drums, the body in a covered United States baggage wagon drawn
by mules, members of Co. G without arms, and the chaplain on
horseback, — a solemn and impressive service, more so because
it is our first. I told the colonel it was not well to make so much
of a parade at a funeral. It depressed the spirits of the men. A
few should be detailed for this service and not the whole regiment.
Nothing can be more sad or solemn than these processions, with
their funereal music, wending their way to the old cemetery, whose
fences have been torn down, whose paths have been grown over,
and the whole appearance of the place telling of war and its rav-
ages. Hundreds of U.S. soldiers are buried here. A board is
the only sign that marks their resting-place. On returning, the
5 2d was out on the parade ground for battalion drill. As Dolly
and I felt well, I thought it was a good time to drill her and my-
BATON ROUGE
39
self a little in military tactics, so, managing to keep in the rear of
the battalion, we capered about till I was tired. Before leaving
the ground there came the long roll. " To your posts ! " was the
order. And in an instant the 5 2d were on the double-quick for
their position on the parapets. There they stood for an hour,
when they were dismissed, I suppose it was to give a little prac.
tice, which the men stood in need of.
January 13, 1863.
Afy dear Wife, — Hurrah ! hurrah ! the long-waited mail has
come at last ! An immense excitement over it ! The first we
have received ! The letters are a month old, but we are glad
enough to get them. Continue to send the newspapers, and ask
your friends to do so. They occupy a great many odd moments,
and, when we are done with them in camp, they do good service in
the hospital. There are many sad, weary hours among that crowd
of sick men ; and newspapers beguile them better than anything else.
yanuary 17. — The most remarkable thing of the last two days
has been the very cold weather, I rarely suffer more than I have
the last two nights, Thursday night was windy and cold, last
night still and colder. The top of the ground was frozen, and ice
formed as thick as window glass. "Not bad," you will say: "a
Yankee ought to stand that." It is these sudden and severe
changes that tell so hard upon the health of men deprived of the
comforts of home. In my last I told you, I believe, that there was
a young man in Co, C — James Graves — sick in the hospital, — a
little, gentlemanly fellow, almost womanly in his refinement. He
lay on the floor between two rough men, who were very sick, one
of them fretful, complaining, and profane, I felt very sorry for
Graves. He is a Sophomore in Yale College. I asked the sur-
geon to allow him to come to my room, and he was brought in upon
a stretcher yesterday, and I am taking such care of him as I can.
He is not very sick, but needs quiet and care ; and these I can
give him, Frank Ball, also, is sick in our room. Sergt. Hos-
mer is sick, and his brother is taking care of him in the captain's
room upstairs. Last night I was up with Graves a good deal, es-
pecially to keep up the fire. About midnight Rev. J. K. came to
my room, and wanted to know if I had some dry sticks of wood to
swap off for some green ones. His wood was burned up, and he
had just come in from chopping some green sticks, and wanted
some dry ones to kindle. Mem. — Ministers should get in wood
enough at night to last till morning.
40 HISTORY OF THE 52D REGIMENT
From Stowell's journal : —
" Have been out drilling in the manual of arms. We have been
forbidden to destroy any property. I wish they would make a
clean sweep as far as we can, and not waste our time and lives in
taking care of that rebel truck.
•* Went out on picket duty yesterday. We are on for twenty-
four hours. One company from each regiment go out about three
miles, and are left, three in a place, along in the woods. Three
others, with myself, act as scouts. The orders to pickets are very
strict in regard to firing a gun or taking property, — hens or any-
thing else. Our captain repeated the orders to us after we were
posted ; but we thought we discovered a twinkle in his eye which
meant, ' If you can do anything and I not know it, why, do it.' Just
at night six pigs came into our lines, two of which were quietly hung
up by their heels in a very few minutes. The next morning I started
with my rifle, went outside the lines about two miles, found a good
fat threeyear-old heifer, drove her into our lines, and shot her,
then, with the help of three or four others, cut her up, put her in
our haversacks. We also killed a shoat and a sheep, which we
put in our sacks, out of sight, so, when we marched in for inspec-
tion, we had the appearance of being empty-handed. Our captain
said not a word, nor asked any questions, but ate his share of the
pig this morning with a good relish.
" We are preparing for a big battle twenty miles above us at
Port Hudson, We expect a bloody fight, as the rebels are strongly
entrenched.
