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On the Potomac guarding telegraph cable 65

We had a very lazy time at this camp for we had no stringent orders from a west point graduate and we enjoyed ourselfs hugely if men could possibly in the army.

We had some new recruits who had not as yet done picket duty in the dark and whose [?] ran high in regard to the enemys stelthely movement upon our line. A number of times the camp was aroused by the report of a musket fired by some of our pickets who imagined the enemy was creaping upon them in the dark. After the guard would fall in and march out in a body and investigate the trouble by routing a stray pig which was compelled to work by night to procure food enough to live upon threw the heat of the day, while sleeping in the shade.

One morning just at daybreak an alarm was given and I reported and asked the sourced of the alarm, and was informed that a body of men was seen