| Letter from Washington
We make some extracts from a private letter written by Amos C. Plaisted, recently of this city and now a member of the Fitchburg Fusileers, Fifteenth regiment. He went forward with his regiment, from Worcester, on the 8th inst. On the way through Baltimore, the troops were saluted with a few stones thrown at the baggage-wagons, but nobody was hurt. Young Plaisted writes: "When we left Baltimore we expected to go to Harper's Ferry, and were somewhat surprised on waking up next morning in the cars and finding ourselves in Washington in full view of the capitol buildings. We remained in the city during the day and night, and left for camp the next morning. On the way to camp we passed the White House, and a beautiful place it is, too; it is built of the same kind of stone as the capitol. We also passed by the tree where Key was shot by Sickles some two years ago. Washington is a rough-looking place, with the hogs and cows running at large in the streets, apparently with as much liberty as in a New England barn-yard, and there is nothing pretty about the city, except the capitol, White House, Washington monument, and the treasury building. *** Near our camp there are two houses, recently occupied by rebels -- one of whom poisoned a well of water, and all of the men were very sick that drank of it, but none have died. On being discovered the scoundrel fled across the river to the "sacred soil" of Virginia, and the union men gutted his house completely, leaving nothing but the bare walls, which are of brick, and the soldiers now amuse themselves by target-shooting agains the standing walls. *** We had a first rate time all the way from Worcester. We came through Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland -- so I have seen many of the largest cities in the union, and now I want to fight and have the war settled! then I shall be contented to settle down in the shop again. But don't worry about me, for all I want is strength to do my duty, and if I fall -- so be it!" |