Large numbers of farmers of Maryland and Pennsylvania visited the hospitals, bringing with them bread, cakes, pies, cooked poultry, milk, etc., which they distributed to the wounded, and every one of them appeared proud to get a soldier to take home with him to nurse.

Adjutant Cross and Lieutenant Wimpfheimer were buried in the village church yard, at Keedysville. The Adjutant was subsequently removed to Philadelphia, and over Wimpfheimer was placed a handsome stone.

In the latter part of the day, as the enemy were passing troops from the Virginia shore, our division was ordered into line, it being presumed they meditated some offensive movement, but during the night, they appeared to have altered their intentions, and abandoning their position retreated across the river, accomplishing the movement before daylight.

When our cavalry advance reached the river early on the morning of the 19th, it was discovered that nearly all the enemy's forces had crossed into Virginia during the night, their rear escaping under cover of eight batteries, placed in strong positions upon the elevated bluffs on the opposite bank. The whole army was moved forward to occupy a new position nearer the river, our division marching early in the morning to the front and right, about three miles, crossing the Hagerstown and Sharpsburg turnpike, and halting near the Potomac, above Sharpsburgh.

Our route took us over and along the enemy's line of battle, and we found the fields and woods literally covered with their dead. At one point, where they had crossed the fields and pike obliquely, and where they must have received a terrific fire of musketry, the formation of their lines was distinctly marked by their dead, who were stretched in long rows, showing at the time they received the fire, they were well dressed. The effect of this fire must have been crushing, none of their dead laying in front of their line, though to the rear, the ground was covered with them.

General Griffin, with a detachment from his own and Barnes's brigade, of the Fifth Corps, was ordered to cross the river at dark, and carry the enemy's batteries, which was gallantly done under a heavy fire; several guns, caisons, etc., being taken, and their support driven back half a mile.

From information obtained during the progress of this affair, it was conjectured that the mass of the enemy had retreated on the Charlestown and Martinsburg road, towards Winchester. To verify this, and to ascertain how far the enemy had retired, General Porter was authorized to send out on the morning of the 20th, a reconnoitring party in great force. This detachment crossed the river, and advanced about a mile, when it was ambushed by a large body of the enemy lying in the woods, and driven back across the river with considerable loss, which showed that the enemy was still in force on the Virginia side of the Potomac, prepared to resist our further advance. It was in this affair that the One Hundred and Eighteenth Pennsylvania volunteers, (“Corn Exchange Regiment,") was so badly cut up.

It having been reported that the enemy, under General Stuart, numbering four thousand cavalry, six guns, and ten thousand infantry, had crossed the Potomac to the Maryland side, at Williamsport, General McClellan sent Couch, with his division and a part of Pleasanton's cavalry, and with Franklin's Corps within supporting distance, to endeavor to capture them. General Couch made a prompt and rapid march to Williamsport, and attacked the enemy vigorously, but they made their escape across the river.

On the 20th General Williams' corps occupied Maryland Heights, and on the 22d General Sumner took possession of Harper's Ferry.

The main body of the enemy was at this time concentrated near Martinsburg and Bunker Hill, and occupied itself in drafting and coercing every able-bodied citizen into the ranks, forcibly taking their property, where it

was not voluntarily offered, burning bridges and destroying railroads.

General McClellan not feeling it prudent to cross the river in pursuit of the enemy, stationed his army along the north bank in position to cover and guard the fords, and commenced the work of reorganizing, re-equipping and drilling.

On the 1st of October His Excellency the President visited the army and remained several days, during which he went through the different encampments, reviewed the troops, visited the hospitals, and went over the battle-fields of South Mountain and Antietam.

On the 10th, General Stuart crossed the upper Potomac at McCoy's Ferry, with two thousand cavalry and a battery of horse-artillery, on a raid into Maryland and Pennsylvania, and although immediate disposition of troops were made to intercept him, from the orders not being carried out, he was enabled to escape, recrossing the river at White's Ford below the Monocacy.

CHAPTER XX.

