The position of the companies in line of battle:—
| Right | |||
| Capt. | Stanwood | B | 1 |
| „ | Howes | E | 2 |
| „ | Rogers | H | 3 |
| „ | Todd | K | 4 |
| „ | Noyes | D | 5 |
| „ | Sherman | F | 6 |
| Lt. | Smith | I | 7 |
| G | 8 | ||
| Capt. | Woodward | A | 9 |
| „ | Pettengill | C | 10 |
| Left | |||
December 22. Capt. McGuire of Co. I was discharged and on the 26th Lieut. Smith was promoted to fill the vacancy. This evening Edward Galligher of Co. H was shot dead by Lieut. Lord of Co. D, Provost Marshal, while drunk and disorderly, resisting arrest and assaulting the Marshal.
The regiment remained in Camp Meigs until December 27 actively drilling and the raw recruits getting whipped into shape for active duty in the field, but this morning orders were received to break camp and leave for New York and the South (or the other place previously alluded to) and the regiment left at an hour’s notice, proceeding by rail to Groton, Conn., where they went on board the Sound steamer for New York arriving there at an early hour in the morning of the 28th and going at once on board the “Constellation,” an old sailing vessel, just arrived from Europe with a load of immigrants. It had not been properly cleansed and was very foul and dirty; but it is a soldier’s duty to bear with all sorts of inconveniences, and we soon learned to accept them without an undue amount of grumbling. There was no chance for a fire on board except in the first cabin, consequently the line officers, who occupied the second cabin, and the enlisted men who were quartered between decks, suffered considerably with the cold, but we were consoled with the thought that if we were destined for either of the places threatened by Gen. Schouler we should not be likely to grumble on account of cold weather.
Friday, January 2, got under way at 12.30 P. M., being towed out by tug “Rattler,” which cast off and left us at 4.15, taking ashore a large mail for friends left at home.
January 8 we arrived off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay with little of special importance transpiring. Pilot came on board at 9.30 A. M. and we passed up the bay where we found many of the fleet composing the “Banks Expedition” of which we now find the 48th is a part, and came to anchor just below and near Fortress Monroe where we remained till January 15, when under sailing orders the tug hitched on again and we sailed away South at 2.30 P. M. in a gale of wind. The voyage South lasted until the 30th day of January during which the deadly ship fever (the surgeons call it “Purpura”) broke out on board and several of our men died from its effects and received a soldier’s burial at sea.
It is a sad sight to see the poor fellows launched into the deep dark waves, while their comrades stand nigh with anxious tearful faces. The fever increasing rapidly the men all came upon deck, the hatches battened down and the ship thoroughly fumigated.
The following letter is self-explanatory:
On board Ship “Constellation,”
in Gulf of Mexico,
January 24, 1863.
My dear Madam:—I have sad news to communicate. Your son is no more on this earth. He was taken ill last Wednesday, and, in less than twenty-four hours, he was a corpse. He died at four o’clock P. M., on Thursday and was buried at sunset in the Gulf Stream off coast of Florida, Latitude 25, Longitude 20 west.