Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/15

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detailed men to make moccasins out of green cowhide for his men. While used for marching in the wet these stretched so that the men would have to cut them off. When the soldiers stopped at night and dried out their boots they would have to cut them off their feet. This "footwear" answered very well for camp duty, but not for marching. From Culpeper Courthouse we went to Fredericksburg. This was a very hard march on account of the extremely muddy roads and the cold and freezing weather. We went into camp at Fredericksburg, and were at the battle of Fredericksburg on the 1 3th December, 1862. After the battle at this place we went into camp at Guinea Station.

The winters of 1862-' 63 were the hardest of the war. Our men were without tents, and had only "tent flies" and brush houses. At Guinea Station general orders were issued that the men could build fires during day, but that at night they should be extinguished, and the ashes s\\ ept away. We slept where the fires had been.

While in camp here we were on hard duty all the time, working on breastworks from Hamilton crossing to Spotsylvania Courthouse.

HARD TIMES, INDEED.

In February, 1863, we broke camp at this place and marched to Richmond, and from Richmond to Chester Station. While at Chester Station we were entirely without tents or tent flies, and the men had to lie on the bare ground without any protection. During the night the snow fell several inches deep, and the soldiers were covered completely. They knew nothing of it until they were waked up the next morning, and fared as comfortably as if they had been in a house.

From Chester Station we marched to near Petersburg and camped below Petersburg on the Prince George road. Thence we marched to Fort Powhatan, and worked on fortifications until about the ist of April. Our line of march from this place led to Suffolk, by way of Franklin. We crossed Blackwater river at South Quay, with four days cooked rations. On reaching Suffolk we formed line of battle. Our regiment was sent on picket. The line of battle never advanced, but we had severe picket fighting. Several of our company were hurt. Three of the Brunswick guards were also wounded one mortally.

In May the company was ordered back, marching by way of Ivor Station. We camped at this place a few days, guarding supplies