The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1882-08-05
HARPER'S FERRY.


Amtietam from the Bolivar
Heights Winchester and
Hts Thousand of Graves
of Heroes. Kern.
town and Cedar.
Creek.
PHILADELPHIA, July ia cores
pendent, writing from Harper's Fer
nv, w. Va, about that town and its
environs, says: There is graveyard
look about this town. 1t is ike a
country cemetery with half the grave
stones knocked down. 1t is town
of ruins. Everything is in decay.
Everybody is asleep. In years past,
the roar of artillery about the noun
tain peaks kept things in in toler-
ably lively state. In these days the
nearest approach to warlike sound
is the occasional crack of the sports
mans rifle. The putting of an en-
jine is the only noise which awakens
the echoes. The only excitement is
when the express train from Wash
ington draws up to the little depot.
Then every boy in town swarms
upon the unsuspecting traveller
like hive of bees and insists upon
disposing af a basket ofcherries and
hard boiled eggs and indigestible
pies. In moment more the train,
scoots up the bank Of the Potomac
and threads its way through the
mountains to the West, or follows
along the Shenandoah and rushes up
the fertile Valley of Virginia, and
Harper's Ferry sinks back into its
sleepy state and waits for something
else to turn up. There is not another
such tumble down place on earth.
The main street runs up hill at an
angle Of forty-five degrees. 1t is
good deal like climbing a ladder to
go up it. One house is built almost
upon the roof Of another. At least
that seemed to be the idea when the
place was laid ont, but now about
oae house in every possible five has
its side blown out or its roof caved
in or its underpinning completely
knocked away, and when house be-
gins to 90 its end is near. fof no one
ever thinks of repairing damages. 1t
requires a pretty sure footed horse to
climb street, and as for sidewalks
well, there may be some, but /
havn't seen any. There hasn't been
energy enough in town even to keep
the vandals. away. All the senti-
ment of the thing is taken away when
one reads on the side of the historic
land mark, Jefferson's Rock, the
wretchedly scrawled advertisement of
a nasty cigarette.
| FROM THE TOP OF BOLIVAR HEIGHTS.
But ruin and decay cannot detract
from the beautiful scenery, and they
only add to the interest OF the many
stories of the war; Old John Browns
fort looks as if it had bad attack
of the ague. The old arsenal is in
ruins, but no one passes by them if
he knows it. Neither the fort nor
the arsenal was there when President
Jefferson climbed up Bolivar Heights
but his eyes flashed upon the same
grand scenery that one can see to-
day. He told everybody he met that
to stand on the top of Bolivar was
worth a trip across the Atlantic.
There are those who come to Har-
per's Ferry in these days, who are not
disposed to contradict him. Three
great States terminate their bound
aries in three huge mountains.
When the thunder rolls and the light
ming plays about their peaks they
| e.~.-. A. L,,,l ,1o6o,oo ~ cool, otbor
The Potomac dividing Maryland and
West Virginia, and the Shenandoah
separating West Virginia from the
Old Dominion, mingle their waters
under the long bridge, and piercing
the very heart of the Blue Ridge Gow-
on to the sea. They look very peace
able just now, flowing over their
rocky beds, but when the rains of
early spring meh-the snow and it
rushes down the mountain sides the
peaceful rivers become mighty tor
rents almost without warning and
nothing can withstand them. Noun
tains line the sides of the united riv-
ers as far as the eye can reach, while
to the west high walls soon shut out
from view the winding Potomac. Be
hind lies tue great Valley of Virginia
where, as the fortunes of war changed
opposing armies chased each other,
bent only on death and destruction.
The valley is one great battlefield
From Harper's Ferry to Stanton
many of the bloodiest battles Of the
Rebellion were fought and thousands
of the sons of Virginia lie buried un-
der the sod by the side of the dead
/ of the Northern armies.
SOUTH MOUNTAIN AND ANTIETAM.
From Bolivar some of the battle
fields can easily be picked out. In
fact there was fighting on this very
height. In September, 1852, Colonel
White held Harper's Ferry and he
had something like eleven thousand
men to, help him do it. Stonewall
jackson on the way to meet Lee, cap
tured it. While the fight was raging
on Bolivar, Lee was engaged with
Mcclellan at South Mountain It
was at South mountain that ex-Pres-
ident Hayes was wounded. Lee fell
back to Sharpsburg, and from Boil
var Jackson saw the smoke Of Antie-