THE CIVIL WAR DIARY OF JOHN G. MORRISON 1861-1865

Washington to see it. It was a fine affair, I was told. Got
a wagon load of rails for the nights firing. The French
princes came along in citizens' clothes. When I demanded
their passes, which they shewed quickly, I wonder if they
would do it on the boulevards of Paris.
Thursday, Decr. 19th. Releived from guard by the 24 N.Y. at
8 1/2 o'clock. Slept none of all night. The night was
moonshiny and cold. Done nothing all the remainder of the
day.
Friday, Decr. 20th. No drills in consequence of getting
leave to decorate our street and shantys for Christmas.
Bought a pound of shot. Frost and I set out to see if we
could find any game. Was out about an hour when we got
seperated in a
[57] woods. I waited a while for him but he did not come, so I
started off alone and whilst chasing a fire bird I got turned
around and became lost, so I got on a hill and I looked
around and I seen a place that I thought was Falls Church, so
I made tracks for it and when I had walked about 1 1/2 hours,
I heard some one shouting. I turned round, beheld some
pickets beckoning me back. I came back, found that they
belonged to the 17th N.Y. and that I was traveling towards
Fairfax as fast as I could go, so I made back tracks and
arrived in camp in time to be too late for knapsack
inspection by Brig. Gen'l Auger, for which I was not sorry.
Frost had just arrived the same as myself, empty-handed, on
dress parade. Orders were read for us to go on picket to the
front for forty-eight hours. Turned in at 9 1/2. Night
cold.
Saturday, Decr. 21st. Turned out at [?]. Formed for picket
at 8 1/2 and marched off. I was sent on the outpost along
with Frost and four others. Good post in the afternoon.
Frost and I went on a bit of a private roccanaisance on our
own look. We did not go very far. Saw a camp fire on the
edge of the woods and two men standing by it. Imagine they
were rebs. Not there, though.
Sunday, Decr. 22nd. Nothing disturbed us through the night
except a couple of cows which Tom Kawn thought was a secesh.
I did not sleep but about 1/2 an hour through the night.
Company B came to releive us at 9 o'clock, for which I was
[58] sorry, as we had everything fixed for a good day's feed,
having found two pits of potatoes and a hen roost quite near.
We came into the reserve and whilst halting along the road
we heard a musket shot which we afterwards learned was caused
by a man fooling with their guns. He lived about an hour,
being shot through the groin. His name was Gilman. He
belonged to Po Keepsie for some cause or other. Our regiment
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