'■'' jfanuary 13, 1863. — Yesterday was a happy day to most of
us. We received a mail for the first time since we left New York.
One poor fellow from Orange had letters telling him his wife was
dead. He takes it very hard.
" The folks at home will never know what the soldier has to
endure. Take my last guard, for instance. In the first place, the
mud was two or three inches deep, and there we must stay twenty-
four hours. We have some little tents to go into half the time ;
but we are not much better ofif for them, for the rain comes
through, and the mud is as bad inside as out. When night comes,
we can stand up or lie down in the mud with all our equipments
on ; for no one is allowed to take them off during the twenty-four
hours he is on guard.
" But we have some good things here to eat. Co. F drew a bar-
rel of flour, and yesterday we had a rarity for dinner and supper.
BATON ROUGE
41
We took half of it and put it in the big cauldron we make our
coffee in, and made a minute pudding. We then took some mo-
lasses, vinegar, water, and made a pailful of good sauce.
" Last Sunday we thought the rebels had come, sure enough.
Our pickets came rushing in, telling us that they had been sta-
tioned about three miles out, and that the rebels had appeared in
force. The long roll sounded, and we started double-quick for the
parapet. There we stayed under arms until night, but no rebels
appeared."
To Mrs. Moors : —
Co. A are living in clover. They are in better health than
any other company. They are on provost duty in the city, and
Capt. Long is provost-martial. On the whole, I think the health
of the regiment has improved within a few days; but we have
a good many sick. I just hear that Gleason, of Co. B, is dead.
The colonel and Capt. Stone dined with us to-day. We had what
John Contraband calls a bang-up dinner, with table-cloth and
crockery plates ; and we have found some plated silver forks. We
had chicken, sweet potatoes, brown bread, and a rice pudding.
It was a triumphant success, especially the portion of the dinner
over which I presided. You must look to your laurels, or I shall
have a cook-book out before you do. We bought two pounds of
butter for a dollar, strong enough to draw a load of wood up my
driveway on High Street.
ya)i. 19, 1863. — I wrote a sheet on Saturday, and have not
had time to write a word since. We buried Gleason just at sun-
set. These deaths have a depressing influence upon the men,
especially upon those in the hospitals. The Whitneys watched
with my two patients. I had a good sleep, so as to be ready for
my Sunday duties. At dress parade on Saturday I urged a bet-
ter attendance on the preaching service, which is entirely volun-
tary. I gave notice that the service to-morrow would be at 10.30
A.M. I hurried up to get my sick men washed and laid back upon
the floor. About nine it was announced that a steamer was com-
ing, I started some >en to the levee to see if there was a mail
for us ; and, lo! theyjeturned bearing a bouncing big one, — about
three bushels, — whichVas emptied upon our floor, and we went
to sorting it with a will. At ten o'clock I sent to the colonel that
the mail would be better for the men than my sermon, and that the
drums better not beat the assembly's call. Continue to send the
newspapers. After I have read them, they go to the hospital.
42 HISTORY OF THE 52D REGIMENT
No service to-day, but prayers at dress parade. After looking to
the sick boys and the supper, I went to the Court House, and had
a service, — about a hundred present, — then to the hospital, and
back to quarters at nine o'clock to get the sick boys in my room to
bed, — as we have to call it, — though it is upon the floor. I was
up at twelve, and sat up three hours ; and Whitney sat up the rest
of the night. Arthur Ball, Co. D, detailed to take care of the chap-
lain and his horse, is ill. So our first care is of him, so that he
may be able to take care of his brother Frank, who is pretty sick.
Graves is better. If it were not for this sickness, we should be in
splendid condition. We begin to feel quite at home here. In
our room we have added one thing after another, till we have as
much as we can take good care of. I have to be " orderly " for
the non-coms. H. W. W. calls me the widowed parson in care of
four orphan boys.
Tuesday P.M. — My time is fully occupied. Graves is better,
begins to take a little broth. Frank Ball is no better, is wander-
ing in his mind. The sickness in the regiment is on the increase.
One hundred and fifty of our six companies are sick, and as many
more not well. Four companies in the 52d Regiment are at
Plaquemine. Two deaths have occurred to-day, — Hall, of Haw-
ley, and Lorenzo Payne, both young men, both dying of typhoid
fever. It takes hold of the young men fearfully. One funeral at
two this afternoon, and I am just going out to the other. I took
a horseback ride with Henry Whitney, to whom I am getting greatly
attached. I shall have to send Frank Ball to the hospital. I am
too busy to take care of him, and Arthur is not well enough to do it.
