A regiment ordered on picket was expected to have reveille at daybreak, and to be in line for departure by sunrise. This delighted our men, who always took a childlike pleasure in being out of bed at any unreasonable20 hour; and by the time I had emerged, the tents were nearly all struck, and the great wagons21 were lumbering22 into camp to receive them, with whatever else was to be transported. The first rays of the sun must fall upon the line of these wagons, moving away across the wide parade-ground, followed by the column of men, who would soon outstrip23 them. But on the occasion which I especially describe the sun was shrouded24, and, when once upon the sandy plain, neither camp nor town nor river could be seen in the dimness; and when I rode forward and looked back there was only visible the long, moving, shadowy column, seeming rather awful in its snake-like advance. There was a swaying of flags and multitudinous weapons that might have been camels' necks for all one could see, and the whole thing might have been a caravan25 upon the desert. Soon we debouched upon the "Shell Road," the wagon-train drew on one side into the fog, and by the time the sun appeared the music ceased, the men took the "route step," and the fun began.
The "route step" is an abandonment of all military strictness, and nothing is required of the men but to keep four abreast26, and not lag behind. They are not required to keep step, though, with the rhythmical27 ear of our soldiers, they almost always instinctively28 did so; talking and singing are allowed, and of this privilege, at least, they eagerly availed themselves. On this day they were at the top of exhilaration. There was one broad grin from one end of the column to the other; it might soon have been a caravan of elephants instead of camels, for the ivory and the blackness; the chatter29 and the laughter almost drowned the tramp of feet and the clatter30 of equipments. At cross-roads and plantation15 gates the colored people thronged31 to see us pass; every one found a friend and a greeting. "How you do, aunty?" "Huddy (how d'ye), Budder Benjamin?" "How you find yourself dis mor-nin', Tittawisa (Sister Louisa)?" Such saluations rang out to everybody, known or unknown. In return, venerable, kerchiefed matrons courtesied laboriously32 to every one, with an unfailing "Bress de Lord, budder." Grave little boys, blacker than ink, shook hands with our laughing and utterly34 unmanageable drummers, who greeted them with this sure word of prophecy, "Dem's de drummers for de nex' war!" Pretty mulatto girls ogled35 and coquetted, and made eyes, as Thackeray would say, at half the young fellows in the battalion36. Meantime the singing was brisk along the whole column, and when I sometimes reined37 up to see them pass, the chant of each company, entering my ear, drove out from the other ear the strain of the preceding. Such an odd mixture of things, military and missionary38, as the successive waves of song drifted byl First, "John Brown," of course; then, "What make old Satan for follow me so?" then, "Marching Along"; then, "Hold your light on Canaan's shore"; then, "When this cruel war is over" (a new favorite, sung by a few); yielding presently to a grand burst of the favorite marching song among them all, and one at which every step instinctively quickened, so light and jubilant its rhythm,—
"All true children gwine in de wilderness39,
Gwine in de wilderness, gwine in de wilderness,
True believers gwine in de wilderness,
To take away de sins ob de world,"—
ending in a "Hoigh!" after each verse,—a sort of Irish yell. For all the songs, but especially for their own wild hymns40, they constantly improvised41 simple verses, with the same odd mingling,—the little facts of to-day's march being interwoven with the depths of theological gloom, and the same jubilant chorus annexed42 to all; thus,—
"We're gwin to de Ferry,
De bell done ringing;
Gwine to de landing,
De bell done ringing;
Trust, believer
O, de bell done ringing;
Satan's behind me,
De bell done ringing;
De bell done ringing;
O de road am sandy,
De bell done ringing;
Hell been open,
De bell done ringing";—
and so on indefinitely.
The little drum-corps kept in advance, a jolly crew, their drums slung44 on their backs, and the drum-sticks perhaps balanced on their heads. With them went the officers' servant-boys, more uproarious still, always ready to lend their shrill45 treble to any song. At the head of the whole force there walked, by some self-imposed pre-eminence, a respectable elderly female, one of the company laundresses, whose vigorous stride we never could quite overtake, and who had an enormous bundle balanced on her head, while she waved in her hand, like a sword, a long-handled tin dipper. Such a picturesque46 medley47 of fun, war, and music I believe no white regiment in the service could have shown; and yet there was no straggling, and a single tap of the drum would at any moment bring order out of this seeming chaos48. So we marched our seven miles out upon the smooth and shaded road,—beneath jasmine clusters, and great pine-cones dropping, and great bunches of misletoe still in bloom among the branches. Arrived at the station, the scene soon became busy and more confused; wagons were being unloaded, tents pitched, water brought, wood cut, fires made, while the "field and staff" could take possession of the abandoned quarters of their predecessors50, and we could look round in the lovely summer morning to "survey our empire and behold51 our home."
