Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-04-15
A Visit to the Vermont Brigade.

my of the Potomac. Our profane Yam
kee feet have trod the SACRED soil Of Vir
ginia," Having returned sale and SOUND
our readers will expect us TO tell them OF
what we saw and beard, and give our
impressions Of things in general and the
army in particular. We proceed to dc
SO, promising however that the weather
was such as to preclude our seeing sc
much as we should under more favorable
circumstances. We visited all the regi
ments of the Vermont brigade, but spent
the most of our ime--fve days and sew.
en- nights-with the third, fourth aud sixth
regiments, We found the boys enjoying
themselves and in high spirits, having
plenty to eat, to drink, and to wear, and
camped upon side hills where in wet
weather-and that is at least one half OF
the timc-the streets of their cloth villa
ges can be free from mud. We found
camp life much more tolerable than we
had anticipated and the duties Of the SOL
der much lighter than we had supposed,
for we have read and been told OF the
almost endless drills, reviews and ditch
diggings, which the army had to 60 thro'
with in the first eighteen months of the
war, when spades were trumps, till we
had come to believe that dijching and
drilling was the almost hourly occupation
of the soldier But this senseless insti-I
tuition Of Gen. Mcclellan we were told
by our boys is pretty much "played out, "
and now about all that is required of
them is TO keep themselves and their ac-
coutrements clean, attend to all the roll
calls, take their chances at picket--a very
disagreeable duty in wet weather-and
keep their boots BACKED for inspection
how senseless this last regulation!
HEALTH-HosPITALs
We found the health of the boys TO be,
generally speaking, remarkably good
In the hospital of the fourth regiment
there we're but six cases and most of
these were from measles; all were doing
we'll, and having tho attention of an ex- I
ellent physician from the 49th New
York, who takes the place of Dir. Bixby,
Eho is now in Vermont as the boys ex-
ress the hope on "long furlough. - &c
There are few cases however not in the 81
ospital which can be as well served in VI
heir tents as at the hospital. These are !"
enerally rheumatics. Among those who Ia
re suffering from this complaint we I
'und our old friend Joseph p. Woodbu- III
of Irasburgh, who with tent mate ID
as been laid up several weeks and are "
OF improving, For this complaint the u
leather in winter and the tents whichle'
he boys occupy are very poorly calcula- "
cd to afford any sort of relief; aud the 70
atient has only to "grin and bear it" as "
hilosophically as he is able till warmer u
nd dryer weather. AS to tho exact "a
lumber Of sick IN the hospitals Of the 8
Their regiments we did not inquire, but :,
we're informed that the number was very u
mall. We found the hospitals much y
more comfortable than we had supposed, -
md there is this in their favor that peo- II
'le at home do not think of: one who il o
accustomed to live out Of doors and rough U
I every day, living almost entirely in the =
open air, will not suffer that inconven- Z
ence when placed in a tent hospital that "
would beset citizen. A soldier ia not
% liable TO take cold in a tent hospital u
where there is moderate circulation Of L
pure air, as he would be to be transfer y
red from the field to warm house and
close air. 10 prove their excellence we
have only to add that the sick of the re- "
yimental hospitals always get along bet y
er than those of the general hospitals "
where they are enclosed with walls of "
wood. We make these remarks to ease :"
he fears of those who may have friends .
u one Of these field hospitals, Y
PHYSICIANs-NURsEs.
Of physicians and nurses we must of n,
'ourse give the preference to our homes 81
n Vermont, where we have a plenty Of i
10th and those that are good. In the n
'rmy this cannot always be the case the
physician may be as good as any we have d
It home, but If be is not it is exceedingly
lard for the invalid, foF he must take him ;.