ch stood in line; his sentence read, his buttons
and the blue cord on his coat cut off, and a placard marked "Coward"
hung to his back. A guard, with fixed bayonets pointing at his back,
then marched him off, the band playing "The Rogues' March." Burke went
to serve out his time at the Dry Tortugas at hard labor, without pay or
allowance.

As we looked upon the execution of these humiliating sentences, we could
not help feeling how much better it would have been to have fallen nobly
on that field of battle, honored and lamented, than to live to be thus
degraded and despised. It had never been so forcibly impressed upon our
minds, how much better it was to die nobly than to live in disgrace.
When we thought of the noble Wheeler and his brave companions, who had
given their lives for their country on yonder heights, and then turned
to the sickening scene before us, we could but exclaim, "How are the
dead to be envied!"

At length, on Saturday night, June 13th, we withdrew from
Fredericksburgh, and commenced the memorable Pennsylvania campaign.
There had been, for several days, indications that General Lee was
throwing his army to our right, and was crossing the Rappahannock in the
vicinity of Culpepper. At length this had become a certainty; and the
whole army was quickly moved to come up with him. All day long the
hurrying of trains, the movements of troops, the intense activity at the
railroad station, where everything was being hastily thrown into cars,
had indicated a sudden leave-taking.

At length the trains were off, and the whole army in motion. Our own
corps being rear-guard, started at ten o'clock at night. The darkness
was intense, and a thunder shower prevailed. Our route for a long time
lay through a thick woods, where the branches of the trees, meeting over
our heads, shut out the little light that might have penetrated the
thunder clouds, and the column was shut in perfect darkness. The road
was terribly muddy, and the batteries which were trying to pass over the
same route, were frequently stuck in the mire. Our men stumbled over
stones and fallen trees, often falling beneath the feet of the horses.
Men fell over logs and stones, breaking their legs and arms. Thus we
continued the hasty and difficult march, while the rain poured in
torrents upon us. Later in the night the road became more open, and the
rain ceased. The darkness was not so black, still it was difficult to
see the road. We were passing ov