would oblige the traveller with a mattress and a
blanket for a. dollar a night. The good young men of
the Sanitary Commission had a part of the city set off
to themselves, and went about in search of the sick
and hungry, whom they invited to come in and be
healed. These gentlemen, I found, were an object of
dislike to the Jews, who complained that trade was
seriously daraaged by the Sanitary raen giving away
what they had to sell. There, too, was the sleek, in
sinuating gentleraan, with his dyed beard and mous
tache, and his hair so exactly oiled and parted, niiov-
ing about and making the acquaintance of officers, to
whom he would suggest in a quiet way that there was
a "little garae" going on just beyond the Oaks. The
great feature of this city of camps, however, was the
vast number of contrabands that had congregated in
it, of every hue, and the gay colors they were draped
21

466 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
in. The energetic Col. Ingalls, whose highest ambition
was to see the soldiers well provided for, was the great
presiding genius of this queen city, and managed its
affairs in a manner that seemed to give satisfaction to
all. I noticed that he was a great favorite with the
contrabands, for whom he found employment.
The army had become much encumbered witii baggage,
in consequence of a large number of officers travelling
with their families and furniture, as if they had joined
the army for the purpose of opening a boarding-house
as soon as we entered Richmond. General Franklin's
attention had been called to this subject ; and that a
stop might be put to this improper use of army wagons,
he ordered an inspection of baggage to be made. An
order was sent to the several regiments of the divi
sion to be got ready for marching. Captains Arnold,
McMahon, and myself proceeded first to examine
officers' baggage in the First New York Cavalry, when
considerable amusement was eaused by Major Von
Flopp, who had appropriated a whole army wagon to
himself, and had it filled with the most promiscuous
assortment of furniture ever soldier went to the wars
with. Here was the venerable rocking chair, bolsters,
pillows, mattresses, bed-quilts, a lounge, a bath tub,
and a number of bootjacks; crockery enough for a
large family, and a stock of preserved fruits and vege
tables that showed the Major had no idea of living on
the country. Now, Arnold was an officer of the old
army, and a true soldier, who was content Avith his
blanket and the ground for a bed, and travelled with
a dozen shirt-collars, a towel, pocket-comb, and tooth-

THE STORY OF A TEOOPER, 467
brush for baggage. His remarks as he directed the
orderlies to unload the Major's furniture were ex
tremely amusiug. Nor was it decreased by the air of
surprise with which the doughty Major witnessed the
recklessness of the mischievous orderlies as they tossed
his venerable incumbrances to the ground.
"Provided for a large family, eh?" said Arnold.
"Rocking-chair, eh? feather-beds '11 come next. Intend
to open a boarding-house when you get to Richmond,
that's clear."
" If a field officer can't carry his travelling comforts,
why, he'd better not go to the war. When a gentle
man's going into a country he don't know, it's wisdom
on his part to go well provided," replied the Major,
with a polite bow.
" A raan who can't go to the war as a soldier is an
incumbrance to the army, and had better stay at home,"
returned Arnold, dryly, as he ordered the men to turn
the traps over to the provost marshal.
" But, sir," rejoined the Major, rubbing his head, "I
can prove to you that I am a soldier and a gentleman.
And I will get you the proof in writing; yes, sir, in
writing. And as there is no knowing when this war
will end, or when we leave Richmond when we get into
it, I take it that he is a wise soldier who travels with
his furniture," We left the Major declaring that he
would go and see General McClellan, who was a friend
of his, and get an order to restore his property.
It is due to Von Flopp to say here that he was not
the only officer who incumbered the army with baggage

468 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
enough to furnish a house, Wc found one Lieutenant
Colonel travelling with his wife and three children,
and to carry his furniture he had a government wagon
and four horses, and a private wagon and two. Thus
incumbered, the Army of the Potomac marched, and
the men were deprived of their proper allotment of
transportation.

CHAPTER XLIV.

STILL MAllCHINO ALONG— WAITING FOR McDOWELL.
The morning of the 19th of May was bright and
breezy, Wc were the Sixth corps now, and formed
the right wing of the grand Army of the Potomac,
Our column was in motion at five o'clock, and our
morning march of five miles, to Tunstall's Station, one
of the most delightful. Our line led through a beauti
ful open country, with good level roads, now fringed
with cedars and sweet thorn, now shaded by oaks and
pines. Birds were making the air melodious with their
songs, the wild grape was diffusing its delicate perfume,
and the troops moved along in their happiest mood.
It did, indeed, seem as if nature were lending her
brightest charms to make the scene one of enchantment.
About eight o'clock the troops debouched into tho
open fields, where in many places the clover was a foot
deep, and again encamped. We made our headquarters
at the house of one Bosclia, au arrant rebel, who had
deserted his property on our approach, and followed
the fortunes of the Confederate army. A few negroes
remained in the cabins, gave us milk and baked us hoe-
cake, and, indeed, bestirred themselves with great
willingness to assist our servants in preparing break-
469

470 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
fast, which we partook of under some trees near the
house. There was Franklin, and Fitz John Porter,
and Slocum, and Newton, surrounded by their staffs,
fitting around these rustic tables, enjoying the homely
meal thus prepared.
About ten o'clock I accompanied Colonel Alexander
and Captain Baker about five miles beyond our lines,
to examine the roads and select the next camping
ground. About twelve o'clock, and as we were return
ing, a heavy rain set in, and we stopped at a placej
called Marl Hill, about three and a half miles from our
camp. There was a little old house a few rods fromj
the road; and a little old man with an honest face and
a welcome smile on his furrowed countenance sat smok
ing his pipe in a porch nearly covered with rose and
honeysuckle vines in full flower, A little white flag
fluttered at the outer gate, which he rose and hastened
to open as soon as he saw our intention to enter; and
the bright eyes of two pretty girls were seen peeping
timidly out at us from an upper window. Baker, for
such was the little old man's name, had a heart over
flowing with kindness, and after inviting us into his
cozy little house, and assuring us of his loyalty, en
tertained us with fresh milk and nice warm biscuit.
Baker was a Philadelphian by birth, but had spent
most of his life in Richmond, where lie had married
and raised a faraily of five daughters and two sons,
both of whora were in the rebel army.
We got a good deal of valuable and correct infor
mation here concerning the roads and the country in
advance of us, especially that portion of it bordering

THE Story of a trooper, 471
cun the Chickahominy, Baker's wife was in very deli
cate health, and the fear of outrages his family had
been told our army would commit had so completely
overcome her that he begged one of us to remain at his
house to protect his little property and restore confi
dence to his faraily. At the suggestion of Col. Alex
ander, I concluded to remain; and when he returned
to headquarters he sent me four troopers for guards.
I was now pleasantly domiciled in the little old house
at Marl Hill. For three days I enjoyfed this little old
man's peaceful home, and never did the sweet spirit of
friendship run higher. We smoked the pipe of peace
together under the vine-crowned porch, and he enter
tained me with the gossip of the neighborhood, and
the political sentiments of the people round about. He
had four pretty daughters at home, and one at school
iu Richmond, and he had brought them up tenderly
and given them a good education. They spread their
little table with the nicest of fare, they sang and played
for me, and they decorated my room with bouquets of
fresh flowers, and filled my button-holes with rosebuds.
And these little acts of kindness they performed with
such an air of tenderness and simplicity that the heart
had no power to resist the influence. We may as well
acknowledge it : there is no resisting dark, languishing
eyes when coupled with such acts of kindness; and
when sympathy takes such a turn it merits to be called
love in its purest form. For myself, I forgot even that
I had attempted the soldier, and went romping over the
fields with these kind-hearted girls, picking strawber
ries, gatiiering wild flowers, and helping them over

472 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
fences, I regarded this as a very agreeable way of
guarding property, and soon found it exceedingly effec
tive. This good family was very kind to our
officers and men while we were on the peninsula; and
many a weary, hungry, and wounded soldier has
thanked them for giving him rest and refreshment.
Our corps and that of Fitz John Porter marched up
on the morning of the 21st, just as a heavy rain and
thunder-storm passed over. At one o'clock the misty
clouds cleared away, and the weather became fine. I
surrendered this little old man and his family to Colo
nel Black, comraanding a Pennsylvania regiraent, and
who was afterwards killed at the battle of Gaines's Mill,
and proceeded in the direction of Cold Harbor. I had
proceeded about four miles, threading my way through
what seemed an almost endless train of army wagons,
and adding to the number of troopers with me by re
lieving safeguards along the road, when I came to
"Parsley's Mill," a quiet, sequestered spot, situated
between two wooded hills. There was the old mill and
a spacious pond, with a clear running stream below,
and a bridge that crossed the dam. And near by, on
the side of a hill, stood a little plain house, with a
garden and shade trees in front, and a number of cabins
in the rear.
On approaching the house I noticed a great number
of soldiers of the Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania regiment,
and several officers, congregated in the front, and con
ducting themselves in a very disgraceful manner. Pigs,
chickens, geese, turkeys, bacon, were being carried off
by tiie men, who, I am sorry to say, were encouraged

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 473
by the officers present in their work of indiscrirainate
plunder. Some of the men were wantonly destroying
the gardens and shrubbery ; others were bayoneting
the little pigs and leaving them on the ground, A
quartermaster had stripped the place of raules, carriage,
harness, horses, corn, and, indeed, nearly everything
he could find — by whose orders I could not find out,
A nuraber of the men had proceeded to the mill, and
begun the work of destruction,
I heard the cries of a woman in the house, and rode
up quickly to inquire the cause. Mrs. Parsley lay pros
trate on a bed, insensible, and in a most distressing con
dition. In truth, her cries and beseechings would have
touched a heart of stone. An aged mother and a faith
ful slave woman watched over her, and were making
efforts to restore her to consciousness. Ascertaining
as well as I could what the cause was, I called up the
troopers and soon cleared the premises of both officers
and soldiers, and sent a guard to save the mill, which
was done after some trouble. It seeras that Parsley,
the owner of the property, was a man of some influ
ence in the district, and had held a civil position pre
vious to the breaking out of the war. He was now
Quartermaster of a Virginia regiment in the Confeder
ate service; and this, becoming known to the men,
caused them to break away from all restraint, and,
indeed, afforded their officers an excuse to encourage
them in the work of indiscriminate plunder and destruc
tion. One of the officers threatened to burn the house
down over this defenceless woman's head; and it was
21*

474 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
the fear that he would carry out his shameful threat
that caused her distress.
It seemed to mc no part of an officer's duty to make
war on a defenceless woman; nor did our army come into
the South to rob hen-roosts and distress the innoceut.
And so I told the men who had encouraged these acts of
wantonness; and when the excitement was over, and
reason assumed its proper sway, they were so heartily
ashamed of what they had done, that they apologized|
for it, and offered to pay from their own purses for
what they had ordered carried away. It was evi
dent that we should need the mill for our own use ;
and so it proved, for on the following day instruc
tions came to put it in order; and before night it was
running, grinding meal for own troops, I ascertained
that similar acts of wantonness had been committed at
houses in the neighborhood; and on riding about half
a mile through a piece of woods, came to the house of
a farmer who professed to have been a " Union raan
tliroughout," but whose place had been stripped of
everything he had by this Pennsylvania regiraent.
Pigs, geese, and calves lay about the yard, bayoneted,
and presenting a sad scene. At the house of a poor
widow, a short distance beyond, everything in the form
of food had been carried off or destroyed. Her little
garden, too, had been despoiled of its shrubbery
and vegetables. And this was done while the poor
woman had three of our sick soldiers in her house,
whom she had nursed with great care and tenderness.
Entering another house in the night, three soldiers of

THE STOEY OF A TROOPER. 475
(ihe regiment I have before named comraitted outrages
I shall not describe here, on two young, defenceless fe
males. Thus was the chapter of wantonness committed
in that neighborhood complete. Measures were taken
to ferret out the perpetrators of these acts, but I never
heard that they were brought to justice.
Mrs. Parsley was an exceedingly kind-hearted and
sensible woman, who assured me that she had used all
the means in her power to persuade her husband from
joining the rebels. In her house were two soldiers be
longing to a Rhode Island regiment, sick of fever,
whom she had taken great care of, and nursed with her
own hands. One of them, a manly young fellow, was
very indignant at the manner in which she had been
treated, and seizing his muj^kot, declared he would soon
clear the premises of thieves aud robbers. But his fe
vered brain soon overcame his manly spirit, and he sank
back on Ids bed exhausted. As several -more regi
ments and a considerable number of trains were to pass
during the night, I concluded to remain and protect
the property, and, if possible, quiet this poor woman's
fears. The rumbling of army wagons, the steady tramp
of soldiers, and the mingling of many voices, were
heard all through the night. The guards called me
about one o'clock in the morning, to say that the 15th
N, Y, v., ]\IcLcod Murphy's regiment of engineers,
was passing up, and that a number of the men were de
stroying the mill, I knew the reputation of this regi
ment for good conduct too well to believe that its offi
cers would permit the wanton destruction of property.
And on going to the mill I found that although an

476 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
attempt had been made by a number of the men to do
some mischief, the officers had checked it immediately
on coming up.
The road wo were marching on, and running through
Cold Harbor to Mechanicsville and Richmond, lay
some eight miles from the Pamunky river, and ran
nearly parallel with the railroad from the White House.
The farms along this road were small, and most of the
people of what would be considered in Virginia the
middle and lower classes. Along the bank of the
Pamnnky there was what was called the river road,
exceedingly smooth, level, and wide, and shaded at in
tervals with fine old elms and oaks. This road ran
through a rich and truly beautiful country, with exten
sive plantations under the very highest state of culti
vation, and planters living in a style of comfort and
even elegance almost princely. Tlie English thorn
hedge grew here in great luxuriance, was extensively
cultivated, trimmed with great care and taste, and gave
the landscape a picturesqueness rarely seen in this
country. Then there were fine, broad avenues, bordered
with oaks and elms, their huge branches embracing and
forming shaded arches, leading from the road to the
mansions, always located at the distance of a mile or
so from the highway. I visited several of these man
sions, and found them not only spacious, but provided
with all the modern improvements, and really elegant.
Those of the brothers Webb I shall long remember,
since they reminded me of estates I had visited in Eu
rope. The Webbs had chapels attached to their man
sions, which were of brick and stone, and . extensive

THE STORY OF A TEOOPER, 477
libraries of well selected books; their furniture was of
that solid and useful kind which we admire for its an
tique rather than ornamental character; and the walls of
their spacious parlors were hung with paintings, many
of Avhich possessed great merit. There was an air of
refinement and dignity about the manners of these peo
ple that gave an irresistible charm to their frank,
hearty welcome; and you saw at a glance that their
style of living was such as only the gentleman of cul
tivated tastes can enjoy. Before the war these men
counted their slaves by the score; their stables were of
the finest description, and filled with horses of the best
blood; the most celebrated breed of cattle aud sheep
grazed in their fields; and the choicest flowers and
shrubs grew in their gardens. War had already pro
duced a strange change in the scene. Their bondmen
had gone in pursuit of freedom; their cattle had been
driven from their fields and butchered without so much
as their consent being asked; and a more rude and in
quisitive people than they had been accustomed to see
pass that way had entered their doors uninvited and
helped themselves unceremoniously. One of these men
remarked to me that it was not what our people took
that he cared for, but the rude way in which they helped
theraselves. But he forgot that war has no humanity
in it, does not wait for bows and ceremony, and cuts
whatever it touches.
Tke road over which we had marched connected
with this river road near Cold Harbor by what is
called the Old Church road, used afterwards by Stone-
•wall Jackson in his flank movement during the battle

478 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
of Gaines's Mill, I here met one of the oddest charac
ters on the Peninsula, Her name was Betsy White,
familiarly known to her neighbors as Aunt Betsy White.
Aunt Betsy had turned her fortieth summer, was a
\^oman of great vigor and strength of mind, familiar
with the political history of Virginia, and could talk
faster than any woman I ever met before in any part of
the world. Aunt Betsy was quite well to do in the
world, as they say in Virginia, owned a considerable
plantation, and, what is more, managed it herself.
Another sister, also a maiden, lived with her, but
seemed to take no part in the management of affairs.
Several of her best negroes had decided to quit the
plantation, and had followed our army to become vaga
bonds and servants to officers who never paid them.
Aunt Betsy was much concerned about these negroes,
and could not clearly understand why it was that we
should be so anxious to set them free, since they could
not take care of themselves and were sure to become
paupers on the hands of the Government. I drank nu
merous cups of tea with her, and enjoyed the hospi
tality of her house, but failed to convince her that
there was any moral difference between owning a
negro and a horse. She congratulated herself, however,
that those who remained were as true to her as steel,
and could not bo persuaded to leave her,
I could not get from Aunt Betsy any decided answer
as to whether she was for or against the Union, Her
jiolitical morality was just then of a very undecided
kind. She would prefer to wait and see which side
whipped. " If your folks whips our folks," she, would

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 479
say, " then I'll avow my sentiments, and you can pro
tect me. But if our folks whips your folks, and I'd
said I was Union, then our folks would punish me and
destroy my property because I did'nt say I was for the
Confederacy," The question of which side to be loyal
to kept Aunt Betsy's mind in a continual state of ex
citement ; and she was as undecided about it as she
had all her life been over the question of matrimony.
Indeed, the question of matriraony had been seriously
talked over and considered by these raaiden ladies for
many years, but still remained undecided. The ne
groes were inclined to have things all their own way,
and*some years there would be a deficiency in the
crop, which would induce the belief that a master was
needed on the place. But whether to introduce him
through the silken meshes of matrimony or as a mere
overseer was a question not so easily solved. Aunt
Betsy boasted of having once had an offer from a dis
tinguished Ecglisliman, travelling that way. The ob
jections to a husband w^ere, first, that it was hard to
get a good one ; second, that husbands were so liable
to change after you get them ; third, that a husband
might want to get possession of the estate and squander
it ; and in that case he would become nothing less than
an expensive incnmlirance. As to an overseer, he might
beat the slaves and abuse his trust, and cost the estate
more than he was worth. With all these doubts per
plexing her mind, Aunt Betsy thought, perhaps, it were
better to trust no man, but to manage her own affairs
in her own way.
She applied to Captain Boyd, our Provost Marshal,

480 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
and had safeguards placed over her house. These
safeguards raade friends with the negroes, who in
formed them that Aunt Betsy had about fourteen hun
dred dollars in gold buried at a certain spot in the
cellar. This incited the cupidity of the guards, who,
when night came, put the negroes in their places, and
proceeding to the cellar, disentombed the shining treas
ure. Aunt Betsy discovered her loss early on the fol
lowing morning, and great was her excitement. The
negroes asserted their innocence of all knowledge of it.
The guards were equally emphatic in their declarations
of ignorance as to what had become of it. Captain
Boyd was called in to make an investigation, and in a
few days succeeded in ferreting out the guilty parties
and recovering nearly all the money.

CHAPTER XLV.

COLD HARBOR— THE CHICKAHOMINT, &o.
I leftParsley's mill grinding meal for our own soldiers,
and rode to our camp at Cold Harbor, three miles, on the
morning of the 23d. This place is sometimes called Coal
Harbor, sometimes Cool Arbor, but more commonly
Cold Harbor. Franklin's and Fitz John Porter's corps
were encamped here, in the open fields ; and General
McClellan had moved his headquarters up to the " Old
Tavern," about a mile in the rear. The ground here,
for several miles on our right and left, was of a very
uneven character, full of swampy places, and much of
it covered by dense wood, through which it was' im
possible to see any distance. In addition to this, it was
much cut up by ravines, in which ran streams of clear,
cool water. Through these woods, running in almost
every direction, was a perfect network of what are
called blind roads. These roads are very apt to con
fuse and bewilder the man not accustomed to travelling
in the woods. In the event of a battle being fought
here, these roads could not have failed to confuse and
mislead the soldier. In short, this ground was the very
last a skilful general would have selected to fight a
great battle on ; for unless his troops were manoeuvred 481

482 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
by officers who knew. these roads perfectly, they would
be liable to all those accidents which result from con
fusion on the field. The position, too, could be easily
flanked, and the enemy hold strong ground in our front,
Franklin's headquarters tents were pitched on a
little bill, and an arbor made of the branches of trees
built over them, giving them an airy and picturesque
appearance. Just below these our troop of cavalry
was encamped, its white tents nestling under a grove
of tall pines. There were deep, wooded ravines on
two sides of us, and brooks of clear, cold water rippled
peacefully over the pebbly bottoms. We had a delight
ful shade here, and our camp presented a rustic picture
worthy of being transferred to canvas.
Colonel Bartlett, with a regiment of infantry and a
company of the Lincoln cavalry, made a reconnoissance
yesterday to Mechanicsville, There seems to have
been some bad manageraent in the mode of marching.
No flankers were thrown out, and littlo or no precau
tion taken against surprise'. While passing a piece of
thick woods, a sergeant and corporal of cavalry were
shot, the former killed, and the latter badly wounded
and taken prisoner. It was at first thought that both
these men had been killed, and considerable feeling
was excited against the officer who commanded the
force. The sergeant's body was afterwards recovered
and brought into camp, when it was found that after
being shot his cars had been brutally cut from his head,
A. dull instrument, or knife, seemed to have been used
to perform thi^ savage act, which excited the deepest
indiijnation aii!on;r the men, with whom the sergeant

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 483
was much beloved. A few days afterwards wo ascer
tained that the corporal was a prisoner in the hands of
the enemy, and that he had been very badly used by
his caplors while in the vicinity of Mechanicsville.
The weather had been very warm and sultry up to
one o'clock, when a lieavy thunder-storm came up, ac
companied with a drenching- rain that flooded the
ground, and made the roads almost impassable. On
the 24th our advanced troops had three fights with the
enemy in as many places. The first at Mechanicsville,
where a small body of our troops, under Colonel Bart
lett, after a sharp contest, drove the enemy out of the
town aud beyond tho Cliickahoiniuy, Great credit is
due to Captain Arnold for the admirable manner in
which he posted the artillery, and also directed the
movements of tho infantry. The enemy, after being
driven into the town, used the houses for a cover, and
in order to dislodge him it became necessary to turn
the guns on them. Some of them were literally shat
tered to pieces ; others perforated in a dozen places.
Every house was deserted when we entered.
The second occurred near New Bridge, about three
miles from Mechanicsville, Lieutenant Bowen, of tho
Topographical Engineers, was ordered to the Chicka
hominy on a reconnoissance, accompanied by the 4tli
Michigan volunteers, (a gallant regiment,) and a squad-
i-on of regular cavalry. About a mile this side of the
river they encountered a regiment of tho enemy's in
fantry, strongly posted ; but by a sudden and well-
directed movement caused it to give way, and then
drove it back on its supports. The enemy now made

484 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
a stand and fought stubbornly for nearly two hours,
when he again gave way and retreated across the
Chickahominy, The Michigan soldiers fought -vvith
great bravery in this little fight, and great credit is
due to Colonel Woodbury for the skilful manner in
which he handled them. Captain Gordon commanded
the cavalry, and displayed great bravery and coolness
in handling it. The enemy left his dead and wounded
in our hands. About seventy prisoners were captured,
some of them officers of importance. The enemy sent
in a flag of truce on the following day^, asking permis
sion to bury his dead. His dead had been buried by
our own men. We permitted him to send in two sur
geons to take care of his wounded ; and these gentle
men took advantage of the privilege to give vent to
their pent up hatred of the Federal Government.
The third was a fight which General Naglce called
his own. Our left wing, composed of General Heintzel
man's and General Keyes's corps, had reached the Chick
ahominy at Bottom's Bridge, and were ready to cross.
The bridges were all destroyed, but tho engineers had
examined tiie fords, and with the aid of Captain Custer,
who first displayed his dash and gallantry here, found
them practicable for tho crossing of troops. Three regi
ments were at once passed over, with but trifling re
sistance, under General Naglee, and advanced on the
right bank about two miles, to the vicinity of what
was called the Seven Pines, Here he found the ene
my's infantry posted in considerable force, and in a
strong position. He immediately engaged tiiem, and
after a sharp contest of about an -hour, drove them

