way of resting, viz.: to place the butt of the musket upon the ground behind me while standing, and the muzzle underneath the lower part of the knapsack.
There was a great deal of curiosity to know where we were going, but all we could learn from the officers was that there would be a march of about ten miles before we reached our place of destination. I was very desirous of taking a trip down the Cumberland Valley, and after getting on the cars, we watched carefully the direction they took. They moved slowly to and through Harrisburg, over the railroad bridge across the Susquehanna, then a short distance down the Cumberland Valley road, again up the river, and after thus baffling about finally started off on the road to York, amid the cheering of all on board. We travelled along very slowly, some times stopping for a half an hour or more, and then creeping on at such a snail's pace that it was very tiresome. I remember very distinctly in what a glorious humor we all were, without any anxiety except to reach the end of our journey. At nearly every house which we passed the women came to the windows and waved their handkerchiefs, and then all set up such a cheering, hurrahing, and tigering that it was enough to deafen one. At several places on the route we passed squads and companies of Colonel W. B. Thomas' twentieth regiment and their camps looked so pleasant upon the green, that the idea passed through my mind of how nice it would be to be stationed in some copse or grove for a few weeks and guard a bridge or something of the kind, then return home and let those Phoenix fellows know what they missed by not remaining. From York, where we waited some time and saw a large number of paroled prisoners from different States who were then going to camp, we departed for Gettysburg by way of Hanover.
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