Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-08-07
OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
Letter from Camp Parape,
CAMP PARAPET, Carrollton, La, }
.InlY Is. 1852.

promised TO let you know all about myseii
while of to the wars" Well, / haven't |
done it. And as | hate to offer apologies
when have none but the old one Of BUSY" |
shall satisfy my conscience by inaicting
upon you all at once what should have ad-
ministed cautiously and in homeopathic doses.
! am some like the old style cook stoves
II is impossible to get my Aues working in
time, but when once started you can't stop
me till everything in the room is done brown.
The diminutive but consoling package |
received at the Rutland Depot was sacredly
treasured through a sea sickness that DISCUS
ted me with it Except in view of the giver),
and was finally discussed on the lonely waste
of Ship Island, when with eyes, mouth, ears,
and nose full OF sand, no earthly present
sense could hinder " Fond Memory" bring
ing
the light of other days around me-"
1t would have been monotonous in the ex-
treme had we been obliged to stay long at
Ship Island. As for my simple self / hardly
stayed there at all. When we arrived the
expedition for New Orleans was fitting out,
and although our regiment was destined to
stay there for the time being, was allowed,
by the kindness of Gen. Butler, to accompany
him. So far as know, was the only one who
had the privilege excepting those that went
on duty. By this means | witnessed the
greatest bombardment in history. l was on
the flag ship with Gen. Butler and staff all
the time, and had fine opportunity to see
and hear all that was going on. / was gone
from my regiment ten days, and very shortly
after l returned we were ordered to Fort
Pike By" we" mean the Middlebury and
Brandon Comp anies and thirty men from the
Rutland Company. You see they not only
divide up regiments here with IMMUNITY, but
also companies. Here South, you know
they separate man and wife, and l DOM
know but all this splitting up is the effect o.
so close contact with Southern life. Major
Holbrook was in command of the detachment
We had been there however but about
month, when the Major, with the Brandon
Company, was ordered to Baton Rouge, lesv
ing the remnant in command of Capt. Portel
of the Middlebury Company. This move
ment made trinity of the regiment, which
attribute it still continues to hold so far as
know. During this time, the part of th'
regiment we left at Ship Island had been Or
dered to Carrollton, just above New Orlean
on the Mississippi, and subsequently to vicks
burg, leaving of course about seventy at Car
rollton. As yet we are unable to lear
! whether Vicksburg is taken or what is tn
I present condition of our regiment.
$ Well, Fort Pike guards one of the passe
between The Lakes" 1t is situated o
4 Fine Island, and surrou nded by impassibl
g. swamps. Fort Macomb, garrisoned by thre
;, companies of the New Hampshire 9Th, guard
the other pass, called The Little Rigolet
j. The pass on which Fort Pike is situated
called i" The Great Rigolet," or par erce
lence, /" The Rigolets." All this country
: elevated scarcely foot above the water
= Evidently the shore of the Mexican Gu
= was at no distant day much farther mort
than at present. But the washings of all Ii
) large rivers running southerly, especially ii
!, Mississippi and Pearl, has been building Ian
70 into the water. For instance, all that nee
% of Louisiana which forms the Delta an
e lower highway of the Mississippi, has ver
re evidently been lately born-perhaps cast u
n like Jonah, by special interposition, for IL
,e advantage Of slavery. Be that as it may,
III makes low and unhealthy country, and or
in fit for the Sacred Institution, if any can b
of Pearl River, which empties into The Rigole
about six miles east of the Fort, has Del
for forty miles or more up the river, and il
d Vulnerable bayous interesting these arm
i Gas they might be called). Cane brakes tie
is to fifteen feet high cover the banks, and
in some places woods, generally of low growt
it. The river and all its branches are very croo
A. ed, and it makes an unmitigated labyrinth
ot, The water is deep, so that most Of its intrica
IS bayous can be traversed by large steamer
Of. Seven or eight rebel steamers sought reful
is in these hiding places at our approach, (l
%. stead of calling on the mountains and roc
suppose,) and we soon commenced lookil
w them up. We were at first not even suppli
with single row boat by government. B
we helped ourselves to one, and with tn
v made nightly scouts up the river to spy Q
al the land We seldom went more than t
ny miles, and did not in this way get any clue
up the position of any of the steamers, thou!
en- we learned something of the navigation
10 the river Savaral avnad;t,ous varo E