From The
First I Have Had Faith In The Northern Army; But From The First I
Have Felt That The Suffering To Be Endured By These Free And
Independent Volunteers Would Be Very Great.
A man, to be available
as a private soldier, must be compressed and belted in till he be a
machine.
As soon as the men had left the vessel we walked over the side of
it and took possession. "I am afraid your cabin won't be ready for
a quarter of an hour," said the clerk. "Such a body of men as that
will leave some dirt after them." I assured him, of course, that
our expectations under such circumstances were very limited, and
that I was fully aware that the boat and the boat's company were
taken up with matters of greater moment than the carriage of
ordinary passengers. But to this he demurred altogether. "The
regiments were very little to them, but occasioned much trouble.
Everything, however, should be square in fifteen minutes." At the
expiration of the time named the key of our state-room was given to
us, and we found the appurtenances as clean as though no soldier
had ever put his foot upon the vessel.
From La Crosse to St. Paul the distance up the river is something
over 200 miles; and from St. Paul down to Dubuque in Iowa, to which
we went on our return, the distance is 450 miles. We were,
therefore, for a considerable time on board these boats - more so
than such a journey may generally make necessary, as we were
delayed at first by the soldiers, and afterward by accidents, such
as the breaking of a paddle-wheel, and other causes, to which
navigation on the Upper Mississippi seems to be liable.
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