The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-07-15
A Brief Campaign.

ceW udyS III Our Hle uaNe DeeH pdSSeu
more pleasantly than the past three or
four spent in camp as private in the
Evansville Rifles. Danger seemed i'm
minent when we were ordered into camp.
Our State had been invaded by an army
of rebels, and it was more reasonable
to conclude that Morgan would make
his detour in this direction than towards
Cincinnati and Ohio, the course he act
ually did take
We were called out on Thursday after
noon. The early part of the night we
bivouaced on the g ball ground" in the
open air. There was little sleeping
done, on account of anxiety as to what
wasg:oing to. be done, on the part of some,
and unusual cheerfulness on the part OF
others, which manifested itself unceas-
ingly in shouts and songs. The German
companies, in particular, sung "Old
JOHN Brown" and their favorite songs
of the Fatherland, without cessation,
from the time they stacked their arms
on arriving upon the ground until they
were ordered to march back into the city.
About l o'clock the companies were
ordered into line and marched into the
city, where they were dismissed with or
ders to report again at Z o'clock. The
members of the various companies then
rapidly dispersed and sought rest at
their respective homes. On the morrow
they anticipated marching orders, for
rumors of Morgan, Forrest and Wheeler
were rife and public expectation was on
tip toe.
By o'clock Friday morning the CON-
panies were in line and proceeded to the
same spot occupied by them the pre-
vious evening The day was very
cloudy-the sun entirely obscured, the
air was cool and pleasant and the men
enjoyed themselves wonderfully. Their
families and friends visited them by
thousands, with baskets of provisions
partaking but little of the quality of the
rough fare upon which our brave boys
in the army are compelled to subsist.
All the delicacies which the hearts and
hands of affection could devise and pre-.
pare were on the ground in the utmost
profusion. The quantities consumed
were astonishing. Many members Of
the Legion had been complaining of i'll
health for several days previous to being
ordered out, and had already determined
upon excursion trips to Mineral Springs
and Water Cure Establishments to recu
! perate, but one night in the open air ap
,, peared to dissipate their maladies ant
give them appetites that were we'll cal
culated to produce famine.
On Friday afternoon tents arrived ant
| preparations were made at once for camy
life. The "canvas houses" were pitch
ed in Blackford's Grove in the South
eastern part of the city. 1t was bus,
afternoon and evening. We were bu
inexperienced soldiers, yet the rapidit,
with which tables were constructed
i tents made comfortable, fire pits dug
and the other ct .ceteras necessary t,
camp comfort were improvised, woult
have done no discredit to veterans o
many campaigns.
The Evansville Rifles were, in the out
set, little unfortunate. They had onl
completed their arrangements for per
manent tay-having stoutly secured
their tents, trenched them nicely ant
foored them with clean straw -whel
orders came to strike tents" and re
move to another part of the grounds
This, unpleasant as it was, was submit
ted to with cheerfulness and alacrity
and but few minutes elapsed before tn
tents were down, transferred to the ne,
encsmpment, and erected amidst vollie
of jokes and uprearious laughter. Dig
nifty of position or standing in societ
was LnTOWH aSlOe-dll were on a con
mon level, and that high one-all wer
soldiers, enlisted for the purpose Of dri'
ing band of marauders from our STATE
Another peculiarity of soldier life
that of making ones self comfortable 6
the expense of others-was quickly d,
veloped in the new encampment-whicl
we should hare stated, was named
the officers as Camp Farquhar, in hone
of the Brigadier General commandin
the brigade. 1t soon became dangerou
to lay things around loose. So largel
developed was the "bump of order f"
some of the men, that they could n
bear to see tin cups, wood, straw, {
anything else lying about, and they ra
idly transferred these articles to place
of safety-and it was apparent they r
garded their own tents as the only sa
localities. Shiftlessness, with them, WI
not tolerated In this particular thel