DEDICATION. -- PREFACE. -- CONTENTS. -- CHAPTER I. -- THE TOCSIN OF WAR. -- The Four Parties -- Their Candidates -- Freedom of Speech Abridged -- Secession Decreed -- Lincoln Elected -- Oh, for Andrew Jackson! Exit Buchanan -- "Long-heeled Abolitionists" and "Black Republicans" -- "Wide-awakes" and "Rail-splitters" -- Copperheads -- The Misunderstanding -- Northern Doughfaces -- Loyal Men of All Parties Unite -- The First Rally -- Preparation in the Bay State and in Other States -- Her War Governor -- Showing the White Feather -- The Memorable Fifteenth of April -- "The Sweet Little Man" -- Parting Scenes -- The Three-Months' Men. -- CHAPTER II. -- ENLISTING. -- The President's Error -- "Three Years Unless Sooner Discharged" -- How Volunteer Companies were Raised -- Filling the Quotas -- What General Sherman Says -- Recruiting Offices -- Advertisements for Recruits -- A War Meeting in Roxbury -- A Typical War Meeting in the Country -- A Small-Sized Patriot -- Signing the Roll -- The Medical Examination -- Off for Camp -- The Red, White, and Blue -- CHAPTER III. -- HOW THE SOLDIERS WERE SHELTERED. -- The Distinction Noted Between the Militia and the U. S. Volunteers -- The Oath of Muster -- Barracks Described -- Sibley or Bell Tents -- A or Wedge Tents -- Spooning -- Stockading -- Hospital or Wall Tents -- Dog or Shelter Tent Described -- Chumming -- Pitching Shelters -- Stockaded Shelters -- Fireplaces -- Chimneys -- Door Plates -- "Willard's Hotel" -- "Hole in the Wall" -- Mortars and Mortar Shelling before Petersburg -- CHAPTER IV. -- LIFE IN TENTS. -- Life in a Sibley -- The Stove -- The Pastimes -- Postage Stamps as Money -- Soldier's Letter -- "Nary Red" -- Illustrated Envelopes -- Army Reading -- The Recluse -- Evenings of Sociability -- Pipe and Ring Making -- Home Gossip -- Music and the Contrabands -- War Song Revived.

The "Mud March" Prayer -- CHAPTER V. -- LIFE IN LOG HUTS. -- The Plan of a Camp -- Inside a Stockade -- The Bunks -- The Arrangement of the Furniture -- Æsthetic Dish-washing -- Lighting by Candles and Slush Lamps -- Candlesticks -- Night-Gowns and Night-Caps -- The Shelters in a Rain -- "I. C." Insect Life -- Pediculus Vestimenti, the Old-time Grayback -- Not a Respecter of Rank -- The First Grayback Found -- (K)nitting Work -- "Skirmishing" -- Boiling Water the Sovereign Balm -- Cleanliness -- The Versatile Mess-Kettles -- No Magee Ranges Supplied the Soldiers -- Washerwomen -- No "Boiled Shirts" -- Darning and Mending -- Government Socks -- Cooks -- Green Pine as Fuel -- Camp Barbers -- Future Tacticians -- CHAPTER VI. -- JONAHS AND BEATS. -- The Jonah as a Guardsman -- A Midnight Uproar -- Put him in the Guard-house -- The Jonah Spills Pea-Soup, and Coffee, and Ink -- Always Cooking -- Steps on the Rails -- Tableau -- Jonah as a Wood-chopper -- Beats -- The Beat as a Fireman -- Without Water, and Rations, and Money -- His Letters Containing Money always Miscarry -- Allotments -- The Beat as a Guard Dodger -- His Corporal Does the Duty -- As a Fatigue Detail -- Horse-Burying as a Civilizer for Jonahs and Beats -- The Detail for the Burial -- The Over-worked Man -- The Rheumatic Dodge -- The Sick Man -- The Chief Mourner -- The Explosive Man -- The Paper-Collar Young Man -- Forward, Grave-diggers! -- Hurrah! Without the H -- CHAPTER VII. -- ARMY RATIONS. -- Were They Adequate? -- Their Quality -- A List of Them -- What was Included in a Single Ration -- What was a Marching Ration? -- Officers' Allowance -- The "Company Fund" -- Hardtack Described -- Its Faults Three in Number -- Served in Twenty Different Ways -- Song of the Hardtack -- "Soft Bread" -- The Capitol as a Bake-house -- The Ovens at Alexandria and Fort Monroe.

