Smyrna times., 1863-01-29
From the lst Delaware.

CANT NEAR FALMOUTH. Va, JAM 18th, 1863.
Mr. Editor =" Nought may endure but mutabil
ty," cried the INSPIRED German poet Schoey, and
the record Of year has well atested its truthfuness
proving most conclusively that to-day's dream Of
bliss may cruelty be dispced by tonorrow's cold
reality. DO speak metaphorically think not :;
but let US compare the past with the present.
One year ago from the date of the above, the First
Delaware Regiment OF Volunteers, full nine hundred
strong, was comfortably and happily encamped at
CAmP Hamilton, Fortress Monroe, Virginia, under
the command Of that sage discipnOrian and sterling
patriot Major General John E. Wool, attaining daily
by constant drill, those rudments essential to and
imperative in soldier Of the fullest aceeptatisn
Happy, healthy and numerically strong, the novelty
Of the occasion justified its continuance but tho cur
tain falls here upon halfplayed drama, baptized
in sunlight to be shroudcd in blood.
To-day, contemplate realize On this, thy an
niversary, where art thou ys glorious old nine hun
dTed strong ?-show thyself and prove thy invinci.
bilty And potent reason, leaning over the balus
trades of the past, tells with startling disnctness
"Nought may endure but mutability."
Anguish unutterable! And why not anguish?
am thinking to-day Ofmy lost brothers n arms: Ye
who stood by upon the hard-iough, battle field OF
Antietam, issuing from your gaping tubes the mes
scngers of death, struck BY corresponding mes
sengers and hurried from my sight BY lingering
wounds or speedy death, from all tho ills that
flesh is heir TO" by dozens and by and twos. ye
have unceremoniously left me, aud feel that the
aching void within" INC never be closcd-nev-
! nth Ia,
nope so. Lost brothers in aIms-and your geoeraph
zeal whereabouts extend from Camp Hamilton, Nor
folk Suffolk, Portsmouth, Anletam, Fredericksburg
and clscwhere-I shall strive to live on earth
to be able to meet you all in heaven. For the pres
ent only, FAREWELL
| Log-huttcd and perhaps wintcrized, the remnant
of the regiment is doing well Us circumstances
may admit, which il anything but agreeable, tell
you; but il Shvcring to deuh in lcaky tents and go
| ing barcootcd for a season will save our bleeding
cunntry perhaps the sacrifice is proper. Save the
country, though, as quickly possible, please.
We have Just received the last Springfield rifle,
beautiful instrument, calculated to kill and play
havoc generally among regiment of rebels.
The army, strange to say, ~ is not in the least
demoralized by the late proclamation of President
Lincoln. All, no; side issues never sway the
Army of the Potomac. Let your home .ocrat peace
men bear this in mind.
Necessity being the mother of invention" have
contrived to manufacture from gnnpovder and vim.
egar liquid sonsthing like ink, which, if it i'm.
proves any BY time, you may probably be ablo to de.
cipher. is next to an impossibily to obtain STA.
tionery here, of any description, and we find our.
selves pushed" very frequently.
Tonight the camp is alive with song and ge.t
consequent upon US just receiving ffeAh bread To
soldier this acquisition is not 10 be sncezed at"
for we have had nothing but hard bread since we
left Suffolk. Some flhs hard bread is so fiat.
stale and Improbable" that have lkened il unto
something akin to what Pharoah's army were pro-
vidcd with when they attempted to cross the Red
Sea, but couldn't ..Familisrity breeds contempt"
aud this hard bread is one ofthe most. cnntsmptble
| things We know Of. - - More anon. Ss 9sfr
| u''s,bss..> =, 80 AtaA1 JGNius
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