Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-06-17
Letter from Rev. j. H. Beckwitb.

7 Friend Earle Happening to be
at Bermuda Hundred two days ago I
t was accosted by a fine looking man
and called by name by what at first
appeared to be an entire stranger
r but who soon revealed himself as a
} Mr.. Dodge from Irasburgh, who
knew me when | labored SO far nm
J north. He is now Post quartermas-
ter of this expedition, good place
and well filled. He informed me
that he had seen an article from me
in the STANDARD which was the first
intelligence | had received that Won
had published my letter. You at
the close of the article expressed a
wish to hear more from me and T
take my pen to CRAFTY that wish.
We came up from Williamsburg,
the I'd Cold Cavalry soon after
Gen. Butler surprized the enemy.
The raid up the James River would
have been delightful had it been a
pleasure excursion. The waters of
the river are muddy, look much as
the Passumpsic after heavy rain.
But the banks are all picturesque.
and the country that can be seen
from the vessel delightful. More
beautiful, much more, by nature than
the Hudson, and the capacity of the
river about equal. Here then, at
long intervals, instead of large will.
ages and cities of the Hudson there
are plantations, some of them show
ing the good taste, and great wealth
of the proprietors. But the places.
or towns on the river are next to
nothing. Harrison's landingwhich
McClellan's great failure made so
notorious, is meager, dingy, tumble
down hamlet; City Point ditto. and
Bermuda Hundreds should not have
received such a name. War had not
troubled the people here before Gen.
Buffers expedition, and yet the place
looks like a half-lorsaken French
town in Canada, although it is a
landing of considerable Importance.
7 We remember that this country is
the oldest settled in America
jamestown, little below, was the
settlement of Capt. Smith, years be
fore our yiliied pilgrim fathers land
ed on the barren rock of Plymouth.
One cannot but inquire what would
this country have been had it been
first settled by bigoted Puritans"
instead of the ancestors of the Eff.
vs.; the lazy, proud, and good
fornothing misnamed "chivalrya 1t
would have been the garden of the
world. And if these aristocrats
shall be succeeded by thrifty. indus
.trious, northern farmers, this PENN
.sula will rival New York, and sur
pass the beauty ofthe East. O hasten
the day Here are the marks, the
legitimate results of slavery upon
the South. Surely, what have the
whites, what has the country lost by
the cursed institution!
Gen. Buffers movement here has
been characterized as a failure. But
those who thus decide, very poorly
understand the case. The expedi-
ton, have no doubt has been vastly
beneficial to the country, and it is
probable that it has accomplished
all or nearly all that was expected
True, if Butler had found Richmond
deserted to strengthen Lee he might
have marched at once into the coy
eted place But his force at For
trcss Monroe had so long been
threatening the rear of the devoted
city that the authorities there dare
not denude the place of all defences.
Consequently when Butler landed,
although the place of his landing
was surprise to them he still found
a strong force in the neighborhOod
which was soon able to concentrate
against him. And thus it has been
ever since. For the time the enc
my's communications were cut and
they were compelled to rally large
force to restore them. And they
are obliged to keep that force here
to prevent repetition of the bad
joke. We are now within 3 miles of
the Richmond and Petersburg road,
and any day when it was considered
practicable it would be again de
stroyed Hence Beauregrd has to
remain, and keep a strong force
with him, and away from Lee. If
this be so then has the expedition
been failure By no means. 1t
has largely contributed to aid Grant
in his success, and perhaps contrib
uted the very aid needed.
We-or Buffers army, now occu-
ply a strongly entrenched camp quite
across a peninsula made by a bend
in the James River and the Apo
mattox, both wings protected by gun
boats, line of breastworks running
quite across the peninsula.-several
forts with artillery and infantry
enough to protect us against an at
tack by $4,000 trops. We have