The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-09-18
From our Reliable Correspondent
CANT NEAR JAcINTo,
Il,

From our Reliable Correspondent
CANT NEAR JAcINTo,
September 18th, 1862.
T'is wonderfully, and
! may saysfcarinlly quiet, in this part Of
Uncle Sans domain. l'is altogether
too quiet for war. 1t may be the de-
ccilful calm that heralds the tempest
but to me it seems more like the lcath-
crgy that proceeds death. We are the
unwilling victims of "mastcrly inactivi-
ty," that is becoming really and scri.
ously frigh,ful matter. The ruling
spirit of%hc hour is, hoso not to do It,.
Let us go back little. IT'S now one
hundred days since Hallcck enacted the
stnpendaoas blan,ler Of allowing Beau-
regard to evacuate Corinth. 1t is 700
termed blunder, postcrity Will call it
a crime. Well. there was still chance
to retrieve, in great measure, the dis
asters Of the day, by rapid and vigor-
pursuit Of the retrcating foe. That course
was decided upon. So our magnificent
army. composed Of the best fighting ma.
ter.al in the country. we'll disciplined,
thoroughly equipped, and burning with
a desire to wipe out the reccoNection of
tho Corinth defeat, went;n pursuit ofthe
wandering rebels. The men were in
high spirits, and girdcd up their loins
in anticipation Of long and lively chase.
Oh ! ! had neglected to mention that
onrcommander had magnan,monsly Civ
en- the toe two days tie start. But that
was nothing, we'd soon overtakc them,
once on their track escape was next to
impossible. Well we pursued them, we
did, for six days, and OH the SEVENTH
not of the wcek-we rested. Upon
studying guide-post, and catching q
couple Of natives, we found to our inter
astoni ~hmcnt, tlat We had Travelled no
less than twenty statute miles in six
days!! Yen need not smile, It's Gods
trnth-twenty miles IL Nix days! That
is what we military men call "hot pur-
suit Of an enemy,-see Halleck's des-
patches The men were terribly cx
llaus,ed Of course, and few days rest
TO allow them to recruit their dilapidat-
ed frames, became military necessity.
So we stopped there four or FIVE days,
for il was land abounding in chickens
pigs, sheep and other vegetables with
which the soldier naketh savory com
pounds. But ON the fifth day a ''changc
came Ger the spirit of our dreams" for
it was reported to our commander that
numerous seccsll, most maliciously in
clinei, had been seen but few miles
from camp. Now as there were only
some thirty five or forty thousand Of us
resistance was out of the question, and
not to be thought OF, and surrender we
could not rs there was no one to take us.
So our prudent commander accepted
the only other alternative, and ordered
us to fall Lack, 1--WE never rctrea,) he set
ting rs the example. Well, tell it not
in Gath, publish it not anywhere, that
we fell back in one day the same twenty
miles that required six in going out ]
have been thus minute in regard to this
expedition because it is very fair sam
pie Of var as carried on in these parts
Of course we now had glory and lau-
rels enough; 30 pitching our tents in
the shady recesses Of the grand old pine
forests Of Tishamingo, We retired (per-
manently l snppose) from military life.
Days have become weeks, and weeks
months, and still we linger here. The
current Of our lives flows in placid
stream all is quietness peace and har-
mony. T'is true there are . few silly
and excitablc individuals who won't keep
still, and who persist in saying that these
are war times, and ever prating Of bat
ties and sicges, marches and counter
marches, much TO the discomfort Of us
peaceable fellows. And now and then
a fanatical and incendiary newspaper
finds its way in camp, filled with stuff
a., "our country is in danger, our liber-
ties At stake" 'sforcign intervention
'sgreat war meetings" land SO on ad in.
finitum T'is simply bosh, this talk
about there being any war. SHARK how
plain tale shall put them down."
Hero We have an army Oft dare not
say how many thousands Of brave SOL
diers, rusting and rotting in glorious
case. Does that look like WARP Buell.
has some forty thousand men in the re-
gion east Of rs. lie guards the proper.
ty OF his friends, conrt,nartlnls his officers
and catches now and then fugitive
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