Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-11-19


Our rmy Cerrespondenee-.Ar Army Life
olassow. XIV. Nov ;. Io62
am yet nj thh point. though most OF the
army has passed on, 10 what point I'm pot posi
lively informed. though il seems 20 be generally
ul.ler, TODD that ia course Is for GaliaiIn. Ieln.
sud thence wherever the exigencies 90 the case
may require; possibly back 10 Louisville ON its
way to Richmond. though probably 10 Knoxville.
The general impression j. that Bragg IL not
within reach OF this army.
Woods division encamped last Friday night
four miles north Of this place. Early Friday
morning il made its appearance the sih Indiana
leading the van Col Blake nj the head
leading a huge black mule. all saddled and
parisoned. but without rider. OF course for.
got my vow n-ver 20 honor another mule by rid
ing him, and was so m a mule back. Bat hu
Mutations and promotions are strangely huddled
together IN The army. Ia less than fifteen min
utes from NV taking position on this mule. the
Colonel gave the control OF his reg ment into my
hands while he assumed other duties; and though
say IL myself IL IL due 10 the truth of history 20
say that never regiment behaved better than did
the 10th while following that mule and it, rider.
They faced the music. and followed their guide,
fearing no danger But my honors were of short
duration. Ii soon became "A military necessity
for me 10 gallop along the line; then came the
impairment remarks of the soldiers until was
ready to wish the animal in paradise, or at Col
Blake's quarters; but most OF all. after / had
passed the column and met the wagon train.
Wholly unmindiul Of the propriety of observing
the utmost decorum. that the entire family OF
mules should be redeemed from their deserved
approbrium, he no sooner saw his companions in
harness than he set up hideous howl breaking
IL at every l0pe into mule jargOn which, mingled
with the uproarious laughs OF the men. any
thing but music To me. To add To my embar.
rassment. mule like, he determined to go To the
left OF the train, while insisted that we should
90 to the right. the law directs. The conse-
quence Was an unsilling compromise right in the
midst of the leaders OF the foremost wagon. The
driver could not swear for laughing until had
got entangled when he pitched in for some OF
the latest style OF army profanity He
terribly, but whether AT or the mule did not
enquire; at the mule, | suppose
led the army, for a mile or more. into a beau
tiiul camp, where they called halt, pitched
tents and sent to Cave City for supplies The
10th and 18th were encamped on the old field by
the side OF little stream. The field had grown
up in wild grass. nov dead Ii promised such
nice bedding that the precauton of first burning
oil the grass before pitching the tents was omitted.
but the best laid schemes often thwarted
The 18th had just pitched then tents for the b. st
time in more than two months when a fire broke
out and literally spread like wild fire. Before the
tents could be removed two companies were lett
shelteress. Some wag said that the 18th was
never before under such raging fire and never
were many lives lost. alluding to the wholesale
destruction of that part OF the army known rs
"body guards"
BY the way. an army camping presents phase
which / would love to daguerreotype First
come the robust They mqrch To the music and
come in on time. They are formed IN line, stack
arms and ordered to pitch tents. This implies
of course, when the teams come up, which some
times is half day afterwards Meanwhile the
men betake themselves to thousand camp exer
cises Some bolt for the creek, when one hap
pens To be near, as in this case; some to fill can
teens, and others for drinking and washing pur
poses In an hour or two little fires are built
along the bauk. and boiling water indicates wash
ing preparations. Few have any change of shirts
or pants; however they strip off what they have
wrap up in blanket best they can. and pro
coed to wash and boil their dirty aannels Some
wash the shirt, yet wearing the pants, and then
wash the pants wearing the shirt, and some wash
both at once, emitting the blanket. | could not
describe the performance known "skirmishng
for body guards" which is generally going on
while the clothes boiling drying 1t is
unique and unwrtable and not described in the
books OF tactics, but practiced extensively in the
army.
While these are washing. others are foragng
sOme LOT WOou, Olners ior grapes, or WalnutS, OF
apples. Some 90 To the nearest farm to buy
others to take whatever they see that they fancy;
others take out cards before they have been down
five minutes. while others fall asleep in sun or
shade, as it happens. And then for half day
come the stragglers-these are mostly sickly and
feeble persons. If it happens to be near night
they present most pitable sight Pale. wan,
ragged and dirty, their inquiries to the prob
able whereabouts of their regiments. and their
account of their hunger and WEAKNESS is painful
in the extreme. All along the road YOU find
them. Some drunk, but most are overcome
from sheer exhaustion. There they lie, and there
some OF them die | cannot lay the blame at
any mans door; it is an inevitable incident of
army life.
OF course the hotels are crowded | first
sought private boarding house. but its fare
worse than have at home. | finally concluded
that there was no use of being good looking with
out making something out of il; hence made
polite bow TO the proprietor Of farm house, and
found most excellent quarters for myself ard
Major Yohn and his clerk. But mind We, they
mighty secesh! The lady claims TO be of the
F. V. stock, OF the real Preston blood, touched
a little with the Breckenridge. She is determined
to be conquered never. But she makes good
coffee, cakes, and such like all of which
Major fohn highly appreciates. She has some
pretty girls. and lots of negroes ana says that all
OF the first families III Kentucky are secesh.
/ A. G.