possible that he could take up arms against the government that gave him a home which he could not find in peace in his native land. Oh, said he, it is all misfortune, and now my dying regret is that I do not die for the starry flag. Fixing him up as well as I could I left him in peace and made my way back to our breast works to get some rest and sleep till morning.

CHAPTER XXVII.

FOURTH OF JULY, 1863—THE ENEMY GONE FROM OUR FRONT

AND RETURN TO THEIR SACRED SOIL-IN PURSUIT OF THEM-ARRIVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS-SCENES AND INCIDENTS WHILE THERE.

The Fourth of July opens bright and lovely, and all expect a renewal of the conflict. Our pickets advance to where the rebel lines were the night before, and get further into the woods and commence cheering. The enemy has left our front. The excitement is very great in our army, for we have defeated our old adversaries again, and every one praises our gallant Meade for leading McClellan's army on to victory. We spend our Fourth with great joy, which is mingled with sadness at the loss of so many of our men who fell and died that our present victory might be achieved. The fortunes of war cause a great many lives to be lost, and untold misery to be endured; but we must all take our chances in this great lottery of life.

The 4th and 5th are spent in burying the dead, and on the 6th we commence the chase after Lee and his army into Virginia again. Our cavalry take a good many prisoners,

and are having lively times with the enemy's rear guard.

We are now making our way to Williamsport, where the enenly have taken up a position and built works. It is their intention to make a stand here until they can cross the Potomac with their trains and artillery. Pulling up in front of them about the 9th of July, every man expects that an attack is meant on the enemy's position; but for some reason or other we get the order to bivouac for the night, and no attack is make. Next morning we find that the enemy have crossed the river, and our army makes its way down the river on the Maryland side, and cross into Virginia at Harper's Ferry, over the bridge that spans the Shenandoah River. We wend our way around the celebrated Loudon Heights, and bivouac for the night among the hills. We have a long chase now, for the enemy are trying to make their way through the Blue Ridge at Manassas Gap into the rich Shenandoah Valley. Next morning we are up bright and early, and are on the march again, passing over some beautiful country. We leave the village of Leesburg to our left, and strike for the Catoctin Mountains, which overlook the beautiful County of Loudon. We wend our way up the rugged and steep mountain roads, and camp on the top in some lovely fields. Here the scenery is sublimely grand, and a view is before our eyes in the early twilight of the evening that is fit for a connoisseur, or the romantic eye of an artist. Away as far as the eye can reach is the broad and beautiful Potomac, meandering its way through lovely glades, and emptying its fresh water into the Chesapeake Bay, there to mingle with the briny waters of the broad Atlantic. Nearer to the eye can be seen the rich fields with their ripe grain ready for the farmer's cradle, the beautiful houses ensconced among the nice trees laden with ripe and luscious fruit; the cattle grazing in the meadows, all of which make up a panorama too grand

'

!

to be described, and when once seen will never be forgotten. We pitch our shelter tents, build our numerous fires, cook our much needed coffee, eat our frugal meal, and set by the camp fire, the moon shining down upon us and making everything look sublimely grand. We smoke our pipes, tell our yarns, and not until nature needs its repose do we lie down to sleep in our temporary mountain home.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

OUR CHASE RESUMED-BATTLE OF WAPPING HEIGHTS-DEFEAT AND PURSUIT OF THE ENEMY THROUGH MANASSAS GAP-REBEL BEES-A FIERCE ENCOUNTER.

We are loth to leave our mountain camp, but must keep moving, for there is plenty of work before us. We take up our line of march, leaving the hundreds of camp fires to smolder into ashes, and wend our way down the rugged roads and get on to the bed of the old Manassas Gap Railroad, which leads through the Blue Ridge. The track of this road is all torn up, the ties burnt, and the iron rails twisted in all conceivable shapes. We march along the bed of the road. The poor people along the line of the road are suffering very much for the want of food and clothing.

On the 12th of July we come up with the enemy's rear guard, who have taken up a position on the heights that connect with the Blue Ridge Mountains. They have built some works on top, and seem to feel very secure against any force which we can send to dislodge them. But our corps commander, General Humphrey, is equal to the emergency. Our corps, the Third, is all alone, for the rest

of the army is moving on other roads, to try to intercept the enemy's backward march. Our corps forms in splendid position, and is drawn up in lines to charge on the heights. The enemy don't think it possible that we are going to charge up those steep hills, but such is the fact. The order comes to forward and take the position. Our skirmishers advance, and are soon engaged with the rebel pickets, who fall back over the hills to get inside their breastworks, from which a brisk fire is opened on us, but we still keep on. Forward on the double-quick is heard along the lines, but we have to put our hands on our knees to help ourselves on up the steep heights, and take hold of scrubs and brush to keep us from falling back. The rebels are dismayed at our move, and fire very wide of their mark, but once in a while one of our number is seen to roll back down the hill a corpse. At last we gain the top, and wait a moment to dress up our ranks. The order now comes to forward on the double-quick, which is done, and inside of less time than it takes to write about it we are inside the rebel works, capturing a number of prisoners, and planting the starry flag on the top of the highest hill in the range. The rebels now skedaddle down the mountain, and we hurry them on by sending some of Uncle Sam's leaden pills after them. The rebel army now are crossing the Shenandoah River at Front Royal. We chase those in our front, and they get through the gap. Before us we see the beautiful valley, but cannot get there, for the rebels have burnt the bridges over the river after crossing.

While halting for a rest a funny incident occurs, particularly to those who were not actors in the serio-comic play of hunting bees. Some of our boys think they would like some honey from some bee-hives in a garden close by, so

they make a raid on the bees to rob them of their stores, which they have worked so hard to accumulate. The boys think to take the bees by surprise, and bag every one of them-but the bees charge and make their way to a safe distance. The would-be robbers now make a charge on the store where the bees have their supplies, but do not take any honey, for the bees form in mass and charge on their adversaries, plying their keen edged swords, and slashing in such a manner as to make the Yanks come to grass, and turn such somersaulting on the ground as to put to shame a lot of Japanese acrobat performers in a circus ring. We spectators hold our sides for fear of bursting with laughter at the antics of our much stung comrades. At last our men beat an inglorious retreat, and leave the bees masters of the situation and their honey. When the raiders reached the ranks their heads resembled a huge mortar-shell, and all declared that their taste for honey is played out, and they don't care for any. So I think they will be content to hunt rebels after this, and leave their bees alone.

CHAPTER XXIX.

RETRACE OUR STEPS AND MOVE TO SULPHUR SPRINGS-RECREATION-NEW YORK RIOTS-OUR REGIMENT SENT TO HELP ENFORCE THE DRAFT-ARRIVAL ON GOVERNOR'S ISLAND.

Our corps now retrace their steps, and march back in the direction of Warrenton, a beautiful village near the celebrated Southern watering-place, Sulphur Springs. We pass through the village and camp at the Springs, a distance of about five miles. We get the orders to go into