Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-05-15
ARMY CORREsPONpRNCF.

FRuzD c---7;-No doubt you have i'm.
aginod that have forgotten my promise L
write, but IL you ha ever been one Of a com.
Pany to be located in new camp, with bui
very little to write with to make yourself
comfortable, you would know how little
time there is for writing. don't know thai
| can add anything 70 your stock Of newi
from this Camp, bnt having 3 little time,
concluded TO devote 1t to you. We all agres
that there is but one place on the line Of
railroad between here and Cleveland, and
that is the littlo town OF Grafton. All along
the line people turned out in large numbers
to see Us, but there the ladies provided ell
the boys in town with baskets Of good things
in the eating line, which were highly rel
ished by our men. Many times on Mon
day (aftsr leaving Camp Jackson in such
haste that there was but little time for
breskfasD did our boys wish for another
Grafton. Many towns were passed, but no
food offered. Imagine, If you can, our feel
ings when the cars stopped and We were or
dered to fall in, to march 70 quarters,
when all we could see was a plowed field
almost covered with water, here and there
few " Irish shanties" going up, and little
lumber by the track to cover them with
" Forward, march, !" and in we went, every
step over ankle deep-One losing a shoe, an
other boot. Rain was pouring down, but
there was no tagging, no murmurs. The
men we had sent forward had worked hard
although 1t had rained all the time, and to
work we also went-One squad after boards,
h'ch had to be carried on the mems backs
an eighth Of a mile, another to assist the car
Penters, and very soon all were busy. WhiIe
some were bringing lumber others were re-
turning for it, and ss they went, " Soldier.
will you work." or some other salutatiOu.
was uttered, and question and reply were al
ways in the same spirit. Our privations,
however, were as nothing compared TO those
Of others. A Lieutenant told me this morn
ing that he reached here with his company
in the rain, and that they had had nothing
to eat for twelve hOurB. The Company was
quartersd on an island, without blanket
or board for covering, and in rafting over
their ratiOns half was lost. The men were
on half rations for tEenty-four hour..7sBa
said that he saw strong men CRYING for
bread, and sll he had was one piece, Of the
size OF his hand, with piece Of raw pork |
Hnus you see, although the war has but lust
commenced, we know something of the hard |
ships of soldier life. But it is a glorious |
cause, and not one of US would turn back if
ne could. If any one man was the cause of /
this, it would not be well for him to come
mere. Some one, at least, has made a great |
mistake in ordering so many into this csmp
before anything was done to make them
comfortable. There seems to be great de-
sire on the part Of some 10 get into the Sew
enth Regiment as field officers. What foun-
dation they can have for claiming n nlaa.I
they are neither fitted to fiji nor have done
anything to deserve, cannot see. In our
regiment alone have field officers been chos-
en- from outsiders, while we have more men
fitted to I'LL those positions than any other.
Unfortunately for the deserving, they were
not posted in all the tricks of politics, nor
had money to spend in such cause. 1t is
a disgrace that at such time as this politics
should be mixed up in military affairs.
The illegal election held on Tuesday re-
suited in the election of Tyler for Colonel
Creighton, Lieutenant Colonel (plurality
vOte)j casemate, Major. understaad they
have not been able to get their commissions.
Our boys are all in good spirits, though
six or seven tre in the Hospital s-ith bad
colds nothing serious, They stand At well,
the stations in life most have
hlled. Chickens, pigs, and other small game,
have to suffer, and it is quite surprising
what good mixers we have amohg US. It
is said the farmers are not making much
butter about here, Some one found calf
the other day and tied it to tree, putting
up q notice that no one should unite H.
Somebody seeing it, cut of said Oalfs head,
and let that with The rope for the owner,
strictly Obeying the notice not to unite.
Fencing and bread sword exercise are our
amusements, and thus we perfect ourselves
in the handling OF weapons that may be use
full when We meet the enemy. We were
very much pleased this morning 70 hear
that there was chance of our being ordered
to Washington butI consider the ProbabiI-
ity rather slight for any such movement at
present - /
1 have seen but one Cleveland paper
since we left home. Our postal arrange
ments are miserable, but viii soon be i'm
proved, 50 that when papers are sentWe will
get them. Don't forget me in that line. 1
will try to keep you posted as opportunity
offers, and you can always rely on d
Yours truly,
%. B TFH REGIHENT.