The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1865-03-29

ARLINGTON PLACE, Va, Feb 21, '6j.
Arlington Place-the home Of Robert
E. Lee What food of memories crowd
upon the visitor to this beautiful spot
Alas how pride and ambition have
chequered and crimsoned their handi,
work In these venerable halls. Here it
8onid seem that there was every incent-
i've to fidelity, to honor, to peace. The
Old Mansion was sanetifed to It's occu-
pants by the benefcence Of Washington,
Here his adopted child, George Wash,
iagton Parke Gusts, made his home
nearly three-quarters of century ago
The same deep, blue Potomac flowed
serenely By Its portals, and the same
native forest surrounded it that now
breaks the storm as it sings its plaintiye
dirges in the deserted halls of Arlington
Place But as We stand amidst the
COLOSSAL Grecian pillars which grace the
immense portico, the sullen booming Of
artillery breaks the painful silence that
reigns here. The signal gun had hardly
ceased to reverberate along the bluffs of
the Potomac, until it seemed as if Heaven
itself had responded with its fercest
thuEders The very earth trembled, and
the webs which had gathered on the
corners aud inches cf Arlington waived
response to the deafeuiDg roar of thou
sand guEs as they shook the ancient man.
sion to its very foundation. Hard by On
every side; farther still on right and left,
and rear, the hoarse answer came. and
from the opposite shore rose the fitting
smoke that told hew loyal hearts were
there to defend common capital and
rejoice over the tFiumphs of a common
country.
Charleston has fallen. The home of
treason-where it was nursed in its
sWaddling cloths aud nourished By per-
fdy and treason until is became mighty,
had but few days before yielded to the
triumphant tread of Sherman, and lis
Sumter again faunted the old flag that
traitors had first stricken dewn in the
mad triumph Of crime over peace and
government and the various batteries
and forts of the defeDces Of Washington
saIuted the victory at twelve o'clock to-
day. [ would that Gen. Lee could have
stood with me here in front of his idol
lied home, and heard the loyal artillery
play their ''wild melody" in honor of the
restoration of Charleston to the Union
1t was in Charleston that the first overt
act of rebellion was committed. Judge
M'Gaath, the presiding Judge of the
United States Court in Charleston, ad-
journed the court sine die the day after
the election of President Lincoln, and
displaced the National flag from the
building to fling the Palmetto banner to
the breeze. -Four years later he is chosen
Governor of South Carolina, and before
he held his Office one month, Sherman
made him fugitive, and hoisted the
stars and stripes over his capital It was
there, too, that the first appeal was made
to the terrible arbitrament of the sword,
and it was made most causelessly. In
the face of the prefer of the loyal com
mander to eTacuate Sumter in three days,
because of his exhausted provisions, the
merciless spirit of treason aung grim
Visaged war upon people whose whole
thoughts, hopes and efforts were for peace.
When the thunders of Forts Mouitrie,
Pinckney, and SuIlivan's Island, pre-
claimed fraternaI war, Gen. Lee was here
in a home consecrated to Union BY
the name, the fame and the hallowed
patriotism of Washington. He had been
the child Of favor. A generous nation
had educated and houored him an ac-
oonplished wife had brought him fortune;
from bis OVID green lawn tie National