Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-27
DOWN THE JAMES.
hxyrpxsrrSo NOTES oArzSnxD AT
CRY POINT AND BRANDON.
4, ola War riset-soms Scraps OF His.
,ory-u. Q. Grants HeadquAr"
ters- Incidents.
,c,....,on a.uee Of the richmond DIspa,ch.l

R,.n5on. wish oil OF your readers
could visit City Point and 80 aboard
,hs monitor feet there. Each Of the
seven has a history, and five Of them a
WAT history, strongly emphasized by the
scars and bumps on their stout coats Of
mail. ali OF which Is extremely inter-
esiing to one, especially . lsndsman
unfamiliar with those once-powerful
engines of defence and destruction.
THE SALE OF THE IRoycLAps.
The vessels are the Canonicus, Cat
skill, Manhattan, Mahopec, Lehigh,
wyandotte, and Ajax. The first five
saw service during the late war at Fort
Fisher and Charleston. The two last
!, have been built since the war, and
never heard or felt an angry shot. The
<'leetIay several years at Lower Bran
don, then was ordered UP to City
Point to anchor in fresh water, which is
not so injurious TO the iron in which
they are epcased, and in the fresh water
the keels arc not so much damaged by
+. barnsoles. The feet is commanded by
Captain ID. W. Mullan, Of the United
States navy, and manned by about sixty
marines, sailors, and officers.
The vessels lie about IL feet under
water and IL feet above. They are
shaded with awnings, kept as neat as
possible, and in the chambers and off,
ces built temporarily on the decks and
neatly furnished the officers have very
cosy and pleasant quarters, while the
men sleep on deck in the summer and
down below in cold weather. They
lead dull, monotonous life, if an easy
one, and seem glad to see visitors, who
are kindly welcomed, shown over the
boats, and given their history.
The Catskill is the worst battered,
but, though deep indentatiops are to be
seen in her turret and on her smoke
stack, none Of the balls had pierced
through. The first shot that struck the
'ACatskill was in bout with Fort Sum-
Ter in Angus, 1868. The commandant,
y Captain Rogers, and three other officers
who were in the turret at the time,
were instantly killed by the conclusion,
though the solid shot glanced OF from
The heavy armor. only making a deep
furrow which is pointed out to the visi-
tor.
There are two guns-l5-inch Dahl
gren-in each turret, carrying a solid
shot Of 400 pounds weight. The guns
weigh 81 tons each, and r charge Of
pow der is from 35 to so pounds. Though
these figures appear so large, the guns
recently made or siege purposes by the
English and II lian Governments weigh
about 100 tor each and throw ball
weighing frc.n 800 to 1000 pounds
with a 400-pound charge of powder;
and though the armor Of these m,ni-
tprs resisted the heavy ordnance used
dining the late war, these modern heavy
fn63L would pierce them through and
1hio1lsh, such has been the advance in
III pecies Of warfare during the past
tWofg years.
}EYELLOw-FEvER AB0AED.
Another notable vessel Of the fleet
lis the Cauonicus, which, in 1878,
while anchored off New Orleans, had
aboard nino cases of yello ". fever. In
order to get rid of the infection the
Monitor was towed to Pensacola, Fla.
and sunk. She lay at the bottom OF
the harbor for two years and was then
raised. thoroughly disinfected, and
brought to this point several years ago.
since which time she has been one OF
the fleet, and though reprinted and re-
paired. she shows the marks of her
long rest under the waves Of Pensacola
Bay.
GRANTS HEADQUARTERS.
The first question asked by every
stranger who lands at City Point is, Can
you show me Grants headquarters? Of
course any one can. The historical spot
from whence were issued the orders that
sounded the death.kuell Of the South
eTn Confederacy is the mansion Of DR..
Epps, a wealthy old-fashioned Virginia
gentleman, who owns several fine es-
tates on both sides of the river here.
There are few prettier places than this.
The grounds are extensive there is
forest Of shade-trees and labyrinths Of
shrubbery and shady walks, uncovered
in vines and flowers and among them
still remain several Of the queer-look-
ing offices used by the people General
Grant had about him. They are built
of hewn pinc-tops, driven in the ground
psnd secured at the top. The crevices are
filed in with white mortar, and being
we'll covered and Aoored, they must
have been quite comfortable. The
view from this point is magnificent,
reaching far up and down the James
and the Appomattox, which meets the
James here. In l864-'65 the pros.
pect must have been busy one, with
q mile of wharf crowded with military
stores, army ordnance, and hurrging
soldiers and sailors, the river full Of
steamers, conveys, gunboats, and sail
vessels, and on land thousands OF
troops, parks Of artillery, baggage
wagons, hospitals, warehouses, COM
missaries, every accompaniment of an
immense well-equipped army, aud the
bristling breastworks aud armed forts
surrounding the whole. The forts and
breastworks are still here, and some
Of the buildings.
GRANTS HOSPITALS.
The last Of the great hospitals is half
down, but, though used of late years as
q barn by MIR. T. z. Friend, who oc-
cupies the farm, the visitor has no diff
ficulty In making out its past history.
The berths OF the sick soldiers are
marked Off, and many names Of occu.
pants remain upon the walls overhead.
Across q number Of these the word
dead" is written in black letters,
and the occupants now lie in the beau
tiful cemetery not far of with some
10000 more who died in hospital aud
fell in battle in that vicinity.
AN HISTORICAL OLD PLACE.
At the beginning of this letter l
spoke Of Brandon, on the lower James.
IL is the ancestral home OF the Hsr-