Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1862-07-29
1flistrllnllD.
.uIr was Correspondence
From the Second Vermont Regiment
soldiers Lettcr--No. .XII.
C,Yp NfARllARRIsoN'- LANDING. }

Ctsp MAX llARRIsoN' : LANDING,
July Is, 1862 {
hurrus FRKf>AN The stirring events Of
he lasl days Of June and first Of July, are
s'I! fresh in the minds ol every one. and per
htps lAmiihr 20 all by this time, but every one
likes 70 tell his own story, and having asi r.
covered IRON a temporary illness caused by the
excessive fatigue Of the march, propose 10 tell
mine
The ball opened Thursday June %. in the
slteEhaAn- and tll nine . clock that evening
there Har the most rapid Hs+'S OF artillery !
nave heard during the war. That night there
was a detail Of picked men sent 20 dig rife
PIT close Up 70 the rebel line. This was rather
ielicate aud dangerous business the men se-
lectod we're those that could work rapidly. keep
quiet, and bghl II necessary. The rest Of the
regment-and don't know but that other reg
lments were sent out On the same business-went
as guard Very cautiously we crept up to the
place We we're 10 occupy, as hunter would ap
proach sleeping lion, and all night we lay
there giving the officers all the annoyance im-
aginable 70 keep US from falling asleep. The
nulled sound ol the picks, spades and shoysls
was all that disturbed the silence OF the night
At the hrst appearance OF daylight. the goard
withdrew and were relieved by the regiments
II was now expected that we should make
another step IN our Journey toward Richmond
We had secured good position, but alns il was
destined tu br 10 no benefit 20 us. We went
back " our tents, hut not tO sleep. tor W. ware
continually brIag ordered under arms and mio
line L. Teprl attacks that the rebels persisted IN
making un our front and lust To the lett All
day bong the battle ragged on tae opposite side
ul the (hickahuminy. and Is progress oanll be
distinctly seen from our camping ground. We
could s..e that our men We're apparently driven
back In ldvt nothing e., ud have been IN lre
apparent. it wa> al "a trap %; Cen. McClelan
70 catch the enemy, so Jhe officers sad, and thus
served % allay apprctens uns which might other
wisc have produced serious evil The Generals
and thy.r AIDS appeared remarked ytickled with
,he prosrcs, OF events, and the course things
were taking, and they even proclaimed that
twenty iour hour, more OF such prosperous and
successful strategy wouli opru to us ths way
10 Rl1hm nd
Near 5undOSn The rebels commenced To COM
pliment ourselves by throwing shot and she'll
with remarkable precision directly into nur
calup. We couldn stand this and accordingly
skedaddled. | suppose we retreated in - good
order though we did it u, fast Us we comfort
ably could, just over steep bank 10 the right
Of oUr camp, we were comparatively safe
Here VIZ came TO u halt aud listened 10 the mu-
sic OF the enemy ) shells as tney whistled over
our heads and powed up the dirt just beyond
ns, All at once the artillery stopped firing,
and for moment there Was an ominous silence,
but II was soon broken by a yolley Of muskeiry
directly in our front In an instant every man
was ON his feet, for we knew that here was a
chance ,or US Double quick we went out there
and found the Fourth Regiment engaged with
the foe, and they appeared abundanty able 70
give the rebels all they were capable ol bargain
ing for 1t seemed they had attempted to storm
our position but found serious impairment IN
the Fourth, who were alreacy there. Darkness
soon closed tho struggle and we returned to
camp to get u little rest which we very much
needed Thus ended the first days " strategy y
The next morning we were ordered to pack
un aud fall in. two orders which the soldier
very well Knows how to comprehend. We were
only gong to move our camp to saler place
they told Us, which was strictly ,ruc, though
IN much different sense from wha, we expect
I'd. We marched short distance to the lett
when We v.io set TO falling timber. About