The Maine bugle ... campaign; 1-5 Jan. 1894-Oct. 1898 - Maine.gov

RECOLLECTIONS OF APPOMATTOX. 139
I. C. Mosher of Co. H, while prosecuting his search, discov-
ered by the side of a dead confederate, a Hving memento, a Httle
pup no more than four or five weeks old, crying and moaning
piteously. It was a custom quite common among the confed-
erate soldiers, much more so than among the Union, to keep
pets, cats, dogs, and smaller animals, and sometimes birds in
rude cages, and to take them along on the march and even into
action. This little dog had undoubtedly been brought all the
long way from Richmond or Petersburg and had endured the
hardships of that sad march and shared the scanty rations of
his kind master, whose life had gone out on the field in that
last battle. Mosher took the wee little rebel along to camp, fed
him and in a little time he was thoroughly reconstructed except
in name. Rebel, and as happy and playful as his little doggish
nature could be. The little dog continued with his new master,
growing finely until sometime in the summer when we were on
duty at Chesterfield Court House, he was sold and taken to New
York.
We remained in camp near by until the next morning, the loth
when our cavalry corps set out in the return march. But before
we set out, at the suggestion of Grant, Smith, or Sheridan, we
were permitted a farewell look upon the brave men and the rep-
resentatives of other brave men, who had fought us in vain so
hard and long. As we approached their shelterless camps,
their little fires still smoking, and unarmed men lying idly about
them, our regimental band struck up " Yankee Doodle " and
played it in the liveliest manner possible. Our men were cau-
tioned, if we rode among them to make no remarks that would
irritate or in any way injure the sensitive feelings of those erring
men, whose cause had expired there and whose political hopes
were being buried on that field ;
but there was no need of such
an order, for whatever of bitterness or of enmity we may here-
tofore have entertained towards them was now forgotten, and
only worthier and kindlier feelings actuated us. Close down by
their camp stood gallant " Little Phil," our cavalry idol, who
had contributed so much genius, wisdom, and skill to the sue-