The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-12-31

aboltionist), escaped from the hospital of
the Libby prison by bribing the sentinel,
one Mack, a member of the Tenth Virginia
battalion of heavy artillery. This person
was purchased for forty dollars.
Letter From WashingtOn.
Correspondence of the ottumwa Courier.
Friend Norris. When you were here,
not long ago, you asked me, when in one of
your winning ways, to send you an occasion
al letter, and agreed to do it. wish now
had worded thu promise so that it should
not take effect till towards the close of
the session. For these reasons, to-wit Our
national capital is dull place, outside of
such matters as the telegraph gets hold of.
Even the Christmas Holidays are not unu-
sually brilliant. We have here the same
old Santa Claus who used to tickle our chill
dish hnaginations so much out in the rural
districts, who performs the usual good Of
flee for our children that he performed for
us in that olden time long ago; the same
Tom and Jerry at the coffee houses; the same
bowls of rum punch and egg-nogg for the
visitors; the same inevitable big drunk as
the natural catastrophe; and the same head
aches all over town the day after New
Years. In other respects Washington is
not more interesting than other towns Of
half its size.
But when che session comes near its close
when the work of months lin the COM
mittee rooms] comes before the House and
the Senate, when the schemes of the Lobby
come to focus or a collapse. when the op :
position fiiibuster away much valuable time
and lots Of greenbacks, when the Presid ent
is kept pretty busy signing b,lls--then is
the time to study our political metropolis.
Then the characters of our own represent
tative men are sharply defined, and the
merits of the legislation of Congress fully
seen by means of the full food of discussion
poured upon it. Meantime, will dot you
down few items occasionally which you
shall be at full liberty to print or burn at
your discretion.
do not know that can do better SER
vice than in defending the Army of the po-
tomac, which, I notice,i is spoken of in some
what contemptuous terms by several of our
western journals. 1t is not unnatural that
western people, from the midst Of whom
have gone such noble troops, such success
full generals, before whose unequaled gal
lantry and endurance the strongholds of the
enemy have been taken and their proudes
armies routed-itis not unnatural. say,
that they should look upon an army never
fortunate but once, with feelings of no great
pride. The Army of the Potomac is never
theless noble array.
In effectiveness in battle these troops
were not so good as the western armies.
And naturally enough. They came fromlarge
cities, manufac turing districts commercial
communities. Not one in ten, in many regi-
ments not one in the hundred. had ever
fred off a gun. They knew absolutely
nothing about drawing bead. /" Going
into action, they would use an immense
amount Of ammunition, like the Mexicans.
without hurting many rebels. An army
wastes an immense deal sf ammunition at
the best, and wher firing at random. as in
experienced troops not accustomed to fire
locks will, they do little or no execution.
Western men, on the contrary, know how
to shoot. They are raised to it. They can
draw bead on turkeys, prairie hens, or reb-
els, and fetch 'em down often enough like
thousand of brick. This was an absolute
advantage had by the armies of the west
oyer those Of the east. There was another
advantage. Whilst most of the regiments
from the east were composed mainly of as
good men as our regiments, large numbers
of the roughs of the cities on the seaboard
enlisted, and did much in the way of de-
moralizing the army. They drank, gam
bled, and contracted loatbesome diseases
they were lazy, "shiftless," ignorant. Too
often, they were conmanded by men no
whit better than themselves. Our army
was not afflicted to any thing like the ex-
tent this army was by this cause.
But the great trouble was the want of a
competent commander. First we had here
Mcdowell true gentleman, magnani-
nous, but totally unfit. for pure want of
sufficient brains, TO command an army.
Then we had Mcclellan, the apotheosis of
stupidity and irnbecility. To the fearful
entreates of his tender and be-pictured
wife he promised, as he went to the wars
away, that he would keep OUT of danger, as
became a prudent general. That prom
iiSe he kept to the spirit and the letter He
came near running both the country an a the
army. Next we had Pope. magnificent
liar and good general, runated BY the
treachery OF generals who were claquers for
Mcclellan. Then Mcclellan again, who,
remembering his promise to his tender wife
as Aforesaid, failed to bring up his reserves
at Antietam, and won only barren victo,
nv. Next followed Burnside, as good, as
true, as pure q man as ever lived, but not
able to handle hundred thousand men.
The slaughter at fredericksburg was the
result of his comm and To him succeeded
Hooker, whom in my soul believe pos
sesses more military genius than any man
in our armies. by this time the army had
become demoralized. The cavalry had done