[104] but had to climb up and sit on the edge of the boxes in order to get at their contents. In time of battle this inconvenience was emphasized in the mind of the caisson corporal, who ‘felt’ that it was more dangerous to be perched up so high than to be standing on the ground with the whole box in front of him. The increase in the danger of the lofty position may not have been real, but imaginary dangers oftentimes give as much discomfort as real ones.
The three six-pounder brass field-pieces consisted of one six-pounder of the weight used in the old army (sent from Richmond) and two pieces, similar in calibre, but much lighter guns, being two of the guns which were furnished by the State of Virginia for the use of the cadets at the Virginia Military Institute. Their efficiency within a certain range was probably equal to that of the regulation six-pounder used at that time and before the war by the United States army, but on account of their lightness the ‘recoil’ was very great, and the labor of the men at the piece was increased.
We were at Camp Stevens about ten days. The weather was dry and warm. The men had no tents. The officers had some small tent-flies, which were stretched across poles and made a sort of shelter. We did no end, as it seemed to us then, of drilling. First at the guns an hour, beginning about sun-rise. Then came breakfast, for which we had some appetite. About 10 o'clock came two hours of battery drill, in which we were forbidden to take short cuts across the field in order to fall in with our detachment at the point where we supposed it would soon be. No hypothenuses were allowed to be described by the men on foot, while the mounted officers and horses were describing two sides of a right-angled triangle. After our dinners we had scant time in which to have siestas, for we were again called on to drill with the horses, or at the guns, and earn more appetite for supper and for sleep. These ten days were days of work which was very hard to many of us, but on the whole there was little to fret about and nothing to regret now. The greatest discomfort grew out of our inexperience as cooks, and our fear of getting bugs in our ears! We had the best flour the Valley afforded, good beef and some vegetables, plenty of good coffee, too, and sugar.
The pay of the men was only $13 per month, but the money was sufficient to supply us with extra rations when we wanted a variety, as our money had not depreciated—taking gold as a standard—and we could buy eggs at about ‘nine pence’ (12 1/2 cents) per dozen, and butter at not much higher price per pound, and milk and buttermilk were also cheap.
