Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-03-02
From the goth Wisconsin, 1t still Lives


| PHEASANT "REMINISCENCES Every obntf w Is
consin regiment receives frequent notice is
mentioned with pride as having done so and
| so; having marched, fought, or made mas
terly retreat; as being in camp at this or
that place in good health or otherwise but
the 29th is entirely ignored upon all such oc-
| casions.
This apparent Ignorance of our existence
| even, reminds me of the anecdote concerning
the q God-like Daniel" who, travelling il d
| stage coach, had for fellow-passenger an old
| gentleman from Webster's native town. The
| great man, ike Mercury, wished to see in
wha- estimation he was held among mankind,
and turned the conversation upon the people
Of that town, and the Webster family in par
i ticular. The old man remembered the boys,
| Zeke and Dan, and went on to state what a
powerful speaker Zeke was He had heard
him speak several times, and never witnessed
such grandeur of style-never listened to
such eloquence q And Daniel" queried the
God-like; and Daniel, what of him ~
- Dan Oh, he's lawyer somewhere around
| Boston !"
So in our case. You all speak eloqaently
| OF the I'd, 9TH, 18th, 1lth, Esd, and in fact
all others; but the 18th "Oh, it's some
where upon the Tesche ~ just as though,
gentlemen editors, we had not been upon the
| move since the 18th of last April; had not
| been at Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Vicks-
| burg and jackson, and in the thickest of the
| fight, too; not supporting some battery back
| IN the woods, but in advance, where manly
blows were given and received. Il doesn't
| seem to occur 70 any one that the goth had to
| march, in order to arrive at some point upon
the Bayou Tesche; or, if they did, that it
| tired them at all. Oh, mol Perhaps it is
supposed by you, as Gen. Dana appears to
| think, that we have been heretofore fighting
upon wheels! In an order issued by him, he
winds up by hoping that some recommends
tions therein contained might be complied
with: As it was expected that this army
would, in future, fight foot and not on
| wheels"
But he can't be expected to do us Justice
though we do think it hard, that, coming as
many of US did, from Dane county; We
| should receive such cavalier treatment from
the Madison papers in particular. But it may
| be owing to the fact that YOU have no CORES
pondents in the 2Sth and can not hear from
Us when you would really like to do So ; also
| that we have not so many discharged men,
resigned officers, trotting around,town as have
| some regiments | wot of. However if You
| viii permit me, | will in future keep you post
| ed concerning our movements, provided you
will give me permission to do so /; and while
| shall studiously avoid lauding my own regi-
ment to the prejudice of others, or contrary
| u facts, | shall at the same time endeavor to
!
world at large, that the 29th regiment still
| lives
| As it would BE- useless for me to attempt
an account OF our travels Just now, | viii
| drop that part of the subject and proceed to
generaltes.
| As | shall endeayor to correct any false i'm
preston which may be made by erroneous
| and incorrect statements made by others, so
| hope others will correct me if | state what
4,
OF violence to facts. | saw i'll Patriot of
some date, an article, entitled Hard licks
from a soldier written by Coleman, formerly
of the 18th Wisconsin. Being slightly ac
quainted with him, | am disposed TO think
that he intended to write facts, but as is evil
dent Fl ON his own showing, his experience
has been more extensive IN hospitals than
with the officers and men in the field.
Having had several months of intimate ac-
quaintance with surgeons, hospital stewards,
&c, | can fully confirm what he saws con-
corning their Internal meanness to those I'M
der their charge, but in reference to resolu-
tions unanimously carried &c, &c, | think he
is rather wide OF the mark.
Men worn down by disease, with scarcely
enough life remaining to care how the world
wags may be noscd around by superors, and
! suffer wrong without making a row; but our
volunteers are of class not likely to be
made the creatures of his will oy any shout
| der strap, let him be cruel and vindictive as
| he choose.
l too have been misused, insuted and treat
ed with contempt by surgeons and unjust
stewards, but it was when | had not the
disposition to protect myself Yet do not
suppose that l would vote contrary to my
views upon any question, either to escape
extra duty or tickle my captain.
| would stake my reputation that nothing
of the kind ever occurred in this regiment,
and do not believe it has often in Others
Whisky and lager are ten times more bane-
full at home than is terror of officers in the
army, and is more sure to affect the politics
of a man. Only seven Palmer votes were
cast in our regiment, and one of those by
company commander Why did not he intlu-
ence his men to vote as he did?
Simply because he could not. No more can
any officer unless the man is an idol in which
case he ought not to vote at all | have vet
TO see the first man who has been misused
for voting contrary to the wishes of his Off
GERS, and | am frequently with men from the
18th and 25d regiments. | have heard of
other complaints, for instance promotion of
pets-those who had influence at home, &c,
but never of misuse for political opinions. /
believe that such eases are rare, If they oc-
eur at all; but will not assert what | do not
know positively, so | content myself with
giving my opinion merely. If any one knows
/ am mistaken, hope he will correct me.
| think | see Little Col. Gilt allowing the
rights of a voter trampled upon Why he
would have an officer bucked and gagged,
court martialed, and amonth's pay taken from
him, If he even attempted to interfere with
a mans vote. The guilds of tobacco he would
use would be frighttul to behold. Lieut.. Col.
Greene, though less a "tyrant,' would pro-
| tect his men from misusage for any cause,
We would not exchange him for any COM
mander have yet seen, unless we
obliged t. do so; and it is to be hoped
that our services as soldiers may not be re-
quired much longer, we shall probably keep
him with Us until our time is out. Perhaps
i would be in order TO mention that he with
several line officers and Sereeants, is now in
Wisconsin recruiting for the goth. But a.
none of them are likely to keep their lights
L" under a bushel,n further mention would be
superb uous, while number of recruits would
not, q We muster for duty but four hundred
and fourteen men out of nine hundred and
fifty with which we left the State. We lost
many by sickness before We had smell of
powder; large number were killed and IN
fitted for service in the several actions we
have had with "our erring brothers." and
t-,b