January 20, i A.M. — Frank is restless and delirious. He is
quite sick. A steamer has just arrived, and we hope for another
mail. The rumor is that we are to move in the morning. I hope
it is not so, but probably we are to be sent further from the river.
It is the common opinion that our proximity to the river is one
cause of so much sickness among us.
We have some fun withal. Day before yesterday Lieut. Hurl-
bert was prowling about the back kitchen of Capt. Long's head-
quarters. He found a nicely packed box. With an axe he
knocked the boards off, and found the dinner service of the estab-
lishment, — nice earthen white ware. Coming into the dining-
room, he whirled our tin plates and cups into, the corner, and set
the table out with the new-found crockery. So now I sit down to
as well-furnished a table as my wife has ; namely, that of the Sec-
retary of State of Louisiana.
IV.
BATON ROUGE, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE PLAQUEMINE
EXPEDITION.
[Jan. 20 TO Feb. ii, 1S62.]
Corp. Hosmer writes : —
" The chaplain was sick lo-day, so T conducted the services for
two of the men, one a boy I knew well at home, — Frank Ball.
He will never see again his pretty cottage home under the trees
by the Connecticut. We were forced to bury them hurriedly, for
it was late, and, I fear, with a less feeling of solemnity than we
once had on such occasions. Funerals have been so frequent of
late, sometimes three or four a day, that they lose their impres-
siveness. Most all the deaths have been among the boys. We do
not suffer as some men of the regiments are suffering close by us ;
but it is enough to cast a shadow, and make us feel the insecurity
of life. But let me turn from these things. We are, after all, not
a gloomy set. The spirits of the men are often high, and there is
much fun going forward.
" A great character in the camp is one Niles, a fellow with many
crotchets in his brain, — too many for it to remain in a normal,
healthy state. He ought hardly to have passed a medical exami-
nation ; but he is a fellow of infinite jest, and his pranks and say-
ings keep up the spirits of the regiment. He has wit. When
that fails, he blunders into capital hits, sparing no one, from the
colonel down. Seeing some officers looking at a big hole in a
hollow tree, he came up, and peered with his queer, whiskered face
into the hole. ' That is a big hole, Niles,' said one of the ofificers.
' Yes,' said Niles, ' next time the long roll is sounded, if it isn't full
of officers, I will come here and hide.' By far the most amusing
thing I have seen since I became a soldier was Niles's parody of
Col. Birge, of the 13th Connecticut, — a veteran regiment, which
went through its admirable drill close to our camp, and whose
commander, at such times, threw himself with unusual energy into
such work. I heard great laughter and shouting on the parade
ground the other day, and, going out, saw Niles mounted on a
lean, long-eared jackass, which he would cudgel with a club until
44 HISTORY OF THE 52D REGIMENT
the animal gave up his obstinacy and went off at an ungainly
gallop. Niles rushed to one side of the field and then to the
other, and roared out his orders, — 'Close column by division, on
second division right in front!' — then whack would go the stick,
and Niles, eager as if in battle, would gallop off to the other side of
the field, — ' Head of column to the left, deploy column on first com-
pany ! ' etc., — an admirable caricature of the efficacy of Col. Birge,
who was always at full gallop, keeping his regiment on the double-
quick. Niles drilled his imaginary command for some time, when
a sergeant, shocked at the indecorum, started after him at full
speed ; but Niles's time had not yet come. As the pursuer ap-
proached, Niles's ungainly steed reared and brayed ; and, while
dodging his heels, the pursuer measured his length in the mud,
leaving Niles, in his shabby uniform, to go on caracoling and
shouting his orders."
From Stowell's journal: —
'■'•January 20. — There are six of our company on picket duty,
and- we are stationed near together ; and I can leave my post a
short time if necessary. So I took a man, and went into the woods
near by. My gun accidentally went off, and hit a cow right in the
head. We took out what six of us could carry into camp to-mor-
row, brought it near our posts, and hid it ; for an officer will come
around once or twice to see if everything is all right. Our rations
have been pretty hard lately. We should have had nothing but
hard-tack. As it is, we shall get along well enough for dinner and
supper to-morrow. I was lucky enough to find an old rusty pan,
which I can clean up ; and it will be nice to fry our meat in.
