Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1862-01-10


$500 men, but as fast as they recover
they are sent to their regiments, whether
in camp or in the interior of the State of
Missouri, or elsewhere.
Benton Barracks, as now existing. have
cost the Government 800, 600 and as
constructed are very comfortable, and pre-
sent handsome and imposing appear
ance, The almost constant drill of horse
and foot in great numbers, with the music
and banners, is spectacle every day
worth seeing.
| noticed in some of the Wisconsin pa
peas before left home, and have seen the
same thing in some Of them since | got
here, that there is a serious misunderstood
ing between tbs officers of the Sth and
/ lth regiments; and that the latter have
refused to obey the orders of Col Murphy
of the former who is commander of this
pest.
As it is matter in which the good
name Of Wisconsin and her soldiers is con-
cerned, l have taken some pains to ascer-
| tain tie facts in the case and am glad to
be able to state that the whole story is a
base fabrication. Col. Harris and his as
sociate officers, of the 18th, have never
been guilty of the least insubordination -
| Those who know them need not be told
that they understand their business and
duties as soldiers too well for that They
recognize the authority of Col Murphy,
and as am Informed, are always pleased
to obey his commands Some of the pri-
Yates in that regiment. however, or those
correspondents of the Wisconsin, Madison
Argus, and perhaps other Wisconsin pa
pers, who have taken pains to ventilate
the matter, have undertaken to make it
appear that the officers Of the 18th are
jea lous of the Sth because the Col of the
Litter was given superior position to Col.
Harris. There should not be, and | have
not been able to find that there is, any
such feeling. The distinction spoken of
was one that was justly due, under the
circumstances to Col. Murphy, than when
there is not better qualified or more eff
eient and geutlemanly officer in command
from Wisconsin all Of which | believe
there is no one more ready to concede than
Col. Harris himself. Correspondents can
not be too careful as to what they say in
regard to their own or other regiments =
Such statements as those | alluded to are
calculated to breed dissensions where none
existed before Our soldiers should re-
member only that they are from Wisconsin
and that the petty rivalries that malicious
ly interested parties would create for the
purpose of making trouble are unbecom-
ing to them and the state they represent.
1t is to be hoped that hereafter newspa-
per correspondents will be particular and
not write, and that editors will he equally
careful to not print, anything but facts
Of course, the latter are liable to be i'm
posed upon, but they should know we'll the
character of their correspondents for verac-
ity before they permit them to vent their
scandal through their columns.
The two rebel prisoners I spoke of in
my last as having given themselves up,
and then in confinement here, have been
discharged. The oath of all gience was
administered to them and they went on
their way rejoicing. They were not by
any means bright Or intelligent men and
acknowledged that they had been led to
fight against the north, through ignorance
of the real objects Of the war, on the part
Of the south.
A special train arrived Eere about four
o'clock this morning from ST. Louis, for
the purpose Of heading off four suspicious
individuals, supposed to be rebel spies,
who have been prowling about there for
few days, and left Carondolet at midnight
in skiff for down the river after having
been refused pass Three St. Louis de-
tectives accompanied the train Col Muir
ply at once detached Captains Redfeld
and Brltton, Lieut.. Patchin. Sergeant Ma
ior Woodruff and others of the Sth, to 90
up the river accommodating and see if they
could discover the suspected parties, but
they returned without being successful.--
They boarded a steamboat which they
made haul to at this point thinking per-
haps they might find their game secreted
there, but in that also their efforts were
fruitless. A scouting party is to be sent
out again to-day to make still further
search up and down the river, blu; l have
little faith in their finding the men they
want. If they have been smart enough to
elude the vigilance of officers so far, have
no doubt they will be sufficiently smart to
get out of their reach entirely.
There are In the Sth regiment two con-
trabands-one that came to it for protec-