The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-07-03
Correspondence of the Freeman-FrCm the
Second Vermont Regiment
CAMP FAIRBANKS, Washington, D. c., !
Jnne Z, 1861


DEAR EDITOR Your readers may be glad to
know the particulars Of our journey from Bur
lington to this place, where we arrived al one
clock yesterday. We had very pleasant
journey from Burlington to New York, arriv
ing there at about one o'clock Tuesday morn
ing. We made a short stop IN Troy, where our
Vermont friends, resident there, gave us a spen-
id reception, with all the eatables magma bic
at our service. Our boys had very agreeable
time and will long remember Troy generally,
and some of the people particularly We lett
Troy at s clock p. NJ, and again rode all
night, reaching New York at 7 o'clock in the
morning. We were marched to the Park Bar
racks where breakfast was provided for us, and
we remained until 2 0 clock when the flag was
presented to the Regiment; after these ceremo
MES were over, we took the cars for Phlladel-
phia, arriving there at IL clock at night, and
again particularly felt the advantage OF having
Vermonters scattered everywhere. On our ar
rival We were met by Committees who escorted
US to spacious quarters and fed and watered US
until we were obliged to cry, " hold, enough"
And here let me say that Philadelphia won all
our hearts No such treat has met US in any
State or place as we received there. And they
in turn seemed to be as well pleased with the
opportunity to feed, as we were to be fed |
noticed that the resident Vermonters felt great
pride in comparing us with other Regiments
that had passed through that city. We could
not tear ourselves away from them until about
daylight, when, after friendly assurances OF con-
tlnued remembrance, we started for Washing
ton. This made two nights we had been with
out sleep, beside the broken night before we left
Burlington, and some Of the boys began to man
iiest exhaustion. But new topics of excitement
were now arising. We were on the road to the
famous Baltimore, and all sorts Of stories as to
the state of feeling in that city, were rife, and
none too wild to be believed by the boys-and
no one felt much inclined to be drowsy. What
made the thing more exciting was, that our
Colonel, just before reaching Baltimore, gave
order to load our muskets and cap them, all of
which was very proper if there was slight
prospect of needing them. The soldiers were
pretty certain that fight was coming off, and
have no doubt that many poor fellow held
his breath as the cars neared that famous city.
The time came, the cars stopped, and we imme-
diately unloaded, formed in line, and took up
the march The streets for the whole distance
were densely crowded, but no hostile demonstra-
lions were seen. Indeed our boys were all anx-
ious to see a secession flag, but up to this time
stripes haunt everywhere. This morning they
saw in the direction of the Potomac signal
flag which they thought " Secessoner," but
they have found out their mistake.
Our march through Baltimore was very te-
dous one, and marching and standing with our
knapsacks, in New York; was very tiresome, as
was also our marching IN this city. Several of
our boys are nearly exhausted, and all much
fatigued, few fell down in the ranks after
arriving here, and before We reached our quar-
tiers, with extreme WEAKNESS. Among the num-
Der were II. F. Mills, C. E. Benedict, G. B.
Voodry, |, S. Andrews and some others, all
stout men. The weak men were allowed, to
some extent, to Tighten themselves of their bag
gage, at the expense of the baggage train
And here should say in commentator of j
A. Kelton, our very efficient Wagner. that he
has bel ped the boys on several occasions, to his
own extra disadvantage. My own waiter,
Charles W. Randall, carried my knapsack on
all these marches, it being of the same weight
as the soldiers. Jimmy Randall stood it we'll
until we came to the Baltimore march, which
was long and tedious one. lie had all the
way carried Il haversack filled with all kinds of
eatables and sweetmeats, which he was constant
y receiving on the route for his soldierly look
and bearing. Here, however, it became too
heavy for him, and the young gentleman
g caved.' All the boys who live in Montpelier
endured the marches pretty we'll, but the entire
Regiment were very tired. When we 20, upon
our ground we were weary enough to lie down
upon the bare earth, and many of us did so.-I
In ten minutes after we arrived, one-third of
the Regiment was stretched on the ground, 50
tired that the efforts of officers to urge them to
erect their tents were almost unavailing.
| see on looking back a few lines thas l say
Jimmy 50 caved . in Baltimore Now don't
think he died and was lett there, not he but
he wanted a little help for the time being, and
after nights sleep, to day, he is on duty, and
selling lemonade as promptly as if he were in
Montpelier. We are quartered about mile
east of the Capitol, in the vicinity OF several
regiments from New York, and other States. We
can see from our camp $4,000 troops, probably,
all drilling in various ways some as flying ar
tillery, some as cavalry, some as light infantry,
and Zouaves, and all ways know to modern mil
itary art 1t is beautiful spectacle to see
them, and our boys begin to think there is
something yet to be learned.
We drew our first rations this morning, con-
sisting of bread and pork. They call the pork
ham, but we don't know why this is so unless it
is on account of the dirty, grindy color which
resembles ham that has laid a couple Of months
or so in the scorching sun This kind of ." feed
is not much reliShed by our Vermont boys II
see that vegetables are soon going to be plenty
and probably cheap, and then if the soldiers can
get money to pay for them they will fare better
l will write again soon
Yours truly, +. Y. RANDALL.
?. 5. June %, Morning The BOYS lave
had pretty poor breakfast not that the ma
telial was not good enough, because they can
eat anything, but our company ratons are not
enough for the men. All the bread that we had
dealt out to US this uOrninr wOuld pot. f,e5