Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-11-08
Correspondence Qf the Gazette.
Letter from Quincy.
Qu,xcY, ILL.,. Nov. 8, 1851

sumo you all know. We came here ont
bright Saturday morning and pitched oul
tent at Camp Wood, justobt, Of town and in
front of a beautiful groae. The weather has
been delightful every day since we came
here. .& a.
We are living like kings. We have full
rations, and as they are more than enough
the boys trade Of what is left Of coffee, sugar
bfesa and, meat for milk, butter and other
luxuries shat the government does not fur.
nish. The regiment is recruiting fast and
will soon be in good condition again. We
have had our new uniforms, portion oil
which are a perfect swindle. The parts 70,
instance, some of which have been worn
about two weeks, are sadly worn out already.
| I have seen poor cloth before, but never
saw any so poor as that Of which our pants
were made. This morning came box from
our friends at Cedar Falls, filled with all
sorts Of good things to eat; even chickens
ready baked were sent us. suppose our
| friends thought that since we were out Of Mis-.
souri, we might be in need of them, chickens
being rather cheap to soldiers and sometimes
quite commen fare with them in Missouri.
Didn't our mess have Sunday dinner to-
day What pity it wasn't Thanksgiving
day, bu. we made it one. Our dinner was
all from home. Our bill of fare was baked
chicken, sausage, bread, pickles, cake, cheese,
coffee and mince pie. Was not that tempt
ing? It was to US poor soldiers. When we
four messy called the roll for dinner only two
appeared-of the rest, two were in the hesPi-
tai. others absent and accounted for'-only
WILDER and I. So we sat down to our feast
w. Thought that mothers bread was little
the best after all-Iw wish Icoald eat some
Of my mothers bread-and we both thought
the coffee the best we had drank since we
left Iowa. Everything was to our taste; w.
was in his element, so was almost, for
could not help wishing that could eat some
of the good things prepared upon table in
a farm house far away and in sight of the
Green Mountains. 1913. 5"
With our pleasure was mingled regret that
our friend, to whom most Of these things
had been sent, was too sick to eat even a
morsel of anything that had been sent him.
presume we shall remain here something
over a week and then we shall 60 into ser.
vice again. am pretty sure that we do not
go upon the Hannibal and st. Joseph Rail
road again, but our exact destination is not
known to the soldiers as yet 1t will be how
ever south, upon one side or the other of the
Mississippi River.
INA HOSPITAL. All.
Reader you knew what Hospital is, but
were you ever in one! If not hope you
may never be compelled to stay in one with
fever raging through your bones and burn
ing up your life's blood. We have Hospi-
tai here, and although one who is sick does
not get the care that sick man ought to
have and does have when at home, yet he is
as well cared for as one could expect in an
institution where there arc so many sick as
there are at this place. The Hospital is a
large three story building. Upon the lower
floor are the dining and cook rooms, above
are the sick halls and small rooms for Offices
and for cases Of special and contagious dis
eases. The sick rooms consists of two long
halls, one in each of the two upper stories.
In each hall are four rows ofbeds upon which
lie the sick. Walters are passing around
the room, the convalescent are setting around
thc stoves, or il the day is warm are out sun
ming themselves upon the stairs and side
walks, some helping themselves with canes,
others with crutchcs.
Into one of these rooms, if sick, you are
carried, and if very sick you are put upon a
bed near the further end Of the hall where
there is less noise. The first night you do
not sleep much, the room is strange and the
noise and confusion disturbs you, your
straw bed and straw pillow, too, seem hard,
for you have been accustomed when sick to
sleep upon the best feather bed and to have
q pillow smoothcd down with soft hand.
In the night out of short sleep or hall
waking dream, you start; the room is scarce.
ly lighted by single candle and that hall
hid; in corner near by, sick man is
moaning for water; perhaps the night wait.
er is asleep or little hard Of hearing; right
by your side is another talking about his
horse and calling to have him fed, the next
moment he is discouraged and offers to sell
him at any price. You see his long bony
hands catching at the bed-clothes, you know
that soon there will be space for another
sick soldier, and that wife and three child
rem out on prairie in Kansas will wear the
badge Of mourning; with shudder you will
call to mind the skeleton that you saw by
daylight on the bed -fever has been eating
away his flesh since the battle of Springfield
In distant part of the room springs one
from his bed and coughs as though he would
burst his lungs; then from sympathy coughs
another, and another, and finally you give
slight hack lest the game stop and coughing
DO played out;" nearer, springs tall no.
BILE looking German, with full, lustrous eyes,
and broad forehead, and in his delirium Of