The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-03-27
One of Buell's Army.
BY ANNIE SAWYER DOWNS.

We see very different side of the war
IN these nondecript southwestern cities
from what yo1 do in New England. You
see the heroic side, see your young and brave
march away with music and streaming ban
ners; and although you feel that hencefortf
life has lost much Of its charm for you, We,
you say, under the influence of that true low
atty that is the glory of New England
''Thank God We had such sons to give to such
a country"
Only too well do | know how many OF
those, thus unselfshly surrendered to coun,
try and God, come back to you; how vainly
agonizing tears fall on cold dead faces. how
dreary the whole earth looks to you, as wrap.
ping them in their starry shroud, you leave
them in country graveyards and city tombs.
Still, you have the unexpressble, never.to- be
estimated JOY Of feeling, that if death was
to be their portion, if the young life was to
be laid down, you would infinitely rather it
would be on these fields Of right and duty,
thananywhere else on the earth. Indeed, in
every town of New England there is more
or less of the exhalted feeling that makes
men into martyrs for trust and human pro-
sress. Here, On the border, we lose sight to
a great degree Of those motives. We are
too near the strife. We see the very foun-
datlon of business and society broken up ;
see our streets filled at all hours by federal
soldiers and confederate prisoners see all
our beautiful public buildings crowded with
sick and wounded. while every day scores of
frightened exiles from the interior seek re-
tuge and sympathy in our midst. Indeed.
while clear vision seems to be given New
England. SO that her people see the full
meaning of this fearful struggle, We whose
homes are overturned, whose villages are
desolate, who dread friends only trihe less
than We fear foes, sometimes lose all heart
and hope, and desparingly murmur, How
long, o Lord, how lons?"
Often, however, from the chaos of this
unsettllng of all things, there seam as
bright instances Of herosm as any that have
shed glory around your Berkshire hills,
and made the marshes of Essex forever ia
nous. Many come to our knowledge, as we
stand by the narrow cots where they lay the
wounded from Donelson and Murfreesboro ::
and one such let me try to tell YOU
! Last summer when Buell. rem that famous
race for the possession of our city,several reg;
ments of his hotly- pressed, sparcely-fed men,
were encamped around our house; SO near,
that We never opened blind, or looked out
of the door but We saw soldier gazing in.
| think no soldiers ever had a harder time
than these poor fellows endured the rem
nant Of those who fought at Pea Ridge, Don
elson, and Shiloh. A roof had not shelter
ed them for months; sometimes for wees:s S
together they had not even tents; and
through that fierce August sun, they had
marched an incredible number of miles in
the least possible time, then rested little
time in our midst, to gain strength to go out
and win the hardly contested field of Perry
vile.
They were in and out of our house as Of
ten as they pleased, and usually our daily
pepper went the rounds of the camp. One
morning a young fellow came for it whom
we had not noticed before, and as we watch
ed him coming up the walk, we said, " Who
ever he is, consumption has stamped her
mark on her face" Handing the paper, and
asking him if he was not sick ,ihe admitted that
he had cough which he contracted living
out in the intense cold after Donelson; bu,
assured US he was all right he had seer
plenty OF fellows get we'll, who were WORST
than he was. We took up a strong liking
for the cheerful, manly boy, and as there
was little doing in the camp, he spent ;
great many hours with us, usually living on {
settee, always saying, because it seemed Sc
much like one his mother had" We were
not surprised that he turned from his coarse
miseraby cooked rations, with absolute dis
gust or that after We overcome his first scrrl
pies OF pride, ne partook of our tea anC
toast with almost a chid's eagerness. Tt
this DAY certain articles of food always bring
before our eyes that soldiers thin eager face
aid brilliant eyes. We learned that pleas
ant home on the far-off prairies of Illinois
waited for him that. mother and sister;
; yearned lovingly for his coming. Known:
only too we'll that if he did not 90 soon h,
would never 60, we advised him to obtair
his discharge. or al least furlough. He sale
neither the one nor the other could be OBJ
tanned at that time; added that he did no
know as he would take one if they offered il
he was bound to see the fight which would
certainly take place on their return march
We insisted SO persistently that he agreed
to try, but received for answer that unless
man dropped down in the ranks, he woul,
not be excused. The same day he informed
US of this decision, he read to US a letter from
: his mother, and its cheerful, hopeful tone
so filled with true mother love, went to m,
heart; | do not mind telling that advise
y him to put on citizens clothes and desert
o was rightly punished by the Mortified lool
e which he gave me, and by his careful avoi
h dance OF my neighborhood for day or two
At last came the morning when tbev obtain