_Tuesday, June 16th, 1863._--23d Reg. received marching orders.
_Wednesday, 17th._--Ready; waiting for transportation.
_Thursday, 18th._--Embarked early in the day. Weather pleasant.
_Friday, 19th._--Arrived, A.M., at Harrisburg, reporting to
Major-General Couch; and P.M. at Bridgeport Heights. Afternoon and
night stormy. Marched 5 miles.
_Saturday, 20th._--Details at work in trenches. Guard duty on ramparts.
Day cloudy and heavy rain throughout night.
_Sunday, 21st._--Work of yesterday resumed. New camping ground laid
out. Cloudy but no rain.
_Monday, 22d._--Captain Farnham, Company C, 23d Regiment, appointed
Acting Major of the regiment. 448 officers and men present for duty.
_Tuesday, 23d._--Brig.-Gen. William Hall assumed command of all the
troops in and about the fort. Col. William Everdell, Jr., placed
temporarily in command of the Eleventh Brigade, now consisting of 23d,
52d, and 56th Regiments. A squad of the 23d, twenty-two in number,
arrived from Brooklyn.
_Wednesday, 24th._--Usual routine of garrison duty.
_Thursday, 25th._--Brig.-Gen. Jesse C. Smith arrived and took command
of Eleventh Brigade, now comprising 1,124 officers and men. Last four
days for the most part warm and pleasant, though heavy fogs prevalent
night and morning.
_Friday, 26th._--Left with two days' cooked provisions on tour of
picket duty, to relieve 37th N.Y., Col. Roome. Rained in torrents.
Detachments posted on the various roads, from one to three miles out.
All quiet during the night.
_Saturday, 27th._--Pickets moved forward to Shiremanstown. Toward
evening the advance of 8th and 71st N.Y., who had been reconnoitering
at the front since the 30th, appeared. Reported the enemy slowly
advancing. Being relieved, returned, reaching the fort about midnight.
Day lowering, little rain.
_Sunday 28th._--Enemy constantly reported moving on our works. Garrison
under arms throughout day and night. Glacis and space beyond cleared of
trees and standing grain. Each company assigned its position at the
breastworks. Day filled with alarms but passed without anything more
serious. Guards doubled for the night. Cloudy and comfortable, but no
rain.
_Monday, 29th._--On the _qui vive_. Large detail from 23d for provost
duty at the wagon bridge over the Susquehanna. Volunteer picket force
went out composed of detachments from 8th, 56th and 23d, under command
of Lieut.-Col. Elwell, 23d. Pickets shelled, but suffered no loss.
Captured a rebel. Weather unsettled.
_Tuesday, 30th._--Still on the alert. 22d and 37th N.Y. ordered out to
reconnoiter. Expecting to return in course of the day left everything
behind except arms and ammunition, and thus passed through rest of
campaign! They moved along the Carlisle road to "Sporting Hill" where
had a skirmish, in which lost three officers and four men wounded. A
spatter of rain toward night.
_Wednesday, July 1st._--Advanced P.M. in pursuit of the enemy, fully
equipped, with forty rounds of ammunition and two days' cooked rations
per man. Muster-roll of 23d gave 506 officers and men present for duty.
Column consisted of the 8th, 11th, 23d, 52d, 56th, 68th and 71st N.Y.,
with section of Miller's Philadelphia Battery;--all under command of
Brigadier-General Joseph Knipe. Bivouacked on Trindle Spring Creek, at
10 o'clock, P.M. Weather pleasant. Distance marched, 7 miles.
_Thursday, 2d._--At 3 A.M., ordered up, and at daylight countermarched
two miles. Halted all day. Bivouacked in a cul-de-sac of the
Conedoguinet Creek, at a place called Orr's Bridge. Day warm and
pleasant. Distance 3 miles.
_Friday, 3d._--Resumed forward march, disencumbered of knapsacks and
woolen blankets. Reached Carlisle at 6 P.M. Afternoon hot and sultry.
Distance, 12 miles.
_Saturday, 4th._--Took Carlisle and Baltimore pike through Papertown
and Mt. Holly Gap. Severe storm. At Hunter's Run 23rd, the advance
company excepted, countermarched to Mt. Holly paper mill. Crossed the
run a little before dark. Regiment arrived at Laurel Forge in
detachments during the night, men covered with mud, and exhausted with
hunger and fatigue. Distance 17 miles.
