Record Data
Source citation
Reproduced in George W. Wingate, History of the Twenty-Second Regiment of the National Guard of the State of New York ... (New York: Edwin W. Dayton, 1896), 228.
Type
Diary
Date Certainty
Estimated
Transcriber
John Osborne
Transcription date
Transcription
The following text is presented here in complete form, as it originally appeared in print. Spelling and typographical errors have been preserved as in the original.
I kept up until within about four miles of Carlisle, when I suddenly became dizzy, and fell down, but got over under the fence by the roadside before I became unconscious. When I 'came to,' I found my head in Souter's lap. He helped me to the nearest house, where I washed my face (first time for two or three days). I took off my shoes, and bathed my blistered feet, and then lay down and slept awhile. I was awakened by an officer who was gathering up the stragglers, and told that my regiment was drawn up in line of battle about two miles ahead. I hurried along, as I wanted to see all the fun, and found them in line, only about one hundred strong, nearly five hundred having fallen off on the march. It was one of the hottest days ever known, and we had been since Sunday on the march, day and night, with but little sleep.
Before reaching the city, I had fallen out again, and when I got there I found our regiment had passed on through the town. I met Sturges, and he and I walked around through the streets, ate some sandwiches in the park, where the citizens had tables spread with refreshments for us. We got up a flirtation with a couple of very nice, pretty girls. One of them, a relation of Gen. Doubleday, had asked us to go and have a cup of tea at her house near by, and we were on the way, happy as larks, when we heard the report of a cannon, and a shell flew over us. 'The Rebs are upon us.' What a panic! Men, women and children ran in every direction for shelter. Before we could collect our senses, our girls were gone, we knew not where, and have never seen them since. The shells were striking in different parts of the town, and coming pretty thick.
