for picket, cattle-guard, or working parties on the fort, besides which Colonel Mann was indefatigable in his efforts to discipline the regiment by constant battalion and company drills. Several demonstrations of the enemy's pickets created alarms in camp, and caused us to get under arms, all of which were pleasant little excitements for the men. On the 7th of October, we were visited by a violent hail-storm accompanied with a high wind. Some of the stones were of the size of bullets, cutting through the tents, and almost driving the horses wild. The storm lasted about a half hour, leaving the atmosphere quite cool. The next day the fall election taking place in our State, the Reserves exercised their right of casting their vote, each company voting at its captain's quarters. About this time Lieutenant-Colonel Magilton resigned. While we laid here the organization of the regiments into brigades took place. The First Brigade, Brigadier-General John F. Reynolds, was comprised of the First Rifles, "Bucktails,' Colonel Charles J. Biddle; the First Infantry, Colonel R. Biddle Roberts; the Second Infantry, Colonel William B. Mann; the Fifth Infantry, Colonel Seneca G. Simmons; and the Eighth Infantry, Colonel Geor Hays. The Second Brigade, Brigadier-General George Gordon Meade, was composed of the Third Infantry, Colonel Horatio G. Sickel; the Fourth Infantry, Colonel A. L. Magilton; the Eleventh Infantry, Colonel T. F. Gallagher; and the Seventh Infantry, Colonel E. B. Harvey. The Third Brigade, Colonel J. S. McCa'mont, was composed of the Sixth Infantry, Colonel W. W. Ricketts; the Ninth Infantry, Colonel Conrad F. Jackson; the Tenth Infantry, Colonel J. S. McCalmont; and the Twelfth Infantry, Colonel John H. Taggart. The First Reserve Cavalry, Colonel George D. Bayard, and the First Reserve Artillery, Colonel Charles F. Campbell, although attached to the division were not brigaded. CHAPTER VIII. CROSSING THE CHAIN BRIDGE. CAMP PIERPONT. THE "LONG VILLE. BALL'S EARLY on the morning of the 9th, General Smith advanced his division from the neighborhood of the Chain Bridge to Langley, where deploying his skirmishers, he pushed forward a brigade on the Drainesville pike, and took possession of Prospect Hill. With his main body, he diverged from the pike at Langley to the left, advancing towards Lewinsville, which village he entered and occupied without opposition, leaving the main portion of his troops at Smoot's Hill, and pushing on a detachment to occupy Miner's Hill. To occupy this extension of the lines, the same day. orders were issued to the Pennsylvania Reserves to march, and in a short time their tents were struck, wagons loaded and men in line. At seven o'clock in the evening our regiment took up its line of march, passing eastward through Tenallytown, and turning to the right, wound down a long, narrow, rough road to the Potomac, along which it moved to the Chain Bridge, and set foot for the first time upon the "sacred soil of Virginia." As the regiments crossed, their bands struck up "Dixie's Land," and their vociferous cheers burst forth, echoing from shore to shore of the rock-bound river. Moving on past Fort Marcy they bivouacked for the night about half a mile beyond Langley, Fairfax county. The next afternoon the wagons arrived, the tents were pitched, and Camp Pierpont established, named in honor of Frank H. Pierpont, the loyal Governor of Western Virginia. The position assigned to the Reserves was the extreme right of the Army of the Potomac, their picket line extending from the river past Prospect Hill over towards Lewinsville. The camp of the Second was to the right of the Chain Bridge and Drainesville pike, on a low and badly drained piece of ground, at the base of a wooded hill, near the Langley School-House, which was occupied as the head-quarters of the First Brigade. During the first ten days, the "long roll" was beaten, and the men got under arms five times. On the night of the 11th, the pickets in the neighborhood of Lewinsville were driven in, and the next day the enemy consisting of at least three regiments of infantry, some cavalry and a battery of six guns, were discovered near Miner's Hill, concealed in the woods, which led to the supposition that an attack was meditated the next morning. At noon the drums beat, and the men got into fighting order. General McClellan and staff, including the Comte de Paris and the Duc de Chartres, rode over and remainded during the night at Smoot's house, and at midnight the drums again beat and every preparation was 'made for an attack. It was a clear and beautiful night, the moon shone forth in its mild beauty; the stars