Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-12-27

VI Wv P'uO"'nS uV'ui am prevent ~ pos
slbe, y0ur hands and l9os from freezing and
your BODY from becoming chilled through. You
nave 40 hopes OF keeping comfortable, but Sou
aoPc 10 live, and you determine to submit to
your LOT md suffer for your countryJ e.ieas
I4naIy as possible. But your disconi3l.s
are not all ooume iased Jet. II begrs 10 storm,
and the snow sits down with rapidly seldom
ever known in Virginia or Maryland Y5ur
o!anlet got9 covered three, four, FIVE elk, inches
deep and sill it keeps comipg. The snow melts
on your blanket, and you feel it wetting you
tmousl to the skin. l5trckles down on to Tie
door Of the osr making nasty mud with tis
coal dust, dirt aud SCOT, as black as ak, aaI as
cold as ice, an yoa feel ibis mud soaking
through your clothes and making your 81 c,ld
go. lcnaIa5el But you mus. not sIf Every
movement rattes down % orc SNOW on e. sour
y'd end max .3 your position so mach The moro
oolerab!o. And { YOU get On, or Jour P,s-
zion where will you 20 to ? There is no place
IN the platform for there is 10 platform and if
,her3 were, you could no, stand or 81. there and
survive an hour without an oycrcoat and with
your clothes wei and frozen When Napoleon
marched his wretched army through tbe qnogg
Of Russia on his retreat from its Inflated cam.
cal his soldiers bad at least the simple psyiIege
ol keeping themselves warm by cxerciso but no
sleh privilege was ours here Yet Ibis isno,
..L You AFRO supposed u be made Of A.sh AMI
bones and nerves, and though you may be wiki
hay % liz 10 an unnatural and cramped up po-
sci q, they mot They demand chaaeo.
md t4clr demand must Le needed or 7our torture
becomes absolutely iusupportaee But if YOU
are held as in q yiee AMI cannot move, what
.hon2 Gould the Spanish Inqu.iti9n produced
anything moro cZquisite'y torucuting? llis
i'no fancy picture. i is every word true
AN told that two men on that train died during
tho night know many Of The boys had ir1a-
.tten hands and feet, aud some were 70 chilled
through that they did not get over /. o. several
i4le Some have not recovered from he cgc.s
0f ity,t
iaa train was heavy and novel 'erg WY.
Cong up the grade at Mt. Amy low mi.es
sas. d The Monochcy, it stopped entirely, Tho
wiling engine pulled and lis Wheels rsy0.9ei
.ut the train budget not IN inch, and hey ha1
30 20 llr an extra looJmJt.ye While ws,tius
hero some IT the boys got Oh the tr-iu, bn.li
.uem VI i DIRE and stayed by il vi. morning
Ih.y -aois they would stand a court martial
before they would stand such treatment any
iouger some were 50 chilled ADD lsaumbat
,aov ull neither stand nor walk
call that the longest night ever knew.
have read somewhere story OF nigh,, ,.il TO
b lie longas, on rs;ord, because man foiad
a.mso.l shut up with ghost, Ct au lPPaut..r,
or something Of that sort, aud had TO remain in
mortal terror till daylight but doubt il there
was man On that train who would not Lave
exchanged Lis place roF q dungeon Oiled With
all the ghosts, apTaritons OF hobgobbns, that
i've Yankee ever saw, if that dungeon had only
been warm ono, or had a good bed 10 1t.
Bat morning como az last, AMI thc air grew
warmer somewhat, but the storm dd 10. oaass
entirely /. changed to rain and -.cct. Asa
station where ,be train halted just at iay sut
to supply tho engine with water and e)al, es
was trying to warm myself by the engine fir,
we amused - see the as.snisnment Of rail.
road oHcial OF some sort, who came out 10 in
qlfe Of the conductor IL regard % s3ne OK
| prrss matter, when be saw the train was loaded
Wit soldiers, riding in that kind u woltb,r
aud IN that Kind Of style " What kiaA Of
load have You got this morning Conductor?
+" Soldiers, slr.n But what have y0u rot On
those open cars" Qt was hardly light aud
the boys we're covered up with their biankcts)
-" l.iiers sir, nothing but soldiers The ger
,lemAu was completely bawliderel lie seemed
at loss to comprehend what s1ft OF material
soldiers were made OF that they could live uu !or
such exposure. " Good God. says he " what
shame - and i; ,cas a shame. This Is no
excuse for it. The conductor SAID there were
plenty Of box ears that might have besn pro-
yded ls well as those open care. As he not
very mildly expressed It we w.rs pack Of
fools for allowing oursa yea to DO 50 msaniy
cared for.
Tao train increased its speed as 10 pass,d
-i.as doNu the P4tapsc) ri er towards the Re-
lay uouse, much to our delight, for We were
getting impatient TO have our drelry ride con.
cluded. 1t was not really 50 very coli during
Saturday forenoon, but our clothes were wet
and We were tired, hungry and cross, end We
had no stamina to withstand the tts cold there
was Through many Of the LITTLE villages along
the route, the ladies waved their hlndkcrchicis
and little Gags to us as We passed, tut the boys
were IN POOR humor to respond, aud We passed
along in grim silence, taking no notice Of their
kindly meant homage
After many delays we finally 60: TO Wash
ug on, /. was between three and four clock
in the afternoon. Here W, hoped, at least, we
should have the privilege of going INTO bar
rAeks at the Soldiers Retreat, and giving cur
clothes and warming our'eiyee, getting US some
caf,e, and perhaps ltllc rest, lut We were 10.
granted oven this, The tram moved right by
che Retreat, by the depot, across Pennsy lyania
Avenue, along in front Of our grand and NOES
tIc Capitol aud SO on down to tue wharf
Congressman wero standing at the gateway en-
trace to tho Capitol yard watching with Curl
Gus interest the soldiers as The train moved by.
Wonder Il they g.yc US credit for what we had
just endured for country and freedom We
got aboard the transport Massachusetts, Satur'
urdlv niphi and Monday about noon we landed