Quiner Scrapbooks: Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 9

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I From llic t-'ouftceitib ^tiscoiisin. ,i,i.;,,,wi vi.ko.iii.r on iiio   i .mi^iana  ...i,. ^ j- j .».      ..
I   itii.-» una \KK.'>ouigoa iiie   liom-jiaim  "luc.; diKonraged thoogb you any but little   bo-
L..KE Tuovr vcK. U., Feb. 10, 18C:3.    *"'^ ^^ ^•''' ^"•'^^ '''" ^'"^ oap;ain in char-e ol cause,   I Poppoao you think;  it would dls- Fkikn-d  Ihi.MNKiii) :—By   tho  abovo nd.oi"'p:"'>3 >va.s mortally wounded, our oi.l...r   courage  uf,   and  yon have made np youi dress you will .sec that wc havo again chang- b' --eigoanl killed and several  wouiideil.    ll mind never by word or deed to do tbat, but
ed Ihe Kccncof our operations. About ten "PP"-""^ that ibc rcbcl.s led our p-irly into an day.s ago the first brigade of ouy division re- ambiisb, but our lro<-p.s gathered ut once, and ccivod orders to go on board iran.'<porls, •''•'5^'''*"* *''<''¦'"''^''<^'""'"°"'^*-'''>'•'''''"S''^''""t bound up thc rivcr to some point lo us at tho.t"'<> hours, rcMilling in several inorc bcinii time unknown, but in a few day.s it leaked ^^^'""^^'^ """'"" •'^''¦'^'^"t no injie killed out that ilii.s wa.s Ihcir point of destination.'Ihc robcl.s lo.sl-;> in killed and wounded. On ihe Tth inst. ibc other Iwo brigades •¦'"'1 -I prisoners, whom wc met bciti;; c.s followed, and reached hero night before last, corted in as wc wero coming out, ainon^ and a few minuLcs obsoriMtlon in the morn- whom I noticed a licutcnr.n*. and an orderly ing di.sclo.scd the object of our iiiiti-sion.— sergeant. The prisonci-.s goiicrally wor. a Lako Providence, afler which thc town is I'a'dy, surly looking set, wcll clothed and a|) named, hero comes to within eighty   r.ids of parcnlly well fed, as well they inij;ht bo,  lor
\ thc rive", and between wliic-h tlicic is a   (all liiey have been ranging ihiongii  tlio   riclico'
j of twenty   feet—moaning   that  the   lake is part of ibis ytale.    Mut-h lichcr il has beet tweuly ficL lower ihaii the river, wilh a nat- than il will be soon, if our division   reiniin;
• uial channel apparently  between.    .So   fear- about here loiijr,  for desolation   follows oiii ful have ibc   inhabitants   been   of the   river cour.se,   and   like   the   tread   of " Alaric": breaking through at this point that ihey have steed " no green thing gro'\vs where wc have c-oiistruclcd levees of great strength  .it the been, head of Iho naUiial channel above .'spoken of      In the .skiru.i.-^h .ibovo .spoken  of a   ne-410
'The work looks more liko a dry  dock   than attached to the Ul Kaii.^ns pirticuLiily  dis
nar.ything else that occurs to my mind.
Our .soldiers, .n.ssistud by a hundred or more contiabaiids, arc now bu.^y culliny through the works spoken  o*",  iiitendiiig   to
the lebul lo a li.alt,  he   tlien inado liiiii wade o\ev lo his  .side,   tho   watoi
you need bavo no fears on thie account. I have giveu myself to my country until tbia rebellion ia brought to a ciotc, and whoever are enemies to that country, are mine, whether north, aoutb, caat or wcat; These are not only my Mntimcnta, but I think those of the whole norlbero arroj.
'J'be pro-'pcct for closing (bo war looks dark at thc present limf, perhopa, but we aro bot discouraged {—just before the down ia tbo darkest hour—but what n^akea^t look 80 dark now 7 ia it because tbo rebels here at tbe soutb have gained ooy decided ad¬ vantage over ua ? Not at ali, but becauM in tbe north where we expected nothing but friends, there aro craven trnitora, anakea in tbo graas waiting fur a cbance to strike thoae who aro fighting for their country rigbta.
