Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-18

every direction but her little house
was swept away In the conflict, ana
there Ia no further record Of her. This
was the story Of . colored woman
now living in the vicinity, and who hsd
been in the neighborhood at the
time, and was corroborativs Of the re-
collections Of Colonel Tsggart. To do
him justice, no personally investigated
| for what seemed to be square mile
around. We would see him in the
distance and follow after, but by the
time we got there he was of interview
ing native. The sun came down 10
molten streams Of FIRE, the water to DO
had was not refreshing, and we two
ladies spent our time in wondering why
men would 20 out to fight in such a
place as that. At last We were OFT again
on the road 10
MALVERN HILL.
It was more like mountain than o
hill, so steep was the ascent, but when
the TOP was once reached magnificent
prospect lay before us. Away off to-
wards Richmond rose summit after
summit in almost perfect circle, while
below lay valley and stream, and the
James river to the southeast. The old
mansion on Malvern Hill is historic.
1t is Of great antiquity, and is built OF
bricks brought from England. The
portico Of the house is similar to
that of st. Clements church, ex-
cept that in place Of pillars there
are arched walls. 1t was in this house
that General Fitz John Porter had his
head quarters, and directly around itlay
the division of Pennsylvania Reserves
on the day Of the Union victory, sup.
porting the artillery, July l, 1862.
The Southern chroniclers term Malvern
Hill the great artillery battle Of the war.
The house and farm are now rented by
family named Clark, and the mistress
of the household is q sweet-looking
young lady, not more than nineteen
years OF age. 1t is sixteen miles from
Richmond. We drove those sixteen
miles back again, and the next day start
ed for
MECHANICsvILLE AND GAINEs's
MILL.
All along the Mechanicsville road are
tho remains Of Confederate earthworks.
As they appear now they are long
banks of earth with deep trenches in
front. Some Of these trenches are
filed with water. There were also
high mounds Of earth and places that
had been used for artillery. 1t is all
down hill coming out of Richmond, and
up hill going there, and as the Coincide
rate defences are about mile apart,
and command the approaches in every
direction for miles, it was evidently a
| hard road for the Union soldiers to
travel. Numerous streams, too. cross
the highway. l counted five of these
issuing from Chickahominy swamp
alone. At present they are bridged
with planks, but the difficulty Of con-
veyiDg artillery over them is obvious to
the most casual eye.
| ELLERsON's MILL.
Another descent brought us to e.
leIson's Mil, which, though abandon
ed. still stands picturesque feature in
the landscape on Beaver Dam creek.
Time has subdued its colors, and the
hum Of the s-grown wheel has
ceased. Ii rests from its labors With
the flowers Of the Virginia trumpet-vine
wreathiDg it with crimson Renaissance
Of war. At Ellerson's Mill there is a
rising slope where the Twelfth regiment
Col. Taggarb was posted, overlooking
Beaver Dam. The rifle-pits the men
dug are still there, and almost in Us
good condition as when they were made,
in 1862. In little grove beside n
spring was the spot where the ColonePs
tent stood, and il is needless to say that
we lost his society for an hour while ne
wandered through the scenes that had
so vivid an interest for him. 1t was
here and at Mechanicsville IA little viii
lage a short distance beyon0 that the
seven DAYS battles began, June 20,
lSG2. General Lee, by massing his troops
on the right Of McClellan's line, forced
the latter out of his works, after fight
ing the battles of Mechanicsville,
Gaines's Mill, Savage's Station, Now
Market, Charles City CROSSROADS, and
Malvern Hill. At the last-named place
the Confederates met with bloody
check, and campaign in which be-
tween thirty and forty thousand men
were killed and wounded on both sides
was closed.
FROM THE CHICKAHOMINY TO COLD
HARBOR.
We crossed the Chickahominy five
miles from Richmond, and had view
of the dreadful swamp, which is really
lake filled with thickly-growing trees.
There does not seem to be standing
room for a rabbit in it. We drove six
miles further from Mechauicsyille to
Cold Harbor. Two great battles were
fought at this point. The first June
81, 1862, when the Confederates, un-
der the two Hills and Longstreet, At
tackled Porter and Slocum, and when
Storevall Jackson, in his celebrated
flank movement, turned the scale oil
victory against the Union army the
second on June 3, 1864, when Grant,
in his movement down from Spotsylya-
MIA Courthouse aud the Wilderness, was
confronted by Lee, and, according to
Swinton, lost $4,000 men in q frultless
assault on the rebel works.
There is a National cemetery at Cold
Harbor, where 6e were kindly received
by Mr.. Savage and his amisble lady
He was Union soldier, and keeps the
enclosure in admirable order. II is
surrounded by brick wall, and the
national flag floats from the flagstaff
that rises from green mound in the
centre. In front Of this there Is
large cannon. Small white marble
headstones mark the last resting-places
} OF the 1900 soldiers who fell at Me,
Gainesville, Gaines's Mill and Colo
Harbor. They lie beneath q level
sward, with green trees waving ovsl