, 1862-03-29
Chr. Gtthtttte..:
Bayard Taylor on the morale of the
Array, and the Appearance OF the
Country


Country
Correspondence esD n. 7. Tr1bune.1
A ride of number Of miles Qet Us not be
too particular, lest we give aid and comfort
TO the enemy yesterday, IN order to find 9
certain regiment, gave me "a realizing sense''
of Virginia mud. The. roads, having once |
been dTy,a1e now in tole1able condition, ,com- |
pared to that Of the season Of thaw; indeed, |
the cheerful aspect Of the heavy teaInsterg
am willing to take the fact for granted, and be
satisfied with my own experience. On the
hills you have some external evidence Of a soil,
but in the ho1loWs you plunge into an appaE-
emily fathomless batter Of their mud, which
retains no traee of boots Or wheels. In every
drainage Of tile uplands. The footsoldiers
plod wearily along, picking their way around
the edges of, the miry lakes, and seeking foot;
holds on the tufts Of grass. The cavalry dash
past you, filing the air with showers Of the
@ sacred mixture, and ron cone back baptized
At some distance from Washington, in a
certain direction, saw various regiments
which had left their winter-quarters, and were
encamped On the hills In little teates Ga5Tf Of
blankets kept the men from the damp earth,
and as the weather, thong raw, Is not posi-
lively cold, their lodgings were at least endu-
rable. At the best, however; 1t is dreary
enough in srch quarters, and the large acces-
sion to the hospital List during the past week
Is not to he wondered at+ The morale OF the
men has q great effect on their condition In
such seasons Of hardship. I know some regi-
menss which have not more than halfa-dozen
sick, after an exposure OF tHo days and two
nights to the worst rains of March. It would
almost seem as if some Of the recent marches
were intended as hardening process, on &C.
count Of their (otherwise unnecessary Sc
verify.
The men whom saw were somewhat tagged
and Way-worn, but cheerful, from the final
Eager and bnoyant than in October last, but
they will fight, when "the decisive battle-
1eld is reached, with q valor nl the more
stubborn and persistent from their past trials.
I do not believe that their efficiency has been
%afgy 1a assr g. Sey b 5 f t Mss s besa asin IL
paired. I perceive no signs Of demoraliza-
tion, except that which is likely to arise at
any time from temporary causes. Their
temper is brave and confident, and their phys
ical condition is better than could hare been
anticipated, ut the commencement Of the
winter.
Spring advances slowly this year. The
meadows of Fairfax county are still brown,
and there is no field Of freshly wheat
| to relieve the eye, in all the dcsolate weary
| Landscape. Here and there, besides the cin-
ders Of what once was house, tue blades Of
the Eod, or a clump OF scorched li1acs show
| their swelling buds; the ea1ly> frogs
ehirp about the springs in the ho1'
lows, and the blae.birds sing, on the road,
and wintry.' Coming from the southern edge
Of Pennsylvania, I find difference Of six o.
| seven days in the 6eason-not more. The
naples are in bloom there as well as here;
the alders hang out their brown catkins, and
the willow buds are as near to bursting. The
/ 4FI hot I'M e1SY -
VirgiDia and New York will be tound in ths
ueiglbnrhood Of Trenton There is not q diff
ference Of 80 deg6. in the extremes of cold be
tween Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washing
ton.
Even here, in Virginia, long coursc o
promise. Though pine-woods have every
where taken possession Of the exhausted
fields, and there arc few firms but show tn
evidences Of unthrift and neglect, the splen
did timber in The bottoms, the ranl N
Eenness of every cry Little bf q Land thai t5at Ia
been in any way cared for, show what th
country has been, and what it may yet be
come. Possessing that beautiful mean G
climate which unites the growths Of Main
and South Carolina, and which is so fayolab1
to health aud longevity that the annual mol
tality is scarcely per cent, it should hay
} bccn, By this time as prosperous, if not q
| thick1Y settled, as the midland counties {
| England. But-scttfug aside the raVayes {
war-therc is IN atmosphere Of slow dcc1
brooding over the old aristocratic mansion
with their square outside chimneys, their rust
clapboa1ds, messy roofs and tumb1e-dow
outhouses. remember being struck with th
same characte teEistics between Frederlcksbur
+ ard Richmond
: Reading the accounts Of the Bull Run fgh
last Summer, while in Europe, I found it DIFF
cult to obtain clear idea Of the character
e the country All correspondents concurred
represcntlngit it as exceedingly rugged, form
dable in lis capacities for defense, q,
difficult to. penetrate by an invadi'
force. I find, 10 my surprise, all the fasn
lar features of ms native place, whl
: were oye11un By both the British and Anne
can ar1ns, without any special trouh1
during the Revolution. Bull Run Is . small
10 stream than the Brandywine, and with few
advantages Of topography, in military sen:
: Beyond Manassas the county is still undu1
j. ipg, but the hills are lower and less !abru
until you reach the Rappahannock, VIII
they again become high aud bold Gordol
vile, from all can learn, is strong Pc
ton, provided we should choose to assail it
t, front
Between Fredericksburg and Richmond
'd hills become broader and fiatter, rising in 10
swells, uninterrupted, except by the Nat
pony and Pamunky rivers, which are narrG
Il. deep streams, flowing between high and
rupt banks.
In the dcarth Of permitted news, sc
r this hasty sketch Of region which has b
81 II picked out by Fate as The canvas for many
. our future historic pictures. D. 7