The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-04-25
(Uur War Correspondence.]
From the Fifth Vermont Regiment.
CAMP IN THE FIELD, BEFORE LEES MILLS, I

April 18th, 1862.
Mr.. WILLARD My letter of yesterday
date. mailed rh:s morning, contained all the IN
formation that it was possible for me to gather
(Wlthout assuming the impudenco and brass q
81 special reporter,) concerning our engagement
of the 10Th inst, before Lees Mills.
Were it not for C4hiner censorship and severa
other Tca;rlctloIa thai - army regulations nav
thrown around the soldier, should be mos
happy to write you Il letter in detail, with some
thing Of an editorial twang about Is ior jus
such letter is needed before tbs, that. anC
many other minor and mysterious things can bt
fairly and lally given to tho public. | know
full well what ought 20 be written, and what al
| intelligent, nut fear, 700 indulgent public has
a right 70 demand, nov only rs evidence OF the
! proves Of tt!elr troops bot also as information
bearing upon the skill and management of en-
gagemenJs like this. Blu, it is nos proper, and
it is not possible for any such information to
enanate from a soldiers pen, and log the present
yoa must BIZ content with such meagre and par
TALLY interesting Items rs your correspondents
may furnish.
Since the engagement, the brigade has, SO to
speak, rested, doing no more tlan their portion
OF the fatigue WORK OF the division. Holding
the position gained against two unsuccessful at
tempts OF the enemy to dislodge Us from the pits
directly under their noses, and from which our
rlHemen are able to keep every gun Of the enc
my silent, we have made very extensive de-
fences Doth Tor our batteries and infantry, while
the enemy have not been able to work all hour
IN strengthening their works, unless they have
done 50 IN the rear al d out OF the range OF our
guns. 1t is now almost sure death for q rebel
to expose any portion OF his body, for at every
angle and III every carve in front, and on their
Hanks, there lies concealed all the time squads
OF sharp. shooters. with telescope rifles, VINO
are able to distinguish tho color Of % man S eye
one mile distant, and every shot Of these rife
men tel. 1t certainly must exasperate the enc
my to be annoyed in that way, but suppose
they have learned by this time that, such is life.
In reading my list OF: the wounded in the Sd
regiment, you will notice that nearly every
wound is below the waist belt of the soldier
That happens in this way, 50 l am informed by
one who was in the stream during the action:
These wounds were received from rldemen in
their pits elevated several feet above the atream,
and being too cowardly to expose themselves
like men, they would reach over as far as their
arms would allow them and discfalge their
pieces at random, whereas every man in this
army, if posted in those pits, would have taken
the position of a soldier, and fred deliberately
at the command, "Rcady. aim, fire." What
IS aurer than the conquest Of such dastlsdly
foe.
1t would be very imprudent in your CORES
pondent. to give any extended remarks about
nlggers,' as the soldiers call them, but seeing
them with arms in their hands, displaying NOT
only cunning but courage in their fire upon our
men, | am certainly sofely tempted Sto siy
something more severe about them than Greeley
would IN ore OF his son to Richmond, -
Emancipation -" Poor Negroe, editorial
medleys. 1t is a sore trial upon New England
philanthropy and sympathy Tor the bondmen, to
witness sight like this, and more than once |
have heard young men, whose parents are orho-
dog in their political worship in pastor Greeleys
congregation, nsc some very sublime and lofty
profanity IN their euloeiuins OF the gentlemen
from Africa. In an experience OF some seven
months in the land Of Dixie, they have been un.
able to detect any radical difference between the
" master - and = slave of treason. And their
rifles will probably do as much execution in the
ranks OF the latter AZ the former, lead, bayon-
cts and aDar being the ne plus ultra OF their alb
clifton faith and emancipation policy
This may seem strange, and perhaps very
wicked to many OF your readers, but they must
remember that soldiers are neither politicians,
school teachers, or missionaries, and that the
tented helds and batte-grounds make some
wonderful changes IN the education, disposition
ana habits OF young men in arms. And they
must not be surprised if some of their sons re-
turn to Vermont more perfect scholars in mig
gerology than their more venerable parents.
30 lar AZ treason is concerned the war is nearly
ended, but so far as the Niger is concerned, it
Is but just begun. This too, kind of half
prophecy, may seem strange and contradictory,
but us yet neither Presidents, or Statesmen,
or Generals, or newspapers have told the Amer
lean people one-half the story OF the Ultimate
ehecG OF this war upon the institution Of SIa-
very, ana 1t would be presumption IN your cor
respondent to say more than this, that all PHI
losophy, all politics. and ali prophecy now ex-
tnnJ upon thai subj ct can be enlarged. improved
and corrected.
Of the detences Of the enemy che Now York
papers have probably iniormeo you. Hney are
strong Al that the approaches 10 tnem aie 80
difficult, but the enemy having made one very
serious mistake II their engineering, the reduc-
ton Of these str0ngdOlds becomes very easy,
and only matter OF time-shOrt at that. 10
protect themselves from the range Of our bate
ries they purposely lett the forest standing in
front OF their works What mistake, Tor the
trees and hdiug.piaces Of the foes are just so
many breastworks for cur rihelnen, and having
posted themselves there tie enemy is unable to
work single gun in his forls. they see this
now, bat 1t is too late, and presume the blum
der has improved their profanity upon the char
acter of the d--n Yankees
Yesterday John Slavery, of Co. b, III Yer.
mont, was shot dead while standing in an cx-