Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1863-02-18
LETTER FROM THE 10Th.


have had the privilege of passing out and into
camp. at their pleasure and they took adyan-
tage of this privilege TO such an extent-as
report Las it--that few days ego, mistrust-
ing how the plan was orking. the Col. went
all over the camp and not ara officer. except
those on guard duty, was to be fund for sew
en- hours. The consequence of this was an
order read on dress parade. giving only three
commissioned officers in the regiment the
privilege of going out each day. They now
have to stop and show their pass, the same as
the rest of us. instead OF merely salutng the
sentinels. as formerly. You have no idea
how much good it does the boys when on
guard, to stop pair of shoulder straps.
We have battalion drill in the forenoon, and
no one can get pass till afternoon. AS the
parade ground is not large enough to accom-
modate two regiments at once, the Thirtieth
drills in the forenoon and the Twenty fifth in
the afternoon. Our battalion dill generally
| lasts from ten o'clock till noon but there has
! been SO much cold weather lately, we have
moi drilled as much as we ought for our own
| good. And am sorry to say we are moi
| very proficient, considering the time we have
! been in camp. In the afternoon we getierally
! have company drill. from two til half past
| three o'clock. Besides drilling we have con-
! siderable fatigue work to do: such as pack
| ing wood and cutting il for the Hospital, and
| other purposes but we do not have 10 work
hard enough to hurt any one. AS Ear as that
| is concerned it is no more than is necessary
! to keep US healthy. We hare been drilling
| little in the skirmish drill, and also in the
bayouet exercise, but are not yet perfect in
either one, The parade ground is now in ex-
| cellcnt condition TO drill on. it being frozen
very smooth. and the weather is also as nice as
| any one could wish.
And now for the particulars in regard TO
company T: AS voc we'll know, We left P.
with upwards of one hundred men, who
styled themselves the Tiger Guards And
as look around me now, a"d compare the
| present condition of our company with its
fourishins condition at that time. and thnk
| how short time we have been gone from
| LONE, it reminds me of the saying that
change is stamped upon every thing Out
| of those one hundred and four healthy. hear
| ~ men. ONLY about forty are now fit for duty.
| One has been transferred to Berdan's Sharp
| Shooters, ten have been transferred to cons
| pany I, two have deserted, and two discharged.
! And three have been called away by the
! Messenger of Death, and are ROW sleeling
| their last sleep beneath the cold clods Of the
valley and the affecting hand Of Providence
| is still uponus. Sickness is still in our midst.
| Nearly half OF the remainder Of our company
! are reported SICK and several Of them are III
| a very bad condition foo. The measles and
mumps are the prevailing diseases, but some
are afflicted with diseases OF a more serious
nature than either of these. There are six or
seven more in the company who have been
| sick nearly ever since we entered camp, and
have complaints from which they will never
| recover as long as they live; and what Uncle
| Sam wants of such men is more than can
| tell Some of them ought never to have en-
| listed. But probably they were anxious TO
| do something TO help sustain that government
which had SO long sheltered them, and hoped
| to be able to endure the hardships of a sol
dier's life and if they were unable to en-
dure its privations they supposed they would
! be sent home, and not kept here TO suffer at
ter there was no prospect of their ever being
able to do duty. But getting discharged
| from Uncle Sans service is a trihe harder TO
do than getting into the service If il We're
not, fear the army would be sadly diminish
ed IN size very soon. Many would be ready
TO feign sickness, if by so doing they could
get discharge. And SO 1t is always the case;
the innocent are debarred from enjoying PRIV
leges which they might enjoy. if those priyi-
leges We're not abused by the guilty and it
is sometimes difficult to detect the counterfeit
from the genuine. We have SO little hospital
room here, that afer filling Up every suitable
building with the sick, every company has
| from ten to twenty sick o es in their barracks.
We provide for them here the best we can !;
but with the best of care. it is poor place for
sick person, amid the noise end confusion
which necessarily results from so many men
being brought together under one roof, how
ever ample it may be. But the new hospital
new in process of erection, think viii be
large enough to accommodate the sick in one
| regiment at least The outside of the build
ing is comp eted, and they are at work on the
inside now. As l have not yet been inside,
do not know how it is to be arranged.
You have asked in one of your letters how
we spend our time hare in camp. | have al
ready accounted to you for certain portion
| of each day. The remainder of the time is
spent in various ways. according to the dispo-
sitions of the different persons. Now We are
away from home, you know we are dependent
ON our own skill to do our mending, wash
ing. and so on, unless we prefer to hire It done.
Some employ nearly all the time that can be
4 spared from these duties IN playing cards;
some in playing checkers. and some in read
ing and writing. We have a building COM
fortabiy htted up, in which prayer meetings
are held every evening, and when the weather
is not too cold. services in the open air on The
Sabbath. by Chaplain Green Report has sci
several times fer us to go, but we are still
here, with but very little. more prospect o
leaving Than there was when We first came.
.