The only thoroughfare by land between Beaufort and Charleston is the "Shell Road," a beautiful avenue, which, about nine miles from Beaufort, strikes a ferry across the Coosaw River. War abolished the ferry, and made the river the permanent barrier between the opposing picket lines. For ten miles, right and left, these lines extended, marked by well-worn footpaths52, following the endless windings53 of the stream; and they never varied54 until nearly the end of the war. Upon their maintenance depended our whole foothold on the Sea Islands; and upon that again finally depended the whole campaign of Sherman. But for the services of the colored troops, which finally formed the main garrison55 of the Department of the South, the Great March would never have been performed.
There was thus a region ten or twelve miles square of which I had exclusive military command. It was level, but otherwise broken and bewildering to the last degree. No road traversed it, properly speaking, but the Shell Road. All the rest was a wild medley of cypress56 swamp, pine barren, muddy creek57, and cultivated plantation, intersected by interminable lanes and bridle-paths, through which we must ride day and night, and which our horses soon knew better than ourselves. The regiment was distributed at different stations, the main force being under my immediate58 command, at a plantation close by the Shell Road, two miles from the ferry, and seven miles from Beaufort. Our first picket duty was just at the time of the first attack on Charleston, under Dupont and Hunter; and it was generally supposed that the Confederates would make an effort to recapture the Sea Islands. My orders were to watch the enemy closely, keep informed as to his position and movements, attempt no advance, and, in case any were attempted from the other side, to delay it as long as possible, sending instant notice to head-quarters. As to the delay, that could be easily guaranteed. There were causeways on the Shell Road which a single battery could hold against a large force; and the plantations were everywhere so intersected by hedges and dikes that they seemed expressly planned for defence. Although creeks59 wound in and out everywhere, yet these were only navigable at high tide, and at all other times were impassable marshes61. There were but few posts where the enemy were within rifle range, and their occasional attacks at those points were soon stopped by our enforcement of a pithy62 order from General Hunter, "Give them as good as they send." So that, with every opportunity for being kept on the alert, there was small prospect63 of serious danger; and all promised an easy life, with only enough of care to make it pleasant. The picket station was therefore always a coveted64 post among the regiments, combining some undeniable importance with a kind of relaxation65; and as we were there three months on our first tour of duty, and returned there several times afterwards, we got well acquainted with it. The whole region always reminded me of the descriptions of La Vende'e, and I always expected to meet Henri Larochejaquelein riding in the woods.
How can I ever describe the charm and picturesqueness67 of that summer life? Our house possessed68 four spacious69 rooms and a piazza70; around it were grouped sheds and tents; the camp was a little way off on one side, the negro-quarters of the plantation on the other; and all was immersed in a dense71 mass of waving and murmuring locust-blossoms. The spring days were always lovely, while the evenings were always conveniently damp; so that we never shut the windows by day, nor omitted our cheerful fire by night. Indoors, the main head-quarters seemed like the camp of some party of young engineers in time of peace, only with a little female society added, and a good many martial72 associations thrown in. A large, low, dilapidated room, with an immense fireplace, and with window-panes chiefly broken, so that the sashes were still open even when closed,—such was our home. The walls were scrawled73 with capital charcoal74 sketches75 by R. of the Fourth New Hampshire, and with a good map of the island and its wood-paths by C. of the First Massachusetts Cavalry76. The room had the picturesqueness which comes everywhere from the natural grouping of articles of daily use,—swords, belts, pistols, rifles, field-glasses, spurs, canteens, gauntlets,—while wreaths of gray moss77 above the windows, and a pelican's wing three feet long over the high mantel-piece, indicated more deliberate decoration. This, and the whole atmosphere of the place, spoke78 of the refining presence of agreeable women; and it was pleasant when they held their little court in the evening, and pleasant all day, with the different visitors who were always streaming in and out,—officers and soldiers on various business; turbaned women from the plantations, coming with complaints or questionings; fugitives79 from the main-land to be interrogated80; visitors riding up on horseback, their hands full of jasmine and wild roses; and the sweet sunny air all perfumed with magnolias and the Southern pine. From the neighboring camp there was a perpetual low hum. Louder voices and laughter re-echoed, amid the sharp sounds of the axe81, from the pine woods; and sometimes, when the relieved pickets82 were discharging their pieces, there came the hollow sound of dropping rifle-shots, as in skirmishing,—perhaps the most unmistakable and fascinating association that war bequeaths to the memory of the ear.
