New-York daily tribune., 1862-04-30

q world, and v ihch we bTe io'oiuu"" "! W. -.
.r,isnary to rcrort--reurning to their mtefao'e !
iscaled shelter tents, sometimes to he on the darsr
Nth N oont-oo. H. '-~.I ~ 'h'-L.sq. 20
.... ,..,ose .,lu UD'ss''' - 4
.ior;rg, and 80 suiIogiDg, the siege 0. -orE'ow'.
rocreTes, with more or less Of wisdom and ability
, charge Of it.
pace from geaera observation to private expert /
nee, involving whatever may &c" fuo from It. Rem
iered lagulsious by tie 9ng Of our tent on the
lixnal afternoon of Mond'y and the consequent con-
version Of its earthen Poor into pool Of dirty water
hailed the litu .unlight Of yesterday with exulI
iion aud veol'rl to improve he opportunity by an
excue,sh to e point upon the York River, aiiording
q view Of 10th Yorktown I'D Gloucester MY
frisld, ,he elst of illustrated paper, went with
ne, t;udgipg painfully thro n mud and puddles,
until tn, courtesy OF Major h. Bement OF the 81
Penney gani4 Cavalry accgl modated bin with Il
horse Re-1nforced by that gentleman and the rep
reseh ntive of Phiiadelpha newspaper, we set out
accordingly, under the guidance of the latter
The ID Pennsylvania Cavalry Is escamped on
woody elevation 10 the right Of Yorktown road, and
my present qusrerse sUiiable spot during rain, but
uurleasantly populous in wood-ticks. There peslit
erous insects are species of sylvan bed'bug re
sembling tNer odions kindred OF domestic life in az
pearance and Instincts; only they burow in youT
aesh in addition &c depicting it. The woods of this
peninsula prodrce, also, copper-head, black and
ground snakes; Which, in conjunction with the fever
and ague and typhoid resulting from the swamps,
and their fierce heats must render II truly delight
full Summer residence. Close by, on the other side
of the little run so shallow TO be mere riyulet
AT the bottom OF steep bank is the inevitable Rebel
camp THE time of unusual construction. The huts, II
20 they Ingy be called, are built almost entirely OF
earth and partly subtenanean. Looking into these
cavernoys pits, some of them half-fed With water,
they seemed dreary soiouTing places, but here a
Virginia regiment lay all tie Winter, as the country
peope and negroes informe0 is. The piles of oyster
shells scattered about iutra ed than the neishborng
river had been made tributary 10 Their subsistence,
as Il is 10 mems now.
Bv villianoHs half mile Of road, converted ly
the rain into alternate quagmires of mud and pools
Of water, rode through the forest to Camp Graf
tor heretofore spoken Of selected for the genera
hospital of Heintzelman's corps, and happily, still
waiting for occupants. Thence shorter forest Toad
brought M to the open country, the right of pic
tureslue creek or stream with steep banks, beyond
which we could zee the white tents of our troop
where are they not this peninsula wonder y IN
relief against the wet, green foliage. Further on
at the verge of the fields the thot and shell end can
non piled there reminded one Of navy yard. Be
hind, all was hat open country, stretching away tC
the York River.
Under the tickle April ,,y, with a huge slate-col
ored cloud growing darker every minute on the
western horizon, and " looking like foul bumbarC
that would shed its liquor, the prospect WAS cheer
less enough. The earth seemed drenehod; at even
step through the swampy fields our horses plaahe.
ietock deep in water, The fences were broken o.
removed for frewood the corn.stalks rotten grea
and small pools lay here ard there and everywhere
observed that only about half AN acre of land ha
been plowed. Straight across this dreary land-and
water~cape, the road led directly to an ugly fo1na
house, beyond blossoming cherry orchard, th,
ground OF which had been further utilized by Ia,
planting of corn. TIls hcuse was the goal Of oul
journey.
a wooden building 0ike oil the houses Lereabou0
painted Of reddish b-owl, upon sub-srueiure oi
whlewaahed BRICK wit tall chimney and protect.
iag lightning rod at ein end. it stands upon the
shore Of the York Riy, It's rear CONN snding a
distant yiew of Gloucester md Yorktown From The
porch, OF better still, frc the upper windows, we
saw both distinctly b. b. aid Of a field glass even
to tie houses, The Rebel flags and wbarf and long
building at Gloucester Point, from which locality as
from is besieged ueg nor on the nearer shore, we
were about wo milo. slant. To the left, close
by, aud between us and Yorktown, wac Wouniey
Creek pretty stream with several green islels IL
il, almost worthy OF the name Of river. / have
alluded 10 i's pictute- ue appearance inland in
preceding paragraph. the other ride Of the Yori
= River lie shore presented mere woody nne, will
o tsll trees pre-eninent me particular SPOT.
The river looked broad and black and lonely, OF
the occasion Of visit with only few rods yisbl,
III it, deuong the existence Of oyster-beds, and fAi
7 away 10 tie right five Union gunboats. As W,
galed, The threat Of ne huge sate-oolored cloud wa
f. filed and smart shower drove into the house
for sheier; nor us alone, for the place and ground
} swarmed with Uncle Sans blue-cOats. We foun,
the house quito dfmariled skeleton ioui-po5ter il
the hail. broken h1cos larres, tools, d rusty Ole
safe and = tree in tub, hudded together in tht
basement, and eodi rs nainos scrawied in pencil OF
charcoal over the whit gshcd walls OF the disiur
nished chambers. The were also loyal iuscrip
lions coarse anti-Secesson cmic,tures and Coddes,
, Of Libsry 'of worse anatomical symmetry thar
tlose ornsmenting ou-' ftional currency execnici
in o similar medium. nhich artless Ier1ormance,
The aforementioned &c Is Immediately applied
themselves, reading, no ingat, admiringof incIeas
ing them.
After strol!iug through the house from attic 20
basement, directed III steps TO of The adjacent
negro huts, of which there were many-those foi
bouse-seryans on the right. those occupied by field
hands 10 the left OF course found il full Of blue
coats. From them and from u negro obtained the