The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-05-25
From the 18th Iowa.
PETERSBURG, Va, May ,

PETERSBURG, va, May :.
DEAR FRIEND-We have again turned
up, mt this far famed city, having marched
across the country from Raleigh, n. c., ma
king the distance, $50 miles, in days, in
Guiding the crossing of two rivers which
had to be pontooned delaying us half a day.
The march has been extraordinary for
its rapidity considering the size of the ar
my. The only way we can account for the
haste is the rivalry among the corps COM
manders, each one trying to out-march the
other. Our corps beat them all and re-
ceived a complimentary telegram from
General Grant for the race. We reached
here yesterday Mt noon, and to-day, Mon
day, are resting here waiting for supplies
and the rest of the command to come up.
Tomorrow we take up the line of march
for Washington or Alexandria, where it is
supposed we will be paid off and mustered
out of service. 1t will take some time to
10 this, however, and in The mean time tits
understood we are to have a grand review
i'm Washington, after drawing new uni
forms ut Alexandria. They want to draw
us up in becoming style and put on all the
t1ourishes before appearing to the fastidious
Washingtonians. For my part would ra-
Their go up Pennsylvania Avenue, as we
marched through Goldsboro after the Car
Dina campaign, ragged, dusty, and wealth
er-beaten; we would look more natural,
besides creating decided sensation.
The army of the Potomac have nearly
all left here on their way to Washington.
We Will reach Richmond tomorrow and
lie there the rest of the week; but if we go
straight on we will be near Washington by
next Sunday. That will complete our cir
cult around the Confederacy.
On ourmarch to this place no foraging
was allowed, and the inhabitants were
carefully protected; they came from all
directions to the road to see the troops pass,
and expressed themselves reioiced that the
war was over. The weather is becming
quite warm, enough so to make it rather
unpleasant taking out door exercise. =
The army here is justly indignant at the
way the Northern papers are "coming
down. on Gen. Sherman. Three-fourths
of it all is a dirty political trick practiced
by some Washington politicians to injure
| his reputation, because they are afraid OF
his splendid record, and the people, always
| duped are swallowing it all. 1t is a true
saying that nations are always ungrateful
They were cheaply patriotic building bon.
fires, firing blank cartridges, and roaring
themselves hoarse at the announcement o.
the victories achieved in the far South
when the fate of the nation depended or
Sherman and his army, in their perilous
marches through the heart Of the Confede
racy, and where defeat would have beer
humiliation, and after their bonfires and
speeches they go home and feel they hav,
done their duty towards the thousands o
our gallant dead, who lie uncofIined in The
Southern swamps, from the Mississippi t.
the Atlantic, little realizing the condition
of our poor fellows, wounded, and compel
led to be jolted day after day in rough ve
hicles for hundreds Of miles over corduroy
roads, tortured by the violent motion anG
| often having to travel thus all night. Ant
| now when the contest is over and peace
won, for them to turn on their preservel
and try to destroy his hard earned reputa.
tion,. when he was doing his best for the
! country is base ingratitude and miserable
treachery. Sherman's army are with him
| to man, and his reputation is their repu-
tation. His error, ifany, has been of the
head and not of the heart. Some of his
sss,tlssss, of itl, J,,Ani.or
we do not approve OF, but the papers have
twisted and distorted them in every posi-
BILE way, putting every possible bad con-
struction on them, but have no patience
to talk about it. So regards &c. &c.