peared to be
made of the best of material. Our salt beef was fat, of good quality,
and when properly cooked, was as good as we could ask for. It is cured
differently from that at home, there being much saltpetre used in curing
it; requiring a great deal of pains, on the part of the cooks, in order
to make it palatable. We had fresh beef twice a week; this was made into
soups. Our company finally procured a large sheet iron pan, six feet
long and two feet in width, to be used as a frying-pan, and after that
we had fried beef once or twice a week. We had tea or coffee twice a
day, (with our breakfast and supper,) with plenty of sugar to accompany
it. We had rice, and sugar-house syrup, bean soup, &c. Any one finding
fault with our fare at this time would be apt to be dissatisfied
wherever he were placed.

Tuesday, 25th, was a cloudy, misty day, and in the night it rained quite
hard. Wednesday morning it cleared off in time for us to drill. It had
rained just enough to soften the clay, the mud being shallow and as
slippery as grease--a peculiarity in the mud about here. You can
appreciate this kind of travelling by spreading lard an inch thick upon
a plank, and then attempting to walk upon it. One advantage in this kind
of soil is that when it dries it becomes as hard as a cement floor,
which made it easier for us than to have been wallowing through sand.
The weather continued pleasant, no dust blowing about and into every
thing; the ground was hard, in the best condition for drilling, and our
regiment improved it.

The 27th was Thanksgiving Day in Rhode Island, and also duly observed by
us in camp. We were relieved from drill, attended divine service at
eleven, A.M., and had a little recreation, walking about the country,
&c. Our bed-sacks were now given out to us, with plenty of clean straw
to fill them with. (These sacks were made of stout ticking, and were,
perhaps, seven feet long and five feet wide, after they were filled;
amply large enough, each of them, for two to lie upon.) The regiment
were all provided with these sacks, and had lain upon the ground long
enough to know how to appreciate them. The 27th was a beautiful day, and
having never been to Alexandria, I took this opportunity to visit the
place. Procured a pass, and in company with one of our mess, at eight,
A.M., started. We struck a "bee line" directly for the place; passed
over the road leading from Fairfax Seminary, and continued on, up hill
and down