Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-12-01
aoru REG,r conuE>roSDExCE


MFssgs. EpIToR-.-My last letter was
written at the camp near the tom of
Finley. The location WAS nice one for
far weather, being an amos, level bot
tom Of perhaps 20 acres ot wheat stubble.
Rail, were abundant, aud water Of the
best quality was more 50. We thonght
we were likely to av there some days,
aud were much pleased with the arrange
mcht.
Well, on Saturday last what should we
see IN tie papers which arrived on that
dav, but Gen. llaIlcck's late order com
mauding that hereafter soldiers should
carry their knapsacks and tents, and
we'll. don't remember how manv other
things besides, and AL for the purpose
that the, (the soldiers. may 90 lightly
loaded. and bc prepared to move with "a
pidnv.. Beautiful idea, amt it. II
was also or tered thlt the "men must
learn TO live IN bieouac. This order IS
as | said, one oi cen. Ilallcck's, and
therefore applies to all The armies ot the
I'nlled States. Attention was called to
this order by Gen. Curtis, and thus it was
directly applied to the army under his
command. The manifest absutdiiv Of
an order directing rs 10 carry onr tents
tone Of which is a biz load for any two
men t. lift, evcn) cicaed good sized
smile in tins crowd, but to carry our
knapsacks-ah that ,ros a serious con
s,dcralion. We bad done that on our
march tom Kolla TO Wayne,yllIc, and
might lie to ced to do it again. But, ny
gracious. we had Just been ordered to
draw double allowance Of clothing, aud
that wouldn't be a ,cly hight load; no,
nor Just way TO re ont men 50 that
they may "movc rapidly.
SATURDAY night ii began 10 rain, and as
tie next day would be SUNDAY, and
RAINY, We knew tat it was likely 10 be
considered proper time 10 march. tnt
we we're disappointed for once. IoWev-
cr, the next morning We found our cau p
as pretty u mud-holc as one can desire 10
see. II WAS almost impossible TO cook
on Sunday, but we didn't mind that
much. Ne had no marching oriers As
yet. and made the best we could OF the
ram and the mud, keeping ont OF both as
much as poss bic. That night We were
not lodged quite as comfortably as
pshaw What's the use OF talking. Re
vclle was beaten at six o'clock. At a
quarter past six wc had orders to be eady
To murch AT Seren :.
Eh Three quarters Of an lour to
cook your breakfast out doors IN the rain,
then eat it, strike your tents, load the
waron. and be III linc, ready 10 march :.
We ,lidn eat much that morning, and a>
we somehow thought that we were only
going TO ozark, We didn't put much IN
our havcrsacks, in fact. we didn't have
much 10 put in tnem-but as the march
was only to be twelve miles, it didn't
matter.
We were in line at the proper time,
and-stavcd in line ii we were sick OF
waiting III the rain. At last we had or
dcrs to stack arms and rest. At eleven
o'clock we got the word TO 80, ard of
we went N the direction Of ghcld =
Springfield was distant only fifteen miles,
il would do even better than Ozark. 1t
is, in truth. the place that We have been
! nyino TO go ever since we lett Usage
Springs. Ilurrall for Springfield. 1t Is
curious Psychological tact that, although
eveiv man IN the command knows wei
enough that he don't know, can't even
guess where, nor bow far we are going.
noi how long We shall keep the road on
which we may, for the time helng, be
marching. YET not q man OF Us rests TIL
he ascertains tie place to which every
bve-path which we take will lead us aud
then settles IL IN his mind that we are
certainly going to that very place-hencc
it came t.at We w,re bound for Spiu g
field, beyond a doubt, ard that thing he
ing se.te', we marched coward with the
brightest of carts, quite uninlndful OF the
rain, which Ioured down increasingly, and
of the mud, which constantly increased IN
lis depth and adhcsi1cncss Now Spring
fl III had't been wiittcn-no more SO had
Ozark, not SO as TO stay wrote, but at J ,st
al out three m les distance from the later
place, we struck familiar road, and
knew that it lei to Ozark, and knew how
lar it was, as wcl--we knew how many
times we would have to pull off our
shoes and stockings. I'D est, those Of us
who can still! afford the buying of shoes
and stockings) to wade the river, mean
creek, (but thea the map calls 1t Ozark
river, it is only the people here who call it
Finley's creek
At four o'clock we entered the town !:
made straight by our old camp, halted,
stacked arms. and waited for further de-
vclopments-we hadn't long to wait, Col.
Leake soon called us to attention, tuke
ARMS, shoulder ARMS, forgurd MARCH /.
Right up the hill, which is a steep one,
through the town, down the hill, across
the creek. BOYS, this is the road to
Cassville, YES, We know, but how far is it
to the first camping ground "Only
twelve miles -" twelve miles be -"
Now, according to the articles of war,
every time a man comes across big
word and don't skip it, he is to be fined
Just Yankee shilling, officers, one dollar.
But inst consider a moment, time halt
pas, four D. III. OF rainy afternoon, place
Ozark, where we could be comfortable,
and where our teams could easily reach
us that night-circums,ances adverse,
twelve miles Of hills to climb, twelve