_Sunday, 5th._--At 8 A.M., resumed march. At Pine Grove Iron Works
turned to the left and ascended a heavy mountain, on the summit of
which halted and bivouacked in support of a masked battery planted at a
cross-roads in a grove. Day sultry followed by rainy night. Many of the
men without food, and all with but a scanty supply. Distance 5 miles.
_Monday, 6th._--Rations furnished. About middle of forenoon moved
forward. Reached Cashtown, on the Chambersburg and Gettysburg pike,
about 8 o'clock. Bivouacked in an orchard. Nothing to eat. Day cloudy
and comfortable; roads heavy. Distance 16 miles.
_Tuesday, 7th._--Ordered to march for Gettysburg, but countermanded.
Proceeded in the direction of Chambersburg some seven miles, where took
road to Altodale, Pa. Halted near that village about 4 P.M. Day fair;
roads heavy; rations distributed. Distance 12 miles.
_Wednesday, 8th._--Rain set in again about 1 a.m., and soon grew to a
furious storm. The whole camp helplessly at its mercy. At 8 A.M., took
road again. Marched a little beyond Waynesboro', and formed a junction
with Army of Potomac. Day pleasant; roads very heavy. Distance 11
miles.
_Thursday, 9th._--Rested. Muster rolls of 23rd gave largest number
during the campaign, viz: 519 officers and men.
_Friday, 10th._--Out for reconnoissance in company with 71st N.Y. Under
arms all day in a bare field beneath broiling sun. Returned to camp
about dark. Distance 8 miles.
_Saturday, 11th._--P.M., column moved toward Hagerstown, the 23rd
having the advance. Bivouacked a mile beyond Lettersburg. Company B,
23rd, detailed for picket duty at the front. Evening pleasant. Distance
5 miles.
_Sunday, 12th._--Countermarched to Lettersburg where took the Cavetown
road, reaching the latter place about noon. Here encountered another
terrific thunder storm. Several men of the 56th N.Y., struck by the
electric fluid, and one of them killed. Fresh beef rations furnished.
Bivouacked in a field which the rain flooded and converted into mire.
Roads pretty good and morning comfortable. Distance 9 miles.
_Monday, 13th._--Marched toward Boonsboro'. Bivouacked at dark in a
rough, stony field, the fires of different encampments of the Army of
the Potomac visible in the distance. Rained much through the day; very
muddy. Distance 10 miles.
_Tuesday, 14th._--Crossed fields to Boonsboro' and Hagerstown pike.
Followed it toward the latter to Beaver Creek where encamped. Day
pleasant. Distance 5 miles.
_Wednesday, 15th._--At 7.30 A.M., started for home, taking the pike for
Frederick. Reached Frederick about 6 P.M., and Monocacy Junction about
10 P.M., where encamped in a grove. Weather comfortable; sky overcast
most of the day; road dry and pretty smooth, though hard for the feet.
A member of the 56th N.Y. fell dead on reaching camp from exhaustion.
Distance 25 miles.
_Thursday, 16th._--Waiting for transportation.
_Friday 17th._--Took cars for Baltimore. Arrived about 4 P.M. Marched
to the Philadelphia Depot, and thence to Harrisburg Depot. About
midnight took train for the latter city.
_Saturday, 18th._--En route for Harrisburg, which we reached about 9
P.M., and at midnight got under way again for Elizabethport, N.J.,
without change of cars.
_Sunday, 19th._--Halted at Easton, Pa., where citizens poured out en
masse to feed us. Reached Elizabethport shortly after noon, and at once
embarked on steamboat for New York. Landed at the Battery, and
proceeded directly to the Armory, where were dismissed at 7-1/2 P.M.
Grand total of distances marched during 15 days from July 1st to July
15th inclusive:--ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE MILES, or an average of
_nine and two-third miles_ per day; each man carrying an aggregate of
THIRTY POUNDS of luggage, except during the first day's march of _seven
miles_ in which each carried an aggregate of FORTY-FOUR POUNDS.
Largest number at any roll-call:--FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN, including
officers and men.