Grant's Immense Bake-house at City Point -- Coffee and Sugar -- How Dealt Out -- How Stored -- Condensed Milk -- Company Cooks -- The Coffee-Dipper -- The Typical Coffee-Boiler -- Bivouac and Coffee -- How the Government Beat the Speculators -- How a Contractor Underbid Himself -- Fresh Meat -- How Served -- Army Frying-Pans -- Steak from a Steer's Jaw-Bone -- "Salt Horse" Not a Favorite Dish -- Salt Pork and its Uses -- The Army Bean -- How it was Baked -- Song of the Army Bean -- Desiccated Vegetables -- The Whiskey Ration -- A Suggestion as to the Inadequacy of the Marching Ration -- CHAPTER VIII. -- OFFENCES AND PUNISHMENTS. -- The Offences Enumerated -- "Back Talk" -- Absence from Camp without Leave -- The Punishments -- The Guard Tent -- The Black List -- Its Occupations -- Buck and Gag -- The Barrel and its Uses -- The Crucifixion -- The Wooden Horse -- The Knapsack Drill -- Tied up by the Thumbs -- The Sweat-Box -- The Placard -- The Spare Wheel -- Log-Lugging -- Double Guard -- The Model Regiment -- Commanders often Tyrants by Nature, or from Effects of Rum, or Ignorance -- Regiment with Hundreds of Colonels -- Inactivity Productive of Offences and Punishments -- Kid-Glove Warfare -- Drumming out of Camp -- Rogue's March -- Ball and Chain -- Sleeping on Post -- Desertion -- Death of a Deserter Described-Death of a Spy Described -- Bounty-jumpers -- Amnesty to Deserters -- Desertion to Enemy -- Hanging of Three Criminals at Once for this Offence Described -- Number of Executions in the War -- CHAPTER IX. -- A DAY IN CAMP. "ASSEMBLY OF BUGLERS." "TURN OUT!" "ASSEMBLY." -- How the Men Came into Line -- A Canteen Wash -- The Shirks -- "I Can't Get 'Em Up" -- "All Present or Accounted For" -- "Stable Call" -- Kingly Cannoneers and Spare Horses -- "Breakfast Call" -- "Sick Call" -- "Fall In for Your Quinine" -- The Beats again.

"Lack of Woman's Nursing" -- "Water Call" -- Where the Animals were Watered -- "Fatigue Call" -- What it Included -- Army Stables -- The Picket-Rope -- Mortality of Horses -- Scarcity of Wood -- "Drill Call" -- Artillery Drill -- Standing Gun Drill -- Battery Manoeuvres -- Sham Fights -- Drilling by Bugle Calls -- "Dinner Call" -- "Retreat" -- Scolding Time -- "Assembly of Guard" -- The Reliefs -- Fun for the Corporal -- Some of His Trials -- "Next Tent Below" -- "Tattoo" -- Reminiscences -- Taps -- "Put out that Light!" -- "Stop that Talking!" -- CHAPTER X. -- RAW RECRUITS. -- A Scrap of Personal History -- A Parent's Certificate -- The Lot of a Recruit -- Abused by the Old Hands -- Flush with Money -- A Practical Joke -- Two Classes of Recruits -- The Matter-of-fact Recruit a Final Success -- The High-toned Recruits -- Their Loud Uniform -- Scoffers at Government Rations -- As Hostlers -- The Awkward Squad -- The Decline in the Quality of Recruits -- Men of '61-2 -- Unschooled Soldiers -- Hope Deferred -- "One Last Embrace" -- French Leave Furloughs -- Life in Home Camp -- Family Knots -- A Mother's Fond Solicitude -- Galling Lessons of Obedience -- Bounties Paid Recruits -- "I'm a Raw Recruit" -- "The Substitute" -- CHAPTER XI. -- SPECIAL RATIONS. BOXES FROM HOME. -- Sending for a Box -- A Specimen Address -- A Typical List of Contents -- Impatience at its Non-arrival -- Its Inspection at Headquarters -- Its Reception at Camp -- The Opening -- Box-packing as an Art -- The Whole Neighborhood Contributes -- Soldiers Who Had No Boxes -- The Box of the Selfish Man -- His Onions -- "We've Drank from the same Canteen" -- THE ARMY SUTLER -- His Stock-in-trade -- His Prices -- The Commissary -- Army Fritters -- Sutler's Pies -- Sutler's Risks -- Raiding the Sutler -- What a Sutler Lost near Brandy Station -- War Prices in Dixie -- CHAPTER XII.

FORAGING. -- Strictly Prohibited at First -- Two Reasons Why -- The Right and Wrong of It -- Innocent Sufferers -- Unauthorized Foragers -- The Destitution of Some Families -- The Family Turnout -- Wantonness at Fredericksburg -- Authorized Foragers -- Their Plunder -- Foraging at Wilcox's Farm -- Tobacco Foragers -- The Cavalry in Their Rôle -- The Infantry -- Incidents -- Risks Assumed by Foragers -- Union Versus Confederate Soldier as a Forager -- CHAPTER XIII. -- CORPS AND CORPS BADGES. -- What was an Army Corps? -- How the Army of the Potomac was Organized -- Brigade and Division Formations -- "All quiet along the Potomac" -- "Why don't the Army move?" -- How Corps were Composed -- Their Number -- Corps Badges -- Their Origin -- The Kearny Patch -- Worn First by Officers, then by the Privates -- Hooker's Scheme of Corps Badges -- Its Extension to other Armies -- The Badge of each Army Corps Described -- CHAPTER XIV. -- SOME INVENTIONS AND DEVICES OF THE WAR. -- Improvements in Firearms -- In War Vessels -- Catch-penny Devices for the Soldiers -- Combination Knife, Fork, and Spoon -- Water Filterers -- Armor Vests and Greaves -- Havelocks -- Revolvers and Dirk Knives -- "High-toned" Haversacks -- Compact Writing-desks Smoking-caps and the Turkish Fez -- Hatter's Caps Versus Government Caps -- The Numbering and Lettering of Knapsacks -- Haversacks and Canteens -- How these Equipments Changed Hands -- CHAPTER XV. -- THE ARMY MULE -- Where Raised -- Where the Government Obtained Them -- What They were Used for -- Compared with Horses -- Mule Fodder -- How a Mule Team was Composed -- How it was Driven -- How Mules were Obtained from the Corral -- The Black Snake and its Uses -- An Incident -- Mule Ears -- His Pastimes -- As a Kicker the Original Mugwump -- What Josh Billings Knows about Him -- His Kicking Range -- How He was Shod.

The Mule as a Singer.