The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-04-15
10S s'u'y1 -
OF Co. I, 3Sth Iowa Regiment
JACKSON. Tenn. March 81 1864


City News OF the Gath inst, I noticed a
letter from our Assistant Quartermaster j.
P. Mckinney, which vas brought to my
attention by member of our Co., who re.
ceived the paper sent by some friend a,
home. In his letter he accuses me in rath.
c: picturesque style, in his allusion to me
as being traitor, &C., with others, mean
ing, l suppose, Capt. Drips. The Captain
can defend himself; so can l. | could
heap upon this informer sarcasm and
abuse, but my better judgment forbids me
using such expressions, believing that such
a principle has been the handspring in
setting our present troubles in motion.
The contests Of the sword arc temporary;
their wounds arc but in the flesh, and it is
the pride Of the generous to forgive and
forget them; but the slanders of the pen
pierce to the heart; they rankle longest in
the noblest spirits; they dwell ever presen,
in the mind, and render it morbidly sensi.
tive to the most trifling collision. AS an
individual, shall try to have my rights,
with that Of my fellow soldiers in the field,
and shall expose all guilty parties, no mat
ter in what capacity they may serve, or to
what party they belong. would say in
regard to McKinney's statements, that they
arc an entire Misrepresentation of the
statements Of mine, which some Of the
readers Of the TINES, who have friends and
relatives in the 27th, could not fail to no.
tice, from the expression of the letters re-
ceived from them about that time (Jan
l2th); but I expected that the shoe would
hurt, and it appears that Mckinney took q
portion Of the swindling Of rations to him.
self, or otherwise his malicious spleen
would not have been aroused. say now,
as said then (Jan. 12th), that we did not
get our rights in rations at that time, and
that there was no necessity for stinting our
rations, while the deficiency on our part,
was sure to be charged to the government
as though we had received them, and of
course the proceeds went into the pockets
Of few individuals. A few weeks after
my letter of Jan. 18th was written, it seems
the commssary department attracted much
attention, and inquiry was made whether
we received the rations the government
allowed us or not, according to the army
regulations. The consequence was that
report was made to the proper authorities,
by few of our commanding officers, of the
deficiency, and the guilty parties were
brought to sense Of Justice they knew
we'll what guilt was, but justice they were
not acquainted with, and did not wish to
be. They Joined the army for no such
purpose; but it has been = good thing for
tho leanness Of the soldiers, that many of
the regimental, brigade, and division quar-.
termast.rs were brought to sense of their
proper duties. The result has been, that
we received full rations last month, and
consequently we had all we could eat, and
continue to have plenty, SO that We can
live and grow fat, il health permits.
From all accounts that can gather, from
the different companies that were at Hen
dersen Station. company "r' included, it
appears sufficiently evident that they did
not receive over two. thirds Of their rations
under the superintendence of the loyal
They lived on what they for
aged to some extent; but what became Of
the rstions due that was not drawn, Was .
surprise to some, while easy Of explanation
to others.
These are facts which I am forced to ex.
press, from the manner I've been denounc-
I'd by Mckinney as . liar. Ny mode Of