Delaware State journal and statesman., 1861-12-10


ielphia. Philadelphia Inquirer.
We clip the above from the Inquirer for the
purpose of correcting an error into which the
editor has fallen, and Of which we spoke OH
Tuesday last. Company A Of the First Della
waro Regiment, is composed entirely Of Dela-
aoareans, and was recruited almost exclusively
iu this city. The First Delaware Regiment has
few rennsylvanians in it,
LETTER FROM FORTRESS mONROE'
Correspondence Of the Journal and stateamans Il
LETTER No. 49,
CAMP HAMILTON, FoRTREss MONROE, Va,
Monday night December ..
FRIEsD EoKEL;
Government has shown very |
commendable care for the health and comfort of
our Regiment by the substitution Of the large, |
conical Sibley tents with stoves precisely of the
same shape, for the small tents which have here
tofore been occupied. Our encampment now has
the appearance Of q ground on which series o.
monster old-fashioned sugar loaves rise. The |
stove stands in the centre, and the pipe pro-
trudes through the opening in the apex. The
men can lie on the floor with their feet to the
fire, and need no longer shiyer in their new hab-
tations so long as wood Is as accessible as at
present. Eighteen men can sleep in each tent.
The stoves are good institution. The boys
the cold winter nights, when the air is bleak, or
| the wind bowls, and when the gray bearded
jack Frost pays an unwelcome visitation, aud
when man, on the tented field, is apt if ever,
to think of the family hearth-stOne, the bright
| FIRE cracking upon the hearth, glowing In the
CRATE, or roaring pleasantly in the air-tight;
and when on the canvass will be depicted
the faces Of the domestic circle irradated by the
softened light from the Goals, and bosoms
heave at times with thoughts of loved one
who has left that pleasant family scene,
OF his country's call, to take up his abode
in tents, to brave danger and exposure. How
many are the families now, comfortably seated
in their warm, cosy rooms, whose thoughts are
busy with some absent one whose situation pre-
cudes the possibility of SO much comfort
As nearly allied to the subject of domestic
affairs, we must not omit to State for it is an
Important fact-that a bonnet, yes, true, veri-
table bonnet, has been received in camp. 1t
was expressed from Wilnington, and directed
to your humble correspondent, and purported to
come from several ladies'" II is now on ex'
r hibtion at the Dispensary Of the Hospital and
crowds have already been to see it, 1t has at
r tracted as much attention as q menagerie in n
J country town or dog Eight in city. 1t hangs
} over the mantle piece with the ribbons so grace
' fully falling down, and ali as they enter the
r room, see it and instnctiVely bow to it, so ex-
ated is their respects, indeed, reverence for that
: piece of feminine head-geur. few nights ago,
I many of the officers, hearing of the advent oil
= this decoration Of femininity, came over ex.
# pressly TO witness the rare sight and as they
g filed into the room, every man took off his cap,
y. as his eye glanced up at that production Of the
h milliner. They took it down. inspected IL like
k child would watch, placed it on the head o
3, one another stood off and admired. They madt
o as much fuss over il as a tribe of Indians woull
n make over the scalp Of an enemy. what q pre-
n oious spectacle it was How il carried then
10 back to days when the wearera of such article
h were not 80 far distant
n But do you ask how such strange affair as
" bonnet found it's way down here II you won
3 accuse US of egotism, 1--WE will inform you Well
" in one of our late letters you know, we casual
remarked that some Of the fellows had offered {
ot quarter for tho sight of IN old bonnet. Tha
,d brought it, When the box containing il va
- opened, it had been so very long since VIC ha
,e seen such an Appendago, that really We ddn
re know whether it was u milliner's shop, an i'm
l. mense boquet, or an Internal machine. We com
es so very near to the faintng point, that We wer
or obliged to get person who happened to be pre-
er sent, to remove what we supposed to be a kin
er of nondescript from the box. Light gradual
I'd dawned upon our mind, and we learned that th
II. article was a bonnet, and especially after W
nd had peTused q stunning piece OF poetry whic
IL. accompanied it. If the authors should never b
ed ranked among the /" Female Poets of America,
IS they may be assured that they write poetry
Va That verse was good; none of your doggerel
r. it had sentiment, and what is more, it was
lv the loyal kind, Holmes couldn't write anythin
" more patriotic. We would give it for the
st your columns, but we are too selfish we haN
Id appropriated it all for ourself
he But we mustn't leave the bonnet yet AS
Its appearance, we are not conversant en0ug
with the French language, to describe it !; but
struck us that it had good many flowers abot
N. thnt Iha lanipq had Hnxyarq hun he
knew how to dispose Of, and put them there
n convenient place of deposit; that indeed
was redundant with flowers 1t looked not
little like gaudy Pdrteyre; it had roses, pink
blue leaves and green leaves on the top, ut Ii
n sides and oil inside. We are slightly fond
~ flowers, but we thought that there were mo
'n too many Of them there. We determined hel
'rs were more flowers than bonnet there Howeve
49,. we have no taste in these matters, and beside
M don't know whether it is the fashion to We
them in this style. But, one of our frient
'e- assured us that the bonnet was too gay but /
So is Quaker, and rather admitted himself tn
ial he had no right to an opinion on this momento
/ l subject, But we made up our mind respectir
- the good taste displayed, when one of the fema
On contrabands who occasionally sweeps out Il
ire room, came 10 yesterday morning. Her ey
of nstinctively had an upward direction as at Il
he exhibition of any fnery they dilated amazin
=. ly, and sparkled intensely; her worries Shove
"e and the exclamation, after speech came, escnp,
res her, La, me, where did - git dat iii
ire bunnetY its de purticst one cher seed" Tho
ou red flowers got her fancy, she was charmed wi
a. the "love of bonnet" She desired TO kuC
UT after she discovered that II didn't belong TO o
oil wife, what we would charge for it. Ia repl
Ike we informed her that the proprietorship of /
ort the contrabands in and around the Forirc
wouldn't be any consideration, What, dispose
oy' that bonnet Not quite We don't know wi
lB- tNne buf That 10 unf lVo hod ma,
ou up our mind that the article was valuable as
il chef d ouUre Of q Parisian milliner.
:. We nre not aware as to whom we are indebt
" for this kindly remembrance of our needs, b
hat this we know, they are entitled to the thanks
the Regiment Many pleasant little remer
ant brances have been frightened thereby, and d
- dull routine of daily life broken in upon. The
VI the present still hangs to remind the observ
lint that ladies still exist, and that bounets are 81
My worn, Pardon us for such an amplihcaton
me this subject, hut really the reception was au
!, in our camp history, and justified it, II "
much peasanter too than receiving
Tier % mitten."
be- Another box came on the same day, but of
bv different style. j. 4, Head and lady, in I
al, kindness of their heart, remembered the sick
'Vi our Regiment aud sent for the use of the Ill
! is pital, a miscellaneous but useful colectit
ate which served materially to increase the stOr
Among other things double blanket and comic
=, able were sent. These were particularly need,
." The Hospital now is becoming comfortably fl
the nished We have now twelve iron bedsteads a
,wn sixteen wooden ones, lately manufactured; twI
las ty-four bed sAoks filled with straw tweniy-fC
-. pillow ticks, filled with the same four pillo
iu' of feathers; thirty pillow slips; thirty shee
em twelve of which are linen twenty-five sin
by, blankets, (Of these there is deficiency.
md stores, there are soda crackers, green and bla
tea farina, arrow root, Jelly. The other prO