The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-08-25

when Burnside sent doughty Brigadicr-
General Thomas f.. Meagher TO butt his
head against the old stone wall that bor-
dered the country road at the base OF
Maryc's Heights.
.Out dar. sar, was de FAIRGROUNDS"
said the Jehu, pointing to a ffeld Of luxu-
r,ant corn, "and right cross dat field dc
Yankees charged. ! was up yonder In de
town looking at 'em from hind chimbley.
and Gen'l Barksdale. Of Massysippi, was
yondcr at dc old country road behind dat
fence. His men stood In three rows hind
de fence, I'm de last man loaded he gun
and de foremose ones shot. De Yankees
sure fought! Some NV 'em fell In ten
steps oy de wall. But our boys shot too
good. Dcy hit de most ov 'em right In de
head. You see dey had rest. Dey put q
heap ov de dead Yankees in ice.housc
out yonder." He also showed the tree
under which General Cobb, Of Georgia,
was killed.
The old stone fence Is nearly all gone,
the Federal Government having removed
IL to build the keeper Of the cemetery fine
lodge. In the cemetery grounds, on iron
shields, It has also made use OF Confederate
property, nearly every inscription being
from the pen OF that gifted Kentuckian and
gallant Confederate Colonel Theodore
O'Hara. Think OF Colonel UHara saying
OF the Federal dead in Virginia
"Rest on. embalmed and sainted dead,
Dear as The blood We gave.
No impious footsteps here shall tread
The heritage Of your grave
In the cemetery lie buried 1888 dead,
out OF which number only about 1000 are
known.
NIGHT on AN ISLAND.
The feature OF the day was the ball and
pic-nic on Scotts Island. A pontoon
bridge had been thrown across from the
Fredericksburg shore. The island had
been brilliantly illuminated by thousands
OF Chinese lanterns and lamps, platform
for dancing erected. and various booths
| put up, whereat edibles OF various kinds
were vended. Ten cents admitted you to
| the island, and II you chose you came out
without further cost. Ii seems almost In
credible, hut by 0 O'Clock at least six thou
sand people were between the banks OF
the river. The queen OF the tournament
was crowned and the ball commenced, the
fiddlers being OF the old-time sort that
played "Speed the Plough" "Scotfs
Reel" ARKANSAS Traveller" and other
old-time tunes. The merriment was kept
up until midnight, and under the broad
b0ughs OF the elms and winter-oaks, in
which the katydids were singing. and upon
whose leafy surface the lamps made curious
| colored pictures, there strolled many cou-
pies, who made perhaps, under the inspira-
| ton OF the moment, contracts which in
their consummation will involve conse-
quences more serious than was dreamed OF
ut the time.
Later the jewellers disbanded, crossed
the foot-bridge, aud looked back. Dancing
on the dark surface OF the river were inn
ages Of the hundreds OF lamps. Closer to-
gether, made longer by reflection, they
seemed tongues Of flame controlled by an
unknown influence, and made to ripple
only by the steady rolling Of the water as
it went its way TO the ocean. II was a
pretty scene, especially when the back
ground was made up OF moving figures,
mostly in white, standing out boldly in the
lamplight. Now and then voices could be
heard calling for missing comrades. and
occasionally the stiffness was broken by an
old war-song, such as
"Then wen unfuIl 10 the bold breeze of Heaven
Thirteen bright stars round the palmetto tree"
No man did more to make the visitors en-
Joy themselves than Major Caddis Luck,
Of the Exchange Hotel. OF the thousand
people fed by him, none had word Of
aught but praise for the generous host.
The entire reinion was success in every
particular and was greatly enjoyed by all
who were present. Bur TON.