-blast them, if
they come fooling around trying to scare anybody, I wouldn't go to a
hospital, not much. I talked with Jim about it, and he felt about as I
did. He didn't want any more fighting, and while he couldn't go to the
hospital, he was going to try and get detailed to drive a six mule
team for the quartermaster, but he cleaned up his gun all the same, and
looked over his cartridges to see if they were all right. We got up
next morning, got our breakfast, and Jim asked me if I was going to the
hospital and I told him I would wait till afternoon. I asked him if he
was going to drive mules, and he said not a condemned mule, not until
the fight was over. There was a good deal of riding around, orderlies,
staff officers, etc. Artillery was moving around, and about eight o
clock some of our boys who had been on picket all night, came in looking
tired and nervous, saying they had been shot at all night, and that the
rebels had got artillery and infantry till you couldn't rest, and they
would make it mighty warm for us before night. Orders come to each
company, that no soldier was to leave camp under any circumstances, to
go to town or anywhere. I told Jim if he was going to drive mules, he
better be seeing the quartermaster sergeant, but he said he never was
much gone on mule driving, anyhow. But he said if he looked as sick as
I did he would go to the hospital too quick. I told him there wasn't
anything the matter with me. Pretty soon, over to the right, near the
river, there was a cannon discharged. It was not long before another
went off around to the left, and then a dozen, twenty, a hundred,
all along the line. They were rebel cannon, and pretty soon they were
answered by our batteries. Then there was a rattling of infantry, and
the noise was deafening. I expected at the first fire that our bugler
would come out in front of headquarters and blow for heaven's sake, for
us to saddle up, but for three hours we loafed around camp and no move
was made. It was tiresome. We started to play cards several times, but
nobody could remember what was trumps, and we gave that up. Some of our
boys would sneak up on to a hill for a few minutes, against orders, and
come back and say that they could see the fight, and it was which and
tother. Then a few more would sneak off, and after awhile the whole
regiment was up on the hill, looking off to the hills and valleys,
watching rebel shells strike our earth works and throw up the dust,