The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-08-02


A Days Ride-Interesting Rebel Rev
clations-A New Theory for the
Mexican Invasion-The Battle Field
OF Big Bethel-The Flora or Easte rn
Virginia.
NEWPORT News, July 90, '62.
With large party of officers, l was
in the saddle yesterday eight hours,
making a circuit of Is or 20 miles, visit
ing deserted and Inhabited plan atoms,
and taking the battlefield OF Bethel in
our way home. This has been a fine
agricul, ural country in its time. The
establishment of tho Norfolk and New
York line of steamers opened the district
to the thrifty market gardeners of New
Jersey and Long Island, and large and
highly profitable trade in early vegeta-
bles had commenced when the war broke
out. All about here, and over the river
about Norfolk, the country had taken on
all the appearances of thrift and pros
peri,y. Smiling farms, comfortable houses
good fences, we'll titled fields, yielding
large crops for little labor, were to be
seen on every side, and new day had
dawncd on Eastern Virginia. The old
lie that free labor could not compete
with slavery in the agricultural distric $
of the South was practically refuted, for
poor Northern men had come and grown
rich on the fruits of their own toll.
Alas what is to be seen now! For
miles and miles, as we rode along, there
was not house or fence in sight. Piles
of bricks, heaps Of plaster, charred tim
bers, and rubbishe sea tered over the
ground, we're all that remained of once
happy homes and iresides, around which
children had clustered. Among the
ruins, tall weeds of rank growth are
growing, and the walks and door-yards
are overrun with coarse grasses. The
cribs and barns, once burs ing with grain;
the drying-houscs, once crammed full Of
tobacco the little white washed negro
cabins are all gone-not even stick
of wood remaining to mark the spot
where they stood. Where the army has
passed along, the miles Of fences have
disappeared in the fame and smoke of
bivouac fires, and there the country lies,
one vast, desolated tract, as far as the
eye can reach. You at the North, who
have con, ributed your mite toward the
National expenses, or sent out your
young men to fight the battles, have no
idea of the grim realities Of War. II
you want to know what they are, come
to the South when the struggle is over,
aud see what those see who follow the
army.
Here anf there, by accident or design,
house may be seen still standing, and,
more rarely sill, one which is inhabited
and untouched. A sweeping conscrip-
ton has taken all the young aud middle
aged men away, and their ncighbors have
been driven from their dcsola.ed planta-
tons. One would think, would lie not.
that these solitary families, seeing such
misery, such bitter fruits of Rebellion
about them, would re- urn to their loyalty.
. and pray for peace on any terms But
it is not so. They speak of the Rebel
cause as their own, and prophecy its sue
cess. If thoy have tears and grief for
their dead, they do not show them to us,
but cling to their sin with surprising
constaucy. Sill, so base are theil
natures, these Southern Rebel sympa.
thizers will take food from us to save
themselves from starvation, and the mex
moment abuse US in secret for Hcssian'
and cut threats.