Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1869-09-11
Bull Run Revisited.

Both sides Of The road. from Brandy
Station to Manassas Junction, the frag-
ments Of block houses, broken portions OF
foriicauons, and small sections Of stock
ade fences, were pointed ou, as being the
forts upon the strength OF which the fate
Of the nation, few years ago, depended.
But they arc fast losing their ideRnty, and
in low years more IL will DO said Of
them, as Of the men who fought there,
1.-The place that knew them shall know
them no more.
The little village OF Manassas Junction
is called city; but il has no blocks, no
siJewalks-bui it is much easier 10 tell
what II does possess than what i. does
not, SO we will change our pbraseOlogy
and say that it contains ono hotel. e., a
place where folks are taken in for the
nlght-one livery stable with two army
horses and mule. grocery where mo.
asses and gin are drawn mixed whenever
either is ordered. How much Of place
ii might have been before the war We DO
not know, but now,as darkey expressed
it, ait be forsook by Cbry thing 'cop. de
berry debbil."
Hundreds OF visitors, however. stop
over at this place TO visit the battle field
OF Bull run; and il would seem that much
transient patronage, which is increasing
every year, would give 10 the place an
air of enterprise and prosperity. Bot
such is by no means tho case. Lazy
whites and blacks, crippled old men end
women, and the raggedest and dirtiest OF
children lounge about tho depot, or sleep
away the dsys on the sunny side OF sand
bank or redoubi.
In every direction from the depot can
be seen lines OF earthworks and trenches
with here and there fork, lacking only
the guns, TO revive, entire, the scene in
war times. A few have been levelled by
the farmers and by negroes searching for
lead. Blu. the greater part OF the works
remain as they were left, and the rCIurn-
ing soldier can easily find The "Old camp
ground" or the redoubt near which he
was stationed Probably no field in the
South is more interesting 10 either soldier
or civilian, than the battlefield Of Bull
Run.
Other fields have been so changed by
cultivation or present such different Sp-
pearance when the army, with It's wsg-
Ons, tents and smoke, is gone, that even
the general, are unable 10 recognize them.
But Boil Run has changed but little. The
same old trees. clumps Of bushes, deep
rsvines, sloping bills and muddy bottoms
are there to-day which wero there when
the First Massachusetts, and the Third
Michigan went down into the bottom TO
begin tho first battle OF Bull Run.
The old chimneys and broken ree','o-
geiher with the monuments on The field
and al Groveton. give the same aspect TO
the field which it wore during the later
days Of the war. The old forts, from
Union Mill and McLesr's Ford 10 the d..
lspijaied stone bridge, that were erected
in piecemesl afitr the fret bstle,are near.
ly az the soldiers lefi them. Ai Black.
burns Ford there are the traces of some
kind OF slocksde, but it would not have
bren used during the war. A lev patches
Of wheat, corn or potatoes are seen here
and there, but they are no, sufficiently eI.
iensiye TO take away the feeling Of desola-
ton which seizes upon the visitor as ho
looks over the lsDdscspe.-COrreSp0
Boston Traveller.