The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1861-11-05
Camp at Mil on Pomme de Terre,
Eight Miles from Warsaw. Oct. u.

Eight Miles from Warsaw, Oct. 21
VIII you please to send me any scrap
Of news from the outside world-or an
old advertisement from the Gate City, of
any date, so that | may boast that | have
seeen something in the shape Of a news
paper Since l. clock of last Monday,
the 2lst, we have been crossing the nat
urally barren and now deserted and de-
vastated country that lies between here
and Syracuse, the distance SIS miles. The
lst Brigade of the 9Th Division Mai.
Gen. Mekinstry's) is composed of the
9TH Missouri, the 9th and sth Iowa. Our
Brigade arrived near Warsaw on Thursday
evening. Gen. Totten's Brigade, consist
ing of the lst Nebraska and twenty pieces
OF Artillery, came in ON Friday We
moved into Warsaw that evening, cross
ed the Usage Saturday and here we are,
guarding and running the saw mill that
Price used to get temporary supply for
his starving forces. Why didn't he burn
the mill !? He destroyed everything he
could lay his hands on-but | suppose he
hoped to get a chance to use the mill
again. Never unless he is good mill
er, and is set 10 grinding for the starving
population after he is taken prisoner.
Let me give you one or two examples
to show the condition of the people of this
country. went into house to smell
hre-for | was shivering with ague-and
found man and two young daughters,
the fire was almost out on the hearth and
the man apologized for it, saying that he
had to '4tote" all his wood as the seccs-
sionists took horse, saddle and bride
from him, and the Union army had press
ed his only remaining "mar" within a
few days How he should ever be able TO
get through the winter or make s'crap"
next year lie did not know.
At another house woman was rratino
corn to ret something for her children,
and this was all she could get for them to
eat. These are not solitary instances
They are but truthful specimens of the
general condition Of the country We
often find nobdy at home but women. The
men, sometimes are away in the secesb-
Ion army, at others they are skulking
close by in the brush, afraid to show them
selves on account of former traitorous
acts. Mostly they profess great deal OF
loyalty, but great deal of il is due to the
presence of the Federal army
The health Of our regiment has suffered
severely. We left It. Louis in the nigh,
after the heavy fatigue Of moving from
Camp Jessie TO Camp Benton, moving
thence to the boat and then unloading nj
loading all our baggage on the cars. Tn,
afternoon during which this labor was per
formed was excessively hot The morn
lng afterwards which found us at JefTer.
son CITY, was cold, raw and thickly laden
with the pestilence Of ague in its intense
Missouri form. We went into camp q,
lamp Curtis on the slope of hill, at the
bottom of which lay stream and q
slough, up from which came great vol
umes OF malaria and res ed upon us ever,
evening and morning. The bows were de-
tailed Tor picket guard duty and for chop
ping No wonder that our sick list be-.
came aiarmin-ly large 50 that we had ,c
leave - at Jefferson City when we lef,
there ! forgot to say that the measles
We're at the height of their vogue lust d,
the time. Gut Of all the number of s;cl
we have lost only one, young Best Of Mon
trose, and he died Of sheer neglect. in iii,
hospital at Jefferson City, for he was con
valescing from Typhoid fever when v
left him
We have now run the gauntlet d
measles pretty we'll aud as soon as III
frosts sufficiently clear the air OF malari
We will be all right. There is one seriou
difficulty in all our regiments Large mum
bers Of the soldiers are gauky coun,r,
boys, the sons, many Of them, Of welI-to
do farmers. They have been in the labi
Of working when they felt like il, and o
sitting around On the fences or in n,
barns when they did not. They have ney
err had any experience whatever in takiu,
care Of themselves, especially Of ,hei
health. 10 deny themselves Of anylhinl