Isaac O. Best, History of the 121st New York State Infantry

[86] of a week was made, and everything that could be spared was shipped to Washington, and the Corps was stripped to light marching order. On the 25th of June the regiment was sent in skirmish formation about three miles towards Leesburgh, through a rather difficult country and returned to camp very much fatigued. Colonel Cronkite calls this a skirmish drill, but it was probably a feeler to determine whether any large portion of the Confederate army was in the vicinity. If it was not near, evidently Lee had abandoned all hope of interposing between the Army of the Potomac and Washington, and had advanced into Maryland.

Here (at Fairfax Court House) we gathered some idea of what was going on from the Washington newspapers. A lot of Rebel prisoners under a cavalry escort coming along, gave us information of a cavalry fight and confirmed the newspaper reports of Lee's movements. We moved on to Germantown, to Bristoe Station and Centerville, to Dranesville and on the 27th crossed the Potomac at Edward's Ferry and camped for the night near Poolsville, Md., and the next day marched beyond Hyattstown to near the defenses of Washington and began making plans to visit the city. But the next day we moved rapidly from camp by way of New Market to New Windsor. On the next day we moved with quickening steps from New Windsor to Manchester, and the first indications of serious business began to show. The men were urged and commanded to keep well closed up and in ranks, and mile after mile was passed over faster than a walk. Several hours we covered a distance of five miles an hour, as indicated by the milestones we passed, but we were now seasoned and more comfortable than at the beginning of the march. Jests were passed along the ranks about the officers horses'