Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-02-06
The, War In Kentucky.
CANT WooD, MuNFoRDvILLE,
Hart Co, Ky., Jan. 81, 1856.

be compelled in this to confine myself almost n
exclusively to discussion Of that much
though still fashionable subject,
the ''stafe Of the weather." which, am
sorry to say, has taken relapse. About I
the first Of this week the sun came out, and
all the dark clouds that had so long
"round" our camp lowered" were dis
PEELED and If they were not 'in the deep
bosom Of the ocean buried" they at least
ceased to rain upon the Camp of Uncle
Samue''s soldiers at Munfordville, and
great indeed was the rejoicing thereat. But,
alas for all human hopes, the same old
clouds seem to have returned, and for the
last few days it has been rain, rain, the
mud getting deeper and deeper, until our
camp streets are almost impossible. This
kind of weather there is no drilling DONE
and only occasionally dress parade The
duties of the soldiers of the Fifteenth Ohio
are not very onerous at present. An oc-
casional detail for working in the entrench- |
ments that are being thrown up across the
river, and standing on outpost or picket once
a week, constitute all our labor. The boys
and everything looks deserted aud dreary
around camp. and through the streets, ex-
cept when the cook for the day pokes his
head into the tent and shouts mo. one for
dinner "No. three for supper This
will bring the boys into the street instantly,
where all the eating has to be done, no one
being allowed to cat in the tent, unless he
is unwel,
We now have the large Sibley tent, cal.
culated to contain twenty men each. The
regiment has fifty of thele for the men, ex-
elusive of officers tents, which gives us in
the present condition of companies about
sixteen or seventeen men to tent. The
Sibey is the large round, cone-shaped tent,
and by all pronounced the best in the SER
vice. They are easily ventilated, and with
fire built in the centre, either in stoves or
on the ground, they can be made quite
comfortable the coldest days in this climate.
Each man has his particular spot in the tent
which is his dressing room, sitting room,
and sleeping apartment Here he keeps
his knapsack, haversack. canteen, gum,
cartridge-box, and whatever else he may be
possessed Of Here he sits and talks, reads,
writes, plays euchre or whatever else his
fancy may lead him to do, confined as he
must be to the one seventeenth part Of the
: tent; and here when taps beat he
stretches himself ont, feet to the stove or
centre OF the tent, and sleeps as soundly az
though in the best bed in old Belmont. :.
Look into one of these local habitations
/, Some will be found writing, some reading,
some engaged in general conversation,
t game of euchre often in progress, and often
: drawn off to one side of the tent couple
j, of boys having little priUdte talk-some.
d thing at their hearts they want no one tt
It know, yet are always talking about lDricdte
+ H. Could the girls they left behind them
guess what the subject of these privat,
i talks are i? The general conversation take
Z. u range as wide and upon as many differen
subjects as the diversified tastes and dis
u positions around the centre pole can sug
Z gest one leading subject, however, is dis
e cussed by men Of all tastes and.dispositions
{. when arc we likely to move?" Abou
:. this nothing is known except that zoe, tina
'' is the boys around the centre pole, ar
ready. We know there has been no add
o tional force sent into Camp Wood since tn
II 2O.h December; we know the bridges ar
:, finished, and we have forty rounds Q
~ cartridges in our boxes. and, though Ger
's Buell. may have good reasons for not NOV
ing this division on to Bowling Green, ye
m We cannot understand them, not KNOWN
- - what they are; and the boys must be eS
~ cused for being somewhat impatient upo
le the subject nearest their hearts. There ar
is no indications whatever Of any advance b.
r. ing intended beyond this point, so far as W
can see, and nothing has been done sine
tho completion Of the railroad bridge tn,
seems to look that way.
ia The monotony of our camp life is broke
a. once week by going on picket. We cro'
~ the river in company with Willick's Ge
" man Regiment and remain on outpo
'e twenty.tour hours There are always ,
in least two regiments across the river. Stant
Do duty Of the soldier on Green River, an,
Nv though il is unpleasant and hard duty, it
ne checrfally done by all the soldiers here. W
n take our days rations in our haversacl
in and go out in the evening and pass the nigl
,d in open air. No matter how wet, cold, al
~ stormy itSis, this duty must be performe
- aud it must be performed by pretty lari
by force, as the rebels would, no doubt, We
much like to have an opertunity to destrt
=, the bridges we built across the river her
:. Reconnoitering parties frequently go o,
IN from camp as far as Horse Cave, five mil
Dr. on the road to Bowling Green; but, as We
he have failed to meet any enemy and Il
;, \ general impression is strong here that v
w will meet none this side Of their intrenc
nt' ments at Bowling Green.
1t. The health of our regiment is improvin
Ic- Most our sick have been either discharg
or furloughed, and we have scarcely al
sickness in camp, now.
Burroughs have been about played OF
of and it is a very difficult matter to get lea
10, of absence from the department even up
,;o a meritorious application, About furlough
''o l heard pretty good one perpetrated by
or, boy who came here from not very far fro
ID. the CHRONICLE Office. The boy was pass
IN. a tent4h which aevout soldier was sipgi
II. in great earnest that very familiar hymn
~, which occurs the words II am gcing home
~, II am going home" just as these wor
~ ~ we're uttered the boy was passing, and COT
%, on not resist the temptation to stick his he
~ -" into the tent and shout out at the top
ge De his voice, ''well, | guess you aint you ha
eu ,vn got no furlough,
,So ,So Col. Dickey and Major Wallace are DO
1or 1U absent ON sick leave at Louisville IT
~. Colonel with something like camp fever, I
:. Major with his wounded foot. Col. wills
s'' is in command, and gets along finely. 81
- The bodies Of Zollicoffer and Peyton ha
inst passed by our tent on their way TO Gt