We remained in camp around Culpepper until the morning of the 18th of November, when the march was resumed, by McLaws taking the road leading to Fredericksburg, headed by General Longstreet in person, and another division south along the line of the railroad in the direction of the North Anna River, the other divisions of the corps remaining stationary, awaiting developments.  Jackson had not yet crossed the Blue Ridge, and General Lee was only waiting and watching the move of Burnsides before concentrating his army at any particular place.  It was unknown at this time whether the Federal commander would take the route by way of Fredericksburg, or follow in a straight course and make the North Anna his base of operations.  The cavalry, making a demonstration against the enemy’s outposts, found the Union Army had left and gone in the direction of Fredericksburg.  Then Lee began the concentration of his army by calling Jackson on the east side of the Blue Ridge and Longstreet down on the south side of the Rappahannock.  We crossed the north fork of the Rappahannock at a rocky ford, two miles above the junction of the Rapidan and just below the railroad bridge, on a cold, blustery day, the water blue and cold as ice itself, coming from the mountain springs of the Blue Ridge, not many miles away.  Some of the men took off their shoes and outer garments, while others plunged in just as they marched from the road.  Men yelled, cursed, and laughed.  Some climbed upon the rocks to allow their feet and legs to warm up in the sun’s rays, others held up one foot for awhile, then the other, to allow the air to strike their naked shins and warm them.  Oh! it was dreadfully cold, but such fun!  The water being about three feet deep, we could easily see the rocks and sands in the bottom.  The men who had pulled off their shoes and clothing suffered severely.

There was a man in my company who was as brave and as good a soldier as ever lived, but beyond question the most awkward man in the army.  His comrades called him “mucus,” as some one said that was the Latin for “calf.”  This man would fall down any time and anywhere.  Standing in the road or resting on his rifle, he would fall—­fall while marching, or standing in his tent.  I saw him climb on top of a box car and then fall without the least provocation backwards into a ten-foot ditch.  But in all his falling he was never known to hurt himself, but invariably blamed somebody for his fall.  When he fell from the car, and it standing perfectly still, he only said:  “I wish the d——­n car would go on or stand still, one or the other.”  The road leading to the river makes a bend here, and between the bend and river bank an abutment of logs, filled in with stone to the height of fifteen feet, was built to prevent the water from encroaching upon the land.  “Mucus,” for no cause whatever that anyone could learn, quit the ranks and walked out on this abutment and along down its side, keeping near the edge of the water, but fifteen feet above,