Drum Taps in Dixie: Memories of a Drummer Boy, 1861-1865
John Stuart Mill · en
“I thought once I had lost it. You remember the day we had that running
fight at Sailor’s Creek when we were chasing Lee and waded the stream
waist deep? The banks were steep, you know, and fringed with bushes that
got tangled with our equipments as we went through them. Well, somehow or
other my coffee pot got pulled off my haversack, but I did not know it
until we had got some distance away, when one of the boys who used it
regularly, exclaimed: ‘By thunder, Will, you’ve lost your coffee pot, and
what in Sam Hill will we do for coffee now?’”
“I remembered having it when we crossed the creek, for several of us used
it to fill our canteens, so I told my pardner I was going back after it. I
found it hanging to a bush and was better pleased than if I had picked up
a hundred dollar greenback.”
ARMY CHAPLAINS.
Just why the 2d New York did not have a chaplain I do not know, and it is
too late now to find out. Probably the officers didn’t want one or else
there were not enough to go around among the 2,000 or more organizations
in the service, for we were not the only regiment without one.
There were some grand men who served as chaplains and they not only
ministered to the soldiers in spiritual matters, but looked after the
welfare of the men in many ways. Particularly were they of service to the
wounded on the battlefield. I never heard of a cowardly chaplain and
instances are not few in number where they were wounded or taken prisoner.
There were also several killed in battle.
Speaking of a regiment not having a chaplain, reminds me of an old camp
fire story about two New York regiments between which existed great
rivalry. An earnest and eloquent chaplain was conducting a series of
meetings among the regiments that were without chaplains and he went to
the colonel of one of the regiments referred to and asked permission to
hold divine services. The colonel told him it would do no good. “The truth
is, chaplain, the boys are the devil’s own fighters, but I am afraid you
would find it a tough job trying to make saints out of them.”
The chaplain insisted he should like to hold a service and mentioned
incidentally that he had preached several times to the ----d New York and
there had been a number of converts. “Why only last Sunday I baptized a
dozen of them.”
At the mention of his rival the bluff old fighter was interested and
immediately gave his consent.
The Sunday following the regiment was drawn up in a hollow square and the
colonel told the men that he had invited chaplain “so-and-so” to preach
to them and then added: “If one of you dares to make faces, laugh or even
move I’ll order you to the guard house with ball and chain.”
The men were all attention during the preaching and when the chaplain had
finished he was surprised to hear the colonel give the following order to
the adjutant:
“Officer, detail 24 men for baptism immediately. I’ll be d--d if we are
going to be beaten in anything by that dirty, cowardly --d New York.”