New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-12
as The TRIBUNE had another correspondent on the


The DAVIS march was eighteen miles by ordinary
arithmetcal measure. Include heat and dust In the
reckoning and the condition OF men and horses or
arrival in camp may be better accounted Tor, thodgl
eighteen miles is an extraordinary march for troops
in any circumstances. Slow riding was the order o.
the day. Consider first your horse, then yourself
IL the rule of the march, and whether adopted tOi
humane reasons or interested motives cannot be
violated with impunity. Therefore, though 1t is far
more fatiguing to the horseman to ride slowly, lie
spends ten hours in journey OF twenty miles IN
stead of four, and by that precaution, If he have
good fortune his horses may last three months III
stead Of one. The intensity Of the heat and
the acknowledging clouds OF dust were
a severe task Of strength even in the saddle.
What must they have been to men on foot i-thongn
no troops would have been marched on foot during
The hottest hour Of the day, unless IN the last neces
sty. The staff rode into camp so completely covered
and cased in DUST that the officers had lost their
identity and could not easily be recognized at first
sight Tents were pitched in a field near the road,
but secluded and inoloscd by woods. Inc march
began at seven in the morning. and was not finished
tl four in ne afternoon. Two horses Of the stall
train, even with the slow ard careful driving which
was praciced, were killed by the heat.
The order for an early start woke the camp next
morning by starlight, and by clock the wagons
were loaded. Culpepper was only eight miles, and
everybody looked for short march, and after 1t
long days quiet rest. II was even hotter than
and had not been puyerized by the passage Of the
long trains which yesterday FOR hours together
blocked the beaten way and left on the roadside
for path Culpepper steepes and roofs were In
eight before 10 o'clock. The town lies mostly on
The left Of the road, hiding itself beneath forest OF
trees which IFS streets irregulary thread. IL II 40
way remarkable as a town, but, like most Virginia
Villages, the present population ID nearly all women
and conirabands. The white males are gone To
the wars. fighting to put Jeil. Davss foot on their
peck-. and establish g despoiic republic or repub,
lean despotism, which shall allow tue msiority of
its citizens about as many political privileges as
they have hitherto granted the negro.
Riding through the town-aDd very nearly all
through It in search Of the camp not yet selected
we saw not half dozen wbi'e adult citizens.
Women showed themselves difficulty curiosity
struggling with aversion, at doors and windows,
aud the general welcome was much the same as
q, all, except from unipteiiigent
Aflcans, with vague Iii eriy dreams somehow asso-
cigted in their bemghted minds with tie approach
and success of the Union arms. Finally Colonel
Butler showed the way TO the camp chosen FOR bead
quartrs-a shaded lawn in front Of tho house Of
Mrs John Cooke Greene, which ID perhaps coun-
try reat, and lies rlile beyond the town.
Troo,s camIed on the hills on the other side OF
the town hsd been passed "a we entered, aud II was
evident tlaf most of our forces were not IN the di
Ieciion in which we went Tor new headquatere, but
nobody supposed igt the camp for General and sta
ad been chosen two miles beyond the NUN body OF
his troops aud within a quarter Of n mile OF the
onter HHe Of pickoir; yet such was the fact. Gen
Pore hadridden over TO Gen. Mcdowell headquar-
tets. 4 couple # miles away, and knew nothing o.
the location OF the camp. The long stai-tffln ar
rived and tie work OF unloading luggage and tents
and getting ne cam. ." .oh'- heD"" - -. ",.s
- gtrcJ Ihere WAS no reason why II should
~ havo been over in hour, except that the work
Wac taken ont OF the hands 81 the officer to whom
Il properly beongs, and who has experience enough
10 DO IL well.
II it had then been put wholly in anylody's
else the work might have gone on with reasonable |
need but il seemed rather 20 lie left 20 itsof and
ever, thing went wrong or stool sun soc0riireiy.
The wagons were unloaded al the gate one by one,
and great heaps Of luggage accumulated coniusedly
In ore spot. Tents were II ohed and assigned III no
particular order but selected according to individual
,aprics. Servants were crowding III each other r
ysy carving oil the wrong trunks and furniture |
nom the iure piles that lay tumbod about, carrying
The RIGHT trunks to the wrong teats, and in all ways
oottnl things wrong, and putting nothing 10 rights.
II was all nm elaborate Illustration OF the world
known eoience-not wholly unknown in the art Of
var ey,n--llow Not 10 DO II. The result was
d.oder DELAY and general dissatisfaction, whereas.
If the Quarternaster had been allowed 10 DO his own
work. ne would have finished IL IN onc-thlrd the |
time and have done Il thoroughly well.
Before Headquarters were fairly established, ru-
ors of work IN front began TO y about, and before
they had time TO he much discussed, suddenly came
reuair al once to him NJ McDowelPs eidquariers,
md that tue camp should be broken up. There was
Pleasant surprise for tired and hungry men, Just
sitting down 10 dinner But war has one merit aud
es one lesson-that of prompt end unqucstoning
OBJ, denco-and IN five minutes stall officers were III
the SADDLE and on their way TO the General. For
five minutes after, there little hurying to and
iro, and some scattered symptoms OF alarm among
the servants, IL being generally believed that onr
forces in front had been attacked and driven in aud
that the Rebels We're cose at land. Struggling and
dlordcred cavalry in no great numbers begun 10
pass going the wrong way II they.were IN stafch OF
\ fght, and some led horses whose saddles were
empty, which seemed ~ indicate that skirmsh had
seut them 10 the rear
a Here was "A capital chance for q teamsters nigh |
aud q general rush Tor safe quarters, but Col.
Clary, The Chief, ard Capt. GouldiDg, Assistant
took charge Of the tram and camp,
kent everything IN order stayed ill all the wagons
were loaded, and cent the on in perfect order.
Before they were started tie movement Of troops III
the other direction began and brigade Of Infantry
ami artillery went BY evidently ill expectation OF
wsrk The infantry, though the men had marched
less than two milos, showed plainly aud painfully
the olIect Of the terrible heat. was told aiterwsrd
they had left their camp IN the highest spirits ana
win great eagerness, marching AS II on parade
When they passed the place where stood they
looked rs if worn by long days march, and
heard--though can hardly bclieye-that ten men
had dropped the ranks iuscnsibe from sui-st 0ke
Why they went, snd what they did, must wait
till tomorrow to tell for accounts tonight are so
various and uncertain that IL Ia deemed beet no
repot should be cent till one can he written that is
known 10 be accurate. This letter, therefore, for
the mornings mail, is studiousIy silent about
rumors, and rec0unts only The Dios' innocent ana
facts