Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-08-15
"a visit fSa Manassas.

Of interest to your correspondent, which he> has
thought may be communicated to your readers.
Manassas what stirring recollections throng at
the mention of the name. That historic plain,
to the rebel arms iterun1, ster'tn1que beatus
stretching away in beauty to the fair range OF
hills which enclose it in their circling arms,
suggests TO the Southerner bayonet- sWed
though he be, poetic inspiration of pride
and hope. .... a.sl.,l,l.r- -r..>- rr-,
''The mountains look on Marathon.
And Marathon looks on the sea,
And m,faing there an hour alone.
I dreamed that Greece might yet be free!
For, standing on the Persiam's grave, III
I could not deem myself q slave"
That plain is our Marathon, and it saw an
overthrow as glorious, and that might have
been as complete But''i might have been
is tho melancholy refrain of the dlrge OF hui
man hopes. - - go
But it is Of the Manassas Of peace, ''let us
have il" = Ulysses, not of war that l write
The field twice crowned with the cory laurels
of military triumph, now eKuits In the green
and wayy garb of summer, and the, smoke
arises from the shining roofs that have re-
placed those which sank amid the smoke OF
battle. Manassas-the village now so-called,
and formerly known by the appendage of '"the
Junction is one ofcthe few places that have
grown up in the South since the war, and
doubtless owes the fact to the fame OF the
battles that have made it immortal. Before
these it was an ordinary railroad station, with
a rough depot, tank and a poor ''hotel' (by
courtesy for the accommodation of travellers
detained by stoppage or delay of trains, and a
private house or two of small dimensions
All these buildings were destroyed during the
war, as also the pretty grove which gave an
idea of locality 10 the place now impossible to
trace. And now, little higher up than the
former station, has grown up q village OF re-
spectacle size, regular streets, fine buildings
and thrifty trade. =.
=. On leaving the cars, tue traveller discovers
on either side of the road hotel: The Ma
nassas'' on the North, and the 'tEureka" on
the South side-the former kept by Mr.. H.:
b. Warns, a jolly host and good Citizen and
Democrat from Pennsylvania; and the other by
Mr.. Jewell, of Prince William, Virgnian OF
the old style, and we'll known TO your readers,
as an energetic and accommodating host and rail-
road man. TO-, ra.E n.ar9-G taG. '-,.,
! There are four large stores doing good
business, and Capt. Gates late Of the Il. B., IS
putting up an immense warehouse for sunac.
Your correspondent did not measure 1t, but it
looked to him of ample dimensions to contain
not only all the sumac, but all the trees, OF all
descriptions left in Prince William But the
sumac is the staple of Manassas. Her other
forts the toisome hands Of labor are demollsh-
ing fast with pick and pillow and ponderous
stroke, but this, her great forte, IS growing,
growing, growing, with an army of men and
boys, and girls, and women, busily, hourly, daily
a. i l, l. 20 1rfo( Inc
ter than Jonah's gourd, or Hookers lines IN
the night Of Charlottesville ~,
With ali Difference, however, to the Captain s
"calkiIation,' we think his warehouse will not
long be needed for its designed purpose, The
lands around Manassas are being bought up,
and turpcd from old fields into farms. And
the sumac bushes have, we hope, nearly chad
their day" unless he should further discover
that thew are profitable crop to cultivate,
and subject them to the chilling W" the
" back. furrow,' &c., and then, o! then,
Prince William, will his eyes behold thy saliva
ton, and his own glory ~. 1914. ..
The dwellings, around give evidence OF this
growing prosperity, L speak OF, and the trade
in all the usual items of country produce Is
good. There is dentist, a physician and
lawyer, resident, although the county seat
(BrentsviIle) is four miles of-but there has
been strong talk Of moving the same to Manas
sas the only place in the county claiming any
title to it on account OF its size:
The soournep at Manassas will be apt 10 tall
into the company and conversation OF Major
Wilmer Mclean, whose pleasant face invites
the stranger to q question. He will get from
him manv "reminiscences Of the war, OF which
he STYLES himself the Alpha and the Oniega.-
This from these facts: the first battle Of the
war, of the dignity of real fight, took place
near his then residence at Blackburn s Ford,
on the Sth Of July, 1861, where your 18th re-
eiment won its first laurels. His house was
then our Hospital, and its yellow flag did not
protect it from the cannon shots OF the enemy,
who claimed to treat it as ruse One shot
entered the house and passed very close to
Beauregard and Longstreet who were IN con
sultation The final surrender took place ID bis
house at Appomattox G. H., whittier he had
taken his family for safety. He has returned
to the site of his former home, like an old
hare to his nest. Will the ''dogs Of war; ever
rouse him again? We know not-We can
also say zee hope not. The Major speaks
like true man, unrepiningly Of the past, hope
fully of his future. bitterly of the depredatlons
and wanton wrongs OF our late Toes, put praise
fully of many of the Northern soldiers. who
SA.S~
the war, and from whom he has always receiv-
ed politeness and consideration. He has found
many of them anxious to settle among US, but
deferred by the internal lies of radical peace
makers as to our treatment of settlers.
If you think my recollectlons OF interest you
are welcome to them. The many blurred
sheets before me admonish me of an old tavo
rite in Roman monumental inscriptions, which |
obey And so, Siste. VIAToR.
The REASON WHY-The commonwealth
newspaper Of Boston, in commenting upor
the reported lawless violence at the South
thus reflects upon the subject Sour Minis
ter of War and the General Of our Army Ger,
tainly can devise measures, if they will, and
execute them if they choose, to stop this dread:
full carnage Of blood !? How terribly criminal
seems that pleasure trip to the Rocky Noun
tains, when our own brothers and sons, the
neighbors of our youth, Acknowledgement OF
orr 1oostionc ora heinz nilad in hecatOmbS all