Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1865-11-01
For the News iealer.
ARMY CORRESPONDENTS.
In THE FIgLD. NEAR HAMPSTEAD,
Texas. Sept. 81, 1865.

Mr. EDITOR From this remote part
Of creation give you my farewell CON-
municatiou fro the field. Our regiment
Was not permitted to return home when
the other troops did, after the bottom fell
out of the recalled Southern Con'ederacy.
But to show MS bow much Government
appreciated our services. they ordered us
to Texas.
We left Memphis for Alexandria, La /,
ION Red River) the Goth day of June. on
trausports.-there We remained about four
weeks to fit out our trains, get supplies,
and arm and equip new the whole cavalry
division.
On the Sth day of Aug we started for
Texas. We took the road that Gen. Kir-
by Smith (rebel) opened in 1864 a short
time before Gen. Banks made his famous
Red River Expedition, this road was op-
ened to facilitate the movements of troops
from Texas to Northern Louisiana aud Ar
kansas The road being new aud rough
made our march much harder than if we
could have taken some old travelled road
275 miles Of our journey was through "a
hard-pine forest. Some Of the way we
would travel two days without seeing u
log-cabin.
The soil is not adapted to agriculture.
What few people have settled in the for
est, done so for the purpose of hunting.
We were compelled to transport our
forage in army wagons from Alexandria
to Trinity river and it was very difhcult
to procure Sufficient forage for some dis
lance, after reaching the river, We had
to put down our pontoon bridge over the
Sabine river, and also over the Natchie
river. the other streams bei' & low enough
to ford.
After we struck the oak and prairie
lands in Texas we found a fine country,
and very we'll cultivated. Nearly all Of the
negroes from Mississippi. Arkansas, Ten.
ncssee and Louisiana have been run into
lexas, to keep them from the Yankees,
which gave them abundance oil help But
next year their system Of labor will have
to be changed The institution of slav.
cry is played out, and now the planters
must make some different arrangements
for their labor.
This portion of Texas is mostly prairie
and the soil is very fertile, adapted to
raising cotton, corn aud other grains
1t will take different class of people
from those that now operate here to prop.
erly open up the state of Texas; they
have been since 1853 building railroad
from Galveston to Brashear-l60 nils.
1t is 90 miles from Burnham to Austin,
the Capital of Texas. There is great
lack Of enterprise here to push public i'm
provemeuts forward This road (thc Texas
UentroD the contemplated Northern termi
nu is Fulton. there TO intersect with tn,
Cairo, ILL.,, and Fulton road. and il ever
completed it will open commandments
the greatest thoroughfarcs in the country
1t will open communication with Texa'
which which will be of immense inteles
to Texas.
We have received orders to turn owe
all of our Government property aud maxi
out our rolls aud be mustered out of til,
service, which gladdens the hearts of Gu
men, after serving over four years the,
are perfectly willing to 'eave tho arm.
and return home. We have long jour
ney before us-nearly 1000 miles. From
this place to Galveston we 60 by railroad
thence, take steamers for n. o, theme
ship on river steamers for st. Louis. No
thence by railroad to Sprinfeld ILL.,, an
thence to be discharged aud then retur
to our several homes, to pursue our ovoca
lions in civil life.
We bid adieu. at least for the presen
to the tented field, and again return
those who are anxiously awaiting for !
at home The soldiers can hardly wa
for the time to come around for us
start, so eager are they to get home.
A. H. SEELEY, 1t. Col. 9th Ill. Cav.
ca Patents were issued Oct. 18th
. Virgil W. Blanchard of Bridport, Vt, Fl