From theJune 26, 2014, Civil War Day By Day, UNC Library.
The case of the drunken colonel.
26 June 1864 letter from George Hovey Cadman, 39th Ohio, to his wife Esther.Sunday, June 26, describing Kennesaw Mountain.
"I told you yesterday that Col. Noyes was very anxious to storm the mountain, but that Gen. Fuller feared some trap. For thirty-six hours they kept their artillery masked, and showed nothing but a heavy line of skirmishers, evidently thinking we would advance, but finding suckers did not bite well, yesterday morning they threw off all disguise and opened on us with a full volley of shell.
"I don't think Col. Noyes wants to storm it as badly as he did. Could he have his way, our regiment would have been sacrificed to whisky and ambition. Since our return from furlough he has not been the same man he was before. When we made our reconnaissance at Resaca before the fight, he was so drunk he did not know what he was doing, and he has been worse for liquor several times since.
"The boys are getting perfectly down on him. Fortunately he leaves next month when his three years are up. But keep this to yourself or you may get me into trouble."
--Old Secesh
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