which had humbled the pride
of the boastful confederates, and had turned back their hordes to their
mountain fastnesses in Virginia for safety. A campaign which, while
conducted with great hesitancy and a total want of that celerity of
movement usually considered absolutely necessary to brilliant success in
military operations, yet had preserved the north from imminent and
immediate danger which threatened it. Our losses in killed, wounded and
missing, in this campaign, amounted to fifteen thousand two hundred and
twenty.

The army was posted, two corps, the Second and Twelfth, at Harper's
Ferry; the remaining corps along the Potomac, above and below that
point, for twenty miles. Here, six weeks were spent in getting ready for
another campaign; the President, meanwhile, constantly ordering an
advance across the river; General McClellan, constantly offering excuses
for delay. It is not our purpose to discuss the merits of these excuses,
but it may not be out of place to mention, that although the Sixth corps
was represented as being in worse condition, in regard to clothing and
shoes, than any other corps, that corps finally crossed the river before
it received its clothing, showing that even the corps least supplied
with these important articles could undertake the campaign even after
another month's wear of the old clothes and the advent of the cold
weather. On the 18th of October, that portion of the Third brigade able
to perform duty, was marched to Clear Spring to perform picket duty,
leaving in camp the recruits, who were unarmed, and the invalids. Thus
the brigade occupied two distinct camps several miles apart. The duty on
picket was by no means severe, and the country was delightful. The boys
found little difficulty in procuring abundant supplies of luxuries, such
as soft bread, hoe cakes and other articles, from the farmers; and as
the enemy was at Winchester, they were not in great alarm from rebel
raids.

The Hagerstown camp was indeed a pleasant one. The people were generally
loyal, and seemed glad to furnish the soldiers with all the comforts
possible. There was little duty, and the invalids had time for
recovering their exhausted strength, while the recruits were afforded an
opportunity for drill.

General Slocum, who had commanded the First division of our corps since
the corps was organized, was assigned to the command of the Twelfth
corps, in place of General Mansfield, who lost his life at Antietam