, 1861-10-30

dUdHos
Our corrcsror dent on the Potomac, writing
from near the scene Of the battle at Balls
Bluff, under date Of Wednesday evening, de"
ecribes tnat a6air with minuteness, but the
details have already been substantially given.
At first sight the sacrifice of this <sfor1orn
hope" at Ha1rison's Island seemed to be need
full {and 50 excusab1e) to engage the enemy
there, while Generals Stone and Banks were
bringing aercss their great body Of troops at
Edwards'e Ferry, three miles below. His
6ec1nd letter IS Us follows:
RccKyn1E, hid, Thursday, Oct 24th.
4 6rug harbor within the deairab1e radius of
warmth If q sell piled wood fire blazing upon
the hearth, in long low fumblig country Inn,
in Tits Little village Of Rockville, Morgan
county, Maryland, gives me both the place and
the disposition favorable to the resumption Of
the thread OF correspondence where it was left
in ny las.. Rockville is midway between Wash
ington ard Pooleegile, ard cur ride Of eigh-
teen miles sicce dinner ct the former place,
1eaves satisfactory remainder of our return
route to Washington, to be completed to NOR
TOW morning, and our sojonru at PoolevilIe
may form the theme Of this letter.
1 gave ycu the particulars Of the aYs;r ut
Har1ison's Island as gained from authentic
sources, aud 60 carefully made up to our
hands that 10 correction is needed IN details
ofany Importance. Al day yesterday Gen.
Stone held the Virginia shore at Ed1ards's
Ferry, and Gen. Banks, vas throwing ACROSS
his men. It Was 1aborious task, and with
inadequate and most unnailitary appliances,
and as the result has proved, it Was work &C.
c1mrlished only to be undone again. At five
o'clock last evening the rickes5 old 6cows and
canal boats pressed into the service, and navl-
gated with setting poles, began to carry loads
The other wa3, and SO diligently was the coun-
ter movement kept up that when morning
| 1cee not one ct orr troops In either OF the two
divisions, rot Federal guard nor picket, re-
naired on th= Virginia side Of the Aver.
an here to write facts, and this plain state
| uent Of The retnrn OF these eight thousand
| Ct more troops from 8 crossing Of the Poto-
mac, purchased On Monday by the list of up.
! wards cf 6eT6n hundred "nissiug,n must
! stand a.ont as o fact, unaeeompanied by any
| Etatt ms 1t Of causes and reaaons therefor, 1t
iE often coveted thing In correspondence
| Lr conversation for writer OF speaker to be
able to produce the impression that his Ba-
| E:city has h2o sharp grapple with his pru-
| dence, the latter winning the match. 1nevsr
bad ;@Ee disposition to hint that could tell If
| wanted, Tor I know Of 10 one whose inform
asion cots not Etard with mine on this sub
jet at tie zero peint Of igI orance:
Lit o1ic tl1ish first reference to the fight Of
| hfoE day by saying that tie wounded were do
ing well this morning, that The dead were be-
irg ge1hn y to thesr soldier graves in the lit
, liz pu; 5ine ir>arqpr~ - ..,ar...=.o, ! roae
. hv there ills morning, OH m % and that IS far AZ
could learn, Generalization has not followed
their lcEs even in the regiments that suffered
the most. They a-e burning to aVenge the
death Ct their comrades IL arns and might be
| led into battle tomorrow.
Poo1vi1te deserves few paragraphs for / is
| Own cake The country, as you leave Wash
ington twenty Hllss behind you, on the
Maryland side of the Potomac, becomes e
noble landscape Of high, broad rolling hill
sides, pleasantly but Ro1 thickly wooded, well
Watered BY frequent streams that cross the
road where, descending into romantic little
yR1leys, your steed c1osses bridge or lowers
bis feet aud his thirst in shallow ford. As
re came NJ, on Wednesday, the road beyond
Darnestown was filed st frequent intervals
which passed mp the day previous, and We
saw miles away, their white canvass tips
winding over the hills- The country Is a
1ich agricultural region, Of moderate farmers.
There are 10 great Plantations nor heavy
t1aye-oyne1s. We saw large fields OF corn
fresh with the verdure Of growing wheat, and
many fields being seeded with drills. Our
ride Wes o constant series OF charming bits Of
Landscape. Far away, over the river, the tops
cf the Blue Mountains lay in the dim horizon
Of the tezy October day. In front Of US,
Leaf Mountain. By the roadside, Or dottiuE
tie hi}lsidea, we SAW the white tents Of our
soldiers, or where the broken aud disordered
surface marked Ihe lately deserted camp. Our
ride was fu1. Of charming features Of inter.
est.
From such country ride as this, narrow,
filthy lane, deeply torn by army trains, led ua
! abruptly into Just such sqaa11d little hnd'
died village, as it is the work Of this system o1
civilization to dot the falrest landscapes or
which the sun chimes. PoolesVi1le has but
one nain street, and Hiberntan might add
ia mighty mane one it Is" Could shabby
AID 1ickety houses, rude, miEshapen barns
md sheds Of al styles, size; snd dates Of con
st1ucticn be shaken up iu bsg5 and enptie6
oul st veI;ure, IN zine throws out OF ten
should expee! q better arrangement Of pool
material than Poolesvl1e can boast.
1les1red much BY the p1easurable circum
stances Of q days dpmestication in mo1t
than merely comfortable Southern home o
Poo1esville--learned 1t, toe, by no course O
inte1rcga.erIes and through the veil Of polite
| ness aud hcetltalitJ which touched no suhiec
Of controversy during our sojaurn in the fam
| 5ly. a mac Of WARM pccuniary circumstances
cEner Of score and half Of slaves, I tool
our hoS t, as # uni good evidence to be1iev
| him fair exponent Of the leading countr.
i; residents In this section Of the State. He be
came II hest BY virtue Of the payment q
, one do1la- and seventy FIVE cents per day, pai
| By each Of us who we're glad to bs go admtra
bly, 9uartered. Let this statement set at res
= aay suspteion Of my violasing rights and coul
, | 1esy appeItainfng to that other condition {
visitor and entertainer.
Here WAS Christian household. Al til
table the blessing Eas asked, aud later th
" voice Of prayer at the family altar. Ther
, were Is gueete two ladies, both thoroush}
accomplished and Intelligent, and residents
the vicinity of Georgetown. Was It not ma
. ura1 that should deem the test an impor
: one in forming view of this war, to di
cover IT possible how these stood affected II
: war6s the cause which holds tWo vast batt]
, lines confronting each other within fe
miles cf Washington
There was no discussion On the Wa:, aa b
fore stated. But I noticed how studiously tt
. chance occasf oral references took the form
"1onr troops" and !" your Generals. Not OF
word Of sympathy expressed for sufferers
the late battle, the dead and wounded OF Wh1c
!. we're numerous In the village; and 81 I 8
writing, my earsteould not escape hearing
conversation in the adjoining room through
door star, in which 1t was strongly objected
that Is these people should bury their dead In Il
village churchysrd, their Government sho1
secure them place or take the dead away -
IL There were abundant tokens that these Pc
= Die were alien to the troops about the1
though the business of the village Was stim
1ated to an enormous extent comparative
. 1till it Was trade with sliens Is truly as
q Ita.lan vi1lagere should not shrink from
- targa1rs with Austrian troops, comparison
IL A+11 1nAk1 roA +4yr