, 1861-06-18


lfr. Willis writes his first letter fom the seat
war to the Home Journal this week. We
copy his description Of visit to Arlington
House:
sOur approach to Arlington House Was like
the entrance to the park Of an English duke
the smooth greensward, stretching nway into
majestic trees, which had quite the air Of q
peernge at the court Of Nature eunobled. The
oaks and hIekories, the elms and d. chest.
nuts, had been distributed BY the incest art,
md that the glimpsts Of the landscapes be
really, from the front lava OF the mansion
honse the view is wholly unsurpassed. Wash
irgton, inst across the Potomac, looks fairly
sitting for Its picture, the Capitol sits On its
high hill as L On purpose to P1ease eyes at
Arlington. The middle ground 1t Is proba-
bic, Is much more artistically picturesque than
usual, for The park lawn, stretching from
with the white tents Of the INVADER the red
ehirts of the soldiers off duty Frightening
among the trees, and cavalry horses, with
their military equipments, grouped upon the
eward-a PaIndise embellished with war trnp-
lrge-bnt 1t must at all times hare been 3
think that the heir and owner of such IN Eden
General Lee) should now be advancing upon
it as the enemY'-likely tomorrow o. next
day [for hear that the pIckets Of the two
forces are but mile aparO to do battle on his
own lawn for the mastery! Thus, sometimes,
are the poems We see lived more touching than
any that could be writtenI
"The old mapsion.h house, with Its spacious
portlco, vas all open, doors and windows, and
groups Of officers stood around. waiting for
orders. The General (AfcDowel1) welcomed
our cavalry friends; but feeling little tearfal
Inn 70 <ni& = n%x {r,n no{s
ing Of tie possibility Of an lakewood thus de-
stTted,}I strolled Of to the garden during
their military interview, to pluck a flower
that might take home and remember. Open
ing the wicket gate, came upon IN old white
headed negro, q left behind relic Of the fami-
ing strawberTies-my friend Captain &agru'
slave-state man, a Msry1snher,)
knowing the way to talk to him better than t.
Among other things he asked him, Well. IN.
| Gle, what do you think Of the war y Well,
mass, said the old nan, in deprecatlng tone
things we've been so long putin up with |!
| and with this pithy answer he fell diligently tc
| work on his strawber7y-bed Further ques
| tfoning informed us that uncle was seventy
years old, and that he belonged originally t.
| The Mount Vernon estate. As he,haa 4 week
| Qu u4e IuHt4 QAAEk ukt> AaktA 44Lu VIII uS " "
In mourning for. Wei, massa' said he, d
hat was Cub to me Just 60, and didn't feel q
liberty to take offde mournin'.' By this tins
| others Of our party had Joined us, and maxim:
up contribution for the sensible old negro
ne went out Of the garden, followed BY hi
blessings.
"Reminded by remark Of General Nc
| Dowell's, Of the proper privacy Of the hol5e
{that he had slept and lived IN bis tent upol
the grounds, not taking the liberty to turn th
apartments into military quarters), had In
tended not to crosa the threshold, but o Pre-
posal to get better view Of the encampment
from the roof Of the building led me to follo'
quite party Of officers and visitors to the up
per story. The doors Of the rooms were d
open, and we saH that, In the sudden dese1
t1onx only the bed clothes had been taken aw wa
the old fashioned and clumsy furniture {
the last century all remaining, (even the lool
ipe-glasses ut which so many beautiful wome
had made their toiletttf), and the pillows an
feaher-beds still there. The very antique po
tra1ts OF the ladies aud soldiers Of the famn
still hung upon the chamber walls, thong
from the panels Of the different entries Ii
more valuable pictures had been removed
leaving the cumbersome frames lookin
mournfully vacant It will be remembers
that Mr.. Parke Curtis, the former proprleto
was IN ameteur artist and his huge historic;
| paintings still decorated the back entries