The weekly Butte record., 1861-12-07
0Neeklp &utte Aetor0
William Brown and his Tract,

The women of America, my boy,
are credit to the American eagle, and
great expense to their husbands and fathers,
but they don't exactly understand the most
pressing wants of the soldier. For instance,
young girl, about seventy-five years of age, has
been sending ten thousand pious tracts to the
Mackerel Brigade, and the consequence is, that
the air around the camp has been full of spit
balls for week These tracts, my boy, are
very good for dying sinners and other South
erners. but I'd rather have Bulwers novels for
general reading. William Brown, of Regiment
Five, got one of them the other day, beaded,
Who is your father ?" The noble youth
read the question over once or twice, and took
some tobacco to check his emotions. THAT
brave youths father, my boy, is a disgrace to
bis species lie has been sinking deeper and
deeper in shame for some months past, until at
last his name has got on the Mozart ticket
saw that William didn't understand what the
tract really meant, and so | explained to him
that it was intended to signify that God was
was bis father The gifted young soldier look
ed at me dreamily for moment, and then says
he
"God is my Father y says he. Well, now
I am hanged if that amt funny for, whenever
mother spoke of dad, she always called him
the old devil 7"
William never went to SABBATH school, my
boy, and his knowledge of theology wouldn't
start country church.
Wishing to find out if he knew anything
about eatecbism | asked him, last Sunday
afternoon, if he knew who Moses was
Yes says he, " know him very well he
sells old clothes in Chatham street."
l went over to Virginia yesterday to review
Berdans Sharpshooters, and was much aston
lshed, my boy, at their wonderful skill with the
rife. The target is little smaller than the
side of barn, with hole through the center
exactly the size of bullet. They set this up,
my boy, just Goo yards away, and fire at it in
turn, After sixty of them had fired, went
with them to the target, but couldn't see that
it had been hit by a single bullet REMARKED
this to the captain, whereupon he looked at
me ptyingly, and says he" Do you see that
hole in the bulls eye, just the size of bullet ?"
/ allowed that l did.
Well" says he, the bullets all went
through the hole y
Now don't mean to say that the captain
lied, my boy, but it is my opinion-my private
opinion, my boy, that if he ever writes work
of fiction, it will sell!
La Mountain has been up in his balloon,
andwent 50 high that he could see all the way
to the Gulf of Mexico, and observe what they
had for dinner at Fort Plckens. He made
discoveries of an important character, my boy,
and says that the rebels have concentrated
several troops at Manassas. 4 reporter of the
Tribune asked him if he could see any negro
Instructions, and he said that he did see
some black spots moving around near South
Carolina, but found out afterwards that they
were some ants which had got into his teles-
cope.
The Prince de Joinville's two sons, my boy,
are admirable additions to Gen. McClelans
staff, aud speak English so well that | can all
most understand what they say. Two Arabs
are expected here to morrow, to take command
of Irish brigades, and Gen. Blenker will proba-
bly, have two Aztecs to assist him in his Ger
man division.
Yours, musingly, ORPHEUs C. KERR.
Mackerel Brigade Washington Core