Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, October 16, 1861
Letter from the Ellsworth Regiment
Headquarters, People's Ellsworth 44th Regiment, Albany, N.Y. Oct. 11, 1861
Our duties and exercises are becoming more animating and our prospects of payment and departure from here more cheering. the Pay Rolls are made out and submitted to the Paymaster, Maj. Wm. Richardson, who is now in Albany, and we shall probably get our pay tomorrow, from the time of our enrollment up to Oct. 1st. The boys are anxiously waiting the receipts of their wages, and were it any other regiment you might expect a regimental spree.
The non-commissioned officers of our company have been appointed and its officers entire are as follows: Captain, Freeman Conner; 1st Lieutenant, Reuben Landon, 2d Lieut, Henry D. Burdick; 1st Sergeant, Eugene L. Dunham, 2d Sergeant, Frederick A. Moak; 3d Sergeant, Gardner S. Parker, 4th Sergeant, Willis M. Rexford' 5th Sergeant, John B. Ten Broeck; 1st Corporal, Wm. H. Longwell; 2d Corporal, Henry Dickson, 3d Corporal, David Shapley, Jr., 4th Corporal, Alvin H. Tinker, 5th Corporal, Wm. W. Haver, 6th Corporal, John R. Moore, 7th Corporal, Lawrence S. Hillabrandt; 8th Corporal, Peleg A. Cranston.
Last Sunday evening, Co's A and D, with squads from other companies, marched en masse to Dr. Magoon's church. It was quite impressive to see such a body of soldiers in God's sanctuary, young men on death errands that may soon make each heart one of "Freedom's Altars." The boys complained that they couldn't enjoy the good old privilege of seeing the girls home.
Last Monday afternoon we were reviewed by Gov. Morgan, and Brig. General Rathbone and their staffs on Washington Square. It is estimated that 15,000 people were in attendance.
Capt. Stevens, of Norwich, has been visiting us since Wednesday morning. It did us good to meet so valued a friend and turned our thoughts homeward. Wednesday, forbearance having "ceased to be a virtue," the regiment with the exception of the commissioned officers, stayed away from dinner, as a retaliation upon the contractors for the poor fare they have lately given us. We have had good food, but lately our bread would be stale, our butter "fragrant," and our hash sour. Fearing that this state of things would be too frequently repeated, complaint was made, but did not reach our colonel. So, on Wednesday, the boys unanimously determined to absent themselves from dinner, as an experiment. The experiment proved effectual, as an adjoining regiment "followed suit," and proving ourselves "trumps," we "euchred" the contractors out of $200 Government money. The commissioned officers knew nothing of our "plan of attack" until it was too late to check us. It is to be wondered at that the boys didn't become infuriated and teach the contractors a more severe lesson. They were quiet, however, and by patronizing the sutler liberally, appeased their hunger. Our food is good again now and will probably continue so, as all the officers sympathize with us and are injured when we are wronged.
A Christian Society and a Literary Association have been auspiciously organized, and as soldiers we mean to develop our mental and physical being and retain as much unaffected advantages as are consistent with our circumstances.
In the camp is found a superior field for the study of human nature. You find there men of every variety of character and men without character - traveling curiosities - human enigmas, and in fact, more characters than Shakespeare ever thought of or actors ever personated. If Charles Dickens could be with us three years he would have more material for novels than a lifetime could dispose of. When I become better acquainted I will describe some of the "stars" of our regimental theatre. Next week I will give the names and residences of all the Chenango county boys here. Wednesday, Wm. Lane and Jeff Carr returned. Had we been farther South we should have taken them for a foraging party. They came freighted with good things from home and though the provisions met with an untimely execution, the remembrance of those from whom they came will long survive them. G.H.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment