Much to the astonishment and inconvenience of the whole army, we remained day after day, prepared to march, keeping up our stock of eight days’ rations, wagons packed, etc., until the 28th, two weeks almost, when at 7 A. M., we marched out of camp and headed for the woods lining the banks of the Rappahannock, bivouacking opposite Banks ford in dense pine woods. We were ordered to detail one regiment to guard the ford, and two others to open a road to the United States ford. Ordered the Sixty-sixth to the ford, and the Fifty-second and Fifty-seventh to build the road and three companies of the One Hundred and Fortieth Pennsylvania Volunteers to picket it as fast as the men opened it.
According to custom it began raining soon after dark, and continued throughout the night.
