St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-05-21
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE
WASHINGTON, May 10th, 1868

WASHINGTON, May 10th, 1868.
DEAR WILL.-Bcfore this reaches you,
you will know much more of the Rarra-
hammock movements than | do now but
no one in Minnesota can realize how
much mud and water has to do with every
rcpulsc Of our army. thought Gen.
lockers movement premature / think
ST still, and the men must have been too
anxious for fight who sought one through
those red and yellow clay chuck-holes
have been visiting the forts and hos
ritals around Washington in company
with Mrs. Fales, connection of Mr..
S,earns Of our place, lady who devotes
herself to distributing tracts, books, pa
pers and bodily comforts to our soldiers.
She has an ambulance appropriated to
her use by government, and goes in all
weather. An ambulance is two-horse
covered wagon on springs with seats like
those of an OMNIBUS, but made so that by
raising cushioned leaf attached to each
seat it can be converted into bed 1t
was during the army movement that I
spent two days Siding around with her,
sticking fast in bitches within sight of the
capitol, getting out and crossing chuck
nnles on boards while the horses dragged
the ambulance through, clambering around
had places by walking on the lower rails
of fences and holding by the top as the
horses dragged their feet out of the stiff
feniny clay, and the carriage twisted, and
plunged, and pitched, threatening to over
turn at every few PAGES. l saw one horse
IN team hauling hay fall, fit in his ef-
forts to get on one of the little knobs
which altcrnated the mud holes. There
is not paved or macadamized road lead
ing to Washington and but one railroad.
All through Virginia these ely boys are
called turnpikes. How the artillery was
dragged over the roads around Fredcr-
icksbury to storm forts, is one of the won
dcrs l shall never understand. How the
men got through or around the pits of
mi;e, stiff, half:dried heavy clay, which
must have iol med one-third the surface
OF the ground they passed over, is. a mys-
terry Of mysteries. Gen. Hooker, with all
his fighting propcnsities, never would
have undertaken such move but for the
Ions inaction of the army, the Impotence
of the people and the near approach of the
cnd Of the term Of service of so many of
his troops. Yet with all the disadvantage
Of the state of the ground he could no
doubt have been entirely successful, but
for The rain, which he had no doubt
hoped, would be withheld. When it
rained, rained, rained and poured for three
days and nights there was nothing for it
but recross. or have his communications
cut off with this side of the Rappahan-
mock.
Amongst all The comments on this re-
crossing, I have heard nothing more inter
csting than those of an old black woman.
formerly slave, who has the charge of a
new baby. l lately called to see baby's
mother and was lamenting Heoker's de.
feat, when the old woman spoke TIP:
"He isn't 'feated, honey. I know da'
countrywide river at Fredericksburg swell
and grow dreadful in big rain-git al
obcr de aats-so rs waded up to my
waist to get to boat. His bridges were
all >aoatin, ye see, an vixen de riber III
dey wouldn't be near long 'nough: Dey'e
git washed away, an he could got NJ
vi't'als ober dare, if dcy hadn't ,out droun
den his men. Hc sensible man, he is
honey. to set out o'dat dare, till de rail-
ober. But he's goin' back fore long,
tell yc. Ho isn't 'feated cause he's 60