This is the first op-
portunity I have had to write
to you. We left Concord one week
ago last Tuesday. Struck our tents
the day before & spent the night
in the city. We passed thru Man-
chester, Nashua, Worcester & Norwich
to Allyns Point where we took
the steamer for N.York. Reached
Allyns Point about dark &
went with all our men, wagon
& baggage aboard the Steamer
Connecticut. Left at 9 o’clock
had a fine passage. It began to
be light as we passed down East
river. Instead of landing & ^marching ~~passing~~
thru the city we passed round &

landed at Jersey City. We had
a fine view of the city of N.Y.
left J.C. at [---?] Trenton
& Burlington to Camden opposite
Philadelphia got there just after
dark ferried across to Phila.
where we took supper provided
by the citizens of the city. Left at
11. for Baltimore. It was light
when we got ferried across the
Susquehanna River to Havre de
Grace. Arrived at Baltimore
at 8 o’clock. Marched about 1 mile
thru the city to the Washington
Depot. There was a little cheering
as we passed along the streets but
[---?] no open sign of hostility.
We waited in Baltimore till
1 o’clock & took our dinner there.
Arrived here at 5 o’clock. We expected
to go to Washington & were somewhat
disappointed when the cars stopped
here & we were ordered to sling

knapsacks and get out. Our
tents did not get here till the
next day so we had to sleep out on
the ground. The next day – Friday –
we pitched our tents. Saturday
it rained or rather poured &
blowed it like a hurricance. Sunday
morning we were ordered to prepare
for a march, take our blankets &
two days rations in our haversacks
did not know where we were
going. Started at 12. We were
preceded by the 45th Pennsylvania
& 4th Rhode Island Regts. Went
down thru the village of Bladensburgh
& then steered for the Eastern part
of the state. The roads were awful
muddy owing to the rain
the day before. From three to
12 inches deep all the way. We
marched till 8 o’clock that night
and then camped down in
a piece of woods with nothing

but our blankets for a covering and
the trees for a roof over our heads.
The next morning we started
before sunrise & marched till
8 o’clock in the evening. We would
halt every 4 or 5 miles and rest
a few minutes and stop an hour
at noon. We passed thru Marlboro
to within three miles of Lower Marl-
brough where we remained two
days. The Penn. Regt. [-----?]
Lower Marlbrough & the R.I. regt went
over to the Potomac about 4 miles
from where we camped. Co.s A & B
of our regt were left at Marlbro. The
first day we marched 17 miles &
the second day 23 miles. During the
two days we stopped there we
did nothing. We camped in the
woods where the Mass. 1st had camped
before us. It is supposed among the
boys that we were sent there to guard
the election as it was feared the
Virginians would cross over and
[------?] Thurs-
day we started on our [----?] and
marched got back here yesterday.
Col. Cross complimented us very
highly for our orderly conduct,
said he did not think we could
endure so hard a march so well.
I stood it first rate only my
feet were sore. Gen Howard
commanded the brigade. He said
our Co was the best-looking one in the
whole Brigade. We beat all the rest [----?].

It was rather a poor looking
country, though there were some
good plantations. We are camp-
ed on the grounds a secession-
ist about ¼ mile from Bladens-
burgh & 6 miles from Washing-
ton. The grounds were laid out
very pretty. The man left for
the south when the war broke
out. The 45th Penn & 4th R.I. rgt
are camped with us and a Michigan
Rgt is camped on the other side
of the R.R. track. There are rumors
that we are going to Baltimore
Monday but I don’t know as
there is any foundation for it.

I wrote to her last Saturday
week & should have written
to you Sunday if we had not
started on our campaign.
My health is very good indeed
and has been ever since
I enlisted. I have not had
a sick day yet. Did not
get a bit of a cold during
the five nights I slept
out on the ground last week-
end and night it rained
neither am I a bit home-
sick & am bound to see the
end of this war if it lasts
10 years. There are rumors here
that Fort Sumter and Charleston
have been taken but am afraid
it not so. We don’t get much
news here. An Eastern paper
is a great rarity here and is sought
after by the whole regiment.
Each Co is divided into five

squads each under ~~the~~
a sergeant. I have got a
very good squad indeed and
I enjoy myself very much.
One of our soldiers a member
of Co. C was buried today. There
is not much sickness in
camp at present. There are
all sorts of rumors as to our
destination some are that
we stay here 4 or 5 weeks, one
that we move south within
ten days, one that we go to
Baltimore. But camp rumors
are not very reliable. We have
not been paid off yet & don’t
know when we shall be. I
shall have to make you pay
the postage on this. I shall
write to Mother tomorrow.
Please write soon & send me
a paper occasionally. Give
my respects to Doct. Warren