The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-27
Letter to the Philadelphia TImesl

graveyard ioOh aDOut tnis toWn. ~ u
like q country cemetery with half the
grave-stones knocked down. 1t is town
Of ruins. Everything Is in decay. Every.
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 war-like
sound IL the occasional crack OF the sports
mans rife. The putting OF an engine Is
about the only noise which awakens tne
echoes. The only excitement Is when
the express trains from Washington
draw M TO the little depot. Then
every how In town swarms upon the un-
susnectinp traveller like hive OF bees, and
insisfs upon dispOsing OF q basket OF cher
ries and hard-bOiled eggs and indigestible
uies. In moment more the train scoots
I'M the bank Of the Potomac, and threads
its way through the mountains to the West,
or follows along the Shenandoah and rushes
ND the fertile Valley OF Virginia, and Har-
per's Ferry sinks back into its sleepy state
and waits for something else to turn up.
There Is not another such tumble-down
plase on the earth. The main street runs
uphill at ali angle OF f0rty-hye de-
grces. 1t is a good deal like climbing q
ladder TO 60 up II. One house is built
almost upon the roof of another. At least
that seemed to 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 UNDERMINING
completely knocked away, and when
house begins to go its end is near, for no
one ever thinks OF repairing damages. 1t
requires pretty sure-footed horse to climb
street, and rs for sidcwalks-well, there
NAV be some, but l haven't seen any.
There hasn't been energy enough in town
even to keep the vandals away. All the
sentiment of the thing is taken away when
one reads on the side Of the historic land
mark. Jeflerson's Rock, the wretchedly-
scrawled advertisement OF nasty ciga-
rette.
FROM TIE 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 ague. The old arsenal is in
ruins, but no one passes them by II he
knows it. Neither the fort nor the arsenal
was here 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 Harper's Ferry in these days who
are not disposed to contradict him. Three
great States terminate their boundaries in
three huge mountains. When the thunder
rolls and the lightning plays about their
peaks they seem to hurl defiance at each
other. The Potomac, dividing Maryland
and West Virginia, and the Shenandoah,
separating West Virginia from the Old Do
minon, mlngle their waters under the long
bridge, and piercing the very heart Of The
Blue Ridge 6ow on to the sea. They look
very peaceable Just now, flowing over their
rocky beds but when the rains OF early
spring melts 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 eye 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, opposing armies
chased each other, bent only on death and
destruction. The Valley is one great bat
tle-ield. From Harper's Ferry TO Staun-
ton many of the bloOdiest battles Of the re-
belIion were fought, and thousands OF the
sons of Virginia lie buried under 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 Sep
TENDER, 1862, Colonel White held IIarper's
Ferry. and he had something like 1000
men to help him do it. Stonewal Jackson,
on the way to meet Lee, captured it. While
the fight was raging on Bolivar, Lee was
engaged with Mcclellan at South Noun
tain. 1t was at South Mountain where
IA man from Ohio named Hayes was wound
ed. Lee fell back to Sharpsburg, and
from Bolivar Jackson saw the smoke OF An
tietam, only ten miles away. He joined
Lee and saved his army from being pretty
efiectually blotted out, and Lee managed to
escape to Winchester. Every inch OF land
between Harper's Ferry and Winchester
has been trOdden under foot many q time
| by marching men. There is no more inter-
esting point in the Valley than this latter
town. Rich in its memories OF Washing
| ton, it was knocked about like shuttle
cock between Feds" and "Rebs." On
an eminence back OF the town are two GEM
eteries. mute witnesses OF strife and car
mage. In the Union cemetery the stars and
stripes rise and fall above the graves OF
400 dead. Keeper Drum keeps the grass
closely shaver and the flowers in full
| bloom; but even he cannot tell the names
of more than half the heroes who rest I'M
der the sod. The rest belong to that great
army of the unknown. just across a mar
row path lie the heroes of the opposing
forces. They have no marble slabs at their
heads, but their slumber is Just as peaceful.
The granite shaft made in Philadelphia and
erected here three or four years ago is a
lasting monument to the unrecorded dead
OF the Stonewall cemetery.
sOME OTHER BATTLE-FIELDs.
ANY one who cares to do so can find in
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 narrow escape. But four
miles away is Kernstown. where, in the
winter of 1861, Shields and Stonewall Jack
son came together, and where the Confede-
rate 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 Cen
eral Emory and was having everything his
own way until Sheridan snatched victory
from the very jaws OF defeat. asked an
old colored man out on the Kernstown
road the other day-a decrepit old darky,
who said he had seen Sheridan 60 by how
the General looked.
"Look /" exclaimed the old man.
"LoOk Why, he didn't look nOhow. /
done reckon he didn't have no time to
look. He done went by so fas' dat he les
took in fences IN walls. Bless yo' heart,
boss. he didn't have no time to stop for no
road even."
Still further up the Valley is New Mar.