Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-11-26

Richmond Correspondence Mobile Regist,
RICnMnNn Orinher " lanl

and TO explain the cause Of the firing heard
this morning, (which he win do much more to
1 your satisiaotion than could,) will now
4 give yonr readers an accoant Of trip to
/ FredrickSbusg, whittier curiosity and "a desire
for change OF air led me some weeks
ago
| The evidence Of the enemy's vandalism be-
I gins few miles in front Of Richmond, aud
increases every step as it advances toward
The REppahnnnock The burned dspols aud
bridges reminded me very much OF the scene
between Macon and the Ooonee River ust al
ter the sherman raid. But the constant sue
cession Of rile.pits aud redoubts thrown up
for cannon, told very different story Of the
struggle in Vnginia, as compared with that IN
middle Georgia A matter of surprise to the
passengers most OF them who had bVen over
the road, so 10 speak, a thousand times, WAS
the great hight and by no means inconsider-
able length Of tho North Anna bridge, which
had been burHed by the enemy for tho third or
fourth time, and is still unfinished
Passing over the top OF q bridge inside the
cars Is one thing, aud crossing the stream on
foot over plank trestla is another What
surprised me rs much as the chRsm bridge aL
the North Anna, was the cheetfnlness OF the
people we met at the blackeued ruins of the
depots, and tue unconsciousness Of the war
displayed by the passengers, who sat in The
cushioned seals reading newspapers, aud
eatiBg grapes, and peaches as easily aud CON
tented as though war never existed
When you get to Hamilton's Crossing, the
desolation Of war breaks upon you few
trees remained upon the bills near the site or
the depot, hut there is not fence nor an in
habited house oil the way to Fredericksburg.
A few cattle may be seeb Rfaz'ng gu the rich
plains, which hear no crops now but crops of
luxuraut weeds These cattle belong TO the
people Of Fredericksburg, who club together
and hire IL poor old mau TO attend them while
grazing. There are no hands at work in the
en- ess fields, no i,ns Of animated life about
he deserted houses. The dfOwsy crow Of the
cock, the neighing of hors s, the cawiug ut
crows and the laughter of children in the
yard, aud the "wo-haw' of the pillow. w.driyer,
are no more heard in this blasted region. All
is still as death for miles and miles, under tho
sweet Rutunnal sun.
Fredericksburg itself is torn as By hurri-
cane. Much of it has been bnrned, and the
tall chimneys standing all alone tell wUlul
tale OF ruin. Part Of the town is destroyed
by fires caused by Shells and part by the torch
applied by Yankee hands All the lower aud
the upper portion Of the town have been SO
l
been gated of their shelving aud counters to
make dry places for the countless thousands
of Yankees wounded nj the Wilderness and
Spottsylvania to lie on The churches have
been repeatedly struck, aud so have most Of
the private dwellings counted twenty or
thirty holes in the Ene mansion of Douglas
Gordon, which was nearly complete before
the war broke out A shell had passed dag
onAlly through aud through the house ia
which stayed, and one had exploded in the
| parlor under the room in which | slept --
Looking out Of my bedroom window / saw
naked chimueys aud deserted homes in every
direction.
OF course, went TO Marye's Hill, aud saw
| the famous stone fence, which served as "A
rampant tor our men, | walked over the wide
fields which the enemy had to pass before
they got within range OF onr deadly rifles, and
stood under the Tree which Cobb leaned
against when he was killed. This tree is Just
behind the house OF II Mr. Stephens-I small
frame buildiug-which must have at least a
thousand bullet-hoss through and through it,
Mr Stephens showed me whore 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 crew were piled and packed like
dead mackere in barrel Many, many 9TH
er gardeus and yards contain dead Yankees
by the score llIIIlsL.
The stone fence is at the bottom of hill,
and on that hill 10 the fns old homestead OF
the Maryes, now gone to wreck, with count
less apertnres made by shot .Rnd shell and
open to all the winds that blow All it was
q sad thing to tread the deserted halls and
chambers Ct the old house, and hear only the
/ Ian nhr.s 81
squeaks behind the wainscott The silence is
awful Outside the house, and running
. through the yard, which is still beautiful with
its shade trees, are the rife-pits and ou.the
} bill tops are heavy earthworks for artillery, all
thrown up after the battle Of Fredericksburg
had been fought and won. Truly Burnside
work had just commenced when he reached
the stone ience. But--but-why did not Lee
follow up the repulse2 whv did he not shell
J the town, and order midnight assault2 The
} people Of fredericksburg, who had been
crouehiBg all day in their cellars, prayed thai
Lee might DO this II he had, such victory
would have been won-Oh such a victory
8 Too late, too late now to think of it,
4 went over into Stafford county, opposite
Fredericksburg, and there is a wide, will
scene of fdevastation--neither fences nor treei
for leagues on leagues, houses deserted anC
burned, and so many roads 10 the enormou,
camps of Hooker, which extended nineteen
square miles, that the oldest inhabitants art
in danger Of losing themselves in their native
county The Lacy House is bsronial pill,
in the exteut Of its buildings, and the terraceC
l. grounds and gardens are in keeping Ruiz
reigns there also The walls Of the large old
, fashioned rooms, and even the pillars of th,
:; porches, are scrawled and bescribEled witt
Il obscure Yankee names and obscene Yankee
a phrases and pictures Further back, on Z
:, higher range of hills, commanding the whole
n country, are the walls Of the Phillips House
o which was burned out of spite, by Stoneman
d because his brother officers objected to his us