Year: 1863

The enemy, and punging first and foremost in
every encounter, doing their utmost to retrieve
their honor, and the honor of their regiment.
Bully for such fellows as that, and all like them,
belong to what regiment they will


The anxious question, When is the Army of
the Potomac going to move, has been practically
answered. We have moved on to the enemy's
works, and moved off again. We slept one night
in the rebels nest, and should have slept longer
there e,perhaps had we not been forcbly reminded by
them that it was safer place for US this side of the
river. Some sangujne writer said, When Gen.
Hooker moves on the enemy, God help them ;
but the prayer was unnecessary; they were able to
Eep themselves. On the whole, the most Of US
are willing to admit that we got very neat little
have to be more successful than he has been, or
his boys will think old Lee, the rebel. General, is
too much for him. Our reports claim sort of
victory on the whole, and so do the rebels, but
the rebel newspapers will lie, and ours won't. If
we accept the rebels own calculations that one
Southerner is equal to two Yankees, we may safe.
y infer that battles like the last ones pay pretty
we'll, after all but the rebles can hardly make
out as much for them, unless they change the
premises of their argument, for they, by no means,
killed twice as many of US as we did of them.


Let no one say that the recent battles have had
tendency to demorallze the army. Far from it
The more we get used to being killed. the better
we like it. Positively, the army is in Just as good
fighting spirits to-day as they were the day we left
our old camp. l was talking with some New
York boys few minutes ago, whose time of ser
vice has nearly expired. The late battles, found
had not discouraged them in the least, and large
majority said they contemplated re-enlisting afte
they had enjoyed the luxuries of home while
but they would not bind themselves to any pape
at present, preferring to wait and see what woulc
/" turn up" as they expressed it.


Last evening was talking with some boys be


longing to the 9Th Wisconsin. They had share


in the late battles, and, of course were full O


stories about it. They thought the different &C


counts of the battles had hardly given them thu


credit that is, their due. They lost heavily. Ont


Company they sale, that deployed as skirmishers,
lost upwards of thirty men. They were sent ou


to draw the enemy's fire, and they did their duty


and did it without fiinching. To detail. men for


duty like that is like selecting men for sacrifice


but the 9th Wisconsin are not the boys to quai


before the deadest danger. They charges
through the ath-dealing fire of grape and can


mister, and captured the rebel fort-neither sharr


shooters nor artillery-men being able to chez


their advance one moment. The enemy kep


their position and refused to surrender, even afte
our men were within the Notifications, and farl


outnumbered them. One rebel boldly barred hi


breast and told our men to shoot him. he woul
never surrender. Perhaps he hardly expected to
taken at his word, but he was; dozen bullet
pierced him at once. Another rebel was see
loading his gun, after our men had charged b
him. You Cd id son of b-h," said
sergeant, who happened to see him Just in seaso
to save his own life, III learn you to shoot on
men after you are within our lines" and
dubbed his gun which he had no time to reloa,
and placed him hors du combat on the spot will
, out ceremony. The fellow who told me the stor,
! did not know whether he killed him or not, bl


he thought he might safely predict that in futul
he would be more circumspect in selecting oppo
tunities for shooting Yankees.





Since we have been this side of the river, "


have enjoyed the utmost luxury of ease and lsz
: ness that hot weather can afford. We are abor
: two miles from our old camp, nearly north. w