The Soldiers' journal. (Rendezvous of Distribution, Va.) 1864-1865, 1865-06-21
Soldiers Correspondence
ASSISTANT QUARTERMAsTER's OFFICE.
CITY POINT VA June @ 1893

sell know not now can better improve the
few hours as they are passing away, than in
holding conversation with you by aid of my pen.
Your visits to me weekly, laden with good news
and good things fill me with with pleasure, and
| welcome you not only as the "SoLDIER's
JOURNAL but as the Soldiers Friend
And now, since come to meet you, I can
think of no theme of more interest at this time
than to tell you of visit from which 1 have lust
returned, along our former lines, through and
around Petersburg, and note the changes from
warto peace.
Having obtained absence for the purpose we
make all things ready, and seated behind the
iron horse are borne swiftly forward, and here
is a change Once when duty called us to and
from our camp-grounds behold us climbing to
the top of some war-worn box-car and there
ratified away, holding for dear life, or by
chance crowded inside the same there to make
wry faces at every unmerciful jolting. Now a
passenger car awaits us and seated within we
begin to realize the enjoyments of journeying at
home, and feel that even in this there is happi-
ness in peace. Arriving at the city, kind friend
with horses, await our coming, and seated in the
saddle we prepare ourselves for visiting "our
old camp-grounds." Leaving the city we pass
over Cemetery HILL around which SO many of
the enemy have fallen, and where now they all
around lie buried. 1t is situated between the
city and where our army lay, and could there
fore be seen quite plainly, and though the place
Will long bear the impress of shot and she'll still
When we observe the extent of all the. damages
1t seems strange 10 Us that city and surround
ings 50 long beseiged should so lightly, as q
whole, bear witness TO the conflict Passing on
we arrive atswhat is now called s'The Crater,
better known perhaps as the Burnside Mine,"
This is now place of interest to ALL but more SO
to us because our Yankee curiosity had often
been excited by locking at it from "over the
way" and we had often wondered if they would
ever be so kind as to ask us overland this leads
to the thought that we must have been very Gu
rious neighbors, for while there was an almost
continual exchange of the aoa,msest sentiments,
there was at the same time certain obstacles in
the way which forbade personal intimacy, and
made near approach in body not only disagree
able but rather unsafe. This work remains un-
changed except by nature; the large number
buried beneath the explosion are undisturbed.
and from the entrance of the mine comes stream
of water quite strongly impregnated with the
odor of decomposing bodies. Within is stagnant
water to considerable depth, and the only ac-
cess with safety from this water is of few yards
into the countermine dug by the enemy, which
though Immediately over the mine itself failed |
to discoverit because of its depth. AS we viewed
it in every particular and gathered again the
story from one of our opposing army who was |
near, but escaped the explosion we could not
but think of the perfect manner in which it was
constructed, and consider that it must have been
that overruing providence which doeth all
things well, that failed to give it then success
and as the victory. We felt that then the time
mad not come when the great purpose for which
we have endured all these things could be ac-