Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-03-19
From the 18th Regiment.
HEADQUARTERS 14TH VT. REG'T, ]
Fairfax Station, Va, ;
Marcn 6, 1863.

farfax station, Va,
Marcn 6, 1868.
EDIRoR HERALD IL have seen nothing oi
late in your valuable journal, which is so ex-
tensively circulated among the friends of the
l4th, about our regiment, of what we are do
ing, or how we are getting along in Dixie, and
by your permission will rite few lines.
nave no accounts to give of battles in
which we have been engaged, or acts of brav-
cry to note. Our history from the beginning
has been one of peace preparing for war, al
though the regiment is anxious, and may say
the whole brigade, for an opportunity to illus
trate what the g best stock of Vermont can
do toward putting down the rebellion.
We are not idle; every opportunity is taken
advantage of by Col. Nichols to improve the
regiment, and drill is the order of the day.
The difficulties under which the regiment la
bored during the first months of our D xie life
have been removed, or nearly so. The regi-
ment has attained a perfection in drill which
has exceeded the expectations of all.
Stuart's Cavalry give lis notice of their near
ness to our lines by almost every day bagging
some of our pickets, and occasionally an order
arrives for US to be ready to arch at a mo-
ment's notice. This generally ends it until the
next dash. By this means few hundred men
are able to keep in this vicinity ten or twelve
housand of ou' forces to protect our lines.
The has been several promotions in the reg
iment within few weeks. The first was the
promotion Of lst Sergeant w. H. Hamilton Of
Co. T, to be I'd Lieutenant of Co. |. Lieut..
Hamilton is perhaps the best drilled and most
efficient officer in the line,. and his promotion
gives universal satisfaction. Company tes-
titled their appreciation of his worth when he
left them by presenting him with beautiful
sword, sash and belt. The other promotions
were I'd Lieutenant NJ. Williams Of Co. l, to
be lst Lleuteua! of the same company; lst
Lieutenant Mann of Co x, to be Captain of
the same company; lst Sergeant Pau. of Co.
*, TO be lst lieutenant of the same company.
The regiment has been, and is in remarka
bly, good health. Yours, &C.: 14TH.
CAPTURE OF GEN. sroUGHroN-Repre-
sentative Walton writes under date of March
10th as follows:
II wrote yesterday in reference to Slough
toms arrest, before the evening papers ap
peared. Ny. account, however, is quite as
perfect as that Of the newspapers. ] correct
mine by adding that part Of the staff officers
were taken two Of them escaped, and among
them Prrntiss, of Montpelier, who slipped
awav after he had been taken. The quarters
o. other comm nding officers in the neighbor-
hood were visited hut fortunately they were
hot at hsue. Instead of 10 horses taken, as
reported by the papers, there were only fifty.
There are various stories afoat about the af-
fair, coming apparently from some of our own
officers. One is that spy, in the garb of a
Federal officer, and pretending to have author
,.-- |.
matters in Gen. Stoughton's command, and
thus undoubtedly got knowledge accurate
enough to make this raid safely and success
fully. Another is that Stoughton established
himself away from his command, and at Fair
fax Court House, with the consent of Gen.
Casey orig nally, but that Casey had revoked
on the ground that the place was unsafe, and
that Stoughton was therefore there without
authority. Still another IS that not gun was
fired during the affair, and hence no notice of
any sort was given for a rescue.
6G Finally, the Vermont boys are both ashamed
and enraged. | have spoken OF General
Stoughton. He was nominated as Brigadier
General to the Senate, but the list of coGrma-
tions has appeared this morning and Slough
toms name does not appear in It, He IS not
General yet, therefore.
His nomination was withdrawn, Mr.. Wal
ton subsequently writes, and as we have al
ready stated Col. Sttnnard was nominated as
Brigader General and confirmed.
WHAT THE lsT W. BRIGADE THINKS.
A writer in the Caledonan who has been Wis
ting the lst brigade, consisting of the 2i, 3D.,
4th, 5lh and 9th regiments says:
"Much. s0licitade was expressed among
those with whom | conversed, to learn The
state of feeling at the North. The clamor of
Northern traitors for peace, and the discour-
aging letters from timid friends, have led to
the fear among the volunteers, that the people
at home are ready to give up the Union as
lost; and the remark was made that they
were not SO much afraid Of the rebels in front
as the traitors in .he rear. This seems TO be
a common sentiment. Our soldiers spurn this
kind of sympathy which would relieve them
from.the service of their country while the
rebels are in arms. And the best service
which can be rendered to our army in the
field by the community at home, is to assure
it Of the united support of the whole people in
aiding the government and the army, to sup
press the ebellion.p
FRoM CAsrLEroN.--A Casteton cores
pondent, "B. w. b." sends us the fol-
lowing:
captain Sheldon, of the 10th Regiment,
has Just left for the seat of war, after spend
ing ten days furlough at his home in Castle
ton. Captain johnson of the I'd Vermont
Regiment arrived in town Monday evening on
a short furlough of a week. Capt j. entered
he service twenty-five months ago, a. I'd
Lieutenant in Company B., and has been on
duty constantly till now. For the last year
or more he has held the Captaincy of the Wa
terbury Company, in the same Regiment
These two gallant officers stand over six feet,
and are an honor to the Vermont soldiers now
in the field. Long live they to do battle for
the Union. Dodge's concert last evening was
a complete success. As many as FIVE hnndred j
seats were taken. People were present from
80 zen, Poultney, Hubbardton. HydexiIle
out the people and Hayward to do the singing.
Three unsuccessful town meetings have been
recently held to see if the town would assume
the four thousand dollars bounty money raised
by subscription last summer for nine months
'nen. The last meeting has just closed by
slm oly coming together and voting to adjourn
for ten years.
DIVORCES. - There were fifteen divorces
granted at the late term of the Court in Wind
sor County and eleven in Windham County.
his makes forty-one divorces granted in less
Than four months at three terms Of the Court
u three Counties, Rutland, Windsor and
Windham.
ALTERED DRAFTs.-The Brandon Monitor
says-We notice by an orr eychanpes that tho