Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-06-06
Our Washington Letter.


the celebration in this section was not so impress
sive rs II has been on some former occasions, II
was, at all points, conducted with much decorum
and under very favorable auspices The exer-
cses OF
DECORATION DAY
In Washington are parceled out into hali-a-dozen
different ceremonies, at Arlington Heights, ut the
Soldiers Home at the Congressional Cemetery,
and at the different cemeteries throughout the |
District The principal exercises, however, are
held at Arlington and here were congrcgated, on
Wednesday, an immense concourse Of people. |
The Grafton was delivered by General Nathan |
Golf, of West Virginia, the Republican candidate |
for Governor Of that state last fall The speaker |
was very happy in his efforts in striking rever |
beratng chord in the hearts of most Of those pres
ent, by advocating in an eloquent manner the
union of North and South, and the sustaining of
the President in his policy toward the southern
states. The speech was in thorough accord with
the growing sentiment Of the whole country at
the present time and may well be classed, in the
similarity Of its tone and argument, with the elo-
quent addresses of Henry Watterson OF Nashville,
and General Roger A. Pryor, at Brooklyn Both
of the latter gentlemen were confederates during
the war, and on Wednesday made addresses at
the decoration Of the graves of Union soldiers,
while General Golf was u gallant soldier and of
fcer in the Union army, who is now ready TO for
get the strife Of sections and join in a real union
of states. The poem read by viii Carleton was
very interesting, although hardly coming up to
his famous productions Of Betsey and are Out"
and " Gone with IIandsomer Man" It was en-
titled, Converse with the Slain" and much of it
was pathetic in the extreme. As an instance of
its originality, this verse is one of the best
Men Of tho silent bands
Men Of the half-tod days,
Lift up your spectre-hands
And take our sweet bouquets"
President Hayes and wife were in attendance
| and after the exercises were over Mrs Hayes and
her daughter Fanny strewed flowers, which they
had brought with them, about the graves of the
unknown dead with their own hands
And while we speaking of this famous spot
it may be interesting to give brief description
and history Of
| ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
This historic spot is situated on the Virginia
shore Of the broad and beautiful Potomac, and il
reached by pleasant drive or an exhilarating
walk either by way of the Long Bridge or through
Georgetown over the Aqueduct Bridge Thi-
magnificent estate, which the late civil war has
made so famous, was bequeathed by General
Washington to his adopted son, George Washing
.o, par,o C,s,is I, DO, o,,o ,to,,.o'd
,,,o hnna.od ooros Tho ia,,ar ,,r.,,,d.o, .,
| uor,ho vo.hin,,ar I'D 10 IT, 10 don,i -,
his ,,,o,,r,o,,,a, T., ,ooo H., Lo ,... It,,
| ,a,,,,. ono 900 al, ,.o -. .i .,,, . a.
,rason, ,,ansio, a, Al,nc,a, Ti,o u,o,,.io,, oo
o,rios ,or, ooro,o,,di,,,, ,,o.;,i,,,, -, ,,o go,
nit NJ a hin ho,.,oor ,,,o ard ,b,oo b,ndrod GOO,
oho,o tbo lido a,otor 81 tho po,or,oo al bolt
milo to, H. l,ro %, ,tio,, ,to ,,r,,,,,,i i,i;,o
by Gradual s,o,,o Tho ,io,y - woshiraton
from, tho ror,;o ~ tho IL ,,,,,o, ri,a
# IL ono If tho rost Grand and ,ic,n,esone that
can be IMAGINED embracing the whole of the
cities of WASHINGTON and Ceoryeto,yn the river
with its long bridge and the range of MARYLAND
HEIGHTS NJ far down os Fort Wasbirctou with
nanoranic boarty and ef,oct rho ,nonsior ia nf
brick and nresents a front with the center and
,uo ,,;r,s ~ ono hrrdrod and tor,,, ,oot Tbo
Grand nortico which has eight massive Doric
colrmns ia s;xt, foo, In front and t,,ant,, fro In
deptb Tbi. noble portico was DESIGNED from
dra,,inos of the fannie at poestnu neor Norlos
The center building ia sixty feet and each vino
tor,, Zoo, In front Of tho roarsior ,,hor ooo,''
.ied he ,s former nossessors wos sne nar. If
,r,, h,,ndrod aoros sloo;n,, ,o,,ari tho p,,a,,o,
and dot,ed ,,i,h ,,ro,e. of ool, and ohos,,,, md
cIr,nn. =, o,or,,roor pohind !, ,,as darl, ala
,o,ost ,;,h r,,,;orohiaI ,roos hoarin,, non. oo,,
terrial horors and covaring siv bnnd,od ncres =,
hin and dale Tbrougb n nart Of ,his ,,as ia,
.;r,o,,s o,.o,,,o ,aoa;nc 20 ,ho r,on.ion IN ,h.
