Ferry to Acquia Landing

Saturday, December 6, 1862

The Thirteenth New Hampshire regiment arose this cold and clear morning to find six inches of snow on the ground. They resumed their march at 10:00 A.M. and arrived at Liverpool Point by 11:30 A.M. to await ferry boats for passage across the Potomac River. They waited several hours in the cold before boarding the ferry at 6:00 P.M.. The Thirteenth New Hampshire arrived on the Virginia side of the Potomac at Acquia Landing at 8:30 P.M. and bivouacked for the evening in extremely cold weather. The temperature was so cold that the water in their canteens froze. Many of the men went hungry before retiring for the evening. Years later veterans of the Thirteenth New Hampshire declared that this bivouac was the toughest of the entire war.¹

References:
¹S. Millett Thompson, Thirteenth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 : A Diary Covering Three Years and a Day (Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1888), 31-32.

On the Road to Fredericksburg

Friday, December 5, 1862

The Thirteenth New Hampshire marched at 8:30 A.M. in a steady rain which turned to heavy snow by early afternoon. Weather conditions forced the advancing troops to make evening camp near Liverpool Point at 2:00 P.M. The shelter tents afforded insufficient protection from the storm, and many of the men sought shelter in nearby farmhouses and barns.¹

References:
¹S. Millett Thompson, Thirteenth Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 : A Diary Covering Three Years and a Day (Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1888), 29-31.