Thursday, 19^th. Received orders at seven this morning to go to Long Bridge for service. Formed in line on our parade ground at quarter past seven. Started at double quick for the 12^th (12^th RegVI), where we arrived after a march of ten minutes. There the whole brigade proceeded for Long Bridge. There we got our first idea of Virginia Mud. Something like a mortar bed only a good deal worse, six inches deep and twice as stickey. It is a positive fact that it stuck me fast, so I had to pull with all my strength to get out. We got some three miles when we met an orderly from Headquarters and abouted marched for home. Did not stop long enough to take breath from the time we left until I got home and then I had to jump aboard an old mule and go into the woods for timber to build huts and by the time I got home and into my tent I was pretty tired, Now I tell you. It was the most severe march I have had since leaving Brattleboro and all for nothing. Casey is a perfect old granny. Does not know when or where he wants his men. He will order them to a place for something and by the time they have got half way or more he will countermand it, then one has to about face and march for home without doing or trying to do what we intended on the start. It continues to rain, no, not rain, but pour harder than ever. Mud has got to be 12 and ½ inches deep to a hair. Our tent begins to leak and we have a good chance to sleep in the mud, which gratifies the boys very much. As a general thing some are swearing, some singing, raising Ned, and everything else you can think of. Perhaps I may as well give the names of my tent mates now as any time. Corp. Samuel Hall, who is eating raisins just now and reading; Corp. Francis Dalton writing his days experience; O. M. Mathews, just come in from Guard, tired and wet; Albert Whitehouse, growling about the weather and so ort. Henry G. Ely, sick in the hospital, worn out; and myself, the – man.

Saturday, Nov. 20, 1862. It has been a pleasant day, very, for once. The first one we commenced to build our winter quarters in the shape of a log house. The size is 7 by 9, just to an inch, between joints. The size of the timber is all the way from nine to four inches, round. Cracks between logs, two to one inch. Said cracks are caulked with Virginia mud; said mud is of a light yellow color, which makes the house look like a striped hyena. The covering of this splendid mansion is of white canvas, or the letter tent A. The floor is a kind of dirt called sacred sile, and of the best quality. The furniture consists of one stove, sheet iron, about one foot long and ten inches wide. The chairs are five knapsacks, five canteens, five haversacks, five cartridge boxes, and five belts and five guns, and an old barrel, and when rightly arranged they make very good chairs. The building is a great thing, in our mind, after being shut up in small tents over a month, but some of the boys think it the hardest. I have got to go out on picket tomorrow with two days rations in my haversack. Start at seven o’clock in the morning. They are stationed out some five miles from here at Mt. Vernon. Looks like rain.

Sunday, 21^st. Have arrived at Headquarters of the picket. Built a bush house and am quite comfortable, for such cold windy day as this is. The wind in this country blows through a man every puff, and makes him curl like a thousand legged worm. I must fall in now in a few minutes to go to the outpost, which is about two miles from here, stay at place four hours and then return, stay at headquarters eight hours and then go back.

Monday, 22^nd. It has been a bitter cold night, one of the coldest of the season. The ground froze to the depth of one half an inch. My beat being on low ground the water stood two inches, and I had to stand on a little knoll about a rod square to keep out of the way of the water. This was a little better, the mud not being more than three inches deep. The sun is up and it begins to grow warm. It is a splendid morning, one of the old sort. Returned from guard this afternoon at three o’clock, and at nine in the evening received orders to pack knapsack and be ready to march in five minutes. Started at nine in light marching order in the direction of Alexandria. Hard marched about one mile, then it began to rain and continued to an hour in torrents all night and we continued to march. Marched until four in the morning and we turned into woods and camped for two hours. Got something to eat in the shape of raw pork and hard tack. At the end of two hours we started again for Fairfax Court House, seven miles from this place. Arrived at Fairfax about noon and camped for the night in a pine grove, a splendid place. Received orders in the morning to march for Fairfax station, about three miles ahead. Arrived there about ten o’clock and rested a short time and started for Youngs Mills, some three miles ahead. Arrived about four in the afternoon. A low nasty, filthy, lousy place, formerly occupied by the Pennsylvania 74^th, or 1^st Pennsylvania Regiment. It is at this place we are going to catch our new kind of lice called body lice. Everything is covered with them. Col. Proctor says he is going to have us go back to Camp Vernon and I hope he will, for we have got such good winter quarters there and have just begun to live in some kind of shale and had

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