During the month of September the regiment received about one hundred recruits, principally substitutes and drafted men. Their term of service was one year. After they were fairly broken in, they made good and reliable soldiers.
Picket duty during the month of October in front of Fort Alex. Hays was quite frequent for both officers and men. It was also dangerous at night, when picket firing was kept up all night by both sides. On our side the picket posts consisted of five or six men and a noncommissioned officer. These posts were protected by a small breastwork, in front of which was a pit in which was posted a vidette, who was relieved every hour or sometimes every half hour. These posts were about fifty yards apart and were not connected by any works, which made it dangerous for the officer in charge of the line, while making the rounds of the posts, which he was obliged to do twice every night. On the part of the line picketed by our brigade, the line was in the woods, but on our right in the open ground the posts were connected by a deep trench. The woods in which we were posted ran to a point where it met the open field. When we quit doing picket duty on this part of the line, about November 30th, the trees at this point of woods were so splintered with musket balls that they resembled a lot of old fashioned splint brooms. Our lines were relieved at dark, and from that time firing was kept up until daylight, when it usually ceased until evening.
During the latter part of summer and early part of autumn of 1864, the time of many of the old regiments (who had not reenlisted) expired, and they were mustered out. In this way we lost in our brigade the 3d Michigan and 63d Pennsylvania, both old and renowned regiments. The men of the 63d who had reenlisted, and the recruits, were transferred to the 105th Pennsylvania and were mustered out with it at the close of the war.
Our brigade now consisted of the 1st Massachusetts heavy artillery (acting as infantry), 5th Michigan, 93d New York, 57th, 84th, 105th and 141st Pennsylvania, and 17th Maine, and three companies of the 1st United States Sharpshooters. The brigade was commanded by Brig. Gen. Byron R. Pierce, who retained command of it until the war ended.