St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-06-04
A Visit to fredericksburg.
A st. Johnsbury Veteran Revisits the Old
Scenes After Twenty Three Years.

portion of a trip in Virginia in and
about Fredericksburg, may not be IN
interesting to some of the readers of
your paper, particularly the survivors
of those who participated in the late
war.
Fredericksburg, town of 5000 in
habitants, is reached by rail from
| Washington in a little less than two
hours. A drive about the place re-
plete with so many objects of interest
associated with Washington's boy
hood days and later years, discovers but
slight traces of the fearful struggles of
Dec. lib, 1862 and May 3, 1868. In
the town, the houses destroyed have
been rebuilt, and the marks, plainly
visible a few years since, on many of
the brick buildings, are hidden so far
as outside observation goes in repaint-
ing. In the int, riOr of some residences
care is taken to preserve the track of Il
ball or shell through it. In one house
the panel of a door marks its course,
in another fragment of shell remains
bedded in II staircase. Another in
truder, in the shape of solid shot, is
given shelter in the room it so uncere-
moniously entered % years ago.
Along the river bank, toward Fail
mouth, few chimneys remain mark
ing the spot where once stood the
| k,,us. thot I'll fla 10 r.,
sharp shooters, who so holly contested
the laying of General Burnside's pom
toOn bridges. Near the Misses ScOtt's
house on Falmouth Heights, the earth
works occupied by battery B, LIST r. |.
Artillery, still remain. The view from
this point is delightful, covering more
than the entire distance occupied by
our lines southwark, and looking
northwest beyond the Rappahannock
Falls, toward Ely and United States
fords.
Returning to the hotel and taking
the street running west, IA short drive
brings you to the outer portion of the
village looking onto Marye's Heights.
The road passes down gentle slope,
across canal, and then gradually
rises to the Heights, distant about one
half mile. To the right of this road
which leads directly up toward Marye's
house, and but short distance from
it, is what was formerly the plank
road leading to Orange court house,
some 40 miles. A little to the right of
Washington's mother. To the left the
ground rises sharply, after crossing the
canal, onto nearly level place of
abOnt ten acres, and formerly used as
il fair-ground, and thence gradually to
the Heights south of Marye's house,
where the national cemetery now is.
1t was on the old fair ground, that the
most severe fighting was done, and
which won for it the name of 1.-the
slaughter pen" Following along the
road leading toward Marye's, we come
to the bank wall that surrounds the
lower portion of the grounds; behind
this wall to the right, still remain the
rifle pits of the confederates; turning
to the left here, the road is thanked on
the east side, toward the town, by
another wall running out by the ma
tiOnal cemetery. In the space between
these two walls the Confederates had
three lines of battle, entirely protect
ed, and from which every inch of the
ground between it aud the town could
he swept by their fire. Upon one end
of small house, about ID feet in
width, just outside the east wall, we
counted l22 bullet holes.
A little farther on we come to the
national cemetery, prettily enclosed
with brick wall some five or six feet
in height. Just inside the gate is the
house of the superintendent, built of
stone taken from IL portion of the wall
behind which the Confederates fought.
From the gate to the top of the hill
the ground is terraced with wide
slopes, the top of each deep enough to
y
whose names are known are marked
with IA granite stone, 10 inches wide,
A inches thick and about II inches
high, with name, state, and number of
grave; the unknown 10y granite block
q inches square and inches high,
with number of grave and number of
bodies in each. The unknown con-
tain from / to II. In the center of the
ground rises the flag staff, and at each
corner of the square surrounding it is
placed on end d large columbiad, up
OH one of which is a brass shield, Civ
ing the date of establishment of the
cemetery, July ID, 1865, and the mum
Der of ihterments. This number has
since been Increased from time to
time, as bodies are discovered in the
surrounding battlefelds. The present
number is 1928, of which 2473 are
knewn. and IL, 755 unknown, of whom
it is truly written
Unknown as yelled within the sheltering sod
Yet dear to liberty, and known of God"
The COnfederates are buried in one
corner of the town cemetery, the places
of burial being marked by round wood
ell posts about 2 feet high, with names,
etc, painted on the same. In the CEN
tire of the ground stands a nicely fin
ished granite monument about five feet |
square and eight feet high, bearing the
sinIn criDtiou 1'TO the Cnnfeder-
ate Dead"