Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1863-11-14

"At Madison | laid over day, and
visited the boys at Camp Randall. The
appearance Of the Camp speaks highly
for Col. Dill as a disciplinaran. Every
thing is neat and perfect order prevails.
The Col. and Captains being on Court
Martial, 1t. ARTHUR l.. Cox ofliciated as
Colonel at dress parade, and acquitted
himself genteelly. :
From Chicago, l took the evening
train on the Fort Wayne road. 1t was
dark as pitch, and saw nothing of the
country until morning, but knew from
the motion of the train, that we were gil
ding over an unbroken plain, turning
neither right nor left-on, straight on,
into the night. The morning opened in
Ohio, along splendid line of farms that
were one day like the new clearings in
our own Big Woods. As | saw those
fine, smooth fields, in many of which not
n stumy remained, but the heavp forests
adjacent showing what the meadows
once were, felt greater respect than ev-
err before for the Pierce County timber
lands.
As we get down into Eastern Ohio,
towards Pittsburg, the country becomes
more broken, with hills and valleys and
little streams-aI very beautiful. There
is no poor country to be seen until we
come nigh Pittsburg, and here, though
the toughest, steepost and crookedest of
all crea; ion, there is nothi g really poor,
for everywhere you are reminded by the
fine and numerous dwellings, that dad
has struck ile." Along the Big Beaver
the landscape scenes arc quite encbant-
ING. Tho train climbs long ACTIVITY
from which looking sidewise to the rear
you see blue hills ard green slopes at ev-
cry possible angle, for miles and miles
away; then down you drop into some
little valley, with perhaps one solitary
farm, its cottage at the bottom of the
slope, behind it the hillside crowned
with fruit orchard, the cattle and sheep
scattered over the clean meadow and
billy pasture;-then. you dart out upon
long ridge, from which to your right
the slope stretches away dozen mics
perhaps, and you look down upon a long
breadth of farms, beautiful village be-
yond, wide expanse still further down,
half forest, half farms, and as you gaze
delighted upon what seems never end
ing slope,-suddenly wall of rock rises
Gathering within arms length-yOu rush
through deep cut in the mountain, and
your eye meets a new and startling scene.
You have crossed bridge of dizzy
heighth-caught one glimpse of a silvery
stream beneath, and then you are on the
side Of mountain mountains to right
of you-mountains to left of you
mountains ahead mountains behind
short, sugar-loafed mountains-angular
mountains, divided by gulchcs and glens
in fact, the train seems lost among the
mountains, wandering about to find some
safe place to crawl off, till finally you
drop down into dismal, coal BACKED
smoky town, which you don't want any
one to tell YOU is Pittsburg.
Here our train failel to connect, and
| had time 10 SEQ what the town is made
of. Pittshurg is composed Of smoke,
hardware and boat stores. Ii is said the
town consumes a great deal of coal, but
this is doubtful. They use a sight of it,
but consume none-the smoke Of its
burning all settles back uron the town,
and the Il st and cindcrs are carefully Sc
cured and used to polish every square
inch Of surface Of all material things
therein. a black. dingy, hideous look
ing p; CO is Pittsbnrg. 1t is said to be
healthy town; hope ii is, for it ought
to have some rcleeming quality.
Washington is a great city of from
$4,000 to 100000 nhabitants-beauti-
tiful in its grounds, its magnificent dis
tances," (which phrase alludes to its long
wide streets aud avenues its parks, its
public buildings and private grounds
magnificent in everything which meets
the eye.
Lounging in its hotels, you would
think it the shot bed of abolitionism," to
use a cant copperhead phrase. The COL
ored people are all free, and ''verv much
respected" And this reminds me of
couple of stories, told for fact, about the
Departments.
In one case a couple of officers in the
South Carolina Dapartment. described