Year: 1864




were human beings after ALL But there was no


grumbllng when we were ordered to leave this


place. Compared to what VIC have been ordered


to do heretofore, and what might still be IN


store for Us now, leaving a good camp is too 10


significant matter to grumble about. We had


enjoyed two whole days respite from military


duty, when we had not been promised five min'


utes, and the order to advance came as matt n


Of course.


This position was at the extreme lett OF She


line and ~ ,he line bends round like an OK bow


to protect the flank, our position was nearly IN


the rear Of the main army. Our brigade has


been throwing up breastworks and occupying
/ different portions Of this line the most OF the
time since Thursday the 23d, when toe rebels at


tackled our pickets, and captured nearly all the


Fourth and FIRST battalion OF the Eleventh reg


iments. At the present time we do not appear
to DO on any line There is cavalry and infant


~ east Of Us, and there are siege guns and rebels


to siege west Our own front is about south


We are about six miles southwest Of Petersburg


no: 30 far but that we can hear heavy firing IN


ront Of the city every night.


The weather has been for the last few weeks
Of the hottest kind and the temperature is daily
Increasing. 1t seems already to have reached


about as high point as human nature can
stand Tnero has been one or two attempts at
ram. but since the first Of June, have not seen


enough to lay the dust. The sun only mocks at
our little shelter teuts. NTH the hot sand un-


defneath, and the burning sun overhead, our lit-


tie tents are so many little ovens, and fellow


is well nigh roasted alive in one of them. Curled


up in one Of these tents Turkish fashion, Is


your humble eJrrespouicnt at the present time


with his portfolio on bis knee, occasionally writ


Ing line, but deyotlng his attention chiefly to


wiping the sweat from his face, neck and head


It would be absurd to think OF writing anything


sensible in a place like this, and claim to have


committed no such folly. But it is going to be


four long hours before the mail comes 10 to


bring me letter from home, and how else could


the intervening time and hot weather be disposed


OF SO easily?


After all we could get along toeTably well here


il cold water was not so difficult to get. Wafer


is getting to be an article Of high commercial


value with Us. There are few small springs
3 near by but where there is one cup Of wafer
} there are ten men TO drink it, and there are al.
ways careless ones enough TO spoil any sping
in very few minutes Yesterday | started out
with the iulI determination of hrdlng some WA
ter if there was any in Virginia to be found.
discovered about one mile and half from
here an excellent spring OF pure water almost as
= cool as ice water, and was just beginning to
congratulate mysel u,on my discovery, when |
was coglly informed that no one was allowed to
3 get water there but such and such regiments,


among which the % Vermont was not included.
p So my important discovery was barren OF results
after all But our regiment is going to dig wells
near by with good prospects Of hndng supply
Of water II we ia,l it will be serious matter
b with us


The boys are beginning to want to see their old
friend the paymaster Four months pay WAS
due Us the first oI July. The story is being cir
t culated that we are not to be Paid tor two
months to come It is said that General and
staff officers are to be paid now, but the rest OF
us must wait till September The boys will feel
uniustly dealt with it this report is true, sol
diers wants are elmited, but they are imperative,
and it is very trying to be destitute of money
: Suffers are just beginning to bring in small
I quantity of goods and al, want money to patton
iIe them. Almost all use tobacco, aud it requires
a pretty liberal amount of pocket money to keep
r follow supplied with that


i The old men that did not re-enlist left the
regiment the 10Th day Of June, one day before
their time was out The regiment numbers now
l one hundred and sixty five guns all told The e
are TWO hundred and thirteen men and three off,
= cers now present with the regiment. Upon the
comrany rolls counting those that are wounded
and in hospital, there are five hundred and forty
i names still belonging to the regiment. This IS
exclusive of those unaecOunted for aud marked
missing. .ol whom there are not more than twenty
i There are one hundred and nlnetynine men
whose names were borne upon the rolls to be
: mustered out the ooh, their term of enlistment
c having expired, but only about fifty Of these
were carrying guns in the ranks at the time
{ There has been an order Issued to consolidate
y the regiment into fewer companies and it has
been contemplated making six companies OF the
% ten, but this method is very obnoxious to the
boys generally, especially to those whose com
Z pany Organizations will be broken up, and the


men distributed to ill the Other companies. 1t
will be seen that We still have sufficient mum
y Der of enlisted men to enttle us to a reglmenta


organization, aud If possible We hope to avoid a
> consolidation The regiment is now divided
y into four divisions. Companies d, b, and II
~ form the first division, +, and II, the second, G.,
80 and &, the third, IL and A, the fourth. We
have no line officers with Ut. Each OF these d.
: visions is commanded by sergeant acting as
v Lieutenant Sergeant Stone, of Co. A, (brother
70 Of our late CooneD commands the first division
II company, Sergeant Morey, of Go. Il, commands
u the second, Sergeant Taylor of Co l. the third
OF and Sergeant Harrington of Go. 6, the fourth.
u Sergeant Harrington the talest man in the
~ brigade, came up with the regiment as color
bearer, and has carried our colcrs up to the tune
VI the present campaign commenced. Captain
NJ johnson OF Co. ID, commands the regiment