April 29.

But these quiet and happy days were soon ended.  On April 29 the roar of cannon was heard once more at Gurney’s Station, salvo after salvo following in quick succession, until the house shook and the windows rattled with the reverberations.  The crash of musketry succeeded, rapid and continuous, and before the sun was high wounded men were brought in to the shelter of Mr. Yerby’s outhouses.  Very early in the morning a message from the pickets had come in, and after making arrangements for his wife and child to leave at once for Richmond, the general, without waiting for breakfast, had hastened to the front.  The Federals were crossing the Rappahannock, and Stonewall Jackson had gone to his last field.*

(* The Army of the Potomac was now constituted as follows:—­

Engineer Brigade. 
First Corps.  Reynolds. 
Second Corps.  Couch. 
Third Corps.  Sickles.

Divisions.  Birney. 
Berry. 
Whipple.

Fifth Corps.  Meade. 
Sixth Corps.  Sedgwiok. 
Eleventh Corps.  Howard.

Divisions.  McClean. 
Von Steinwehr. 
Schurz.

Twelfth Corps.  Slocum.

Divisions.  Williams. 
Geary.

Cavalry Corps.  Stoneman.

Divisions.  Pleasonton. 
Averell. 
Gregg.

NOTE.

Headquarters, Second Corps, Army of N. Va.: 

April 13, 1863.

General Orders, No. 26.

I. .......

II.  Each division will move precisely at the time indicated in the order of march, and if a division or brigade is not ready to move at that time, the next will proceed and take its place, even if a division should be separated thereby.

III.  On the march the troops are to have a rest of ten minutes each hour.  The rate of march is not to exceed one mile in twenty-five minutes, unless otherwise specially ordered.  The time of each division commander will be taken from that of the corps commander.  When the troops are halted for the purpose of resting, arms will be stacked, ranks broken, and in no case during the march will the troops be allowed to break ranks without previously stacking arms.

IV.  When any part of a battery or train is disabled on a march, the officer in charge must have it removed immediately from the road, so that no part of the command be impeded upon its march.

Batteries or trains must not stop in the line of march to water; when any part of a battery or train, from any cause, loses its place in the column, it must not pass any part of the column in regaining its place.

Company commanders will march at the rear of their respective companies; officers must be habitually occupied in seeing that orders are strictly enforced; a day’s march should be with them a day of labour; as much vigilance is required on the march as in camp.