The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-12-20
Army CorrespoDdence.
SPRINGFIELD, No., Dec. 9Th, 1882,

Y
Dear Rank-Bye 81 .i9eHI 5a
d Since writing you on the 22d ult., the feelings
and condition of the 18th have been improving
rapidly. We are well satisfied that when we
we're ordered to this post, instructions were Civ
en- to the commander here to put as through
Nearly all the officers Of this post have been
changed since we came here. Col. Crabb, OF
lows, is now commander of this post; and, If
We are correctly Informed, he is cleaning out the
"RAfs" in style that becomes sound military
officer. In our letter, published in the Hawk
Bye, Nov, 9Th, we made .unfayorable mention OF
Gen. Brown. Our statements were founded
upon the best Information We could get, most OF
which vas derived from those under the i nm
date command Of Gen Brown at that time. 81
Gen. Brown is now in command of the'forces
ia Southwest Missouri, which has afforded rs
the opportunity Of knowing more Of the man man,
and of the restrictions thrown around him, last
summer We arc NOW satisfied bad Gen. Brown
been permitted to act upon his Judgment he
would not have retreated from an inferior force
of rebels at, Mount Vernon, Newtonia and Csss-
.viite.n We areuow satisfied that these retreats
we're all made by special orders from one who
rem aimed here and issued his, orders TO General
Brown, who was 10, the field aud who was COM
PEELED to obey .as1ors "a oar .agzgtss9 2aia5
g The Army of the Frontier have now gone into
Arkansas, where, under the command Of Gems.
Blunt and HerIon, they are. doing good service
Had we been under the command of such men last
October, the Army ofthe Frontier would doubt
tless have been on the. Arkansas river last month
with the rebel army killed, captured or driven
into Texas The want of shoes and clothing
prevented the 18th from going South with the
army; The health Of our Regiment is improv-
log rapidly We have received some shoes and
clothing, 90 that I'VE are comfortable. ,Es-J geo
Gen. Brown was present at our dress parade,
q few evening since, and expressed great salts
faction with both officers andprivates; stating
that our Regiment was far above what had been
represented to him The 18th is composed Of
men Nom thirty-six counties, through all of
which the Hawk-Eye circulates more or less
We can safely say to our friends, the prospect
now is that the 18th will soon be in shape to
take the field again with tried men, immured to
camp-life, who can do good service. We have
lost by desertion, 6; by death, A.; killed, Q:
discharged, To-; resigned, 8; and few others
will have to be discharged on account of inabil
ity for service. Now our military associations
are more pleasant and agreeable The weather
lie most beautiful and spripg-like, and we are
more contented and hopeful. NILSSON
-raT,5I9 SPRINe1lELp, No Dec. 10, 1852
DEAR HAwKEYE:-To-dayw we saw an article
upon statements said to have been made by Maj.
G. @. Allen, q member of GEN. Schofeld's Staff
As We consider those statements q tissue of
falsehood and Misrepresentation, We ask the
privilege Of masking denial Of such statements
and calling upon the man by whom they we're
uttered to furnish some evidence of their cor
rectness. ,.,,n
First-He states that "the 18th Iowa regiment
is at Springfield in q badly demoralized cond-
ton" We pronounce this statement false and
malicious; and assert that both officers and pri
Yates in the 18th Iowa, are as moral and consis-
tant in their department as any regiment in the
Army of the Frontier. He states again: IL
Second Only about two hundred of that
splendid regiment, which left our State so full
of pride and hope, were in q condition to join
the advance when the army left Springfield" If
<ho Nee, bod onpe,,ltod the al al ,norp;or ~
port, he might have known that such state
ment was utterly false, and without the shadow
Of a foundation - 80 ri, f.s,......, w..
Third-He states that 'the difference between
the 18th regiment and Others, lies in the fact
that it has incompetsnt officers, and as a conse.
quence, the men are without discipline" Has
the Major visited the 18th, and become acquain-
ted with its officers and privates {? or does be
make his statements upon the Judgment of those
of his associates, who are strongly prejudiced
against the 18th, because its officers we're too
honorable to sanction their drunkenness pro-
family and fraud? We want better evidence
than the statements of one, who alienated him
self from US, to show that our officers were in
or privates lack discipline.
Fourth-He states again, that 'many of them
are abandoned to dissipation. and consequently,
. large part Of them are in hospitals" A more
palpable falsehood never was uttered this side
Of Guinea or the Internal regions. ra
We defy the Major, or any one else, to point
out q single man in the 18th. who is abandoned
to dissipation. And as to large proportion Of
the 18th being in hospitals, it is perfectly safe
for us to say that the Iowa 10th and goth, the
Illinois cath, the Missouri 3D. and stb, each have
q larger percentage of men unfit for duty, and
in the hospitals than the 18th has. tits query
with us how the Major found out 80 much about
the demoralixed condition Of the 18th.-the in
efficiency Of its oficers-the want Of discipline
among the privates, that many of them we're
abandoned to dissipation and in the hospitals.
While the 18th marched on foot-some of them
vithout ehoes. the Major, by some means. we