The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-07-05
our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, d. c., July /, 1873.

1t IS often pleasant to review memories
of the past when frauglt with interesting
incidents, and under such impulse We re-
Gently visited Lynchburg and DanViIe'
Va. that we might note the tamlilar
grounds of soldier days during aad subse-
0uent to the late war Taking train on
our "alphabetieal railroad the Wash
inuton Cifv. Virginia Midland and Great
Southern-we ran through that portion of
Virginia which during the entire war was
one continued scene of marching and hight
ing. and there is hardly station between
here aud Lynchburg but what has many
war "reminiscences connected with 1T. At
/ Manassas still appear some OF the Tor
and earthworks thrown up in 1861 and 62,
which. though dismantled and with broken
and crnmbled faces and bitches, reminded
rs of severe exhaustiug marches IN the
mud and cold and wet OF those eventtul
winters, and recall the inevitable hard tack
and tough beef meted out to us by the
Commissary Department, as well as the
faces and voices of many comrades OF the
11th Corps who long since spread their
silent tents on the eternal camping ground
of the other world, 70 say nothing ot those
who were spared to life. Schulz is Secre-
tary of the Interior, Devens Attorney Cen
craI. LeDuc Commissioner OF Agriculture,
Sigel is in private walks, making, we hope;
his mark as brightly as those who are
/ wearing his political hOnoTs, and there are
many others doing life's duty as bravely
I and noblv as when battling for their coun-
try with lives pinned - their sleeves Tor an
( enemy's bullet to plucl4off. We could not
heip a fervid Thank Sod the sword OF
! civil war has been beaten into the pruning
hook of peace" Here where green vlsaged
/ wal had one vast slaughter pen the hus-
bandman has reappeaIed with all the par
/ aphrenalia Of comfort and tranquility, and
the contrast between the present lndIca-
. tiOus of thrift ano aniity and the Iuln aud
I devastation of war times Is SIMPLY sublime.
+ Nothing then was spared. The bullet, the
fire, and the soldiers stomach swept out OF
existence everything which could be ap-
DrOpriared. A rough board shanty cOnstI-
tuted the only building at Manassas at
one time when we were there, but now hp-
pears a town whose numbers of new houses,
/ freshly painted, almost rouse the query.
was war ever here Every ryYhere from
( WASHINGTON to GoIdonsville, houses, fences,
cattle, sheep, cultivated fields, etc, have
supplanted the tent, the corral OF army
wagons and mules, and the wastes made
by an army, and show us with most lndIs-
{ puuable signs that this afflicted portion OF
our country is now entering upon an era OF
progress and improvement which VIII make
I it eventually one of the grandest spots OF
/ the nation. We predict that this railroad
will ere long be one of the most favored
! routes for tourists, because every portion
/ of its surroundings will ever figure most
prominently in the historical annals OF our
. country Starting from here it touches
/ old and ancient Alexandria, whose Wash
ington landmarks will ever keep it alive; a
/ few miles west of tha. city it reaches Man
/ naSsas, and from there to Charlottesville it
( touches or is near the great battle fields OF
/ Manassas, Bull Run, Brandy and BristOw
Stations. Cedar Mountain, near CulpeppeT
Court House, Chantilly, Centreville, &c.
Every foot of the country has been occu-
pied by troops and for warfare, and no one
to whom the rebellion has any interest can
resist the inclination. at some time Oh
another, to visit these historical places. II
fianks the foothills of the Blue Ridge
mountains, and touches the great Piedmont
= region, which, extending from the Potomac
river down through Virginia, Tennessee
f and Alabama, will be eventually the great
est agricultural center Of the United States
From near Alexandria to Charlottesville
the road runs through an immense plain
= as susceptible Of improvement and graiI
and grass growing as The famous Gennesset
l valley of New York State. Grass, tht
, great disideratum of the farmer, grow
luxurantly everywhere. France does no
surpaSs it for wine purposes, while the milk
J winters render stOck-raisiAg an easy matte
+. in comparison with :he rigorous climate o
nOllheTD ldttUQeS. ne HNe MAJ ketS q
= Washington aud Baltimore viii al Says en-
able the farmer ~ dispose of his produces
D and we know of no place east or west whicl
il offers so many inducements TO the immi
5 grant as this Piedmont region. Char
lottesviile, with its Monticello and UniveI
siy, the legaces of the immortal Jefferson
10 must ever be place Of resort Here tn
t Chesapeake and Ohio railroad debouche
q into the plain from the mountains and fror
Il. II
Il Of lumber and minerals northwaId and t
l. Richmond. We feel assured that Alexar
" dria and Washington viii yet become
! through these interests, great shippin
marts, and that from here to CharlottesviII
0 will become as thicllly settled, thrifty an
o wealthy as that between Albany and Blu
e falo on the New York Central, and thu
a too in very few years. Immigration ono
! turned southwaGd, will quickly sieze upo
u these plains and foothills and enjoy the
DC superior advantages OF soil and clmat,
sr We spent nearly four years among thes
/ hills, after the war, as an army officer. an
~. can bear witness through such extende
personal observations to the many attra
IN tiuus and advantages the Piedmont regic
c. offers 10 the immigrant aud to the touris
q We grew attached to ITS climate and to I'll
grand scenery Of its mountains and lane
scapes. 1t Is worth tourists trip Sout
iy 90 90 upon college Hill," at Lynchbur
~ and look upon the sunset of some fair sur
o. mer evening. The Peaks of Otter, Il
highest mountains south Of the Potoma
~ will stand out boldly limued against Il
ld western horizon before him, and no grand
I'd feature can be seen in all the country til;
O. that given by the sun as he slowly sinks
- rest between their peaks. Rough al
~ rugged as Lynchburg is, owing to its b
rs ing built upon steep river bluff, yet it h
nd its compensations 30 the traveller in &
er beauty Of its picturesque surroundings, a.
-, we commend its rare scenery to all beaut
GU seeking tourists. Lands are cheap
a through this region. The best of farr
he can be bought for one-half the prices ask
nd prior to the war, and though impoverish
-. somewhat by slavery, yet they readily I
~ spond to the labors of freemen, and
Tor better country can be found in which
in make a true home-One surrounded wi
IT. all the Injuries of a fine climate aud ii
ny soil.
InS -
cts The Warwick iron furnace, in Pot
Ius town, Pa, is turning ont a Iemarkat
AN weekly product. It had been in bl;
lar tUentv.Six weeks last Saturday and n