On the 21st of May the long-expected and eagerly awaited orders were received from the War Department for the speedy muster-out of all regiments whose term of service should expire before October 1st. Preparations for this happy event began immediately. Soon the camp was in a state of busy excitement. Cracker-boxes and barrel-heads were converted into use as tables, and all the camp-writers were busily engaged in preparing muster-out rolls and discharge papers.
This agreeable employment was interrupted temporarily by orders to proceed to Washington, and participate in the grand reviews of the army of the Potomac and the West. Early on the morning of the 22d of May the regiment, with the entire corps, proceeded in light marching order to Washington, and bivouacked for the night on the open ground east of the capitol. On the morning of the 23d the men were astir early, preparing for the review. The Ninth Corps followed the cavalry, having the right of the column of infantry. The corps marched in column of companies at half distance, with a front of eighteen files. The First Division, constituting the garrison of the defences of Washington, had the extreme right, and was followed by the Second and Third Divisions, with their respective brigades, in numerical order. The day was superb. Not a cloud obscured the sun, and none who marched in the ranks of the veteran and victorious army of the Potomac on that brilliant day will ever forget the splendid pageant.
The infantry, being in light marching order, presented a fine appearance. The men were dressed in their best, wore white gloves, and nearly all carried bouquets in the muzzles of their guns. The tattered, blood-stained banners were garlanded with flowers, and many of the officers' horses wore brilliant wreaths. Great preparation had been made for this magnificent pageant. Stands for spectators had been erected at every convenient spot, and the great crowds in attendance were excited to the highest pitch of enthusiasm by the martial display. Thousands of school-children sang patriotic songs and showered bouquets of flowers as the column passed. At the White House great stands had been erected on both sides of the avenue, and at this point, amid immense cheering and the thunder of artillery, the army passed in review before President Johnson, the leading Generals, and the Governors of the States. Here one face was missing. Here all that seemed wanting to complete the sense of triumph was the form of Abraham Lincoln, at whose call these veterans had left their homes in defence of their country, and who, since the close of the fighting, had been called to his reward. Recollections of him, and the memory of comrades who had fallen rushed upon us. Our feelings found fitting expression in the language of Brownell's poem:—
"And in all our pride to-day,
We think, with a tender pain,
Of those who are far away;
They will not come home again.
"And, lo! from a thousand fields,
From all the old battle-haunts,
A greater army than Sherman wields,
A grander review than Grant's!
"Gathered home from the grave,
Risen from sun and rain,
The legions of our brave
Are all in the ranks again.
"The colors ripple o'erhead,
The drums roll up to the sky,
And with martial time and tread
The regiments all pass by,—
The ranks of our faithful dead
Meeting their President's eye."
For more than six hours the march continued through the streets of Washington, amid scenes as magnificent as those when the armies of Rome carried their victorious eagles through the streets of the Eternal City. After passing in review, the regiment continued its march through Georgetown, and at night occupied its regular camp.
After this all was bustle and activity in preparation for our muster-out and return home. Day after day the air was filled with the music, and cheers, and good-byes of the troops who had been mustered-out, as they left their comrades in battle and the scenes of war, to go to their homes and engage in the pursuits of peaceful life. Reviews and parades were substituted for guard duty and drill. On the 3d of June, the anniversary of the terrible day at Cold Harbor, General Parke reviewed the Second Division, and on the 5th General Curtin, temporarily in command of General Hartranft's division, was tendered a complimentary review by the regiments of his old (First) brigade. This was the last parade of this veteran brigade, and elicited the following commendation from General Curtin:—
Head-quarters Third Division, Ninth Army Corps,
Near Alexandria, Va., June 6, 1865.