Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-06-12
WINCHESTER, VA.
A Grand and Historic Old Town
in the Valley Of Virginia
RecollectiOns of Sol
der Days.
Correspondence @: the Ledger.

Correspondence o. the Ledger.
HATToN, Mo-, June 10.-Forty
miles south of Harper'sF erry-the
point at which, one might ssy, be-
gins the beautiful Shenandoah VAL
ley, the fairest and most fertile
land the sun shines on to-day
stands this grand and historic old
town. Built in the long ago, it
makes little pretense at modern
ideas of architecture, but with an
eye more to home comforts and
with, perhaps, a view to better en-
tertaining and extending that cor
dial hospitality to those whose hap
Ply lot was to be cast among them,
and the truth of which has long
since become a proverb, it stands
to-day a splendid landmark, on
which is written a grand history.
/ shall not look back beyond the
last thirty years to find matters OF
interest to write of, for within that
time enough might be said of VIM
chester to make a great volum ;
and, too, it is within that time I
have known it. Going back again
after an absence of several years, /
found the surrounding .circum-
stances tended to recall very forci.
bly, some of the days gone by. All
Winchester was in gala attire and
there was a general glad smile on
the faces of the people and q soul
grasp in the hand that gave hearty
welcome to the veterans" as they
arrived. I can but think of the
first day I ever marched through
this old street. On either side,
from end to end of the town, were
women, girls and boys with bas-
kets and walters and trays and
boxes filed with provisions, and
pitchers and buckets and vessels of
every description with water or
coffee-something to eat or drink
for the soldiers in a cause that lay
very dear to their hearts; and SO it
continued until the last Confeder-
ate soldier left the valley. They
never wearied, never forgot their
soldiers; and 1 will venture this !:
to-day there was not a Confederate
soldier who did service in the army
of the northern valley, at any time
during the war, who was not a per-
sonal recipient of some kindly act
from the citizens of Winchester,
and let my life's history be written
at Its close as it may be, there can
be no line in it that 1 would point
to with more pride than that ]
fought in defense of this grand old
town and its grander people, and
1 am prouder to-day of nothing
else than the truth, that when l
fell out of the ranks a hapless VIC
tim to the fortunes of war, I fell
between these people and the en-
envy. Shortly after my arrival in
Winchester / met Major Boyd, the
commander in charge of the camp
of Confederate veterans, and re-
ceived a cordial invitation to join
them, which I did, and possessing
myself with a camp badge, we be-
gan our "On to Richmond" This
was not all that was in store for
me. The same gentle hands that
came to me with such pure girlish
sympathy and served my breakfast
of real coffee and buttered biscuits,
the true SAVIOR of which was fast
fading out of my memory, the
morning after that awful Septem-
Der day in '64, were there to fasten
on my coat and my badge of honor.
It was a glad day there, and seemed
an open sesame to all hearts. Little
wonder, then, if I drop all thoughts
of the present, with its dull routine
OF duty, and go back to the past,
fight some of the old battles over,
call up some of the "reminiscences
of camp life, or the long weary
night marches but the day goes
rapidly and there is another side to
see before the sun goes down. Where
is my home here? What was to
me home here? Gone! Since /
went away the Angel of Death has
come within its happy doors and
laid his hand hard and heavily
upon this household. Touched
father and he died; touched mother
and she died;touched the sacred al
tar of home and it fell down and
was broken in pieces, leaving only
the daughter there and so to be with
them awhile / must go out from
among the living and seek them in
the quiet city of the dead. One of
the chief beauties of Winchester is
its burying ground-Mt. Hebron
Cemetery, situated on a slight EN-.
inence southeast ofthe town. I've
seen larger, perhaps handsomer
cemeteries, but none so quietly,
calmly beautiful and surely none
where / would be so content to
rest after life's fitiul dream is
over; and here in a central lot I
find, in simple white, the stone
that marks the grave of the truest
friend I eve knew, and bending
over it I could but feel in my heart
how singularly appropriate were
the only lines it bore