davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
MEDIEVAL CUSTOMS,
Strange Suryiysls Of Some Middle Age
Obssryances.

oDssryances.
From the San francisco ChronIeI..
In Lincoln's Inn, London, a hell rings
every evening at o'clock. This Is the
curfew, derived from old French words
meaning cover the fire." and # is an or
der for all who live in the inn to pu: out
their lamps and fires.
OF course nobody Obeys. because the Law
OF curfew is rather out OF date. consider
ing that II was made by William the Con-
queror in the year 1858 and repealed .a
lIl0. Repealed or in force, the curfew bell
was rung in West Ham until NOyember
1853: IL is rung now at LlncoIn's Ian, while
II Is actually being revived and brought
INTO iorce In some small American towns
AHOJHtr Iunny old custom !s the NuW
ing or the town crier. Who goes about Win
q Dell announcing rewards FOR lost dogs
or purses, advertising entertainments, AMI
telllh8 the news. You may hear the fJTH
cfler any day IN Dartmouth, and the iirf-
boys are not allowed 10 annoy him on pain
or whipping. Several small English towns
nave not yet awakened 70 the fact 'la'
the Middle Ages are gone and that th4- ls
the end Of the nineteenth century,
There are determined attempts al times
10 revive ancient customs In ls9 there
was actually tournament held al Eg.lr-
ton Castle. Young gentlemen IN boiler
plate armOr tilted at each other W.'l
ldnceS, while hosts OF fashionable p~0s
sat under umbrellas and cheered them.
Lady Seymour was queen OF beauty and
the Emperor Napoleon III OF France va
among the ancient knights who j0usf.I
for her favor In the lists. 10 Talued "ca's
and dogs" the whole time, the horses
siitheret abcut In the mud, and the gs.-
lant knights rolled about in the m!re. ur-
able 10 rise again without assistance g1
account OF 'ne weight % their afmDF. TIE
event Is said 70 have been the most comic
in all the history Of England.
Another ancient and peculiarly Britsh
custom Is the pealing Of church Deils-
Does any body remember that u was rope
John TX In the year 50. VINO ordered th@
clamOr Of bells 10 frighten away thoAl~f
and lightning There are country pa.
Ia England now which are qlltc cdpA1-e
% taking the good POpe's adFicr
Look AZ the way some ~ the JustlceS r'
the Peace serve Out the iaT 20 the CON.
rrOnalty. a man IS saFasrly punisA@i
for breaking the game Avs, but Tor
breaklng his wlfes head Wlth hi8 boot De-
gets a gentle repYimand and small fine.
md that ~ because 30 many English jus
Ilces OF the Peace still live "a the Middle
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
IL Depends.

Fssz the B0sl5h Transcript
Mss. Cushweil-Ot course you ley.
children. AT. Synnick?
5ynnick- k-lmmOderately.
Mrs. Gushwell-And which DO you lzs
best. little boys or little giriEg
Synnick-That depends. when there l.-
little girls present ] think ! prefer i.tf.-
bOys but when ! am in the COMPANY NJ
uttle boys. my heart goes out 10 Ihr .t.
tie girls
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
HISTORIC BATTLE-FIELDS.
Tour Through Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, The
Wilderness, and Spottsylvania.

section of the wall against which the
Union Army charged. and behind which
the COnfedeFateE were protected. has been
taken away and now forms the walls OF
the residence Of the keeper OF the na-
tional cemetery on the very heights which
the Union forces sought 10 gain Eighteen
thousand soleIers now sleep in this ce'ne-
iery. all OF whom lost their lives either
upon or within rife shot OF the place
where they lie buried. Some OF the wall,
however. is SIN intact. the stones H5~
green and gray with age. while the old
Marye mansion on the summit is the resi-
dence of Capt. Rowe. The columns Of its
spacious porch are still perforated with
bullet holes. its walls are Clipped where
shell and shrapnel struck, and the out
buildings are bored in numerous places
with the small round hole OF the mimic
ball
The Slaughter Below the Heights
As tie party stood upon the hill top.
the story OF the awful slaughter at the
foot OF Maryes Heights was retold In
the road below was the monument which
marked the spot where Gen. Cobb was
killed. with the house still standing, over
which came the shell which struck him.
LOngstreet's description was recalled. "A
fifth time the Federals formed and charg-
Cd and were repulsed," he says. "a sixth
time they charged and were driven back.
when night came 10 end the dreadful cs.E-
mage, and the Federals withdrew, leaving
the battlefield literally heaped with the
bodies OF their dead. Before the well-dl-
rected fire Of Cobb's brigade. the Federals
had fallen Ike the steady dripping of
rain from the caves OF a house Our
musketry alone Killed and wounded at
least 500; and these, with the slaughter
by the artillery. left over 1000 killed and
wounded before the foot of Marye's Hill
The dead were piled sometimes three
deep. and when morning broke, the spec
taclc that We saw upon the battlefield
was ono Of the most distressing l ever
witnessed. The charges had been des-
perate and bloody. but utterly hopeless. /
thought, as / saw the Federals come
again and again TO their death, that they
deserved success IL courage and daring
could entitle soldiers TO victory"
1T was wonder TO me-" said Congress-
man Jones, that any man escaped alive
was boy of twelve then, and I went on
the field with my father the morning aft
or the battle. / remember seeing a peach
orchard, every tree Of which had been
literally stripped OF its branches by flying
bullets. The field was covered with the
dead, and the sight was so terrible that
have never forgotten ii. ] remember.
too, story OF the battle which my father
told me. He had met i'm North Carolina
regiment a man whom he had known years
ago, and they were standing talking, one
on each side OF tree. when a cannon
ball came along and cut the tree down be-
tween them"
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27

