Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-11-21
FROM THE CAVALRY REGIMENT.
CAMP NEAR Fort SooTT, Va, !
November 6th, 1862. (


November 8th, 1862.
Mr.. EDITOR To-day is the day for
the appearance of your paper in camp,
and that fact reminds me that perhaps
word from the Vt. Cavalry might not be
amiss.
notice that you, like other editors in
the State, have copied the item in relation
to our regiment, which first appeared in
a Burlington paper, and headed played
out" The Freeman, of Montpelier, comes
out in lengthy editorial, giving state
ments little more laudatory, and if |,
a member Of the regiment, may venture
an opinion, little more deserved by the
men who have been here with the regi-
mcut since its first active operations
Not that there was anything really false
in the item from the Burlington Times
or that there was any intention on the
part of any one TO cast censure upon us );
! but the paragraph in question was so
worded as to give the casual reader an
unfavorable impression concerning the ef-
ficiency of cavalry in general, and our
regiment in particular. This is true of
the present condition of large portion Of
the cavalry Of the army Of the Potomac
but so far from being disgrace, the fact
reflects great honor upon the men, because
they are worn out in honorable service,
much of it the hardest and most exhaus-
tive kind. 1t is not ruSted out, but worn
out.
Ashby's cavalry enjoys high rcputa.
tion in Vermont, as well as other parts oil
the North. The first charge made by
the Vt. Cavalry was upon that rcdoubta
BILE body, headed by Ashby himself, who
was supporting battery. When they
reached a proper distance our regiment
set up yell and urged their horses tt
renewed speed. Ashby heard it, anC
turning to his followers and called out
"Let each man take care of himself
These are men we have not met before.
Wheeling his horse, he set the example
and the battery and several prisoners fel
into our hands Ono of the prisoners af
terwards said,-You made noise enough
for ten thousand men. Devils couldn't
stand such charge as that" Their
were only five companies Of Vermonter
In the whole body that made the charge
| and opposed to them were several rcg
ments and parts of regiments of cavalry
This was the baptism of the lst Vt
Cavalry, and the name they then acquiret
has not been disgraced. They have
/. reputation among the rebels, if not a
, home. And is it wonder that sum
mer of hard work, twenty-scven engage
ments, wit numberless scouts and recon
noisances, riding sometimes night and da,
; often lying down upon the bare grount
G without blankets, holding the tired hors
by the bride while sleeping, going with
q out food sometimes, and sometimes get
y ting only that of poor quality and
it wonder that hardships like thes
c should at last wear out men of iron
And amongst all this our regiment ha
c been awarded the post of honor, beip
d placed IN front when an advance, an
c sent to bring up the rear Of the retreat.
e And it is no disgrace to enlist in such
$ regiment. Nor arc the dangers create
than in the infantry. From inquire
/ made in the various companies, it seem
d that of all the men who came out with th
; regiment, only A have died, and onl
8 of these have been shot, or died frol
e the effect of wounds received in battl
d This includes one man from Co. L, VIII
L was lost in night engagement and neve
heard from afterwards. lie was eith'
/ shot or perished in the hands Of the rel
y els.