other restrained me; finally, however, Olive persuaded mother to
consent, and on January 10th, 1862, I began my service as 2d Lieutenant
in the 5th N. Y. Heavy Artillery. In the early part of '62 our Regiment
garrisoned the forts of New York Harbor. I was stationed first at Fort
Wood (Bedloe's Island), and afterwards at Fort Schuyler, where I was
Post Adjutant.

Fort Schuyler is a very extensive fortification guarding the entrance to
New York from the east, situated on a peninsula called Throggs Neck,
where there is an abrupt turn from the waters of the East River as it
enters Long Island Sound; the channel is quite narrow at that point. The
fortification comprises two tiers of casemates surmounted by a parapet,
and on the landward side barbette batteries. A first-class formidable
defence for the arms of those days. The interior of Fort Schuyler was
large enough to enable a battalion to form in line. At that time there
was under construction on the opposite, or Long Island, shore, on
Willet's Point, a fortification which has since been completed and is
called Fort Totten.

In May, '62, we were withdrawn from the forts in New York Harbor. We
were ordered to the front, to join the army at Fortress Monroe,
Virginia. We were assembled, taken by steamers to Amboy, thence by the
old Camden and Amboy Railroad to Camden and Philadelphia, thence by the
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad to Baltimore. We were
handsomely treated to a meal in the "Soldiers' Rest" in Philadelphia, by
the patriotic ladies. God bless them! We were transported in box freight
cars, rough board benches for seats. No drawing-room cars in those days.

On arriving in Baltimore we were loaded upon a steamer for Fortress
Monroe. At this point our orders were changed. Being a heavy artillery
regiment, we were ordered to garrison Fort Marshal (near Baltimore),
relieving the 3d Delaware, an infantry regiment. We were marched through
the city to Fort Marshal. Later we learned that the Baltimoreans dubbed
us the "toughest" they had seen. Our appearance was misleading, we
thought.

Fort Marshal was an earth work, a parapet with bastions, erected on an
eminence just east of Baltimore, commanding the harbor and the city. It
has since been demolished, crowded out by commerce and residences.

When we arrived at the fort our men were hungry, having had but "one
square meal" in forty-eight hours--the one the Philadelphia ladies had
given us, plus what w