11/10/1862

Near New Baltimore Va.

 

Dear Wife

                        Since I last wrote to you we have passed through so much and have done so much that I scarcely know where to begin to give you an account of our troubles. I will therefore commence with our Inspection of 31^st Ult. It passed excellently well. Col Ramsay complimented myself men and Officers highly. We had scarcely got through when an order came to me to report myself and Company to General Casey and along with it came a Company to relieve us at the Arsenal. I was much surprised at this, particularly as no orders were given me as to where I was to take my command or transportation provided. I immediately waited upon Col. Ramsay who was much annoyed at our being removed from under him. He advised me to call upon Gen. Casey and ask an explanation of the order / I did so. He informed me that the order was gotten up very improperly and gave me a new one. I was instructed to proceed by cars to Frederick Maryland and there report by telegraph to Gen M^cClellan for further orders. I was then obliged to go to 4 other different places to provide transportation by the cars. I reached camp again by midnight. We were to start the next day (Saturday) at 3½ o'clock P.M. I considered I would have plenty of time to get my Company ready write to you and arrange all matters next morning. So I went to bed got up next morning leisurely and was about writing to you when down came an orderly with instructions that the cars were waiting for me and I must start at once. I swore some but gained no time for that so we struck tents and rushed for / Washington at once. We then got on the cars and started for Frederick. They were filthy freight cars and we were packed like sheep. We reached Frederick on Sunday at 10 o'clock Sunday morning and I forthwith went to the telegraph office and send despatch to Gen M^cClellan as ordered. I then found his quarters had been removed and there was no connection. Then we had to wait for an answer which never arrived until 7 o'clock on Monday morning. I then recd a despatch ordering me to proceed to Berlin and report myself to Gen Franklin, and if he had crossed the Potomac to follow on after him. I here found that that our Regiment had been brigaded under Pratt in Smith's Division Franklin's Corps. I therefore knew then that we were to join the / Regiment. We reached Berlin 4 miles below Harpers Ferry at 2 o'clock Monday, and remember that since Friday before we had had nothing to eat but bread stale bread. Upon arriving there we heard the Regiment had crossed that morning at 9 o'clock. Had we been able to leave Frederick on Sunday we would have caught the Regiment here, but no such good luck. I soon learned that we could have no transportation for our goods to the Regiment, and so we had to pack knapsacks and I packed a change of underclothes in mine and prepared for the march. We thought we would be able to reach the Regiment the next day and so drew only 2 days rations of hard crackers. No meal, no coffee or sugar. We left Berlin at 6 o'clock Monday night crossed a pontoon bridge over the Potomac and marched about 2 miles and then encamped on a hill alongside of a Maine Regiment. We then eat a cracker or two and threw ourselves on the ground alongside a fire to sleep. We started from there about daylight (breakfasting on crackers) and that day we marched 18 miles with our knapsacks on and then halted for the night. My men had then had nothing but crackers and bread for 5 days, and were so weakened for march / that I started out a party to forage. They soon returned with 2 hogs and 2 sheep they had shot. We skinned them and cut the flesh up in strips and cooked them on ashes before the fire. No pepper salt or bread though, but the sauce was [?] and I assure you it tasted splendidly. We heard the Regiment was about 7 miles ahead us, so next morning we started off early and that day we marched 12 miles and the work began to tell on the men. Some were completely worn down and we had hard work to keep them moving. We encamped in a woods and I sent out another foraging party, which brought in a young steer. The next morning we started off early and so continued marching until the following Friday morning when as I have already written we reached the / Regiment in the midst of a heavy snowstorm completely worn down, having had no bread for 3 days foot sore and disheartened. We soon found that in regard to the provision department the Regiment was as badly off as ourselves, that they had been making forced marches, and the supply train had not yet come up. But after waiting an hour in the storm (no tents to cover us) the train came up and we had some crackers and coffee and got our shelter tents. These are intended to cover 2 men but they join them together and 6 men go into one, each carrying a part when on the march. About 4 o'clock we were somewhat settled, and I then borrowed a sheet of paper and pencil and wrote that letter to you. We went into our holes and tried to sleep, but / made but little out of it. The next morning at 9 o'clock we were ordered out for picket duty, the whole Regiment. Through some difficulty we were not able to draw our rations, and had to leave without them. We were posted and remained on duty until midnight when our hard crackers and pork were sent out to us. I here did a thing I never did before but I must say after trial, succeeded admirably. I took a couple of hard crackers & a piece of raw salt pork and made a sandwich and gulped it down with avidity—never tasted anything nicer in my life. We remained on picket duty next morning until 7 o'clock when we were called in to camp and found we would be the rear guard of the division on / the forward march. We received no rations but were ordered to march immediately. We started at 9 o'clock and marched hard all day, reaching camp at 8 o'clock that night, and having had but one meal in 48 hours. You may imagine our condition by this time. We had some more raw pork and crackers and coffee, and threw ourselves on the ground for a good night's rest hoping to have some rest next day but no such thing. The next morning at 4 o'clock we were called up to make a reconnaissance back some 10 miles, the whole brigade marching. At 6 o'clock we started and marched like the devil until 10. The brigade was then halted, and our Regiment was put in the advance and formed a line of battle in a large field backed by a woods. It seems that there was fighting all around us, and we were posted here to catch the Rebels should they march a certain way. We had in the Brigade 4 Regiments of Infantry, 4 pieces of Artillery and a squadron of / Cavalry. We waited here some 3 hours and were then marched back to camp, half of the way on a double quick. Some 200 of the Regiment fell out of the ranks completely exhausted. Why this was done I cannot imagine as there was certainly no cause for marching the men to death. Upon reaching camp Col. Ellmaker called me to one side and said he regretted being obliged to ask me for my sword, for General Smith had ordered me "under arrest". I was completely thunderstruck for I could not imagine what I had done to cause such an order. The Col. could not inform me of the charge, as he had not heard himself. About 9 o'clock I went over to his tent, and he handed me back / my sword, telling me I was reinstated in my command. Now what do you suppose this was about? It seems that before I joined the Regiment strict orders had been issued forbidding all straggling from the ranks while on the march. I never had such an order and was totally ignorant of it. Three of my men had left the ranks to get water. They had been seen by the General who inquired their names and Company, found they belonged to me, and ordered my arrest for disobedience of orders. When the Colonel ascertained this he made satisfactory explanations and my sword was restored to me. I was much mystified but of course came up all right in the end. So you can readily / imagine how much I in common with the Company have suffered since leaving Washington. My men are worn down and some of them have the soles of their feet completely raw marching. They are clamorous for their pay and so am I. We have had no rest for over a week and now we are ordered to go out on picket duty this afternoon. Our men think we are being hardly used, and so do I. But we cannot make complaints. We are soldiers & must submit to whatever the commanding General chooses to impose upon us. We have just heard the Gen M^cClellan has asked to be relieved from his position. Something funny somewhere. Half of the time we go / without anything to eat. In addition to this I cannot hear from you. We get no letters, but continue writing for I shall get them some time. It is hard Addie—but someday, we shall be together again, and can then look back on this separation and lack of it as a thing of the past. I must close now dear to get ready for duty. I will write as often as I have the opportunity but I fear this will not be often as we are constantly on the march. Give my love to all and kiss the little ones over & over again for me. Oh! how I would like to see you for just one minute. Write often dear & believe me to remain as ever

                               

Yours devotedly

Andy

 

Novem 10/62     

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