_Sunday, October 13._--Gov. Sprague visited the camp. Private Benedict deserted.
_Tuesday, October 15._--Parade drill of the battery, in presence of Gov. Sprague, and Col. Tompkins, the drill proving very satisfactory. Capt. Vaughan visited us the same evening, and addressed us as follows: "Boys, I deserve to be kicked for ever leaving this battery, because, by right, it is my battery, and I should be with you." (Vociferous cheering, and cries, "Give us our old officers, and we will show you that we can drill.") Capt. Vaughan, mounting his horse, appeared very much affected. Turning round once more, he said, "I am hanging around; it is hard for me to leave you." Answer of the men: "We know it. You are a man every inch of you." Nine cheers for Capt. Vaughan, our old First Lieutenant, vibrated through the air.
_Wednesday, October 16._--Battery drill, and speech by our First Lieutenant. Gen. Banks visited our camp this evening. Nothing important up to
_Saturday, October 19._--Gen. Banks and staff honored our battery drill with their presence. Col. Geary of the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania, and Capt. Tompkins, with the right section, had a fight with the rebels at Harper's Ferry and Bolivar Heights. Our right section, occupying Maryland Heights, fired into Bolivar and on a rebel battery on Loudon Heights. Even the drivers served an old iron gun. Col. Geary's troops, crossing the river in scows, carried the fight to Bolivar Heights. No loss of men in the right section.
_Monday, October 21._--Battle of Ball's Bluff. Gen. Stone crossed the Potomac near Conrad's Ferry, across Harrison's Island, with Col. Baker's brigade, this morning. (Forty-second New York, Fifteenth and Twentieth Massachusetts Regiments, and a piece of artillery, of Capt. Vaughan's battery. The rest of the battery stayed on Harrison Island.) By seven o'clock in the evening, the whole division of Gen. Banks left Darnestown, going to Edwards Ferry. Our battery started about nine o'clock. Arriving at Poolesville, we heard of the disastrous result. Our troops had withdrawn from Ball's Bluff. Col. Baker's corpse was brought into town.
_Tuesday, October 22._--Arrived at Edwards Ferry by six o'clock A. M. Two thousand men were already landed on the Virginia shore, opposite the ferry, others were continually crossing on canal boats. Since daylight, rain fell incessantly. On the Virginia side, skirmishing was going on all day. At five o'clock both lines of battle advanced. A brisk fight commenced. Two brass howitzers of Rickett's battery, First United States Artillery, did good execution, being in position on the Virginia shore. While the fight continued, the Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania, Col. Geary, the Twenty-ninth, Col. Mury, and Van Allen's cavalry, were sent as reinforcements across the Potomac. Fighting ceased an hour afterwards. Capt. Vaughan went to the enemy's lines, under a flag of truce, to see about some of his wounded men in the hands of the rebels. Gen. McClellan arrived at night.