Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1862-01-28

ut all unless they are furnished by the States to
their respective companies looks very dubious. -
Most Of the men have given up the idea that we
shall ever get them. We all enlisted as Rifle
men with the promise Of the best rife that could
be found in the country. We were to be used
as scouts and skrmishers and to act as an inde-
pendent corps on the battlefield. We were to
have the best Of everything in the shape OF
equipments uniform ,Sc., We were not TO stand
on Guard, and many other things | Will not
stop to mention, which would make the duties
oi soldier more pleasant and easy than are
those Of the common Infantry.
Many gave up good bcrths in other regiments
and enlisted as pryates N This organization =
Such u soldier life as was held out to us had, /
could almost say, charms for an adventurous
go-ahcad man, even if he was to c0olly pick OF
| bis iollow-man The consequence is, We have az
fine i body OF men as we're ever brought together
for the same purpose Officers in the Regular
Army say they never saw such fine body Of
men N any army before Tho men are, as a
body good-iooking, gooI-,ized, intelligent, and
decusto med y the middle il not thebighcst class
ID of society this country affords W. h4ga been
here fout months and have not yet been armed,
and although We have been repeatedly Jold that
,ae rifle. were already ordred by the Govern
mCut and would slon be here, there does not
seem 70 be as much piospectof our getting them
rs there was ,n ,hc month Of October. In DC
4 tJjgr. Lieat Col. Mears cinyassed toe line oti
GERS in ,lc lst Regiment to see if they would
mot as. their influence vita the men t. have
them take musket. Not one Of them was
shameless enough to pfo pose the thing to their
men, much less to entertain it themselves.
ADJut ttc frs Of Decmber, jdst It The close O,
' dress parade, Col Bsl1i4n drew US ap into
q square and made shor. speech. lie said ::
+" While you have been lying here idle, have
been dghhng your battles for you, and have at
last achieved great rict0ry. The War De.
partment has ordered at my request one thou
sand - Spencer Rifles which could be fired
eight times without re-loadiug. 1t IS the Rae
OF my choice without regard 10 expense. The
rifles will be here within forty days, and in the
meantime you will have the Springfield Rifle
with sabre bayonet to drill in the manual of
arms. These | can get any day, and IN any
quantity, from one up to six thousand. They
shall be brought up here n soon a. possible, and
you shall no longer have any reason to say you
are without arms.
! At the close OF his remarks Que of the Off
GERS called for three cheers for the Colonol.-.
These were gwen with will by some while 9TH
ers more knowing stood by silent. When the
matter had been looked at the second time they
one and all wondered why the Colonel was so
particular about what We had to drill WITH
There is great call for the Springfield rifle for
iulsatry and morC than the manulaetory can
;Psllyl R ; ai; r., :oiie'qds lia as. about A-'
fail AFRAID I've took tht-e guns ~ drili win,
they would be the only guns weshnuid eeer get.
For this reason every man refused to touch one
should they be brought into camp. \ few da,,
after the Colonel made this speech he was p-ac.
ti,ng with the Spencer Ille at The Kls pn
when one OF the cartridges bur,, aud wounded
him ind ! aud aroun the LETT eye pretty Sc.
ycrely. Since that day W have not heard a
word said about Speneers or tie Sprogiied
Rifle. After the Colonel was hurt aud a.
he started 10 leave the ground oue Of tn. men
standing close by said n y do.clai tone FAITH
an sure the rifle OF ne choice. without regard
% expense. Who'd a thought il? w
not stop to give you q lengthy description Of
tins Spencer R'le and vii simply state that
10 weighs only SIX and half pounds, has d
heavy bretch loading a. paratus and the length
OF the whole, stock and all, was only a triie oyel
three feet
\ few days ago the Colonel, Just at the clos,
OF dress purade, read to rs n paper, purporting
TO be an Oidef from the Ordnance Bureau fol
two taousand Sharps Rifles, (the very gun W,
want one thousand TO be delivered in iwent,
days, the other in twenty days more. lmmedi-
ately after This order was read, an olhoer in the
ID Regiment wrote to the proprietor Of th,
mauulactory To know II hese rifles had beer
ordered and received reply that they had no
been ordered, and further that if they ere or
dered, he could not make them as he was fllet
up with orders for Sharps Cdrbines. That set
ID the hopes OF getting them through the Gen
.1l Government 1t not Of our getting them a
al, They are The rifles for such II corps as ",
are, and with them We would prove ourseke,
worthy soldiers aud valuable ones, too.
Our being here so long without arms, excep
fifty muskets to do guard duty witt, has demor
allied both officers and men They have lost al
confidence in our being armed There Is no
any interest in the drill. Men are gone from
roll cali days at a time. and never brought I,
any account ior it, Officers and men pass Ia,
guard AT any aud all hours, without chalens,
or pass. Liquor Is plenty in camp (as Wash
lngion Is the most qlete rum-holc ever saw
and men get drunk quite frequently, for which
they are put IN the guard house until they art
sober, and then let out to do the same thing il
u day or two. The men have become so uterl,
degraded that they have ceased to keep clean eihel
abodt their quarters or Their persons. Disea,,
has sprung up among us, and many ARE dying
Over sixty have died IN the first and second regl
ments, while over seven hundred aru sick in Tn,
hospital besides some in their tents. The frs
regiment does not lurn out much oyrr two hun
dred men lur battalion drill and sometimes no
that. There seoms to b. II want of regard for
any military regulation whatever. Many
good citizen and good soldier has died. man,
more are dying, and still Others have caugh
colds, which tor the want Of proper car,
and Accommodations, have run into dlssas,