Camp East Of Capitol, May 15, 1863.
I date this May 15,
1863, — ought it to be 1864? — it seems to me a month since “this morning and
at least a year since Tuesday noon. The other part of my date carries me back a
year, — for “Camp East of Capitol” was the familiar name of the barracks where
my military young idea was taught to shoot.
I wish you could
look in at tea now, and see what a pretty scene our camp presents. You would be
sitting on the grass at the edge of a very pretty orchard, in which (behind
you) Ruksh and Nig are quietly feeding, — in front the ground slopes gently off
and at fifty yards' distance commence the company lines, — from here you look
down into these so entirely that not a man can swear or a horse switch his tail
in anger without our knowing it. The tents are in three rows, the two companies
of a squadron being on a line, the horses of each squadron to the right of the
tents, — stable duty is just over and the men are swarming about before getting
supper. I may have forgotten how a camp-fire smokes, or it may be I am partial
to the fires of my own camp (you know my weakness); certainly these camp-fires
look uncommonly blue — and picturesque, — even Will's1 fellows have
contrived to get up a jolly blue smoke.
_______________
1 Major William H. Forbes commanded a
Massachusetts battalion, Major D. W. C. Thompson the California Battalion,
which had only landed in New York on April 14 and had, consequently, been but a
month in camp at Readville. This was of less importance, as the Californians
were all good riders, and had probably had some elementary instruction in
military duties and drill before sailing. The First Battalion, under Major
Caspar Crowninshield, already serving in the Peninsula, contained the
"California Hundred," under Captain J. Sewall Reed, and several
Massachusetts companies. These components of the regiment became thoroughly
welded by the active service in the Valley, but at first the state line was
sharply drawn by the soldiers. Lieutenant S. W. Backus, in his reminiscences of
the regiment, wrote: —
“While
we were comparatively recruits, marching past other troops, whenever the
question was asked, ‘What regiment is that?’ the answer would come from one
part of the line ‘California Hundred,’ from another ‘California Battalion,’ and from still
another, ‘Second Massachusetts Cavalry.’ No wonder the questioners were often
puzzled to know who we really were. We soon, however, overcame this folly, and
to say we belonged to the Second Massachusetts Cavalry was honour enough in our
minds.” But the Lieutenant adds, with
amusing recurrence to the first thought: —
"We,
however, indulged ourselves in the thought that the Californians really did
constitute the regiment, and with this idea we felt satisfied that we would not
completely lose our identity."
SOURCE: Edward Waldo Emerson, Life and Letters of
Charles Russell Lowell, p. 237-8
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