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 485
from it and occupied it himself. The heavy and rapid
cannonading heard in our front, as well as the in
distinct crashing sound of small arms, and at times
extending to our right and left, led to the report that
a general engagement was going on ; and we were
ordered to saddle up and be ready to move at a
minute's notice.
It was a matter of surprise with many of our offi
cers that the enemy, having such a good position to
defend, should have offered so little resistance to the
crossing of our left wing to the right bank of the
river. But the wily enemy had his reasons for this,
and, as it afterwards proved, they were wise ones,
strategically. In short, the little resistance he offered
was racrely to assist him in carrying out a deception
which General McClellan fell into with apparent
blindness. It would indeed be difficult to find a more
unhealthy or a worse place to get an army into than
this was. Taking the Seven Pines for a centre, the
country for several miles round was little more than a
continuation of swamps and belts of thick jungle, in
terspersed with pools of stagnant water, green with
decaying- vegetation, and emitting malaria of the most
malignant kind. Indeed, this portion of tile country
was celebrated for' nothing but its malignant fevers,
and the people inhabiting it wore a lean, cadaverous
look, Iheir faces being the color of sraoked parchment.
Most of them were of the poorer class, extremely
ignorant, and lived by cultivating little patches of
sandy, wet land. In the vicinity of Savage Station,
and also the Seven Pines, there were a number of lon;x,

486 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
irregular openings of newly cleared land, for tue
stumps were yet standing. The ground, even where
it was cleared, was soft and spongy, and water was
found everywhere by digging a foot from the surface.
Work in the trenches here had to be carried on with
the men almost continually up to their knees in water.
On this ground, with its attendant disadvantages,
Heintzelman's and Keyes's corps were posted after
crossing the Chickahominy, with Casey's division in
an exposed position on the advance. And here were
the unhealthy and dangerous swamps against which
the people along the road had so many times warned
us. Disease here would be quite as effective as the
enemy's bullets ; and it is clear from what afterwards
took place that he counted on the one quite as much
as he did on the other.
Here also the enemy had great advantages of
ground, for the position we had- to take up found
us facing a high ridge of land, in the direction of Rich--
mond, and from which we were separated by a belt of
thick woods, through which our engineers must slash
and make roads before our artillery could get through.
The enemy used this belt of woods for a cover for his
infantry, and had strong works, with heavy guns
mounted, on the hills above. And it was necessary for
us to take and hold these hills before we could get
within shelling distance of the city. I must return
now to the right wing.
On the afternoon of the 24th, Captain Boyd and my
self rode forward about four miles to select a head
quarters for General Franklin, nearer the Chicka-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 487
hominy. About a mile from New Bridge we came to
an extensive opening of well cultivated fields, stretch
ing away to the right and left, and interspersed watli
clumps of scrubby trees. A dark belt of pine wood
formed a background, and afforded the men a delight
ful shade during the day, A considerable force of the
infantry had already moved up, their camps spreading
over the fields on a line with these woods,
;. Two comfortable looking houses, nestling, among
'shade trees, stood at some distance from the road, one
on the right, the other on the left. The former was
Curtis's, the latter Hogan's, so often referred to during
our operations on the Chickahorainy, We rode up to
the one on the right, when a slender old gentleman, of
medium height, with flowing white hair, and a finely
outlined face, in which kindness and intelligence min
gled promijiently, came to the gate to meet us. In
short, he was a fine specimen of the old Virginia gen
tleman, and received us with remarkable ease and
dignity. After inviting us into his house, he offered
us such hospitality as it afforded. His family had
all left him and gone South, and he had only a few
faithful servants to keep him company, and these
seemed so much attached to him and to the place
that nothing could induce them to leave. He seemed
much pleased when we told him that General Franklin
wou'.d like to make headquarters near his house.
Not only extending a polite invitation, he insisted that
the General should occupy his house, and make it his
home while he remained. The General moved up in
the evening, but with his natural aversion to occupy-

488 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
ing a house, had tiie headquarters tents pitched on the
lawn, just in front of the house, and between it and the
garden. This old man was Dr, Curtis, He did not conceal
the fact that his political sympathies, if he had any,
were with the South, And yet he answered all our
questions promptly and kindly, in no way concealed
his knowledge concerning the country, opened his house
to us, ^ave us the free use of his library, shared the
products of his farm with us, caused his servants to
cook for us, and, in fine, did everything in his power
to make us comfortable. Pie was in some way con
nected with the Tyler family, and told us where sev
eral of its members were. He entertained an opinion
that the presence of a generalon his farm would pro
tect it from serious injury. In that he was mistaken.
All the general's horses and the horses of his staff had
to be quartered near by. The numerous servants at
tached to headquarters were always inclined to mis
chief. The provost marshal's troop of cavalry had to
be picketed near by. The quartermaster parked his
trains in a field a few rods away. A regiment of cav
alry came and encamped near by. In short, the farm
was surrounded with troops, the pleasing delusion
vanished, and the truth soon became apparent that if
you wanted your property destroyed rapidly, you had
only to invite tho commander of a corps to make your
house his headquarters.
One after another his fences disappeared; his crops
were destroyed; his fields tramped into mud beds; his
out-houses went for fuel; his gardens were despoiled of

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 489
their vegetables; shrubbery, flower and fruit trees were
broken down, and the work of destruction went on
until his farm presented a pitiable sight. Our cavalry
had carried off his few raules, his favorite cow was
killed one night, and the calf he was fatting so care
fully for our feast disappeared mysteriously. The most
stringent orders against this work of destruction were
ineffectual. The old man witnessed these things with
scarcely a murmur, and never forgot that he was a
gentleman. But you could at times read in his wan
dering eye and sad face the inward sorrow that was
gnawing at his heart. We remained nearly a month
at his farm, and left him sick, and sinking under the
burden of his troubles.
We were on the Chickahominy now, and the work
of building the bridges had begun in earnest.
On this, the east bank of the Chickahominy, the
ground is a series of ridges, of considerable height,
broken by little wooded ravines, in which brooks of
clear water run. The ridges are crested here and there
with oak forests, extending from Mechanicsville, the
highest point, which was nearly three miles north of us,
and where our right rested, nearly six miles down. A
number of comfortable looking farmhouses, with lawns
and gardens attached, stood along the slope at short
intervals, prominent among which were those of the
Sidnors, Edward and William; Hogan, and Dr. Gaines,
on whose plantation the battle of Gaines's Mill was
fought. These ridges sloped suddenly down into a flat,
open meadow, varying from three quarters to a mile
and a half wide, separating us from the opposite bank.

490 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
Little hillocks and clumps of shrubbery met the eye
here and there, and at intervals an irregular line of
jungle, overtopped with tall trees, marked the course
of the Chi-.^kahominy, winding through the centre of
the meadow. Directly opposite Mechanicsville, and
extending to New Bridge, three miles down, was a high
and somewhat steep ridge, with little clearings on its
face, and a nuraber of houses on its crest, seen some
what indistinctly through the trees. The enemy had a
very strong position here, where he could overlook our
movements, for his ground was much higher. In addi
tion to batteries, so constructed as to sweep the bridges,
he had a number on the crest of the hill, and near the
different houses. And from these he not only annoyed
our working parties on the upper bridges, but threw
shells and round shot into our lines nearly every day,
some of his guns having a very long range. The
woods on the top of this hill, or bluff, afforded the ene
my an excellent cover for concealing his infantry, while
the roads up its sides, after crossing the Mechanics
ville and New Bridges, wound in an irregular manner,
exposing a column attempting to charge up to an enfi
lading fire. Directly opposite Mechanicsville, and near
the brow of the hill, there was a cluster of large wooden
buildings, which had been used for a cocoonery. Near
this the enemy had a number of earthworks, with
heavy guns mounted; and tiie movements of his work
ing parties were plainly visible to the naked eye. Gen.
McClellan was in tiie habit of watching the enemy's
movements at this point from a peach orchard jut to
the right of Mechanicsville, and many officers expressed

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 491
surprise that he permitted him to erect these works un
molested. The enemy did not deal so graciously with
us, as our engineers can bear testimony.
And now to the Chickahominy, One of our engi
neer officers, when approaching the banks of the stream,
met another returning frora it, and inquired : " What
of the Chickahominy ? What does it amount to ?"
"Amount to!" replied the officer interrogated; " it is
a myth. The most insignificant of streams. Wliy,
you can wade across it anywhere !" But this insignifi
cant stream, spoken of thus lightly, soon showed us
that it could be a most capricious giant, baffling and
setting at defiance all the skill at bridge-building of
such engineers as Alexander, Woodbury, and Duane.
In its ordinary sumraer stage it was indeed an insig
nificant stream, dark and sullen, moving sluggishly
among the roots and trunks of huge trees, their tops
bending over it in places, and filled with decaying dead
wood and rank vegetation. But it was affected by the
slightest rain; and a moderate one would overflow its
banks, give the meadow the appearance of a lake, and
so increase the rapidity of its current in the centre as
to carry away our strongest bridges. The mystery
which attended the sudden rise and fall of this stream
never was thorouglily solved by our engineers. It was
thought by some that the enemy had built dams above,
so as to inundate the land below at his pleasure. And
there were some things which gave plausibility to this
theory, for when a heavy rain had swollen it to its high
est point and ceased, itsaddenly^ subsided to its natural
bed, and then, without any apparent cause, the waters

492 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
would come rushing down, again overflowing the mea
dow, and sweeping away everything before them, I
am inclined to the opinion that the peculiar formation
of the high ground bordering the meadow had some
thing to do with the sudden effect produced on this
stream by rain. They were composed of tough clay,
and the steepness of their slopes caused the rain to
shed down them with great rapidity, rather than to ab
sorb into them.
Our position here, or rather two positions, it will be
readily perceived were extremely defective and dan
gerous, and were so regarded at the time by at least
two of our most intelligent generals, whose comments
on the subject are still fresh in my memory. Our line
formed a right angle, as nearly as can be described,
with one side of it (our right) extending irregularly
from Mechanicsville down over the ridges I have be
fore described, a distance of nearly six miles; the other
(the left) running from the opposite bank, at Trent's
farm, four miles, and resting at or near a thick forest
of wood just beyond Fair Oaks. These two sides of
the angle were thus separated by the Chickahominy
and the swampy ground intervening, a distance of at
least three and a half miles. The roads and causeways
leading over this ground were in an extremely bad
condition ; and in the event of one wing being attacked,
and needing support from the other, the hazard of get
ting troops over iu time would be fextremely great.
Besides this, our extreme left was in a very weak
and exposed position; and the enemy, possessing per
fect knowledge of the woods and roads in the vicinity,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 493
could at any time take advantage of it. Nor was it
much better with our right and rear. Both were ex
posed, and if we weakened our line here the enemy
would be sure to take advantage of it. Franklin had
the most serious and justly founded apprehensions on
this subject. And although not in the habit of freely
expressing his opinions on the military situation, I dis
tinctly remember how, a few evenings after the battle
of Fair Oaks, and while sitting round the camp fire on
Doctor Curtis's lawn, he expressed his mind on the
subject. He was opposed to the position on the oppo
site bank; he was-opposed to crowding our troops into
it. First, because it was a weak position strategi
cally; second, because it would endanger the health of
the troops if held there any length of time. And if
sickness resulted, despondency and its damaging effects
must follow. He feared, and also predicted, that if we
weakened our line on the right we should have the
enemy on our flank and rear. Future events have
proved that he was right, tie was in favor of keeping
our right strong, where the ground was high and
liealthy, and where the enemy would be sure to meet
us for a decisive battle. It was here also that I first
heard the opinion advanced, and by General Frank
lin, that our movements against Richmond, to be suc
cessful, should be carried on by two strong armies,
one operating on the north, the other on the south of
the city, in the vicinity of Petersburg, where better
advantages were offered for siege works.

CHAPTER XLVII,

THE WEATHER, AND ITS EFFECT ON THE SPIRIT OF THE ARMY— THE'
BATTLES OF HANOVER COURT-HOUSE AND FAIR OAKS.
We had the railroad from the White House to the
Chickahominy in full operation on the 25 th, and strong
working parties building the bridges across the river,|
with their intermediate causeways. The weather now
began to be very capricious. Thunder-storms were of
almost daily occurrence, and drenching rains fell, soft
ening the ground, rendering the roads almost impassa
ble, and seriously interfering with our work on the
bridges. Some of these thunder-storms were the most
violent; and the people had a superstition that the al
most incessant and drenching rains that fell Were pro
duced by the appearance of so many troops and the
burning of so much gunpowder.
We had marched slow, and the whole army had
waited and wondered why McDowell did not come up,
and take position on our right. Had he done so Stone
wall Jackson would have had little opportunity to make
the movement he did in the Valley, to alarm and be
wilder the authorities at Washington, to throw the
Nortli into a state of excitement, to make timid people!
generally lose their wits, and cause contractors to re-
494

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 495
joice; and with a raere handful of men, badly supplied
and clothed, drive a large and well fed army, whose com
mander (General Banks) did not know how to fight, in
confusion before him, A report was now circulated
that the order for General McDowell's march had been
countermanded at Washington, A feeling of deep dis-
appointraent followed, and the effect of it was seen
among officers and men alike. There was no one in
the array who felt this severe blow at the strength of
our force and development of the plan we were pursu
ing more keenly than General McClellan. He was a
better judge of the necessities of his position than the
authorities at Washington could possibly be. But no
arguments he could use seemed to have the slightest
effect iu raaking them see beyond the fog of their own
fears. The safety of Washington- was the chain that
fettered and confused their faculties, that carried away
their reason,. Officers near General McClellan, and in
his confidence, say this news had a very depressing ef
fect on him — completely changed his very nature. It
made him undecided, hesitating, and unnecessarily cau
tious. The question with him seemed to be, not so
rauch how to fight the army as how to save it. He be
lieved, perhaps unwisely, that the saving of the Army
of the Potomac was essential to the life of the nation;
that if the Army of the Potomac were beaten and de
stroyed the life of the Republic was at an end. Reports
from all the sources at our command agreed that the
enemy had a stronger force than ours in the vicinity of
Richmond, and was rapidly increasing by reinforce
ments from other parts of the Confederacy, And

496 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
while he was doing this ours was being weakened in
waysjJ have already described.
Then we got news tiiat Stonewall Jackson was ope
rating in the Valley, and driving our forces out of it.
And this news was confirmed by the New York papers,
which brought us the additional intelligence that the
whole North was in a state of excitement, and that the
authorities at Washington had again become so alarmed
for its safety that the gallant militiamen of New York
had been called on to come forward and protect it.
The army alone remained cool and resolute. The fear
and excitement prevailing at the Nortli and in Wash
ington had not the slightest effect upon it. In short,
the troops contemplated this alarm antJ excitement,
this hurrying of militiamen to Washington, with ridi
cule rather than seriousness. It indeed needed no as
tute military mind to discover that this movement of
Jackson's into the Valley was intended to work on the
fears of the authorities of Washington, which he well
understood, to draw our attention from Richmond,
and, if possible, cause us to send detachments from and
weaken the strength of the Army of the Potomac. He
in a measure succeeded; but he had only the fears of
our own government to thank for it. Then it was ru
mored among officers that a number of despatches had
been received from Washington; that an unpleasant
controversy was going on between General McClellan
and the Secretary of War, who seemed to have no
friends in the army. It was rumored, also, that these
despatches were more remarkable for their simplicity
than knowledge of the field we were operating on, or

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 497
the military necessities we were surrounded by. In
short, we had in these despatches another proof that
the men who are soonest alarmed at the approach of
an enemy are those who become terribly brave when
danger disappears.
It has been said that you cannot get a man who has
been imperfectly educated to one profession to thor
oughly understaud another. We had, indeed, in these
despatches, an instructive illustration of the amount
of energy and labor that may be misapplied during
war by placing in the War Department a man who un
derstands the practice of law well enough, but cannot
comprehend that the business of fighting an army is a
very different thing.
On the same day (the 26th) we received information
that a strong force of the enemy, under General An
derson, was in a position on our right, where he could
either threaten our communications or reinforce Jack
son in the Valley. His position was stated to be in
the vicinity of Hanover Court-House. But neither in
relation to his strength, position", or intentions, was the
information we received reliable. Some of our officers
were famous for never seeing less than two or three
rebels, when in reality there was only one. In this in
stance General McClellan was led to believe that the
enemy had at least three divisions of troops, well en
trenched in a strong position, and from which we must
dislodge him, to prevent him from doing us serious
harm. General Fitz John Porter was entrusted with the
work of moving against tiiis force of the enemy and dis-
90.^

498 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
persing him. His command consisted of some of the very
best troops of the army; and when we say that it com
prised his own corps, with the exception of one brigade
it will be readily understood that some substantial re
suit was expected from it. He. moved at daylight on
the raornirfg of the 27th in the following manner :
Brigadier General Emory commanded the advance,
composed of two regiments of United States cavalry,
a battery of regular artillery, and moved slowly along
the Mechanicsville road, in the direction of Hanover
Court-House, General Morrell followed within sup-!
porting distance oil the same road, with his division,
composed of three brigades of infantry, commanded
severally by Generals Buttcrfield, Martindale, and Col,
McQuade, Berdan's sharpshooters, and three batteries
of artillery were also attached. And there was added
to this force a provisional brigade, composed of two
batteries of artillery, a regiment of Pennsylvania
cavalry, and the 5tli and 13th regiments of New York
infantry, commanded by Colonel J. K. Warren.
Colonel Warren moved frora his camp near Cold
Harbor, over a road running parallel with the Pamun
ky river, and converging towards tiie one on which
Emory was moving. It was intended to form a junc
tion at the railroad, near Hanover Court-House; but
what sort of a position was to be taken up, and how
the eneniy was to be made to discover himself, .and at
tacked, was a matter about which the commanding
general seemed to form no very definite idea. It had
rained steadily all the night previous, the roads were
in a very bad condition, and the march w^as slow and

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 499
pxtremely fatiguing. This was especially so on the
road Warren moved over. In some places bridges
were destroyed and had to be rebuilt; in others ob
structions were placed in the road and had to be re
moved. The result of this delay was that Warren was
not up in time.
Now, in advancing upon the enemy with so heavy a
force, one would naturally suppose that Gen. Porter
would have taken up some favorable position, and sent
out such reconnoitering parties as would have made
the enemy discover his position and strength. Having
done this, he could have either concentrated, or so dis
posed of his whole force as to have attacked the enemy's
whole line, and cut off and captured raost of his force.
Nothing of the kind was done; and General Porter
seems to have been marching on at the head of his col
umn without knowing that he was passing the enemy,
who was in position on his right, and only anxious to
get to Richmond, towards which he was retreating from
Fredericksburg. In other words, he so managed as to
move across the enemy's front, and only became con
scious of it when the rear of his column was attacked.
About 12 o'clock. General Emory, who had been
Joined by two regiments of infantry, reached a fork
of the road about two miles from Hanover Court-
Hou.se, on the branch leading to which he found the
enemy formed in line, and in what I have good authority
for saying, iu small force. It was common with us at
that time to magnify the enemy's strength, and in this
instance there was no exception to the rule. The ene
my was evidently covering his real movements with

500 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
this small force; and Emory, with his customary can-
tion, advanced slowly until reinforced by four regi
ments of Butterfield's brigade. The enemy had four
pieces of artillery, and opened as we advanced, and to'
which we replied with well directed aim, disabling one
of his guns, which he was compelled to abandon, and
subsequently fell into our bands. We honored this
achievement with the name of capture. Our infantry
was now formed in line, and the eneray charged and
driven from his position in confusion. To tell the hon
est truth, there was not much here to charge. The
troops, too, were composed of Branch's brigade ofi
Nortli Carolinians, regarded as the poorest fighting
troops in the Confederate army. In short, the poor
North Carolinians broke and ran like so many sheep,
and were frightened out of their wits at the fierceness
of our cavalrymen, who bad nothing to do but pick
them up and make prisoners of them.
Warren's force made its appearance about two
o'clock, but the little fight had ended, and our troops
were.in hot pursuit of the scattered enemy. The glory,
such as it was, could not be shared by his troops, some
of which were sent to the Pamunky river to feel the
enemy and destroy bridges, and in performing this duty
fell upon and captured a number of the enemy's strag
glers. The balance of his force was attached to Gen.
Morrell's command.
General Martindale, with three regiments of infan
try, two pieces of artillery, and a squadron of cavalry,
proceeded towards Ashland, over a flat, open country,
and when near Beake's Station, about tive mJlerf

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 501
from where Emory had attacked the enemy, and on the
Virginia Central railroad, found the enemy drawn up
in line, with infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Various
estimates were made of the force he had in position
here. The enemy, however, was not inclined to make
much resistance, and fell back gradually on Ashland
as Martindale advanced. The railroad here served as
a sort of defensive line, and Martindale was ordered
to move along it with his command, and rejoin the main
force at or near Hanover Court-House, I must here
add that by this time one portion of the enemy's force
had slipped past us, and was rapidly moving towards
Richmond, Martindale, entertaining "notions" dif
ferent from the general in command as to the situation,
did not obey the order in full, but sent one regiment up
the railroad — a dangerous proceeding — and remained
with the balance of his force to guard what he con
sidered an essential point on the rear of the main
column. The enemy had evidently watched our movements
closer than we had watched his, and seeing Martindale
send away a portion of his force, made a stand, and
then advanced to the attack with considerable spirit.
Onward he came, with his characteristic cheering and
yelling; but his onset was gallantly met by the 44th
New York, (Ellsworth Avengers.) 2d Maine, and 25th
New York, and two pieces of artillery. This little
force fought with remarkable bravery for more than
an hour against superior numbers, almost without or
ders or direction from their officers, and unwilling to
yield an inch of ground. The 44th New York, or at

502 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
least that portion of it which remained and fought
under the direction of its Lieutenant Colonel, (Rice,)
particularly distinguished itself. It is told of this'
brave officer, that he stood encouraging his men in the
very face of the enemy, the balls flying about him as
thick as hail; that vfhen his sword had been shot from
bis side, and the standard-bearer twice shot down, sev-i
eral of his men, who had been wounded, gathered about
hira and loaded rifles, which he discharged as fast as
handed to hira. " Don't raind me. Colonel — fire away
at them, " said one poor fellow, who was laying on the
ground near by, mortally wounded. The colonel of
this regiment behaved very badly, showing himself ut
terly unfit to be called an American soldier. Becoming
alarmed for his own safety, he led a portion of the
regiment off the field, and against the protests of the
men, who returned to it under another officer. The
censure bestowed upon him by his superior officer was
mild indeed, when compared with the punishment such
an act deserved.
General Porter was nearly six miles from the scene
of action, and at the head of the column, when news
reached him that the rear had been attacked by a su
perior force, and was struggling to hold its position.
The sound of cannon had, however, been for more than
an hour ringing in his ears, without any definite action
on his part. • He now saw the error he had made by
not properly understanding the enemy's position. His
whole column had to be faced about, an entire change
of position raade, the force sent in pursuit of the scat
tering enemy early in the day recalled. The thought

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 503
now seemed for the first time to strike General Porter
that a little generalship was necessary. Two regi
ments of New York infantry, (the 13th and 14th,) with
Griffin's battery, were sent direct to Martindale's assist
ance, and arrived in tirae to do good service, for some
of the troops who had been contending so gallantly
against the eneray had exhausted their ammunition, and
were being pressed so hard that it was impossible
they could hold their ground much longer. Two regi
ments of McQuade's brigade were sent through a piece
of forest on the right, to attack the enemy's flank; and
Buttcrfield, with another force of infantry, proceeded
down the railroad, still further to the right. But the
enemy's line was broken, and we were driving him in
disorder before the latter reached the scene of action.
It was now four o'clock, and the balance of this and
the succeeding day our cavalry were engaged pursuing,
if such it may be called, the scattered enemy. The
most curious and instructive feature of this battle was,
that it was fought without any definite plan. General
Porter took the wrong road to find the enemy, and was
surprised that his rear, instead of his front, had been
attacked. It seemed also as if each of his "subordinate
generals, as they became engaged, fancied they were
attacking the enemy's main force. Indeed, each one
acted as if it were his business to fight the battle in
his own way, and receive orders frora no one. Bri
gades fought without concert of action, and regiments
without orders; and both retired when they had got
rid of their ammunition.
To sum up, truth compels me to say that the battle

504 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
of Hanover Court-House, measured by the relative
strengtii of the forces engaged, was a very lame and
insignificant affair, scarcely rising to tiie dignity of a
battle. There were, it is true, many instances of rarej
personal bravery displayed during the day, such as are
common in every fight; but even these did not relieve
the sad failure of the whole affair.
We buried about two hundred of the enemy's dead.
We captured one abandoned gun and two railroad
trains, and about seven hundred of the meanest look
ing prisoners it is possible to imagine were sent to
headquarters. We lost about sixty killed, and three
hundred and forty wounded aud missing, I conversed
with one of the prisoners, a very fine looking and in
telligent officer, and from him gathered the following
facts, which were confirmed by subsequent reports.
The force which gave General McClellan so much con
cern for his right flank and rear consisted of three bri-i
gades, under the command of General Anderson, who
had been holding Fredericksburg. Hearing that Mc
Dowell was about to advance, and that McClellan was
sending a force to hold the Fredericksburg railroad in
the vicinity of Hanover Court-House, Anderson began
falling back as rapidly as possible in the hopeof reach-i
ing the defences of Richmond before he was cut off
or forced to take a circuitous route to the north. He
had one brigade of North Carolina troops, under Gen
eral Branch, on the south side of the railroad, the oth
ers on the north, and in that order was falling back,
more anxious to get safe into Richmond than to attack
or be attacked by General McClellan, The force Gen-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 505
eral Porter fell upon was simply Branch's brigade of
North Carolinians, and the great surprise is that it
was not captured in a body. Had proper disposition
of our troops been made, and the force handled with
anything like skill and forethought, the result must
have been different,*
The 29th was a dull, rainy day. The prisoners were
brought in, 'and there was considerable excitement
about headquarters to see them. General McClellan
had moved up from the Old Tavern, and established
his headquarters about forty rods north of us, on a hill
at Curtis's farra. The Chickahorainy had overflowed
its banks, inundated the meadow, and driven our work
ing parties from the bridges, which were in great dan
ger of being swept away. It was with the utmost dif-
* Since "lYriting the above I have read General McClellan's re
port of the battle of Hanover Court-House, The General makes
a labored and rather strange effort to make it appear that his friend,
Fitz John Porter, gained two important battles in the vicinity of
Hanover Court-Houso. It is true, we -were somewhat innocent at
that time as to what constituted a battle. The intelligent reader,
however, will find no difficulty in estimating the true value of
what was really done at Hanover Court-House on the 27th and
28th of -May. Nor will he be misled, after comparing all the facts,
by General McClellan's efforts to magnify tho military achieve
ments of his friend. Indeed, it is to be regretted that an officer,
usually so candid, should bo led by bis attachment for a friend to
give nnduc importance to his performances. I may add hero, also,
that the importance which General McClellan attaches to what this
officer did, and witli seeming sincerity, was not shared by very many
of his generals, whoso comments at the time are still fresh in my
memory. Nor is it at all strange that General McClellan found so
much difficulty in making the authorities at AVashington compre
hend the great importance of what was done at Hanover Court-
Houi-o.

