The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-11-27
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
TOUR OWN CORES EHT.1
DUMFRrEs Nov % 1881

DuMFRrEs, Nov %, 1861.
| Lying in = small valley which stretches TO
| the Potomac and nearly surrounded by n range
| CT hills, il what remsins of the cid colonial
| town of Dunn fries, the point from which your
| correspondent is now writing. catering on
the Bren tsyille road, one passes over q sandy
| ard rolling tract of country, and comes to a
terrace, ifone may SO call the ridge that ri ses
abrur tiy from the valley, which completely
| overlooks the town, and gives a good papo.
| ramic view of the stream npon which it is
| situated. Stretching ont in n southerly III
| rection, widening gradually in its course is
| Quantico creek, and beyond il the Potomac
| as1iVer ike thread Of water, just visible b.
| tween the headlands at the mouth of the b ~
sun farther on, the shore of M rylapd is Wis
| lpie, ootted mere and there with firm houses
| ana ps tches OF woodland, its line OF hills
forming the distant horizon. he land around d
Dumiries is generally poor, and covered with
| Il uense growth Of young pin es, or with for
| ests OF sunted oak, showing it has at some
| Tune IN us history fceD cleared land. Com
| ing in from tho North, winding between the
| nils and dashing over the rocks in hundreds
| OF miniatilre cascades, the Quantieo enters
| the town, ant passes out of 1t through 3.
| marsh, or meadow, half mile in length.
| From this point il grows wider and deeper,
Hnisi II runs into the Potomac at Evans
| port.
The town it, slf is built upon a side hill.
| which slopes gtadualiy to tha water. Coming
| into IL, the fire house visible il upuD al emi
nence called "t oSe Hill, ;" from which nlen-
dld view IS obta med. 1t is ar old house that
/ been fer some time deserted, q legend hang
ing ABOUT 1t oi poor suicide, who blew his
| bruins out Witlln its W lis and whose ghost
| still fingers round tue place Every old
| town has its ha Uni ted spot-tne point of later.
| est TO str nge.s and its bugbear for chill
! 4 tn o
| rule. Unfcrtunateiy, the army was in need
| OF boards, and this house has been stripped
| com npieteiy, and row little but the frame
| work remains 10 hold the dead mans spirit.
| l. W IS near sulset when / rode up the hill,
| and standing beside the haunted bUiidi" z
got an idea OF The scenery wh ich am tryin z
! TO express in words Thetveni wind sighed
through the bare raIiers like the moau il = OF
| some restless splrit, and night ow, flaw out
| OF Il broken window md fitted into The dark
| shadow of some neigh hboring pines. Built
Dy man OF wealth anO influence,
| " The h Use rem ire1 av, iie
Silent a2d taDant.ess -thoE W mt 20 s.r2r ger, -
! Since then it has passed through years Of neg
iect, and has noH gone 10 ruin and decay 70
tnose Wao are fond Of relics OF the past the
/ SPOT was Of interest, and cne cou!d imagine
more Old wives tales hanging about il than
| pine coa' In the forest. Standing beside il,
| many delicious memory floats thr ugh the
| nlnn like tho dream of some long iorgo tten
| melody, and the brain is Allsd with Weird
|
About thousand yards beic wv ''R0se Hiu,'
| the VIII age commences. A sing e street bor-
! dered on either SIDE by houses IN every stag e
| OF i|apitation-hAlf ruined stores and top
| p'lhS barns, aaat only mtin tain their qui 10
| rum by the aid OF sunGry rails propped
| against them solitary chimnevs standia g
| up like f"sacrsd u the memory" broken
stone fences; half dozen substantial brick
| buildings that have been elegant In their
| day; iii cen or twenty wooden ones aim ost
| IL ruins, mum Der of sheds whose ro is have
| ftlten in are about ali the village can hoast
| There is scarcely house emit civ covered with
/ weatherhoarsiing or shingles; the sh Is bro
| Ker, and III the place OF glass q bundle of rags
or old clothes st res one IN the face at every
| step. 6ut taW OF the former residents remain
| IN their houses, nearly all OF them bein oc-
| cupled by suffers or some kind OF tradesmen
| Loves hotel, a two story brick building with
| basement, is the largest house in the place
and decidedly the most modern OF alI-in it
| are General WigfaIis headquarters, the off
| GERS OF his staff, and the departments of his
| family. In an upstairs, corner room, is the
| telegraph office, where the click, click, click
| or the busy instruments can be heard from
| morning until light. At the opposite end OF
| the town is the courthouse, or what was the
/ court house before the county site was re-
| moved TO Brentsville. 1t is a structure of
| peculiar architecture, built of i'm ported brick
IJv7ith granite corner-stones and cornicss The
| floor is formed of quadranguIsr flag stones
| nicely fitted together, most of them worn
| way by the shutfljng of many feet, and the
benches and the bar, constructed OF heavy
| oak, have grown rotten and worthless with
age. Near by this is the old Colonial court
| house, small one story cottage now occu-
| pied a residence by the only person bora in
| tow now living in it.
| The date Of this house 1 cannot ascertain :;
| no one here remembers to have heard but /
presume the town records will tell. That it
| is old enough, there are sufficient indications
| the weather -board~ have grown thin under
| the storms OF many winters, and it's sides and
| roof are covered Wi h moss. TIVE or three
| yards from the house is the old ilii = small
| building made of heavy oak ber, still well
| preserved, with one window and 4 strong
| double door. The original bolt. and hinges
! and grating across the single window still re
| main as evidences OF its an iquity. Near by
| this is brick mansion row used as a hospi
| tai. 1t ia" "wned by man from New Jersey
! who has been some seventeen years in Vir-
| ginia, sn ignorant and not very brilliant in
| divi6ual, who spends his time in general
| loafing and in sWeari' < at Lincoln and Sew.
| ard. Hearing me making inquiii les about The
| town he came for ward and offered his service
| Taking us around the house ne pointed to ;
b .se-stone supporting one of the pillars of tn,
porch
here's q curiosity said he, ''come from
| the theatre
Ii WAS 4 square block of granite upol
which was the following inscription
"W Ate