a moment, and it seemed certain that the officers were
killed or suffocated in that water, now thick with mud. But a hundred
hands were instantly to the rescue, and in less time than it takes to
tell it all were gotten out and, strange to say, the horses were unhurt
and only one officer seriously injured, a broken leg only to the bad for
the escapade. But neither officers nor horses were particularly handsome
as they emerged from that ditch. The incident can be set down as a
terrific finale to this first and last army celebration of St. Patrick's
day.

The tedium of routine duty occupied our time without specially exciting
incident until pleasanter weather towards the middle of April brought
rumors of impending army movements again. About April 20 we heard the
cavalry under Stoneman were on the move, and this was confirmed the next
day, when I saw that general with quite a body of cavalry marching
leisurely north. The horses appeared in excellent condition after a
winter of partial rest. General Stoneman was a large man, with short
gray whiskers and gray hair and a strikingly bronzed red face. This
story was told of him anent this movement, that Hooker had told him to
do something with his horses; to cross the river at one of the fords
above and shake out his cavalry, that it was "about time the army saw a
dead cavalryman." Stoneman had replied, asking for materials to build
bridges with, and "Fighting Joe" had impatiently replied that he
wouldn't "give a d----n for a cavalryman who couldn't make a bridge
without materials," meaning who could not cross a river without a
bridge.

Soon orders came to supply ourselves with extra ammunition, and be
prepared to move with six days' rations at a moment's notice. This
settled it that "business" was about to commence again in earnest. What
the contemplated movement was we had not the remotest idea, though we
knew, of course, it was to be another whack in some form at the Johnnies
on the other side of the river. We set about disposing of all surplus
baggage which had accumulated for winter quarters, and putting
everything in trim for field living once more. We could now see columns
of troops in the distance marching north. Was the new movement, then, to
be in that direction? This was the topic upon all lips. The desire to
know something of what was being done with us was naturally very strong.
Where were we going? What were we going to do? Yet a desire that in the
nature of th