Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-06-19
From the Eleventh Regiment.
FT. SLoCUM, JUNE 8.

ments will employ them in writing you.
What have to say will not probably be
very interesting, but as you say you are
always glad to hear from soldiers / will
take it for granted that this will not be
unwelcome.
My own health is good and has been
since | came out here. | have not re-
quired the services of the surgeon but
three times since we left Brattleboro.-
The health of the company is improving
We are very well situated here, have
plenty to eat, and our duties are not very
hard We have fatigue from to IL A.
NJ, and nothing TO do after that until four,
then drill an hour and a half, then dress
parade. We are having target practice
with the big guns in the fort. We prac-
tice Tuesdays and Fridays of each week
through this month each company is al
lowed twenty five shots per month for
the months of May and June, but we did
not use any in May, so we shall have 90
shots each this month. Companies Z
and F fred last Friday and G and II are
firing to day. Company F made the
best shots, but to day company H is
ahead, but we shall try it again next
Friday. We have seven new rifed can
non, % Founders; they are called the
Rodman Gun. l don't know what gives
them that name; can't see any differ
ence between them ard Parrot guns !;
they are nice gun--are mounted on
siege carriages, and shoot very accurate
ly from one to two miles the old guns
are mostly barbette, and are not calcula-
ted for long ranges, but are just the
things where the object is less than point
blank range, with grape and canister,
but the small field pieces are what suit
me these can be fired from five TO sew
en- times per minute, while the siege and
barbettes cannot be fired more than 20
times an hour. There is life in working
light artillery, the motions of all the pie
ces are made on double quick.
Corporal Bailey and myself tried Mr..
Sharks horse and rode over to chain
bridge the other day. 1t is about seven
miles from here in a westerly direction,
and as | have seen nothing in any letter
from this regiment in relation to this
bridge or the forts between here and
there, | will write of what we saw. The
first fort after we passed Stevens'-late
Massachusetts-is Derusa there are two
pretty strong batteries between Stevens
and Derusa, as there is between most all
the forts along the line; next after De
Iusa is Kearney, then Reno-late Penn
sylvania. This is built on higher land
than the rest, and is quite a commanding
position it is situated on the main road
leading from Washington to Harper's
Ferry, near the village of Tentle Town.
Next on the direct line to the Potomac is
Fort Gaines this is n small fort mount
ing only six guns between this and the
bridge there is only one small battery, but
up the river abou: two miles is Fort Al
exander and two other strong works.
There has not been a chain bridge across
the Potomac for sixty years the one
that stands there now is the third that has
been built since the chain bridge was de-
stroyed; this is eighty rods and some
yards in length it rests on eleven stone
piers,is made like our tressle work bridges
in Vermont. AT the east end and on
level with it is a small battery 2 noun
tain howitzers are mounted SO as to rake
the bridge lengthwise. On the bluff IS
feet above the bridge is another battery
mounting three barbette "a Founders and
several field pieces on the other side of
the river, opposite, are two forts, and up
and down the river as far as you can see
are more Notifications. / think if the
rebels should attempt to get into Wash.
iDgton through this line of forts they
would find bloody work.
We have cheering news from the south
west. Gen. Grant is doing the work as
signed him in workmanlike manner, and
we may consider Vicksburg as ours-as
it must inevitably be. Gen. Grant is
man that will not undertake Job and
then give it up.
Our regiment is ready to take the field
any time they are needed. We are ready
and willing to suffer and if need be to
die in defence of our national flag. An
IS at stake. If we cannot put down this .
lnholy and unnatural rebellion we may
rs well die here. l for one had rather
NY bones would bleach unburied on the
oil here than have this settled by the
North giving the south an iota of what she
las demanded. Let her throw down her
lrms and surrender Internationally, re-
urn to her allegiance and submit to the