The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-10-09

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lines here run east and west, and were
never seriously assaulted until the very
last day of the siege, when Forts Gregg
and Baldwin were captured by the
Sixth Corps after an obstinate and
bloody defense. Grants lines of cir
cumvalation began at the extreme
northeast of the city and extended due
south, very near the Confederate lines,
until Fort Sedgwick, on the Jerusalem
plank road, is reached. There the
lines take a wide sweep southwest and
west, and do not again very nearly ap.
proach the Confederate lines until near
Fort Fisher and the old signal tower.
The distance between lines in this in
terval varies from one to two miles.
The Fort Sedgwick mentioned above
was once occupied by the Third Yer
mont Battery, and was known oftener
| than otherwise as Fort He'll" while
its near neighbor in the Confederate
lines, Fort Malone, was known as
Fort Damnation '-appfopriate, even
though just little sacrilegious. Still
following the Halifax road and the
Weldon railroad, nothing of special
interest is seen until one reaches the
vicinity of Fort Wadsworth and the
GLOBE TAVERN.
Let us pause here, for we are on his
toric ground. 1t is the scene of one of
several bloody struggles for the posses
sion of the Weldon railroad All about
here is now open country, with fields
of corn aud tobacco; but when General
Warren, with the Fifth Corps, fought
the battle which gave us the railroad it
was mostly timbered land, interse cted
by numerous by-roads. The knowl-
edge which the Confederates had of
these roads gave them great advantage
and enabled them to attack our forces
in flank and capture many prisoners.
The railroad was at length securely
seized, and, to prevent its recapture,
long line of flank intrenchments was
built west of the road along the high
lands running north and south, and
parallel to it. These lines can to-day
be distinctly seen, although covered
with grass and bushes. In places they
are entirely RACED and are now cult
waited ground. Grants line Of military
railroad was then extended to this
point, with it's terminus at the Globe
Tavern. The track of the Weldon rail-
road was afterward utilized for few
miles as our lines were extended fur
Their to the southwest. A branch line
was also built from Globe Tavern to
Patrick station, near the signal tower,
as Vermont Brigade men will well re-
member. So it was sort of junction
point, and in those days was scene of
great activity. This military railroad
was, of course, abandoned at the close
of the war, but the roadbed can be dis
tinctly traced by the lines of bushes
which have since grown up.
About half mile south we reach
Fort Dushane, where road leads
westward to the
NATIONAL CEMETERY,
one mile distant. Though bewildered
by the almost innumerabe unfenced
slderoads, l succeeded, by following
the most travelled track, in finding il.
My time was TOO limited to pay it more
than brief visit. Here thousands of
federal soldiers are buried. A stone
marker is at the head of each grave,
inscribed with name, company and reg.
iment, 80 far as these particulars could
be ascertained. l think, however, that
nne-tenths are marked Unknown"
o, the pathos of that world To leave
ones northern home, with all its ten
der ties, flushed with youthful vigor.
health and buoyancy; TO endure for
four years the hardships and dangers
OF the soldiers life; to fondly anticipate
the joys of meeting the dear ones at
home after month or two, when The
term of service shall have expired; to
fall at last by the bullet, be buried in
this wild region, and the grave marked
by the one word Unknown 90, the
pathOs of it! Yet this is the tale that is
told by every national cemetery with
one partial exception) which | visited
and | visited several.
A TANGLED MAZE.
But l was in search of Fort Fisher
and the old signal tower, distant about
two miles to the northwest. In spite
of my careful study of the map and the
instructions of the cemetery superin-
tendent (Which were rather vague,
as he had never been there), l do
not doubt l travelled five miles to
reach it, Such labyrinth of roads and
paths, all unfenced, and weed.grown,
what wonder lost my way several
timesl To Poplar Spring church,
about half mile, it was PLAIN enough,
but, in attempting to save time by
cutting across lots" was lost. The
country is but thinly settled, but did
find negro cabin and was put on the
right track, only to lose it again several
times. Not to make too long story of
it., at last found
PEBBLES FARM,
and Mr.. PEBBLES himself-not the Mr..
PEBBLES who lived there in war days,
for he is dead, but his son, who was
then in the Confederate army. This
farm was the scene of another bloody
battle in the series of Grants anaconda
like hugs on the Confederate lines.
Here again a long line of return in
trenchments was built, and the army
paused to gain strength for another
struggle. From Fort Wadsworth, on
the Jerusalem plank road, to
FORT FISHER,