Camp Dix                               

Baltimore Aug 20^th /61

 

Friend Bowen.

                        Agreeable to promise but rather behind time I comply with your request. The 21^st Ind Invincibles are at present camped at on Locust Point within less than half a mile of Fort M^cHenry If her guns were in the hands of rebels we would feel like evacuating this place. Although but few of us ever saw or felt the effets of canon, still there is something about their appearance that makes one feel that he has a preference whether he stands before or behind them. we have a very plasant location

 

Several of the boys have been to Washington as guard on a provision boat, and are sadisfied to remain here a while rather than camp in Washington or Alaxandria. Camp life is monotinous at best, but when we can do no better we live in anticipation Our Hoosier Boys are daily learning a great many things / We might exclaim like the Dutchman The longer I liff's lives, the more as I finds by G-d out Our home bred Indianans find that Ind is only one of quite a number of States Amongst our troubles is our officers, which are doing very well, but from some unknown cause, perhaps it is the cold wet weather, there are some of them troubled with the Big Head—slightly—many of the boys in our Regiment.

 

Our Regiment is mostly composed of boys and young men from 17 years to 35, knew but little of decipline at home, and they have it all to learn here they are naturally awkward at first in military tactics. Our officers for want of patience practice commonsense or some other cause seem to think the privates should be as well drilled as they are. many of them are in fact if it were not for their cloths, spectators might mistake the officers on drill for the awkward squad. Our Col. drills men one way, our adjutant another. we have some other officers Captains & Lieut's that were in the Mexican, Crimean and Dover Hill War / Each claiming to know it all. And what makes it interesting to privates is to make some blunder on account of not understanding the order as they intended it and then to have the Col or Adjutant or some Capt'n Yell out G-d damn you why dont you pay attention. or you G-d d-n Son of a bitch and similar expressions if the boys were on Salt creek they would know how to take it; but as it is they have to submit

 

Camp life is demoralizing enough at best, and under the system established in our camp it is not very encouraging to moral reform societies too many of our officers are like some of the Pedagogues of my schoolboy days. they think that the more authority they can display the more better satisfaction they give their employer they are too ready to use their authority merely because they are backed up by Military despotism Moral Suasion or reasoning is seldom or never resorted to. if a man does any thing contrary to the rules of the camp which by the way are changed nearly every day, the first and only grand  prerequisite is to take them to the Guard House / Many of the boys, good fellows at home well disposed in camp, without the least disrespect to officers or rules, thoughtlessly, and often ignorantly over step some of the rules and without a chance to explain, is put in the guard house, or on double duty. although many of the boys appear to have no dread of the guard house, still a majority feel that it is a disgrace, and knowing there is no redress submit with the best grace possible, but they are too apt to unbuckle their dignity and self respect and let themselves down to a level with the lowest. Several of the Bedford boys who were thot to be some pumpkins at home have learned nearly all the vices of camp life, their loving sisters and kind indulgent mothers at home, their betrothed, and those that should be more dear to them than either, Should they get a birds eye view of camp life would be prone to exclaim How frail is human nature. there is considerable complaining about lack of provisions among our loave the baskets of fish is not there when we set down and the bread is not there when we get up. as yet we have had no vegitables.

 

            Aug 27^th we get potatoes now on alternate days, we are to have molasses to day

 

we dont find any hairs in the butter—

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