When we reached camp yesterday, we found everything in hubbub.
Tents were struck, baggage packed, and all the brigade ordered
to leave immediately : where to, we did not know ; but we were
marched out of the city about two miles, and dropped down into
a mud hole, — the most unhealthy place I ever saw. The ground
is half-covered with water. We have got our tent raised up and
floored in good shape.
'•'■Jatiuary 22. — We went to a rebel's house near by, took his
doors off before his eyes, took his hammer and hand-saw, some
sugar and a good spider, and think ourselves fixed up in good
shape. Of course, it makes a man look ugly to see us break the
doors of his house to make floors for our tents, but might, with
rifles to back it, makes everything right. We are most pleased
with our spider. We can make most all kinds of victuals with the
help of that.
BATON ROUGE — PLAQUEMINE EXPEDITION 45
" January 24. — Here I am sitting by a good fire in an old
house. I am acting sergeant. Have a lot of men, part of whom
I have picketed out ; and the rest are lying on the floors, snoring
like good fellows. I have boarded the windows, so no light can
get out ; and the wood in the fireplace is crackling in good shape.
We shall not be cold to-night; for, when the fire gets low, on goes
a chair, a door, or something else. I cannot help but rather like
this business. A man feels so independent and saucy.
" Somebody's cow won't come up to-morrow morning. I do not
know whose it is; but her hind-quarters are hanging up here, and
will form part of our breakfast. Usually, it is hard bread and tea
for breakfast, bread and water for dinner, and bread and tea for
supper again. So we think to-morrow will be about time for a
little beefsteak.
" January 25. — When we got home from picket dut}', we found
Co. D was about having a funeral. I laid aside my gun, put on
my dress coat, and attended. It is unusual to have much notice
taken when a soldier dies ; but in this case there were two
brothers, one a corporal and the other a sergeant. The corporal
was a Unitarian minister at Deerfield, His brother was taken
sick about a week ago with the fever that all have here. The cor-
poral was with him all the time, and took the best care of him ; but
he had to die. The corporal had a rough coffin made for his
brother. The body was brought out, and placed in a gun-box.
The sergeant's gun and equipments were laid upon the coffin, then
his cap, and a little bunch of flowers at a place opposite them.
The corporal stood alone by the coffin through the service. He
was not the only mourner. It brought tears to the eyes of nearly
every one, the colonel and the other officers in particular. He
was twenty-one years of age, and one of the finest men of the
regiment. If I have prayed a sincere prayer, it is that I might
get home alive, and die among my friends. If not, I want to die
by the bullet, and not by disease.
" Our chaplain made a speech to us on dress parade last night,
and its subject was ' Cultivate- a Cheerful Spirit' ; and it is just so.
If a man makes the best of everything, he will be much happier
than if he look on the dark side all the time."
To Mrs. Moors : —
January 21. — This morning came an order to move about a
mile from the river. Frank Ball was sent to the hospital, very
sick. We put Graves in the convalescent hospital, in the wing
4.6 HISTORY OF THE 5 2D REGIMENT
of this building. Everything is gone from the house, except our
" duds." I expect to have a long quiet night of it. It is a relief
to get rid of the sick men. Now we are to go back to tents
again. Ball and I are to have one to ourselves, — a good wall
tent. Capt. Long lends me a confiscated stove. It is a great
deal more quiet here than in the house we have just left; but
the men are grumbling about our new location, it is so wet and
swampy. The fear is that it is not healthy. I am feeling very
well, nothing but a good night's sleep wanting to put me in first-
rate condition.
Friday, jfanuary 23. Under a Magnolia Tree. — I moved yes-
terday, and it occupied all day. The ground here is low; but my
tent is very pleasantly situated under a big magnolia, whose green
leaves are intertwined with the long, gray, pendulous Spanish
moss, which gives it a very pleasant look. Dolly is picketed the
other side of the tree, and so is my constant companion, day and
night. I wish I could send you a photograph of it. The Co. E.
boys put a good floor into my tent, and also a box for me to sleep
in, which would be very well if it were not so suggestive of a
coffin. I hope I can get some hay to put in before a great while.
From the Gazette and Courier : —
jfanuary 23, 1S63. — Sunday was a day of rejoicing among us.
In the morning a mail-bag containing about two and one-half
bushels for the 52d was laid on the floor of the chaplain's room,
and as soon as possible distributed among the eager crowd, impa-
tient to get news from home.
