Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-12-18
Late News BY Last Nights Mails.

Late News BY Last Nights Mails
STARTLING INrElIGEHcE.-From nouj
rles made OF officers and soldiers who hay
arrived here (sick and woundedD frou
Burnside's army, in regard to the suffer
ings ofthe troops from the cold and from
want, the following facts have bee,
learned by the Washington correspond
ent of the Chicago Times
The testimony of officers and men con
ours IN the fact that quite large mum
Der OF the men have been literally frozer
TO death in the nights. the number stated
varying from ten to twenty. The cause
OF this is Insufficient shelter, and want OF
blankets and good shoes. Comparatively
very few of the troops have been able 10
build huts. and there are many regiments
still destitute OF proper shoes and blan-
kets. The fact that the troops have not
been paid for the las. four, five and six
months, also adds greatly to their dis
comfart. Although the government has
solemnly promised to provide them With
everything necessary for their food, yet it
has failed 10 do SO. If the soldiers had
money they would buy this food them
selves. But they have no money, and
consequently are driven either to steal or
plumber, or else to 60 hungry more than
half the time. Tue case is quite as bad
with officers. Their pay has been with
held for the same .englh Of time and rs
they are dependent entirely upon their
pay for subsistence (not being furnished
with rations like the menu their condi-
tion can better be imagined then des-
crbcd. 1t is the exlstenre Of this state
OF things that has caused General Sumner
TO issue an order compelling Comnissa-
lies OF Subsistence TO sell articles to his
officers on credit.
The consequence of this state Of affairs
may well be imagined. The army is on
the point Of decentralization. Nearly four
hundred otii ers have resigned since the
dismissal of Mcclellan, m o.t of them, no
doubt, on that account, but many because
their families are starving at home and |
many soldiers for the same reasons have
deser ed, AS they haze not the privilege |
of resigning. Some of the latter have |
gone over to the enemy, and have furn- |
ished him with information Of the utmost /
value. These arc facts, which will be
verified when the history of the war is
written. The administration endeavors
10 conceal, and indeed utterly denies
the fact, of the designations of the off
GERS And as further device for getting
rid of the unpleasant fact, it mixes up
the names of the officers who have thus
resigned with the names of others whom
the President and Secretary of War have
arbitrarily I'd smisscd from the army in
disgrace on various frivolous pretcxts. II
turns ont, rs might have been expected
that fully one-half Of the officers whose
names are thus publ. .bed as dismissed
in disgrace were either killed il battle,
or have died of wounds received in bat
tie, or in hospitals, or to have been regu-
larly and honorably discharged. So lit
tie does Stanton know about the condi-
tion of the army.
INDIANAPOLIS News, 10th. The ven
tilatlon given to the testimony, as pub
lished in the WasiIburne report on Gov
ernment contracts, causes futtcring ;
here among the officials. They scan the
columns Of the U"iiy Sentinel eagerly.
A brother OF his EXcellency, Gov Nor
ton, as have advised you before, is par
ticnlarly implicated with Quartermaster
Nagen. When in times ofpublic calam-
ity officials build stone-front houses. pur-
chase farms, aud make presents of mag
nticent horses and carriages to those in
power, and at the same time receive a
bonus OF from live to ten per cent. on every
something may be conceived to ,
be wrong, which hooest people, who pay
taxes, will ultimately smell out. The next
Legislature, which will be Democratic.
will see into this whole matter, and thcy
will inquire also as to the disposition
made by Governor Morton of the contin-
gent funds voted him for patriotic pur-
poses ty the last Legislature. Would YOU
believe it when tell you that his Excel
ency's skirts are not altogether clear with
reference to the expenditure of public
money! L
NJ jor General Sherman, who com. =
nanded the extreme right Of the winy =
under Major General Mcpherson, has re- E
turned to Memphis, and, report says, to i
lake command of the expedition down 8
he Mississippi, instead Of Gen. McCIer-
nand. If SO, the change is a fortunate /
,ne in almost every respect. No one ?
lispnted Gen. Sherman's energy or ability :
whilst but few here have favor
Die opinion Of McCiernand. Gen. Sher-
mats departure indu.ad o,ho. oh., b,