Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-04-25

now free. We only reject the hot-headed
measures against the institution where it is
the creature Of local law, and where all such
agitation could never reach It, "Agita-
ton" indeed Happy the day when "agita-
ton shall give way to calm deliberation,
and when men shall not arrogate to them
selves all the righteousness in the land. and
parcel out all the unrigbtensness to their
fellow men.
From YonrrovS.----rhol eolruspcndsat
Of the New, Svfss- igA rs * Sad
approaching to the camp " Our asny at York
town as follows;
shall never be able make sny human being realize
what desperate road is that leads from Ship Point to
the place where Gen McCtelans headquariers we're
pitched recalled all that had ever read Of the road
from Baaklawa 90 the front ol SebastOp0l, which
the French aud English armies hfst drew their stores
and siege guns. That universally conceded TO be
the worst roat ever seen, aud the Eugsh language and
probably the French was exhausted In describing Il -
But This road must have been than that his
road crossed equeut soughs which poles had been
thro~n cross Nays, 20 make corduroy road but the
immense rains had saturated the soil that everything
was soft three feet deep by the pumnet and the poles
hoaed in the mud they woald In They would
turn under the hotses foot Trip and throw them down.
catch ia the wagon wheels, fpd torment where they
were designed to hep. Here and there cleared place
on the fDad side would be old field heather
which would tempt the ihWghtless tcauster horse
mau aside But sorrow fjr al such. The smooth
face covered rcacherous qrcksand. The wagons
would plunge in 20 thtr hubs, from which horse
mule power could extcae them and the mounted
horse would struggle with such desperate conortons
nearly 70 dilcate his limbs and unssat his rider Six
miles had we Of this road. IL vas OF mud bound
less and faih0mless We might have added endless II
we had been required 70 beyond the six miles. Wag
last
Mules sitting down their launches ia the
mud buried up their bellies Ia the mud, lying down
their sides in the mud falling exhausted in their traces
Ieamsters thrashed, slashed and swore-aud swore,
slashed and thrashod. Il of avail for nothing
short Of omnipoteucc could draw armys rednue
through that opgian g. The dry wind and the sun,
that seemed to have bdden the Earth faewel, the
only source 0f hope for feeding the grand army Of the
Potomac.
By order Of General Mcclellan, the camp
before Yorktown, has beer named Camp Win
field Scott. A letter of the 18th in the New
York Post says of affairs there
The feeling Of the rebels towards here be
Of the bttefest kind Their talk has the savage squeak
Of cornefed rat which despaifs Of escape, but is deter
mined 70 bite ITS pursue before 10 Is crushed. The
si0na communication between pickets aud theirs
fully Indicate this state Of feeling That they will fight
seems unlikely, therefore. But Il take their
calculations, they Just suffering badly. They
say that Of their lives il worth haf dozen Of
and our sharpshooters are picking them of with prec
encouraging 10 them.
The sharp shooters with their t,rget rides are great
institution here. The other daythe 22i Massachusetts
got too far in the advance for safety when the buee
sounded tie reieai fer hen, e rebels the number
Z qand, jumped 80 eltis th.assi ana began 70
bug vas y Of s6ey.b ~ /. siisn "a VI sasa
men, who LAY ailli and whea' "A tcbels showed thsm-
selyeT gsksd "a Ago0d man ,slse the, got through
Yesterday the shsrPshooters exchanged their gray
caps aud coats for the regolAtln blue. When they ap
peared picket duty, the rebels unsuspccting the
change, out Of their works and approached our
lines. When they got in plain view our shlrpshooters
fred and nine Of the rebels we're 20 fall Two 20,
up and followed the reuoadug De and the others lay
there this morning, the rebels caring get
the bodies"
There an accident Of a most thrilling nature At
Gen. MeClelAn's head quarters Friday. Gen. Fitz
John Porter ascended in the balloon for The purpose of
making reconnaissance When high up the rope broke
and ii hoaed the balloon directly the enemys en-
uenchments The officer considered 70 be nevita-
bly, lost The hearts that wrung with the hardness and
amazed Win ihe ttce Of the Of the balloon
over our own camps 1t had ascended 10 counter
rent Of air and waited, with its precious freight,
back TO safety Once again over his own troops, the
soldier aerongnt pulled the valve and discharged the gas
from the balloon, and came down to earth "by the run,
entirely uuharmed.
