From The 26th Regiment

Camp neau Alexandria, Va., ) Feb. 2utb, 1863. ) DüAR A KOUS : Do the friends io Michigan ever tliink of us away down here onthe Potomac ? The wonderful prestige of the " Peninsula cnmpaign " may not be otirs to enjoy. Wc come frora no battle-field " all coverod with glory " asÜng tlie meed of a natioirs praise,but are quietly eni.ampcd half a mile to the west of tliis ancient city, with quite enough to do, " to drive duit care away." We are on Provost duty, our vrorthy Lieut. Col. Weils being Provost Marshal of the city. The force required to patrol the city being large, we are obliged to be on duty half the time day and Dtght Severa! of our officers are on detached service, and the burden of patrol duty falla so heavily unon those remaining that many of us are too ill to do duty at all for the present How long we shall rernain herc of course no one can teil but we are glad to know that one Michigan Regiment is od Provost duty, and our friends at home will be happy to hear that ours is the great good fortune. Ann Arbor is wcll represented aniopg the officers of the 26th. Chaplain Blan chard, lst Lieut. Hadley of the University, lst Lieut. W. W. Burch of the Union School, Lieut. L. D. Burch, Orderly Sergt. Mosher and Mr. J. O. Mott our foruier Sutler. One of these, alas, Lieut. W. W. Barch, Las oeased to wield the word and gone up higher. On the mórning of Feb. 7th his pure spirit passed froni our midst to the summerland of the soul, and we were loft to re gret the loss oí a üfe and love too genial aud pu;e for the mortal strife upon which we have entered. How much he had endeared himself to the whole Regiment no feebie words of ours may ever teil. But day by day, with anxious hearts and tearful eyes, we watchcd by his dyirigcouch unfil to him the darkness of earth was loát in the olear blue depths of heavenly light, and in the soft, aubdued sunlight of Sabbath we laid him to rest n the old city cemetery of Alexandria, among the graves of the brave and beautiful of historie old Virginia, where the soft winds may sigh through the century ccdars above him, and the waters of the dear old Potomac leave his feet evermore t The general hea'th of the Regiment is fair, as compared with other Michigan Eegiments'in the field From all I can sce and hear I may say the army is in much better spirits than when we carne here. Joe Hoker is workiug wonderful reforms in the Anny of the Potnmac The Government is daily benaming stroüger, the soldiers are benig paid, and everything assumes an air of rich prouiise for the future. Col Farrar is minensely popular with the boys. of our Regiment, and Maj. O'Donnel who is one of us, on foot or in the nádale, luis a cheerful word for everybody, and makes us fcel at homo in this hun! of strangers. Of Lieut.. Col. Wells, it is enough to say that he is the best Provost Marshal who ever had this old rebel town to manage. And so we are content. With these gjlInnt men at our head we fear no danger and will checrfully labor and sacrifico in the comtnon cause We are unqualifiedly for the Union, and the war which shall support and preserve, uuimpaired, that Union evern.ore. Ou the banks of the Potomac, and by the scène of Ells worth's murder, we plight our faith and pledge our arms to the snered cause of liberty and the rights of man. There are many points of rare historie interest in and about this old town. To me the very roü is almost classic. A thousand associations of the heroic age of the ' Old Dominion " cluster around me to-day, bringing back afresh to my student memory the deodfi and words of the great and good. Some day, when I ara no longer an invalid, friend Pond, I will give you my iinprcpsions of them. Rkd Jacket.