When such engineering work as was imperatively required had been brought to completion, both officers and men settled down to the monotony of garrison routine. Lieutenant Stockwell was appointed post adjutant, while Lieutenant Keenan served in the triple capacity of post quartermaster, commissary, and ordnance officer. Though the health of the command was uniformly good, the medical officers yet found their time amply occupied, since in addition to their duties at Pickering they were required to visit the sub-posts at Gloucester, Marblehead, and Nahant. On June 24th, Lieutenant Rolfe, assistant surgeon, was relieved from duty at Fort Warren, reporting immediately at regimental headquarters; but in July, failing to recover from a severe illness contracted during the earlier service of the regiment, he found himself compelled to resign, thus depriving the command of the services of an efficient and popular officer. Later in the same month, Assistant Surgeon Bryant received promotion which took him from the First, and from this time until the close of its volunteer service the regiment had but one medical officer, Major Dearing, senior surgeon, whose unflagging devotion to the welfare of the command won for him the gratitude and esteem of every officer and man. On July 26th, Captain Frothingham, with Lieutenants Nostrom, McCullough, and Francis, proceeded to Fort Preble, Me., for duty on a general court martial, making several visits thereafter to that post before the final adjournment of the court. For lack of opportunity at artillery drill, attention was turned to infantry work, and the garrison was hardened into condition for field service by a succession of practice marches and field manœuvres over the country in the vicinity of the post. The garrison evening parade, held outside the main work, was a never-failing source of interest to the people of Salem, and on every pleasant afternoon crowds came out from the city to attend the ceremony. On July 25th, "A" Battery changed station from Nahant to Pickering, marching in over the road with its field guns and wagon train. Late in August, "B" Battery was ordered to rejoin at Salem from its station at Portsmouth, N.H., thus bringing the garrison strength up to a battalion of four batteries. Such officers as could be spared from this post, with many from the other posts garrisoned by the regiment, were present, on August 12th, at the funeral of the lamented Colonel Bogan, of the Ninth Massachusetts Infantry, who long had been a friend of the First, and had been detailed as its inspecting officer while serving on the staff of Governor Russell; and again, on August 30th, the battalion at Pickering performed a sad duty by parading as escort, under command of Major Dyar, at the funeral of Major O'Connor, of the Ninth. No further event of especial moment appears on the records of the post until its abandonment on September 19th.