Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-04-26
Our ll1ar Correspondence.
A Soldiers Letter. No. 58.
CAMP YgAR BRANDY STATION, VA,
April 7th, 1864.

hprl IN, 1904
EDITOR FREEMAN We have just had vhl
j, here known as general inspection The in
.pection occupied but very few minutes, and
as take, the place Of our regular drill this Of.
ternoon sc shall have nothing iuriher to do ill
night The pleapntesi way that | can think o
to spend these idle moments is to peu few lines
70 the FRgkHiv. though am afraid it is almost
imposing upon good nature TO attempt to offer
anything for entertainment when the times are as
dull as now. have been tolerated so long hat
my selfc0nfdeni assurance has grown immensely,
sud if keep on writing don't know but that
10Y habit Of writing for the FREEMAN will by and
By become seated and incurable. But cannot
help il. When | know that the readers Of the
FREEnAN include but very few sneering copper
heads if any a, all, and that all are interested
10 the soldier. welfare, and interested in the
cause for which We are here, It is very easy aud
pleasant to write, aud cannot resi,, The ,empta-
ioa, and will rot try.
The sig Of al advance movement begin to
thicksn. Suffers have been ordered away, and
there !, uow | understand, an order at headquAr-
ters for the men to pack up, to be sent Oft, every
article that NO do not need, such as extra cloth
ing, oyecoAts, blankets, and the like, a, has been
our custom every spring. These are only pre-
lminary movements aud really indicate nothing
immediate, bu, so far as we know, the army may
be ordered to move within week. We have
had considerable vet rainy weather Of ate, which
will doubtless re,ard operations some. few
that are prone to propsesy say tha, ii is doubtful
4 we move from here before May. But We sol.
ders trus, this matter is in wiser hands than our,
and when they consider that the proper time has
arrived for action, and order US forward We shall
60 eheerully and confidently, whether the time
be sooner or later. II seems to be the prevailing
opinion here in ihe army, that We are at last to
have camfaigu that will for once be really ." short
sharp, and decisive" aud | will add, victorious.
Great confidence . elt in the plans that General
Grant will adopt, and the means that he will have
TO use in crushing the last vesIige Of this Heaven
tends from the Atlantic 10 the Mississippi, from
Mobile to Washington, we may reasonably expect
concert Of action in the coming campaigns tha,
will ensure US success and victory. God grant
that we may not be disappointed.
Success and victory whose heart does no, beat
quicker at the thought What consequences will
have been achieved when this great rebellion shall
have been forever humbled 1t not merely that
this terrible war may be ended, and we safely at
liberty again, that we hope to conquer our ens-
mics and be once more at peace, but that the
great principles Of free government, whose worth
no mind short Of Infinite Wisdom can estimate.
and which even after the world has stood so long
i,st considered an experiment, may not be over.
thrown, aud the progress OF civilization and free.
dom may not be rolled back for ages, or receive
a blow from which they may noyer recover. We
are anxious of course 10 get out Of th. war, for
we long most earnestly to return to the almost
scored hlls and valleys Of old Vermont, bu, we
are not SO anxious for this, as we are that the
filth Of the world in the intelligence and virus Of
the common people, aud their ability 10 govern
themselves and maintain national unity without
being rent asunder by internal strife and discotd
"A filth that despols the world over profess 10
sneer at, and hold to be delusion, and which
stimulates the noblest energies Of the masses Of
msnknd-,hai this may be maintained, increased
and perpe,uated. If these principles succeed, ,
Slavery must fall, and fall forever The two are
a. anmgonislicsl that, even il both are right, or
neither Of them, men embracing each could not
possibly live together in peace, unless we are to
suppose thu. Gcd has given them larger spirit
Of forbeannoe than il vouchsaf.d to humanity in
general There never was area unity between
them, and there never can be. Slavery is relic
OF the darkest ages, aud the poorest government
on eauh is better in principle than that. II We
are going to have free government OF all, let u,
have it all free, or else we had better give up the
name Slavery has fosiered an arstooracy of the
rAnkest Kind, ard this aris,ocucy is the bittetest
foe that a really free government can have. SA.
very and despolsm have challenged war with US,
aud by /, she must abide. Slavery was jealous cI
the Comslier strength that Freedom possessed /,
and maliciousy envied her irresistible march on.
ward to higher destiny. Slavery drew the