Camp Near Little Washington, Va.,
August 2, 1862.
While you were quietly enjoying this Sunday morning among
the mountains, our corps d’armée
was out in a large field being reviewed by our new commander, General John
Pope. The review passed off as most reviews generally do, terribly tiresome and
tedious to the officers and men engaged, but rather a fine sight to outsiders.
I was not much impressed by the appearance of our new general, but shall keep
my mouth closed about him until he does something.
We have lately become acquainted with a new horror of war.
The other night, we were all awakened, about one o'clock, by the most awful
screams and groans, proceeding from directly behind our tent. We all rushed out
and found Tom, Captain Williams' servant, apparently trying to tie himself up
in a knot, all the time holding on to his ear for dear life, exclaiming,
between his groans, “Oh! take him out! take him out of my ear! I shall go
crazy!” and such like ejaculations. We found out at last that some kind of a
beast had crawled into his ear while he was asleep, and was now working around
near his tympanum, making him suffer the most horrible pain, if we could judge
by the noise he made. The doctor came at last and took him to the hospital, and
by pouring oil into his ear, killed the bug; he then gave Tom some morphine to
make him sleep. In the morning, after a vigorous syringing into the afflicted
ear, the animal hove in sight and was removed by a pair of pincers. It proved
to be a hard, round pointed black beetle about three-quarters of an inch
long. We all now stop our ears with cotton wool every night, not caring
about having explorations made so near our brains.
We had, this last week, besides other drills, two corps d’armée
drills and one brigade drill. Banks manœuvered
the corps and did pretty well, except that he gave some rather original orders.
It was rather a fine sight to see the whole corps formed in squares with the
artillery in position, and to add to the interest, a squadron of cavalry
charged some of the squares to try their steadiness; they thundered down on our
regiment at full speed, not stopping until they fairly touched the points of
the bayonets, but they didn't stir one of our men. The sight is really quite
frightful, and it is easy to see that if the charge is not broken by a good
fire, that the infantry would have to go under, but we know by experience, that
the effect produced among the horses by the shots is very great. General Gordon
is fast making his brigade a fine one; it is now altogether the best in the
corps.
SOURCE: Charles Fessenden Morse, Letters Written
During the Civil War, 1861-1865, p. 74-5
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