Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-09-13

little city, will ever occupy conspicuous
place in history as the scene of some OF
the grandest conflicts known in the annals
session of the stranger who visits the place
for the first time is of the awful tragedies
it witnessed in the grand dramma of '64-5.
Here all around the city, for long weary
months, ''herOes, comprising those that
Homer sang of, met and FLASHED their
swords aud bled and died" And as one
treads along these battlefelds, once satu-
rated with the blood of patriots, walks
through the trenches and stands upon the
parapets; thinks of the time when the hills
around reverberated the roar of artillery
and the rattle Of musketry, his hand
almost involuntarialy dolfs The hat, for he
almost feels that the spirits of dead warri-
ors are around him guard lg their old bat
fairgrounds. Memories, sad memories
come trooping up from the past, of the
deeds Of daring, privations, sutferings and
noble deaths of the thousands who fell
here, while battling for what they deemed
the right. And then one is almost sure to
think of some acquaintance, friend or per-
haps one dearer than friend who poured
his life blood out somewhere on the field
around and he wonders on what spot he
fell.
During recent visit to Petersburg we
drove out to the batJle-felds and spent
some time in wandering around among the
Notifications. Some Of the breast-works
have been leveled down, but many are still
standing and are covered with fruit-bear-
ing peach and apple trees which have grown
up from seeds dropped there by the hun
cry soldiers who lay IN the trenches.
Every stranger who goes to Petersburg
wants to visit
THE CRATER"
which is only about a mile from town. 1t
was formed 10y the memorable explosion of
Grants mine when Pegram's Petersburg
Battery was blown up. The gallery lead
from the enemy's works to the crater" is
about 500 feet long and its course is new
marked out by depressions in the earth
The work of mining occupied about a
month and when the work was completed
the mine was charged with 5000 pounds of
powder. About sunrise on the morning Of
the July 30th, '64 the explosion occurred.
The very foundations of the earth seemed
to have been shaken and half of the poor
boys who were stationed there between the
enemy and their native town were blown
into eternity. Most OF them were buried
in this horrible chasm beneath the falling
mass of earth. AS soon as the mine was
exploded the enemy rushed into the breach
thus made anu-it is needless to recall the
fearful carnage that ensued and how the
maddened 'rebelS" avenged the cruel
death Of their comrads. A participant
says 1.-THE deadly combat surged like a sui
phuric billow over this memorable ground.
Weisiger's 'Old Virginia Brigade
Wright's brave Georgans and Saunders
immortalized Alabamians, participated in
the conflict, anu when the evening zephyrs
famed away the lowering smoke of battle
the Confederate banner tloated defantly
over the vast chasm, where wreathing in
the last agonies of death, lay hundreds OF
men who but a few hours previous were
flushed with enthusiasm, in the belief that
the mondays sun would light them to
Petersburg The "crater'' was about
200 feet long, SO feet wide and 20 feet deep.
In the furious hand-to- hand struggle which
ragged in this space hundreds of men were
slain ard this chasm became one vast
grave. Half of the ground has since been
dug over aud the remains taken thelefrOm
have been removed to the cemetery, but
the other half has not been disturbed and
beneath still lies many a soldier waiting
the reveilIe.' AS we were approaching
this spot we noticed on small wooden
building near: "Relics for Sale" Two
rusty muskets stood like sentinels at the
door, and inside were collected huge can
non balls, broken muskets, sabres, can
teens, grape-shot and minnie-balls, and in
one corner grim skulls and bones which
the plowshare had turned up. We wan
dered over the field and gathered hand
full of the balls which still cover the
ground. Most of the land is now under
cultivation and has been for years but still
scattered all over the fields, can be found
musket-balls, grape shot, &c. Our visit
here was SO interesting that we were OBJ
livious of the lapse of time, The driver
becoming alarmed at our long absence
came j / search of us fearing, as he said,
that we had fallen through into one of the
tunnels f7T
On our retula to the city, we stopped at
the
OLD RLANDFORD CHURCH.
and the Cemetery. Strange to say. this
venerable building was I'm ljured during
the war by the many shells which passed
over Cemetery Hill on their way to town.
This old church was built in 1885, of brick
brought from England. The roof has sun
ken, and the hand of time is slowly at
work. crumbling the walls away, but as
green as the ivy that has thrown it's arms
around the sacred pile, shall ever be the
memory of some who worshipped here
-Ina doors have disappeared, and many ar.
the E. idepces of visits from ruthless relic
hunters. AS we entered this old house of
God, strange and almost indescribable feel
ings line over us. Such solemn stiffness
reigned around. and such a sacredness
seemed to pervade the place, that we al
most listened for the words 'sTake thy
shoes from Off thy feet, for the place
wherein thou walkest is holy ground."-
We felt almost as if we had left the busy
world for a time and were dwelling with
the dead. Such strange thoughts took
possession Of us as we stood alone in the |
sacred place. These old walls have be- n