The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1862-12-18
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
Correspondence Of the Tipton Advertiser.

Our regiment and the division to hich
We belong has been here since the morn
ing Of the 18th. When we came here
Moscow was q small "desertcd village"
but is lively enough now. We have
battalion and skirmish drill daily, but
don't expect to have any fighting to do
soon, although the country is infested by
bands of guerillas, and there is lively
interest kept up by their coming in con.
tact with our forging parties, when
trousle epsucs and somebody is killed,
wounded or taken prisoner. These arc
of frequent occasion, in fact almost daily,
although they don't amount to much -
In one instance VIC lost eleven teamsters
aud over sixty mulos. j. j. Tower, cf
company 4, was taken prisoner. There
was runner in camp yesterday, who
said that they had be II murdered If
that turns out to be true this regiment
vii! avcnge that foul wrong th: FIRST op.
por'unity.
Since Gen. Grants recent stringent
orders in relation to stragglers aud illegal
foraging parties, We have been guarded
so close that We could hardly turn around
without written permit to do So But
the ingenuity Of the boys has never failed
them yet, in times Of need and short ra
tions. Like "murdcr' they twill OUT
and 50 they procure pass to go for wa
ter, and forget to stop at the spring. The
consequence is they traverse the country
all around fer five miles out, in search Of
ya'ns, sweet potatoes, chickens. pi IS,
sheep, hogs, &c. But you ask edo they
take these things without giving any
thing in exchange for ,hcn?' NJ, no;
the boys are too honest for that; they
pay for them, aud that liberaily, too,
giving as high as two dollars for potatoes,
and in the same proportion for other ar.
,ic!es and products, The way this is
done is perfectly simple aud natural; We
have thousands Of dollars of the new pho.
tosraph bills, an imitation Of the South,
crn scrip, which is struck off and shipped
down here by the cart load The boys
can get seventy five dollars for twenty.
five cents; or for five dollar bill you can
procure as much as you can carry Of this
new currency. The rcbs. are perfectly
willing to take it in exchange for their
products. They are very polite and &c
commoda,in@, but frequently manifest
some surprise that the yankees arc SO
flush and lavish with their money. There
is one popularity about this trade, and
that is, that while the boys purchase the
articles they need they frequently take,
in exchange for tens aud twentics, (pho-
tographs) good money on northern banks,
and some of cur 'greenbacks, Now YOU
can easily imagine the rebels looking up.
on the yankees as being "beautifuliy ia,
ken in" aud by looking little further,
you can see how the rebels will open their
eyes when they wake up to proper
sense Of the true value of their possess
ions They a:ay possibly be reminded Of
some "ya"kee ,r ck,' and gain wisdom
for the future by the experiences Of the
past.
How the demoralizing influences of the
army has produced SO great change in
SO short a time is almost mystery. All
the restraints of home influences and civ
ilizcd fe are thrown off, and all those
nice appliances of department and ad-
dress, and that congeniality Of feeling and
manners, so common in social life, are
laid aside, and men approach each other
in tho roughest possible manner. Cards
are one of the principal amusements, and
profanity knows no limits, among the
great majority of those composing the
army. | think, however, the presence
and efforts of our new chaplain will have
some effect in suppressing these excessos.
He is a very excellent MIN; breaches as
often az circumstances will admit, and
labors faithfully at all times to fulfil his
mission. This is thanksgiving day;
there is to be preaching at two o'clock.
We had meeting last Sabbath, and also
at candle lighting Of the same evening,
aud it was kept up for three evenings,
for the benefit of those who were and had
been professors Of religion, for the pur-
pose Of having free interchange and
expression of thought and feeling; all
sectional and congregational PROPOSES,
sious and for malities were laid aside, and
each or any who felt disposed to do SO,
was invited to lead in prayer, in song or
in remarks. The exercises were con-
Quoted by the chaplain Of our regiment,
and commenced by singing the words Of
the little hymn, known a. "The Shining
Shore" were varied by reading, speak
ing, singing and prayer, and were very
! interesting and made peculiarly affecting
by the many illusions to the loved ones
far away, and the many touching Incl
dents that brought so forcibly before the
mind all that renders home pleasant and
life desirable. In fact these meetings