son,h ara tho ,,,rdars and co,sor,o,or,.. in ,,,
roor NO ,ho ,i,ohons 1a,,a ,,,,or,or, al .,oiIo
: Mr. C,s,is ,hon hrt a ,ad ,os ,,rosort n,ho
III, to- t,,ho, tho ,,,o,, ers, prosiaon, 90
4 | s,o,doa ., ,ho oo.h - ,,oaao o1,,ini.,a.aa l.,
Chanool,or riyirost,ro in Naw Wi, in t-so
- III - III H.. III -. -.
-, ,i,o ,,,i,,,,,,,' r., ,,o H.,
:, ~ p.o.i1.,. 1..., =, A., ,.,,'.-.'..,,.. =
= r.aa,,,,a pie Cha to,,,.,ar,, p.eaiioat T.,
2 900 ~, - -, -. ~ -,..'
p =, ~. - =.
~ ,hia, 10 ,'ad ana ,,'ad a,'1 his ,,,o,,,er,,
aar sai,,,s,,, haJ - 81, +, ha, -.
49,. Any, . 49, ,a. ~ $50.
i'o," ,t t"It a., w.
-, - r. -.
l,.,
60, t.'.,,
,,ai -, ,o,. - ,'o -
ht..t. 1,.'..,,a. a., cs.,a'-,1 n. -. :,
LIZ -. 1,aI l., 80 ~ S,..a,..,,.. 900 49,.
( -. .,....,i..,.... -, ,,,,i.;a a. ~ 49,.
q -. 49,, -, 80. -.
~ =
40 ,.i,...,,,, 80 ,.i.,a,I i; ,veo -, 49,.
ronr ,hnrsand ono hrnored d,lIars .rha tow ,,a
,ata co,orai la i,i,.ad ,i.o.,ta1.,..,
army and left Arlington never Ia return the e.
tate was forfeited and in 1864 the commissioner
Il bid in the estate for twenty-six thousand eigh
o hundred dollars Under Secretary stanton's ad
+ ministration of the War Department Arlington
was converted into national cemetery, and tw,
hundred acres enclosed by n wall are set ana,
for burial purposes Here repose the bodies q
:, nearly sixteen thousand soldiers from differen
n battle fields in Virginia and hospitals in and abou
: Washington The west cemetery is devoted L
white and the north to coored troops Tn
"tomb of the unknown " is a granite sarcophagu
surmounted by cannon and balls placed in g
t over the bones of fifteen thousand five hundre
S and eightv-fye out of the three hundred aud fl
:, teen thousand five hundred and ffty-eght sol
l. diers who died in defense of our country iron
Il 1861 to 1865
Suit is now brought by Gusts Lee a son of til
General for the purpose of eiecting the Govern
} ment and it will be tried the present term of tn
II court of Alexandria county II is generally be
3 eyed here that Mr. Lee will succeed in his suit
!, but it is not believed he will ever return to Al
y, linpton to live or that the dead buried there wi
ever be removed
A.-r i-.-..-. .t.....-. - A., ......f.. e..