Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1865-03-25
Letter from the Army OF the James.

us. The swamp-frogs are croaking thou
sand melodies in as many swamps. This
country is noted for its pine forests and nu-
merous bogs and swamps. We have not
had one inch of snow here during the whole
Winter. The roads arc alternately dry and
muddy at this season CT the year. A dash
ing rain will harden the peculiar formation
o. sand and clay, and settled rain will
render it almost impossible The season for
active operations in the army are upon us,
and we are all on the qui oiue with "Great
Expectations" as Dickens has it. The cam
paign which is already opened by the flank
ing armies of Sherman and Sheridan, will
soon draw us into combination. The death
cords are drawing tighter and tighter around
The tangled monster Rebellion, while each
da7 gives us evidence of his own knowledge
o,e ii. e hoplessness of the struggle. The re-
beliion stands now without pretext, without
hone. wi shout foreign assistance, without
money and without men. 1t is Il bitter pill
for the H. adels to acknowledge this exhaus-
tion, And more bitter still 10 admit that
menial slaves will make good soldiers Z!
The Rebels, fir, ,m their lines IN front of Fort
Harrison. can SCI. every day, regiments and
brigades of colored troops going through
military eyolutionsl |. oside of our lines. They,
as we'll as ourselves. hive been struck with
their quick movements, the pride they take
in their military bearing, ana their aPtneSs
in acquiring the duties of soldier aon
would be surprised to see the N on the sklr-
mish liuc, or in the Mcclellan nayonet eX,
ercise, or in the ordinary compan! orli. Al
there was the least possibility OF slaV> ; max
lug good soldiers in the cause of the S.'uth,
we would have seen before this an army Oh
three hundred thousand black-skins rise up
before US, as if by magic, with arms In their
hands. But the experiment would be TOOL
hardy. Therefore the Rebel leaders hesi-
tate.
Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel
Just" Whatever have been the opinions OF
home patriots, prior to the last Presidential
election, the man of the army was confident
that, in the justice of our cause and through
the force of military power rested our sole
hope of final success.
Gettysburg decided the fate Of free gov
eygment on this continent, just as Greece
tism on the field d'eff Of a4o Sfs qf Persian & dcsPo. e
cidcd that Alexander had cong uered the
! Oriental world. .Uarengo, placed the crown
on NapOleon's brow; W4t6ri1o swept it off.
! .Sarttoy". in our own Revolution. gave our
forctathrrs the Republican Iu'IH 81 govern
ment we !rr determined to maintain.
The dean.;.tInn which has ioi:nH el in the
wake of the twa armies in Virginia has been
almost compete. In fact all cnstvIu SiT-
gnia is vast battlefield and graveyard.
When an army rests for time, there fences,
forests, barns and houses, all meet com.
mon fate Inside of the lines Of this army
scarcely house or slaue.pen has withstood
Il destiny of ruin. Even the foundations
are torn up, and the stones and tricks used
by soldiers for chimneys. Verify the de-
strrction Of Jerusalem was not more fully
| complete! A days ride on p fast horse
wOul only give you an insight into the
general dcsp!ation. From the Chick-i
hominy OH the right to Hatchcr's Run on
the left, nothing would meet your eye but
huge piles Of ground called FORTS" long
lines of breast works and deep entrencl.
ments. Some were the work Of Mcclellan
and Stonewall Jackson in 1862 Still more
are the work of Grant aid Lee in Ca and 'G5.
The whole country is upturned into fam
tastic shapes, as il some vesuvius had been
boiling beneath the srrface. The New Mar
ket, Darbytown, Charles City, and Williams
burg roads. run nearly parallel to each other
and all converge towards Richmond. They
a7e all well fortified, and each had theil
tur;: III the general baptism of blood. | was
.
! homiuv about month since. We passed
over the old battle-ground Of "Whiic Oak
Swamp
The dwellings of the "First Families
here do not equal the medium of buildings
in our own Sunbnry. The mansion o.
Libby, the owner of the celebrated prison
in Richmond, is in our lines, acomparitiyel!
new building. 1t has escaped the genera
destruction. 1t is q neat white frame struc
ture, and according to Southern custom the
chimney is built on the outside. TIE
dwellings of the poor classes are miserable
novels, built Of pine logs, pine chimney
daubed with clay, one story high and con
tanning but one apartment. The poo
white trash,' as their lordIy slave driver
term them, simply live, move and have be
ing, and that is all To converse with then,
you would make up your mind they did 70
know much more than the tad-pole whel
It is to be changed into croaking frog
Henry Ward Beechcr told the truth whel
; he said, with a spelling book you can mari
the line which bounds the rebellion"
called little girl to me on the picket lin
some time since, and asked her among othe
y o,,estions if she could read or spell. Sh
was bright eyed little Southern girl, an
withal Lao been taught an inkling o: goo
, manners. She replied, mo, sir; l neve
t learned to read fs;r and mother cant Tea
r nor write either; and r.1H9ody around hei
knows howl" Did you neve.r go 10 schooi'
"No, sir; we have no schools J 1ou ca
, plainly see the want of the spelling aso VI
Bible in the whole domain OF the SonU,
. especially among the poor people. Wher
$ ever the common school and the Sunda
t School, marching in the wake Of true civil
!, zation, take up their march southward,
: new era will have commenced to daw
> south of Masons and Dixie's line.
. But must close. Our division, (Kautzi
is under marching orders, and we expect
;. march at daylight, with three days ration
: know not now our aim or destiny. Wha
= ever of interest or fact can CLEAN, l wi
: note for the good old Anserican. "a
g Henry's Brigade, containing the 5sth an
70 1Ssth Penna. Vols, have gone to Mort
d Carolina. Sunbury boys are in both reg
- ments.
g Very truely yours,
ANorHup GREAT FALIs.-The Sna|