Our domestic arrangements were of the oddest description. From the time when we began housekeeping by taking down the front-door to complete therewith a little office for the surgeon on the piazza, everything seemed upside down. I slept on a shelf in the corner of the parlor83, bequeathed me by Major F., my jovial84 predecessor49, and, if I waked at any time, could put my head through the broken window, arouse my orderly, and ride off to see if I could catch a picket asleep. We used to spell the word picquet, because that was understood to be the correct thing, in that Department at least; and they used to say at post head-quarters that as soon as the officer in command of the outposts grew negligent85, and was guilty of a k, he was ordered in immediately. Then the arrangements for ablution were peculiar86. We fitted up a bathing-place in a brook87, which somehow got appropriated at once by the company laundresses; but I had my revenge, for I took to bathing in the family washtub. After all, however, the kitchen department had the advantage, for they used my solitary88 napkin to wipe the mess-table. As for food, we found it impossible to get chickens, save in the immature89 shape of eggs; fresh pork was prohibited by the surgeon, and other fresh meat came rarely. We could, indeed, hunt for wild turkeys, and even deer, but such hunting was found only to increase the appetite, without corresponding supply. Still we had our luxuries,—large, delicious drum-fish, and alligator90 steaks,—like a more substantial fried halibut,—which might have afforded the theme for Charles Lamb's dissertation91 on Roast Pig, and by whose aid "for the first time in our lives we tested crackling" The post bakery yielded admirable bread; and for vegetables and fruit we had very poor sweet potatoes, and (in their season) an unlimited92 supply of the largest blackberries. For beverage93, we had the vapid94 milk of that region, in which, if you let it stand, the water sinks instead of the cream's rising; and the delicious sugar-cane syrup95, which we had brought from Florida, and which we drank at all hours. Old Floridians say that no one is justified96 in drinking whiskey, while he can get cane-juice; it is sweet and spirited, without cloying97, foams98 like ale, and there were little spots on the ceiling of the dining-room where our lively beverage had popped out its cork99. We kept it in a whiskey-bottle; and as whiskey itself was absolutely prohibited among us, it was amusing to see the surprise of our military visitors when this innocent substitute was brought in. They usually liked it in the end, but, like the old Frenchwoman over her glass of water, wished that it were a sin to give it a relish100. As the foaming101 beakers of molasses and water were handed round, the guests would make with them the courteous102 little gestures of polite imbiding, and would then quaff103 the beverage, some with gusto, others with a slight afterlook of dismay. But it was a delicious and cooling drink while it lasted; and at all events was the best and the worst we had.
We used to have reveille at six, and breakfast about seven; then the mounted couriers began to arrive from half a dozen different directions, with written reports of what had happened during the night,—a boat seen, a picket fired upon, a battery erecting104. These must be consolidated105 and forwarded to head-quarters, with the daily report of the command,—so many sick, so many on detached service, and all the rest. This was our morning newspaper, our Herald106 and Tribune; I never got tired of it. Then the couriers must be furnished with countersign107 and instructions, and sent off again. Then we scattered108 to our various rides, all disguised as duty; one to inspect pickets, one to visit a sick soldier, one to build a bridge or clear a road, and still another to head-quarters for ammunition109 or commissary stores. Galloping110 through green lanes, miles of triumphal arches of wild roses,—roses pale and large and fragrant112, mingled113 with great boughs115 of the white cornel, fantastic masses, snowy surprises,—such were our rides, ranging from eight to fifteen and even twenty miles. Back to a late dinner with our various experiences, and perhaps specimens116 to match,—a thunder-snake, eight feet long; a live opossum, with a young clinging to the natural pouch117; an armful of great white, scentless118 pond-lilies. After dinner, to the tangled119 garden for rosebuds120 or early magnolias, whose cloying fragrance121 will always bring back to me the full zest122 of those summer days; then dress-parade and a little drill as the day grew cool. In the evening, tea; and then the piazza or the fireside, as the case might be,—chess, cards,—perhaps a little music by aid of the assistant surgeon's melodeon, a few pages of Jean Paul's "Titan," almost my only book, and carefully husbanded,—perhaps a mail, with its infinite felicities. Such was our day.
