Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-09-25
From the Tenth Regiment.
CAMP NEAR SULPHUR SPRINGS, !
VA. Sept. 18th, 1868. (

n VA. Sept 18th, 1868.
q FRIEND EARLE:-Iti is Saturday a
ternoon, and as we are excused from til
k duties Of the camp, / will spend part {
i my leisure hours by writing few line
4 for the columns of the Standard. Th
a health Of the regiment has improved yer
=, much since my last letter, our long re:
e proving very salutary, in its effects j
70 restoring those, who, Gas the soldier
p have it, were about played out. w
have only ten men in the hospital, two q
? which are from our company, j. {
q George of Holland, and Sergt, Charlie
, II. Grey of Charleston all are doini
well and will doubtless be able to joil
B their companies again in few days
The weather has been very dry fo
the last six weeks; Springs are getting
low, and crops, especially corn is suffer
! ing severely from the droutb, (and the
roasting propeusties Of soIdiers.) There
are no indications of moving from here
at present; every day we are fixing W
and adding some new comfort to our
camp. A brass band has been organized
from among the musicians Of the regi-
ment, which to the delight of all con
cerned, fakes the place Of our former
drum corps, upon all our parades, inspec,
tons, &c. 1t is just one year ago the
first Of this month, since we were mus
tered into the service Of the United
States, and took that sacred oath to stand
by, and guard even 10 the death, those
inalienable rights for which our fathers
fought and bjed, and which we consider
our most sacred duty to maintain. And
yet during all this time, though we have
often been where we could hear the
roaring Of cannon, and at times the rattle
of musketry, weShaye never had an op-
.porunity o. looking upon an armed reb-
el. I doubt if there is another regi-
ment in the field, that has been 50 often
near the foe and yet escaped engagement
It seems as though providence was with
holding US for some purpose not manifest
to US. But though we have never been
called to engage in deadly strife, our
ranks have not remained uuscathed by
deaih. Seventy of our brave comrades
have laid down lheirslives, noble sacri-
fees upon the altar Of their country, and
while we drop a tear as a tribute to their
memory, we remember with Il feeling Of
pride and thankiuiness, that, they were
martyrs to the cause Of freedom. They
died, that their country might live, let
them rest in peace, by the blue waters of
the Potomac, where their comrades have
fred last sad salute above their dear
remains. Twelve months have passed
away in the service, and one would hard
ly recognize in the regiment OF well
drilled veterans, the careless, iostling
multitude Of raw recruits, which, one
year ago left the camp ground above the
village for the depot at Braitle5oro.
Those whom we met as strangers, now
seem almost like brothers; we have be
come endeared to each other by the dan
gers that surround our path, and the
memory of the hardships we have en-
dured together, l would that such
changes as these were the only ones, but,
away from the gentle and refining indu-
ance of mothers, sisters and wives, there
are but few, l fear whose minds and
have not become, somewhat .
corrupted by the roughness and vulgari-
ty, incident to camp life. To the daugb-
tiers of New England, would say, here
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