Many soldiers wrote accounts of the Gettysburg campaign during this period and would sometimes include what had occurred since recrossing the Potomac. I was just looking at a 31 July account by a member of the 4th North Carolina regiment identified only as "NAT" written from camp near Madison Court House, published in the Salisbury Watchman on 24 August. He writes ... "We have had no fighting since we left Front Royal, near which, on the evening of the 23d inst., we had a sharp skirmish with some Yankees who had the audacity to attempt to cut us off. In the fray we had one sharp shooter out of our regiment killed, viz: Mark Hall, member of Co. A. The fight took place at the entrance of Manassas gap in the Blue Ridge, and though it was very serious business, yet the scene was somthing more than ordinarily exciting and beautiful. At midnight we were aroused and marched quietly five or six miles up the road to Luray which follows the meanderings of the charming Shenandoah. The men were exhausted and could go no farther. During the day preceding we had marched upwards of twenty miles, and then the fight in the evening, and the marching at night, was positively more than we could bear. I never before saw men so thoroughly worn out, and it was 9 o'clock the next day before all arrived. When we stopped to lie down it lacked but an hour or two before day break, and not more than fifty men of our regiment were up with us. About 9 a.m. on the 24th we moved on up the river, and have been moving ever since, until the 29th inst., when we landed here. Our brigade has recently received considerable accessions from home and the hospitals. The larger portion reached our camp yesterday, having wandered two or three weeks in these mountains or endeavoring to get home. Still we would have it distinctly understood that all deserters are not from North Carolina, though the old state has a bad reputation in that respect, yet more is imputed than she really deserves. ... Yesterday an old member of Co. C arrived in camp, who had been detailed as a scout to arrest deserters. He was assigned to duty in the neighborhood of Farmville, Va, where by keeping a vigilant look out, he succeeded in capturing several fellows who belonged to the [not readable]. He asked them where they were from, their reply was, North Carolina. Others made like inquiries and received the same reply; but when they were brought before the proper authorities, and the truth forced out, the very officers examining them were astounded to learn that they were genuine Virginians and belonged to the 23d Va. Regiment. A few days later a squad of more North Carolinians were arrested, but in the end turned out to be Georgians."