The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-14
A Soldiers Letter-No 81.
OK TIE FIELD, May I'd. 1876

unOet extreme uIhculNess We are every mo
.ment expecting to iall in and move. All our
effects I" are with US our clothing, bedding,
and eight days subsistence, besides our trusty
yides and complement Of ammunition. Our
equipments we constantly wear, so that in sud-
den emergency we may not be found without
them. Our knapsacks are kept packed aud we
are expected to be ready in a moment, at the
word of command. While the cannon is boom
ing occasionally. and the wind blowing exceeding.
", l have pulled out my portfolio, and as the
Major has just given the command rest, and
gone oat on an emnencs to lock at the rebs with
bis glass, take it for granted that we shall have
afew moments respite SO be tia time longer or
shorter, am bound to improve what there is Of
a, by scribbling line or so to you.
We have not done any big fighting yet, bu. we
expect there is some awful strategy going on, and
by and by when matters have developed them
selves to the proper pitch, We expect to wade in
to the contest and cover ourselves and all Vermont
with glory. sa
Tuesday we prepared ourselves according to
the oft-repeated order with our eight days rations
and everything else we wanted to carry. 1t rain
cd, of course, but not qnise hard enough to pre-
vent our marching or to dampen our spirits. We
pulled down our tents, burned up our love letters,
packed up our knapsacks, threw away our novels
but kept our Bibles, and at quarter before twelve
A, NJ, we took up the line of march Djxieward
once more. The mud grew heavy, and so did our
knapsacks, bu. we trudged along, not minding
either. 1t is not the gloomiest thing that ever
was, to march, even il it does rain, and we know
we are marching where death and destruction are
going on or going to go on at any rate, it isn't
for the Second Vermont. The boys are full of
wit and fun, which comes out in spite of every
body, and all the discipline in the world couldn't
keep it in. Sometimes citizen is pounced upon,
and he undertakes to reply to their sallies, he
fnds himself far up the salt river in no time
sometimes pompous black is made the victim of
ajoke. that even the blacklist Republican can
hardly help smiling at. Occasionally we get up
song and rest ourselves singing, and occasionally
We sit down on our knapsa cks and rest ourselves
laughing. Besides what we got up ourselves to
enliven the journey on this not very eventfu day,
We passed by, or rather, around, nenr where an
excellent band was playing, and their music was
SO rarely excellent, that the boys were willing to
be quiet as we passed, and listen to them. Fur
ther on we come to the ground where the Pro-
lessons balloon operations were going on,-for
snppose it is generally known that these opera
tons have to be carried on partly on the ground
as welas up in the air. The aeronaut would
har(Hy,dare trust his balloon or his cwn precious
skilland learning very high in the air, without
some connection with good, loyal, United States
soil. We halted just as we were passing there,
which gave US good opportunity of viewing their
movements. The balloon car has two ropes
fromt which are held by men below, and they
let it up or pull it down boy would kite.
Either for their own amusement or somebody's
else, for 1t was too foggy and rainy to make OBJ
servations, the balloon was elevated and drawn
down every few minutes that we were there The
balloon had the face of Washington on one side
and bis lame on the other The countenance of
the revered patriot must be very large, for it looks
quite natural and lie-like when the balloon is so
high in the air that the man in the car looks
scarcely half as big as mosquitoes bill.
We halted for the night on the emnence that
overlooks the fertile valley of the Rappahaunock
and the historic city Of Fredericksburg. During
the night the pontoon train moved down to the
river and laid their bridges The whole operation
was brilliantly conceived and successfully carried