Druid Hill Park                      

Baltimore Sept 24^th /61

 

Dear friends.

                        I am tired, perhaps that dont make and difference to you. we are now encamped some 6 miles from Locust Point, and consequently have left there. why we left there, or how long we will remain here, is more than soldiers dare venture think but this we think we know that we have a much healthier location than we had before. we are on quite a hill and on rolling ground. the water is good but have some 1/3 of a mile to tote it. I sent you a 6 page letter of camp life. I also sent a similar one to Uncle Sams Boy Johny Hart, he is living there.

 

We rec^d notice last night to have our breakfast and have our tents struck and packed by 7 O Clock to march to Druid Hill Park. we nearly all had was ready and started at 9 O Clock and took a two hours march through the city Hot sun & dust, but feel amply repaid. When we think that some 75 of our men are in the hospital, and while several other regiments about here have from 10 to 20 sick, we feel like turning our back on Locust point. Fort McHenry lies several feet higher, and on better ground, but I think I told you Camp Dix had not a shade tree or bush on it. the soil was a poor clay and sand and had a very poor sod and very little grass, and where most of our tents were no grass at all. When it rained was all mud / Here we have a very good sod (sward) and nearly all gravel under. here we have a plenty of shade trees we are about a mile from the subberbs of the city, but to market it is some 3 or 4 miles. the Penn Central RR runs ½ of a mile from our camp the Mount Vernon Mills are ¼ of a mile the mills are flour & cotton west and south of us is wilderness for all I know. we are north west of Baltimore. I see by the papers that a sad accident befell the 19^th Ills troops on the Ohio and Miss Road 25 miles west of Mitchel a little south west of Bedford Ind. Bedford was 10 miles north west of Mitchel that country is full of Secessionists and would weaken a bridge or draw some spikes or do any mean acts. A letter from Uncle Blake C. says W^m Wood has given up going to war. Since I wrote him that letter, he says he tells them to go to me when they ask him why he didnt go to war I told him and Uncle they might be needed near home and from present appearances southern Ind is likely to have something to see to. Virginia Kentuckey and Missouri are likely to give us some trouble yet

 

Sept 25^th. I see by this mornings paper which I sent you (marked) that Lewis (that was our Sharp Shooter Captain) since cashiered for cursing and drawing his sword on his captain, he was arrested for Larceny (he was 1^st Leut in a company) and Jo Pettingal is 2^d Lieut. he has been stopping in Baltimore since (about 3 weeks). he was the best drilled man in the Regiment but was an Englishman, whiskey drinking street rowdey

 

we have no skirmish drill now. our Regiment has been broke up so by two companies being in the fort and detatchments being sent to washington and other points and so many being sick that it broke us up so we cant get out men enough to drill 

 

Thursday 26^th. You may wonder at me being 3 days writing a letter, but so it is. it is a hard matter to talk when we have nothing to say. there has been considerable confusion in camp since we received our pay. whiskey is come atable on almost any corner, and a saying in camp is (any man that will soldier will steal) and they might add well get drunk, as that seems to be the case. an there are quite a number of the boys that have been raised to venerate the rules and precepts of taught them by their mother, but the majority of the 21^st Ind. appear to have an appetite for something stronger than "camp coffee". there are a set of what might be termed rowdies that are known in camp as good fighting men. they cause the officers a great deal of trouble and create hard feelings amongst the men. they can get out of camp when well disposed men cannot, they can get more favors at all times but such is the fates of war in the volunteer service. in the regular service matters are very different. I deliver me from being a regular, of course we will necessarily have different regulations after a while. it seems as though there was no set of men in the world that whiskey can injure so much as the soldier—who wouldnt be a soldier. we have been in this camp now nearly two days and the men seem to feel better already. to day is set apart as a day &c fasting & prayer. the Regimental band is playing just out side the camp for service. no drill to day. I think I forgot to tell you we have a chaplain withers from Ind. he is a methodist of the Ind style. Perhaps it is useless for me to express myself further about him. the Chaplain is a commissioned officer and ranks as 1^st Lieutenant. He puts on too many / airs for a preacher. he happens to have no authority so we are not bothered with him much. we have the old style singing at service. there are several good singers in camp and if we get into winter quarters more than probable we will get up a sing Thursday night after dark, the captain came in to the tent when I had got thus far, and proposed to go to the city, and I proposed to go with him which I did, to do some trading but when we got into town, we found all the stores shut up except the drug stores. it was as dull as Sunday, they were all at church we returned about noon. I went down to a spring to dig for water. it took considerable diging I blistered my hands and the spring is not finished yet we had to dig a long ditch &c but as the darkees say Ah well. didn't we have visitors they were coming and going all afternoon and at dress parade there was over 1000. men women & children mostly girls from the factory (nothing but factory girls.) we are where an encampment is a new thing I saw Jo Pettingal to day. Jo puts on all the airs necessary I guess Joe's very well liked. the boys feel pretty well to night there is singing in all, or nearly all the companies and fiddling and even dancing in some. the boys are all anxious to get where they can get a chance to fight but probably if we get to fight we will have to move south or west. Our 2^d Lieut has resigned because he had to. he couldnt learn any thing. who we will get in his place is not yet decided. 2 or 3 wants it, they want me to be Orderly Sergeant, but I dont want to. Meanwhile believe me as ever

 

Your most Obt.

R H Crist

 

they call this Camp Murray

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