Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-07
FROM THE ARMY OF THE 20.
TOMAC.
GROWPH Of BRANDY STATION
Stock = Winter.Qaarters :. Cay
Times-.Balls-.Army in
Notion.
Etc.,
Etc.
Correspondence of the Cleveland Leader. ]

Correspondence of the Cleveland Leader.l
BRAEDT STATION, Va, March 8, 1854.
March has made her debut after his an
cient manner; his bOisterOus breath has
with it a cold rain, and mud is again to
be the officer Of the day throughout the
army.
Thus fsr-it has been by far the most
pleasant winter'our srmy has seen-in Vir-
ginis. Less mud and the best quarters,
and, IS situated now, the army may be
said to be comfortable.
ibis place has grown to be quite vii
lage. Traders Of sll sorts are located in
such numbers as to make competion a
source Of justice to the army. Clothing,
houses, saddles and harness houses, dining
saloons, bakeries, jewelry stores, photo
graph gsleries-on the ground-meat mar
kets, groceries, sc, are all open and en-
joying fair trade, and then in the camps
suffers are on hand with good supplies, 50
that there is no such thing ss want known
within our lines.
The stock, too, has been we'll wintered.
never saw the teams looking 30
well at this season before. Mechanics have
been employed in getting things in order
for the spring work, wagons have been
repaired and painted, harness reftted
saddles mounted anew, artillery carriages
oVerhauled, and sll such work attended to
with skill, and in such a manner as might
prove to the most dSshing Of our onward
| to Richmond sort Of journalists, that win
ter quarters is not the most demoralizing
territory knoFn in the 'annals Of war
fare"
Besides these useful svocstions there
are other branches Of civilized society that
are patronized. Mammoth bathrooms have
been extemporized in almost every Divi-
sion where officers and privates alternate
in their gay and festive performances.
Thestricals and concerts are brilliantly
sustained in these halls, usually three
nights in week. Many Of the Washing
ton "heroes" are often called on to enter
tain the prominent characters, while the
"stock" is taken from the material on
hand.
Nor need it be thought that all these are
one-s sided affairs, that 60 on unspproVcd
and unadOrned by the faces of the fair.
There indeed is the attractive part to the
boys, and the success of an entertainment
is always estimated by the number Of la
dies present. heard q discussion this
morning between two officers concerning
the success Of two performances that came
off last night within hailing distance Of
each other. After each had used up about
all the arguments he could summoE in de-
fense Of his faVorite without bringing il
out ahead, one asked the other the number
Of ladies present. "Thirty," was the re-
ply. "Bully," said the lucky questioner. |
" knew our performance was the best. |
We had fifty ladies'; counted them twice."
OF course that settled it.
But all things must end, and even now
camp rumor is rife with stories that,
whether true or false, will soon end the
quiet Of winter quarters.
Heavy reconnoissnoes to the front reveal
! different state of affairs. From these
scross the Rspidsn and an occasional
quad Of "Lee's Miserables," that are
brought in as prisoners, confirm the stories
u want and woe that the rebs are endur.
ing, but neither one or the other give
'ught but evidence that they are deter.
mined to fight it out to the bitter end.
The army is full Of rumors now Of i'm
Mediate battles, Of the evacuation Of Rich
nond, &C., and 80 on, but this snow storm
Til settle afairs for the present. But
one Of this anoW. Respectfully,