Wiling Away the Time at Kalorama
The regiment began to watch about this time the rapid wearing away of the three months, for which it had taken the oath of service, with no little anxiety. The men unanimously regarded the prospect of carrying their banners back to Cayuga county, unbaptized in the smoke of the battlefield, with dismay. One day, there came to camp two important rumors.
Visitors at headquarters brought the first unofficially from Washington. It was said that the State of New York had turned the regiment over to the United States Government for the whole period of its original two years’ enlistment. It impugns neither the courage nor loyalty of the Cayuga boys to say that some were disconcerted by this quite positively unexpected intelligence. They supposed as a matter of course they were going home at the end of the three months. The Government had not in any manner intimated a desire for their services longer than that time. They knew nothing of the official correspondence between the Governor and the War Department. They had not been consulted about staying beyond the term for which they had mustered in, and many had already laid out plans for fall and winter work, in anticipation of going home on the 22d of August.
The rumor of being held for two years, naturally created a lively sensation. Col. Clark was appealed to for his opinion of the matter. He replied that he had no official information on the subject His individual opinion, based on the needs of Government and the probabilities of protracted war, was that the Government would demand the full two years’ service of all three months regiments, and would be entitled to receive it. The men were inclined to be rather indignant at what they considered, if the rumor was true, the treacherous and unwarrantably arbitrary treatment of them by the authorities.
Many of them, doubtless, regarded a long service with pleasure, and all would, had it not been for the infamous shoddy uniforms. At home, the men had dressed in comfort and elegance. Now, they were clad in insufferable rags. Scarce a uniform in the regiment was without patches. And this disgrace existed in the midst of a splendidly equipped army. It mortified the pride and wounded the esprit du corps of the regiment more than words can tell. The feeling was, as a natural consequence, that the Empire State manifested a disposition to sacrifice and degrade her sons, and if it did not cease at once they should desire to quit her service.
These thoughts, entertained in a vague sort of way, vanished, however, for a while, in the excitement caused by the second rumor, above alluded to, which was that the regiment had at last been ordered to engage in active operations. There was no repining at Kalorama after that Leaving the term of service question to be settled by time, all thoughts were bent towards preparation for the march.
From Cayuga in the Field by Henry Hall and James Hall.
