Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1863-02-11

Charleston Courier, in relation Ia the c'n'i-
ton OF tie ARMY in Virginia, which VIC lay
ef IRE cur raiders:
Fasnknlcxssuna. Va, Jan. 90. 1864.
La INV letter Of Sludny. we're dct,i!ci va
riuus tact, conn. c'e1 with "tne fr"t" of III
two r,uies. ln This. / prnpns- 10 give Ven
some I'd. a ui The army i,>e'i-its zen, RI Ca
lur ,. condition aud PROSPECTS.
When ] lett these camps, three mouths ago
til Spectacle presented On ~. y side %as ont
IA 1t might Well have disririt Il lhe III .'sl s'n-
s,iue heart. Thousands were in rag, bar
I ,u.ei and d.stitute vi the .cpunru M"tt lie
c,ssaries f lie. The country was lnl vi t c
wo lnded, sick, and ~ ra,,slrrS: tie arnv VIZ
%derin,ted, mrt tupsav A.Ih"~' 'iS"rg II .et:
many; nr TIL: regiments were tie>,i'u.c vi c"w
,u,ni,n. ollie. r, aud Il ,"nsr III Wea ines
4 ~lpnsiuy iue r,oi. sceincd To ~Irrrrie lha ell
,ir, lla.,. Inc c.u,:,Aigu ri Macy laud, will
il - :i,4s isiiy uarchcI. its el,-rviting eX'
cit.ments. exposures and deprivatlons. It's re
cords III wounded and dead, had proved Wei:
li:yh ~ fatal in lis deinoraitz'ng results Us !
VIZ had sustained a disastrous defrat.
With that peculiar elasticity ct telnpera
,n.ht which Character S our people. h''wev
er, the rebound when it commenced Was NJ
sa.ld n as the TAI. The. approach OF winter
brought with il the invigOruting insllaace'
which operate oh health, and the men alread.,
innre,i to hardship. ripened quickly To 4
physical cond,ion TINT has never been equal
Ell in their history. Tne prospect Of another
bat IL. and the selection OF Is p's!ti III, whrri.
:" even urmil!tary ewes appear stamped VIII
i.nrregnaMili,, coru,ite.l with the unii,nilrs
cm.idcnce rep ,Sed in the.r Cn,ct, al n: e.
irAe q chaim upon The d~rouIiug spirits oi IT."
ARMY, and rs II by M 'g!c the faces ot ms
All tie ,ace of stf:rrs were lighted with a;
anln.tiug spirit that iUr told what was alter
warts 81 easily. chieved su"c-sa.
.And now, a. YOU ni..ve tDr, u.h the camp
aui size tl. .uluirrs IN their viii G :qlarier,
observe the robust forms, broi.z.: laccs, blith
spuits-aad thanks u tie noble w'nhen u.
y cuuhtry and tue good %citizcnS WIN iiav'
tor;ned associations fr ,he reliel ot ihe sol
dier-their comfortable c oLhing you il S inc
lively feel that never si:.ce its orgiinlzatiui
has our army eqaal!ed its present super'
fighting and physical condition. la the lai
xuAge 10 nj. of IL Mnj2y General OF Suiday
" cannot be Wrapped in cur present p"'
81 inu by five .Luinirei thou .and men,"
Ia di>cipl,nr, rtoo, which has !icrct',i"r
been gre tly neglected, Improvement has beef
made with r.ipii s'ridc.. Struggling JAS been
iuea>ursL,ly cured ,!cserti"ns hr.of coinpnra
lively rare occurrence, and I: spirit OF enlula
ton exi.t, among tho various COMMANDS tha'
is telling wonderfully on,thcir efficiency ui"
Nuidierly worth.
Tue only brigade | have vt had Al oppar
tunity Of seeing OH parade is that oi Gen.
Jenkins, and [ must confess that if the en-.
,ir. army presents such a spectacle as wa,
p.e,. nled OH this occasion, We nave in trhih
y BODY OF men Of whom the Coutederacv ma!
be proud. In drill, movements, military
b-aring-ereryshins. i'll fact, which constr
TUES the true soldier-ttcy are as near Il
state of perfection as volunteers have ever
attained. Much OF this improvement In the
tone of the army is of course due to the 'ili-
GERS, but not less to the hearty spirit with
which the privates have given themselves TO
the work, and joined their honest endeavor'
10 those of their superiors to promote excel
lency of discipline and behavior.
: In proof Of this gratifying fact, may men
ton that since the first of january not more
than eight men out of twentJ-iou hundred
have been under arrest for misdemeanor, and
80 reported at headquarters.
A high order Of improvement is especially
manifest among the officers, from the Colo
ncls down to the Curporals. No man, how
ever unanimously chosen or whatever may he
the influences, social or political, brought TO
bear, can be elected without first passing the
ordeal Ct a Board of Examiners, and proving
not only his competency to command, but
the excellence of his moral character. When
these fact. are satisfactorily shown, the APP
pointuent is announced in an order read be-
fore the regiment, or brigade, as the case
may be, and the officer cutters upon his duty
respected by all as one qualified for the posi-;
ton. Demagogueism-that bane OF the army
bus thus been destroyed, aud Cal ability,
more than popularity, made the criterion by
which men become entitled to rank.
The result of this elemental change in the
organization of the army-this stroke at the
very root of difficulties, against which the
Commandments Chief has heretofore contend
I'd in vain-has proven beneficial beyond com.
putation. 1t is this. confidence in the greater
ability of the men to perform whatever may
ae required Oh bucu WhiSu leu NCu' lA"ou w
make the remark quoted above, and the
feeling is sLar,d by all the Generals in the
srmy.
While the suictness Of discipline now OBJ
served may not be altogether popular among
taose inclined to shirh the. additional labors
thus imposed, it is undoubtedly true that the
ultimate effect upon the fortunes Of tie Con-
,,,deracy will be Of the bcalthiest character.
II is the lack of a thorough army organizl-
lion that has swept away from US thousands
oil advantages, which otherwise would have
accrued, aud rem cred almost every battle
barren Of it's valuable results. From these
circumstances, it is believed that hereafter We
shall punish the enemy more severely than
We have yet had the power to do. and that the
next blow will be the most decisive oi the
war. Certainly if there ID anything in mutu:
al confidence, in a spirit Of emulation aad
bravery inspired by selfreliance, the coming
battIe will be fought with a vig6r and deter
mination that will throw its predecessors in
the shade. and in all probab l.ty win for us u
speedy peace.
The winter quarters Of the men are even
more comfortable thansduring the last win
ter. Every tent has attached to it a snb>tan-
81 ob;,,rav and the social fire nluco within