hand and take the oath of allegiance to their Government, about one-fourth refused to do so. The reasons assigned by them was, that they were armed with smooth-bored muskets, (the only ones the Government at that time could give them,) their crowded tents, (five in each,) bad rations, (better than some of them got at home,) not having overcoats, (in the middle of Summer,) their unwillingness to serve under Colonel Mann, (their own choice,) they, in fact, like all other men who were doing wrong, using every subterfuge to justify their conduct. They were marched to their quarters, and the names of all who had taken the oath, forwarded to headquarters.

The next morning the regiment was again called out to have the oath administered, and to the surprise of all, those who had taken the oath the day before, were required to take it again, they being informed that those who refused would be sent home in disgrace. The consequence of such injudicious proceedings was what might have been expected, and instead of one-fourth, nearly one-third, or three hundred and twenty refused. They were then marched to General Thomas' headquarters, ordered to stack arms, divest themselves of their accoutrements, and strip off their blouses and blue pants, retaining only their linen pants and shirts.. An order was then issued detailing eleven officers, leaving five companies without any officers, to conduct them to Philadelphia, it stating, "this order is peremptory, and must not be disobeyed." Late that afternoon they left Sandy Hook in a special train, the men giving Lieutenantcolonel Magilton three cheers at their departure. They conducted themselves very orderly, and at Broad and Prime streets were dismissed to their homes, but how they were received we know not.

The officers having learned Governor Curtin was in the city, proceeded to the Continental Hotel to call upon him, but he at first declined having an interview with them. Having granted one, however, what was their

surprise and indignation at being shown a telegram he had just received from General Banks' Assistant Adjutant-general, stating that they, and over three hundred of the men, having refused to take the oath of allegiance, bad been sent home in disgrace. A few moments' conversation, however, satisfied His Excellency that a gross and dishonorable deception had been practiced by some officer of the regiment upon General Banks, and he expressed his willingness to issue an order to have the officers mustered in immediately, and furnish them with transportation back to their regiment. But as the officers had been mustered in, the order was unnecessary.

Upon their arrival back at Sandy Hook, they were met with another unaccountable surprise, in finding that the men whom they had left in camp, and who had been sworn into the service twice before, had been called upon that day to take the oath for the third time. "It is necessary," said the men, "for a good soldier to carry a Bible with him to be sworn in on, or he will find himself discharged before he knows anything about it." In fact, many of the men, finding it easier to get out of the service than to stay in it, concluded to go home and enter some other regiment, and out of one thousand and one men who marched through Baltimore two weeks before, but a little over four hundred remained. The men whose officers had been sent home with the deserters, being told they would not return, and that they would be transferred to other companies, left almost in a body. Who was responsible for such unaccountable and criminally mismanaged proceedings, the reader must judge for himself. It is just to those men to state, though they deserted the flag when almost within sight of the enemy, that, with few exceptions, they entered the service again, and their blood has been poured out upon almost every battle-field of the Army of the Potomac.

On Sunday morning the 11th, the Independent Rangers, of Philadelphia, Captain Wm. McMullin, who were encamped near by, started home, being escorted to the

cars by Company D. The next morning, The First City Troop of Philadelphia Light Cavalry, Captain James, broke camp and marched homeward, via Hagerstown and Baltimore, being escorted a distance on their way by the Twenty-Eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel Geary. These two companies at the request of the general, had consented to remain some time after their term of service expired, for which they received his thanks.

On the 13th, Colonel Geary received orders to march to the Point of Rocks, twelve miles down the Potomac, and after dark they got into motion, a guide being employed to pilot them by a back road, to prevent the movement being discovered by the enemy. The night was exceedingly dark, and the pilot having intentionally or unintentionally lost the way, and not having any desire to become a stockholder in the colonel's lead mine, thought it prudent to decamp; so the colonel, after hunting around for him for some time, with pistol in hand, turned into a narrow road which proved to be a private lane. As the baggage wagons were passing through the barn yard one of them upset, which was followed by considerable noise, occasioned by the braying of mules, and the shouting and cursing of the teamsters. The colonel went to the house to procure a lantern, but all his pounding, shouting and throwing stones at the windows, produced no effect. At last he heard meek, tremulous voices issuing from the cellar, and discovered the old folks and children in their night clothes, down there praying for deliverance from the battle they supposed was raging around their house.

On the 14th, orders were received to reduce our baggage as much as possible, and to pack up and send to Harrisburg the extra articles left by the deserters. About one A. M., while in the midst of the work, the drums beat the "long roll," and the men dropping every thing, were soon in line with their muskets and cartridge boxes. When Dr. Reed went to the Hospital to get his

instruments, he found his patients hurrying on their clothes, against which he remonstrated without avail, and before he could get a guard to enforce his orders, the sick were in the ranks and could not be got out. Leaving the camp "topsy turvy," in charge of the cooks and teamsters, we started off, and hurrying across the canal at Knoxville, proceeded down the towpath to Berlin, about four miles below, where a party of rebs had been firing upon the pickets of the Nineteenth New York, but with no other effect than the knocking over of some camp kettles and the scattering of their contents. Here we stacked arms and stretched ourselves upon the grass watching an old rascal on horseback waving a white flag, and who doubtlessly was calculating our strength.

On the 8th of June, the rebels burnt the long and substantial bridge that spanned the river at this point, and the only wagon communication between the two shores, are the fords above and below the piers. About two weeks back, the rebels brought an old iron twelvepounder cannon that had its muzzle knocked off, and was fastened with chains to the front wheels of an old wagon, which they posted on the opposite hills to command the village. They thought it prudent to withdraw the same night, and hiding their cannon, they left, intending to return the next night and get it. The Berlinites, however, found it out, and slipping over brought it away, and at night it was stationed on the pier of the bridge, behind a bulwark of hay bales. Being minus of grape shot, they cut the iron braces of the bridge into slugs, which were about as good as anything else to fire out of it. After remaining here until it was ascertained that the rebels had decamped, we about face, and retraced our steps to camp, but all the spirit of the boys was gone, and our march was a quiet one. We arrived about dark, and had a late, but welcome supper.

At this time the Army of the Shenandoah picketed the Potomac for the distance of fifty miles, from Wil

liamsport about twenty miles above the Ferry, until the line joined that of the Army of the Potomac, some thirty miles below. The enemy picketed on the south bank for an equal distance, we having abandoned Virginia, except in the immediate neighborhood of Harper's Ferry.

The greater portion of the rebel army under General Johnson, having joined Beauregard at Manassas, and left the valley of the Shenandoah and the upper Potomac comparatively bare of troops, which relieved all anxiety for the safety of Maryland and Pennsylvania, it was determined to make a corresponding movement of our forces towards Washington, which was not yet considered safe. Therefore, orders were issued on the night of the 16th, to be prepared to march early the next morning with three days cooked rations in haversacks. Fortunately the paymaster, Major Maxwell, arrived that day and paid the regiment off for the twenty-one days owed by the State of Pennsylvania, we having been transferred to the United States service on the 21st of July. This money was very acceptable to the empty pockets of the men, and was duly appreciated by the citizens of Maryland on our march through their State.

CHAPTER VI.

MARCH THROUGH MARYLAND. MUTINY IN THE NINETEENTH NEW YORK MILITIA. GUARDS AFTER WHISKY. DISBANDING OF COM

PANIES.

ONE of the most exciting scenes in a soldier's life is the breaking up of camp when they have been lying inactive for some time, and particularly so when it is for the first time in active field service. Although the order to move was not issued until 10 o'clock at night, and rain was falling at the time, the camp fires were soon brightly