tion to us at that point, and must have accepted
battle much nearer Richmond.

Our campaigns for 1863 were now finished; the last two of these had
certainly been remarkable episodes in the fortunes of our stout-hearted
army. In October, the rebel army had followed us from the Rapidan to the
defenses of Washington, and in turn we had pursued the confederates back
to the Rapidan, all without a battle of any magnitude. Now, in November,
our whole army had crossed the river and confronted the rebel army face
to face for days, and again we were back in our old camps without an
engagement, except the fight of the Third corps, and some skirmishing on
the part of others.

During the month of December, general orders were issued from the war
department offering to soldiers of the army, who had already served two
years, and who had still a year or less to serve, large bounties, a
release from the term of their former enlistment and thirty-five days'
furlough, as inducements for them to reenlist for three years from that
time. Much excitement was created by the order throughout the army, and
thousands accepted it, nearly all claiming that they cared little for
the large bounties, but that the thirty-five days' furlough was the
great inducement.

The only military movement of the winter was Kilpatrick's great raid
upon Richmond, in which the lamented Dahlgren lost his life.

Simultaneous with this great raid, General Custer, with a division of
cavalry, made a movement on Charlottesville, and the Sixth corps was
ordered to move in that direction as support to the cavalry. On
Saturday, February 27th, the corps, leaving its camp and sick in charge
of a small guard, marched through Culpepper and proceeded to James City,
a Virginia city of two or three houses, where the bivouac for the night
was made. Next morning the corps marched slowly to Robertson's River,
within three miles of Madison Court House, the New Jersey brigade alone
crossing the river and proceeding as far as the latter village. Here the
corps lay all the following day, and as the weather was pleasant, the
men passed the time in sports and games, but at evening a cold storm of
rain set in, continuing all night and the next day, to the great
discomfort of all. Custer's cavalry returned at evening of the 1st of
March, looking in a sorry plight from their long ride in the mud.
Reveille sounded at five o'clock on the morning of March 2d, and at
seven the corps turned towa