for the Union forces TO get battery into
position and thus protect to some extent
the rear 81 H0Wards retrsati1g column
But Maj Morris says that this story. al
though so thrilling. is not trre. keenan,
was over there" he said pointing a short
distance away, "and was ordered 20 70
out and stop stragglers Of Howard's corps
rCrte OF the corps was not then known He
moved IN columns OF twos out that road
yonder, which leads into the main pike.
When he emerged from the woods he
found himself surrounded by Confederstes.
There were only two things 10 do, either
to retreat or charge. he chose the latter.
and rushed pellmell into the enemy. think
ing 20 cut his way in and then out again.
He had no idea that he was attacking the
whole of JscksoR's army. No order was
given him to charge The story Is all 10
nance"
Whether romance or not. there was
something particularly stirring as we
came 10 the road where the cavalry on
eountered the enemy. 20 think OF that gall
liant and desperate effort which the Penn
sylvania men made. Very few OF them,
II any, escaped. Maj. keenan, was killed
and many OF his officers. The enemy
were as thick as bees. and we appeared
TO be among thousands of them in a nc
ment," was the description which one oE
the officers afterward wrote OF his ex-
perienCe
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27

vauia Court House. the beginning Of
Grants campaign against Richmond
Passing the Als0p house. which IS stiii
steading. and which was a hospital dur
ing the war, the carriages soon halted in
front OF the monument which marks the
spot where Gen. Sedgwick vas killed IL
Is a more pre.entious affair than the
Stcnewall Jackson shaft. but Is not as
impressive 1t stands at the junction OF
a by-road with the pike. overlooking the
wide field. at the other side Of which were
the Confederate works. Against the ad-
vice OF his officers, Gen. Sedgwick came
out upon the open space at the junction
OF the roads, although the Confederate
shareholders had found its range with
deadly effect. The General laughed as
the men dodged the bullets. They
couldn't hit an elephant at this distance"
he said. as he encouraged his men TO
stand upright A moment later, however.
there came another whistle OF a bullet,
and Gen. Sedgwick fell. with = wound in
MS head under the eye He died in
Stantly.
Il met his body on this by-road." said
Mai. Hine. II had been at work down
the road strengthening bridge for az
tiIlery TO pass over. Gen. Grant came by.
I had seen him before, but had never
spoken TO him. He told me that he hoped
1 would hurry my work, as there were
some other places in the road he wanted
repaired as quickly as possible. When l
had finished / went up the road to report
10 Gen Sedgwick, but met some soldiers
with his body. and they told me how he
had been killed
The story of Bloody Angle.
From Sedgwick's monument TO Bloody
Angle was a short journey. As the car
riages drove through the woods. the Con-
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
$500 REWARD

for zny sezEe of Fhs1zzfiEG EElsh esn.ot ke eeseA
sta Dr. Dfulanonds Lightning ksnsassz !ltsrnzl
zlG external gTeDsrstlOnL HslisEss a. ones. Cass
Euzrsn.ssd Restores SIG joiaSs 1rswa roreE a.d
hzrSe5 aazseis4 u yOsr erarxist soss -, ks-s /.
90 lS' exc snJthinE ss.. ssne - g. sa1 tts sgIl
zSai.s tfsztnsat = t~S lssss sS;s!ez rtt bS seat
y yOsT express ae&'szs DRCxxoSD MEDICINE
CO.. 80 NASSAU s.. SsS YORK nyssisl
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27

