The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1879-10-02
CORRESPONDENCE.

DErRmr. NIeL. Sept. 20, 1879.
Dcar JoWnai,
Something about Fl Wayne, &C.
cording 10 promise. At City Hall you
take the IL Wayne aud Elmwood
street railway cars, which run every
ten minutes The fare is eight cents
and the distance little more than two
miles The car stops Immediately op'
positn the main entrance to the reser'
gation. You enter over well-gravel.
ed driveway, passing under huge
stone arehway sculptured in the shape
OF "a keystone arch aud ornamented
weH.executed cannous, guns. and piles
Of ammunition in Ohio freestone. A
Regular stands guard at this entrance
in full dress uniform, and with fixed
bayonet PAGES up and down as solemn
as an owl, and as far as ] can learn be
has little else TO do. This grave
roadway leads Immediately to the sally
port where you enter tie fort proper
under an arched brick passage just
large enough to admit one heavy piece
of ordinance at a time. This passage
is angular, making one short turn 10
the center of the wall and is altogether
about 60 feet long. The passage Is
closed by three sets Of double 9 inch
oaken doors thickly studded with iron.
The sally port itself is further protect
ed by eleven pieces of ordinance, five
on one side aud six on the other, con.
cealed in thick brick classmates in the
interior Of the wall and 80 arranged
tina. an enemy charging to the sally
port would meet with murderous
cross FIRE. The wall itself is made oi
brick and Ohio freestone, is forty feet
high, thirty feet thick, and encloses a
space Of about two acres. The wall
is further protected on the inside by
a bank of earth, on the outside by a
moat or ditch 40 feet deep aud 20 feet
wide, and outside of this is another
earthwork. The whole reservation oc
cupies about 20 acres aud ia beautiful.
ly situated on the banks of the Detroit
riyer Immediately opposite the old city
Of Sandwich, Canada. The liver front
is partially protected by a half com.
pleted river battery There are barrack
accommodations here for several reei.
ments, with officers quarters. hospitals,
guard houses, store.houses and even a
chapel complete.
There are only four companies here
now A, III, Il, and *, of the the 10th
Infantry, with an average Of rs men 10
a company. They were recently trans
ferrcd here from Texas where they
have been doing active service on the
Rio Grande and the plains. 1t is a
most agreeable change. As u Sergeant
put it when showing your correspond
ent through their comfortable quarters
/" It's coming right out Of Hades into
Heaven Soldier life at TT. Wayne il
dreamy hum.druin existence, only
interrupted by the routine duties OF
the camp
Sergeant Blue Of Co X has just re
turned 10 his post from Creedmore,
where be was sent to take part IN the
Army Rife Tournament. He is the
Acknowledged crack shot 10 the U. S.
Army and returned with the govern
ment champion gold medal valued at
900, with numerous other medals and
prizes. The "lOth" boys. and especial.
~ Co. X, feel very proud Of their
champion who, by the way, under
stand. is a New England Yankee and
thoroughbred. with long legs. sharp
eyes and fat as a match.
This iortificatiou Tor ] see ! must
stop) cost $500, 600 aud although not
80 years Old il sin useless. II could
not stand seige oi heavy modern
guns lor u hours. Gen "Tecump"
sherman has recently Inspected four
big gisnt' and wilt probably recon-
mcud It's abandonment. sach Is Fort
Wayue. AichigAn. s.H.e.