1      Bucks County Intelligencer, From the Ringgold (104th) Regiment. March 4, 1862  Page 2  Col. 3      1

 

LETTERS FROM OUR VOLUNTEERS.

From the Ringgold (104th) Regiment.

CARVER BARRACKS, MERIDIAN HILL,

Saturday Evening, March 1, 1862.

Messrs. Editors :—This week has brought a change in

almost everything around us.  The weather, from rain

and mist, has become settled, and cold.  The cry of

“ mud! mud!” with which you have been so long regaled

is at an end, and the mud itself is numbered among the

the things that were.  Jack Frost has made one vigorous

effort against the coming Spring, and closed for a season

at least the canals with which, under the name of roads

and streets, this region of country has been so long afflic-

ted.  No one who has not seen it can be made to under-

stand the change.  This morning on drill the wind blew

the dust in our faces from where but a week ago a man

was not safe to venture unless possessing a pair of boots

similar to the seven-league affairs worn by Jack the

giant-killer.  But to be serious, mud is ended—the roads

are passable.  The weather, which for a few days has

been extremely cold, has moderated, and to-morrow bids

fair to be pleasant.  The heart of Winter appears to be

broken, and if I am not very much mistaken, on the do-

ings of the coming week depends the existence of the re-

bellion.  The time for the long expected advance of the

army of the Potomac, if the signs fail not, is at hand.

The embargo wisely placed on the telegraph by the

War Department, of course renders all more anxious for

news, and reports entirely without foundation and ready

credence.  But there are some things which are true, and

they unmistakably point to an onward movement.  The

large force that has been lying in and around Washington

has begun to melt away like snow before an April sun. 

They are here to-day, but to-morrow’s sunrise sheds its

rays on empty tents, or on vacant spaces which at its set-

ting were alive with armed men.  The movements are

generally made in the night, and with so little noise that

no one knows where they go or whence they came.

On Thursday night Gen. Keyes’s division, some seven

regiments strong, among which Col. Birney’s, passed

our camp on the way.  I understand , to join Gen. Banks’s

column at Frederick; Some three or four regiments of

regulars, among them the Fourth, in which is your friend

Gensel, have within two or three days crossed over into

Virginia, and the Dialstead and Rush Cavalry are under

marching order for to-morrow.  Where the blow is to

fall, and what will be its result, a few days must make

manifest.  Speculation by me on the subject is out of

place.

What part we are destined to play in the drama is not

yet ascertained.  Col. Davis, I understand, has been to

Washington importuning those in authority to be ordered

in the advance, but with what success I have no means of

knowing.  Most probably I shall find out when we receive

marching orders.  However well intended movements

may be known to those in command, you may depend

upon it that the rank and file are kept profoundly ignor-

ant of them until the time for action arrives.  All we have

to do is patiently to wait.

Friday being the last day of the month, we had a gen-

eral inspection, preparatory to making out our pay-rolls. 

The inspection was conducted by an aid of Gen. Casey, and

was quite thorough.  How long it will be before we re-

cieve a visit from a much more important personage (the

paymaster) is, of course, uncertain.  If we get into the

advance movement, it will be postponed for some time.

The weather for a few days, although cold, has answered

admirably for drilling, and we have been taking advan-

tage of it.  It is pleasant to get back again into regular

habits, after the long spell of idleness to which we have

been subjected.  Company I, the crack one of the Regi-

ment, has been down in Washington for some days, guard-

ing the prisoners recently released for Richmond.  By the

way, your friend A. P. Schurtz called up to see us the

other day, on his way home.  He is looking remarkably

well, and seems not to have suffered much in looks, at

least, from his confinement.  But I understand that he has

gone to Bucks, and you will have a chance of judging

for yourselves.

A rather curious thing occurred here last week.  A

member of Company D, named Haverstraw, died of ty-

phus fever, and was to have been buried on Saturday, the

22d.  The usual escort, together with the Chaplain, went

over to the hospital at the time appointed for the funeral,

but the body was non est.  This, of course, created con-

siderable stir in camp.  It was soon ascertained, however,

that he had been buried, and Col. Davis sent a file of men

to the Soldier’s Home burying ground and had him dug

up and identified.  It seems that the undertaker had di-

rections to bury a man from the Warren Hospital on Fri-

day, and finding two bodies, when he went there, conclu-

ded to make one job of it, and so loaded them both in and

buried them.  Men are plenty here and of not much ac-

count, either dead or alive.

