August 6th. This is my birthday. I am twenty years old, and have served nearly eighteen months in the army, fully a year in active campaigning. Events are so crowded in these warlike times that it makes one feel real old. I seem to have lived always in the army, and can hardly convince myself that campaigning is not the ordinary business of life.
In the morning the regiment was supplied with white duck leggings, after the French army pattern; it is to be henceforth part of the uniform. They look quite gay, and now that they are clean seem very ornamental; the men appear to like them. At six o’clock fell in and marched out on the drill ground for a division drill, General French commanding. The drill lasted till nine o’clock, very interesting, but the men were tired out. As soon as we reached camp after the drill, we were ordered to fall in in light marching order, and immediately marched out of camp and halted in front of General Sumner’s headquarters. Presently the general came out, and we followed him outside the breastworks to within two miles of Malvern Hill, when we halted upon a hill, with a good view of the surrounding country, formed line of battle in rear of one of the batteries and lay down and rested. In half an hour we were ordered to march by file right, which would take us back to camp, but after going about two miles, turned off into a large open field, formed line, and stacked arms, when the men lay down in their ranks to sleep; this was about 2 A. M.; at five o’clock, we marched to the top of the hill in front and formed line in support of several batteries in position there; the Fifty-seventh and the Sixty-fourth, the latter lately added to our brigade, formed the line which commanded the road leading to Malvern Hill, and were in position to furnish support in case of need to the Irish brigade, which has been sent forward to find the enemy. It seems McClellan is getting a little anxious at last, at the prolonged quietness of the rebel army, and it is just possible it may have something on hand that will astonish us. Spent most of the day on this hill, very pleasantly; all glad to get out of camp, which has become very irksome, as we seem unable to find the enemy we may possibly go ahead and try and take Richmond.
