Year: 1863

FRIEND MEYERs:


Since my last you have, of course, heard


of the late move of the grand army of the Po-


tomac, and how we succeeded. For ten days


before we marched the order was counter


manded, from time to time; one time it was too


cold, then too wet, &C., &c. But last Monday


week we were ordered to be in readiness. BY
o'clock next morning, we were up and had our


bacon and crackers in good time hitched mp,
! end as usual stood until near sun-down. When


we started we were hardly fairly on the way,


until we halted for the night, in an open field


with the ''sacred soil" sinking under us, letting


US in almost to the knees. Throughout the entire


night the rain poured down in torrents; and
can tell you we spent q Rather uncomfortable


night, having nothing but gum blanket to lie
! on, and the rain pelting through our shelter
tents on us most numerically. We got up at
daylight, prepared our breakfast-oh did |
say breakfast under some difficulty, and tried
to start, but before we got out of the field in
which We were encamped the artillery stuck
in the mud, and as many as twenty horses
were hitchcd to it in order to get it out. AS
the ambulance train is always i'll the rear, his
detained us, for no little time, which occasioned
some swearing among the buzzards, as the
"stretcher bearers" are sometimes called. How
ever, at last we reached what the natives called
q pike. Well, we started on this pike-.jacob-
aithful-like--expecting 'better luck next time
| but the expected luck did not come 1t was
stick stick, stick, all the time. On all sides we
could see the poor horses at it with all their
might, under the lash of their brutal drivers.
Artillery, supply trains, ambulances and men,
all were Sticking" never saw such commu-
nifty OF 'stiekers' in my life. But the army
had TO move, and we did it; we tried it, mean
We got about six miles from our old camp,


where we spent ten weeks, staid in the woods


until corduroy roads were made for us to get
back, and we had just as nice time getting


back; even the light nmbulances, with no load at
all, would stick 50 fast that it took the conlbi-


ned efforts of the aforesaid bussa1ds and the


horses tt pull out; but we got out at last. 1t
| is thought that our movement was ono OF those


grand strategetc demonstrations that some of


the red tape gentry don't make. The Rebs knew


all about it, before we started, and were on the
opposite side of the river and, doubtless, well


prepared to meet us. Their pickets invited ours


over to share ihcir four days rations with them,


and am told that they held up boards inscri-


bed with the following words, which they told


our pickets to read:


ssBURNsIDE'S ARMY WITH FOUR DAYS RATIoNs
STICKING IN THE MUD"


For this cannot vouch, but it seems to be


the common r,Imor. 1t must be confessed how
ever, that it was a sticking time all around;
so much so that the pontoon boats were only
brought here to-day. 1t was said at first that
they were burned, on account of our not being
able to get them back, but they are all within
sight and great ponderous things they are, load
ed on wagons made expressly fOr their trans
portation. A train of fifty of them made quite
a long string. We have no idea how soon we
will have to make use of them again. But a.
mong the men | do not think there is much inn
patience, particularly not as to going into Fred
ericksburg, at least under such circumstances as
our former trip. But when the "On to Rich-
mond' party gets to howling again, and the


''powers that be" say the word, we must 60, no
matter what the weather is like. "Why don't
the army move9" is the cry, too, with some of
the stay y-at-home patriots. Were they out hcrc,
some of them, Just for night, such a one as
this, maybe they wouldn't ask that question.
But they are at home and are likely to stay there,
and we are out hcre-and-a soldier can stand
anything


On Monday we moved our camp about one
mile from the old one, and there has been no


little activity among the men putting up quar-
ters to make themselves as comfortable as pos
sible. The ambulances are parked about mile
from the brigade on high hill overlooking the
town of Falmouth. Just now it is cold as
Greenland. For two days we have all been en-
gagged in constructing our rude huts, and they
afford what we call comfortable quarters. We
just put the finishing touches to ours to-day 1t
was rather cold weather to do plastering under
driving snow storm. If some of your masons
were here they might criticise the job, but when
it is taken into consideration that we had to
heat the water to mix the mud and carry it
quite distance in a cracker-box, they might
call it good piece of work. Perhaps an idea
of what our huts are like will not be uninter-
esting to some of your readers, particularly to
those who have sons and friends in the army
We go into the pines and fell the trees, cut them
the length we wish to make the hut, haul them
out to the colony, as we call it, then pile up the
logs to the height of about six feet, and stretch
our little pieces of canvas over it for roof In
our mess there are five of us; we have quite a
fine place; at least zoe think so, and will sleep
in it tonight for the first time. Our bed looks
rather narrow for five, but we will lie all the
closer, (spoon fashion). I think the bed we
have now is the best it has been my good luck
to lie on since first went ''a soldering" We
spread pine branches on the ground to the depth
of-say, ten inches---then spread our gum blan-
kets on it. with fecd-bags, as a sheet. From
present indications, l think will sleep tonight
as well as IIwould at home We have become
used to it and lie as well on a hard bed and
-. n