"i have seen the Eliphant i ame Sadisfide and willing to Come home...i seean Enough at the Last Battle to sadifey me."

Alonzo D. Bump, May 15, 1863

Less than tens months after enlisting, Alonzo Bump of the 77th Saratoga Springs, New York regiment had seen enough of war, a circumstance he likened to an elephant: unusual, awesome, and horrifying when in rage. He still had not fired his gun against another man, but watching the bloodshed at Fredericksburg from his infantry support position sated his curiousity. He wanted to return home. Yet Alonzo remained, a man committed to his nation despite his fear of death. As he explained to his wife, Mary, a few months later,"I think I can stand it...at least I will try and if I die it will be in good cause and it will be when I am doing my duty to my country."

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