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have discovered the real reason of our defeat.”
They were all ears to hear.
“Well,” said Nesmith with immense gravity, “well, it was them darned Rebels!” . . .
Last night the 2d Corps picket line was relieved by the 9th--a delicate job in face of the enemy, who are pretty close up; but it all was done in entire quiet, to the relief of General Humphreys, who feels the new honor of the 2d Corps.
That worthy officer stopped on his way to his new Headquarters and honored me by taking a piece of your plum cake.
He was much tried by the noisy ways of Hancock's late Headquarters.
“They whistle of mornings,” said the fidgety little General, “and that Shaw, confound the fellow, amuses himself with imitating all the bugle-calls!
Then the negroes turn out at four in the morning and chop wood, so that I am regularly waked up. But I shall stop it, I can tell you.”
And I have no doubt he will, as he is wont to have his own way or know the reason why. I rode out with him to his new Headquarters and followed the line afterwards, and was much amused to see them drilling some of the worthless German recruits, in a polyglot style: “Steady there!
Mehr heraus--more to the front.
Shoulder arms!
Eins, zwei! One, two!”
etc.
December 1, 1864
At daylight General Gregg made a start, with nearly his whole cavalry division, for Stony Creek station.
For you must know that, since we have held the Weldon road, the enemy have been obliged to waggon much of their supplies from Stony Creek station, by cross roads to the Boydton plank and thus to Petersburg.
Lately we have had reports that they were building a cross railroad from Stony Creek to the southside road.
Gregg's object therefore was to go to the station, which is over twenty miles by the road from 