The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1861-08-14
Army Correspondence.
Letter from Camp Kelly.
another occasion
GnAFToN, VA, Aug. 9th 1861

Dear Spirit: = You will observe by the
heading of this letter that our camp has
been newly christened. 1t is named fo-
the General of our rigade-General (for.
merly coloueD Kelly, who was wounded in
the shoulder at Phillippi. Since writing
you before our quarters have been moved
from the pleasant woods into an open
field. This was necessary in order to
make room for two more companies,
Captain Washburn's and Capt. Moseley's'
who are now with us, and for the purpose
of establishing camp guard.
Our picket guard has been dispensed
with, and SO also has the system of pas
ses of which wrote you before. Neither
of these are considered necessary to our
safety, as there is no armed enemy within
q hundred miles Of US, and the citizers
are almost unanimously Union men, and
would warn us of approaching danger
quite as promptly as the pickets could.
On the evening of the day on which l
wrote you last the body of Rein House,
who was drowned in Valley River. was
found. On account of the distance from
him Of the company to which he had be-
longed, and because of some misunder-
standing in regard 70 the matter. he was
not buried with the honors of war to
which he was entitled. A squad of our
company aud one from Capt. Mosely's
accompanied the body to the gravs. where
it was decently buried. fred salute
over his grave with my revolver, and Alex
Sinclair and myself cut his name, the
place of his late residence, and the time
aud manner of his death upon an oak
board at his grave This was the last
Of the first man, lost in this war from a
Monroe county company. Reeze was .
r.solntc man, and in an action would have
been q useful and reliable man. Let him
rest 10 peace. asss exi.aiy-ss <;stsi y. :
N. ]. Manning of our company has
received a temporary appointment as Ser
geant Major the probability is that the
win be made permanent,
He will make an excellent officer. e iss
The health Of our boys is excellent; but
one being in the hospital. and he is in a
fair way of recovering soon. The diarr,
shea has about entirely disappeared.
i Almost ever. day squad of seceshers
is brought in from the mountains and
Eastern Virginia. and forwsrded to Wheel.
ing. Lieut.. Sinclair left day before yes
terday wish seventeen in charge, who had
beeh brought here BY. the troops in ad
vance of rs. One of them is believed to
be the man who shot Colonel (now GEN
eraD Kelly. S'asef9 - 5ea
& do not know whether the weather is
hottie. here than it is in Monroe, but /
never, in Monroe, or any other place. felt
as much oppressed by heat as / have here
for the last week. Our drill hours are go
arranged as to avoid the hottest part of
the day, but 10 our tents in the open field,
or in the strip of woods to which we have
access, the heat is most intense. aa 9
We have been visited this week by Mr..
Baker, Mr.. Little, Mr. Milton Patton and
Mr.. and Mrs. Walton from Woodsfeld.
We we're all glad to see them, of course,
to hear from home, as letters have almost
ceased to reach as This may be the
fault of the mails. but 1 suspect that it is
the fault of those who should write.
An alarm was created night or two
since by sentinel firing his gun. He
states that he saw an armed man trying
TO get in the lines The excitement soon
subsidized, however, and bat little import
ance is attached TO the matter.
We have no opinion as to when we will
make an advance movement. bat the prob
ability is that we will remain here for
some weeks. s JERE