by other troops. We marched, without any halts other than those
occasioned by blockades ahead of us, all the next day and following
night. In order to prevent my tired men from falling out, and not having
the heart to urge them to keep up while I was riding my horse, I
dismounted and walked at the rear of the company, feeling that so long
as I was able to walk I could with propriety urge the men to do
likewise. It was reported at the time that some of our men died of
exhaustion in the middle of the night; at any rate, when the command
finally halted and stacked arms fully one half of it were not able to
answer the roll-call. During the following twenty-four hours, however,
our stragglers kept coming in.

In a day or two the battle of Cold Harbor occurred. Our regiment went
into line in an unfavorable position, it being in an abandoned
cornfield, the woods beyond being held by the enemy. As was the custom
whenever we went into line at night to throw up temporary breastworks,
we were directed to do so here. The soil was sandy, there were no timber
and no rail fences, and we had few intrenching tools, consequently it
seemed impossible with the facilities at hand to construct any sort of
temporary breastworks. Within a few rods of my company's position in the
lines stood a large house, from which the family had hastily departed.
As there was no timber, the only alternative that suggested itself to me
was to take the roof from the house and break it up for our purpose. I
therefore sent a detail of men who in a short time removed the roof from
this building, while others soon knocked down the rest of the structure.
This material was broken up, the sand piled on it, and thus were
provided the breastworks that protected us the next day. This seemed a
hardship to the occupants of this dwelling, but it was justified by the
circumstances.

During the battle of Cold Harbor I had a second opportunity to see
General Grant, having been sent to General Meade's headquarters where
General Grant happened to be. When I reached headquarters, I found
General Meade sprawled out on the ground with his face buried in a map,
he being very near-sighted. Staff-officers were constantly riding up and
reporting, and about fifty feet from where he lay I saw General Grant
sitting alone on a stretcher. He had nothing to say to any one and
seemed unconcerned. While waiting for my instructions, I intently
watched him. Presently an officer brought up a C