Fortunately, however, McClellan contented himself with occupying our deserted quarters at Manassas, thereby enabling us to reassemble and reorganize in a manner our demoralized and straggling troops upon the Rappahannock. Therefore, when soon after that General retraced his steps and prepared to move around to Yorktown, from whence he had determined to advance upon Richmond, Johnston had under his command quite a respectable army with which to reinforce the little band of heroes under Magruder, showing so bold a front to the hosts of the Federal General. But it was also necessary to leave troops behind to watch the movements of McDowell, who still remained at Manassas with a large army, and to this duty the division of Ewell was assigned. It was, perhaps at that time, the finest and best organized division in the army, and was comprised of Elzey’s, Trimble’s and Dick Taylor’s brigades, with artillery and cavalry. From the opposite banks of the river the two commands narrowly watched each other, and exchanged an occasional shot until the evening of the 19th of April, when orders to “pack up” were given, and in the midst of a drenching rain, we took up our line of march for Gordonsville along the Orange and Alexandria railroad.—For three days the cold, chilly rain continued, and for three days the troops, destitute of provisions, toiled over the uneven surface of the railroad’s bed before the command reached its destination, cold, hungry and dispirited. We were allowed to remain here several days to rest and recruit, when one bright, beautiful day, orders were received by General Ewell for his command to cross the Blue Ridge and join Jackson, who was then encamped at Swift Run Gap. Nothing could have exceeded the joy of the troops at this unexpected order, for we had supposed ourselves destined to reinforce the army of Johnston in the swamps of the Chickahominy. To be with Jackson, then, the great and glorious Jackson, in the beautiful Valley of Virginia, was a pleasure unexpected, and it was, therefore, with light hearts and elastic step that we left our camp at Gordonsville. The march was made by easy stages, and in a few days, about nine o’clock in the evening, from the mountain’s summit, his camp-fires were descried away down in the plain below us. No more stupid hours in camp, if you please. We now belong to Jackson’s army, and if laurels were to be won, we felt that they would surely be ours. Already visions of shattered and beaten armies, of prisoners innumerable, of captured camps filled with the good things with which we had been for so long unacquainted, flitted before us, and thus thinking, and thus trusting, we descended the mountain sides and threaded our way through the camps of the heroes of Kearnstown, and went into _bivouac_ a short distance beyond, at Conrad’s store.