"From the 43d Regiment." from the April 27, 1865 Door County Advocate
FROM THE 43d REGIMENT.
DECHERD, Tenn., April 10.
Ed. Advocate : The glorious news from Virginia has claimed our attention for the last week and has almost exhausted on vocabulary of cheers and "tigers." Grant has made a grand old rattling among the dry bones of secession surely, and either Davis' last ditch or last skedaddle must be close at hand. We have done little else than shout and cheer until our voices are hoarse and our throats are both dry and sore, as have no money we have to celebrate the great victory on credit.
The news unhappily found the Sutler with rather a small supply of beer for such an occasion and his stock was soon used up; if money and whiskey had been plenty I should have trembled for the temperence principles of the regiment though those principles, I am sorry to say have their origin not in the purity of our minds but gather in the scarcity of means and spirits.
So many predictions about the speedy close of the war have been made and proved false that It would seem rather uncertain business to try to see the end of it. But it is certain that the prospect of a speedy suppression of the rebellion was never better than now; with their capitol in our possession and their main army suffering under and overwhelming defeat, it would seem folly for them to hold out much longer, with our troops elated as they are with the glorious victory they have won, nothing that the rebels can bring against them will be able to stand before them in battle.
I fancy that Judoh P. Benjamin takes even a more gloomy view of things rebel then he did a few weeks ago, instead of trying to unite the Southern people and fire the Southern heart, he will find a harder and more momentous task in trying to unite the Southern army again.
Col. Cobb returned to the regiment a few days ago and has taken command of the post. Lieutenant Col. Paine taking command of the Reg't, Col. Paines administration as post commander has been a perfect success. There has been a few changes among the officers of the Reg't since it left the State. Assistant Surgeon Hays has been promoted Surgeon, vice Ward resigned, 2d Lt. Witte 1st Lt. Company "E" vice Wadsworth resigned, 1st Serg't J. H. McHenry 2d Lt. Company "A" vice Day transferred, 2d Lt. Allen, Company "G" resigned: no appointment has been made to fill the vacancy occasioned by his resignation. The health of the Reg't is excellent, this part of the State being one of the healthiest portions of the South; we have an excellent camp and good water. The State Legislature has fairly got to work and are busy trying to bring order out of the chaos that has reigned in the State for the last four years, they have passed a very stringent law to suppress bushwhacking and if the people will second their Legislators efforts this curse to the State will soon be numbered with the things that were.
H. HARRIS.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[The spelling of "temperence" was common at the time, but "Judoh" is misspelled from "Judah".]
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