Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1862-06-03
A Montpelier Boys Experience at Front
ROYAL

Wepublish below graphic and natural de-
scripton of the personal experience OF Fred 7.
Bickford OF Montpelier, and his escape from the
rebels at the attack on Front Royal. Mr.. Bck-
ford is an accurate aud skil.aI telearaphist, and
We are glad to know tina; since he has been as
signed to duty Ut Alexandria, lie has mcritcd
and received the emphatic commentator OF
those who suow how important 4 clear, cool
head is in TINES oil excitement me letter was
written 10 Mr. b 5 wife, and evidently without
am though, Of TO- being given n lhe public,
bat # Is SD OH better lor taat
ALExANpmA. }a.. May 27-ll:50P. M
frda, noon ! iuWtcd TWO Jei agrsp a operators
and ono Huc builder 20 dime Wiz me. Al just
two O'clock we starred i train from Front Royal
towards Manassas Hlth this party aboard Isey
had been gone ab3ul ten minutes when Nr IRISH,
train dispatcher and us seii. whp were sitting
"a ihe ohe,, aeAld au uwiu wnlsuug and ace
train came b4ca at fol. speed. Lamb, one Of
the operators. came running int lla office uuu
SAID tuat our boys at traut Royal village were
All surrounded. Immediately" called Stras.
burg to notify Gen BANKS S,ra,burg au-
sNrred. hut % circuit opened before eoal8 .ay
q word. / said ia The office about three minutes
iouper testing the wire. and finding it cut /
gave Lamp one instrument which was moi Iu
circuit. and took OUT NJ, own, and catching my
knaps4ca. jumped on the train after i had
started ana uil we went at iuIl speed for Stras.
burgh Ne bad Two engines, aud the second
was ordered ID follow the frs. cot over briuge
Brown ana hls assistants. Brown Is Cyll In.
giuecr M charge OF the road. stopped there
and every one was So excited .hat there was
prospect tha, nothing could BE- done. Brown
VA, yefv cool. lrsh was very much excited ami
alarmed Aiy three ineGds were very mucu ex-
cited. was very much grauliet 70 hnt myself
co5 and calm. | cut the line again aud tried
H. PUTIN my instrument out uo circuit yet.
Citizens, negroe, and Railroad men had collec-
ted 10 tie number at $50 or 200 by tbs time.
Grown was very 10th To leave all that property
If it WIS any way probable that we lad troops
enough 10 defend il. proposed to start one
engine Tor oulsburg AM carry those who
chose 10 gu. and als1 90 notify Gen. Banks aud
get r,.illutcemeut-, keeping the other engine
Tor our OWN escape when pressed. About tour
men besides brown ami myself remained. We
nad one company OF infantry very near lhe de.
pot Train came back whisulrg IN about ton
minutes. they slW, Two miles lrCm tie depot,
smoke on the q eek and two Or three lotuen
around Il, We Auew We were cut ul on Doth
sides The firing had been going IN about "a
of an hour then near Front Royal village, abou,
two miles distant tested line once more al
though knew almost II was no use
Brown called for one engine aud volunteered
to run ii through the smoke, hoping TIE track
mad not been torn up yet, and get word 10 Gen.
Banks Four ur five Including myself, voun-
teered u accompany aim. | took my position
ou the tender We were backing Went
slowly about a mile, ana came upon straight
piece OF road, half mile long. Saw at the
end of II dense smoke on the track About
fifty footmen disappeared the moment We came
IN sight The engineer reversed al once, but
aler a minute We started on again, hoping the
smoke nas from ties, and had net yet had time
to destroy the track We knew they were IN
ambush tor us but II We could have seen the
track ahead all right, We would have run II
any way. saw next eight or ten dragons sit
ting ON their horses ON the side hill, watching
us They were opposite the ambush, and were
prepared to chase US when We were stopped by
distractions. We stopped again, only qnpr-
ter oil u mile from them n zero going on again,
when three dragons, with probably more BE-
hind, dashed cut Of the bushes, not ten rods
from Us, wnh yell signalling the others, aud
galopng towards Ut. We then, for the
INST time, thought OF oar being cut of from
the depot, ami run back US quickly as possible,
Want we ina Tx? The enemy had us surround
cd, as We supposed, on All sides.
| took my INSTRUMENT, leaving my kuapeaek
and every thing else, aud went across the bridge
with the one company Of infantry Tue com
papy was divided between two high hills, the
like between them. Lamb and Moore, the two
telegraph operators, Macintosh the line man,
Saper. our conductor, aud myself, took position
on the hill and had splendid view of the battle
then raging about two miles of near village