cook fires
blazed over the camp.

The regiments of the division showed us much hospitality, and a very
pleasant acquaintance commenced on that day, which was destined to
become earnest friendship. The next day was spent in putting the camp in
order. As rain continued to fall, the mud in the company streets became
knee-deep. Our sick, those unable to walk, had been left in our old
hospital with a sufficient number of faithful nurses, under charge of
the surgeon of one of the regiments that remained.

Let us for a moment glance at the composition of the division of which
we now formed a part. We were assigned to the Third brigade. It
comprised, beside our own, the Thirty-third New York, Colonel Taylor, a
regiment whose gallantry at Yorktown, Williamsburgh and Fredericksburgh
fully established its reputation as one of the best fighting regiments
in the army. The Forty-ninth New York, Colonel Bidwell, a noble regiment
with a noble commander, a regiment which could always be counted on to
do all that men could do; the Seventh Maine, Colonel Mason, whose men
were patterned after the pines of their own forests, tall, straight and
powerful fellows, who never forgot their proclivities for hunting, and
who were never so happy as when they could pick off a few rebel pickets
with their rifles. The brigade was commanded by General Davidson, who
afterwards made himself exceedingly disagreeable to the rebels, and
famous at the north by his daring cavalry raids in the west. The first
brigade included the Forty-third New York, Colonel Vinton; the
Forty-ninth Pennsylvania, Colonel Irwin; the Sixth Maine, Colonel
Knowles; and the Fifth Wisconsin, Colonel Cobb; all of them excellent
regiments, under command of General Hancock, who has since placed his
name high on the roll of fame as the commander of the old Second corps.

The Second brigade was composed entirely of Vermont troops, including
the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Vermont regiments, commanded
respectively by Colonels Henry Whiting, B. N. Hyde, E. H. Stoughton, L.
A. Grant and N. M. Lord, and known as the "Vermont Brigade," and nobly
did they sustain the traditional reputation of the Green Mountain Boys,
as stern patriots and hard fighters. They were commanded by General
Brooks, who afterward commanded the Tenth corps.

General William F. Smith, or, as he was familiarly known, "Baldy Smith,"
commanded the division. He is too well known to all who admire a true
soldi