Tom
Martin, called out, "Pull up your frog-legs, Tomlin, if you want to find
the baste; your heels are just a-spurrin' one another a foot below his
belly!"

We were delighted to be again in our old quarters, where we were more in
the world and guard duty lighter. Several times before leaving this camp
our mess had visits from the two cousins, Lewis and William Randolph,
the firstnamed a captain in the Irish Battalion, the second a captain in
the Second Virginia Regiment, who stopped over-night with us, on
scouting expeditions across the Rappahannock in the enemy's lines, where
Willie Randolph had a sweetheart, whom he, soon after this, married.
Lewis Randolph told us that he had killed a Federal soldier with a stone
in the charge on the railroad-cut at second Manassas; that the man, who
was about twenty steps from him, was recapping his gun, which had just
missed fire while aimed at Randolph's orderly-sergeant, when he threw
the stone. William Randolph said, "Yes, that's true; when we were
provost-officers at Frederick, Maryland, a man was brought in under
arrest and, looking at Lewis, said, 'I've seen you before. I saw you
kill a Yankee at second Manassas with a stone,' and then related the
circumstances exactly."

William Randolph was six feet two inches in height, and said that he had
often been asked how he escaped in battle, and his reply was, "By taking
a judicious advantage of the shrubbery." This, however, did not continue
to avail him, as he was afterward killed while in command of his
regiment, being one of the six commanders which the Second Virginia
Regiment lost--killed in battle--during the war.

In March we moved from our winter-quarters to Hamilton's Crossing, three
miles from Fredericksburg, where we remained in camp, with several
interruptions, until May. Our fare here was greatly improved by the
addition of fresh fish, so abundant at that season of the year in the
Rappahannock and the adjacent creeks. In April the great cavalry battle
at Kelly's Ford, forty miles above, was fought, in which the "Gallant
Pelham" was killed.

CHAPTER XX

SECOND BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG--CHANCELLORSVILLE--WOUNDING AND DEATH OF
STONEWALL JACKSON

The battle at Kelly's Ford was the forerunner of the crossing of
Burnside's army to our side of the river, although this was delayed
longer than was expected. In the latter part of April we were roused one
morning before dawn to go into position on the fatal hill