up. The regiment formed in a hollow square, stacked
their muskets, and lay down on the ground, without covering, other
than their blankets; sentinels were posted on the road, the battery
parked in the rear of the regiment, and every precaution taken
against surprise during the night. Tents arrived the next morning at
daylight, but no rations. The tents we pitched and made preparations
for a few days' stay. Troops were all the time coming and marching.
The army to which we were at that time attached, comprised about nine
thousand men, commanded by General Patterson, and was organizing for
an attack upon Harper's Ferry.

June 12th, at noon, Governor Sprague rejoined us, having left Rhode
Island at once on learning that we had departed from Washington.

At about sunset, while many of the regiment were seated on fences
watching the passing troops, a Pennsylvania regiment came along the
road, halting a few moments for rest in front of our camp. Directly
some of our regiment discovered a man in one of the Pennsylvania
companies who had been arrested by our regiment as a spy, while we
were quartered at the Patent office in Washington. A rush was made
for him, he was dragged from his company, and but for the
intervention of some of our officers he would have been strung up on
the spot.

Saturday morning, June 13th, we once more started, our destination
being Williamsport, Maryland, distant fourteen miles. This was one of
the hardest marches that we made. The weather was hot, the roads
rough and dusty, and when we went into camp at Williamsport, there
was only one officer and fourteen men of our company with the colors,
present. The balance of the company were exhausted, and were
straggling along the road, but by sunset they had all arrived in
camp. We pitched our tents in the woods and rested the whole of
Sunday.

Monday morning, June 15th, broke camp at daylight, and started on the
road for Harper's Ferry. We had barely got started, when a mounted
orderly arrived from Hagerstown, Maryland, with orders for Colonel
Burnside to return with his regiment and battery to Washington, at
once. Harper's Ferry had been evacuated by the rebels, who were also
moving in the direction of Washington. Our regiment and battery set
out at once on the road for Hagerstown, arriving there at noon.
Without stopping we marched on through Funkstown, arriving at
Boonsboro, Maryland, at 3 P. M., where we halted for a rest. We found
the people of