Christmas found us in our shelter tents and the camp of December 25 and 26 was named "Camp Cheerless." The men set about felling trees for cabins and in a few days their second edition of cabins were built far superior to the first."

The year 1863 closed with a brighter outlook for the union arms than the year before. By the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, and of Port Hudson, July 9, the Confederacy sustained a combined loss of 38,500 soldiers to 7,500 by the Union armies, then under General Grant. These victories occurring about the time of the Gettysburg success left the Confederacy cut into by the Mississippi which was now open from the North to the Gulf of Mexico. It also was another nail well driven into the Confederate coffin.

GENERAL RUFUS KING, FIRST COMMANDER OF IRON BRIGADE.

At Chickamauga, Georgia, on the 19th and 20th of September there was a terrible battle. The Confederate army there had been reinforced by Longstreet from the East with his corps and they were determined to destroy the Western Union army. At this battle the Confederates lost 17,864 men and the Federals but 15,851; yet the latter were driven from the field and it became a very dearly bought Confederate victory, which was more than counterbalanced by the brilliant Union victories on November 23, 24 and 25, at Chattanooga,

Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, when Hooker's corps became famous for their "battle above the clouds" on this height, which electrified the world. And thus the year closed in a halo of glory for the Union.

There was a corresponding depression in the South, as the following from the Richmond Examiner of December 31, indicated:

* * *

To-day closes the gloomiest year of our struggle. No sanguine hope of intervention buoys up the spirits of the Confederate public as at the end of 1861. No brilliant victory, like that at Fredericksburg, encourages us to look forward to a speedy and successful termination of the war, as in the last week of 1862. Meanwhile the financial chaos is becoming wider and wider. Hoarders keep a more resolute grasp than ever on the necessaries of life. Non-producers are suffering more and more. What was once competence has become poverty, poverty has become penury, and penury is lapsing into pauperism.

January 1, 1864, was the coldest day experienced in the army during the war. It is also well remembered by many in the North. There was much suffering among the men whose cabins were not yet completed. The regiment had moved out still further on the Sperrysville road near a pine forest to make their winter quarters which became known as "Camp Meade." The cabins complete, the men became comfortable and settled down to the routine which a winter camp brings, such as fuel gathering, picket and sentinel duty, drill, etc.

On the 3d, Colonel Morrow took command of the Iron Brigade and Captain Edwards of the regiment. The Sixth and Seventh Wisconsin and Nineteenth Indiana having veteranized for another three years were now gone home on the usual furlough in such cases, and the Seventy-sixth New York was temporarily attached to the Iron Brigade.

The mail which usually arrived at sunset in this camp, gladdened the hearts of such as received missives from home and friends. Next to the Paymaster nothing so rejoiced the hearts of the soldiers as the sight of the approaching postmaster. They flocked to him like a parcel of children and listened for their names to be called out for a letter, as attentively as if it was a lottery wheel and they expected some valuable prize for a most valuable prize was a letter to the soldier, only realized by those who have experienced this soldier-life enjoyment. Disappointment and often homesickness followed a failure to receive letters from home.

A school of instruction for non-commissioned officers was established and a house erected for their drill. Captain William

Hutchinson had charge of the school. The men also built a church. near Brigade headquarters, 20 by 30 feet in size. About the middle of the month the camp was cheered by the arrival of Mrs. Morrow, Mrs. Dillon and Mrs. Way. Several promotions also occurred about this period. First Lieutenant George W. Burchell became Captain; private David Congdon became First Lieutenant and Quartermaster, and Sergeants George A. Pinkney Benjamin W. Hendricks and Everard B. Welton became First Lieutenants.

As at home, so in the army, a few required penal discipline, though to the credit of the Twenty-fourth, the "Guard House" was

PENAL DRILL WITH STICKS OF WOOD.-SKETCHED BY H. J. BROWN.

almost always unknown. Very little use was there at any time for it. The usual practice in regiments was to appoint the Major to try offenses. He was judge, jury and sheriff. His sentences were sent up to the Brigadier-General for approval, and they came back scarcely ever modified. Usually some mild form of punishment was meted out such as deduction of pay for a time, or in case of non-commissioned officers, reduction to the ranks, for failure to do proper duty or for unsoldierlike conduct. Sometimes they were compelled to drill a certain number of hours each day with rather heavy sticks of wood upon their shoulders, like the representation in the illustration. These punishments were for nothing very serious the offenders had done, but still their offences were sufficient to constitute violations of good discipline.

This was the beaten field of war. The golden sunsets overspread great camps of warlike men, for coming deadly strife. Yonder town. of Culpepper was a canvas city busy in the arts of war. But few

inhabitants were left except the old and decrepit, women and children, who were often dependent upon our commissariat for food. They were all "Secesh" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag" was sung with spirit by the lassies who had a hatred of all Yankeedom; yet, those F. F. V. damsels would occasionally indulge in a flirtation with some of the dashing young Union officers. The denunciation of their peculiar institution led the people to believe that they, and not slavery, were hated. They mourned their loved and lost, and the widows' weeds told of bitter grief.

A Division Review by General Rice occurred on January 29, and the Twenty-fourth Michigan carried off the palm for appearance.

RACCOONVILLE RAID.

On Saturday morning, February 6, reveille sounded at 5 o'clock with orders to fall in at 6. It was raining and visions of another mud march loomed up in the men's minds. Coffee over, the regiment was soon off for Brigade headquarters, and at 8 o'clock the column

marched for Raccoon Ford and halted about two miles away, being cautioned to keep quiet. While on the march details were made from each regiment of the Iron Brigade to storm the town of Raccoonville on the bank of the Rapidan, directly under the enemy's guns, and supposed to be occupied by their sharpshooters. At evening the picket formed a line of battle for support, and the storming party went forward with matches into the town and in the very teeth of the enemy, set it on fire which soon lighted up the heavens for miles around. A dead Union cavalryman was found and taken from one of the houses first. The enemy opposite were perfectly amazed and soon could be seen in line of battle amid the gleam of the burning buildings, all of which were soon in blackened ruins.

The party returned to the bivouac at II P. M. and all lay there till sunset on Sunday, February 7, when they started for camp. The roads were very muddy, it having rained most of the time since leaving camp. Three columns of troops moved on parallel lines and got somewhat mixed up. The Twenty-fourth became separated from the Iron Brigade, but all got safely into camp about 10 o'clock, very tired. The departure on this reconnoissance fanned into life the dying hopes of the village secessionists and they began to open their shutters and fairly insult our men with secesh songs and in other ways, but upon the return of the column to camp, their doors were closed again.

On the 15th of February, General Sedgwick, in the temporary absence of General Meade, reviewed the First and Second Divisions of the First Corps. A snow storm blew up before the review was On the 23d the whole First Corps was reviewed by General Newton who had succeeded General Reynolds in its command after the latter was killed at Gettysburg.

over.

WINTER CAMP LIFE- -CAMPAIGN PREPARATIONS.

The months of February and March passed as usual in winter camp, with an occasional death in hospital. Places of amusement sprung up. The boys of the Fourteenth Brooklyn established an amateur theater for the edification of the camp. The veteranized regiments returned with some additions to their ranks in new recruits. During the latter part of March, Colonel Morrow and eight non-commissioned officers left for Michigan on special recruiting duty, and about this time the ladies who had been sojourning in camp for