The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-12-03

The trial swallows up the whole attention
il OF the community. The accused, Demme
seemed daring the last two days more deep
~ moved than Iesore; : 80 The tria
Of next week. After the evidence shall
nave been all put in, it is expected that the
pleadings will occupy at least two days.
! The Devastation of War.
RICHMOND, Oct. n, 1884.
Leaving your admirable correspondent
"a" to discuss the military situations
hereabouts, and to explain the cause of the
nrlng heard this morning, (which he will
do much more to your satisfaction than /
could,) will now give your readers an ac-
curiosity and desire for q change of air
led me some weeks ago. ahs
The evidence Of the enemy's vandalism
begins few miles IN front of Richmond,
and increases every step as it advances to-
ward the Rappahannock. The burned de-
pots and bridges remind me very much Of
the scene between Macon and the Oconee
river just after the Sherman raid. But the
constant succession Ct rifie-pits and re-
| doubts thrown up for cannon, told a very
different story OF the struggle in Virginia
as compared with that in middle Georgia.
A matter of surprise to the passengers,
most Of whom had been over the road, 20
I
height and by no means uncomfortable
length of the North Anna bridge, which
had been burned by the enemy for thethird
or fourth time, and is still unfinished
Passing over the top Of . bridge inside the
cars is one thing, and crossing the stream
on foot over plank trestle is another
What surprised me as much AZ the chasm
bridged at the North Anna, was the cheer
fulness Of the few people we meet at the
blackened ruins of the depnts, and the un-
consciousness of the war displayed by the
passengers, who sat in the cushioned seats
reading newspapers and eating grapes and
peaches as costly and contented as though
| war never existed. Mss8e
When you get to Hamilton's Crossing,
the desolation of war breaks upon you. A
few trees remain upon the hills near the
| site of the depot, but there is not fence
nor an inhabited house all the way to Fred
ericksburg. A few cattle may b. seen gra-
3ing on the rich plains. which bear no crops
now but luxuriant weeds. These cattle be-
club together and hire poor old man to
attend them while grazing. There are no
hands at work In the tenceless fields, no
sign of animated life about the deserted
houses. The drowsy crow Of the cock, the
neighing of horses, the cawing of crows,
and the laughter OF children in the yard,
apd the 'wO-haw' of the plow.driver, are
no longer heard in this blasted region. All
is still us death for miles and miles, under
the sweet autumnal sun.
Fredericksburg itself is torn as by . hur-
ricane. Much Of 1t has Leen burned, and
/ the t1ll chimneys standing all alone tell .
woful tale Of ruin. Part of the town il de-
stroyed by fires caused by she'll, and part
by the torch applied by Yankee hands. AL
the lower and the upper portion Of the
town have been SO shattered as to be unin-
habitable; the stores haye been gutted OF
their shelving and counters to make dry
places for the countless thousands of YAM
KEGS wounded at the Wilderness and
SpOttsylvania to lie on. Tie churches have
been repeatedly struck, and SO have most of
the private dwellings,. / counted twenty
or thirty holes In the fine mansion of Doug
las Gordon, which was nearly complete be-
fore the war broke out. A shell had passed
diagonally through and through the house
in which / stayed, and one had exploded in
Looking out of my bedroom window,
saw naked chimneys and deserted homes
in every direction.
| OF course / went to Marye's Hill and saw
the famous stone fence which served as a
rampant for our men. / walked over the
wide fields which the enemy had to pass
before they got within range Of our deadly
rifles, and stood under the tree which cobb
leaned against when he was killed. This
tree is lust behind the house OF Mr.. Ste
phens.-a small frame buildiDg-which
must have q thousand bullet holes through
and throughit. Mr.. Stephens showed me
where Yankee after Yankee was buried in
his garden, as many as twenty in some
places. He also pointed to the ditch in
which about thousand Of Burnside'screw
were piled and packed like dead mackerel
in a barrel. Many, very many other gar.
dens and yards contain dead Yankees by
the score.
The stone fence is at the bottom of hill,
and on that hill 10 the fine old homestead
of the Maryes, now gone to wreck, with
countless apertures made by sho. and shell
and open to all the winds that blow. All !
| it was sad thing to tread the deserted
halls and chambers Of the old house, and
hear only the echo of your own footsteps.
Not even rat squeaks behind the vain.
scot. The silence is awful. Outside the
house, and running through the yard,
which is still beautiful with its shade trees,
are the rifle pits, and on the hill tops are
heavy earthworks for artillery, all thrown
up after the battle of Fredericksburg had
been fought and won. Truly, Burnside's
work had just commenced when he reached
the stone fence. But-bst-why did not
shell the town and order q midnight as
saultr The peopleof Fredericksburg, who
had been crouching all night in their eel
lars, prayed that Lee might do this. If he
had, such q victory would have been won
-oh! such victory. Too late, toolatenow
to think of 1t.
Iwent over into Stafford county, oppo-
site fredericksburg, and there is wide,
| wild scene Of Observation-Disclosures fences
| nor trees for leagueson leagues, houses de-
serted and burned, and 60 many roads 70
1 the enormoHs camps Of Hooker. which ex-
| tended nineteen square miles, that the old
est inhabitants are in danger of losing
themselves in their native county. The
Lacy House is baronial pile in the extent
i Of lis buildings, and its terraced grounds
/ and gardens are in keeping. Ruin reigns
there also. The walls of the large old
i fashioned rooms, and even the pillars Of
the porches are scrawled and bescribbied
with obscure Yankee names and obscene
Yankee phrases and pictures. Further
back, on higher range of hills, command
| ing the whole country, are the walls Of the
Phillips House, which was, was burned r., out of q
officers objected to his using it as his pri-
vate quarters. What q picture of ravaged
beauty is to be seen from the hight on which
L Al. IDv