Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-05-24

'he rto Of sam Wilkinson, the 1ri1uue cores
o'd'nt ~ which paper We find E
FttogucRBrlo, "a SuLd.y MoInnr. ;
May Is, 1864
ls II IN harmony with GJd's laws thai TIN.
family Of martlns, dwelling agoits Il G edo o
'h5 mansion opposite my window, should max,
tis Sabbath morning NOISY with opetsuc song
hd bird talk, and should Huttei homtward aud
"waJ rom home, on shorl journeys Of pleasure
"..I niulte variety Of lO1e-talk to eaol other
ana very capers Of song IN the air as they come
and As they go--that these martins should du
q ls, and tnat, at the same ume, line Of ambu-
iances, Whose beginning cannot see and whose
end cannot mea ure, should ii the street DO.
meath the Joyous birds, and be loaded with
wounded IRON the Wilderness battlefield Who
4roan, and call Tor cold water aud wonder why
'ney "ait There Is harmony, uuque.uonaJly,
DetNeen the nOisy happiness Ui the sOngstels Of
tAe "iI "nd tue establishment Of Freedom upon
lhedestrncuon u Slavery y reyoluriJo and war
lne freedom OF happy civilization and the
freedom OF BIRDS arc no. OF wlde-apart klnship-
aud cy.zIuOu comes not save through blood
and WOUNDS, ana death.
Inis train VI wounded is 1eayy with mud
the mules and harnesses are hid vi III mud It
Las come twelve miles over such roads as war
NOne makes. Ia places the larger wagons had
" be pred out OF the deep holes wuh trimmed
lfces The delays Of the entire lrain from this
cause we're frequent and long. The depth Of
ih.se hoies, ana Tie instinct and tabt Of the
Isad and middle team OF mules to trlt away from
wagon IN sudden descent, IN orjer 10 escape
ne "hippIetreis, inflicted on the unfortunate
wounded, blows AMI irs excrucatlngly tortur-
ing and that wasted their remaining vitality.
Over every rod OF ne way and IN the best two.
horse spring ambulances, a jArring motion wa
communicated by the absence Of half the pilnks
on The planked side Of the road and the ruts
and holes cut into the clay side during week
ram BY the transportation machinery OF an army
OF az hundred thousand men. Ga such high
way and in such manner did these poor tel
lows who stretch their hands out OF these ambu
nces and army.wagons lor tn-cupslull OF water,
painfully tfayel-sJme with arms off at the
shoulder some with legs uf above the knee
some absolutely with an ann and leg both of,
hundreds shot through the leg or the arm or tile
breast, some with the horrible wounds Vi tn.
lace, even 10 tie loss of the Jaw and the destruc-
tlon Of speech-all presenting in the aggregate
every possible variety Of gun-shot wound ana
all the victims Of Slavery.
There wero in fredericksburg last night ,sa'
urday) 6,Ol0 wounded soIdiers in the hospital
How many lightly wounded, were living Sub
siant'ally the hives Of stragglers, and nursing
their own hurs, not even the Provost Marshal
can at present tell There were shipped from
Belle PLAIN, to Washington up to yesterday,
v728, am told. But the six thousand and ten
here-Whcro are they?
Where are they not' Turning from an IN
'pecton Of the strange effect Of shell IN the
brick masonry OF dwelling 10 a neighboring
street, stepped in my walk upon ihe litter of
lawyers office Old wits out Of the Virginia
Court OF Chancery, writs Of feri jacias bills OF
G st every thing incidental to the Old practice
OF Oh aged common law aud equity lawyer coy-
cred tue brick pavement turned cuIiously to
Look into the den, whence this ejectment had
been made. SIX soldiers lay ID II, each with q.
leg Of above the knee, each bedded only On
blanket, All pale, none murmurlng, none shrink
ing from the destiny Of waE. These we're yete
rams, and as they were cared for, and the ms.
fortunes and courage made them sacred from
curiosity, passed with q reyerenual bow Of the
head, and looked into the open doors OF the
next building with the gildcd sgu OF merchant
over it-an abandoned and empty store e.
Abandoned but not empty. But the long ooun-
i'is were covered with wounded s1liiers-and
through the wide intervening space where women
10 the halcyon days Of peace ald Slavery, had
turned over silks and louhd fault with laees, our
warriors from the W ilderness ay thick, and not
nj m ur f... II ha
building likewise was an abandoned ST re, and
ts counters were hospitals for our braves. And
here was resignation and an acceptance OF the
ate OF war IN their faces as they looked up from
heir bloody and dirty blankets. Where are not
hese wounded In yards where pumps arc,
hey set water and slt On the earth and molsen
heir bandages aud cool their burning. In all
The many wooden tenements vacated by the b0m-
stripped aiterward OF doors, windows
md weather boarding up to the second story
hey are to be seen sitting and having the appear.
ince OF waiting, either IN wearlnesS or expeeta-
ion or uncertainty making no parade OF naked
Irms bloOdily handaged, and Of bloody baudages
hown through great holes slit with knives IN
heir trousers, and left unpnned to let in cold
water and cool air and OF hlaok-bandaged hands
.ud feet taking on glossy crust outside the
'loth-lhe measure of the length OF neglect.
IN every side.walk men pass you strengthng
wounded and bandaRed leg as thcg 60, with
lole on which they lean their whole weight,
md as 1t were propel themselves They SIT band
ged on door steps Bandaged aud muddy, aud
very, with only canteens Of water beside them,
hey sit on curb-stones in every street Every
where men IN Frederal blue, and with some
mark OF blood and battle upon them, walk slow
y with canes freshly cut IN the woods, and in
Iuire for corps hospitals And these all are the
.ictims OF Slavery.
Every church in the city is a hosI ital, and
very one is full. Outside OF each are wounded
oIdiers ready 70 take the places Of those who
lie within, or are sent to Belle Plain Every
'uhlic building is hospital, and is full. All
he large dwellings are hospitals ln small
louses all over the city our wounded are to be-
ouni The warehouses, large and free in the
over story, especially built for the great trade
n agricultural manures, are occupied by 50 dIers
wing in rows, upon muddy aud bloody blankets,
md nurses 70 up and down the alleys of these
naimed or helpless ones with pals OF ice.water.
Their only talk is Of the great battle. Those
\ no don't talk give no sign that they are not
eteuns aud equal to any fate which the cham.
liousbip Of Freedom may bring In their ST.
ente is visible courage which wounds cannot
ubdue. And all those are the victims Of Sla.
cry.
Torn to pieces by my personal contact with
his huge war calamity, walked away from it
or relei out Of town to the level plain Mt the
North West TO commence there the study of
jurnsides battl, o. fredericksburg On the
dgc OF the plain was huge grain warehouse.
ike the freight depot Of an important railroad
way station. And by different roads men lean
ng heavily on poles as they walked, and pro.
ceiling themselves, were going to il, and inca
.lowy carrying knapsacks we're going to it
md about FAY, as they looked to my imperfect
4. u. 4. A.. l..t..,. ha,,. ,T -.