On the 25th wagons reached them from Charleston and all was well. Chickens and high living did not wear as well as army rations.
February 26th, 1865, Co. G crossed Ashley River and entered Charleston. The boys expected to parade through the town, but were disappointed. They were moved over to Cooper River and quartered in vacant stores for the night.
Co. G had seen a great deal of the country and some warfare. The regiment has begun its war-like career on Bull Run where they had lost a chaplain (by retirement), they had now followed the secession hydra to its source.
On the morning of the 27th after inspection by Gen. Williams of Gen. Grant's staff, companies D, E, G, H and K took passage on a small steamer for Georgetown, S.C. A rough sea compelled the steamer to put back inside the bar. The 28th they started and reached Bull's Bay, where a head-sea compelled them to anchor. Water became scarce and boats were sent ashore to fill canteens for the men. Next day, the first of March, they reached Georgetown, an old, old town, on Winyaw Bay.
Duty at this post was outpost and town-guard duty. It was a picnic for the boys of Co. G. They cleaned-up, shone, worked very little and grew in fatness. With the easy soldiering a plentiful spicing of fun was always on foot.
When off duty considerable liberty was given the men. Occasionally some contraband who had offended in a slight degree was mercilessly seized and tossed on a blanket. At night the strains of Ziba's violin were heard, and when balls were given the colored people gathered at a vacant warehouse and hoed-it-down finely, their bare feet slapping the boards like shutters loose in the wind. And occasionally one of the soldiers was seen stepping out with a colored lass and dancing the hours away. Those balls were very high-toned.
And so the time passed until April 5th, when another move was to be made. Troops came up from Charleston and on the morning of April 5th the column formed and moved something like nineteen miles, to Potato Ferry, on Black River.
This expedition numbered 3,000 infantry, 80 cavalrymen and two pieces of artillery, under command of Brig. Gen. E. E. Potter. The object of the trip to the interior was destruction of property. Nothing had been heard up North, from the Department, since the fall of Charleston and there must be some excuse for keeping soldiers down there, and so, the boys were marching-on again.
Two companies of the 157th had been left at Georgetown with Major Place. In their stead two companies of the 56th N.Y., were sent to the 157th. Co. G were out with the expedition.
The night at Potato Ferry the rebs fired upon the picket of the 157th and Lieut. Miner captured two of the johnnies. The next night found the boys near Kingstree, after nineteen miles of marching over rough, swampy roads. The feet of the men were wet nearly all day, and wet feet meant blisters. The colored troops felt the severity of the marching—Co. G kept their place in column. The colored troops foraged nobly—Co. G were not allowed to forage. Consequently, the colored troops fed on poultry that night—Co. G fed on bacon.