but al Bloody Angle itself the works were
not so we'll preserved. Standing on the
brow of the hill where the fiercest fight
ing occurred. Col. Bird. who was on Gen.
Barlow's staff, pointed out where he had
helped 10 form the army assigned to at
tack the Confederate works at the angle
thereafter TO be known by its sanguinary
title.
Il was busy all night" he said. "As We
were very near to the enemy, and as abb
sClute quiet was necessary, We ordered
the soldiers TO throw away the caps of their
guns, so TO provide against even the acci-
dental explosion of a weapon. / can re-
member the pitiful look some of the men
gave while obeying the order, for they
knew that they would be helpless If at
tackled, and, at any rate. something des-
perate was being planned. We made ev-
cry man hold his canteen, so that ii
should not rattle. In the morning we
moved forward. The COnfederates had
placed an abatis Of rails stuck in the
ground on end as their first line Of pro-
lection, and then had piled the ground
with timber. II took several moments to
clear these distractions away, so that the
enemy had some little notice OF our COM
ing. They were in pens of logs and could
NV SNN Jul ~ AABA4ls ~ llldL We plult8
them after a brief conflict, and then we
bagged a whole division, including Gen.
Johnson, whose headquarters had been
established in the McCOol house. We
could not advance, however, because our
line had become disOrganized For twen-
~ hours the fighting continued. re-en-
fcrcements coming up on both sides"
The Landrum house. near which Han
cocks men were massed by Col. Bird,
still stands, and is occupied by the Ian
drum family. I've had go bodies in and
around our house" said Mr.. Landrum, as
he told Of his experiences during the fight.
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27

wilderness Run Il beautiful The fields
stretch away to the forests on every side
and ara az green as well-Wsteren. fer
tile soil can make them. Instead o. vii
dsrnsss the country seems a paradise.
IL was only when. few miles farther on
after the Lacey house had been left in the
distance and Palmers field, which was
once covered with dead bodies. had been
passed, that the procession OF carriages,
turning into the woods, encountered a
real wilderness. In the midst OF an inde-
scribsble tangle OF trees and underground
the old trenches could still be seen. al
though how men fought under such oir-
cumstances was then and is stiil wOn-
der. In a CLEARING was the house Of
man named Fall. an old farmer. with
typical long. white beard, who had his
story to tell OF escaping from Union cav
airy while he was trying TO carry his
family and his household goods into the
forest by hiding behind rock. At night
the Chewing house was reached, a
building conspicuous on the military
maps. for all around il were the Confed-
crate works. In the morning the line Of
march was laheu up along private road
which led into lie Orange turnpike.
There are said TO be about 5000 acres in
the Wilderness In olden times ii was
practically a tTackless forest, but now
there are farms scattered through IL, and
ii is only I'm occasional localities that
primeval nature is seen. The demand for
railroad ties has been the principal cause
OF the cutting down Of the enormous trees
that were once the pride of the Wilder
ness.
a Simpie Monument to Lee
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
Where Ston.walI jackson Fell.

The resinous odor OF pines filed the air
as the party stood by the simple SHAFT en-
the roadside that marks the spot where
Stonewall Jackson fell on the night Of
May 2, 1S63, shot by his own men as he
was returning from a reconnoitering ex-
pedition. II is granite column, with IL
scriptiOns on each OF the four sides. One
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
The Battle of Salem Church.

Down the Hill and out upon the roaI
over which Sedgwick's corps marched the
visitors passed, the horses heads being
:E'rend toward Salem Church. At some lit
tie distance from Fredericksburg Capt.
Rowe pointed out a frame, twO-stOry
house. MY father" he said, placed all
his furniture in that house for safe-keep-
ing and there it remained until one day
a shall came along, struck the house, and
burst in the room in which the furniture
was stored. After that" said the Captain
laughingly, 1T wasn't worth much even
for fireWood."
Cattle were grazing on the hills. the
farmers were harvesting their wheat, and
the sun was shining with golden splandor
as the party rode along. The contrast
with the days when regiments trampad
wearily along. when the roads and fields
were filled with dead horses and when
bursting shells made dreadful music.
was very vivid. At Salem Church. an old
fashioned brick building, the party stood
beside the old earthworks and listened
to the story of Sedgwick's fight, with the
maps spread under the shade of a large
tree, upon some tables which had evident
ly been constructed for a picnic party
The walls of the church plainly showed
the marks Of bullets and cannon balls
Within the edifice is a memorial altar
built by the contributions of New Jersey
and South Carolina men, and a Grand
Army post in the former State, composed
OF survivors of the fight, has supported
the Salem Church Sunday-school for thir-
ty years.
When Sherman marched through here
10 Washington in 1865" said Col. Bird
he saw many bodies still unburied and
reported that fact. l came down here 70
bury them, and found these woods full
OF corpses." AS he spoke he also pointed
out many places where bodies had been
eXhumed in order that they might be taken
to the cemetery at Fredericksburg.
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27

