Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1865-12-30
SHENANDOAH VALLEY AFTER
THE WAR.

Description 6y me Correspondent of me
London TimeS-Ihe Desolafion IF
me Tahry Temper Of the People,
Effect Of President Johnson's Recon-
sir"ction P"hicy-7he Test Oath.
From the London Times, Nov. %
WINCHESTER, October 81, 1865,
The Shenandoah Valley, or the "Val-
ley Of Virginia" as This brau,liul district
is indiilrr,nlly called, was the great bat
te-ground OF the Conledsracy during lis
struggle for Independence. Before the
days VI trouble il was the inexhausiiole
grain country of the Southern States, re-
III ark able for the loyelInees OF It's natural
scenery, and still more remarkable lor 'he
richness of is soil. That part OF the Al
le eghsny chain which is called ihe Blue
Ridgr runs through il, and on the oppo-
site side, lhe North Mounlans make Of
it valley proper. 1t was from the pop
ualion Of his valley that some OF the
best soldiers Of the Confederacy were
drawn-lhe very flower Of the population
went into the first armies of The war, and
By far the larger parI Of their number
now lie beneath its fields and along It's
roadsides, or fell in lhe awful carnage al
Getty burg and AnHeIsm.
The Vlrginisns held their cause very
dear and gave up all they had for 1t. and
nov they have ItIle but their dead and
blackcued fields, dssOlalion and blUtr
memories. 10 look upon as The result oi
their Tremendous struggle. ThroughoLt
The valley all the young men and many
of the old went TO ihe fight, and few OF
them returned. -Four long years OF war
drew out the very hearts blood OF Me
State, aud lef! It's homes in condition OF
ls waste places are an emblem. Yet!
those who survive betr up with noble
spirit against their many losses. and lind
sulace Tor their troubles in talking over
with each other The eXploiis in which
,hey have borne pari, or which they
witnessed. and in feeling themselves
trawn closer together b, the commen
bond Of misfortune. Their old hOmes-
and NirgInian homestead was very pre-
ciUus TO he hous ehod-have been sack
ed and burnt; but they can stll meet to.
geiher in rooms which their slaves would
formerly dtspise, and look back upon the
elories and disasters Of their arms. They
desire no more war; The common voice
is, 1--WE gave all we had in The world 10
win; we would do SO again il /, all had 10
be done over again; but having stsked our
all and lost it, We want to be al peace
" ith the government We want TO be
left alone with our dead. We DO not
want Northern soldiers in our midst.
A gallant man. sllll very young, who was
all through the war, and fought in fifty
seven pitched battles and over seventy
skiruishes, and who was one Of Stone
woll JacksOn's favorile aides, expressed
lhis sentiment, which have heard from
many others, so well that cannot DO
better than 10 repeat his words. 81 en-
tered this war" he said, "becsuse |
,hought it was tight. Fortunately or un-
fortunately, WAS educated to believe that
owed my first duly to my State. Un'
der ,ha, belief fought 10 The last Tor Vlr-
glnia and cannot be sorry now that
did so. cannot pretend 10 be ashamed
of nv cause. did all that coulG, and
having fought as becomes man, am not
going to sill down and behave like chId
because I cannot ight any longer. be-
leve that speak The thoughts Of all the
young men left in this valley when say
his. am willing TO be true 10 the pres
en-. government, and begin TO work now,
for we have had enough OF destruction.
Gen. Lee has set US The example, and
what our dear General orders us 10 do
we shall PERFORM" Proud of the vslor
their troops have shown, and recalling al
feclionately every brllian, episode IN their
long and desperate snuggle-lhis is the
temper OF the people; but the government
has nothing 10 fear from them. The pol
icy pursued by Mr.. Johnson has al once
grattied and touched them. Since they
must 60 back into the Union, they could
not be led by gen,ler hands. The first !
saw Of The Valley of the Shenandoah was
on the road between Harper's Ferry and
Charles:own, distance Of about eight
miles. The turnpike runs through an
open moor, which is intersecled by uu.
merous smaller roads snd appears 10
have been waste country from time i'm
memorial. But this moor was lew
months ago divided into farms' cornhelds
and orchsrds-now wiped clean out OF ex'
;ste,c. There are no fences even 10
show where The fields were once marked
Oft. and the trees slsnd out gusnt and
spectral in the wide waste, their branches
shot away or torn down for fuel by The
succession of armies which passed up
and down. the sorely harrassed Valley.