506 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
ficulty, also, that supplies could be got across ; and
great uneasiness was felt for the safety, of the troops
on the other side. Gloom hung over everything that
day, and fears were expressed on all sides lest the ene-i
my should concentrate his forces and attack while we
were unable to get reinforcements over.
The morning of the 30th came in hot and sultry.
The roads had been in bad condition for several days;
and about noon heavy storm clouds rolled up in threaten
ing masses, and filled the heavens with darkness. Then
a fierce wind howled through the forest and over the
camps, spreading alarm everywhere, A fearful storm
soon broke upon us in all its fury. Vivid flashes of
lightning vaulted along the clouds, filled the heavens
with a glare of light, then coursed along our batteries
from one end of the line to the other, until the scene
became one grand and sublime picture. Now the
lightning has killed two men in a shelter tent; now a
battery has been struck and a gun carriage shattered,
in Porter's corps. Then the thunder crashed and rolled
fiercely, the animals started and pricked up their ears
at each flash of lightning, and the roar and violence of
the storm increased, until the very heavens seemed to
be rending asunder. I had witnessed thunderstorms
in the tropics, but none of them compared with this.
A captain of the British army, who accompanied Gent
eral McClellan during the catnpaign, and had been
several years in India, declared he had seen nothing so
violent as this storm. When night set in the rain fell
like a deluge, and continued, accompanied by this vio
lent tiiunder and lightning, until nearly morning.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 507
Trees were uprooted, tents blown down, the bridges
over the Chickahominy nearly swept away, and the
very earth flooded. Never did the prospect look so
gloomy for an army. Never did men of stout hearts
and iron nerves look with more anxiety, with more
changing between hope and fear, to the prospect before
them. The enemy could not fail to see his opportunity
and take advantage of it. If he could crush our left
wing, while there was no hope of getting reinforce
ments over, his victory would give new confidence to
his troops, and be an advantage from which we should
not soon recover,
Saturday morning, (the 31st,) was dull and wet.
The storm had ceased; but the roads were flooded, the
woods were weeping, and a pale, gray mist hung over
and gave a rare freshness to the long belt of forest on
the opposite side of the river, below Mechanicsville,
The dark, turbulent waters of the Chickahominy were
rushing and surging through the meadow, filled with
wreckwood frora the bridges. All eyes were turned
instinctively to the other side of the streara, to those
woods and fields where our almost isolated left wing
stood. By 9 o'clock the fleecy fog began to lift and
roll away towards the west, and the houses on the
opposite hills took a more distinct and clear outline.
At 10 o'clock the mysterious movement of a column
of the enemy near one of those houses (Goldiug's) was
reported. At fifteen minutes to one o'clock our whole
camp was startled by the sudden, crashing sound of
infantry, and the deep roar of cannon. It seeined as
if twenty thousand infantry had discharged simulta-

608 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
neously, and repeated in such rapid succession that it
were impossible to count the volleys. And this rolling
and crashing of infantry, and roar of artillery, at once
indicated the fierceness of the battle that had begun.
Then we heard the long roll beating on the opposite
hills. "As I thought," said General Franklin, who had been
nearly washed out of his tent during the night, and stood
contemplating the scene in front of the door; " they have
attacked us in our weakest point." In another minute
all was bustle and motion at General McClellan's head
quarters. Staff officers and orderlies went and came at
a rapid speed, carrying orders to the various corps com
manders, who in turn sent orders to division comman
ders, increasing the bustle and excitement. Bugles
sounded along the line, cavalry began saddling up,
artillerymen harnessed their batteries, infantry pre
pared to move, and all with a spirit and quickness
that proved how anxious they were to proceed to tho
relief of their comrades, now engaged in the terrible
struggle. At one o'clock General Franklin received
an order to get his command ready to move at a mo
ment's notice. General cheerfulness prevails among
the men, and the Sixth Corps is soon reported ready
to move. A similar order was sent to General Sumner,
who was holding what was called the centre. The
sound of the enemy's cannon had excited the impatience
of that sturdy old patriot, and knowing that he was
wanted on the otiier side of the river, he had got his
troops ready to move when he received the order.
Bottom's bridge and the railroad bridge arc too far

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 609
down the stream to be of any service to us, and the
roads leading to them are in no condition to pass troops
over. The upper bridges were not finished before tho
flood set in and destroyed their log-ways. The only
bridges there is any possibility of passing troops over
are two built by Sumner, one in front of each of his
divisions. And the lower one of these, it is reported,
cannot be used without serious loss of life ; the upper
has the appearance of a raft of rough logs, half buried
in mud aud water, its centre forging and surging
to the motion of the rapid stream, and only saved from
destruction by being fastened and guyed with ropes to
the roots and trunks of trees. Such were the slender
means of getting reinforcements over ; such the frail
thread On which hung the fate of the force engaged in
this dreadful struggle with the enemy.
Two o'clock. The water in the meadows has sub
sided a little. There is a lull of a few minutes in the
battle. The musketry fire is not so rapid, and the can
nonading at the extreme left has become desultory on
our side. Captain Arnold and myself have stood at the
garden fence, intently listening to the sound of battle
since it commenced, and tracing its changes. He can
distinguish the enemy's fire from our own, and his quick,
experienced ear tells him that all is not going on right
there with us. He pulls out his watch every few'min-
utes and notes time, " They have driven us some dis
tance," he says ; " unless we get reinforcements over
it will go hard with us,"
The enemy, with an overwhelming force, under Gen
erals Longstreet, D, H. Hill, Huger, and Smith, broke

510 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
like an avalanche through tiie woods in front of Keyes's'
corps, made a sudden and fierce attack upon Casey's
division, captured the littie redoubt in front of it after'
an heroic struggle by its commander, (Col, Bailey,)
who fell gallantly at his guns, Ontliey swept, captur
ing two more batteries; then the rifle pits; then taking
advantage of a gap on the left of the division, they
attack it both in front and flank, throw it into panic,
and drive it from its camp in confusion and disorder.
That's what has happened oii the other side of the river,
and the broken division is just now doing serious harm
by blocking the roads and filling the woods, and render
ing it very difficult for our own troops to force a way
through them, in order to form a line, and make an at
tempt to resist the enemy's onset.
The lull of battle lasted but for a few minutes. It
has begun again in all its fury. The roll and crash of
musketry is even heavier than before, and more inces
sant; but the cannonading seems to be all on the ene
my's side. The curving and exploding shells can be seen
distinctly from Hogan's, and also from Doctor Gaines's
houses. A report has just come in that a column of
the enemy's troops is distinctly seen on the other side
of the river, on the hill over New Bridge. General
Franklin sends Captain Philip, of his staff, with or
ders to General Baldy Smith, whose artillery is postedj
near Hogan's house, to open on this column with his
twelve-pounder Parrotts. But the distance is too great,
and it is found necessary to bring up the heaviest gunsj
of the reserve artillery. A few well directed sheila
accelerates their movements. There is also another

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 511
force of the enemy beyond range of our guns, on the
!hill. The enemy evidently intends this force as a dis-
iguise. Some of our officers think he intends to use it
to dispute our attempt to cross reinforcements. There
is considerable difference of opinion as to what his in
tentions are. Some of our officers are of the opinion
that this attack on our left is merely a feint to cover
his real movement, which is to cross over on the upper
bridges and turn our right. Orders are sent to Me
chanicsville, enjoining extra vigilance on the officers in
command there. But the enemy has no such intentions.
He has concentrated nearly his whole force on that
portion of our army across the river, and in the belief
that we cannot get reinforcements over, intends to
sweep round its right, cut it off from the bridges, and
crush it if he can. Our officers at Mechanicsville, on
the other hand, are impatient to cross over, storm the
works on the opposite hills, and take the enemy in
flank and rear while fighting us at Fair Oaks, General
Slocum and Colonel Torbert are particularly anxious
to make the attempt, and believe that all that is neces
sary to insure success is a bold and resolute movement.
They understand the enemy's skill at keeping up ap
pearances, and assert that the force he has at the points
opposite Mechanicsville and Meadow Bridge is a weak
one, intended only as a scare. But General McClellan
hesitates, fears the sacrifice of life which it may entail,
and finally refuses to order the moveraent. Very likely
he has better raeans of knowing the enemy's strength
in front of his right wing than either General Slocum or
Colonel Torbert, He refuses to order the movement.

512 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
and it is very clear does not share their opinions as to
what can be done.
The roar of battle continues. Generals Keyes and
Naglee have displayed great gallaatry in trying to rally
some portions of Casey's routed division, and have par
tially succeeded in getting two or three regiments to
make a stand. But the enemy's onset is irresistible,
and they again give way. Couch's division, having
forced its way through Casey's disordered troops, has
got into position, and is fighting with desperate valor.
But it is evident that they cannot stand long before
such an overwhelming. force as the enemy is bringing
against them, fighting with the fierceness of demons.
General Keyes has sent a request for i-einforcements
to General Heintzelman. It is a few minutes after two
o'clock when the officer starts with the order, but an
unaccountable delay was caused, and it is rumored that
there is a misunderstanding between Generals Heint
zelman and Keyes, (about rank,) which is doing us seri
ous injury. Let us, however, pass over that in silence,
and leave the reader to infer what the difficulty was
when he is told that orders were not sent to Generals
Kearney and Hooker to move until twenty minutes to
three o'clock. During this delay, when minutes seem
like hours to the men engaged in such a struggle, some
of the troops of Couch's division were fighting like
lieroes and falling dead in heaps, while raost of Casey's
men were scattered and skulking in the woods.
Now a rumor is circulated from camp to camp that
the bridges are all gone, and Sumner cannot get across.
Tlii.^ is followed by the most intense excitement; but it

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 613
Iscems to make the troops only the more anxious to get
to the assistance of their struggling comrades.
It is curious to listen to the many suggestions that are
imade by staff officers at headquarters as to how troops
can be got across the Chickahorainy. One suggests
that there is a large amount of lumber at Dispatch
iStation, which can be got to the river and made into
irafts to carry the troops over. He forgets that five
'battles might be fought while he was getting the lum
ber to the river. Another, a better judge of poetry
than war, is sure that rope bridges might be made, and
the soldiers got across after the manner of landing pas
sengers froin^ a stranded ship. These weak and im
practicable suggestions were the best proof of how
unequal these young gentlemen of the staff are to the
I'emergency, Parts of a pontoon train stood in afield near by, but
either it was forgotten, or nobody knew what to do
with it, for there it remained until nearly night, when
lit was moved off in the direction of the river.
General Franklin has gone over to General McClel
lan's headquarters, where the telegraph is in operation,
bringing somewhat confused despatches from the scene
of battle. They bring enough, however, to tell the
story that we are being badly cut up over there ; that
Some of our men are fighting with great steadiness and
Courage, but are being pressed back, and need help,
which Heintzelman does not send. McClellan, Fitz
John Porter, and Franklin ride to a point on the bank
Ilof the river, where they can get but an imperfect view
lof what is going on in that long belt of woods on the
23

614 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
opposite side. " I must go to Sumner," says McClel
lan, and turning to Franklin, directs hira to go to
headquarters and take coramand. In a few minutes
more he is plunging through the mud and water, on his
way to Sumner and the battle-field, followed by Sweit
zer, Colburn, one of the French princes, and a few
orderlies. That little, fair-haired man, dressed in a
shabby blue blouse, and with the old, farmer-like hat
on his head, and whom no stranger would take for the
General-in-Chief, feels that the fate of a great nation
is in his hands, and hastens to throw his personal influ
ences into the conflict that is to decide it. He has not
only a fierce and strong enemy to fight, but the ele
ments are all against him.
At three o'clock, the battle still raging in all its
fury, a scene of deep interest might have been witnessed
near the log-way approach to Sumner's upper bridge.
There stood Sedgwick's division, drawn up in line,
ready to cross, in light marching order, A group of
officers, with serious, thoughtful countenances, and be
spattered with mud from head to foot, stand discussing
as to whether it is safe to trust the troops on so frail
and apparently unsafe a structure. Generals Sum.ner,
Sedgwick, Richardson, and Colonel Alexander, of the
engineers, form the prominent figures of the group,
which is afterwards joined by General McClellan, and
a number of his aids. Generals Sumner and Sedgwick
are impatient to make the attempt; the engineers are
of opinion that the column cannot be crossed with
out serious loss of life. But the fierceness of the battle
seems to have suddenly increased, and this hastens a

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 515
decision. The column is got in motion and moves to
the log-way with a quick step, as officers of the group
watch with breathless anxiety the effect it will have on
this loose and swinging structure. Doubt and anx
iety soon changes into a feeling of joy. It is found
that the weight of the advancing column presses the
loose timbers down, fastens them as it were to the
stumps and mud, and, indeed, increases the strength
and solidity of the swinging mass. A half suppressed
cheer now relieves many a heart of its burden. Never
before did an army cross a stream under such dishearten
ing circumstances. For two hours that gallant division,
its brave commander setting it a noble example, strug
gled over the uneven bridge bed, and through the water,
and at last gained the opposite bank, almost in range
of the enemy's frowning batteries. It was another
proof of what stout hearts and men earnest in the
cause of their country could do. But there is no hesi
tating where men like Sumner and Sedgwick lead.
May their names never be forgotten by their country
men for the deeds of valor they have performed on this
day of our tribulation.
Richardson has raade an attempt to cross his division
at the lower bridge, but so much has it been damaged
by the flood, that he has succeeded in getting only a bri
gade across. He has had to move the other two to the
bridge where Sedgwick crossed, has reached it at five
o'clock, and is waiting his opportunity.
Two-thirds of the field on which this fierce contest
is being waged is dense forest ; the other is composed
of a series of barren and irregular openings, full of

616 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
stumps and quicksands, through which it is next to im
possible to move cannon. These clearings extend from
the Chickahominy to White Oak Swamp, in a south-
westwardly direction. Two- thirds of the troops are
probably fighting in dense woods, and it is impossible
to tell at one end of the line what the other is doing.
A railroad cuts obliquely through the centre of these
clearings, and forms a sort of dividing line between the
two armies.
It is three o'clock now, and still the battle rages in
all its fury. A dense cloud of smoke hangs like a fu
neral pall over the woods to the south and west of us,
and distant thunder mingles its echoes with the peal of
cannon and the roll of musketry.
The wildest of rumors now come to us from the field,
and are circulated frora carap to camp. Colonel Bai
ley, Major Von Valkenburg, and Adjutant Rarasey are
reported killed while gallantly working their guns.
Casey's division is reported to have broken and run in
the most cowardly manner, and to have been cut down
by scores by the pursuing enemy. Then we have a
report that Casey has been mortally wounded, and is
a prisoner in the enemy's hands. A few minutes more
and this report is changed for another, which increases
the excitement still more. This time Keyes died a
prisoner in the enemy's hands, and Casey is safe but
badly wounded. Half an hour, and we receive news
from headquarters that there is no truth in either of
tiiese reports. Casey's division is a disordered mob,
scattered through the woods, and cannot be rallied ;
but Couch's division is fighting well, and on some other

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 617
portions of the line the troops are behaving with great
steadiness and determination. We have proof now
that it is not the number of men you bring into the
field, but the quality of their discipline that gives effi
ciency and strength to an army. There was a lament
able lack of discipline iiv some portions of Casey's
division, noticed frequently on its march up the Penin
sula, Many of the officers seemed to be as innocent of
all knowledge of their duties as the men were unwil
ling to obey them. During the battle it is reported
that these officers have actually set a bad example to
their men. Further, one brigade commander was
nearly deserted by his staff officers, two of whom never
returned to the field.
Our supply of rations on the other side is very short,
and now there is no means of getting supply trains
over, except by the long and tedious route to Bottom's
Bridge, Nor are we any better off as regards medical
stores and means of taking care of the wounded.
Half-past three. Although our troops are making a
desperate struggle to hold their ground, they are being
pressed slowly back, as we can distinctly trace by the
sound of the guns. The enemy, too, is seen moving an
immense column down past Golding's house. With
this he intends to get on our right and rear, cut us off
from our communications with the river, and then he
can crush or capture our whole force at his pleasure.
The question is, will Sumner be up in time to meet this
force, hold it in check, and thwart the designs of the
rebel general ? His men are exerting every nerve, but
his movements are somewhat delayed by a battery of

518 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
Napoieon guns, which he is struggling to get through
the mud to the front. His only guide to the scene of
battie is the sound of the guns, which are telling him
where he is wanted, and are the only orders he needs
to hasten forward.
Another and smaller column has pushed across tha
railroad, to get on General Couch's right, and turn
it. Couch, with four regiments of infantry, meets this
column, and some desperate fighting follows; the enemy
makes repeated charges, but is repulsed ; and although
we contest every inch of ground with great tenacity,
sheer exhaustion compels our troops to fall gradually
back. The enemy, who continually relieves his ex
hausted troops with fresh ones, now presses between
this small force and the right of the division ; and
Couch, understanding that Sumner is coming up, falls
back in the direction of the bridge he is expected to
cross on.
Half-past four. The roar of battle has increased
rather than diminished, and the very air is pregnant oi
gunpowder. A sudden turn in our favor seeras to have
taken place. The roll of musketry has become more
fierce, rapid, and terrible than at any time during the
day. We have also got more cannon into position, for
the roar becomes incessant, and almost deafening. If
we could look over the field now we should see that
Kearney had come up with his brigades of that division
(Berry's and Jaraeson's) which fought so gallantly at
Williarasburg. There these troops stand, just in front
of a belt of woods near the Seven Pines, in and beyond
which the enemy is posted in deep, dark masses, and

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 619
deliver their vollies with the rapidity and steadiness of
veterans, cutting deep furrows in the enemy's lines,
causing his ranks to waver, and his dead and wounded
to lay in heaps on the ground. The field is dotted
everywhere with little pools of Wood, Kearney throws
himself into the very thickest of the fight, rides up and
down the line, cap in hand, everywhere talking to and
encouraging his troops, and exerting over them that
wonderful influence no one can understand but those
who witness it. The rebels see hira, recognize him, call
him " the one-armed devil," and their sharpshooters
level on him. But he escapes unharmed. He repulses
some of the enemy's fiercest attacks with Jameson's
brigade, and then there follows some desperate charging
and countercharging between his brave Irish troops
and a brigade of rebels, who exhibit great stubbornness
in holding a piece of woods in his front. Berry, with
his brigade, has been sent to the left, to try and turn
the eneray 's position; and executing the moveraent with
great skill and quickness, has effected his object. Tho
enemy, seeing the danger he is in, atterapts to recover
from it and the havoc raade in his ranks by the cross
fire, changes front on the right of his line, and with an
overwhelming force attempts to drive us from our posi
tion. For more than an hour he makes charge after
charge, hurling his troops against us in solid masses,
and figliting more like demons than men. Each charge
is met and repulsed with terrible slaughter, until tho
enemy's dead are piled up in heaps before the rifle pits,
presenting a sad and ghastly picture. There the little
bi-igade has stood as immovable as a wall of granite.

