Monterey April 15^th 1862

 

            Once again dear wife we are again quartered in our tent and I can get at my trunk & ink. Our brigade has been ordered to concentrate here and await orders from Gen^l Fremont. It seems a little singular that we should be forbidden to advance by an order from Wheeling when they cannot possibly know as much as we do upon the ground. If Gen^l Schenck were only here with his brigade I believe we could advance to Staunton with all ease. He seems to be very slow in coming up. The news from him received last night by the messenger sent by Gen^l Milroy is that he will march for this point from Moorefield on next Thursday. It will take him at least five days to reach here, so that we cannot without a change of orders march before next week. This is unfortunate as it will give the rebels that much time to fortify. / The commander of a department like this should be in the field at the lead of his army ready to take advantage of every thing which happens. At Wheeling and without a telegraph he cannot possibly know the necessity for movements which if he were on the ground he would order without a moments hesitation. Since the skirmish the other day our boys are eager for another chance at the rebels. It took so small a force to repulse their attack that our boys are much elated. Those who were in the fight have many stories to tell of their exploits & escapes which all fire the rest of the boys and make them eager for another fight. The 75^th will make its mark if it can only have a chance. I am glad to be able to write that Major Riley returned this morning with the three companies which were sent with him to Franklin. They have been absent since last Thursday, and I began to feel very uneasy about him. He however / however is now here with all the men in good order. They found the people of Franklin frightened almost to death at their approach, believing that the stories told by the rebels of our intentions to lay everything waste were true. The people were however soon reassured by the Major and became in the end quite friendly. There is a miserable set of scoundrels near Franklin who are banded together to plunder & murder, called the Dixie boys. They are not in the rebel army, but fight as banditti. Three of these rascals fired at one of our men who was sent by the Major out of town on horseback. They missed the man, but slightly wounded his horse. I have made up my mind to hang all such murderers to the first tree after I catch them. They are assassins and should get no mercy from our men. We are ordered to kill everyone we find & take no such persons prisoners and the order will be strictly obeyed. This / of course does not include those soldiers who are in the rebel army. When any of these men are taken they of course are treated as prisoners of war. We have not yet received the full account of the battle at Corinth but if the report we have received proves true it is a most glorious victory on our part. I hope that your anticipations may prove true, and that this great battle may settle the fate of the southern army in that region. We have wild rumors in regard to our attack said to have been made by M^cClellan upon Yorktown which so far had proved unsuccessful. It can however be traced to no reliable source, and I suppose it is merely a camp rumor. I hope to get a letter from you tomorrow as we expect a mail. Write me fully how you are. Does your cough still trouble you? Pray be careful for I dread a cough for you more than almost anything else. I have written my letter surrounded by talk & with many interruptions. Love to the children & all the family, with good night to darling wife

                                                                                               

N. C. M^cLean

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