It is a mammoth structure built facing the water, and extending some distance over it, and contains more than one thousand sleeping apartments, its lower floors being fitted up with surpassing beauty and luxuriousness. Looking out upon the broad expanse of Hampton Roads from the dancing pavilion, one sees where the naval duel of the Merrimac and the Monitor was fought in 1862, and where takes place annually the naval rendezvous of the North Atlantic squadron. Just outside stands the Army Y. M. C. A. presented to the soldiers and sailors by Miss Helen Gould, and not far away is the Officers' School. Passing over the moat on the drawbridge, and entering within the walls, we were first shown the prison in which Jefferson Davis was confined, also the one in which they keep deserters, there being over a hundred at that time. The Commander's headquarters was next shown, with officers' headquarters on every side, and the extensive barracks.
Revolutionary relics abound in Trophy Park, which is a charming spot.
Eight hundred soldiers are usually quartered in the fortress, but during encampments there are often as many as three thousand, when tents are pitched about the grounds for additional accommodations. Returning to our boats, we went over to Newport News, where we expected to find some ancient landmarks, but were surprised to see a new town, and learned that there were only two old houses, one being a church and the other a dwelling. We visited the extensive dry docks, and as we were walking around all the time, I got hungry. A man passed, trundling a cart, and I hailed him. Finally we got back into the town, and had supper at a restaurant.