520 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
battling for the life of the republic, which an heroic
impulse tells every man he is bound to defend. There
is no faltering, but their ranks are fast being thinned,
and their dead and wounded are covering the ground.
The enemy, too, has brought fresh troops on the field,
and a movement he has made to get on the right and cut
Berry off has been partially successful. It is also clear,
from his great superiority of force, that the little bri
gade cannot stand these furious attacks much longer.
The order is given to fall back, which is executed in
good order. '
But Berry and his brigade are cut off, and an hour
later there is a rumor in circulation that the whole
force has been captured by the enemy, who has cut us
off from the bridges. Berry, however, fell back in the
direction of White Oak Swamp, made a circuitous
march through the dense forest, and brought his brigade
safely in a little after dark.
It. is now a quarter of six. The most desperate fight
ing has been going on on various parts of the line, and
the fate of the day is to be decided by Sumner, He is
up at the right time, and in the right place, and has got
his one battery to the front. He has struck the head
of that heavy column that was seen winding down past
Golding's house, intending to cut us off frora our- com
munications and crush us. He takes it in flank, and
opening his battery at short range, with a rapidity that
has never been surpassed, pours such deadly vollies of
grape and canister into the enemy's ranks as make them
stagger and reel, and for a time exhibit some confusion,
Sumner here formed a connection witli Couch, at the

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 521
point to which he had fallen back; and tlie enemy, re
forming his line of battle, comes on like an avalanche,
njaking effort after effort to pierce our lines and drive
us back, to be as often repulsed with fearful slaughter.
The recklessness of life here displayed by the enemy,
cannot be described. Rushing on, as if determined to
capture the battery that is doing such deadly work on
his ranks, our men wait until he gets within a few rods,
and even yards of them, then deliver their vollies with
such deliberate aim as to sweep great gaps in their
ranks, which fill with dead and wounded. He staggers,
hesitates, and falls back, while our second and third
lines of infantry, firing over the first, pour in their vol
lies with terrible effect. But the effect of the repulse
lasts but for a minute. Again the enemy- is seen to
gather new strength, and his troops, encouraged by
their officers, who place themselves at their head, come
surging on in dark masses, and with fearful impetuosity.
Again great swaths are cut through their ranks and
filled with human bodies ; again they are repulsed, and
a number of thera throw up their arms in token of sur
render. The fighting is now chiefly on the right, and
between those forces which have fought with the des
perate stubbornness I have described, for more than
an hour. It does, indeed, seem as if both must soon
give out from sheer exhaustion. But the enemy has
evidently got the worst of it, and the time has come
for us to show him that we can be as effective in charg
ing his lines as we have been cool while repelling his
assaults. The 15th and 20th Massachusetts, the 34th
and 82d New York, and the 7th Michigan regiments,
23*

522 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
troops that have made themselves famous at Williams
burg, are ordered up, and charge with the bayonet.
It is a thrilling sight to see with what alacrity the
men move to execute the order ; with what irresistible
force they spring to their work, charge into and break
the enemy's lines. He could not stand that long line
of glittering steel, and is driven from the field, and
into the dark belt of woods beyond. The eneniy made
a fatal mistake in that movement; he sees his error,
but it is too late to repair it.
It is night now, and the roar of battle ceases as if
by mutual consent. No pen can describe the agonies
of that battle-field during this fearful night. Thou
sands of the dead of both armies, sometimes mingled
promiscuously, are scattered over the wet ground for a
distance of four miles. The groans and cries of the
wounded and dying are heard in every clump of trees,
where they have crawled to breathe their last breath,
without a sympathizing voice to whisper a prayer for
them, or a kind hand to bring water to moisten their
parched lips. Nourishment is not to be had ; medical
attendance is not a tithe of what it should be, and the
darkness of the night, and the uncertainty as to where
these sufferers are to be found, makes their condition
doubly hopeless. Some of these sufferers are found in
the woods, and by Ijttle streams, where they have
crawled, some to quench their thirst, others to find a
peaceful last resting place, two and even three days
after the battle still giving out signs of life. And two
or three remarkable instances are recorded where the
sufferers were restored, by careful nursing, to oerfect
health.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 523
It is while witnessing these terrible scenes of suffer
ing on the part of our fellows that the mind revolts,
and we instinctively ask who it was that brought this
scourge of war on a happy people ? what selfish ends
did they expect to gain by it? and why does not a just
Providence mete out to them the punishment their
crimes merit ? Must sin forever be costly of human
life ; must ambition forever demand its Moloch of
blood ; and must a great nation be made thus to bleed
and suffer, that a few ambitious men may destroy one
government and build up another, with human bondage
for its foundation ? Let it not be said that all these
tears, these agonies, and death ; that all this woe, sor
row, broken hearts, and blighted hopes, shall have gone
for nothing, and that human bondage, in any form
whatever, still exists to shame us for our sins when this
war is over I
It is said that Mr. Jefferson Davis and several mem
bers of his cabinet were on the field during the battle,
encouraging the rebel hosts, and a witness of the terri
ble carnage. This is said to be the secret of their des
perate fighting. It is also reported that General John
son has been mortally wounded and carried from the
field. It is ten o'clock. The night is exceedingly dark.
Good news comes to us of Suraner, Sedgwick, and
Kearney. Their praises are on every tongue ; the
deeds of valor they have perforraed are passed from
camp to camp, and the private soldier vies with his offi
cers in doing them honor until long past midnight. But
the rain begins to fall again ; thunder echoes and rum-

524 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
bles along the heavens, and vivid lightning vaul ts along|
the distant horizon in the south. Richardson, with the
second division of Sumner's corps, is still struggling to
cross the frail bridge. It is nearly twelve o'clock when
his rear guard gets safely over. And here a strange
phenomenon occurs in the river. The water, which
had partially subsided during the afternoon, suddenly
comes rushing down as if some great floodgate had
been opened above, rises twenty inches in a little less
than two hours, and running like a torrent at the cen
tre, sweeps away what remains of the bridges. All
hope of getting over more troops is at an end now.
The separation between our right and left is complete.
Both armies lay on their arms all night. In some
places the pickets are within speaking distance of each
other. But McClellan is over there with the troops,
and his presence has had an electrical effect on thera. It
has given them new hope, new courage, and more con
fidence in themselves. His name is like a magic spell
with the soldier, who waits for the dawn of morning,
thinking only of the fight that is to be renewed.
Hooker, too, has come up with his gallant division ;
some of Casey's stragglers have been got together;
new dispositions are being made of the troops ; a bet
ter and more compact line will be formed, and more
concert of action secured between the different parts
of the field.
There, in the grey dawn of that damp Sunday morn
ing, (1st of June, 1862,) stands the long line of patriot
soldiers, half concealed by the dense forest. Couch's
division and a few of Casey's straggling regiments are

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 625
near an open field on the extrerae left ; next comes
I Kearney, on its right, occupying a series of rifle-pits,
and just east of a clump of tall trees called the Seven
Pines, On Kearney's right, and a little in the rear,
stands Hooker, ready to support Kearney. Then came
Richardson, with Howard's, and French's, and
Meagher's Irish brigade, one crossing the railroad
and the others posted in the rear, ready to support.
On the extreme right stands Sedgwick and the regi
ments of Couch's that fought with him on the after
noon before, holding about the same position they
did when the battle ended. It is soft, swampy ground
where they stand, and on a large portion of their front,
as well as to the right, it is covered with thick under
wood and fallen trees. The ground is terribly plough
ed up in places by the shot and shell; and the charges
and the counter charges that were made over it yester
day have churned it into a bog. It requires the very
highest order of military genius to handle troops
successfully on such a field as this. A nuraber of bat
teries have been got to the front during the night and
are in position now, but the prospect of moving them
either one way or the other, or handling them with
any celerity, is slender indeed. It is evident that if
the eneray attacks us the struggle will have to be de
cided with infantry.
Opposite us, and entirely concealed by the thick
iwoods, stands the forces of Hill, Magruder, Longstreet,
ISniith, and Anderson, It is reported, too, tiiat new
troops have been brought up and massed on the ene-
imy's extreme left, in front of Sumner,

626 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
The enemy does not keep us in suspense long as to
his intentions. Precisely at ten minutes to five the
sound of cannon announces that the battle has begun,
A thin line of the enemy's cavalry, as if feeling our
position, appear on the edge of the wood, in front of
Richardson, Pettit's battery has dropped a few shells
in among them, and they disappear like shadowy fig
ures. Richardson now manoeuvres his troops so as to
close up the gap between his left and Kearney's right.
Suddenly, the eneray, in dark, rolling masses, breaks
from the woods, and more in the condition of a mob
than a column of soldiers held well in hand, opens a
terrible fire of musketry, and pours in volley after vol
ley, at short range, and with the most deadly effect.
It is evidently intended to shake our centre. But
there is no wavering in the ranks. Our troops stand
cool and determined, and return volley for volley,
making terrible havoc in their ranks. We see their
killed fall by scores, and their wounded by hundreds
carried from the field. But this does not abate his de
termination. The heaviest of his force is now thrown
against a position held by General French, and beseems
determined to cut it and break our lines. For more
than an hour this little brigade receives tiie shock, but
stands as firm as a stone wall, until nearly a fourth of
its nuraber has been killed or wounded. The enemy,
too, has got some artillery up, and the shell and round
shot are ploughing up the ground in every direction.
General Howard, at tiie head of his brigade, moves u|)
to the support of French, and the struggle increases
in fu;-y and extends all along Richardson's front. Never

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 527
did troops behave wittt more coolness and steadiness
than ours. The enemy fights fiercely but spasmodically.
His troops are not handled with the regularity and or
der that they were yesterday, A different head directs
their movements. Our troops are everywhere inspired
with new courage by the mere knowledge that General
McClellan is on the field directing the battle.
Eight o'clock. The enemy has spent his force on
this position, finds that he can neither shake nor drive
French and Howard from it, and gradually falls back
all along Richardson's front. It is Hooker and Kear
ney's turn to fight now ; and we already know that
wherever they had the fighting to do it was sure to be
earnest and desperate. Hooker, further to the left, has
moved forward to the extreme front with two regi
ments of New Jersey troops, (always reliable,) the
Excelsior brigade, under Sickles, in the rear. Here
he finds Birney's brigade, in command of Colonel Ho-
bert Ward, drawn up in order of battle, and the enemy
in his front in heavy force. He sends back for Sickles
to hasten forward, for that gallant brigade never fails
him. But Sickles has been halted and sent through
the woods to the extreme left, by order of General
Heintzelman, to meet a heavy column that has been
discovered advancing in that direction with the inten
tion of turning our left. There is a dark belt of woods
just in front of Hooker, where the enemy has partially
concealed his heavy force. The two Jersey regiments
and Birney's brigade are ordered to the attack, and they
push forward into the woods in a straight, unbroken line,
and after some desperate fighting and terrible slaugli-

j52S the story of a trooper,
ter, the eneray is driven from Ms position at the point
3f the bayonet. The Jersey regiments have fought for
more than an hour, have crossed bayonets with the en
emy's best troops, and the ground where the struggle
was hardest is strewn with the dead and wounded.
The fight now extends along Kearney's front, and the
roll and crash of infantry is the heaviest that has been
heard during the battle. Kearney hurls his battalions
against the eneray, who is continually re-enforcing his
lines with fresh troops, with reckless irapetuosity. Now
the enemy's lines are thinned by his deadly vollies;
now he wavers and falls back; now his grey lines send
up one of those demoniacal yells common with thera in
a charge, and surge forward again, as if resolved to die
or drive us frora our position. But again his ranks
are thinned ; officers are killed while gallantly leading
and encouraging their men ; he staggers under the
blow and falls back. It is our turn to charge now.
Bayonets are fixed, and the long line of bristling steel
rushes forward as soon as the order is given, and the
enemy is driven in confusion from that part of the field.
All his efforts to shake our centre have failed ; and
seeing the hopelessness of the contest, he throws away
everything in his haste to get beyond harm.
And while this is going on, Sickles has been active
on another part of the field. He has moved with great
rapidity, considering the nature of the ground he had
to march over, has gained our extreme left, and de
ploying his troops on each side of the Williamsburg
road, is engaging the eneray with great spirit and suc
cess. He is up just in time to check the flank move-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 629
ment referred to before, advances steadily against the
enemy through an open field, facing a deadly fire of
musketry. Step by step he pushes them back across
the open ground and into the edge of a belt of pin*
wood, " Now, boys," he says, calling to his troops,
"give it to them with the bayonet!" It needed noth
ing more with the Excelsior brigade. On it dashed,
charging into the wood with loud cheers, and scattering
the enemy like so many sheep, killing, wounding, and
capturing them by scores. Sickles corapleting his victory
by recapturing Casey's camp and giving it back to him.
It is eleven o'clock now. From the centre to the
extreme left the enemy has been beaten and driven
back, leaving nearly all his dead and wounded on
the field, A ruraor is circulated that Magruder is
killed and Longstreet badly wounded. But Magruder
has so often been killed and other rebel generals
wounded by carap rumors that we are come to be sus
picious of them. There is a partial cessation of hostil
ities now, which lasts for nearly an hour, during which
the enemy is seen raanoeuvring on our right, where he
evidently intends to attack us in force. He does not
keep us long in doubt as to his intentions, but again
comes forward in solid column, hurling the strongest
of his force against Richardson's division, and making
charge after charge in such rapid succession and with
such desperate impetuosity that it seems impossible we
can withstand such shocks. Although we have driven
his hosts from the field on the left, and even gained a
signal victory over him, if he should pierce our line
liere he will do us serious damage ; perhaps throw us

630 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
into confusion and gain the final victory, with all it^
destructive results.
The bridges are all swept away now. There is noi
hope of getting any more troops over. ¦* We must fight
and win with the force we have here, or suffer what
must naturally be a crushing defeat of the whole Army
of the Potomac. Every raan, from the comraander
down to the humblest private, feels this, and fights as
if he felt it.
For more than an hour he expends his force against
this position, our troops receiving his charges un
moved, and pouring their vollies into his ranks with
great rapidity and effect. The slaughter is something
painful to contemplate. The fight is between people
of a kindred race, and the courage of each is so evenly
balanced that one cannot help wishing they were fight
ing in a different cause. But the enemy begins to ex
haust himself by the fury of his onsets. It is now our
turn to charge. The order is given to advance, and
" forward ! forward !" is heard along Richardson's
line, and the troops respond to it with rare earnest
ness. The enemy delivers a galling fire in the face of
our advancing column, but it is only for a few minutes*
Now he wavers, then falls back, then is driven in con
fusion from the field.
It is twelve o'clock now. Our whole line has taken
up the forward movement, and the rebels are fleeing
everywhere. The battle has ended, and our victory is
complete. In his precipitate retreat the enemy has
left behind him his dead and his wounded, his arms,
and indeed nearly everything in the shape of war ma-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 631
terial. Our exhausted troops follow him, and drive
him pell-mell into that long belt of woods I have de
scribed in the beginning of this chapter, and where he
stood defiant on the morning of the 31st of May. But
they are in no condition to follow him further. They
have not slept for forty-eight hours, and have been fight
ing two days on the very worst battle-field the world
ever saw. Our ammunition is nearly out, and so
also are our supplies. It is unjust to expect of human
endurance more than it is capable of giving.
At two o'clock the firing ceased altogether, and we had
driven the enemy back in confusion to his old line and
re-established our own. But so completely exhausted
were many of our troops that they lay down on the wet
ground, and soon fell into so deep a sleep that it seemed
next to impossible to awaken them. Add to this that
we had nearly five thousand of our own, and perhaps
as many more of the enemy's dead and wounded on
the field to be cared for and removed. To have neg
lected these helpless sufferers at such a time would
have been a crime than which there is none greater.
And such was the condition of the ground that it was
impossible to move either artillery or subsistence
trains. Nearly all the cavalry, too, was on the left
bank of the river, but owing to the boggy and stumpy
nature of the ground, to say nothing of the woods,
could have been of little service had it been on the
right. Every right-minded man will appreciate our true
condition after this battle. The question of following
up our victory with the capture of Richmond has been

532 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
discussed by various writers, most of them urging that
we could have secured the prize with little difficulty.
But it has always seemed to me that these writers were
either blinded by their prejudices, or knew but very
little of the real condition of the field after the battle
was over. It is, indeed, much more easy to see what
might have been done when a battle is over than to be
sure that you are going to, make right movements
while it is going on. It is true we had driven the en
emy in confusion before us, but an attempt to feel his
position on the following day developed the fact that
he had a strong picket line in the woods I have before
referred to, and from which we failed to drive him.
Nor must it be forgotten that the enemy had come out
from his works to fight us. Having driven him from
the field, we were not sure that he could not bring up
fresh troops to meet our exhausted columns as soon as
we ci-ossed (if we could have crossed) that timber.
But there was another and still more serious matter to
be considered. The enemy had a line of strong works
on the hills above, mounted with guns of heavy cal
ibre, and to storra and take these we should at least
have troops in good fighting condition. Some writers
have urged it as a reason that we could have marched
in and taken possession of Richmond, that the people
were alarmed, excited, and ready to pack up their fur
niture and leave. The same state of public feeling
has been witnessed iu Washington more than onge,
when not ouly the people but members of the Govern
ment were alarmed and ready to travel. But it does
uot follow that these symptoms on the part of uou-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 633
combatants are proof that the troops are unable to hold
the works by which the city is defended. Sensible
military men never gave theraselves any concern for
the safety of Washington after the first battle of Bull
Run. And the eneray knew full well that a serious
atterapt to take it would cost a sacrifice of life he was
never in a condition to pay.
My opinion, when compared with the opinion of others,
who are, perhaps, better qualified to judge of the real
military condition at that time, will go for but little; but
it has never seeraed to me that we were capable of march
ing into Richmond from the right bank of the Chicka
hominy, immediately after the battle of Fair Oaks. But
the question still remains as to whether we could have
moved our right wing, on the first day, over New,
Mechanicsville, and Meadow bridges, and having scaled
the steep hills and captured their works on the crest,
taken the enemy in flank and rear, the effect of which
would have given us Richraond. The enemy had a very
strong position here ; he could defend the approaches
to these three bridges with a very small force, and our
charging columns would have been exposed to the most
destructive enfilading fire. We had no correct informa
tion as to the force he had concealed in that dark belt
of timber on the crest of the hill ; and there was the
uncertainty as to where Stonewall Jackson was. The
Government at Washington had not been able to give
us any definite information concerning him for several
I days, and were he suddenly to strike our right and
irear, and by some freak of fortune, which seemed al
ways to be in his favor, to cut us off from our comma-

634 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
nications, we would have been found without sujiplies,
and in tiie most hopeless condition an array was ever
found in. With all our communications open, the con^
dition of the country was such that it was with the
greatest difficulty we could supply our army.
Nor is it just to say that this sanguinary battle was
fought without any material result. It was one of a
series of battles by which the enemy's power was to be
broken down and finally exhausted. That we made
errors, as well in the selection of the position as in the
manner of fighting the battle, will not be denied. But
the enemy also made errors, and greater ones than we
did. This was particularly apparent on the first day,
when,' instead of making his attack on our extreme left
at twelve o'clock, he had moved his flanking column at
daylight, swept around our right, (the right of our left
wing,) which he could easily have done, and, holding
his position, sent a small force to destroy the frail
bridges on which all our hopes hung, no power within
our reach could have saved the force we had on the
south bank of the Chickahominy from utter destruction.
It was because Johnson felt too sure that he had us
secure in his grasp that he did not do this. I have
since been informed that it was reported to him in the
morning at daylight that the flood had swept away all
the bridges, rendering it impossible for the Federals to
cross reinforcements. Hence his belief that after
crushing our left with one terrible blow he would have
little trouble in sweeping round our right, cutting off
our means of retreat, and capturing our whole force.
The action of Sumner dispelled the illusion and gave
us the victory.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 535
Let us be just and generous, then, to the General
who fought the battle, and did what he thought best.
We can afford to be both; to hold tlies cales of justice
also with a firm hand, and to show that we are truly great
by giving to merit the reward it has earned. And
while we are crowning with laurel wreaths the General
who fought our last battles and won our last victories,
let us not forget the one due to hira who trained our
armies and fought our first battles when the sky was
dark.

CHAPTER XLVIII

GENERAL CONDITION OP THE ARMY— REVIEW OP THE PKOSPECT.
The flood tide of our misfortunes seemed to set in
after the battle of Fair Oaks. We began the building
of more permanent and higher bridges, the men worked
in some places up to their waists in water, pickets
stood in water knee deep, and the almost incessant and
heavy rains would destroy at night work done during
the day. On the upper bridges the engineers worked
nearly all the time within range of the enemy's guns,
which would open on them nearly every day, and, as I
my self can attest, afforded us an entertainment of shot
and shell not at all pleasant to share. We had batteries
in position at Dr. Gaines's house, which always replied,
but did not save our working parties frora the annoy
ance. At other times the enemy would engage us for
an hour in an artillery duel, rarely doing much injury.
At one tirae he threw a nuraber of shells into the camp
of the Lincoln cavalry, near Elletson's mill, causing
quite a scampering among the troopers. At another
he threw a number of shells quite a distance over
Mechanicsville, into the First Jersey brigade, killing
and wounding two or three, and causing the brigade
to change carap. The Pennsylvania Reserves, too, en-
536

the story of a trooper. 537
icamped near Sidnor's house, were served in a similar
manner, and driven in alarm frora their carap. Indeed
the eneray seeraed to know the exact position of our
camps, and to accommodate his range accordingly.
His raost deterrained effort to disturb our quiet, how
ever, was raade against General Baldy Smith's position.
He had brought up guns of longer range than usual,
iand one afternoon, while we were peacefully contem
plating his movements frora what we considered a safe
distance he opened his batteries and sent several shells
iclean through Hogan's house, which was used for an
hospital, making it necessary to remove the sick and
wounded to a place of safety. This outrage so excited
the anger of General Smith that he lowered the hos
pital flag, and would have replied to their guns but for
lan order frora General McClellan, directing him to put
the flag up again and hold his fire.
The tide of our misfortunes now began to flow fast.
The wet weather continued unabated, and sickness set
in and spread to an alarming extent. Intermittent
ifever, diarrhoea of the most virulent kind, and indeed
all those diseases peculiar to the swampy lands of the
South, prostrated the men, and filled our hospitals to
overflowing. There was no keeping the knowledge of
this from the troops, and the effect of it on their spirit
was very depressing. I thought then, and think now,
that disease was increased rather than checked by the
'large quantities of comraissary whiskey, of the very
iworst description, that was served to the men. Good
spirits, served in moderate quantities, might have bene-
24

638 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
fited them ; but that which they received was littie
better than poison, and had a stupifying effect.
Our condition on tiie other side of the river was still
worse. The troops in many places were encamped on
tiie battie-field, which reeked witii putrid matter, while
the very air was foul with sickening and offensive smells
and black with flies and other noisome insects. The
dead, too, had been buried in great haste, and in many
places the rains had washed the bodies almost bare. I
rode over the battle-field several times between the 1st
and 20th of June, and each time returned sick. We
were also throwing up a long line of defences, and the
immense amount of work that had to be done in the
trenches, most of it with the men up to their knees in
water, was having a severe effect on the strength and
spirits of the troops. And while all these malignant
influences were operating against us and reducing our
force day by day, we had reliable information that the
enemy was bringing up troops from all parts of the
Confederacy and concentrating them in Richmond,
preparatory to another great battle. We had troops
enough, but they were scattered frora Fredericksburg
to Harper's Ferry. Some were protecting the fears of
the authorities at Washington. Some were doing or
namental duty at Baltimore. Those under McDowell
were doing nothing. And an army of nearly thirty
thousand, commanded by an ornamental general, was
affording mere military entertainment for Stonewall
Jackson, Our ornamental generals flourished in those
days. And those were the days when the war was
carried on from Washington, and people were consid
ered blind -who did not see through its spectacles.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 639
And while all these troops were thus scattered and
nominally idle, the only reinforcements we could get
were gentle assurances and the Pennsylvania Reserves,
with General McCall, Perhaps never in the history
of war did a general have to fight against so raany ad
verse influences as did General McClellan, He had a
brave, powerful, and earnest eneray in his front, increas
ing his strength every day; a restless, intriguing polit
ical eneray in his rear, against whora he had to contin
ually .struggle ; and the frowning elements overhead.
He had to do battle with each in turn ; and to gain a
victory over them all was something human nature is
scarcely equal to. No wonder, then, that the man's
resolution faltered, that he became undecided, that his
very nature should change. He had failed to gain the
confidence of liis superiors, failed to make them see the
necessities of his position ; and their assurances of
support and confidence were made more aggravating
through the fact that their acts were in conflict with
them. It was this that made him give his thoughts
more to saving than fighting the army.
Extrem.e caution and hesitancy now marks our move
ments. The noisy enemy beats his drums and sounds his
bugles on the opposite hills, night and morning. There
is perfect stillness in our camp. Music stirs the soul
of the soldier, and his courage is inspired by the beat
of the drum. But not a band plays, not a bugle sounds,
nor a drum beats in our camp, and the stillness of a
churchyard reigns at night. The men ask, " Why is it
tiiat we cannot have music ? Is it because we are afraid
of the enemy?" Officers reply tiiat it will discover

540 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
our position to. the enemy. But this stillness carries a
deeper significance with it. The better-informed can
read in it the thoughts and feelings of the General in
command. The wet weather continued, with few intermissions,
until the 18th of June. But what was even more dam
aging to the health of our troops was the sudden changes;
from heat to cold. At times the weather would be op
pressively hot in the morning, storm clouds would roll
up in the afternoon, the rain would fall in torrents du
ring the night, and before daybreak the wind would sud
denly change and blow a gale from the east, making
I oviercoats and extra blankets necessary. It was a com-
: mon thing to be washed out of our tents at night, to
wake up by our tents being blown down, and to look
1 out and see the whole line in the same plight with our
selves. We went to bed many a hot night and got up
; in the morning to find our poor animals shivering with
! the cold. And this was June weather in Old Virginia.
We had a visit frora the Spanish general Prim, and
I a number of his staff ; but nothing worthy of record oc-
I curred after the battle of Fair Oaks until the afternoon
I of the 13th, about three o'clock, when our camp was
thrown into an intense state of excitement by a report
that the enemy was approaching in force from the direc
tion of Hanover Court-House, his advance guard be
ing composed of several regiments of cavalry and two
batteries of artillery; one had it that his force was at
least thirty thousand. Another said it was Stonewall;
Jackson with forty thousand confederate troops ; that
he had attacked Stoneman's and Philip St, George

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 541
Cook's cavalry, about four railes away on our right,
and was sweeping down on our rear, where he would
next attack us and cut us off from our base of supplies.
General McClellan had removed his headquarters to
near Trent's house, on the south bank of the Chicka
hominy, and Franklin was absent from his, I believe
he was with General McClellan. This increased the
excitement. Then Captain Royall, of the 5th Regular
cavalry, came in with a severe sabre cut wound on his
head, and covered with blood. This gave rise to ru
mors of the most ridiculous kind, which were not long
in finding their way through every camp. Of course
we were all under arms at once, and had our horses
saddled, ready to move.
Instead of Stonewall Jackson it turned out to be that
bold rough-rider J. E, B, Stuart, making his first grand
raid, with about fourteen hundred cavalry, splendidly
mounted and equipped, and four pieces of light artil
lery. He came sweeping down close to our right, and
comparatively within sight of Stoneman's camp, meet
ing no opposition until he reached the old church, near
Cold Harbor, where a battalion of the 5th cavalry
under Captain Royall was encamped, protecting our
communications. The Captain is reported to have
fought gallantly, but was soon overpowered, and his
little force scattered. Indeed the Confederate horse
men seem to have ridden right over them, then turned off
towards the Pamunky river, moving at a rapid pace.
At Garlick's landing they destroyed a lot of supplies
and three small schooners laden with forage. Pro
ceeding on in tiie direction of the White House, they

642 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
captured and destroyed a train of about twenty wag
ons, carried off the mules, and barbarously murdered
a number of the defenceless tearasters. The. Pennsyl
vania Reserves were at the White House, of which
Stuart had information. He, however, found at Tuns
tall's station, near by, enough to occupy his time for an
hour. He fired into a train of cars, and nearly fright
ened a paymaster out of his wits. He burnt the depot,
cut the telegraph wires, and tore up a portion of the
track. And he brought a number of sutlers to grief
by appropriating such of their stock as his troopers
wanted, destroying the remainder. Having done
what damage he could, he made for the Chickahominy
as fast as possible, and having made the half-circle of
our own lines, crossed his force at Long Bridge and
: reached Richmond unmolested.
Let us see what we did to intercept or cut off this
bold raider. Everybody wanted to go in pursuit of
] him, and yet nobody was ready to go. Everybody
knew that he would travel round us and try to get
back into Richmond by the lower fords or bridges, and
; yet nobody seemed to entertain the idea that that was
the place to send a force to intercept him. At length
1 a happy and very generous idea seemed to have entered
some one's head. Stuart had a father-in-law in our
1 army, a bold trooper withal, and what could be better
than to send him in pursuit of his rebel son. If they
I came to sabres, and one got killed, why it would all be
: in the family, and in a civil war such things do occur
1 at times. After a good deal of waiting for orders,
; Philip St, George Cook, at six o'clock, proceeded, -VRith

'¦¦¦:%

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-"'Si

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_--j, r-

Ji^EiO

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11

 I

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 643
a force of two regiments of cavalry and a battery of
artillery, in pursuit of his rebel son, and at half-past
eight o'clock was in the vicinity of Old Church, fol
lowing in his circle, but some three hours behind.
Whether this was a serious effort to overtake the bold
raider or not I am unable to determine. The reader
cannot fail to see, however, that there was little hope
of its being successful. And the gallant father seems
to have had some grave apprehensions of being cap
tured and entertained by his rebel son, for he gave up
the pursuit after proceeding as far as Cold Harbor,
and came back safe to us to report.
Two or three days after this occurrence a smart little
newsboy, crossing the Chickahominy on a fallen tree,
came into our lines with a bundle of Richmond Dis
patches, containing an elaborate and well-written ac
count of the deeds of valor performed by Stuart and
his troopers. The boy had evidently been sent over
by Confederate officers anxious that we should see their
heroism in print. The boy sold his papers readily, and
for silver, which pleased him much, for he had not seen
such money, he said, for a long time ; but was much
distressed when told that we should want him to stay
and spend some time with us. Newton and other
general officers had joined us over the camp-fire that
night, and the little newsboy sang us songs and enter
tained us with stories concerning Richmond until nearly
midnight. ,
It was the 18th of June now, and the weather began
to improve. Still there was much sickness among tiie
troops, and dysentery prevailed to an alarming extent.

