Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-03-12

may prove of interest:
Camp near Bells Plains, Va.
Feb. q, 1863. )
The Quiet which has reigned for the
past six weeks was broken to-day by Coiohei
Morrison of the 26th New Jersey regiment,
challenging the Sd and 4th Vt. regiments III d
game Of snow ball at three o'clock to-oay.I
The challenge was Immediately accePteu, anu
the following order was read TO eacn oo'li-
pany:
Headquarters 4th VT. Regiment,
Camp near Belle Plains, va,
Feb. 18th, 1865.
The 2stb New Jersey Regiment having
challenged the Sd and 4th VT. ReglmentS ~
meet them in game of snow ball, the regl-
ment will form in line at three O'CLOCK. II 10
entirely voluntary but / should ike 10 nav %
many 90 as feel disposed. Each company
will be paraded Immediately, and thls clrcuiar
read to them.
By order,
Coz SToUGHToN.
The regiment formed at 8 o'clock Z. d.,
and marched up with the Sd TO meet the oel
seys, where we formed into hollow square,
and Colonel Stoughton addressed the 4tn neg
iment as follows:
ssSoldiers, we have come ap here to whip,
not to be whipped. We never have peen
whipped, mind that You must not use your
fists, but use all the snow you can"
There were about nine hundred men on
each side. AT first two companies oi each
regiment marched forward and met their Whoie
force, and the snow balls began to by nVeiy'
and then the remainder of The Sd ana 4tn
came up and the Jerseys wer obliged to iaii
back. They took Major Pipgree, OF the 4tn
prisoner; but we couldn't stand that, ana we
rushed forward and got him back again,
We drove them about a mIe, and TOOK ooi.
Morrison, their Major and Adjutant prisoners /;
and when the battle was oyer and we mad
driven them into their tents, Cols Stoughton
and Seaver escorted Col. Morrison to his head
quarters. When we passed lby the 4th, we
gave three cheers for Col. Stoughton and our
great victory, and the Jelseys gave three
cheers for the Vermonters.
1t all passed off without ahy hard feelings
on either side. The Jerseys are good boys,
but they can't "eat hay" COrreSpoadence Of
the Burlington Seatinet.
A letter from the "Jerseyf regiment gives
the following account of 1.-THE "battie" =
"About one thousand men were engaged-four
hundred Jerseymen against SIX hundred Yer
monters. Before entering on the engagement,
skirmshers were thrown out on both sides,
and the cofict began with oOlors flying and
the band playing Rory O'Mere. Col. Morrl-
son gallantly led on his men, ordering them to
Charge close up en- 8aasst,' ETC., and for
some time the issue was doubtful, the air be-
ing filed with the flying balls, and each side
cheering Justify. The line Of the Goth at last
began TO waver, and though the reserves were
brought up they were of no avail. Col. Nor
rison and other officers were taken prisoners.
An embankment in the rear Of the 26th was
captured, and the balls prepared for the de-
fense were used against them. The colors of
the 26th were also taken, and their headquar-
tiers seized by the victorious and jubilant Yer
monters, amidst deafenmg cheers
RODE ON RAIL.-Connected with the
present excitement here in regard TO the doc
trines of spiritualism, comes in by no means
stale little joke, which one of our citizens
found himself the victim of a day or two since
Into our streets came floating and thickly ac-
cumulating rumors that Mrs. Bliss, the claim
ed trance-speaking medium, had been rode out
of Springfield, Mass, on rail. at a recent
lecturing visit to that city. Said citizen heard
the same, and with generous philanthrophy.
and solictude keyed to the highe / pitch.
vowed to lay the whole thing bare, and ac-
cordngly made an Immediate mpromptu call
upon the aforesaid mentioned '.railed'' lady,
who very cody informed him that she plead
"guilty," in advance of all trial, to his accusa-
tions, replying, ~ was rode out of Springfield
on 9rail, and was rode on q rail the entire dis
tance from Troy ont beTe!n Curtain drops.
Principal actor, citizen, with an immoderately
large sized flea in his ear.-Beaainotoa Ban
aer.
PERsoNAL.-Dr.Azro III. Plant, of Georgia,
has been appointed Assistant Surgeon of the
l4th Regiment, and has already joined MS reg
iment at Fairfax Court House.
Adjutant c. I'll. Forbes, of the 5th VT. is
now spending brief furlough at his home in
Brandon.
Sidney S. Boyce, formerly the publisher of
the Freeman at Montpelier, has started new
publicat on, the Sketch Book, In New ~Yorl,
Of which he is to be the edit9c and publisher.
1t is intended to embrace the features ne a
Fine Art, Literary and Musical Review, and
will contain the latest intelligence ON all such
matters.
Capt. Duncan, lst Vermont Battery, has
On Wednesday of last week, at the session
of the Supreme Court in Woodstock. Gilbert
A. Davis, of Felchvllle, George L. Fletcher
of Chester, and Patrick Henry Hutchinson. of
Chester, were admitted and sworn as attorneys
of the Supreme Court.
John S. Tyler, of Brattleboro. has been
commissioned Major Of the I'd Vermont Reg
iment. He has won the position by his
L., Gdol;t,- to dutv and
command.
ATTEMPTED DEsERTIoN. - On Monday
last our little village was thrown into state
of considerable excitement by the forcbIe ar
rest in our streets of one Butler A. Bates. a
soldier of Co. F. 5th Vermont, on the charge
of attempting desertion. The particulars OF
the affair seem to be as follows :-"Bates
formed one of a squad of convalescents, being
conveyed from the hospital I'm -purffngton 70
| Bratt.eboro, en- route for Washington, the
squad being under charge Of Sergeant blge,
low, of the same company The tram stopped
as usual at our station for passengers, ana soon
| after starting again Bates jumped rom the
train and attempted his escape.
| The train was Immediately stopped ana
Sergeant Bigelow and our local authorities
were Immediately in pursuit Bates OBTAINED
club and on the approach OF lhe olneers
threatened to kill any man who attempted TO
lay hands on him, and was only prevented
from assaulting Sergeant BigeOw by the lat
ter exhibiting his revolver. Without very
much parley, however, officer Briggs, OF this
village seized him, and with the and OF Consta-
BILE Button, and Ex-Constabls Roberts and
others, succeeded in placing him IN irons, IN
which condition he was returned to the cars
and finally conveyed to Brattleboro, where he
was delivered over to Major Austin, and by
him placed in heavy irons and locked up to
await trial by court martial.