Potts; Second Lieutenant, Mark H. Richards; Sergeants, Dyer who did not understand the drill and whose only recommendation was his physical power, Sheetz a noble fellow who had already received two honorable discharges from the service, and who was then suffering from the effects of a ball which at Fredericksburg entered his breast and came out below the right shoulder, Lessig a one-eyed man to whom I took a strong dislike from the first time I saw him, and Meigs[1] and Bert. Lessig; Corporals Evans,[2] Davis,[3] Lloyd,[4] MacDonald,[5] &c. Through the liberality of the citizens, the company had come from Pottstown thoroughly armed, clothed and equipped, and on that account was made Provost Guard of the camp. About five o'clock we went to the mustering officer, were each called by name, told to take off our hats and hold up our right hands, and were sworn “to serve the Government of the United States during the existing emergency against all enemies whatsoever;” a remarkably short and simple ceremony — but five minutes before we were our own men, now we belonged to Uncle Sam.
That affair was scarcely concluded, when I heard the lieutenant say, “Corporal Evans, I guess these men want something to do, take them,” and so we went off under charge of Evans, to assist in putting up the Union Tabernacle Tent, which had just arrived in the care of some reverend gentleman who applied to the different captains for a detail to erect it. We happened to be just in time, and worked energetically for about an hour at driving stakes and pulling ropes. Our first military duty should certainly have portended something good. As
