The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-05-27


Here" responded the chief cook, crowd
ing out OF panchO with considerable haste.
Go up to the quartermaster and draw
ratlohs for the company, and cook them for
morning. jim, Charley, 90 up with him
and help him carry them down. Remember,
all who havn't got their regular party rounds
go up and get them Of the captain or cape
if you are short of them"
l siezed kettle near by, together with
Charley Stinge, and We followed Summer on
his way to the commissary tent, and the bal
ance scattered to their tents to hurry their
preparations.
$50 We are off at last, it seems, | remark
ed to Charley.
"les, and by Jove, I'm glad of it. l am
sick Of this tiresome waiting. Hurrah for
Yorktown."
The sentence ended in a shout that was
echoed by fifty voices, and ran the length Of
the regiment
Won't it be gay now, JIM" continued
Charley, Che was townsman and a school
hoy friend Of mine), to write nome some let
ters about real soldering, marching, bivou-
acng and fighting. | feel as though could
go to Richmond tonight, alone, on my per
sonal cause, even if old MagruGer himself
vas plump in the middle 70 the road Well,
if We fight somebody must get hunt: won.
der who will be the first one in company a
to fall"
"Not YOU or I, I hope, Charley. You,
for your mothers and sisters sake; |, for
my own"
Nearly two years have rolled away in the
steady, unwav verng mark of time, since the
night We sat around The camp fire at Hamp-
ton; two years, such as are ages in the his
tory Of nations and the life Of man. Two
long years of wars high carnival, Of battle
and siege, victory and defeat, and the broad,
blood-stained doors of the James Temple
are swung open in the not blast which comes
from the south 20 be closed, alas We know
; not when.
Friend and foe have fallen and rivers have
run crimson, rnd bright fields have been
stained with the blood Of patriot and traitor
in what We were wont OF old to term the
sunny southern portion Of cur land. De
vastatioa has triumphed where the suns Of
years had seen only noble industry and lis
golden fruits; and armies Of men, that find
10 equal since the days OF Cyrus or the Cid,
have risen, Ike the myriad warriors, from
he dragons teeth. and melted away agaiL
t-F... al =. .-,ui.iu5 hr5.... y; VA, the
grass Of the plaire droops before the flame.
As fsf our friends Of the evening irr,
they, toe, have shared wei. in the ob!isious
dream. Upon this banner gollcn letters, ali
tora and djstigurcd by the gaping rents oil
she'll and shot ard bayonet thrust, spell out
the historic names Of feds which will live
forever IL the annals Of time. Yorktown,
Hanover, Fair OaAs, Gaines Mills, Malvern,
Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, VII
derness and Gettysburg are MI there, and
low a weary few stil! bear TIE tattereI stan
dard Of their state and country, sick at Soul
m:.h H.. ,.,,r;,.r, ,o,a ..,,a so,,o ,f NO, IN,
s,o..,or ,t bao,, ,b,n over =, the v.r, wa,k.
,sss of ,La;r c,,r,.a.s =, ,b.. c,,>e of rich,
a,l tha;r land And vho fell first in Go !:
w.. .t.u ho,r
,u.. h.l,., d,,.,l-n, l,,. ,nao.ons
s,nd ,a,,o.t vor,,to,ro ;n -, G,.t wool, o,
The ,iere \ number Of rs of "a. were
detailed for scourinp dYtv and for the Dur.
nose Of advancing he rifle ri.; bevoDl the
r,nbeyed knoll whrre cur njcke,, fingered.
L vaS early in the ora, dawn of mornirp
As We advanced from the cover of the Diut
! thickets derIovrd in line as skirmisbers =,
, b,lf di<tarc, Rphind rs were some squads
in fatigue, with nick and shovel while tbe,
sank heir hastv n;ts
:. We had proceeded a short distance in tht
omen nIain, scannino the dim outline Of tb,
f hostile Notifications as they loomed through
tbe morning nists and searcbina the undu
'a,ino surface, fer aupbt tb,t m,sbt nrove
, hidden ambuscade,
, With s,,,, ood droo.;,,. sta, ban+ bo5;e
o,l s,,,;,,:r.,, o,.o, ,.o ,ressoJ o,,,rord ,;,,
,,s,vo,,s fr cove or cold trigoor o,d u,;t;r,
,ba rh;Io tbo no1oo,,o " Hol,,u rb;ob ;