Opening of the Shelling of the City by the enemy – Aug 22/65

On the 23^rd August we received the news of the enemy’s firing on the city the day before from Morris Island without giving sufficient warning for the removal of the women and children this news filled our hearts with such indignation that we would have been willing to attack even the “Swamp Angel” itself, as the battery was called from which they fired, being situated in the swamp off Morris Island.

Sick in Camp

I had not long entered again upon the duties of camp when I was taken with a severe attack of diarrhea, occasioned by the change of water and diet. I had suffered from it one week before reporting to the surgeon when Lieut. Whelden called Dr. Cannon’s attention to me, who ordered me to remain in bed, and dosed me so with Quinine, Calomel, Opium &c. that I was soon so badly salivated that I could hardly speak nor even drink a glass of water without swallowing with great pain every mouthful separately. To show the want of proper [101] nourishment in camp among the sick, I’ll state a case that happened to myself at that time: feeling the desire for a little food, I sent word by one of my comrades to the cook, a mulatto engaged by the company for the purpose to prepare me a little gruel; not long after he sent me what was intended as such, but what was nothing more than some of the hominy left over from that morning’s breakfast, with a little hot water poured over it to soften it, this want of consideration irritated me so that sick as I was I got up and went with it to Lieut. Whilden to whom I showed it; he immediately ordered the cook to clean one of his chickens and make me a broth, which proved quite a delicacy to me, as I had hardly eat anything for a whole week as my stomach in its weak state revolted against eating the coarse hominy and rancid bacon that we were getting at that time; after that up to the time I left for the hospital, Lieut. Whilden supplied me from his table with what I could eat.

Adam’s Run Hospital

Being so weakened by my illness and not getting the necessary attention in camp I was, on the 15^th Sept. 1863, sent [102] by ambulance to Adam’s Run Hospital, “the Post Hospital” as it was called; any able bodied person who has had occasion to ride 30 miles in an ambulance over a rough road can imagine my case, such a travel for a person in anything but traveling condition; this ride took the whole day so that I only arrived at my destination in the evening, weak and exhausted. While at this place I had full opportunity to learn the horrors of a hospital; here lies one groaning with great pain; the other, who needs not the eye of the professional to see that he is in the last agonies of death, while there again lies a poor fellow (?) whose warfare is already ended, who has fought his last battle, and who shall report to the great Captain in a better world, these scenes are surely far from pleasant, and often reminded me that I too may perhaps be thus “exchanged”.

Convalescent Hospital

Proper attention and nourishment here soon improved me, so that three days after my arrival I was already transferred to “the Convalescent Hospital”, where the surroundings were more endurable, if not pleasant, the diet better and the treatment more lenient; I remained there until the 23^rd September when I had to go before the [103] “Examining Board” of the Hospital, consisting of three Surgeons of the Post, who granted me a furlough of thirty days to recruit my health and strength at home, with which result I was very much pleased.

Sick Furlough thirty days to Walhalla

Having received my necessary papers and transportation I that afternoon left by train for Charleston, en route for Walhalla; having reached the city I hired a light wagon to take me to Hartz’s where I intended again stopping; arriving near their house I noticed my cousins, Eliza and William standing in the door, the former upon noticing my steady gaze at her modestly withdrew; not even when I went up to her and called her by name did she recognize me, as I had lost considerably during my illness, and I had been unable during that time to shave myself my beard was of considerable length. Making myself known I met with every sympathy and kindness from all. Having taken some of my rustiness off I retired early, enjoyed a good night’s rest, and awoke next morning happy at the thought of being unexpectedly so soon again on my way to my loved ones; that day I [104] remained in the city, and visited several of my friends, by whom I was cordially greeted.

Visiting the “Gilmore District”

I during the day took a stroll down to the “Gilmore District” as the burnt district or the part in the reach of Gen. Gilmore’s shells was called. I could not see much damage yet from the shelling, but was much struck with the solitude and quiet that reigned there, the people having removed from the dangerous proximity of those deadly missiles, the busiest part of the city had been transformed into the most quiet, trade had its place higher up in King Street, the Post Office being in the old American Hotel, corner of George Street.

