January 1862 heralded a new year for the United States Sharpshooter regiments at Camp of Instruction outside Washington DC. Like many of his comrades, Corporal James Mero Matthews, of the Maine Company of. Sharpshooters (Company D-2d USSS), found little to be optimistic about.

Matthews was one of fourteen men from the sea coast town of Rockland. December 22 had been tainted by escorting the body of a Company G recruit to the Soldiers Home Cemetery. While there, Matthew’s noticed the fresh grave of an acquaintance of the 4th Maine Infantry from Belfast. On Christmas Eve, Company D’s bugler, 43 year old, Warren Ladd, died of measles, “although homesickness may have affected him some”. On Christmas, Matthews and grieving Maine comrades accompanied fellow mourners from Pennsylvania (Company C) to inter the two Sharpshooters at the Soldier Home burial ground. Arriving back at Camp, Matthews and fellow Rockland comrade Nelson Hall secured a pass to visit the Capital. Shortly after his return, Orderly Sergeant Lorenzo Hall arrived with news of the unexpected death of James’ mother. Despite his shock, James conveyed the news to his brother, Nat, in the 4th Maine Infantry. Three days later James received a box of foodstuffs from home; “it is a painful task to partake of food received under such circumstances”. Nat secured a 12 day pass to return home, but James makes no mention if he applied for one.

Meanwhile, 2nd Regiment was in turmoil, as rumors of the companies being disbanded added to the low morale, sickness and deaths. On January 3rd Matthew reported “Five men died today in the regiment. That’s hauling them off rather fast. This acclimation cost something”.

On January 6th Matthews wrote: “Four have died within the last 24 hours in the two regiment….the life of the soldier is at a pretty low ebb sometimes and this is one of those times”.

For distraction, Matthews accompanied Lieutenant Barker away from Camp “to test his revolver”; when..”An old white horse made his appearance before us and following the instincts of a soldier‘s life, confiscated the animal. He is a very docile beast, as a matter of necessity, having neither eyes ears, or a whole limb at his command. His color is very conspicuous, while being white, and judging from appearance was about as unhappy as some of our homesick comrades. No doubt he was without a friend in the world. We tendered him an escort and proceeded to camp. After parading him about camp a while, passed him back over the lines. He was just the beast to make the “Onward to Richmond” with and should have been turned over to the QM department for the commanding officer (Berdan) of the S. S. In the evening, some of the officers thinking doubtless that the Adjutant required such an animal introduced his head to the Adjutant’s tent and made summons for his appearance, asking him to come and have a game of euchre. Upon answering the request, his person, and that of the other mule collided, much to the edification of the congregated crowd outside. Some report that the horse was actually inside the Adjutant’s tent, others that only his head protruded through the canvas. However, the horse was afterwards introduced to most of the officers quarters, and then lost his life through some humane fellow upon the color line by means of an axe


Unfortunately, Colonel Post took a dim view of the levity at the expense of his Adjutant, and saw to it military discipline was restored. Matthews wrote:”Tuesday, June 7 the body of the slain horse met our eyes early this morning and the colonel completed the joke by detailing as police those instrumental and bringing the horse within the line. So, together with 13 others, including Lieutenant Barker, as officer in charge, we were instructed to go outside to camp and deposit the carcass of the poor old Nag in mother earth. The pick which I commanded was a very thin one, and the first blow made the division between the iron and the wood, resulting in a half hours loss of time going to camp for another. Upon returning, found the hole had grown to the required dimensions and hearing hens at a barn nearby thought of the hen fruit they deposited. “Went for it” . The sudden appearance of the owner, somewhat to arrange the matters and but for a compromise method which should’ve received the flogging at his hands, no doubt. This hastened us us back to the horse funeral. Just in seasoned to season to see the last shovelful go over the resting place of the, poor old white horse”.

Source
Richardson’s Round Table, Dalton, P (editor). Soldiers in Green. Civil War Diaries of James Mero Matthews, 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters. Evangelical Printers. Buckport, Maine