ly to see him expire in a few days.

Changes occurred among the officers. The lieutenant-colonel and major
left the service, the first by resignation, the other by dismissal.
Adjutant French was made major, and afterwards lieutenant-colonel, which
office he held during the remainder of the term of the regiment. He
assumed command of the regiment on his return to it after the battle of
Antietam, and continued in command while it was a regiment. Captains and
lieutenants also resigned. Chaplain Tully and Quartermaster Shurtliff
departed for their homes, having left the service. Lieutenant Hayward
was made quartermaster, a position for which he was eminently qualified,
and which he thenceforward held to the great satisfaction of the entire
regiment.

CHAPTER XII.

RETREAT FROM THE PENINSULA, AND GENERAL POPE'S BULL RUN CAMPAIGN.

Premonitions of a change of base--The transfer
commenced--Marching down the Peninsula--On board transports--A
contrast--Arrival at Alexandria--Unaccountable delays--General
Pope's campaign--An obstinate general--Causes of Pope's failure.

Early in August, rumors were floating about the army, that General
McClellan had received positive orders to transfer the Army of the
Potomac to the front of Washington, there to unite the forces of the two
armies; and that this plan was strongly opposed by General McClellan,
who insisted that he wanted only a few thousand more men to march into
Richmond.

The army had received large reinforcements since arriving at Harrison's
Landing, and now numbered more than one hundred thousand men; not by any
means an inconsiderable force, yet too small, in General McClellan's
opinion, to warrant another advance.

But, owing to the movements of the enemy in front of General Pope, the
supposed impracticability of the route, and to some distrust as to the
abilities of General McClellan by the authorities at Washington,
peremptory orders had been sent to him to remove his army as quickly as
possible from the Peninsula.

What the merits of the dispute in high places might be, the army at
large was not able to decide; but the rumors gave rise to many spirited
debates, in which the authorities at Washington and the authority at
Harrison's Bar had each earnest advocates. At length it became known
that the army was to leave the Peninsula, and preparations for this
important movement commenced. The work of shipping the sick and wounded,
numbering twe