Night brought its own fascinations124, more solitary and profound. The darker they were, the more clearly it was our duty to visit the pickets. The paths that had grown so familiar by day seemed a wholly new labyrinth125 by night; and every added shade of darkness seemed to shift and complicate126 them all anew, till at last man's skill grew utterly baffled, and the clew must be left to the instinct of the horse. Riding beneath the solemn starlight, or soft, gray mist, or densest127 blackness, the frogs croaking128, the strange "chuckwuts-widow" droning his ominous129 note above my head, the mocking-bird dreaming in music, the great Southern fireflies rising to the tree-tops, or hovering130 close to the ground like glowworms, till the horse raised his hoofs131 to avoid them; through pine woods and cypress swamps, or past sullen132 brooks133, or white tents, or the dimly seen huts of sleeping negroes; down to the glimmering134 shore, where black statues leaned against trees or stood alert in the pathways;—never, in all the days of my life, shall I forget the magic of those haunted nights.
We had nocturnal boat service, too, for it was a part of our instructions to obtain all possible information about the enemy's position; and we accordingly, as usual in such cases, incurred135 a great many risks that harmed nobody, and picked up much information which did nobody any good. The centre of these nightly reconnoissances, for a long time, was the wreck136 of the George Washington, the story of whose disaster is perhaps worth telling.
Till about the time when we went on picket, it had been the occasional habit of the smaller gunboats to make the circuit of Port Royal Island,—a practice which was deemed very essential to the safety of our position, but which the Rebels effectually stopped, a few days after our arrival, by destroying the army gunboat George Washington with a single shot from a light battery. I was roused soon after daybreak by the firing, and a courier soon came dashing in with the particulars. Forwarding these hastily to Beaufort (for we had then no telegraph), I was soon at the scene of action, five miles away. Approaching, I met on the picket paths man after man who had escaped from the wreck across a half-mile of almost impassable marsh60. Never did I see such objects,—some stripped to their shirts, some fully123 clothed, but all having every garment literally137 pasted to them—bodies with mud. Across the river, the Rebels were retiring, having done their work, but were still shelling, from greater and greater distances, the wood through which I rode. Arrived at the spot nearest the wreck (a point opposite to what we called the Brickyard Station), I saw the burning vessel138 aground beyond a long stretch of marsh, out of which the forlorn creatures were still floundering. Here and there in the mud and reeds we could see the laboring139 heads, slowly advancing, and could hear excruciating cries from wounded men in the more distant depths. It was the strangest mixture of war and Dante and Robinson Crusoe. Our energetic chaplain coming up, I sent him with four men, under a flag of truce140, to the place whence the worst cries proceeded, while I went to another part of the marsh. During that morning we got them all out, our last achievement being the rescue of the pilot, an immense negro with a wooden leg,—an article so particularly unavailable for mud travelling, that it would have almost seemed better, as one of the men suggested, to cut the traces, and leave it behind.
A naval141 gunboat, too, which had originally accompanied this vessel, and should never have left it, now came back and took off the survivors142, though there had been several deaths from scalding and shell. It proved that the wreck was not aground after all, but at anchor, having foolishly lingered till after daybreak, and having thus given time for the enemy to bring down then: guns. The first shot had struck the boiler143, and set the vessel on fire; after which the officer in command had raised a white flag, and then escaped with his men to our shore; and it was for this flight in the wrong direction that they were shelled in the marshes by the Rebels. The case furnished in this respect some parallel to that of the Kearsage and Alabama, and it was afterwards cited, I believe, officially or unofficially, to show that the Rebels had claimed the right to punish, in this case, the course of action which they approved in Semmes. I know that they always asserted thenceforward that the detachment on board the George Washington had become rightful prisoners of war, and were justly fired upon when they tried to escape.
