Waitt, Ernest Linden, History of the Nineteenth regiment, Massachusetts volunteer infantry , 1861-1865

[220] shoulder, but no other article of cover or any extra clothing; his blouse is held together by one button at the throat and one at the roundabout which is drawn closely with the cartridge box where it belongs; a big red cotton handkerchief hangs in front, fastened together by two corners at the back of his neck and this he uses to wipe off the sweat,—and, incidentally, to rub the dust in. His face is free from beard and he moves along with a light and cheerful all-day tread. He will not fall out, however hard the march. He will get there.

Here comes a young man looking to be not more than eighteen years of age. He is dressed in the uniform of a private. He carries a sword, and on his shoulders are the straps of a lieutenant. Some of the men have utilized their muskets for clothes lines on which to dry their handkerchiefs. Others are tramping along with a pair of stockings hung across the barrell to dry, having been wet while crossing the stream.

Afternoon wanes, and still the endless stream flows on. Do they never rest? Since sunrise there has been a continuous line passing without a moment's hesitation.

Men were getting weary and longed for rest, but still they were kept on the move. ‘Will they never stop?’ ‘Are they goina to march us all day,’ and other questions were growled out.

Finally, as the regiment emerged from a wood, an orchard was seen in the distance in which a brigade was resting. As they filed into the enclosure, the regiment nearest the road filed out and the Nineteenth took its place. The command ‘Halt’ was given and the men dropped on the ground at once and stretched out for a rest. The regiment following the Nineteenth took the place of another which filed out, following the first, and so it went on, one regiment taking the place of another as each got a rest.

When the last regiment of the brigade preceding that of which the Nineteenth was a part, filed out of the field the men rose slowly and reluctantly to their feet at the command and moved on.

The duration of the rest had been the length of time taken for a brigade to file out of the field,—perhaps ten or fifteen minutes. In this way rests were taken without stopping the