Chapter XX.THE NORFOLK RAILROAD.
What wonder if the mouth is grim,That said so many swift “Goodbyes?”Life’s common words are idle breath,Beside those earnest battle cries.What wonder if the gaze is dim,And yonder strangely lingers yet?The eye that has looked straight at death,His image may not soon forget!Unknown.
What wonder if the mouth is grim,That said so many swift “Goodbyes?”Life’s common words are idle breath,Beside those earnest battle cries.What wonder if the gaze is dim,And yonder strangely lingers yet?The eye that has looked straight at death,His image may not soon forget!Unknown.
What wonder if the mouth is grim,That said so many swift “Goodbyes?”Life’s common words are idle breath,Beside those earnest battle cries.What wonder if the gaze is dim,And yonder strangely lingers yet?The eye that has looked straight at death,His image may not soon forget!
What wonder if the mouth is grim,
That said so many swift “Goodbyes?”
Life’s common words are idle breath,
Beside those earnest battle cries.
What wonder if the gaze is dim,
And yonder strangely lingers yet?
The eye that has looked straight at death,
His image may not soon forget!
Unknown.
Unknown.
On the 12th of June, General Grant changed his plan of operations, and started us off for the James river. Our corps crossed the Chickahominy river at Long Bridge, marched southward to the James river, and on the 16th of June, the Army of the Potomac was on the right bank of the James, preparing for a fresh start in another direction. As we went up in front of Petersburg on the 18th of June, we were double quicked across an open field, and made a dash on the Norfolk railroad, where we made a stand.
It was in this charge that our beloved colonel, George L. Prescott, fell mortally wounded, while leading his men. He died the next day, and the whole brigade mourned his loss; he was a brave soldier, and a good man; always kind to his men, he treated them like brothers.
Many a time have I known him to let a sick man have his blanket, and then bunk in with a private who was lucky enough to have such an article. More than once has he slept with me, rolled up in the same blanket, and I always felt that in him I had a true friend. By his kind and generous words and deeds he had endeared himself to the whole brigade, and today many an old veteran reveres his memory, even as I do.
His body was brought home, and buried with his kindred in Sleepy Hollow cemetery, at Concord, Mass. I have visited his grave since the war, and as I stood in the pleasant spot where he sleeps so peacefully, I could but recall thememories of that terrible scene, when he laid his life on the altar of his country.
We had hot work all that day; again we charged the enemy, and drove them into their last line of works. This enabled us to establish our line on the crest of the hill. Near this place the mine was made that was exploded on the 30th of July, a little over a month later.
It was in this charge that a minie ball grazed my check, which soon swelled so that my comrades hardly recognized me. For a week or more, my jaw was rather stiff and sore, so that I could not eat hard bread; this made it rather inconvenient, as I was blessed with a good appetite and could not get much else but the old reliable “Hard tack” to eat, but I was not disabled, and did my duty as usual.
It was about noon, during a lull in the fight, that we saw a large turkey strut proudly into the centre of a deep ravine, that lay between us and the enemy’s lines. Instantly every musket in our company was aimed at that poor turkey gobbler. When the smoke cleared away, we saw him still undisturbed in his foraging; we stood astonished until one of us happened to remember that our guns were sighted for 200 yardsdistance. He hastily lowered the sight, and spang went the deadly messenger into the heart of that devoted bird. When the fight was over, we picked up the fowl, and cooked him for our supper.
That night we spent in throwing up earthworks with our bayonets and tin plates, and by morning we had some works from which the enemy could not drive us, though they made several attempts. Our works were never advanced beyond this line until Petersburg was taken.