During skirmsh two soldiers one from Maine the
other from Georgia, posted themselves each behind
tree, and INDUCED IN sundry shuts. without effect
either side at the same time koeng up a lively chat
Finely that getting little tedious. Georgia calls out
Maine, "Giye me show" meaning step and
give an opportunity TO hit Maine in response, pokes
out ms head few inches anu Georgia cracks away and
misses. "Too high says Maine. "Now give me u
show" Georgia pokes out his head, and Maine blazes
away. ''loo lew, sings Georgia In this way the two
alternated several times without hitting Finally Maine
sends bail 20 Craze the within inch two
Of the ear Of Georgia Cease firing" shouts Georgia.
Cease It is, responds Maine. "Lnok here SAYS one,
1--WE have carried on this business long enough for one
day 'Spose we adjourn for rauons ?" agreed" says
the Other And so the two marched away in different di
Dixie"
lsatanc smArness be Of any service the enemy
in killing vi ouItroops, they not wanting in the
tole large shell was picked up by Major Soharf Of
the 18Th New York Volunteers evincing climax Of
diabooa intent on the part Of the rebels surprising any
prior revelation in this line, As the shell had
ploded deemed prudent Ia idle Il cautiously 1t
proved 10 Be an internal machine the first The
top Of the nunger extending boy nd the surface more
thans usual excited suspecon and instead OF unloading
It in the ordinary way, by unscrosng the punger the
contents were removed by oosng the casing This mode
Of unloading developed the fact between the pung
containing the cap and the plate which 1t strikes
cotton had been introduced thus preventing conclusion
and consequently explosion wher the shell struck the
ground On the side OF the plnnger place had been
filed in and filled With matches, communicating With
the powder thAtby anscre~ihgsAs former the atacs
wG%ld Oodc BE sniled y he fing 'Aa aAsl % sH-
"ses. See. Ess" in arscont letter to
the freeman. relates the following;
''The next day after our arrival at our present camp
ground quite an amusing incident occurred. We
short Of raans and the boys had been living from hand
10 mouth Tor several days, ana thel really hungry.
So, watching their chances, they sole awhile away"
into the heds and premises Of the inhabitants
and by mid day came in loaded down with eommissary
stores in the shape Of fresh meat hogs pigs turkeys
CATTLE aud in instance horse aud saddle. Il was
not long however before Gen. Brooks got wind Of what
going on, and what had sdEqnen HI at once issued
order 10 the Colonel Of feyey regiment in the brigade
TO have everything that had been plundered together
with the "pnndeer sent 10 his quarters In about an
hour the grounds about his tent looked like wholesale
huokster's stand In the Fulton Market Aud then the
General appeared 10 take an inventory. After careful
inspection, he asoeItaned that - regiment were the
ggest thieves in the brigade thOagh some others we're
probably more shrewd He accordingly addressed him
self 10 the above regiment Il want yon TO understand
this Is Comsalk Militia, The speaks very fast) and
that you can't pfcr the substance Of widows and
phans. Tou-Nermont solders-send out schOol-teaoh-
ers, tracts, and mssionaris all the world and come
down here and rob poor widow woman Of rything
she has, from sucking pig up TO horse aud saddle
Hofse-thUf soldiers should think you raised Ia
the State prison, And your officers pretend that they
know nothing about il. You are worse than horse
tn eyes, aud the whole brigade is better and II re-
stution is made for this plunder before tomorrow
morning I'll send you back behind the brigade In dis
grace. dn soldiers, do not dril horse-thicyes and
robbers" The boys have lived Uncle Sans rations
since hearing the above hArangue, aud presume they
will the rest Of the campaign. Such is life"
BY the following dispatch from Gen. Mitch
ell, received by one Of his friends in New