Occasionally he has to eat his pork raw as there is no chance to cook it or boil his coffee. The soldier likes nothing better than his coffee; without it he could not long endure field life. Only at times in camp are the large kettles brought out for a beef soup to save the marrow and meat that adhere to the bones. But the cooking of his coffee and food is often attended with patience-frequently without it. Often as the soldier gets his coffee nearly boiled, or meat and hardtack nearly cooked, someone passes along and accidentally gets his foot upon the protruding end of the rails or sticks in the fire, and away goes the food onto the ground.

The soldier's menu is made up as follows:

BREAKFAST-Coffee, Hardtack, Pork.

DINNER- Hardtack, Pork, Coffee.

SUPPER- Pork, Coffee, Hardtack.

An occasional beef ration takes the place of pork. He has plenty of sugar and salt. Occasional rations of rice and of beans are issued, which are boiled in their tin coffee cups.

MARCHING SOUTHWARD

- CAMP NALL - ARMY PROFANITY.

Tuesday, November 11. The delayed provision trains arrived last night and this afternoon the army moved on southward under its new commander. Marching back to Warrenton, whose citizens viewed us with a morose and dogged sullenness, we continued eight miles south to Fayetteville-a place without a house-where we halted for several days, calling our abode "Camp Nall."

Monday, November 17. Amid a snow and rain storm last night, we were ordered to fall out of our tents to draw three days' rations, and 9 o'clock this morning found the line again on the march. Crossing the Orange & Alexandria Railroad at Bealton, we moved fifteen miles, and the next day ten miles further, into Stafford county. On the 19th we proceeded a mile and a half to Potomac Creek, a small stream, but bordered by very steep bluffs. Up the winding roadway the artillery and wagons were dragged by the weary teams, assisted by the soldiers.

One driver, while urging his team up the hill, indulged in gross blasphemy and was overheard by our Chaplain giving orders to the Deity to do so and so. The good Chaplain believing this an occasion for the exercise of his duties, mildly asked the driver if he knew who it was that he was addressing, and received the reply, "Don't

propound any of your conundrums to me now." Profanity prevailed to a horrible extent in the army, as if necessary for emphasizing speech. The absence of woman's direct influence probably had something to do with this phase of army life. One not accustomed to the ungentlemanly habit, had to be very guarded not to indulge in it himself, so general was the practice.

After sleeping all night in a drizzling rain, at 5 o'clock of the 20th, we pushed on up the slippery bank and through the red, clayey soil for three miles to Stafford Court House, one of the most ancient of the Old Dominion, and near which is the famous Stafford Hall, where General Robert E. Lee was born and reared.

First encamping in an old corn field we soon pulled up for some woods nearer the Iron Brigade, and named the location "Camp Blair," after Michigan's war governor. Hardly were we in our tents, when a cold, severe rainstorm set in for all night. Fires could only be built by holding blankets over the fuel until the heat gained strength over the hostile elements. But neither tents nor fire were sufficient to protect from the storm, and all got drenching wet.

Here the regiment learned of its second man's death since it left home Roswell B. Curtiss of Nankin, Company C, who died at Harewood Hospital in Washington, D. C., ten days after leaving the regiment at Berlin, Maryland, of diphtheria induced by exposure on the fatal rain-march of Sunday, October 26. By a strange coincidence, Corporal O. B. Curtis of Company D, a month after the receipt of this news, after passing through the terrible tempest of battle, was taken wounded to Washington and placed on the same cot on which his cousin, the above comrade, had died. Name and family resemblance discovered the relationship to the physician and nurse, from whom were first learned the full particulars of his death. The Michigan papers confused their names, and the confused intelligence. was the occasion of a discourse by President Tappan on the latter, in the chapel of Michigan University, which institution he had left for the war a few months before. Great was the surprise of Dr. Tappan, some months later, during the chapel exercises, as the supposed dead student soldier walked up the aisle to a seat, amid the stamping of his classmates.

CAMPS WARD AND CHANDLER-GUARDING RAILROAD.

