December 2 — Late last night the whole Yankee army withdrew from General Lee’s front and recrossed the Rapidan. I suppose that the Yanks learned from strict observation and practical experience that the ever-watchful and ubiquitous Lee, like a tiger crouched, showing its teeth, and ready to spring on its prey, was fixed and ready to strike an effective and telling blow at the first move that an enemy would make to creep closer to the heart of Dixie.
After the Yanks retired behind the Rapidan our forces broke away from the battle line and went into camp at the same place they were before the Yankees advanced. Most of the army wagons that had been sent to the rear came up to-day.
December 1 — Both armies are still in battle line, but everything is peaceful and quiet along the lines, except some little artillery firing in the direction of Raccoon Ford.
November 30 — This morning just as the first sunbeams touched the frosty hills heavy booming of cannon came rolling from the right of General Lee’s battle line, and the fierce howling of the war dogs as it floated over the cold, crisp morning air, sounded very much like the opening chorus of an overture to a general engagement. But after the artillery fire was kept up for about three hours it gradually died away. Both armies are still in line of battle and ready to butcher. The weather is freezing cold.
November 29 — We moved our guns about four hundred yards to-day, to a more commanding and better position. Our battery now commands all the immediate fields around us. Some firing of small arms in the direction of Raccoon Ford to-day; at all other parts of the line quiet reigned. A cold, chilly, north wind that pierced to the bone swept over the fields all day. Bivouacked right by our guns to-night.
November 28 — We were ordered to be ready to march this morning at three o’clock; at two o’clock the confounded old bugle’s shrilly sound screamed through the cold darkness with a chilling thrill, and the orderly sergeant was running through the bivouac with his everlasting “Get out and get ready to march.”
About an hour before daylight an order came for us to report to General Fitzhugh Lee near Moton’s Ford, which is about two miles above Raccoon Ford and on the left of our line. We moved immediately after we received the order, and reported to Fitz Lee early in the day near the Moton house, and about four miles southwest of Moton’s Ford. A little while after we reported to Fitzhugh Lee the Yankees made a demonstration as though they intended to make an attack without delay. We went in position right at Moton’s house and kept our guns in battery all day, but the enemy made no advance on our part of the line, yet the country is blue with Yanks between us and the Rapidan. This evening at dark one of our guns advanced and shelled a piece of woods in which the Yanks had kindled their camp-fires and fixed to spend the night, but when our shells exploded among the tall trees and gently scattered a few whispering fragments of Dixie casting impartially around the camp-fires the enemy hastily bade us good night and disappeared toward the river.
Some little artillery firing along the lines to-day on the right and some sharpshooting near Raccoon Ford. Rained all day. Bivouacked with our guns in battery ready for action, near Moton’s house.
November 27 — The Yankee army crossed to the south side of the Rapidan yesterday, and late last night we were ordered to the front. All our baggage and wagons were ordered rearward to Gordonsville, which is a strong indication that there will soon be a large fine battle on hand somewhere not far away, and from the way our infantry is moving there is fight in the air. At nine o’clock last night we left camp and marched down the plank road; little before daylight this morning we arrived at Verdiersville, twelve miles east of Orange Court House.
At sunrise we left Verdiersville and moved in the direction of Germana Ford on the lower Rapidan. We marched on an old road that leads from the plank road to the old Fredericksburg pike; we struck the Fredericksburg pike at Mine Run, and halted for further orders.
This morning we passed General Early’s division of infantry going to the front. A great many of our infantry passed us to-day moving toward Mine Run and falling in line of battle as they arrived at the front. Our line of battle extends along Mine Run, and General R. E. Lee is ready and fixed to give the Yankees a warm reception if they dare to advance on his line.
We remained all afternoon just in rear of General Lee’s line of battle, awaiting and ready for orders. There was some cannonading and sharpshooting in our immediate front during the afternoon, and some heavy cannonading and musketry fire about a mile to our right.
We are bivouacked to-night on Mine Run.
Mine Run is a small streamlet, as crooked as a snake track, traversing the northern part of Orange County, and empties into the Rapidan about five miles below Raccoon Ford. Weather very cold.
November 25 — I was on guard duty last night, and observed an almost total eclipse of the moon; the eclipse commenced at two o’clock and ended at six this morning.
November 19 — Renewed our backward march this morning and arrived at our camp near Orange Court House, where we started from on the evening of the seventeenth. We crossed the Rapidan at Liberty Mills, about six miles west of Orange Court House.
November 18 — Yesterday evening at dusk we were ordered to report for immediate duty to General Fitzhugh Lee. In a few moments after our bugle sounded we were ready for forward march, and by the time that dusk donned the deep shade of night we were on the march with Fitzhuerh Lee’s cavalry, headed for the Shenandoah Valley, to intercept, repel or use up a Yankee raiding party that is reported to be advancing up the Valley pike. Our speedy expedition is wholly under the superintendence and command of the invincible and gallant Fitzhugh Lee in person. The true cause and reason of the hurried and unexpected movement was occasioned by a raiding party in the Shenandoah Valley, and I think that it was Fitzhugh Lee’s’ object to strike the Valley pike at New Market unsuspected by the raiders, cry havoc and unleash his veterans of war, and strike terror to the hearts of the raid and raiders, or, in other words, clean up the raid in regular Fitz Lee style. We marched rapidly all night, crossed the Rapidan at Liberty Mills, passed through Madison Court House at midnight, and at daylight struck the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, where the cavalry had made a halt. While we halted there with the cavalry General Fitzhugh Lee received a dispatch stating that the Yankee raiders were falling back down the Shenandoah Valley. Then and there the order to move to the Valley was countermanded, and we were ordered back to camp at Orange Court House. We countermarched forthwith and moved all day on the back track. Camped to-night two miles south of Madison Court House.
November 16 — About the middle of the day we arrived at the battalion camp near the residence of Colonel Willis, one mile south of Orange Court House and half a mile west of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.
Since we were detached from the battalion ten days ago we marched from Gaines’ Cross Roads in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, by Culpeper Court House and Rapidan Station, to the vicinity of Fredericksburg, passing from the extreme left and beyond the extreme right of our army, a distance of over fifty miles.
