Year: 1865

ladies' waited upon w, and we thought they ap-
peared aweeter than all the rest The boys all
called that decidedly the best entertainment Of
the kind that We have had since we have been
in the service.


So in the good Providence Of God VIC are per-
mitted to breathe the sweet air of Vermont once
more, Old Vermont looks about as it used 10,
only they have closed the hills up nearer TO-
gether and made them perhaps little more
steep and abrupt We miss the large plains Of
Virginia. suppose nature thought Vermont
81 good that, as | heard man say once, she
set the ground up odgeways to make more room.
Veimonteis ought to tight well, raised among
these rugged mountains 30 wild and free, and
breathing such pure, delicious air From the
hospital barracks here, where the boys can stay
at Uncle Sam expense, If they prefer doing 30
to staying down town ut their own, we can see
a large portion Of the surrounding country.
had the good fortune, too to find comrades Of my
school boy days at the University, who besides
gratifying my curiosity with a sight Of all the
College Mu.eum contains, treated me to a view
Of the place from the College beiiry. do ut
know Of anything that could be more delightful
70 a fouryear.old soldier than t. stand upon
he tip top Of an institution like that in bis own
native State which he has not seen in it,
yerdure and beauty since the day he first
left it for the war, and look at what he has ~
long wished to see from a stand point Ike that.
Quite a respectable portion Of the country that
a man may be proud to say he was born 10, can
be seen from there. The smooth lake on one
side pent in by rugged mountains all around
aud on the other side the hills and valleys
ie.ds and forests, entertain the eye for miles
around, while Wlnooski and Burlington seemed
almost under our feet II anybody should tell
me that man could live in that beautiful
region and be copPerhead should want to
tell him be lied


The boys are only impatient now to be paid
of and discharged Some have gone home with
ou. waiting. We expect to be paid Saturday.
What we most desire to see now is that paper
with spread eagle oo it which says, to all
whom it may concern, that the owner is free
man


JuLr 70, 1868.


Home at asst. The Second Vermont Regi
ment was not paid of till yesterday. Now the
most Of the boys are a home, and have become
citizens instead Of soldiers Of the United States
Our old regiment no longer exists as an organ
zation among the powers that be, but must
benceiorih he reckoned as among the powers
that were There have been great changes IN
our ranks since their organization four long
years ago, and 50, too, we find among these hills
and valleys great changes have occurred among
| the inhabitants with whom We used 10 delight
to mingle. Some have removed to other places,
but many have gone, alas to return no more
! How well | remember my parents anxiety when
we parted four years ago, but since then they
have followed two Of their dear children to the
grave, while their soldier son still lives. Here
are the same hills and the same fields that We
saw then, but they have passed into other hands,
and somehow there seems loneliness IN contemp
( lating them, which forces the impression that
this world cannot be man abiding place. We
have seen home SO often like fairy vision in
our imaginings and Dreams and so often have
wondered whether, in the good Providence OF
God, We should be permitted to return and hud
1t as we left it, that now the ideal is realized 1t
almost seems as it we were dreaming still. To
look back upon the campaigns OF the Peninsula,
Of Maryland Of the Wilderness, Shenandoah
Valley aud others, it seems almost impossible
that all the events which our recollection can
recall, should come within the range Of four
years A lifetime OF experience has been
crowded into this fierce term Of war. II | was
asked Z" how it seemed TO be free citizen
once more, should say it seemed as if had
been through a long dark tunnel, and had just
got into daylight once more.


Soldering is hard life, and q very undesira-
BILE one at best. do mt know what an army
might be, but certainly take them as they are
a mon to become soldier must lay aside almost
everything that makes life worth the having
All the tender endearments of home, and all thC
refining influence Of good society are almost
wholly sacrificed for the time being or most Ger
tainly man gets miserably poor return tol
these, when be becomes soldier. Still if 1
man loves adventure he finds a wild, reckless
freedom IN soldering that has charm for him
and leads him to drop his sOberar reflections til
more convenient season. There are many
such take delight in the fierce excitement Of i
campaign. Butso Ia Us am myself concerned
take it all in all, though hopa shall be evei
ready when enemies threaten the Government
and thousands spring to arms to JON with them
but to become soldier, SIMPLY as means o
earning livelihood, ! say 1t IN all candor,


would only do it to save myself the necessity o
begging my bread from door to door, whethe
it was a time Of peace or war.


Now that the war is ended, 1t is pleasant t,
reflect that we had the honor of bearing SOM
humble portion IN t. Ii had been CONSTANT.
~ on duty in the ranks during the whole war, a


| could name many that have, would Let ex
y change such an experience for the noblcst for


tune in the land. That honor, however is YER
far from being mine.


= One meets all sorts of men in the srmy, an
be oton fnts himself in d crowd OF the yer
toughest of the hnwan species. But huma