The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-04-10
The Famous Old Battlefield.
WILDERNESS. Va. April a. 1855

WILDERNESS, Va, April 4, 1889.
Editor Wdtchman. - Here, every
body remembers, was fought the bloody
battle of the Wilderness, Nav and 6,
1864, and in the same vicinity the bat
tie of Charlottesville, In the spring of
1868. 1t was during this campaign of
1868 that the southern army lost one of
its best men-General Stonewalln
jackson. He was wounded by his own
men, through their mistaking him and
his staff for the cavalry of the northern
army. While he was being borne from
the field one of the litter-carriers was
shot, and the litter fell to the ground,
injuring Jackson seriously. He was
then taken to the hospital at Wilder
ness Run, where he died, eight days
afterwards. His remains rest now at
Lexington, Va, which was his home.
The Wilderness to-day does not pre-
sent much change since the days when
so many noble hearts ceased to beat in
unfolding the cause which they be-
lieved to be right The growth of
timber which stood when the war began
was mostly destroyed by the camping
of the two armies, but the growth at
present is very dense. This great body
of woods may well be called the wilder
ness, as it embraces thousands of acres
of densely wooded land, unbroken by
cultivation, except on the " old plank"
road, which runs from Fredericksburg
to Orange Courthouse, a distance of
forty miles. 1t was on this old road
that the armies marched, after the
battle of Fredericksburg, to Chancel-
lorsville. Since the running of narrow
guage railroad through this country the
old road has not been kept up. 1t was
about four miles above Chancellors-
vile, on this road, that Jackson fell.
The spot until recently was marked
only by large white rock. This has
now been replaced by small monu-
ment of marble, surrounded by neat
iron railing. Near by still stands the
tree under which he fell from the litter.
The visitor will be struck by the re-
markable preservation of the breast
works which were thrown up during
the war. They stand out in relief as
plainly as on the day they were aban-
doned. Stretching along, unbroken for
miles, they seem to stand as monuments
to those who fell behind them. The
mounds of earth and logs behind
still to be seen in the same state OF
preservatio | do not know of any
place which impresses the visitor more
than this scene of the battle-felds of
the Wilderness. A year or two since q
party of Vermont veterans who partici-
pated in the battle visited this spot.
Among the number was the adjutant-
general of Vermont, who cut and took
away with him few canes, which, like
the Scriptural loaves and fishes, have
supplied multitude of Vermont SOL
diers with canes" all cut at the
bloody angle" and, like the congress-
mans garden-seeds, placed where they
would do the most good The sur
rounding country is mineral region,
producing both gold and iron. The iron
mines have been worked, with some
profit The gold mines have been at
tempted to be worked several times, but
have not proved a success. In several
places shafts NAV now be seen that have
been sunk several hundred feet and
then abandoned. The old darkies in
the vicinity, who were slaves before the
war, form picture presenting the most
striking difference between the present
and the past The cabins in which they
live are built of logs and the cracks
stopped with mud and rags. They
make a living by wood-chopping and
cultivating an acre or two of corn
around the house, in which all the fam
lily helps. They have always with them
their dogs, which are to them part of the
family. The poor animal often looks as
though bone would be acceptable,
Judging from the prominence of his
ribs, which show so plainly that it would
suggest to your mind wash-board or
piece of corduroy. They and their dogs
enjoy, during the winter, tramps through
the snow in pursuit of game, such as
deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, quail and
pheasants. During the war all the deer
were run out. and until the last few
years there were comparatively few; but
they are now very plentiful and rap
idly increasing, Notwithstanding that
many sportsmen from the North come,
in the hunting season, to join in the
fine sport.