The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-07-20
sHARPER'S FERRY.
sArrLE.FlELOs OF THE VALLEY.
Hnper's Ferry asd It's Dsesy-Aatistam from
Bolivar Iisirhts-wlnehsst.r and Its Thou.
.S aads Of Grave, Of Hsroes-Itrur y.
4 town and Cedar, Creek.

body Is asleep. In years past the roar OF
artillery about the mountain peaks kept
things in tolerably lively state. In these
days the nearest approach to n wailike
sound Is the occasional crack OF the sports.
mans rifle. The putting Of an engine Is
the only noise Which awakens the echoes.
The only excitement is when the express
trains from Washington draw up to the lit.
tie depot. Then every boy in town swarms
upon the unsuspecting traveller like hive
Of bees and insists upon disposing OF bas.
ket Of cherries and hard.boiled eggs and
indigestible pies. In a moment more the
train scoots up the bank OF the Potomac
and threads its way through the noun
tains to the West, or follows along the
Shenandoah and rushes up the fer.
tile 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 the earth. The main street runs
uphill at an angle oil forty.tive degrees. It
is good deal like climbing ladder to 20
up it. One house is built almost upon the
roof Of another. At least that seemed 10 be
the idea when the place was laid out, but
now about one house in every possible
five has its side blown out or its roof caved
in or its underpinning completely knocked
away, and when house begins TO 60 its
end is near, for no one ever thinks OF re-
pairing damages. 1t requires pretty sure
footed horse to climb street, and rs for
sidewalks-well, there may be some, but
haven't seen any. There hasn't been
energy enough in town even to keep tue
vandals away. All the sentiment OF the
thing is taken away when one reads on the
side OF the historic landmark, JefTersons
Rock, the wrrtchedly scrawled advertise.
ment OF nasty cigarette.
FROM TILE TOR or BOLIVAR HEIGHTS.
But ruin and decay cannot detruct 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 ague. The old arsenal
is in ruins, but no one passes them by
he knows it. Neither the fort nor the arse
nal was there when President Jefferson
climbed up Bolivar Heights, but his eyes
flashed upon the same grand scenery that
one can see to-day. lie told everybody he
met that to stand onthe top OF Bolivar was
worth trip across the Atlantic. There are
those who come to IIarper's Ferry in these
days who are not disposed to contradict
him. Three great States terminate their
! INt ,lor ~,
When the thunder rolls and the lightning
plays about their peaks they seem to hurl
defiance at each other. The Potomac, di-
riding Maryland and West Vir-
ginia, and the Shenandoah, sepa-
rating West Virginia from the
Old Dominion, mingle their waters
under the long bridge, and piercing the
very heart Of the Blue Ridge flow on TO tile
sea- They look very peaceable Just now,
flowing over their rocky beds, but when
the rains OF early spring melt the snow and
it rushes down the mountain sides the
peaceful rivers become mighty torrents
almost without warning and nothing can
Withstand them. Mountains line the side
OF the united rivers as far as the eve can
reach, while to the west high walls soon
shut out from view the winding Potomac.
Behind lies the great valley OF Virginia.
where, as the fortunes OF war changed, op-
opposing armies chased each other, bent
only on death and destruction. The valley
is one great battlefield. Frsm Harper's
Ferry to Staunton many OF the bloodiest
battles Of the Rebellion were fought, and
thousands OF the sons OF Virginia lie buried
under the sod by the side Of the dead OF the
Northern armies. 81 y:
SOUTH MOUNTAIN AND ANTIETAM. G4t
From Bolivar some OF the battle-iields
can easily be picked out. In fact there was
fighting on this very height In Septem-
Der, 1862, Colonel White held Harper's
Ferry, and he had something like. eleven
thousand men to help him do it. Stone.
wall 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. 1t WAS Mt South
Mountain where ex.President HAYES
was wounded. Lee fell back to Sharps.
burg, and from Bolivar Jackson saw the
smoke OF Antietam, only ten miles away.
He joined Lee and saved his army from
being pretty effectually blotted out, and
Lee managed 10 escape to Winchester.
Every inch OF land between Harper's Ferry
and Winchester has been, trodden under
foot many time by marching men.
There is no more interesting point
in the valley than this latter town. Rich
in its memories OF Washington it was
knocked about like shuttle-cocs between
"Feds" and "Rebs." On IN eminence
back OF the town are two cemeteries, mute
Witnesses OF strife and carnage. In the
! Union Cemetery the stars and stripes rise
and fall above the graves OF four
thousand four hundred dead. Keeper
Drum keeps the grass closely shayen and
the tloSes in full bloom; but even he can.
not tell the names OF more than half the
heroes who rest under the sod. The rest
belong to that great army OF the unknown.
Just across narrow path lie the heroes o;
the opposing forces. They have no mar BILE
slabs at their heads, but their slumber il
Just rs peaceful. The granite shaft made
in Philadelphia and erected here three or
four years ago is lasting monument to the
unrecorded dead OF the Stonewall Gene
terry. ~, \,
SOME OTHER BATTLE.FIELDs.
Any one who cares to do so can find in
o
Winchester all sorts OF anecdotes OF the
war. Ladies can tell Of the part they played
in nursing the wounded. Men can tell OF
the incessant tramp Of marching feet and
OF many n narrow escape. But four miles
away is Kernstown, where, in the winter
Of 1861, Shields and Stonewall Jackson
came together and where the Confederate
general lost his grip and was forced up the
valley. There are people, too, who re-
member Sheridan's famous ride to Cedar
Creek, where Jubal Early had routed Gem
eral Emory and was having everything his
own way until Sheridan snatched victory
from the very jaws Of defeat. Il asked an
old colored man out on the kernstown
road the Other, day-a decrepit old darkey,
who said be had seen Sheridan 60 by-how
the General looked. "a flsi.s.