msters. Marching rapidly all night and the next day,
halting only a short time for coffee in the morning and at noon, we
retraced our steps to Leesburgh, then following the turnpike we reached
and passed Drainsville, and halted near Difficult creek. July 23d, the
corps marched through Lewinsville and Langley, passed Camp Griffin, the
memory of which was indissolubly connected with our first winter in the
service, crossed Chain bridge and went in camp near Tanleytown, five
miles out from Washington.

Transports were waiting on the Potomac to convey us to City Point, but
as matters in the valley still seemed unsettled, the corps remained at
Tanleytown, and on the 25th, it became certain that Early with his army
was again moving down the valley, threatening Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The Sixth corps received orders to move at once toward Harper's Ferry,
but by some delay it was noon of the 26th when it turned back from
Tanleytown toward the scene of our future brilliant operations.

The day on which the corps moved had been hot, and many of the men,
weary with long marches, had been forced to fall out, but, most of all,
bad whisky from Washington had demoralized great numbers, and these,
with the sick and weary, made up a great crowd of stragglers. The task,
which was assigned to the rear-guard, the Seventy-seventh New York, of
urging these inebriated and discouraged ones toward their commands, was
not an easy or agreeable one. The corps made all haste in the direction
of Frederick, which city it reached on the 28th, crossing the field of
General Wallace's battle with Early.

Without halting at Frederick, except to get our coffee near Monocacy
creek, we pushed on to Jefferson, getting into camp at midnight. The
next day we marched through Knoxville, Newton and Sandy Hook, through
that wonderful gorge in the mountains at Harper's Ferry, and arrived at
evening footsore and weary at Halltown, four miles south of Harper's
Ferry. Then, next day we were ordered back again. The whole command
poured into the deep valley at Harper's Ferry, the day was sultry even
for that locality, not a breath of air seemed to be stirring, and the
high mountains on every side reflected the heat and kept off the breeze.
Into this hot, dusty inclosure among the hills, the whole army poured,
and as there was only a single pontoon bridge to serve as an outlet,
there was of course great delay. Horses stood harnessed to the cannon or
under the saddle,