uquets of flowers, to which were pinned slips on which they had written
patriotic sentiments. These they threw into the car windows. The sentiment
on the one I caught read--"The women of Ohio are for the Union--to a man."

Our first camp was at the Maryland end of the Chain Bridge, which crossed
the Potomac above Washington. We marched from this camp to Centerville,
Va., to engage in the first battle of Bull Run. The first sight we had of
war was on the morning of the second day's march, when we came upon some
camp fires where the Confederates had cooked their breakfast that morning
before leaving for Bull Run.

We arrived at Centerville before noon of the third day and made our camp
there. After dinner we were ordered to advance, in light marching order,
toward Blackburn's Ford. When near the Run we were deployed to the left of
the road in an open field on a hillside sloping down to the Run, which was
concealed by a growth of bushes and trees. Here we were ordered to rest.
While in this position we were startled by seeing a finely-mounted and
uniformed Confederate Officer ride out from these bushes just at the right
of our regiment. I presume every man in the regiment saw him. Some three
or four of the boys, having the instinct of war in them, immediately
raised their guns to shoot him. Seeing this, our Colonel raised his hand
in a forbidding attitude and called out,--"Why, boys, you would not shoot
a man in that way, would you? Don't shoot!!" The Confederate Officer,
after inspecting our position, returned to his command unharmed. In about
fifteen minutes, as soon as he could maneuver his regiment, he ordered it
to fire. We saw the flash and smoke and heard the roar and the hissing of
the bullets. This is the first time we were under fire. I am glad to say
we were under it about 20 feet. Every bullet passed over us. Not a man in
our regiment was hit.

After this volley we were complimented with a few shots from a battery of
six-pound field pieces, which also went wide of their mark--assuming that
they were shooting at us.

Having received these compliments, we were withdrawn from the field and
returned to our camp at Centerville. This was our part in the skirmish of
Blackburn's Ford, three days before the first battle of Bull Run.

On the next day we were ordered to establish a picket line between
Centerville and Bull Run. When marching out from our camp toward the Run,
we could see cars loaded with Confederate sol