The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-06-19

OUR HAapER's FERRY .CORREspo CT


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| OUR HARPER'S FERRY .CORREsP ONDENCE,
HAarERs FEgRY, June 10, 1851
Interesting Description Of the Re6l Eaccmpm.ns de-
after my excursion along the Potomac yesteriay
reached shsrpsburg late In the evening" and the
had just reached that point that Harpers Ferry
being evacuated left instaner for the base o. the
Nary land Heights slept that night within short dis
lance Of this place. Procuring the kind assistance
Of strong Union man and experience fox hcntef,
| Major Mul)endor who knows the Maryland Eeights
as thoroughly as he knows the rooms Of hia own house
in company With Captain Cook and Leutenant Eeat,
Of the shapebuTg Rome Guard began the ascent OF the
Mary land Heights about hafpast five In the morning
After long sBd tedious cambering rookie and among
| thick laurel bushes, reached the road the Zen
tuok,ans had constructed from the base OF the
tain to it's top II must have occasooed them immense
| labor. euppoae they employed slaves principally
for that purpose II, however, thS soldiers performed
| that labor II vas very great.
led nrst to the camp Occupied by the kentuokiaus,
under Banton Duncan numbering when they relresSed
! only one hundred and ninety men. Here found
twenty Biz small cabins, tructed OF small chestnut
trees OpDg backwards from the top the front part
being about twelve feet high and the back part
rooted cabin fssDion They were tho rudest structures
ever saw, save hunters lodges among the rocky
mountains, and these are built with eye to profession
against all kinds Of weather ncemencies, whilst these
rooted would not have prevented the OF
feet OF Boards evidently intended for roofing purposes
In Of them rude unhewu pole berths put up
so that two rowe Of sleepers could enjoy the axues
have been the reflections Of {" these sons Of south
ern sentlemen, as their friends called them,
mountain upon such A' beds, and looked sas
upon the starlight during cold, shiverng night felt
u hey ss al their a
and uxures 10 1ght against the flag their fathers had
uOnd md NH Is Was fonu ,1J
quadrangle Of chestnut logs, doubled upon other
Underneath the east sdethe building being loclei upon
the crest Of the anthe ground suddenly
away III this oppression they had commenced to build
a etone wall in ihe usual in which rude 81 one
fences arc constructed in rural districts Upon these
battery either had rested was TO rest. The sdes OF
the quad raggle had not reached anywhere than
three feet 1t had been abandoned before their retreat
The strangest part Of This Whole eucampae1t tina.
they had no parade ground there being bu sixty feet
between the double or cabins, that not beicg
could not have formed more than thr.( huntred men
Into lihe, and no: have manouyred company OF
ibaD fity The sur see was rough aud uoeven and
fun or stnmps so that eua'eh. line rluks could not
be pest n'eo. The drill map9uTes and parade must
have been very amnspg afi'ir Dogbeuy's muster Of
the night watch could no. have been more 60
Immediately s,uth. of this, ard in straight line
to~sIds the Ferry, there is depression In tho ridge
and by neck the heights are connected win with
wnat 10 csled by the mountaneers the rinnlcle
his precnts Of s sides TO The Poon,c whore ,hse
Is mosL fearful pecpicea perpendl ular OF full three
hundred Feet beetiDg ftowntog, darker gaDder tnlq
any feuasl keep. Along this neck the Kentuckans con-
st-ucted also Old fashioned sockadc srch their
fathers gont repel Indian alta ks vita an, t
century ago Ihess are kaoSn upon the Western ron
tier how days by the name Of blockade I. had
thirteen entrances upon the south side one
posts squared with an axe upon ,her edges and driven
into the ground Ike spies are driven, being
joints loop hole which rdenta.on in each log
directly opposite the other. Through this the gun IL
lbrpst ana the fire devt red upon advanc ng enemy
In the centre Of the s.ockade poles logger ana
platform erected a, about the height Of etght feet
feet S'>- 'V N'' Wv - 'A'S' 81 -' A'<"' u ABOUT
have been lesor.ed to indicates that bu.
