Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-02-04

Il may toe interesting 70 those Of the
readers Of The AMERICAN vho have not seen
/, to know something Of the character Of
tins marvellous exhibition pr csctorama o..
shown here In Boston. rs those who haze
seen II the poverty Of the most grsphic de-
slf.ption could but too poorly plead for The
reader generosity. Al 5il fremont street.
one enters laEc. hre-proof building and
passing through long passage and as
cend.ns flight Of stars. he elnrrgr> at once
into an open circular tower. from which he
looks out. upon all sides a, fa- a. the eve
can reach. across a country Of r.oh southern
scenery. The change !, agical and for an
instant one is tempted 10 d.,beiie,e his own
senses, To I'D oneself wiinin the space of
five minutes transferred from amid The
h4rr, ns tide of faces, the l.atter and rumble
ola Boston .tree',to 4 cenr,~ho>e irre,i,l.-
tie reality !, Of such a s,rikiush opposite
nature, /, too sudden transition from fact
to fancy, FOR the thoughts to comprehend
fully al once. There, spread before yoa ia
all the vis sidues-. the color. the tone, the
force OF life itself. lie vide green fields. rich-
~ folia.ed groves. squares of golden grain
cri~p.nS in the no; sunshine, broken lines Of
stone walls oserrun with tang Ell yiae.,
oumps Of low shubbcry and ,ingle,,ca,iered
oaks casting grateful patohe, If shade On The
heated earth. the dusty ROAD winding past
the farm houses and farther away. the
hazy hills and the cool dafh shadow Of the
distant MOOD. Over all. pouring down il.
unbEoaeu glare Of light. burns The summer
SKY. not soft and blue. but ulmmed b,
hazy. yellow glow. Fragments Of cloud lie
moiionless as though too heavy and lansu.t
even to float. The very air seems 20
criukle and quiver with IL burden OF heat
But all this beauty Of nature is seen oni,
through the deilcings. the dust.elouls the
trampiing. the smoke and the Wild con
fusion Of battle. The earth is torn up. the
wheat fields crushed and trodlrn down On
one side a line Of cannon is pouring Out
volumes of smoke, with gln,ing streaks Of
scarlet fire beching from their hot mouths.
aimee to cut off some distant advance Of tAe
-nemI's troops. On another. a line OF ar
tlllery horses aGe madiy tearing toward the
scene one perhaps stumbling over some
broken cannon wheel lef, in his way and
plunging heavily down upon the earth. 10 be
their terrible impetus can be checked. On
every hand right and left, are fallen men and
beasts, some wounded and lying, others be
inS borne away and others mangled in the
dust Riderless horses are wildly fying
over their fallen companions, from the scene
of conflict; anger, vengeance, despair, horror
and death are depicted on the faces Of the
soldiers nearest YOU officers are coming up.
anx.ously sweeping the field with their
buildings, little removed from the scene of
action; and leaning against two wheat
stacks IS many a wounded and diving man.
At this point and near the surgeons is
stone-curbed well, and southern soldier,
known by his slouched hat and gray coat. is
drawing water by the long wooden sweep,
and looking back over his shoulder a; his
struggling comrades.
Every feature,as the engagement becomes
and the spectator feels sense of wonder and
excitement steal upon him, as he watches
and takes in the meaning of the different
points Of the scene.
Looking down over the railing. which sur
rounds the tower, one sees the real earth be-
low, strewn with rocks and maDgled turf,
and little lower the dust of an actual road
lies stamped with the ruts of artillery wagon
wheels. and the foot prints of tramplng
steeds. Muskets and caps and army coats
and broken implements are scattered over
the ground, and if one could descend,i it would
seem as though he might grasp the bride
of some rearing, terrified horse, or return
with soldiers cap, shattered gun or even
a handful Of earth, as trophy of the reality
of the spot.
Just beyond the line of the road, real
waves Of wheat, some in broken masses,
sweep toward the ground-and here with
horses breast high in the yellow grain, sit
Gen. Hancock and staff accommodating the
scene of action One of the officers is Just
in the act of being thrown from his horse,
massive, dappled- d-gray cavalry steed, shot
from under him by some stray bullet. 1t is
here, too, the keen eye discovers, that real
wheat and actual dust and soil end, and the
artificial begins, or where the immense
painting joins what is real and material in
the scene. This line of the false and true
though indstinct and cunningly deceiving,
may be traced, by the careful eye, completely