The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1864-04-14
Toledo, April !, 1864.

MIR. EDITOR.
Please insert the following extract
from G. G. Edwards letter bearing dat.
of March %.
"Since Jan. q, our regiment the 18th
La has been at Haine's & Snvder's
bluffs. II is very sickly here. Deaths
occur daily in theregiment. The Yazoo
is dead sluggish stream. 1t is the
most sick]y place We have ever been III
'Yazoo' in the Choctaw tongue is River
Of Death. It is fifty named. 1t re
quires as much courage to stand in such
a sickly place and not finch as to meet
the enemy.
do not know Of any news to write.
The expedition up River is said to be
disastrous. Again its said they have
driven the rebels and all before them
such is the rumor.
We lost ten men at Waterproof in
fight in February. Now for an instance
of loyalty and bravery. A colored
soldier was shot through the thigh
fracturing it and dismoun,ed. The
rebels too hasty in pursuit did not stop
to dispatch him. lie braced himself up
loaded his gun twice and brought
rebel each time from his horse as they
rode by. Two ren came TO dispatch
him and he fought until he could not
raise himself from the ground. One
man taken prisoner by three rebels
diverted their attention for an instant
while in the act Of giving up his pistol
and Selling the instant sh"t two dead
and the third ran off, while he escaped
and is now with company G. 18th La.
Now for rebel dealing. They kill all
black soldiers and. officers they get.
Some rebels having taken oath helped
to shoot our men. One old villain beat
out the brains Of one Of our soldiers
| with an Ak who was wounded and help
less. He Uhe rebeD has protection
papers. 1t wont help him much if the
darkies get him. Horrid bnt true
After the battle at Waterproof Southern
women, wives of these loyal rebels sent
into our camp quite large amount OF
sausage. Our men who eat were taken
desperately sick and on examination it
was found that the sausage was made
from the flesh Of the soldiers (colored)
who were killed in the fight. Barbarity
insulting beyond endurance. This is The
hospitality Of loyal secesh ladies. Off
GERS of our regiment present made 10
me that statement.
fear the war is still TO lag. I know
that the winter has been but Indifferent
y improved, Three hundred thousand
recruits white and black should FIJI our
wasted ranks and might had vigor been
used and then the rebellion would have
ceased by July. As it is we enter the
campaign with foe our equal aud
desperate from humiliation and almos,
despair. Terrible fighting await our
arms if victorious. If not victorious
then those who have delayed filing
our veteran ranks are to blame.
In my opinion the draft should have
come positively in January. The re-
construction in Louisiana is but curse,
cunning rebels are controlling thatmove-
ment and if defeated in the field they
mean to have good support to fall
back upon. | do hope and pray that
Congress may outlaw slavery every
where that our flag floats. 1t would
be most humilating ifpol,icians should
waste the fruit of all our victories.
Armed rebels are not the country's only
foe The political rebel and the cop.
perheads are our vile foes.
Our stay in this vicinity is uncertain.