Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1863-01-02

camp ground at 81 o'clock p. NJ. We were
tired boys when we got into camp, and
pitched our Fly tents rs soon as possible,
ate our supper or shingles " as the boys
call them, and "turned in" for the night.
Here we made our headquarters while
our regiment was on picket; the 263 men
being relieved every morning. With one
exception, nothing of particular interest
transpired while our regiment was encamp-
ed here, and that was Sabbath evening,
when from some quarter rather suspicious
signs were seen, and our Colonel is not a
man to be caught mapping" The order
was therefore at once issued for every man
10 load his gun and to sleep with Il by his
side, and to be prepared to turn out at any
moment. But our camp was not molested
by gueirillas or cavalry, and most Of us
had fiie nights rest after the excitement.
Our egiment was relieved of its duties
Wednesday morning by the 18th, and we
were allowed TO return to Fairfax Court
House which is to be the headquarters of
the brigade for the present. Our surgeon
very kindly remembered the sick and con-
valescsnt soldiers with the regiment. and
sent Us off with Lieut.. Clark of Co. G, at
an early hour in the day, with directions for
Us totake our own time to march TO Fairfax.
C,pt. Hutchinson being among the mum.
Der, and not being satisfied with the oppor-
tunay we had for examining the battlefield
of Chaniilly when the regiment passed over
it the Saturday before, we decided to retur n
that way, and consequently when we ar
rived at the cross-road, we left our party
aid walked over to the battlefield. This
battle was fought by the forces under Pope
on his retreat from the battle of Bull Run,
and the rebel forces under Jackson who at
tempted and nearly succeeded in cutting off
Pope's retreat This battle was also fought
in one of the darkest nights and most ter
battle itself was one of the hardest fought
during the season, yet the engagement was
much shorter than some others, it lasting
but about two hours, but there must have
been terrible fighting in those two hours,
Judging from the marks of conflict upon the
trees (part of the battle was fought in the
Iwood>). | counted on one small tree not
more than four inches through, eleven bull
LET holes Small trees the size of mans
wrist were bent over and nearly cut off by
Mimic balls. Large trees look as though
they had withstood charge of grape and
canister. They we're literally cut to pieces,
some of the bullets striking the trees thirty
feet from the ground.
There was evidently but little artillery
used in this battle, unless it was out in the
clearing, for the trees don't show il, yet
have been told that it was used out in the
open land; and here it was that Generals
Kearney and Stevens we're killed,-be-
tween farm house and the woods, perhaps
twenty rods from the woods. The ground
is nearly level and quite smooth, and this
was probably where the principal part of
the battle was fought We found several
relics which we brought home with US.
picked up bayonet which | think belonged
to Springfield gun. We also found the
graves, probably, of friends and foes cer-
tainly of foes, for we found the graves of
soldiers with pieces of barrel heads put up
to mark the places where they were buried.
The Inscriptions as read them, were as
follows: Michael Bremen, Co. B, 9Th Regt.
La. Vols, Killed Sept. LIST, 1862. j. Dean,
Co. ], sth La Killed lst Sept, '62, NJ.
Kennedy, Co. 1, 7th La.
We found perhaps twenty of those sim
gle graves, but these three were all that /
saw with any marks to show who had
been buried there. We found one grave
that would chill the blood of the most hard
ened in human bulchery. In deep ditch
that looked as though it had sometime been
washed out by heavy rains, we found
grave, or what was intended for one.
There had been inferred the body of a SOL
der. No, not inferred, for that means " to
bury" This poor fellow had not decent
burial his person either never was COM
pletely covered, or so slightly that the rains
or something else had uncovered his skull,
and there it lay exposed to the view of ev-
cry passer-bv. / might add some of my