Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-08-17

participate, as poised on a quaint Bellerophan
| to which the Gods had given the head of q
goat and the name Of lion, he smiled bland
/ ly and admiringly on the slaughter, and took
occasion to keep his eyes well on the field
| by directing them to opposite points of the
compass" By way of antidote one could
step out on the portico, and, looking across
the Potomac, rests his eyes on the soft land
| scape dotted with tents and broken by
the white masses of the public buildings
| Of Washington, which sweep along by Bladens-
burg towards the undulsting horizon of sullen
| Maryland The scene from the front of the
! house is charming, but good scenery is out of
place-at least descriptions, or attempts to de-
scribe, are so in civil war. As l walked round
the house came on a group of officers seated
in front of one of the tents and reading the in
i evitable newspaper. The friendly introduction
took place, and one gentleman in uniform was
/ presented as Col. Tyler--a tall, robust man,
| with reddish brown barbe d'Afiigue, a mel
low eye, and a warm complexion. As he stood
up was sorely perplexed by the button on
his coat. There surely was the pelican. which
/ is said to be the type of louisiana and is GER
tainly her emblem. But how came it there?
Had the Colonel killed his enemy, and was he
| wearing his coat, or were pelicans more gener-
| ally diffused on buttons than had supposed9
"Your camp is prettily situated Col Tyler ="
| my camp, sir! have nothing to say to it, sir;
| am in the army of the Confederate States. ~
II
truce from Richmond, and bears dispatches
from Mr.. Davis to President Lincoln. He tells
| me Of friends and acquaintances at Manassas
/ junction and at Richmond, and after some
| conversation we separate. What these dis
| patches are about no one can tell but later in
the evening Col. Taylor is escorted to General
| ScOtt's quarters in Washington, and he is sent
| back to camp late at night, whence he pro-
ceeds, without any reply, it is said, back to
| Richmond.
| WEDNESDAY, July l0.-This morning pro.
| ceeded, in company with two American gen.
| tiemen, to make a small tour of observation
| from the right of the position Of the Federal
| forces IN the army of the center across the Po-
| tomac, IN Virginia, to the works covering the
Long Bridge leading from Arlington Heights
10 the city OF Washington. The Potomac il
spanned by two bridges-one called the Chain
Bridge, about six miles above the city; the
other, called the Long Bridge crossing the
stream Immediately into the upper part of the
| road to Alexandria. The right bank is denseIy
wooded and uncleared, and descends in slabs
| OF rocks from the undulating plateau to the
turold waters, which gradually contract and
lessen in depth from the city up to the Little
alls, some seven miles above, where they as
sumo the character Of a mountain torrent A
oroad canal, in which the State of MARYLAND
mas sunk many millions Of dollars forever, alb
serbs much of the river, and runs above the left
Cnaln Bridge and the large suburb called
Georgetown. All along the road we met par
tes OF soldiers, armed or not, to and fro, in a
variety OF uniform which battles knowledge
some OF them are seated in the shade under
trees with their rifles, and the sharp whiz of
| the balls and the clack of the lead against the
rocks, direct the eye to the ambushed ri6emsn
who is practising to hit "Secesher." There
Is many-tongued utterance among these
troops Swedish, Dutch, German, Italian
irish, Scotch and English Of divers accents At
the bridge there was an examination of pass
ports, conducted in a very loose manner by the
sentry on duty. The pass runs as follows
Washington.
Pass - over the bridge, and within the
lines, by order Of Gen. Mansfield, command
Ing. Drake de Kay, Aid de- Camp. Turn
oVer) 1t is understood that the within named
and subscriber accepts this pass on his word of
honor that he is and ever will be loyal to the
United States; and if hereafter found in arms
against the Union, or in any way aiding her
enemies, the penalty will be death"
vi course, the foreigner strikes out the latter
clauses or produces his regular passport grant
cd oy Lord Lyons, which is now demanded by
the authorities, and which is countersipned by
MI. seward, Secretary of State. and subse-
quently by Gen. Winfield Scott, Commander
/ in-chlef. The passage of the bridge is defend
ed Dy an earthwOrk with two brass howitzers
on the level of the csuseway, and by another
work on the bank above il, which mounts three
pieces OF heavy ordnance, the two being sup
ported oy bsttalion Of volunteers from the
| EOlumola District, who are just now striking
4 tnelr tents TO return home on the completion
| Oh their term of duty. We were soon on the
| sacreo SOIL ct Virginia, which is here light
brlck colOred. The road, one of the toughest
winds through wood and deep, high banks
crowned with forest and open knolls towards
| the enemy's pickets, some indefinite numb Der
Oh miles In front. Having proceeded
snort way, small camp is reached, which
commands the road from the plateau above.
Inc soldiers who belong to the District of
l columbia also are lying in the shade not
particularly sOlicitOus, it would seem, about
| front or rear, though the camp could be easily
/ approached under cover Of the surround
| ing trees. From the open space in which the
| tents were pitched the eye wanders over fine
| expanse OF woodland, and the yellow current
OF the Potomac flowed at our feet commanded
| here and there by small camps on the opposite
| heights. L gave one Of the men paper which
he Immediately began to read for his comrades,
while others crowded round US ready to afford
| any Information in their power They did not
seem disposed to continue their term of service,
and were mostly of q mechanical turn in the
| world, and given TO small trades, instead of
| soldering. This post has no connection with
| the columns lower down the river, and its lines
Il VI cOmmuulcduOH with washington lay over
the bridge and along the left bank. On leaving
the camp was struck by the evidence of the
ingenuity Of the Americans in preparing de-
fenses The large trees by the side of and
/ oyerhsnging the road were all cut at the base,
and just retained in their places by guys and
ropes attached to the cliff above, the cutting of
which would libsrate the trees and permit
| them to fall upon the csuseway, where they
would present serious obstacles to the passage
OF artillery and cavalry till the pioneers could
clear away the rude sbattis. This system was
| continued for some hundreds of yards above
the camp. We now logged and jolted along
for some time in a shady lane through the
woods not soul did we meet for several
miles. Two farm houses which we passed were
| apparently deserted, though the wheat lay
| stacked in the Aeld. From one poor hut two
! negresses peered out, but they could not give
much information about the country At last,
the driver, dismounting, made his way to
farmhouse, and was told he had got outside
the line Of pickets, and had taken the wrong
road. Ny friends were Unionists and Adolf
tionists. Even the keen eyes of scouting
southerners might not perceive the marks ef
neutrality in the quarrel which ought to serve
| as a shield to rife bullets There was proba-