June 12, 1862, on board USS Trinity 
               anchored off Yorktown, Virginia

We arrived here at just about daybreak, some five hours 
ago now.  Captain Campbell went ashore with the other 
company commanders to find out what we're supposed to do 
now.  We've been onboard this ship since 4:00 in the
afternoon of the 10th.

We left the encampment outside of Baltimore on time the 
other day, but there wasn't any fanfare like when we 
marched out of Mt. Holly, or into Burlington, or through 
Philadelphia.  Some of the fellas from other regiments 
watched and waved so long but that was about the extent 
of our send-off.  Seems like the closer to the war we get 
the less attention we get.

We marched for close to ten hours that day.  We stopped 
twice for about fifteen minutes to rest, once in the 
morning and again in the afternoon.  We also stopped for 
about an hour near midday for a rest and to eat the 
hardtack they gave us before we left the encampment.

We made camp for the night about 6:00 and were fed a hot 
meal then.  I think it was some kind of a chicken stew, 
but I can't be sure.  It wasn't bad just didn't have a 
whole lot of taste.

The camp was in a large meadow in a little valley.  It was 
actually kind of pretty.  I have no idea where we were.

We knew we were getting close to the war though because for 
the first time we posted guards around the camp.  Always 
before we were guarded by someone else.  Our squad had guard 
duty from 2:00 to 4:00 in the morning. 

I was afraid I'd be tired and might fall asleep but I was 
wide awake the whole time.  I couldn't even go back to 
sleep when we got off duty.  The surprising thing was I 
wasn't even the least bit tired the next day.

We were back on the road by 7:00 the next morning and 
marched into Annapolis around noon.  Annapolis was a very 
busy place.  There were soldiers everywhere and no one 
paid any mind to us.

We marched right through town to an encampment near the 
docks.  There we were fed and told that within the next 
couple of hours we'd be loaded onto the ships.  There 
were four ships that I could see tied up to the docks 
and another ten or so anchored in the harbor.

We started loading at about 3:00 and were all on board 
by 4:00.  We found out then that in addition to us and the 
21st NJ, there were over 2,000 other soldiers in the ships 
at anchor.  Nearly 3,000 all together! 

We didn't leave Annapolis until some time the next morning.  
Near as I can figure it was probably about 8:00.  One of the 
fellas who seemed to know about such things said getting 
underway had something to do with the tides.

We had to stay in the holds until in the afternoon when we 
were each allowed to go up on deck for about fifteen minutes 
each.  The first time I went I was absolutely terrified!  
No matter in which direction I looked, there was no land!

I was certain we would never be able to find it again. All 
I could see were some of the other ships.  Where were the 
rest of them, were they more lost than we were?

I guess I didn't hide my concern too well because one of 
the sailors pointed me out to the others and laughed.  He 
called me a "landlubber" and said not too worry the earth 
was round not flat and eventually we'd find land again.  
He said they never could be sure where they would find it 
again, but that it would turn up.

They all had a good laugh at my expense.  After I got my 
wits about me I had to laugh myself.  Homer assured me that 
the US Navy had excellent navigators who could sail a ship 
to anyplace in the world by using the sun, the moon, and the 
stars.

After that I took as many turns as I could up on the deck.  
A lot of the fellas who were sick didn't care to go out.  I 
rather enjoyed it and wondered what it would have been like 
to be a sailor instead of a soldier. 

Now here we are waiting ... again.  Yorktown has only been 
in Union hands since early May.  Many of the fellas are 
saying that right now we're less than fifty miles from the 
front lines.

Fifty miles used to seem like a long way to me, but now that 
I'm close to 400 miles from home, fifty miles don't seem like 
much at all.  From what I read in Ma and Pa's letters 
everything at home is fine.  I wish Captain Campbell would  
get back so that we know what we're doing.