The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-07-23
LETTER FROM GEN. GIBSON.
NO 4
Valley OF Virginia-JefIeszon's Words
John RrOWH-YTiH TiHehesier-zEc
sherfdau's Ride-SfOnewaH jackson.
COTTe-ponIe1ce IIilin Iribune-
STAUYTOY. July Il, 1869.
THE COUNTRY.

phitheater, embracing an area Of a
hundred miles long and thirty wide,
extending southwest from the Poto-
mac, and walled in by ranges ofwood-
ed mountains, whose broken peaks
stand up like giant scntinels. The
Blue Ridge on the east, and Shenan-
doah Mountain on the west, are
Hanked north By the span of South
Mountain, and on the south by the
Cumberland range. Small mountains
rise ike pyramids from the beautiful
plain. The Shenandoah river flows
through It's whole extent, swelled by
hundred tributaries that meander
through the plain, and rushing with
savage grandeur through a wild gorge
/ in the mountains, is at last received
to the embrace of the Potomac, amid
the bewildering wonders of Harper's
Ferry
HARPER's FEERY-JEFFERsON.
Standing at Harper's Ferry, amid
its magnificent scenery, ono joins
with Jefferson in exclaiming "It is
worth voyage across the Atlantic to
see" Bolivar, Marylar d, and Lon
don Heights vie with each other in
sublime exhibitions. On the latter,
jefferson made his sfNotes, and on
grand rock that still bears his name,
he reflected npon the crime and con
sequences of slavery, and indited the
memorable sentence II tremble for
my country when I reflect that God
is just" Forty years passed, and
this town was a smoking ruin, and
these rock-ribbed mountains trem-
bled with the shock of battle in the
last bloody conflict between liberty
and slavery-between barbarism and
true christian civilization, The
slave has become a citizen, armed
with the ballot. Time is Gods in
flexible agercy, and will bring all
things right. ~ ''-"
The Government ArmOry, establish
ed here by Washington in 1874, was
destroyed during the war, and the
great bridge was demolished nine
times. The town was nearly |
ruined, and there are now but
l 600 people, to 5000 before the re-
bellion The Engine House, where
John Brown fought bee and was
wounded by Green, escaped, and is the
only public building standing. This
is curious and suggests a speculation.
Let some Yankee buy it, aud every
year 10000 people will caStin aquar-
ter to see it.
THE wArER POWER I
on both rivers is owned by govern
ment, and is to be sold. 1t equals
Lowell, and when it passes to individ-
ual owners, l predict Harper's Ferry
will become place Of great CONNER
cial and industrial Importance. OF
the ludicrous scenes of war. here I
shall not 11rite. r1'ioI1y t'5l
OLD JOHN BROWN 'i-
Was the best general that ever battled
for liberty here. We pass five miles
west to Halltown with its paper mill
built in 1928 by John H Hall of
Maine, and now being greatly enlarg-
ed by its new Yankee owners. Hall
went to Missouri in 1910, and his son,
Willard Hall, became Governor Of
that State. Five miles further west
is Charlestown, where John Brown
was tried, and won uudying fame by
his death as traitor to Virginia. In
eighteen months after, his execution
ers were in open arms against the
government and are "golng up and
down the earth" branded as traitors
to humanity, and their names will
ever stink with infamy; but "John
Browns soul goes marching on He
may have been insane, but he sought
to give men rights which Jefferson
said were ''inalienable.'2' He isfre-
as a martyr His raid be-
gan the rebellion, which was permit
ted Of God, and the bleeding nation,
IN fear of HIS just anger, smOte every
letter; and John Browns mission was
5aeh.----
And the fnc country surrounding,
ire prosperous. Stephensen's Sta
ion, four miles from Winchester, with
,hree houses, &C., was covered by the
.ebel left, September 9, 1864, whilst
;he right rested on Opequan Creek, at {
point over two miles southeast f
Sheridan made an assault in front c
With infantry, whilst he gained the
dartinsburg road with 5000 cavalry, t
nd with a savage charge bore down I
IN Earley's flank and rear1 breaking t
lis lines and sending him bleeding
Ip the Valley. 1t was magnificent
,attle, fought on favorable ground, g
I'D the whole field of ten square U
niles smoked with blood. !
REBEL CEMETERY. i.
At Winchester, the rebels have :
cemetery. well kept, and arranged in t
xcellent taste. It's east of and ad- n
ius the pubic cemetery east of town, r
nd an arch at the entrance bears y
be word sToNEwALL, in bold letters. E
Directly north, and adjoining, our
oyal dead are gathered, and 4,377
raves attest the sacrifices of the war.
t is in good condition, ard in charge t