Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-02-11
Am ong the Pines of North Carolina.
JANUARY %, 1864

Yesterday we received our first In
stallment of recruits, three hundred and
seventy-flve as fine looking men as need
be, and Major Bartlett, who has the
matter in charge, reports one hundred
more that will join us in few days,
making the regiment about nine hun
| dred and severty-t've strong.
The officers and private OF tie regl-
ment are very smiling and happy over
our growing strength, but it would be
stretching the truth to say that any one
man took, or is like TO take a drink in
honor of each recruit. Such thing
might have been spoken OF, and why
blame any one 1t is not always that
we have reasons for feeling we'll Gen.
Butler has forbidden the sale of all spir-
ituous and malt liquors in his depart
ment, which is the best thing he has
done since he put New Orleans in order.
This war is working wonders, truly.
1t has made a good Maine law abolition
list out of Gen. Butler. t..
[This is partly incorrect; as we hap
pen to know that Gen. Butler, or Colonel,
| as he was then, was leading champion
of the Maine law" in the Massachu-
sets Legislature, as early as lS5l.-ED.l
The Ninth, with the other troops in
this district, are ont on raid to-day,
and may be gone a week. Company B
| does not 20, as A has post of its own
to guard some three miles from the reg
iment. Capt. Kelley, however, has gone
in command of the infantry forces of
the Ninth, and it is generally thought
he will do his duty in any emergency.
The regiment is stationed at Newport,
with one company (B) at Bogue Sound,
Company II at Gales Greek, and Compa-
ny f at Kennedys Mills. The health of
the regiment is good Only two men of
Company are sick, and those have
been sick six months. .
The weather here is delightful. For
ten days past it has been fair and warm.
We have some frost nights but no ice.
The frogs sing continually, and robins
abound. Yesterday at noon is was I'M
comfortably warm in the sun, and at 9
a. M. could sit in my room with no
fire, with the door open and my coat off.
Farmers are blowing around here, and
it is safe to say that the frost is all out
of the ground, for it has scarcely been
ia yet Still we are told that this has
been the coolest winter for seven years,
"right smart cold" and some of the ne
groes thought it too cold to work
This is not good farming country.
1t is very level and sandy. Not hill
can be seen; nothing but the omnipres-
ent pitch pines, which the people call
Turpentine Orchards and which are
the chief source of revenue. Sweet po-
tatoes will grow here, little cotton
and corn, and now and then few pea
nuts. There is but little fruit here, not
even blackberry, though the soldiers
do raise now and then a few apples, at
seven dollars a barrel. Cider is worth
twenty-five dollars per barrel, Sweet
potatoes are quite an item in the domes-
tic economy of this section, as will APP
pear from the following fact. The Cap
tain and myself made an evening call
not long since, at the house of one Of
the "F. f. N. C.'s," and after roasting
some of the potatoes in the fire place,
they pealed them, and passed them
4 round, all hot and smoking and soft and
sticky We took each our potato In our
fingers, and gnawed them with becom.
ing grace. f.ta;. n. 81. sI a.a1
| / am told that the common way of
waiting on people is to poke them pota-
toes out of the ashes with the toe of the
boot, kick them towards you and say,
help yourself !" but the Captain and
were evidently among refined people.
Uncle Sam is raising some white as
well as colored North Carolina troops,
and they will make good soldiers. Ma
ny of them have been in the Confeaer-
ate army, and have grown strong
through suffering. Some negroes here
have curious notions about Uncle sam.
! For instance, one Of them objected to
enlist for three years because Uncle
Sans time would be out next Spring,
| and then he did not know what would
happen. sssx,;
Our Government seems to be gather
ing soldiers from all parts this winter,
and we fondly hope and believe that
"this cruel war will be over" before the
year is past.
| We have mails here occasionally, and
sometimes oftener. The last daily pa
pers I saw, got in New York fifteen
days ago But we are contented to be
without news, as we long since learned
to live without the comforts of life.
| Ducks abound here. l think have
seen one hundred thousand in single
flock, and we might live on them, but
we cannot cook them. 1t may be
| thou pht Stro moo that vantaoS nc xya ara