The Cincinnatians in Camp

The Cincinnatians in Camp

September 12, 1862

Recto: "Camp Wallace. East of the Licking River. // The 4th Reserve 15th Ward Cincinnati Col. Caleb Bates. // Friday Sept 12, 1862. // Make this drill characteristic but no caricature, fat and thin, long and short fellows not holding their musket exactly straight. // Headquarters. // Camp built of hay & brush, ground covered with hay. Buggy with hay."

Verso: "Camp Wallace. // Among the many novel sights which the emergencies of Cincinnati have created the camp of the 15th Ward Reserve on the east bank of the Licking river is one of the most interesting. The men like all their neighbors organized and took the field in a day, nothing which would make Camp life agreeable could be furnished, and the men had either to bivouac and take rain and sunshine as it happened or provide for themselves by their own ingenuity. A plentiful supply of hay on a neighbouring farm was soon made use of and by the aid of rils and branches of trees comfortable quarters were constructed which provide a very picturesque scene. You will see from my sketch that the citizens are not prevented from moving by want of transportation, finding no government wagon to do their transportation, they finessed a buggy and do service themselves as horses. The men are getting well drilled already and will be very effective in defending the city. // Give the Cincinnatians all the praise you can think of for their conduct during these trying times, they have really acted noble and shown that an invasion of the North will not be as easy a matter as might be thought."

Ripping at right corners; loss of paper on right margin; stains on upper margin.

graphite on wove paper

9 x 14 in.

Graphite drawings--American--1860-1870

36.942546, -84.94518

Original drawing location: CW-HL-KY-9/12/62 (Box 5.)

http://hdl.handle.net/2345/4515

(Becker)CW-HL-KY-9/12/62