Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-06-13
A Soldiers Letter-No. 81.
sixth Corps HosrITAL, NEAR ALEX
ANDkIA, Va, June 4, 1865.

ANDklA, Va, June 1, 1863.
EDITOR FREEMAN 1T is more than warm
day to-day, i: is hot, a9d that hardly expresses
IT, ln spite Of all you can do or all you refrain
from doing, you fat it impossible to Keep cool.
A canvass tent ls no protection from such a sun
as is rning down upon our heads here. How
ever, this weather so uncomfortable to US, Is
just what the country needs at the present time
and We won't complain We are going home
soon, we hope, and there is az one of US that
has the rem0test idea anything uncomfortable
Or inconyenlent viii ever happen to US there.
We are getting dreadiully out OF patience at
the delay that keeps US here doing nothing,
when we are SO anxious to get to our homes at
the commencement Of the season. The only
men that have anything ike business here to
do, are the clerks, aud as Is usually the case,
they are continually reproaehed because they
work 10 faster, We want our papers, that We
may be discharged and sent home. Doing moth
ing Is sort OF business that never was calcu-
,ted to put man in cheerful temper of
mind at any time, and this is doubly true just
now as We are expecting to 70 home. 1t is i'm
possible for Uncle Sam 10 discharge rybody
at once, and We must wait our turn, but We are
decidedly opposed to waiting any longer than
that.
There has been for several days rumor aHoat
very discouraging to the prospects Of your hum
bic correspondent and his c)mrado vets,
They say Uncle Sam is going to keep US, to
make up an army after the rest have gone home.
The argum mt is, that We have longer term to
serve, besides the old fellow is paying US more
bounty, and SO he concludes to keep US while
be dsmisses the rest la such an event the
prospec, opehs before US OF being sent so Sayan.
nah, New Orleans, Texas, or some other place
and put into dull garrison, where We shall
have to do eur stupid round of duty for our
iull " sentence, as The boys call it.. There may
be some veterans who would like such an ar
rangement, but If there is, hayn't seen one OF
them. All are anxious to be discharged at the
earliest possible moment. Such an arrangement
as keeping part OF the men till their time has
fully expired, and dischargng others before
would be hardly fair and it seeus to me to be
altogether improbable. Those whose term ex.
pires on or before the first Of October next are
TO be discharged first. When these have been
disposed OF, doubtless the time will be extended
from October first to another date, aud all those
included will form the second class to be dis
charged aud so on until we are all disposed Of
The luckiest fellows in this war appear to be
those who enlisted previous to October lat last
year Tor one year. Many OF these get enormous
bounnes as substitutes reaching as high at
$500 in all, aud in some instances that hay,
known to two thousand Now these fellows
happen to come among those who are to 80 hom'
irst, before they have hardly found out wha
real soldering s, or become hardened to it
One of the clerks at Dr.. Parkers headquattor
was telling me- since commenced this letter
Of one with hlm who got his discharge day be
fore yesterday, and is now on his way rejoicing
Tie got sixteen hundred dollars bounty To-
coming out here, and was with his regimen
only thrcc weeks when ho was taken sick an,
sent to the hospital, and here he has been eve
since. by some skilliul Diplomacy, which th
rest Of US cannot equal, be managed to get
bona fde discharge from the hospital, enabling
him to 20 home at once. We don't blame
man who intends to be soldier for taking what
ever OF oney may be giyea him as bounty, 70
man can I live In this world without his brea
aud cheese. and il takes MONEY to buy these
nor is a mans good luck in getting his dscharg
aad getting home a thing to be censured, but
seems decidedly col, on the top Of all this, I
tell the veterans that thoy must stay year an
a half or two Jears longer because they are pal
more. II they are going to keep US that long
why don't they say it is because we are tho be,
soldiers, and done with it.
The uniuelied men in all this war are III
drafted men who have got year or more /
serve, These will probably have to Say wit