The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-10-01
The Result of the Campaign in Maryland


BOLIVAR HIGHTs, Va. NEAR HAMPERS FERRY,
Thursday, Sept. rs, 1865.
Adieu to Western Maryland, where the stancn
loyalty of the people after all they have suffered
is still an agreeable surprise. Adieu TO Sharps-
burg, which, though cut to pieces by our own shot
and shell, as no other village IN the Union was
ever torn and powed, gave US the warm welcome
that comes from the heart. Adeu TO the drenched
| f-d of Antietam, with its glorious "Wednesday,
winning for our army record than which nothing
brighter shines through history-wlth Its fatal
Thursday, permitting the clean, lelsurely escape
Of the foe down into the valley, across the difficult
ford, and up the Virginia nights.
Intervening DAYS have softened, not healed, the
army's DISAPPOINTMENT The explanation offered
is that both armies were Keeling under the shock
of Wednesday-that with our stricken ranks, des-
pite the large reserve and the fresh men who had
come up, it was unsafe to renew the attack. But
what was the worst that could befall US? The
road behind was open, there was no Potomac in
our rear. Think all who saw the battle will agree
that whatever the odds against it, the army of the
Potomac was too strong in its discipline and Its
heroic determination to suffer any great disaster.
1t might be defeated, driven back it could never
be captured or Gu, 10 pieces The men, who
through whole September day waded that Red
Sea of death, driving back the enemy without
losing gun or casson, after nights rest, and
with the great gaps in their ranks filled up by
| fresh troops, wer<' not to be scattered or made
prisoners.
Failure was only repulse; success was crown.
ing, decisive final victory. The enemy saw this,
and being permitted, walked out OF the snare into
which his own audacty had led him. Two nights
and day we waited; then moved, but, as in the
old legion of the brazen head, Time Past.
While the battle ragged Gen. Mcclellan re-
garded it as great crisis in the war. At
o'clock Wednesday afternoon, he met one of his
brigade commanders, and excellent officer, an Old,
trusted friend How are Your troops?" he asked
They have done WE'LL but suffered severely and
are some what scattered" "Collect them at cnce, "
said Gen. Mcclellan :" IL. 900 fresh troops have
already come more will arrive during the
night. Tell your men that! We must fight to-
night and Tomorrow. If we cannot whip the
enemy now, we may as well all die upon the field.
If We succeed, we erd the war
"To-morrow" came; we had al. the new
troops we had Fi,z John Porters entire corps
the flower of the army-whch had no. yet fired
a gun; We had a part OF Franklin's corps, which
had not been engas ed but we did not fight. Ii
our d-lav was a necessity, it was mos; lament
able necessity II it was mistake it was the
saddest, cos,lies,, mos, fatal of mistakes.
On Monday morning, part of the army left
Sharpsburgh, moved past Porter, past Burnside,
to the Potomac. Down on its left bank, climbing
the narrow, tortuous road that winds among the
feet of the mountains under Maryland Nights,
across the long crooked ford above the backened
timbers of the railroad bridge then up among
the long, bare desoate walls of the ruined Gov
eminent Armory past the englne.house which
old John Brown made historic up through the
town of Harpers Ferry, almost, washed away by the
ebb and flow Of the war tide; up through the
village OF Bolivar and Miles'S Notifications, to
those nights, where it pitched is tents.
Once more among the mountons As the day
was dying, halted my horse upon the Virginia
bank, to look back upon picture Of memorable
beauty. Behind and below rushed the cleaning
river shrunken till its dark shining serface was
broken BY rocks. Across it came line o: our
Stragglers, wadng TO the knees, with staggering,
uncertain steps. Beyond it III. broad, abrupt,
iorest-cad Maryland flights rose gloomy and SOM
| Der,
| Down the hill behind me, to the river, winding
crookedy across it, like slender letter 5, then
for half mile back again, on the other side of the
canal, thence far up the long Maryland hill,
stretched the division train, Its wagons separated
at equal distances by the mules, and their white
coyers-the sails OF the great land heet-stand-
ing out in strong relief upon the background Of
water and mountain. Before me, mile to the
west, the horizon was bounded by Bo var H ghts,
down TO whose long, level crest, the sky gIowed
like living hre. Their smooth, equal slope, facing
me, was occupied by an entire corps but nothing
of the camps was visible, except tie innumerable
fires that fckered and twinked like glow-worms.
| rode up to the camp with friend, Captain
Bachelor of he Quaremaster's Department, y no
found his tent pitched upon the exact spot it &C.
cupied in the remote an'lquity-ihe period OF the
first Bull Run battle. So, to-day, found another
officer, Gen. Gordon, occupied in The identical
place where he was stationed with his regiment,
the Second Massachusetts, in those early days of
the war. The fortunes of the campaign have
bro ght many OF our troops back to their early
camping ground but they come with thinned
and shattered ranks, full of sad suggestiveness
How the army is divided, ! will not write.
Some of it is here, some at Wiliamsport, some
at Sharpsburgh. Loudon aud Maryland Nights,
as well as these, are occupied. The disposition
Of troops seems to indicate nothing about the fu-
ture, but merely to guard important points Til
that future is decided upon.
We have many reports that the enemy are in
force within eight miles OF us. Several bodies Of
cavalry have been seen much nearer, and yester
day field glass reached one Of their camps on
this side of the river, in the direction Of Williams
port. Every night our picket force is heavy, and
thrown we'll out.
Less than two weeks ago, exchanging shots be
tween the army of Slavery and the army Of Free