The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1862-04-23

/ While hasily ssgaged locking At this pile Of
ruins, 81 started the train for Winchester, leav.
ing Ne aSout twenty rods behind. started %
on the rum after the train, aud much to my sur.
prise overlook them in a very short time
Upon looking At the track, found that it vas
the old flat bar rail, and Afterwards learned that
five miles an hour was good time to make on il.
The road to Winchester leads up the Shenando-
ah river, and passes along she soath aide Of the
village Of Harper's Ferry. All along this route
for q least half nile, nothing but ruins re-
main. Splendid brick buildings are burned /;
some Of the wallis remain standing, and some Of
the roofs being Of sheetiron, they remain upon
the walls in wrinkled and twisted shape, demo
ting, unnietakably, that the torch Of the incen.
diary had Been applied. hlls and factories, as
we'll as private residsnces, alike bear the same
ssmblance. and only now aud then an old de.
csyed building rename 10 answer to what was
oscs thriving village.
About ten miles towards Winchester, We
came to the village Of Charleston, the place
where Old John Brown paid the penalty of his
folly. This is q ANAL village, but is surrounded
BY beautiful farms, and locks more like Yankee.
dom than any place have ever yet seen in Vir-
ginia. The people are nearly all 'secesh," as
they generally are in this county.
From Charlessown, being unable " obtain .
seat inside the cars, mounted the front OF the
locomotive aud acted a. figure head for the same,
keeping myself ready At all times to jump off in
case Of any accident, which is of such common
occurrence, that ours was the first train over the
road, since the days when secession ruled. that
did not run Cd ct least once, and presume
there hss NOT been - fortunate train since.
At about o'clock We arrived in Winchester,
being six hours on the road-a distance of thirty
miles Here | spent a couple of hours looking
up the officers of government in order to obtain
quarters and rations for the men. This having
been disposed Of, undertook to find place to
hy my head for the night, and if possible to OBJ
tain . triHe with which to comfort the inner Ian
Il was al useless. as the only hotel Of any con
sequence in the city was filed to the garnet, and
I took the back track and returned to where /
bad just left the boys, in an Odd Fellows Hall,
and took up with bed on the floor In the
morning returned to the Taylor House, good
and truo 'ssccsh" hotel, and took breakfast, for
which I paid Is cts, and the poorest break
! must say, that ever saw put upon any hotel
table. handed the landlord good dollar and
he handed me 25 cts. in Winchester script ID
change, having no specie. viii send you some
Of that identical change enclosed, that you may
see a new phase Of the folly Of secession. Nor
them money 10 sought after to such an extent
that it does not make any difference whether it
is good or not; they are willing to take it, and
the less you buy the better they like it, ss they
can thereby get rid Of the mere script. All the
wild Cat Michigan money in the possession of the
boys and the officer in command, went off like
hot cakes, aad one Of the boys passed fac aim.
lie of the Confederate notes, which he had bough,
On the cars Of pedlar boy for Eve cents, get.
ting the full amount in segars, tobacco, pipes
&c. - Us ~
About 9 O'Clock We started on foot for Stras
burg, eighteen miles distant, via the battle field
of Winchester. The field in which the battle
was fought is four miles south west from Win
chester, although it was commenced on the
Strasburg turnpike. about two miles from the
city. After leaving Winchester short distance
We saw the bodies Of several horses and one
COW, probably killed BY cannon shot in the bat
tie. After going three miles on the turnpike
We struck of to the right for the stone wal
where Jackson's forces made their stand. Here
Was a remarkable sight, indeed. Close to the
stone wall behind which the rebels were secreted
was small thicket of undsrbrush, with occa
sonally large tree scattered through, and al
along this thicket were the marks of bullets
some high and some low-some entirely cuttin.
OF the bodies of the saddles and some cuttini
of limbs-but altogether presenting unmstaka
BILE evidence of the presence of somether spite
full if not sharp. Pools Of clotted blood som.
large and some not 20 large. were everywher.
visible behind the wall, all of which must hav,
been rebel blood: As not man on our side VA
killed after the charge was made which drove
them irsm their position.
For four miles from the battle Geld the bodies
of ''secesh," killed and wounded, lay stre*l
proniscuossly through the woods and fields
Darkness alone saved them from being anniha
ted completely. The number of killed l hav
not been able to ascertain, but saw one grav
near the stsne wall, about seven rods in length
which contained the bodies of eighty -four. Tn
people Of Winchester buried all those Of thei
friends who we're killed, which was upwards q
one hundred more, and the balance are dead
and that will suffice for the present or urt
Jack sons official report Is announced which wi
probably state the startling fact that they lost
men killed and IS wounded.
From the battle field to Strasburg We grope
our way over the pike, where We arrived just bs
fore dark, not little tired from our exercise
Here found quarters at q hotel, which wer
good enough % far a sleeping was concerned
but when . man il hungry, bread, meat an
coffee are rather poor comforts unless he is hui
Cry for those articles. Fifty cents meal ",
all they charged for their accommodations. an
l must say that was entirely satis6ed-so Fl
as the outlay Of cash Was concerned.
This village usually contains zoo inhabitan
but judging from the empty houses therein
should say 100 was gosdy number. l "a
. osly I've men here who looked as if the
we're it for soldiers and they we're both Unie
l. L. L.