Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/130

 124 Southern Historical Society Papers.

A pay-roll was made out at this camp, as of December 31, 1861, but no copy of it has been found, so far, but Robert S. Bell and Jesse T. Bealle joined us here, November igth and November 2ist.

In November, 1861, James M. Garnett was commissioned lieu- tenant in the regular Army of the Confederate States of America, and assigned to ordnance duty; afterwards (June, 1862,) commis- sioned first lieutenant in Provisional Army, Confederate States of America, and later (December, 1862,) captain of artillery in that department.

BATH AND ROMNEY TRIP.

Wednesday, January i, 1862, was at Winchester, Va., a beautiful and balmy day so warm that it was oppressive to men marching with their winter clothes on and the inevitable haversacks and can- teens. The battery set out that morning accompanied by the rest of General Jackson's little army, not knowing, of course, whither we were bound, but found afterwards that this was the beginning of what became well (and painfully to many) known as the " Bath and Romney trip." We went sixteen miles in a northwestward direc- tion, by the Pugh Town road. The weather continued pleasant till afternoon, when it began to grow cold, and it grew cold so rapidly that by sunset all the wraps available were in use. The wind rose to increase our discomfort. We were allowed to go into a sodded field surrounded by a woods to bivouac for the night, but the wind blew so hard as to spread to an alarming extent among the dead grass and leaves the fires which we had kindled. We had to change our position, and went into a plowed field which was near us, but less protected by timbers. We slept, or pretended to do so, the best way we could without tents, on the frozen ground.

The next day we resumed our march, going seven miles in the same direction, and the roads were by this time hard frozen, and the cold wind was in our faces. We passed that night at Unger's store, at the place where the road we were following in the direction oi Bath, crossed the road leading from Martinsburg to Romney. The hill-side was so steep it was hard to keep from rolling out of bed and taking beds with us. On the 3d of January we resumed the march; weather intensely cold. We were halted about four miles before we reached the town of Bath, with expectation of having a brush with the enemy. Were in hearing of a slight skirmish which took place ahead of us between " F." Company (which was the van of the regi- ment and of the advancing column), of the Twenty-first Virginia in-