Year: 1864

GEORGIA, June7


In lack of events more stirring, such
ss battles and sieges and triumphal
marches, | must write you of the incl
dents of march, the people, the coun-
try, DC. The army is no less prolific in
interesting phases of human nature,
no less characteristic and inimitable
when on the march or in the camp, or
rushing yaliantly into ''the imminent,
deadly breach. The common places
of life find no places in history; the
army is an institution by itself, isolated
from the observation of men, except 3
few who relate only the graver pas
sages in its history, passing over its
comedy, its humor, its triVialities and
its domestic doings and sayings, which
after all occupy so great portion of its
time and form the best possible mirror
Of its moods and manners, and unless
these are chronicled for the perusal of
news-readers, there is great danger that
they will fall into the error Of regard
ing the army only as a great host Of ro-
mantle and impossible heroes, perform
ing always sublime things and making
always fine speeches.


There are some men here who remain
the same queer and crooked geniuses
that they were at home, and for ought
that l can see, an army of fifty thous-
and men makes as many false passes at
the enemy, hits foul, goes down on all
fOurs, and performs as many erTatic
gyrations and tumblings as would a
brace of trained pugilists pitted against
each other on field so unequal as this.
Whole brigades rush headlong through
thick woods, where they cannot see ten
lengths of a musket in advance and
come suddenly on masked cannon,
which are so close that 10 Vetreat
sure death, and only part of them can
hope to escape by falling fat on their
faces and remaining in that position
for hours, till darkness comes to con
oeal their movements. While they lie
there many of them are discovered by
the rebel sharpshooters and die help
less. Others are slaughtered by cross
fire from other batteries, and when at
last the survivors are permitted to steal
away under cover of the night, so many
of their comrades lie stiff and stark in
their places, that they look as if still
skirmishing with the enemy--a battle
line of corpses.


Again, on a certain evening, each army
is seized with sudden delusion Il at tx
other is about to attack, or do some other
dreadful mischief, and they expened
tuns of shell and round-shot, which
many an unhappy mule had perished by
the roadside to dr&g from Kingston, and
with no other effect but to nip in the
bud some hundreds of hopeful saplings,
splinter few ancient oaks and hurt
score or so of men. There was one Of the
panics of the war. The perfect cool
ness and sang froid with which old sol
diers, In some cases come TO regard
those matters and occurrences which
make the blood of novice suddenly
grow thick in the region Of his heart, is
one Of the most noticeable features Of
the army. Some instances are related
which are decidedly refrigerating. A
soldier was carrying to his tent for do
mestic use plate of -four which he had
very lately confscated, ani from which
he was forming pleasing anticipations Of
being able to make an interregnum in
the reign of hard tack, when a wander
ing fragment Of shell suddenly de-
seended upon the plate, scattering the
-four into dust The fellow merely
looked at the piece of fractured crock
cry remaining in his hand for few
moments, and shen drily observed, "No
more Of that on n,y plate, If you please "
Another one of the boys was saluted in
the same way by shell travelling with
its peculiar internal yell few inches
above his head, while he was walking
close along the line Of battle, when
he came TO a halt, and without winking
an eye, looked in the direction Of the
flying shell with q quiet good morn
ing.


Early on the morning Of the 9Th OF
June, it IVES announced at headquarters
that the rebels had evacuated their
works, and were in retreat Indeed,
on the night before, General HoOkers
advance line had occupied their works
and their movement continued along
the line all night, and in the morning
none were to be seen except q few cav
airy scouts lingering to observe our mo
tions. Immediately there was a rush
Of eager men, curious to inspect the
rebel Notifications, and see the effect Of
their firing The former were found to
be Of great strength, considering the
haste with which they were necessarily
erected the strongest indeed--so our
engineers ssy-that they have seen the
rebels make at any time They are
hFmly built Of logs and stones covered
with g heavy embankmeDt Of earth and
screened by green branches Of trees I
They evidently cost a heavy expendi- /
ture Of labor, and il IS idle to deny that,
in many cases. they are better than
our OWE. WhateTer dimsenesS the reh-
els used in the construction Of their rG-
doubts early ia this war, tEese ct least |
are creditabls to their skill, and equally |
20 their muscle in many places their /
shafpshoots-s had eonstruetsd little Ia