St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-04-23

up the river, the plan being to cross at
the upper fords of the river, and come
down on the flank of Lee. The wealth
er was fine when we started. but it
soon began to rain in torrents, and
soon the roads and fields were mass
of mud, in which men sunk to their
knees and artillery and pOntOOns went
nearly out of sight. Whole regiments
were detailed to help drag the artillery
through the mud, but could not do 1t
In short the whole army was stuck
AT last Gen. Burnside gave up his plan
and the army dragged its way back to
its old camps. When we got back to
Fredericksburgh it was found that the
rebels had erected huge sign over in
the town and lettered it with big let
tiers so it could be plainly read on Oul
side, burnside stuck in the mud
This campaign has been known from
that day to this as Burnside's mud
march.
Soon after this, Gen. Burnside was
relieved from the command, and Gen
Joe Hooker was appointed in his place
At about the same time Gen. Badly
Smith was relieved of the command Of
the 9th corps and Gen. John Sedgwicb
appointed to the command. Among
other good things which Hooker die
on taking command, was the system o.
corps badges or marks which he in
vented. Each corps of the army of the
Potomac was provided with a separate
badge, to be worn on the caps of the
men, so that you could tell 10y the
badge on mans cap to what corps
and division he belonged. The badge
of the list corps was IA globe or circle
the I'd Il clover leaf, the Sd a diamond
the 5th Il maltese cross, the 9th il Greek
cross, the llth a half moon, the 18th
five pointed star. The cOlors for all
the corps was for the first division red
2nd division white, 3D. division blue
This little white cross up here was the
badge of the I'd division of the 9th
corps, the division to which the old
VT Brigade belonged. AS spring APP
preached Gen. Hooker decided on a
plan of campaign, which to state very
briefly, was this, to leave the lst and
9th corps at Fredericksburgh, to amuse
Lee, and make him suppose an attack
was to be made below the town, while
Hooker with the rest of the army was
per fOrds of the RappahannOck and
Rapidan, and come down on Lees
flank at Charlottesville. One division,
1.-THE 2nd,) of the 2nd corps was also
left at Frederickburgh, because they
were camped on the Falmouth hills,
in plain sight of the rebels, and could
not march without being seen by them.
One brigade of this division crossed
over the river on the Sd of May and
rendered some assistance to the 9th
corps.
This programme was carried out, eX-
cept that on the morning of May , the
LIST corps was ordered to join Hooker,
and marched up the river, leaving the
9th corps alone in front of Fredericks
burgh. On the night of the 2nd of
May, Gen. Sedgwick received orders to
march through the town, and take the
GOrdOnsvile plank road, and join
Hooker in the morning. He was to
destroy or dispense any rebel force in
his front while doing SO. When it is
remembered that there were seven
rebel brigades behind the breastwOrks
on Mayre's Heights, and that the 9th
corps had only nine brigades, it would
seem to be quite an undertaking.
Gen. Sedgwick afterwards testified
that it would have been impossible to
have executed this order in the time
given, if there had not been a rebel in
his front.
On the 9th of April, 1868, the 9th
corps received orders to march on the
following morning with eight days ra-
tiOns and 200 rounds of ammunition.
In order to carry this extra amount of
ratiOns and ammunition we were
obliged to empty our knapsacks of
clothing and other things to make
room for it. Three days ratiOns and
40 rounds of ammunition was the usual
amount issued when going on a march.
When we were fully equipped some
of the boys were weighed at the COM
misary's and found that they weighed
about 80 pounds more when fully
equipped than when not. The morn
ing of the 2Sth opened rainy, and al
though we struck tents at daylight,
we did not get orders to march till
noon, when we started and marched
by way of White Oak church to the
hills on the north bank of the Kappa
hammock, which we reached at dark,
and bivouaced in the woods with or
ders to build no fires. In the morning
we started at sunrise and coming out
on to the bluff overlooking the river,
a beauti full sight was presented. We
found that the LIST division under Gen.
Brooks lad crossed the river during
the night in pontOon boats, and now
lay in line of battle Oh the level plain
beyond the river, their skirmishers
thrown out and popping away at the
rebel skirmishers merrily. To the left,
down the river about mile, at Pol
locks mill creek the first corps could
be seen, a part of them also across the
river and two of their batteries en-
gaGed i'm an artillery duel with the