passing Fort Albany, I found John on the lookout, and he walked along Iwith me for three miles, and then started back, looking as forlorn as possible. The first night was some cold, but we managed to make our selves comfortable. Reveille was beaten at 4 o'clock, and we started towards Fairfax court-house at 6; arrived there at 2 p. m., and went into camp very near General McClellan's quarters. We remained there until last Sunday (16th) morning, and then received orders to report at headquarters at Fairfax Seminary.

"The Friday and Saturday before, it rained very hard; my blankets, boots, and everything I had got wet. My throat troubled me considerably. We marched on Sunday to within two miles of the Seminary, and there found an overflowed river, which we could not ford with our wagons; we remained here for an hour, not knowing what to do, but we were informed that we could go back a mile and find a cross-road which would bring us into the main road to Washington, and then we could take the main road to Alexandria, which is very near our present camp.

"We started, and such a road I never saw before; mud knee-deep. We finally arrived at our destination, after having marched about twentyfive miles. Our wagons had been stalled, and we had nothing to cook or eat with. We remained totally inactive for two hours, and just at dusk our wagons came up, our tents

were pitched, our fires were lighted, and supper cooked.

"Of course we felt like new men. The next morning we arranged our camp, and now we have everything comfortable. General Porter and staff are with us; General McClellan and staff are very near, and the medical director and chief of ordnance directly behind us. We are to be changed from provost guard duty to the guard of the commander-in

FAIRFAX COURT HOUSE, VA.

chief. I think I shall decline the staff appointment offered to me and keep my company. I have seen enought of 'mounted orderlies' duties.

"Frank commands one company of the Eighth, I command the other. Two companies of the Seventeenth are with us, and the officers and men are worse than those of any volunteer regiment in the service. I went over to Washington this morning, saw John on my return. I think we shall embark in two or three days,

he was out by the roadside, feeding his horse; so I went and found him. He is pretty well tired out, having marched from Fairfax last night, and is now camped about a mile from Alexandria. McClellan with his whole army has returned. Banks has about 45,000 men beyond Manassas, and McClellan, with nearly 200,000 men, are embarking on board steamers for God only knows where. There is some game up.'

of the Eighth, and I the other. We are very good friends. I have been to W. twice since we came back from Fairfax, and obtained all I needed for a long campaign. As we go with General McClellan, it becomes us to look as well as possible, so I got my uniform coat and pants, woolen shirts without collars, and one hundred paper collars. Now I can have a clean collar every day, and shall not be put to the trouble of having them All the All the regular infantry

have embarked. I rode down to Alexandria yesterday and saw General Sykes and all the officers. The General said he wished I was going along with him; and I really wish I was, for I know they will see enough fighting, and God knows I had rather fight under General Sykes as my immediate commander than any man living. I feel now as though we were isolated, mere tent raisers; but I will content myself with General Porter's promise to give us a chance, and he is a good man and a brave soldier. I hear nothing of our moving, but I know when we do go, we go on board the Commodore with General McClellan."

"I have been drilling my company as skirmishers for the past week, and firing with blank cartridges; it is the best practice we can give them, for it teaches them to be cool under fire. This morning Frank was sick, and Major Willard took command of the company, and challenged me to have a sham battle with him. Friday night, March 28, General McClellan was serenaded by the band and glee club of the Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and they were cordially welcomed by him, who made them a brief but spirited address."

General McClellan, with headquarters of the army, embarked April 2, 1862, from Alexandria on the Steamer Commodore; Companies F and G of the Eighth, on the Steamer Wilson Small for Fortress Monroe. They arrived on the 3d, and went into camp one mile from Hampton. Leaving Hampton on the morning of April 4, the march was resumed slowly across Newmarket Bridge,

and through Little Bethel, and headquarters were located in a house at Big Bethel very near where Lieutenant John Greble of the Artillery, and our brother's instructor at West Point, had been killed ten months before. On Saturday, April 5, three miles beyond Big Bethel, the Halfway House was reached, once a roadside hotel; there had been a store connected with it, the windows to which had iron bars; it was now deserted. About one-half mile from it "Rosedown" was passed, a plantation house three stories in height, of some pretensions. It was painted white, and had large chimneys and many outbuildings. W. Russell, the owner of this place, stood outside, and answered the numerous questions. put to him. He claimed to be a Union man, complained that the Confederates had burnt up his fences; his slaves, many of them, were nearly white.

This was about twelve miles from Yorktown. Camp and headquarters were at Chesapeake Church at night.

General

On the 6th, after a long, tedious, and slow march across Howards's bridge and through Cockletown, during which cannonading could be heard in the advance, camp. was made near Yorktown. McClellan was in a hut in a deserted Rebel camp. On the 7th, the camp of the general headquarters and provost guard was five miles from Yorktown, near Dr. Powers's. It rained all night, the 7th, and all day of the 8th. Remained in this camp until the 11th, reconnaissances, skirmishes, and cannonading going on most of the time. The roads were

horrible from the recent rains, and the baggage, most of the time, was far in the rear.

On the 11th, camp was moved further to the front, and nearer to Yorktown. This camp they occupied until the siege was raised. It was between two small branches of the southeasterly arm of Wormley Creek. It was situated on a magnificent plateau in the midst of about 30,000 men, and was about one mile from York river. A little to the right of camp one could obtain a good view of the river, and a walk of about half a mile around the woods, Yorktown, Gloucester Point, and a long line of the enemy's works could be seen. To the south of camp was a ravine through which ran a small creek, along which were some fine springs. It was about two miles from the enemy's line. A short distance to the rear was a large swamp, reeking with malaria, along which ran the camp of the One Hundred Fifth New York volunteers.

A very thick wood of pine, elm, and sassafras almost surrounded the camp, but it was soon all cut away. Facing camp, and but one fourth of a mile to the front, Prof. Low had his apparatus for filling his balloons, which, during the siege of Yorktown, could frequently be seen almost daily above the trees for short reconnaissances of the enemy's works.

A detail of the Fifth New York Volunteers (Duryea's Zouaves), which had been attached to Skyes's Regular brigade, pitched the headquarter camp, and laid out the ground about them, and a detail was made daily for guard duty over General McClel

lan's quarters, which were very near regimental headquarters of the Fifth New York.

The camp was laid out in the form of a great parallelogram or rectangle, with the staff tents on the long sides, and the commander-in-chief on one of the shorter sides, the guard tents being upon the other. On the side occupied by General McClellan, a space, 100 feet square, was marked out, around which sentinels walked day and night, and upon which no one was allowed to approach without a pass or unless they had urgent business with the general. In the centre of this square two large tents were pitched alongside with a small space between them. One of them was occupied by General McClellan, and the other by General Marcy, his father-in-law, and chief-of-staff. Both were furnished alike, with stove, table, lounge, camp bed, camp stools, desk, and toilet articles. In front of these a street 100 feet wide (width of the rectangle) ran to the guard tents on the other side of the camp.

Upon each side of this street the staff tents were pitched, all arranged according to rank from General McClellan's tent. In these were the provost marshal, adjutant-general, inspector-general, quartermaster-general, the heads of departments, aides to the commanding general, etc.

A line back of the staff tents were devoted to subalterns, servants, etc. Outside of all, the horses were picketed; and further away was the headquarter train in park. It was an immensely imposing affair, and nothing like it was ever seen in the Army of the Potomac again.