Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-05-25
,otal T asked to see him in his room for

vey, and observing that my outer gar
ments were those ola soldier, he decided
that be had not time to spare. Upon
learning my rank, however, be blandly
informed me that he should be happy to
see me, after supper in his room.
waited upon him there, and had my Pc
tition refused, with the announcement
that his orders were to "take this divis-
ion through to Gen Sherman, and he
would do il let it cost what it would to
any individual in it.. He made
statement, which those who know what
crowds Of military loafers have infested
the towns and cities in rear Of the Poto-
mac army, ever since the commencement
Of the rebellion. will hear with some sur
prise. e.-.'that the officers and men COM
posing the " estern armies were in the
habit Of struggling away from their
commands to an extent that would not
be tolerated in the Army Of the Potomac
for a single moment !"
As an offset to the aggra awaiting re-
marks I listened to, | witnessed the dis
comfture of the General when a letter
was handed to him, enclosing bill for
the expense Of warming and lighting
hall in the city-the Hall Of Assembly
I think-where he had delivered a lee
ture a short time before. was informed
afterwards that the General had been
engaged to deliver literary lecture for
the benefit of some Orphan ASYLUM, or
other, but had either forgot bis engage
ment, or become muddled with whiskey,
and had given vent to q maudlin political
harangue, so distasteful to his hearers
and the committee Of arrang gements, that
they sent the bill for him to pay. which
he ordered his Adiutant General to burn,
which he did, declaring that it was san
act Of impudence--anparalled impu-
dence. sir-but just like then-a pack
Of rasoals every one Of them"
Before leaving the city, however, the
General gave permission to Col. Malloy
to travel separate from his command, in
order that his strength might be recuper-
ated, and his mind relieved from the
cares and fatigues Of managing SO large
a command but to all others he was
inexorablo, sometimes even limiting that
the applications were made from coward
ice Instead Of necessity,
The various commands were now con-
solidated and reorganized into three
bricades, the LIST commanded by Col.
Boughton of the 14Sth n. Y, the I'd
by Col. Malloy of the 18th Wis, and
the Sd by Col. Culver Of the 18th Mich.
Infy, and then started away on their
journey round to join Sherman on steam
boats, via Cumberland and Ohio rivers
to Pittsburg, Pa.
On the 17th Of January, the 1st brig
ade embarked and started, the Sd on the
18th, and the I'd on the 18th insts-the
command of the latter devolving upon
Mai. 7. 2. Marshal Of the 18th Iowa
Tnf'y, in the absence of Col. Malloy-
Gen. Meagher taking the cars across t.
LOUISVILLE, while the Division steamed
round.
The passage on the river was one Of
great suffering to the troops; the wealth
er being very cold, and no fires being
allowed. except one in the rear Of the
boat for the use Of the crew, so the men
laid under and over the boilers, and
crowded round the machinery, anywhere
where there was heat. so as to keep
warm. More fires would have endan-
gered the boat, and to have one burned
while crowded with men from hurricane
deck to the lowest hold as these were,
would have been terrible catastrophe
indeed. One fool was found, who had
] pulled lot of burning Goals out Of a
stove on to the deck, and with his fry
} ing-pan was cooking his dinner, utterly
regardless of the fact that there was
', nothing between the pitch-pine planks
: of the deck and his fire, and that in a
few moments the whole boat would have
been ablaze, and perhaps hundreds ot
) lives lost; very fortunately, it was dis
: covered and promptly extinguished and
tie mailman arrested, thereby preventing
! dreadful accident and loss of life from
; occurring.
r There was also a great scarcity Of ra-
tions. and there can be no doubt, but
that it was in consequence Of gross neg
! ligence, or acorse on the part Of some
one having authority, seeing that We
: were not in an enemy country nor at
distance from our base Of supplies. Tc
5 show that have reason to make the
: above assertion, I Will state that I have
been told by those upon whom can rely
/ that fellow called - Palmer, Of the
18th Mich. Inf'y, who had been appoin-
ted Commissary Sergeant for tue Sd
brigade, P D. A. T.. under Col. Culver
: did certainly steal and sell the rations
committed to his care, and that not once
but several times, pocketing the pro
) ceeds for bis own benefit. First at Dal-
E ton, when the boys were on / rations, he
was suspected of trading coffee for honey,
| as / bushel was found at one house
and J bushel at another, the men being
, almost without. and the headquarters men