ed off for the cars, amid the cheering of the whole division; but no
orders came for us, and after waiting till half-past nine P. M., we went
to sleep. At exactly eleven o'clock an orderly dashed up: "The regiment
was to take the cars forthwith." The word passed from mouth to mouth like
lightning, and in less than no time the men were awakened, formed, and
marching off "for home."

We had to go precisely a quarter of a mile and get into the cars which had
been standing all day on the track; and how long can any outsider,
unacquainted with military manoeuvres, imagine it took to get us on
board? Not an hour, nor half an hour, but _five hours and a half_, by
the watch, elapsed from the time we started till we got into those cars;
and as it was raining in torrents all the while, it is not difficult to
imagine the benedictions that were freely bestowed on every one supposed
to be concerned in the matter. When we had gone about a hundred yards from
camp the order came to "halt." After a little time we were told to "rest."
Seeing no signs of a movement, and a heavy rain having come up, the boys
unrolled their rubber blankets, and the cooler hands wrapped themselves up
and lay down to sleep in the middle of the road, while the others took it
out in swearing. In about an hour "Fall in!" was heard. We woke up, shook
ourselves, and marched another hundred yards, where the same scene was
repeated. Marching off the third time, we turned away from the main road
and struck along the field to the depot, thinking we were off this time,
_sure_. Vain thought! When we got on the bank, overlooking the railroad
track, not a car was to be seen, and there we stood in the midst of a
drenching rain, on a slippery clay slope where it was impossible to sit
down, tired and sleepy as men could well be, for nearly two hours before
the cars, after a little eternity of backing and switching, were
pronounced ready for us. The moment the cars were reached every one threw
himself on the floor, and, in spite of wet clothes, dirty floors, and
leaky roofs, knew nothing more till daylight dawned on us entering
Baltimore.

With the mention of the word _Baltimore_, the word _breakfast_ is
intimately associated in our minds.

Oh! that first good civilized breakfast, with forks and chairs, and the
other appliances of civilized life--the pen fails in the endeavor to do
justice to that repast!

Yet in spite of the threats that were made of the quantities that w