omprehend how we were able to endure it. We had a very
good opportunity to observe the Johnnies we were taking along at short
range, and to get their viewpoint of the war. They were from Longstreet's
command and while they had nothing but good to say of old Pete, Stonewall
Jackson was their idol. He had been killed at Chancellorsville only a
little while before and they felt his loss deeply. "Stonewall did a heap
of praying--he do 'specially just before a big battle," said one. Another
lean old fellow: "'Lowed Stonewall was a general, he war. If you-uns had a
general like him, ar reckon you-uns could lick we-uns." One of them
lamented that, "It was no use to fight, now old Stonewall war dead." One I
asked what he was fighting for. "'Cause I don't want to be licked. What
you-all come down here for--to invade our country and run away with our
niggers? You-uns must have a powerful spite against we-uns-all." In
stature they averaged much smaller than our men, and they were very
ignorant; I doubt if one out of ten of them could write his name.

January 19. We remained at Camp Nelson; drew clothing, ate hardtack and
drank coffee to our heart's content and were as happy a lot of mortals as
ever walked the earth. The next day we marched to Nicholasville and took a
train for Covington. There was a hole in one of my teeth that had added
measurably to my misery on the trip over the mountains. As we passed
through Nicholasville, I saw the sign of a dentist. I walked in and sat
down in the dentist's chair and told him I wished he would pull that
tooth. He pulled it without any ceremony. When he put the forceps on to
it, it rebelled fiercely, gave one final gasp and the maddening pain was
ended.

We were put into some very comfortable barracks at Covington and stayed
there until the 29th while the necessary re-enlistment papers were being
made out. I bought a very slick military jacket to wear home. We were paid
off, and so started for home with a pocket full of money.

CHAPTER VIII

HOME ON A RE-ENLISTMENT FURLOUGH

The trip home. Reception at Worcester. The Social Whirl. We returned to
Annapolis.

We left Cincinnati on our way home to Massachusetts in the afternoon of
December 29th by train, going through Columbus, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany
and Springfield, arriving in Worcester in the morning of January 31st, and
marched over to Camp Lincoln, which was to be regimental headquarters
during our stay.

After we left