American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-05-04
Army correspondence.
CAMP NEAR LICKING Run, va

employ it in sending you a note descrip-
tive of events that have transpired since
| left old Butler county. / left the Lowry
house in the stage, ON Thursday the 25th
day of February, for Pittsburgh, which
city we reached about nine o'clock, after
2 or 3 break downs, and walking the last
half mile. / put up at the Carson house,
Allegheny city; the next morning | went
down to the office of the Provost Marshal.
was examined and mustered into the service
of Uncle Samuel Here / would say that
theexaminingsurg DIR. Parchment is a
mct accomplished gentleman; any person
coming under his eye for examination
will find him gentleman in every sense
of the word, and one | think, that under
/ stands his business. The evening of the
/ 10Th we were sent over to Pittsburgh to
the Girard House, where we were kept
under strict guard there were about two
hundred crowded into one room there |
took my first lesson in soldering, that is,
lying on the floor; next morning we were
put on the cars and sent to camp Cope
land or it should rathsr be called camp
mud, where we partook Of breakfast about
two o'clock, consisting of Coffee and a
! small piece of bread have been in a
great many places, but camp Misery, as
the boys termed it, goes ahead of anything
that | have met; the mud was about ten
inches deep; the most of the barracks
were crowded with men; they are i'll
constructed buildings, narrow and not
ventilated, and the mud being plenty in
the streets, they were as dirty as they
could well be. The officers at the head
Of affairs are rather tyrannical, for to keep
the best OF feeling towards them from the
men, corporal there felt as large and
talked with as much Authority as Colonel
in this army. There was the most drum
kenness, profane swearing, and obscene
language there that it has ever been my
lot to come in contact with; young boys
that were just making their debut in the
world could out swear and blackguard
the oldest rowdy's in camp, and spend
their money at the Suttlers. 1t was ru-
mored through camp, and generally be.
lieved, that the commander of the place
was the principal owner of the machine
and they robbed the soldiers almost with
out mercy, selling them goods at three
times what they could get them at in
Pittsburgh-selling them Rife Whisky,
labeled Raspberry Wine; it may be wine,
but it makes them drunk any how; the
grub comes up in miserable bad shape, the
cooks put in a little too much dirt to make
it palatable, the cook houses are as dirty
as any horse stable in Butler county You
may think am severe, but it is true, we
were detained there near three weeks,
when we received our bounty and took the
cars for the capital of the old Keystone /;
we arrived there on the morning of the
10Th of March, were marched down to
the subsistence rooms, where we got our
breakfast and laid over until two o'clock,
when we embarked for Baltimore, which
city we reached about sundown and were
marched to the Union relief association
rooms, where we remained until ten clock
on Sabbath day, when we were placed on
some some old freight cars and sent to
Washington city; We were marched about
two miles through the streets down to the
levee. where we embarked for Alexandria,
VIC landed about sunset in this place, made
notorious by the murder of the gallant
Ellsworth; We were taken to the soldiers
rest, remained all night, then we were
marched down to the wharf, armed and
equipped next'morning we were posted
on top Of freight train and started for
Brandy Station, on the Orange and Alex,
andria rail road. The bloodyIsixty second,
is lying two miles below Warrenton juno
tion doing guard duty on the rail road,
they have any yamonntof duty to do, being
on guard every third day.
We arrived at the Regiment on the 22d
ult., where we built quarters, and arc Iiv-
ing at home and boarding at the same
place. There is any amount of troops
going forward at this time, every train
that goes along is loaded with infantry,
and there is immense trains of Cavalry
and Artillery going to the front. If we
cannot make the rebellion quake this
spring and summer we had better play
quit, but think you win hear noise
from the Potomac army before long, the
President has placed old Unconditional
Surrender Grant, at the helm of affairs.
he is re-organizing the army, but | must
close. / remain,
SIxTy SrroNp