The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-09-14
NO l34
LIFE TN vrpnrn4A

vicinity Of MeClellan'a army, gives the
following very interesting particulars Of
the people Of that vicinity Those who
have ever been in She river counties Of
Virginia will recognize the piclute as
very nearly true. NE says;
SON or THE WoTIoS.
To justly appreciate the soil OF this re-
gion and its vegetation, the reader must
previously have travelled among the pines
Of New Jersey. Jersey and this part OF
| Virginia are exactly alike. The soil il
mostly sand, blowing about when dry, and
making the worst and deepest sort OF mire
when wet Worn out and uncultivated
IN many places, il haa produced growth
Of pine woods but little better than the
tho poorest forests of New Jersey Where
| IL 10 cultivated aud pains taken with It,
the groundmay be made as rich and pro
ductiVeaa any market garden Of Burling.
! don or Camden counties. There are many
| fertile spots dotted over these three gen
orally abandoned counties of New Kent
| Hanover and Henrico, which can hardly
be excelled by any Northern farms; but
all of them have been made so by labor.
and on inquiry their owners are always
found TO be shrewd Northern emigrants
The productions Of the soil are the same
| as in the neighborhood of PHILADELPHIA.
with the addition Of tobacco. Every
| thing, however, is much earlier in season.
although no better in quality.
VIRGINIA ARCHITECTURE
There are but two styles Of arohitec-
ture in this portion of Virginia, and each
| style typiGes its owner. There is no
middle class here every one is either
very rich or very poor, and the two styles
OF building belong TO these two classes
! Search the rural parts Of Eastern Vir-
ginia over, from Norfolk TO Alexandria,
and from the sea 10 the mountains, and
every house can, without any difficulty
be marshaled in one or the other of these
two classes. The rich man has his man
sion, the poor man his log cabin. Every
mansion is set on Hill, hundred yards
or so from a road is surrounded by old
oaks of the last century, and at a dis
tance presents a view of great beauty
and betokens comfort and felicity. A
nearer approach, however, exposes Il to
a more critical examination, shows an
old house, two and half stores high,
built of frame, on a foundation of brick,
with basement story and a Ginning.
A kitchen and eating on each side
Of q staircase hail. are in the basement
A parlor, hall and bedroom on the first
iioOr, and two chambers, generally ex-
tending up into the half-story, are above.
There is but little closet room. and as
regards economy Of space, all these
houses are most lily constructed. A
small portico, with steps leading down
to graveled walk, ornaments the front
Worm fences inclose all the Virginia
fields, except where, in o few cases there
are hedges. Uneven pale fences, and
post and board ones, are the greateat al
lempts at ornamental fencing ever made
around the mansion houses Of Virginia.
Stables are scarcely IL ever seen log
shed open on one side, and with ohinks
and crannies on the Others being the fin
est horse accommodations. The dear
born and rockswAy wagons and lieht
carriages OF the North are never seen here
Double Buggies' are the only carriages
used for pleasure driving, and there are
very Few of them, as every one who rides
rides on horse back
THE WHITE TRASH.
The log huis Of the lower class. the
castles Of the mean whites" are so poor
that | am afraid any description NAV
give, even the most favorable one will
not be believed. These hutB me sci
about the country without any reference
either 10 beauty OF convenience They
are built Of round hoWn timber, iOinted
al the corners, with the ohinks filled with
morter or clay Never more than one
story high, that one II 90 low that tall
man has TO Rtoop on entering the door
Some logs thrown across above form the
ceiling Of the room and tho floor Of the
loft and a ladder Of tho ude8t degcrip
ton, leading through the hatch, Is thr
grand staircase. Theae huis have usual.
. ly but one roOm--a two -rO0mad hut is a
rarity. Sometimes tho ground is the
floor the poverty Of The ownor preyentinp
the purchase Of iloor-boards, largo Gre.
place, built also Of logs, and a log chin.
ney, finish the building whilst shed
s'Oping the rain of from the dooryard
+ only 90 run back again when Il has fallen
on the ground is balcony, poriico and
awning Tor the poor mans residence-
Poor and restricted as these buildings
+ may seem, yet they are homes for some
one, aud as such are no doubt as much
beloved as the greatest houses ia the
land. Large families Of children are
often reared in them, and many a dis
tinguished Virginian first saw the light
IN one Of these poor, miserable houses -
: But a short distance from where the 0bth
p and 96th Pennsylvania regiments are en-
, camped is the site of hut whose ruins
even now are sacred. Old Hanover coun-
, w in Virginia, has always been proud
J OF her Henrys-her Patrick Henry and
. her Henry Clay. The one was born ia
4 that miserable hut whose ruins stand
, hard by the camp; the other drew his
3 first breath at Ashland, but a few miles
a distant, where, five years ago, stood just
q | such a hut "a I am now describing