rd the old camp, at which it arrived, after a
severe march through the mud, at sunset the same day.

There were, connected with our camp near Brandy Station, many pleasant
remembrances; and notwithstanding a few severe experiences, this was the
most cheerful winter we had passed in camp. One agreeable feature of
this encampment was the great number of ladies, wives of officers, who
spent the winter with their husbands. On every fine day great numbers of
ladies might be seen riding about the camps and over the desolate
fields, and their presence added greatly to the brilliancy of the
frequent reviews.

Great taste was displayed by many officers in fitting up their tents and
quarters for the reception of their wives. The tents were usually
inclosed by high walls of evergreens, woven with much skill, and fine
arches and exquisite designs beautified the entrances to these happy
retreats. The Christian Commission, among other good things which it did
for the soldiers, and, indeed, this was among the best, made
arrangements by which it loaned to nearly every brigade in the army, a
large canvas, to be used as a roof for a brigade chapel. These chapels
were built of logs and covered with the canvas, and were in many cases
large enough to hold three hundred people. Here religious services were
held, not only on Sunday, but also on week day evenings. A deep
religious interest prevailed in many of the brigades, and great numbers
of soldiers professed to have met with a change of heart. In our Third
brigade, this religious interest was unusually great; a religious
organization was formed within the Seventy-seventh, and Chaplain Fox
baptized eleven members of the regiment in Hazel river. A course of
literary lectures was also delivered in the chapel of our Third brigade,
and Washington's birthday was celebrated in it with appropriate
ceremonies and addresses. The chapel tent was also a reading room,
where, owing to the energy of Chaplain Fox, all the principal papers,
secular and religious, literary, military, pictorial, agricultural and
scientific, were furnished; and these were a great source both of
pleasure and profit to the men.

[Illustration: CHURCH CALL.]

Our corps was reviewed by General Grant; by the Russian admiral and
suite, who for the amusement of the soldiers, performed some most
ludicrous feats in horsemanship; and by a body of English officers.
Never had such general good health prevailed among our camps, and n