St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-07-31

Correspondence G from the Second
''" Battery.
D.. <~..s>..t
CAMP CAaLIx. NEAR JAcrxro, Mws.,,
f. July 18th, 1862. {
EDlroH DrzecRAr.-As quite . number Of
our Battery ere from St. Cloud. and vicinity,
thought few linse from one Of its members
- former resident Of your place-might not
bs unacceptable. would wish to give you .,
account Of our doings sines leaving Benton
Barracks but even the merest synopsis would
occupy too much space, and must content
myself with giving short sketch Of our pres
snt position, surroundings and occupations.
Nothing worth noting has occurred with US
within the past few weeks.
/ We have had the usual every other dsy or
jers to ''hold ourselves in readiness sto be
prepared to move At any moment" &c, &c.
the usual hustle Of packing and unpacking {;
1othing more. Sometimes We march out
few miles through the usual clouds Of dust !;
Aid then-march back again. Occasionally
" learn the cause of said orders and said
lecture. We make 80 many such moves aud
hsve ''skedaddled" over the country 30 much
without meeting the enemy that have come
to the conclusion that every "solitar; horse
man" who is seen "wending hts way over the
distant hills" is msgni6ed into hosts Of rebels
advancing upon US poor federals. 1t is very
trying to ones nerves, but I suppose that since
tbs surprise 4 Pittsburg our generals have be-
come more cautious. Perhaps if knew all
our generals know Of the enemy could see
sst1se in all that is done. Truly, ws soldiers
know but little.
We are in blissful ignorance of what is oc-
curing daily At Corinth (Gen. H's headquar-
ters) or in any other division save our own.
have the pleasure to know = member Of Gen.
Hamilton's staff from whom, when chance to
meet him, gather whatever particulars Of
eur army and of the rebels to be had At head
quarters. can state positively that General
Halleck believes from Ill the information he
|eaa gather that Beauregard's army has net
gone. 70 the Esst to reinforce the enemy At
Richmond; that Beauregard himself is un-
doubtedly at Richmond and that possibly
few picked troops may have gone with him.
The main portion Of the large army lately un-
der him is some fifty miles south Of US and
scouts and guerrill. parties belonging to the
same are probably near by US merely to watch
our movements. From this I infer that We
shall remain where We are until Gen. aalleck
can open new line Of communication via Mem
phis. Our Pittsburg Landing depot via Ten
nessee River will no longer do. 1t is too far
away to allow such large bodies of troops to
move south and not be supplied by railroad
this Gen. Hslleck can do in . short time by
moving his forces down the Mobile and Ohio
Railroad The cars are now runAing from
Memphis to Corinth and from Corinth to Rien-
ii on the Mobile road, but the trouble is in
tie rolling stock. Should We advance there
are not not cars enough to transport our for
age and provisions. You would be astonish-
ed to see the immense quantity Of provisions
and forage necessary to supply but one or two
divisions ef this immense army of the West.
Hay is shipped in bales. corn and oats in
grain bags. Our Battery for instance (the
horses) consume daily ten sacks of oats, 1.-TWO
and half bushels cach) and three bales of
hay daily. Three bales Of hay are al that
can be got into one wagon(six mule team) and
twenty sacks Of oats and corn. Until recent
Fly Ill our forage As we'll ~ provisions was
hauled from Pittsburg Landing, requiring four
days to make the round trip. We now are
supplied by rail-our depot At Rienzi-that is
our division. This amount Of forage daily
does not include our AZ mules used in trans.
portation. .By this You will see how difficult
it il to move large armies where transporta-
ton is not by rail much of the way.
Jacinto, near which place We are, is the
county seat Of Tishomingo County, Miss. 1t
is e dilapidated, used-up looking village and
looks portion Of it-as if it might have ex-
listed in the days of Rienzi the "Tribune' af-
ter whom, I suppose, the village just beyond
WAS named. The country about Jacinto il in
habited by 4 class of small farmers. 90 like.
wise all the country have seen in Tishomin
60 county-the county adjoining called Upper,
I believe, and of which Ripley is the County
seat-seems to differ totally in wealth and
style of living and appearance Of citizens both
white and black beg pardon, believe negroes
arc not citizen here. Near our CAMPS stones
throw awsy-lives = man, his wife, aud six
children. two Of the children nearly grown
This family IL fair sample Of the residents Of
Tishomingo ounty and the farm ON which he
lives in dimension, and the appurteuances