colored boy, one of the doctors' servants who had engaged to co-operate
with us for a consideration, had just been over and informed Harding that
the doctor had been hastily called to Fredericksburg and would not return
until afternoon the next day. It had been predetermined that if possible
we would have a ride in the old man's chaise. He had a good horse, and the
chaise was large enough to hold three of us on a pinch. The party was to
consist of Harding, Billy and myself and we were speedily on the way. As
we approached the house we found the negro waiting for us; he then led the
way by a back path to the rear of the buildings. The horse was soon
harnessed into the chaise, and led by the same path down to the road.
Billy unrolled a bundle of small United States flags he had got from the
sutler and we proceeded to decorate that team as it was never decorated
before, then we loaded in and started for camp. We reached there just as
ranks were broken after the morning roll call. We rode up and down the
parade ground a few times, then drove over into the company street and
received the congratulations of our friends; then went for a drive and
rode back again. When we reached the doctor's house we told his wife, it
was President Lincoln's birthday and we thought we would take a ride to
celebrate the occasion; besides we were concerned about the horse, lest he
should become foundered standing in the barn so long without exercise. She
called us a band of horse thieves, barbarians and vandals, and gave us a
number of other pet names which have escaped me. We fully expected to be
disciplined for this prank, but not an officer of the regiment saw us and
not a word of reproof was ever said to one of us about the affair. It is
needless to say the doctor did not honor us with a call that day and
towards night we moved on, starting on a night's march towards Culpepper
Court House--now marching, now standing still, dragging slowly along over
one of the worst conceivable roads and not making more than ten miles
during the whole night.

In the early morning of the 13th, we halted and had coffee. After a rest
of three or four hours we started on again and by night when we went into
camp we were within a few miles of Bealton station; rations were issued
and we were taken on some freight cars and carried to Culpepper Court
House. What a railroad that was? We covered the cars inside and out, we
could not have run at the rate of more than eig