American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1862-12-05
correspondence of the Citizen.
CAEP REID, NEAR RICHMOND.

FRIEND BoswoRTH Permit to trans :
nit to you correspondence relating TO a
flag which presented to the Madison
Artillery, by three young ladies of Rich
mond on the sth inst. As it is the only
thing that hes transpired worthy of note
since our company left Canton, 1 send it to
you for publication, if you consider il wor-
thy of a place in the columns of your paper,
hoping it may be of some interest to your
readers and the friends of the company.
The flag is a very handsome and tasteful
one, made of cherry colored silk bound with
yellow, with blue cross about four inches
in width bound with white satin ribbon, ex-
tending diagonally across it, having thirteen
stars worked in white, the central one being
considerably larger than the others, with the
names of Stmma, Ella and Alice worked IN
blue; on the reversed side. the letters II. A.,
Madison Artillery, the staff being ornament
ed by a handsome blue silk cord aud tas sells
It's beautiful design of the battle flag used
in our Army.
L was quite surprise to the company,
no one being aware that anything of The kind
was in contemplation.
Our company has made very rapid pro-
gress in the drill since We received our
horses. If we continue to improve as we
have in the last few days, it will not be long
before we are called into active service
Then the Madison Artillery will make a mark
/ in the pages of history that will make old
Madison ever proud of her brave boys We
are under the command of Brig Gen. J.
r.. Davis. l have been Informed that his
brigade would be formed in few days 1t
will be composed of four regiments, and one
battery of Light Artillery, viz End, llth and
AID Mississippi, and 59th Georgia, and the
Madison ARTILLERY, four gun battery, which
will be one gun to thousand men.
suppose you have heard ty this time, of
the promotion of our first Lieut., James S.
Ried, to Brigade Quartermaster of the Davis
I brigade. lie has detailed Mr. T.. L. Nichols
a member of our company, for one of his
assistants more deserving man could not
have been found Mr.. E. II. Ford, the 4th
Sergeant of our company, has been promoted
to 2nd Lent. of the Engineer Corps. He is
now stationed at Petersburg. We regret the
/ loss of such valuable officers as Maj. Reid,
and Lieut. Ford. The Majors place has not
by as efficient an officer as the Major. Lieut..
Ford's has been filled by one equally as de-
serving, Sergt C. r. Dudley.
Winter quarters has been talked of several
days, but nothing has been done as yet We
have made our present quarters very COM
Portable 10y building flues and ehimneys to
our tents. The way they are constructed is
by digging hole about two feet square, on
the inner side of the tent, the front side being
considerably sloped; we then lay a large
stone over it, partially covering it. The
smoke is conducted out by fiue built on
top of the ground, of stone and mud, extend
ing from the hole to the outer side of the
tent, at an elevation of about twenty de-
grees; they are generally from two to three
feet long, with chimney at the end, varying
from three to seven feet in length they
throw out heat very we'll, and the draught
nearly equal to that of brick chimney
Since the above was written our company
has been ordered off. This morning, (Isth 81
about clock. orders came for US to cook
four days rations and be in readiness to
march in two hours. They left camp about
half after six O'Clock for Richmond, to fill the
eaissons with ammunition, thence to q Rail
Road bridge about twenty-five miles north
of this. They are to be supported By the
5oth Georgia Regiment.
Myself and twelve others are detailed to
guard the eneampment and take care of the
sick. The health of our company is re-
markedly good. | am very much afraid the /
trip will make a great many of them sick, as
it is quite cool and raining, and they are not
use TO exposure. am in hopes they viii re-
turn TO camp soon, unhurt | have no news
of importance from the army. Judging from
the movements of the Yankees, they will
strain every nerve this winter to take Rich
mond. | am in hopes they will meet with
the same success that they did in the battles
before that city. We never will give it up
so long we have man left to fight.
WESLEY.
RICHMOND, Nov. 8, 1862.
CART. GEo. WARD:
Will our friends, the Madison Artillery,
accept this little Flag as token of our high
esteem9 We regret that IT is not in our pow
er to have it larger, but knowing the difficult
ty in obtaining material, we hope you will
overlook that deficiency May it wave above