American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1861-07-20
Correspondence OF the citizen.
CAMP WALKER, NEAR MANASSAS }
JUNCTION, Va, July 5, 1861. {

report of our general welfare.
To-day is the 5th of July, and we scarcely
realize that the time-honored Fourth has
come and gone so quietly by. This ami
yersary of the Declaration Of independence
of the American States-this memorable
epoch in the history of republican liberty
with its usual attendants of public speaking
and festivities of every character, to my
great astonishment-wa allowed to pas:
without one single demonstration of joy on
our part.
We heard the booming of distant artillery
at sunrise. as the FederaIists at Alexandra
or Washington discharged twenty-five sec
ond guns in honor 1--WE SUPPOSED of that num-
Der of States which are now left to eonsti-
tute their unholy league. This firing was
kept up, at longer intervals, during the
whole morning, but we gave them no re-
spouse. This Indifference to the Importance
of the occasion, l guess, was not generally
the case throughout the Southern States
for in divorcng ourselves from the alliance
with the degenerate North, it surely cannot
be that the I" Old Dominion" the Carolinas,
and their descendants of the South and
West, have yielded or forfeited all their in
heritance in the honorable heritage of the
past deeds of distinction which blazon our
history, when it is eminently proven that
the valor of their arms and virtue of their
statesmen were chiefly instrumental in win
ming those laurels. 1t occurs to me that it
is peculiarly within the province Of the
South to respect and celebrate the Fourth
of July :; for, by her late rupture from the
old United States Government, she demon
strates the fact that she fully sanctions the
principles of freedom and self-government
promulgated in that instrument which has
given distinction to the day (however hearth
ly she may repudiate the disgusting dogma
of the universal social and political equality
of men, which the Abolitioaists claim to
have derived from the same source J and
the contest in which we are now engaged is
but a re-enactment of that condition of
things which preceded and gave birth to
that declaration. 1t certainly becomes us,
then, the endorsers, the avowed defenders
engaged as we are in the stern, and, per-
haps, yet to be bloody maintenance of the
truth and integrity of the policy and princi-
pies which it indoctrinates-to celebrate the
anniversary Of that occasion.
Our Regiment, attached to the Third
Brigade composed of the 18th Mississippi
and the 5th South Carolina Regiment, and,
also, the Washington Artillery, under the
command of Brigadier General ID. r. Jones),
is still encamped just where we first pitched
tents in Virginia. a considerable amount
of sickness has been produced in camp by
the change in climate, weather and water,
but no one has yet died. Th, measles have
sively. When we first arrived our location
was more unfavorable than any we had pre-
viously occupied for although the country
presented the appearance of having been
thickIy Inhabited and highly cultivated,
there seemed to have taken place univer-
sal stampede among the Z. T. vs." ETC.,
and psince William county, the probable
arena upon which were TO be enacted those
scenes OF war which we were taught by the
threatening appearance of things to antci-
pate, left deserted to bear its own bloody
fate alone. There were, accordingly, but
few visitors (and among them no face of a
beautiful woman, which with us has become
rara ga te7ris) or marketmen to be seen. The
phase OF affairs, however, has materially
frightened, of late, in the latter respect
since the large number of troops which we
found concentrated Immediately around Ma
nassas has decreased considerably by the
advance of our columns towards the position
of our enemy, and the provision market
from the country is now not quite SO COM
pletely overrun with hungry purchasers.
Let me here volunteer the sentiment,
friend Citizen, that it would be most ele-
CANT improvement for the ladies of our coun-
try, who can make it convenient, to compli-
ment our Southern volunteers by OCCASION
ally, at least, visiting our encampments. 1t
is surely no Boosting for me to say that we
are not crowd of " roughs"-that in our
private ranks are to be found full hosts of
the most elegant, refined and accomplished
young gentlemen, who have been raised in
the midst of elevated social positions and
enjoyments, and who, without arrogating too
much for themselves, feel that while they
are willingly and enthusiastically making
this temporary sacrifice, there is, perhaps,
due from those fair ones, who can supply it
without inconvenience, some pallation of the
lonesome and barbarous deprivations of
canp-life. Let them remember that under
all circumstances, we unanimously subscribe
to the assertion that e thing of beauty is a
joy forever"
You will have seen from the authentic re-
ports, that more active regime has at last
been adopted by both sides in this contest,
and we are now somewhat relieved from that
wearisome policy of delay which, up to this
time, has been pursued. The engagement OF
eighteen thousand Confederates, under Gen.
Johnston, with twenty thousand Of the enc
my just beyond Winchester, where our
brave men repulsed them three times and