The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1861-07-20

0asA,Rs>x SrAr,oN- Va. july 3rd.

GgAlRsAx STATION, Va, July Bird, 1861
Mr.. EGitor,
Having q little leisure this morning, l vii
endeavor 10 give you o brief summary Of th.
principal events ia our lives since our depar
ture from Camp Moore.
On the 18th hit, the following companies
composing the left wing of the 9th Regimen,
of Louisiana volunteers, under the command o
Col. j. q. Seymour. left the eucampment 'el
route" for Virginia, viz:
ST. Landry Guards. Capt. Nat Ofutt; Mcr
Ger Guards, Capt. Walker; Violet Guards
Capt. Manning; Pemberlon Rangers, Capt
Smith; aud Calhoun Guards, Capt. Stroug
We came with such rapidly That it was impos
sible TO obtain much information relative Il
the d tferent states through which we passed
bnt, Judging from the patriotism which wal
exhibited at the several stations at which We
stopped, the cause Of the Southern Contedera-
cy will eventually triumph. The only place
at whichSwe noticed o deficiency of interest in
Tue struggle Ut liberty against oppression, was
Knoxville. Tennessee, where al least one hall
OF the population appeared sadly tinc.ured with
abolitionism; and sncli l believe is The case in
the whole Of East Tennessee.
The magnifcence Of the public buildings OF
the cities through which we passed. struck us
very forcible, and the private residences Dor.
dering on the road, denoted much wealth and
refinement. Though the soil of Mississippi,
Alabama and Tennessee is far inferior to ours,
the inhabitants are decidedly in the advance of
us in agricultural science. We were every
where received with much hospitality, but TO
the citizens Of Holly Springs. Miss. and
Huntsville, Ala, we owe especial thanks for
the sumptuous repasts they were kind enough
to prela'e for US; and, l assure you they were
gratefully received by our soldiery, who, for
forty,eight hours had eaten little, and slept
less. Col. Seymour presided with a dignity
worthy Of q more elevated position, while our
Captains and Lientenants paradcd around with
beautiful girls. richly dressed. with a gallnntry,
which il a peculiar characteristic of the chival.
ry OF our bright and sunny Louisiana.
We reached %Lynchburg Va. on the 18th ult.
where we remained two days; thence, we came
to Manassas junction, about three miles from
the celebrated Gap, at which place, we pitched
our tents and camped two days. We were
then ordered to Fairfax Station, which. we
reached on the Gath ult.
Our camp is situated in a beautiful grove of
cedar and oak. On the west, and near our en-.
campment, the Washington and l.ynchburr
Railroad IS our boundary; while about two
miles east Of US, the old Potomac wends its
way to lis ocean home. The army Of Brig.
Gen. Ecauregard in this vicinity, numbers
forty-two thousand. Lincoln's force is I'M.
known to our officers. There are so many
c''htlicting reports in circulation, relative to
The strength aud condition Of the Northern
army that 1t is impossible to determine accu.
raiely what their real state is. We are abont
miles from Alexandria and twenty
four rem the oily Of Washington. The pick.
ct OF the enemy is posted three miles from
Alexandria in our direction, and ours is posted
about four miles from our encampment 10.
wards them. So you see onr picket guards
are not tar apart. Our sentries take prisoners
daily. VIM. Herbert Of the St. Landry
Guard brought IN two yesterday morning.
II ls reported IN our camp that Lincolp's sol.
diers are miserab'y fed aud clad; and that our
scouts shoot their picket guard SO fast, that +,
is impossible for the officers to get them to
serve without using the most strenuous meas.
ures. Ours onsthe contrary, evince such q de.
sire TO serve as pickets and scouts. that our
officers frequently have to ilterpose their au-
thor'fy TO prevent qnarrels. II all that is
sald OF the force in and about Alexandria be-
true, they cannot hold out long against The
true and steady aim Of our rifles and musketrv.
WINE OF Manassas, we heard that jackson Ia
70 the martyr who was shot for shoot
inc. the traitor EIlswor,h.) averaged killing
eight or ten per day. They have c%erta,niy
learned that q Southern spirit fully aroused,
terrible. Prisoners taken since The battle
Of Bethel Church report that the loss of the
enemy was three hundred, in killed and wou,-
ded; orr loss was one killed and six wounded.
Az Fairfax Court house their loss was thirty
kiled and wounded; ours one killed, CAPT.
John q Mari, Bird Regiment South Carolina
volunteers. At o skirmish at McCloud's Mill
IN the night Of the 28th, the enemy lost Twelve
oiled, hve prisoners and five pieces of artiIiery.
the night of the Both, a party of scouts
rom an independent company of Kentucky
volunteers, came in contact with Il Zouayc
party OF the enemy. The Kentuck-
ans lost their commander, Sergeant Hayne,
out suppose that he was, lowing TO the dark
'ess| Killed by one OF their own men. The
'nemy re'reated precipita,ely, leaving eight
S,!1ed on the field. On the Both a party of
scouts came mp, with, and fred at,
he picket guard Of the enemy about fonr
niles from Alexandria, killed three and
lrove thu picket in; the fire was returned. hmt
he only shot that took effect, killed cont
Halnes Of the Virginia mounted riaenen. Ihe
oarty of men from our regiment detailed nv
.ol. Seymour to burn the bridge over the Pa.
.onac supposed to have been rebuil,) which
troops blew up when re,reating from
AlexSndrin, returned the evening ofihe 30,h.
lieut.. Col. Lay the commander of the party.
that the bridge remains in the same
in which the Southerners left il
such victories as we have achieved since The
OF this contest is unparalleled in the
annals OF modern times, and must be attributed
% an interposition of Providence rather tlnn
o q superiority Of our soldiery-
Tue war is upon US; and instead of home.
"a pleasant associations and the voices nj
owed ones, we have tie camp. its arduous du.
les and the heavy tramp of armed men. As
said the war is upon us, and we mourn that
he last tie has been rent asunder. which nni,ed
me OF the grandest constitutional government
he world bus ever seen-the bulwark Of popu-
ar rights-the asylum Of The oppressed and
killed Of all nationalities. Bat we must and
'i'i tight; every man = HON / have seen shows {
y both words and actions that he came To ]
conquer; and the alacrity with which ,Lev l
hey their snperiors has not been eoualle3
'nce the Revolution, and was probably not
xcclled in Spartan heroes.
On Sunday evening our camp was thrown (
nto great CONSERVATION by the firing of Two
latoons. The drums Immediately heat tho n
,ng-roll and the different companies comno.
ln0 tho 9Th eon;rpoDk c~-.. tS