Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1863-03-27

Field Officer Of the day"
WOLr RUN SHOALS, March 18th, 1868
SIN As Field Ofosr Of the day. made the tour Of
entire picket Inc. visiting the reserves and all the
posts but three communicated the orders received
your headquarters the officers at the and
Sergeant TO the pos.s which could not reach
found blth ohic4' and men on the alert, and from
all / could learn faithfully di.chareing their duties.
/ have the hon9i to be very respectfully,
your abedient Ser ant
L. D. clAnK, Major 1911 Reg. v,v.M.
To Coz. +. V. RANDALL, Commanding Post"
The following think will be found very
interesting.
CANT NEAR WOLF Run SHOALS Va,
March l1th. 1868. (
To Coz. +. V. RAsDALL Commanding Pos,
StR--As Field Officer Of the day for Wednesday the
llth inst | have TO report follows II visited the
picket the entire inc twice, in the morning, and
again in the afternoon, just before night. There
indication Of any enemy Immediately in front Of our
lines at any point but the pickcts constantly
the alert discern any unusual appearance the oppo
ste side Of the river. At my visit to -'Saly Davis
Ford" in the morning, directed the Ly@t tenant in
charge Of the picket at that post 70 send rgeau and
four down the river far the cavalry picket
tion-some mile or mile aud half--tn examine the
banks Of the river for any indications OF crossing
places where crossing might be made. In the evening
the Lieutenant reported that the examination had been
made and that Indications Of crossing could be seen
and that the banks Of the river abrupt that it
hardly possible for any one to The is
true q the River frPm sally Davis Ford to "Wolf
At the latter placc found three picket posts and all
the sentines on their beats and watohful then ade
these headquntersito the pokets stationed near the
TO The 81 Bs IVA ysS s2s, e., picket, as
they attacked by overwhelming force Of
the enemy and pointed to them the various roads by
which they could rally together in the also
corporal and one man from the post the nf Bull
Run ryet, TO EXAMINE the banks Of the Oceoquan liver
down 10 Wolf Run Shoals In the afternoon the corporal
reported that be had made the examination directed
and found no Indications Of any crossing that there
place where he thought it possible for crossing be
effected and that from the abruptness Of the banks Of
of he wal inn
for any hosemeu to pass either up down this
the river 10 cross 10 the other side The the
Bull Run river was quite high, that but
hursemen could with any degree Of safety. [
examined the banks Of this river up picket
line extends aud found but three places where il
possible for even horsemen to and these places
carefully guarded by sentines who intent up-
doing their whole duty Near the mouth Of Bull Run
found tracks Of the naked feet Of men, II
had up from the with no shoes or socks or.
called the attention Of the sennels these ndioa-
tous and directed them to keep the closest watch lest
attempt should be made TO creep through our lines by
swimming the river during the darkness OF the night.
We have now Fix picket posts Bull Run river, IN
der the charge Of Lieutenant
In accordance with your instructions, l proceeded up
the Bull Run river far NV oodyaTds Ford" TO ascef-
tain the condition 1fthc pickes in that vicinity found
the crossing at Wood, ards Ford" and the one next
below that guarded by companies from the Penns, Iva
mia Reserve Regiments. The below Woodywa =
Ford, occupied by a company Of twenty six men.
under command 81 Lieutenant but they deficient
in arms, having onY nineteen guns and about twenty
rounds Of ammuniia5n each.
from the place Of crossing, and advised Il could do
more as he was not properly within the limits OF my
picket inel 10 station his sentinel, during the night,
nearer the bank Of the and to the crossiag-A
change which he said he had thought Of making but
that he had occupied the beat ofpcke which preceded him
At "Woodyard's Ford" found parts OF two companies
also from the Pennsylvania Reserves Of about twenty
each the post being In command Of Lieutenant.
They fully armed, but SADLY deficient in ammuni-
ton-havng only, on an everage, fre s1 rounds TO
ne man. They had endeayored to draw more ammVn
ton, but had not succeed Their efficiency picket
Is decidedly issssHsd BY ms deficiency AtWoodSsrds
Ford" are detachments Of the Michigan cavalry.
Altogether, found the pickes waehfu and well in
sIucted in their duties
All Of which is respectfully submitted,
A. G. BRowsi Lieut. Col, 18Th Regt, v. V. NJ,
Field Officer Of the Day"
From this you have probably derived an
idea of our important duty, and l will not
use up your space with further quotations.
Picket duty is the most responsible of any
duty the soldier is called on to perform.
1t has been a matter of great pride and
qualification to me at times to notice the SUI
perior care aRSIyp4chlulAess Of Vermont SEN
tinels over tina, Of any other troops have
ever met. There are fe,O troops from New
York and Pennsylvania that have become very
reckless, and | believe it is considered at
Headquarters that they are never to be secure
ly relied upon unless they are with Vermont
ers.
These Preserves" on our right have been
badly cut up in battle, but worse decimated
by capture, desertion and disease. There is
but remnant left. have poor opinion of
the I'd Pennsylvania Cavalry. When Gen.
Stuart made his raid that we turned off from
Fairfax Court House. he came through their
line and captured eighty of them without
hardly gun fred. They could, and should
have fallen back and notified forces in their
rear, But fear some Of them had about as
lief be captured as not Not but they may
be loyal, but that they are unfaithiul, 1t was
only last night that eleven of them were taken
prisoners, only a mile or two below our pick
cts, at "Sally Davis Ford" and yet no alarm,
not gun fired.
For two or three days past we have been
receiving dispatches from Union Mills on our
right, and Occoquan on our left, that the en-
envy was in front. One dispatch said Stone
wall Jackson, with $4,000 men, had crossed
the Rappahannock at Kelley's Ford, was ad
yanoing ON US, and was then within twenty
hours march. Another stated that he was
within fifteen miles, force unknown. And
various other reports have been coming in,
and thousand rumors have been afoat.
have given no credence to any Of them ill
to-day, and now that there is something in
front of us have no doubt. This afternoon
Col Randall took the little squad of cavalry
that we have here, and went over the river O
see for himself what there was. Just before
he went two or three cavalry scouts that pee