Walhalla

Leaving that evening for Walhalla, I, after a weary journey, made more so by my weak condition, arrived at my destination that evening, Sept. 27^th 1863, where I was again most warmly greeted, and met with kindness and sympathy from all;

Taken with Chills & Fever Oct 6^th 63

when I had about regained my strength, I was on the 6^th October taken with a bad case of Chills and Fever; This malady would not confine me to my bed, but coming at regular intervals a severe chill followed by a hot fever, from which cause it takes its [105] name, again and again at first on every other day, then every third, and so on with increasing spaces of time as its strength became less; this at length weakened me so that I was at last hardly able to walk. In this way my thirty days expired, my condition in that time having sooner got more worse than better; I could not return to camp in the condition I was in, so no alternative was left me but to send a Certificate from a resident Physician, as no regular surgeon was there, and having the same sworn to by a magistrate as required in that case, which I did, the same granted me an extension of further thirty days; during this time I was at regular intervals still attacked by the disagreeable malady for which I could get no proper remedy, the small quantity of Quinine I had had with me in the shape of a few pills was long already exhausted, and none could be had there “for love or money”; every remedy recommended to me I had tried from “Bone Set Tea” to hot black coffee or strong Pepper Vinegar; many of these I had never heard and no doubt have never been prescribed by any medical work. I was [106] by some even recommended to try “Sympathy”, and should for that purpose write to a certain gentleman of Greenville, but one condition of a cure being a perfect faith in its success, I would not apply as I lacked that “perfect faith”. So I remained at the mercy of the dread disease, until at last seeing no help otherwise I wrote to Lieut. Whilden to send me some Quinine, which he did, and which soon put a stop to its further visitations. But by that time my second month had passed, and I was not yet able to resume the duties of camp; as my strength had not yet been regained I was hardly in a fit condition to travel much less to perform a soldier’s duties, so another application was made and a further twenty one days granted me. During this time my health and strength was rapidly recuperated, so that at last I could enjoy the time left me of my furlough, although my convalescence brought also the desire to again fill the place in the ranks that had been so long now vacant. Christmas drew near and parties were given by [107] the young people of the town, and the visitors there, and were enjoyed very much. Shortly after my arrival my friends, M. K. H. Ostendorff, I. Henry Ostendorff, I Hermann Pieper and Hermann Knee had also come up on sick furloughs and were by this time also far enough advanced in health to take part in these parties, our number was also increased by the arrival of some young men from the city among whom were John Mehrtens, Louis Deitz and Leopold Schnell so that we had quite a lively crowd, Mr. Deitz being the foremost among them.

Christmas at Walhalla

Christmas eve arrived and knowing the privilege of the same the young men, with the exception of myself having drank to some extent of the Egg Nog offered by friends when we visited were ready for any mischief offering, and soon also at it; this consisted in unhanging the gates on the various premises and hanging them on top of the well houses, taking down a rail fence of a Mr. Harvey’s that surrounded his lot at the upper end of town and running it across the road and establishing [108] a more effective blockade than that of the Stone fleet in Charleston Harbor, having previously though taken a wagon some distance up the road. In fact every thing movable like chairs benches, signs &c was taken to where it did not belong and something else put in its place. Next morning when the good people awoke to “a merry christmas” they felt any thing but merry when they saw the mischief done, “Santa Claus” had bestowed upon one the feed block of his neighbor; I forgot to mention in its proper place that the name given in joke to the place “Hog Wallow” was on account of the many hogs that wallowed in the streets of the same, every family, every house had a number of large or small porkers running at large so that a feed block was an indispensable article and was generally found just outside of the gate of the premises; to which the said porkers would come at stated times during the day for their food, when the deep grunt of the old or the shrill squeak of the younger ones of the tribe was a sound not very melodious to the ear. The reader will excuse my digression, and bringing that [109] uncleanly animal, the hog, into my narrative at this so unsuitable a period and linking him in connection with the children’s favorite saint, almost in the same sentence, but the object of feed blocks had to be explained to those not “used to country ways”. But to resume the thread of the story; the mythical individual before mentioned had bestowed upon others of the inhabitants of the town the gates belonging to houses at the other end of town and which did not half begin to replace the missing ones, which had perhaps been hung upon one of the well houses, on one of which as many as four gates were hung on the top, all belonging to parties in the various parts of town; chairs were hung where signs had originally been, and signs where anything could be had but what was offered on them; benches were taken out of the piazzas and placed in the middle of the road as if for the convenience of the weary traveler. Still the good people with their good nature took it in the best of humor, and laughed themselves over the general “mixing up” [110] of things; on account of the day, they excused the frolic as a sort of privilege of the same. The Christmas holidays were passing “mid pleasures and” parties, and New Year was at hand, so the young men intending to make some return to the young ladies of the place for their many kindnesses, concluded to give them a ball, the same to take place the evening before New Years day (Sylvester) A committee consisting of I. Henry Ostendorff, John H Ostendorff and myself were appointed or chosen to arrange the same, and as the time was short preparations were begun immediately: refreshments ordered; a place for the ball, and a band engaged and the young ladies invited and we were ready and anxiously awaiting the day. The evening came and the weather unpropitious, but nothing daunted an omnibus was ordered, and one of the committee appointed to wait on the young ladies with the same and bring them to the ball; so in a pouring rain our Ôbus load of belles arrived, fifteen happy and smiling faces, eager and anxious for the dance; another trip added to the company, [111] and soon all were present, but “where is the music” is asked on all sides, and we soon saw that they had disappointed us, they had been ordered from Anderson but had not come; but that did not matter much to the ladies they had often enough danced by “home made music”, and were in for pleasure and pleasure they would have; an accordion was on the premises and also some among the party who could play it, and soon its notes summoned to the dance. At these parties, I generally played a secondary part, I did not or could not dance, and like the boy warned by his mother not to go into the water till he could swim, did not like to dance till I was able. I regretted the fact very much as it deprived me of a great deal of the pleasure that the others enjoyed; but a few days later I was made to go into it “noleus volens” by one of my lady friends. The night of the ball passed with dancing and pleasure, and when the day, the first of the year 1864, was dawning over the distant mountains the party broke up, with a general wish [112] all around of “a happy New Year,” and went to their respective homes; during the night the rain had ceased and a very heavy frost taken its place, so that the roads were like sheets of ice, while a stinging cold wind added not a little to the unpleasantness of the temperature.