On Saturday afternoon, the 22d, the regiment marched seven miles and halted for three days at "Camp E. B. Ward," named after the Detroit citizen whom the mob of July 15 was going to hang on the Campus Martius for his Union sentiments. At this camp Captain William J. Speed was appointed Division Judge Advocate; Captain C. B. Crosby was seriously ill but loth to go home so long as he could do duty; General Meredith, late Colonel of the Nineteenth Indiana, had been assigned to command the "Iron Brigade," and Lieutenant J. M. Howard, Jr., was promoted to Aide on his staff.

Tuesday, November 25. The regiment was this day assigned to guarding about ten miles of the railroad from near Acquia Creek on the Potomac towards Falmouth on the Rappahannock, opposite Fredericksburg, with headquarters at Brooks' Station, about five miles from the Potomac. The location was upon Accaceek Creek, the old Indian names still prevailing in Virginia, and was called "Camp Chandler," after Michigan's great war senator. The companies guarded their respective sections of track, Company A being nearest to Acquia Creek, and each company in order as it appears on parade, the march, or in line of battle, which is as follows as to letter and number:

For the next eleven days each company enjoyed camp life by itself and the men wondered if it was to be a permanent arrangement for the winter, as timber and good water were abundant. The locomotive "Government" had been brought down from Washington by boat and hauled trains of supplies to the legions of Union soldiers. marshalled along the Rappahannock. Thanksgiving Day passed with the usual camp duties, but none of the good things the day brings at home.

SAD EXPERIENCE AT BROOKS' STATION.

On Friday, December 5th, the companies were relieved from duty on the railroad, gave up the huts and encampment houses they had built, to the relieving command, and assembled at Brooks' Station. The clouds poured down a heavy rain which changed to a freezing snow storm, the wind whistled shrilly over the hills in northern winter style. Every tree and twig was covered with ice,

and much discomfort prevailed. The tent hospital was filled with pneumonia patients. It was hard thus to be sick in a field tent with none but men for nurses, and lying on a hard board or the ground. Colonel Morrow passed from one to another of the sick, cheering them with hopeful words. Efforts were made in vain by Colonel and Surgeons to secure a house for the sick until an application was made to General Meade, who was formerly connected with the "Lake Coast Survey" at Detroit, and acquainted with Colonel Morrow. He immediately dispersed a Court Martial and placed the building in the hands of our Surgeons, who removed our sick thereto.

To the credit of Michigan soldiers, our regiment had thus far. borne up bravely. But our days of trial as to disease and death were with us at Brooks' Station. That row of graves on yonder knoll told the sad story of our hardships here. The frozen earth that fell on their rough coffin-lids struck a pang to the hearts of loved ones in far away Michigan. Each was buried with appropriate religious and military customs, and their graves distinctly marked and enclosed. One boy was but seventeen years old. Sad indeed that one so young should have to die from hardship so far away from home and friends. Reader, if you have boys of that age, ask yourself how you would like to see them bear the burdens of soldier life far away from your fireside to die from exposure and homesickness- and you begin to measure the hardships of war.

At the firing of one funeral salute, a ball cartridge had been carelessly put into a gun, and Abraham Hoffman of Company H, was shot from shoulder to shoulder.

Captain C. B. Crosby having resigned, started for home from this camp. Left sick at Detroit when the regiment took its departure, he rejoined it too soon. He made the fatiguing marches of the past two months when not fit to be in the field, and to save his life, the Surgeons insisted that he should resign, which he reluctantly did.

BURIAL PARTY WAIT FOR A SOLDIER TO DIE-
TO THE FRONT.

· MARCH

On December 8, ex-Justice James Nowlin, of Romulus, of Company K, died of homesickness and general debility. He was 70 years old but at his enlistment represented himself as 43 only. The regiment was under marching orders and Assistant Surgeon Collar told Quartermaster Bell that a coffin would be needed for Nowlin. Supposing the man was dead, his coffin was procured by the Quartermaster, and Lieutenant C. C. Yemans, with the Chaplain and burial