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| Chapter I—The Recruiting Camp | [1] |
| First steps as a Soldier—The five-day furlough. | |
| Chapter II—The Journey South | [16] |
| The march through Hudson—The stop in New York—Breakfastat "The Cooper Shop"—Arrival at Baltimore—Whenwe first heard the "Long Roll." | |
| Chapter III—Camp Millington, Md. | [23] |
| School of the Soldier—On picket at Catonsville—Trip toGettysburg—Dinner at Hanover—Meeting the 150th—Roastchicken—Stuart's Mansion Hospital. | |
| Chapter IV—On Board the Arago | [61] |
| A morning on Chesapeake Bay—At Newport News—AtFortress Monroe—The journey South continued—Sicknessand death on board—A burial at sea—Quarantined. | |
| Chapter V—Quarantine Station, La. | [73] |
| Cooking graybacks—A big catfish—Starting a graveyard—Themost trying circumstances war can bring. | |
| Chapter VI—Camp Chalmette, La. | [80] |
| Spying out the land—Foiling an attempt at suicide—Clashwith the 28th Maine—An interrupted sermon—Brownell'slast words. | |
| Chapter VII—Camp Parapet, La. | [87] |
| Captain Bostwick gets married—In the hospital at last—Goodcare and treatment—The slow process of gettingwell—The Ponchatoula trip—Mosquitoes and alligators. | |
| Chapter VIII—Port Hudson, La. | [108] |
| Good-bye, Camp Parapet—Going up the river—Stop atSpringfield Landing—Before the works—Capt. Giffordmissing—The first assault—Stealing honey—Scared by asnake—The second assault—The "Forlorn Hope"—CaptainGifford comes back—Vicksburg surrenders—PortHudson follows suit—The laying down of arms. | |
| Chapter IX—Donaldsonville, La. | [149] |
| Leaving Port Hudson—Stop at Baton Rouge—At Donaldsonville—Livingon the fat of the land—How sugar ismade—Hickory Landing—Plaquemine—Baton Rouge. | |
| Chapter X—At New Orleans, La. | [173] |
| Good-bye to the 128th—Down the river to New Orleans—Lookingfor General Grant—Finding General Grant—Joinedthe Corps de Afrique—Franklin's expedition toTexas—The return trip—Pilot Town, La.—Easy times. | |
| Chapter XI—Brashear City, La. | [184] |
| Mustered into the service again—Waiting for orders—Upthe Bayou Teche—Stealing a horse—Meeting the owner—AtMouton's Plantation—The return across the prairie—Asham battle—One kind of southern hospitality—Anotherkind of southern hospitality—Camp life atBrashear City. | |
| Chapter XII—The Louisiana Steam Cotton Press | [230] |
| In winter quarters—Dull times—The fortune-tellers—Anold man's blessing—A pleasant surprise—Leave ofabsence—On board the steamer Creole—Seasick—LosingHenry Holmes—Wholesale visiting—Finding HenryHolmes. | |
| Chapter XIII—On Board the McClellan | [272] |
| The start for Dixie—The McClellan is not the Creole—Atough crowd—Man overboard—Martial law proclaimed—Arrestof the rioters—Storm at sea—Stop at Key West—InNew Orleans again. | |
| Chapter XIV—The Red River Campaign | [286] |
| Camping on The Laurel Hill—At Port Hudson again—Meetingthe 128th—Up the Red River to Alexandria—Twotrips to Grand Ecore—The river falling—The damat Alexandria—The burning of Alexandria. | |
| Chapter XV—The Red River Retreat | [322] |
| Guarding the pontoon train—Sleeping on feathers—Killingthe goose—Forced marching—The fight at YellowBayou—Crossing the Atchafalaya—Another forcedmarch—A raw beef supper—Footsore and weary. | |
| Chapter XVI—Camp at Morganzia, La. | [332] |
| On picket with the western men—Smallpox appears—Apay-day misunderstanding—Building Fort Morgan—Fourthof July dinner—General Order 88—The armymoving away. | |
| Chapter XVII—Our Last Camp in the South | [346] |
| Leaving Morganzia—In camp near New Orleans—Good-bye,Dixie—Homeward bound. | |
CHAPTER I
The Recruiting Camp
First steps as a Soldier—The five-day furlough.
August 19, 1862.
Hudson Camp Grounds. I have enlisted! Joined the Army of Uncle Sam for three years, or the war, whichever may end first. Thirteen dollars per month, board, clothes and traveling expenses thrown in. That's on the part of my Uncle. For my part, I am to do, I hardly know what, but in a general way understand I am to kill or capture such part of the Rebel Army as comes in my way.
I wonder what sort of a soldier I will make; to be honest about it, I don't feel much of that eagerness for the fray I am hearing so much of about me.
It seems to me it is a serious sort of business I have engaged in. I was a long time making up my mind about it. This one could go, and that one, and they ought to, but with me, some way it was different. There was so much I had planned to do, and to be. I was needed at home, etc., etc. So I would settle the question for a time, only to have it come up to be reasoned away again, and each time my reasons for not taking my part in the job seemed less reasonable. Finally I did the only thing I could respect myself for doing,—went to Millerton, the nearest recruiting station, and enlisted.
I then threw down my unfinished castles, went around and bid my friends good-bye, and had a general settling up of my affairs, which, by the way, took but little time. But I never before knew I had so many friends. Everyone seemed to be my friend. A few spoke encouragingly, but the most of them spoke and acted about as I would expect them to, if I were on my way to the gallows. Pity was so plainly shown that when I had gone the rounds, and reached home again, I felt as if I had been attending my own funeral. Poor old father and mother! They had expected it, but now that it had come they felt it, and though they tried hard, they could not hide from me that they felt it might be the last they would see of their baby.