Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-04


rha time was when our State, wnich
had lost all Of her records AT the Ia" y.
Richmond might have had the cap'"'eu
rolls copied at an insignificant expense
hut that work can only be done now ny
| the clerks of the government, anu 'hes'
are high priced functionaries.
yes. once we might have had the copy
| inc done at q cost Of a few thous"i'''
| OF dollars; now the expense wou'u pe
about $4,000. Nor can we hope 10 nave
the present rigorous rule OF the war De
partment suspended for our benefit since
| the department has declined to suspend
| I, for tho benefit of some Northern States
| that have asked It. And so we iea'
| that Virginia will never have among hei
| archives a roster Of those VINO serVea
bcr during the eventful years lsoi-oo'
| This will be bad-depiorable, wheh We
| consider that we might have been IN po'-
| sose,on of the treasures we covet now
had we been as prompt 10 ACT d. 1'''
| Carolina and other States were.
For our part. as taxpayers, we "ouio
nav the monstrous price exacteu ny 'ie
| officials al washington, rather than 'i''
viroinia should be without the lhloihia
Ito, contained In those original Tolls
WHY our state does not so much as hno"
the number of troops she furhisneu ~
Tho Confederate army! Other Sta'e'
nov set ,,p claims superior to ours ana
wo have no way of disputing them ours
is a sorry plight.
p,,, 20 the state will not, or cannot
act is there any reason why hichiiionu
should not do her duty in the matter
Whore Is the record of the many CUM
mands that went forth.to war from i'ich-
mond? Who remembers the names Vi INC
oo,nnanies? Who can recall the names u
,,e,r first and last captains? Besides
the First Regiment, the Howi'zers' '"e
plues and the Grays, there were oo~e"S
~ commands recruited here, some Vi
,,.hoso names have been altogether lot
,o,ten or are only recalled upon occa-
sions when reunions are held. But aias :
| ca widely scattered are the men Oh se'e-
RI, of these commands, there mas he'e'
hoen and never will be, a reunion VI
them. toto
our community is indebted to the ia'e
r. II. Chamberlayne, Esq, ior coihp""
ton in pamphlet form OF the NAMES '"'
a,ors Of some of these companies, puI
our recollection is that, not recei'ins W
support he expected, he was conipeiieu "
discontinue his publication before n''
work was half finished. But praise W
unto him. for he did more than any one
e,se has done to rescue from opi'ioA '"0
,aroes of the patriotic boys VINO gave
~, ,,r,r,e of their lives-and some OF them
their very lives-in support Oh our cause
p,cbmond ought to rescue from ias''
Gathering forgetfulness the roster Vi he'
soldiers. Yes; that at least Is due 'ne"'
And this roster, once made up shoulu ~
=. into hook form. But who VIII un
aor,al,e this laborious work? WheI'
will the money come from TO pay ioi IL
these are questions that we are no. Se
, nrenared TO answer. but with the heip =
our friends, the pubic, we may -hei eai- =
ho oble TO make some Suggestions
, value on the subject
Along with our soldier boys names '"
shou,d like TO see pictures OF the near-p'
camp-grounds that were SO i"i'''''"'
re. Among these we recal camp 10
manned after Light Horse Harry j. nov
: the xpostion-Grounds; the olu an
Grounds. long the quarters OF 'ne Oi'
. battalion of local defence troops nov
Monroe Park; Camp Jackson, on the Oh
- now Dull
over by scores of houses, located west
Reservoir street and north Oh the vi
poservoir. Richmond College building
=, ord campus. which were first used lo
= camping purposes, and later as hospi'"
:. rd Towards Grove, which has the sam
n history, &C., &c. But, as we reiiio'No'
! Howard's Grove, 1t was on the west siO
of Mechanicsville turnpike, and was
orove Of fine old pines, standing near
q bounteous spring. Later on, anoth'
srot east of the turnpike, came 10
- Known as the Towards Grove Hospita
- name c'Howard's Grove') which
taches to the neighborhood 10 TINS oay'
~ "Richmond in By-Gone Days" being u
:, recollections of Samuel Mordecai, Inc
: cond edition of which was puDhshed
y 1860, possesses a never-fadihs ih'eie
for our aged citizens. For them to CLAN
- over its reminiscential pages is for the
- o,most TO live over their youth agar
. 1Jpon every page they see long-iorsotu
name. Every chapter contains ihclueH
that they recall-incidents that occurf
=, in their youth, and which come pacK
,bem plain as life" as they read Nc
20 decaPs story.
-, IT, out Of the sparse material tnat
Nordecai had he could construct a wo
:, Of such enduring interest as "Richmo
10 in By-Gone Days" think how much mo
:. valuable would be a book that mad
&c basis q list of all the names or
doors and men that went forth TO W
=" from the city Of Richmond and Henri
le county?
Ne include Henrico for the reason II
m many Henrico men enlisted in Richmo
,os companies. and for the further reas
- that n large part of what is Richmo
INV was cut off from the county +
eco years after the close of the war.
he vet another part was cut off five or
"a wears ago. when Lee District "
ers added to the territory of our corporau
ro- This subject is one OF fascinating
an forest for us. and we have reason to
The lieye our people generally are not inc
ox- ferent to it. When we see how cage
many of our men and women are scar
ing out their Revolutionary ancestry,