This was at the tune144 of the first attack on Charleston, and the noise of this cannonading spread rapidly thither145, and brought four regiments to reinforce Beaufort in a hurry, under the impression that the town was already taken, and that they must save what remnants they could. General Saxton, too, had made such capital plans for defending the post that he could not bear not to have it attacked; so, while the Rebels brought down a force to keep us from taking the guns off the wreck, I was also supplied with a section or two of regular artillery146, and some additional infantry147, with which to keep them from it; and we tried to "make believe very hard," and rival the Charleston expedition on our own island. Indeed, our affair came to about as much,—nearly nothing,—and lasted decidedly longer; for both sides nibbled148 away at the guns, by night, for weeks afterward66, though I believe the mud finally got them,—at least, we did not. We tried in vain to get the use of a steamboat or floating derrick of any kind; for it needed more mechanical ingenuity149 than we possessed to transfer anything so heavy to our small boats by night, while by day we did not go near the wreck in anything larger than a "dug-out."
One of these nocturnal visits to the wreck I recall with peculiar gusto, because it brought back that contest with catarrh and coughing among my own warriors150 which had so ludicrously beset151 me in Florida. It was always fascinating to be on those forbidden waters by night, stealing out with muffled152 oars153 through the creeks and reeds, our eyes always strained for other voyagers, our ears listening breathlessly to all the marsh sounds,—blackflsh splashing, and little wakened reed-birds that fled wailing154 away over the dim river, equally safe on either side. But it always appeared to the watchful155 senses that we were making noise enough to be heard at Fort Sumter; and somehow the victims of catarrh seemed always the most eager for any enterprise requiring peculiar caution. In this case I thought I had sifted156 them before-hand; but as soon as we were afloat, one poor boy near me began to wheeze157, and I turned upon him in exasperation158. He saw his danger, and meekly159 said, "I won't cough, Gunnel!" and he kept his word. For two mortal hours he sat grasping his gun, with never a chirrup. But two unfortunates in the bow of the boat developed symptoms which I could not suppress; so, putting in at a picket station, with some risk I dumped them in mud knee-deep, and embarked160 a substitute, who after the first five minutes absolutely coughed louder than both the others united. Handkerchiefs, blankets, over-coats, suffocation161 in its direst forms, were tried in vain, but apparently162 the Rebel pickets slept through it all, and we exploded the wreck in safety. I think they were asleep, for certainly across the level marshes there came a nasal sound, as of the "Con-thieveracy" in its slumbers163. It may have been a bull-frog, but it sounded like a human snore.
Picket life was of course the place to feel the charm of natural beauty on the Sea Islands. We had a world of profuse164 and tangled vegetation around us, such as would have been a dream of delight to me, but for the constant sense of responsibility and care which came between. Amid this preoccupation, Nature seemed but a mirage165, and not the close and intimate associate I had before known. I pressed no flowers, collected no insects or birds' eggs, made no notes on natural objects, reversing in these respects all previous habits. Yet now, in the retrospect166, there seems to have been infused into me through every pore the voluptuous167 charm of the season and the place; and the slightest corresponding sound or odor now calls back the memory of those delicious days. Being afterwards on picket at almost every season, I tasted the sensations of all; and though I hardly then thought of such a result, the associations of beauty will remain forever.
In February, for instance,—though this was during a later period of picket service,—the woods were usually draped with that "net of shining haze168" which marks our Northern May; and the house was embowered in wild-plum-blossoms, small, white, profuse, and tenanted by murmuring bees. There were peach-blossoms, too, and the yellow jasmine was opening its multitudinous buds, climbing over tall trees, and waving from bough114 to bough. There were fresh young ferns and white bloodroot in the edges of woods, matched by snowdrops in the garden, beneath budded myrtle and Petisporum. In this wilderness the birds were busy; the two main songsters being the mocking-bird and the cardinal-grosbeak, which monopolized169 all the parts of our more varied Northern orchestra save the tender and liquid notes, which in South Carolina seemed unattempted except by some stray blue-bird. Jays were as loud and busy as at the North in autumn; there were sparrows and wrens170; and sometimes I noticed the shy and whimsical chewink.
