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Updated: June 10, 2025
Soldiers, waking from sound sleep, buckled on their cartridge-boxes, seized their guns, and took their places in the ranks before they were fairly awake. The drummers beat the long-roll, the buglers sounded the signal for saddling horses, the artillery-men got their guns ready, cavalry-men leaped into their saddles, baggage-wagons went thundering towards the river.
I commend the Fortieth Illinois and Thirteenth Missouri for thus holding their ground under heavy fire, although their cartridge-boxes were empty. I am ordered by General Grant to give personal credit where I think it is due, and censure where I think it merited.
Other smaller ridges were marked with the number of dead lying under them. The whole ground was strewed with fragments of clothing, haversacks, canteens, cap-boxes, bullets, cartridge-boxes, cartridges, scraps of paper, portions of bread and meat. I saw two soldiers' caps that looked as though their owners had been shot through the head.
"Come on. Shorty." Si yelled. "I don't believe they've got a shot left. They hain't fired once since they started." He was right. Their cartridge-boxes had been emptied. At the bottom of the hill a creek crossing the road made a deep, wide quagmire. The rebels were in too much hurry to pick out whatever road there might have been through it.
"Put that one beside it, and leave just room between them for me to peer out. I want to see whether it's possible to do as you did, Val, and bring out a wagon of cartridge-boxes."
Being on foot myself, no man could complain, and we generally went at the double-quick, with occasional rests. The road lay along Deer Creek, passing several plantations; and occasionally, at the bends, it crossed the swamp, where the water came above my hips. The smaller drummer-boys had to carry their drums on their heads, and most of the men slang their cartridge-boxes around their necks.
They were tired of carrying muskets and cartridge-boxes; and, in the next fight, as they expressed it, they had determined to be "distinguished or extinguished." The determined manner with which it was said impressed me, so that I awaited results with interest. A fortnight had not elapsed before their opportunity came, and they proved true to their resolve.
The room into which he conducted me contained no furniture except a large deal table and some chairs; also a cupboard, a long mantelpiece, and some shelves against the walls. On every available place were pipes, pouches, revolvers, cartridge-boxes, and empty bottles.
When I came to the right appearances were different. The enemy had come out in full force to cut his way out and make his escape. McClernand's division had to bear the brunt of the attack from this combined force. His men had stood up gallantly until the ammunition in their cartridge-boxes gave out.
"Am I your officer, sir, or am I not?" said Archie fiercely. "Yes, sir, of course; and I know I ought to obey the word of command. But you don't want me to do impossibilities, now, do you, sir?" "What do you mean?" "Why, sir, you don't want me to carry you and the cartridge-boxes too?" "No; I should carry my share, of course." "Yes, sir; but I should be having Paddy's load.
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