mer's wagon was impressed for service. This relieved us greatly.

Staunton was reached about 10 o'clock on the night of the day we set
forth. The corps was fed and lodged for the night in the hotels.
Footsore and weary we slept well and arose at early reveille, chipper
and bright and ready for the coming duties of the day. One of the
first of which was after breakfast to load on flat cars our battery of
four pieces of artillery and our equipment. This was new to us and was
hard work. This done, we found we would have two or three hours at our
disposal before leaving. Many matrons and damsels, as well as men and
boys, had already come to the station to give cheer and encouragement
to those who were going forth to do battle for their cause. The neat
fitting uniforms of the cadets, to say nothing of their good looks
and personal merit, for they were a magnificent body of youths, were
always pleasing. A little later the crowd of ladies, men, boys and
girls with waving handkerchiefs, cheers and huzzas bade us good-bye,
and on our way to Richmond we sped.

All went well, until we reached the Blue Ridge tunnel on the old
Central, now Chesapeake and Ohio, railroad. Here an exciting and
somewhat perilous catastrophe occurred. The train consisted of
passenger cars for the officers and corps and flat cars for the battery
and baggage. It was special, and hence had no schedule time. When well
in the tunnel, which is nearly a mile long, our engine was derailed.
The smoke from it filled the cars and the narrow space around them. We
could not go forward, for the engine and force engaged blocked the way;
nor could we go back, as we would be in danger of being left, as the
engine might be ready for duty any minute and would at once pull out.
To add to our peril another train from the direction whence we came
was about due as per schedule time, and was liable to collide with
ours, in which event results could but be imagined. Thus we were held
veritable prisoners for nearly two hours, imperiled by the dangers of
an oncoming train a