The Republican journal., 1873-01-16
Gllmpses at the South.
Correspondence of the journal.
JACKSONVILLE. Florida. Jan.
DAY on THE JAMES RIVER.

route usually followed by tourists from
the North. and took the steamer down the
hcsapeake Bay to Norfolk, passing on
our way, o! course, those notable localities
Fortress Monroe and Old Point Comfort
Oar welcome ri Norfolk was 81 snow storm
mat would have been quite "a respectable
one in your locality, under the old regime
al the same season of the year. 1t was
OF short duration, however, and on the
morning OF 4 delightful day, Dec 18th, we
took the steamer John Sylvester tor Rich
mond, leaving at six O'clock, m and
frrivlna at Richmond at three p. m.
BY courtesy Of the very intelligent cap
tam OF the steamer we were accommo-
dated with seats in the pilot-house, and
we're thereby very fav orablv located for
seeing all that was to be seen on either
pAnk OF this singularly beautiful river
richer than ever since the late war in fra
dltional and historic interest Adherine
To- the resolution formed before left home
Of keeping my ears open and giving my
tongue free course, | soon ascertaned that
OF the forty passengers on the boat nine
teen were from Maine all but two OF them
Ind come out Tor tile purpose Of cutting
lire oak tor ship timber; we disposed of
them at dit1'eren, points on the river
Leaving Norfolk the steamer ran across
tie Elizabeth river 10 Portsmouth for pas
~en9"rS bound mp the river The popula
t'on OF NurloI; is about 32 thousand; that
% Portsmouth about lG the two are well
named TIE Twin Cities. Fortress Monroe,
Wing about fourteen miles north from
Norfolk and IT the entrance to Hampton
Roads, jooHcA up in the distance looking
more Ike the haunt of sea-nymphs than
The resting place OF some three OF four
hundred death-dealing monsters known rs
cannon many OF which, by the way, are
fhe LARGEST sized columbiad- On the
westerly side o. the river (Elizabeth) the
5 Naval Hospital, large brick edifice,
succeed. attracted our attention bv its
beauty of architecture and more beautiful
surroundings,
Passing onward the next special object
Of interest is Newport News, offthe Point
uf which The tri@ates Cumberland and
Congress were destroyed by the Merri-
mac and the maya! duel between her and
ne Monitor was fought The very spots
where the Cumberland went down under
Tho up.l ft,o {
ire. whore the deadly iron hail-storm be-
tween the Two jron-clads RACED for four
iung hours, We're pointed out to Us; indeed
we were passing through the same waters
perhaps some of the death laden missiles
that rebounded from their sides and sunk
IN the waters We're lying under the very
keel OF orr steamer. Thank God that the
occasion for their services is past, and they
ire forever powerless to do evil.
Thirty-tWo miles above Norfolk we
passed jamestown, the site OF the earliest
English settlement in the United States.
made in 1907. I ought TO say, rather, the
ruins OF jamestown; tor all that remains
to mark the locality is IN old graveyard
and j solitary arch, the entrance to the
old brick church in which, rs tradition
hath If, the gentle savage" Pocahontas
was baptised with the Christian faith.
"onld almost believe that | caneht a
glimpse ot h." flowing robes through the
shruhbrry that half hid the arch and teol
quite certain thnt ! CAUGHT SIGHT of the
douhet ana hose OF the gallant Captain
john Smith. After al il is barely possible
mat ! was mistaken on the last point; il
might have been some other John Smith
whom I @aW, A7 we landed at this place a
dozen or more OF our Maine wood chop
pers; hul i positively refuse to Weld
hair on the Pocahontas point
A few miles further up the river we
passed The mouth of the Chickahominy 4
name redoIent Of swamp, malaria. defeat
ana death. Its waters seemed 10 my
mihd'- eye like the waters of lie Stvgian
river across which So many lost souls, az
rordng to the ancient myth, We're ferried
Near The mouth of the river is Dancing
Point, SO called because lin old times. be
fore the country was so much cleared up,
The devil and his iack-a-ma- lanterns used
TO dance there dark nights /" at least that
i what Al old tar who has been pilot on
the river tor tiltg odd years told me; he
must be correct, | think for his grand
father had seen 'em often''
City Point al the mouth of the Apo
t4attox, is the next noticeable locality. II
has population 81 about 800 only, but
during the war. as Won will remember,
was prominent as a depot of supplies tor
the Union Army. 1t is located on some
what elevated ground, at the extreme
point OF which, overlooking the Appomat-
toX, stands the house which was occupied
Grants headquarters. The view from
mat point is said to be very Attractive
A short distance above we passed Ber-
muda Hundred, and farther on still other
localities associate with the movements of
the TWO armies during the war; but my
present business is with the James River.
II is ut "a point not tar above Bermuda
Hundred that The river begins, in earnest
10 enact the part of the ''snake in the
grass" OF the "eel in the mud, or as the
sailors would say, Ito box the compass A.;
running east, north, south, west, and so
on, doubling on itself every few miles, in
fact conducting itself very much as q dog
does who has lost his master and is trying
to find hlm in the crowded streets of a
city. If you will look at map Of Viz
ginia on a large scale you will be able to
form some idea Of the twistifcations OF
this river. There is point A short dis
lance above Virginia Landing called Dutch
Gap where Ben. Butler made an attempt
10 correct the yararies of nature by do