From this early spring-time onward171, there seemed no great difference in atmospheric172 sensations, and only a succession of bloom. After two months one's notions of the season grew bewildered, just as very early rising bewilders the day. In the army one is perhaps roused after a bivouac, marches before daybreak, halts, fights, somebody is killed, a long day's life has been lived, and after all it is not seven o'clock, and breakfast is not ready. So when we had lived in summer so long as hardly to remember winter, it suddenly occurred to us that it was not yet June. One escapes at the South that mixture of hunger and avarice173 which is felt in the Northern summer, counting each hour's joy with the sad consciousness that an hour is gone. The compensating174 loss is in missing those soft, sweet, liquid sensations of the Northern spring, that burst of life and joy, those days of heaven that even April brings; and this absence of childhood in the year creates a feeling of hardness in the season, like that I have suggested in the melody of the Southern birds. It seemed to me also that the woods had not those pure, clean, innocent odors which so abound175 in the New England forest in early spring; but there was something luscious176, voluptuous, almost oppressively fragrant about the magnolias, as if they belonged not to Hebe, but to Magdalen.
Such immense and lustrous177 butterflies I had never seen but in dreams; and not even dreams had prepared me for sand-flies. Almost too small to be seen, they inflicted178 a bite which appeared larger than themselves,—a positive wound, more torturing than that of a mosquito, and leaving more annoyance179 behind. These tormentors elevated dress-parade into the dignity of a military engagement. I had to stand motionless, with my head a mere180 nebula181 of winged atoms, while tears rolled profusely182 down my face, from mere muscular irritation183. Had I stirred a finger, the whole battalion would have been slapping its cheeks. Such enemies were, however, a valuable aid to discipline, on the whole, as they abounded184 in the guard-house, and made that institution an object of unusual abhorrence185 among the men.
The presence of ladies and the homelike air of everything, made the picket station a very popular resort while we were there. It was the one agreeable ride from Beaufort, and we often had a dozen people unexpectedly to dinner. On such occasions there was sometimes mounting in hot haste, and an eager search among the outlying plantations for additional chickens and eggs, or through the company kitchens for some of those villanous tin cans which everywhere marked the progress of our army. In those cans, so far as my observation went, all fruits relapsed into a common acidulation, and all meats into a similarity of tastelessness; while the "condensed milk" was best described by the men, who often unconsciously stumbled on a better joke than they knew, and always spoke of it as condemned186 milk.
We had our own excursions too,—to the Barnwell plantations, with their beautiful avenues and great live-oaks, the perfection of Southern beauty,—to Hall's Island, debatable ground, close under the enemy's fire, where half-wild cattle were to be shot, under military precautions, like Scottish moss-trooping,—or to the ferry, where it was fascinating to the female mind to scan the Rebel pickets through a field-glass. Our horses liked the by-ways far better than the level hardness of the Shell Road, especially those we had brought from Florida, which enjoyed the wilderness as if they had belonged to Marion's men. They delighted to feel the long sedge brush their flanks, or to gallop111 down the narrow wood-paths, leaping the fallen trees, and scaring the bright little lizards187 which shot across our track like live rays broken from the sunbeams. We had an abundance of horses, mostly captured and left in our hands by some convenient delay of the post quartermaster. We had also two side-saddles, which, not being munitions188 of war, could not properly (as we explained) be transferred like other captured articles to the general stock; otherwise the P. Q. M. (a married man) would have showed no unnecessary delay in their case. For miscellaneous accommodation was there not an ambulance,—that most inestimable of army conveniences, equally ready to carry the merry to a feast or the wounded from a fray189. "Ambulance" was one of those words, rather numerous, which Ethiopian lips were not framed by Nature to articulate. Only the highest stages of colored culture could compass it; on the tongue of the many it was transformed mystically as "amulet," or ambitiously as "epaulet," or in culinary fashion as "omelet." But it was our experience that an ambulance under any name jolted190 equally hard.
Besides these divertisements, we had more laborious33 vocations,—a good deal of fatigue191, and genuine though small alarms. The men went on duty every third day at furthest, and the officers nearly as often,—most of the tours of duty lasting192 twenty-four hours, though the stream was considered to watch itself tolerably well by daylight. This kind of responsibility suited the men; and we had already found, as the whole army afterwards acknowledged, that the constitutional watchfulness193 and distrustfulness of the colored race made them admirable sentinels. Soon after we went on picket, the commanding general sent an aid, with a cavalry escort, to visit all the stations, without my knowledge. They spent the whole night, and the officer reported that he could not get within thirty yards of any post without a challenge. This was a pleasant assurance for me; since our position seemed so secure, compared with Jacksonville, that I had feared some relaxation of vigilance, while yet the safety of all depended on our thorough discharge of duty.