544 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
Information of the most reliable kind reached us daily
that the enemy was concentrating his forces in Rich
mond, under Lee, preparatory to a great battle. We
had also information that Beauregard had arrived; and
that Ripley had come up from Charleston, with his
command. The Pennsylvania Reserves had reached us, and
taken position on our extreme right, near Mechanics
ville. Smith's division of the Sixth Corps had moved
over to the south side of the river some days before.
Orders had several times been issued to move the other
(Slocum's) over, and as often been countermanded, un
til the wiant of decision manifest in these orders became
annoying, and gave rise to unfavorable comments. It
was apparent that General McClellan was undecided
as to where the enemy would attack us, if he did at
tack, and what fprce was necessary on the north bank
of the river to hold our right. In justice to General
Franklin, it must be said that he was opposed to weaken
ing our line on the right, believing that if the enemy came
out to attack us it would be at this point — that here
he would deal his heaviest blows.' And when the final
order came to move headquarters and the second divi
sion over he obeyed it, biit with feelings of reluctance.
We moved over this morning ; and as we halted at
Colonel Rowland's headquarters, on the brow of a
hill overlooking Alexander's bridge, where we also met
General Slocum, more than one general officer looked
back over that long thin line we called our right with
feelings of misgiving. That line extended from cir
where we stood to Mechanicsville, a distance of five

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 545
miles, and was left with Fitz-John Porter's corps and
McCall's division of Pennsylvania Reserves and Stone
man's cavalry to hold it. We had now four corps
icrowded into that swampy, pestilent battle-field I have
before described on the south bank of the river. This
was the second grand development of a fatal error.
Passing over Alexander's bridge we entered an open
field, on the left of which was a piece of high ground
on which Trent's house and its large barn: stood, and
where General McClellan had his headquarters. The
Lincoln cavalry, holding the extreme right of Frank
lin's corps, was encamped in the open field, exposed to
a burning sun one day, and the drenching rain another.
Between the cavalry camp and Trent's house several
batteries of artillery stood, harnessed day and night,
and ready to belch forth their destroying missiles at a
moment's notice. Just south of this position the ground
was uneven, thickly wooded, full of ponds of water
and little streams, and intersected with roads cordu
royed with rough logs, rendering travel over them ex
ceedingly slow and difficult.
Our headquarters were pitched on a hamraock just
in the edge of this wood, and was surrounded by fallen
trees, which gave it quite a backwoods-ish appearance.
We were about three quarters of a mile frora General
McClellan, The lover of solitude could scarcely have
selected a more sequestered spot than we had for head
quarters. There was a little green patch about two
hundred feet square in the woods, with a deserted log
cabin in the centre, and bordered with shrubbery and
flowers. Around this square we pitched our tents,
24*

646 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
building arbors in front and decorating them with the
branches of trees.
This little green lawn and its deserted cabin af
forded me food for contemplation. Who or what
member of the human family could have reared him a
humble cottage and made him a home in this secluded
spot ? The hand that trained that shrubbery and cul
tivated thoseflowers was guided by taste. What sturdy
arm felled those huge trees just beyond ? what heart
beat high with hopes for what the future might bring
forth on this barren soil ? How much happiness and
contentment may he have enjoyed here ? And may it not
have been sweeter because it was enjoyed away from
the cares of the world and the vices that beset the am
bitious ? Did this humble woodsman, after toiling in
poverty and eating the bread which poverty brings,
give up, heartsick and disappointed ? Where is he
seeking a home now? Perhaps he is dead, and lies
buried here where we have pitched our tents. Perhaps
his spirit, big with some trouble that haunted him
through life, hovers in these dark woods which grim
war has filled with soldiers and their neighing steeds.
But did he ever dream that tlie day would come when
a general and his staff would make a banqueting hall
of his humble cabin ? To all these questions not even
Captain Hoff, who is wise in the philosophy of spirits,
can return a satisfactory answer.
There is a deep and densely wooded ravine, a wild
and romantic spot, v/here the magnolia, the jessamine,
and the sweet laurel blossom, just back of our head
quarters, aud the air is sweet with their perfumes, A

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 647
pretty brook murmurs at the bottom, and springs of
clear, cold water gush out from the hill side. This
water is pleasant to the taste, but its effect on the health
of the men is bad.
Towards morning there was heavy musketry firing
on our left. The enemy made an attempt to advance
his picket line in front of Hooker ; and that General,
always impatient to have a trial of strength with hia
adversary, drives him back in fine style, and declares
he only wants orders to beat hira back into Richmond.
In short, we have musketry firing on our left nearly
every afternoon, with more or less casualties. The
eneray also entertains us every day by tossing a num
ber of shells into various parts of our lines, and these
we return without restricting the corapliraent. The
eneray is sure to pay u& these compliments whenever
Professor Lowe's balloon goes up; and that gentleman's
apparatus is coming into bad favor with our generals.
News comes to us of an exciting nature. Our scouts
have brought in a man dressed in dirty gray clothes.
He turns out to be a very intelligent man, and after
giving various accounts of himself, finally confesses to
be a deserter from Jackson's army, which he describes
as advancing slowly in the direction of Hanover Court-
House. There is no doubt now in the minds of some of
our generals as to where the enemy intends to make his
real attack, and what part Stonewall Jackson is
; to play. Now is the time to prepare for it, to sead
back troops to strengthen our right at Mechanicsville,
and to guard against Jackson's attempt on our rear.
But General McClellan, still hesitates, is still uncertain
as to what the enemy's real intentions arc.

648 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
It is the 25th, and we have resolved to drive the
eneray back from Heintzelraan's front. He has a con
siderable force there, and holds a strong position, ex
tending across the Williamsburg road. There is an open
field in front of Heintzelman, and beyond it a long
belt of thick timber, in which the enemy is partially
concealed, and has a redoubt and some rifle pits.
He has annoyed us here for several days. At nine
o'clock Hooker and Kearney advance with their di
visions over the open fields, and are met with a terrible
fire of infantry; steadily they receive and return tiie
fire, advancing step by step, with colors flying and
drums beating. For two hours the ground is con
tested with desperate valor on both sides ; but our
infantry fire is thinning out the enemy's ranks, and our
steadiness is giving us the advantage. Hooker, on his
white horse, and Kearney, with his one arm, are con
spicuous along the line, urging on their men, while ex
posing themselves in the thickest of the fight. Bayo
nets are fixed and a charge ordered, and the line
dashes into the woods with an impetuosity that is irre
sistible. The Excelsior Brigade has again performed
a conspicuous part in the fight. The enemy's redoubt
and rifle pits are captured, and his line is driven back
through the woods, and into a piece of swampy ground,
where the fighting again becomes desperate, for Hooker
and Kearney are not the men to give an enemy much
time to rest during a battle. General Palmer, with a
brigade of Couch's division, moves up and engages the
enemy, making an attempt to get on his left. The Irish
brigade, and another of Richardson's division, also
move up and become engaged ; and for a time it

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 619
looks as if a general engagement would follow. But
that idea is soon dispelled. The enemy has reasons
of his own ifor not extending the fight to any other
portion of his line.
At four o'clock the feeling of anxiety is relieved.
Hooker and Kearney have driven the enemy, after hard
fighting, from his position, captured his redoubt and
rifle pits, and advanced on him nearly a mile, with a
loss ef only 340 killed, wounded, and missing. The
enemy's loss was evidently greater, for his troops
came on in masses, and his officers exhibited a strange
recklessness of life in hurling them in this raanner
against our strongest points. But hark ! There is
cannonading on the other side of the river, Fitz
John Porter's cannon are ringing in our ears. Some
of our officers are at a loss to know what this means.
The enemy intends nothing serious. He is only en
tertaining us with a few shells from the hills opposite
ly^echanicsville. He will to-morrow make his move
ments so bold and pointed that there will be no mis
taking his intentions. We have taken measures for
the evacuation of the White House, and the removal
of our supplies to the James river.
It is the morning of the 26 th now, and the weather is
hot and sultry. Franklin, with the Sixth corps, is to
[advance to-day, make an attack on and try to get pos
session of a strong position on his front called the
Old, or Burnt Tavern. The engineers have slashed and
cut roads through the belt of woods in front of us, and
everything is in readiness for the movement. If we
can gain and hold that position we shall have secured

550 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
an important advantage, Richraond it is thought by
sorae will be within range of our siege guns. Gen
eral Franklin and staff are out early, and the corps is
seen making preparation for some movement. Gen
erals Baldy Smith and Slocum, too, arc in the saddle
early, and are here to consult with Franklin. But the
enemy is vigilant, and seems to comprehend our move
ments. He, too, is up at the dawn of raorning, and is
preparing to give us warra work. That dark, dense
belt of woods conceals hira from our view; but he has
strengthened his picket line during the night, and our
scouts tells us he has brought a strong force into these
woods, and has several batteries of artillery just above.
General Franklin, with Captain Philip and two other
members of his staff, ride to the front and examine
the position. About eight o'clock the enemy appears
in force, advances in line of battle. Then two bat
teries of his artillery open and pour in a terrible fire.
They seem to have got the range of our position^
exactly, and the shells explode along our line with
great rapidity, doing considerable damage. This is
followed by a very rapid and withering musketry fire,
which soon extends all along the front of the Sixth
Corps. Our infantry return the fire handsomely and
hold their ground firmly. Then three batteries of our
artillery open with a terrible crash, the shot and shell
tearing through the vroods and making sad havoc in
the enemy's ranks. For an hour or more the battle
rages fiercely on Sraith's front, artillery horses are
being killed in great numbers, and the gunners are
brouglit iu dead and wounded. But the enemy is re-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 551
; pulsed, and falls back to cover. He only intends this
demonstiHtion as a disguise. There was more fury in
what he did than force to sustain it. We continue
throwing shells into the woods, but the enemy's fire
has slackened, and is now weak and desultory,
A little after twelve o'clock we are startled by the
deep booming of artillery, and rapid vollies of nius-
; ketry on the north bank of the river, in the vicinity of
Mechanicsville, This tells us that Porter is engaged
with the eneray, whose real intentions are now de
veloped. The sound of the artillery becoraes louder,
and louder, and the roll of rausketry almost incessant.
Now it ceases for half an hour, then begins again, and
' increases in violence. There is considerable commotion
ab,outGeneral McClellan's headquarters. The telegraph
¦ brings reports, and staff officers gallop off across the
the river. Generals are seen hastening to general
' headquarters. But while they keep their thoughts to
themselves, the wildest of rumors are circulating from
camp to camp. The one most believed represents
that Jackson has appeared in front of Mechanicsville,
and finding it held by only one regiraent of Pennsylva
nia troops and a small force of cavalry, has made pris
oners of them all, and is now driving the reserves
across Beaver Dam creek. But it is not Jackson. He
has his part, and will play it in the terrible draraa that
is to be enacted to-morrow. In the meantime the
enemy is resolved to keep up appearances in front of
the Sixth Corps, He has taken up a new position,
and his batteries have got an enfilading fire on a por
tion of our line, giving us warm work a great portion
of the ancrnoon.

552 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
Let us go over now to the north side of the river, and
see what is being done at Mechanicsville,
The enemy has crossed in two columns, one at Meadow
bridge, the other just below, and advances under Hill,l
Longstreet, and some say Ripley, Our pickets have
been driven in from Shady Grove, and the Confederate
force presses forward boldly and defiantly until it
gains the open, rolling ground just north of Mechanics
ville, At three o'clock there is sharp skirmishing,
but the little force holding the position is soon com
pelled to give way, and fall back in the direction of
Beaver Dam creek, on the upper road. The enemy's
line presents an imposing^ appearance, with his right
resting well down towards Mechanicsville bridge, audi
stretching back for a distance of two miles. His ban-
ners are flaunting, his drums beating, his arras flash
and gleara in the sun's rays, and his cavalry and ar
tillery add their force to the grand display. He has
shown us his hand now, and already tiiere are indica
tions that he intends to cross a still heavier force at the!
same point. We see groups of officers on the opposite
hills, some raounted, others afoot, watching intently
the movements on this side.
Now there is a short cavalry skirmish, and a number
of our troopers, in falling back, have got into the
bog of Beaver Dam creek, and find great difficulty in
extricating theraselves. Stoneman's "flying column"
of troopers, instead of finding out something about the
eueray, has been quietly enjoying the shade of a pine
grove for the past two weeks. It now finds itself cut
off and almost helpless; and in order to escape Jack-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 653
son falls back on the White House, and makes good
time in -reaching it.
The eneray has halted at three o'clock, and is seen
reforming his line, and making preparations for a
forward movement. His fire, however, has not ceased,
for he still keeps throwing shells into our line, A
mile or so east of Mechanicsville'is Beaver Dam creek,
an insignificant little streara, with a soft, spongy
bottom, and steep, broken banks, making it exceed
ingly difficult to cross either artillery or cavalry except
at the roads. There are two of these roads leading
from Mechanicsville east, the upper and the lower,
and about a mile apart. On reaching the creek the
lower one winds down a steep hill, turns suddenly to
the south, runs for a few rods along the baSe of the
hill, and again turns suddenly to the east, crossing the
bridge at Ellison's mill, above which there is a dam
and pond, extending some distance up into a meadow.
The east or left bank of the creek is high and ridgy
ground, much of it covered with oak forest, and form
ing a remarkably strong position. We have formed
our line here, and cotnraand the only approaches open
to the eneray. Seymour, with his brigade, is well
down on the left, and holds the bridge at Ellison's
mill, as'well as the low ground near the Chickahominy.
Reynolds is on the right, just above, and holds the
upper road.
Q-eneral McClellan is very anxious about our right
flank, which is open and exposed. And this anxiety
[is increased by the fact that Jackson is somewhere
within striking distance. It is a little past three

554 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
o'clock now, and the enemy moves forward witii a bold
and defiant air, his batteries opening with a terrible
crash. Then he hurls his strength against Reynolds,
who repels his onsets with admirable effect. Again
and again he hurls his force against Reynolds and
Seymour, and is repulsed with heavy loss. This only
seems to increase his determination to take tiieir posi
tions, no matter at what sacrifice of life. But the
strength of our position is developing itself, and gives
us material advantages. For three hours the enemy
concentrates his force against these two points, fights
with desperate valor, but fails to drive us from our
position or silence our guns, Meade, Martindale, and
Griffin, with their brigades, are ordered up on the right,
near Shady Grove, and in line, ready to support Rey
nolds, The battle ceases as the sun sets, the enemy
falls back, but is still in sight, and the shadows of
evening are playing mysteriously over the field.
The enemy has not remained inactive on the south
side of the river. He has got his batteries into a new
position in front of Smith, and during the afternoon
opens with a terrible enfilading fire on his line. The
shell and round shot fell all around us, with fatal ef
fect, exploding and tearing up the ground, and giving
it the appearance of a ploughed field. General
Smith likes to get his headquarters as near the front as
possible. It used to be said of him that he wanted to
see his pickets. The enemy's shell now fell faster and
exploded with more violence than was consistent with
safety, compelling him to withdraw and seek a less
dangerous position. Hancock, too, becomes engaged

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 565
with the enemy, and after a sharp infantry fire repulses
him handsomely. And yet all this demonstrating on
the south side of the river is merely to keep us from
sending reinforcements to the north bank.
At ten o'clock the stars are out, and shining brightly,
and a mysterious stillness prevails. Now and then a
staff officer or an orderly gallops up the hill to head
quarters, and then disappears in a different direction.
The telegraph is flashing messages backward and for
ward between Generals Fitz John Porter and McClel
lan, Then the dull, clucking sound of heavy wagons
breaks the stillness, and a long dark train is seen
coming cautiously over Alexandria bridge, then wind
ing, in a shadowy line, up the hill and past Trent's house.
They are Porter's wagon trains, and their moveraent
to this side of the river, at this hour of the night, tells
us but too plainly what we must look for to-raorrow.
There, too, coraes the heavy siege train, raoving slowly
and cautiously over, and disappearing beyond the hill.
It is Friday morning, the 27th of June. Officers, es
pecially those about headquarters, have had little sleep
during the night, and at two and a half o'clock the
enemy disturbs our whole line, and causes a rush to arms,
by opening a terrific fire just to the left of Franklin's
position. Then he extends his fire to General Smith's
front, making a final attack with infantry and artillery,
which is handsomely repulsed by Hancock and David
son, General Franklin has received orders to hold
what force he can spare ready to send to Porter's as
sistance when needed. General Slocum, with his
division, is moved down to the right, near the Chicka-

666 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
hominy, and holds Duane's bridge, ready to move on
the receipt of orders.
We must now go over to the other side of the river
and see what Porter is doing. We are on the defen
sive now, and having decided to change our base of
supplies to the James river, the thoughts of General
McClellan are centered on the best mode of effecting
his purpose. We have evacuated that strong position
at Beaver Dam creek ; and an hour before daylight on
the morning of the 27th finds us falling cautiously
back to a position on rolling ground near Gaines's
house, where we can cover the bridges while holding
the enemy in check. Our left rests in a clump of
woods, at right angles with and near the Chickahominy,
just above Duane's bridge, facing north; from thence it
continues across the meadow, and up over the rolling
and wooded ground, the right resting near New Cold
Harbor, or Gaines's Mill, and forraing the arc of a
circle. The distance is nearly three miles. The fol
lowing is the disposition of our troops. Butterfield's
brigade is on our extreme left, well down in the meadow.
Martindale's brigade is on its right, and on the sloping
ground. Then Griffin's brigade, on the right of Mar
tindale, and on the high ground near Gaines's house.
These three brigades compose Morrell's division. Each
brigade has two regiments in reserve. Sykes's divi
sion of regulars joins tiie right of Morrell, and stretches
away in a curve, through the thick woods, until its right
rests where I have before described. But where is Mc
Call's division of Pennsylvania Reserves ? It is hold
ing a second line about a mile in the rear, covering

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 667
Alexander's bridge. Eight companies of Rush's Lan
cers (6th Pennsylvania) are posted still further in the
rear, with five companies of the Sth and four of the 1st
Regulars, under Philip St. George Cook — all drawn up
in line, and ready to support and protect the left flank.
Their fluttering pennons, their guidons, their bright
sabres and lances, give an additional charm to the
martial spirit of tlie picture. Two companies of tiie
Lincoln cavalry are posted along the roads leading
to the bridges, to check straggling, which is fast be
coming an intolerable vice with our army. But that
which has the most formidable appearance in the line
is the artillery, an arm we depend on most, which is
posted in the intervals between the brigades, and
where it can sweep the ground in front. Some of
our engineers say the artillery along the line was not
well posted, and that Porter has not studied the
ground carefully, although he has been on it more than
a month. It was a grand and imposing sight to see
this little army of scarce thirty thousand men thus
drawn up in line of battle amidst these picturesque
scenes, and calmly await the approach of an enemy,
their equal at least in courage, and double their
number. The enemy has crossed two more colunins near Me
chanicsville, and at eleven o'clock may be seen massing
his forces in three lines across the meadow. Now
this force advances, horse, foot, and artillery, with
drums beating, bugles sounding, and banners flying,
and sending up a cloud of dust that fills and darkens
(he air. It joins the force that crossed yesterday,

568 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
which now deploys to the left, and is seen moving
through the woods towards our right, and then de-
bouches into the open ground. It is twenty minutes
past twelve now. The weather is excessively hot;
there is scarcely a cloud in the sky, nor breeze enough
to lift the banners. The clouds of dust that roll up all
along our front, added to the noise of artillery and
the tramp of horsemen, tell us that the enemy is ad
vancing to the attack. Now we see the top of his
banners over the hill in front of our centre, then sud
denly he appears full in view, fifty thousand strong at
least, and comes sweeping forward with a force that
seems irresistible. The main points of the two armies
are now within half a mile of each other, and a fire so
terrible that it makes the very ground tremble opens all
along the line. For three hours the enemy makes his
strongest effort against our left and centre. He knows
that if he can pierce our centre he can throw us into
confusion and put us to flight. If he can crush our
left and drive us from the belt of woods in that meadow,
he will have cut us off from the upper bridges. The
slaughter at these points is sad to contemplate. The
enemy's batteries have literally rained shot, shell, and
case into our ranks, and our men have fallen like
grass before the mower's scythe. Still tre have re
pulsed all his charges up to two o'clock, and our gun
ners have stood to their guns and served them with a
rapidity hitherto unknown, yielding them up only
when they were nearly all cut down. Captain Robert
son, with his battery of horse artillery posted on the
extreme left, has four times driven the enemy back

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 669
iwith grape and cannister when it seemed as if no ef-
ifort of ours could save the line. The 5 th New York,
j(Duryea Zouaves,) too, have fought with desperate valor,
and several times saved the line. The reserves have
¦nearly all been brought up, and are engaged at various
points, but without seeming to add much to the force
of our resistance. There is a limit to human endur
ance ; and our troops are beginning to show it. It is
clear that the enemy not only outnumbers us, but that
we are being outgeneraled. General Porter either
does not understand the true condition of his own
I line or comprehend what the enemy intends to do.
I Reinforcements are needed and called for to strengthen
iour left, which the enemy is making the most desper-
jate efforts to crush, and which we must hold, or all is
lost ; but they are called for in vain. One member of
IIGeneral Porter's staff seems to consider it quite as
much a part of his duty to direct the battle, and give
orders that conflict with those of his superior, as to
carry out such as are entrusted to him. Our shattered
lines now begin to waver and fall back ; and General
Porter finds that his position is so critical as to need
reinforcements from the south side of the river. Our
men, too, liave lost confidence in the head that is
I directing their movements, for the American soldier is
quick to discover the faults of his general. They are
(falling out and straggling in great numbers. The
I roads to the bridges are filled with the slightly
wounded and stragglers, who are making the best of
their way to the other side of the river, where they
circulate the most exciting' rumors of our defeat, of

