Weekly Trinity journal., 1863-09-12
From a Trinity Soldier now in Virginia.

Under date of Centerville, Va, Aug. I'd, we
have letter from J. N. Eby, formerly in the EN-.
ploy Of the State Telegraph Company in this
county-now q member of Company NJ Califor
MIA Battalion, I'd Mass Cavalry. Eby begins;
With as much delight as a fond parent would
receive long lost child did welcome the arr.
val of the JOURNAL. And several other Trinita
rians in this and adjacent camps we're DO less
overjoyed at the unexpected opportunity of pc
rusng it, bad hardly dared hope that it would
eyer reach us in our wanderiugs.
Since we left Massachusetts, in May we have
been doing picket and scout duty in this State
and Maryland, with but little show of brush
with the enemy About month ago, however.
in a reconnaissance to Ashby Gap we got for
taste OF what we now ardeDtly look for. Com
ing into the Gap cur advance guard, eighteen in
number, Unexpectedly confronted seventy mount
ed men. Lieut. NOrcrosa, of our Company. be-
ing in command made two bold dashes. without
success. Col. Lowell sent forward three plat
oons TO see what the row was, and TO ascertain
if the Rebs. had any artillery. This being our
first experience /" in the deadly breach" we did
not feel entirely at home, but went in boldly,
Notwithstanding, remembering what mother Gal
iiornia expected, and determined never to give
her Southern sympatbising sons a chance to scoH
And we remembered. too, that our lives belong.
ed to Uncle Sam, aud pushed forward, when whz
and whang went the bullets about our ears. Let
me tell you that the melody was not as pleasant
as that of the gay old accOrdeon TO the plaiHitve
music of which Weavervillians used to keep time
in the Hurdy .Gurdy shop. The enemy were en-
sconced behind bushes and stone walls, and kept
up N incessant fire. Our position being danger
our one. the Colonel ordered us back, fearful OF
artillery We then went forward in three col
umns, one through the Gap. and one over the
~ cid md fhn p,olo glrn rnAo dad m
bad order. In The skirmish We had two men kill
ed and four wounded-one of the latter being
Seargt. DeFOrest, OF Marysville who was struck
in the right temple by musket ball. His friends
are informed that he still lives and is the right
man in the right place"
tell you there ia no fun in soldering, and
when folks talk about the lazinesS Of camp life
they speak of something they know not of. Let
them come and try it, and see that cavalry has
hard road to travel" and in my opinion it is
doing more towards putting down this " cruel
war " than any other arm Of the service. Eby
evidently hadn't heard of Greek Fire when he
wrote.] The California Battalion is spoken Of
in high terms by Gen. Heintzelman. Gen Hook
er, just before being relieved, took us in tow, but
we were subsequently, ordered back into our old
command, which prevented our taking hand in
the Gettysburg fight"
The day before Eby's letter was written a de-
taohmeut of the California Battalion had return
ed from a four days chase after Mosehy. They
re-captured a stolen train and large number of
horses but the guerrilla leader escaped to Bull
Run mountains. Eby says it is surprising to
witness the desolation in that once fair section.
Few men are left, while the genller sex are in
frightful preponderance. He don't think one Of
them is Union. DR.. DeWolf stopped at house
q few days before and asked the matron if
she was not good Unionist. No sir, we dop't
profess to be Union" was the quick answer, and
the smile on her face was rs pleasant as could
be. She seemed pleased at his ignorance, while
the good Doctor knew we'll enough that the at
mosphere of that section was not healthy for his
kind Nearly every family is represented in the
kcns OF individual losses and grief. Yet they
are unrelenting, and the writer is convinced that
Southern women do as much to keep the war up
ga La rsan H. ~---.i.,sv~.
+ " Idle farms and deeolate plains mark the track
Of armies. The most fertile valleys are waste
lands now. Only in the mountains are grain
fields to be found The contrast is so great that
one imagines himself dreaming when he comes
up from the old battle grounds covered with de-
serted camps, and skirted with once beautiful
farms, now laid waste and buildings and fences
PROSTATE. and gazes on fields rich in cereals. and
homes as quiet, peaceful and tasteful as though
the Demon of blood and carnage had never
breathed his pestilence near them.
My corpulencc has sadly diminished, and does
no credit to the commtssdriat Of this Department.
Many more can tell the same tale. Frequently
we have no time to cook meals for two or three
days. and then we go il on hard bread and raw
bacon, which tastes as well as any grub | ever
got at Minersville or Bates, because it is eaten
under the proVocation of an empty stomach.
good deal of stealing is done in this line. Com.
mssaries and Quartermasters may be good pa.
trots, but they don't go on the tented field TO
show it. They are generally troubled with that
itching in the palm " that Billy Shakespeare
tells OF.
suppose you noticed a letter from one Of our
men published in q San Francisco paper. 1t
made a little noise in camp among the shoulder
strapped gentry, and can swear to its being q
true tale. After coming so far, without any
prospect of bettering ourselves pecuniarly, it
it was hard to be deprived of what by right be-
longed to us. They have so fur kept us out of
$50, city of Boston bounty, and will doubtless
continue to do so. We consulted with the State
authorities on the subject and they assured US it
was really ours and no one had a right to take
it. Officers, however, have great advantage
over prvates and do just as they please, and our
complaints and prayers for relief are set down as
soldiers grumblings.
The "Caifornia Hundred " l hear are near
Alexandria now. We expect them to join u.s.
They have seen hard service aud are endorsed by
high officers as being good soldiers We look
anxiously for them.
Gen Meade has the confidence of his soldiers
and will fight Lee at the first opportunity. l
am afraid Lee will get away with the bulk of his
army. II is no easy task to head off and capture
so large body Of men. If some Of the imagin.
afy Major Generals so often met on the streets
of Weaverville could know the scope of country
which armies have to operate upon here, they
would certainly find many Of their plans fail
ures We have travelled day and nigh: without
meeting Union forces, GO great is often The dis.
tance between Divisions and Corps The feeling
among the soldiers seems to be that the war is
virtually over, yet we thought so year ago.
To be- sure, the South has lost half its strength
at Gettysburg, Vicksburg aud Port Hudson, and
Charleston is almost as sure prize. yet there is
a vast country in their hands which may supply