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them that were caught, for the guard-house was their certain resting place until they were sent to their regiments under arrest. None of the Second boys, however, were put to this indignity, but whether it was on account of their virtue or excessive cuteness, the reader must judge for himself. When the Potomac froze over this evil became prevalent in spite of the sure punishment that awaited their return to camp, for the men were willing to stand it for the pleasures of home. However, there is a mode to remedy all evils, so pickets were stationed on the river with orders to shoot down any one who attempted to cross. But home, no matter how humble is the palace of the heart, and some of the boys took the risk and got safely over, and surely it was right to deal leniently with them when they returned.

A short distance beyond Difficult creek was the residence of Mrs. Jackson, the mother of Jim Jackson who killed the lamented Ellsworth. As it was ascertained that her house was a general rendezvous for scouts and spies, whom she harbored and concealed, a squad of cavalry visited it early one morning with an ambulance and escorted her to General McCall's headquarters. Quite a number of concealed weapons and some important sketches of our picket line, that had been corrected to correspond with the changes lately made in it, were captured, so the old lady was sent to Washington.

On the 14th of February, First-Lieutenant Peter Summers, Company HI, resigned, and Orderly Sergeant Hugh P. Kennedy was elected to fill the vacancy. About the same time Assistant-surgeon J. W. Lodge resigned, and Doctor John Malone was appointed by Governor Curtin his successor.

Five volunteers from each regiment of the Reserve were called for about this time for the Western flotilla, and the seventy-five men thus obtained from the division formed the crew of the celebrated gunboat Carondolet that ran such a glorious career on the Mississippi.

A very amusing sell was started about this time by

some wags, who circulated in all the regiments, at the same time, a rumor to the effect that any volunteer who would enter the regular army would receive one hundred dollars in cash, and sixty days furlough by applying at headquarters the next morning at ten o'clock. The consequence was that headquarters was literally besieged by the gulled ones, and those who came out of curiosity. The General, observing the crowd, sent one of his staff, "Old Snapping-Turtle," out to inquire the cause of it, who stormed like an old war-horse at the men for being such fools.

On the 3d of March the Reserves were ordered out with "kits complete," and marched to the Chain Bridge and back, a distance of eight miles. On the 5th this was repeated, the object being to prepare the men for the fatigues of the campaign.

CHAPTER X.

OPENING OF THE CAMPAIGN OF 1862. FAREWELL TO PIERPONT. THE MARCH. HAWKHURST'S MILLS. ARMY CORPS. WET AND NOISY NIGHT. "HOLLO BARNEY." ALEXANDRIA. EMBARKATION FOR THE PENINSULA. BY RAILROAD. A NIGHT IN REBEL CABINS. RUINS OF MANASSAS. BULL RUN FIELD. SELLING CIDER. MARCH TO THE RAPPAHANNOCK. CAVALRY SKIRMISH. WASHINTON vs. DAVID OF OLD.

FOR the proper elucidation of the subject it will be necessary here to refer to the planning of the campaign that was about opening. Two bases of operations for the Army of the Potomac presented themselves; one submitted by the President, January 31st, from Washington, involving an attack upon Centreville and Manassas direct, or the turning of one or both flanks of those positions, or a combination of those plans. An attack on the left flank involved too long a line of wagon communication, and on the right flank by way of Occoquan if success

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ful by a decisive battle, could not have been followed up with commensurate results. Should the condition of the enemy's troops permit, he could fall back upon other positions, and fight us again and again, or if he was not in a condition to give battle outside of the intrenchments at Richmond, it would have proved difficult and hazardous to have followed him there either by way of Fredericksburg or Gordonsville, as he would have destroyed the railroad bridges and otherwise impeded our progress. Besides a line of communication from Washington to Richmond, through an enemy's country, was impracti cable. A direct attack upon Centreville would have been productive of no other results, and a combined. attack upon that point and the right flank was impracticable on account of the distance and obstacles intervening between the columns.