We have a good deal of sickness, as you have doubtless heard.
Seven have already died of typhoid fever. I find that war has its
two sides. If you start from our camp with two or three compan-
ions, all well mounted, and ride about this town an hour, say from
4 to 5 P.M., about the time for dress parade, hear the inspiring
music of the bands, the stirring bugle-call, the martial drum and
fife, and see the long lines of soldiers, the cheerful-looking camps,
the polished guns and well-trained horses of the batteries, and
meet well-dressed officers mounted on horses all grand and ele-
gant, you might fancy that going to war was very fine, and that
the young men missed a great deal who did not enlist. I3ut stop
at that building where you see the red flag. It is a hospital of the
52d Massachusetts Volunteers. Mount the stairs, and look about
you. In this room on the right are ten men, most of them on the
floor. Some have boxes made in the plainest way of a few boards.
BATON ROUGE PLAQUEMINE EXPEDITION 47
Some of them are filled with the dried Spanish moss. Here is a
man suffering with fever ; the next one has dysentery ; the next
one is weak and exhausted, without any particular disease. Go
to the next room, it is the same. The third, and it is a repetition
of what you have seen before. Go across the way, and you find
two or three rooms with patients who are recovering. By the
time you have spent two or three hours in these rooms you will
be persuaded that war has its dark side, — dark, dark enough.
Our regiment is weakened, not only by sickness, but by the ab-
sence of four companies down the river and a great many de-
tailed men.
To Mrs. Moors : —
Saturday Evening, Jan. 24, 1863.
The last two days have been among the happiest and the sad-
dest I have experienced, — happiest because I feel so well and
am enjoying my mode of life very much. Yesterday we re-
ceived a large mail for our regiment, which was very welcome.
I said these days were the saddest, too. The news from Vicks-
burg is very disheartening. The fate of that place determines
ours. In the regiment the aspect of affairs is enough to make
men sober. The fever ! oh, the fever ! Longfellow's chapter in
"Hiawatha" just expresses it. We have had three deaths within
twenty-four hours, and I am sorry to write that Edward Hosmer's
was the last. He died at ten o'clock this a.m., and is to be buried
to-morrow at ten. He was very much beloved and respected by
his company and the regiment. He was, you know, the orderly
sergeant of Co. D. Thompson, of Bernardston, and Culver, of
Shelburne Falls, are both dead. Graves, whom I have called my
little pet, was doing nicely when he left me, but now is not as well.
Lewis, of Co. A, is sick ; and so is Merriam. Horace Allen is
broken down with home-sickness. To tell you of to-day will tell
you how I am spending my time. Rose at six, blacked my boots
(which is a military requirement and no little labor in this sticky
clay), made my bed, swept the floor of my tent, put to rights gen-
erally, and rode to town to breakfast, then to deliver letters, and
then to the river to water Dolly. A boat had just arrived with a
regiment of eleven hundred negroes, — a splendid regiment, worth,
I believe, any two regiments on the ground. They are officered
by colored men, which, I am told, is likely to give great offence
to the white officers here. I sat for a while to see them disem-
bark, and then to the hospital, where I spent an hour and a half
I'
48 HISTORY OF THE 52D REGIMENT
visiting, briefly, every man who was awake, and trying to say
something to him to cheer and help him. It is a hard service, and
draws severely upon one's sympathy. Then to the post-office with
a haversack of letters I had brought from camp. At one back
to dinner, and from there to the funerals of Thompson and Cul-
ver, who were buried together, and with no escort ; then to see
J. K. H., to make arrangements for Ed's funeral to-morrow ; then
with J. K. H. to the cemetery, to select a place of interment ;
back to camp at four, to look up the boys whose parents had writ-
ten to me concerning them, and at seven to have a delightful
quiet hour, writing this. I stayed with Hosmer till half-past nine
last evening. He wanted I should stay all night to watch with
Ed ; but I felt that I needed the night for sleep, as I am to have a
very busy day tomorrow. J. K. is the manliest man there is in the
regiment. He bears this trial nobly, says he should rather Ed
had fallen in battle, but, seeing the lack of nurses, he shall vol-
unteer for that service. He has nursed Ed very tenderly and skil-
fully.
You talk of eating hard-tack and salt junk out of sympathy, but
you need not ; for I eat neither now. We live well enough, —