Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-01-24
CAMP HOLBROOK.
CAMP HoLBRooK, Co. A,

any great Importance transpired within
our cncampment since | wrote you last,
but thinking perhaps a word from some
of us, will not come amiss to the
readers of your paper, 1 will write you a
few lines. There are now seven compan-
les in camp. There is rumor that there
is another company coming in this week,
which will make eight companies in camp.
We were called out last Friday, for dress
parade, for the first time and have been
out every day but one since. Five of our
companies attended meeting last Sunday,
which was conducted by our Chaplain.
He preached an excellent sermon from
Matthew, 10th chapter, thirty 4th verse
justifying US in taking up arms in sup
port of our country and urging us to
put forth every effort in the defence of
that flag for which our Fathers fought and
bled. He also gave us needful warning
against the abuse of our health, and in
structions for the preservation Of the
same.
There is not much sickness in camp,
with the exception of measles; there are
about twenty cases of this disease in our
company, but none that are dangerous.
Our rations are hard yet, and are likely
to remain so, as nearly as We can judge.
Our company officers are very much dis
satisfied as we'll as the privates but the
difficulty, of course emanates from a
higher source. AS long as our rations are
furnished by black unprincipled specula-
ting contractors, and as long as the Gov
ernor. Colonel, and Quartermaster are
willing that they should speculate at the
expense of the troops just SO long we may
endure the abuse.
10 give you an idea of our treatment,
l will give you a description of our ra-
tions, then you can judge for yourself
whether we are JUST fcable in finding
fault The potatoes at first were cooked
without sorting; rotten ones and all to-
gether-but on our finding considerable
amount of fault, the cook concluded to
pick out some of the rotten ones. They
are frequently dealt out to US not more
than half cooked, and sometimes not so
much as that. The meat is mostly fresh
beef; usually fried for breakfast, and
boiled for dinner; sometimes it is cooked
and sometimes not so much. Thanks to
the bakery, we usually have good wheat,
and brown bread, if it was not for that.
We should sec hard times We are allow
ed butter once dav, which is dealt to
us for supper. A considerable share of it
is fit for nothing this side of the soap
mandatory, but l think there is not
much of it that is so badly injured as to
be entirely worthless for that place. We
are occasionally favored with dish Of
stewed beans, which are cooked in large
quantity of water, and with very small
quantity of pork-our old revolutionary
friends that are fond of bean porridge,
would have an excellent treat among us
on such occasions.
When a sufficient quantity Of cold po-
tatoes have been laid by for the purpose,
mess of stuff is fixed up for US which
is ksown among US as cred flannel hash, u
palmetto hash." &c. We think the lat.
ter name is very appropriate, as it is fur
nished by man who is, as far as prn-
ciple is concerned, fair repr esentative Of
the Palmetto State.
We have soup which is got up on the
same principle of the hash; and as "rae
hash" and cat soup" are two of the
principal articles in our bill of fare, >
we have concluded to harden ourselves to
the use of it. For drink, we have kind
of slop for breakfast and supper, called
coffee; and water for dinner. The coffee
tastes as much like coffee, as weak dish
Of catnip tea, with strong tincture Of
some nauscating ingredient, very slightly
sweetened, and without milk. But oul
cook says "sugar is physic," and judging
from what demonstration l have seen
should think there is more put in than W,
are aware of but perhaps sugar is no
very s,oeet in these times. There is on,
great advantage in using SO much of thi
sugar No other cathartic is necessary