The Portland daily press., 1864-04-16
Letter from the State Capital.
AUGUSTA, April Is, 1854.


To the Editor Of the Press:
A few weeks since, Governor Cony receiv-
ed letter from private in the 10Th regiment
which had just arrived at New Orleans, COM
planning that he was charged fifteen cents a
bowl for cruel, by the surgeon, on the passage
out. His Excellency at once wrote Col. Beal
TO investigate the matter and ascertain the
truth OF the charge. The colonel has return
ed the following reply: Il have investigated
the charges made by one of my men having
TO pay fifteen cents for bowl OF cruel, and
find the facts TO be these; after using up the
hospital supply of meal in making Cruel, the
hospital steward purchased some meal of the
steward of the ship, for which he paid large
price and then had TO pay the ships cook tor
making Il; and those men wanting it, who
were not on the sick list, were made to pay
ten and fifteen cents bowl; but those who
were under the doctors charge were furnish
ed free OF charge. A great many of the men
were sea-sick and preferred the meal cruel to
the rations, and the steward thought it no
more than right for such ones TO pay what ex-
pense he had been to. We found on board
government transports spunging system in
every department, and that everything want
ed had to be paid for at high prices"
The Colonel reports his regiment as at AL
exandria, Louisiana, in good shape and as
having just completed march of $50 miles
in nine days. The battalion Of the 10th Regt
had no yet Joined him. He says, we have
large force concentrated here, together with
Commodore Porter's gun-boat fleet, and it
looks like business. Report says we are to go
up Red river and fight the rebels where we
can find them"
Major Julius Hayden, 10th U. S. infantry,
is about to make tour of inspection among
the rendezvous and depots of the regular
and volunteer recruiting services in the
Department of the East.
Gov. Cony has succeeded in obtaining q
special order from the War Department grant
ing furlough of thirty days to all our parol-
ed prisoners at Annapolis,-ofiicers and SOL
diers. The same thing has been attempted
several times before, but the Department ut
terly refused. Even now it puts in its cdredt
and states in the order that this is done "At
the request of the Governor of Maine"
One clause of your Correction in Tues
days paper, in relation to the discharge of
Lieut.. James II. Nichols, seems to reflect on
my yeracity as a correspondent l copied my
statement from the official notification sent
from the War Department, and copied 1t cor
rectly. There is not, however, anything
necessarily disgraceful in discharge for 8" in
competency" or unitness,' for officers fire.
quenty have voluntarily put in that plea
themselves, when other reasons given have
failed TO secure the acceptance Of their resig
nations. Hence the terms "Honorably dis
charged for incompetency," &C., are some
times used in these cases. Whenever / an
nounce discharges, l take them from the
original paper sent from the Office of the Ad-
jutant General of the U. S. Army, and there
fore know whereof speak.
The reenlisted members of the Eighth Regt.
left here by special train yesterday morning
for the seat of war.
The following commissions, not previously
announced, have been issued:
Thirty-Frst Regiment Infdntry.-Albert
II. Packard, of Winthrop, Captain Co. 1 |;
Charles A. Harrington, of Waterville, I'd
Lieut. Co. /.
Rev. Barnet M. Mitchell, of Calais, lately
commissioned chaplain of the 10th regiment,
announces that he is unable to accept the APP
pointment Yours truly,
HFIIOs