Читать книгу A Summer in Maryland and Virginia; Or, Campaigning with the 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry онлайн

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Orders were immediately given to return to the Ferry and the infantry boarded a freight train and were rushed back to Harper’s Ferry. McClausland in the meantime retired from his raid and escaped to the south. We marched to our old camp ground at Halltown, arriving there July 28th. We remained quietly here for two weeks. During this time our boys, taking advantage of a well earned rest, engaged in all kinds of pranks and amusements. We were paid off while here so we had some money. The most striking event occurring here was

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Sutlers, driving out from Baltimore, followed in the wake of the paymasters, striking the camps when the boys had money, would sell their wares at very high prices. A sutler drove up to the camp and had a lively trade all day. He was finally ordered to move on by our officers and toward dusk drove off. He was followed in the dark by a squad from the Sixth Corps and three boys of Company A. His outfit was new, with a fine team of horses. He drove along unconscious of danger. As he began to pull up a hill with a high bank of a creek on one side, the soldiers quietly unscrewed the nuts of the axletrees on that side, and horses, wagon and driver rolled over into the creek. That night the camp was full of delicacies, hams, cheeses, cakes, cans of condensed milk, etc., all hidden in convenient bushes. The sutler made a great ado about it but the soldiers were all so innocent when brought before the officers that the sutler could not fix the blame upon any particular ones, so he was advised to return to Baltimore as quickly as possible. He went.