Would to God old Abe would proclaim martial law tbrougbout tbe northern Slatei>, and either compel every man to take arm. in defence of the government, or else go over to tbe tender mercies of tbeir much abused frieods tbe Soutbemera; then we abould know wbo we bad to deal with, and where we bad to meet our enemy. What in God's name have tbey to complaio of, I abould like to know f If the Midler, do not   mnrmar.    I   Me  no   reason why   tbey
•hould.    If tbo6e ot home are not satisfied Securing: bim. he toddled off, and dc- »"«» «»'•» »»'« •<'''^''«" "« <J*>'"ff'  '^^l "O*
tingiiished himself.    Armed  with  a  double
barrel gun.  \ii .-hot a  rebel   dead  across  a
small bayou, ami as a coinra.le  of the  one
who fell started to get out  of the   way   tl.c let tho liver or a portion of it al Ic.ist Into "^'-'^ 3'«"od out, .ns ho drew a bead on   1. the hike, w;.ich is a feeder of a  fork  ofthe ""'-''•^^J«>" J—-»  ^'^^^^   J'^"-  «l'M)  ih»',  or Washita, which cmplics into lied Hive.-, and :'^""'" *"!""'' • *""'¦ """" '"'"¦'°' ¦""''•"    '^"'' that you know   inlo   ihc  Al :',.-,i.-.si])pi   Ijolow''''^''''''^"" Natchez.     Anolhci* oxpcriineni of circum-
venlii,.. V.cksbu.g.    Uut if nut successful in '^^^';'''"S "1' "^ ^'"= '''''^'' """^'^   '""^'   "^ ''*'
aihivi^'ablepointofview, it certainly "¦'" ,'i^f,,j',i„ ,,,;t fuHen trooper up to the'w»«»n'J h«>P» «»nd g""« ^hemcounsel; not drown out the richest part of Louisiana, and ^^^^^^^ ^^^^.^^^ p.-isoiici-s in d.-argo. The idea' 't-f •« borne continually finding fault. • « make millions  worth of property ^tl^dc^s.^^;,^^ .. ^,^;°^,      . ^^^.j^^ ^j,,;,^.^i j,  .,,ii,.,,.    Now  yow  rebel aympatbiacn., one litlte
for all lime to come.    But our chief onginccr .,...;.. ^„„^u   i« °.....   .. .^.^ „. word of advice—a friendly hint—which if,
.    , ,      . Ihcmselvos up  prisoiicr.H   lo   our      ,soiis ol * l
IS sanguMie of securing  a  navigable  slrcaui ...     . ,      ...1      ,1     ...
° too Africa ' IS peculiarly rich.     I hoy lako  toil
' 'oul-'brigado at 3 P. M.  yesicidai',  under "'ith such apparent relish !
ordoi-.s, commenced its march inlo tho  cou.i-     1 have no idea when our mission horo will
try. nnd striking a .^.plcndid   road alon-   ihe o"'I-     It will I suppose  dei-cnd   in  a  great
bank of tho lake wo followed   it  about   four me:i«i:re upon the succe.s.s of llie undei taking
milea   to  our  present   camp.    During our fir^t above spoken of.
march on every hide were evidences ol prince-      0( changes I will continue lo advise  you
ly weolih lavi.shly displayed in and about the.'"* '""w' v "* '"iJlI.'"'^''  ... ^ .        , " 11;' ,•',,. ... ... —We hove been permitted to make tbe
dwellings o( the  planters,   one  ot wliotn it,,,     . ,     .  , .   . ...     1
"    , ' ,    ,,     .    , 1     followiBg extract from a letter written by
aiiiieais had too many valuables lo  leave bo- ^_   «•„. •   .i.    tj.i. .   t-   t^ .u ,'   ,       , .     ,       ,  1 1        I   .    •* officer in the 14tb to bia Father:
h'.iul, and so remained with bis god.s, only to ,   .     ..^      ..
, ,   , , ,        ,    n  1 • 1 Comp on Lake Providence, neor)
be robbed by our  cavalry  ol all his  ready Louirville, Ky. Feb. :?Oib 1863. \
Dkar Fatrbr :—I have nothing of macb interest to write, everything Kema quiet in camp. Tbe boys are all well and in good spirits, but aoxioaa for a mail, which we have not bad for fcur or five days ; tbe mall
money, .•joiuc lliousaiids it  is sluted, and   to soo a tk-'u sol that cost bim in New York tu' 3-oard ago $1,CU0 .-mashed to  fragments   be fore his face.    1 wonder what his leal   opiii ions are concerning Iho Yankocs ?
Yesterday morning a foraging p.irty I'l-oiii the Isl Kan.suii wcic attacked several miles in .vlvAiK-e of our present camp by a detaeli- luent of the 3d Louiiiaiia cavalry, (wliieli regiuiL-iit appears  lo   be  operating   between
you bad hotter eell all tbe elTect. yon can't travel with and follow in tbe tooteteps of tboie cowardly cravens wbo arc quite wil¬ ling to enjoj the benefits of a good govern* ment but sneak away from tbe call to ens- tain it, to some healthier climate, lor, un¬ less I am deceived b| what I bear aronnd me every day, therd will be an epidemio of •ore bead, in yoor neighborhood ere long. I hope 700 will be benefitted by tbeae polite hinUi, for 1 do not wiab to have evil come npoo 70a aaawarec
Yoorc Ae.
roiu (hero«!t*;c«<Hi»t WL-ccn^K!^
Lakk PiioviOKN'OK, La , Feb 23. \863. Ki). IJ.^.VNKu :—'fho work   of tvubjugatiiig the rebels in ihin soclion of tho ¦de|>artinont
is not as regular here as it was at our last j-^, ^ „.^.^,^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ,,^^ ,,^.^„ ^.^^.^  ,,^^,^,, camp before Vicksburg, tbongb further up ,^,,,j^^, ,.„ ,o„,,^„„„^ „f , -,g coniin-jed
tbe rivcr, it bos to go there before it comes
and incessint rain KiormK, following each olh-
beie.    Dear Father I see by your loat let- „„ ;„,_..,       ¦, 1   . - °  i     , .
'' .   .   er III .such iap;d succession that ll IS hard to
te^, or the tone of it, that you are slightly ,>:.,,:„„.• 1, ....   , , ,
.  ' ' '.      ..   . ', u.»lmgui-b wui-n  ono   ceases   and   aiiolli^r
7: ¦