The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-06-17
Che Dailn Grsemau.
RsONsPELaE Eks, VT,
MONDAY, JUNE II, 1861.
Letter from Lieut.. Webb Of the Northtield
Company

CAMP BUTLER, NEWfoKT NEWS, va,
June III, 1861.
DEAR FATHER Might before last, at P. NJ,
| was thinking that perhaps my last letter to
YOU would be my last At our Company.
With four others from the Vermont Regiment,
had orders to be ready to march at IL that
night, with forty rounds OF cartridges. We
started from this Camp with Six hundred Ger
man. two hundred and fifty Vermont, and two
hundred and htty Massachusetts, troops. Under
orders we marched nme miles without stopping
We were to meet TWO Regiments from Fortress
Monroe, at point eight miles from cur camp
But when We arrived they were not there; SO
we marched on, and when about two miles be
yund we heard heavy firing of artillery anu mus
kerry, and supposed that our artillery and rear
guard of 600 Germans had BET attacked by the
Rebels We tnen cUuntermarched back two
miles on the run, formed the line of battle and
charged on them. But we soon iound that they
were a part OF our own forces that had come
from the Fortress to act IN concert with US
whom the Hermans thought were Seeessionists,
and pitched into them accordingly y-killng
three. and wounding three or four more OF Col
rownsend's Regiment. The firing made us
four miles of extra marching, beside giving the
enemy warning of our coming. we shen
matched some four or five milvs, when we were
overtaken by Col Townsend smnd Col. Duryea
REGIMENTS, making in all about twenty iye
hunured men, Ii we had g0n3 directly to the
place we started Tor, we should have done very
much better We were under the command OF
Brlsuder General Pierce. We marched up to
wi:hin seven hundred yards OF the enemy S en-
trenchmeuts and formed three lines. Col. Dur
yea s ZJuaVes made charge, followed by Col
Townsend Regiment, while we were posted,
for d short time, as u reserve III rear OF the
whole. The Rebels were sending their shells IN
among us a the rate oi one per mlnute-ourst-
ing in all directions but none OF us were hlt,
until the order came to charge.
will describe the place before 80 any lar
ther. Bethel Meeting House is the name of the
place 1t is twelve miles from this Camp. ana
iyht miles from Yorktown. (whero the Rebels
have very large torce,) and four miles from
HAMPTON The firing between our two Regl-
ments (Townsend's q and the Gerlnans) enabled
them to signal across the river 10 send over to
Yorktown for re,nforcements when If we had
gone straight ahead we should have surprised
and taken the whole of them, for, US | before
said, we we're posted in the rear for u While. AT
,erwsrds we had orders to form on the right
flank of the Zuuaves, where the balls WhlstIed
some l can tell you. Afterwards we were or
dered tarthe, to the right, where there was no
firing, nor did the Rebels expect any lhe re-
suit was that they (the rebels) received some
five hundred balls among them. and the major
ity of them told, too. We kept up the fire for
about half an hour, when the call TOR retreat
was sounded, and we were Obliged to heed IT.
We retired from the field Tor the want OF more
men and artillery We had only two cannon
and two small hoWtzers, while the enemy huSO
have had a battery OF from ten to Teen guns,
besides rilled cannon (Which, by the way, CID
T. -. trnODS.)
three thousand men, as near as we could Judge
so Won will see by the above that tive Com
n,nIes of the First Vermont Regiment have
hpen under fire. and did not finch partlcle AT
least, the Mortified did not, know, Tor Was
with them all the time. Ihe W ooustocK,
Rradford, Northtield, burlington and Rutland
we're the Companies deLaled lOr the bethe' OK
ned,tion. The Rutland and Burlington We're
detailed as skirmishers, and did not have
chance to lire "a shot, but the shot whlst'eu over
their heads pretty freely. One OF our men,
Coffey by name, tainted away before we went
| into action. III, had not been very we'll all ody
and having to march twelve miles, ana run
three, tuckered some of them out. we lelt
Cotfey in care of the Surgeon, ana Started lor
the scene OF action got almost there "nen we
had to leave the Captain ,-not because le was
afraid. by anv means, but running and ma'ch
mo so far was too much for man OF his hesn.
We started again, and another man lLar"oe')
gave out with sun.stroke. we lett oecona
lieutenant Cove to get him to the rear, and
took the rest of our men on.
never saw hail stones any thicker than tho
halls we're about our heads. We ul1 NOS nave
u man hit, but some l should judge had rather
a narrow escape, by the holes IN their coolers
We have one man missing; ne was lasC seen
about five miles this side OF the battlefield. lie
must have 60, mixed up with the troops that
went to the Fort. Th: |'.F ana h"rl'hg
ton Comnanies have each one man missing in the
same wav Two OF the Bradford and two or
the Woodstock men were Wounded-not any o,
them very badly, The men are all tired and
fno, sore after their thir'y-fve miles march OF
Yesterday. There are but very few OF them but
ara around without any boots, and with very ten
der feet They do no, feel very well satisfied with
tho fight ,f Yesterday !; they are anxious to try
it aeain. ! tell you that you had better believe
it is u tough place, facing an enemy when the
balls are d wing as thick as hail stones; After
the first voley We did not think OF the balls
coming to u.s. but how we could hest send balls
to them. think by to morrow thee Will be
another force sent out to rOut them. Our troops
were fred at from a house and the osli just
srazed the leg Of Orderly Sweet OF the wood,
stock Company. The smoke of the gun had