Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-26

er's A large stone. In its primitive condition,
marks the place where he fell on the plank
road, mile and q half above the house. We
there cut symmetrical hckories in menaovian. to
be used as canes, and picked up o few battered
bullets with which. and de5,is of different kinds.
the ground is strewn. both here and through
the Wilderness battle fields. where we strolled
from the Chancellorville house 1t is only q
pleasant walk to them and let me remark here
that in fine weather there are no better. quiet.
wooded roads, prettier streams, or more Sc
cluded paths to stroll In than are to be found
in this region. Houses are miles apart and one
gets country. pure and unauthorized. Horses
are cheap, and the invigorating air makes walk
Ing easy. We have all gained In flesh since
coming. There is one drawback which applies
to country life nearly everywhere. While the
pigs, geese, turkeys, chickens, calves. cows,
sheep and horses are excluded from the houses.
they are allowed to come into the house en-
closure.
DEER AND WILD TURKEY HUNTING.
Saturday there is to be grand deer hunt.
Gunners take their position near the house and
where the deer usually cross. Then line Of
drivers is placed through the brush with dogs,
voice, and gun to start the game, which Is
equally divided at the close Of the hunt among
all the participants. One man from New Jersey
who was very anxious to shoot q deer, was
placed at the low ground by the house. One
came nearly to him. and after 1t had trotted into
gun, but too late. Young Oliver has killed here
as he estimates, 600 wild turkeys. He got five
one morning and four in the afternoon. One
weighed A1s pounds dressed, and his father
killed one of % pounds. The first morning after
our arrival. as we walked up the plank road to
Berry's lines, flock raised their heads on the
precise bank down which our regiment sided
into the cut OF road one evening when a bat
terry suddenly opened on US. Two of the noble
birds majestcally sailed down the road and
iUh or of mil
Jackson's old lines. We could not shoot
them, az the season has not commenced
but were sorely tempted. The divers shot over
sixty last year. One mode is to feed them at q
particular place and pick them of from blind
another ia to scare up (dush) a flock and then
''.yelp them up" that is, initiate their CALL and
shoot them as they approach to find their mates
proficiency Is demanded, and let not the Treas
ury clerk think his yelp, without practice, will
deceive the willy bird.
Turkeys were formerly found from Maine to
Florida The Pilgrims were partly sustained by
them in the colonies early days The plank road
Is much used by wagons en- route to Fredericks-
burg with the articles sold by farmers, chiefly
timber. wheat, hoop-poles. and. above all, rail-
road ties. The ties on place are expected to
more than pay for it, leaving the land clear.
AN Ex-coNFEDERArE.
Mr.. Thomas Graves. q substantial farmer Of
Orange Springs, has stopped here to-day.
His two teams OF four mules each drew eighty
bushels of wheat. He lives thirty miles from
Fredericksburg. A mule giving out. he is
forced to send on two with the other load in the
cold rain, which has set in, and await their re-
turn, making twenty miles extra they travel, or
eighty miles In all. The producer earns his pay,
and 1t Is perpetual sources of wonder to city
man to see how much work Is done here for a dol
lar Mr.. Graves is deliberate and careful In action
and speech and reminds one OF an English
Ia for yxvhn ho
helped run Crenshaws battery out of the
woods and over the crest and shelled this de-
voted house. When he describes the action his
elaboration disappears. Like most of the ma
tive citizens here he dislikes BILLY Malone, -
and abhOrs all readjustments, which he thinks
will cost the state much money. All present
now were in the army, on one side or the other.
SOLDIERS COMMITTING SUICIDE ON THE EVE OF
BATTLE
Our host points out a tree where one of Long
streets men hung himself rather than go into
battle. We tell story of a man in Maine regi-
ment who, hearing on Long bridge the thunders
OF Chantilly took razor from his knapsack and
cut his throat. Another saw a southern soldier
do the same near Libby prison, and knew of an
other similar instance. Mr.. Oliver had seen men
faint when their names were called at Castle
thunder to go to the front. We had seen man
behind this very house at the commencement of
the fight put one hand over his musket and blow
1t of; and we had seen a sergeant blow his
thumb off as he sat on a log beside u.s. all to
avoid the horrors and suspense of a battle. 1t
was concluded that human nature was the same
on both sides. We were asked whether we were
not in great confusion when we fell back In the
Charlottesville battle. Our answer was that no
man moved except In obedience to ORDERS and
that the men could not understand why we re-
crossed the RappahannOck when our losses were
nearly equal and the army was ready to fight.
asked the ex-confederates present how many
men Lee had at Richmond. They said he sur
| rendered 1900. We read to them an extract
! from an official statement showing that there
were paroled at AppomattOx 1856 confeder-
ates, and that there were previously taken be-
tween the Goth of March and 9Th of April, 1855
46 495 Of Lees army, making, with about 5000
killed during that time, nearly $1,000 men
We also stated that three different men we
| federate army, did not surrender and were never
parOled. One confederate present said that few
of the cavalry command he was with were
paroled they having taken French leave on the
| surrender: Everything dates from the surren.
der, ''befO" or after.
THE WILDERNESS AND IT'S INHABITANTS.
The Wilderness was stated to me to be ten
miles or so wide and considerably longer. 1t is
densely covered with brush and some larger
| trees. The mast from oaks and chincapins
supports large numbers of hogs as wild, espe-
cially the bears, as wild beasts, and sometimes
as dangerous. They are killed by being shot
in the eye, and form no small part of the far
| mers' profits. Cattle. poultry and pigs will care
| for themselves in these woods, except during
the winter.
The Inhabitants like good whisky. talk (espe-
cially chaf) and take great interest in religious
| matters. Services have been held at the Wilder
ness church every day for a week. ana to-day a
considerable number of converts were baptized
One irreligious denizen charged that an old
companion sinner who was among the converts
said to him In the morning: "Bw--, John
| come and see me baptized. With all his
scOf1ng, it was evident that said denizen thought
the devil might get him, and secretly trembled
| In fact We heard much talk Of the devil. and il
struck us that the faith and ideas on the subject
of theology were much like those Of old times
| in other sections.
1t has been said that the principal products OF
the region are chincapns, chiggers and ''chin. y
| The chiggers. before cold weather, with sea-
ticks and common ticks, load the bushes and
grass. and sometimes make life torment to
man and beast. An application or two Of salt
| and grease usually cures their bites.
To get here take the early train at the Balti-
more and Potomac depot for historic Fredericks-
burg, fare 81. IS. time two hours and half, and
walk or ride about that city until afternoon, Wis