Connecticut western news., 1911-10-26
SECOND HEAVIES IN VIRGINIA Comrade Roberts Relates Further Wartime Experiences
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BYE. s, ROBERTS

ingtun. The routels through sparsely settled country farm house without buildings here and there, and notwith- standing that Mosby and his guerillas were constantly on our Hanks, ,harrassing us.still our boys would take their chances by getting out of line and foraging to see what they could get that they hadn't got-and some of them "got it." fot they called at farm house about mile from the line, and when they thought they were getting feast some rebel horsemen came upon them and there was a skedaddle, Out of the five that were pi respecting two of them did not come back and the three that dld decided that it was better to obey orders and keep with the line
 We continued on our march during the day, reaching Chain Bridge. crossing the same and halting for the night, near Fort Gains drew five days rations, two of soft bread, the first we had seen sinoe early in May, and clothing whiskey for those who wished. But what we want ed was rest. for we had been marching the greater part of the time since July l2 Our rests were very short. We had done considerable skirmishing since we left Fort Stevens aud the defences of Washington. The morning of the 24th of July We answered the bugle oall at 1 o'clock. We lay quiet through the day and the rest was enjoyed immensely, for we had seen little rest for nearly ten days.
 It began raining about midnight and rained through the night and until about noon of the 25th, so we rested un- til about 10 o'clock a. m., when we re- ceived orders detaching our regiment from the 9th corps to the 22d corps. with orders to report to General DeRussic on Arlington Heights, Va, and the 12 oom- psnies were distributed in the forts on the Virginia side of the Potomac We had been very active Tn the "Army of the Potomac" sinoe eaIay in May. previ- ous to which We hld. ns you know, been one of the win,dsal clements of defenoes i to the National Capital, and we knew about every foot of the defenoes on the ~'at side of the Potomac. from Fort
 :. on and the redoubts. on tho south of Alexandria, to Forts Marcy and Ethan Allen, covering Chain Bridge on the north. And yon will remember the de- fences no both ends of this bridge, as we marched across 1t on our return trip. after Early, and encamped at Fort Gains on the Maryland side.
 We were now to bid good.by to the 2i brigade, (Urton's) Co whose brigade no one could be ashamed to belong The 1st Division of the 9th corps. we had fol. lowed the old red cross through all its trials, battles, marches etc.. since we joined them at the wilderness. It scem. ed that the authorities at Washington, not wishing to take any more such des. perate chances as they had recently been through, had asked that the second Con. necticut Heavy Artillery be detailed for these defenoes Hence the order for the transfer of the second Heavies Co their old duties on the Virginia side. Com panies F and went to Fort Craig, sit uated near Arlington. The old home of General R. K. Lee, and the other com. panies were distributed in the various forts along the defences, each company having barracks for quarters, instead of the ground, and these were fitted up more for Peace than for War.
 You know that those hunks htted you to protection, and you were led to think of the rich nobleman mentioned in the Good Book, "My Soul, thou hast much goods take thine ease, " etc. While we did take one nights ease. that was all for dispatches came that Early, instead of returning to Petersburgh, as had been supposed, as soon as we had recrossed i the Blue Ridge. turned about and at. tackled General Crook and his forces and drove them into Maryland, and stood ready to try to repeat his tactics of living on the farms of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Early, presumably, ex- pected that General Wright and his force would, upon reaching Washington, immediately takes transportation for PetersburRh, and while enroute could not be communicated with to return un- Til he (Early) had doue much damage, But Wright's command, the 9th and 18th corps, had halted three days at rennallytown, and as soon as news of Early's turn about reached Washington. Wright was ordered to turn about and intercept Early
 On the 29th of July Wright turned his force northward again in pursuit of Early. The 2d HeavieG were still revell. ing in their ease in the eleven forts that we had enjoyed in early spring with all the modern Improvements constructed by the Yankee ingenuity of the mahy mechanics to be found in every northern regiment. In addition to barracks. with
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