Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-09-11

HANKS altogether they hau tendency TO
quicken the pulses of us civilians, who had
hitherto seen nothing of war but the fuss and
frothing, while the nonchalance of our driver
as he cody assured us we were within beau
ttul shellng distance of the enemy's bate
ries, was by no means calculated quiet our
apprehensions Fortunately our Jehu
landed us right where the Vermont Brigade
was drawn up, and was soon among friends,
listening with eager ears to the explanations
ofthe grand collapse of the great victory (?)
to which Brig Gen. Pope and Secretary
Stanton had invited US. Judge OF nv aston
ishment at learning that the battle field was
seven miles further aud in the enemy's DOS,
session !! We spent the day gathering the
opinions of men and officers, and
were it not for swelling this communica ton
to an lmmoderate length, | would give you
some expressions, the gst of which was
curses both loud and deep upon Mcdowell,
utter lack of confidence in Gen. Pope, and
one universal petition for Mcclellan to be
placed in command There was no use of
talking Of ary body else to a member of the
army OF the Potomac, and the army of Viz
ginia had nobody to divide their allegiance.
Sigel was their only other in whom they had
particle of confidence. would like to
give you sketch of the personnel of the coun
Gil of war which met at Popes Headquarters
Sunday P. NJ, when it was decided 10 fall
back upon the original defences around
Washington, but torbear. Sunday night
we lay on our arms, and on Monday at s
o'clock A. NJ. we started with an ambulance
train and a large medical staff under the
direction eff DrMcFarlin, Pope'S Medical d.
rector, for the battle field. Soon after leav-
ing Centrevile we began to encounter the
invaTiabe often described vestiges OF a re-
treating army-broktn musket bayonets,
cartridge boxes, oyercoas and blouses, bro
ken army wagons, caissous boxes, with ANU
milton and without, dead horses and mules,
strewed the road and adjacent fields in dire
confusion
Directly We came to a picket of grey
coated cavalry, and l knew we we're
within the enemy's lines. Soon after cross
Bull Run we found a Brigade Of Cavalry
drawn up on either side of the road to receive
us, and never can | forget the complacent
expression which the faces of the butter
nut colored gentry wore, and yet, let me do
them justice, not taunt escaped their lips
though they Scrutinized us closely as We
passed where the blue cross of rebellion
Haunted US in the face. Our headeu arters
were established at a house in the immediate
vicinity OF the famous stone house which fo-
ures so conspicuously in the reports after the
first battle of Bull Run DR.. w. and F mar
shalled us, dividing us civilians into details o.
eight each, who with a stretc her were sent to
bring in the wounded out of the woods to
points accessible to the ambulances. Oh!
the weary, painful work of that day and
night. How it made our heart bleed to see
our noble born boys, many of whom had lain
where they fell on Thursday night, without
food or drink, and then to know but small
force could make but beginning towards
allie waiting the sufferings of those $500 suffer-
rers. We had brought barely rations for our.
selves for couple of days, supposing of
course that they whose business it was would
see that THESE poor wounded men were fed
Out upon the incempetency and imbecility
which characterized the whole proceeding
Somebody should be held to a stern account!
ability for this inhumanity There too the
faces of our unburied dead Git will be under
stood that the rebels had buried thei
dead and removed their wounded before we
were allowed to come on the feld) who
5trewed the ground so thickly in many places
where fire ragged hottest, turned black and
Sowing toward heaven, as if protesting
against the barbarity which had stripped
them and left them so offensive to the sight. |
Jeff Davis cannot deny this outrage, which is
worthy of Camanches.
Mounted on fleet horse | rode for miles
over the field and didnot see pair of panta..
oons or a pair of shoes on on one of our
lead came across their stragglers en-.
ragged in the act of rifing the pockets of de.
aging corpses! In one place on the brow
If hull where Matches Brigade had fought, |.
md where in space ola of an acre so of
hedead must have lain,twenty or hirty plant
RS, and to their eternal shame be it said
hree fashionably dressed ladies, sat for more
han an hour upon their horses laughing and
hating while we piled our mournfuI task.
They were the gentry that seized our colored
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