Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-01-26

veterans sometimes appear little too fast
We shall all be sober enough no doubt by and
BY when we get back to the old camp to com
mence our new term, cur furoughs out and our
money spent but it is soldiers style to i'm
prove the present and never worry abou! the
future.
We left our camp near Brandy Station, on
the morning Of the 4th Of January, several days
later than We had intended. The anxiously ex
pacted paymgster, who was to settle up with
the veterans for Uocle Sam, pay US our bounty,
aud give US our lurlough, did not make his ap-
pearance In the Second Regiment till the Sd
INST Of course we had begun to grow very
impatient. For over two weeks we had been
expecting him almost hourly. The boys began
to denounc6 fim az the slowcst official IN the
whole financial department, and THAI is saying
great deal although paymasters have generally
done ter business with US with snail-ke alac-
rity We had at first expected our furloughs
by Christmas, but finding ourselves cheated out
Of that, We stilI hoped and expected to get home
By New Years day. But the old year faded
away, and the new one commenced and still the
paymaster delayed coming v hen we inquired
as u his whereabouts, We were always told that
he was il the third or the fourth regiment, or
the third brigade. bot he was Away coming to
our regimunt Immediately, Sometimes we heard
that be had actually come, and we hurried out
Of cur tents t.. the important parsonage but
only 70 return again, our hope hopelessly de-
ferrej and to think how pleasant 1t is to be one
of tho lower grade Of government employees,
with the privilege Of being waited upon by Off
ca dignites much higher up. Disguised with
50 much delay, Lieut.. Bailey, our recruiting
officer went in search Of another paymaster
hut whether he succeeded in bis mission or not,
| never inquired only know that the next
morning il was announced that the paymGster
had really come, aud before nigh; we had dis
charge paper and very respectable pile Of green
oacks in our hands. The prospect now Of going
home ior thrty-fyo DAYS seemed to have ap-
preached ertanty, as had also the prospect
Of serving in the army for three years more /;
but this last prospect we rcsolutely refused to
think Of
Some OF the boys started off at once that
night, but the majority concluded to wait unit
morning. Too eserishly impatient to allow the
time to pass in It's natural way, the boys tried
: every expedient to hurry the hour along that
was to see them on their way home Some oi
them were up three or four hours before day
light with their breakfast eat and everything
ready to start, Notwithstanding, they had beer
. told again and again, by the best authority thai
The cars would MT leave the station for Wash
iugton sooner than zine O'clock in the forenoon
Before FIVE clock in the morning some Of th'
bows were at Brandy Station, waiting for thei
transportation Every minute seemed Of az
granting length, but We had to curb our I'm
patience for we could 90 mo further till the righ
hour had come The provost marshal was std
= 10 his bed ,aad the locomotives that we're fist +
leave the station were to all human appearance
= sound asleep. But as it grew light the men be
nine o'clock We had seen the provost marsha
got our transportation to Washington, and 500
. We were on the way. Was it indeed posslbl
that we bad started for home? Parents, broth
ers, sisters and friends, were we soon going
re see them face to face? And then after spendin
few short days with them, We were going
re return to fight three long years more, or find
soldiers grave in old Virginia. 1t might be, bu
!. there WAS no retreat now. We had conclude
tia, We wanted to stay and see the war brougt
y to a close now that We had fought SO long, an
We had put our hands to the plow SO that "
could not look back DOW if we would, and "
would not il we could.
he Having been engaged in our country's serviC
50 long, and proved our ability to endure II
' tolls and pryauons, it never occurred to US th'
II our services brought a lower price in the mark
than those of new recruits. But such seems
c, have been the case with the most of us. Som
. get the bounty offered at home, while others
not. If the quota of any town happened to !
full before the Selectmen were officially notihe
.r Of our reenlisment, the soldiers from that tow
get no bounty. A great many expected 1t, b'
an were disappointed They did what they cou
- to secure it, and felt that it Justly belonged
them, if to anybody but it depended entire
upon circumstances whether they received it
not They had only to stand and look on al
~ see the cards played by others, and il they we
winner they could pocket their bounty, but
II they lost nobody was to blame Thus two tC
"A lows might enlist from the same company, oil
49, would get bounty that in all would amount
: $702 at least, and perhaps more, while anoth
- who enlists to DO the same duty in the san
ir place, and whose name counts just the same
-, the credit of Vermont, gets only his s4O2.
-, ~ is strange chance game and very unjust, I
oh New Jersey boys that re-enl;'t get very near
h, one thousand dollars bounty. All who enlist
~ belonging to New Yory city, get the Coun
10 bounty paid there, and SO they do in almC
:. every other State. Are not Vermont troops
.on good as any3
- The members oi the old brigade will hare
-, feel reoonced to that kind Of usage. Of fcou
w il is none of our business il another soldier g
,, a thousand dollars, or million even, if we
-. what is due u.s. at least such is the style OF r,
i5o sonng that some adopt but those who adopt
ween would be hardly willing to subt