Manassas Junction Dear Sister Your favor of the 13th came to hand on Monday night. Yesterday morning we were put on the cars and rolled to this place. There was but one mishap on the whole route and that caused us to stop (singularly enough) at the identical spot that we were forced to leave the cars while on our way to Front Royal. While coming around a curve with a sharp decent the train was allowed to attain a great velocity to enable the engine to pull us up another grade and curve. Just as we began to ascend a cry was raised from the next car from ours to have the engine stopped. Upon looking around we discovered those on top of the car bobbing up and down and holding fast to one another to prevent being shook apart. A pair of wheels had concluded to leave the track and this was the consequence of their rash conclusion. When we stopped we found the foot prints on the road side that had been made by the boys jumping off the top of the cars when we were by here before, directly abreast of the car. The refractory wheels were soon put in their place and we were soon in sight of the Junction. A number of the boys were left on the roadside having got off the watering stations to gather cherries which are very plenty. They all got on subsequent trains however and arrived here safe. The arrangements here indicate a stay of two or three days at least and perhaps more. McDowell has established his Head-quarters here.
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