upon going into the fight,) as of the few balls
that were following us up, I lingered in the rear and managed to secure
one. I found a large pile a short distance from the railroad depot,
which our regiment in their hurry to escape passed without securing.
They had a perfect right to have taken them, if they had chosen to. They
suffered severely afterwards for the want of them, and I think if they
should go into a fight again under circumstances that should cause them
to throw away their blankets, especially in mid-winter, they will take
good care to secure another when they come off the field. While getting
my blanket, the regiment passed out of sight and hearing, and coming off
the railroad into the street, the only one I could find whom I knew, was
A. W., who had halted to catch his breath, having become nearly
exhausted in trying to keep up with the regiment. As we could see or
hear nothing of the regiment, I persuaded A. to go with me and get a
blanket, he being also without one. We then returned to the city, and
after awhile found our regiment, in the same place where we started from
in the morning, and in this place we stopped for the night.

In my wanderings the day before the battle, I found an unoccupied house
a short distance from where our regiment passed the night, and not
relishing the idea of lying on the ground in the street, after our hard
day's work, with three others with me, I made for it. We found a room
furnished with a bed and sofa, and fastening the doors, we appropriated
these luxuries to our own particular use, and slept soundly through the
night.

In the morning, I went below to the basement of the house, and found
quite a number of our boys busy cooking. There was a large cooking-range
in the room, and plenty of wood, and finding a barrel of flour in the
house, they were having a feast. I also engaged, and mixing up a batter,
I contrived to cook me a good breakfast. The regiment remained through
the day of the 14th, upon the street, in quiet, and we occupied the room
where we passed the night. There was a piano in the room, a large easy
chair, beside other furniture, and we had a good time "house-keeping" in
our new tenement.

In the morning, finding plenty of soap and water, I took a good wash,
and began to fancy myself at home again. I tried to get S. to wash
himself. The answer he made was, that he should not until he knew
whether his head belonged to himself or to "Uncle Sam." I was qui