21st, where we found skirmishing again in progress; the Rebels endeavoring to get in our front. Two companies of our regiment were immediately sent out as skirmishers, but met no enemy. We rested there until 10 o’clock, when we moved on through Salem about two miles, where we found the enemy had attacked the train and captured sixteen pieces of artillery and some men, but being closely pressed only succeeded in disabling six pieces, taking none away with them. We then made a forced march of seven miles, which we did in one hour and twenty minutes, to overtake the train. We rested there two hours, and were highly complimented by Col. Wells, our brigade commander, for our close and rapid marching with no straggling. We moved on again at 4 o’clock P. M., marching on a regular “back and forth” road, over a mountain, and went into camp twelve miles from Salem, having marched twenty-four miles in twenty-four hours. Meat and coffee in small quantities were issued to the men at this point. On the morning of the 22d we were ordered into line and maneuvered around some, but did not get fairly started until 1 o’clock P. M. We marched in the rear of the column all day, encamping at half past ten in a very stony field at New Castle Court House; just before arriving there we forded Craig’s creek three times. The men were completely jaded, many dropping down where they stood, when the regiment halted, and almost instantly falling asleep. We were aroused at 2 o’clock for an early start, but were delayed by the wagon train until 9 A. M. Our entire brigade acted as train guard, one company to every ten wagons, and a heavy escort for the artillery. This was the hardest day’s march in our experience, not on account of its length, but that it was over three mountains—we were now crossing the Alleghanies—one of them being eleven miles over, and a portion of the time we had to march very rapidly to keep up with the train. Horses and mules were “playing out” in great numbers, and had to be pushed from the road, over the side of the mountain, in order that the train might pass. The weather continued very hot and dry, and the road very dusty; we made a halt of two hours at half past 10 in the evening, for coffee and mutton, nearly all being too tired to prepare it for eating; then on again for six miles, going into camp at half past 3 in the morning at Sweet Springs. We remained there until 4 P. M., when we started for “White Sulphur” Springs. The road was very rough, and the night quite dark, making this a very severe march; we arrived there at half past 3, the next morning, June 24th. This was the place where the southern aristocracy, before the war, came to air their wealth and gamble for darkies. It must have been a very pretty spot then, with its living springs of clear, cold water, and fine mountain scenery on all sides; but to us, it was simply a place to rest our wearied limbs for a few hours. We now had nothing but meat to eat, and very little of that.