Quiner Scrapbooks: Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 2

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renounce the "corporal Avorks of nicrcy''joinl intervention in ourdenu'stic affuirs ou eviry battle field. It would not a.s-for the sake of humanity-. Andsho will tonish inc if the civilized nations of tliehail with delight, the news ol CA-'ciy nor- carth took .Jolf. Davis an.l his priiicip;illbern natioinal viclary. companions and jiut them to death for McClellan is thc idol of the army. He the shameful abnseof lint nniversiil sa-<,|in soy to the Avorbl thnt his henVf is l.nr- cred  emblem  a "flag   of truce." g^r, and that his hand   is   heavier   than
AVl.eu the baitk- wns most flerco on lliet,i„it of any other living Oeneral. If thc right of our line, I had occ-ision to gOftbolition faction atlempt to ceale and with an ambuhinec beyond onr nrtillci-y,,ince in i.owera third milit.iry force, wl.o front to take off some w-oundod men.—jvill uol be diclnlcd to by thc Trcsidcut When there, I mot with   some wounded
rebels with whom Ihad a brief convcsa- lion. Ono of Ibem^ a captain,' lold n.c, thai al So..tIi Afoiintaia I'a.ss, thcy riiu 9horl of nmiiiiiuitioii and thcy Avcrc afraid thnt wc would capture ihem al n ght. He said also, that thc anmiuni- tion W'hich Ihey Averc using at pi-^«iit, was captured nt Harper's I'eny by J.-iiN*^ son, V, ho immcdiaiely evacuated that place and came hore to help I.ce. All that he lohl me tinned out to be loo true, notwithstaniling the conllieting reports on Ihat bloody but glorio.is day.
Whon a batlallion of any size cuter battle, tho enemy Tci-y naturally fire at the centre of the mass ; hence the right and left wings arc not so apt to giilfer as much as thc eontro. My company being thc right of Ihc 2d Wis. did net Buffer as much ns others because of the above cniise. I know of uo other. Tho I'rcsi- dcul was hero to-diiy. E, C.
Oct. Isf.—I cannot closo "my letter to you without spilling out a little portion of my reflection concerning oi.T chosen band of exile. I am striiugly in favor of  he rrcsidcnt's policy, and I view his pro¬ elamation asscrtaining to "slave proper¬ ty" as so mniiy Coiistitutioual "peace of¬ ferings.'' I look upon his last proclama¬ tion as a m.sster stroke of stalesiiiaiisliiji, • because it was well calculated to act as a dose of Paregoric on the i-cstlcs.*", wide-' awake abolition fuel ion of this coun¬ try, who, I fear, Avoiild have sounded thc trumpet to have their secret bloodthirsiy reserve rii.sli forth from their dai-K siib- torauian dens and ilr.ig from the I'rcsi- dcntial chair, the honest and venerable old man Avl.osits in it, or demand of htm the overthrow of .McClellan, and the ele¬ vation of some demagogue best cnlciilate-i to carry out their selfish designs, if Mc¬ Clellan had not so fortuaatcly, and brave¬ ly driven tho enemy to  his sacred soil,
Agnin, if there is one d.-»p of christian sincerity in the breast of Kngland, sho will no longer keep pratering about ihe black stain on our constitution and coun¬ try. She will cense to sympathise with .t.-aiio.-s, .nen who insist that God iutcn- 'dcd neg.-o for slaves. She Avill no longer furnish such men wilh money, guiisi>ow- der, blankets, spies, nnd "iron clads.'— She will cottso to urge France tc a Con¬
ner guided by llio ('onstitiil ion. McClcl¬ lnn, ns thc r.icnd of the President, the ])atriot of bin coi.iit.-y, nnd lover ofeqini!- iiy, can say to his army, ' Iioy.s will you' follow mc, ami fight with mo, in dcfcii.se of the I'resi.Icnt nnd constitution of oiir coiiiitry—ngainst thc rebels of ibe north mill .toilill, wherecvcr wc meet them?' .Snch nn niiswcr in the nfTirmntive tho eai-s of thc nation never heard befo.-c— then iiidcccd tl.o f.ill slrengil. of the northern arn.y avouUI be felt. No do.ibt fhc greal conservative clement of tho country would join in ni;d follow tho happy thousands. Our solilieis arc not half so cl'Joetivc as they Avoiild bo if Ihcy wero allowed to rctnlT- ate on the rebs iu proportion to tl.e at- ti-ocilics ooii.iuiltcd l.y ilioiii (rets.) When not allowed lo do so they bee.une di.sgii>--- leii with the w.ir, loose la Ith in thcir olB¬ cers, and wisli to beat home. .-Viid wh n about go into battle,tlipy dread the slow formalities :iiid iiiconsisi'iiit hiiiiianc ob¬ servance of our northern uio.lc of wa'- fare more than lliey do the bullets of their opponents—let that be inipresscd on your in lud.