The plan submitted by General McClellan, February 3d, was to operate from the lower Chesapeake, making Urbana, on the lower Rappahannock, the point of landing, which is distant from West Point one march, and from Richmond but two. This would have necessitated the abandonment of Manassas, Centreville and the Upper Potomac by the enemy, and if followed with celerity of movements the probable cutting off of Magruder in the Peninsula, and the occupation of Richmond before the enemy's forces could have been concentrated for its defence.. The latter proposition was adopted, and as early as February 14th the collection of vessels for the transportation of the army to the lower Potomac was commenced.

On the 9th of March information was received that the enemy having discovered the intended movement, was evacuating Centreville and Manassas, as well as his positions on the upper and lower Potomac.. Upon his retiring, he having destroyed all the railroad bridges in his rear, and the roads being almost impassable, it was impossible to inflict the usual damage generally afforded by the withdrawal of a large army in the face of a powerful foe. But as considerable time must elapse before transporta

tion could be collected to convey the army to the lower Potomac, an opportunity was offered to experience the troops on the march and bivouac previous to the campaign, and to get rid of the superfluous baggage which had accumulated in the camp during our long period of inactivity.

Accordingly on the night of the 9th, orders were issued for a general movement of the army the next morning, our regiment being ordered to have four days' cooked rations in haversacks, sixty rounds of cartridges, and kit complete.

At eleven o'clock on the 10th of March, 1862, we got into line, and bidding farewell to our happy home at Pierpont, crossed over the fields to the pike, and took up our line of march. A heavy rain had fallen through the night and during the morning, rendering the roads very muddy, and our backs being green, the knapsacks bore heavily upon us. But all were in excellent spirits, believing we would soon meet the foe, and sooner than fall out to rest, the men threw away their extra clothing, strewing the road along the march with coats, blouses, blankets, etc. We continued up the pike across Difficult Creek to Spring Vale, within three miles of Drainesville, when turning to the left and following a bridle path through the woods and over the hills, we reached about dark the neighborhood of Hunter's Mills, near which, on the Loudon and Hampshire railroad we bivouacked, the night being cold and rainy. Here we remained until the next afternoon, when we marched about two miles to a high elevation near the ruins of Hawkhurst's Mills, where we encamped.

Our encampment was about seventeen miles from Pierpont, two from Fairfax Court House, and eight from the Bull Run battle-field. The scene here was magnificent, particularly at night, when the valleys and hills beneath us for miles around, were lit up with thousands of camp-fires. Here we received our "shelter tents," which experience taught us were the best in use for an

army

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in the field. But at first they were very unpopular, the men calling them "dog houses," and for amusement creeping into them on their hands and knees, and barking out of the ends at each other.

It should have been stated, that on the 8th of March, the President directed the Army of the Potomac to be divided into four corps, in compliance with which, there was assigned to General Irwin McDowell the first, consisting of the divisions of Franklin, McCall and King. To General E. V. Sumner the second, consisting of Richardson, Blenker and Sedgwick. To General S. P. Heintzleman the third, consisting of F. J. Porter, Hooker and Hamilton; and to General E. D. Keyes the fourth, consisting of Couch, Smith and Casey. On the 11th, an order from the President announced, that as General McClellan had personally taken the field, he was relieved from the command of the other military departments, and would retain command of the Department of the Potomac.

It being ascertained that the enemy were in no force north of Warrenton Junction, on the evening of the 14th, during a light fall of rain, we took up our march through the woods, passing on every side bivouacks, and burning bough huts and arbors, the glare from which lighted us upon our road for miles. Reaching the Alexandria and Leesburg Pike, we turned to the right, and passing along it for two miles, about eleven o'clock filed into a dense open woods, where, in spite of the falling rain, our fires soon burnt brightly, and we slept soundly. The next morning early, during a heavy rain, we took up our march, moving across the country to the Drainesville * Pike, and turning down it crossed Difficult Creek, passing within four miles of our old home at Pierpont, and entering a woods, moved back again towards the Alexandria and Leesburg Pike by a private road. The rain by this time was falling in torrents, flooding the swampy ground, making the marching most tiresome and fatigu ing. Soon the ranks were broken, the men scattering,