Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-10-02
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
Interesting from the 9th Regimess
Annapolis, Nd, Sept. "a.

Amseesumg from the Osh hsegsmess.
Annapolis, Md, Sept. "a.
EDITOR HERALD Il sit down to write
you, trusting that this may reach yon in due
season. wrote you from Harper's Ferry
giving hrief account OF our skedaddle from
Winchester, but you may not have received
it. You have heard, of course, of the dis
graceful surrender Of the Union forces at the
Ferry, and on Tuesday of last We elk the 9th
was paroled and started for this place. They
marched Or walked the journey, and arrived
here last Sunday evening.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Chicago,
Illinois, where we are to 60 into camp TILL
exchanged, or sent on to the frontier to fight
the Indians. Oh, Fate what have you yet
in store for the 9th?
will venture an opinion that no regiment
in the service has seen a harder time than
the 9th has from the time it left the State
till to-day. 1t is now minus 2 Captains, 8
Lieutenants, and over 100 non commissioned
officers and privates. But the 9th still lives,
and you may hear from it yet, as hope you
may from me.
When the affair at Harper's Ferry came
of, was sick at q private house. Our
Surgeon and the bilious fever had been hav-
ing ten days struggle for the possession of
my person, and at length it was evident that
the Surgeon was ahead, but between them
both was left nearly helpless, and so was
when the battle began and ended, when the
9th was paroled and when 1t left, but being
left behind, l had good opportunity to wit
ness the workings of the rebel army, and
especially SO, as was at the house of a widow
lady that turned out to be secesh of the
bluest kind. Her grandson in the rebel army
called on us, and her son-in-lay, rebel Sur
econ. They treated us all with great re-
spect, excepting that they left our hospitals
only two days rations, and those for the 9th
were wormy and worthless. But the Union
people Of the place supplied the sick bounti-
fully, and only regret that | have not
voice to sound their praise all through the
land, that the North in particular may know
what 1t is to be a Unionist ia Virginia, and
moreover what true Unionist is. Some
families there when the rebels were throneing
the streets and rushing in everywhere to get
something to eat, would tell " the dirty, low
lived brutes," that they need not stop there
| as they were for the Union, and were cooking
| for sick Union soldiers. 1t requires some
back bone to be a Unionist under such cir
cumstances, but believe me, they have got
| at Harper's Ferry.
4 holS fboxy fooH fbo MIA 90
| began to remove all that was of use to them,
and blew up and burned up what they could
not carry off. The costly iron railroad
bridge vas blown up, the porteon bridge
| burned with quite number of buildings.
About the 18th the rebels disappeared, and
| on Sunday last our troops took possession of
the place. Whether | was ever prisoner
or not, do not know. was not paroled,
but the rebels left me, when they left, and
they left me in very pleasant frame OF
mind too, ! assure you. My hostess as the
rebels left, became more phable, and as we
believe in paying every one in his own coin,
when we left her, we (four of us) pa id our
bills in Confederate notes, which we got hold
of somehow.
l saw large number of rebel soldiers 90
past my room, and assure you they were
weary, worn out ragged, dirty, half fed
looking set There appeared to be no life
or spirit manifest in their features, but they
seemed mere machines, and some of them
nearly worn out at that
The enemy has the advantage of us in not
being burdened with provision trains. Then
men live on green corn and apples for two OF
three days at time, and then, may be, they
have short allowance Of hard bread and
meat. They do not trouble Themselves mucl
With their sick, but leave them at any hosst
, near by. They left quite number at Har'
per's Ferry. @
As to the surrender, have but little to say
1t is the prevailing opinion, and rebel Sur
geons told ours the same story, that we wer'
sold, betrayed, by Col. Miles, and everything
D seems to indicate it. Maryland Heights wer
abandoned long before there seemed to b
I any need of it, and those Heights command
ed the whole position,
, Bat / must close. We are off West te
morrow and our friends must send letters an
papers after us, as we have not heard fror
home in about four weeks
In haste, yours, B.