It was during our stay in winter quarters, March, 1864, that the term of our second enlistment expired.  The troops had volunteered for twelve months at the commencement of the war; this expiring just before the seven days’ battle around Richmond, a re-enlistment and reorganization was ordered in the spring of 1862 for two more years, making the term of Kershaw’s Brigade equal with other troops that had enlisted for “three years or the war.”  By an Act of Congress, in 1862, all men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five years were compelled to bear arms.  This had been extended first to forty and then to forty-five and during Grant’s memorable campaign against Richmond, the ages ran from sixteen to fifty-five, though those between sixteen and eighteen and those between fifty and fifty-five were to be used only in State service.  This brought out the expression of Grant to the authorities in Washington, that “Lee had robbed the cradle and the grave.”  Our re-enlistment was only a form, no change in officers or organization.  Some few failed to voluntarily re-enlist, not with any view to quit the army, but some had grown weary of the hard marches of the infantry service and wished to join the cavalry.  However, when the morning came for re-enlistment the troops were called out in line of regiments and a call made by the Colonel to all who were willing to enlist for the war to step two paces to the front.  All, with the very fewest exceptions, stepped proudly to the front.  Of course, none were permitted to leave his company for the cavalry, as that branch of the service was yet filled to its full quota, its ranks had in no discernable degree been depleted by the casualties of war.  It seemed that fortune favored our troopers, for battle as they would, none were scarcely ever wounded, and a less number killed.  Infantry soldiers were furloughed, through wounds, by the thousands, and artillerymen by the hundreds, after every great battle, but the cavalryman was denied this luxury, and his only hope in a furlough was a short leave of absence to replace a wornout horse that had fallen by the wayside.  Their ranks of furloughed men in this line were usually quite full.

As for returning to their homes, no soldier, however humble his station, either in the army or socially at home, would have dared to leave the service had a discharge been offered him.  A man in good health and with stout limbs preferred facing bullets and even death, rather than bracing the scorn and contempt the women of the South had for the man who failed his country when his services were needed.  No man, however brave, would have had the hardihood to meet his wife or mother unless “with his shield or on it” in this hour of his country’s need.  There were some few exemptions in the conscript law; one particularly was where all the men in a neighborhood had gone or was ordered to the front, one old man to five plantations, on which were slaves, was exempted to look after said farms, manage the negroes, and collect the government taxes or tithes.  These tithes were one-tenth of all that was raised on a plantation—­cotton, corn, oats, peas, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, etc.—­to be delivered to a government agent, generally a disabled soldier, and by him forwarded to the army.