The Portland daily press., 1863-01-28

Army Of the Potomac - Washington Post
Office - State AGENTS and Relief Associa-
tions- Statistics Of immortality.
To the Editors Of the Press
The almost forgotten army of the Potomac
still lies on the Rappahannock. At long inter
walls there comes from ii rumors of a skirmish
or general movement, and straight all is
cold again." The people have forgotten to
cry On TO Richmond and there seems to be
general indifference as to whether il moves
or stops. What means this feeling? Has the
briei movement and great disaster at Freder-
icksburg so depressed us that we are no lon
ger to stir in vindcation of the national honor
since to go forward threatens such carnage as
brought horror last month on the Rappahan-
mock?
But all the great business of feeding and
caring for this army, and its outlying detach-
ments and its supporting corps, must still 20
on. From Norfolk at the south of Virginia TO
Harper's Ferry at the north of the same State,
there are posted, Including the forces at New
bern In North Carolina and at Wheeling Va
over seven hundred regiments Of infantry and
cavalry and batteries of artillery. Such at
least Is the number OF regiments and batteries
which receive their mail matter through the
Washington Post Office. Included in this ag-
gregate are about two hundred New York re-
giments, nearly as many Pennsylvania regi-
ments, twenty-five or thirty Maine regiments
aud batteries, a large number of Ohio, Iowa,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota aud
other Western regiments, nearly fifty Massa-
chnsetts regiments, perhaps twenty-five each
Of New Jersey and Connecticut regiments,
and at least twenty from Vermont and New
Hampshire. You will see that the aggregate
number have named can be readily made up.
Each Of these regiments has a box in the in
terror of the city Post Office here. These box
ne uh N f.<,fa aaal, .x.l -,
upright cases, fifty to a hundred in a case
Each box has a door sliding up and down,
which covers half the opening. While the
mail Is distributing, this door remains down
to keep the letters, &C., as they are thrown
in.- When the mail for such regiment is put
up, q bag is held by hands or hooks at the bot
tom Of the box, the door is slid up, and the
mail matter is pulled out into the bag. This
Is done each day, daily mail being sent to the
army. Each regiment has its bag, the division
bags for each army corps are tied up togeth-
er, while these great packages for the army
corps are again tied up together for each grand
division, and the whole, with these distinctly
marked bags, are gathered together into one
grand mail which goes daily to the headquar-
ters Of the army. This description of the dis
tribution Of the mails applies TO the army on
the Rappahannock. The mails for the army
Of the Shenandoah are made up separately.
So Of the army lying at Suffolk, Norfolk. New
port News, &c. the headquarters of which are
at Fortress Monroe. Then again there Is
mail for a part of the forces In North Carolina.
This goes to Newbem ria Fortress Monroe
To get an idea Of the aggregate of letters
thus dispatched, consider that to the New
York Regiments numbered above 100 tths
section is called in the phraseology of the Post
Office High New York. there are distribut-
ed daily from twenty thousand to twenty-tw o
thousand FIVE hundred letters. This section
Is under the charge of Mr. Hodgson one OF
the Postoffice attaches, who, as well as
his associates, Is among the hardest working
men In Washington. found written in PEN
Gil upon the case over which he presides the
following lines, which your readers will find
the military mails:
Hodgson works with all his might
From early morn till late at night;
And every day he's in his place
Working with steady care and grace,
He takes the letters one by one
single toss, and they are gone,
And safely landed each in place
In boxes in "High New York; case.
And every day too, without fail.
He puts up Peck's Dipision mail,
And, with the aid Of Mr.. Rice,
It's pouched and sent off in q trice.
One pouch s to Old Point sent, though true
II contains the mail for Yorktown too
Another goes clear through to Norfolk
With matter for the boys at Suffolk
And yet to make the work go faster,
Each regiment has its postmaster,
Who quickly sorts and gives each man
As many letters as he can;
And when the work is truly done,
The men expect good news from home
All this business is supervised by the accom-
plished postmaster at Washington, Mr.. Gle
phane, who has, through the rise of the rebel
lion, found himself at the head of the most la
borious post-oftice in the country. But moth
ing disturbed, his even temper and ready tai
ents are equal 10 all emergencies. and the i'm.
mense business of his Office goes on with all
the efficiency, and ten times the courtesy and
accommodation to the public, which is found
in the New York city post-ofiice. which. !
few years since, did fourfold the business Of
the Washington office, and probably at tn,
present time has fourfold the clerical fore,
which is allowed the office here.
The business of the State Agents and Tn,
Relief Associations of the various States is in
creasing here. Aid, comfort, counsel, sympa
thy, active effort and patient, persistent deal
ing with the holders of "red tape" are re
quired in behalf of wounded, destitute an,
disabled soldiers While an accurate agent O
the State, responsible to and dealing with tn
authorities of the State is indispensable, We
such agents should act In friendly aud earnes
concurrence with the volunteer Relief Associ