Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-09-20
A Soldiers letter. No. 73.

EEIToR FREEMAN Camp life here in the
Valley is growing dul, and 80 am l. II the
reader wishes to partaso 0! the same spirit he
can peruse my letter The medicine is warrant
ed. Early and Sheridan are responsible lor this
extraordinary state Of affairs, and perhaps will
devise remedy before long. They both seem to
have been Waiting for the other to make the
first move. Cen Sheridan accommodated them
yesterday and last night we had brisk little
skrmish here. We defeated the rebels, csptur-
ing quite number Of prisoners, and some OF
their artillery. The multitude Of rumors in
regard TO it are so much at variance with each
other, that in the absence Of official figures or
official guesswork, it is difficult to tell how
great our victory has been. Some say we cap
tnred two guns and others say We captured eight.
The rebels outwitted themselves They saw our
cavalry approaching, ami sppposng our force to
be only cavalry Quito reonnotre, as usual,
they lay concealed, calculating when they passed
to gobble up the whole OF them The cavalry
passed by them as they had intended, and thus
lar their plan worked wdl but when they
turned about to gobble themup the Nineteenth
Corps came up, and the " gobbling was all
on the other side.
We are now about three miles from Berryvlle,
and about half way between Snickcr Gap and
Winchester. We lett our camp near Charles
town yesterday morning and marched up the
Valley, to guess at il, about ten miles, to this
place. We marched over the same road that we
did in going to otrausburg lod returning from
there. We are beginning 10 get lamiisr with
this road This is the tbirt time that we have
been over it in as many weeks.
During the last two wotks VIZ have moved
camp but twice. W have rested six days, and
marched on the seventh. This is reversing the
Scripture rule but ! am not sure but that it
will have a good effect 1t certainly seems bet
ter than paying no attention to the divine com
mand whatever. A week ago to-day, (to-day
is Sunday,) we left our camp near Harper 8
Ferry, and advanced to the same place near
CharIestown a week previous 1t was here that
the battle of the 2lst was fought, aud We had
advanced on to the same ground once more.
BreastwOtks were thrown up here, and artillery
got into position as if We intended to make a
permanent stand. The rebels had fallen back
but not so far but that our outposts had skir-
mishes with them, and at one time our cavalry
was driven in, when the Third Division of our
corps went outand made everything all straight
again. They didn't visit us after that, although
we had made every preparation for their recep-
zion, and were anx Gus 10 have them come.
Probably they remembered the lesson VT
taught them in their last attack That Scent
to have been more disastrous g. them by far
than it was to us. rebel prisoner says, thai
they lost three brgadier generals who were
disabled in that fight. Some Georgia regiments
suffered terribly. We saw a rebel grave where
there were eight buried, aud all were from one
company Our boys did not throw away their
ammunition in that fight Some OF the llth
regiment got a position 10 house, where they
were especially annoying to the enemy The
rebels were Obliged to shell the house to drive
them out After the battle was over Gen. Early
himself came and apologized to the inmates of
the house, for the course he had pursued. He
told them he was obliged to DO it, for eleven OF
his men had been shot from there, and our boys
were picking off his men with marked precision.
He promised them he would make it all up when
be got into Maryland The inmates of the
house took refuge in the cellar during the she'll
ing. We had picket reserve at the place a.
terwards, and the folks there showed the hoys
the havoc made By the rebel shot. They smash.
ed up one ancient and yenerated bureau, scat
tered the dirt and pasteriug over an elegant
bed, and committed various rdde capers 10 DIFF
icrent parts Of the house. The boys carried
away the old bureau, nearly the whole OF it, as
relies, for the bureau had historic interest, il
having as the owner claimed, narrowly escaped
a similar fate in the Revolutionary war; bu
the bed was lett untouched, and the carpet un
swept, and everything just as 1t was at the time
They did this to please the curiosity of theil
visitors.
Our camp near Oharlestown was in a yer,
pleasant locality. 1t overlooked tract Of coun
try the most Of which is level. The wide field
showed fertile soil, and are fair to look upon
They are just such as would please the eye of
practical farmer, In peaceablo times this ougb
to be rich and prosperous country. Transierre
to Vermont, and placed under the control q
our Vermont farmers, and many whole squar
miles of territory would rank next to our be'
intervale land. Churches, school houses an
neat cottages would spring up all around.
The inhabitants are all Of them bitterly rebe
dom know as saw but one man that elaine
; to be Unionst, and perhaps his sympathy fc
> the Union would have been less If we had ne
come there with wagon to carry off his ha,
lIo claimed to have about dozen Union neigl
bors in town, and he thought he deserved exlr
credit for being faithful among 50 many taitl
> less The old mans hay wasn't 50 good as "
wanted, 80 wo concluded to believe him, an
10 on to the next house--or barn father-au
y see what We could find there, Charlestown hi
d the notoriety Of being the place whore job
, Brown was tried and hung. The jail where
was confined, and the court house where he WI
tried have the appearance of being rough
treated from some cause or other. Large hol
welo punched through he brick walls Of bot
= buildings, aud from the street they looked as