ined until the 4th of May, when we moved forward to
Brandy Station. We were then getting into the immediate vicinity of the
Army of the Potomac and the report was circulated during the evening that
that army had crossed the Rapidan.

May 5. The report that the Army of the Potomac was in motion and had
crossed the Rapidan was confirmed early in the morning, and we pressed
forward as rapidly as possible to join it. We reached the Rapidan in the
evening, crossed over at Germania Ford and went into camp.

May 6. We started before daylight and at eight o'clock reported to General
Hancock, who had just been pushing Lee's right flank back. We were placed
on the left of Hancock's corps. About ten o'clock, the 21st was sent to
make a reconnaissance. We formed a line at right angles to Hancock's line
of battle, well out in front of it, and swept clear along past the whole
front. This was a hazardous and mighty unpleasant thing to do and we lost
some men in doing it. When we got back, we took a position on Hancock's
right and were there when Longstreet's corps made the advance in the
afternoon. That was a pretty tough reception, the Johnnies got in the part
of the line where we were. We had three solid lines of battle to meet
them, drawn up on land sloping toward the enemy. At the foot of the slope
was the first line of battle; far enough back to shoot over the heads of
the men forming line number one was line number two. The 21st was in the
second line. Then far enough back to shoot over our heads was line number
three. We were all lying flat on the ground. Two or three minutes before
the Confederate line of battle came into view, in our immediate front, two
or three little gray rabbits came jumping along towards us; at the same
time we got glimpses of the Confederate line of battle as it advanced off
to our left, the wood being less dense there, we saw the lines cross
little openings.

The Johnnies came up with terrific force--three lines of battle deep. They
forced back our first line a little, but the second and third lines never
moved, but kept pouring the shot into them unmercifully. They stayed there
about twenty minutes to half an hour and retreated. After they had fallen
back many of us went down to our front earthwork, from which our first
line retreated and where the Johnnies formed and where they stayed the few
minutes they were in our immediate front. There were a lot of dead and
wounded men lying all about there. As