Chapter XXVI.ON FURLOUGH.
Home from the battlefieldFor a brief rest;Oh, what emotion fillsThe soldier’s breast.Leaving his northern home,Where all is peace,Back to the battle-plain’Till war shall cease.L. M. J.
Home from the battlefieldFor a brief rest;Oh, what emotion fillsThe soldier’s breast.Leaving his northern home,Where all is peace,Back to the battle-plain’Till war shall cease.L. M. J.
Home from the battlefieldFor a brief rest;Oh, what emotion fillsThe soldier’s breast.
Home from the battlefield
For a brief rest;
Oh, what emotion fills
The soldier’s breast.
Leaving his northern home,Where all is peace,Back to the battle-plain’Till war shall cease.
Leaving his northern home,
Where all is peace,
Back to the battle-plain
’Till war shall cease.
L. M. J.
L. M. J.
About the 18th of February I sent in an application for a furlough; I hardly expected to get it, as all furloughs had been refused, except in some cases, where an exceptional reason was urged, or strong influence brought to bear. I felt, after the hard experience of the past year, and with the prospect of another campaign fullas hard, that a brief furlough was what I needed, so I could but try for one, which I did, and on Sunday the 26th of the same month, received a furlough for twenty days.
We had been paid off the day previous, and it did not take me long to prepare for the homeward trip. I said goodbye to my comrades and left for City Point that afternoon. None of the precious time must be wasted, so I made no stops on my journey home.
I left City Point on the morning of the 27th, on the steamer Daniel Webster, arriving at Fortress Munroe at four P. M., and an hour later left for Baltimore, arriving there at seven o’clock next morning; immediately left for New York, which place I reached at six o’clock that evening and took the train for home; traveled all night, and arrived at New Bedford on the morning of March 1st, where I was warmly welcomed by my friends.
Oh how pleasant seemed the dear old quiet city, after the terrible experience of the year that is past! And how quickly passed the time away! I paid a visit to my brother, now living in New Hampshire, and had a very enjoyable time. I spent the remainder of my timeat home with my father, and among my friends, who could hardly do enough to make the time pass happily away.
Then too, I found that in the north, a soldier seemed to be considered of some account, and often strangers as they passed me in the street, had a pleasant word for the war-worn soldier in his faded suit of army blue.
All too soon the time arrived when I must bid my friends goodbye. On the 16th of March I started for the front once more. I cannot dwell on the parting with my poor old father who seemed to feel that he would never see me again. But he was spared to welcome me home after the war was over, for which I still feel very thankful. It would have been a sad home-coming had he not been there to welcome me.
On my arrival in Boston, as I had a few hours to wait, I went to the State house to take a look at our old battle-flag. What memories were awakened by that torn and smoky piece of silk, all that was left of the starry flag that I had followed for two long years. I felt sad at parting, “It might be for years, and it might be forever,” and it was not a very cheerful journey back to the front. I reached my regiment on the 19thof March, and received a warm welcome from the boys of my company, and especially from my tentmate, Dwight Graves, who prepared a good supper of fried hardtack and pork in honor of my arrival, and to which he, at least, did ample justice.
I presented him with a piece of frosted cake, sent him by a lady friend, which he considered a rare treat, and persisted in calling “Wedding cake!” It took me several days to settle down to army life, and army diet, but the stern discipline and hard service soon brought back my appetite, and my readiness to do whatever was required of me.
About eight o’clock in the morning of the 25th, we were ordered to fall in and move to the right, for the enemy had attacked us in that quarter; then moved to the left and attacked them; hard fighting continued all day, without food or rest. This fight was called the battle of Fort Stedman.
We returned to camp about midnight, where we remained until the 29th, when we broke camp early in the morning, and marched until noon. We stopped two hours for dinner and rest, then started again, and went until fiveP. M. Here we had another encounter with the enemy, and drove them some distance. We then moved to the front, and built works until midnight, and laid behind them until morning, when we again moved onward. I little thought as I slung my equipments and started on the march, that this was to be my last day of active service.