Quiner Scrapbooks: Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 1

              CWQU0010084; ^<?e8 have been called into   play soonerit". than   cxprctcd,    A   member   of    the'^"/^^ ,^^ ^„^ ,„„^,1     ,„tine Portage Guards, m marching out from j^.,,, ,^^, y^,,^^   y,^,,j,y
a^qinr ers,bis morning  sipped and ^-"  k,.. ,,,, with his company, making twisted Ins log so  that tho  bone was '^••l"- ^-"J ^* . j
probahly fractured  a  little  above the: t^"* ninth company on the ground, ankle.     Ile   sufTcred   a  good dcil of     One of thc Portage boys broke his leg pain, but bore it like  a hero, and de- ' dares if  shall   not  prevent  his goinj; with his  company.    He  received iai- mediafc  attention,   and   the  surs^coj^ piopes to have liijn up in a low day,»r
• -. Cau^R^M|Li,, Maiusox. )
^^^HBHI^^^' ^th'GIJ Editor Journal di tdurOfi-'" According to your request I hasten to
g!vi you r.na'H^onnt of our trip from Beloit lo.our ronde'.vous at Madison.
day.    Sunday we went  through the Ij     At dinner wcTiavc baked beans, corned I
\Ve have | beef, and potatoes.   Thc  beef has to bei
eaten three or four times before it disap-,
pears.     The potatoes* arc very poor.    As!
it has rained every day since wc came and
thc roof leaks, all the provisions arc very
whHepVacticiug" double quick" to kecj) |j much diluted.   Wc would net complain,
but as the state navs for our board at the "¦arm. -   ,   . .,,. , j     i • .
Our company arc   all well.    There is |i rate of 2\ shillings a week, wc do Uiiak a
7/
i    We left Shopicre at f%^. and arrived jatajn^adisou depot at"?8ro'clock.    Our
ad^^Bal .Sbopiere waa^j^ltogelber uncx- 1 pcct^ but we wc>-«-^l!icered to see the j fannoVs leave Uieir worB and repair to lb 1 depat, for Ibc purpose of administering a 1 few last words of cn£Ouragemeht. 1    Tjto^ parting wi^dk wcre.,.ffiw bnt deep
ani^peartfelt.   With man^,<|)[prossions o!
" Gflid Bless you," " iVa b^piTC boy," &c.
wfciparted from lhem.   Capt. Ely's compa 1 i^vrcrc out at Janesvillo.
1( -.The inusic of the Beloit Baud served to keep us merry; aud the smaU.-flags we Saw floating from the huts, au^iven tli> heads of the working horses, Jthe " Stars nnd Slrlpe.s" wcr«e?TOlr to the 1 1)eart8 of our citizens—that t^^ syinpa- fthics and prayers are with us ifi^defcnding that glorious ensign, which bar protected us '' al homo nnd abroad"—which has made us proud that we were American.";. —"We marched   from the station to our
mud, .nurmuilng about our fare. I leave Utile better fare might be furiusncd. this until another time. It is enough to Sunday pa..scd off quietly. '1 hero was say Unt wc lice, and would not complain some sort of preaching by one of thc La lif we did not know it was the fault of thc Crosse company, but our boys staid quietly "contractor" Wc expected to get poor in their quarters, read their Testaments, fare, biit«iy4«3cd Ibal while here, where • looked at the pictures of their ab.senl loved ihero is ai.' abundance, we might have enough, aud that, too, of ij'"''? qua'ily W<! feel as ranch zeal for aiding the gov- Wc arc impatient to get
cm ment a.5 ever
into ac'ivc service. This morning all is nleasant and cheerful. Thc quarter-mas ter is doing all hi his power to make our barracks comfortable.
Yo«r's in defense  of tho   Union   and
ponilitutioiiji ^' Vi^'
Camp Ranp.vm,, May 5lh,-4€61.
tiHoT Jnurn-il and Oinritr:
In accordance with your request, I will give you a short sketch of tho adventures of ihc flcloit Cadets.
The last seen of us by our friends who j accompanied us to Shopierc, wo wert; us thai I mQ^.JDg ojf jn doubio' quick timo to the tune of Yankee Doodle.
At Janesvillo wc were met by Capt. Ely's company and a large crowd  of citi-
ones, nnd tried lo keep comfortable.
T'lic rain came down in torrents right through thc roof, but as we were all dan^ together, no one could complain.
