"We have been cheated".

Saturday, May 2, 1863, Virginia

Very early yesterday morning, long before sunrise we were roused out of our slumber and told to have breakfast and prepare for a march. There were no drums; no long roll was beaten. The sergeants and corporals of the regiment went from place to place where we were sleeping and woke us with instructions to be quiet. 

Our division was the last to leave the camp and I think our Brigade was the last of the division to leave. Right behind us were the ordnance trains. We knew we were going west along the south side of the Rappahannock but not towards what goal. As we continued to march, word filtered back that the Yankees had crossed the river at U.S. Ford above Fredericksburg. They were, as we in the ranks saw it, trying to turn Lee's army and cut it off from Richmond. 

Although our opinion of the Yankee's intentions was exactly that, we did now that the Yankees were behind us. We had left General Early facing those who crossed the river in front of him. We knew the Yankees were in front of us at this new crossing. We were inbetween them but at the same time, Hooker's army was split. And Jackson was moving.

It was so early, the morning fog had not yet burned off. Jackson's people always march fast and a battery of the Richmond Howitzers moved from the road to allow us to pass. From behind us, we could the sounds of distant cheering that creeped forwards us. Lee was the cause of the commotion. It was Lee they were cheering and soon it was our turn to take up the cheer as he passed us. Lee waved his hat at us, acknowledging our attentions. The Yankees probably heard everything.

So what if they did hear us? Let them. Let them know that Lee and his army are coming and there will be battle which was coming sooner than we anticipated. Some distance short of a place called Chancellorsville we were forced to stop. We heard a good deal of gunfire and artillery. Some shells made it our way but I know of no casualties suffered in the brigade. After some time, we passed the action that was on the left and continued west. We could see balloons suspended in the sky, watching us. Later that day, the brigade stopped and we encamped itself in a pine thicket. 

The only rations we consumed were those we cooked that morning. We ate them all cold lest our fires give us away. There was no coffee. Some tried to build small fires but they were all caught and reprimanded very badly. We Dandy Eights longed for a fire but held true. We spent the night wondering what we were going to do. All were assured that as long as Lee and Jackson were here, it would not be a retreat. We did not get a lot of sleep.

Then came the morrow, this morning. Again we were roused without fanfare. We were told to eat what we could, cold, of course, and fill our canteens as the march would be a long one. We saw Jackson at one point on today's march. He has a new uniform and does not look like a rumpled blanket. We wanted to cheer him but were ordered not to.

Then the blow fell. One regiment had to stay with the ordnance train and protect it. We were still unsure as to the exact location of the enemy and could not afford to have our ammunition get captured. It was expected that there would be prisoners and one regiment should be prepared to receive them. That one regiment is us.

We have been cheated. We have been resting and preparing all winter for this moment. We itch to fix bayonets and charge into the enemy. We have full cartridge boxes. Let us empty them into their faces. We can hear the sounds of a blow being struck but we do not know if it is us or the Yankees doing the striking. Orders are orders so here we sit and wait.