ulsed and driven
back. We were under marching orders at the time, and held ourselves in
readiness to march at short notice in the event it should have been
found necessary to have sent reinforcements.

May 22d, at nine in the evening, we received orders to march. At seven
the next morning, the first brigade were on the march, accompanied by
the second, who followed close in the rear. Taking the Somerset road, we
were soon fairly established in all the privileges and comforts of a
march on a hot, dry, dusty day. At eleven, A.M., we stopped for dinner,
having marched nine miles. We started again at half-past two, P.M., and
at four, P.M., encamped near Crab Orchard, twelve miles from our late
camp, near Lancaster.

CHAPTER XI.

Upon our marching from Lancaster, one of my acquaintances, whom I
thought from his intercourse with the officers might know our
destination, informed me that we were to march but three or four miles,
and were to encamp in an oak grove. The spot had been selected the day
before by our general, and was indeed a beautiful place, abounding in
excellent springs of water, and in the immediate vicinity of a river, an
admirable place for bathing, &c. It was a very warm day, and as the
roads were dry and dusty it made our march unusually severe, and instead
of the oak grove, but four miles distant, with all its beautiful
surroundings, we made a march of twelve miles, and found ourselves at
last located in a thicket of briers, one and a half miles north of the
village of Crab Orchard, a spot devoid of every thing green, if we
except blackberry bushes and pennyroyal, and abounding in all manner of
creeping things. The evening of the 25th, information having been
received that the enemy were in the neighborhood of Somerset, and might
make a raid in our direction, we were ordered to be on the alert.
Company I was detailed for extra picket duty, and all precaution taken
against an attack. The afternoon of the 26th, at six o'clock, the
Twelfth struck tents, and moved forward one-half mile beyond the village
of Crab Orchard, to the support of the Second New York Battery, which
had taken position the night before in a field commanding the Mount
Vernon and Somerset roads, which meet at this place. Here we encamped
again for a short period.

June the 1st we received orders to put ourselves in light marching
condition, and hold ourselves in readiness to march at short notice.
Accordingly, the morning of Ju