Charlie Davison can sing as many songs as Mickey Free, of "Charles O'Malley," and sing them well. In Irish melodies he is especially happy. Hark!
| "Dear Erin, how sweetly thy green bosom rises, |
| An emerald set in the ring of the sea; |
| Each blade of thy meadows my faithful heart prizes, |
| Thou Queen of the West, the world's cush la machree. |
* * * * * * |
Thy sons they are brave; but the battle once over, |
| In brotherly peace with their foes they agree, |
| And the roseate cheeks of thy daughters discover, |
| The soul-speaking blush that says cush la machree." |
17. Dined with General Wagner, and, in company with Wagner and General Palmer, witnessed an artillery review.
18. My brigade is still at work on the fortifications. They are, however, nearly completed.
Shelter tents were issued to our division to-day. We are still using the larger tent; but it is evidently the intention to leave these behind when we move. Last fall the shelter tents were used for a time by the Pioneer Brigade. They are so small that a man can not stand up in them. The boys were then very bitter in condemnation of them, and called them dog tents and dog pens. Almost every one of these tents was marked in a way to indicate the unfavorable opinion which the boys entertained of them, and in riding through the company quarters of the Pioneer Brigade, the eye would fall on inscriptions of this sort:
PUPS FOR SALE—RAT TERRIERS—BULL PUPS HERE—DOG-HOLE NO. 1—SONS OF BITCHES WITHIN—DOGS—PURPS.
General Rosecrans and staff, while riding by one day, were greeted with a tremendous bow-wow. The boys were on their hands and knees, stretching their heads out of the ends of the tents, barking furiously at the passing cavalcade. The General laughed heartily, and promised them better accommodations.
The news from Vicksburg is somewhat encouraging, but certainly very indefinite, and far from satisfactory.
19. Reviews are the order of the hour. All the brigades of our division, except mine, were reviewed by General Rosecrans this afternoon. It was a fine display, but hard on the soldiers; they were kept so long standing.
At Middletown, sixteen miles away, the rebels are four thousand strong, and within a day or two they have ventured to Salem, five miles distant.