Arrived in camp, we were very grateful to find that the perimeter trench had already been dug by previous occupants. I had two very good emplacements for my guns which needed a little, very little repair and then there was only the sleeping space to be arranged. (The mules had already been picketed, one team had to sleep near "B" Company and one with "A" Company so as to be near their guns and emplacements in case of alarm.) It would have been quite exciting had an actual alarm occurred as we were the only people with any ball ammo ready for use. The Companies all had "blanks" in their pouches and ball in boxes.
At 6:30 (Retreat) the wholw camp stood to their Alarm Posts and the G.O.C. wandered round. After that we had finished and were not sorry either.
A perimeter camp would be an uncomfortable sort of thing to live in for very long I should think but it is not so bad for a couple of days. We were all on field service scale, i.e.Men 20 lb. officers 60, so we had nothing except our valises. A charge g kit and I put in a camp chair and camp washstand as well.
Tuesday April 4th.
We sallied forth today to burn two villages one 1-1/2 miles and one 3 miles from camp. They were long miles. The Battalion were "picquetting Troops". Consequently the M.G. had nothing to do. We first marched out to the second village, halted there for nearly an hour (while it was being burnt) and then marched back again (with the main body). The Queens was the main body and we wish their M.G.