Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1862-02-05

The following letter has been in
the p. o. several weeks, directed to
" Mr. Robert Smith, jr., Huntsville,
Ala. care Of Old Bob" Mr.. Smith
has probably removed from Hunts.
vile, as he has failed to take it out. |
1t has been handed to us for publca-
tion, hoping it may, in this manner,
reach its destination: Il;
Letter from fast Boy in the Army 10
his Chum,
CAMP NEAR MOBILE, Jan. 1862.
Dear Bob Here we are, as the
Clown says, away down South in
Dixie. on Dog river, l3 miles south
of Mobile. You may thank your
stars, Bob, that you didn't join us, for
this is the cusssdest place ever you
went any where to stay all night
Louesome-oh no, it aiut lonesome a
bit; and as for the society, its delight
full People don't think no more OF
dying here than you do Of going. on a
bust. What would you think, if you
was dead, if the fellows we're all to
hollow at you, as y9d went by IA Jour
box, " Good bye, Old Fel-got your
furlough. ell " Would you like it.
say?
There's new disease broke out
here-tho camp disease" they call
it. The first symtom is horror OF
gun powder. The patient cant abide
, the smell Of 1t, but is siezed with a
nervous rambling in the legs, and a
wbitepess about the liver, and feels a
strong inclination % advance back
wards. That The way water serve
mad dogs. Then comas8hat our Nh
J. ior calls ,Ae home cgers and nc2s tbt
sufferers wife and niue cnlldrou ar'
7 taken sick; after which the fellow
e takes collapse and then relapse
.e But its mighty hard to get discharge
1I or even furlough-awful bard. Fac
7 is, YOU cant do it without working
ID the thing pretty low down
= III tell you what, Bob, betweeI
'e you and me, I'm afraid Of taking th'
y disease myself l don't like the re
'e uorts we hear every day from tn
- coast We hear cannon Looming dow
/ there by the hour. and they say tn
Yankees are going to pay the yer
devil with our ducks. ! think | ca
T. detect ii faint smell of powder III th
- breeze, and feel a strange desire to
into some hole or other, 1t may |
, the climate; hope 50, but don t Sc
# how that should make me turn so co
IA about the hayersack every time | ST
'th a bayonet. If l only had some goc
spirits now to take every morning,
!; think | could stand it very WELL
Please send me some Immediately u
t's Oh receipt of this. Mark the DO
lat Drugs, care Surgeon I'd Bat Al
,s' ~ Vols. Our Major is sharp as a brio
,rt and down on brandy Ike duck on
re- June bug Il was ,Vnly last week
en- took demijohn away from an old NJ
're GER who had smuggled it into camp
a. az sent the old darkcy agiphin' with
If Asa in his ear, and made smash
,ur his brandy. If you'd send some
led that you used to set out in the o
col counting room, l could set both tt
u u. climate and the Yankees at defiance
n to say nothing of there being thr'
ia. furleughs in every battle. That's
fact capable of demonstration as Pc
saws. He works it out by AlgebE
and gets the answer. First, says
suppose eq-al to l bottle brand
and y equal to ] drnm-thcn it +
lows that < is equal to 6 q there
ing six good drains to the quart No
o0 it fact assumed and admitted, II
two drams skillhlly applied, will brl
one furlough: therefore, z-o q
&C., drams-3 furlougbs; ibat's some q
DuSG it. sum tssc fuj-a sum as IS asu
The trees are all as green as a
- - officer; and the v6Othcris is like su
mer; and the frogs are all piping
= the swamps most beautifully just j
W., to Spring time.
,rIV " The people down here are SO u'
we to being baked, no wonder they tt
! we to eating fire, and got Us all into
hose .,s water. There not like our folks
W. we bov--espeoially the women. LIS tr
our our they have the same number Of ar
- and legs, but they've lived il the P
Y. svapps tolOng they look like Smcl