That day proved a bitter cold one, and with the loss of sleep the night before did not tend to improve the disagreeableness of feelings of the party that assembled at Knee’s that evening, they were one and all hardly able to keep their eyes open, and more disposed to taking a nap than carrying on a conversation, and were only too glad when they could at last retire to a good night’s sleep.

January 8^th I was to leave for camp and by chance the same day had been chosen by a number of the young men to return to the city; until that time we had invitations to parties nearly every evening, even until 1 o’clock on the morning of our departure we were enjoying the hospitalities of our friends. But be it spent agreeably or otherwise “time flies apace”, and the hour soon arrived when [113] I should once more bid Walhalla and my relatives and friends farewell, to return to the front to battle in my country’s cause. Our party left Walhalla on the day appointed, but found when we arrived at Anderson that the train for Belton had already left; this proved quite a disappointment to the various members of the party, who were all, now that the parting had been made, anxious to return to their respective avocations, but no alternative was left us but to await the next morning’s train, so we drifted around Anderson, which I found to be a pretty place, that morning, a cold one too at that; had I had a pair of wings at my command I would have flown back to where I came from and have spent the time more agreeable. At three o’clock that afternoon we had an opportunity by an extra train to go to Belton, which we availed ourselves of, and where we soon arrived and took quarters to await the train from Greenville next morning. At seven o’clock that morning the train arrived when we got aboard and were soon [114] on our way, arriving at Columbia that evening where we had to remain the night, I spending the same at the room of my friend I. H. Ostendorff, awakening in time to take the train which left at 4¹/₂ o’clock arriving in Charleston safely, but much fatigued that evening.

Camp Jackson “Quinineville” Jan 14/64

Passing a few days in the city I left on the 13^th for camp; having learned that the whole company were together again, I found the same encamped just on the railroad about 2 miles above Jacksonboro, the same had been named in honor of the immortal Stonewall “Camp Jackson”, but the sickly situation of the same between two swamps, made daily doses of Quinine necessary, which was dealt out at Surgeon’s call every morning in the shape of pills, so the boys had dubbed it as more suitable, “Quinineville, and had nailed a signboard with that not euphonious name up on a telegraph pole, so that all who passed on the railroad could read it, and where it had greeted my eyes on my arrival.

I found the place really deserving the bad repute for having had a wet spell [115] the place was one slush and mud, so that the first step I made there was nearly a somersault into a ditch, having slipped in the mud, the weight of my knapsack in my hand helping me to preserve my balance, and spared me from an unpleasant bath.

Again in the Hospital

Shortly after my return to camp the men were put to ditching around the same, when perhaps owing to the unusual labor, and my not yet quite restored system, I was again upset, and became an inmate of the company hospital with a high bilious fever; while there I received from an old schoolmate Louis Weber, who had joined the company after I had left on furlough, and had been on account of his having been in the apothecary business and therefore able to put up prescriptions, appointed Hospital Steward, every attention possible; after about a week’s illness I again reported for duty.