After a hasty meal I left the hotel. The street was full of moving troops. As I rode slowly along I had to draw up close to the pavement several times to avoid the crush, and several times came to a full halt, until the moving mass of troops, vehicles and pedestrians had surged past. I finally reached the small restaurant on a side street, where, as previously arranged, I met an orderly sent by General Foster. I gave him the dispatches I carried, telling him to proceed at once with them to that General's headquarters. As soon as he was out of the way I was free to follow my own plans. The streets were comparatively deserted in the direction I took on leaving the restaurant, and I met with no detention. After leaving the city fairly behind me, a sharp three-quarters of an hour's ride brought me to a small, old house standing somewhat back from the road. A decrepit negro took my horse and I went in at a side door opening onto the drive. It was dark when I left the house again, but even in daylight I do not believe any stranger would have recognized in me, the well gotten up young officer who had entered half an hour before. I had discarded all my accouterments and my uniform, which, notwithstanding the rough usage it had lately been through, still retained much of its new freshness and glitter of brass and gilt. In its place I had on a pair of blue trousers, a gray flannel shirt and a large, soft felt hat, all considerably the worse for wear. I had also changed to a fresh horse. The one I took was not much in the way of looks, but had considerable speed in him, and was not too valuable to abandon to the enemy, as I was well aware I might have to do at any moment. Leaving the place by a gate near the stables, which led into a grove, I threaded my way through it, then turning west I rode across a meadow and through another grove, where I came to a road which I followed until I reached the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. I intended to avoid observation as far as I could. I carried passes which would prevent any serious trouble if my detainers were our own troops. But a meeting with any of them might require me to lose considerable time. There was, besides, the possibility that I might chance on a party of Rebels lurking around and I was particularly anxious to avoid such. Fortunately I met but few persons. Some passed without accosting me. Three times when approaching sounds indicated more than a single individual, I drew off into shelter and squads of four or five men rode rapidly past. Who or what they were I was too far off to distinguish.