p.--Promotion.--Foraging and its Obstacles.--Scouting
and its Aim.--Senator Harris visits the Command.--Ball's Bluff.
--Recruiting Service.--Interesting Incidents.--Camp Palmer.--
"Contrabands" at Work.--Drilling near Arlington Heights.--Colonel
George D. Bayard.--Fight at Drainesville.

October 15, 1861.--The Harris Light broke camp at eight o'clock, A. M.,
and marched proudly through Washington, crossed the famous Long
Bridge over the Potomac, and moved forward to Munson's Hill, in full
view of our infantry outposts, where we established a new camp, calling
it "Advance." For the first time our horses remained saddled through the
night, and the men slept on their arms. To us this was a new and
exciting phase of life.

Since our retreat from Bull Run, the Rebel army has made itself
formidable on this line, and though no active movements have been
attempted on Washington, we are, nevertheless, apprehensive of such a
measure on their part. Hence our picket lines are doubly strong and
vigilant, while every means is resorted to to ascertain the position,
strength, and intention of our wily foe.

Frequently "contrabands" feel their way through the enemy's pickets
under cover of the night, and through the tangled brushwood which
abounds, and reach our lines safely. From them we gain much valuable
information of the state of things in "Dixie." Some of them, we learn,
were employed by Rebel leaders in constructing forts and earthworks, and
in various ways were made to contribute muscle to the Southern
Confederacy. They have strange and exciting stories to tell us, and yet
it seems as though they might be of great service to us, if we saw fit
to employ them, as guides in our movements. Their heart is with us in
this conflict. They hail us as friends, and entertain wild notions about
a jubilee of liberty, for which they are ever praying and singing, and
look upon us as their deliverers. How they have formed such opinions is
somewhat difficult to conjecture, especially when we consider the
anomalous treatment they have received from our hands. The authorities
have seemed to be puzzled with regard to them; and there are cases where
they have even been returned to their former owners. And yet there seems
to be an instinctive prophecy in their natures, which leads them to look
to Northmen for freedom. Their presence in our camps becomes a sort of
inspiration to most of us, and we only wish that their prayers may b