Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-07-15
O.: A. a. LETTER.
HUDSON RIVER. July Z, 1885.

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| HUDSON RIVER. july Z, 1885.
DEAR TRANsCRpr:-We are having SPLEEN
| Cid sail down the Hudson river this morning
| on the &C. Vibbard." The weather is delight
ful, and the scenery is as beautiful aud en-
chanting as has been represented.
| AS my next and last letter will relate exclu-
sively to the Getty sburR battlefield, we will
finish up our New England notes in this. AS
before. shall write Of relies. You cannot es-
cape the influence Of them. They meet you
| on every hand. Not until you pass out into
the broad expanse of our western prairies,
will you leave them behind. For one, l am
very glad to look them over ,as far as time per-
mits. They are too important and suggestive
for the patriot and student of history to over
look.
The 4th Of July in AttleborO, at least, was
passed in dull and spiritless manner met
one boy who staid up all night and walked the
streets until sunrise blowing q solitary fish,
horn. He deserves we'll of his COZ ntry, no
| matter what the iratc neighbors may say. I
combined two of my favOrite occupations for
the day, looking for relics, and in seeing that
my hunger was satisfied. Among other dam
ties eD1Oyed the luxury of good, old New
England c,am-bake. This is New ENGLAND
institution, and, with clam chowder, cannot
be transported out west under any conditions.
The clans are dug out OF the sandy beach in
Narragansett Bay from Il depth Of about 8
inches. The process OF baki,g is to make
bed OF stones and then kindic fire upon them
until they are hot Then they rake OF the
Goals and pour OH the clans in the shell to the
amount of q bushel Or more, according to the
number to be provided for Over this heap of
clans they heap up sea-weed, and then grass,
Old blankets, or anything else to keep in the
steam. The heat from the stones give the
clam3 splendid cooking. Then the clans
| are raked out, and placed upon the table in
tin milk pans, and each one shells ont the
CLANS, dipping them into melted butter and
eating them. They make q delicious repast
The Indians from time immemorial have been
accustomed to come to the shore and eat
| CLAIMS until there are banks of shells miles in
length and OF considerable depth. Arriving
| on the ground little late found the clam
bake was suffering violence from the voracity
OF the numerous company assembled. Leav-
Ing the rest to fish out Of the'pans I went to
| the original pile. and raked my clans all pip
| ing hot and fragrant out OF the stcaming sea-
weed. Finding the stones rather too hot for
| comfort, crawied back just in season to miss
! baseball from the adjoining field, which
came buzzing along the rim of my hat Icame
promptly to pei pendicular, and admonished
the young man over the way that if he did not
want TO tempt minister to swear, he must
! not make my head target for his ball. He
promptly disclaimed any intention of doing
me any harm. but suggested that IL the ball
had hit me, would not have been in any con-
dition to swear. With this much of consola-
ton, knelt down on the stones and finished
my dinner.
After satisfying my hunger, started out
with an old friend in search of famous DOW
der-house where the Revolutionary athers
kept their gunpowder. After walking about
miles, we found the building on the top of
high, rocky hill, so high up that if it exploded
no harm would come to the village. It was a
round building built of brick, IL feet in
diameter and feet up to the roof,
which was circular and ran to point.
Here was one Of the stations for rallyng the
minute-men. When the battle of Bunker
Hill began, the first cannon started all the
men for Boston, but they did not arrive until
the fight was over. Near by is the grave of
Capt. Ellis, soldier in the continental army,
which was marked by the G. A. r. flag It
seems to be custom here to mark all the
graves of the msn Of T7j and 1872 tho same as
those OF the boys OF 1861.
This reminds me that since my last letter,
spent one day in Boston looking at the bat
tic of Gettysburg" by the same artist, Phlli-
pealx, who painted the picture now on exhi-
bition at Chicago. do not think it as good
a picture as the one at Chicago. They differ
frnv in
Boston picture. the perspective is shortened
up for effect. Still, when visit the field to-
morrow will be better able to judge of the
respective merits of both paintings How.
! ever, as works Of art, the paintings are grand
and no one should miss the opportunity to see
one or both Of them. Still, the artist shows
conspicuous ignorance of some things he
ought to have known, as, the flags of the Union
have white for the outside stripes when the
| color should have been red; the stars and blue
| cover only stripes when they should have
| covered :. Mistakes occur likewise in the
description books. Near me stood the
Colonel of the 4th Maine, whom the book said
was KILLED" ut Gettysburg. The Colonel re-
marked to me that he was lively corpse for
a man who had been dead 2e years that day.
Just then Mayor Hollingsworth announced
dent, was present and would give lecture
on the battle as he witnessed it. Carlton is
the non. de plume of c. c. Coffin, author Of the
! sketches now being published in the National
! Tribune, 'How we Saved the Nation" can
| not tell whether was more interested in see
| ing or in hearing Carlton. Both together re-
paid me for my journey even could think of
no other benefit After the lecture, had the
| MI 0f ir<o with
ters had read with avidity from the very
first number, when he wrote of the plots of
tho Secessionists before the war. In the hall
beneath, is another painting by Phillipeaux,
1.-THE Uprising OF the North which is very
fine. 1t represents the marching of Union
soldiers to the front under their respective
| colors.
| Monday afternoon. l took the time to go in
to the State House, Boston, and take a look at
the old battle flags, about an hundred In num-
Der. These flags are carefully preserved in
large cases or recesses partitioned of with
| glass, so while they are safe from further
mutilation they can easily be seen. 1t was
with peculiar interest that 1 looked them
over one by one, for nearly every one brought
| to me familiar faces and incidents of those
four stormy years of war. l had seen many
of those very colors borne down the streets
of Boston, floating proudly over the full
ranks of regiments thousand strong, had
seen those same colors in the hands of their
defenders on southern soil, and then saw them
borne tenderly and proudly by the survivors
in the grand review ut Washington. Under
those colors had died nearly half of all my
early friends and associates. The memory of
the past became too oppressive and l put on