Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-17
BULL RUN BATTLE FIELD
An Interesting Letter from the Town OF
Manassns--A Glimpse OF The
Old Henry House, the
Famous Stone Bridge and Other Points
"A chastity Reminisceuce
OF the Battle. E

Ms. OF a hotel in the historic town of NJ
ted nassas, Virginia. Through westeI
nd window ] see the blue peaks of Il
ht- Bull Run mountains. whose easter
Ort sides are bathed in the deeper shaC
nc ows of that perennial blue ascrlbed
'ur that famous range of which the:
for mountains are a spur.
ne MANASSAS
, . is a beautiful little village, situated o
- the highest elevation between III
is mountains, fifteen miles to the Yves
- and the Potomac river, twenty-fv
n, miles to the east, and reminds me of
~ sepulChre OF one of our live bustlin
" Texas. towns. The most psominen
re features of this historic place whicl
i, lives and feeds upon memories of tn
~ rebellion are its pretty girls and tn
!, la2iness of its men the former are n
"a lovely as The latter are lazy-botl
II striking types of the civilizationof the
Old Dominion.
> Since my advent here | have in per
son visited the scene of the famous
I, battle which is now brought vividly
= back to the minds of thousands ofmen
by the passage of the IFilz John Porter
= bill by the United States senate. In
! company with Mr.. isaiah Keys, a
. genial gentleman of this place, but
with the fires of secession burning as
iiercely in his bosom rs they did when,
rs Il boy, he shouldered his musket
and marched through the campaign of
Virginia in ls63, and n negro boy to
hold the horses in case we dismounted,
! set out on memorable visit which
! shall never forget. Turning our
horses, heads to the mountains, we
LEFT the village of Manassas
in the rear, Pausing at its outskirts.
my companion turned and pointed out
some remnants of some
GRAss.COvERED nREAsrwoRKs,
upon which the sun was shining with
clearness and brllliancy from an un.
cloudcd sky on II perfect spring morn
ing. The smoke lifting itself on folds
over them came not from the mouths |
of cannon, but from the chimneys of |
the lovely little village--so quiet |
and still that it seemed asleep
IN the onward march of the day.
To our left was an Enclosure and ii
needed not the words OF my compan-
ION 10 tell me we were in the presence
OF last homes of Confederate dead. the
long rows of decayed wooden slabs
aud mounds-iust tinted with the first
emerald of spring-recalled page of
history made familiar In boyhood
within the walls of u common country
school. fingered on The spot until
the horses became FESTIVE and left the
silent dead with an indetnable sense
OF sadness over my spirits which grad
ually wore away under the influence
ui my friends historical anecdotes. In
our ride he pointed out the spot where
the famous church stood which bore
such conspicuous part in the Porter
Investigation. After riding about five
miles through delightful country in
with woodland and farms.
We arrived on an eminence overlook
ng the famous
BULL RUN BATTLE FIELD.
In front of Us sparkled tiny stream,
in curves to the northwest
and disappearing in the distance be-
ween pine-clad hills; beyond it Law the
Warrentou turnpike visible on the
tops of the distant hills,-a brown .
band, bounded on either side by the
perpetual green Of pine trees and h
the infant garb Of the season. 4
To our right but nearer to us on the !,
same eminenCe as ourselves stood +
the IL
FAMOUS HENRY HOUSE, "
remodeled and added tountil but little n
of the old building. almost !
within whose shadows the Napoleon ~
OF tho Confederacy earned the title of !,
''''Stonewal!." The pines TO the rear :,
threaten To engulf the house but i'm !
front the ground bore the marks of re. -
cent cultivation. There seemed moth
ing IN the scene toindlcate thata great v
battle had been fought around the n
sides OF that peaceable valley: the h
house nearly hidden 10y fruit trees i
seemed the home of someone whose "
ohly care was the living of Ii
a quiet uninterrupted existence. We %
opened farm gate and rode IN 10 tha :,
dwelling when, fos the first time / n
noticed monument standing close To "
the honse, and rs pulled my horse IN I
az its base read an Inscription that a
IL was erected IN memory OF the h
UNION DEAD. ]
The monument is n simple affair, rude h
III lts aichitecture and poor in its v
masonry, probably twenty-five feel !,
high and composed of stone 1ecnliar to
the soil on which ii stands. !
In reply to summons ofmv comnau- \
ION II yonng man appeared in a door. l.
way OF the house. lie was remarka- q
pie type Of Virginia manhood-tnII =
ilneiy formed, and with countenance II
indicative OF thought and intelligence
rue ambition of profession was 81
stamped on a classic brow, and / suh. 4
sequently learned he was n law Sin. n
dent pursuing his sudies while sur. N
rounded by the traditions OF the bright /
sst hours and greatest triumph of the d
!ost ana buried cause. Heinformed us o
tnat MS name was Henry, and that he {
was relative of the lady who occn. i
pied the house on that memorable I0th .
OF July twenty-three years ago. He n
told us of the many =
RELIC.HuNTERS q
who had Clipped pieces of stone from, /
the monument In the years since Tho o
war; showed us the old rooms M IN 3,
house into which many of the dead II
anu ~ uy,pg were carried during the bat. (,
We, hhu conducted us rs near as he n
soulu 70 the spot where Jackson stood a
wheh ten, bee pointed him out To his ii
own men, Standing like a ''st0Ie wal, \
In the face OF the foe.n "' q,
Leaving the Henry house wa a. "
scehded into the ravine and nausaa II
before the old brown "Stone Honse y "
when stands unaltered by the sida ., al
tne turnpike. A group Of ehiIdra,, W
~ anu shouted IN "A wooden stile OF
II s w Turned INTO The pike; To the len ST
~ IS. 70 the village OF Grovetou. famil.
i ,h 10 all who have read the bistorv ~ a
Wy great battle, but We turned 10 tba pl
right and started for the ' W 'he DC
STONE BRIDGE. IN
crossing Noung'a l....a, IA, co