560 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
the number slain, and the guns we have lost. There ia
no panic ; but there is something that comes very
near it. No efforts of the Lincoln cavalry can stop
these stragglers. An officer of that regiment, speak
ing of it, said: "When I attempted to stop a crowd
of them with my men, they turned upon me with
the question, ' What was the good of staying? Our
ammunition was all out, and we had no bayonets.' "
It was a question whether they had honorably exhaus
ted their ammunition. They had thrown away their
bayonets as an excuse for deliberately walking away
from the field.
Let us for a few minutes leave the battle here, pro
gressing in all its fury, and pass to the soutli side of
the river to see what is going on there. There has
been a wonderful change since morning, Slocum's
division has been in position near Duane's bridge all
the morning; he is now ordered to move down to Alex
ander's, and hold it at all hazards, until further orders.
Slocum was impatient to cross over early in the morn
ing before the sun's rays were hottest, and many of our
officers expressed surprise at seeing him held back so
long. It is about one o'clock when he falls back to
Alexander's bridge and halts.
General McClellan and the most of his staff have gone
over to Porter, and Franklin is in command at head
quarters, and stands watching anxiously by the tele
graph. For two hours a terrible cannonading has beeu
going on all along Smith's and a part of Sumner's front,
and our killed and wounded are being brought in in great
numbers. In short, the enemy gets an enfilading fire

TUE STORY OF A TROOPER, 561
on our lines, and the shot and shell are thrown among
Smith's troops with such rapidity, and explode with
puch terrible effect, that an officer who was in the
jthickest of it said the explosions reminded hira of huge
fire crackers on Boston Coraraon, on the Fourth of July.
He had been at the battles of Bull Run, Williamsburg,
and West Point, but never before had he seen so hot
a fire. And yet as the enemy did not discover himself in
force, but remained raost of the tirae in cover, I ara in
clined to believe that there was more fury than power
to sustain it in these demonstrations against our posi
tion on the south bank of the river. Our batteries
did not seem to get the direct range of theirs, or if
they did, the effect on their fire was not felt. Leaving
iCaptain Philip at the telegraph, General Franklin
goes to the front, and, exposed to the hottest of the fire,
directs the working of our batteries. While there, a
number of messages are received at headquarters re
questing reinforcements for Porter, Franklin is ex
pected back every minute, but does not come, A mes
sage now arrives stating that affairs are in a critical
condition, and requesting that Slocum's division be
sent imraediately to the support of Porter, Captain
Philip hastens to Franklin with this message, and finds
him still directing the fire of our batteries, and the
enemy's shells falling thick all around hira. Both gal
lop back to headquarters as quick as possible, and
in another rainute the captain is carrying an order to
Slocum to move.
It is 2,40 P. M., now, and Slocum moves at a double-
0.&

662 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
quick, and is on the field and ready to engage tiie enemy
at three o'clock and twenty minutes. He found the
bridge filled with stragglers, and had to force his way
through them. He found the enemy making his
fiercest attacks on our left and centre, where our dead
lay in long, ghastly lines, attesting the heroism with
which our small force had held these points, and which
now needed supports most. He found the left and cen
tre shattered and wavering; some of the batteries had
exhausted their ammunition; others were making a last
struggle to save their guns ; the men were giving
out from sheer exhaustion, and it needed no better
proof than the terrible slaughter made in our ranks
that our generalship had been at fault, to use no harsher
term. Instead of bringing this fine division then to the
front, and forming a new line of battle at the points
where we were pressed most, and, which it was impor
tant for us to hold, and where the troops composing it
would fight under an officer they knew, respected, and
had confidence in, it was divided up into fragments, and
sent to various parts of the line, and where, in truth, it
was of little use, if we except being needlessly exposed
and slaughtered by the enemy. Regiments are sent to
the right on the double-quick, and then ordered back to
the left, which they reach to find that it has been driven
back by force of numbers and an enfilading fire, for the
enemy has brought his guns to bear upon it from the
opposite side of the river. Colonel Howland, with the
16th New York, their white straw hats answering for
targets, is sent across the front over an open field, close
to and exposed to the enemy's hottest fire. The colonel

THE STORY OF A TEOOPER. 663
LB severely wounded, and the regiment is nearly cut to
pieces. The sight sickens those who see it, and officers
ask each other what military genius it was who
ordered such a movement. The Jersey brigade, which
Kearney was so proud of, is sent to the right, and
pushed into- a dense wood, where, in little more than an
hour, it is nearly all captured or destroyed.
There is nothing for Slocum to do but look on — a
silent spectator of the blunders that are sending his fine
division to quick destruction. He knows it is folly to
attempt to patch up and give strength to a weak and
shattered line by scattering a division of fresh troops
along its whole length, especially when the troops that
have been fighting for four hours have lost confidence
in the head that is directing their movements. His
command has been taken away frora hira, and he sickens
at the sight of what he is powerless to improve.
It is twenty minutes past four o'clock now, and still
the unequal contest rages all along the line, Sykes,
with the regulars, has been doing some desperate fight
ing on the right, and has repulsed several attempts of
the enemy to turn his position. But his troops are
becoming exhausted and overcome with the heat, and
he has had to yield some ground. A terrible can
nonading now breaks forth in that direction, as if some
new and raore deterrained impulse had been given to
the battle. It is tiie thunder of Stonewall Jackson's
artillery that we hear. That adroit flanker has
swept down by tho Old Church road, and has opened
with terrible force on our right, which is not strong
enough to resist him, and falls back, to save our rear.

564 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
The fortunes of the day are now in his hands, and it is
certain that he will wield his power to the best advan
tage. The news of Jackson's arrival, and the- rumor
that he had outflanked us, ran along our line, and had
a depressing effect on the troops. Straggling increased
three-fold, and officers began to lose all influence over
their men, Slocum's division had given no visible
strength to the line, which again staggers and reels,
and makes but a feeble resistance to the fierce and
powerful onsets the enemy is making to cut us off from
the bridges on the left, and double up our right. In
front of that belt of woods in the meadow, the bodies
of the dead lay in lines. Porter again calls for reinforce
ments, and reports his condition as critical in the ex
trerae, Meagher's Irish brigade, with French's, of Sumner's
corps, are ordered to move over with all speed. An
hour passes, and they have not made their appearance.
The bridge over which they must pass is blocked with
stragglers, and an ambulance train, with the wounded,
is winding its slow way over another. In the mean
time our left has again been pressed back ; we haveJost
the piece of woods we struggled for with such tenacity,
and the confusion and excitement resulting from it is
extending to the centre. And to add to this confusion
and excitement, some military genius, with more reck
lessness than judgment, and with the mistaken belief
that a raere handful of. cavalry can force the enemy
back, when our artillery and infantry have failed,
orders a charge with five companies of the 5th Regu
lars, Both officers and men go to their work bravely

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 565
enough, and it is a thrilling sight to see these gallant
men draw their sabres, and dash into those lines of steel.
But it is like sending men to certain death. The offi
cers are nearly all killed ; the men are cut down by the
Score ; riderless horses rush wildly through the lines,
and the shattered remnant that returns to us only tram
ples down our own men, and increases the disorder
already begun.
The whole line soon falls back in some disorder
to a high ridge about three-quarters of a mile in the
rear, which overlooks Alexander's bridge, and -^'here,
by the extraordinary exertions of officers, the troops
are got tp form a new line in a stronger position.
The enemy does not seem to grasp the advantages he
has gained, and pauses for some purpose for several
minutes. The air is thick with dust and smoke, which
rises in clouds above the battle-field, and almost ob
scures the enemy's line on our centre and left. But
Jackson's artillery is still thundering on our right,
jtelling us that there the battle is still raging in all its
fury ; that our hope of checking him is slender indeed,
Wc have lost upwards of twenty guns, and tho ground
;is. strewn with small arms, clothing, and indeed every
thing our soldiers find to be an encumbrance. We
have also left the enemy all our dead, and the greatei
part of our severely wounded.
It is seven o'clock now. The deep red sun is kissing
jthc hills and tree tops in the West, the heavens are
overspread with crimson light, and lurid shadows are
playing over the battle-field, now giving a strange and
weird effect to the euemv's line, then lighting uj) and

666 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
giving a clearer outline to the features of the dead and
the wreck of the field. Again the eneray pushes through
the meadow and up the hill, and the battle is renewed.
Officers turn instinctively, aud cast ominous glances
over that long log-way leading to Alexander's bridge,'
and impatiently ask, "Where are the reinforcements ?"
If they are not here soon, all is lost. But listen.
There is great shouting and cheering over there.
They are coming at last. The head of the column is;
full in sight, coming at a double quick, pushing the
stragglers aside as it sweeps along, and making the
very woods resound with cheers. There is French and
Meagher, both at the head of their brigades, the latter
in his shirt sleeves, calling to his raen and encouraging
them to hasten forward. We all know how the Irish
brigade will fight ; we all know what splendid fight
ing French did with his brigade at l^air Oaks, The
sight of these two brigades, sweeping up the slope,
their cheers and shouts, and the cheerfulness with
which they advanced to the front, form line of battle,
and engage the enemy, revives the drooping spirits of
the exhausted troops, re-animates thera, and gives thein
new courage. Men who have thrown away their
guns and resolved to march from the field pick up
Others, and fall in, ready to renew the fight. This
cheering and shouting takes the enemy by surprise.
He sees that our line has found new energy ; and he
knows that we have been reinforced, but not to what
extent. He hesitates; then advances with a degree of
caution uncommon with him. When he has got to
where we can alino.^t read the faces of his men he de-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 567
livers a heavy infantry fire; then makes several de
monstrations against our centre and left. He is re
pulsed each tirae with heavy loss.
The sun goes down ; night closes on the scene now,
and the clash of arms ceases. The ruddy glare has
gone from the dread scene of battle, and dusky shadows
are struggling with the veil of smoke that hangs like a
funeral pall overhead, giving a dim and misty outline
to the configuration of the two armies. The fight
had been an unequal one; we had been badly beaten;
and no sophistry could change the fact that much of
our trouble was the result of bad generalship. I have
seen no correct estimate of our loss during this battle.
That it was very heavy, and that there was needless
slaughter during the day, will not be denied. If it
were necessary to fight this battle in order to gain tirae
for our retreat to the James, was it the part of wis
dom to keep the Sth corps, composed of two divisions,
and McCall's division of Pennsylvania Reserves, (never
very reliable troops,) fighting four hours against double
their numbers and in a weak position, while Slocum's
division of the finest troops in the army remained idle
at Alexander's bridge, within call ? Was it necessary
first to exhaust our small force on the east bank of the
Chickahorainy, and then to call for reinforcements from
the south ? Was it the part of wisdom to wait until
our lines were shattered and wavering, and our troops
were discouraged at the incapacity of their officers, be
fore calling for reinforcements ? The enemy showed
us his hand plainly enough in the morning, and it was
our duty to have made better preparation to meet him.

568 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
The lives of so many human beings placed in the hands
of one raan constitutes so sacred, so awful a trust, thai^
the severest penalty should be meted out to hira who
trifles with it.
It was indeed a sad, a sickening sight to see returning
that night the mere wreck of what in the morning was
one of the finest and fullest divisions in the army. I
refer to the return of Slocum's division. So badly had
it been exposed and cut up, that in the space of an
hour and a half from the time it came on the field it
lost six colonels, three lieutenant colonels, five
majors, an unprecedented number of line officers, and
nearly 3,000 raen. That splendid Jersey Brigade,
which went out in the morning over three thousand
strong, returned with a few over eleven hundred.
When every fact in the history of this fierce battle is
written, and written without fear or favor, there will
be a sad summing up for sorae. one to answer for.
On crossing the river after dark, the face of the hill
on which General McClellan's headquarters stood
presented a scene painful to contemplate. The wound
ed from the battle-field, to the number of several
thousand, had been brought over and laid in rows on
the ground, so thick that it was with difficulty you
could pick your way through them. Guards were
placed over them, and although very many were suf
fering from the severest of wounds, and but little care
could be given to them, scarcely a murmur or com
plaint was heard. Now and then one, in seeing a pas
ser by, would raise his head, and inquire how the
battle had resulted. Another would request him to
tell somebody Io bring him a drink of v/ater.

THE STORY OF A TROCPEa, 569
General McClellan's headquarter tents were all
struck, and the general was laying down under a booth
made of the branches of trees, worn out with fatigue, for
he had not slept for forty-eight hours, and had been al
most constantly in the saddle. Generals Franklin,
Porter, Sumner, and Heintzelman soon joined him, and
remained in consultation until nearly eleven o'clock.
The order of falling back to tho James river was then
decided on, and the corps commanders proceeded to
carry out their instructions. About three o'clock on
the morning of the 28t.h Keyes's trains were set in
motion, headed down the main road across White Oak
Swamp, which Colonel Woodbury and his engineers
had been sent to put and keep in order. And then be
gan what was called the dead march of the long wagon
train. The work of silently withdrawing the troops from
their position near Gaines's house went on during the
night, and between five and six o'clock on the morning
of the 28tli, the rear guard, composed of Sykes's regu
lars, passed over and destroyed the bridge. The other
bridges had already been destroyed, A good part of the
night, too, was spent getting the stragglers to their
regiments, and re-establishing the organization of such
others as had been shattered and broken during the
battle. The enemy did not seem to understand the drift of
our movements, and remained comparatively inactive
on the east side of the river until long after daylight,
notwithstanding his pickets must have seen our rear
guard withdraw across the bridge. Some of our offi-
9r.*

570 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
cers thought he mistook these troops for a regiment oi
two we were merely sending across the river, whilt
our main army intended to retreat by a circuitous
route to the White House. Others were of opinion
that he had mistaken the number and intention of th?
reinforcements that came up on the previous evening,
and expected us to renew the battle in ihe morning on
different ground. Very likely the latter was the more
correct version, for early on the morning of the 28t!i
(Saturday) a heavy column of the enemy's t.roo{)S was
seen moving down the hill, past Garnott's house, and
crossing over to the east bank of the river. Sraith's
attention was called to the movement of this column,
and the suggestion made that we open upon it with our
artillery. " Not a gun! " returned Smith; " they are
going just where we want to get thera. When they
find out what our movement is, they will want to get
back," They crossed, moved on down the meadow un
molested, and soon came in fi'ont of the bridges.
Slocum had taken position near a clump of woods at
Alexander's bridge, on the extreme right, and Smith
had formed line at some distance on his left, the re
serve artil lei-y holding a strong position between and
a little jh the rear of the two divisions, and where it
could sweep the bridges. In this v/ay the whole Sixth
corps faced nearly east, forming a curve round tlie
slope of the hill, above which was Trent's house.
About 8 o'clock the eneniy could be seen indistinctly
through the trees, making attempts to repair and ;.'ros3
two of the bridges. A few well-directed shells put an
end to his efforts at that point lor tho day. About 2

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 571
ib'clock in the morning he had disturbed the little rest
;some of our troops attempted to get by opening a
sharp infantry fire on our left, which he kept up in a
desultory manner for raore than an hour, A little
after 9 o'clock a vigorous attack, with both infantry
and artillery, was made on General Sraith's front.
They seemed to have got the range of our position per
fectly, and for an hour the very air was musical with
bullets, and the shell and shot fell in a shower about
us. Hancock, with his brigade of fighting Vermonters,
was again placed where he could display his skill, and,
'after some severe fighting, drove the enemy back at
the point of the bayonet, with heavy loss, and captured
a number of prisoners. The enemy afterwards sent in
;a flag of truce, asking permission to bury his dead and
carry oft" his wounded, which was granted. It was the
opinion of some of our oflicers that this permission was
used by the enemy to obtain information concerning
our position and intentions. An attack was now raade
against Heiutzelmau's position, causing that general
isorae oxcitemeiit, and the loss of not a little temper.
Hooker and Kearney, however, were there, and met
these attacks handsomely, driving the enemy back
every time he attempted to charge. About 11 o'clock
he returned and made another attack on Smith's front,
and in this intermittent manner kept us pretty busy
for the rest of the day, Franklin remained with
jSmitli, directing tho movement of our troops, and
jyatching tiiC enemy until neai-ly dark.
Although the enemy kept up these spasmodic demon
strations alouii- our line on the south bank of the river

572 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
during the 28th, it is clear to me that they were inn
tended only to keep up the appearance of strength at
that point, and were no proof that he had a large force
in our front. He never discovered more than two or
three regiments of infantry at a time, and it was evi
dent that he moved his troops from one point to another
in order to make it appear that he was strong the
wliole length of his line. In short, his main army was]
on the other side of the river, and his attacks on this;
side, it will be noticed, were made on one or two points
at a time.
It was now night. McClellan- has moved his head
quarters to Savage's Station, where a large number of
our wounded had lieen carried, where an unnecessary
amount of supplies had accumulated, and were piled
up in immense stacks, and which was also used as a
depot for ammunition. The scene here was of the most
confused and indescribable kind. The ground was
covered for a considerable distance with wounded men,
who had beeu told that the whole army was retreating ;
and many of them were in a state of great anxiety at
the prospect of being left behind. The very thought
of falling into tho hands of the enemy seemed to re
vive and put new life into some of them, who were
seen to bind up their own wounds with whatever they
could get, and move off with the solemn procession of
the sick, the sight of which was one of the most touch
ing features of the movement. In addition to the
wounded, there was around the Station a perfect mob
of teamsters and stragglers, of sutlers and camp-
^olloyrers, blocking up the roads aiii avenues, increaa-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 573
ing the excitement, and rendering it exceedingly diffi
cult to force a way to General McClellan's head-
tinarters. Just after dark, an order came to send all the wag
ons down from Savage's Station to White Oak Swamp;
then another, to move Slocum's division by the left, to
the station. The night was very dark, and a drizzling
rain was falling. Slocum was laying down in his tent
when he received the order, but in less than an hour
his division was moving silently over the hills, and
soon disappeared in the dark woods. Later in the
evening General McClellan sent for General Franklin,
who proceeded at once to his headquarters, at Savage's
Station, and remained there during the night. Smith,
with his division, was now all that remained on the
extreme right; and as the enemy had got an enfilading
fire on his position during the afternoon, he was
naturally impatient to know what disposition was to
be made of his force. A little after midnight, he sent
Captain Philip to Savage's Station, to find Franklin,
and ascertain what orders there were for him. The
distance was about two miles, over a narrow and very
bad road, which ran for some distance through a deep,
|dark ravine, Plerethe captain found McCall's division
laying down in mass in the road and woods, and com
pletely blocking up the passage. In truth, the whole
division seeined to bo enjoying a comfortable nap, and
he pleaded in vain that be was a staff officer, and had
important orders for the commanding general, and
must get through. At length, a whizzing noise over
head, as of a shell passing through th'e woods, was

574 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
heard. Then another, and another. This brought the
whole division suddenly to its feet, and created such a
scampering of the brave reserves as completely cleared|
tiie road, and gave the officer a clear right of way.
The captain found General Franklin in General
McClellan's tent; and as orders had already been sent
to General Smith, he remained there until daylight,
when General McClellan and his staff proceeded to
White Oak Swamp, and General Franklin returned to
Trent's house, to direct the movements of Smith's
division, which, with a division of Sumner's corps,
were to cover the retreat of the whole army. The rear
of the long wagon train was just winding over Trent's
hill, and one of the siege trains was preparing to fol
low. Smith was in line of battle still, and making as
formidable an appearance as he could- But the enemy
had discovered the real intention of our movements
now, and was evincing great eagerness to follow us up
rapidly. He had not only repaired one of the bridges
during the night, and begun to cross troops on our
flank, but was demonstrating in heavy force on Sum
ner's, and a portion of Heintzelman's front. The
trains were now urged forward as fast as possible, as
it was evident we should have to make a stand at
Savage's Station, Our wagons, in a single line, would
stretch over a distance of forty miles, a fact from which
the reader can obtain a correct idea of how much the
movements of the Army of the Potomac were impeded,
and its fighting capacity reduced. The traius were
ordered to take on what subsistence they could at the
depot, but very few of the teamsters heeded the order,

THE STORY OP A TROOPER, 675
and very many of them were so anxious to get out of
danger, that they proceeded on with empty trains.
Smith began early to withdraw his troops, and had
scarcely disappeared beyond Trent's hill when the
enemy's advance came in sight, and began throwing
shells into his rear. Some of our generals were afraid
that the enemy might cross the river at Bottom's bridge,
or one of the fords below, and take us in flank and rear.
Smith, however, fell back to within a quarter of a mile
of the station, and took position on Sumner's right.
And here again there was jarring between generals, the
result of which might have been very serious, had the
enemy understood its true character, Sumner was
lopposed to the army retreating in this manner, believing
that the troops would regard it as an evidence of our
weakness, and become deraoralized. He was opposed,
also, to abandoning the sick and wounded to the mercy
of the enemy. He did not hesitate to say he believed
we were yielding too rauch to our fears, and that sorae
of our officers were setting a bad example to their men
in their exhibition of haste to get out of danger. He
believed we were strong enough, not only to resist,
but to beat the eneray, and that here was the place to
stand and decide the great question of strength. These
lopinions he asserted with an emphasis that amounted
'to insurbordination; so much so that General McClellan
sent one of his staff to place him in arrest, and relieve
him of his command. General McClellan can tell
us why this was not carried out, I may add, also, that
Sumner believed sincerely, that a? the eneniy had only
his raoving shadow on this side of the river, between

676 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
US and Richmond, and his substance on the other, all
that was required even now to give us possession of
the city was the outlay of a little boldness and dccisioni
on the part of the commanding general. He believed|
that we had the necessary strengtii in the troops; and;
to restore confidence and inspire the will, it only needed|
a proper example from General McClellan himself.
Sumner had great confidence in Franklin's clear
judgment, and in this instance yielded to his reasoning,
which at least saved a great deal of trouble. But
between Sumner and Heintzelman there were personal
differences, which it were not so easy to reconcile.
Both had been ordered to fall back early on the morn
ing of the 29th, about a mile and a half from their old
positions, and hold the new line until night, to. give
time for the trains to get well on the ot;her side of
White Oak Swamp, Heintzelman fell back to the point
designated, and in some haste, Sumner fell back only
to Allen's fatra, an open field between Savage's and
Orchard Stations, where he forraed line of battle, and
waited until Franklin came up with Sraith's division,
and connected with his right, Slocum having moved
down by the left at daylight, aud proceeded to relieve
Keyes, who had been holding the intersection of the
roads on the other side of the swamp.
There was a piece of thick wood between Sumner's
left and Heintzelman's right ; and the latter, finding
that the former had not fallen back to the precise point
designated on the map, and becoming uneasy about his
right flank, deliberately withdrew his corps from the
field, (without orders,) and proceeded across White

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 677
Oak Swamp, at Braekett's Crossing, The reader
cannot fail to see how disastrous such a proceeding
might have proved. It uncovered the two roads
leading to Sumner's left ; and the first intimation he
had of his real condition was the enemy coming down
on it in force over the Williamsburg road. The
rapidity with which one of Suraner's divisions changed
front, took up a new position, and drove the eneray
back, was all that saved him from serious disaster.

CHAPTER XLIX.

