s a general
howling, extending into the small hours of the night.

The night before our march from Lexington, a portion of the men went to
the city, had a plenty to drink, and some of them returned with canteens
filled. The consequence was, a riotous night, and but little sleep was
to be had. The men quarrelled among themselves, and to cap the climax,
at two in the morning, one of the men from the company adjoining,
visited Company F, and indulged in a little shillalah practice. Swinging
to the right and left, much to the discomfiture of one of our men, who
received a blow on the top of his head, which, judging from the sound,
might have felled an ox. He was rendered _hors de combat_, and taken to
the surgeon; and after this salutary lesson, the boys thinking best to
keep still, we got a few hours sleep. The noisy ones of Company F were
christened "lions." The name originated in Camp Casey, where they
occupied two of our Sibley tents, on the left of the line, and by their
continual howling, made "night hideous."

Saturday, May 2d, at nightfall, the uproar commenced as usual. At ten I
turned in. I kept napping, waking, and sleeping by turns, until two in
the morning. At this time, a party in front of my tent were having an
altercation which threatened to terminate in a fight. I thought best to
see what was going on. Looking out of my hotel, I saw J. R., the same
individual who officiated at Lexington, with club raised, threatening to
lay it about the ears of his opponent, who was daring him to come on.
Friends interfered, preventing them from coming to blows, and after a
bad amount of cursing and hard talk, during which the whole regiment
were disturbed, they were separated, and quiet reigned again. The
immediate results of this night's carousal, were visible to all in the
person of one of our drummers, who had indulged beyond his strength, and
was found lifeless in his tent, the morning of the 3d, having "shuffled
off this mortal coil" in the melee.

The morning of the 3d of May found us busy, preparing for the march,
regardless of the storm, which was evidently about to open upon us. At
eight we were on our way. It commenced raining slightly before we left
camp, and after our first rest outside of Richmond at ten, A.M., it
commenced in earnest. We hurried on, and at one, P.M., were encamped
at Point Lick Creek, having marched a distance of thirteen miles in four
hours. Some of the time while on this march, the rain p