that long night without food or
covering. I had eaten nothing since early morning. With the constant
whanging of shells through ours and adjacent buildings and the moaning
of the wounded lying all about me, sleep or rest was impossible. It was
a night too dreadful to think of, and makes me shudder again as I write.
We remained in the city the next day, Sunday, and I rejoined our
regiment, which, with other troops, was lying under the shelter of the
river-bank. Officers were getting their men together as far as possible
and bringing order out of chaos. We had Sunday about two hundred for
duty out of three hundred and fifty taken into the battle. On Monday,
the 15th, we who were wounded were told to make our way across the river
back to our old camps as best we could. I was now very weak, and my head
and leg were very sore. The latter gave me much trouble in walking,
nevertheless there was a three-mile tramp before us. Lieutenant
Musselman, also wounded, went with me on this weary tramp. We did not
reach camp that night, and so had to find shelter at a farm-house,
already full of straggling and wounded soldiers. The owner was a widow,
living with a grown-up daughter, and was a bitter rebel, although
professing Union sentiments whilst our army was there. She was, of
course, greatly annoyed by the presence of these soldiers, most of whom
were eating up her provisions without paying for them. Some of them were
"bummers," who had run away from the battle and had persuaded her to
feed and shelter them for the protection they professed to afford her.
She was in great wrath when we reached there and peremptorily forbade us
entering. But I told her firmly that we were wounded men and must have
shelter; that I would willingly pay for accommodations, but, permission
or not, the latter we must have. This argument seemed to be convincing,
and the daughter led us up to the garret, which, she said, was the only
unoccupied room in the house. Here she spread a blanket on the floor for
us to sleep on. I suppose this was the best she could do. Then, at our
solicitation, she got us some supper, an exceedingly frugal meal, but we
were glad to get that. The daughter did not seem to share her mother's
bitterness, but as often as she could would interject a word in our
favor, and really did all she could for us. I sincerely hope she was
ultimately made a permanent prisoner by some good "boy in blue." Here
would have been an excellent opportunity