If WC iiseil more of the bayonet aud loss of thc buUctt ngninst the enemy wc would be more successful, ull our "boys" would, having lot loise their lull fighting forcp, Avoiild feel more satisfied after the battle, and enter tl.e next with ino.c cour. age and delight. I have observed that the temper of .-Vinericans is well calcu a- tcd to muke cseclleiit cl.ar;ies, and it is pity to sec so many of tliciii fall by thc s ow j.roces-t of '-loail and firo at will," and also hy numerous formalitcs whioh arc very often illtimed. The Celtic lire predominates nnd bums brightly in the native .American soldiers whon the roar of the cannon IS most bri*k and lieavy. For this reason it would bo Avisc to place Americans h:-.ving a large pioporiion of Celtic ellcmcnt in them, as officers in lh« regiments which arc chiefly made up of .\iiiericai.s, Irish, French and even Scotch. Biigli.-sli uiul Geiiuaiis will do togftlior.
Oflicers of Oermaii and English ex¬ traction do not woi-k Wtll in regiiiiono^ composed of .Viiierii;.-ins, Irish nnd Fi-eiieh because they dilfcr too much in teinpei-a- me.it. For instaiico when regiinent of Seccsl. is advancing close on one of ours
composed of Americans nnd Iii.vh, ami oflicered Avith mon who are a lii.tle too Gothic, or in other wonis, a little too x^-i slow, nnd 'oo cautii>ii.s, the re;;iincnt is an.Aioiisio charge on the approaching en¬ emy s.ioner thnn allow ihcuisclvos lo be flanked and dio ia cold blo.id-but the ofliccr will not givo ll.e word charge, aud before our brave fellows can reload they nrc outflanked a..d overpowered. This is too bad, ami should be avoided in the orgaiiir.alion of now regiments. All that I havo said might be expressed iu one world, but yon may not uadcrstand it so well—in is thc word "dnsh,"whieh means with u.s, courage, daring, determined, cn- terpii.-iing, oi.^ who will do what he says he will, or what he is told lo do by his superior ofiicers. When a soldier per¬ forms n deed of daring, prouiplly. he is said to possess '-dash." Our "Mack' is a dashing young fellow—so is "Brick'- I Pomeroy or any olher man w ho can clear the coast, difpcl sorrow and gloom, nnd plant in thcir stea-l conlcntmoiif nn.l the sunshine of Hope—read his "Valfcr."
Mcllardy of our coinpany was wouml¬ ed on the 17th Sept.-^so was 11. Faliy of Onahisica, Corfioral Harries of I.a Crosse, aud several others that you did not know. E.C,-*^
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From Cai*t. 'lioi.uNs.—^'e are permit¬ ted lo copy the following extracts from a letter received iu this city, from Capt. Nat. RoLLi.vs, of tbe 2d Begiment, dated at canap, near Shari/^tnrg,'October 6tb. Bo says:
"The Republican Convention at Fond du Lac did well in endorsing Lient. Col. Bkauo. He has proven himself a Hplcn.lld mun, nud in Gungref^H the Adiuinielrution will feel his support.
" I have juot been callod nj on to make a re))ort of the chauges iu my coioi.any since the organization of the Regiment, and having collected the facts, I cau give theui lo you. Killed in aclion, 11. Died of wounds received in aclion, 8. Bis- charged for dtoability, 12. Transferred, 2. Deserted, 2. Prisoners of war, mostly wounded, 27. Other wise misbing in ac¬ tion, 1. Pronu.ted in company, 1. Total los.s, 64:. Keuiaining on coinpany rolls, 63, as follows : Absent, sick, 13. Detach¬ ed service, (absent,) 10. Abfcnt In hospi¬ tals, wounded, 10. Preseut, iu all, with Regiment, 20. Ot tho 20 preseut, there are two sergeants, two corporals, and six¬ teen privates. I thougbl the above might be interesting to you, as )0u knew the coinpany (the Randall Guarde) so well when in Madison.
" Tbo Regiment is email. Ool. Faiu- OHiLo is iu Washiugton, sick. Lieut. Col. Allbn is at home, wounded. Two better ofHoors never lived."
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