The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-04-24

ne except what our blankets afforded. the follow
10 ing day we moved on several miles farther b.
to land, passing the town Of Hampton, which tn
ID rebels burned to the ground last Summer. Ihl
ID village, or city was built Of brick, and mus
n have been a very elegant place, Judging IRON
y the magnifcence Of It's ruins Nothing now re
IS mains but the blackeued crumbing walls--a sac
:, commentary on the ravages OF war.
: Thursday the 9th we made q reconnaissance
r in force toward Big Bethel, and succeeded in
e driving in the enemy S pickles. We held pos
s session of tho ground that night, throwing out
e one company for picket guard. In the morning
s we :: fell back " and cncampcd near Newport
News We had started ou5 with the firm belief
that we were marching forward to meet the
enemy, and We confidently expe( Ted victory, and
JaNiug back was the very last thing that we de-
sired TO do. - Twenty thousand men drive in
d few rebel pickets and the sail back Is this
war - No wonder the boys grumbled and
this modification was not lltile increased by
the rumor that the rebels had retaken Big
Bethel, and were close upon our heels. That
night two companies OF our regiment wele STA
toned out as pckets. Picketing here in the
face of hardly pressed aud malignant foe, has
but little Of romance about it, and since we
have approached the enemy again, picket firing
is kept up with most harasslng coDstancy. BY
gross mistake line of pickles was placed that
night inside of ours, and had we been driven in
or forced to alarm the camp q notifying and
| terrible disaster must have occurred.
| April 3rd, we received orders to be ready again
to march at early dawn. The Colonel prefaced
the order by giving us some advice physiological
as well as military, and told us that In all prob
ability before the morrow sun should set we
should see the enemy. The boys all received the
order with evident satisfaction, not because we
have any particular relish for she carnage of the
battle ield--bu5 icing anxious to see the work
done we have no desire 10 have it postponed.-
The next day We were promptly on our way
SkirmisheIs were thrown out each side of the
road as soon as we passed our line Of pickets.-
The position of y sklrmsher is anything but en-
For instance ii We are to deploy fveapaces apart
the first man marches within five PAGES of the
road and the next man within five PAGES of him
and ton PAGES from the road, aud 50 on, stretch
ing out sometimes far whole regiment
will reach. To march across fields, over fences,
ditei.es, togholes, creeks, and through swamps
and almost mpenetrable thickots with heavy
knapsack strapped to ones back, besides his
hAversack containing two days rations, u cam
teen Of water, equipments with forty rounds of
cartridges and wltha carrying u loaded gun.
bayonet fixed, 10 no easy task. The skirmisher
is the first 10 meet the enemy and receive his
fire
We drove the enemy from position they had
fortified without any lighting, and that night We
occupied the place ourselves. The rebels left |
quite village Of huts Or barracks, and from ap-
pearances they had enjoyed much more comfort
able quarters during the winter than we had |
ourselves. By two clock next day cur artille-
ny had felt their way 10 the enemy strorg hold |
and had comn,enced'exchangin shots with them.
We were marched into an intermnahle wood
land swamp, picking our way through brush,
briers, anu ali manner OF bogholeS. Sometimes |
our napsacks woald ge5 entangled in the thick |
ct and bring Us to Sudden matt at the immin-
ent risk c dangerous collision with the next |
man . bnyonet but on We marched filing right |
and filing left, until not one in a hundred could |
tell the pclnlS OF comp pass or where We were any |
more than il we had fetched up IN the interior |
OF Africa We made the wet ground our bed
that night. Several Of the wounded skirmishers
We're brought in ana cared for just before dark
Alter dark the firing ceased bu. was resumed in |
the morning at intervals
1t has been more than a week snco | COM
menced writing this letter, but we have heensso
constantly moving about that | have not yet
found opportunity to finish it. The prospect
Tor fight seems to grow g beautifully less -
every day. Our reg imcnt has been doing service
plcketing the past week, one half remaining
IN camp as reserve while the other hall takes
their turn by companies to go out on post
The rule was somewhat modified last night, and
several OF our companies were on post and close
to the enemy's lines, We could hear their con-
versation, but not distinguish whaa they said
we were posted, or rather we had posted our
selves IN the edge Of the woods bordering the
rebel clearing, calculating 10 screen ourselves
from their view, while We could observe their
movements at our leisure. They evidently were
nor ignorant oil our WHEREABOUTS Tor two of
their number, creeping up behind the chimney
OF dwelling that had been burned, fred ut
some of our men. The ball struck tho tree that
protected them just above their heads From
appearances 1t was thought that they were
MIME bullets from Belgian rifle. Other bullets
occasionally whistle through the tree tops over
our heads, and sometimes one would strike IN
the mud very hear Us. Our n2n al remained
hrin at their posts without returning single
shot. The Vermont Second has never vet finch.
ed on picket, and they have never been fright
cned into camp by false alarm. The attempt
to relieve the men ut midnight had we'll nigh
proved abortive and would never have succeeded
had not one OF the pickets themselves acted as
guide, for no officer unacquainted with the To-
callty could ever have picked his way through
that almost impenetrable woodlet and found all
his men, TOR the pickets took good care to make
as little noise as possible during the night
But fear this letter will spoil of old age and