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Chapter 2: our journey south.
Upon our arrival in
Philadelphia we heard a signal gun and learned that it was to inform the people connected with the cooper's shop that we were coming.
We marched to that place and found a nice breakfast served by the first ladies of the city.
This was the only home-like meal we had received since leaving
Massachusetts, and our hearts went out to the loyal people, and our thanks were expressed in three rousing cheers for them.
But we hastened on, and soon took the cars for
Washington.
At
Baltimore we left the cars and marched across the city.
We passed through Pitt Street, where the sixth Massachusetts, a few months before, had marked the route with their blood.
Every throat was opened as we sang “
John Brown,” but our knees were a little weak, for we expected a stone would strike us at any moment.
We found the roof of the depot on the
Washington side of the city filled with bullet holes, the result of the riot of April 19.
From
Baltimore to
Washington we passed soldiers doing guard duty on the railroad, and for the first time saw men being punished at the guard-house.
We saw one man with his head through a barrel, another carrying a heavy log of wood.
At night we arrived in
Washington and were landed at the Soldiers' Rest.
A Pennsylvania regiment was ahead of us, so we were obliged to wait until they had been to supper.
