From our anchorage the view was grandly beautiful with the immense shipping, Brooklyn on the right, New York to the front, and Jersey City on the left. On the left of Governor's Island Castle William (now used as a magazine) stands out in bold relief. To its right is the fort which protects the harbor. On September 1st we disembarked and went into camp on the island. The men are in fine spirits and delighted with the change.
The troubles in the city having subsided we re-embarked aboard the Baltic, which, on the 8th day of September, heads towards the sea. When passing the narrows the guns of the fort thunder a salute; soon Sandy Hook is passed and we are again in the open sea, all happy at the prospect of going to the front, the inactivity of camp life with nothing to do having become tiresome in the extreme.
On September 10th we came to anchor in Chesapeake Bay, where we remained one day, then passed on again to Alexandria, disembarked, and went into camp to the south of the town. Two days later and we again move forward to Elk creek, where we encamp for the night.
September 16th, marched at 6 A. M., reached the Rappahannock at noon, and here rejoined our old brigade, moved forward to Raccoon ford on the north side of the Rapidan. General Lee's forces are massed on the opposite shore of the river, and as we came up our ears were greeted with the pleasing sound of rapid musketry firing proceeding from the pickets of the two armies. During the afternoon we witnessed the execution of two deserters from the Seventy-eighth New York.
During the last of September we learned of the defeat of the Western army at Chickamauga, and the Twelfth corps was at once transferred to the Department of the West, and without delay proceeded by rail to Washing-
