t, advancing towards Little Rock. I was totally unable to
march, but was determined to go along some way, and with Capt. Keeley's
permission, the boys put me into one of the regimental wagons. This
wagon happened to be loaded with barrels of pickled pork, standing on
end, and my seat was on top of one of the barrels, and it was just the
hardest, most painful day's ride in a wagon I ever endured. I was
suffering intensely from acute rheumatism in the "coupling region," and
in this condition trying to keep steady on the top of a barrel, and
being occasionally violently pitched against the ends of the barrel
staves when the wagon gave a lurch into a deep rut,--which would give
me well-nigh intolerable pain. To make matters worse, the day was very
hot, so, when evening came and the column halted, I was mighty near
"all in." But some of the boys helped me out and laid me on my blanket
in the shade, and later brought me some supper of hardtack, bacon, and
coffee. Except the rheumatism, I was all right, and had a good
appetite, and after a hearty supper, felt better. Next morning, in
consequence of the active exertions of Capt. Keeley in the matter, an
ambulance drove up where I was lying, and I was loaded into it, and oh,
it was a luxury! Poor Enoch Wallace had been taken down with a malarial
fever, and he was also a passenger, likewise two other soldiers whose
names I have forgotten. Enoch had been promoted to second lieutenant
and had been acting as such for some months, but his commission was not
issued until September 3rd,--a day when he was a very sick man. From
this on, until September 10th, the day our forces captured Little Rock,
my days were spent in the ambulance. At night, the sick of each
division (of whom there were hundreds) would bivouac by the side of
some lagoon, or small water course, the attendants would prepare us
some supper, and the surgeons would make their rounds, administering
such medicine as the respective cases required. The prevailing type of
sickness was malarial fever, for which, the sovereign specific seemed
to be quinine. As for me, I was exempt from the taking of medicine, for
which I was thankful. The surgeon, after inquiry into my case, would
sententiously remark, "Ah! acute rheumatism," and pass on. I was at a
loss to understand this seeming neglect, but a sort of explanation was
given me later, which will be mentioned in its order. The food that was
given the sick was meager and very unsati