Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-05-19
Correspondence.
A Soldiers Letter-No q.
OK rnE FIELD, May %, 1868

EDITOR FREEMAN IL might safely cal
writing under the present circumstances, laoof
,oder extreme difficulties. We are every mo- !,
nent expecting to fall in and move. All our ,
Effects are with US our clothing, bedding ..
lad eight davis subsistence, besides our lrn'ly
,,s, and complement Of apmunilion. oaF
,,ainmen,s we constantly veat 80 that in sud
In emergency We may not be found without
ihem. Our knapnck' are kept packed a7a we
be expected to bekMdy in moment at the
sord Of command while the cannon IS boom
H. occasionally. and the wind blowing exceeding
h, have pulled out my. portfolio and as the
Ai.or has Just given the command rest and
zone q il on an emlneree 10 lock at the re5s with
N. glass, take It for granted that We shall have
few moments re,pit, SO be the time longer o.
,borer am bound to improve what there IS Of
by .cribbing line or so to YOU
We have not done aoy biz fighting yet but we
,.peet there is some awful strategy going on and
I'M and by when matters have developed them
.e,e, to the proper pit h, We expect to wade IN
n, the contest and cover ourselves and oil Vermont
with glory.
Tuesday we prepared ourselves according to
the on.repeated order with our eight days ra'lons
and everything else We wanted 70 carry, It ram
ed. Of course, but not qnite hard enough to pre-
ven, our marching or TO dampsn our spirits We
nulled down our tents, burned up orr lovelst'sr''
packed up our knapsacks, threw away our noVes
j but kept our Bb,', snd iqaarlcr before '"e'e
4. NJ. we took up the line Of march Di1le"ard
once more. The mud grew heavy, and SO dld our
#kn,D,ck., bu, We trudged along, not minoiHg 9
either. |, i. not the glOomiest thing iha' ever
was TO march, even Il il do'' RAIN andwe Nno"
-. are marching where death and destruction are
going oo, or going to 90 on at any rate II ''n
70, ,be Second Vermont The boys are iu'l ol
vii and fun. which comes out in spite Of ever!
body, and all the di'ciploe 10 The world coo'uo
kermit in. Sometimes citizen Is pouncea upon
and # be undertakes to reply TO Their "Hles' u
find. himself far up the salt river IN no l'me
sometimes pompous black is made the 'ieum
a iok., that even the blacklist Kepuohean car
hardly helm smiling at. Occasionally we get u
song and rest ourselves singing and occasiona''
we 81, down on our kuspsaeks and rest our'e"e
laughing. Besides what We got up ourselves
,niren the journey on this not very evenuul ua
we passed by, or rather, around, near where
excellent band was playing and their music '"
40 rarey excellent, tina, the boys were wiling
/ be quiet as we passed, and listen to them. fu
1 ,ber on we come to the ground where the Pr
I fessors billoon operations were gong on'--io'
suppose it is generally known that these ope'
/ tons have 10 be carried on partly on the grou
as well as up 10 the air. The aeronau' "ou
hardly dare trust his balloon or his cwn pr'eo
skill and learning very high IN the ar vino
some connection with good, loyal, United os'
soil We halted Just as We we're passing 'he
| which gave US good opportunity oil viewing u
movements. The balloon car mas TWO foi
from !, which are held by men below anu y
letit IN or pull il down as a boy would n
Either for their own amusement or someoou
else for it was too foggy aud rainy to make
servatons, the balloon was elevated anu ui'
II down every few minutes that we were 'here'
balloon had the face Of Washington on one
and bis name on the other. The oountensao'
ii the revered patriot must be very large ior '0
ou,e natural and life.like when the balloon
hipb in the air tha. the man in the car &c
scarcely half as big as mosquitoes bill
We halted for the night on the eminence
ovsrlooks the fertile valley of the RappahanF
and the historic city Of Fredericksburg Du
IL tina night the poutoon train moved down to
river and laid their bridges. The whole oper'
wa, brilliantly conceived and successfully ca
out. Gen. Brooks division moved across a'
r,h, and d,ov. the rebels out Of their first
IL pits and occupied it themselves lhey u
,ho,t. spri,ed skrmish, and gained an lmpo
position by it.
In the morning we moved down nearer
rivr and remained during the uay' n'
we sprsad down our blankets 10 the mud, an
l ourselves down to dream Of parois ana I
beds Some put up their tents ana some
or s.srv moment We expected to be called
H. to movc-pethaps dozen miles OF p.'"'
II many feet. AT midnight it c'mm'n''a :
Il aud, as had preferred sleeping IN tue ops
had the full benefit OF 1t. Inc SON
ground ell around me was fast convefe
mud. and every,ims one went by my BED,
often did making gulehy noise like dt'
yoke Of cattle through barnyard "as
muck is belly deep aud sPa'terins tho mt
my face, | felt that there was more 'han
for man to suffer for bis country, aud U
mu., be one Of them. II this was
l dam-pes, kind Of sleep ever uea 70
would Mt ny anything about II. 1t ksl