Year: 1861

regiment be fully organized next week
Our camp is beautifully situated in an
oak grove, three and half miles south
of Lake street, and near the lake shore.
We are quartered in rough board shan


ties, having two rows of hunks, ,one above
the other, on each side, each shaniy large
enough to accommodate full company
The hunks are filed with good sweet hay,
and for those Of US accustomed from
choice to lying on the floor during the
summer months, are positively luxuri-
Gus. | hear no complaints of our quar-
ters. We have been furnished with warm
blankets, and no one need suffer from ex-
posure. | will here state that the regi-
ment is organizing under the auspices os
the General Government, and is not con-
trolled at all by the Governor of the State.
The requistion for arms and uniforms
was made same time since, but we have
not been able to discover much Of what
the papers term characteristic energy"
SO far as supplying them is concerned.
We have received our blankets, and shoes
for those entirel y destitute. but we other
wise present every characteristic of the
ragged regiment" We hear rumors
that our uniforms are about being con-
tracted for in Chicago, which does not
look like an immediate provision. The
boys are very patient, however,and | am
surprised that there are so many noble
souls here. AS general thing the boys
seem'inspired by a devoted patriotism.
and conduct themselves accordingly; but
it must be confessed that there are large
number who are actuat:I BY baser mo-
lives, and it is among these that the
grumblers are almost invariably found.


We have plenty to eat. TO be sure
the coffee is sometimes discovered to be
compounded of burnt beans, acorns, and
various other ingredients Of domestic
growth. and the bread is occasionally a
little sour, but we all know it to be the
fault Of the viriuous contractors, and not
Of our officers; SO we grin and bear il.
One great fault in the Commissary de :
partment Of the army generally is the
failure to supply fresh vegetables in the
place OF some of our salt meat rations.
We cannot even get good potatoes, and
are hereafter to be confined to regular ra
tons, which consist of meat. bread rice
OF beans, sugar, coffee, soap, salt, vine
gar, and candles. The above list in
cludes all our allowances, with the excep-
ton of little pepper and wood. We
are not even to be allowed. as heretofore.
to trade off portion of our vilainous
salt pork for molasses and sugar We
expect the scurvy in a few days, but we
shall endure it all without grumbling-
il we can. The temptation is certainly
very strong, when one is fortunate enough
to get pass" for town, to spend ones
money simply 10 get change OF Diet
But | expected all this and have no fault
to find So far as an concerned but il
makes my heart ache to see men suffer
ing from sickness caused by the want Of
food which could be provided withom ex,
ira expense TO the Government, for we
would all willingly give half our meat
rations for good new potatoes alone.


This letter is already too long. and
will close with the statement that the
name of this regiment seems not 10 have
been taken into consideration at all by
the men enlisIirg. | suppose there are
as many known as Republicans rs there
are of Douglas Democrats composing it,
We are all Of one e-Americans.


j l. LOOMS.