Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-03-14
A Soldiers Letter. No. SO.
SIXTH CORPS lIosPITAL,

NOeovh VI wv Jchl oIluDn bilhEo duJ obpihio bA
those Of rain, and rain storms we have in abund-
ance. Drzzling, disagreeable weather at th8
time OF the year, the man must expect to fnd
who lives IN this part Of the country. 1t il
disagroeabe, not SIMPLY because rain clouds shut
out the sun and wells everything in misty
gloom, but because it converts the earth under
foot into nasty sloppy mortar-mud, that be-
comes universal, and cannot be Alnked nor
dcdged. No matter where you 60, or in what
place you step, you are up to your ankles in
mud and may consider yourself lucky if You 20
in no deeper. Blaoked boots ana clean d)ors
are having sad struggle to maintain Il respecta-
bio appearance in these regions jus; now. \
Vermontev 10 appreciate at least one very meri-
torious excellence o the soil Of bic native state,
needs to come and spend year bere. IN place
Of deep SHOWS and pllIng snow-driits which are
sometims bad enough he will have an eternal
slough that is at all uues nsupportabla llo
may have seen muddy soil before, in the thawy
days OF April, bat suca unlimited extremes as
Virginia produces probably never ontored his
widest calculations. And when he has seen
one extreme in the winter season, the transition
% the other as far the opposite, in the summer
Is as rapid as it is wonderful instead Of mud
he will have dust, which Is hardly less annoying
This dust will ind ls way through the smallest
crack or crcyasse and sprinkle itself over every
thing Neither bis clothes, body, nor food will
escape. and if he is in the open air, clouds Of it
willwelI nigh s1iiooate hn. Vermont preserves
the happy medium. Either Vermont soil il
very peculiar or thar ot Virginia j. remarkably
40.
Tbs evil ia remedied around the hospitals 80
far as possible, by ditchiog, and other methods.
The barracks are built on line facing each
other IN two rows, one on each side Of the yard
The entrance to the barracks is at each end. The
sidewalks along by the door Of the barracks are
raised and covered several inches with sand.
which will not hold the water while the bitches
on each side are made to offer especial induce
ments for it to keep out FROM under foot. In
side Of the barracks there ia no floor except the
ground but the same POPULARITY which makes
the ground soft when it is wet, makes 1t hard
when j: is dry, and 10 the birracks where iii
kep' smooth and clearly swept, it has almost
as neat and tidy an appearance as if it we're a
good board floor, instead Of aoor of mother
earth
There are between three hundred aad four
hundred men here now. Thesa are mostly sick
Bat few wounded msn are here. Oar Corps
didn't get into the last fight up on the left Of
Petersburg, but very little, onlya portion Of
she first division being engaged There iss)ms-
thing very strange about this TACT. Evidently
"somsbody must have hundred" Ths Fifth
Corps had large number Of wounded men
brOnsht to their hospital. Three trains Of about
q doz-n cars each loaded with the wounded, were
brought here to them II was during bitterly
tedious storm OF rain, snow and seet that they
came, aud their sutieIings were great Several
died on the way 1t was glad privilege for
these wounded men to lind here good oomiorts-
bls quarters and warm beds ready to receive
them WHOM they arrived Al that can be done
sor their comfort will be done Not ony the
Government, bat the { ristiau and Sanitary
Commissions endeayor to leave nothing undone
that can contribute 10 the relief of the men who
are wounded aud brought here from the front,
The hospitals of tha different Corps are all
here together, but they act Independently of
each other. Each Corp, has it's own eta q Of sur.
goon', and is unit by itself, but no further dis
nnction is made as regards Division or Brigade.
We have irge force of nearly one hundred
HaGgue men to do the work of the hospital
which IS almost endless in its variety, and about
twenty guards, half Of them on duty one day.
aud the other half the next This is sufficient
to guard what property it is necessary to have
guarded, and to enlsrce disci plne and good
order Our hospital stand. on the south west
part OF the hospital grounds Southwest Of
all the buildings save one, aud that is going to
be the wash house when they get it done, stands
two little barracks, each twenty feet long, aud
ten wide, covered with shelter tents, and here
is where the guards stay, of which your humble
servant Is nominally member, Although |
vas busy elsewhere, and did u I have word to
say nor so much as lilt finger about building
then, yet somehow they got up real nice, com.
Portable ones for all that and If they did pass
a unanimous sentence upon me tor my delin-
luency, that | should be forever prohibited
from entering their quarters upon any pretence
whatever, nevertheless contrary to all rules
OF etiquette, when business drags and times are
dull hoi myself there, asking some one to beat
me at checkers dominoss or some other game
aud do not fad myself refused nor d. they
Ind the task imposed upon them at all difficult
10 accomplish. One evening we had delicious
teast OF good, mellow apples, which is rare
'reat nova lays, sncc our plymasters have
ieseI ted US, aud there is such dearth of money |
throughout the army. The boys said wo must
thank Mrs Pottus Baxter, who was here on a
VISIT 10 the hospital At the timl, for the apples,
'or they were agft to us from her. but did MT
$50 MIS- Baker, and therefore, had no oppor-
'inity to thank her. It knew she would see
'n's letter, would like to tell her that sue has
not only the thanks but the hearty good wllOf
Ine boys hers, Tor this token, with many Others.
o' her kindness to us, and interest in our wei.
fare.
We are beginning to feel little ni.used.
because we do get our pay. The most oil |