Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-08-07

have heard people deny the statement,
often made, tbnt Union men in the South
are impressed into the rebel army, aud
compelled to fight against their country
AS one ofthcse items of evidence that go
70 make up the proof on the questions now
being tried, copied the following from the
original in Gen. RosecrSns' hands:
81. J.. II. Burdick, am Il native of Rhode
Island came TO Virginia in April, 1861,
in the steamer Yorktown; was detained
and forced into the Confederate army on
the goth of May, 1861:
Burdick was one OF the men captured
with Pegram, and desired pass to go to
his home, which he received. Such in
stances are certainly not rare.
/ If there is anything now needed to con-
vert our troops here into effective soldiers,
tits discipline. l am compelledto say that
it is still too lax-too much as saw 1t at
Washington early in the season. 1t is
poor among the three month volunteers
because thev are going home, and the
same among the new recruits because they
have Just come. Only this morning ] saw
the sentry guarding the line in front ofthe
Generals tent sitting at his post; reason,
he Ind been their five or six hours, ard,
from fatigue and want of breakfast, had
become too faint to travel his beat. The
blame was with the officer of the guard
/ hope that Gen Rosecrans will not be de-
TERED by the bowls which follow any de-
monstration Of vigor in the enforcement of
discipline, TO relax his efforts in the small
est degree. The fuss made in Ohio about
Lieut.. Stratton and the plunderers who
/ were dismissed from service upon their oirn
representations, is the most injurious thing
possible; it encourages Generalization
among the troops at very crisis when
nothing but discipline and drill can save
the government from destruction. The
numbers we can command, but without
complete subordiuation to military rules,
( the larger our army thefmore unmanagea-
BILE and liable to disaster.
| Another necessity which the Department
should at once consider, is some distinc-
tive UNIFORM or badge for our troops; and
this is particularly important, since we
find that the "chivalry" are up to the noble
dodge of marching into battle under our
| flag, and feiguing to be Union troops to
save themselves from attack. We should
have not the means of initiating; or plain
and conspicuous badge, made privately
and distributed to the men on the eve of
| an important battle, which will enable
them at once to distinguish friends from
foes All through this war, the rebels
| seem to have emulated the qualities which
they consider most characteristic ofNorth
ern men. They have far excelled us in
cunning, activity, and enterprise; which
qualities, engrafted upon their natural i'm
| petuosity, have made them formidable in
the extreme. Our men, on the other hand,
have gone into the war as they would into
any other businesS; expecting TO prosecute
| it iu an honorable and manly spirit, COM
parativeiy destitute of inpetuosity, and
entirely unprepared for the "tricks" which
have been played of on them in the shape
of masked batteries, perjured spies, poison
ers, shooting of sentries, and the use of
the National flag The Yankees have al.
ways been proverbially quick to leave; can
it be that this great calamity-this savage
warfare waged By ellow-citizens-has
palsied their energies and untitled them to
fight, because they see now what they
should have long knowu-that the charac-
ter and institutions of the South are all
permeated with the worst vices of barbar-
ism, vitalized by Anglo-Saxon energy and
intelligence.
The weather amongst these mountains is
a constant source of astonishment to those
unacquatuted with its habits A good
share of the time during the past month it
j has been really cold. Now, cool weather
| in July may be pleasant to certain ex-
tent, but when it comes to calling for over
coats and fires, and giving you catarrh, |
submit that the regular order of nature is
the best. The only variety we get is rain,
and that comes in the most unexpected and
whimsical styles. The hill sides have lit
orally all been dripping for the Inst fort
night. With warm atmosphere, the
sight would be delightful. But to-day we
have decided change in the temperature
the mercury has gone suddenly up, and
we are sweating off our colds. The thaw
meets my unqualified approval.
As the earlier crops are being threshed,
learn that the yield will be about aver
age in this region. Wheat is likely to he
a fair crop-nothiug more. five get warm
weather soon Indian corn will be very good;
otherwise, poor. notice thuta good deal
of rye is raised among the mountains, and
in general it is looking excellent. The
great staple here, though, is grasslthis
being pre-eminently stock-raising region.
There are very fine cattle here and some
good sheep, and all looking admirably in
fact. have very seldom seen grass crop
as heavy. These hills, in raising forests
and good grass, show capacity in the
soil for which was unprepared. With
slavery rooted eat and enterprise injected
in, Western Virginia may become one Of
the best dairy regions in the world.