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In the commencement of the war of 1861, I enlisted from Cleveland, Ohio, in the Union
cause, to sustain intact the Government of the United States, and became attached to the
23rd Regiment, one of the first sent from the "Buckeye State." Our destination
was West Virginia— a portion of the wildest and most mountainous region of that State,
well adapted for the guerrillas who infested that part, and caused such trouble to our
pickets all through the war. After an arduous march of several hundred miles through
Clarksburgh, Weston, Sommerville, and several other places of less note, which have become
famous during the war, we encountered on the 10th of September, 1861, at Carnifax Ferry,
the forces under the rebel Gen. Floyd. After this, we were ordered to take up our position
at the foot of Sewell Mountain, and we remained there until we marched to the village of
Fayette, to take it, and to establish there our Winter-quarters, having again routed Gen.
Floyd and his forces. While lying there, our camp duties were not of an arduous character,
and being apprised of the approaching Feast of Passover, twenty of my comrades and
co-religionists belonging to the Regiment, united in a request to our commanding officer
for relief from duty, in order that we might keep the holydays, which he readily acceded
to. The first point was gained, and, as the Paymaster had lately visited the Regiment, he
had left us plenty of greenbacks. Our next business was to find some suitable person to
proceed to Cincinnati, Ohio, to buy us מצות [Matzos] Our sutler being a
co-religionist and going home to that city, readily undertook to send them. We were
anxiously awaiting to receive our matzos and about the middle of the morning of
ערב פסח
[Eve of Passover] a supply train arrived in
camp, and to our delight seven barrels of Matzos. On opening them, we were
surprised and pleased to find that our thoughtful sutler had enclosed two Hagedahs
and prayer-books. We were now able to keep the seder nights, if we could only obtain the
other requisites for that occasion. We held a consultation and decided to send parties to
forage in the country while a party stayed to build a log hut for the services. About the
middle of the afternoon the foragers arrived, having been quite successful. We obtained
two kegs of cider, a lamb, several chickens and some eggs. Horseradish or parsley we could
not obtain, but in lieu we found a weed, whose bitterness, I apprehend, exceeded anything
our forefathers "enjoyed". We were still in a great quandary; we were like the
man who drew the elephant in the lottery. We had the lamb, but did not know what part was
to represent it at the table; but Yankee ingenuity prevailed, and it was decided to cook
the whole and put it on the table, then we could dine off it, and be sure we had the right
part. The necessaries for the choroutzes we could not obtain, so we got a brick
which, rather hard to digest, reminded us, by looking at it, for what purpose it was
intended.
At dark we had all prepared, and were ready to commence the service. There being no
חזן present, I was
selected to read the services, which I commenced by asking the blessing of the Almighty on
the food before us, and to preserve our lives from danger. The ceremonies were passing off
very nicely, until we arrived at the part where the bitter herb was to be taken. We all
had a large portion of the herb ready to eat at the moment I said the blessing; each eat
his portion, when horrors! what a scene ensued in our little congregation, it is
impossible for my pen to describe. The herb was very bitter and very fiery like Cayenne
pepper, and excited our thirst to such a degree, that we forgot the law authorizing us to
drink only four cups, and the consequence was we drank up all the cider. Those that drank
the more freely became excited, and one thought he was Moses, another Aaron, and one had
the audacity to call himself Pharaoh. The consequence was a skirmish, with nobody hurt,
only Moses, Aaron and Pharaoh, had to be carried to the camp, and there left in the arms
of Morpheus. This slight incident did not take away our appetite, and, after doing justice
to our lamb, chickens and eggs, we resumed the second portion of the service without
anything occurring worthy of note.
There, in the wild woods of West Virginia, away from home and friends, we consecrated
and offered up to the ever-loving G-d of Israel our prayers and sacrifice. I doubt whether
the spirits of our forefathers, had they been looking down on us, standing there with our
arms by our side ready for an attack, faithful to our G-d and our cause, would have
imagined themselves amongst mortals, enacting this commemoration of the scene that
transpired in Egypt.
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