Delaware State journal and statesman., 1862-09-19
Letter from Sugar Loaf Mountain.
LETTER No. 40
SUGAR LOAF MOUNTAIN, Mn, \
Sent. l3, 1862. |

'ueAK LOAF MOUNTAIN, Nj d.,
Sept. l3, 1852.
FRIEND EcHEL;
Within the past week our
mode of life has been changed in some re-
spects. After nearly years experience in
garrison and guard duty we are at length in
II very fair way to witness service of n more
active character. 10 show our proximity to
scenes of an exciting nature, we will say that
we are now between two hills upon one Of
which IL rebel battery was placed the day
before yesterday, and ON the other Union
battery, the one playing upon the other
on Monday afternoon, whilst continuing
to vegetute in Suffolk, with The dismal pros
pect OF remaining in that dismal swamp
neghborhoOd for months 10 come, our Brig
ado received orders 10 Join Mcclellan forth.
with the same evening found us in Norfolk
and the next morning the large steamer
state of Maine,' started with our regiment
for Washington, where we arrived on We'd
neSday morning. We took our places on
the side walks, and laid around loosely until
the next day, selecting the payements and
whlrves on which to sleep, ali of our tents
having been discarded by authority.
After leaving the Capitol we marched
live miles and bivouaclied for the night
ahont three miles beyond Georgetown this
may be said really 10 have commenced for
ny the time that We had spread our blankets
down on the ground, the skies began to dar
Ken, and directly the rain fell. We slept
and dreamed that we had made application
tn some lady member of The Delaware State
Soldiers Relief Association, to send us on Il
poncho tent, Il blue cotton umbrella and Il
Labrador herring with which to keep our-
sell dry and woke up 10 find the rain coming
down in columns on onr head finding that
we were by no means lmperyious to the plu-
Nlhl element, we arose to see il we couldn {
dodge the drops, but We weren't successful
The dnsliy forms of the men were seen moy-
lng around in all directions, with overcouts
wrapped closely about the head.
The next morning, all had nearly forgotten
abont the rain, and we moved on ut AN early
honr, passing through Rockville and some
other little towns and bivouacked after
marching fifteen miles. Though we slept in
the open air our sleep was sound and re
lreshlng, and arose this morning in time to
march seventeen miles before dinner. And
IN the morning we shall start again, expect-
ing to come up with the grand army, from
whom we have heard all day by the constant
cAnnonading kept up, as though inviting us
on 10 take part in the conflict.
The country through which we have passed
has been beautiful in the extreme there has
been one continued succession OF splendid
views; hills crowned with trees, valleys with
running streams Of purest water, fertile fields
of buckwheat, corn, and grass, oil of which
TO divert the mind in part from the fatigue
of the march. There were large farms with
thousands of government cattle grazing ON
them, and in addition to ALL the roads were
good and the weather generally pleasant.
Everywhere We're evident marks of an army
that had proceeded u.s. smouldering camn
fires, debris of camps fences torn down, dead
horses and mules, struggling soldiers seated
under the shade of some tree eating hard
tack and green corn, immense baggage trains
ambulances, suffers wagons, chicken feathers
and empty sardne boxes,
The men have endured the marches we'll
few having fallen out from fatigue or sick
, ness they show considerable powers of en-