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Chapter 6 Field Artillery Soon after being established in quarters for the winter, all of the Artillery was ordered to the front,because of a movement made by General Burnside. He threatened to cross the Rappahannock River at Banks Ford, six miles above the old position and at other fords.We marched over the Telegraph Road towards Fredericksburg and were sent to Banks Ford. As the movement was abandoned by the Federal Commander , the Artillery was immediately ordered back to their winter quarters.The roads had become very bad,and when some twelve miles on the way back a snow storm set in. Huger’s Battery was alone on the march.We bivouacked that night, and started early next morning for our winter quarters,and under ordinary circumstances should have reached there by one o’clock P. M., but owing to the mud and snow, two of our guns became stalled.There were three guns.Captain Huger went with the first and got through to the quarters by sunset. Lieut. Gale had one gun, and I the third. Lieut. Gale’s gun was stalled; the road was narrow with quite a bank on each side.The third gun could not pass, the weather was intensely cold, the cannoneers had walked on, so we were compelled to leave the two guns at a point about five miles from the winter camp.We rode on, reported the trouble to Captain Huger; night had come on, so he sent men and horses for them early next morning, and the guns were brought in.The men had built huts for themselves and managed to keep fairly comfortable; the officers had tents, and the horses provided with shelter of small pine trees cut down and placed in the form of sheds.With plenty of pine straw and the adjacent pine thickets, they fared very well.There was a long line of batteries there; among them the Companies of theWashington Artillery, Bearing’s Battery, the Blues from Norfolk, and many others. 34 Chapter 6 The Washington Artillery men improvised a theater and we enjoyed the performances and the songs.It was a fine place for winter quarters, not hilly and dry, with a running stream nearby. I thoroughly enjoyed the two months spent there.In the latter part of February,I received an order from the Headquarters of theArmy,through the regular channel, to report to Colonel S. Crutchfield for duty as Adjutant of the Artillery of the 2nd Corps. Huger’s Battery was attached to the 1st Corps, commanded by Lieut. General Longstreet.The 2nd Corps was commanded by Lieut. General Jackson (Stonewall) and Col. Crutchfield was then the Chief of Artillery of Jackson’s Corps. ...

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