The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-06
FROM VIRGINIA

This once hourishing town is now as dilapi-
dated place as any in Virginia and it will be
years before IL again becomes the business
centre it was before the war. Standing before
the virginia House." in Cameron street.-the
main avepne of the town-the other evening,
could not help being struck with the sleepiness
of the place, and the apparently listless char
ter of its denizens. On the porch of ''ye ancient
hostelry" In question: sat three or four men, with
their heels up on the railing of the porch, smok-
ing. On door steps sat and lolled dozens of
others, mostly young men, too, while nowhere
was any one to be seen at work, or busly en-
gagged in any occupation. Storekeepers stood
at their store doors waiting for customers, and
customers stood outside waiting for money to
grow up for them. The whole scene put me in
mind of one of Hogarths illustrations of idle.
ness
q On Court days things have livelier appear
ance. Then the streets are filed around the
Court House, and the inhabitants of the country
throng the town; but, as general thing indus
try does not hang her shingle out at Culpeper.
Our newspaper, and its accompanying job office,
suffices to satisfy the literary demands of the
place, and as a matter of course the paper in
question, the Culpeper Observer, Is obliged to be
Southern in sentiment. Its proprietor con
siders himself O Union man, and supports
President Johnson. In good times this paper
yielded an income of $4,000 year, and even
now 1t pays. Three churches serve to keep the
Cody people of the "Late House, up TO the
point of grace and there is a mill, about mile
from the town, which supplies the wants of the
inner man in the grain line.
On the arrival of the cars at the depot, near
which is tolerable hotel called the Waverly
House, quite crowd collects, and from the
noise of the freedmen attached to the hotel one
might suppose Culpeper TO be town of some
extent; but walk through the place soon
dispels all doubts of the kind, and shows what
the place is. What 1t might be in Yankee hands
Is another thing, for the locality is just suited
for busy little town.
The war here, as elsewhere throughout this
State, has left legible marks OF its destructive
progress, and no evidences, perhaps tell more
doletul tale Of its horrors than the thousands of
graves to be met with in travelling through this
section ofthe country. The level district in the
imm edate vicinity of Brandy Station, about
four miles from. this, was apparently 1aVorite
locality with the bold troopers OF both armies,
for the grave OF many cavalry man testlfes to
the effective style IN which both "Rebsr and
''Yanksn swung their sabres. 1t was near
Brandy" that Averill first encountered Stuart
and his men, and that the standing reward in
Averllps Corps Of $500 for the first dead cavalry
man." was earned. Here, too, was 1t that Gus
ter and Fitzpatrick fought so bravely with their
respective commands to cover the retreat of our
army from Culpeper to Centreville, to antci-
pate Lees thanking movement. And near this
same Brandy Station, the same corps, on its
retreat from that march, drove the cavalry bri-
gade which covered the retreat of the Rebels
across the Rapidan-a position, by the way,
they never should have been permitted to reach
--Berdan's sharp-shooters rendering valuable
aid in this fight. These, and other encounters
OF which this locality was the scene, impart to
every hillock and field deep and abiding in
terest to all who in any way participated in
them, and with every house in this noted dis
trict is there attached a history of the many
heroic sacrifices made in the holy cause of the
preservation of the nations life from the grasp
OF traitors.
Ruined dwellings, desolated farms, and fence
less acres, are dreadful marks of the havoc of
civil war; but there are other mementoes far
more potent in bringing to mind painful remi-
nlscences OF the past; and these are the little
mounds to be seen on nearly every hillside,
marking the last resting-places of gallant sol
diers, whose country was dearer to them than
their lives. While visiting some of the old
camps around Brandy, | passed by several
graves, at the head OF which were the boards
with the name OF the soldier and the regiment
he belonged to inscribed on them. Among a
number of graves in the old camp of General
legible rptions:-Alred Silk, f. 15lst N. Y.
", died, February 6, 1864, aged 27; Josiah p.
Robinson, K, Sd Name, died April H. 1864;
George Bubien, Sd Maine, died April 49, 1854. On
one grave, only the name Of William Addison
was legible; and on another all the marks left
were the letters I. B., l5lst N. Y. There were
twenty-five graves in the collection from which
these names were taken, nothing but simple
posts marking each end OF the graves. All these
were on the farm of MIR. Bolts, and about half a
mile from his house.
In the garden of Mrs. Wises farm are no less
than thirty-hve graves, all of which have head
boards, and copied the insorip lions on them in
order that their friends or relatives may remove
the bodies as the land will soon be cultivated,
The dwelling house on this farm was turned into
hospital, and was in charge of DR.. Mitchell, OF
Philadelphia. The following are the inscrip
tions on the head-boards:-Z. Mite, X, 9th
Michigan Cavalry, died March 10, 1864; Henry
Ramsey, K, 9th Michigan Cav, died March IT.
1864; M. Brauan, M, 7th Michigan Cav, died
January 10, 1864; ]. Ridenour, c. 9th Mich. Cav.
died March 8, 1864; G. S. Smith, F, 9TH Mich
Cav, died March IL, 1864; John Hone, G. 10th
Pa, Cav, died Apnl s, 1864; Henry Murry, b
10th Pa. Cav, died Marcn 20, 1865 David A
Reed, F, 10th Pa. Cav, died April 20, 1864; John
Cleaver, A, lst Pa Cav, died March 30, 1864
Joseph X. Lacey, l., lst Pa Cav, died December
2, 1868; II; Crane, D, 10th a. Cayo died Decem
Der 6, 1868; John A. otto, l., 8th Pa. Cav, dice
December T. 1868; j. Rush worth, A, Sd Pa. Cav.
died December Il, 1868; j. S. McFeatens, @, 18th
Pa. Cav, died December g. 1868; Joshua Lash
II, 10th Pa. Cav, died December 20, 1868; j. w
Coffman, +, 18th Pa. Cav, died February 2
1864; William Yeater, N, 18th P. Cav, died Janu
airy 2S, 1868; l. Seymore. H. lst Vermont Cav.
died March 20, 1854; II. A. Field, x, LIST Vernon
Cav, died March l8, 1864; Harvey James, @
lst Vermont Cav, died March 10, 1864; c. Voor
hees, II, lst N. J. Cav, died January Is, 1864
John Wendell, H. LIST N. j., died February 27
1864; John Nj. Strube, b. 9th Ohio Cav, deC
April Z, 1864; j. Smith, /, 10th Maine Infantry
died December 3O 1868; Eben Lewis, NJ Is
Name Cav, died January a. 1864; j. ii. Mont