Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1864-02-10
CORRESPONDENCE OF TEE JouaNAL.
Letter frola Last Virginia.

10 t}feak Ifle itlb!lotpffy g! t5tl mt q ltl-f
I viii endeayor 10 give You 3 yegy taint ided
of howw pass our time in this once glorious
Old Dominion. 1t may not prove unlnterest-
ing TO many of your readers, who have no
loved ones iii the army to write them a
sketch OF the trials and viclSItudes incident
to camp life, to read description from an
untutored soldier So | will endeayor to
portray our mode of getting along here, IN
Dixie
Our regiment, the 9th Penn'a volun-
teeI.s. John T. Staunton Colonel command
ing came here after ouiglorious advance and
incomprehensible without accomplishing
ANYTHING retreat across the Rapidan. We
occupy the quarters kindly built, but nottur-
nished by our mutual brothers, the
Johnny Rebs We find that the Johnny $,
| if they do fight like the-Satan-a en-
| dure unheard of hardships for their beloved
| institution as some of the Peace Copper
| head papers tell us, though we tim the vul-
gar parlance of the day. don't see it,
! have fellow feeling for their comfort and
convenience, that puts to shame some of our
| parnpered. well-cad -andshod, and oyerfed
mud sills Of the poor ignorant north. The
huts are ranged with streets between them,
and everything appertMnlng TO camp life IS
in order. SO that the camp OF a regiment re-
minds one of a miniature town. When we
came here, our quarters were IN the heart
of a magnificent wood Of white oak timber.
Now there is not vestige OF a tree within
one mile OF the camp, except the splIntered
stumps As the pioneers axe IS relentless
destroyer-and a night III camp with the
mercury considerably below 'ireezo, with a
| corresponding fall III a soldiers romantic feel
/ ings-''W " Goldman spare that tree falls on the
! ear unheeded and when Spring arrives not
one of the 'monarchs OF the forest will be left
! to tell the tale of their former grandeur, or
! the cause of their destruction. You will, per-
haps, think me growing too poetical Tor a
! soldier living in an by 10 hut with clap board
! roof and a chimney bigger, by lar, than
| the largest Dutch oven IN Cleariield county.
! Pardon the feelings of IA soldier, We were
han3an once, and sad remembrance brings
| back thoughts Of the past which don / cor
respond with our Ng cabins, and 1t CrIeyes
me to see such wholesale destruction among
( these old trees. But then, puJ in the same
balance the lives OF thousands of persons
whose souls have been sent TO Eternity by
the same cause, and oh ! how despicable
the simle If only the poor ignorant and
| despised Thy the soldiers Christian Copper
/ head Of the North, whose cOwardice will
not permit, and whose mean aud peuuIouS
| soul reYolts at the idea of the sacrifice Of so
much IucFe. would permit himself to visit at
! least so miles of the country along the Or
ange and Alexandria Railroad-he need not
get out OF the cars. and the mud-sill Union
soldiers won let guerrilla shoot him-he
would see enough in the destruction of prop
ertv 10 make lam on his return home, If
young man. a truly loyal person. Yea, he
would receive the greeting from his old
Dutch father, why, Ben, | believes dey
make one tam Black Republican NIT you
down dere' on seeing the thoughtful and
sorrowful and much changed countenance of
his returned son.
Il is very discouraging 10 Us who endure
all the hardships and dangers of this terrible
rebellion, to know that there are those who
Ga-pIse and abuse Us-rhe haif-lrUZen pick
cts and soldiers who are protecting them
and their property from destruction-whilst
their avaricious souls are enjoying their com
Portable fireSides Oh the base ingratitude
Of some Of our Northern friends = Yet,
it Is really amusing to read some of the let
ters that come from some Of these anxious
and syDpathtsjpg Copperhead friends in the
nOrth-wondering whether this cruel war
will not s0onb be over, and why We veterans
don reenlist as we are ''od soldiers
and can stand ii better than new ones
We generally try to keep ourselves pretty
clean, yet somes time we partially fail; but
such soa ping wont take, Our dear Copper
head friends. for it hurts our eyes. We
cant see 1t for the soap. Three hundred
Of our regiment have re-enGsted for three
years or during the war. The whole regi-
ment would have done so en-nasse had it
not been for one thing. Many say IF
re-enist it viii help to fill up the quota OF
our county, and it would not look well, in
print, to allow the cOpperheads to sit at home
and blackguard us for three years more
My dear friends, this logic has more truth
than poetry IN it and 1t Is not only the
feeling in our regiment, but IN the whole
army. A not very learned but somewhat
eccentric individual once remarked, on see
ing the stars fall. Times ain as they used
to was, and some Of our Copperhead
friends" will find this out too, l think, be-
fore many months This Is not meant as
menace, but comes as an advice from one
whose only wish is the welfare of his seOuntry,
and the happiness of all its citizens, without
regard to party (of course Copperheads are
excepted) creed.
Some of the expressions in this letter may
sound very harsh to some of your readers,
but when we know that we have worse enc
mics at our homes, enjoying themselves In
security and peace, than the eopen armed foe
in our front, you certainly cannot censuTe
me for speaking the truth. Every soldier
III the Army OF the Potomac has more true
respect for the most ragged, abject soldier
in the rebel army, than he has for the cow
ardly, miserable serf of party, who will lie at
home in security and grumble, while the sol
der and patriot is willing to lay down his
life to keep him in that security We hope
soon to hear that the stray sheep have re-
turned to the fold If we could only re-
ceive from home the tidings that all is
well, and Copperheads one of the things
h.nt rrrnro ,hnt io II ,rrnll irnf1,sn into IL