New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-10-01
TUESDAY MORNING. OCTOBER |, 1856

in their tents buddIed together like pigs, and to-
day borean breeze is whisting over the hills and
spreading bitter chill everywhere. The soldiers
are loaf6g about wrapped up in their blankets as
tight as cigars and would (many of them. at
least get as tight as. bricks if the T. 6. were
come-at.able. To tell the truth, between working
the Notifications yesterday and the pising WIND
of to-day my fingers are all thumbs or were, un-
til | ensconced myself on board the steamer
Charm, where now write, Gen. Johnston thought
of.makiBg the Charm his headquarters; ne having
abandoned the idea, ] have adopted the boat, aaa
am to be found on board most OF the tme, When
not on duty on the hill Fact. Get square meal
by it once in a while, as we'll as prescriptions
from DR.. Trask, who understands my pulse faf
better than DR.. Hart does, or at any rate pre-.
scribes more to my liking; and should ada, tnat
Capt. RisVes politely allows me to occupy the
Office whenever the writing spasms come upon
Still further had square sleep last night,
on spring mattress, all smothered up in quits
and blankets, whilst my Continental measnases
were shivering on the hill. This may have been
wrong and unsodieriike in me for the Charm,
tho my headquarters at midday, is not SO at mid
night; but it was purely accidental, as shall pro-
ceed to relate. '-s7 80
Stepping aboard, hast evening, to see if anybody
wanted me for anything, (of course, wanted
nothing0 music, laughter, piano playing, etc,
greeted my ear and in the after cabin I beheld a
bevy Of Kentucky's fair daughters. They had
come up from Hickman on a pleasure excursion,
to see the sights of Columbus, and were staying ON
board the boat to return. was offered an'intro-
dncton. The ladies looked as sweet as preserved
peaches. I, fresh from the trenches, looked
as rusty and ugly as an old chestnut burr; one of
John Coleman's street PAYERS would have looked
far more parlor-like. thought of my kids, patent
feathers. white shirts, Dave the barber, and the
other Injuries that grim visaged war had compelled
me to leave in New Orleans; sighed, and de-
clined the Introduction. Besides, too well re-
membered scene at picnic in a grove near
New Orleans, not long ago, where several soldiers,
whom | knew to be respectable men and gentle
men, belonging to a neighboring camp, were pre-
sent by invitation of of the ladies, but were
openly discarded and Stunned by the other ladies,
because camp life had given them shabby look;
and am just little too proud to expose myself
to a similar cut from any lady living. But staid
to supper, and afterward was much amused at wit
Messing the excitement which the presence of the
ladies oecasioned. The news of ladies' pleasure
| party on board the Charm having spread far and
| near through the camps, officers Of all grades
began piling aboard and assembling in the social
| hall, their looks and language betokening their
great anxiety to be social with the ladies in the
after cabin. .. -.
A country Lieutenant sauntered down the cabin,
and stopped midway to feast upon nearer view Of
the ladies. AS he stood there, Gen. Pillows son
| and another officer of superior rank passed him,
| and sauntered on toward the ladies' The Lieuten-
| ant came back, and remarked to friend in my
hearing, sits no use, Bill nothin' less than a
| Coloneis got any business down thar now y
| Hearing this from Lieutenant, |, being moth
ing but a Sergeant, inconnently prepared to
| mizzle but hung fire, and didn't. In short
time the cabin was full of cooked hat feather,
boot, tassel, sword and spur, jingling and shining
on every side such is the scarcity OF ladies here,
| and SO great the anxiety to become acquai6ted
with the fair Hickmanites. Capt. REEVES, fearful
of the rush sinking his boat stationed the mate and
several men at the foot of the gangway to stop the
tide of military visitors but it appeared to be use
less the big fish would manage to squeeze in
somehow The captain went to bed in disgust
and DIR. Trask and |, utterly overwhelmed with a
sense Of our insignifcance in such crowd, de-
rtol hat nd ante OH orI fhn yhpre
big jolly Capt. Butler and party of friends were
playing whist and euchre. Am at home on the
Prince also, sometimes, as we'll as on the Tucker
where the genial Aleck Hunt assists in doing the
agreeable. All right among the steamboats,, an
II Capt. Butler, learn, has been appointed al
} aid to Gen. Cheatham. After passing an agreeable
hour or two, we returned to the Charm, and fount
that the military gentlemen had got acqqaintet
with the ladies' and, to the saving of an old fddl,
| upon such tunes as "Rackensack," "Leathe
Breeches, 'Gal on the Log" ETC., were shaking
themselves in regular old-fashioned country hoe
| down; the fiddler called of the changes, and l
was "Old kaintuck' clean through.
The only bar to the evenings glory was the ba
of the boat, which was kept closed, ss it is all tn
, time when in port, under the cruel orders fron
| headquarters. The bar-keeper, anticipating tn
e pressure had bolted and barred the place, an
= then secreted himself, with an injunction to tn
darkey who knew all about it that if he blowe
: upon him he would heave him overheard. Boot
? stamped and swords and spurs jingled in val
: deep were muttered against that id ba1
keeper" !" they couldn't even get champagne to
the ladies'. But the dance nevertheless went on
and at last, it being too late to return to camp,
e quietly simmered down in one of the state-roon
of the Charm, and had most charming uap-m
d last recollection being that Of the fiddler sawin
e away at the 'Gal on the Log" and drawing ou
P ladies change balance ALL" and so fortl
y | And this is how Icame to sleep out of camp. .
II Squirrels are plentiful around camp, and til
J, soldiers kill plenty of them with their musket
II using shot of their purchase, instead OF JET
e Davis ball cartridges The wild pigeons are b'
ginning to drill for their fall fight they flew ovt
:, camp, and very low this morning but as th
boys are not permitted to shoot within camp limit
h the birds passed on unharmed. Ihear that a SO
d dier the other day shot squirrel which CON
l. down full grown hog One of the cavalry cor
e panies has several vicious horses, which kick al
kill all the hogs and pigs that come within the
y | reach. As carron is not allowed to accumula
e around camp, the boys are put to the paint
IL necessity of putting away the defunct porke
RI where the flies can't get at them. A few da
since, The Set (of which l have spoken hetor
J, were engaged in telling timber for military pt
d poses, when COW was caught beneath one of t
d and reported the accident to the nearest farm'
IS TO whom the cow belonged, and asked him wi
they should do with the animal. The farmer st
5. they might take it and eat it if they wished. L
re Set took him at his word. Now some enemies
The Set are base enough to nsinuate that that We
If Set seized and tied the COW, and felled the tt
upon her purposely. Such are the things we he
er of around camp.
w Col Marks was thrown from his horse this mo
I'D ing in front of his tent. He was badly stunn
w but, am happy to say, not seriously hurt. I.G