could be made red-hot in two minutes, and many were the boots that suffered thereby. Huts were built for the officers. 1861. Friday, Oct. 25. Oct. 31. The regiment was aroused at 1.30 o'clock this morning by the beating of the "long roll," and hastily marched to the river, where it was ferried across for an expedition into "Ole Virginny." One platoon continued on until it came in sight of Martinsburg, when it returned and rejoined the regiment, and with it returned to the camp at Williamsport. Companies K, C, and I rejoined the regiment. The Thursday, duty which we performed this winter was a very important and a very difficult one, as General Stonewall Jackson, at his own request (according to the official reports of the Confederacy), received orders to do all the damage he could to the dams of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, and to harass the enemy in any way his genius could suggest. General Jackson was no sluggard, as the world knows, and he made it lively for us to prevent him from carrying out his purposes. While we were at Williamsport, Colonel Leonard was in charge of all the troops on the Potomac, from Harper's Ferry to Oldtown, a distance of more than one hundred miles, by the river, while the duties of the regiment included guarding the Potomac river from Harper's Ferry to Sir John's Run, a distance of more than fifty miles. was so well done as to prompt a commendation from General Banks. Prior to our arrival, this part of the river was protected by troops supplied with the old smooth-bore musket of a very antiquated pattern, with too little power to carry a bullet across the river, so that they were a constant source of ridicule by the enemy, who were much better armed, and who amused themselves by coming down to the river daily, and placing the thumb of the right hand to the nose, and the thumb of the left hand to the little finger of the right hand, would make rapid motions with the fingers, to the great exasperation of the Union men, who After we were placed there with our were powerless to prevent it. The work Enfield rifles, there was less time spent in arranging their fingers, and more in the use of their feet. As they tried one point after another from Falling Waters to the end of our line of fifty miles, 1861. they were prompted to inquire what regiments were guarding the river, and when the oft-repeated answer was "the Thirteenth Mass.," they were astonished at our number, and were interested to know what arms we carried. A Virginia paper, published in Martinsburg, brought across the river by a Union man, contained an editorial warning the people about "trusting themselves too near the river, as there was a regiment from Massachusetts, several thousand strong, with a gun that could carry like a piece of artillery." In order to carry out so extensive a system of pickets it was necessary to make large and frequent details of men from each company, the particular dates of which are omitted, and only the larger ones mentioned. Nov. 5. Nov. 26. Dec. 7. Dec. 8. Dec. II. Co. D sent to Hagerstown. Returned on the 7th. Ali of Company B, except twelve men, returned from provost duty in town, to camp. Companies A, B, E, and H sent to Hancock. Co. G sent to Dam No. 5 to relieve Co. C. Company K sent to Dam No. 4, but was overtaken by an order to return. returned before night. Dec. 14. Dec. 17. Dec. 18. Dec. 19. Dec. 20. 1862. Jan. 2. Jan. 5. Jan. 10. Feb. 12. Feb. 24. Feb. 26. Co. C sent to Dam No. 5, but Companies D and K sent to Dam No. 5, but returned same night. Company I sent on picket. Regiment sent to Falling Waters. Returned to camp at Williamsport. Companies D, C, and G returned to Williamsport. Companies E, A, B, and H arrived from Hancock. Company D returned from Hagerstown. Company D sent on a reconnoissance across the river. Returned the same day. It was d―n the hats in summer, and Dam No. 5 in winter. 1862. Among the duties that required our daily attention was Some the ferry which was run across the river, daily at one o'clock, unless circumstances prevented, or there was no one on the other side to avail themselves of this convenience. Of course this was attended with considerable risk, as it was very well known on the Virginia side that it was being done. It almost always happened that some one was on the bank waiting for an opportunity to come across. of the farmers' wives and daughters were allowed to cross with eggs or poultry to sell. Of course they were closely questioned. No tollrates had been fixed, so the guard used his discretion, and as the toll was graduated according to what they brought, it frequently happened that the table of a private soldier was ornamented with something besides silverware and flowers. Hagerstown, the place where we first landed on our journey from home, was only six miles away, and was the shire town of Washington County. Many were the visits we paid that place, and many the acquaintances we made among the people. The provost marshal of the town was an officer detailed from the Thirteenth, and his administration of martial law was liberal as it was sensible, though when occasion required he could be as inexorable as circumstances needed. Company D was also stationed there part of the time, therefore no lack of inducement existed to make it a pleasant place to visit. Our service in Williamsport formed an epoch in the history of the regiment. Advantage was taken of the liberty allowed us, to become acquainted with the people, and many pleasant acquaintances ripened into strong friendships. Calls were frequently made for the services of our glee-club, while the band was often heard in its streets. The homes of the people were opened in friendly hospitality, "Massachusetts abolitionists," as we and the prejudice against were called, gradually disappeared, so that when the time arrived for us to cross the river, the crowd to see us off was great enough to remind us of home. Indeed, as the last company was ferried across, it was a sight to see the waving of handkerchiefs, and to hear the shouts of "farewell" and "good-luck" that greeted our departure. Thus we crossed the Potomac river on Saturday, the first day of March, 1862. 1862. It seems proper at this point to say a word or two about our experience in Maryland. We found the people cordial in their greeting and very hospitable, except in cases where the sentiment was against the Union. It meant a good deal to express Union sentiments or do acts of kindness to soldiers as they marched through the country, when some watchful person stood ready to turn informer as soon as the enemy approached. Many were the acts of kindness done to soldiers worn out with fatigue or overcome with the heat of the sun. Though thirty years have passed, we have not forgotten how much the Union people of Maryland did to lessen the hardships of soldiers. When we crossed the river we entered the land of our foes, where the cheers and kind wishes of the people were reserved for those who had their love and sympathy. 1862. Saturday, March 1. CHAPTER II. HAVING said the last "good-by" to our friends across the river we took up the line of march, about dusk, for Martinsburg, twelve miles, which point we reached a little before midnight. During our stay in Williamsport we had accumulated more things than were necessary for our comfort, as we became painfully aware of before our journey's end. We were now on the "sacred soil" of Virginia. Whether it is better than any other soil could not be determined in the darkness; up to this time our knowledge of it was limited to the experience at Harper's Ferry, the skirmish at Bolivar Heights, and the reconnoissances from Hancock and Sir John's Run, so we were not experts on the subject. The Sixteenth Indiana, a company of cavalry and two pieces of artillery, crossed the river and followed us to Martinsburg. While marching in Maryland we felt secure from rebel interference when falling out, overcome with fatigue or the heat of the sun, but now we were likely at any moment to hear the unwelcome sound of the enemy's musketry. A man must hesitate, therefore, before he separated himself from his regiment. As it was dark we had plenty of opportunity to reflect on what might be our reception by the "F.F.V's" of Martinsburg. They might find some objection the toll that some of us to our entering town without paying toll must pay before our three years were up. Company A was well ahead as advance guard, and as long as we heard nothing from them our minds remained at ease except when we thought of our knapsacks, which had increased in size, like the national debt. It appears that when Company A arrived within half a mile of the town it left the road, making a détour and entering it from the |
