Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-02-14
A Trip to Camp.

A Trip to Camp.
Mr.. EDIToR:-Inasmuch as you ex-
tortcd from me promise that | would
give some short account of the recent visit
of myself and friends to Washington, and
portion Of the federal army encamped
near there, l will fulfill it, as we'll as l
can in short space.
what has so well been described by
others over and over again, will say
little Of, and only write of what inter-
ested me, about which l have seen little
in print.
We arrived at Washington the evening
of the 18th of January, and, at the Ma
tional Hotel, where we took rooms, and
found among many other acquaintance
Commissary (now Quartermaster) Stone,
recently resident at Stowe. We availed
ourselves of his generous proposition to
make arran gements for our conveyance to
Camp Griffin, the next day, at as early an
hour as convenient. The next day ii
rained. and we could not we'll leave the
city, until about 3 o'clock in the after.
noon. Before we could be admitted to
the camps, it became necessary for US te
obtain passes. The process of procuring
these, are as follows; A member o.
Congress from this State, gave us a Letter
addressed to the Provost Marshall of tn,
District, stating that he knew US, ant
that VIC we're good loyal fellows, desirou.
of seeing the elephant only,-which letter
we carried to the Provost M4rshalls office
and there found several clerks engaged il
the business of examining letters, ant
making out passes; and after our subscri
bling the requisite oath. one of them cav
us pass, comforting the right to eros
any bridge or ferry, within the lines til
the 25th of the month.
Mr.. Stone sent from the camp, I,
Georgetown for our conveyance, an ambu
lance. This is kind of carriage uset
for taking wounded soldiers from tn
field, often mentioned, and perhaps SOM
one would like particular description
1t is pretty heavy four wheeled carriage
with body hung on springs, rather coarse
ly made, and looking much like our com
mon meat carts, requiring the use of tw'
strong horses. The top is covered. ant
the sides SO closed by canvass buckled on
that they can DO opened. The body o
box, which is little wider than tn
common lumber wagon, is divided by
partition which extends to the top. Hal
way from the bottom to the top. cleat
are nailed on the sides, upon which, ant
also upon the bottom kind of frames
with mattresses fastened into them, ar
slid into the wagon, SO that each ambu
lance will accommodate four wounde,
soldiers. The frames are drawn out, tn
soldier placed on the mattress, and the
it is raised and slid in on the bottom an,
on the cleats. The arrangement for load
ing the wounded soldiers, is very con
venient; but it seems to me, that if til
carriage always thrashed around as whe
| rode in it, q soldier with broken arr
or leg, after miles ride would be,a dea
man. Such conveyance however woul
probably be preferable to being bayonei
Cd on the field. With the mattresse
Withdrawn. and camp stools placed il
the ambulance, We had tolerable ride
4 1t having rained about three days an
OIL who ever saw such mud, % th
horses splashed along with the thin mir
nearly to their knees, On our way to tn
camp, distance Of about ten miles, W
overlook many soldiers, returning VIII
had been down to the Capital that da
and not q few Of them strangers to us
seemed to have started back with NOR
load than was convenient. in such travel
ing, saw one, who after wrigliDg an