e trees or the open sky, drew on our
overcoats, and lay down to sleep.

Looking back over the events of that day of waiting, and our
rose-colored bivouac in that lovely valley of the Conedoguinet, it is
curious and instructive to observe how pretty a trap we had walked into
unconsciously. It is suspected that the commander selected this spot
for our bivouac from its cage-like character, being prompted thereto by
the provoking experience of the day. However that may be, it is plain
that had the enemy been as near us as we were led to suppose, and had
they known our position, they might have captured the whole column
without firing a shot. The ribbon of land on which we had our bivouac
could be swept by a battery planted at the head of the bridge--which
was the only way of egress, while the place was too narrow to maneuvre
a platoon even. A small detachment of cavalry dashing through our line
of pickets might have sprung the trap upon us before we could have
extricated ourselves. But as good luck would have it the enemy were
nowhere near us, being well on their way to Gettysburg. Though the
force whose presence near Carlisle alarmed our commander and induced
him to countermarch the column, was, as already stated, no more than a
small cavalry escort of a rebel train of plunder on its way to the main
rebel army, yet it is probable that the large cavalry force of General
Stuart was not far off; for Stuart had been detached, as General Lee
states in his report of this his second Cis-Potomac campaign, "to
follow the movements of the Federal army south of the Potomac after our
own (rebel) had entered Maryland."

On that Thursday afternoon while our small column was loitering on the
Carlisle road, our backs turned upon that city, the terrible struggle
was renewed at Gettysburg, closing at sunset--about the time we came to
a halt in the romantic vale of the Conedoguinet for our night's
bivouac, supposing the enemy to be within striking distance of us!

_Friday._--Up at half-past three o'clock, and on the march at five,
after having braced ourselves for a solid day's work with hot coffee
and bread, or hard tack and butter--the bread and butter being the
fruit of yesterday's foraging. Some even fared on chicken, goose, lamb,
etc., though it is feared the rightful owners thereof were not always
invited to the feast.

Emerging from the valley we set our faces again toward Carlisle; and
being disencumbered of knapsacks and woolen