The Captured Scout of the Army of the James: A Sketch of the Life of Sergeant Henry H. Manning, of the Twenty-fourth Mass. Regiment — John Shaqi
The Captured Scout of the Army of the James: A Sketch of the Life of Sergeant Henry H. Manning, of the Twenty-fourth Mass. RegimentTrumbull, H. Clay (Henry Clay)
History
The Captured Scout of the Army of the James: A Sketch of the Life of Sergeant Henry H. Manning, of the Twenty-fourth Mass. Regiment
Trumbull, H. Clay (Henry Clay)
Manning, Henry Hatch, 1844-1868; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
"How they marched together, sound or sick,
Sank in the trench o'er the heavy spade!
How they charged on the guns at double-quick,
Kept ranks for Death to choose and to pick,
And lay on the beds no fair hands made!"
The Twenty-fourth sweltered and toiled with the other regiments, and won
for itself a proud name by its brilliant charge on the rifle-pits in the
very face of Wagner's guns. Thence it passed down the coast to Florida,
and had a little rest in the quaint old Spanish city of St. Augustine.
VETERAN RE-ENLISTMENTS.--LOVE FOR THE OLD FLAG.
It was while the regiment was at St. Augustine that the call came from
the government for the re-enlistment of its veteran soldiers. It did not
take Henry Manning much longer to make up his mind to a second
enlistment than it did to the first. Had he been wanted for thirty or
fifty years, instead of three or five, he would doubtless have been
ready. God be praised that such boys lived, and were willing to die, in
the hour of our country's need!
A little incident, occurring as the veterans of the Twenty-fourth left
St. Augustine, on the furlough granted them as a consideration of
re-enlistment, well illustrated the character and spirit of the soldiers
of the war. They were gathered about the head of the dock, just ready
to embark for the North, to leave soldier-life for a while behind them.
Their thoughts were naturally of their release from service, and of the
homes and loved ones to which they were hastening. Their comrades, who
were to remain behind, had assembled to see them off: citizens of the
old town were also there; and all was glad-hearted cheerfulness. But
unexpectedly to nearly all, as they stood thus together, the regimental
colors were brought down from Fort Marion, to be taken with them to the
North. As the dear old flag came in sight,--the bullet-rent and
storm-worn colors which they had followed unflinchingly on the weary
march and in the battle's crash, and for which so many whom they loved
had died,--instinctively, as by the word of command, every voice was
hushed; every farewell stayed; and the soldier group parted and fell
back on either hand, in reverent, affectionate regard for that symbol of
all that they lived for then; and, as through the open ranks the loved
flag was borne down the pier to the steamer's deck,--
"Every foot was quiet,
Every head was bare;
The soft trade-wind was lifting
A hundred locks of hair;"
while tearful eyes, in bronzed and manly faces bore precious testimony
to the patriotism and generous devotion of those brave and
tender-hearted soldiers. It was with such men and in that spirit that
Henry Manning came home, in the spring of 1864, on his veteran furlough.
CAMPAIGNS IT IN VIRGINIA.--VOLUNTEERS AS A SCOUT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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