ect the Sibley," said a Lieutenant, "that stands in the
rear of old Pigey's marquee, in which he gave the collation after the
last corps review, and welcomed our officers as he steadied himself at
the table, with 'Here comes my gallant 210th.' The Court met in that."

"Yes," resumed Bill, "the same. It stands near his cook tent, and while
his darkies were serving up French cookery, the Judge Advocate did the
work allotted him in endeavoring to justify by the trial, in some slight
manner, the General's outrageous conduct. I heard that Tom said, that
after the Judge Advocate had asked that he be vouched for, and the
Colonel became indignant, the Judge Advocate said somewhat blandly,

"'You must remember, Colonel, that this is not one of your ordinary
Courts of Justice.'

"'That it is not a Court of Justice,' retorted the Colonel, 'is very
apparent.'

"Both were put through in a hurry, at any rate. The different members of
the Court said that they all had marching orders, and they had no sooner
left the Sibley than they were upon horseback and on the gallop towards
their different commands. Our Doctor had detailed an ambulance to take
the Colonels in the rear of the Division. Old Pigey, in his usual
morning survey of the premises, saw it in front of the Sibley, and sent
an Orderly to take the rather lively, good-looking bays that were in it
and exchange them for the old rips that haul the ambulance his cooks
ride in. But we did not move then, although they say we will certainly
to-morrow."

* * * * *

That inevitable "they say," the common prefix to rumors in camp as well
as civil life, had given Bill correct information. For next morning, in
spite of the lowering sky, the camps were all astir with busy life, and
during the course of the forenoon column after column trudged along over
the already soft roads in a south-westerly direction. The movement was
the mad desperation of a Commander of undaunted energy. A vain effort to
appease that most capricious of masters, popular clamor. The rains
descended, and that grand army of the Potomac literally floundered in
the mud.

In an old field, thickly grown with young pines, very near the farthest
point reached in the march, our Regiment rested towards the close of the
last day of the advance, or to speak more truly, attempted advance.
Fatigued with the double duty of struggling with the mud and corduroying
the roads, the repose was heartily