The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-03-05

the smallest in the county has the largest
number Of men to furnish. rms township
! polled but fifty-fiye votes Tor Stone ana
futile, and twentyone is our quota, ana
two our credit. 1t should have been three.
| Our quota for the three hundred thousand
| call was but three, consequently there must
! be a mistake in the present number. FL
! hot township has furnished twenty. all
told School District No. 2 has furnished
sixteen, No. has furnished seven.
Yours truly, 7. y. BAILEY.
From the BObtailed Detachment.
Extract Of a private letter.
NEAR LITTLE Rock, Feb. IA, 1864.
DEAR MoTHER:-After bordering on
something like the blues, accompanied by
something exactly like the toOthache for
at least two hours Of this gloomy, foggy,
rainy, and altogether disagreeable day to
| patriotic voter in camp and doubly so to
! the voter on picket or scout, and exhaust
| ing copy of Harper's Monthly of its
power to entertain or instruct. my thoughts
very naturally turn to the loved ones at
home. During temporary feeling Of en-
ergy ! seize pen and paper, determined to
write you a letter that you may know the
bobtailed element of the Sd Iowa Cavalry
yet exists. How or why the detachment
received this name, cannot say, or to
which end Of the tail they belong.
We claim, however, since being made the
butt OF great many wags whose patriotic
Devotion induced them to become vete-
rams, TO belong to that particular end. The
veteran portion of the regiment lett us in
storm similar to the one now in full blast.
The Lieutenant in whose charge we were
lett and who is now known as the Dutch
man made such arrangements and issued
such orders for the arrangement of the
camp AS at the time seemed to him BEST
BY the time his instructions were carried
out, as far as mud knee deep and torrents
Of rain would allow, new orders would
come round for another move. In this
manner we moved and removed as long as
the storm lasted and five or six days long
er. The boys used the tents previously
occupied by the Captains and Lieutenants
as stables for their horses during the storm.
Now all OF the tents not occupied by some
of the bobtails are turned over to the
Quartermaster. The detachment is organ-
lied into three companies, with Sergeants
as company commanders. Our tents are
in straight rows-all Of the dead horses
hauled out OF smelling distance, cook
sheds and stables removed TO the rear, and
a general air OF neatness and purity per-
vaaes the camp. The Medical Inspector
assured US that the camp was 10 per cent
better than he ever saw the Sd Iowa camp
before, which IS saying good deal, as the
3d Iowa camp has always borne inspection
with credit TO il soldiers. A staff mess
has been organized by the Dutchman and
the services of 81 beautiful lady from the
city secured to act as cook and preside at
his table. Her coffee, the bows on the staff
tell me, is not 50 black as that looked into
and concocted by our African who fills the
Office Of cook in our mess. Before the lus-
trOus ewes, proud and naughty bearing Of
the Dutchmans cook the soldier is un-
armed and appears AT disadvantage and
has TO content himself by calling her
Duchess, a, a distance; while our African
friend AT the first appearance Of a hungry
soldier changes his dish-rag TO the left
hand and lifts his hat in token of respect,
and if you did not stay in town so late last
night that you are ont of sorts and out of
humor, (which, ny the way, is in direct
violation Of the Dutchman special ORDER
why, smiles illuminate the dark visage Of
BOBBY and your appetite is at once ap
peased, if it be in the power of hot coffee,
'hard tack andsow-belly' to do it. Songs,
shouts, laughter, roll-calls and details are
among the incidents Of every day occur
renee. Among the incidents not SO often
occurring was one Of the bombshell geni.
A six inch shell had been thrown about
camp for several days, when some of the
boys, who were willing to work for their
fun, concluded to build log fire on the
hill above camp and throw in the shell,
for hugh report. 1t came with terrific
jar, making earth and air vibrate, blow
ing logs and fire in all directions and
sending pieces of shell whistling over the
camp, causing some of the recruits to be-
come weak in the knees. and am not sure
but some Of the old soldiers were likewise
affected Two woman. who had Just
passed on the road and who were not more
than five or six rods from the scene OF ac-
ton, gave out somewhere in their support
ers and dropped to the ground, accOmpa-
nying the movement with the Arkansas
yell Of terror, while the rascally soldiers
were popping out from behind stumps and
trees, shouting and yelling, of course, sbut
with decidedly different feelings from those
of the finer clay.
The Dutchman being the rankest man in
this neck Of woods, rules the rOOst Of the
bObtails with dignity and a power q la
milituire. He looks after our interest in
the way of rations, clothing, &C., with en-
ergy and skill. Since I received his Off
cial document, which l Enclosed in my
last, for deposit among my cabinet of
curosities, he and have had better I'M
Outstanding of each other-everything
goes Off like soldering. Only one or two
are sick in the detachment, and they but
slightly; smallpox excitement was all gas.
We have not met with an advance of
mail, pay master, preacher or enemy, since
the veterans left. So you see we are neces-
sarily curtailed az well as bobtailed. Un-
til we are mustered out, l expect to remain
q bobtailed and curtailed soldier and your
affectionate son. G. NJ. KNAPP,
Co. l., Sd Iowa Cavalry.
PRESIDENT MAKING.-lt is urged in
some quarters that the zeal manifested so
widely for the reelection of Lincoln derives
it's inspiration from office-holders. /, who
am neither an ofice-holder nor the espec-
ial friend Of any office-holder, would offer
a suggestion or two to those who desire q
new deal Of our political cards
lst. Is it not quite possible that Lincoln
may b. our best candidate tor the coming
Presidential campaign, although the office
holders may all chance to be in favor of