discharged with their Regt's; Soft Bread given out to the Reg't. Also Potatoes. This letter from Secretary Stanton was good news to those of us who had enlisted in old regiments under a three years mustering in. Nov. 8. Pleasant. Started pretty early and went down to the river. The 1st, 2nd, 3d, & 5th Corps were here. Saw Frank Brown of the 12th Mass. Crossed the river and went through Kellyville to Rhappahannock Station where I found the Brigade, but the Reg't was still back with the Wagon Train. So I kept with the Brigade and marched up to Brandy's Station where we halted for Camp. Stopped with the 26th Pioneers and slept warm. Saw Gen. Meade. As will be seen, in my eagerness to see the fight at Kelly's ford, a very interesting little skirmish, I missed my regiment, the plans of which were changed by the engagement. So I was for some days without legitimate rations. I have never forgotten the hospitality of those pioneers or woodsmen of the 26th Pa. I had no business to be skylarking around away from my regiment, but they did not consider that. All they saw was a little fellow with nothing to eat, and they took me right in as one of their own, shared their rations and their beds with me, and would not even let me do my fair share of the work about camp. I could not help feeling that no Massachussetts regiment would have treated a Pennsylvania straggler that way, and I have always had a warm place in my heart for the old 26th. Nov. 9. Snow. Very cold and some snow. Did not move untill about 3 o'clock when the Brigade laid out Camp. I went back to Kelly's ford and found the Reg't. Got 2 273 letters by mail. Laid near Elk Run all night and slept very well. 1st Div. 5th Corps passed us going back somewhere. It had Brigade Drill in P. M. for yelling Hard Tack to the General. I went 8 miles without taking off my Knapsack, in 3 hours. I had toughened up quite a bit since my first weary march. Nov. 10. Windy. Left the Ford early in the A. M. for Brandy Station. But had my Knapsack carried, which made quite a difference. Rejoined the Brigade, & the Col. made me carry a log of wood for getting ahead. A regiment was supposed to begin with a field officer and end with a mule, and Lt. Col. Baldwin was jealous of his privileges: we sometimes thought he had the qualifications for both ends. But frequent as are the unpleasant references to him here I think we boys respected him and rather liked him. liked him. He was cross and irritable and faultfinding, and what was to us worse, work-finding; all partly due to his game leg. But he was a good soldier, prompt in an emergency, and quite capable of genuine kindness. Nov. 11. Pleasant. We are encamped in the Winter Quarters of the Rebels. They left in great haste, in some cases leaving the meat boiling in the kettles! This was the opposite of McCarthy's expectations quoted on page 48. Nov. 12. Pleasant. Pay Day. Received my 24 dollars. Came out some ahead on playing. The Paymaster paid off in new currency. Nov. 13. Pleasant. Was on Orderly. Baldwin's leg troubled him and he went all over the camp finding fault with first one here and then another. Among other things he had a fence built around the Camp! Nov. 13-25, 1863] Trying to beat the Excelsiors at their own game Nov. 14. Pleasant. Made $25.00 at Bluff. Held 4 kings, 4 sixes twice, and 4 deuces. In the forenoon a Rain came up at Dress Parade and it rained very hard all night. Nov. 15. Pleasant. The rain cleared off about 9 A. M. Heavy firing ahead and orders to be ready to move. 275 Props was known among us as a Boston game. It is played with four shells, two white and two made red with sealing wax, and the betting was whether there would be two whites and two reds, or one of one color and three of the other. Nov. 24. Rainy. Lost my night's rest by eating beans before I went to supper last Nov. 16. Pleasant. Moving a humbug. night. Orders to move and after we had got Lost some at Bluff. Nov. 17. Pleasant. Drills commenced. Bluff as usual. on line and were wet through, they were countermanded. Lost $20. at Bluff. Nov. 25. Pleasant. Set up a sweat Nov. 18. Pleasant. Won some at Bluff. board among the Excelsiors, and after getting Was in at a Raffle but did not win. about $50. ahead was "cleaned out", having vest torn and losing all my money. Big thing. My greenness could not have been better illustrated than by my venturing off alone into another brigade, of New York toughs at that, and expecting to get away with any winnings I might make. I grabbed my money tight between my fingers, and after I was knocked down I was kicked and beaten considerably before I let go my clutch. They got the money in my waistcoat, but did not happen to think of an inside shirt Nov. 22. Pleasant. Was on Orderly. pocket in which I had a hundred dollars Very muddy. Nov. 23. Pleasant. Rumors of moving. Got some butter and cheese. Lost at Bluff and Props. or so stowed away. As it was I did not lose much more than my winnings and was not seriously bruised, so I learned a good lesson more cheaply than I deserved to. CHAPTER XXIV. THE BATTLE OF LOCUST GROVE ND of his career as much surprised there to find that Lee had sist on his dismissal from Since Gettysburg won itself in spite of him and he permitted the confederate army to escape him, he had done nothing except in the last half of October to let himself be driven back from Warrenton to Centreville. He had been very of Mine Run, the plan of which was based |