THE BATTLE OP SAVAGE'S STATION— ITS liaPORTASCB.
The American soldier is an observing, thinking being.
You never can destroy his individuality; you never can
make him a mere piece of machinery. He has a rough
and homely way of criticising what is going on around
him, but his criticisms are well taken, and tersely ex
pressed. He observes the movements of his general
closely, obeys his orders because it is his duty, but
respects him only so far as his ability entitles hira to
respect. You might, perhaps, convince a whole cabinet
of ministers that doctors and lawyers were just the
men for generals, but an American soldier never. He is
sure to put a general officer on his ability, and judge
hira by that alone. And he is very likely to draw
correct inferences frora the drift of what he sees
around him. Our present position was one naturally
calculated to give the widest scope to those qualities.
The soldiers who witnessed the terrible disaster to our
arms at Gaines's Mill, as it was called, drew correct
conclusions as to its cause, and were fixing tho responsi
bility where it belonged. And when a rumor began to
circulate that we were retreating before a victorious
foe, whose worst pa.'-'sions had been excited against us,
578

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 679
they were ready to believe it. As usual in such cases,
alarmists were busy everywhere; and their evil reports
received fresh color and strength when, in the gray of
morning, General McClellan's headquarter wagons
moved hastily to the rear, and were soon followed by
the general and his whole staff. " Why, if we are not
beaten and in danger," inquired an officer, " does the
commanding general proceed to the rear? He should
be here, directing the movements, and by his presence
restoring confidence to the troops."
" He has gone to the rear," replied another, " to do
the work of his engineers ; to study the ground and
prepare the way for our safe retreat. We should have
known this country weeks ago, and would, had the
Igeneral put his cavalry to a good use. But he never
seems to know what to do with cavalry."
"Yes," said a third; " but will the troops understand
this, and, putting a correct interpretation on it, act
accordingly? How are they to know what the gener
al's intentions are, when he ouly confides them to his
corps commanders ?"
It would be the sheerest folly to charge cowardice
as the cause of these movements on the part of General
McClellan Tiiose who know him well, know that he
is no coward. But lie -wus discouraged and heart-sick ;
and what he did here was an error of judgment, aris
ing from placing too low an estimate on his own
strength, and not fully comprehending the precarious
condition the enemy was placed in on the 28th, when
nearly his whole force was on the north side of the
river.

580 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
We now needed soraething to counteract the bad
effect of these movements, and to restore some degree
of confidence in the troops. And we secured it in the
battle of Savage's Station, thanks to Franklin's skilful
handling of the troops. The work of destroying the
iinraense amount of supplies and ammunition that had
accumulated began early in the day, under the di
rection of Heintzelman, and for several hours presented
one of those grand and terrible pictures it is impossible
to describe. A train was loaded with -ammunition,
and, with its engine, sent headlong into the Chicka
horainy, with a roar and crash that raade the very
ground tremble. Then huge columns of black sraoke
rolled upwards and darkened the air, and the burning
pile.* became enveloped in a sheet of flame that seeraed
to lif'-k the very clouds. Then shells began to burst,
and explosion succeeded explosion, until the whole as
sumed the appearance of sorae great volcano vomiting
its liquid fire. While sorae men were engaged in
knocking in the heads of whisky barrels, others were
drinking the running liquid from little pools. The
eneray read in this grand and terrible picture what our
intentions were, and made haste to take advantage of
them. Our line was composed of Sraith's, Richard
son's, and Sedgwick's divisions, the first forming the
ri,o;lit and the last the left. About 9 o'clock the enemy
appeared in some force on the Williamsburg road, and
made an attack on Sedgwick's left with infantry and
•artillery, which was handsoraely repulsed, our men re
covering their courage after a little, and displaying
great steadiness. The contest here lasted for about an

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 581
hour, when the enemy, evidently satisfied that he had
mistaken our strength, withdrew. About 11 o'clock
he made a more determined attack on Richardson's
front, expending his force chiefly on a position held by
General Brooks, who fought with great gallantry, re
pulsing several atterapts to force him frora his position.
Although the eneray made these demonstrations with
great boldness and display, several of our officers be
lieved be was merely keeping up appearances, and had
no strong force at hand to sustain hira, A number of
his officers, captured by us afterwards, confirmed this
¦belief, by assuring us that the only troops between us and
Richraond at that time were the divisions of Huger and
Magruder, neither of them remarkable for discipline.
With the exception of some desultory firing, things
remained quiet until about 4 o'clock, Suraner had given
[orders to fall back to the position designated in the morn
ing, and had begun moving by the left to execute it,
when the enemy suddenly appeared, advancing rapidly
over the Williamsburg road in heavy force. Another
force debouched from the woods and appeared in front
of Smith. Here was the signal for warm work. Here
was the force that had effected a crossing at Alexander's
bridge, and followed Smith when he withdrew from
Trent's hill. Our column was at once halted, faced
about, and raoved back to the old position, where a line
of battle was rapidly formed, Sraith's artillery had*,
good position, and prepared at once to raeet the brunt
of the attack,
Sumner was in coraraand of the field, but Franklin
personally directed the raovements; and so skilfully did

582 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
he handle the troops, and check-mate every movement
the enemy made, that the troops seemed to gain new
heart and courage, and for more than four hours our
line stood unbroken against the enemy's heaviest shocks.
The enemy made charge after charge, increasing his
force every time, now against our centre, then against
our flanks, and with an impetuosity and desperation it
seemed almost impossible to resist, and was each time
driven back with terrible slaughter. Our artillerymen
stood to their guns when at times the enemy seeraed
deterrained to charge over them. Never were batteries
made to do better execution, or more gallantly de
fended. At times it was found necessary to double
shot them to drive the enemy back. The fight con
tinued with great stubbornness until after dark, when
the eneray, driven back along the whole line, gave up
the contest, and our victory over hira was coraplete.
The result of this battle was to dispel the gloora that
had settled upon our troops, to give them more confi
dence in themselves, and to convince the enemy that
our discipline had not all broken down, and that we
were at least in a condition to successfully resist him.
During the night we quietly and cautiously withdrew
from our position, and proceeded to fall back over White
Oak Swamp, Our men were exhausted from excessive
labor and want of sleep, which many of them had not
€aijoyed for three days and nights.
There is a very general error abroad concerning the
condition of White Oak Swamp, The generally ac-;
cepted idea is that it is one immense, inundated forest,|
or lagoon, with a deep and dangerous stream in th^

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 583
centre, and the passages across it few and very difficult.
This is erroneous. In very rainy seasons portions of
it are inundated, and the stream in its centre assumes
some considerable magnitude, and could not be crossed
by heavy trains without difficulty. But we have had
dry weather for some days, and the terrors of the swamp
are more imaginary than real. In fine, the water is at
its lowest stage, and, with the exception of the swampy
borders of the stream in its centre, the ground is tol
erably dry. The stream is little niore than a brook of
dark water, moving sluggishly among a thick under
growth of trees, reached by causeways m:ide of rough
logs, and spanned by bridges such as we meet every
day on an ordinary country road. Had we understood
this swamp better, which we might have done, had
our cavalry been properly employed, there would have
been no need of crowding our immense trains upon a
single crossing, creating such an amount of confusioa
aud excitement, such a block and jam of trains as had
never been seen before, and which, but for the coolness
and courage of a few officers, would have ended in a dis
astrous panic. The confusion of tongues, the disorder of
auimals, and the wreck of matter, presented at the pas
sage leading to White Oak bridge during the day of the
29th, no pen can describe. For miles around, the woods
were blocked with trains. Quartermasters were fight
ing for the right of way, and with drawn pistols threaten
ing to shoot excited teamsters. Here two or three trains
would come together, and hi the fight as to which should
cross first, several teams would be overturned, a gen
eral sinash-np follow, aud the whole rear brouglit to a

584 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
halt. An ordnance officer, asserting that he had orders
from General McClellan, would claim the right to pass
his wagons before a supply train. Teamsters would
get frightened and increase the block by abandoning
their teams, and sutlers' wagons were crushed to pieces
in the general wreck. The want of a directing head
was seen and felt everywhere. Colonel Woodbury
and his engineers had done all in their power to facilitate
the crossing of trains, and had made sidelings, that
doubles might be obtained as often as possible, and thus
relieve the pressure. But it seemed beyond the power
of man to quiet the excited teamsters, and make them
obey orders.
The noise of the battle of Savage's Station increased
the excitement and confusion, and gave rise to a report
that the enemy was advancing in strong force down
the Charles City road, intending to cut us off. Towards
night, however, the block was somewhat relieved, and
better order preserved in passing over the trains. Some
excuse may be found for these unarmed teamsters when
it is known that there were several regiments retreat
ing in the most disorderly manner, the^fficers setting
the bad example of being more in haste to get out of
danger than their men. There was one regiment, com
posed chiefly of Germans, particularly conspicuous for
its bad conduct on this retreat. Nor can I with truth
say that the bad conduct of this regiment was an ex
ception to the behavior of the German troops of the
Array of the Potoraac during their seven days of trial,
I ought, perhaps, to notice here what General Keyes
did on falling back on the left, tic was enjoined to

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 685
proceed as quietly and cautiously as possible, to watch
the Charles City road, and hold the intersections of
the roads beyond the Swamp, so as to cover the trains
at the main crossing. Quietness and caution were ne
cessary to keep the enemy ignorant of our movements.
The general, however, was ambitious of recovering the
reputation he had lost at Fair Oaks, and seeing an in
significant force of the enemy on his left, in the direc
tion of the Charles City road, got up an engagement
with him, and captured a number of prisoners. And
this achievement sent him into such a state of delight
that he quite forgot the fact that he had discovered his
position, and given the enemy just such information as
he was in search of. In short, the general was so much
engaged with the few motley prisoners he had captured
that he could give no attention to the application of an
officer of engineers for two hundred axes, needed to
fell timber across the roads. Having discovered Gen
eral Keyes's position, the enemy moved a column in
that direction during the night — a proceeding that
came near proving very serious to Colonel Woodbury
and his engineers, working at the crossings.
Let us now return to Savage's Station. The forces
under Franklin and Sumner began falling back over
White Oak Swamp abotit 11 o'clock, leaving the dead
and badly wounded on the ground, in charge of sur
geons detailed to take care of them. So silently and
cautiously, and in such good order was this movement
made, that the enemy was not aware of it until several
hours after it began.
General Marcy sent Franklin a guide to conduct him
26

586 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
by a new and circuitous road over the Swamp. Tho
night was exceedingly dark, and after riding for some
time through dense foliage, and every few minutes
plunging into soft mud holes, the guide became bewil
dered, and confessed that he had lost his way. To be
lost in the middle of the White Oak Swamp, with an
enemy close at your back, with the foliage so thick and
the night so dark that it was impossible to see any dis
tance, was not a very pleasant condition to be placed
in. The poor guide protested his innocence of any de
sign to mislead, and evinced as much alarm as bewil
derment at the predicament he found himself in. Gen
eral Brooks, who had been severely wounded in the
leg during the afternoon, joined Franklin and his staff,
and, although suffering great pain, kept up with won
derful fortitude during the night.
While groping in the forest, the noise of artillery
passing over a road to the right was heard. An officer
was sent to ascertain whether it was a battery of our
own or one of the enemy's. It turned out to be one of
our own. This, says Captain Philip, gave us the direc
tion of the road, and after gaining it and passing the
column, we proceeded to the White Oak Swamp bridge,
reaching General McClellan's headquarters, near a
comfortable-looking farm-house just beyond, a little be
fore daylight. We were all wet to the skin, the tents
were all full, and our only chance of getting a little rest
and sleep was by laying down on the damp ground under
the trees. More fortunate than the rest, I found Col,
Astor, and engaged his chair for a nap. But it was
only for a few minutes; General Franklin ordered me

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 687
to proceed down the road and see what had becorae of
General Smith and his division. Colonel Astor joined
me, and we proceeded down the road to the bridge, and
:found Genera,ls Smith and Hancock, and a nuraber of
their staff officers, laying down on the ground under an
apple tree, apparently worn but with fatigue. Their
troops were halted in the edge of the woods, and raany
of the raen had given out frora sheer exhaustion, had
dropped down, and were fast asleep on the wet ground.
One of the most striking features of this retreat was
the cheerfulness with which the Union soldiers bore up
under the fatigue of the severe labor exacted of them.
Hunger was now adding its terrors to the wantof sleep
and rest. The supply trains were out of reach, and
many of the men, especially of Sraith's and Richard
son's divisions, found themselves with empty haver-
,sacks. Some of thera had subsisted for two days on
little else than hard bread, and even that was fast
giving out. In fine, "McClellan pies," as the soldiers
called their hard bread, carae to be a luxury, and the
man who had an extra supply would generously share
it with his less fortunate comrades.
It came to be a common thing to see cavalrymen go
to sleep and fall from their horses; to see cannoniers
fast asleep on their guns; and to see men of the infantry
iu a state of apparent stupor while standing in the
ranks. And yet these worn out and exhausted men,
.after an hour of rest and sleep, would wake up, appa
rently refreshed, and exhibit a cheerfulness and readiness
to again fight for their country's cause that surprised
and excited the admiration of those who witnessed it.

688 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
"I found," says Captain Philip, again, "that Smith
and Hancock had just arrived. I delivered the order
directing General Smith to get his troops together,
form line of battle, and be prepared to defend this, tiie
most important position of the whole line, and stand
between our army and the advancing enemy. He went
imraediately to work, bringing up his troops, and by 9
o'clock had his line formed."
A little after daylight. General McClellan, with his
staff and headquarters wagons, again moved to the
rear, and we were left to fight during the day. Our
line conformed to the crooked nature of the Swamp,
and was so disjointed as to render it difficult of de
scription in all its parts. It extended from the White
Oak Swamp bridge, (our extreme right,) obliquely, to
near the James river, where our left was covered by
the gunboats. Porter and Keyes were down on the
extreme left, and beyond the field on which the battle
of White Oak Swarap was fought. Franklin, with his
corps, Richardson's division, and Neglee's brigade, was
ordered to hold the position at the main crossing, on
the extreme right. Slocum's division was sent some
distance to the left, and held a position on the Charles
City road, opposite Braekett's ford, so that the terri
ble battle at the bridge was fouglit almost entirely by
Smith's and Richardson's divisions and Neglee's bri
gade. Still further to the left stood Heintzelman, with
Kearney's and Hooker's divisions, McCall's Pennsyl
vania Reserves being sandwiched in between tiiem, and
near an open field in the vicinity of Glendale.
It was feared that Jackson, whose flank movements

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, SS9
were a source of terror to General McClellan, might
cross at Long Bridge or Jones's Ford, and come in
suddenly in our rear, as he had done at Gaines's Mill,
To be prepared for such a contingency, General Sum
ner, with Sedgwick's division, was sent early in the
morning to Glendale, where his line swung round so as
to guard the roads opening on our rear. He was
therefore very nearly in the rear of and within sup
porting distance of McCall, about whose troops some
of our generals had serious misgivings.
The eneray evidently intended that this battle should
be a finishing blow to the array of the Potomac, He
had concentrated all his force here in front of us, Jef
ferson Davis, with one or two members of his cabinet,
wc afterwards learned, was on the field during the day,
jncouraging the troops by his presence, Jackson, with
til his force, had come up, having followed Franklin
iown through the Swamp, He was now, for the first
time, confronted by a general who did not fear him, and
in the skilful handling of troops was at least his equal,
[t was Jackson's business to carry the bridge, and force
Franklin from his position, which would have secured
his object at Glendale without much fighting. It was
Franklin's business to hold Jackson at this point, and
keep him frora sending reinforcements to other portions
of the line.
About 11 o'clock the enemy suddenly appeared in
the woods, on the opposite bank, plain in sight, with
;5orae forty pieces of artillery trained on us, and stretched
lalong araong the trees for a distance of at least a
laiile. We could distinctly see the gunners busy araong

590 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
their batteries, preparing for the work of death. Their
infantry yet remained concealed in the rear, covered
by the dense foliage. Our artillery line was forraed,
and under the command of Ayers, who stood ready to
open at the signal. Both armies stood now for some
tirae in silence, as if watching each other, and hesitating
as to which should begin the work of death first. An
open field intervened between the two lines, and on a
bit of rising groun4 near its centre stood the house
General McClellan had used for his headquarters.
The owner's wife, a smart, talkative woman, with strong
southern sympathies, had made herself very uncomfort
able at the presence of so many soldiers about her
premises, and had several times remonstrated against
the liberties they took with her fruit trees. She had
also expressed great anxiety as to who was to compen
sate her for the loss of her fences and crop. The- Con
federate artillery answered that question, I think, in a
rather summary manner, having trained at least two
batteries on the house, A little after 12 o'clock they
opened along their whole line, with a crash that made
the very earth trerable. Such a storm of shot and shell
as they hurled into our lines has not been exceeded
during the war. The destruction was terrible. The
infantry dropped and hugged the ground while it passed,
and some of our batteries were struck, but not seriously
injured. The house settled to the ground as if it had
been cut suddenly from its foundation, and the fruit
trees around it were splintered to pieces.
The enemy evidently thought General McClellan still
occuoicd the house, Franklin had left it but a few

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 691
minutes before, and Smith had hardly tirae to get away
when the crash carae, A number of orderlies around
the house probably led to the error.
The battle of White Oak Swarap had now fairly be
gun, and a raore fierce artillery fight than was kept up
ifor at least two hours along this point has not occurred
during the war. Our batteries replied with great rapid
ity and admirable effect. During the afternoon some
of them fired as many as two hundred rounds, and at
times it was found necessary to double-shot the guns to
defeat the enemy's attempts to force a passage at the
bridge. The enemy had evidently his best troops at
this point, and raade several of the raost bold and dar
ing atterapts to cross the creek, and with a recklessness
of life sad to witness. But eaeh tirae he was driven
back with terrible slaughter. At one time he succeeded
in crossing a force below our position, on the right, and
so exhausted were our troops, that it began to look as
if our power to resist hira must soon give out. But we
drove him back across the creek, cutting down and cap
turing a large nuraber. Here, again, Hancock did
sorae good fighting.
Franklin rode continually along the line, closely
watching every raovement, and by his presence inspir
ing the men, who had confidence in his ability to handle
thera properly, and fought with renewed energy where-
Bver he appeared. In short, he held Jackson as in a
vice, and corapletely destroyed all his desperate at
tempts to gain the object of his ambition. At 2 o'clock
the enemy's artillery fire began to slacken; then, one
after another, his batteries became silent. At 3 o'clock

692 THE STORl OF A TROOPER
the battle was chiefly between the infantry, which kept
up an incessant and very destructive fire. Our loss had
been very heavy, especially in Richardson's division
and Neglee's brigade. Poor Captain Hazzard, after
fighting his battery with great gallantry, was mortally
wounded. But the enemy's loss was heavier than ours;
and at the points he attempted to force, his dead lay
in piles.
He now moved to the left, and made a fierce attack
with artillery on Slocum's front. Two of DeRussy's
batteries were brought up to assist Slocum's artillery,
and for more than an hour the battle raged with great
fury. Upton and DeRussy fought their batteries with
great skill and gallantry, repelling every attempt of
the enemy to force Slocum from his position, although
they were raade with great boldness and deterraination.
The indomitable courage, the stubbornness and tenacity
exhibited on the one side, and the recklessness and
dash on the other, afforded excellent standards of the
character of the contending forces.
While this fierce fight with the artillery was going
on in Slocum's front, the eneray was concentrating the
infantry of A. P. Hill's and Longstreet's corps for a
desperate attack on McCall's position. The enemy
had evidently found out where McCall was, and very
correctly judged his position to be the weakest along
the line.
Various conflicting statements have been made as to
the precise time when the attack was made on McCall,
An officer of engineers who was near the position at the
time, and whom I have always found correct in regard

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 595
to time, says: "The enemy began driving McCall's
;pickets in at precisely half-past two. At three he be
gan to feel the position by advancing two regiments,
which came forward with great boldness, but were
driven back. It was thought he only intended this as
a feint to cover some important movement on another
part of the line. He then discovered in the edge of
the woods what seemed to be a brigade. Still the be
lief was that it was only a feint."
At 4 o'clock the enemy's infantry broke from its
cover, and advanced under a shower of shot and shell,
in such force and with such irapetuosity as left no fur
ther doubt of his real intentions. The poor Reserves
were not equal to such a shock. The eneray came
upon thera in overwhelming numbers, and poured into
their thin ranks such a well directed and terrible in
fantry fire that they were forced to give way. In vain
did McCall's batteries hurl their canister, and try to
check the charging columns. In vain they cut great
gaps through them, and filled thera with the enemy's dead
and wounded. The slaughter only seeraed to increase
his impetuosity; and filling up the gaps with the living,
he would charge forward again, and up to the very
muzzles of the guns. In vain did McCall plead with
his infantry to do their duty, and encourage his artillery
to stand by their guns. In one instance, a regiment
(the 4th Reserves) that had been sent to support a
battery gave way before the advancing enemy, and
rushing back on the guns, received and were cut down
by tiie shot intended for the enemy. The Captain who
comraanded that battery, (Randall,) and who fought it
26*

694 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
with great gallantry, declared that his supports gave
him more trouble than the enemy.
To tell the truth, the Reserves made but a poor ren
sistance, and in a little more than an hour from the time
the fight began, were retreating from the field, a disor
ganized mass. The German batteries attached to the
division behaved still worse than the infantry, becoming
frightened, and leaving the field in the early part of the
engagement. Mc Call and other officers pleaded with
them to come back and make a stand, and at length
succeeded in getting them near the front. But it was
only for a few minutes. Their fears again rose supe
rior to their courage, and they fled ignominiously from
the field, leaving sixteen of their guns in the enemy's
hands. This made thirty -two the gallant Reserves hadi
lost in three days. The enemy followed up his ad
vantage step by step, and our condition for a short
time began to look gloomy enough.
When McCall's line broke up, and the. Reserves were
swept from their position, the confused mass swung'
round against Kearney's left, when one of the fiercest
and most destructive struggles of this war was kept up
for an hour. Captain James Thompson, whose name
deserves a prominent place in the history of this battle,
wheeled his battery into position, and supported by
the 63d Pennsylvania infantry. Colonel Alexander
Hays, defended Kearney's left with great gallantry.
The enemy would charge upon this battery in solid
masses, and with a determination never excelled,
Thompson, with his guns double-shotted, would wait
until the enemy came within a few rods of his guns,

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 695
when he would cut thera down, and drive thera stag
gering back like chaff before the wind. And such was
the precision of his aira, that the enemy's dead lay piled
in heaps before his guns. The 63d, too, held its posi
tion with great firmness, delivering its vollies with
great rapidity, and at last making a gallant charge and
driving the eneray back at the point of the bayonet.
The courage and gallantry of this regiraent was a re
deeming feature in the conduct of Pennsylvania troops
during the day.
Sedgwick now advanced boldly to the front, and
materially assisted in holding the eneray in check along
the line McCall had been driven from. Had Kearney's
left been turned, and Sedgwick been driven frora his
position, Franklin would have been cut off, and his com
mand either destroyed or captured.
Alarm began to spread, and gloora to settle over
everything. So strong were the apprehensions of sorae
of our officers, that they regarded the day as lost.
Franklin had called on Suraner, who was at Glendale
with Sedgwick, for reinforceraents, at a tirae when it
looked as if his strength to resist the eneray raust give
out. Two brigades carae proraptly; but they were sent
back just in tirae to assist Sedgwick in his struggle.
McCall was captured in trying to rally his troops.
Hooker, by moving quickly to the right, threw his
division upon the advancing eneniy with great effect.
The struggle now continued for two hours, and was of
the most fierce and sanguinary description. The eneray
knew the value of the grouud he was thus desperately

596 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
contending for, and he fought for it with a recklessness
of life only those who witnessed it can appreciate.
The steadiness of Sedgwick's, Kearney's, and Hook
er's troops, their quick obedience to orders, and the
examples of heroism set them by their officers, gave us
the ground we had lost, but not a victory. When it
was nearly dark, Kearney sent to Slocum for what there
was left of his old Jersey brigade, which cameon the
field with two pieces of artillery, and took and held a
position McCall had been driven from. The fighting
had been terrible; our loss had been heavy, but the
enemy's was probably three to our one. And we had
recovered and held our ground, but gained nothing that
could be called a victory.
Franklin was all this time holding his position on
the right, at the bridge, watching the enemy, and repul
sing all his attempts to force him from it and get on
his flank. About 5 o'clock the enemy appeared in front
of Porter, on the extreme left, near Malvern Hill.
Warren, who commanded a provisional brigade, was
sent to meet hira, and after a severe engageraent, in
which he was materially assisted by the gunboats, re
pulsed him, and captured two of his guns and a number
of prisoners. The action of the gunboats was a new
feature in the struggle, and the destructive effect of
their ten-inch shells evidently retarded his move
ments and excited his fears. The fight here, however,
gave rise to all sorts of wild ruraors, sorae asserting!
that we were cut off frora the river, and that as our
supplies were exhausted, and our ammunition nearly so.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 597
the whole army would be compelled to surrender in the
morning. Later in the evening there was a still more
serious and damaging rumor spreading along the line,
to the effect that General McClellan had abandoned
the army, gone on board a gunboat, and had left for
Washington. Absurd as this rumor was, it gained
belief, and had a serious effect on the troops. Officers
were heard to say that a general, to gain victories and
be successful, must be present, watch the tide of battle,
and know when to take advantage of it. That he
must be prepared to take all risks, never " let up "
when he had begun to fight, and to follow up advan
tages until they turned into substantial results. Others
argued that an indomitable will was more necessary to
a successful general than superior intelligence, which
was apt to become oppressed with a fancied magnitude
of the eneray. The knowledge necessary to dealing
successfully with these objects could not be gained by
telegraph, and nature. was, after all, the only school
that gave a general decision of character and that bold
ness necessary to turning events to his advantage.
General Seyraour, whose misfortunes in this war
have been manifold, came to our headquarters in the
evening, and reported himself as all there was left of
his gallant brigade of Pennsylvania Reserves, Three
horses had been shot under him, for he had fought
bravely, and his vest was pierced with a bullet. He
bore his misfortune with rare contentment, and even
cheerfulness, referring to his wandering Reserves with
philosophical charity.
The public mind has been led into error by the singu-

698 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
larly confused accounts some writers for the news
papers have given of this battle. It is the common be
lief that Nelson's Farra, Glendale, and White Oak
Swamp bridge, were distinct and separate battles;|
whereas they are all included in the battle of Whitei
Oak Swamp, the names only designating points along,
the line where the severest fighting was done.
So great was the alarm and excitement caused by;
the rumors I have referred to above, and so bad their
effect on the spirits of the troops, that many sincerely
believed we could not fight another day, and must
surrender to the enemy, or break up and find our way
to Fort Monroe as best we could. I will relate an
incident which goes far to give force to this statement,
A surgeon connected with a division headquarters re
ported that he was present during the night when a con
sultation was held between four generals, (one the com
mander of a corps,) when the subject of surrendering
the array was discussed. He stated that the decision
come to was that it was inevitable; that the troops were
exhausted from excessive labor and want of sleep, that
our supplies were all gone, and being out of ammunition,
we could no longer defend ourselves. This strange
story so alarmed an officer of cavalry, to whora the
surgeon revealed it, that he drew his coraraand (three
corapanies) up in the raorning, and, having stated what
he had heard, proposed that they should be the first to
surrender, that being the only alternative left. The
men, be it said to their credit, were made of better
stuff than their officers, and treated the proposal with
deserved contemnt..

