The Portland daily press., 1863-08-27
Letter from the Potomac.
HARPER's FERRY, Va,
Aug. 10, 1868.

HARPER's FERRY, Va,
Aug. 10, 1863.
To the Editor Of the Press
have written to you so often from the Fer
ry, that dare say the date will appear as i;l-
miiiar to you as to myself.
We left Western Va. the 18th, coming by
way of Grafton, New Creek and Cumberland
So mnch has been said of the destruction of
property along the line Of the b. d 0. Rail-
road the,e is no need of repetition. Suffice
il to say, thought of the 10th Maine from
Martinsburg to the Ferry, as the line of the
road was occupied by them little more than
one year ago. Captains Emerson and Jor
dams commands have occasion TO remember
every inch of the road, having guarded it
faithfully up to the 25th of May last. AT the
Ferry desolaiion is, ii possible, made more
desolate since the last rebel raid. You will re-
member the 18th Army Corps had their gem
eral hospital on the island, and many of our
Maine troops were sent there on the advance
of the army, after the battle of Antietam. A
large factory, together with the adjoining
boarding houses, were fitted up and occupied,
aud in process OF time immense hospital stores
had accumulated.
After the recent evacuation OF MARYLAND
Heights the rebel cavalry made their way into
the Ferry, roaming and plundering at win for
about ten days; so Of course the scenes of
last September were re-enacted. The unin-
itiated feel degree of regret ut having such
immense stores tall into rebel hands as have
been accumulated during the last raid; but
really, don't see how tha rehel army eeuld
subsist were we less accommodating. Lieut..
Anderson OF the rebel cavalry told friend of
mine at the Ferry that the brides, gears, har-
ness, dc, in store at the Ferry were a perfect
god-send TO them, as indeed was almost ev-
erything else; and then he added, -"Uncle
Sans supplies are SO abundant one cannot
help feeling grateful" T
A story has been going the rounds that
Capt Fitch, of Milroy's division, saved about
a million and half of government supplies at
Winchester, successfully evading pursuit and
bringing the train into Harrisburg.
The story reads well, but lacks an essential
element-truth. True, he brought in train
of about 800 wagons; but the horses were
broken down and so many of the wagons brok-
en- up that for the time being they were al
most vslueless. And then what business had
Milroy's Quartermaster to accumulate such a
mass OF stores at the front? Fifteen thousand
men at Winchester could not possibly require
such an amount Of supplies, within hailing dis
'tance as they were of the Baltimore & Ohio
II. r., and only "A hours from the largest
market in the Union. Ii has always seemed
TO be a part Of the programme to place i'm
mense supplies within rebel reach just before
a contemplated invasion; aud natural results
have followed. However, don't imagine the
rebel soldiers secured 1.-THE of the plunder
at the Ferry. / am credibly informed that
one woman keeping boarding house here, and
noted for her secession proclivites, secured
twenty barrels of flour, aud sugar and coffee
in proportion; and about half the citizens are
clad lin garments made up from hospital
goods. Dear me! wouldn't have reoiced at
the opportunity to gather up the secreted
stores. But 1 am not "a twol man having au-
thority" and therefore can only look hn
While at Webster l complained of fleas.
We have exchanged fleas for bed-bucs. and
upon the whole / think l like the arrange
ment There is something so tantalizing about
flea. He nips like needle, and when you
think you have him safely he isn't there. He
hops at will from foot to head and from head
to foot. Not so with a bed-bug 1t is tangi-
BILE, visible. You look for it and it must run.
making its path felt
just fancy aperson searching bed for fleas
After enduring their bites until endurance
ceases TO he virtue, one lights candle and
proceeds to search for the obnoxious intruders.
The most careful observation results in finding
nothing. You retire, and directly the per-
secution again commences. The fruitlcss
search is repeated time after time, until per-
fectiy exhausted as well as exasperated, one
submits TO the nipping process with a mental
reservation-death to fleas trhen cauqht.
Bed-bugs on the contrary can be seen as
well as felt. Though they run at the approach
of light, one can follow on the track and
capture them. | enjoyed the malicious pleas
ure Of destroying round dozen this morning,
and dare say shall despatch more anon Saul
may have slain his thousands-but a dweller
at the Ferry, Just now, must slay his tens OF
thousands If he would live in peace
The Saith Mass now occupy the Ferry, and
are commended for their excellent discipline
Gen. Lockwood is IN command and has his
headquarters on the hill in our old lospital
building. went through the building this
morning FOR the sake OF old associations. The
beautiful trees that shaded the building have
been cut down, and even the cherry tree un-
der which we buried our dead after the battle
ot the 18th, 14th and 18th of September has
oeen destroyed. Only the mound is left and
even that will gradually disappear, and the
ol'iy record the gallant dead win possess will
pe written In desolated households and broken
hears' SIC transit gloria mundi a4
- "a" a sorrowiul sight the other day
~ . was .he funeral of a little child. The
Ia.ller was ~ The army, the mother on bed
.. wast,ng siekness The child sickened and
died anu was Deing carried by two men to the
grave, followed only by lad. probably an eI.
der brother. The coffin WAS ro,oh hov
improvised from some refuse lumber ali tba,
the friendly neighbors could Obtain Snch
sights are common in desolated Yircinia ''0
From this post l shall migrate somewhere
anon. Yours, de-,
T. S. In my last / said the excessively
warm weather, and the scarcity Of water Il
Virginia made lemons necessity to the army
Unfortunately your compostor rendered the
word onions. Allow me TO say | think the
lemons preferable, though onions are coof
s.linulants for the lachryma glands, our mer
cont particularly need to cry, and therefor,
coming.