Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-28

a Sss/EcM ty-cichth received the
ID - W. announcement that he
had gone back to his old familiar
hunting grounds. Nobody meant 10
speak unkindly, but all were glad that
he was gone. and we said so with as
much intensity as was in us. We took
the road at once, not TO delay his de-
parture, but just to see how he had left
things. We did not at all approve OF
what we saw; neither did the natives.
The woods and fields were scarfied
with miles upon miles of bitches and
embankments. Among the natives the
conclusion seemed to be that If they
were to have their forests shorn and
their land turned upside down it didn't
much matter who might do it-Yank or
Johuny.
Free colored people who lived outside
the lines lad grievances too. They had
been able to hide some cows, pigs
chickens and turkeys from occasional,
Union soldiers who prowled about
alone, but against few thousand hun
cry men who were fully Informed on
the sccretiVe ways of the African it
was useless TO contend. They followed
US when we returned to camp and be-
came part of the colony of which Pos
sum Ben was a bright and shining
light
For some weeks after Longstreet's
departure we spent most of our time in
the field. The general commanding pre-
ferred that Longstreet should have as
few excuses as possible for coming
back again on the plea of looking for
forage. SO he proceeded to take up 20
miles of railroad track on each of the
two roads leading from our post. 1t
was a tedious job. but as we troopers
had little to do but look on and occa-
sionally be killed while repelling in
QuiSitive Johnnies we rather enjoyed ii.
a large force of infantry and light ar
tillery was with US SO were some
hundreds Of contrabands, and while
we kept the enemy on the river too
miserable to come across in body and
visit us the contrabands raised the
rails loaded them on platform cars and
burned the ties. We worried General
Lees overburdened heart a good deal
for two or three weeks, but that was
one of the Jobs for which we had en-
listed. We made so many feints at at
tempting to cross the stream and adj
vance in force on Richmond from the
south that he had to send some Of his
men down to watch US.
We worried the natives too. Our
horses ate all the grass, hay and fod-
der that Longstreets men had left, and
thn+ I,A Ia
be paid could they prove that they were
good Union men did not seem to COM
fort the said owners a bit. They did
not doubt that our officers told them
the truth, but-there were some stub
born facts in the way of their getting
their pay after peace should be de-
clared. A one legged farmer with a
military look and pair Of crutches
was a picture of agony while his barns
We're being emptied and his stacks
melted away. His wife went stark
crazy over what seemed the impending
starvation of her family.
Immediately after beholding such OK
periences or hearing of them a man
who had any heart under his jacket
So after hearing that demented WON
ans rawlings | was delighted to be as
signed to very dangerous duty. II
was to carry dispatch to the genera
commanding a brigade on our extreme
left We felt so secure in our superior
strength that the right, left and cen
ter were isolated commands rather
than parts of line. started an hour oil
two after dark and was told that anoth
er man who had been sent on the sam,
errand returned with the report tina
there was Confederate cavalry in TIT
woods. | had been selected because
had a fast horse which ought to be able
to dash through any ordinary line be
fore an alarm could be given, and tht
chances of a single rider being free