Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-12-13
From the Sixth Regiment.

will be great saving OF time when close
ly occupied, for, by the way, much leis-
ure time to tough soldier is scarce.
When the treason, which has for many
years been growing and threatening the
usurpaton of our country's dearest in
terests, became unmasked, when the little
handful of brave men holding Fort Sum-
ter were bombarded by an overwhelming
force of shameless traitors, in manner
which for inhumanIty and cruelty, would
put to shame the barbarous customs of
the ancient Gauls, the cry of " TO arms"
rang through the whole free North, re-
verberated across the continent TO the
Pacific coast, and re-echoed back over
the prairies of the West to the eastern
shores, and was there caught up and
echoed and re-echoed through every
town and hamlet, every hill and dale OF
New England, Vermont not exempt And
now more than six hundred thousand sons
of loyalty, an army much larger than
was ever befor e collected upon the ives
tern hemisphere, have taken up arms and
sworn to preserve the Union and its
rights; and our Green Mountain State,
for spirit of patriotism is not last nor
least. More than six thousand of her
hardy boys have left their quiet homes
far behind, and gone forth to help, at
least, in restoring liberty to her throne;
and the love of country that inspired US
to bid good by to our Green Mountain
homes and friends, and 90 forth to do
battle manfully for our country's banner,
to-day is as enthusiastic as then. The
thought of meeting formidable foe, and
enduring privations and sufferings, idoes
not for a single moment dishearten the
Vermont soldier, and / believe that not
one man of the five Vermont regiments
now in the field would if he could return
home and not only leave his country, oar
country, to its fate, but disgrace the name
the Green Mountain Boys won in 76
if there is such an one, he deserves the
fate of Hannah. But the sentiment uni
versal among the Vermont troops, and
also the whole Northern army, is that we
will never turn our steps homeward and
leave our country to the disposal OF trail
tors. But enough of this | need not
dwell here, for we all know the solemni;y
and responsibility of our obligations as
soldiers, and yours as civilians. We know
the cause which called us here, and, too,
we know the only result which can cal
US back-that is, the full restoration o
: all the rights, interests, and privileges due
our country, and that the stars and stripe:
shall be permitted to wave unmolested
over every inch Of soil belonging to the
United States.
A word upon the health, habits, and
customs Of the army, and particularly
the Vermont regiments, for, as friend
wrote me, there are two things that now
solicit our interest and attention, ouI
country and our boys" AS regards
health-our greatest boon on earth
am panied to write that there is much
sickness in the Vermont regiments, par
tcularly the new ones. In the I'd the
sick list is much smaller than it was, even
when we came here, and only seven,
have been told, have died of disease
OF the 2nd, know but little. In the
4th and 9th there is good deal Of sick
ness about twenty or twenty-five have
died in each regiment, and in ours, the
9th, there now are on the sick list two
hundred and fifty soldiers. Eleven have
gone to their long homes. " Peace tc
their ashes" The last one WHO died
belonged to our company, d. He was
Charles Santan, of Westfield, the first
from our number. 1t was imposed on
me to see to the digging of his grave, and
with three privates | went and did the
sad task. That duty was new to me, vel
soldier can dig a soldiers grave. The
muffIed drum beat the mournful dirge as
his fellow soldiers followed his remains
to their Virginia grave. Only soldier
tear was shed.
The disease now seems to be mostly
fevers, though the first sickness in Oul
r regiment was measles. OF that there
has been nearly three hundred cases. Il
is evident, from the experience of Other
regiments, tina: as we become more accli
mated we shall be more healthy. Very
: many of the soldiers, and of that number
, include me, the climate of "Dixie" agrees
! with first rate.
e As regards clothing, we have tina
which is good and abundant. Tents art
good, save those of the Sd. Their ole
: selves offer poor protection from the beat
a ing storms of rain and sleet which occa