I have written these lines in a hurry please excuse mistakes and brevity J.C

 

R^d 27^th July

Camp Chase               

Paw Paw Station        

Bal^t & Ohio Railroad

Febr'y 23^rd 1862

 

ans^d March 4^th

 

Dear Marshall                                     

                        Not having received an answer to my last letter and wishing to hear from you I decided to write you a few lines. My last letter was mailed at Pattersons Creek to which place we came to after leaving Romney but I thought that it might have been mislaid as some of my letters have been and consequently it did would reach you. the mails are very irregular to and from here and a great many letters never reach this destination since we left Romney we have been constantly moving and I think this has had something to do with it I have not reced any papers regularly since I left R. during the last month we have been over a large / portion of the country along the R.R. we did not come across anything worthy of note. the weather during the time being was cold and stormy the exposure had no bad effect on the men as they have become hardened to it and prefer it to staying in camp. if the weather kept dry we would not care if we never had a tent. about a week ago Gen^l Lander took a force of 6000 out to a place called Bloomers Gap distant 15 miles for the purpose of dislodging a lot of confeds. on our arrival at this rendezvous we found that they had retreated. the Gen^l ordered the cavalry to pursue them the cavalry overtook them and had the fight all to themselves 40 or 50 prisoners were taken and a dozen or so killed. two of our cavalry were killed and a few were slightly wounded Lander was / in the thickest of the fight and took a number of the prisoners himself. some of the cavalry staid out of the engagement for reasons best known to themselves Lander was very severe in his language toward them after the fight and said that if they had acted as they should have done every waggon in the enemys train would have been captured. he complimented the men who were in the fight with him and promoted one of them from the ranks to a Lieutenancy for his bravery, and placed a Co^l of the 1^st Virginia Cavalry under arrest for his cowardice.

 

            News of the recent victories of our arms was received by the troops with the most enthusiastic demonstrations of joy. its good effect on the men can be plainly seen /

 

we celebrated the 22^nd by firing guns and having a review at which the Genl took the opportunity of making himself acquainted with every Reg^t and of saying a few words to each. he is a large boney man with a Wellingtonian cut of the jib

 

            He has great influence over the men and is well liked by them he is pluck to the backbone and does not order the men to go where he is afraid to lead them dares to lead where any man dares to follow. We looked like a lot of mud larks on review our lower extremities being enveloped in a coating of the sacred soil in a liquefied state which is very abundant here about since the warm rains commenced if it was not for the mud our camp would be very pleasant the weather at present is warm and springlike there is a very large force here now I cannot tell you why all of us remain here or where we are going. I have written to Mr Preston and to Aggie lately I hope Margaret and Mr James Marshall are well I hardly know what would be interesting to you or I would write you a longer letter please write soon and oblige yours

                                                                       

As ever            James Clarke

 

Mr. M. M. Huey

Esquire &c. &c.

SOURCES