National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-06-10
A TRIP TO STAUNTON.
INTO THE MOUNTAINS OF VIRGINIA.,
Riding on Tho virginia Midland aud Chesapeake
aud ohio Raiiroad-Thc Sights That Cau
10 Secn-An Old DstillUrt-
other Ancient Relics.

morning and ynu will not only go through with.
out being routed out to change cars but you eau
oil the way enjoy delightfully."- y'yaried panorama
oflandscapc; aud, too, if you were one Of those
who marched and fought under either banner
during our great civil strife, almost every inch
calls thrilling scenes OF bright or sad memories OF
names ofmcn and fields that are the written history
OF our reunited country.
Tho train slowly moves out from the Baltimore
nnd Potomac depot at 8 O'Clock in the morning
uot o'clCck), and slowly picks its way through
the maze ortracks until It rounds into Maryland
avenue, and moves OF down the path over which
b. many thousands Of brave hearts and willing
feet PAS ed during those dreadful four yeATs that
seem su, 50 long ago, and over which, alas, was
brought back so many MANNED for life, ana 100
many to be taken 10 their long resting bed by
Northern homes. Slowly rulliug arrusS the Long
Bridge the heights of Arlington, where We know
lays Cncampcd forever a "silent army OF The
dead" brings to tho recollection Ntginias great
est soldier, who believed his nilegmncc TO his
mother state to b. greater than his duty 10 The nag
Rnd milton he had sworn TO protect
Pos lug seepily through the somnoient olh
town OF Alexandria. out through The rcd clny hills,
the train stops briefly nt Fairfax, but long enough
10 recall the skirnish in June, 1851 the T. st IN
Northern Virginia. when General Charley Iomp'
kins, then cutcnunt In the old Second Cavalry,
who had Just been promoted nlter hNc years ser.
vice IN the tuuk- of the old Second Drugoons met
and defeated superior force VI the rebels under
General tthcn maju Ewcll at the little village Of
tnirluN Cuurt.llOu three miles nwnyi ont OF
sight over the hills and pine forest to the north.
ward yondcr,
MANAssAs-DuLL run,
AMI tic yet distinct traces Of long lines OF rife.
pits mud, happily long distiscd, iOrlicatiOns, rc.
,hnt dark iny IN July, 1851 for The Union cause,
aud those other bitter days II twclvcmomth later
when nunlcicncy, or m,ihing btOus sht d. grace.
mldcfcatrgtin oil Union arms aud nude the cause
Di Freedom look gloomy aud dark even toits must
hopeful friends; BrislOe Station, where Hooker
mct Ewcl IN 1862, ana again. in 1868, Warren so
unllnntly aud ably fought aud defeated his dash.
Ing an agonist, A. +. Mn Cate,ts dreary, Hat
wRStc with wretChed memories of great stores Of
supplies, OF suudry baggage ana numerous vhlu'
nblG papers TINT should have but did not reach
Washiugtun-untii after the war-memorics Of tall
rOlumus Of flame fOn wagons Hnd sores, ana oi
wild horses and wilder ridcis-in gray. Near Mid.
land Station stands 81 iull ruined chimney To the
], f. against which, Nirgiuiu.l like the house once
stood where the greut jurist Chief. Justice Mar
shall, first saw the light IN september, 1853.
BRANDY STATION
That brakemnns eyes flash, aud nc seems 10
grow even slraighter us he shouts the unme so that
no one could fail to understand II, aud have II
khrewd suspicion that he tightened rein md
around yon beautifully slOpirg hill aud among
the graceful trees oil its crest when TINT best er
of the Southern arms here charged and fought
aud gave way before the great cavalry leader, Al
fred PcHsanton, Just nineteen ycursnSo this month.
The suspicion dyepeued into knowledge as the
remembered scene where you all pressed we uns
50 hand that even "Jcb" stuart or the devil
Ss Yo sGH Yes d To- eGeckcd
Hurled back three weeks later from the heights
of Gettysburg The RappahanneGk bluffs loom
up MS we cross where The lnmentCd Iorbeft fought
ills way Away over there to the LETT Is that
deathlrap Of fiery hell, quiet and peaceful enough,
now. Mine Run.
CULPEPER COURT HOUSE,
pretty and bustlng nestled among the foothills OF
the Blue Ridge, and surrounded 10y group OF
historic peaks, and full of such Jolly memories
after the places we have sped pnst nud through,
Here. during the winter after Gettysburg, Mine
Kun, and Bristoc, were the headquarters of Gen.
erals Grant Meade, and II host Of others whose
hides and Gdjutunts joined heartily with the
youngsters of the line of the hundreds OF batnl.