twinkled with resplendent glory, and not a cloud glided through the sky. The drums beat "the long roll," the trumpets of the cavalry and artillery sounded their shrill blasts, and the bands of the infantry pealed forth their most soul-inspiring strains. The camp-fires burned brightly, the glittering bayonets and sabres flashed in the light, and every heart beat high with hope. At two A. M., various columns of troops, on the Maryland side of the Potomac, were put in motion, and moved across the river to a position from which they could be easily thrown to any point of the line the emergency might require. Among them were some four thousand cavalry and fifty pieces of artillery. But alas, after remaining in position until daylight, chilled with the falling dews, the boys were doomed to disappointment. Beauregard had only been on a reconnoisance in force, to ascertain our position since the recent extension of our front. About this time Orderly Sergeant Richard Clendining, Company H, was elected Second Lieutenant, vice Robert H. Porter, resigned, July 21st. Also, Sergeant James R. Nightingale, Company C, Second Lieutenant, vice Frank Fox, resigned. About eleven o'clock on the night of the 18th, orders were issued for the Reserves to prepare to move early the next morning, with three days cooked, rations in haversacks, and accordingly there was a busy time that night around the camp-fires. Early in the morning, the regiments were in line, and at seven o'clock they moved off up the pike towards Drainesville. The First Brigade,, General Reynolds took the lead with a squadron of the Reserve cavalry, Colonel Bayard in the van, followed by two batteries of the Reserve artillery, Colonel Campbell, the "Bucktails" and infantry with the ambulances, or "avalanches," as the boys called them, bringing up the rear. Crossing Difficult creek, we continued on through Drainesville, and halted to bivouac three miles beyond. Soon after General McClellan rode up and ordered us to fall back about four miles to Thornton's house, at the forks of the Chain Bridge and Leesburg and Alexandria pikes. The artillery was posted to sweep the roads, pickets thrown out, and the men put in a heavy woods, where they slept peacefully. When we first commenced our retrograde movement many surmises that soon assumed the shape of rumors were set afloat, and as we at that time were incapable of judging of military movements, they received much credence. An orderly came dashing down the road in search of General Reynolds and almost breathlessly informed him, there were "forty thousand rebels coming down upon us." "Forty thousand old fools," replied the General, "go back to where you came from." The Second Brigade lay that night about three miles in our rear, and the Third about three miles in their rear at Difficult creek, to preserve our communication and prevent our rear being turned, General Smith's division was also moved out the Alexandria and Leesburg turnpike, to cover that road and those leading from Centreville to Drainesville. The next morning by daylight the boys were up and hard at work cutting down the chestnut trees in the woods to get the nuts, and the squealing of pigs was heard in various directions. An old hen that had been roosting on a tree commenced cackling, which attracted the attention of a soldier who was passing by. "Madam," said the boy, "you had better have kept your mouth shut," as he knocked her off with a stone. These proceedings were however put a stop to, and the boys restricted to the limits of the camp. On our march up we found a number of houses abandoned by their occupants, who had fled on our approach under the impression we were Mamelukes and Bedouins coming to murder and destroy all we found. At some places we found the furniture carried out on the lawn. ready for moving. We also found houses that had been abandoned for some time, their inhabitants having been driven away by their neighbors on account of their Union sentiments. During the day detachments were sent out to reconnoitre the neighboring roads and country and make a plane-table survey of a great portion of it, and along the Loudon and Hampshire railroad in several places they encountered the enemy's scouts, killing two and wounding four of them. The next morning, the 21st, General McCall having accomplished the object of his advance, in obedience to orders received that morning from General McClellan, returned to camp. Much comment was made at the time through the public press in regard to this movement, as the battle of 'Ball's Bluff" took place upon the day of our return, and we were in a position to have been pushed forward |