Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-03-19

weak and emaCiated as we had com
menced to be from hunger, had nc
trouble in keeping up with the
wounded, and snake-like pace Of the
| Confederates, but from information
! obtained of others it seems all were
not able to do this, as shown from the
! following extract from the sworn
testimony of Horace R. Rowe, OF
! Peacham, then of Co. H., 4th VT, be-
fore the congressional committee,
page 48O.
"On the road from Lynchbug to
Danville, some of the men became
tired out, and could go no further.
They would be dragged or punched
along until they came across some
citizens, and then those citizens were
ordered to take them and take care
of them. [ recollect one instance in
which the officers in command deliv-
cred three men to an old man who
was on horseback and armed with q
double barreled gun and revolver.
The officer told him to take these
three men and take care Of them.
He said, Il have nothing for them at
home.' The officer said, well, you
can get them back out of sight and
dispose of them.' And he said, yes,
I can do that never knew of any
OF these men that were left in this
way brought in again. The same
witness also says, "Before we got to
Danville, the citizens told the officer
in command that if we would stop
there an hour they would furnish US
something to eat. The citizen that
proposed this was struck down by the
officers saber. Whether he was
killed or not I do not know"
Yes, this was the Fourth of July,
the anniversary Of the day our fore
fathers broke loose from the apron
strings of the mother country, and
once year ever since, till the break
ing out of the rebellion, the old and
young, the big and little have kicked
up their heels for joy all over our
broad land. But how different are
the passing scenes that here present
themselves to our view, and the Sc
ries of actions and events in con-
nection Herewith. No swapping of
fire crackers Or cracking of torpedoes
and toy guns; no grateful booming
of anvil or cannon in this or from
nearby or far-off village, in ac-
knowledgement of the deeds of our
ancestors; no old-fashioned or new
fashioned picnics or celebrations
with reading of the Declaration of
Independence or patriotic speeches
expressing the sentiments of 'sLiberuy
and Union, now and forever, one
and inseparable."
Instead of the charming landscapes
and exhibitions of patriotism that we
had witnessed on every previous In
Day of our lives, we
looked upon the scenes of typical
southern village in war times, with
houses, of moss covered |
roofs and gloomy interiors, faded |
grass grown and nearly |
deserted streets; here and there, |
singly or in groups, a few negroes or |
faced, long haired old moss |
backs, lazily chewing their tobacco |
cuds, or smoking their black P. D.
pipes. Last, but not least, long line |
of Yankee captives, marching, with |
out music, ''to live and die in Dixie's |
land" In my daryl made this en-
try, "Hottest day 1 ever knew"
The sun seemed to send down it's
rays in fiery streams as if to consume
the last vestige of treason in these
secession states, "dissevered, discord-
ant, belligerent, rent with civil feuds
and drenched with fraternal blood"
E. FL. WEBSTER.
TO BE CONTINUED.