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and supplies.
You will hardly believe me when I tell you that as early as the 7th of this month a telegram was sent to Washington informing the Clothing Department that my division wanted three thousand pairs of shoes, and that up to this date not a single pair has yet been received (a large number of my men are barefooted) and it is the same thing with blankets, overcoats, etc., also with ammunition and forage.
What the cause of this unpardonable delay is I can not say, but certain it is, that some one is to blame, and that it is hard the army should be censured for inaction, when the most necessary supplies for their movement are withheld, or at least not promptly forwarded when called for.
Day before yesterday we received orders to move to this place.
We immediately started in a pouring rain, and marched some nine miles before nightfall.
The next day the weather fortunately changed and we reached here in good time.
This place is opposite Leesburg, already several corps have crossed the river, and we hear our people are in Leesburg.
It is also reported that we have occupied Winchester with our cavalry, without opposition, but this is not very reliable.
At any rate we are about advancing, and it is for the enemy to say whether or not he will dispute our march, as I have before written to you, I hope he will, as the nearer we find him the better for us, and the more dangerous for him. This fact, however, leads me to believe he will fall back to the line of the Rappahannock, which will compel us to march some distance before we can get into his vicinity.
I think my division will cross the river to-morrow.
We have a pontoon bridge at this point, and bridges at Harper's Ferry some six miles above here.
The army is crossing at both places, and I suppose will continue to advance towards Richmond until they meet with opposition.
I see the papers state that McClellan has written the Department at Washington that he has been fully supplied with everything as fast as he called for it. This is false, and I know it to be false.
I saw in another paper that the excuse given by the Department, for failing to supply the army, was the large and unexpected losses encountered in the Pope campaign.
