the dismal night he must have endured, was
enough to crush any but a heroic spirit.

The skeleton of the Twenty-Third having gone forward early in the
morning, our little private "breakfast party" hastened its departure
from the now to us historic hamlet of Laurel Forge, after gratifying
the poor woman who presided over the dingy domicil with the sight of
more money in her hands, doubtless, than she was accustomed to seeing
at one time. The road now began to improve at once. We were getting
"out of the wilderness" apparently. A few miles brought us to Pine
Grove, another settlement with its furnace and shops. Then shortly
after we began to ascend again; and we wondered with fear and trembling
whether we were entering upon a second mountain road which it would be
our wretched fate to climb. There rose indeed before us, two or three
miles off, a formidable range whose crest must have towered well nigh a
thousand feet above us; and though it did not lie directly across the
path we were going, the road bent suspiciously toward it. We had little
strength left for such a renewal of our toils. Up--up--up; nearer and
nearer the crest of the mountain, till it became at length evident that
we were actually on its flank, and that our road lay over its very top.
The rain had ceased, the sun was fighting his way out from among torn
clouds, and the air was sultry. The road was filled with a vast stream
of stragglers intermixed with officers on horseback, and wagons. Along
the road-side weary soldiers were resting. Here one had fallen out
alone, exhausted and disheartened, and another coming up had sat down
beside him on the greensward for a moment, though wearing the uniform
of a different regiment. The latter, with a true soldier's feeling, was
giving the poor fellow a drink from his canteen, and administering the
cheap but precious solace of kind and encouraging words, while big
tears rolled down the cheeks of the other. Such scenes were frequently
observed. Common sufferings had broken down all barriers and we felt
for one another the tenderness of brothers.

Slowly and wearily we toiled on--one mile--two miles. The road
stretched up steep and stony. It was a comfort to be rid of the mire,
but the stones were afflicting enough to our bruised feet. How the
batteries were ever dragged up that mountain road so soon after
emerging from those miles and miles of mire is one of the wonders of
equine endurance. But so it was. We found on