Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1862-03-26
Letter from the Potonsc.
Camp I'iIlingharst. Va, |
March 10, 1862. (

friends in fine health and exuberant spirits
except Gillgan anG Fletcher Kidd, Of the
7th Regiment, and b. +. Kinney, Jonathan
Booth, and young Black of Capt. McKee's
company, the latter thrre slightly, those Of
the 9TH dangerously SICK. That portion
of the "gropd ormie' located hereabouts
was under marching orders, which will
serve to explain the multiplied and discor-
dant yells of the "6hoys" that liyened up
the wearisome days and made the nights
hideous.
/ passed the time until Thursday the
9th inst, in ealing upon my old friends in
the I'd 9th, and 7th Regiments of Wis
consin, and many Of the surrounding camps
composed Of volunteers from other States,
everywhere receiving a soldiers hospitality
and welcome.
/ have noreason to be ashamed of the
Grant County delegation here. Captains
Mckee, Calls, Finnicum and Nasmith,
with their officers and men, are justly re-
garded bv dsinterested judges of military
matters, as the most popular and efficient
in the service.
But to return. On the 9th betimes in
the moaning, flor sojers are early risers)
the secord was detailed to 60 on picket,
and receiving a unanimous call from Off
GERS and men to accompany them, at
once accepted, merely STIMULATING that |
should be furnished with rifle and other
traps becoming the new character | was
to assume. A keener observer than my
self might DOUBTLESS have detected Turk
ing wageish expression in the boys eyes as
one buckied around me the heavy cartridge
box, containing 40 rounds of bali cartridges
another threw over my shoulde, haver-
sack with three days rations, added to
these a heavy leather belt with a cap box
and a sheath in which dangled long,
heavy dangerous looking bayonet, and
you have my likeness as l set out on my
first and last picketing.
Our course was about due west seven
miles, through the most villainous red mud
you ever saw. Passing near camp Peck
where the I'd were stationed previous tc
Bull Run, Balls Cross Roads, Upton Hill,
from the observatory built here, the Blue
Ridge, Fairfax Court House, BaiIey's Gross
Roads, and other points of historical inter
est, are before you.
The first night Capt McKee's company
being the color company Of the regiment,
was stationed in huts composed Of pine and
cedar boughs, nearly a mile inside the
extreme outposts. Next day, however, we
We're ordered to the front, and the pick
citing commenced in earnest. | kept a
keen lookout into the dense forests of oak,
hickory and evergreen with the balance
A raw recruits first night on The very con-
fines of law and order, and one might say
IciviIization, is we'll calculated to sharpen
all his senses. Hark +! there goes a musket
two rlore, and the long roll IS beaten, and
the nlen formed in line Of battle.
Sofgeant ofthe guard, do you soc that
dark object away down there at a distance
Of nine hundred yards, just the range Of
our new rifles! That is certainly a secesh !;
he has emerged from the wood. Iyalienly
covered him with my rifle being at safe
distance myself and awaited the order to
fire, but the officer in charge thought the
best way would be to notify the captain
of the reserve guard to order a Reconnaissance
of the locality.
| received permission Of Adjutant Dean,
to explore the neighborhood, talk to the
rebels in their houses, 1.-THE latter privilege
being denied to military men, and do
pertty much as | pleased, provided | did
not ge beyond our lines, which was some
thing by the way, that I had little taste
for. l visited, however, and had friend
! ly chat with the woman ofthe house where
Capt. kellogg was decoyed by some rebel
women, surrounded by cavalry and cap
tured. | also went into the cornfeld
where party Of the Brooklyn 18th met
with signal discontinue, caused, they say,
by the treachery Of one Bush, who resides
near.
Yesterday I attended a military funeral.
Although the deceased was private, the
ceremonies were solemn, the coffin was
good one and when it was lowered into the
grave, Chaplain Richmond read the Epis-
copal service peculiar to such occ 'sions.
Nine of his fellow soldiers of Co., I, dressed
for the occasion, stood at the foot of the
coffin, with reversed arms, firing three
rounds at the close Of the exercises.
But this morning at one o'clock came
the long and anxiousIy looked for order to
..march on Centeryille" at three O'Clock a.
m. To do justice to the seen thai lmmedi-
ately followed would require an ADLER pen
than mine. Imagine a mighty host OF
$50, 900 men from their camps on every
hill top and valley over a space Of near
twenty miles in diameter, going suddenly
forth with common impulse to engage
in mortal combat with the enemies of our
country and of civilization.
This important movement, which will
no doubt decide the great controversy, pos
sessed in itself intrinsicalIy all the elements
of the sublime. The effect was frightened
by the darkness of the hour, and it was
only BY The bonfres kindled at the different
camps We passed and the camps placed at
the rendered of streams that induced the
stalwart forms Of gallant men dimly yisi-
bic. The sound of martial music, the
sharp, nervous orders of the officers at the
IL. ~of ia 1rt,,,an nr0Ynnflv rnnpated