Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-02-12
From the Ninth Prospect of "a longer
stay i'm Chicago What il is doing The
butternmto prisoners. dc., &c.
NINTH VT. Vols, Chicago,

NINTH VT. Vols, Chicago, Feb. 4.
EDITOR HERALD After two months
absence from my regiment find myself again
at home with it, and propose briefly to give its
friends notion of its whereabouts, its what
abouts and its howabouts, if | may be allowed
the expressions. And first, as to its where
abouts, it is still in Camp Douglas, near the
city above named echut we are about, is
guarding, with the 65th and l04th Illinois reg
iments, about 1000 rebel prisoners, and about
hoo0 we are, | hope | may inform you to some
extent in this epstle. When the Ninth was
| exchanged 1T was the desire and expectation of
all to go inio the field again, and an order was
| issued for us to 60 to Fortress Monroe, but
this camp was unexpectedly taken possession
of by the rebels aforesaid and the above or
| der was counntermanded before ever it reached
us. So it will be safe for the friends of the
Ninth ut home to believe that we are safe at
Chicago, and 1t is my impression that we shall
remain here for some time, perhaps till warm
weather; at least till these prisoners all die
Oft or are paroled. and when they will be pa
rolled you know as we'll as I.
We have to do guard duty once in three
days. and on such an occasion as night before
last, 1t is right smart" cold business;
but when of du.y we have comfortable bar
racks as the cracks on the one side let the
wind out as fast as it comes IN on the other
we have good stoves, q comfortable supply of
tuel and bedding, and enough to eat and to
spare. In word, We are well situated bet
ter than We could be knocking around in the
held, and say, let US herewith be content
Certainly this style of warfare Is not very ro-
mantle, and does afford many opportunities
for gathering laurels," but we can afford to
labor and to wait" trusting that the good time
VIII surely come. | hope our friends at home
will not think this guarding poor, miserable,
ragged, half frozen rebels to be a d.scracefui
business, but remanber that prisoners must ha
kept we'll as taken. We are the unfortu-
nate victims Of Harpers T rry notoriety, and
though we were not to blame, yet. we feel it |
quite unpleasantly,
The Ninth now numbers between 500 and |
600 men. Death, desertion, dismissal and re- |
enlistment into the regular army have disposed |
OF The rest. About one hundred have lately |
enlisted in the regulars. We muster only |
about two hundred men for guard duty. and |
where the rest are l cannot tell The health |
OF the regiment is compara lively good, I un-
defstand, and deaths are very few and far be-
tween. ...
Company musters between fifty and sixty
men, but We expect TO discharge two Or thr e
soon Young, Spauding, and perhaps Robe, .ts
Only three Of our company have died 81 .yen
have been discharged thirteen have en- listed
into the regular army and Illinois cavalry and
eighteen have deserted. The remainde 4, are
tough, hardy set of good fellows. We ara INST
being supplied with new Enfield Rifles. G)ur
camp is now under command of Gen. Am. oen.
and very strict discipline is maintained. But
few citizens are allowed inside, owing M
doubt, to the fact there are a greatmany acop-
perheads' about here, and ii would di sprace
even butternuts to associate with them.
few words about the q buttern MIS- - and T |
am. done for this time. They are o. .,iecs of ptv
clad and indifer snfly warmed
1t present, but good prospec { ahead. when
things are put in order. The think tbennsel- |
YES well fed, and consider &C flee a luxury =
But looks tough to see the I'm huddling aronnd |
nfes IN the open air, with the mercury below |
zero and the wind blow .ng as only Western |
WINDS know how to bl" ow. But they have all |
5ot stoves IN their qu .arters now, and are ready
q I'VE. Qolte a NJ 4mbor have died since they |
,ame mere, ana I'd e Times says they froze to |
ieath, but Whet ler the statement is one of the |
, S"SeS eAceptf onal truths or customary lies
ne reader ca'ADot tell. The Tribune states,
on good a'dthority," that it is lie These
e1eis are motley gang. Their blankets are
'eo olankets and Others of all colors and sz-
3 ana BITS OF carpets of all stripes, most of
when they say they got out of Union houses
the South. al States of the Confederacv
re represented here, and somso of them helped
axe Harper's Ferry.
IL Is reported that one thousand more pris-
ners are oa ther way here.
As heretofore, yours, &c. b.