Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-12-24

to talk about. In one company every
member had been hit with bullet,
and he that was hit least had five
scratches. The comparisons were
sorrowfully gone over with. The dy-
ing ones had been as we'll taken care
of as the circumstances would permit,
and the circumstances of each death
were related as they were remember
ed. Altogether it was the most sor-
rowful night the Vermonters had ever
| known.
There was very little delay the
next morning. Both sides were astir
early, and the movements were much
the same as the dav before, except
that on the second day, instead of
the one brigade of the Vermont men,
there was a great army, and that
army was in line and commanded by
able generals.
The rebel lines were beaten back
to nearly the point reached the day
before, when the Union flank was
again turned and driven back to the
plank road, the stand made and the
confederates repulsed. 1t was no.
ticed that the enemy were not as per-
sistent as the day before. They had
less courage. Some of the prisoners
taken the second day, said that it
was expected that we should retreat
the first night, and they were disap-
pointed at finding us there. in the
morning. After the retreat from
our advance, the woods took fire, and
many wounded ones were killed that
could have lived but for the fire.
During this day large detail from
Berdan's Sharp Shooters were entire
ly annihilated. They were deployed
as skirmishers in front of the adyanc-
ing line, and when the two lines came
into sight in the thicket, the first fir
ing cut them all down. The Yer
monters suffered less this day than
the first. There were few to kill now
and those were some that could
not be killed.
Somebody tried an experiment dur
ing one of these days. Two pieces
of artillery were brought up, and
from the Cross Roads few shots
were fired. 1t was said that our
brigade commander directed the fire,
but from the nature of the case, it
was impossible for it to do anything
but harm. The first shot killed eight
men near the writer. A few more
shots were fired, when some soldiers
got back to the guns and told the
gunners what was being done.
If private soldier lost his gun by
accident,he WAS compelled to pay for
it, as punishment. If brigadier
commander chose to stay in the rear
and practice as gunner, killing two
score of his own command, that night
he would write glowing account of
the battle, in his report, and COM
mend himself.
The second night began series of
flank movements by our left flank,
which puzzled us, and the enemy as
well. 1t was not an advance, but it
served the same purpose in the long
run. We may say of this battle of
the Wilderness, that it was bitter,
fierce struggle, ending in movement
of great military skill.
The Vermonters lost terribly.
Twenty-three of the twenty-four of
ficers of the 4th Vermont were killed
or wounded. Except the cannon prac-
tice, the losses were called for, that
is, no lives were laid down without a
reason, and they sent as good as they
received. There were less mistakes
than in most battles. The men fought q.
it themselves, mostly. "The iron
soldier is as good as the iron duke
in broader sense than Victor Hugo
dreamed. In the ordinary sense, the
battle of the Wilderness was not a
victory. 1t was the beginning of
victory. The soldiers in it applaud
it on account of the principles laid
down. The third day was a prelude
to the pottsylvania. Therefore the
Wilderness ends as the same event
did the 9th of May, 1864.
The Panama Canal scheme has
come to grief, the French Legislature
having refused to grant any more
assistance and the last issue of bonds
having found no takers. De Lesseps
and his companions in the manag-
ment resigned on the refusal of more
government assistance, leaving $780,
900 Frenchmen who have put their
money into the bonds to shift for
themselves. When work began the
estimated cost was 500, 100000 and
the over-sanguine projectors expected
to complete it in very few years,
but ten or twelve years of time,
$4OO, 100000 of money and hundreds
of lives have been spent and no one
has a clear idea of the condition of
affairs or of the sum requisite to
finish the canal. According to all
accounts it isn't half done. 1t is the
widest scheme ever undertaken and
what the effect will be in France
when the people fully realize their
loss no one can tell. 1t is not likely
the French government will adopt the
enterprise, as political if not financial
reasons stand in the way of their
doing so. In the outset our govern
ment demanded and received assur-