Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-08-29

lop backward and forward; wagon
masters swear, and spectators wonder
what's up. Presently you here terri
BILE noise of small arms down in the
woods as if hundreds of pheasants had
found hollow log, and out march the
10th, fine Regiment of men, appar-
emily none the worse for their nap. And
at last 1 have disposed of the regiments
composing our brigade.
I will now give as brief description
of the ''train, as we call it, as can,
and de justice, for I fear I am making
this too wordy. First-with each regi-
ment comes its ambulances and ammu-
milton wagons. After the troops, come
the train composed of 13 army wagons
TO each regiment Beside these regi-
mental teams, are the Generals teams
and cavalry teams, making in all about
Is teams to brigade. Oa this occa-
sion there were also over 100 wagons be-
longing to the Division Quartermaster,
Capt. J. Condit Smith. The Captain
had also about so pressed teams loaded
with cotton, which had been gathered
up about Moscow. So ''our train" con-
sisted of over 200 wagons on this march.
With each wagon, beside the driver, is
his helper, for one man cannot manage
six mules at all times, and so has a man
detailed to help him, and two guards
with their guns in readiness for an
emergency. The train is under the
command of the Quartermaster, who ac
companies it. The Quartermaster' S
staff consists of his two sergeants, the
wagon-m master and the changers ON
that are to be found in every depart
ment of the service Takenal together,
the number of men with train of wag
ons is very large. But war requires
men. Hereafter the train will be Of a
different color, for negroes will perform
all drudgery from this out.
One more branch Of the army, and L
am done with description. Each regi-
ment has a number Of men who are un-
able to march in ranks. They have
sore feet, lame backs, or are weak from
recent illness, or something or other
These men ride OH the wagons, and you
will see from to 10 on each wagon
Should an army ever pass through
Meigs you will learn TO dread what Is
facetiously called the castor oil brigade.
They are the men who go into gardens,
and houses, and verything else where
they think anything eatable is to be
found, and take onions, green apples,
cucumbers, and the Lord on y knows
what all. After 4, 900 or 5, 600 men have
passed a house and drank the we'll dry,
bought all the buttermilk, bread and
chickens, the stragglers will appear and
insist on having more, and curse the
poor devils who have been compelled to
part with everything eatable they had,
for being secesSionists, and not having
any accommodations. | have seen one
Of these Quinine Guards, who did not
consider himself able to walk in ranks,
carry his blouse tied up full Of new po-
tatoes and green corn, his haversack
filled with eggs and bunch Of onions,
and his canteen filled with buttermilk,
and very probably his pockets full of
green apples, and he cannot only carry
all these things, but can consume them.
The truth is, the Castor Oil Brigade u
is generally made up of the same men.
Their faces become familiar TO you, and
you as much expect them to be along
with wagons, and be -foraging, as you
expect a ID butternut politician, such
as you tolerate up there in Ohio, to lie.
Fortunately, these stragglers are few, in
parisou with the number of men in
our armies, and their number is getting
beautifully less: They are men who
were not intended for soldiers, by ma
ture, or were broken down in the start
by hardships, and lack Of medical attend
ance, and have not the backbone to re-
cover. In army parlance, they are
'played out
Oh, how glad we would all be if the
army could be relieved of these men and
they could return to their homes and re-
cover their health. Many of them will
make good, Industrious citizens, and, if
that is their proper sphere, there is
where they should be.
have written more about this than
l should have done, but so very many
of them have gone home, and drawn
pictures of the service, by no means just
and well calculated to dampen the ardor
of some who are inclined to volunteer
that [ think it a duty which I owe to
the service, to state the truth, when l am
stating anything about it. The truth
is, that in a regiment of 800 or 1000
men, some must fail to stand the
breakingin process, and those who iail
cannot be expected to speak we'll of what
has used them up. But if man gets
over home sickness, Ga very prevalent
disease in the army acclimation and his
first battle, with his health and spirits