Monday, May 2nd.
Still in camp near Culpepper. Nothing of interest has occurred since the 23rd of April beyond the daily routine of camp life, except that large bodies of troops have been moving up and camping near us, or passing by towards the Rapidan (Rapid Ann). The company has been almost exclusively in command of Sergt. Theben, Lieut. Edmonston and I having been constantly engaged, the one on court martial and the other on the examining board. Since the organization of the board we have met daily at 9 o’clock in the morning and continued in session until 3 in the afternoon, examining on an average twenty-five candidates a day, and recommending about one third of them for leaves of absence. CoI. Bates, I find, is perfectly familiar with infantry tactics and army regulations, and conducts his part of the examination very thoroughly, leaving artillery and mathematics to me. Capt. Watkins is a capital fellow, but does not trouble the “victim” with many questions. He says he is entirely satisfied with the examinations as conducted by the Colonel and myself, and that his department is “to give character and dignity to the Board, and inspire the applicants with a just sense of the importance of that body.” The list of candidates embraces representatives from all classes of men and all branches of the service. The dapper First Sergeant of the Regulars and the dilapidated army “bummer” stand side by side and hand in their “recommendations.” The influential politician of some rural district, who enlisted as a private from “purely patriotic motives,” now bleached of his patriotism, sits nervously at the door awaiting the result of this his last expedient to gain the path of promotion and honor. The rough, honest country boy with corporal’s chevrons, shares the anxious seat with the intelligent representative of the legal profession, whose simple army blouse hides all appearance of the “wig and gown.” In fact every conceivable shade of character, capacity and intelligence is represented, and the labor of sifting the wheat from the chaff is by no means light. The fact, however, that we have now been in session nearly two weeks, and have reported favorably on about a hundred cases, and yet no furlough has been granted in accordance therewith, furnishes some ground for the suspicion that the object of this proceeding is rather to allay the agitation of some turbulent spirits, and occupy their leisure moments in camp until the time comes for a movement of the army, rather than to furnish students for the Philadelphia School or officers for the colored troops.
