Quiner Scrapbooks: Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 3

              anu ive cnaenvorru to ary our clotbiiig by' thc  fires.    Mor ning;  dawnnd   nt I.l.st.    It W.IS the Sabbath, and fine  enough to drj our   blankets   and   overcoat, while   wc
cleaned our rusty riHeSi I'he next dav a luiniber were detailed fo gt? back fo "Cainj) (irilliii'- to get fhe large leut.s; al- :^o the ho.spilal stores and tcut.s. Thc journey to our old c.imp >v,is tbrough the little but fairiou.s villnge of TalKs' Church, ai;(l by Mun.soii'.s Hill, from which place the capitol is visible.    Our regiment received
was in motion, nnd with fifty or more sol- (^    a.i a mjiiror,  and decked   wTlh its„numer-
diors chatting around Ilio, ous white sails   and steam craft, fho sun
When I  can write  again i a  n>oie tlin.i .. .... t       ti .i
»ucn I  c.»i 6 I rising    in    fho   distance,   &c..^&o.     the
S^y' f^rom thc Fiftu iirgiintfat. sceno looked more liko one of iina<riiiation
-J^e^pondenccoftho rimo<. tban reality.     We soou orrivod under tho
Cami'.Vo. :], ,VT,,>^.W^^^^^^^ walLsof   Fortre.ss .Monroe,   passing many,
.      ,      ., ,     ,•• ,7"; Vi"¦ '      Kditor TniRsr—Siuinc upon" a pile "'y«'^'''''f '''**''^"'*'^^'^''g'''''"'' *^*'' '''«
.oihc   ho.sp.ial   stores   and   tents.    Ihc      .. ^i,:..,, ,,.,,.,„,„! L^n^ L. •M""it"r'vin/T at tho mouth of  the .Tames
fouracy to our old   camp >v,-is through thc    "^ l^"^'". which one year ago formed one -    t ,p.        ,     „..    , ,
lit.l.. bill f'.-w.... ..tn.. J-r ,.^ .. , ^r     •      of the noble mansions burned hore by the "'^^^' •''*«*'" ""       ^^'"^S'' '"«t'"»'«''•''• «''«
rebels in .January. I will try to give you ^^^'^'^'^^^ '"o «f s""»o   '""•^''J' '"on.stor of a fow items of interest regarding our move-1 *''^'!'?• '^¦'"^''"  ""*''   ^"'''"'^ victim.—
„ .. nr      .    - " vo
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newtcnts,asonrsbadlo..gbcfbrebeoneon. ments " " 7"'"'"'^f "''"g ""'move- '« '-T- b"'g .n wait for bis victim.- demued.    Wo  received  the  lar^^e  round , """"P    *"  '^' •*^'^''' ^'«« bulwarks extend only two feet abovo
Sibley tents, made of very strong canvas •'*""*' ^ ^""'^^-^^ ^'o ii3d. The morn- "'«'«''• *''«" (as I saw her) .she was sunk Seventeen occupied one tent. Yostordav '"" '^''^ ^^°'^' *"^ *" '''« diflFerent rogi- *" '""" greatest depth. ^Vhoa sho was we xfov. ordered to Alcx.iiwlrla   ...1,„ '<\ '"°"'^ m tho division full i..tn  i:..„  ... .l. first nointed out in ..,„ -- .i.„   m...:.
we won, ordered to Alexandria, where we') '"°"''' '" ""^ J'visiou foil into lino  to the caiMc on bonid ; about twci.tv .steam   vcs-   ^"''^'cning music of numerous martial and
|s^l.s were required to tran.sport Clei.erali "'"'*'"' »a"ds. all appeared in fine spirits bmiihs division. Wc started a liulo be-1 "^"^ «»x«')us to march fo, our n-Hnl af fore dark, and went as far ns Mount Ver- i shipinont to Socessia Nothing I non. where we all anr.l.orcd (or thc i.isht. of importance, till we arrivod o7 .^ /*"-'" Tbi. moniiiig .-c .started at dawn, and which in tho ^cli 'ti ''"'"• have been moving down the river all day-   it, mat v d I.^H     T "*¦"      "' ^'"''^'"S"'
I Along the river  we saw   where the rebel ? ^''^P'^atod «lavo pens,  rthe lat
beheld before. Tho Maryland .side i.s much the best, bein;j under cultivation and moro thickly iahubilcd/    To give you
some idea ofthe amount of business done     .,„ wviu per-
on    tbo   river  sinco   tbe   blockade   bus   mitted only   to take   an  outsido  view of
been rni:?cd, I just counted  over one liuii-  though, for wo wore in somothing of a hur-
drcd vcs.scls   iu   plain  sight, and  none of ry jn passing.
them were   those  belongin'f  to our oi:pc-        .»
jjjjm, Uur regimont arrived   at tho dock,  at.
