Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-06-13
A TRIP SOUTH.
WASHINGTON. June Sth

we have been journeying in "Dixie's Land
Having business in Mobile we took the
Acquia Creek boat here at A. M. on Sat-
urday morning April 22d, and after very
pleasant steam down the beautiful Potomac,
we landed at Acquia Creek about 10 o'clock
There we took the cars for Richmond and
points south. The remainder of that days
ride was over the terribly contested battle
fields around Richmond, Fredericksburg,
Petersburg and the Wilderness. First came
the Rappahannock, whose waters ran red with
Union blood when Burnsides army crossed to
capture Fredericksburg, which lies on the
south side of the river. Nature has healed
all the wounds of these battlefelds, and one
would hardly imagine that this region had so
lately been the scene ofsuch frightful carnage.
Very few traces of the war are seen, though
grass grown and dlapidated earthworks abound
| to mark the places where lately were arrayed
in fratricidal hate the bravest men of our land.
Fredericksburg is a small city of few thous-
| and people, quaint and quiet looking, but very
pretty. Back of it are seen the heights where
| the rebel batteries lay, and tore our troops so
| frightfully. At "Clay Ashley" station six
teen miles north of Richmond, commences
| The Wilderness" SO named by the north
ern army when it encountered the force of
Gen. Lee in that series of battles fought in the
spring and summer of 1864. 1t is wild, des
olate region with scarcely any inhabitants,
though one of the oldest settled portions of
this country. At and around Richmond we
saw more numerous and striking evidences of
she war. As you will recollect, large part
| of the city was burned on the evacuation.
Some of its largest mills and foundries,
standing on the James river banks, and pro-
PEELED by water (of which there is an unlimit-
ed supply for manufacturing purposes,) were
destroyed, and their huge skeletons still rear
their unsightly forms. Richmond is beauti-
full city and appears to be thriving in bust
ness way. There is not place in this country
better adapted to prepelling machinery by
water power. The river in front of the city |
is an almost unbroken series of cascades. On
our right as we pass over the bridge is the in
famous "Belle Isle," wretched looking little
island or mound. Here many of our prison.
ers suffered. On our left and almost hidden
from sight, is the notorious Libby Prison.
About p. M. we reached Petersburg on
the Appomattox river, where we saw many
interesting relics of the war in the shape of
ruined houses, forts, rife-pits etc. Here was
the last determined stand made by Gen. Lee. |
From Petersburg he retreated up the Apo
matox about a hundred miles and surrendered |
to Gen. Grant. Petersburg is quite a thriv
ing place containing 20, 900 people. The APP
pomattox is turbid, narrow, but deep river
Important manufactures of the Confedera-
cy were located here.
That night we passed through the Great Dis
NAL Swamp, where the weather was uncom-
fortably cold, much colder than it was in
Washington. Early in the morning we
reached Cape Fear river. where the railroad
crosses and keeps CT South. cutting Of WI
mington, y. C We arrived here JRE1 n the
nigh; vxs beginning 70 turn gray. Going in1D
= room II ta1s 5tpoi f9r 3 cup Of cufef we
we're se-red tr L tai dark Southern woman,
with Ehcrr We ah5 shp-i conversation. The
gisi a THE talk vsE tiili they were ruined by
tie Yankee Erzy and were utterly diseour
asaa- She hE3 several very sleepy and up
co-zsssi dI-K5es around her, but SAID they
couldn't De depeo3ed rpon nov; and that if
the refrain throughout the South
Leaving here we TOOK westerly direction |
through the rice swkups Of North Carolina
These lands are utterly useless for aDy other
purpose than the raising Of nice. Ii IL dre&ry
place to live in and 3 worse one to die IL, for
it would be difficult to find dry spot IN which
to bury one. After passing through these rice
lands, we came into the pitch pine region, &
vast wilderness Of almost wild and uninhabi- |
ted lands, covered with nothing but naked tur- |
pentine pines, a. homely specimen of tree as
you can imagine, with it's tall trunk stretching |
up without limb for thirty or forty feet and |
then with only tuft of branches to cover its
head Nothing is done here but turpentine
and rosin making. The trees are not tapped |
with an auger, as we tap sugar naples, but
with an ak. The pitch is caught in small |
boxes, and the turpentine spirits made by dis |
tillation. The residum is rosin There seems
to be very little enterprise in this region.
The train which we were on contained |
scarcely dozen passengers, showing one of
two things, that the people object to travelling
Sunday, or that very few people are going
South. The latter is probably the principal |
explanation, the season for travel in that direc-
ton being pretty nearly over and people now
coming north to spend the warm months.
We took breakfast that morning april 23d) |
at very pretty place near beautiful lake.
The house where breakfast was served was
almost empowered with roses, and the land
lady said they were past their prime. Straw
berries, green peas and new potatoes had been
abundant for a month. A great deal of the |
soil in this pine region is composed of sand,
almost as white as snow, giving the ground |
singular appearance. About noon we began to |
see clear land and indications of something be- |
sides everlasting pitch pines, in the shape of |