Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-06-09
LETTERS FROM THE SOUTH.
NUMBER TWO.
RAIEIGH. n. C.. Man 20. 1se9.


We left this place short time since
on a trip to the mountain region of the
western part of the State. A few miles
distant we passed Durham's Station,
the place where Johnston surrendered
TO Sherman. 1t is a little country
stopping place on the railroad, about
as cheerful and interestingas Leavitts-
burg.
An enterprising native, with an eye
to speculation, dug up the tree under
which the terms of the capitulation
were discussed, and manufactured il
into canes and tobacco boxes, which
he has been selling in quantities ever
since. As the tree was small one, of
but few years growth, and as his sup
ply has always equalled the demand,
it is suspected that he makes requisi-
tions on the neighboring forest to
meet the wants of the curious.
On reaching Greensburgh, in Gull
ford County, we made short visit to
the old revolutionary battlefield of
GuilfOrd Court House. 1t is five miles
from the town. The engagement was
fought on the 18th of March, 17S1,
and resulted in the total route of the
American forces. Our troops were
commanded by Gen. Greene, and the
British by Lord CORVALLIS. Wewere
shown the ground upon which the
two armies were drawn up. Greene's
position was good one, and he should
have won the victory, and probably
would have done so, had not the mis-
cradle militia, of which his army was
in part composed, broke and run at
the first fire.
The only mark or relictof the battle
is solitary oak standing near where
Greene had his headquarters, the top
of which was cut of by cannon ball
from one of Cornwallis's batteries
Eighty-eight years have passed away
since then, and it is now an immense
tree and the most beautiful one l ever
beheld. 1t spreads out till it covers
an area of over five thousand square
feet. Had it been trimmed by art it
could not have been more symmetri-
cal and unrbrageous than it now is
1t is regarded with great affection by
the people of the neighborhOOd, and
is the resort of picnic parties for miles
around.
Wenext stopped at Salisbury, where
so many of our soldiers were starved
to death during the rebellion. No
trace of the old stOcade where they
were confined remains. Our cavalry
burned it completely to the ground,
not leaving a solitary thing to mark
the spot-even the fence posts were
dug up and consumed. The entire
place is now planted in cotton. But
beyond it, over on a little hill side, is
the cemetery where the dead were
buried. 1t is surrounded by a pretty
white fence and sergeant lives in a
house within the enclosure and keeps
watch over the premises. OF the hor-
rors that were enacted there, no imagi-
nation can conceive, no tongue can
adequately tell. The name of Sails
bury will send a shudder through hu-
manity to the end of time. Think of
it! In q little spot Of ground, not
oUer t1OO-tbirCts Of an acre IN eTtent,
are buried ELEVEN THOUSAND SEVEN
HUNDRED AND TWO MEN, III ,702). 1t
may be said to have been a single
grave. 1t was simply large hole dug
out like an immense cellar, and bodies
thrown into it till it was filled. The
death carts went their rounds every
morning and took out the corpse in
great loads. Occasionally some poor
wretch would be dumped into the
grave before life was extinct. Num-
bers of the bodies were deYOured by
animals. A citizen told me that he
had seen as many as fifty hogs feast
ing on the pile at one time, and to see
a dog running about the streets with
human arm or leg in his mouth was
by no means uncommon. But enough;
l am sick at heart and cannot dwell
upon the awful theme.
Turning our backs upon the town
with its dreadful memories, we took
the cars for Morgantown, some eighty
miles distant, which was as far as the
railroad runs. From there we hired
private conveyance to take US the re-
mainder of the journey. There were
twenty-three miles that afternoon and
stopped at Marion, the county town
of Mcdowell County. The people
were kind and hospitable to us, par
ticularly when they learned we were
from the North. In East Tennesse
and western North Carolina, there
were thousands of loyal men during
the war. There the general sentiment
was always in favor of the Union.-
That portion of country, the Switzer-
land of America, is settled by an hon
est. simple minded people that never
owned negroes and were never in
sympathy with the slave holding aris-
tocrats about them. Few of their
number can read or write. Books and
newspapers are rare. Shut out from
mankind by lofty ranges of noun
tains, they live quietly on, from year |
to year, in the lonely valleys with