NO REAR.

“War, with all its terrors and bloodshed ,” said Mr. Wm. Toler, of Alexandria, “still had its humorous side, or, I might say, its given humorous side.”

“When Jackson’s corps, of which I was a member, was getting to the flank of the Union men at Chancellorsville, the troops in advance became engaged with the enemy. Just as my company reached a little piece of wood, we met a wounded soldier, who was slowly dragging himself along toward the point from which we were marching. He was going to the rear as rapidly as his wounds would allow. The poor fellow had hardly gotten out of sight before rapid firing in the direction in which he had gone indicated that the Yankees had closed in behind us.”

“Pretty soon he came jumping back, and when near the point at which I had first noticed him, another wounded man approached from the opposite direction, when this colloquy took place:

“Hello, Tom; hurt?
“Little—not much, let’s go to the rear.”
“Too much for me, Tom. This is the darndest fight I’ve bin in yit. ‘Tain’t got no r’ar.” ~ A recollection from a UCV at the Richmond reunion, 1896

Zak
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Pvt A C Redwood
55th Va. Inf Regt