Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1865-02-01
From the Irasburgh Standard.
THE FIRST TWO NIGHTS OF OUR
IMPRISONMENT AT PETERsBUGH.

long W DC remeh'eteh Wy ldi &c PoTuo'
of the 4th and 18th Vermont regiments
as day when we were disappointed il
our ''grip"-not grit; that we were seri
ously and sadly taken in; which a
first caused many melancholy look from
the couutenances of US poor "gobbled
Yanks.
1t was a little after noon. if remembe
Alright. when we were ordered on to tn,
skirmish line in search of the lost Isracls
We soon found the long-haired ludicrou'
looking scoundrels strung all along il
front of us as though they were suspic
ious of our coming. We deployed and
advanced up over the brow of the hill
and released our bullets, and then fell
back to load Sometimes we would bt
pretty close on to the shaggy chivalry
At one time though saw something move
be hind a pile of brush crawled eau.
tiousl y up as though | were catastrophe
to where could get birds eye view Of
the subject, and found two bloody oldline
democ' ats trying to "hide" so as to draw
me unsuspectingly to their coop" Bat
when they saw me slacken my pace and
squat lower in the grass, they seemed to
mistrust something, for the fellow on the
right wing of the brush fired his gun He
was poor shot. for the bullet merely
grazed my neck as it went by singing Zee.
Why the other fool did not shoot too
don't know. But he kept quiet until |
had discharged my piece and cut to the
rear for reinforcements stepped behind
a stump and saw one of them cutting dirt
too. expect dismoun,ed the other, or he
wobld have fred his gun.
We practiced advance and retreat till
after dark, when we found large body Of
rebels in front of US, graybacks on our
right aud left, bullets coming thick from
the rear Of u.s. and ourselves all out Of
ammunition. We soon found ourselves
obliged to throw down our muskets and
tell them to come on aud take them They
obeyed. After they had got us "in dc
ranks dar' they showed us the way to an
open field about two miles distant towards
Petersburg, as soon as convenient, giving
but little chance to play "'possum" aud
get away.
Some traded off their hard tack for
corn bread and coffee, or salt for tobacco.
If we had stayed with Uncle Sam that
night we should have got three days ra
tons. AS it was we only had few dry
crumbs in the bottom Of our haversacks,
and we did not know where the rebel
quartermss wagons were, if they did
themselves We we're got on to as small Il
piece of ground as possible and guard
stationed around us for fear we should
run away. The captain then told us that
we were going to stay there till morning
We spread our tents and blankets upon
the ground, and
There in the twilight cold and gray
Considerably played out we lay"
In the morning the first thing knew |
was wide awake; found several of the
boys sitting up on their launches. scratch
ing their heads and viewing the country
The disunion grays were coming from far
and near to get look at the Yanks They
brought corn bread to trade for jackknives
or any other little trinkcts we happened
to have. Thew wanted to buy our watchs
William Williams offered to sell his. One
lieutenant looked at the watch and agreed
to take it at the price. After he had got
the watch he says, 81 live In this house
right here" which stood about 200 yards
distant, 81 will go right and get the cash
now" He appeared like an honest fell
low. Before this | had let him have
half quire of letter p per, be agreeing to
fetch me some corn bread. He went to
the house but be didn't seem to come out
again.
At last it appeared to us that watch
and paper had forever disappeared. and
the fellow probably went to bed and
chuckled over how he had fooled the
Yauks. tt.a
But If, perchance, Bill ere should meet the cuss
again,
He would dearly pay for paper, watch and
chain.
They took away our tents and blankets