Correspondence of the Belmont Chronicle.
CAMP ANDERSON.
LANCASTER, Ohio, May 20, 1861.
Dear Chronicle: I presume your readers are all aware that Capt. Tallman’s company of Belmont boys are in the 17th Regiment, at Camp Anderson, Lancaster, Ohio; and, according to promise, I will try to give you some account of their situation, &c.
We are in a most beautiful camp — occupying the fair grounds of the Fairfield County Agricultural Society — a beautiful, level piece of ground, about one mile North of the city of Lancaster, well supplied with good water and covered with a nice green sod.
Our daily avocations are those of every well regulated military camp. At 5 o’clock in the morning the reveille beats, and the Orderly Sergeants commence getting the boys out of their bunk. All round the camp you can hear them shouting to the drowsy ones. Company K (Capt. Tallman’s) has a good many drowsy ones. The roll is called, and all must answer to their names. It is amusing to see the boys turning out half-dressed as their names are reached, and scampering into ranks. After the roll call is finished they are dismissed for half an hour to wash and dress; then go into ranks again and drill until 8 o’clock, when Company K gets breakfast. This is the hardest part of the day’s work with the most of us. Three hours out of bed before breakfast is no doubt very healthy, but not many of us are used to such habits. The boys manage to save a piece over from the night’s supper for a morning piece, and so fare pretty well.
After breakfast we are dismissed until 9 or half-past 9 o’clock, when we meet for drill again. We get dinner at 1 o’clock, and are then dismissed till evening, when we drill again. Supper at 7, and then dismissed till nine, when the tattoo beats and all must to bed. This is imperative, and after a hard day’s work a great many do not wait to hear the drum beat. At fifteen minutes past nine there is scarcely a sound in camp. Our rules are strict, and any violation gets the offender in the dreaded guard-house.
Our company is as well drilled as any company in the regiment, and I am well satisfied that when uniformed will be the finest looking company by far in camp. We have a dress parade at four o’clock every evening, when the whole regiment appears upon parade. Our company has not heretofore shown quite so well as some others, on account of the want of uniforms, but most of us have the red shirt now, and begin to shine with the rest of them.
The camp is well and strictly guarded about one hundred and twenty-five being required as guard every day.
We are being broken into all the discipline of the soldier. Is is almost impossible to get out of camp without a pass only ten members of each company getting a pass on one day, so you see we are confined in the camp, being able to get out only every tenth day in regular order, unless there is an absolute necessity for it. Commissioned officers pass at their pleasure. There has been quite a number of commissions in this camp, you may rest assured, and it has been so that almost any sprightly looking fellow who could call himself an officer, could pass the guards, but that game will soon be ended: the officers are becoming known and getting their uniforms, which will put an end to the poor privates playing officer.
Our time off duty is spent in as many various ways as there are various tastes and dispositions in the camp. Some of our boys spend most of their leisure time in reading and writing, others in playing ”euchre” and “seven up.” Most of them seem to be enjoying themselves in their own way. There are a great many hero who have come with their Bibles in their pockets, and earnest piety and religion in their souls. They have left homes of plenty, and even luxury, for the tented field, and are here to defend at any cost the free and glorious Constitution that secures to them the privilege of worshipping their God in their own way. These men are not scarce in Camp Anderson. One company (Capt. Stinchcomb’s, of Lancaster,) is composed almost entirely of church members, they have prayers in their quarters night and morning, and on last Friday, they, together with all other church members who desired it, partook of the sacrament in the camp ground. It was an impressive sight to see the assembling of these men in the midst of the tented field, commemorating this most holy rite of the church ; but whilst these men were thus engaged, others in hearing distance were playing cards and swearing.
All seem to be anxious to get into active service, and nothing would be received with more pleasure by this regiment than orders to go where we would bo likely to have an enemy in reach.
Major Steele took leave of our company last week in a neat little speech, thanking them for their kindness, and assuring them that though he was leaving them as an officer of their company he would do all and everything in his power as an officer of the regiment to promote the interests of the company. Clem. is pronounced by the unanimous vote of the “Belmont Tigers” to be a “bully good fellow.” “Long may he wave.”
The “stogas” sent out to the company have been faithfully distributed and received with many thanks by the boys, and yesterday morning Mrs. Ryan’s cigars for Sunday smoking were handed round the quarters, and were enjoyed hugely. We hope our friends will not let us suffer for cigars, as they seem to be almost a necessity to us, penned up here as we are.
We have been boarding this far, and as to the kind and quality of our fare I shall say nothing, for fear I should conflict with the Gazette of last week. We, however, understand that we are to do our own cooking after to-day, and if our friends will send us out something for a Sunday dinner we will eat it all up with grateful stomachs.
Our sleeping quarters are perfectly comfortable — many, many thanks to our kind friends at home.
I have strung this letter out too long already. We got the Chronicles last week, and they were eagerly grabbed up and read. Send them on. I will try and write again next week.
Boys are all well.
Belmont Chronicle, St. Clairsville, OH
17th Ohio
The 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised as a three-month regiment in response to Lincoln’s call for volunteers. After training, it served in western Virginia, guarding the railroads and conducting operations against the secessionist guerrillas. It served there until August when it returned to Ohio, was mustered out, and reformed as the 17th Ohio Infantry Regiment for three years’ service.