The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-03-21
Gsttsrs from tbc Armp
Correspondence Of The Cecil Wing
Letter from the I2ld Pa. Eeg,t,
HEADouARTLRs Compan, i, J

Letter from the I22d Pa. Reg't.
HEADQUARTERS Compan, i,
l22d Pa. ", camp near Falmouth,
Virginia, March 9th, 1868.
DEAR VINO :--ifearing so much ak
OF the Decentralization Of the Army of the
Po oinac, | thought | would write you Il
few lines, hoping Ia you may find room
Tor tnc,n IN your ever welcome sheet.
People North are strongly aggl atcd
by reports OF t"is army being deuoral
I'D. | nave had numerous let ers in
qnlng If his WAS not the case, and |
wish here To reply to all of hem
Dcm1ralized, why 1 What has been
done, or what has occurred to dcmoral-
lze an army! If his great body of men
s IN la sad condition which is mrant
by decentralization, hen it Is not and
never has been an army, bu rather only
mob Of par'izans for an army knows
only to obey the orders of its Govern
m'nt | have been through and through
l,-ln camp, on picket, and on the bat
tln-iield-and canddly say, La Il
Drawer, let er, or more loyal set of
.nen never rod the earth. There va,
a time, under Burnside, when this army
had nst hat confidence IN lise.f which is
50 necessary 0 success; but 1t was
always ready fight and always has
i"ngh with heroisln unsurpassed in
history. Under the strict and cad,
rule Of Hooker, however, his feeling has
rapidly passed away, and issnow daily
beng replaced by the strongest assur-
ancc Of coming vic o,ies. I he country
at large does not know what vast re-
torlus General Hooker is ins,tutng
here but we who are here, and who
see WI h what calm and steady hand
he holds the reil>, s:ernly punish n.
those who deserve il, aud gladly reward
ing those en- i led 0 II, feeling that a,
last we have Il commander who Will
brca he into his army the breath of
life.
BY Il series of vigorous measures, the
esprit de corps of the army Is being won
deriuily revived aud strengthened
lockers first leading measure was to
| abolish the Grand Divisions, and this
being he condition and control of the
ARMY under his own innedia eye. or
course this immensely increased the
work AT general headquarters bu then
General Hooker is not the nan to avoid
work neceSsa y to be done. 1t broke
up hat feeling Of cxciuSvencss that was
last making each Grand Di;;sion an
Il my by itself, and, BY requiring each
corps to report directly TO headquarters
welded The army into Il compact and
homogeneous mass, obedicnt to the will
of > Commanders. Then came inSpec-
tons, adnonltion and general wedding
out of towards, traitor, and imbecile~.
his last good work i, still going OIL
To-day brings IA General Order DISMISS
lng some hirty or forty officers, for
various otfcn>es, from drunkenness to
il>l"yal'y The tixe for drunken and
dls"yal officers i'll this army, thank God,
has gone by. General Hooker is after
all such with the Sllarpest kind of IA
tick, and from the bottom of my hear |
wish him God speed. Perhaps the
| wisest Of his measures has been his
Solemn declaration tina he will do his
utmost t" have deserters ANONYMOUSLY
sno' while Il the same inc he has
naaguIa'ed iudicious system of leave
| OF absence aud furiuugis; the later
while hey cannot possibly accomuoda {
every body, lei gives hope to ali, and
above all, it sa isles the army that lis
tonn,hn or /, doing the very best he can
10 pron'o c hen happiness and wei are
hc result Is, tina thousands who would
c!'afs aud fret if tur'ou4hs were posi-
lively prohibited, now tina they have
the chance offered them of going home
care bur lii lie abou it. A new feeling
has, therefore, sprung up. Those who
have bceu home bring back with them a
thorough ca, TEN of Northern Copper
bca 8 and u,ore bitter hatred of the
rebel, than ever before. Those who
have remained h re are disguised with
the accounts ir"ught here of affairs
Nor II and the olive never to return
the e until the ebe lion is beneath heir
fee1 Az" vic "y Is upon heir banners.
The dl,lo5al utterances s, rife and 8,
blatant here last Summer have alread;
s bs'e iuo whispers, soon TO disap-
pear forever. Many, sn solid in their
threats then, are now faint ; deny hem,
and those who always were firm in the
ia tn are now tirmer than ever. Before
the Spring campaign fairly opens, Gen.
Hooker will have this army we'll in hand,
and its nlorale will be incouparaby bet
ter in all respects than ever before