Year: 1863

Correspondence Of ihs Journal


U. s. ARMY 0KsKnAL HosPrrAf. I


FAIRTAx SEMINARY, Va, Nov. .. 1863.


DEAR JoURNAL:--Your welcome visits, for


few weeks past, remind me Of promise made


TO keep your editor advised Of what tfanspifed


and occurred In this mundane portion Of the


sacred sol;" and although my letter bear data


at present from a general hospital, another may


be dated and written sin the field where but


few hours before host met host in deadly con-


hict, and after having helped bring ~ the


wounded and dying, aiding to bandago, dress


wounds, or close eyes 10 grim death, few mo-


ments occur wherein TO think Of friends and
loved ones and these are always improved by
every soldier, II he be fortunate enough TO have
scrap Of paper and pencil, for he knows not at


what moment the relaxation from deadly strife


may be terminated by an order 10 fill haversack
with live days rations and cartridge-box with
lforty rounds Of amunition" and i opine few
lsoldiers unacquainted with the meaning Of
such an order especially " they have been for
tnndfe enough 10 have been ain the 'front.'
twelve month or sol


Hospital life presents such daily monotony
lof the self-same routine that 1 could add but
little TO your knowledge Of how the poor soldier
fares after be is admitted, 10 the time when he
may have become cured and again fit to resume
Iactive duty with his regiment; or not ht for
field duty, is transferred to the Invalid Corps for
light work in garrison 10 do guard duty at
the various public offices in Washington and at
all posts where a General Hospital is located;
land, again, when not fit for the Invalid Corps
he is discharged the service and, still more, his
physical organization having been SO shattered
by wounds and amputation, or malignant dis
eases of incurable type, he finally receives his
discharge from all earthly woe suffering aud
strife to Join the vast hosts marshaling on the
banks Of the heavenly Jordan Yet, amid suf-
fering the most acute and intense, one dying on
one side Of the bed while on the other side an
other poor comrade lies outstretched under the
agonies OF surgical operation from the effects
OF which he may never revive, one can see and
realize all too fearfuly that verify in athe midst
cunence of such scenes instead Of giving the sol
dier-at least large porton--a realizing sense
and idea Of his own danger and liability TO a
similar fate, only renders him callous and SEEM
| Iingly careless as to the ultimate termination of
his earthly cares; and throughout all hospitals,
every day, can be heard some one singing:


'sole the wide world wag as 1t will,


I'll be gay and happy stiIr


No thought of the awful future-not even mo-
mentary care for the present. OF such is the
soldier.


send you greeting, dear JOURNAL, from all
our Ohio boys here-thirty -eight in number
over the glorious result in the triumphant cleo
ton OF BRoUGH and the remainder of the Union
State ticket. Although the entire thirty eight
OF us had to go TO Alexandria, distance Of ~
miles, to vote, it was done cheerfully; even four
wounded men! were sent in an ambulance, un-
dergOing pain and suffering for the privilege Of
voting against tratorl We could have held
an election here-it only requiring 90 voters to
secure us that privilege-but at the time
the agent was here distributing the neces-
sary blank election papers, there were only four
Ohio boys in hospital; and as we have seldom
had over sixteen to eighteen here, it was thought
useless to leave the blanks, especially as We had
lnnl cho 1tcfa - A -.
eight good Union votes were sent in from here,
and mary" for the trator-and yet if good
administration-supp war democrat had
been nominated, instead of a traitor, to run
against BRoUGH ttcenty-t,co would have voted the
entire democratic ticketl We soldiers came out
to fight and risk our lives for the maintenance
of our glorious UniOn-not as it was, thank God
but for Union that shall have freedom from
one end of it to the otherl 'Tis true thousands
OF us came out to fight not to free slaves but To
regain the vast portion of country which had
separated itself from u.s. and to IRE. possess the
forts and arsnels and public property" which
the blood-thirsty chivalry had taken and stolen
from us. Then it was not dreamed of that this
rebellion would assume the gigantic magnitude
it has; and has, within a year or so past, be-
come so palpably evident 10 The most obtuse that
had it not been for the rebels among our peo-
pie in the North-not Southern but Northern
rebels--ths fearful war would have been closed
Hong ere this The rebels, encouraged with their
own vaunting ability to crush and humble the
North, supported by and secretly and openly
sustained by our rebels at the North, put for
ward energy, intellect, physical power, a hope
OF plunder and every other available source
throughout their States, until their armies werc
able TO cope with our own. And while every
reverse was hailed and exulted over by traitors
at the North, in corresponding degree was ev-
cry patriotic measure adoped and put forth by
the administration, howled against and croco-
die tears shed over, until nearly every soldier
had the beam taken out of his eve and could
PLAINLY see and distinguish the hellish designs
OF the leading democratic politicians of the


North. 1t is true when the Emancipation Proc
lamation was first issued an intense excite
ment prevailed throughout the army; but this
only prevailed so long as the traitorous howl at
the North was at its highest; and when men had
time to reason with themselves in regard 10 the


wisdom OF "Old Abe's" declaration of Independ-
ence to seven million human beings, the
ltreachorous taunts that were waited TO us from
our democratic rebel friends, at the North that
we were fighting "nigger war;" that we were
abolition tools and slaves fighting for sthe nie-
ger" de-, soon ceased of effect If it was nee
essary TO confiscate real estate in the Southern
States, and to conhscate cotton, horses cattle &c.
TO weaken the enemy and to strengthen us why
could or should it be wrong TO liberate scvea mil
tton hlindn souls from servile bOnddgeP-especial-
| y when it was maintained and argued, at the
=
of the new confederacyl Time has demonstrate
ed that since sold Abe" knocked the corner
stone ofrebeldom from under the rottOn struct-
ure, it is fast crumbling to pieces, and dividing
East and West, North and SOUTH And, since
there need be no more apprehension at the
! North from the traitors who have been plotting
: and scheming against the administration, we
soldiers care very little what democratic stay-
home intriguers may think or say of demo-
Icratic soldiers fighting for their country. 'Tis
better to fight for freedom for a down-trodden
race and for the restoration Of our unhappy coun-
TRY to its former rank and station among nations.
with freedom secured to every human being
Throughout all its borders, than occupying and
Exercising the full right and title Of traitor 10
that same country in its most agonizing perill--
= Let them howl-like their rebel brethren at the
South, their power to do harm is fast coming to
an ignominious end; and in years to come, their
Offspring will have to hang their heads in sor.
row and shame while the offspring of the de-
tenders Of the Union arc pointing the finger OF
lscOrR at them--and even in this generation
shame and confusion will follow every Norih-
: ern traitor Forward soldier of the Union a
glorious future will yet dawn on our blood
deluged land, and millions viii rise up 10 bless


its heroic defendersI


Through very reliable source am enabled