The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1862-04-22
FROM Tie ath Tiegincnt.

isat, Q. J BaHon.--EDsl
CAup MlaurY MAR rug RFBFLs, }
j Warwick Township, April 9, 1862. !
M DEAg Parents You viii prob.
ably be anxiously waiting to hear from Us.
We are ii front d tile Rebel Forts, and
cSpee. 10 attack them a. soon as we can
get our artillery ready. They are strong.
I Is fortified nom tho james 10 tic York
River, and viii resist 10 tic ast, Our
I General, Little Mae, sent m a flag OF truce
yesterday, demanding the surrender Of
tie Forts. They sent back word if lie
wanted them he had got TO take them.
TLsy are in such shape that il will lie a
hard fight, and il gained, q bloody ieiory.
They are in the woods, and all We can sec
loo them IS their breaslworks and their
aag. The country is so level that it will
be difficult for artillery 10 work success
fully against them. We have crossed fire
With their skirmishers, ard killed and
wounded some of them, we cannot Tell
how many. IN return we have had sew
cral killed and wounded.
The nigh, before last was The hardest
night the Potomac army ever had TO en-
dure. Tue hard march from Flint Hill
to Alexandra was. we then thought, all
man could endure but We did not know
what vas in store for US, or the extent of
our strength. We we've encamped in the
woods few miles from here, in south
easterly direction. | should Judge, when
our General concluded TO have US move
50 sc struck tents and moved 10 nice,
dry woods. and had Just made ourselves
comfortable, when the order came to strike
tents and move again. 1t commenced to
ram very bard, and we marched five or
SIX miles, should judge, with our KNAPP
sacks on our backs ii rainei necessarily
all the rest Of the day and all night the
mud was awful deep, and the worst of all
was, we had 10 wear shoes. The order
came for every man TO put on Govern
ment shoes, and when near Newport
News, boots had 10 be thrown away, and
hundreds Of pairs that were as good as
new, were left behind. With our shoes
full Of mud and water we reached our
present camp and pitched our tents
worked like tigers TO get wood and keep
warm, when the order came for five COM
pani 5 TO 90 on picket. Tired and wet
and half sick rs we were, we had TO 80
two miles on picket ;----ihere, now am
ordered TO get ready and 20 OF guard |
Good bye until am relieved. Oh. b.
April 10.
/ am just relieved from guerd duty,and |
another hard and rainy night has been en-
dured; but still live, and as the sun has
again come from obscurity, il seems good
deal like living. We are busy eating
roads and filing the muddy places with /
logs 10 move the artillery on. Yesterday
= prisoner was taken from the rebels; he
said that they we're not allowed 10 com
municatc with i,.eir friends, and that they
were disgusied, and tlat the recent Union
victories Lad so demoralized them that
they coall not lie depended upon. One
prisoner was taken the other day when
We were on a skirmi.h. lie rose up aud
said, Don't fire Ii / have got on Sc
cesh clothes. | am not one at heart" lie
came over, aud as soon as they saw him.
some men in the New York Regiments
knew him and called him by name. lie
burst into tears and told his story. lie
was impressed into the rebel service in a
Louisiana Regiment and bad now awaited
himself Of the frs, opportunity 10 escape.
lie was taken 10 Fortress Monroe and de-
tanned as prisoner Of war.
have not heard a word from Isaac
since leii Alexandria, and am very anx-
ious to hear from him. don't see why
he don't write to me- He viii be far bet
ter of where be is than in this country Of
trials, until he is entirely recovered and
able 10 do duty. ] would like TO see the
wildcat; Low lie would enjoy our skir-
nishing and picket duty il has some re-
aliiy IN It now. Our company and four
others that we're on pickei Two gifts ago /
thought 60. We sore al marched out o ,
! place in tie e.lge OF ibc woods where
M1tis Battery was stationed. and one COM
gsfy mas selected 10 60 and .kirmish aesr
lbs line--raiher l,eklish business, consid-
ring The rain aod dAEkness- but ws we're ]