haversacks, and had our first experience in picket duty, our Company and Company G being detailed for that purpose. At half-past eight we filed down the hill, turned to the right, on the road to Manassas; passed "Cloud's Mills" at nine, A. M., and continued on as far as "Bailey's Cross Roads," a place become familiar to us all in the history of this war. At this place we stopped, and fixed our quarters; posting our pickets along the road. We were fortunate in having pleasant weather while we were upon this duty.

The next day, at eleven, A. M., the reserve formed in line to receive the "New Guard," and at twelve o'clock we started for camp. Stopped when within half a mile, and discharged our pieces, which were heavily loaded with ball and buckshot, and at two, P. M., arrived again in camp, bringing in two prisoners, who by the way, however, proved to be loyal soldiers, without passes.

Our camp was named "Camp Casey, near Fairfax Seminary," and we, with three other regiments, were encamped close to one other, formerly the first brigade of General Casey's Division, commanded by Colonel Wright, acting Brigadier-General. Our regiment was engaged in drilling, doing fatigue, picket and guard duty, which kept us busy. Fifty of our regiment were detailed November 7th to do fatigue duty in Fort Blenker, digging, shovelling, &c. The boys going out, came in at ten, A. M., driven in by the storm which was raging there. It commenced storming the 6th, and at ten, A. M., the next day it had culminated into an old-fashioned New England snow storm. The wind blew a gale; the air was very cold, and the snow, whirling about us, made our situation very uncomfortable, especially to those who were on guard, and exposed to its fury. B. was the only one from D. H. happening to be on guard, except W. S., who volunteered to take another man's place for $1.25. I think he earned his money.

CHAPTER II.

The snow storm of November 7th came upon us quite unexpectedly, leading us to think we had journeyed in the wrong direction, and instead of being in "Dixie" had approached the north pole, and were already in the immediate vicinity of it. There were some wry faces about the camp, though most seemed amused at this unlooked-for event, joking among themselves at the idea of making snowballs in Virginia before Rhode Islanders could get the necessary material—"enlisting under false pretences," &c.

From November 8th to the 12th, nothing of unusual interest occurred, our time being taken up in drill, and in other necessary duties connected with camp-life. November 13th, the entire regiment was ordered to be in readiness the following morning, for picket duty, with two days' rations. The appearance of the sky, the night of the 12th, was threatening, making us already feel, in imagination, the discomforts of this duty in a storm, with no other shelter but the broad canopy of the heavens, excepting, perhaps, a paltry one of bushes, affording indeed but little protection from the pitiless storm.

The morning of the 13th came; the roll of drums at six o'clock, aroused many a drowsy soldier of the Twelfth from his humble couch, and interrupted many a pleasant dream of home, to awake him to the stern reality of other duties and associations. It did, indeed, rain in the night, which proved a benefit to us, raining just enough to lay the dust. The morning broke upon us with the assurance of a pleasant day. With cheerful hearts and willing hands, we began our preparations. We took breakfast at the usual hour, half-past seven, filled our haversacks with beef and hard crackers, our canteens with water, strapped our blankets about us, buckled on our equipments, and at eight o'clock, formed in line in the Company Street, and at half-past eight, the different companies passed Gen. Wright's head-quarters. The regiment was formed for "guard-mounting," directly in front of his residence, went through the man[oe]uvres, listened to the music from the Brigade Band, (which, by the way, discoursed finely,) and at quarter to nine, filed into the road, and taking the direction of Fairfax Court House, were fairly on our way. Every thing was favorable; a cool breeze from the north-west, adding to our comfort, as we "marched along." We were accompanied by nearly all our officers, a few being left behind, as is customary, to protect our camp. After passing Cloud's Mills, and ascending the hill beyond, we came to a halt, and the regiment was divided into parties of 108 privates, each division to be commanded by their respective officers. These divisions are called "supports," and numbered first, second, third, &c.

As soon as our "support" was formed, we continued our march. Passed the road leading to Bailey's Cross Roads, kept along on the direct road to Fairfax Court House, for about a mile beyond this turn, then filing to the left, entered the woods, followed a cart-path for about half a mile, and at eleven, A. M., found ourselves at the end of our journey. There were plenty of good shelters where we were to encamp, already erected by those there before us, and gladly vacated by the Twenty-Seventh New Jersey, who turned out to receive us upon our arrival. Our "support" was immediately divided into three "reliefs," of 36 men each. Each "relief" to stay on four hours, the first going on to be relieved by the second, &c., giving each "relief" eight hours rest at the general rendezvous. The "reliefs" were arranged in two ranks, and numbered as they stood, from right to left, each man to remember the number assigned him, and when called upon, place himself in the ranks accordingly. I found myself in the first "relief," number 21, armed and equipped as the law directs.

As soon as our "relief" was formed, we started for our posts, marched back to the road we had just left, continued on half a mile farther, and came upon Post No. 1. This post was on the main road, and close by the ruins of what was once a large building, destroyed, probably, since the war commenced, nothing being left now but a mass of brick and stone. Upon relieving this post, we left the road, which here runs nearly east and west, and struck across the fields towards the south, for Post No. 2.

The posts were perhaps thirty rods apart; three men being stationed on each post, and one sergeant or corporal, in charge of every three posts. The first three men, as numbered in the ranks before starting from the rendezvous, to take the first post, the next three the second, &c. The orders were for one man to remain at the post, while the other two were to move to and from the post, in opposite directions, a certain distance, or perhaps farther, occasionally, if the sentinel from the posts adjoining, should fail to meet him at the end of his beat, thereby keeping up communication throughout the entire line. The men to have their pieces loaded, and bayonets fixed, with particular instructions to be on the alert, to build no fires, light no matches, smoke, nor indulge in loud conversation.

The line of pickets ran nearly north and south, the first "support" being on the right of the line, commenced in the vicinity of Bailey's Cross Roads, and connected with the second "support," at Post No. 1. The line of our "support" ran from the main road, towards the railroad, the distance between the two, at this place, being perhaps one and a half miles, our "support" reaching two-thirds of the way to the railroad, there to connect with the third, and so on to the last "support," our regiment guarding a line of several miles in length. Our path led over level spaces, up