The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-12-30
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WFr ann sENTIMEN T
OrDheus C. Kerr on the Battle OF
Fredericksburg.

pheus's letter to the Sunday Mercury,
descriptive of the disastrous assault upon
the heights of Fredericksburg:
Finding that the terrible lombard
ment of Paris, my boy, had routed the
struggling Confederacies from that an
Gent city, the whole Mackerel Brigade
marched safely across Duck Lake, leav-
ing only the Orange County Howitzers on
this side. Scarcely had the specialized
host occupied the city, when there APP
peared upon the main street the over
whelming Shape of the new General of
the Mackerel Brigade, mounted upon a
steed which was almost as sagacious as
human being; and holding his hat in
one hand after the manner of Washing
ton entering Trenton. 1t was as though
Frank Leslie's Illustrated artist had just
been commanded to draw a warlike pic
ture, my boy, representing one of those
equestrian heroes who all appear in pre-
cisely the same attitude, and seemed to
have lifted their hats for the particular
purpose of showing with what mathemat-
ical precision their hair is parted.
Instantly there arose cheers so loud,
that they must have been heard by the
cowardly Confederacies on the hills be-
hind Paris, and several Mackerels be-
came so enthusiastic to be led against
the enemy, that they actually started on
the war-path by themselves, aud only
turned back when they discovered that
they happened to be going the wrong d.
rectlon.
Having received all the cheers, and
Immediately dispatched them to the re-
liable morning journals around the coun-
try, the General of the Mackerel Brigade
ordered the Comic Section under Captain
Bob Shorty, and Company 3, Regiment
5, under Captain Brown, to march out of
Paris, and form in line under the guns of
the Southern Confederacy; at the same
time directing Captain Samyule Sa-nith
to take Companp 3 Regiment l, and
strike throueh defle in the hills.
Samyule formed his veterans in the
shape Of a horseshoe, and says he:
Comrades, now is the time to repent
of your sins for you haven't got much
time left. AS for myself" said Samyule,
seriously, my sins are all those of COM
mission, and those who gave me my com
mission are responsible for them If any
Of you younger Mackerels have in your
possession the last things your mothers
gave you, now is your chance to look
upon them for the last time"
As Samyule spoke thus, a small blue
object, carrying drum, toddled forth
from the ranks, and saluted 1t was a
small Mackerel drummer, my boy, who
had enlisted only ten days before, and his
small eyes were wet with tears. The
heroic child wiped his little nose on bis
sleeve, and says he:
My mother gave me something"
Samyule was greatly affected, and lays
he:
"Was it a Family Bible, sweet
cherub2"
"No-o-o," sobbed the innocent, as
though his little heart would break
Samyule wiped his tear-dimmed specta-
cles, and says he:
" Perhaps it was her daguerrotypep
The infant wept afresh, and says he:
"No-o-o"
"Then," says Samyule, in broken
voice, Z" it must have been her blessing. I"
"Nol no-o-o, cried the small Mackerel
drummer, with quivering lips
"Then what in the thunder was i that
your mother gave your" says Samyule,
greatly bewildered.
" 1t was a spanking!" screamed the
affectionate little creature, examining
both his little fists into his little eyes,
and blubbering unrestrainedly.
Samyule gazed a moment at the child
and says he: "Well may affection bid
thee weep, thou tender little one When
sweetheart blushingly places a rose
upon her lovers breast the scene is af-
tecting; but my own memory of child
hood tells me that a far deeper feeling is
excited when the tender mother selects a
different flower, and places upon the
back of her child the modest lady's slip
per-"
Immediately after this affecting little
incident, my boy, Samyue led his men
TO their duty, and they marched into one
end of the defle as soldiers, to pass out
of the other as spirits
Along the front, Forward was the
word, and the Comic Section swept to
the assault like sea of bsyonets dashed
against shore of rock from the hollow OF
an Almighty hand. Were it possible, my
boy, for bullets 10 ascend perpendicular
until they just reached the top of noun
tain breastworks, and then slant down al
an acute angle to where the foe lay hid
den, it is possible that the frequent vol
leys from the Comic Section might have
produced some carnage; but as the face
Of the hill before our troops was straigh
up and down, with the noisy Confedera
cies on the extreme summit, the Mack
erel musketry simply oeeasioned ris,
in Federal lead, without fall in Con
federate leaders.
Some Confederacies in their lofty in
trenchments just tipped over few can
non, so that the balls might roll GU
upon the Mackerels, and, says one O
them:
IF you mudsills will stay there it'll,
longer, we'll manage it SO as to drop thu
shell on you from our hands, withou
ging the guns at all.
Capt. Bob Shorty heard this jeer, and
as he tied his handkerchief over wounc
on his forehead, sickly smile illustrated
his CHASTITY face, and says he:
''We might as well all die here togeth
er. The grave, after all, is softer bee
than many of these Mackerel beings hav,
been accustomed to.
Sergeant O. Pike who ALWAYS take