The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-06-23


Lee.
NV. H. Russell in London Post
VIRGINIA TWENTY YEARS AFTER BULL RUN
Travelling to Richmond on the 2nd of
May, the Dukes party was Joined near
Quantico creek by Gen. Fitzhugh Lee,
nephew of the great Confederate leader,
and the darling chief of the Confederate
covalry on the death in b'ttle of "Jeb"
(J. E. b. Stuart-now settled as a farm
or on the banks Of the Potomac, in le-
gion every foot of which reeks with the
memories OF the four years. war-a
broEn.browed, bright and keen eyed,
soldierly looking man, of immen e
breadth of chest, thiCk-throated, large
limbed, with resemblance to Pelissier
in his best days, to which, no doubt, a
ma, sive mustaChe and a heavy barb
dAtrique somewhat contributed. He
lives on his estate and cultivates it with
profit, and he draws, moreover, rich
harvest from the river at the time of the
shad fishing, when his nets sweep in oC-
Casionally 10000 or even $4,000 of these
much priced fish at haul Well Fitz
hugh Lee told the Duke that he fully
and entirely acc ,pted the situation, that
he acknowledged the Union, and that
he would not, if he could, go back to the
old order ofthings. Nay, mt re, he declared
that the Virginians round about him
we're of the -ame way of thinking, La
Dor was to be had when needed. The
negroes titled the fields for wages and
the hirer has no fuather care about them
when their work was done. Contrast
that with his trouble in caring tor his BIZ
ped property. The ladies of his house
had to look after the women in travail,
and the men, when sick, were thrown
on thu hands of the master. When
worn out with work or stricken with i'll.
ness the coIored people became burdene
on their masters and any one who has a
breeding establishment for cattle or
horses knows what infnity of demands
or the purse and patients the accidents
and maladies to which all living things
are exposed produces. Into QuantCo
creek flows the stream of Bull Run, and
away there on our right was fought the
first of the battles the results of which
one of the party had good reason o re-.
member. The President, at his gracious
reception of the Duke and his friends at
the White House the day bef re, g..
marked to the gen leman referred to-,
"You brought us the wors news that
day that could be told, though l think it
was not ry willingly. but you could
not hep it," Gene, al Fitzhugh Lee did
not dwell on the defeat with any relish
either, but he could not forget all that
happened on that memorable Sd of July,
1861, any more than he could forget the
long years Of incessant combat of which
it was the precursor, and when our train
a pro ,ched Fredericksburg, the scene of
Burnside's disaster, and ne was warmed
up by the interest and interrogatories of
his companions to recall the episodes OF
that three DAYS sanguinary fighting, the
fire was kindled within him and the bur.
" Virginia farmer, standing beside the
Duke on the carriage platform, described
the position and the movements of the
two great armies as if he were still en-
gagged in it. H pointed out Marees
Hill and the slopes on which the Irish
Brigade lay in long rows of dead and
dying at the close of Meagher's desper-
ate assault, the site where Lee surV yed
and directed the action, the hills on
which the COnfederates were entrenched
and the plains over which Burnside's
column advanced and deployed under
the Confederate fire, and the cardinal
mistake of the Federal leader in attack
ing the left instead of the exposed right
of the Southern army. II have often
spoken about it to Burnside since. He
and are very good friends now, and l
have often fought the battle over with
him and told him his best chances would
have been against our right, which he
could have got at by crossing tha river
lower down than he d d." 1t was but
the dav before we had been chatting
with Federal general, now a Senator of
the United States, at Washington and as
genial and lusty as he was when he came
to the German headquarl ers at Versail-
les on the chivalrous if somewhat Quix
otto enterpri . of saving Paris from the
last necessities of defeat Without any
Wanting the Southern leader spoke of
his experiences in the war, and those
who heard him must have reColeCted
with feelings not easy to analyze that
but few hours before they had been
listening with equal interest to General
Sheridan, the antagonist of the gallant
gentleman who was now talking to
them.
Washington has in few years under
gone greater changes for the better than
any place in the United States. 1t is
strange that English travelers-at least
if we are to Judge from recent books OF
travel-seldom come to a cap tai in
every way worthy of inspection. In the
two latest aud best books o. travel there
is no mention Of it at all. 1t is now in.
Comparably the most beautiful city in
the Union; the streets, broad, asphalted
or we'll paved, lined with trees, no long.
er strike right and left into illimitable
distances of unoCCupied space.