CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||
| [CHAPTER I] | 11 | |
My enlistment in the Union Army—The "Bushwhackers"of Missouri—The Quantrells and theJames Brothers—Cutting a man's head off—Myfirst adventure in the war—Capturing a guerrilla. | ||
| [CHAPTER II] | 22 | |
We leave Missouri and go South—The prisoners ofDonelson—The taking of New Madrid—"Kindlybury this unfortunate officer"—Quaker guns atShiloh—The killing of the colonel. | ||
| [CHAPTER III] | 29 | |
Iuka, the fiercest battle of the war, 217 men out of482 of my regiment are shot—The awful rebelcharge at Corinth—Moonlight on the battlefield—Bushelsof arms and legs—Tombstones for fireplaces—Oneof Grant's mistakes . | ||
| [CHAPTER IV] | 40 | |
An unlucky campaign led by General Grant—HollySprings burned up—The first foragers—Some modernFalstaffs—Counting dead men. | ||
| [CHAPTER V] | 49 | |
The laughable campaign of the war—An army floatingamong the tree tops of the Yazoo Pass. | ||
| [CHAPTER VI] | 54 | |
Grant's new plan at Vicksburg—Running the Vicksburgbatteries—An hour and a half of horror—Thebatteries are passed—The most important eventin the war. | ||
| [CHAPTER VII] | 63 | |
Crossing the Mississippi on gunboats and steamers—Battleof Port Gibson—How General Grant lookedto a private soldier—A boy from Mississippi—Fightsat Raymond—Battle of Jackson in a thunderstorm—Digginghis brothers' grave—Grant in battle—Savinga flag—How men feel in battle—An awfulspectacle—The critical moment of General Grant'slife—A battlefield letter from him to Sherman. | ||
| [CHAPTER VIII] | 87 | |
Assaults on the walls of Vicksburg—Logan in battle—Anarmy mule—A promotion under the guns ofVicksburg—A storm of iron hail at Vicksburg—TheVicksburg clock—The town surrenders—Theglad news—Reading my first order to the regiment—Myregiment put on guard in the captured city—Eightdays' furlough in four years of war. | ||
| [CHAPTER IX] | 102 | |
Sherman's army floats across the Tennessee River atmidnight—Washington at the Delaware nothingcompared to this—We assault Missionary Ridge—Anawful battle—My capture. | ||
| [CHAPTER X] | 111 | |
In Libby Prison—Life there—"Belle Isle"—All prisonsbad—The great escape—"Maryland, My Maryland." | ||
| [CHAPTER XI] | 119 | |
Escaping from Macon—An adventure in Atlanta—Inthe disguise of a Confederate soldier—My wanderingsinside the Confederate army and what Iexperienced there—I am captured as a spy—HowI got out of it all. | ||
| [CHAPTER XII] | 137 | |
Under fire of our own guns at Charleston—Trying tocapture a railway train—The secret band—Betrayed—Thedesolation of Charleston. | ||
| [CHAPTER XIII] | 144 | |
Living in a grave—An adventure in the woods ofSouth Carolina—Life in the asylum yard at thecapital of South Carolina—The song of "Sherman'sMarch to the Sea"—How it came to be written—Finalescape—The burning up of South Carolina'scapitol. | ||
| [CHAPTER XIV] | 174 | |
The army in the Carolinas—General Sherman sendsfor me—Gives me a place on his staff—Experiencesat army headquarters—Sherman's life on the march—Musicat headquarters—Logan's violin—The General'sfalse friend—The army wades, swims, andfights through the Carolinas—I am sent as despatchbearer to General Grant—A strange ridedown the Cape Fear River in the night—GeneralTerry—Learn that my song "The March to theSea" is sung through the North, and has given thecampaign its name—I bring the first news of Sherman'ssuccess to the North—An interview withGeneral Grant. | ||
| [CHAPTER XV] | 198 | |
Washington City in the last three days of the war—Look,the President!—The last man of the regiment. | ||
PREFACE
In war some persons seek adventures; others have them in spite of themselves. It happened that the writer of this book belonged to a regiment that seemed to be always in the midst of great experiences. It was, in fact, one of the few regiments that absolutely fought themselves out of existence. It was mustered in a thousand strong; it lost seven hundred and seventy-seven men by death, wounds, and disease. The fragment that was left over was transferred to a cavalry command. When the writer finally escaped from prison, after many months of confinement and many thrilling adventures both in prison and in the army of the enemy, he was mustered out as a "supernumerary officer." His command had ceased to exist. He was literally the last man of the regiment. Of the eighty of his regiment who had been taken to prison with him all but sixteen were dead. Of the nine captured from his own company all were dead but one.
While with his command he had served as a private soldier, as sergeant, and as adjutant. On escaping from prison he was for a time on General Sherman's staff and was selected to run down the Cape Fear River and carry the great news of Sherman's successes to the people of the North.
He kept a diary every day in the four years of war and adventure. The substance of the facts related here is from its pages; occasionally they are copied just as they are there set down. The book is not a history of great army movements, it is simply a true tale of the thrilling experiences of a subordinate soldier in the midst of great events.