Lots of men come
through here with their backs blue and bloody from beatings; and nine in ten of
them got their marks in Memphis. A man from St. Louis was in camp a few days
since with one-half of his head shaved, one-half of a heavy beard taken off,
two teeth knocked out and his lips all cut with blows from a club. This was
done in Memphis the day before I saw him. My health continues excellent. Never
felt so well, and think that care is all that is necessary to preserve my
health as it is. I can't think that this Illinois climate is mean enough to
give a fellow the chills, after it has raised him as well as it has me.
I never enjoyed
anything in the world as I do this life, and as for its spoiling me, you'll see
if I don't come out a better man than when I went in.
We have commenced
fortifying this point. One company is detailed every day to work on this. It is
said that it will cost three million. As for enlisting for three years, I
can't, or rather won't say now. Tis a sure thing that as long as this war continues
I will not be satisfied at home, and if I would there will certainly be no
business. There is no use trying to coax me now for I can't tell until my three
month's are up. Then, if I feel as now, I shall certainly go in for the war.
Our company gets compliments from all the newspaper correspondents.
The whole camp is
aching to be ordered to Memphis. Bird's Point is not occupied. We had a company
there for one day but withdrew them.
I commenced this
about 12 last night in
the hospital, but I had so much to do and there were so infernal many bugs that
I concluded to postpone it. We do have the richest assortment of bugs here
imaginable, from the size of a pin-head up to big black fellows as large as
bats. I was sitting up with an old schoolmate from Bloomington, whose company
have gone up to Big Muddy and left him to the tender care of our surgeons. The
poor devil would die in a week but for the care he gets from a dozen of us here
that used to go to school with him. There are about 50 men in our regiment's
hospital, and save the few that go up to care for their friends unasked, the
poor fellows have no attendance nights. I gave medicine to four beside my
friend last night, two of whom are crazy with fever. One of the latter insisted
on getting up all the time, and twice he got down stairs while I was attending
the others. Not one of our company is there, thank heaven.
Yesterday our
company with the whole 7th Regiment were at work on the fortifications.
Wheeling dirt and mounting guns was the exercise. The guns we mounted are 36
pounders and weigh three and one-half tons each. Our regiment, except this
company, are at the same work to-day. To-morrow the 9th works. General Prentiss
paid us a very handsome compliment in saying that our company did more work
than any two companies have yet done in the same time. You should see our
hands. Mine are covered with blisters. You might as well be making up your mind
to the fact that I am not coming home soon. There is but one thing in the way
to prevent my going in for the war. That is the talk of cutting off the heads
of all lieutenants over 25 years of age, and of all captains over 35. Now under
that arrangement all three of our officers will lose their heads, and we know
we cannot replace them with as good. This thing, though not certain yet, has
created a great deal of excitement in camp, and if it goes into effect will
smash our company completely. Our company is the best officered of any in camp.
There are no two sides to that proposition.
You'll see that your
Canton company will not regret the selection of officers they have made. The
companies here with inexperienced officers have worlds of trouble, and five
captains and one lieutenant, though good men at home, have resigned at the wish
of their companies. Four of these companies tried to get our first lieutenant
for captain, but he won't leave us. The thousand men who occupied Bird's Point
the other day are most all Germans; many of them “Turners,” and a very well
drilled regiment. They will get their cannons from St. Louis next week. None of
the men expect an attack here, but we know that General Prentiss thinks it at
least possible, and from his actions we think he expects it. A family were in
camp yesterday who were driven away from a place only 12 miles from here in
Missouri, and left a son there with a bullet through his brains. It happened
yesterday morning. We have had our uniforms about a week. Gray satinet pants
and roundabout, with a very handsome blue cloth cap. Nine brass buttons up the
jacket front and grey flannel shirts. We are obliged to wash dirty clothes the
day we change and to black our shoes every evening, and polish our buttons for
dress parade. Our company is the only one that does this though, and they call
us dandies. We have done more work and better drilling though, than any of
them, so we don't mind it.
SOURCE: Charles
Wright Wills, Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, p. 14-6
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