Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-09-25
OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
Troubles from NIOxquitOes bugs
and keptiles--P Politics. lJnusual
sickness I'm camp Mortality List
OF the :BSth Iowa. le .l : ei1a

e. ~
and kePtiles-HO -HOliIics-lJnusua
S sickness in Cnms, Mortality y Lis
OF the :l5th Iowa. aa -it j ti.
! CAMP ON BEAR CREEK, near Vicksburg,
.''' '' September 4th, 1853.
Once more, after heightened absence,
: am in camp, or in other words, visit tt
Goods country is over, home "played out,
} and the "tented field" stern reality. 7'
0 found the regiment located in the same
position it occupied when I lett. The camp
has improved greatly. Tents have beer
: brought out from the river, and every conve
nience pertaining to a well organized camp is
at hand The site of our present quarters
was admirably we'll chosen. Situated on q
heavily wooded ridge, with good water in
abundance, everything is pleasant and well
arranged. At first, considerable dlspleasure
was manifested by the t oops that were not
allowed to return to the river. One night in
river camp, however, will settle the veriest
grumbler in the lot One short hour spent
in batting the leviathan mosquitoes, which
swarm in clouds, over, around and about
those camps, is enough to make a man look
as if he had the smallpox. These insects,
like everything else in this ''heathen coun-
try" are bigger and meaner than in any 9TH
er cline in the created world To the student
Of entomology, the ponderous feas and "gal-
linippers," which abound hereabouts would
furnish constant source Of delight. As
am not an admirer of the science, however,
perhaps may be excused for failing to see it
in that light Seriously speaking, Mississip-
pi beats the world in the bug line. Big bugs,
little bugs, long bugs. short bugs, white, blue,
black, green, red, yellow, and grey Bugs
bugs wi h and w.th' ut tails; all kinds, all
sorts, all shapes and siz S. They buzz in your
face through the day, and at night, angry
that you should endeavor to steal an hour or
two in repose from their tor ents, they crawl
in your ears, bite your face and hands, and
in some instances, plow, gopher.like, into your
body. No hide is to- tough for them to bite
through, and no soldier sharp enough to es :
cape them. ..
Reptiles of all sorts are in abundauce.-
Snakes, lizards, swifts, toads and frogs,
crawl over, around and under you; croak ami
hiss at you from bushes, and drop on you
f ON trees in the day time. At night they
domesticate themselves in your boots, dis urb
the pleasant dream of home and friends by
dragging their Shiny lengths across The face
of the dreamer. dispslling at once the happy
smile occasioncd by bright visions Of the fire
side circe far away. There may not be
much beauty or poetry in the picture por-
trayed, but it is true, and any one who has
ever camped in these parts l will warrant
| to youch for its re Ility.
POLITICS IN CAMP.
Much to my surprise l find that there is
strong feeling among our Iowa troops against
The political course OF Gen Tuttle. While no
one fails to appreciate the distinguished militia
ry services of that gallant Off er, they cannot
refrain from the opinion that he has disgraced
himself by taking second hand Democratic
nomination. He was regarded as brave
and accomplished officer, true to himself, his
country, and to the brave men that have fol-
lowed him from one victory to another. In
allowing himself to be brought forward as
representative and standard bearer of the
Democratic party at home, he has panied and
mortified many true friend here IN the
army who has wished him we'll. While they
yet recogn re in him the brave, straightfur-
ward, Union soldier, they cannot but consider
him as being duped out of career of honor
that in the end would have placed HIM in
any position at the gift of the people. As
the matter stands now, to vote for him would
be to drop ballot for those who put him for
ward, and for those who have undertaken to
engineer rascally party into power by plac-
ing at its head brave and good soldier
Gen. Tuttle will not run well here in the ar
my. OF this am satisfied, and those who
know me know that | wished it might have
been otherwise.
| While riding over the Illinois Central r. 4.
week or two ago, in car occupied by
about fifty other soldiers. rock came IN at
| the car window and struck me on the arm.
That rock was thrown a. men clothed in the
blue uniform of the Union returning to duty.
The man who threw it, if he lived in Iowa,
would have voted for Gen. Tuttle and claim
ed him as the expounder of his principles
The sentiments entertained by rascal who
would throw brick-bats at passing soldier
and those held by myself are so widely diff
ferent that the same man cannot represent
them both.
HEALTH IN TIE 35TH-MoRTALTTY.
was sorry to find the health of the reg
iment to be very bad, in fact it was never
worse The 35th now reports but eleven
officers and three hundred and twelve men
fit for duty. Present, sick, three officers
and one hundred and forty men; absent,
sick, two officers and one hundred and two
men.
The following is a list Of deaths in the
regiment since July 4th as far as heard from
although there are doubtless several more
who have died in the up-river hospitals:
| i'1- COMPANY A.
VIM Everett &c Criner
A Davis John Cargill
Jas Longthorn Thos Jester
Joshua Temple David Davis
Thos B Holiday
'- '@f COMPANY B
s Davis tHHr Fisherman
VIM Bruchy VIM McCurdy
Chas N Burr -.
IL GoupA q