The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-06-02
A Montpelier Boys Experience at Front
Royal.


scription of the personal experience of Fred l.
Bickfnrd OF Montpelier, and his escape from the
rebels at the attack on Front Royal. Mr.. Bick-
lord is an accurate and skil,ful teegraphist, and
we are glad to know that since he has been as
signed to duty at Alexandria, he has merlted
and received the emphatic commentator OF
those who know how important clear, cool
head is in times OF excitement. The letter was
written TO Mr.. b s wife, and evidently without
any thought Of It's being given to Inc public,
but it is all the better tor that:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. May 27-ll:3O p. Nj.
Frlday noon | invited two telegraph operators
and one line builder To dine VITA me. AT just
two clock we stared IL train from Front Royal
towards Manassas with this party aboard. IEey
had been gone about ten minutes when Mr.. Ii lsh,
train dispatcher and myself, who were sitting
IN the 1liico, heard an awful whlstllng and the
tram came back at full speed Lamb. one OF
the operators, came running INTO the ofhce and
SAID tha5 our boys at Front Royal village were
all surrounded. Immediately" called Stras-
burg to notify Gen. Banks. Strasburg an
swered, bu, = circuit opened before could say
n word. | s,aid in the office about three minutes
longer testing the wire, and hndlng 1t cut L
uave Lamb one instrument, which was not III
circuit. and took out my own, and catching my
knapsacx, Jumped Oh the train after IL had
started ana of we went at full speed tor Stras
burgn. " had two eng ms, and the second
was ordered tD follow the first. Got over bridge
and wee going past depot when we saw Mr..
Brown and his assistants. Brown Is Civil En-
queer IN charge OF the road. Stopped there
and every one was 50 excited that there was
prospect that rotElng could bt done Brown
was very cool. IRISH was very much excited ana
alarmed My three friends were very much ex-
cited. was very much sEauhed to hnd myself
coo! and calm | cut the llue again and trleu
1t. Put IN my instrument but No circuit yef.
Citizens, negroes and kallr0ld men had coIlec-
ted to the number al 100 or 200 by TINS TIME.
Brown was very 10th t" leayeal mat property
if it was any way prola}e thai we had troops
enough o defend 1t. proposed to start one
englne for Strasburg ana carry those VINO
chose to 90, and also to monty Gen. Banks aud
get r3-inlorcemenrs keeping the other cpgIn"
Ior our own escape when pressed About tour
mtn besides Brown ana myself rculnlued. We
mad one company Of infantry very near the de-
pot. Tram came back Wnlotiog III about ten
minutes They SAW, Two miles nom the depot,
around it. We knew We were cut Oft on both
sides The firing had t"en going on about )
OF an hour thea near Front Royal village, about
two miles distant | tested line once more, al
though knew aInos, 1t .yas no use.
Brown cal!rd loI one engine and volunteered
to run 1t through the smoke, noplug Tie track
lad not been torn up YET, and get word 70 Gen.
Banks. -Four + five, l.cIudng mySeli, youn-
! ZEN. on
on the tvud,r We ware backing. Went
slowly about q lulIc and came upon straight
piece Of road bali mile long. S4w at the
END of ii deus. smoke on the track About
! litty footmen disappeared The moment We came
I in sight. The engineer reversed al once bat
after minute We started on again, hoping The
smoke Tas from ties, and had net yet had lime
/ to destroy the track. We knew they were IN
ambush for us bat if we could have seen the
track ahead all right, We would have run it
any way, Saw next eight OF ten dragons SIT
! tlus on their horses on the slJe.hil!, walc0Iug
us They were opposite the ambush, and We're
! prepared to chase us when we were stopped 10y
Instructions. We stopped again, only IA quar-
/ ter 0, a mile from thcm. We're going on again,
when three dragons, with probably more b.
hind, dashed out Of the bushes, not ten rods
from US, with yell sn4ing the Others, and
guloping towards US. We then, for The
fist time, thought OF our being cut Oft from
the depot and run bacE as quickly as possible
! Want we ina fig? rhe enemy had US surround
ed, as we supposed, on all sides.
took my instrument, leaving my knapsack
and every thing else, and went across the bridge
with the one company of infantry The COM
pany was divided between two high hills, the
! nike hntwpcn Them Lamb and Moore The twn
telegraph operators, Macintosh, the line man
Sager, our conductor and my self, took position
on the bill and had a splendid view of the battle
then raging about two miles off, near Ia village
| When we first got there our two small field
pieces being well posted, had, by Smelling, kept
the enemy ut bay. We had seven companies OF
infantry drawn up in line OF battle, and two
companies OF cavalry ready TOR u charge. This
was all our force. The enemy soon got xix
pieces of artillery to bear on our force and drove
off our artillery The cavalry then retreated
and the infantry brought up the rear, keeping
up running fight over the pike, across botn
bridges, and the artillery took position on the
hill and peppered away finely. The bridge
was burned by our infantry after passing, but
the enemy forded. Our cavalry undertook to
charge, but were repulscd, and over hall of them
killed or taken prisoners. The cavalry then re-
treated, riding IN their panic over the infantry.
The infantry at last took stand in the gorge be
tween the hills, and fought until annlhiated
hand to hand, all mixed up. | did not see this
last hour OF the fight Lamb, Moore and Sag,
left for Winchester about fifteen minutes before
Macintosh ana myself, but we overlook them
and were about five miles away when our caval
ry came galiopipg past crying Get out Of the
| hl rpb al urn ne