The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-21
TOur War Correspondence,
a Solder S Letter No. IS,
CAMP NEAR WARRENToN. Va, Aug.


in about five miles OF Warenton, and about two
from what was once the village of Waterloo.
Warrenton is on your left, and Waterloo on your
right as we face the enemy You will perceive
since writing my last we have moved our camp
once more. This remarkable event occurred last
Wednesday. cannot say whether it was mill
tary necessity, or military convenience, or some
other motive that prompted the change, but 30
as far my humble opinion can Judge, l think the
move wise and judicous one. We went almost
directly back to where we were encamped at first,
only swinging in half a mile or SO nearer the
Rappahannock. This may not be quite SO good
a camping place as that, but it is better than the
last one, and makes very acceptable compromise
between the two. So having become somewhat
domesticated in our new position, see no better
way of employing one of the fairest mornings here
that Virginia ever saw than by writing line or so
to my always welcome visitor, the Freeman. To
be sure, nothing has TRANSFERRED worth noticing,
and there is nothing to write about but inces-
SAINT takers and scribblers can generally manage
to make themselves sufficiently troublesome with
out the aid of these superduous auxiliaries.
Living in camp is peculiar kind of life, but
like every other situation one may become SO ac-
customed to it that the evil and the good bear a
relation to each other very nearly approaching to
what may be found in almost any other pursuit.
ltmay often seem dull and irksome, imposing bur-
densome restraints and duties not at all agreeable
but only the croaker will say the daysare all dark
and cherries. We certainly have had hardships
and priyationS tc endure, and sometimes pretty
severe ones too; but we have also, now and then,
time for sport, joyous, health-inspiring, and full
Of fun. We have our games of chess, backgam-
mon, draughts, cards, and others, to make
merry many dull, lstless hour. We get occa-
sonally book to read, sometimes paper, or,
what is often better than either, letter from
home. These last are the chnks that fill up
many useless, if not burdensome, hour, present
ing to the soldiers mind something tangible that
his thoughts will love to dwell upon. Many hours
are pleasantly spent in answering these letters,
many i'll visiting our friends in other portions of
the camp,many more in fishing and foraging and
thus the day often closes before we are aware or
wish to have it.
Since we formed our new camp we have been
employed principally in making our tents COM
Portable and convenient. | would like to intro
duce the reader into our camp this morning that
he might see what pleasant houses we can impro-
wise at short notice and very little expense. If
you can imagine pole or rail, whichever happens
to be the handiest, elevated little higher than
ones head and held horizontally by two crotches.
or by being strapped to two other rails that are
perpendicular, which are inserted in the ground
one at each end, you have an idea of the first
starting point in putting up tent. The princi-
pal difficulty in all this is to get an ak or Ratchet
to cut pole or sharpen the stake that is to be
driven into the ground but sometimes big
Jack-knife will answer the purpose. The next
thing is to throw our tent, which is nothing more
nor less than two pieces of cotton or linen cloth,
about five feet square buttoned together, over
this rdge-pole and fasten the lower edge, or caves
to small stakes as near the ground as we have cal
culated to have the tent come. The boys gener-
ally prefer fom two to three feet Here then is
tent for two men. Others can join on to the
ends indefinitely, thus making continual line OF
tents and have it all one. Along the centre of
this we can build our hunks, running lengthwise,
if we have tents sufficient, at convenient hight
from the ground, making us good seat or lounge
in the daytime, and a bed for the night, or we
can build them crosswise, if we prefer, and thus