The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-06-05
Dunn Browne in Dixie.
LIBBY Prison,
Richmond, Va, May 8. {

There is nothing so likely to secure an OBJ
server from prejudice and false views and
representations of things as to take fair
look at both sides before giving his final
, opinion upon any question. Your correspon-
dent accordingly, having already taken sur
vey of the great rebellion from the northern
side, has now crossed the frontier and is
making observations, with his usual philo-
sophie imperturability, upon the southern as
pect of the secesh monsters. His opportu-
nitv for this unbiased and impartial view of
things came to him on this wise. He was
acting on the staff of a general of brigade
last Sabbath morning in the thick of the
battle about Characteristic. Things were
in decidedly mixed condition. The splen-
did semi-circular line of battle of Gen Hook
er had been broken the night before (Satur-
day, May q by the disgraceful failure of the
1lth and 18th army corps to maintain their
entrenched position, although attacked by a
greatly inferior force of the enemy. Our
brigade, the lst in French's division, in the
early Sabbath morning, was ordered to leave
its position, in rltie-pits pretty we'll over TO
the left of our line, and cross over the plank
road towards the right to recover the ground,
portion of it, lost the night before. Our
boys charged in splendid style through a
thicket of tangled wood for haf mile or
more, driving the enemy before them like
chatt. Staying many, taking some prisoners
and fairly running over some and leaving
them in their rear Indeed, they charged
with too much impetuosity and advanced so
far they were not properly supported on the
fanks and were exposed to an enflading fire
of artillery as well as musketry. To halt
our line and form it anew a little further to
the rear Of the woods, was sent forward by
the general, together with fine young
friend, one of his aids, both on foot, as our
horses were left behind as utterly impracti-
cable in that thicket OF underground. We
had separated, he to the right, and to the
LETT, delivered our order to the colonies and
assisted in executing it in the midst of a fire,
the most diabolical that my eyes have yet
witnessed from front and rear tour own ar
tiilery from behind the wood occasionally
dropped shell among us) and both TANKS,
from a, least 81 different points of compass
| should say, and then hastened to retrace
MY steps to report progress to the general.
| was hindered some little time, in picking
up prisoners (whom | didn't like to leave
with arms in their hand in the rear of our
line.) | would disarm and pu, them IN squads
of three or four in the charge of some one
of our slightly wounded men, first seeing
that his gun was loaded and capped. and
tlen on again till had picked up some twen-
" or more of the " butternuts. Had couple
of fellows on my hands and none of my own
men in sight and was hurrying them forward
by the persuasion of !; cucked revolver. ex-
pected every moment TO come upon cur oea-
eral, when all at once pressing through Ter
ribiy dense portion Of the lndergrowth. |
ound myself face TO face, at not twelve feet
distance. with at least a whole regiment of
/ the brownest and most il-looking vaga5onds
! that | ever st eyes on, every one of them
with "a gun in his hand who were that mo-
meut rising up from behind long line of
rife-pits they had taken from us the night
before.
: Here was a fix for an amiable and well
disposed correspondent of yours. who had
travelled some and ought to have known bet
/ ter,to get himself into. Here was big mouth
fui to swallow for beiligerent patriot intent
on squelching the rebellion, who had Just got
his blood up. hadn't been fighting more than
an hour, and was bound to distinguish him
self before night. Here was capital chance
for man who had just got his hand in at
, the business of capturing prisoners to put
a thousand or fifteen hundred more in his
bag-if they would only let him. The un-
! dersigned is compelled to acknowledge
that in this one instance he found the situa-
ton too much for him. He had drawn
mighty big elephant in a lottery and didn't
know what to do with him. One of the i'm
pudent wretches he had captured a few min
utes before turued around with grin and
/ says, Cap en-, reckon things is different
/ from the way they was, and you'll hev TO low
you're our prisoner now \ very sensible
remark of the young man, and timely, though
he hadn't a shirt TO his back and only part
Olga pair OF pantaloons. Things were differ
ent from the way they were, with vengeance.
| gracefully lowered my pistol to an officer
who stepped out from the ranks and present.
ed it to him, apolisizing for so doing by the
remark that, " doubtless it would be more
! dsagreeable to whole regiment to surren-
der to a man, than to one man to surrender
to whole regiment" The hard d-hearted
Z
misfortune, and only laughed when | told
them my story. | was courteously treated
and sent at once to the rear minus nv pistol
and trusty sword Che loss of which / the
more regretted, as it was not the purchase
of money but the gift of friend,) and 50
hath ended Ing loriously, for the present, nv
military science.
The transition from the fierce excitement
OF battle to the quiet stiffness of my walk of
near a mile through the woods with nv
guard, was SO great that could hardly real
ize it. 1t seemed the fitting of vision be-
fore minds eye. The roar of the cannonade
and rattle of the musketry sounded far awav
to me, and | was like boy rambling with a
friend In the forest of summer morning.
Not for long though could the horrid sights
and sounds of battle be put away from ones
thoughts. We soon came upon other por
tions of the bloody field and had to pick our
steps among mangled corpses of friend and
foe, past men without limbs and limbs with
out men, now seeing a group of surgeons
and assistants operating on the wounded un-
der tree and now passing group of am
hulance men carrying on a stretcher some
groaning sufferer. Occasionally wounded
horse struggling in his death-agony would
kick at US, and occasionally wounded Sc
cesh would mutter curse as he saw the
ID Yankee pass. And in little time
We were far in the rear, and | was turned
over TO the care Of the provost marshal, into
crowd Of 100 captared " Yankees " about
to be marched in the broling sun, without
moathful - eat, save the few VINO had their
haversacks and rations with them, to Spott-
sYivania Court House, about 10 miles distant.