Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-12-24
TO THE SUMMIT,

TO THE SUMMIT,
where huge rocks rise above all sur
rounding and jut out over a yawnlng
preciplce. Here we have a view whose
grandeur and beauty
CANNOT BE DESCRIBED IN WORDS,
and we shall not attempt it. The scene
is birds eye view ofthe beautiful
Shenandoah Valley, with its hills and
hollows. its towns, houses, farms and
streams, and the sparkling Shenandoah
river winding its crooked way along
through the valley, fringed with green
and looking as bright as a stream OF Sill
yer. We can see just as far as the eye
can reach. for it Is a beautiful day.
With glass we could have added IN
terest to the scene, but the naked eye
was sufficient. 1t WAS more beautiful
than any picture, because it was nature
itself and not an inferior copy. SeYeral
towns were plainly within the range oi
our vision, the farthest being
.<hFfScHEsTER, TWENTY MILES A.
u Way"
III sm it toward Strasburg and on south
pat Woodstock, New Market and on
toward Staunton, winds the celebrated
turn. pike over which Sheridan made his
famous ride on the morning Of the 18th
of September 1864. This road or pike
IS thus referred to in Thomas Buchanan
Reads poem Shendan's Ride:'
" But there il a road from Winchester town,
A sood, broad highway, leading down
And there through the flash Of the morning lgh'
sietd as black as the steeds OF nien,'
Was seen TO pass as with eagle nght.
This pike stretches along over hills
and valleys, and looks TO Us, from this
mountain, not unlike crooked chalk
line stretching across the picture before
us. Here on this rock was the Signal
Station, aud here still stands the rude
stone walls built by the soldiers. just
below the point Of the rock whereOn the
signals were posted, are other stone
walls built up under the oyerhanglna
shelf of , rock where the soldiers had
their sleeping and cooking apartments
The walls and stone chmneys are Sill
standing, although grown mp with bru'l
and briars.
Upon the top Of this mountain som'
severe fighting was done, and the stone
brcast-works yet mark the scenes o
the bloody strifo of one force trying L
hold the station and the other army tC
take 1t. Among the wilds Of the noun
tain sides, many a poor fellow
FOUND A ROCKY GRAVE,
After the war the government sent
force to this mountain to gather up tic
bones of the dead soldiers, and many
were found bleaching in the sun. ano
were gathered up and buried. y mum
Der of warrelics were found here. Nh
O. T. Pirkcy, present freight agent o.
the Midland road at Strasburg, has
VALUABLE GOLD WATCH
wb.th he found about II years after the
war. a. the base Of steep cliff, near
where the bones Of a soldier were found
The watch was open, and had been
several times burned over by the fires
that almost every year sweep over the
mountain. There was nothing by WHICH
if could be told who owned The watch
llr. Pirkey had it cleaned up and is
still carving it. Itisa splendid time
keercr andhe values it very highly.
Alter spondlas about an hour on the
summit. we were reminded thatit "a'
time TO begin the descent. After hay-
in, rath,red row relics, We starred
down. Itnceds no special description
onlv 20 say that owing TO the law o.
crav.taiion il was more tircsome thar
,hc upward trip. We reached the bas'
ofthe mountain, tired, core and hun
crv. at sundown, but well pleased viii
Our iouincy.-Noaticciio (Id.> Bu'it"