Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1862-04-02
Correspondence of the Herald.
AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM THE GRAND ARMY.
Rebel Fortifcotions- Orders to March
THE Generals Address-Another On
qgard Mogement-R Return to Old Quar-
ters-1 Coatraband Letter, dc.

ralflaX Co., a., Marcn ID.
The Notifications at Centerville and Ma
nassas have not been overrated: they are
undoubtedly well designed, strongly tuilt,
and admirably located on the most com
handing and strategic points along the
road leading from Fort Corcoran on the
Potomac to Manassas. The Notifications
at Centeryile well mounted with cannon
of the right calibre and guarded by a
force of thirty thousand full blooded west
ern and Yankee soldiers could have held
their position against an army Of hum
bred thousand Had the rebels been able
to have mounted heavy artillery upon their
extensive battements, Centeryille would
never have been abandoned without a
fight, and pretty hard one at that. See
ing the impossibility of their being able to
dispute the right Of way with the over
whelming force of the Grand Union Army
of the Potomac, they very wisely showed
their heels 30 the yankees, and fell bac \
TO Manassa's, which place hey also left in
hurry. IIhe Notifications at Manassas
do not appear as formidable as those at
CenteryileI neither is there as great dis
play Of military skill and science in their
arrangement. After taking careful sur
yey Of these two strategic points, and then
calling to mind the fact that one Of these
imaginary Gibraltars never was mounted
with any other kind of e3gine of destruc-
ton than log guns, and the other with n t
half the artillery necessary for its protec-
ton, | feel as if our Grand Army on the
Potomac had been badly sold by the reb-
els for the last five months. Had we
done less at playing soldier on the roman
tic banks of the Potomac and examined
more closely in the bluff game of the enc
my, we might by this time have seen the
alag of our Union" waving over the cap
itoI Of the Old Dominion.
This morning the Grand Army, with
the exception Of a portion Of Gen. Sum
ner's division, received orders to strike
tents and prepare for backward move
ment to Alexandria. AS much as the sol
dieFs disljked the idea of falling back, they
were heartily glad of a change, as they
had become tired of the quiet and inactive
life they were living within such close
proximity to the enemy. As Is usual in
the breaking up Of camp, everything was
hustle and noise; packing tents, KNAPP
sacks, filing haversacks with rations, load
ing wagons, DC, occupied the attention of
officers and men for nearly an hour, when
the different regiments were called togeth-
er by their respective adjutants to hear the
address of Gen. Mcclellan read.
The Second Wisconsin Regiment, as
your readers may suppose, felt mortified
and chagrinned at the sudden termination
Of the Coward Movement" as they had
an old Bull Run debt to settle with the
rebels with whom they had crossed bayo-
nets but few months since. When those
gallant sons of the far west heard Adju-
tant Dean read in a clear and distinct voice
the address, which promised great and
glorious times, they gave three rousing
cheers at the prospect Of something turn
ing up, after the onward to Richmond via
Manassas had "gia eout." Here follows
Gen. McClellan's address, which we have
dlIcdiy puDloHCu.- LItos
Whether our soldiers will experience all
that the address promises is more than
your correspondent is willing to say; but
that 1t instiIled new spirit into our sol
diers none can doubt, especially those who
were present and heard the response of the
brave defenders Of the Union.
Half an hour after the reading Of the
address our vast army was marching back
to Alexandria, through the rain and mud.
For nine hours we travelled through the
heaviest storm of rain ever witnessed in
this country by the oldest inhabitant. The
front of our column oamped In and around
while the rear camped, or
rather stood up, all night in the rain some
four miles from the city. Notwithstand-
ing the hardships Of that days march Of
over twenty miles, not murmpr or
word OF complaint was uttered among the
armed host of freemen. Tho idea that
this retrogade movement was preparatory
to another Coward to Richmond" BY a
different route, N de up for the disapPoint-
lnent experienced in not following up the
retreatino foe from Manassas.
Sunday, March eleven o'clock, a.
M, the Wisconsin regiments left their dis
NAL camp ground and returned to their
winter quarters near the Arlington Hou5e,
after an absence of seven days, during
which time we accomplished about as
much as the army that marched up the
bill and then marched down again. We
leave il to time and the result of the mill
tary operations on the Potomac to pass
judgement upon what is considered as the
great military farce Of the age
Monday, March 1o.-Ihe Wisconsin
again pulled stakes and started
for Alexandria, fully expecting that they
were about to make final move, never
again to see their old homesteads at Ar
lington Heights, where they had been
for oyer seven months in a bliss
fhl state Of peace. In this they were dis.
as Arlington is ID sight Of their
present camp. The march from Fort
1'illinghast would have put Falstaff's raga-
muffin crew OF soldiers TO the blush. Act
ING Brigadier General Cutler, by some I'M
accountable maneuyre, got the brigade IN
~ what tha havs called ud-d b0or-