Year: 1863




ing while the good people Of Vermont are at
tending their accustomed places of worship,
we, here in the army, are engaged in manner
widely different. Our regiment is on picket to
day, close up to the enemy, and picket firing is
going on nearly all the time. ! have seated
myself by our little fire on the support and as
it will be several hours before my turn will
come to 90 On post perhaps shall have no bet
ter time to acquaint you with our proceedings
TOR the last week or 50, than the present


We are IN what am told is called here, the
Owls Wlldern-fs, and certainly 1t would be
hard to conceive of name more appropriate.
ltappcars TO be one uninterrupted wilderness,
extending fifteen or twenty miles either way,
without any other inha itants than owls, buzz
yards, AID such like animals. There may be,
once IN a while small clearing with log house
in tha cent i, and high fence all around it, and
with some sigLs OF ;he land having been cult
waited in modern times, but these places have
straycd aw o. .dr from all civilization that it
will hc hardly worth while to take them into
account The land where we are now, is covered
with small seeond-growJh pine, and looks as il
it had been under cultivation once, but probably
worn gu am abandoned for more fertile regions.
Part OF the woods that we have been through
is grown up to oak and dother solid timber otall
sizes, and has probably been forest from
time immortal The land Is level, and has the
appearance Of being good soil, and II am any
Judge | should call it just such land as would
tempt the eyes OF almost any practical farmer,
if 1t was up in our Northern States, instead OF
being here in decayed Virginia


As to the latitude ami longitude Of our pres
ent whereabouts, the man in the moon could
tell as well as we. We have marched principal
" In the night, and in all directions, 50 it has
DESTROYED all our calculations as to distance and
directions, and all we can say abou- the matter
is that we'haye crossed the Rapidan and are still
on the rebel 5 side OF the river. 1t is cheering
TO beable, under such circumstances, to put con
fdence 10 others for we should be In Wolul
might if we were obliged to act upon our geo.
graphical knowledge at the present time. The
sun rises in the southwest, and noticed that the
needle Of the compass points almost exactly the
wrong way If anybody was going to desert
lust now, should be poor guide to direc
their fight.


One week ago TO day We had divine services IN
our regiment, held by Mr. Chandler, from Brat
tleboro, As we have no Chaplain OF our own
and consequently very meagre religious priVl
leges of any kind, it was quite rarity to heal
anv one preach. He is connected with the Chris
tan Commission and in anticipation OF a battle
had come out here to act the part OF the GooC
Samaritan to the suherng,-as great many De
longing toithaJ Commission have done, to the
everlasting gratitude of those who have beer
wounded in action and to preach the gospe
and distribute religious reading where such ser
vices are needed. lie had large bundle OF pa
pers with him that were eagerly received


On the morning of the oath, we had order
to be ready to march at an early hour Accord
ingly. at precisely three clock in the morning
our quiet dreams were broken up by the rattlln
of drums all through camp, and forthwith W
commenced to break up housekeepng-for tn
most Of us had built us tip top houses-and
prepare for another campaign or for whatever wa
to be accomplished. The weather was grim an
forbiddng aud the rain drops as they came pal
tering on our tent that morning, driven by res
ular nor easter, had very dismal sound in vle'
of the prospect before US. A ranstorm IS yer
uninvitug auxiliary with which to commence
long campaign at any season of the year, ou
more especially now when col weather has com
and when wet clothes can hardly be made to sug
gest anything but discomforts of the least desll
able kind. Our tents had become wet and heavy
and to carry these in our knapsacks with all tn
rest of the clothing that we are obliged to carl
at this time of the year, was going to make


pretty heavy draft upon the strength OF fellow
back bone. It's the last straw that breaks tt
camels back, ard the addition OF few exit
pounds of water might have the same effect
US, for our racks have hitherto been as heavy


seemed possible for US TO carry. You may Judt
of onr satisfaction then, when We heard that tr
order to march had been postponed TOR two day
Some think that other reasons besides unprop
tious weather. was the cause of the delay If