, 1861-12-26
Visit from Capt. CleEeIand~-PartIcus
lars about the Regiment.

tapt. Reuben Cleveland dropped into our
Eanctu1n this afternoon just from shiugton,
gl1ch he lc;t on Monday morning, Esd inst.
He looks as he-rty and rugged as polar bear;
camp life evidently agrees with him. His
resinent-Col Farnswortk's sth Illinois cayr
alry-were marched into Virginia two weeks
ago to-day. The mcu received their sabrcs and
zoo earbinns on Wednesday evening. Next
morning, white they wcrnout On parade, the
order came to break up Gimp and march o1er
the river, and Pitch their tents on the sacred
soil.
The regiment is pic sanity located in field
On the road to Centrevillc, three miles vest Of
Alexandria, and near Fort Lyon. They occu-
p the centre Of Gen. Summers division. with
half dozen regiments of infantry on either
side Of them The night before Capt. Cleye-
Lard left camp, the rerol7ers or good share
Of them arrived. The balance Of the carbincs
were expected in few days, when the rcsi-
ment won1d be fully armed.
The health Of the men WIS very good. The
regiment lad lost none by death. There bad
been t n or fifteen Gees Of typhoid fever, but
ali had recovered, or were conyalc=cing. Dr..
Hand, Of AuTor~, re :imenta1 surgeon, and his
assistant, Dr.. C'~wlord, were assilaous in
their attention. TO the sick, and thus far had
net lost single case.
The men have been putting in al their spare
tl1ac in making their quarters comfortable.
Tie camp ground has been we'll drained. L
foundation wall Of logs is raised about two
feet high, and we'll banked up with Garth out
side. On top Of this the tent Is placed Each
tc1t mc=s has bought sheet iron stove, built
brick chimney for Il to carry off the SMOKE
large brick house in the neighborhood be-
longing to J. eeccsl furnished the brick re-
qui7ed. Mud answered for mortar. Ever
green boughs are spread down for beds on
which to sleep, and make quito comfortable
roostlng place The boys have cut down large
nunbe18 Of small pines, and cut of the tops
and branches Of larger ones and planted them
in VOWS around and among the tents, making
quito pine forest in which they live. These
pines afford much shelter and brc4k the cold
winds. But the poor horses a1e not yet under
sh-1.cr, and suffer severely, being exposed to
the rn1n, cold and wind.
Such Of the men as had not received their
full quota of clothing a month ago, have since
peeA PFoflASa Dy aUsCFnmcnE. Many OF tho
5'rlsatc5 have been getting blankets, socks,
pittens and other articles Of wearing apparel
f1om their friends at home, aud more Of these
things are expected Taking everything to-
getler, the regiment is getting along finely,
and feel contcntcd. Tic men arc satisfied
with their officers, ard the officers tlelt we'll
the men. The Eighth Illinois Cayllry is con-
cclc1 by al the n1inv officers to be one Of the
Lest regiments on the Potomac. Tic men arc
motal, steady and Industrious, and in physi-
cal point Of view are nearly Ill robust, power
iul fellows, who are longing for an opportu-
nltF to try their swords on the chlva1ry-
The regiment w::s pad off on the 18th inst,
up to Nov 1st. They will be paidagain about
the middle Of January. Nearly every man
scat home to his friends part Of his wages,
and all expect to bc able to spare more at next
ray day. The sutler managed to abstract from
t'.''r es'nings seyc1a Il thousand dollars in c1-
change for oysterF, pies, cakes, fruit, ciga-
an1 such like, which he b:gsscd, and then left
Tor tone. But this spon-c business is played
ont by the new regulations, and suffers will
| not in the future flch SO large share Of the
| Eolticis wages.
Capt. C,eye1nnd expects to return to his
;.,.sm~nt on January &th, and wants to take
- II it1 him tWen'v frat class men.