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 699
It is night now, and we must return to Franklin's
position. The scouts, says Captain Philip, several
times reported to us that the enemy was again concen
trating in our front, preparing to make a deraonstra-
ftion in force, Richardson left a single gun bearing on
the bridge, and its deep, booming sound echoed through
the woods long after the column had passed down the
road on its way to the James river. Soon after the
column began moving, we received a report that the
roads ahead were not only threatened, but that some of
thera were in possession of the enemy. Our prospect
looked gloomy enough. General Smith proposed to
make a forced march, and pass down by the Long
Bridge road. Our troops could scarcely drag their
weary limbs along, and were in no condition to make
a forced march.
The proposition was scarcely made when a messen
ger came in and reported that the enemy had closed
and held the road in that direction. This put an end
to Smith's project, and produced the satirical remark
that he did not tiiink the enemy would sacrifice his best
friend in that way.
The pickets were all left at their posts, the dead
and wounded (with the exception of Kearney's, who
brought his wounded off) were left on the field, the soli
tary gun kept up its booming, and we began our solemn,
silent march in the darkness, A nuraberof pontoons had
been fired by some one, and the bright blaze threw a
lurid glare over the strange picture. Silence was
enjoined all along tiie line, and the raen spoke only in
whispers. Every one seemed to feel deeply impressed

600 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
with the necessity of keeping the enemy ignorant of
our movements.
Our advance guard of the Lincoln cavalry proceeded
ahead with drawn sabres, to feel the way, and warn u.-h
of danger, A little after midnight, signal lights Vi^c-.-e
sent up at the head of the column. When we came to a
bridge, or a deep ravine, the column would be halted, and
scouts sent out to examine the ground, for if the reports
we had received early in the evening were true, there
was danger of meeting the enemy on some of the cross
roads. At one point the scouts ahead reported, a large
force raoving down upon another road, to the south of
us. The column was at once halted, skirmishers thrown
out, and every preparation made to meet an enemy.
The force, however, turned out to be Heintzelraan's
corps, moving down over another road. Our column
was put in motion again, and an order was sent ahead
to halt the cavalry at a point where the road turned or
forked, until the infantry came up. But when tha in^
fantry reached the point designated, nothing was to be
seen of the cavalry.
The column was ag£^in halted, and General Franklin
sent Captain Philip to. see what the difficulty was, " I
worked my way," says this officer, " through the troops,
and met an aid of General Hancock on his way to Gen
eral Franklin, with a request that he would come im
mediately to the front of the column, I was about
pressing through the 20th regiment, when a noise, which
turned out to be caused by a runaway horse or mule,
was heard coming down the road through the woods,
which made the men clear the road in great haste.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 601
' They soon, however, recovered their courage, and be
lieving it to be a charge of the enemy's cavalry, the
colonel ordered bayonets fixed, and prepared to resist
it. The fact that a regiment had been stampeded, and
a whole division sent into a state of excitement by a
runaway horse, caused considerable merriment. It
was nearly daylight now, and on passing down to the
head of the column, we saw what appeared to be a
troop or squadron of cavalry, drawn up near the road,
on a bit of rising ground. They had their sabres
I drawn, and seeraed ready for action. It turned out,
however, that they were a Dutch company of the Lin
coln cavalry. The balance of the squadron (also
Dutchmen) had been stampeded by the runaway horse,
and were nowhere to be found. The Dutch troopers
formed here were at a rest, and half of them fast asleep
on their horses. We tried to get them to move on, but
it was of no use. Then Generals Franklin and Han-
; I cock, and myself, went among them with drawn swords,
but our efforts to move them were made in vain. No
one could tell us which way the advance guard had
gone, and, at the general's request, I rode ahead on the
straight road to see if I could discover any cavalry
tracks, or learn, if possible, where the  had gone to.
There was no evidence of cavalry having passed tiiat
way, I then returned and rode ahead over tiie other
liroad, which proved to be the right one, with Generals
' Franklin and Hancock, After proceeding about a mile
we discovered another body of cavalry, drawn up near
a piece of woods, close to the road. This proved to
be a part of our advance guard. They were ordered

502 THE STORY OP A TROOPER.
ahead at once, and word sent to, the infantry to ad
vance. " It was now daylight of the morning of the 1st of
July. We now reached and debouched into the broad
open field on the east of Malvern hill, where our corps
was to encamp and rest. I rode ahead with General
Franklin to see General McClellan. We reached his
headquarters at broad daylight, and found some of his
staff officers taking breakfast, preparatory to engaging
in the scenes of the day. On emerging from the Gen
eral's tent I met an old friend in Captain John Rogers,
of the gunboat Galena, who insisted on my going on
board with hira to breakfast. I had not enjoyed a
regular meal for five days, and was only too glad to
accept his invitation. Colonel Murphy and Captain
Jackson joined me, and we had a breakfast that made
us feel as if we had got home again, and among
friends. The quiet of the ship was such a change from
the terrible scenes we had passed through since leaving
Trent's hill, as to produce a strange effect on the feel
ings. After a short time, Generals McClellan and
Franklin came on board, and I went ashore. The en
eray had followed us up closely after midnight, and
were again reported in force on our front and
wings, Sorae of us had hardly strength enough left to
mount our horses. We were ordered out again on the
field, and proceeded about two miles from the river,
where Generals Slocum and Smith had their head
quarters, Franklin soon joined us, and the troops,
scarcely able to drag their weary limbs along, were
soon got into a tolerably strong position. The poor

THE STORY OF A TROOPER. 603
fellows capae up infinitely better than we had expected
they would, and formed in line of battle, and evinced a
disposition to again fight for their country, that should
make their names memorable. We rode along and ex
amined the line our corps had formed, then took up a
position in the rear and awaited the attack. It soon
carae. The eneray made his attack on Porter's front,
and they soon became hotly engaged. Then some of
our pickets began skirmishing, and we expected every
moment to see the Confederate line break from the
wocJds and attack our front."

CHAPTER LI.

MALVERN HILL,
Rain began to fall in the morning, the ground became
wet and damp, and the troops had another battle to
fight before they could reach their base of supplies* and
rest with safety. Imagine yourself, reader; travelling
in a south-westwardly direction. You have just passed
through a dense forest of flat and wet land, a dozen
miles or so in extent. You emerge from that forest into
a strip of rolling country, with open fields and clearing,
extending irregularly to your right and left, for a dis
tance of five or six miles, the James river being about
three miles from you, on the right. About a mile dis
tant, in front of you, there is a ridge of high land,
cleared on top for nearly a mile back. Its sides are
steep frora the centre to the right, where it breaks
away into a deep, rugged ravine, which extends to thej
James river, A nuraber of narrow roads wind up
over it. The position is one of great natural strength,
and, indeedj forras a sort of fortress, and key to our
place of safety on the river. The east end of the ridge
slopes away into a low, wooded country.
At 8 o'clock in the morning we had sixty pieces of
field artillery and ten siege guns in position along the
604

THE STORY OP A TROOPER. 605
¦crest of this ridge, where they could sweep the plain
below in every direction. The gunboats had taken a
iposition near the Bend, whence they could hurl their
huge ten-inch shells against the enemy's column ad-
.vancing on our right. Our infantry line was also
forraed, with Sykes's and Morrell's divisions, of Por
ter's corps, near the river; Couch's division next;
Kearney's and Hooker's divisions, of Heintzelman's
jCorps, next; Richardson's and Sedgwick's, of Sumner's
corps, next; Smith's and Slocum's, of Franklin's corps,
forraing a curve, and, with the other division of Keyes's
corps, extending backward through the low ground
nearly to tho Jaraes river. Porter had one brigade
thrown forward over the ravine, into the low ground,
near a clurap of woods, to check any movement that
might be made on the main road leading frora Rich
mond, The Pennsylvania Reserves were kept in a
Isafe position in the rear of Porter and Couch, little
being expected of them in the event of a severe struggle.
The enemy soon saw the strength of our position,
and a little after 9 o'clock began showing himself along
the left; from Heintzelraan's position towards the river.
He then advanced his artillery, and began shelling and
iskirraishing, but, finding he could not produce any
effect, soon withdrew. About 11 o'clock General Mc
Clellan appeared on the field, and, after examining the
line from one end to the other, took a position near
Franklin, where he remained most of the day, closely
watching every movement. Porter was in coraraand
of the field, which gave rise to some ill-feeling among
other general officers, who asserted that General Mc-

606 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
Clellan was giving to friendship what belonged to ca
pacity. Our position was such that if the enemy persisted in
forcing us' to another great struggle, it must be carried
on chiefly between artillery. It was truly a grand, a
glorious sight, to see with what a manly spirit the men
of the Army of the Potomac came into line and stood
ready to renew the fight with their sanguinary adver
sary. It stood out in bold and striking contrast to the
conduct of some of our generals, who were only too
ready to find an excuse for their want of courage in
acknowledging our army beaten. Not all their weary
night-marches; not all their fights by day; neither
hunger nor the discouragement of retreat, had made
these raen forget that they were patriot soldiers, who
were tiiere to fight for the life of the republic. And;
there was even something grand and imposing in the;
sight of that army as it stood along the crest of Mal-i
vern Hill, its batteries trained on the plain below, it3|
infantry resting in line of battle, its banners fluttering,!
and its drums beating and bands playing. Yes; Mc-|
Clellan permitted the bands to play and the drums to
beat at Malvern Hill, and the change was at once per-,
ceptible in the feelings of the soldiers.
It is two o'clock; there has been some desultoryl
firing on the extreme left, near the river; but the enemy
has not yet made up his raind where to attack in force.
We have just discovered him moving a strong column
through the woods towards our right, and Franklin
at once makes preparation to meet it. But it passes
out of sight, and we see no raore of it.

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 607
At three o'clock the enemy began to develop his
force in front of Kearney and Couch. Then he ap
peared in force, and advanced rapidly, until within
short range, when he opened a sharp fire with about
twenty pieces of artillery. Our batteries replied with
excellent effect, and the engageraent at once becarae
¦earnest and desperate. Finding that our guns were
too skilfully handled, the enemy advanced a strong
column of infantry, that carae charging up the sloping
ground against the showers of canister that were cut
ting down and thinning his ranks, with a gallantry
and determination it were impossible not to admire.
Our infantry " hugged the ground" until the charging
columns carae within a few rods of the batteries, when
they sprung to their feet and poured such a deadly and
well-directed volley into their ranks as sent thera back,
shattered and broken. Both Couch and Kearney fol
lowed up the enemy with great spirit, and having driven
him back nearly half a mile, took up a position in a
piece of woods, where they had an excellent cover.
The fight had lasted for about an hour, and had been
so destructive to the enemy that the ground was strewn
with his dead and wounded.
The firing now almost entirely ceased all along the
line. But the two armies stood facing each other, so
close at some points that we could read the faces of
the enemy's soldiers. We could also see the .enemy
bringing up fresh batteries of artillery, and massing
them on our left, evidently intending to make his
strongest attack on that point. Caldwell, with his
brieade, was sent down to hold a position on Oouch'a

608 THE STORY OF A TROOPER.
right, and every precaution taken to meet the move
ment, A few minutes after the enemy opened a terri
ble fire of artillery, extending from Couch's right;
nearly down to Porter's left. It was one of tiie most
severe and destructive fires he had concentrated upon
us during the war, and the shell and round shot came
so thick and fast into our lines as to cause some waver
ing and excitement among the advanced infantry.
Then his columns of attack rushed frora the cover of
the woods and carae sweeping up over the rolling
ground, cheering and shouting in their wildest vein, as
if resolved to carry the hill, no matter at what sacrifice
of life. Our artillery, double-shotted, hurled their
showers of canister against these advancing columns,
cut great swaths in his ranks, aud literally filled them
with his dead and wounded. Still it did not seem to
break liis determination. Like the wave that breaks
against the shore and recedes only to come back with
renewed strength, the enemy would advance brigade
after brigade of fresh troops, and after each repulse
he would rush forward again with apparently renewed
strength. The enemy's fighting was that of a despair
ing man, making a last desperate struggle for life. The
steady and well-directed fire of our artillery, the accu
racy and range of the siege guns, handled by the First
Connecticut Artillery, under coraraand of Colonel Tyler,
and the rapidity of the vollies the infantry poured
into the advancing eneray, sent thera staggering back
each time— broken, disappointed, and in disorder. The
waste of life in these charges was something sad to
contemplate. The enemy seemed seized with some

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 609
strange delirium, and, in hurling column after column
against our strongest positions, showed but too pain
Ifully the disregard with which he sent his men to
certain destruction. At tiraes his columns, braving
the storm of shot and shell hurled at them, would
charge up the hill and to the very muzzles of the guns,
where they would be blown away like chaff, and piled
up in heaps in the gorges.
Our infantry, after the first excitement was over,
fought with great gallantry and steadiness. More
than once, when it seemed impossible that we could
longer resist the enemy's impetuosity, and that we
should have to yield some of our batteries, the infantry
would advance boldly to the front, deliver a destructive
volley, and then charge with the bayonet, capturing
flags and prisoners, and driving the enemy's columns
back in confusion. For more than an hour the battle
raged with great fury and destruction of life. But the
enemy failed in all his atterapts to carry the hill. Each
Df his charging colurans had been shattered, broken, and
driven back, and the open space in front of Couch's and
Kearney's batteries were covered with his dead and
wounded. Still his spirit and resolution were not
broken, and his courage seemed unconquerable. We,
also, had suffered severely, and a number of our regi
ments had been badly cut up and needed replacing with
fresh ones. Others had expended their last round of
ammunition, and had only the bayonet left for use.
Several of the batteries, too, had fired their last shot,
and others from the reserve had to be brought up.
Ammunition trains were not to be found, having in some
27

610 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
instances gone to the rear with the wagon trains, and
so rapid had been our firing tiiat at one tirae great un
easiness was felt lest we should run out altogether.
The eneray still kept bringing up fresh troops, audi
at 7 o'clock began raassing an increased force on our cen
tre and left. Sickles, with the Excelsior, and Meagher,
With his Irish brigade, advanced to the relief of such
of Porter's troops as had borne the brunt of the fight,
and renewed the battle in gallant style. At 7,30 the
enemy threw the whole strength of his force against
our centre and left, making one" of the most determined
attacks of the day. For fifteen minutes his columns
pressed forward, closing up the gaps made in his ranks
at every discharge of our artillery, and again pressing
nearly up to the muzzles of the guns. Again our infan-i
try sprang to their feet, delivered a volley that seem
ed to cut a line in the advancing ranks, following the
effect up by a desperate charge of the bayonet. The
force of that charge sent the eneray staggering back
over the ground he had gained, in confusion and dis
order. But he would recover again, and return to the
fight with apparently renewed strength. The two
armies were still engaged in this terrible struggle when
the sun went down, and its mellow rays, as they
played over Malvern hill, the roar of cannon, the explo
sion of shells, the clash of arms, the ghastly features ol
the slain, and the heavy cloud of smoke that cast a dim
shadow over the scene, told but too painfully how fierce
ly and obstinately they were contending for victory.
One was fighting to destroy the republic ; the other was
fighting to preserve it. One was fighting for right, jus-

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, • 611
tice, and freedora. The other to perpetuate injustice,
to violate conscience and reason, to uphold forever one
of the greatest crimes mankind had ever been scourged
!with. Justice and right triumphed; and when darkness
came, the cheers and shouts of the Union array attested
the victory it had gained. Cheer after cheer went up,
shouts of triuraph mingled with the peals of cannon
;and the clash of arras, verberating and reverberating
through the woods and along the lines, and closing the
!terrible tragedy with an halo of inspiration, grand and
!affecting. At 8^ o'clock the enemy had been driven from the
field everywhere, and his lines were in confusion and
disorder. Our victory over him was complete, and the
inews of his defeat reached Richmond at 9 o'clock,
!when a panic seized upon the people. No sophistry the
Confederate authorities could use seemed to cover up
the fact that the Confederate army had been badly
beaten and suffered heavy loss. The woods were filled
with the enemy's shattered and broken columns, which
went straggling back into the city on the following
morning. General Fitz John Porter had redeemed
himself, and by his gallantry on the field, as well as his
coolness and skill in handling the troops, completely
regained the confidence of his men.
The reader does not need to be told here that our
strength, if not our fortitude, was exhausted; that we
liad not the means, however good might have been our
disposition, to follow up this victory and grasp the
advantage it had opened to us. The excitement of
battie gave strength to, and seeraed to keep up the

612 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
spirits of our troops, who forgot their own sufferings in
their anxiety to sustain their country's cause. And
victory made them feel that they were at least the
enemy's equal in all that constitutes the true soldier
But when the excitement of battle ceased their strength
gave way, and hunger and fatigue again returned to
assume their sway over human endurance.
There was another weary night march to make before
the army reached its place of rest and security on the
James river, the sight of which was to be to the troops
like a promised land. But the feeling of admiration
excited by the courage and endurance displayed by our
soldiers in battle changed to one of pity, as, in the dark
ness of night, the column began moving by the left aud
rear, and wended its weary way along over the heavy
roads, McClellan had gained the object of his ambition.
He had saved the Army of the Potomac, though at heavy
cost of life, and not without some disgrace to our arms.
And the Army of the Potomac had made for itself a
name araong the armies of the world. It had done
even more. It had indicated the power of the free
North, and given to the world an illustration of the
courage and endurance of Northern troops.
At midnight we were again in motion, moving from
the Bend to Harrison's Landing, General Keyes, with
his Corps, and Colonel Averill, with his cavalry,
were entrusted with the responsible duty of covering
the movement, and both performed it with admirable
skill. The latter so disposed his force of cavalry as.to
corapletely deceive the enemy, whom he held in check
until long after daylight, when he, began following us

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 613
up and making feeble attempts to annoy our rear, A
drenching rain set in just after midnight, adding to the
discomfiture of the troops, and seriously impeding our
march. So exhausted and worn out were the men, that
whenever a column halted, nuraloers of them would drop
down, and in another minute be in a sound sleep, from
wliich it seemed almost impossible for their comrades
to wake them when the march was resumed. Many of
them, when aroused from their deep slumber, by telling
them the enemy was coming, would spring to their feet,
and, grasping their muskets, put theraselves in an atti
tude of defence.
Captain Philip tells of an incident that occurred
during this night march which forcibly illustrates the
complete exhaustion of our troops. Having been sent
down to General McClellan's headquarters for orders,
he says: "I returned about 10^ o'clock, and after con
siderable trouble found General Franklin, who was
suffering from a complaint that had seized upon the
whole army, under some trees, lying down by a fire.
An hour or so after he mounted, and, with several mem
bers of his staff, moved off. On looking for my horse
to join him, he was not to be found. Here was a di
lemma. After searching for some time I found the ani
mal, and the man asleep holding him. On mounting,
I joined what I thought to be the general's escort, fol
lowing him, but which turned out to be a body of cav
alry going the other way, in an opposite direction.
Doctor Brown, medical director of the Sixth Corps,
joined me in the darkness, under the supposition that I
was following the general. As soon as we discovered

614 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
our mistake we turned and proceeded in the opposite
direction, and in the course of half an hour fell in with
q, portion of General Porter's Corps, the rest having
passed down. It now commenced raining fearfully,
and the roads were becoraing heavy. The doctor,
overcorae by hard work and constant watching, fell
fast asleep on his horse, I tried in vain to arouse him
to consciousness, and was at length obliged to lead hia
horse off the road, while holding him on. While taking
the doctor off, the poor horse listed against a wet tree,
and seemed quite as much overcome as his rider." One
of the most striking features of this remarkable retreat
was the spirit and endurance displayed by the poor
animals, which for six days had been compelled to sub?
sist on what little grass they could pick during the
halts. "A sort of stupor seemed to have come over the doe-
tor. He woke up after a little while, apparently re
freshed, and mounting his poor, jaded animal, we pro
ceeded on our journey in quest of the general. It was
very dark, and after passing through a dense wood,-
about daylight we came into a magnificent open coun
try, with fields of waving wheat, ripe for the reaperj
extending as far as the eye could reach, with spacious
dwellings, surrounded by negro cabins and fine shade
trees. We passed on through this new and beautiful
country until we came in sight of the James river, the
cheering influences of which made one's heart leap for
joy. A drenching rain was still falling, and the weary
and worn troops, as they debouched into the open
fields, trampling down the ripe harvest, was a sight no

THE STORY OF A TROOPER, 615
pen can describe. Trees were sought as a shelter for
officers, who were laying down in groups under them,
some enjoying a sound sleep, others satisfying the crav
ings of hunger with a cracker and bit of salt pork.
Then a group of wounded, exposed to the pelting
storm, were seen dressing their own scars, with a pa
tience and indifference to pain truly reraarkable, A
few cedars would form shelter for another group of
sleepers, while some sleepy negro struggled against the
elements to get fire from a few sticks to cook some
coffee. Whenever a column or regiment halted, two-
thirds of the men would drop down and go fast asleep,
regardless of the mud and rain. This continued during
the day of the 2d of July and a portion of the 3d, and
we had fresh array rations for our banquet on the 4tli,
"I found the old Corps, after some trouble, and we
had a good cup of coffee with Colonel Matheson and
Major Lamon, of the 31st New York, We then pro
ceeded to our headquarters, which we found pitched
near the river. We were having some fighting with
the enemy on our rear, and it was reported that he was
advancing rapidly for another attack, A few minutes
after I reached headquarters an order came to General
Franklin to get the old division (Slocum's) in line and
proceed back to our old position, near Herring run,
and be prepared to meet the enemy, I proceeded witii
the order, and found the men lying by regiments on the
ground, in tiie heavy rain, and apparentiy unable to
move their weary limbs. It was, indeed, with tiie
utmost difficulty tiiat they could be aroused from tiieir
position and got into line. It was, however, done at

616 THE STORY OF A TROOPER,
las- and it was surprising to see, after a few minutes,
with what an air of cheerfulness they again went out
to meet the enemy," He did not come, and it turned
out that the reports of his advancing in force were
unfounded. The division marched back, and remained
undisturbed in its place of rest; and with that day
ended the fighting of the Army of the Potomac on tiie
Peninsula, while under the command of General Mc
Clellan.

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