The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1862-04-23
Our Camp Letters i:
From the S5t!, New York.
Carp near Newport News.
Elizabeth City County. Va,

Elizabeth City County, Va, Apr. u.
DEAR JOURNAL: At las. We are fair
IL in Rebeldom. We left Meridian Hill,
at evening on the 2Sth ult. aud marched
to Alexandria, arriving there at next
morning and all bivouacked on the au-
cient brick side walks of that ancient city.
remained there until Tuesday Eve, the
lst inst, We embarked on board the
steamer "John A Warner" She also
taking three sloops ID tow loaded with
horses, forage, &C., bound for Fortress
Monroe, where We arrived Friday morn
ing following The Potomac and its
scenery has been too often described, 10
need an other description from as poor
pen as mine, but it is worthy of remark
and perhaps not generally known by your
readers, that from Alexandria to the
mouth of that noble river, distance of
hundred miles, more or less, not town
or village is to be seen on either bank
could not shake off some gloomy refec-
tions, as we passed Mount Vernon. The
question arose-Do the spirits of the de-
parted take interested cognizance of whas
/ is passing here, where they were once,
the principal actors And if so, how
mus: the glorifed spirit of Washington
contemplate this ungodly rebellion,
/ After remaining at anchor few hours
of the Fortress we steamed slowly up tc
where Hampton once was, and thers
landed, glad to step out on terra frma
again. Here We remained awhile to al
low the hovs to make coffee But what
scene of de olatien Nay, the "abomi-
nation of desolation." Not habitatior,
save two huts, remains undestroyed, even
the "Old Church h''-the bricks Of which
| am told were brought from Europe be-
fore the Revolution-did not escape; but
surrounded as it is by its ancient-an3
many Of them houored graves, its~boar7
willows aud cypress trees, it is a black
ened ruin. What wrought this ruin
Rebellion. What caused rebellion? SEa-
very. Would to God this ruin was con-
fined to Hampton, but it meets Us every
where, where the accused feet of the
monster las polluted the ea.th. We are
stopping on the Peninsula between James
and York Rivers, few miles from New
Port News. The Rebel steamer Merri-
mac came out yesterday and coolly towed
off two of our sail vessels. ladened mainly
with horses and forage, the vessels hap
pening at the time to lie out of range of
the guns of the Fortress. Nearly the
whole of Gen. Casey's Division is en-
camped here, of which Palmer's Brigade,
in which our Reg't, Is included, forms
a part What we are doing, the Tribune
and Times viii, probably inform your
readers in advance of this. The country
about US Is low and marshy with belts of
sand, anu appears admirably adapted TO
the raising Of snakes and alIigators. A
gloom was spread over our Reg't yester-
day by the death of Lieut.. L. Davis
soa of Col {. L. Davis, who organized
the Reg't He was a good officer and
pleasant genial associate The BODY vas
forwarded to his father and friends at
Bolivar, Alleg2uy Co, n. L 1t is one
thing to read listory-and another, end
different one, to help make it. But [
shall weary you-so DO more at present.
Truly yours, L. II. KINNEY.