Sunday, December 2, 2012

1862 December 3 11 miles from Camp Casey on road to Fredericksburg

[from the diary of the Rev. Francis Butler, chaplain of the 25th New Jersey]


Dec 3.  roused at reveille – 6. A.M.   breakfast sweet potatoes – fried
ham   toast   coffee – feel reinforced – prayers before breakfast -.
Camp in stir – we take rear guard today – hard job –
Yesterday 15th straggled & advanced so much that our boys
sd. there was a “telegraph line” of them reaching from here to Camp
Casey.  Fairfax Sem” – It looks like rain – We have had
fine weather & good roads only steep hills so far.   Gen. Wright
is lame fr. being turned over - & rides in Ambulance.
We do not march until 10 today to allow train supplies to
come up.  Assisted in march of regt.   Pretty good road –
not so hilly – Abercrombie’s brigade has a large baggage
train just behind – us – marched slow at first & two fast
at last – but two stragglers fr. one regt. large numbers from
15th Connt. & other regts.  men shot & skinned pigs, chickens
geese – on march.  They have 15th Conn. has used too much
whiskey & quinine, I reckon – encamped at 5 ½ in a
beautiful wooded slope – oak openings – a bright
moonlight night.  The band of 13 N.H. discoursed while
we adere [?] at Supper – on roast chickens (those I brot. in fr.
Picket) potatoes & toast.  Tis sd. one of Co Iy. men is
crazy, left hospital & joined regt.   he thinks Jeff Davis is
in his Knapsack - & thrusts his bayonet into it at times
to kill him.  We passed Piscataway   a sleepy old village
early this morng.   region thinly populated & inhabitants
complain of depredations of yesterdays troops.
I marched a foot with musket – about 3 or 4 miles while
a tired soldier rode.  At a halt the boys cut down a
persimmon tree & charged on it as it fell & left in
three seconds not one persimmon on it.  I among them.


We are sd. to be about 6 miles fr. Port tobaca, if so marched
about 11 miles – today – most of it was done since
about 2 P.M.  Some think we go to Acquia Creek &
join Burnside before Fredericksburg, others by transports
to fortress Monroe & so up &c.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12935

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