blowing, and the men were in fine spirits, and fast improving in the drill and discipline necessary to make the soldier.

The Twelfth as yet continued to be in remarkably good health, compared with the other regiments encamped about us. The Thirteenth New Hampshire and Fifth Connecticut, coming here at the same time with us, had already lost several men since encamping here, and had then quite a number sick in the hospital. Our fare continued good; we had excellent bread, and plenty of it. It was baked at Alexandria, and we got it fresh, and oftentimes warm from the oven. We had hard crackers occasionally, twice a week, perhaps, instead of soft bread. The hard bread we had here was entirely different from what I expected to find it. It appeared to be made of the best of material. Our salt beef was fat, of good quality, and when properly cooked, was as good as we could ask for. It is cured differently from that at home, there being much saltpetre used in curing it; requiring a great deal of pains, on the part of the cooks, in order to make it palatable. We had fresh beef twice a week; this was made into soups. Our company finally procured a large sheet iron pan, six feet long and two feet in width, to be used as a frying-pan, and after that we had fried beef once or twice a week. We had tea or coffee twice a day, (with our breakfast and supper,) with plenty of sugar to accompany it. We had rice, and sugar-house syrup, bean soup, &c. Any one finding fault with our fare at this time would be apt to be dissatisfied wherever he were placed.

Tuesday, 25th, was a cloudy, misty day, and in the night it rained quite hard. Wednesday morning it cleared off in time for us to drill. It had rained just enough to soften the clay, the mud being shallow and as slippery as grease—a peculiarity in the mud about here. You can appreciate this kind of travelling by spreading lard an inch thick upon a plank, and then attempting to walk upon it. One advantage in this kind of soil is that when it dries it becomes as hard as a cement floor, which made it easier for us than to have been wallowing through sand. The weather continued pleasant, no dust blowing about and into every thing; the ground was hard, in the best condition for drilling, and our regiment improved it.

The 27th was Thanksgiving Day in Rhode Island, and also duly observed by us in camp. We were relieved from drill, attended divine service at eleven, A. M., and had a little recreation, walking about the country, &c. Our bed-sacks were now given out to us, with plenty of clean straw to fill them with. (These sacks were made of stout ticking, and were, perhaps, seven feet long and five feet wide, after they were filled; amply large enough, each of them, for two to lie upon.) The regiment were all provided with these sacks, and had lain upon the ground long enough to know how to appreciate them. The 27th was a beautiful day, and having never been to Alexandria, I took this opportunity to visit the place. Procured a pass, and in company with one of our mess, at eight, A. M., started. We struck a "bee line" directly for the place; passed over the road leading from Fairfax Seminary, and continued on, up hill and down, our path being parallel with the Alexandria and Manassas wagon road, and just to the north of it. I found I had underrated the distance from our camp to Alexandria, it being nearly two and one-half miles from our camp. We passed the Convalescent Camp, which was situated on the heights to the west of Alexandria, and to the north of Fort Ellsworth, on the same eminence, and in the immediate vicinity of it. It was used as a rendezvous for convalescent soldiers. In the vicinity of this camp was the Stragglers' Camp and the Recruiting Camp, &c.; making, in the aggregate, an immense collection of tents and occupants.

Passing down the road leading from this camp to the east, we came into Alexandria; the distance was, perhaps, one-half mile; the descent being as steep as the roof of a house. From the heights we had just left, we had a splendid view of the country for miles around. The city of Washington, to the north of us, was in full view, the Capitol looming up in the distance. Fairfax Seminary was two miles to the north-west of us, from the tower of which the rebels observed our movements, and signalled them to the enemy, while making our first advance to and inglorious retreat from Bull Run, in 1861. The city of Alexandria was a short distance to the east, and perhaps one hundred feet beneath us. We had also a good view of the Potomac from this height. Aquia Creek being the base of Burnside's operations in Virginia, this noble stream was covered with vessels of every size and description, plying to and fro, between Aquia Creek, Alexandria and Washington. I stopped in Alexandria until half-past two, P. M.; went down to the wharves, visited the Slave Pens, once used as a rendezvous where slaves were bought and sold, but at the time of my visit used as a place of confinement for deserters, and others who might be found without passes, by the police. I also visited the Marshall House, where Ellsworth was killed; and started from there for camp.

I arrived in time to attend the funeral of one of our boys who died in the hospital the day before. This was the first death that had occurred in our regiment since we arrived in Washington, and the third since the regiment was organized; the other two being killed, first, the drummer of Company D, from Newport, in a fray at Camp Stevens, the second of Company C, on the cars, between Harrisburg and Baltimore. There were but few of our regiment now in the hospital, and none of them dangerously sick.

Saturday, the 29th, was a pleasant day; the night was still and cold. Sunday morning, the 30th, we found the ground slightly frozen, and ice in the tubs about camp one-half inch thick. The weather continued fine as yet. We had fine mornings here, the air was still, and every thing seemed delightful. The smoke from the numerous camp fires, made the atmosphere hazy, reminding one of our Indian summer in New England.

CHAPTER III.

December 1st, we had orders to march immediately, and at twelve o'clock our brigade were on the move. We passed through Washington just at nightfall, over the bridge which crosses the east branch of the Potomac, and encamped about two miles beyond the city for the night. In the morning we continued our journey along the Maryland side of the Potomac, and so on, from day to day, until our arrival opposite Aquia Creek, on the 6th inst.

We had fine weather until Friday the 5th, when it commenced raining, and at night turning to snow, made our encamping exceedingly unpleasant. We expected to have reached the Potomac Friday night, but the rain softening the road, made our marching extremely difficult and tedious, and at three o'clock we turned into the woods completely jaded, and commenced to pitch our tents, and make ourselves as comfortable as we could, under the circumstances. I could indeed appreciate the discomforts of our situation. I was fortunate in finding some poles in the woods, already cut, and with the help of the boys, made a shed, and covering it with our tents, with the addition of a lot of dry husks, procured from a barn close by for our beds, managed to pass the night quite comfortably. It stopped snowing early in the night, and at ten, A. M., the next morning, we were on the march again. It was a delightful morning; the mud had crusted over, bearing us up, as we marched, and the sun shining brightly, gave the evergreens by the roadside, covered with snow as