Washington telegraph., 1862-01-22
correspondence of the telegraph
Letter from Virginia.
Ev.NspoRr. Va, Dec. 22d. 1861.

Dear Telegraph: A variety OF dith-
orlties have iuterfered with, and consplred
70 nreyent the preparation Of my regular
weekly letter-prominent among them
/ b.;np the busy preparations we have been
rOakiog the last few days for movlns to
our new eucampment [ have little time
ord less inclination for writing to-day;
II yet amid the stir and hustle, will snatch
. few moments to devote to the edifcation
Of YOUR kind readers.
q The present has been quite an Interest,"
ing day to the soldiers in our regiment it
being pay-day. Although the sum paid
- them is small indeed, it is received with
as much pleasure and satisfaction as would
IN hundred times the az cunt under or
binary circumstances AprOpos of this
topic-I would make a remark or two iu
regard to the soldiers pay. La the midst
Of the excitement Of war, Its incidents
aad alarms, this matter, it would seem,
has nov attracted the attention it deserves
4 variety of cruises, unnecessary to emu
merlte, ought to satisfy the public mind
that what might have beeH few months
ar,. fair and liberal allowance by the
Government t, its soldiery, is at the pre-
sent time, aud for the future, totally in
adequate to heir proper sustenlnee. The
enhanced prizes of everything aud e>pe-
ciaIly. articles consumed by the soldier,
since the WIZ begun, attest the truth of
this, without further comment Il may
not be generally known that the monthly
4 p3y of Confederate soldier is only eieren
II dollars. At the t,,0e this sun was adopted
4 the prices "f articles, mostly repaired by
men thus suddenly thrown GA their own
resou, ces in renl,te portions of the coun-
try. where the demand s1nn depleted tn .
h scantv supp'y, might have BEEN 'sniicient; ;
n but when 1t Is remembered that he prices
n Of all articles of consumption aud wear
E have advanced one, two, three and four
q hundred per cent, it m,y be readily per-
eeiged how in4ltq1ate to the proper sup
y. port Of the solder is the small pittauce
dDed cut b monthly for his increased
wants. In the Lincoln army the privl;e's
pay il fifteen d liars month, besides a
bounty Of cue hundred doll.rs, tweuty of
which is advanced at the time of enlist !
ment, besides promisea O. land after the
war IS ended. There can be no good rca-
son WAY our Government should ecunn-
. mise against the gallant spirits who have
n sacrificed every comfort, AID who imperil
II life itself in defence of her rights. No
murnur comes up from the breast of those
\ brave aud chivairic men who have gune
foth to battle, that the pay i inadequate
because they are inbued with patriotic
sentiment which elevates them above the
feeling of complaint, or the love of lucre :;
but Ii is, nevertheless, incumbent upon a
just rejecting people To provide u reason
able remuneration for the soldier, 50 that
the ordinary necessities may be at least
secured to him. When it is considered
that here in Virginia it takes half Il
mouths p1y to procure pair of ordinary
Shoes which last only month, 1t is easily
i seen that eleven dollars mouth bec)
absolutely contemplate as compensation
4 Commensurate with the services rendered
by the soldier. No one has proper idea,
without actual experience, of the iunume-
rable little exactiouS the soldier is sub
Jected to by the numerous suffers and
and hawlers vino inftst the army. Being
unable to procure leave of absence they
are completely at the mercy OF these eou-
temptible Shyiocks- who, to use vulgar
phrase, would "Skin flea to get its hide"
-'tor paper of pins or needles, or skein
Of thread, which cost from five to seven
cents, they charge twenty five and thirty
cents. For common writing paper We
nave to pay 5 cents per sheet; cents
piece for pens and envelopes; and every
thios else in proportion. 1t is to be hoped
mat Congress will not hesitate to increase
Inc pay of the private to at least as much
as that given by the Lincolnites. Many
god aud valid reasons, therefore, will oc-
sa' 'S every mind in addition to those
i l3''iy thrown out by u.s. Let tbs soldier
" AuO" that the highest object a grateful
people can entertain is to relieve his wants
on the tented field.
Ali Is quiet on the line of the Potomac
lns s1s p.0Sp'ct Of active operations in this
dns: 'a:s Is gradually growing more and more
t Di0a' daily Indeed, the impression is
L'ag generally settled, that McCTel.
| . .an could make no general attack the pre-.
winter, and that there will be nc
l s'lng' save indecisive skirmisbes. The
."ma'e' aud the state of the roads ba,
'"ue'ed the advance of either arm
1'iiy lmpracticable, if not impossible