Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-10-25

a gcldier's letter. No. 70.
THE BATTLE All FsnER's HILL.
HEADQUARTERS VERMONT BRIGADE, !
Mount Crawford, Va, Sept. rs. {

squire hour to-day and tell you that little, and
run thc rick Of telling you what may have been
told yJu . iJz times before II WAS a glof-
ous victory, even more glorious and complete
,aan that of Tho 18Th at Winchester 1t WAS
even better think than Gen Sheridan himself
had d4,oi to hope for. We captured twenty
pieces Jl oannon, and twenty five hundred well
prisoners, exclusive Of the dead and wounded
eit Ia oar hlnls + was al accomplished with
bat iew casualties inly about $50 in the whole
army-4ul b inflicted more Encouraging and
dam1sAI1ng overthrow TO the rebel ermy than
sny the7 had suffered before since the war
began.
We lsl Winches carly Tuesday morning
1he 20ta, tle day aftot The fight there, ami
reached s,rlsburg huIs alter noon. We
oanpai by the sdo OF ths pike IN The odss Of
che wlJl-, about haif mile from the town
lu rsaeli we're in the.f Did position ust beyond,
aaI iarlr pcss.s and ours were near enough
ta..,Ier to exchange shells quito j ,erally.
About alol Wednesday, the troops were or
tIel lut iJ .siriaish with tha eaqmy, sni ra-i
tia. taer position. Not much VAS done thaf
afraoan a4 apt skiruishiug, which 49, pretty
lively s1ms OF the time, though without loing
Us BOO comparatively l.tdo damage "o l5st
ioa men, and among them Corporal Thomas
Hlaso. ,be 8 Regiment, orderly 20 Con
Gtul auI Brigade color bearer tie was hji
Ih ,ua body 0ith cha co slgt and killod 10.
eanay oar troops threw up breastuork-
duaas Ga as4t
Thursday iatng ,he forenoon, iki-ns ue
was rs-.y lively i'll along tbs line, especially
io urt0' M, FIST division Our Brigade lay
comparatively qa.at behind ,he Sreastwork they
bod .-r4so up .bs night before. About noon
2. u0.r,l Gen. Sheridan With his stad riding
along Of ias, consulting earnestly wisa Cons
Wr'st, rs.ty ana o.ner oih,ers, AMI wo snr.
n .t.tHey sore studying slae siui Of
ta obeis, ,nd pretty soon We
ls. .i .l.; there WAS to be a grand attack II
commenced about the middle Of the afternoon.
us jl,l Zen ffac % ran where pleased,
llH.-1.. w1lld iadalge ia Ia. rare privilege
ot atnasInz tight As mere spectator. Is
80 a3 common sight Certainly 1t was worth
ya-roi soldering to see the enemy So Land.
sop. whipped, even though was having no
hsu4 i myself.
uur batteries had 40 excellent position IN
iran. NJ where our division lay, or had been
lAY.ns before tuey advanced, and j, WAS here
t.ns hummer and myself went out to wit.
n's- he charge tina, was going TO be made
C05t command had gone around BY the North
mountain lo tho extreme, to dSnk the enemy,
aud operate with Averills cavalry who were
srouu. there too. The 10Th Corps Joined with
Crook. aod The 9th Corps joinel on to the 10Th.
Our division under Gen Getty was DIVA in
a hollow pit just IN from, of US. The rebel
works we're on the opposite hillside nom one to
three miles Of, and it certainly looked like
formidable aud desperate undertaking to storm
those works, especia ly with troops that had been
hs'd as work dghtng, marching or digging,
night and day, almost, ever since we left camp
Monday morning Their works we're strong, and
The rebels had the utmost confidence il them
The citizens said they had been assured bv
Gen. Early himself, that he could hold ttst
place against any force the Yankees could brisg
against him, and they confidently believed that
it would be our ssre destruction TO attack him
taere. they prophe,ed again and again, tina,
we should be coming back the Winchester and
Sulsbarg road faster than We went up
But Gen. Sheridan vas Of different opinion.
There is no timidity about his character. He
knew be could whip Gen. Early, and he did it.
The attack CONNER eed about four O'Clock
While AverIIls oivarv and the Eigh Corps
we've stealing around on to their flank, we had
about 20 pieces of artillery pouring shot and
shsl INTO their works with marvellous rapidity
and accuracy IN front ten. Sheridsn was
there experimenting matters himsslf, and
G3ucrals Getty, Wright and others with him.
Tho robels had battery in a strong posito.
away on our right, aud Sheridan at 6tst directed
tha whole attention Of the cannoners to that
spot, throwing the shell into their works with
au accuracy that nothing Of aesh aud blood
could stand Gen. Shsritan was eagerly watch.
ins ha ehect Oh his work through his glass; and
seeing tho rebels leave their works, he threw
up has hands and says he with an elatlon that
he did nota attempt to conceal, They re running
ik hell, They re running like bell" lie then
sent orders with all haste to have Gen. Crook
advance his line and storm the works, while at
the same time he told the cannoniers to keep
up tue firing to prevent the enemy from rallying
and coming back TO their works again. As
Crooks liue advanced tho enemy uncovered a
hstt'ry from another point more Immediately IN
olt front ard opened upon him from ,bore.
Immediately Gen. Sheridan had every piece
sfajaed upon this new position God pity them
nlw Their destruction is inevitable. The
artillery ired With remarkable precision Al.
ta9ugh .lo rebels we're 81 far Of that YOU ceuld
10, distinguish man from mulc with the
naked eye, taoY would burst the shells ever their
works very rme an scatter the deadly irog.
mo;a right amongst lhem Scarcely shot
wac thrown away, and yo, it took them less
time TO sish' their pieces than an ordinary
hupar would cake IN aiming his riae at wo1d-
chuck. ocoisionSlly they sent shot amoDgs
US but their attention seemed to DO chiefly
directed to the Inns OF infantry that was advanc.
ug upon thgm, prettJ SUN they began to give