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Chapter 10: life at camp Shaw.
The
Edisto expedition cost me the health and strength of several years.
I could say, long after, in the words of one of the men, “I'se been a sickly person, eber since de expeditious.”
Justice to a strong constitution and good habits compels me, however, to say that, up to the time of my injury, I was almost the only officer in the regiment who had not once been off duty from illness.
But at last I had to yield, and went North for a month.
We heard much said, during the war, of wounded officers who stayed unreasonably long at home.
I think there were more instances of those who went back too soon.
Such at least was my case.
On returning to the regiment I found a great accumulation of unfinished business; every member of the field and staff was prostrated by illness or absent on detailed service; two companies had been sent to
Hilton Head on fatigue duty, and kept there unexpectedly long: and there was a visible demoralization among the rest, especially from the fact that their pay had just been cut down, in violation of the express pledges of the government.
A few weeks of steady sway made all right again; and during those weeks I felt a perfect exhilaration of health, followed by a month or two of complete prostration, when the work was done.
This passing, I returned to duty, buoyed up by the fallacious hope that the winter months would set me right again.
