n watch, two hours
on, and two hours off. Before morning I found it extremely difficult to
keep my eyes open, and several times walked to the river and washed my
face in order to do so. Just before daylight it was my turn to go to
sleep; when I awoke and looked around, I found no one on watch. Looking
beside me I found my comrade, also asleep. The place at which we were
posted was inaccessible in the night from our lines, because it was
at the foot of a deep ravine. I don't imagine any female spy crossed at
that point. If we had been caught asleep, however, it would have been an
embarrassing position for both of us to have been placed in.

[Illustration: CORPORAL HENRY E. JOHNS]

A few days later the Harris Light Cavalry made a raid in the
neighborhood of Fredericks Hall, Virginia, in which movement the command
marched some ninety miles in thirty hours. This was hard on the men, and
many of them were confined to their tents on their return to camp, from
saddle boils and lameness, for a day or two. I found it difficult to
keep awake on the march and picket, yet I was able to do duty without
interruption.

On this raid the regiment destroyed considerable property, and many of
the men carried away all sorts of things for which they had no use.
Indeed, I heard Colonel Kilpatrick laughingly remark that one fellow, in
his zeal to have something, actually had a grindstone on his saddle in
front of him. After carrying it about a mile he concluded, however, that
he had no further use for it, and dropped it in the road.

CHAPTER II

A few days afterwards the regiment marched through Culpeper and reached
the battlefield of Cedar Mountain late on the day on which that
engagement was fought. We approached the battlefield through what would
be called the rear, where we first saw the horrible sights accompanying
a battle, which are always dead horses, broken caissons, bodies lying on
the ground, and the wounded. On the front line these sights are not so
prominent.

The regiment was pushed to the front and placed on picket duty, I being
posted on the edge of a piece of woods overlooking a valley, on the
opposite side of which was Slaughter Mountain, where Stonewall Jackson's
army was supposed to be.

While at my post on picket that night, an incident occurred which made a
deep impression upon me, doubtless due to the time and place and the
incidents of the preceding two weeks. Before leaving home, I had
promised my mot