Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-10-28

En- Route.
A rapid and uneventful passage was made
to New London and thence, by the Norwich
boat city Of Boston, to New York, Sunday
morning finding the party in New York har-
Dor and the landing being made on the Jer-
sey side at the Pennsylvania Central COM
panys freight wharf, both supper and break
fast having been served on the boat. Gov.
Farnham and staff led the way to the Jersey
City station, and at $50 a special train left
with the delegation for Philadelphia and Bal
timore. The day was fine and the run was a
swift and delightful one. The ride to Phila-
delphia had a special interest from the fact
that the train was drawn by the now famous
engine, No. 65S of tho Pennsylvania line,
which drew the sick and dying President to
Long Branch, and which bore his body back
on that sorrowful ride to Washington.
Baltimore was reached soon after O'Clock
p. NJ, and on arrival in that city, a march of
a mile to the boat was necessary, the party
then for the first time realizing that the day
was one of extreme heat the mercury mark
ing nearly or quite 90 in the shade. Gov.
and Mrs Farnham and Adjt-Gen. Peck took
a train direct for Washington, while the re-
mainder of the company took the steamer
Florida to complete the journey by water
the boat leaving her wharf at 630. The only
drawback to the days pleasure lay in the fact
that it was not possible to get dinner on the
way, so that, with the exception that Capt.
Stranahan of the Ransom Guard telegraphed
ahead for sandwiches for his men, nobody got
anything to eat till dark and then the FIOri-
dd's dining accommodations were so limited,
and the preparations for SO large q number so
inadequate, that there were some rarely hun
cry men before all were fed. Daylight found the
Vermonters at or near the mouth of the York
river but with every outside object shut out
by a dense fog which settled down about sun
rise and rendered navigation so dangerous
that it was necessary to drop anchor and lie
still for some hours. About 10 O'Clock the
Florida ventured to feel her way slowly along
and soon after IL Yorktown was reached and
the landing made. Then followed the hot,
dusty march over the sandy, clayey York
town roads and fields to the camp ground
two miles down the river on the Temple
farm" This march was a most trying one,
the midday sun beating down without mercy
and the sand and dust being literally ankle
deep, but the men held up bravely, and when,
about 1890, the camp was reached and the
tents found pitched in readiness for occupa-
ton, they fell to with a will to make them
selves at home and extract all possible COM
fort out of the situation. Avenue sc" to
which the Vermonters were assigned was
very eligible in its location, the head of the
avenue, where staff bearing the state flag
was raised, being only some 60 rods distant
from the famous Moore house and command
ing an excellent view of the whole encamp-
ment Immediately on the right were the
Rhode Island troops and on the left the Ken
tuckians.
A more favorable spot for a camp ground
for such an occasion could not be imagined
than that at Yorktown. Its equal does not
exist in Vermont and we doubt if it could be
found in New England. Here were 800 acres
of smooth, level ground, broken only by the
long lines of Union breastworks and ap-
proaches down beyond and in front of the
Moore house, which are still left intact-souve-
Mrs of Mcclellan and his favorite weapon,
the spade. All over this great field, as far as
the eye could reach, were white tents, and
national and state colors, and moving troops,
and mounted horsemen, while the sound of
booming cannon and strains of martial music
filed the air from morning to night. On the
extreme right, beyond the Moore house, were
the artillery regulars then came the regular
infantry, and above them was the militia
camp,
yorktown.
In attempting TO give an idea of Yorktown
as it looked to New England eyes we quote
once more from our letter of last week. Imag-
inc a long line of fiat, sandy beach, with
behind it, and beyond the bluff an open, lev
el, rolling country, extending two miles and
more from the decaying village of Yorktown
down the river to the Moore house and far
beyond, and you have Yorktown as il is, or
was-all but the sand and dust, and these
were unimaginable and indescribable. 1t is Ia
mistake to represent the place as being wholly
uninviting and without any redeeming fea-
lures. Given rain enough to lay the dust
without turning it into mud, and pleasant
weather of moderate temperature, and the
spot would be delightful Add a little north
ern thrift and enterprise, and it would be an
ideal summer resort.
AS one left the boat wharf and passed on
up the dusty road to the struggling, dilapidat-
ed village and thence down to the camp, he
saw human and animal life under the most
novel and amusing forms. The negro was
an omnipresent feature, and he was a
study for pen and pencil. Think Of the pic
ture which you have seen and thought TO be
the most absurd caricature of negro life, and
there was its original, showing that not line
was overdrawn. The variety of dress was
something astonishing. Such curious combi-
nations of clothing and lack of clothing, such
rags, and such comical attempts to be smart
and fine The conveyances made the boys
laugh, and many of them will have no end of