Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-10-21
THE VISIT TO RICHMOND.
The Councilmen 60 down James River
what they saw at Drewry's Bluff, Dutch
Gap, and along Shsre--The Gorgeous Cats
of james River. .-.

-
of James River. -s
+ Editorial Correspondence of The Star.1
SPoTswooD HOTEL, RICHMOND, VA, Oct. le,
1seS.-Learning that our party desired TO take
trip down James river. Mai. W. H ID. Coch-
rane, chief quartermaster in charge of river
transportation, kindly put the steamer s. d.
Pierce at our disposal for the purpose Major
Cochrane is a native OF New Hampshire, and
is well known in New England as an eueT setic
newspaper man; and as any one who can run "A
newspaper successfully is equal 10 any other
achievement known to man, it is not surpri-
sing that his services have proved so valuable
to Government that he is likely 70 be perma.
nently retained by Uncle Sam in the regular
army. We went on board the Pierce at the
Rockets, the landing placepf river steamers,
at the foot of the city, ami Utmost Immediately
upon getting inio the stream found ourselves
surrounded by evidences Of the obstinate de-
fence made by the rebels on the river line of
approach 10 Richmond. First was the wreck
of the Confederate iron-clad Patrick Henry,
now heap of rusty iron, (sold last week at
auction,) half submerged; on the stocks across
the stream was the black, unfinished hulk of
rebel RAM and from thence 70 some distance
below Fort Darling the river was lined with
wrecks of all descriptions of vessels, either de-
stroyed at the time of the evacuation or sunk
previously to obstruct navigation. The num-
Der of military bridges thrown across James
river in the same distance by the Confederates
is also a matter of surprise; and these, with
the series of pontoon bridges laid by them.
must have afforded means OF crossing IT quar-
ter-mile distances all the way, so il is not
strange that they were able 10 throw troops on
either side OF the James with such facility
For some distance down, the immediate banks
of the river are low and willow lined, but on
approaching Drewry's Bluff the stream i'm.
pinges upon a bold bluff, feathered down 10
the waters edge, however, with foliage
little wharf indicated where we Were TO land:
and a well-worn path up the steep hillside
guided us to Fort Darling. There were marks
along this steep zig-zag path showing where
the guns captured at Fort Darling had been
lowered to the river; and a tedious Job IL must
have been to get them down. A picturesa ue
dell on the up-river face of the bluff, album
oantly shaded, and with a cool spring at the
bottom, surrounded by rustic seats, had evil
IDENTIFY been made much OF by the Con federate
garrison, who, equally protected from Union
shells and the fierce rays OF the sun, could
lounge here and feast their eyes with a view
OF the beautiful city they were defending 4.
the top of the bluff Is a plateau shaded by
groves of pines, and which was the camping
ground Of the rebel forces back of Fort Oar
ling. There is quite a village here, of comfort
able Lighthouses, along n street at the end of
which is a little frame chapel with min iaturs
spire. Close by, in a beautiful grove of oaks,
is the graveyard for marines who died or
were killed in the Confederate service Their
marine was not a large one, and the incIosure
is tiny affair; but their dead in this branch of
the service seem to have been tenderiy cared
for in proportion to the paucity of their num-
bers. The graves are sodded with iufiuit,
paiDs-taking, and are surmounted in most
instances by handsome slabs of marble The
care bestowed by our soldiers in pre-
serving the inclosure intact affords an hon.
orable contrast TO the treatment accorded
by Confederates IN many instances TO the
Union dead. The inscriptions, rs in other Con-
federate grayeyards, show what a drain was
made by the war on the youthful life blood of
the South. There is the grave of VIM. r Haw-
kins, Of Portsmouth, Va, killed in the night
attack on the U. S. steamer Underwater, off
Newbern, aged l9-''a mothers only SON.
Anthony Osterdorf, a native of Baltimore. died
on c. s steamer Richmond, aged %; George A
Schanck, native of Philadelphia. who was
killed by lightning on C. 5. steamer Patrick
Henry, aged "a; Corporal VIM. Briggs, q. s.
marine corps, aged 81; ]. T. Mills, company A,
nth Virginia regiment, Corse's brigade, killed
4, j.
Nichols, native of Petersburg, died on Confed-
crate steamer Fredericksburg, aged %; Jas. Hol.
ley, native of Waterford, Ireland, aged as; and
there is an elaborate tribute covering the whole
face Of q tombstone to the memory of Sergeant
Jacob s. Scholls, Confederate marines a ma
tive of Allentown, Pa; who had served in the
Florida and Mexican wars aud who "voiun-
teered his services to the Confederate States in
defence Of principles which were dear to him.
A picket guard Of four men, of the 67th Ohio
volunteers, are stationed at Drewry's Bluff.
and one Of them, handsome, intelligent Ohio
boy of Is, (who enlisted at 16,l conducted us
through the elaborate works of Fort Darling
They have been many times described by more
competent hands, and need only say of them
now, that as near perfection as they were
made by protracted labor and all the appIi.
ances Of skillful engineering, jealous Nature
is already at work here as at Manassas and
elsewhere, reclaiming her stolen EARTH and
covering up the disfigurations upon her surface
made by war. The sharp outlines of the works
are already lost, and from the nature OF the
soil they will soon crumble away to nearly
their original level From Fort Darling, the re.
bel line Of rife pits, embankments and ditcnes,
running towards Petersburg, are seen stretch
ing across the fields, but the ploughman is al
ready at work along their track, and they, too,
must 1all Dack 10 their primitive uses.
Re-embarking on the steamer, we found that
the crew ito whom Fort Darling had ceased to
be curiosity had occupied the time in catch
ing catfish with abundant success, the cats,
being of enormous size. James river, owing
perhaps to the muddiness OF its waters, is not
famous for its fish, with the exception Of the
variety above mentioned.
Nextin interest came the upper opening ofthe
Dutch Gap canal. The high wind had blown
a yoy Of barges and their tug ashore across
the opening, SO that we could not steam
through, as we had hoped. The canal is not
available for purposes Of ma avigation, except by
small steamers like the Pierce. The tenders
OF the Virginia steamship line (whose steamers
draw too much water to get up above CITY
Point) occasionally run through the canal at
high water to crafty the curiosity of passen-
gers. Unless, however, some steps are taken |
TO clean out the canal, 1t will soon be wholly |
unserviceable, as 1t is rapidly filling up, and |
has already snoaied from twelve feet (high
water) TO seven. -
In Richmond, the idea Of making the canal /