Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-05-30
Frnm the 9th Regiment.


From the Goth Regiment
The following letter from Capt. J. Fl. VAN
DEMAN, written to his wife, has been handed
US for qualifications:
WARRENrox STATION. Va, May 19, 80.
DEAR BECK:-Some time has elapsed since
/ wrote you, because we have been on the
march every day. some days making 20 and
others Is miles, never less than the hitter but
one day, making then 10 miles. Having
marched l20 miles afoot, your humble servant
walking all the way, tell me not that 1 am
not pedestrian. came through with all my
boys safe tha: l started with, and in as good
condition as could be expected, for we march
cd and halted without tents, and one day with
out anything to eat, all the supply trains not
coming in, and we ordered to march in the
morning. We came through one of the most
splendid countries you ever dreamed Of in this
world-high lofty mountains, peaks of the Blue
Ridge, (you will see it on the nlap) splendid
Valleys aud beautiful rolling country for miles
along the road. The world cannot produce
anything superior to it, ! assure you Well,
in my last 1 told you we were approaching
Front Royal, a hard looking town. Our reg
iment was the advance of the brigade, our
brigade in advance Of the whole of Shields
Division, and your humble servant with his
company. in advance of all, being detailed by
the General for that purpose, and you had bet
ter believe we "let out" marching out ten
miles in two hours, bivoucked in q splendid
place ian old barn) placed out my guard
around his quarters, had my team drove TO the
barn, unloaded, and with my men laid down
to rest, slept pretty well and marched with
the regiment next day. You had better be-
lieve that the position was one of danger, since
we had no scouts out, no spies, and every road
we came to leading out from the main road
we sent scouts out, who would in one hour
again join US, reporting what, if any, they
could discover, for we knew not whether there
were masked batteries or not in the road, or on
the side of it. We found nothing, but march
ed along quietly, though fndiIg nothing but
secession families. Never, since leaving Mar
tiDsnurg, have we seen a Union flag, except
the one We carry. So all the stories abont the
Union feeling 10 the South $50 far at Ieast) are
all nonsense, and to conquer the South we will
have to externlinate them root and branch, for
nothing but the darkies are Union" We'll
ed all day. IL rilined all that night, ditto next
day, gum blankets being at a premium with
the men, quo tehts) bivouackiHg every night,
sleeping soundly and 1 might say enjoying
ourselves very finely. We Travelled over the
same style Of country, beautiful sublime, and
one which l will ever remember w eli the
next day we marched l miles and Just at dark
stopped and were about TO pitch tents when
! Gen. Shields sent order to the Colonel to
picket miles off the road with bis entire regi-
ment, so the men had to fall in and some of
them march that distance back, leaving squads
Of men, with orders to fire at all men coming
from he country into the road. So that night
the men got no sleep, and the next morning
were called to join the brigade without one
bit Of breakfast, and marched all DAY in that
condition, having not even one cracker to eat
We marched that day % miles, and many
were the blisiCred feet which met US on the
way. Your own humble servant pulling the
skin of his feet about the size of q silver dol
lar, aud then marching on through at quite a
sacrifice Of good feeling, l assure you. We
said nothing but pulled on, and finally got
WELL and l now feel very smart, in fact, l feel
better since made this march than have for
some weeks back. Well, in course of time, we
passed over the Blue Ridge and through Blue
Ridge Town, and finally came to a very pretty
town called Warrenton, county scat, filed
with good looking girls OF pale and atteuu-
ated (so TO speak, c5untenances, but a place
which was filled with negroes, from the asby
color, pale faced, to the jety "no discount
black negro, and as we marched through there
(whether TO bore US or mott the negroes were
all out in their holiday suits upon the street,
while the citizens themselves were all In the
houses looking out from behind the blinds, and
! the street all one grand thoroughfare of mig
! gers" niggers on the pavement, niggers on the
doorsteps, upon the houses, upon wagons,
everywhere, "eYen on the wood pile
! Well we left that country soon and came I3
miles to this place, where we once more "came
into the United States" having come into
/ sight OF New Y ork camp, some 1000 troops,
and indeed they do live in style, having 20
! tents to company, one to each Lieutenant,
and one to the Captain, the officers having
| their wives (many of them) with them and as
much furniture in their tents as we have at
home, dressed all the times in the very best Of
clothes, and as one captain told me, bad never
since they came into service (now months)
had cracker issued to them until this morn
| ing, and one private gave one of our boys q
dime for four, that he might send them home.
TO go soldering that way is not bad, for they
told me they had never, since they entered
service marched but I miles, the most in one
day 4, and had never biovuacked, never slept
out of tents but one night, and growled at
that. They all have straw ticks and some Of
them bsdsteads; they say they want "a hours
notice to march, because they cannot get rea-
! dy in less time, (all we want is 80 minutes, to
cook, load, fall in, and move on.) But enough
OF the feather bed soldiers and bedstead SOL
diering. will write again soon. We have a
beautiful camp here, and have had battle in
miniature to-day, where the sound of mus
kerry was only interrupted by the more loud
sound of booming artillery. A beautiful
thing and far more pleasant than the whistling
of balls and the cras hing of shells. 49,
j. Fl. Y.