The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-06-02
FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
Correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch
CHRrsrIASsBuRa, May 80, 1866.

As | have lately returned from trip TO
Newcastle, the county seat OF Craig,
have though, that maybe word or so on
the crops country, &C., might be accepta-
bic TO your readers. Going down to Salem
on the train was very pleasant, as we passed
through the magnificent valley of the
Roanoke. The lands along this river are
noted for their beauty and fertility.
Hcmmed in on three sides by mountains,
they are protected from the rude blasts OF
our mountain winters and being well
watercd, they are now green with the
famous blue grass and all the crops are
promising.
The next morning, starting off with con
genial society, / joltcd along on a half
broken colt, with nothing of special inter-
est To attract our notice until we came to
the famous Hanging Rock, where "Old
Jube" ought to have captured the noto-
rious Hunter, and would have done SO had
our cavalry been properly managed. |
never saw a position better adapted for
ambuscadc, or where small force might
hold in check five times its number. This
was the plan: merely to hold Hunter in
check until the main army could come up
and attack him in the rear; and McCaus-
lands gallant and successful dash shows
that the plan was well devised. " But
there is no use in crying over split mix !"
or saving "it might have BEEN" Passing
through this narrow dctile, we soon began
to ascend the mountain by tortuous but
well-gradcd road. and on reaching the
summit we had most beautiful view Oh
the surrounding scenery. We theh aD-
ruptlv descended to the Catawba valley,
near To the Roanoke Red Sulphur
Springs" and accepted the kind hoSpitall-
ties of a friend, where we did ample justice
to ssbacon and green's" roast chicken, and
gooScberry tartS.
All through this country we found that
the wheat crop was almost complete
failure and while the rye is more pro-
missing, still there will not be an average
yield. The oats are looking well, and the
corn has u fine stand. The negroes were
never owned to any very great extent in
that section, hut the most of them have
left, and their places are more than sup
piled by white laborcrS. From various
sources we learned that probably larger
breadth of land than usual would be cult
waited. The people are not much en-
couraged to make improvements though,
because of the difficulty of getting to mar
kct over mountain roads. Should the
Winchester and Salem railroad be con-
Structed, the whole of that beautiful and
fertile section would be open to the world,
and the value of the lands be enhanced be-
You'd present computation.
We were told of fine coal bank that
had lately been opened near to the Springs,
Of similar kind to that Of the famous
Brush Mountain coal Of Montgomery, and
is 10 doubt the same vein. In the evening
we rode on amid beautiful mountain
scenery until we reached Craig'S creek.
This is indeed a pretty good-Sizcd river,
aud is SO provcrbially clear and limpid that
men over there, in discussion, will say /:
"Why, sir, the thing is as clear as Craig 5
creek" and there's an end TO all contro-
NcrSy.
This was the stream that troubled Gene
raj AYrill so much in his raid to Salem,
and where Fitz Lee would have captured
his force had he not been misintormed asto
his precise whereabouts.
And now we ride into the ancient and
venerable town of Newcastle. II Sabout
as miserable, dlapidatcd, old-tashioncd,
out-oi-the-wav, and comically constructed
. pldtt as j tNII SAVE II 10 III 'l wv N'ilii"-
cnce of Craig's creek and Thom's creek,
and the inhabitants are exceedingly kind
and hospitable, but feel that they are shut
out from the world. By the way, | am
told that about six miles Of pretty rough
work would enable the James River and
kanawha canal to pass over this mountain
to Sinking creek, down this to New river,
which is admirably adapted to canal pur-
poses, and that the route is considered the
most practicable by many of our most
scientific engineers. The country around
is fertile and very productive, and some OF
the people there are the best in Virginia.
The people showed us every attention,
and notwithstanding our very unpleasant
church business, our stay was delightful.
Our return was marked by the same hard
trot of the colt and drcnching rain-rather
more of the water than is generally ac-
ceptablc to us who believe in sprinklng,
but not in immersion. III.