all stripped off, and it looked as if there had been a cap on the rear end. The fuze was percussion."

Tuesday, April 1, 1862, was observed as April Fool's Day. Grows notes in his journal being awakened by one of the men informing him that an acquaintance from Boston was on the ground from the 20th Regt. and wished to see him. Grows began dressing, but before he went out thought what day it was, and told him to tell the man to come into the tent. He did not come. At 'Reveille' many were the jokes played upon both officers and men.

Grows' Journal of the 1st: "After dinner about fifty of us went into the woods near by to catch some rabbits. They are very plentiful here. Came in about an hour after with five large ones. If we had had guns we could have had more, all we had were clubs and stones. Cooked them for our supper. Went this afternoon with the team about two miles from camp to help get a load of rails for our fires. Got back into camp about 5 this afternoon, feesing tiptop. Went to Roll, then had supper and a small piece of rabbit. The air is quite cool this evening, so we all sit around our fires with overcoats on."

That the men made the best of what they had is shown by Grows' Journal where he refers to making rice cakes for his supper. He says, "Soon after breakfast I got some rice and cooked it, also got some hominy and cooked that, then mixed them together and let them cook awhile, took some hard crackers and pounded them fine and put them in to thicken the rice, and then put the stuff away to make cakes for my supper, to be fried in pork fat."

He thus describes the building of the oven for his Detachment:-"We went to work and built an oven and it is a nice one. We have plenty of bricks and water, and dirt for mortar, after which we covered the whole over with dirt, except the door."

LETTERS OF LIEUT. PHILLIPS.

"April 2, 1862. Newmarket Bridge: The roads are getting so bad that we shall have a repetition of the immobility on the banks of the Potomac unless we move soon.

We have rumors of moving every day, but we are as much in the dark about things here as we are about things at home.

The first night we camped here all our pickets were on this side of the creek, one being posted at the bridge. Since the reconnoissance to Great Bethel they have been extended about half a mile up the road. Still as the enemy is not in force anywhere near us we have not much to fear. Our fare so far has been the toughest we have seen, hard bread such as Uncle Sam furnishes to his troops being the only thing attainable. Most of the sutlers got left behind, and it is almost impossible to buy anything round here. Everything has to come from the vicinity of the Fort, the "city" as we call it, and waiting for orders that may come at any moment we can hardly communicate with this. Still we get along without any detriment to our health, and keep cheerful. The Division mail arrived at the Fort but by some mistake was given to the wrong person, which makes it rather doubtful how soon we shall get our letters.

P. S. Evening. Just received. P. P. S. The Postmaster General desires that all letters for the Division be directed to Washington. The weather is chilly, with a northeast wind. Professor Low has arrived with his bailocn."

THE SITUATION.

General McClellan on April 2d, 1862, had made his headquarters at Fortress Monroe.

Two new departments: those of the Shenandoah and the Rappahannock had been created. April 3d an order was

issued by the Secretary of War discontinuing the recruiting service. Troops offered by Massachusetts were peremptorily declined. General McClellan had no control of the naval forces upon which he depended for co-operation in the reduction of Yorktown, and his command of forces in the field was restricted to the limits bounded on the west by the Fredericksburg and Richmond R. R. and on the east by the line defining the sixty-mile limit from Fort Monroe, and lying between the Potomac and James Rivers. His department included the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia east of the Alleghanies and north of the James River, with the exception of Fortress Monroe and the country surrounding it, within a distance of sixty miles. The rebels had constructed several lines of fortifications between Fortress Monroe and Yorktown, the first of which was at Big Bethel. At Big Bethel there was a very crooked little brook about 20 feet wide. On the southern side there was a level plain, about large enough to hold a Brigade. The northern bank was very steep and rolling, and was defended by rifle pits and artillery "epaulements." (Demi-bastions

in fortifications. A "bastion" is a bulwark.)

The rebels on the advance of our reconnoissance of March 27th, retreated beyond this line, to their second fortified line at Howard's Mills, where our scouts reported a large force of cavalry and infantry drawn up behind the ramparts.

The third line of defense was right around Yorktown. General Order No. 33, dated War Department Adjutant General's Office, Washington, April 3, 1862, contained the following paragraphs :

"II. In order to secure, as far as possible, the decent interment of those who have fallen, or may fall, in battle, it is made the duty of Commanding Generals to lay off lots of ground in some suitable spot near every battlefield, so soon as it may be in their power, and to cause the remains of those killed to be interred, with head-boards to the

graves bearing numbers, and, where practicable, the names of the persons buried in them. A register of each burial ground will be preserved, in which will be noted the marks corresponding with the headboards."

It was a wise forethought which dictated this, but what of the next?

"III. The Recruiting service for volunteers will be discontinued in every state from this date. The officers detached on Volunteer Recruiting Service, will join their Regiments without delay, taking with them the parties and recruits at their respective stations. The Superintendents of Volunteer Recruiting Service will disband their parties and close their offices, after having taken the necessary steps to carry out these orders. The public property belonging to the Volunteer Recruiting Service, will be sold to the best advantage possible, and the proceeds credited to the fund for collecting, drilling, and organizing volunteers.

By Order of the Secretary of War.
Official:

L. THOMAS, Adjutant General."

COMPANY ORDERS.

On this day Company Orders were "Three days' cooked rations: three days' uncooked." The Battery was to march the next morning at daybreak.

Grows' Journal: "April 3, 1862. Had cannoneer's drill one hour this forenoon. Had dinner of our baked beans. They were done just right. We were informed this afternoon that we would break camp at 2 in the morning, so I began to pack the loose things I had, so I could be on hand early. Had quite a good supper of coffee and hard bread, after which we drew three days' rations, consisting of thirty hard bread and three or four lbs. of meat, then filled our canteens with water. Our destination is to be Richmond, having to pass through Bethel and Yorktown."

BANKS' FIFTH CORPS.

April 4, 1862, the Corps designated as the "Fifth Corps," under General N. P. Banks, was discontinued by general orders from the War Department.

HOWARD'S MILLS-THE FIRST GUN FIRED.

The historian of Martin's Third Mass. Battery says of the incident at Howard's Mills:

"Friday April 4, 1862, reached Big Bethel. At about twelve o'clock resumed our march. About three miles farther on we reached the Halfway House, once a hotel of some importance. Two companies of rebel cavalry had left there only an hour before. While we were at the Halfway House, cannonading was heard in advance, and a march of a mile brought us to two rebel intrenchments. Berdan's Sharpshooters, at the head of the column, had been fired on by the enemy, but one of our batteries, the Fifth Massachusetts, coming up, the rebels were shelled out and our troops occupied the works when we reached them. . . . Our advance secured two guns in the fort, and some commissary stores. Another fort near the first had been previously abandoned."

HYDE'S NOTES. NEW YORK, MAY 23, 1900.

REVISED JUNE 26, 1901.

"We landed at Fortress Monroe, and, working our way with Butterfield's Brigade up the peninsula, through Hampton which had recently been destroyed by the enemy, we encountered formidable earthworks thrown up by them.

Several batteries were ahead of us, but General Griffin sent back for the Fifth Mass. Battery. The troops opened to the right and left, and we passed through to the front.