The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-08-08
rron, the Vermont Regiments.
CAMp LYON, near Washington, }
August 4th, 1861. {

i' CAMP LYON, near Washington, }
August 4th, 1861.
ar FsseuAS War on paper and wal
% ,,rp as widely different as one can vel
." :" The prdea pomp and circumstance
@pr but poorly illustrated by well-fec
4" .'iiery in gay uniforms OF scarlet and
',rcblng and counter-marching on some
,ommon. eecting officers and being
F until the direct march is changed to al.
~" r,ht and left oblique, and the only
S| he landlord b Il for extra ratons, and
4, wounds, an occasional black eye, given
".:5rpd by the more pugnacious ones Tor
~ war there are stern realities of salt
'',j hard bread, and night marches, and
~ coffee, and beds on the damp ground
'aoky tea, and muttering soldiers, that re-
5n. that Fourth Of July soldering and
g,;ac in earnest are vastly different that
.rae extremely pretty thing to talk about,
write poetry about, and sing about ; but
.,r faces turned to the starlight, contorted
....oiz.d with pain, with the hand clutch.
1.-the poutiug wound where death burst in
No ere pt out, are realities the soldier en-
,yr There are many things that make it
,,os too the excitement of the charge,
sgog Of the bullet, the CLEAN of the sabre,
,,mbjtion But, 10 quote the words of one
,,I office, - war now exists" and our
.,s cur veteran of many fights ever gets
away down South to Dixie" May
,7ou have seen an account in the papers of
aunt into the land Of rebels and snakes. |
nd, certain, however, that the portion of
wilma we visited is the one made famous by
ster but am certain it is made Infamous
t,p6rmcr. Gen Mcclellan made us q fiy-
ylgt to-day. lie rides Il gray horse and
4n quite young nothing very remarkable,
admit yet he is a remarkable man, a war
/, gentleman, a general, great in all, but
great horscman a man of good judy
Hal for he made our Colonel commandant oil
A ny Of the Potomac, at and near Chain
|sEsc man of s'und good sense, for he
Eass the Third Vermont Regiment good one
h. IL Henry Baxter visited us day or two
Er, he is a great man, too. Portus Baxter,
EE ?, Walton, Nj. c., were here about the
Eae time We were glad to see them, for they
kp,it US papers to read Their stay was
Elt short, for their services were needed at
In.iDstOn, where they are working manfully,
eEI0s laws for US to execute. When our ad
Ee into Virginia will commence is only |
Iva by those who direct it we are of opin-
I'M. until arrangements are SO made that a !,
Hul attack on Bud run will result at least in
IanI Of one army or the other. Strange
b. are whispered Of the Colonel of the Sec
ermont; things tina, woull seem to indi-
| that he wished to verify the old adaee that
/ who fights and runs away, will live to fight
ther day vouch not for the truth of the
urt. but at the same time thank God he is
0 |erm0ner.
short description Of the place of our en-
pment may not be without interest TO your
ers. Chain Bridge is about five miles from
Capitol, stretching across the Potomac, and
tImatcd to be one half mile in length. The
c is derived, not from its being, in fact, IA
n bridge, but its being on the site of the old
bridge that was carried away some IS
ago, The bridge spans the canal and
as we'll as the Intervening space between
. On the Virginia shore, dense forest in
ersed with thlckets and ravines, make it
fslble for cavalry to act. except on roads,
the employment OF ridemen as
eFs and scouts, giving the enemy many
ses Of cover, where they may fire upon our
It's and yidettes. To the northward and
Yard are fields of corn, etc, unbroken save
lilies and banks, that render the approach
attacking party of sufficient force to
a demonstration difficult. Some three
above US is Il ford where Il large army
|fe thrown across but in this humbly
from great men, for can hardly imagine
of the South 50 deficient in military tact.
throw force across at that point, when
larper's Ferry division. with the aid
arge body from Arlington Heights thrown
I'd up the river, and we on this side must
hem IN, in manner to take them all I'M
ndeed, sufficient force is posted at the
ia end of the Chain Bridge. and by a
} assault carries our position with the bat
at the Maryland end Of the bridge, and
pens II communicat ton between the two,
* the northern portion of Washington,
way of Georgetown, exposed to attacks.
is must be done, or at least attempted, by
larger than can be spared from the de-
Df Bull run, Manassas junction and nee
", Richmond. 1t is whispered, we are to
wo more Regiments immediately, and our
On is to be Vntrcnched how much truth
Is in it, we of shorter titles cannot tell
i this be fact, our fate must be to re-
in our present position for quite length
e. unless driven from it. Let the say, in
that all this is mere specula
is all matters in this age Of keep-dark-
ess must be known only to those WHO are
confidence of the great board Of dire ctors,
head quarters arc about five miles to the
east of US. Unless | am mistaken, my
Ieek's letter will have something stirring,
D assured that, until some bullet leaving
let for the shall prevent, will keep you
IN war matters at the seat of war.
II. OF D.