CROSSING THE POTOMAC. MARCH THROUGH VIRGINIA. WARRENTON. GENERAL MCCLELLAN SUPERCEDED. REMOVAL OF GENERAL FITZ JOHN PORTER. OUR VIRGINIA FRIENDS. BOMBARDMENT OF FREDERICKSBURG. LAYING PONTOONS.

ON the 6th General McClellan received orders to "cross the Potomac, and give battle to the enemy, or drive him south." The order stated, that if he crossed between the enemy and Washington, he could be reinforced to the extent of thirty thousand men; but if he moved up the valley of the Shenandoah, not more than twelve or fifteen thousand could be sent to him. It was not, however, until the 26th, that the advance guard of

the army crossed the Potomac. On that day, two divisions of the Ninth_corps, and Pleasanton's brigade of cavalry, crossed at Berlin. The First, Sixth and Ninth corps, the cavalry, and the reserve artillery, also crossed there between the 26th of October and the 2d of November. The Second and Fifth corps crossed at Harper's Ferry, between the 29th of October and the 1st of November.

The plan of campaign adopted by General McClellan was to move the army, well in hand, parallel to the Blue Ridge, taking Warrenton as the point of direction for the main army; seizing each pass on the Blue Ridge by detachments, as we approached it, and guarding them after we had passed, as long as they would enable the enemy to trouble our connections with the Potomac.

Upon the death of Adjutant Cross, Lieutenant John J. Ross, who was the only officer with the regiment, excepting Captain Byrnes, was appointed Acting Adjutant, until the return of Sergeant-Major E. M. Woodward, who had been promoted Adjutant. About the same time, Colonǝl McCandless, with a number of officers and men, who had recovered from their wounds, also returned.

Our regiment broke camp on the 26th, and marched, during a heavy rain-storm, to Berlin, which we reached on the 27th, the rain continuing all night. On the 29th, we crossed the river on the pontoons, and encamped near Lovettsville, Virginia, where we were inspected by General Seymour, and mustered for pay on the 31st.

On the first of November, we marched through Waterford, and encamped about a mile from Hamilton, where we laid the next day. While here, Lieutenant H. P. Kennedy, Sergeant James McCormick and Corporal A. McK. Storrie were detailed to proceed to Harrisburg to bring on drafted men, which they did not get.

The next day, at noon, the division marched, and before dark we passed through Philomont and bivouacked about a mile beyond, near Snicker's Gap, on a field where there had been an artillery skirmish in the morn

ing, the ground being strewed with dead horses, shells, etc. The next morning early, we moved about a mile to Uniontown, and halted there until three P. M., when we marched on, passing Franklin's corps and Couch's division at their bivouacs, and laid for the night on a high table land. That night, a number of the officers and men of the One-hundred-and-nineteenth, Colonel Ellmaker's, and the Twenty-third, Birney's old regiment, visited us, all being from Philadelphia.

The next morning, (the 5th,) we moved at seven o'clock, in a southeasterly direction, fording the Pantherskin, a deep, broad creek, and, passing through Middleburg, halted on its confines for dinner. In the town, we found quite a large number of wounded "Greybacks" from Bull Run, with whom the boys conversed freely. At four in the afternoon, we took up our march again, moving slowly and tediously, halting continually, sometimes every few hundred yards, as there was a long wagon-train ahead of us, and the roads were exceedingly bad. At last, long after dark, we passed through White Plains, on the Manassas Gap Railroad, and moving two miles beyond, were halted, and then countermarched nearly a mile and put into a heavy woods to bivouac. Hardly had the boys built their fires, before orders came for our regiment to go on picket. It was then about midnight, and all were weary, for we had been fourteen hours marching sixteen miles, but as orders are given to be obeyed, we consoled ourselves with the thought, that "there is no rest for the wicked," and moved off about a mile to the front, and spent the balance of the night watching for the foe, who did not appear.

The next morning we marched into camp, and immediately took our position in the line, and moved off towards Warrenton, the infantry keeping on the fields to leave the road clear for the artillery. When we arrived within three miles of the town, at the gap between Water and Pig-Nut Mountains, through which the road passed, our regiment being in advance, we were deployed as