The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-04-25
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
QUARTERS OF 101st Rect,
April 7th, 1862.

On the banks of the James Riv-
er, in charming site ut the foot of a verdant
hill, in the State of the old Old Dominion, a.
bout miles from Hampton, 10 from Fortress
Monroe, one mile from New Port News Eliz-
abeth City County, on the plantation of Miss
Skinner, is where we are encamped.
We left Meridian Hills, ID. c., on the 28tIi
of March. We were paid off in the forenoon
We crossed the Chain Bridge and came to Alex
andria. 1t is not a very nice country from
Washington to Alexandria, especially the part
| saw [ did not get TO see much on account
of our Reg't or Brigade should say, being in
the rear of the marching army, and darkness
came upon us too soon We reached Alexan-
dria at ! | o'clock at night, when we were just
drawn up in line on what is called common
now, but at one time beautiful farm, from the
appearance When the orders were given to
stack arms, and lie down with our blankets and
go to sleep we had nothing but the open heav-
ems for our tent. The next morning the 10Th
we arose, thinking to 90 aboard of the boat.
But on accous ; of so many troops being ahead
of us we had to 90 back into the country 2
miles into camp and wait for our turn to get off.
l went to see the town of Alexandria. There
| are great many public buildings the shape of
churches, hotels, school houses, &c. One Ho-
tel supplied the drinkers mostly, and that was
the house Col. Ellsworth was killed in. 1t is
Il very commcn looking hotel, but you always
find a crowd there, on account of its being the
place of Elswortlls death. The flagstaff is on
| the house yet that he pulled the flag off of.
Numerous Ships and steamers, dotted the
river, and loaded wagons and mules were being
,1n 10 Nnt,,, h
standing all this movement or,perhaps, on ac-
count of it, an attentive looker-on would easily
recognize that the city was in great trouble
with so many troops. On the morning of the
30th Sunday we passed up again, and march
ed to the river, where after waiting for about
hours, when night came on, we found we
could not get on board q ship on account of SO
many troops going aboard. We had to he i'll
the haibor until morning. Next morning (3lst
of March) came we stood around like sheep in
the shamblcs, until % o'clock, when we went
aboard of INC sotatS c '-t.a''0 ssr,a., $50 got
four companies on the ship was full The bal
ancc of the Rcg't, had to 90 on board ship
called the Georgia" After all were on board
the anchors were heaved and we sailed Oft not
knowing whittier. The country along the banks OF
this stream don't look very good. The land looks
dead, for the want of proper attention. Aswe
were passing down the Potomac, | saw Mount
Vernon. 1t is magnificent locking place: l
should have liked to have stopped to look at the
grave of Washington. Next we came to Fort
Washington 1t is a strong looking Fort. AS
we glidcd past it the band came out OF the Fort
and played the Star Spangled Banner, when
our band answered to them, with the Red, White
and Blue Atnight the boats anchored They
don't run at night, | don't know the reason, un-
less they were afraid of being attacked by a
Rebel steamer When daylight came again
the boats showed on. In the afternoon we run
into the Chesapeake Bay. At o'clock in the
| evening we arrived at Fortress Monroe. We
staid on the boat until the morning of the I'd,
when we went ashore. We stopped along si'lc
of the Fort until evening, when we marched 2
miles out to go into camp, on account OF the
other boat not coming up that had the balance
of our Reg't on. This delay gave me chance
! to look around the Fort. There is not much
of town, it is nothing more than sand-bar,
and there is hardly any place to build. There
arc or three old houses, the balance are new
board shanties put up for little stores. There
is large machine shop here 1t was put up
lately. The Fort is a splendid affair. 1t COW
ers over a hundred acres of land and that takes
really all of the Island or sand-bar; don't think
it could be stormed. There is water running all
around it. The guns on it command every
point, on water or land. There arc two big
guns lying right below the Fort on the sand
One is called the Union Gun, weight 5200j
pounds. The weight of the ball it throws is
800 pounds, and it carries miles. The other
gun is called thc Lincoln Gum it weighs 10000;
carries a ball 1873 pounds, distance it carries is
from to miles. The large gun is l6 to 20 fl
long, and IS in circumfercnce.-Thc next is20
feet long, fifteen in circumference. On the
the morning of the 3D., we took up the line OF
march again. We came out the Hampton Road
through the city of Hampton. 1t must have
been beautiful town, from the look of it, and
of no ordinary size. 1t now all lies in ashes,
you can see nothing but the ruined masses and
some old walls that did not fall with the flames.
Public places of worship as well as. the bal
ancc were swept away. The grave yards are
all mutated Tombstones all broken with the
fall of the church walls and by the hands of the
heinous villains that perpetrated the acts.-At
length we reached our present abiding place af-
ter travelling over barren country, not seeing a
house. The rebels burn all as they go before
us. There were about 180 thousand troops
here that came up, but the most of them have
gone on toward Big Bethel and Yorktown.
They commenced fight mp there Yesterday,
and have been fighting ever since. We drill 8
hours a day here, our company has been out on
picket guard here yesterday morning (5th) and
just got in on Sunday {6th) at IL o'clock. We
had good time of it. 1t rained all night.
Conley and had the company out. Bannon
says there's no fun in staying out Sc hours on
picket without coffee. We had rather bad
lplace. too. It was about two miles from camr