The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-25
(Our War Correspondence.)
4 Soldiers Letter--Mo. u.
CAMP GRIFFIN. Va, Feb. II, 1862
PiCKETiNG.

lamp JRlFFtN. VA. ECA. L., lco-'
EplToE tNMHMAN Il have just returned IRON
r,chetlu1, and being granted IL bfe! time u res'
I lee! 1T! Vngiy lncl!ad to write description -
my experiences III tins peculiar service. pc
sane aN,gr pens than milne have SiVen your read
ers luli ucuVuul. OF ths duty, Sd t!i:!t aay'hih@
iurlhrr ON the subject Is ~ she Imminent risK ol
bong cvlssguUu 10 lgn"lnlnOuS obiivion, uulees
is be Gerry inItreetnE--a consideration entirely
ous Ut the question wiSh anything can write.
Bu. perhaps. Mir. EEtor, HmVug the multitude
OF WONG lad, VITO read tie FREEMAN, there may
be SOM. who DO not have friends here 10 iuruls!i
them with letters irotu the war, 10 whom u fe'
WORDS from one III the ranks would not be " holly
unlntcreclIny. 1t you have given our supporters
room ia your columns W tell their STORY, Oh be-
halt Ut TIE privalcs, plead the privilege OF tell
my mine. | think tbs prlva.es ought to be- rep
resented IN the press even Il the representation
be ia poor one, uecause We are largely IN the lnA-
lurlty and nave the burden OF the Work 10 do.
VI all the duties required of US, pickering is
considered among the least desirable, especially
50 II the nights are cold and stormy. The pick
| cts are posted along in y line about IL mile IN
front oi the Federal camps, and extending, Ter
aught KNOW, from TIE A!iantic To the Mlssls-
slprI. \ certain portion Vt this : line Is us
signed IL The Vermont brigade, each reg imenr
| TAXING their turn III guardinglt. There are hive
regiments III our hrlgade, consequently each
oue turn comes ones III five nights. ne al
ways ,Ac the term ntgh!s, because the ,nos; un
welcome portion oi this duty is In the night
buC We mean twenty-iour hours.) The nu,ubei
detailed each time Is two hundred, making
twenty 10 each company. Ii Il company has
torty able mcn not otherwise detailed, it. has
enough Tor Two instalnen;s, and hence eacn in
GlVduai turn viii DO once iii Ten :ight. Mhct.
d about the average. Tins detail Is read to Us
| the night beforehand ut tattoo, by the orderly
| sergeant, NO tina, each man detailed may be Tea iy
at til. appointed moment, armed and equipped
Tor the service. In the morning the camp pre-
SCENTS an unusually brisk appearance. Kevcille
Is beat SOONER THAI usual. The cooks are busy
preparing US something good Tor our rations.--
We generally get Is generous hanuiu, OF cough
nuts, wnich, considering the limited Resources
OF our cooking department., / may safely Set
down us tirst-rato. Ihls, with the usual rey
mental bread and salt junk, Is amply sui.
ilcient to satisfy the inner man.
The pickets are busy, TOO, in getting their
Cqu pineuts on, their haversacks flied, and their
blankets shouluered SoVn the order Is heard
"plcHets fall IN EAcn orderly sergeant then
torulS his men into Ine and calls the roll Ga
see that all are OH hand, ana then We march out
and tom INTO one company or battalion. II /,
fellow Ii behind the time, AZ was once owing
to my overwcenlng Anxiety to re- II lettc. into
tnc o:tcc before ! stalted, he must fail u the
rear and be among strangers all day We are
then marched (there Is u special propriety in
using the passive verb hcrc) the best part of Il
mile cut ol our way, to The General's neadauur-
| lcls, To 80 Though Il performance, the pracrlcal
utility OF whIcu II would BIZ out Ui place in mo
| 70 Question, though couiess am too obtusc Ia
IuIy Understand It. called guard mounting. -
Inns IS II tew General Order, the sNn.' nf
which have forgotten. IL 10 exceedingly I'M
popular with tine boys. We are drawn up IN :,
line before the GencraiS teut, anu ordered III
stand at Udention, under pam OF being det,,l,ea
! ior pIeket every I'VE nights IN succession 10
sand with the heels apart. Or 10 scratch an itch.
ing nose, Is Il violation Ut the order. and sub
JectS the offender ~ The above mentioned penal.
ty Commissioned officers are then ordered :,
certain number ot PAGES to the front, the non.
commissioned officers halt AS many, ind cert,,,
other Officers aro assigned certain otner po,,, ma
which Il Philadclpha lawyer would be puxzen
10 understand. The Officers seem to need nm.
more lesson Judging from their pcrplex,tv ,nd
awkwardness However, after consldenhi, nx
ira mantcuvering, and No small amount of ~.
suitous instruction by the General and. w,', !.
appointed chiet organizer, and who exhibits .n
amount OF patience on these uccas,ops ,,nlv
conlinehdable, they finally assume their ,ror..,
Posit'"ns' when the order ~ given to about I,r.
''f'N' '' '"''"' "''''" Ihey then pass by