A WEARISOME MARCH.

223

ing, the ground being strewed with deadores 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

:

skirmishers, General Reynolds supposing the enemy would make some show of resistance there. Companies A, B, and H, under the command of Captain McDonough, were deployed to the right of the road to feel the woods for the enemy; and companies D, E and G, under Major Neidé, to the left for the same purpose, the reserve, consisting of C and K, following close in the rear. The whole, under McCandless, advanced rapidly through the dense underbrush over the crest of the mountains, which being found clear of the enemy, they reunited beyond the Gap, our regiment then advancing upon the road, with the "Bucktails" on our right and the First on our left, until we came to the clear ground, when the flanking regiments filed into the road, and we entered the town of Warrenton at four P. M. Of course, our entrance was not received by the inhabitants with the joy that the entrance of their friends, the "Greybacks," would have been, the female portion of the community remaining in their houses, and those of the men who showed themselves, looking on in silence. Our eyes, however, were gladdened by the sight of sundry Confederates who were captured, and who, perhaps, remained behind for that purpose. Moving on about a mile, we encamped near the ground we occupied in August last, a few days preceding the second battle of Bull Run.

Warrenton, like all other towns we occupied, we found completely stripped of everything in the way of food, clothing, etc.: the chivalry having completely cleaned it out. The stores were all closed for want of goods, and business of all kinds was suspended. We found it impossible to obtain bread, or any other article of food, at any price, and although our occupation proved a great relief to the inhabitants, and those of the surrounding country, in obtaining supplies, we were not welcomed.

With the exception of a violent snow-storm, nothing of note occurred while we laid at this camp, until the morning of the 10th, when we were called out to bid farewell to General McClellan, the then love and idol of

PLANS OF THE CAMPAIGN.

225

the Army of the Potomac, who had been relieved of his command, and superceded by General Burnside. His departure from the army was a scene never to be for gotten; the deafening shouts of the columns he had so often led to honor; the caps tossed high in the air; the tears, those true tests of affection, stealing their courses down the weather-beaten cheeks of the veterans of the Peninsula, truly told the deep hold he had upon the hearts of the men. The officers of some of the regiments sent in their resignations in a body, but their generals returned them, with a gentle admonition.

General Fitz John Porter soon after was relieved of his command and was subsequently dishonourably dismissed the service, by sentence of a court-martial, for his conduct at Bull Run, and forever prohibited from occupying any position of honor or trust under the Government, but we are not aware of there being any particular amount of "weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth" at the event.

It is not clearly known to the author what plan of campaign General McClellan would have pursued if he had continued in command of the army, though it is certain he at one time contemplated an advance on Richmond, via Culpeper and Gordonsville. It is also known that he gave preparatory orders for the rebuilding of the wharves and the Aquia Creek Railroad, which clearly indicated an advance via Fredericksburg.

The plan of operations proposed by General Burnside was to throw a considerable body of troops across the river at Rappahannock Station, and make a feint as if to advance by way of Culpeper, and then by a rapid movement down the north bank of the Rappahannock to cross the river, seize and fortify the heights in the rear of Fredericksburg, and advance on Richmond, holding the railroad as his line of communication. This plan was approved by the authorities at Washington and carried out to a certain extent by General Burnside.

At eleven o'clock on the morning of the 11th, our

division moved in a southwesterly course to near Fayetteville, about two miles from the Rappahannock, where we arrived a little before dark and bivouacked among some scrub oaks.

The next day our regiment went on picket for twentyfour hours, and had a very pleasant time.

On the 16th, General Seymour, at his own request, was relieved of the command of our brigade, his health not permitting him to undertake a winter campaign. The general was a gallant and accomplished officer, a high strung and honorable gentleman, and as he had served with us in every battle up to Antietam, we parted from him with regret.

Colonel William Sinclair, Sixth Reserves, superceded him in command of our brigade.

At eight o'clock on the morning of the 17th, during a drizzling rain, we took up our march, pursuing a general course down the river, passing by Bealton Station, Morrisville, the Gold mines, and Grove Churches. About dark, and it soon became intensely dark, we were taken into a dense woods to bivouac, but such was the thick growth of underbrush it was found impossible for the men to advance, and we were "abont faced" and marched out again, and ordered to seek a position somewhere in the neighborhood. The colonel selected a hill near the head-quarters of General Meade, where we slept soundly through the rain. It is the duty of the staff officer, who selects the bivouac ground to examine it and see if it is suitable, which was not done in this instance.

The next morning we moved at nine o'clock along the fields to Hartwood, where we took the road to Stafford Court House. About noon we were forced to halt, to repair the road, after which we moved on, crossing Potomac creek, and ascending an almost perpendicular hill, filled with deep ruts and large boulders, which required the united teams of several guns to haul one piece up it. The men toiled on manfully through the deep mud, for it had been raining all day. Towards

dark we bivouacked on the banks of Occakeek creek, three miles from the court house.

That day the Fifth Reserves was detached from our brigade, and put into the Third, which gave their colonel, J. W. Fisher, the command of the brigade. Considerable cannonading was heard through the day, in the direction of the upper fords of the Rappahannock.

We remained in this camp until the 22d, during which time it rained constantly, and heavy details were made from the regiment for fatigue duty, to corduroy roads. To prevent depredations from being committed on private property, orders were issued to have hourly roll calls in each regiment.

On the morning above-mentioned we moved at eight through the fields bordering on the Telegraph road, passing through Stafford Court House to Brooks Station, on the Aquia creek and Frederickburg Railroad, where we arrived about noon and encamped on the brow of a hill overlooking an extensive meadow. Here we found the remains of the enemy's huts in which they spent the previous winter. The next day our sutler arrived with a load of goods, which were soon disposed of to the boys, who were particularly in need of tobacco.

On the 25th Major Horace Neidé resigned on account of disability from wounds received at the battle of Glendale.

On the 1st of December Major Pomeroy arrived and paid our regiment off, four months being due them.

While we laid here we received a full supply of clothing, some of the men being almost barefooted and without blankets, and many of them in need of stockings, under-clothing and great coats. Our rations were also made full and liberal, and the men appeared in inost excellent spirits.

Our regiment went on picket once a week, and although in pleasant weather it is preferable to laying in camp, it is far from being so in winter, particularly during a rain or snow storm. Upon one occasion we