New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-09-26
Western Military Correspondence


Change of weather-Jackson Regncnt-vicksbarg Light
Dragoons-solders Tricks -Dongs Of The Set, etc.
Special 10 the New Orleans Crescent.l
CoLUMBusf Ky, Sept. q. 1861.
Mr.. EdHor-Last night the heavens abolished
tattoo and roll-call, and for a time threatened to
abolish us. The storm of lightning, thunder, wind
and rain was perfectly terrific. We huddled into
the tents to keep out Of the wet but many of them
admitted the water like so many shower baths,
and many good boy had to roll himself up in q
wet blanket. The blanket overcoat presented to
me by the ladies at No. 81 Camp street did good
service, as it had done on several occasions previ
ously; for which pray the shadows Of the afore-
said ladies Lss grow less, and that they will
accept my Contnenta blessing On the heels of
the storm came cold, cloudy weather, and this
morning the boys huddled shvering around the
fires in true winter style. Hope this will be ac-
ccpted, by those getting up army comforts for this
part of the country, as hint to send the things
| as early as possible.l .-...
| Iyisited the Jackson Regiment, of New Orleans,
| to-day. Found the boys in the highest possible
| spirits, under new order of things Acting Lieu
| tenant Colonel John B. G. Kennedy was yesterday
| formally elected, and unanimously, under Gen.
Polk's order, to the office he had ably filled
| the Colonelcy of Col. Miller was declared unauthor-
| lied and vacant he having failed to do Coonel's
| duty by his men; the name of the regiment, or
| battalion, was changed to that Of the New Orleans
| Battalion, there being as yet only six companies
| and as soon as other companies shall join and fill
| up as a regiment, the Colonel will be elected-and
| it seems to be the opinion of the boys that Ken
| nedy is the only man fit to be promoted to that
| honor. Lieutenant Colonel kennedy's host OF
| friends in New Orleans will be glad to hear how
| well he is loved by the companies under his com
| mand
| Next went and helped to put away some roast
| pig and other goodies with Capt. klein's company
| the Warren Light Dragons, of Vichsburg-a
| nd Df hDrgpr1pD a de
! tachment of twelve men OF this company, being
sent out on a scout the other night, rode So miles
before returning, having taken but one feed and a
| brief rest during the whole round. They came tC
| house where a country dance was going on, ani
| at first were mistaken for LincOlnites. The lights
| were blown out, the ladies hid away, and the gen
tlemen dancers were debating whether they shOulc
| run or fight, when they discovered the horsemeI
| to be not one hundred Hessians but twelve
| friends.
There are few regiments to be found in whicl
there are not some soldiers of the waggish kind
constantly playing of jokes, or innocent tricks O
| some kind, upon those who don't keep their eye;
properly peeled. Stout old country wagons O
undoubted integrity, coming near camp with ap
pies, peaches chickens, butter, ETC., leak in tht
most unaccountaEle manner-neither the country
| huXters nor the military officers being able to dis
cover what becomes of the leakage. The eide
| wagons particularly suffer in this way. The othe
| day cider man got even after a fashion of hi
| own. Having handed out numerous cups of eide
without taking in any picayunes, he declared ther
was cheating going on, and refused to sell an
more unless it were paid for in advance. All VIII
still wanted cider handed in their dimes and plea
yunes, and when the countryman, pretending t
get ready to draw the cider, had enough change i
his hand to pay for the cider he had lost, he sue
denly put whip to his mules and galloped back t
, the woods at full speed, pursued some distance b
his victims, with shouts, yells and curses. Fl
good mules got him safely away. 1t was an il
teAsely comcal thing.
One countrymau who had lot of " garde
| ho1y yvitb hip1h hinIyo
waiking-stc with quarter of dollar set in th
head for ornament. Whilst he was busy sellin
his truck to the crowd, one scamp gouged th
quarter from the head of his cane and then passe
the coin back upon the old man, receiving thereto
. twenty-five cents worth of vegetables besides tn
leakage he had obtained. Another countryma
coming along with several boxes of apples, SO
. der politely asked if he could take an apple
Certainly was the polite reply. The solde
took his apple, and then all the rest followed suit
each taking apple, till the countryman cease
i. to see the fun of it, and drove Indignantly away
. But these tricks are harmless, mere juvenil
sport, compared with the feats of a certain con
pany in certain regiment, which company ! nee
! not point at further than merely to state that it
); not from Louisiana. They have The name of til
greatest scamps in camp, and shall desigaat
: them Us The Set. At New Madrid The Set pre-
D cured barrel of whisky; how, they and Heave
/ only know. Not being able to get the barrel int
camp, they watched their opportunity, put spige
: in the barrel, dug a hole in the river bank jus
4 over q spring, where they and other companie
went for water buried the barre! in the hole wit
| the spigot out, hid the spigot with handful
dirt every time they left ii, aud were thus enable
to be drunk all the time, without their astonishe
4 officers being able to discover where in the worl
| they got their liquor.
: Since their arrival here, The Set have dor
j | still funnier thing. The other day stor
: keeper in Columbus received seven barrels
-. whisky from down the river, and left the ba
l | rels in row on the street, near his store doc
Whilst he was standing in his door. conversir
with an officer of the regiment to which =" The Set
belong, some of "The Set" opened animprompt
circus in the street. They tumbled, wrestled, "a
foot races and got up a variety of fun, which WI
really capital for fellows who had, as they bragge
been "only three weeks in the, circus" MOI
| enjoyed the sport more than the storekeepe
The crowning feat of 90 The Set was the intr
duction of an empty whisky barrel, which the
took turn about standing upon it and rolling
every which way as you have seen done in Il
circus with barrels and balls, by expert equlibris
= and toe-oogists. The last part of this feat CO
sisted in rolling the barrel away and out of sigh
t, two at time standing on it, and striking class
e attitudes once in while as they went The stor
~ ! keeper eniOVed the fun as hugely as any, r