Sept. now sets in. On the 4th of this month I traveled up the Rappahannock over to Fredericksburg and over on the cars to the camp at Brooks Station having been on furlough home. On the 11th day of September we struck our tents at Brooks Station and marched for Marlborough Point the distance of 7 miles and again pitched our tents. Up to the 15th all is quiet and on this day I traveled over to Fredericksburg on the cars and back to Brooks Station. All quiet up to October.
On the 1st October I was appointed orderly Sergeant. 26th I had a furlough home [marginal note; not sure if he means September or October 26th.] October 4th on this day we receive orders to march for Aquia Village we was soon ready for the march with 24 hours rations cooked and packed in our haver sacks. We started on our march about 5 o'clock the same evening and marched until 3 o'clock that night when one of our waggons got stuck in the mud on the road and while we was there we received orders to return as the yankeys had left the place when they landed and had gone again on board of their vessels --- We then kindled our fires and spread our blankets on the ground and slept on them until day and about 8 o'clock we again took up the line of march back to our camp resting at Stafford Court House and again at the hospital church we arrived at our camp at Marlborough about 6 o'clock in the afternoon of the 5th after a long and tiresome march counting this distance there and back at 30 miles.
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| James Madison Scates |
The weather being verymuch warmer than is often seen in October a good many of our men gave out and stopped on the road in our own company every man returned to his quarters in the ranks.
On the 15th we struck our tents and moved our camp about 3 hundred _____ and on the 10th we began clearing to build winter / on the 14th we began to build our houses 15th the batteries at (Evansport?) opened fire on the vessels passing there which caus'd all vessels to stop a five - miles below the Battery. It was quite amusing to we soldiers to see some forty or fifty vessels lying too and affraid to pass our battery.
On the 24th our regiment was ordered to cook 3 days rations and hold our selves in readiness to march at a moments warning. But the soldiers was not informed whare we was to march but on the 29th we was ordered to march. We was soon ready and about 9 o'clock we started from our camp to meet the Enemy which we understood was about to land in Westmoreland County and that being the nearest to our homes that some of our men had been since they left for the service they marched with light hearts, expecting to soon have a chance to see their homes or some of their beloved friends. We crossed over Potomac Creek and marched out about 4 miles in King George County and in crossing the creek and our little march had taken the day we then stopped for the night in the woods and had to stay thair to await further orders. We had no shelter but the woods and but little cover and laying on the cold ground for our beds and in this condition we spent 4 days and nights and the last night we had to suffer from a heavy east rain. Next morning the 1st of November we received orders to go back to our camp which we done in quick time through the same heavy rain. It was a terrible time the wind being very high we crossed the creek veary slow it took the whole day to cross we was quite glad to get back to our camp wet and hungry as we all was our soldiers seemed to be cheerfull and full of high spirit for the cause of our belovd country.
On Sunday the 17th we moved winter quarters at Marlbrough nothing of any consequence has happened since we recrossed the Potomac Creek. Except a steamer out in the river threw several shots at Col. Caric's regiments crossing the Potomac creek and up to the 19th day of December all was quiet with us we was then comfortably quartered and on this day we received orders to march to the Northern Neck in Northumberland County VA this being the homes of most of our soldiers we received the order with joy and early on the morning of the 20th we started on our march crossing over Potomac creek and marched to St. Francis Church in King George County in the distance about 14 miles and arrived about 6 o'clock that night. The next day the 21st we rested and about 3 o'clock on the 22nd we again started on our march and marched to Bethlehem Church about 6 miles further and again rested or to await further orders. And whilst here we took our Christmas. And on the 27th we again took up the line of march for the hop yard to take the steam boat we arrived thare about 10:00 the same day marching about 12 miles when the boat came to take us off it was late in the evening and only ran about 12 miles down the Rappahanock and stopped for the night. And about light we again started on our rout and we arrived at Circuts Point the same evening (28th) the distance of 55 miles from the hopyard and we landed thare and spent the night and at 1 o'clock we again took up our march for Farnham Church in Richmond Co.-- we arrived there about sunset the same evening marching about ___ miles and rested for the night. At 8 o'clock next morning Sunday the 29th we again started on our march we marched over a level country about 12 miles and arrived at Northumberland Court house amid shouts and cheers of welcome by the citizens and here we lived well for soldiers until about the 4th of February 1862.
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