Isaac O. Best, History of the 121st New York State Infantry

[165] would not sell any more goods, they were for the men of the regiment of which he was sutler. This did not suit some of our people, and in a moment each man who could get into the shanty was acting as clerk for himself, and it took but a few moments to clean out the whole outfit. The sutler begged to be left a comb to comb his hair with, but I doubt if his petition was granted. I secured some hot pies and some canned goods. An effort was made by some officers to discover who had perpetrated this outrage, as it was called, but without any success.

We remained at Bermuda Hundred waiting an order to attack. It was reported on the 18th that General Wright and General Butler had quarreled, but it had no influence upon our movements.

On the morning of the 19th we crossed the river and marched to the Petersburg front, to the vicinity of the Petersburg and Norfolk Railroad, which position we occupied, relieving some of General Martindale's division of the Eighteenth Corps. At daylight on the 20th firing began on our front, and a battery just to our right kept up a continuous fire. Shortly after sunrise a Rebel picket came into our lines. He had a number of canteens and seemed to be confused and lost, and was greatly surprised when he jumped over the works.

During the day of the 20th a Rebel mortar battery opened upon us, and for a little while made it very lively for us. Where we were posted the railroad had been torn up, the ties used to face the inside of the breastworks with a tie standing on end against the facing and another placed bracing the upright tie to hold all in place. The third mortar shell fired, I discovered, was coming into the works and I shouted “look out, it is coming right into the works.” There was a