The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-03-21

! ed IN thar corrupt city, ana onIy tue strong arm
of authority keeps it from rising to the surface, as
it did 90 the 10Th of April, 81. There is but lit
tie that is attractive 10 Baltimore, and had We ever
so much liberty but few of US would have cared
10 use It. 1t was relief when the shrill whistle
of the engine notified US to be ready. So singing
oar knap>acks We scrambled aboard the train, ana
were soon rolling over the rails to Washington.
| noticed that the road was guarded by squads of
soldiers, stationed at intervals along the line. We
reached the Soldiers Retreat at sunset. Here
soldiers trem all quarters meet, stopping a few
hour, or days, as the case may be, and then are
sent TO their destination, wherever it IS; at the
Convaesc.n mt Camp, or to Their regiments, or in
the opposite direction if they are homeward bound.
1t Wa. matter of some speculation among the
boys whether &e should be sent to Camp Couva-
lescence, or to our regiments. Lieut.. Chandler,
who had US in charge succeeded in getting trans
portation fer those belonging 10 the lst Vermont
brigade, the others had to 20 to that camp. We
said at the Retreat till Sunday morning and
duriog that time several squads OF soldiers, num-
bering from one to five hundred, came and went.
Probably no hotel in the world has more transient
dodgers than this Soldiers Retreat.
There is honor among shelves, as the saying
goes and honor is by no means wanting among
soldiers, rude as they sometimes appear; but sol
dlers often have carious idea of that quality. No
solder that respects himself in the least would
wish to be caught pilfeting from his comrades, but
in place Ike this Retreat, where men from diff.
terent States are brought together, if one party
can ~ Arab" an Article from another, he deems it
an act highly honorable ard praiseworthy. ehI
the Retreat few maues Friday evening to visit
friend IN the Guy, and when got back | found
and, by some mysterious means, had found its
way under the head Of a Penn> ylyania volunteer
Another fellow had his slumbers disturbed by
some one trying to extract pair of boots from
under his kaapsack, which he was using as pil.
low. The would be thief was lying in close prox
unity to his head, apparently asleep and uncon-
Scous of any attempt to dc his neig hbor Injustice.
Perhaps be was somDambulist and in lis er,s,ic
dream imagined the boots were his own and his
right to remove them unquestionabe. Soldiers
are queer fellows and they have thousand hon.
est ways for violating the eighth commandment.
Sunday morning, before breakfast, we took
passage on the steamer John Brooks, for Aouia
Greek, and changing boats at that place, proceed
ed five or SIX miles further on to Bell Plains
Lending. The rest of the way, about five miles.
we made on foot We found, as we expected,
plenty OF mud, but think it less so than last
year at camp Griffin. This is owing partly to
difference III soil. Wherever it was muddy at all,
It was awful muddy.
We found the boys in much better health and
spirits than when We left them six months 400
scarcely man there could say he was well. and
peak the truth, but now, as general thing, all
'nlHy tolerabIe share of health and seem to he
prospecting finely. They have fixed themselves
Up quarters, much more comfortable than I had {
expected to lind them this winter. | had sup {
1osed the boys were suffering everything from
exposure to all kinds Of weather and indeed thew
ave, in their battles and marches, but in camp,
hey are comparatively comfortable. They have
quilt them huts Ct logs and mud, using their shell
er-tents ior roofs. They are built, generally, with
our half-ten's together, and occupied by four.
Where timber is scarce and the ground is dry
he boys dig down and settle the floor below the
ufface, leavIos the walls partly solid bank of {
'arth, and the rest is made up of logs and mud.
fireplace is easily excavated in this bank Of
peculiar soil, and there is no need of brick or