Jacksonville had also seasoned the men so well that they were no longer nervous, and did not waste much powder on false alarms. The Rebels made no formal attacks, and rarely attempted to capture pickets. Sometimes they came stealing through the creeks in "dugouts," as we did on their side of the water, and occasionally an officer of ours was fired upon while making his rounds by night. Often some boat or scow would go adrift, and sometimes a mere dark mass of river-weed would be floated by the tide past the successive stations, eliciting194 a challenge and perhaps a shot from each. I remember the vivid way in which one of the men stated to his officer the manner in which a faithful picket should do his duty, after challenging, in case a boat came in sight. "Fus' ting I shoot, and den3 I shoot, and den I shoot again. Den I creep-creep up near de boat, and see who dey in 'em; and s'pose anybody pop up he head, den I shoot again. S'pose I fire my forty rounds. I tink he hear at de camp and send more mans,"—which seemed a reasonable presumption195. This soldier's name was Paul Jones, a daring fellow, quite worthy196 of his namesake.
In time, however, they learned quieter methods, and would wade197 far out in the water, there standing11 motionless at last, hoping to surround and capture these floating boats, though, to their great disappointment, the prize usually proved empty. On one occasion they tried a still profounder strategy; for an officer visiting the pickets after midnight, and hearing in the stillness a portentous198 snore from the end of the causeway (our most important station), straightway hurried to the point of danger, with wrath199 in his soul. But the sergeant200 of the squad201 came out to meet him, imploring202 silence, and explaining that they had seen or suspected a boat hovering near, and were feigning203 sleep in order to lure204 and capture those who would entrap205 them.
The one military performance at the picket station of which my men were utterly intolerant was an occasional flag of truce, for which this was the appointed locality. These farces206, for which it was our duty to furnish the stock actors, always struck them as being utterly despicable, and unworthy the serious business of war. They felt, I suppose, what Mr. Pickwick felt, when he heard his counsel remark to the counsel for the plaintiff, that it was a very fine morning. It goaded207 their souls to see the young officers from the two opposing armies salute208 each other courteously209, and interchange cigars. They despised the object of such negotiations210, which was usually to send over to the enemy some family of Rebel women who had made themselves quite intolerable on our side, but were not above collecting a subscription211 among the union officers, before departure, to replenish212 their wardrobes. The men never showed disrespect to these women by word or deed, but they hated them from the bottom of their souls. Besides, there was a grievance213 behind all this.
The Rebel order remained unrevoked which consigned214 the new colored troops and their officers to a felon's death, if captured; and we all felt that we fought with ropes round our necks. "Dere's no flags ob truce for us," the men would contemptuously say. "When de Secesh fight de Fus' Souf" (First South Carolina), "he fight in earnest." Indeed, I myself took it as rather a compliment when the commander on the other side—though an old acquaintance of mine in Massachusetts and in Kansas—at first refused to negotiate through me or my officers,—a refusal which was kept up, greatly to the enemy's inconvenience, until our men finally captured some of the opposing pickets, and their friends had to waive215 all scruples216 in order to send them supplies. After this there was no trouble, and I think that the first Rebel officer in South Carolina who officially met any officer of colored troops under a flag of truce was Captain John C. Calhoun. In Florida we had been so recognized long before; but that was when they wished to frighten us out of Jacksonville.
Such was our life on picket at Port Royal,—a thing whose memory is now fast melting into such stuff as dreams are made of. We stayed there more than two months at that tune; the first attack on Charleston exploded with one puff217, and had its end; General Hunter was ordered North, and the busy Gilmore reigned218 in his stead; and in June, when the blackberries were all eaten, we were summoned, nothing loath219, to other scenes and encampments new.
