Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1861-06-07

0
train returns. IIe pass it aud trudge ON in
kcts, haycrsacks. and camlecns, Our knap-
sacks are upon the train. Fortunate for
our backs thst they do not have 10 bear any
more burden! For the day grows sultry
IL i one Of ihise breezcless baking days
which brew thunder gusts. We march ON
tor scme four miles, when coming upon the
guards of the Massachusetts Eighth, our
howiztr is ordered to fall out and wait for
the train, With a comraae OF the artillery,
am placed on guard over 1t.
And here let me say word to my fcl-
low-voluntccrs actual and prospective. in
all the armies OF all the states A soldier
needs besides his sodierly din. /. good
feet; Ii a good stomach Ill. And after
these come the good head and the good
heart. But good feet are distinctly ih- first
thing. Without them you cannot get 70
your duty. If comrade, or horse, or a
locomotive, takes you on his back to the
field, you are useless there. And when the
field is lost You cannot retire. run away
and save your bacon. Coed shoes and
plenty OF walking make good fe, t. A man
pany ought always to keep himself in train
ing, so that any moment he can march
twenty or thirty miles without feeling a
pang or raising blister. Was this the case
with even decimation of the army who
rushed to defend Washington? Were you
50 trained, my comrades of the Seventh !?
A captain of "a company, who will let his
men march with such shoes as | have seen
on The feet of some poor fellows in this war,
oush; to be garroted with shoe strings, or
at least compelled TO play pope and wash
The feet OF the whole army OF the apostles
OF liberty. If you find ioot-soldier lying
beat out by the roadside, desperate as a sea-
sick man, five TO one his heels are too high
or his soles too narrow or too Thin, or hi>
shoe is not made straight on the inside, so
that the great Toe can spread into lis place
as he treads. | am an old walker over the
Alps across the watrr,and over Cordileeras.
Sierras, deserts and prdiries at home /
have done my near sixty miles day with
out di>comtor-and speaking from large
experience, and with painful recollections
OF the suffering and death | have known for
want of gond feet on the march. say to
every volunteer Trust in God but keep
your shoes easy
Fhen the frenzy Of the tref tempest
was over, it begar to be a question, [" What
to do about the broken bridge 2" Tie gap
was narrow but even Charles Homans
coull not promise to leap the u. III. Mich
olson" over it. Who was to be our Julius
Caesar in bridge building? Who but Ser
geant Scott, armorer OF the regiment, with
my fellow-sentfy of the morning, Bonnell,
as first assistant? The inefficient destruc.
tives of Maryland had only half spoilt the
bridge. Some of the old timbers could be
used,-and for new ones, there was the for
est. Scott and his party made a good and
a quick job of it. Our friends of the Mas
sachuseHs eighth had now come up. They
lent ready hand, as usual The sun set
brilliantly. BY twilight there was prac-
tical bridge. The engine was despatched
back to keep the road open. The two plat
form cars, freighted with our howilzers,
were rugged with the gun-ropes for drag
ging along the rail. We passed through
the files Of the Massachusetts men, resting
by the way, and eating by the fires of the
evening the suppers we had i'll great part
provided them and SO begins our night
march.
By-and-by, "Halt y came repeated along
from the front, company after company
'lIalt rail gone" 1t was found without
difficulty. The imbeciles who took it up
probably supposed we would not wish to
wet our feet by searching for il in the dewy
grass of the next field. With incredible
doltishness they had also left the chairs and
spikes beside the track. Bnnnell took hold,
and in a few moments had the rail in place
and firm enough TO pass the engine. Re-
member, we were not only hurrying on to
succor Washington, but opening the only
convenient and practicable route between ii
and the loyal states.
AT one spot, on a high embankment over
standing water the rail was gone, sunk prob
ably. Here we tried our rails from the
turnout They were too short. We sup
plementel with length of plank from our
stores, We rolled our cars carefully over.
They passed safe. But Romans shook his
head. He could not venture a locomotive
on hat frai stuff So we lost tine society
of the j. II. Nicholson Next day the
| Massachusetts commander called for some
one 10 dive for the los, rail. Plump into
the water went a little wiry chap and Crap
pied the rail. When | come up says the
brave fellow afterwards to me, our officer
out with a twenty dollar gold pi"ce and
wanted me to take it. That amt what |
come for says |. Take it, says he, 'and
share with the others That ant what
they come for saysl |. 'But took biz
cold the diver continued, and I'm CON
demned hoarse yt,-which was the fact.
| We had row marched some sixteen miles
! The distance was triiing. But the men had
been on their legs pretty much all day and
night. Hardly any one had had any full OF
substantial sleep or meal since we started
from New York. They mapped oft, stand.
ing, leaning on their guns, dropping down
in their tracks on the wet ground, at every
halt. They were plucky but sleepy. A.
we passed through deep cuttings, places, as
il were, built for defense there was gem
eral desire that the tedium OF the night
should be relieved by shindy. During
the whole night saw our officers moving
along the line, doing their duty vigorously
despite exhaustion, hunger and sleepleSs-
ness.
1t was an odd coincidence, that the van
guard. hating off at farm in the morning
found it deserted for the moment by its ten
ants, and protected only by an engraved
portrait of our lformer) Colonel Duryea
serenely smiling over the man;cl-pi .ce.-
From this point the railroad was pretfy