For a week or two past, the measles have been more

fatal than the small-pox was when in its rigor.  We have

lost some five men within ten days with the measles, but

I think they have run their course.  There are now but

very few sick with them, or even with anything else.  Our

health is generally very good, and if the order for an ad-

vance is given, very few will be left behind.  Where you

will hear from us next week, time itself only can tell.

A PRIVATE.

CARVER BARRACKS, Feb. 28, 1862.

Messrs. Prizer and Darlington :—The camps begins

to look like living and moving—beautiful clear days—

mud drying up rapidly—roads becoming passable again—

although there is too much freezing to warrant their stay-

ing good any length of time.  Lieut. West of Casey’s

staff, is mustering our regiment and the New York 56th,

for pay.  Companies all full to-day—good display—the

boys look fine.  There is no volunteer regiment in the ser-

vice that looks as well as the 104th, this is admitted by

judges to be the fact.  Col. Davis is mustering the Maine

11th and 52d P. V. of our brigade.  Troops are now mus-

tered by other officers than their own to prevent fraud,

which it is said, has been practiced on the Government

over the river, by drawing pay for deserters and deceased

soldiers for months after they have failed to be present

themselves; profitable no doubt but very great risk.

Our encampment has been in very great excitement

lately ; first, from reports of Forts Henry and Donelson,

now by reports from the Upper Potomac.  Geary had

crossed at the Ferry.  Banks had crossed at Point of

Rocks and was severely wounded, besides having his

command cut to pieces.  Hooker had crossed at Budd’s

Ferry with considerable fighting.  Forthy-seven thousand

troops had crossed at Washington, and various other sto-

ries.  When they are favorable to the cause of the Union,

we all exclaim that’s good news—even if they are impro-

bable.  Donelson has prepared us for any fabrication

they may get up; our credulity is correspondingly large. 

But if the news bring us the reverse, we exclaim, that

can’t be so—must be some mistake about that!  Our last

dispatch says, Banks has taken Leesburg.  Geary has oc-

cupied Winchester.  Banks has met Jackson and given

him battle, capturing him and six thousand troops (those

regulars I suppose we hear so much tell about through the

papers, some of them the Winchester militia, armed with

shot guns and uniformed with rags).  You can hear the

old exclamation, “ that’s good news,”  “ wonder if the

prisoners will be brought to Washington.”  Hope you may

be in possession of particulars before this reaches you.

Most of the troops on the Potomac are ready at a mo-

ment’s notice.  Whether we will be called upon with the

general advance we cannot say, but you may rest assured

we are ready.  The officers of the brigade have been down

to Washington pushing their claims for a chance with the

rest; the result has not been made public.  Our chance

for Kentucky has passed.  Some of us would like to oper-

ate on the Upper Potomac, we being partially acquainted

with the country there.

There seems to be some deficiency about the Enfield

rifles.  Many of our troops are exchanging them for Aus-

trian—the same kind we have, which are a splendid rifle

to shoot, but roughly finished.  We have been out twice

to target practice; at 250 yards, the first time we struck

the target 8 times, the second time, 22 shots struck the

target.  Considering that our company is comparatively

green this was very close work at that distance, which is

farther probably, than many have any idea of.  Not as

sharp shooting as one of Berdan’s men made.  He hit a

barrel at one mile six successive shots.  The health of the

regiment is improving ; the sick in quarters was reduced

in one day from 49 ; to 29 the next.

A glance at our guard book reveals the fact that the

morals of the regiment are improving, and that whiskey

is the main cause of three-fourths of all the trouble there. 

You rarely ever see a soldier disobey or impudent to his

officers, except he be intoxicated.  These cases multiply

rapidly after receiving pay a few days, then decrease ra-

pidly until the next.                            J. M. C.


Return To The 104th Pa. Volunteer Infantry, Home Page. (NOFRAMES)
Return To The 104th Pa. Volunteer Infantry, Home Page. (FRAMES)

104th Pa. Volunteer Infantry, [email protected]