Soldier's Letter, Civil War - April 1863

 Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, Aril 29, 1863

Letter from the 161st Regiment N.Y.S.V.

[unreadable], April 4th, 1863

Messrs. Editors:  Well, we have been up to Port Hudson, there or whereabouts, or that vicinity (as a particular friend of mine used to say up in Chenango) and we have got back all safe; and so is Port Hudson too, for that matter.  We were under marching orders for about ten days and finally started on the morning of the 14th of last month. We marched in easy marching order, which means from fifty to sixty pounds of baggage to each man, and [that] makes no trifling load for one to carry ten or twenty miles a day. We constituted a part of the 3d Division and were held as a reserve.  The morning was cool and airy, as all our mornings are here, and we moved off in fine spirits expecting and hoping for a battle the next day.  Our line of march for three or four miles was through a dense forest, and over a beautiful and level road made of a springy kind of clay which, when dry, is as soft and firm to the feet as a brussels carpet; but when not is a kind of liquid putty having the strongest kind of affinity for anything in the shape of shoe leather.  Our road ran parallel to the river and after leaving the forest was skirted on either side by large sugar plantations which had the appearance of being abandoned by the occupants about the time of our arrival here last winter, as last year's crop of grain was ungathered and rotting on the ground.  It appears singular to a northern man that there is no dwelling house of any kind along the highways in this country.  All of the buildings are situated a half or three-quarters of a mile back, and one can just see the tops of the chimneys of the sugar houses above the surrounding trees.  The only evidence of civilization visible in the shape of "entertainment for man or beast."

The hot sun, after we entered the clearings, soon began to tell upon the men who were unused to marching under such heavy burdens, and now and then some poor fellow would drop out, faint and wearied, by the wayside. Stopping behind to assist one of our men to get aboard one of the baggage wagons, I fell entirely to the rear of the whole division, our regiment passing ahead some two miles or more.  In endeavoring to overtake, I experienced for the first time the full bounties of a double quick movement and a knapsack drill combined.  Weary with the march and nearly exhausted with the heat, I sat for a moment to rest, and while doing so Gen. Auger and Staff halted in the road opposite of me.  Scattered firing towards the right directed the General's attention to that quarter where he espied soldiers pursuing and firing into a flock of sheep.  Calling an Orderly to him, and pointing in the direction of the sheep, the Gen. ordered him to take one of those fellows and bring to him adding in an under tone that he would make an example of one of them.  Off started the orderly and so did the general.  Half an hour afterwards I passed the General halted at the head of the 21 Brigade, and as I did so up rode his orderly with a half grown lamb strung across his saddle bows.  Saluting the General he remarked "General, I've got one of them, but he is rather a small one."  The General turned sharply around; his eye rested for a moment upon the sheep; his first glance was indignation; the next, one of merriment at the ludicrous mistake, and merely remarking "you are a d--- fool," rode on.  In the evening l, having business at headquarters, I observed the General and Staff had mutton for supper.

I overtook our regiment about noon.  Soon after we bivouacked in a beautiful wood bordering a plantation. A few of the men soon scattered over the plantation in pursuit of loot and so to the luckless sheep, hogs or chickens which showed themselves to our men.  They were speedily "gobbled up" regardless of Army General Orders to the contrary. A small squad of Company K's men with their rifles went out to secure some fresh meat for supper, and [unreadable] a guard had been detailed to seize all men found confiscating property on the plantation.  I, with a view to bring in our men and to visit a plantation in full working order, set out in pursuit of the men.  I first visited the cotton house, which contained about fifty bales of cotton, half ginned and half in the ball as picked. this would have brought quite a little fortune up north.  It being a superior article would bring $400 a bale, but here under the circumstances, if I had owned it, I would have traded the whole lot for a half dozen chickens or a dozen eggs.  I next visited the plantation house which I found to be an unimposing looking edifice, about a third class farm house in Chenango, the negro quarters in the rear being miserable, dilapidated shanties. A guard had been stationed around the premises to protect the sheep, cattle, hogs and chickens of the owner.  But notwithstanding the guard, the frequent squealing of pigs and squawking of hens indicated that the work of jayhawking was still going on. The owner was almost distracted at the sudden incoming of the Yankees, and the consequent out goings of his domestic animals.  He was gesticulating, raving and running about like a madman.  Now a gun fired in the vicinity of the pig yard and off he would start in that direction on a double quick. Then a hen or turkey would flutter in another direction and then right about to the rear on a run, all the time making loud professions of his neutrality.  I should have had more sympathy for him had I not learned from  a conversation with his negroes that they had but just returned from Port Hudson whither they had been sent by their master to work on fortifications.  His wife, a sleepy, sympathetic looking woman complained bitterly of the meanness this play by the Yankee soldiers and showed her neutrality by comparison between them and "our soldiers" as she termed the rebels, a party of whom left as our advance came in sight. They steadfastly refused to sell anything to us though offered four times its value in Government notes, and to tell the truth, before the army left the next morning, I'd not believe they had anything in the shape of eatables to sell.