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1
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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2
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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4
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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5
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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6
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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7
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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10
picket
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| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
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11
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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12
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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13
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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14
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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15
plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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16
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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17
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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18
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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19
waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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20
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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21
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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22
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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23
outstrip
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| v.超过，跑过 | |
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24
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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25
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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26
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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27
rhythmical
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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28
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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29
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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30
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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31
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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33
laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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34
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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35
ogled
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| v.（向…）抛媚眼，送秋波( ogle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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37
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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38
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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39
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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40
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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41
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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42
annexed
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| [法] 附加的，附属的 | |
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43
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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44
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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45
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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46
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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47
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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48
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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49
predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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50
predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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51
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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52
footpaths
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| 人行小径，人行道( footpath的名词复数 ) | |
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53
windings
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| （道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手） | |
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54
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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55
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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56
cypress
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| n.柏树 | |
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57
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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58
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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59
creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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60
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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61
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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62
pithy
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| adj.(讲话或文章)简练的 | |
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63
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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64
coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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65
relaxation
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| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
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66
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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67
picturesqueness
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68
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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69
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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70
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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71
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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72
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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73
scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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75
sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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76
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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77
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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78
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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79
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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80
interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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81
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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82
pickets
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| 罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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83
parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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84
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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85
negligent
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| adj.疏忽的；玩忽的；粗心大意的 | |
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86
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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87
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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88
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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89
immature
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| adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的 | |
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90
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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91
dissertation
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| n.（博士学位）论文，学术演讲，专题论文 | |
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92
unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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93
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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94
vapid
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| adj.无味的；无生气的 | |
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95
syrup
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| n.糖浆，糖水 | |
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96
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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97
cloying
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| adj.甜得发腻的 | |
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98
foams
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| n.泡沫，泡沫材料( foam的名词复数 ) | |
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99
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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100
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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101
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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102
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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103
quaff
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| v.一饮而尽；痛饮 | |
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104
erecting
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立 | |
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105
consolidated
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| a.联合的 | |
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106
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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107
countersign
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| v.副署，会签 | |
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108
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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109
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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110
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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111
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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112
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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113
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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114
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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115
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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116
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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117
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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118
scentless
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| adj.无气味的，遗臭已消失的 | |
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119
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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120
rosebuds
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| 蔷薇花蕾，妙龄少女，初入社交界的少女( rosebud的名词复数 ) | |
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121
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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122
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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123
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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124
fascinations
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| n.魅力( fascination的名词复数 )；有魅力的东西；迷恋；陶醉 | |
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125
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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126
complicate
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| vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂 | |
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127
densest
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| 密集的( dense的最高级 )； 密度大的； 愚笨的； （信息量大得）难理解的 | |
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128
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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129
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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130
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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131
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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132
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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133
brooks
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| n.小溪( brook的名词复数 ) | |
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134
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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135
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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136
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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137
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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138
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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139
laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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140
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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141
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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142
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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143
boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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144
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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145
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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146
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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147
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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148
nibbled
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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149
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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150
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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151
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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152
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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153
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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154
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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155
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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156
sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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157
wheeze
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| n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说 | |
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158
exasperation
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| n.愤慨 | |
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159
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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160
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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161
suffocation
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| n.窒息 | |
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162
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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163
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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164
profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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165
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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166
retrospect
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| n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯 | |
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167
voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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168
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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169
monopolized
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| v.垄断( monopolize的过去式和过去分词 )；独占；专卖；专营 | |
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170
wrens
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| n.鹪鹩( wren的名词复数 ) | |
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171
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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172
atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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173
avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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174
compensating
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| 补偿，补助，修正 | |
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175
abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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176
luscious
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| adj.美味的；芬芳的；肉感的，引与性欲的 | |
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177
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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178
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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179
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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180
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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181
nebula
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| n.星云，喷雾剂 | |
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182
profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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183
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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184
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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185
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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186
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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187
lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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188
munitions
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| n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品 | |
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189
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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190
jolted
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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191
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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192
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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193
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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194
eliciting
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| n. 诱发, 引出 动词elicit的现在分词形式 | |
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195
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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196
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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197
wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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198
portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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199
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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200
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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201
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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202
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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203
feigning
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| 假装，伪装( feign的现在分词 )； 捏造（借口、理由等） | |
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204
lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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205
entrap
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| v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套 | |
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206
farces
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| n.笑剧( farce的名词复数 )；闹剧；笑剧剧目；作假的可笑场面 | |
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207
goaded
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| v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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208
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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209
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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210
negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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211
subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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212
replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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213
grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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214
consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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215
waive
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| vt.放弃，不坚持(规定、要求、权力等) | |
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216
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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217
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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218
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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219
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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