Chapter VI.IN CAMP.
Comrades known in marches many,Comrades tried in dangers many,Comrades bound by memories many,Brothers ever let us be!Wounds or sickness may divide us,Marching orders may divide us,But whatever fate betide us,Brothers ever let us be!An old army song.
Comrades known in marches many,Comrades tried in dangers many,Comrades bound by memories many,Brothers ever let us be!Wounds or sickness may divide us,Marching orders may divide us,But whatever fate betide us,Brothers ever let us be!An old army song.
Comrades known in marches many,Comrades tried in dangers many,Comrades bound by memories many,Brothers ever let us be!
Comrades known in marches many,
Comrades tried in dangers many,
Comrades bound by memories many,
Brothers ever let us be!
Wounds or sickness may divide us,Marching orders may divide us,But whatever fate betide us,Brothers ever let us be!
Wounds or sickness may divide us,
Marching orders may divide us,
But whatever fate betide us,
Brothers ever let us be!
An old army song.
An old army song.
The Army of the Potomac, on November 10th, 1862, was massed near Warrington Virginia, where General McClellan was relieved from command of the army. I shall never forget the grief that was manifested by the soldiers on the removal of this popular commander. Ever mindful of the welfare and comfort of his men, he had won a warm place in their hearts, and enjoyedthe respect and esteem that was never accorded any other commander.
The following verses were sung in camp and on the march long after he left us:
The order came, the die was cast,McClellan was removed at last,While far and near o’er hill and dale,In thrilling notes the accents fell—“Come back to us McClellan!”The bold, the brave, the fearless men,When he had passed beyond their ken,Bowed down their heads their tears to hide,While still within their hearts they cried—“Come back to us McClellan!”His chieftains came to say farewell,And in the evening camp light fell,The tears they strove in vain to hide,While from their sorrow’d hearts they cried—“Come back to us McClellan!”Go to the warriors on the field,Charging upon the rebel steel,And while they deal the fatal blow,Hark to the cry, now high, now low—“Come back to us McClellan!”Go to the soldier sorely tried,Go to the sick one’s lone bedside,Stand by his cot, ere the soldier dies,And listen to his feeble cries—“Come back to us McClellan!”Go to the tented camping ground,Where dirt and dust and mud abound,And from the restless, slumbering ones,In murmuring words the entreaty comes—“Come back to us McClellan!”Jonas A. Bigelow, U. S. A.
The order came, the die was cast,McClellan was removed at last,While far and near o’er hill and dale,In thrilling notes the accents fell—“Come back to us McClellan!”The bold, the brave, the fearless men,When he had passed beyond their ken,Bowed down their heads their tears to hide,While still within their hearts they cried—“Come back to us McClellan!”His chieftains came to say farewell,And in the evening camp light fell,The tears they strove in vain to hide,While from their sorrow’d hearts they cried—“Come back to us McClellan!”Go to the warriors on the field,Charging upon the rebel steel,And while they deal the fatal blow,Hark to the cry, now high, now low—“Come back to us McClellan!”Go to the soldier sorely tried,Go to the sick one’s lone bedside,Stand by his cot, ere the soldier dies,And listen to his feeble cries—“Come back to us McClellan!”Go to the tented camping ground,Where dirt and dust and mud abound,And from the restless, slumbering ones,In murmuring words the entreaty comes—“Come back to us McClellan!”Jonas A. Bigelow, U. S. A.
The order came, the die was cast,McClellan was removed at last,While far and near o’er hill and dale,In thrilling notes the accents fell—“Come back to us McClellan!”
The order came, the die was cast,
McClellan was removed at last,
While far and near o’er hill and dale,
In thrilling notes the accents fell—
“Come back to us McClellan!”
The bold, the brave, the fearless men,When he had passed beyond their ken,Bowed down their heads their tears to hide,While still within their hearts they cried—“Come back to us McClellan!”
The bold, the brave, the fearless men,
When he had passed beyond their ken,
Bowed down their heads their tears to hide,
While still within their hearts they cried—
“Come back to us McClellan!”
His chieftains came to say farewell,And in the evening camp light fell,The tears they strove in vain to hide,While from their sorrow’d hearts they cried—“Come back to us McClellan!”
His chieftains came to say farewell,
And in the evening camp light fell,
The tears they strove in vain to hide,
While from their sorrow’d hearts they cried—
“Come back to us McClellan!”
Go to the warriors on the field,Charging upon the rebel steel,And while they deal the fatal blow,Hark to the cry, now high, now low—“Come back to us McClellan!”
Go to the warriors on the field,
Charging upon the rebel steel,
And while they deal the fatal blow,
Hark to the cry, now high, now low—
“Come back to us McClellan!”
Go to the soldier sorely tried,Go to the sick one’s lone bedside,Stand by his cot, ere the soldier dies,And listen to his feeble cries—“Come back to us McClellan!”
Go to the soldier sorely tried,
Go to the sick one’s lone bedside,
Stand by his cot, ere the soldier dies,
And listen to his feeble cries—
“Come back to us McClellan!”
Go to the tented camping ground,Where dirt and dust and mud abound,And from the restless, slumbering ones,In murmuring words the entreaty comes—“Come back to us McClellan!”
Go to the tented camping ground,
Where dirt and dust and mud abound,
And from the restless, slumbering ones,
In murmuring words the entreaty comes—
“Come back to us McClellan!”
Jonas A. Bigelow, U. S. A.
Jonas A. Bigelow, U. S. A.
He was succeeded by General Burnside, and after a week of rest, we started for Falmouth Virginia, and on the 22nd went into camp at Stoneman’s Switch. Here we remained most of the time all winter, although we expected every day to be ordered off on the march again for the unknown “Somewhere.”
I well remember the hungry Thanksgiving day spent here. We were a long ways from our base of supplies at Acquia Creek, and all that we received was brought in wagons for several miles over hard and rough roads from Belle Plain.
For a week we lived on hardtack, and the morning of Thanksgiving day, we received the last of the supplies in our regiment, half a cracker for each man. This was all we had until afternoon; our officers were out all the morning hunting in every direction for food, and at last succeeded in borrowing twenty boxes of hard bread, which was all that the officers and men had that day.
How we thought of home that day and the good dinners that we had enjoyed on former festival days! How little our friends at home would have enjoyed their feast, could they haveknown that we were starving! In the course of the day I happened to see, near the tent where the officers bought their supplies, (for they did not draw rations like the rank and file,) a few beans that had been trodden down into the mud. I carefully picked them out, and perhaps got half a pint altogether, which I washed and stewed, and with my tentmate, made out our Thanksgiving dinner.
This was not the only time I have gone hungry; many a time have I suffered from hunger from cold, and from heat, but I shall ever remember that particular time, for it seemed to make me still more hungry as I thought of former Thanksgiving feasts, and the food I had wasted. But such are the fortunes of war, and we bore it as we did all other discomforts, as part of the price that must be paid, that our flag might again wave over an undivided country.