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Rh against the muslin and his feet covered with mud sticking out; Rhodes was fixed nearly in the same way on the other and I could not imagine where I should stow myself. Everything seemed to be wrong, it was calculated to make one feel ill-humored, and I broke out with “Where in the thunder do you fellows expect me to go. If this is'nt the most disagreeable———” when I was interrupted by an unusual stir and bustle among the men, and the voice of the Captain shouting “Strike tents. Fall in quickly men.” The first idea which struck me was, “what's the matter,” the next a feeling of satisfaction that my trouble about the tent was thus summarily removed. Rhodes and Landis came out of there in a hurry, pins were pulled up and pieces unbuttoned, knapsacks strapped on, and we were at our guns in a very few minutes. There was little time to spare either, as some of the companies were already moving off and we were compelled to run to reach our place in the regiment. The guns of those who had gone for shingles or scattered in search of other articles in the barns, etc., were left standing there. I also noticed that instead of going toward the road we started back through the fields and rather in the direction of Gettysburg. Of course we understood from these circumstances that something of more than ordinary importance had occurred and could conjecture readily its character, but of the particulars we were then entirely ignorant.

I will narrate them now as I heard them afterward. Lee's army had entered Pennsylvania and that portion which subsequently occupied York, consisting of about ten thousand infantry, artillery and cavalry, under command of General Early were then advancing from Chambersburg to Gettysburg. It was a piece of supreme folly to send our regiment, numbering between seven and eight hundred