Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-05-31
A Visit to Belle Island.
A Paper read by Sergeant WarreH Gibbs,
Co. Il First VermOnt Caralry. before Post
Stannard, G.. A. r., Burlington, May II,
1872

1872.
.Nr. Commander. Comrades and Frien5S
Itw.. with considerable reluctance a; the
outset that consented to contribute faggot
for the campfire, and with hesitation answer
the detail. Like those who have preceded me
the central figure, tonight, will be the pro-
noun 81 Being driven out Of Vermont by
the SHOWS and frosts Of December, 1861, the
Vermont Csvslry regiment started for the south,
the soldiers taking transportation in the cars
with their horses. Everything on the cars vent
as merry as marriage bell, through New
York, and until our ride from jersey City to
Elizabethport commenced. Here Col. Plat, at
the head Of his regiment, led off on gsllop and
the boys n their endeavOrs to keep closed up,
left the highway strewn with their traps Of
every conceivable description. This was the be-
ginning Of business After going roundabout
course on the cars via Harrisburg, We srrived
in Washington. We came to 3 halt just outside
of the city, st temporary station, where the
orderly terge.n,s Of companies were directed to
claim their company saddles, as they were taken
from.the cars. In my great anxiety to claim
the saddles belonging 10 company " A. 1t was
sscertAined on our arrival Al camp Grave
Yard Just east of the capitol, that we had
something ike 20 more saddles than either
horses or men. This wSs the first evidence
against me for stesllng.-Our camp at WSBhing
ton was eminently suggestive. We were quar-
tered in an old cemetery where most OF the
graves were half open. Here we found the mud
deep and strong, and generally farewell was
whispered to the troopers who ventured out after
dark Senator Foote came one Sunday after
noon and preached to us among the graves but
Chaplain Woodward said nothing, the location
was too much for him After a week or so we
got away with most of the men, but left num-
ber Of horses to be cast into the pits We
msrched across the country to Annapolis, and on
this march every eye was strained 10 discover q
rebel, and every bush wSs supposed to conceal q
" johnny" The regiment, without meeting
with an accident found Annapolis the second day,
and went into quarters in The open field, about
two miles from the city. Here the soil was Of
coarse ssnd and good turf, dry in rainy weather.
and in every respect wss all that could be de-
sired Heavy csrgoes Of pine boards soon az
rived, and with them were built comfortable
uuarters for ourselves and horses. " Hsrd-tAck"
made it's appearance here, for the first time.
The dwellers in my tent sgreed 10 have q plum
pudding for New Years. 30 we ordered come
Iasius from the city. The prmsry preceding
were well attended and we contemplated moth
Ing but success as we broke the "hard tack Gnd
completed the mixture, We boiled the com
pound in 3 camp kettle over the fire for some
time, when We ss;ertained thst this was not the
way TO DO IT. The longer the kettle b)iiei. tn
harder grew the hard tack until it was scorchei.
S0d we threw it away. Disappointed in this ez-
pertinent, We triumphel over difficulties IN
cooking bAkel-beans the next summer PrOba-
bly, the soldiers could only excel in the at Of
cooking, in this one particular. Ny fret per
f1nsl success WAS in obtaining a fnrl0ugh to
visit the Ola Brigade ST Camp Griffin. had
thought Of the matter and intended TO interview
Col. Plat very coon, when an order from Brig.
Gen Hatch was read on dress parade repuiis-
ting furlJughs AMI passes altogether. N0tWiJh-
standing the, with the furlough on ny mind
made Co. Plat yisit thAt evening.
The Col. tod me to procure blank. Ell it up
in the ususl manner and obtain the Captain
signature. When Frank sigrei it be laughed 81
the idea and sAii thAt be guessed if he couldn't
obtain a Through, my chances we're not worth
mentioning. Lste the next evening with Col
Platt went 70 the Generals Headquarters
The Col. told him tc sign the furlough and be
did il. This was triumph over military red
tape worth mentioning. Ny opinion was that
C5. Plat outrsnkei the Genera.
