, and I have often gone there
at milking time and got my canteen filled with milk just from the cow.

The price we paid was 25 cents a quart, in Confederate money. We thought
it very cheap for such good, rich milk, and all of us had a good word to
say for Mr. Botts and his family, even if they were Unionists.

Gen. Stuart threw out his pickets across the fields, and just in front
of us the enemy did likewise. The pickets were in full view of each
other, and a long-range musket might have sent a bullet across the line
at any time, but we did not molest each other. At night the lines came
still closer together, and we could distinctly hear them relieving their
pickets every two hours, and they doubtless could hear us doing the
same.

This state of things remained for several weeks. Not a shot was fired
during all that time, and so well acquainted did the pickets of each
army become, that it was not an uncommon thing to see them marching
across the fields to meet each other and exchange greetings, and often
the Confederates traded tobacco for coffee and sugar. I took quite an
interest in this bartering and trading. This got to be so common that
Gen. Stuart had to issue an order forbidding it.

After a while conditions changed. Gen. Lee had sent Longstreet's corps
to Tennessee to reinforce Bragg, weakening his army to the extent of
20,000 men. Probably for this reason the enemy determined to make a
demonstration, and began a movement toward our front. But so considerate
were they that they did not open fire on us until we had gotten beyond
range of their guns. This fraternal condition perhaps never existed
before between two contending armies.

As they advanced we gradually fell back, and when we had retreated
about a mile, they began firing on us. The friendly sentiment was soon
dissipated, we returned the fire, and began to dispute their passage.
But as they had a much larger force we gradually released the territory,
fighting as we retreated.

My part of the line carried me directly through the streets of Culpeper,
and the fighting in and around the town was the heaviest that we
encountered. Several of our men had their horses killed, and I saw the
enemy's cavalry pick the men up as they ran in their effort to escape.

We continued to fall back until we reached the Rapidan. Here Gen. Lee
was strongly entrenched, and the enemy, after remaining in our front for
some days, fell back to their old position on the Rappa