Year: 1862

ticed a couple of sprightlv.looking
chaps, notebook and pencil in hand,
very busily plying the wounded os they
were brought on board, with questions
as to how the battle was going. Vari.
Gus we're the tales told by these poor
fellows. One would have it that his
regiment was entirely aunihilated-an.
other that a regiment on their left had
ANONYMOUSLY fed without firing a gun
another that some Captains Battery
had deserted his regiment just as its
services were most needed No two
tales agreed, nor in the majority Of cases
could any single individual tell the
same story twice in succession. Yet
these two correspondents diligently made
notes from the conglomerated sayings
until sufiiciency seemed to be obtain
ed from which to hatch ont q telegram |
or letter. No regard to facts-all thev
appeared to he after was items enough |
to fill the column-no matter who was
wrOnged or who was uniustlv praised
they received so much a column and
column they must have. l afterward |
learned that one of these gentlemen
was the correspondent Of Chicago pa
per, and having a curiosity to read a re-
port so made up, | put myself to somo
trouble to procure copy of the paper
containing the same. As might natu.
rally be expected, the report was found
to be tissue of bare.faced assertions.
In it the grossest injustice was done
some of the "bravest among the brave"
while in more than one instance regi.
ments and individuals who really acted
the part Of towards, were highly extcll-
cd for their noble and unhnching brave
ry. Alas that the press that power.
full lever for veal or woe of man, in this
world, should be so carelessly used


II is continually asserted in the news
papers of the North. that in all the
Southern States n strong Union senti.
ment exists With these assertions. so
far as nv knowledge extends, I beg
leave TO differ No doubt the sentiment
would exist if the masses of the people
properly understood the matter-hut
they do not. The leaders are careful
to keep all outside avenues of commu-
nication closed, and 50 long as they sue.
ceed in this we need not expect much
Unionism to exist in the South. The
larger part Of the soldiers in the rebel
army have been so completely gulled
that they look upon our army az a set
of cut.throat, negro-thioving savaCes
Ifthe two armies could get together and
have n good sociahle "confab," our
Western boys would ensily convince
them Of their error, and I verify believe


Beauregard would he minus an army.
But this, Of course, can not be, so our
only alternative is to whale 'em like the
ID and treat them we'll afterwards.


Our Division mado a forward move. ..
mont n few DAYS since, and on haltng
Co. A was thrown ont as picket In
running the guard line it passed direct
" between two farm .houses-the one in
the rear being some fifty yards from the
line-that in front some three hundred
Late in the afternoon woman aD-
preached one Of the guards and timidly
asked to be allowed to pass to the house
in the rear. On questioning her it was
asccrtained that it was her residence TO
which she wished to go; she had gone
on some GRAND to the neighboring
house early in the morning, leaving n
young child at homo, intending of course
to return in a few moments During
that few moments, however, the guard
line was run, leaving her on one side
and the child on the other. The guard
permitted her to pass. In conversa-
tion with this lady she Informed me that
her child was the only consideration
that could possibly have induced her to


return to her residence. I asked her
why she feared us, and the answer was,
that they had all been taught to believe
our army was here to devastate the
country, murder the men, steal the ne
groes, ravish the women. and, in short,


that Beauty and Booty" was out mot


to. When | informed her of the real
cause of onr being here and of how


the GLORIOUS old flag" had. without


provocation, been insulted and trampled


in the dust by unprincipled men in the


Southland how egregiously these same


leaders had misled the Southern people


the tears came into her ewes and she


said, "lf the soldiers at Corinth knew


all that, there would he no more fight


ing" This woman's husband is now in


the rebel army, and was engaged in thC


battle Of Shiloh. IF he should ever be


so lucky as to return home | think hi
wife will convince him of the error o


his way. Nearly all the prisoners ia


ken by US, after receiving the treatmen


of our boys for few days, acknowl


edge themselves to have been deceived
The most Of them will never be guilt,


of again taking up arms against tn


Government.


} Our Division during the past ten day
: has done great deal of lively skirmsh
} ing, as we'll as heavy labor. The frs
} thing preparatory to a change of cam p
has been to send a Brigade ahead t,
clean out the Secesh pickets, most gen
, orally occupying the ground desirable
5 to US, After gaining the ground tn
I next thing was to secure ourselves o
e it, and to this end all hands we're imme
= diately set to work to throw up fortif
t cations. Several times while busil
e engaged in piling logs and THROWN
t up dirt, we have been startled by th
}. fierce rattle of musketry! On occs
: sions of this kind it has never yet re
l. quired any great effort on the part {


officers to get their men into liue.-I'