Ions Of horse and foot encamped around this
lovely town, in forgetting the trials and sufcriugs
of the past year aiicli. Forgotten all the hard
forced marches IN pitiless storm or under burning
tho rush aud roar and danger OF charge
pr assault or or repu,se' and. ana that mos! mos!
waiting in line for that hell Of fire that ali know
will come, perhaps in minute, and possibly for
mn hour or for hours, but which all dread who
have once passed through the gate When II
Gamer All That's another thing. officer and
men have then too much to attend to 10 think OF
disgustcd the light riders all were when Russell's
fleet. t.foo,ed black mare cleaned them nll out as
badly as Parole did the Kentucky friends OF Long.
fellow in later years at Baltimore The traveller
who knows of these old times and experiences
above remembered felt regret Mt the necessity
each @ SI point to swing into Mcclellan and Ride
over the grounds in detail and, more than all, re-
GREETED tue inability TO ride over the old camping
grounds about Culpeper.
southwest rises Cedar MOuDtal taln-Slaughters our
friends in gray call it-where Banks fought so Tar
Into the night of n hot August day that the surg.
ing lines were brightly pictured II dozen miles
away TO friends and foe by the bright flame that
shot out from rifle and field gun, until the i'm.
pCtuous Jackson forced back our worn aud de.
1eatod mnks, and drove them TO the Rappahan.
mock. Flanking this historic he ght are the two
mountains where the signal men Of Meade and
Leo watched each other during That winter that
lhe two armies lay on the banks of the Rapidan
South OF the Rapidau comes Orange, where in
the streets the brave Colonel Brodhcad, OF MiChi'
gan hold General william + Jones n check in
now In stranger hands, lies all that Is mortal o
James Madison, fourth President of the United
States, In the county next west ofhere just across
That spur of the Blue Ridge. lived and died
Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Here the
road turns toward the westward and runs closer
10 tho mountains, and Charlottesville is reached
nnd our cars roll smoothly OH to the rails of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the new artery OF
News on Hampton Roads to the graceful City o
the Falls on the Ohio Our train takes its passen'
gers through from Washington to Louisville with.
snt a single cnange-that Is, If they don't want tc
CHARLOTTESVILLE,
tho county seat of Albemnrle County is the site OF
lie famed University of Virginia. The child OF
Jeiferson's brain ana the darling hope of his last
years This great institution Of learning stands
Just above the angle of Junction of the Virginia
Midland aud the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
mud Just outside the town limits. 1t is beau.
Iifully situated on elevated ground and com.
mRuds glorious view across the Piedmont Val.
ley, that fairly rivals i'll beauty the wonderful San
Juan valley, III the hCaft oi tie ROCKY Mountains
y little way across little valley rises Monticello
Little MOuntuin-whcre Jefferson made his home
and wrote and watched over tic welfare anL
growth of his darling colleges, and here
his remains lie in an uncared. for little incosure
marked only by plain cube OF graystone, sur
mounted by n low truncaed cone OF The same
teral The town Is ninety seven miles west OF
Richmond. II was here that the provincial legis
Inture met In ISL when driven from Il chmond by
the British, and IL was here TOO, that the fierce
dmgoon TNretOn followed and drove them further
On, up the Valley OF Virginia. 1t very productive,
nud the surrounding country is especially cele-
Drated for its vineyards aud orchards
From here westward Is Il fine rolling country.
Until reaching Mvochums River the track max os
and curves and winds about as the urt of the en-.
gineer has adopted 1t, to the bOli sleeps OF the
grand Blue Ridge, where Rock Fish River runs
hnd tumblCs away scnward until, when the eye
mture has spread out to allure. plGhse awe or ter
rfy tho hch9ldyT rs her mood might be, the track
races past Pinnacle Mountain TO the nOrlhward
aud plungcs through the tunnel i,2BO feet long al
Il level Of 900 feet above the sea, aud cmGrges
into the Valley Of Virginia, where 1t crosses the
South Fork Of the shcnaudORh and thence across
the valley 10 Waynes6oro', on the slope OF North
Mountain,
the objective point of our present journey. The
county seat Of Augusta, IL l3O miles from Rich
nond, ana one OF the most tuurishing towns Oi the
Valley of Virginia, From its elevated siluutl on
healthy climate. ana glorious mountain views, II
has been selected rs the location Of the State in.
stitutous for the deaf. dnmb and blind, and one
same causes that SlnuntOn seems 10 bo specially At.
traCtyc loT thcicduCatiOn Of female youth for there
nre here Episcopaan, Methodist, Presbyterian
aud Lutheran female seminarcs local writer
says OF these institutions that they contribute
much ~ the attractiyeness OF tho place. "
Doubt III l'-neyer. The gods ioriend. Every
how swGetly and utterly attrac i've even one
female seminary can be, and Is, IN a town, but