Year: 1863

Althougt We haG bacn expecting to move
somewhere for long M. We had but little
idea where we were gong. There been all
sorts of rumors in camp, as there alwa VS. are at
such times, and almost every man he'd rumor
, of his own. No homes, man could believe Two
Of them at the same time. Sometimes it was
reported that We were going to New York Gen.
Stannard had command there and wanted US to
do service under him beard that some officers
had offered to bet very extrayagantly that such
would be the case. 1t is curious how such ru-
mors will thrive and strengthen themselves in
thousand different ways, 1t was coolly told in


the third brigade, nd believed there, that orders
had been read to US on dra7s parade to draw
clothing suitable for garrison duty, when no such
orders had been read to Us ut all and more than
all that our regiment hAi no resa parade while
we stayed in our last camp Another s.2rg was
that the army was going to move down to the
vicinity Of Aqua Crs.l am 20 into winter
quarters there again. Going across the Rapidan
to attack the enemy once more, seemed to b.
hardly feasible at this late season. Moroovsrat
tackins Lee in his old chosen position, we have
tried so many times aud failed, tha.a great
many think it is high time that tha. method Of
maneuyerlns was play y-d ou,.


The day, before we did move, vas up in one
Of the New York regiments, and they were try
ing to enlist the men oy again for another thro-
years. They were managing this matter with
great deal Of shrewdnes5. Every man that put
his name down was to have a furlough and go
home Immediately. As it had become pretty
certain that we were to have a long, tedious
campaign cold am stormy it might be in pur-
suit Of the enemy, it was quite tempting bait
for a fellow to write down hls name and get rid
Of it all, and 90 home and have jolly time in
stead. la some Of the New York regiments, the
enlistng officers have been pretty successful; IN
others, the boys say they want to breathe free
air once more before they enlist again,


Thursday morning, the 10Th, We were drummed
up again, bright and early, to prepare to march,
The air was clear, and there were no signs of
ram nor any probability that the movement
would be postponed again. Our knapsAcks were
packed, tents struck, huge. bonfres were burn


ng all through the camp, consuming material
that had cost us great deal of pains to collect.
The sun was Just beginning to melt away the
t frost,when we fell into line and filed off towards
: Brandy Station Camp without number were
being deserted, some OF hich had been fixed up


bo cd wi
quarters. The whole army was in motion. In,
fsntry, artillery, and baggage wagons ad mimi
' tum, lad suddenly walked to life and were crowd


ing along, or halting insa field for 1T to com e
T their turn to start 1t was nearly noon before
we got hardly so lar as Brandy Station. The
, marching all day was very SOW. Sometimes We
- would hardly get a half mile from one haltng


place before we would halt again. As 1t gre"
towards night. and we believed that we had got


to cross the river before we halted tor the night


we began to grow inpatient of these yexatloue
DELAYS, and anxious to get to our journeys end


Before we reached the river we had got a couple


of miles of woods to 90 through, and there was
only one little road hardly wide enough tor a


file of four men to walk IN abreast, while Oh
each side was dense thicket Of all sorts of tin
. ber that nature ever invented. II we could hav
70 marched right straight along in this road i
- would have been all well enough, but, instea(


of that, we could only march few steps at


time. then wait for those ahead of us to clear


the wav. We would march about rod, thel


wait five minutes, when we could march a ROT
, more, and then wait another five minutes, AM


all this while the weight of our knapsacks wa
! increasing, and our patience steadily diminish
=, ing, until the boys began to curse patriots an


traitors with 1ut much discrimination. Finally


we halted and sat down. An hour passed an
still we didn't move Some of the boys yer
=. tured to make coffee, running the risk of beln
- ordered to fall in just as they were divested
:. their load, and enjoying their warm drink b
and by orders came that we might make US co
>, fee. and eat our supper and we all pitched Int


the business with will. We had ample time t


allowed us to finish our meal, and when W
- were at last ordered to fall in, the road wa


cle,r and we could march along as last as W
,e liked.


% We crossed the Rapidan between Germanl


l., IN "a n