Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-04-06
CAMP 10TH Mass. Vols. |
March goth, 1864.

MdTCn oOtn, TOUT.
Mr.. EDITOR To wear away the mo-
notony incident to camp life, my
brain has just suggested the idea of writ
ing to your paper Camp life is indeed
sluggish one; the days are so near alike
that can hardly keep the day of the
week. Everything here is so different
from home, that to man who has always
lived in the enjoyment of domestic felic-
ity it seems more like strange dream
than like IA living reality. The soldier
gets tired of reading. gets tired Of wau-
dering about camp. and gets tired of sit.
ting still His mind is constantly occu-
pied with thoughts of home, aud he is
longing for the mail to come. so that per.
chance he may get u letter; and when
that welcome visitor at length aries it
is then that for short time she soldier
enjoys himself. He lives over portions Of
his past life. and forgctfnl Of the present.
will be for hours building castles in the
air, which are to be, as he fondly hopes.
his future habitations But when the
dream is past. ana the old life returns
again, as he views his airy buildings ly-
ing shattered at his feet. with sigh. and
perhaps n tear, he again takes up his dali
ly round of monotopous duty and trudges
on to meet his destiny as soldier; but
| must change my subject to something
more tangible.
am a member Of the 9th Mass Vols.
second division, second corps, army of the
Potomac. We are encamped near Brandy
Station, in a good locality, with plenty of
good wood and water. The weather is
rather rough here now On the night of
the 23d, snow fell about ten inches. This
corps needs filling up very much. be-
lieve there is not a full regiment in it..
Mine. has about two hundred men. Some
Companies have but ten or twelve privates,
but there are plenty Of commissioned off,
GERS.
There is only one mon here with whom
was acquainted in Vermont, and he,
Charles W. Scott, of johnson. is fine
fellow, He is one Of natures noblemen.
Anything in his power be will do for "a
brother soldier, and in any enterprise,
however dangerous it may be. he is not
afraid to engage. Only this morning a
Lieutenant of my regiment, who had been
out on picket. came into camp with the
following report of him: He said that
on the previous evening, as a few of the
men were gathered near the Rapidan. they
saw approaching them from the opposite
shore, boat in which was two men. who
appeared to be Union prisoners trying to
escape When they had reached about
the middle of the river, squad of rebels
appeared on the other side in pursuit Of
them. firing upon them as soon os they
got within reach. One of the men war
wounded so that he could not swim, and
the other jumping overheard, swan toward
the union shore. The wounded man also
followed his example. but we saw that he
must perish, unless some one volunteered
to save hin; who would it be? 1t was
moment Of fearful suspense, but it wal
not long. Charles W. Scott came forward
aud stripping off his coat, swan to whcr,
! the drowning man was, drew him to tn,
shore and saved him. few shots wcr,
fired at him, but to no effect. Fifteel
minutes afterwards you might have sect
him drying his clothes by a neighboriDl
camp fire, MS il nothing had happened
call this bully for Lamoile 1t is no,
roll call and must fall in.
J Yours truly, 20.