Returning from a visit Of week or ten days,
it wss whispered around the camp that there
wss 4 rebel recruiting station, dozen mi e.
swAy on the Chesapeake This subject hs1 been
made the matter Of military conference ST
Brigade Headquarters, and Capt C0uger Of
company e. b. from St Adams, thought be
would be the fret to move in the direction. In
Captain Couger's company was soldier by the
ns.le Of Bill McCarty. The discipline Of the
regular service was irktome TO him, in fAct he
was not fret class soldier, according to the
rules Captain Conger woull S. soon lose him
. sA~r s4srh AI.r.g
had purposely left him behind to md employ
meut elsewhere. Bill, however, was very fond
Of the service according to his iies Of 1t, sui
would leave on no conditions. He Was jlst the
man the Captain wanted for this expedition, and
dressed in citizens sppsrel away he went to re-
c5uu0.ter The day after McCarty left camp,
one company Of the 9th New York Cavalry was
ordered by General Hatch 10 20 in search Of the
rebels They proceeded to the spot but could
discover no evidence Of their presence save one
m1n with q stolen government horte and sstile,
sud him they captured. It WAS about 5 o. 'clocs
in the afternoon when they crossed our Brigade
camp lines near cur company quarters. The
prisoner was closely gusriel Al the head Of the
company, aud appeared iowncss'. The New
York h0ys were elAJet over their success ami as
they came into camp, gave three checrs- Their
rei1iciuss were neutrslzsi shout that time by
cur bows who shouted, " AlcCsrty.' Present
~ they " tmellel mice, " AMI became satisfied
they had " caught Tartar McCArty, how
ever, went into the guard house, where be re-
msinel until We moved, which was soon after.
He was lost in the Shenandoah Valley the next
summer.
Our Say at Annapolis was decidedly pleasant
and the leisure time Of the soldiers wSs fully &C.
cupiei with music. dancing and other harmless
sr,,uo-sa-+s firuaE Wp often Looked
back with longing eyes to the old camp with It's
good society, full rations and abundant gaiety.
Early in March We were ordered to the She
uani5ah Valley snd stopped at P00-sSile, CT
p1site Balls Bluff and Leesburg, on the way.
Mcclellan e troops having passed the winter ID
this vicinity, hal gone down the river. In their
vacated camps was any amount OF ordnance
stores left behind, and upon our arrival guards
were taken from our regiment sud placed over
them. We had received our csrtnes but 20
ammunition. The guards returned to The req
meut with large quantities Of musketry, smuni-
ton, especially " hst caps" Thee became 50
plenty that a new game WAS Instituted, called
- hat-cap-poSer" This was the popular game
Of the regiment until We were 4 long ways up
the Valley. One morning, long before daylight
several grini-st0ues borrowed Of the farmers,
we're brought into camp aal the work Of grind
ing sabres was commenced. This amulement
va, continued until about the middle Of the fore
noon wHeu we started for Harper's Ferry.
We crossed on the rewly constructed Railroad
bridge in the afternoon, and our company being
nearly first, found quarters in large and ele-
CANT brick mansion. which had been abandoned.
Our horses were stabbed in the basement and on
the FIRST floor, while the men selected their lodg-
ings higher up. We hal barely uutaddlef our
horses when Trott, German, who went out
with us from this place, came in with sJdvenile
OK, say about three days Old. He was obliged
to return with the cali account Of its age, bu;
be always sitter that excellei az forage.
4 little later in the day, disturbance VAS
Instituted by citizen who had lost his swine.
The old fellow Was sure that his hog had been
stolen by the members Of company e L. This
wAs Capt SsEyer's company, and the Captain
was very angry toward him who made the sof;
Impeachment Col Kellogg. in company with
the citizen, searched every soldiers quarters but
no hog was to be found at that time among the /.
cavalry boys. A little later in the day it WAS
sscertsined that company 4" G." from Benning-
ton, hsd an abundance Of fresh pork, which |
was distributed among the rsst Of Us. When l
they seized the hog they had removed the letter
&c G. from their caps, leaving the figure l,
which resembel the letter | and accounted for |
the Oh nlsAsht luttt IleAaAS1 "NAS ]
often afterwards male by other companies, and |
company "I' outside, received the honor OF |
being the beet stealing company in the regi- |
ment.
After day or two We moved on up the val !
ley, and the fret night out, csmped near Charles
town, where John Brown WAS executed Here
the boys fell upon hock of sheep and nearly |
them. The officers openly pro-
tested but secretly presume were OF the opin-
ion that the Vermont boys would do to travel.
Passing on through Winchester, our company |
was the frat to be detailed for real duty at Mid
dletown about two miles north from Cedar Greek.
Here we acted as videttes and psiroled the turn
pike between Cedar Creek and NewtoHn, line |
Of shout six miles. The bslsnce of the reg- /
ment moved further on to Strssburg The hrst
alarm was created by "Sy'' Adams horse,
which came in about midnight covered with
blood. The reserve started for Adams lmme-
10 no killed Soon