Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-03-28

MANASSAS AFTER TIE EyACUATIoN.-Re-
suming our advance at y ?. ", I've had
made about seventeen miles thus far VIC
followed the same tne road till We drew near
the lines Of CCntTeyi!le. AMI truly they were
formidable The continuous rihe-pits, miles
IN length, might cover fifty thousand marks
men, and the embrasurts Of the forts, toward
all points. might throw their flood Of fire
point blank OF rakinC on every line OF ad-
vance
A brigade Of infantry were drilling on the
slope, and as we passed up were charging
upon the works. ! ianciet that they were
chagrinod that it was only practice and
mimic war
Behind the crest ON the western plain
were the barracks Of the rebels. Lighthouses
dauhed with mud, AMI rooted with slaves or
shocks, provided with puncheon chimneys
and elevated hunks; LAID OF INTO streets and
squares. well-epsIneeTel, wel.-0rdered and
evidently, until about the time Of their evac-
uation. Kept cleanly. They were thorough
" stripped Of everything that the owners
would have wished To take with them. but
the litter md refuse still gave tokens Of the
manner Of life which had been lived there
Tor eight months
On the whole. We agreed that the rebel
army had beeg better housed than ours this
winter.
With the gray Of the morning came droves
OF contrahands, with faces set toward Wash
ington, and, thank God, towards freedom.
They stopped in the abandoned camps, told
Us each their story, and clad themselves IN
the abandoned clothing Of the soldiers.
By daylight We began our search for me-
MORALS. There was abundant evidence Of 4
hasty retreat. Huge piles OF stores had been
pulled out upon the ground, and the most
valuable taken from them. Many pile Of
clothing and arms, swords, hay0nets, hard
ware. and intrenehing tools, medicine, books,
knives, had been brought to the platform be
side the track, to be put on the last tram,
when, rs it appeared, by some miscalcula-
ton d bridge beyond had been blown up,
ana 20 retreat LETT oIen for the cars; accor-
dinghy they and the platform. with all It's
burden OF stores, had been burned, and the
wrecks lay beside the road.
We found the battlefield; but 50 extensive
Is it and so divided in its parts by wood and
streams and ridges Of land, that We had
time 10 yisit only one or two OF the most in
teresting localities. Where the strife was
iieTcest stood cylindrical marble shaft. al
ready much broken by relic hunters. bearing
the inscription, EDWIN 5. Barlow. July p,
lo6l. They've killed me, boys. but don't
give up the ship. In rayine where the
18th ui the Fire ZJuayes made their stand,
were their unburied and half decomposed
bodies: bones were scattered IN the mud; and
above WIS heap Of stones and mortar
where a LITTLE house had gone down under
the fire Of artillery. Knots Of soldiers were
travelling over the ground, and refreshing
their memories with the facts Of that event
,ui day, and they told US that beyond the
next hill was "a trench IN which the dead had
been buried. and from which they had been
rudely pred up with rails, and robbed of
their skulls and other parts, which the
neighbors told Us had been the choice play
things OF the lerocious part Of the rebels
One man asserts IN be has often seen
Mississippian riding with spurs made from
the jaw-boae Of Yankee-the teeth serving
for rowels.-Cor. " J. Independent.