I shall drop this at Fortress Monroe, ifL""® "'"''^"'^ ^*   ^^ ' ""'^   ^y sundown was. possible. SUUijIy stowed a Way on board Mtcamorsas
Ol.u PoiXT CoMFOitr, March "lo.      ioll.xst^ : seven companies oii  tho Canno-
We arrivetl here last night at I o'doi-k.   niens, an.l three compatiics — U, (J and II
o  are now ancboi-od in dm  i.....k^^.-  .-..»'
We are now anchored in iho harbor, but expect to leave in a few minutes for Ilauiptoii .Hoads. Whero we are to go from there, or what wc arc to do, you must wait for the future to develop. Wc awoke  this  nioruing to  find fhe  Monitor
,. .J  ,_     .,   ...„¦,,.,,.  1  -.»   €»    uiiu   epuciiiiv:ii   OI    nu-  •
anchored within a  few rod.s  of our boat, 'nanify.   being G.spocially   favored, bv him.
The iloiiitor  is tho fiuccrcsl looking ob in the grub lino during fbe passaire ' Tho
jcct I ever saw : yet   she  is now the nro- noxt  mr.r.,;..-   -  ** '
first pointed out to mo as tho Monitor. I thoug' t tho individual was joking mc; for all I could soe in that diroction resembling a bout, was ooinuthing that looked like a large barge sunk even with her decks, and a molasses hogshead standing in her cen¬ ter.
At Fort Monroe, I had a chance to con¬ verse with sovoral who saw the fight be¬ tween tho Monitor  and  Mcrrimac     Tbe
  ... ...„ uun-' ^''•"'^ are these :  tho I^'rigates (Cumberland
Ous observer. Of courso, howovor, among and sloop of war Congress, were an- the chief objects of attention hero, is the anchored just bolow horo opposite the Marshall House, near tho wharf, whero ^oit at Newport News, when the Cumber- Ellsworth was killed.     This wo were per-M*"''  discovered   tho .Mcrrimac  steaming
down tho the river, fo'lowcd   by the rebel tileaniers   Oeorgctown   and Yorktown —- The'eommander of   thu Cumberland   did not recogiiizo the Merriinae  at firat, from her odd  appearance, hut a-» soon   as sho ^aw what she wa.s, tho Cumberland opened her heavy broadifidos  upon her. but with¬ out effect, as the 82 p<>und shot fell upon hor deck and sides as harmless as so muoh hail.     The Mcrrimac kept steadily on un¬ der a press of steam and struck the Cum¬ berland, head   on, cutting   hor nearly in two.      Sho   thon   backed olF,  giving thei (linking sliip a broadside, and made direo- tly for the  Congress on the opposite side | of tho river.     But   the ' Congress,  seeing j
—on board the littlo steamor Argo, a staunch craft with a yaiikeo captain an'I crew, and until lately plying between Boston and Nah.-.-jt The on ,k, I must- also mention, as a   fine specimen of  bu-
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Thc commnnlcation  between the army  * "** ^'"^ ItesiHence of   the Father ofour and thc citizens will soou  be nearly  sus- ^"'"''"¦J- fresented  rather an   inter, stin ponded;  hence, ray  correspondents must api'Carance. both in   its  location and thf not complain if they do not hoar from me. stylo of its buildiu.ra      If, ;. i„^,.   i Ihe  Hand boys nre on ooard thc Canoui- beautiful ri«o  id  „„ „..a ,    ,
CO.. They are all well ; also tho Beloit river surouidL fr '"^"''""'^"•« '^o boys which I bavo seen. I leave this in;?" ''"""""^'''' ''^ '^ fi"« 8>-ove, and has tho hands of tho Captain of our vessel,.!^, tlJ^P'^'dw^l^f» ^"» oJa«s roMdenoe in trusting that it will reach vou in "the course of hun.cn events." "l feel thai ^^^^^f* «"»' anchorage this m>.n.in.T ¦x.f there IS need of my making gome excuse two   o'clock     and    or      i     .-. ^
|for tbc poorness of thib and  other letfors."   " ''"^ck.   and    at    daylight   entered •This   hns been wiitteu   while  tbe vessel^"®'''''P®a«° I^ay,     Its waters wero smooth
taken prisoners, a fow   only escaping in
small b>at.« to tho shoro.     The next move
of the Merriinae was to steam down close
to Fortress .Monroe, where Iiy the splendid
frigate .Minnesota, (and where I saw her
at anchor,} with the inieiition of serving
her iu thc same way.     But when sho got
j near tho .Minnesota,   hho   found she had
' cauyht a tartar      For tho .Monitor came
I out from behind the .^linnosota, where she
lay eoncealcd,  aud stcuuied   boldly up to
meet her antagonist.     Tho Mcrr'mac im-