1              Bucks County Intelligencer, LETTERS FROM OUR VOLUNTEERS.  March 11, 1862  Page 2  Col. 5          1

 

LETTERS FROM OUR VOLUNTEERS.

From the Ringgold (104th) Regiment.

Correspondence of the Bucks County Intelligencer.

CARVER’S BARRACKS, March ?

Friends Prizer & Darlington :—We are still at Car-

ver barracks, engaged in, the arduous duty of guarding

one another ; whether this is the only duty we are to per-

form while in the service remains to be seen.  As soon as

the roads and weather will permit, the men are anxious of

going into active service.  Our good quarters, it appears,

has been no inducement for men to enlist and join our

regiment, at least, the officers who have been detailed

for recruiting, have met, with very poor success.  They

have not succeeded in filling Company I.  But, taking all

things in consideration, we have no reason to wonder

why the officers do not meet with better success.  We

were pained to-day in witnessing an event, which merits

being put on record for the benefit of our numerous friends

at home.

Some time since our friend, Jonathan White, was de-

tailed for the recruiting service for this regiment and sta-

tioned at Quakertown.  Fortunately he met with three

men who were moved with the spirit of patriotism and

felt it, their duty to volunteer in behalf of their country

and enter the duty.  They were conscious of a soldier’s

hardships and discomforts ; they also knew the pleasure

of being among friends and relatives, especially while

soldiering hence, they were anxious of being in Company

D, where their friends are.  They enlisted with the plain

understanding that they were to be put in Company D

(which is not full), or else be allowed to join a cavalry

company.  They arrived here on Wednesday, made ap-

plication to the Colonel to be mustered into the service on

Friday morning.  But to their surprise, they were told

that they must go in Company I or go to the guard house. 

This menace did not scare them, for they are soldiers. 

The Colonel asked the first—“ will you go to the guard-

house or in Company I ?”  “ Guard-house,” was the re-

ply.  Second—“will you go in Company I or to the guard

house ?”  “Guard-house,” was the reply.  The third

and fourth were asked the same question, and gave the

same stern answer.  The Colonel ordered these four men

to be taken to the guard-house immediately, where they

are as I am writing.

This act of Colonel Davis has caused recruiting to be

“played out “ in Bucks county,—better order the recruit-

ing officers to return to duty—their time is being wasted. 

Men won’t enlist when they know that they will be sent

to the guard house, instead of being allowed to join the

company for which they enlisted.

A man by the name of Duncan has the honor of com-

manding Company I.  He and his brother, who is at pres-

ent his First Lieutenant, could not raise more than twen-

ty-five men with their united efforts.  His company is fil-

led with men of different nations, and fairly sprinkled

with the off-scourings of the human family.  Some of

them have taken French leave and left in spite of the

gallant captain, who pursued one of them on double

quick time, but though fleet of foot, was unable to over-

take him after a race of more than a mile.

J. Mathias Beans, a recent Union convert, also has the

honor of being a member of this crack company.  It was

generally understood that those men, who were sent home

for recruiting, were to recruit for the regiment, but it ap-

pears they were to recruit for Company I.  The officers of

all the other companies possessed energy and reputation

sufficient to fill their companies to the minimum number

required by law.  Company I, It appears, must be filled

at the expense of Uncle Sam, which is no small item.—

Here are the figures—Captain, $120.50 per month; Lieu-

tenant, $110.50; Sergeant, $17 ; corporal, $15; private,

$13.  This money is paid monthly to aid the Colonel’s

favorite Captain.  These five men have labored since

New Year’s, and have succeeded in getting about ten

men.

These statements are facts, without any exaggeration—

judge for yourselves of their justness.  FIGHTING COCK.