Our La Crosse friends arc a fine looking company of men—just a little wild! There arc eight companies on the ground : The La Cro3.se Light Guard, Portage City Lighl Guard, Beloit Cadet Rifies, Belle City Hi- lies, Racine, Fox LakaCompany, O.shkosb. Randall Guard* of Madiion, and a Grant Co. Company.
i     The expectation is that wc .shall inarch ; somewhere in nbout eight days, bul no one knows definitely.
Col.   Coon  is   very  popular.    Ue is aj perfect gentleman. I
Shangh.tj Chandler is hero, a corporal in ' thc Potnjje company.    Of course there is fun where ho is.
You must excuse thc mcagcrness and dullness of this letter, as all writing Isdone
zons.
Wo arrived al Madison about \ o'elock,, ""'I" peculiarly trying circumslancoi^. and were marched directly to Camp Ran- ^y   „i..   -    • A Volunt^
dall (thc old state fair grounds), were wel-
quarters    on   the    State |'||l'   Grounds..! comed by the Li Cro,s8c Light Guards and jTwo comp.iriics were here J^-advance of'the Portage City Guards, us. A!^" Our  quarters aro   the old cattle pens,
From Camp naodall.
Wa had eaten nothing af^lrwe lefl Be¬ loit, so v,-o wcro glad to bear the order to march to supper. It is needless to say ibat we did ful! justice to the plain supper set before u». Atler the ^iistribution of the blankets, provided us by the good peo [ilift of Beloit, we retired to our bunks which had been furnished with bcdlicks filled with bay. For some time, however, " the Boys" indulged in practicing vari- oftS vocal sound.*, and at last the numer¬ ous representatives of tbo animal kingdom fell asleep.
I When W8 awoke in tbe morning the rain was leaking down upon our buuks. At 7 IVO marched to breakfast, but the rain was pouriug in streams through the roof of ibe building, formerly occupied for "Opera¬ tive Machinery." Thi.< eervcd to fill our tin cups of cofT'.e and toik our bread and j potatoe*. Besides, we stood in mud three liucbes deep while endeavoring to satisfy he demands of " grim nature."
It snowed nearly all the forenoon.   The j
Camp K^ ;>ali,, nrak MAtiisoy,'! M,.y dib.       J
Editor   Jovial   and   Covriru:—Lift  is
boarded up, doors fitted, and   floor laid, a  •omewbnt strange hero in camp.   All ia bu«ilo
double row of double berths extending thc •"' ai^'i^i'y-   Our quartern nro being «rring«d
whole length, beds filled wilh hay. ^'"" C"n'<"don e nn.l uie.   Now, whtl. I wriU.
All very comfortable.   After suppcrtbc  "'° ""'" ""'' J='^ "^ """ '"'"""'-•'" '"** "»"' •°'"-
boTS unpacked, fixed up their beds, made a fire, lit their pipes, and imagined them¬ selves happy.
As we must do something to display our patriotism, and as no enemy could bo found to light with, we each and everyone of us contributed to tbe support of the U. S. Government to the amount of one postage stamp!
We have a decidedly literary companv, sonic one writing letters constantly, nnd many keeping journals.
I suppose our molliors and sisters would like to know how we faro in tho eating line.
Our dining hall is a large building, filled with tables and beeches. Thc table furniture consists of tin plates, platters, cups, wilh knives and forks.
Our regular fare is beefsteak !! baker's
rtnew kept us in our barracks most of; bread, and eoffce, milk and sugar.
g!ud wilh luutfio from drum and Gfe, is vouudiug in my o:irs.
Tbe iDioKe of the eainp-Qie, nnd the motley throng of uniforiueil suMior* turruundlns it, nru before use, and all seoiui "merry ni a inar- rlnge bell."
You are probably aware that we nro at cauip in thu fair groundg, abwut one and » half miles from tbe center of lh« city of .Madiaun.
Theo;imp ground ii encloied by a higb fenee. 4n(l il Urge enough, though rutber uneven in Burfnoe.
'Iha coinpiinies' barraekf aro eontlracted of boards along tbe eail and south tides of tbe ground.
You may be asinred that onr first night ia camp will not soon be forgotten by the compa- ny. Oar " big corpor»l" bellowed like a Thr*. eUii bul!, and oU its tsuiisi r.T^Pzali ni pri-
vaiVs generally set up such beilowiog^ blaltings | barkinj;,, .ro«ing.. Ac, «s nev^r belure T«r,j heard by the oniui.l ereiilion oul.ide of Noai s
"ibe seeond day of oor mllifry llf.orred to.