The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1862-05-17
FRoM ovR War CORRESPONDENT,

- ARMY OF The
Camp on North fork Of white river, 9 miles west
County, No., April 25th, 1862.
DrAR ED1roR /: We are on the march from
Bull Greek, East. bound to West Plains, nfty
miles from here. l DONE suppose it prob
able We will stop there long, but how long,
or what way we 60 from there | have no
knovledoe. Tomorrow We will leave the
Osarks and enter a fine farming country,
extensively cultivated, and visions of milk,
and butter, and eggs are dazzling Us already.
We have all got plenty of money, and, let
Us out into America" We will make up
for " roughing it in the mountains. This
sort Of campaigning is good to inure men
to hardship, and teach them to disregard
tribes, but l think it is somewhat conducive
to profanity, especially when it rains oil
day, and the Infantry, wet and bedraggled,
tramping through the mud, have to halt
tpenty-fue times, more or less, in marching
hree miles, to wsit for the battery teams.
| wish we had a loo Of the Western Stage
Company's horses here to rattle the guns
along as they did those six FOUNDERS OF
Capt. Clinton's across the State Of Iowa.
Last Saturday and Sunday it fained a
good part of the time and kept up q chill
dreary drixzle the rest Of it, and, with hard
work for horses, mules and men, We made
seven miles; but such weather and such
roads don't last always, and SO the sun came
out and the mud dried up, and We made
better time. We have delightful weather
now, and are comparatively enjoying our
march hugely. When we get out where We
can see the ladies, and get a little better
fare, we will be IS all right"
The health of the army here is excellent
Several of the boys have the mumps, which
although not making them very sick, II
many cases seriously interferes with theil
marching. Company B has gone clear &c
far.
We find a large proportion of the people
through here to be Union. They have been
robbed and abused by the rebel marauding
bands, and are gerry poor in this worlds
goods, but they set a most noble example
for imitation by the grumblers of the Nor
tbern States. Instead of bewailing their
hard fate, they are cheerful and hopeful
and welcome the National army with a glad
ness which is refreshing to US. 1t Harlan,
of Co. G, and l went out last Saturday night
to get supper. Amile from camp we found
q young couple, with three little urchins, in
a rough log house, with rough surroundings,
and We thought the chances for supper were
rough enough. You, of course, are aware
that we fellows on this campaign have long
since laid aside all ceremony, and have
learned to make the best of everything
Of course we went in and made ourselves
at home. Well, the man, whom we thought
at first, in his "bu:ternut rig'' and s'shock-
ing bad hat " to be a poor stick" we
found to be a Woodworking, w%ide-awake
sensible chap, and the woman, without
hoops, in a homespun frock, and no shoes
on, We found to be quite pretty, &" rather
intelligent" very affable, and an excellent
cook. The children l soon made friends
with, and we all had a jovial good time
These people had been prosecuted, threat.
ened and robbed, and all because they
would cleave to the Union. But instead Of
running away, or giving up in despair, they
had faced the storm; and the wheat field
outside, and the spinning wheel in the house,
gave evidence Of their purpose to feed and
clothe their little flock 10 defiance of rebel
dom. There are hundreds Of parallel cases
scattered through the valleys of these wild
desolate mountains, and these people, and
people of their type all through the rebel
States, are pre-eminently the heroes and he
roines Of the wal.
You remember the old patriarch l spoke
of in a former letter who had his flag out
in spite Of rebel threats. l have learned
since that he fought in the revolution, and
in the war of 1912. Was with Washington
at Yorktown, with Marion on the Peedee,
and with Pinkney when he sunk the British
battle. ships. He is now living with his
fourth wife has twenty-five children all hv
ing, and has fourteen sons in the National
army. He said he thought of enlisting,
but the rebels took away his gun and horse,
and he concluded s'the boys" would do their
our obaro opd HE tno- .. .
Lieut.. Harlan, of G, Brown, Of D, and |,
went out for supper the other night, and
found a good Union family, whose head
was a jolly widow, weighing, as she repeat.
eddy assured Us, tuo hundred and fortyJfue
pounds. We spoke for ''mush and milk, p
and waited two hours for the cows to COM
up-time excellently put in, for we had
more fun thar we had seen for a long time
before. The widow was a philosopher,
ssposted" in housewifery. politics and the
ology; vac sharp as tacks, and the very
embodiment Of mirthfulness. Her eldest
son, a lad of II, is in the Union army, and
she is very proud of him. She told US,
with infinite gusto, Of an adventure she had
that day with one Of the soldiers in our
Brigade. He had caught one of her chick
ems and run of with it without paying her
for it.. She run after him, overlook him,
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