Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-06-18
Yir0imi0 Correspondence.
June. 10th 1869,


Dear Democrat; having completed my
tour of three weeks in Virginia, | vii
send you few notes from my diary, omit
ting, for the sake of brcvity, many thing
of interest to me, which might not inter
est the readers of your valuable paper
Accompanied by my friends at Peters
burg, visited that memorable spot, The
crater. which was mined and blown up IL
July, 1864. CARRYING death and destruc.
ton to almost one entire Rebel Regiment
Lieutenant Col. Pleasant OF the iSth Penn
Vols, originated and carried forward
this work to n Successful result, opening
acrater two hundred feet in length, fifty
wide, twenty-five deep. The main tun
mel or gallery was 5ll feet in length, ther
branching in two directions about forty
feet each, to the right and left, exactl!
under the'enemy's works, or lines, where
S,000pounds of powder were deposited
to accomplish the object. la and about
this crater. doubtless, rest the remains o
many poor solders-over their decom
posed forms now grows the Peach trees
of sufficient size TO produce much fruit
People from al parts of our country ant
from foreign lands, daily visit this inter
esting place.
There are vast tracts of land in most al
of the one hundred and two Counties il
the State for sale large tracts of the same
havcnot been cultivated since 1861. Their,
is good, also poor land in all parts OF tn,
State, varying in price from three tC
thirty dollars by the farm, per acre
Land close up to large towns is valued
from thirty to one hundred dollars pei
acre. The size of farms is usually
from two hundred TO one thousand acres
the owners generally desire to sell the
whole tract in one lot, or not sell nj all
The best farms there are in the State,
believe. are far up the Shenandoah Val
lev. but it will take more money To pur
chase them, than in other parts of the
State. Many people from States north
east OF here have settled in Virginia since
the war. and others are coming daily
travelling in various parts of the State
prospecting for farms, mill property, &c.
they also look closely to her political sit.
uation. She goes into M election under
the reconstruction acts of Congress for
State officers, member of Congress, and
votes on her new constitution, July 9th
The result of that election can only be
predicted, but the prevalent opinion j,
that the republicans will win by twenty
five thousand majority over that mongrcI
Walker ticket
One thing is true Old Virginia, in the
main, has splendid climate =, G S..d .,..5N
bcing t roc from slavery, two other thing.
are as sure TO follow, as the sun is TO rise
and set, First, large amount of hel
poorly improved and unimproyed land'
are to 20 into hands of people from the
northeast, people who understand how
10 manage free labor, who well under
stand how to reclaim (by sheep and StorI
rai>ing) those long abused aud worn OF"
lands-lands cursed for a long series q
years by the whitening blight of slavery
Second, the State Government Is TO &C
into the hands Of an entire different set %
men than those who controlled her before
the war Many of the land owners o
this State are poor and must sell them
Some of them dislike to own this fact
they wan, the money but very much dis
like to see their lands go into the hands
of northern men, Yankees" as they cal
them. j. G..