Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1864-01-08

FROM THE CAMP AT BRArTLEBoRo

DECEMBER. 81, 1868.
Friend Journal Very little of interes
has called on your correspondent to write t,
you for some time Now the grand rush
of recruits, at the rate of nearly three hund
red per day, seems 20 be quite an item. ant
one worth recording. Vermont will ill he
quota first of any one
" Glory to Old Vermont she stands
Where freedoms star hath never set;
Tho dim her light on other lands.
IL shines upon the mountains yet"
| met on the from New York on
Christmas day, Owen Lovejoy Of Illinois, and
General Jim Lane Of Kansas. They spoke OF
Vermont and her troops, and paid her this
compliment "A small State, but a grea,
people. Cold in cline, but warm in heart
and patriotism Honestly spoken and true.
The recruits are of very fair sample OF
Vermont boys. The majority of them are
about nineteen or twenty, and will make very
good troops. The usual amount of sharpers
are here and the "broker's game has become
worse than the "shark game" played on
sailors. Many apoor recruit gets about $50,
and the broker pockets the remainder OF the
$500. In one case broker sold three boys
for 5000, and gave them $50 each to say
nothing about il
The number of deserters brought in during
the Fall amounted to nearly one hundred. -
The hospital has about $50 patients, and all
the work is done by Captain Dfew's company
Of the lnvaids. Furmerly there were about
IS sound men MS attendants here; now there
are none but lnvalids, tho well men having
been sent TO the front. Does the Invalid
Corps do any gdoda
Besides the dutic. At the hospital the invalids
are very busy in acting as guards IN forward
ing recruits to The front. There are two
Companies of eonscripts here on duty, but it
is presumed that they will be sent TO the
front in the spring, as the Inyalids, can do
all the work here.
The recruits are being forwarded to Wash
ington is detachments of from l60 TO 500, in
charge of officers sent from the front Our
Lieut.. p. s. Bancroft, formerly Captain in
the l03 Pa regiment, has been restored to
his rank of Captain in the Corps There are
few who retain the same rank in tho Invalid
Corps they held formerly, and few are APP
pointed in comparison TO the nnmber of APP
pcants There is another company Of
lnvalids forming under Captain Bancroft
Our company number 100 men, and has Is
one armed men, 3 one-legged men, so woun-
ded men, and 10 cases OF poison by malaria,
Captain Drew's health improved so rapidly
for a while this winter that be began to think
of being examined for the front, when from
over work he again brought on his chronic
disease and is now unable to leave the
grounds. 1t seems a terrible disappointment
to him, and does not improve his temper in
the least. Whenever we see the dark blue
lines under his eyes, and the CHASTITY yellow
tinEe on his right temple, we look sharp to
our duties, and "stand from under" yet no
kinder man ever lived, or one who looked af
ter the wants of his men better but he
makes every thing Jtte when any thing goes
wrong The guard reports show very ex-
cellent record for the last two months only
three cases of " drunkenness" and two of
"absence without leave and these fellows
will soon be discharged. This mornings re-
port shows 80 men for duty, 3 men on extra
duty, | absent with leave, sick, on de-
tached service. This is a fair average for the
month This record would do credit, even
to Captain Starts voterdnS.
Yours as ever, ARTHUR