The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1864-03-24
War Pictures--Life in the Camp.

Tie Sutn nUeTiduu skelcueo VI iiio III the
camp and field, which surpass, in vivid
coloring, anything we have seen. Here
are some of his pictures:
sELF-RELIANCE ON WESTERN SOLDIERS.
If there are men in the world gifted
with the most thorough selfrelianee,
Western soldiers are the men. To
fight in the grand anger of battle,
seems to me to require less manly forti-
tude, after all, than to bear without
murmuring the swarm of little troubles
that vex camp and march. No matter
where or when you halt, there they are
at once at home. They know precisely
what to do first, and they do it. l
have seen them march into o strange
region at dark, and almost as soon as
fires would show well, they were twink
ling all over the field, the Sibley cones
rising like the work of enchantment
Everywhere, and the little dog tents ly-
ing snug to the ground, as if, like the
mushrooms, they had grown there, and
the aroma of coffee and tortured ba-
con, suggesting creature comforts, and
the whole economy of a life in canvas
cities moving as steadily on as if it
had not intermitted. The movements
of regiments, you know, are as blind
as fate. Nobody can tell tonight
where he will be tomorrow, and yet
with the first glimmering of morning
the camp is astir, and the preparations
begin for staying there forever; cozy
little cabins of red cedar, neatly fitted,
are going up; here boy is making a
fireplace, and quiet artistically plaster
ing it with the inevitable red earth !; he
has found crane somewhere, and
swung up thereon two-legged dinner
pot; there a fellow is finishing out
chimney with brick from an old kiln of
secession proclivities yonder bower
house closely woven of evergreens is
almost ready for the occupants table,
stools, bedsteads, are tumbled together
by the toughest of carpenters; the
avenues between the lines of tents are
cleared and smoothed-'policed," in
camp phrase-ittle seats with cedar
awnings in front of the tents give a
cottage look; while the interior, in o
rude way, has genuine home-like air.
The bit of looking-glass hangs against
the cotton wall; handkerchief of a
carpet just before the skunk" marks
the stepping-off to the land of dreams !;
violin case is strung up to conven-
lent hook, fanked by gorgeous pic
turc of some hero of somewhere,
mounted upon horse rampant and
saltant, "and what length of tail be.
hind !" ars 9ai +
The business of living has fairly be-
gun again.
But at 5 o'clock some dingy morn
ing, obedient to sudden orders, the re-
giments march away in good cheer;
the army wagons go streaming and
swearing after them; the beat of the
drum grows fainter; the last straggler
is out of sight the canvss city has
vanished like vision. On such
morning, and amid such scene, I
have loitered till it seemed as if busy
city had passed out of sight, leaving
nothing behind for all that life and
light but empty desolation. Will you
wonder much if tell you that I have
watched such a vanishing with pang
of regret; that the trampled field
looked dim to me, worn smooth and
beautiful by the touch of those brave
feet whose owners have trod upon
horns with song-feet, alas, how many,
rat shall never again in all this COM
ing and going world make music upon
the old thresholds Anu how many
such sites of perished cities this war
has made, how many bonds of good
fellowship have been rent to be united
no more! eti 1sFse
REcoNNoIssANcE ON fPRIvATE AC-
si COUNT" mea s90g]
Every wood, ravine, hill, field, is ex-
plored; the productions, animal and
vegetable, are inventoried, and one
day renders these soldiers as thorough
ly conversant with the region round
about as if they had been dwelling
there life time. They have tasted
water from every spring and well, esti-
mated the corn to the acre, tried the
watermelons, gagged the peaches,
knocked down the persimmons, MIXED
the COWS, roasted the pigs, the chick
ems; they know who live here and
there and wonder the whereabouts Of