little engineering skill exists amoIg the South
ern forces, no:~itns.and'og their ooas:ed Beaure
binary mind that had ever seen gun fred, that Six
twelve pcunder would have knocked their high raj
epcs into thousand splnters and sent the upper tier
Of kicking, jumping ana sorawtirg amoag their
opp ever This decreased piece of the c.cs We again AZ.
cended until reached higher point uprn the pnua:e
upon its west side. Here found about d1zsn rude
cabins bnwng less skill than the others hs
Ia called Lower Bradleyvne Nothing worthy OF remark
presented at hs point To the eastward Of ths and
at the very Greet Of the Pinnacle, still another
rude cncampment The cabins in both constructed
without any regard to military order The large catn
at the upper point was the headquarters of Bradley
Johnson, Of Frederick city, Maryland, the Commsnaes
the flag staff Tho ocn: tolerate asg had disappeared,
however, nevsr again to FAINT upon trcse heights
We went further down the :. piurae.en ant from
point which juts out ak hundred feet cry nothing
ness, we looked upon the whole scene whs:e those
stirring Of the 1ast two months been trans
to which the newspa press and the pub
lie have been looking with such intense interest Before US
hlackened beams the piers reodened intense heat
the whole Of the mngnfcenty bH, workshops Of the
government buildings mass Of scared and smoking
ashes with nothing but their massive wallis remaining
Even the gates Of the outlet lock OF the hesapeae snd
Ohio Canal we're swuag from their hnees in order that
navigation along one Of tho gea: commercial of
Mary lapt might be stopped and she thus punished for
her loyalty to the union
There too right bed Of thu csnal laid in CHARGED
passes i've canal boats taken FROM private citizens who
had honorabiy maintained their allegiance These formed
Citing contrast to the destruction OF the long tressel
work Of the Baltimore road. The work Of destruction
complete as human malgnty could make IL
Such wholesale desolaon will make the people West
efn Mary land and Northern Virginia more loyal than they
ever were.
flew sentnea, almost invisible from their lazness,
stalled loupginsy along BACK o. Bolivar suburb Of
two camps, In which fe~ troope Still fingered One Of
these lay Immediately ever the Potonac; another lay
about two miles within the radius OF circle and
overlooking the country road passing by Hsltown,
toward Msrtinsbure. Altogether, over sx hundred
men, Judging Of their number by the eye and the
Der Of tents which they bad.
Whilst se stood there the tsns we're struck and every
Incident preparatory to marching observed. We waited
until them packing, descended tho mount
the western eope an reaching the canal stroed LEISURE
)y along ia banks for more than mite Although the
soldiers bad fred indscr mipaey upon all persons who
passed BY the ssme road We ye. passed unssuted oy
such doubtful honor.
Thus ended my reconnaissance or Harpers Ferry In
ruins.
TIE DEeOLATION AT HARPER'S FERRY.
Tho population Of narpers Ferry and the adjacent
towns Bolivar and vrgnus, consisted OF probably I've
thousand people There shout three hundred and
fifty armorcrs and Aborers employed, and the whole
population depended for their support upon tho govern
ments annual expenditure Ia the fabrication o! ARMS.
Besoes the place Afforded market 10 the neighbosing
farmers u Loudon and Jefferson counties in Virginia,
and OF Washington Maryland for wood and pro ,nce Of
de'd and garscn. II n . serious Illustration Of the
beauties peacesble secson TO hs good people Of thst
region The workueu and others who were NOT forced
into the army hsve been scattered and their families
mostly left 10 state Of restitution Such sceuee in the
very ''eavGen spot Of Virginia probably without
parallel In history Of hitherto hsppy people, me IN
steaoss sud In these dread may hsve DC
caeiou In the bitterness and sngusn Of repentance, Tn
call fr the and rocks fall upon them and
hide them from the vengeance vi IN outraged comm unity