CAMP CORNSTALK

As the Civil War began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter a few days after my arrival at Duncannon, and closed a few days before I finally moved away, this seems a good place for my memories of the conflict. Had I remained in Philadelphia another week, there is little doubt that I should have volunteered as a participant in the war, as many of myoid friends promptly answered the call to arms. On September 11, 1862, Governor Curtin telegraphed to Philadelphia to send 20,000 emergency troops to Harrisburg. Almost an entire company, of which I was one, was raised by Captain Samuel Sheller. We were mustered in to be sent to Chambersburg, but too late to get into the battle of Antietam, sometimes called .. The Battle of South Mountain." It was fought upon the plains and hills of the beautiful Cumberland Valley, an extension of the Lebanon Valley, reaching from Reading to Harrisburg. There the Susquehanna intervenes; with the Blue Ridge on the north, South Mountain on the south, the valley continues into the Shenandoah. Vegetation grows in grand profusion all through this region, as well as in its contiguous valley Lancaster, the banner county for agriculture of our state. Here Sheridan exterminated every living thing on which an army could subsist. Our first night was spent on Capital Hill "at Harrisburg, where foolish ones sang most of the night, and suffered the next day from loss of sleep. We were given no tents, but, as it was in the fall
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of the year, we took possession of a field where com had been cut and shocked. Without permission we tore down fences, made temporary tents of the rails, and thatched them with corn stalks, and at .. Camp Cornstalk," as we dubbed it, we were quite comfortable. Camp Curtin, at Harrisburg, was the rendezvous of al~ Pennsylvania troops east of the Alleghenies. Regiment after regiment were billeted there until the ranks were filled, when they would be sent to the front. Harrisburg was visited by thousands variously interested. Troops coming home to be mustered out, while others gathered to be mustered in. Many of those who responded to the first call could well be spared, as they were drinkers or floaters. I saw two of the former so shaky that they begged those nearby for a drink. One was supplied and mustered. The other, a fellow named Fissel, fell dead in the line, either from fright or sickness, or because he got no whiskey. Somebody had persuaded a half-wit named Moody to accompany us. He belonged to a good family who knew his weakness, and they should not have allowed him to enlist. I had never seen the man before, but soon began to pity him when I saw he was a butt for the ridicule of the others. He had at home always been atcustomed to every comfort, and when he was introduced to his cornstalk tent, he became homesick and morose, proved anything but amusing, and sat in his tent for three consecutive days, refusing to talk or to eat. Some of the boys had secured chickens, which they penned in Moody's tent, but even this did not rouse him from his apathy. Then they introduced straws between the apertures of the stalks and tickled Moody's neck. He

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thought them flies and tried to brush them off without success, until some of the jokers, just outside, began to talk to each other about .. The dreadful lice from the chickens." At hearing this, Moody thought the tickling had come from the chickens, and rushed out like a madman, swearing "He would return home by the next train I" I was glad to see him at last out of his tent, as I was sergeant, and felt partly responsible for his welfare. I got him to sit by me and coaxed him to eat, only to be refused until at last the appetizing smell of good soup was too much of a temptation for Moody's long fast, and he said, " By ye thunder, Wister, I believe if I had a tablecloth I could eat something," so I spread one of my clean handkerchiefs under his plate and Moody, much to our relief. ate a hearty meal, after which he behaved as well as he was able like the rest of us. Harper, on account of his ability, had been promoted to be our mess cook, and his soups, made of Government beans and bacon, were delicious. After this episode, Moody seemed to think me a kind of guardian angel, and followed me around whenever it was practicable. He was so devoted that I began to entertain a sort of affection for him, and resented any further ill-treatment of him. Thus, when one of the boys, a handsome young fellow who ought to have known better, pinched and punched him to see what he would say, I squared up and told him that hereafter when any of them wanted to torment Moody they would have to whip me first. My friend, Harry McCormick, had raised an artillery company and was made captain. One day, much to my surprise, Moody waked up to the importance of military rank, and asked me what price McCormick would

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accept for his uniform and company t At another time some of the boys dressed up an artificial elephant, covered with gray blankets. Noone dreamed anybody could be deceived until Moody said, co By ye thunder, Wister, I'd like to see him with the blankets off." As I look back to those days, I can scarcely recommend our teasing of Moody as orthodox Christian behavior, but, reader, please be gentle with criticism; we were only boys grown up, full of life, health and spirit, and off from work for a frolic. Walter Newhall's patriotism led him to join the Northern Army as a cavalryman. The war had hardly begun when he was the victim of a drowning accident, which deprived our force of one of its noblest soldiers. Before the days of cricket, the Newhall boys were leaders in athletics. They played the game of hare and hounds 0;1 every path and road of Germantown and vicinity. Gilbert, familiarly known as co Gil Newhall," was the most untiring runner of his day, frequently running fifteen to twenty miles of an afternoon. He was a great traveller and went on several exploring expeditions. He married Bessie Smith, the most beautiful girl in Germantown. Only two children survive this union.

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