I found our guard in the yard and was glad to learn that they had taken nothing, for in the army "orders are orders," and though we deem them wrong they must be obeyed. While talking with the planter's family an order came from Gen. Dudley to arrest every man found upon the premises and to being them before him forthwith.  So there being no alternative, we fell into line, a large company of us, and off we started.  I being the only professional man in the company considered myself retained to defend the whole squad, and as I had frequently observed that appearance went a great ways in condemning or acquitting one charged with an offense, my first efforts were to put the men in as good shape as possible to support the defenses I intended to set up .  A large portion of the men had their guns with them. These we managed to dispose of by the help of friendly outsiders.  Some of the men went after water and had a number of canteens full, and by substracting from those who had a surplus and adding to those who had none we were prepared to put in the plea, with a good, outside show of success.  "Went after Water," which, if we could establish, would entitle us to an honorable acquittal.  We arrived at headquarters, were mildly received by the General who kindly listened to our defense, and as none of the confiscated property was found in our possession we were dismissed with a recommendation to get our water nearer camp and the captain of the guard was ordered to be more diligent to guarding his post from surprise by the enemy, and to display less zeal in protecting a secesh hen roost.  We left with a high opinion of the judicial qualities of our General. We slept upon our arms that night with no other covering but our blankets, and being very tired slept soundly until about midnight, when we were awakened by the booming cannon which announced that the "Ball had opened" and the expected attack had commenced. At first we could distinguish a pause or short interval between the report of each gun when fired, but soon as all the batteries of the enemy opened fire and the whole fleet had been brought into action, these intervals were raised and one could hear but one long continuous roar, resembling deep and loud thunder. About two o'clock, the firing gradually ceased, save a few shots from a ship descending the river. We soon discovered that it was a ship on fire from the bright flame which lit up the heavens for some distance around.  Soon the bright flame leapt like lightning heavenward, earthward and all around us, followed instantaneously by a report so sharp, so loud, so unlike any thing I ever heard before that I can find no words adequate to afford you a description.  It was the explosion of the flag ship Mississippi with her tons of powder and thousands of shells. [unreadable].  After this, the firing entirely ceased.  We were drawn up in line of battle, ignorant of the fate of the attack made by the fleet.  Our commandant evidently expected an imminent attack from the rebels, as word was passed along the lines to allow no man to fall out to assist the wounded, but to leave them to the care of the ambulance corps, but we saw nothing of the rebels who remained behind their entrenchments and acted strictly on the defensive. 

About noon, we formed our lines rearward and marched to Baton Rouge, but with far less alacrity and a heavier step than when we passed over the same ground the day before.  We bivouacked at Bayou Monticello without shelter of any kind. During the night the rain poured down in torrents, wetting us all to the skin.  The men were dispirited and disheartened.  But the next day being addressed by Gen. Banks and assured by him that the expedition was all he designed' that Commodore Farrogut had passed the batteries at Port Hudson with the Hartford and Albatross, and cheered by a gill apiece of "H.I.legiral" as the men facetiously call "Old Bourbon," they received again and were as cheerful as ever.  We were conveniently encamped near a sugar mill which contained thousands of pounds of excellent sugar abandoned by its owner.  The men helped themselves liberally. We stayed there four days when we were ordered back here.  After receiving orders we packed up, formed in line and marched back to ----, a distance of five miles, in one hour and thirty minutes. This too under a burning midday sun.  A boat was waiting for us at the wharf to transport us to Point Coupes, a point nearly opposite Port Hudson.  We staid about half an hour in camp and then embarked.  What I did and saw there I will tell you in my next.

Thanks for the full files of Telegraph received.

Your, &c., H.E.W.