ne had then lcst eo.co men in six days
fighting around Spottsylyanis Court
House. II Is Faid that IN thirty days be
lost 8. so men actually killed. The Con-
federats loss was also enormous. Even
nowadays bodies are pl0wed up every
time the ground Is turned In the spring
while bullets are es numerous 10 the soil
as stones Mr.. Landyum said % me that
he had found so many corpses on his
place that the keeper Of the National
Cemetery al Fredericksburg grew tired
Of coming after them. This. II is 10 be
remembered. IS thigty-tiye years after the
battles occurred
IL WAS at his headquarters just in the
rear OF the Union lines that Grant wrote
the historic line saying that he proposed
TO hght IL out on this line II il takes
all summer" The site OF MS headqusr-
ters Is, OF course, Included in the bound
aTy OF the proposed park.
The interest Of the old soldiers all over
the country In the present appearance
Oh THIS locality is shown By the large
number OF letters which Mr.. Landrum re-
eelVes. lie had one in his pocket the
other day. II had been addressed rather
indefinitely to 'Landrum House. Spotis-
sylvania Court House Va" and asked
OF the Bloody Angle and its contiguous
hghtins ground at the present day. There
Is no doubt that when the proposed park
is established. and its batle-fieIds made
easily accessible by good roads and cleo
tric lines. the number OF old veterans
VINO Will revisit these scenes will be al
most beyond computation.
Prospect Excellent for Park.
That the establishment OF the park may
be confidently expected was the unani-
nous sentiment among those who finally
turned their faces toward Fredericksburg
after leaving SpOttsylvania Court House
and returning 10 the city by way of Ham
ilton's Crossing, where Franklin's corps
engaged with Jackson. There IS no
ground in the United States which ap-
pealS with such force TO those who study
the strategy OF war. to say nothing of
the human interest which attaches 10 the
localities where men have met in terrible
conflict In the section proposed to be
embraced in the park were the earliest
and most severe contests of the war, as
well as the campaign which inaugurated
the movement upon Richmond and mark
ed the beginning Of the end. After the bat
tie of the Wilderness. according to Gen.
Grant, the Confederates acted purely On
the defensive
The executive committee Of the Park
Association is composed Of the following
gentlemen: James B. Sener, Chairman
executive committee: Horatio c. King,
Chairman of association; Walter II. Tdy-
Tor, Vice Chairman of association; James
z. COrbin, Secretary of association; III. f.
Crismond, Treasurer of association; James
A. Beaver, James d. Brady. T. Z. Morris.
j. S. Potter. st. g. r. Fitzhugh, 5. J.
Quinn, f. d. Cole. NJ. B. Rowe, T. Nc
Cracken. and William A. Little. jr They
are all earnest and enthusiastic in pro-
noting the project and have already done
tremendous amount of practical work.
The entire nation is interested in bringing
their labOrs to a successful conclusion.
HENRY LITCHFIELD WEST.
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
Miles aud Miles Of Earthworks.

The hill back Of Bloody Angle IS literal
ly plOwed into earthworks. The trenches
are so close together that a man can step
from one TO the other for a great dis
tance- Like all the other works, they are
covered with brown pine needles, while the
woods in which they are situated look to-
day as they did during the hours when
they were the center OF hand-to-haud
fighting. Mary OF the trenches wer.
made 10 serve az graves. the raised earth
beng simply turned back over the dead
which filled the eXcavated line.
On the hill near the I.andrIIn house
where Hancock's artillery was stationed
the lunettee In which the guns were
placed stand to-day just as they appeared
m 1914. There are eight or ten OF the..
IN rOW, looking brown and s6nber with
thelr carpet OF pine needles. and the sun
hlteTs down UPON them through the Dine
branches. Although now silent and de-
serted, one can easily imagine the thun-
derous terror Of the guns on that event
iul day, when the blue and the gray were
struggling together from early morning
until long after nightfan for the posses
sion OF the strategic point. Looking from
these fortifeations over TO Bloody Angle.
the woods and fields seem again alive
1900 ''+NtA att-NAA4s INT tIt at-
mCkph-re Is again heavy with rain and
smoke. and the cries OF the soldiers and
the shrieks OF the wounded are again
resOundlng upon the air.
1t Was at tie Bloody Angle that the
nring Was 20 severe as TO actually cut
IN two an oak tree twenty-five inches IN
diameter From the top Of this tree Mr
Landrum took twenty-nine pounds Of
bullets. while the stump Is stin preserved
in Washington.
Writing 10 Gen Halleck on the lIth OF
May. before the heaviest days fighting
had occurred. Gen. Grant estimated that
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
A simpie MonumenttoLee.

Across the fields on each side OF the
turnpike LOngstreets men came, after an
aH-night march, to relieve A. P. Hill.
There is Tapp's field" said Mai. Biscoe
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
The story of Bloody Angle.

From Sedgwicks monument to Bloody
Angle was a short journey. As the car
riages drove through the woods. the Con-
federate trenches were plainly discernible
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
4 Night In the Wilderns.s.

A few miles beyond Tally's house the
party entered the Wilderness. Never did
name seem more misftted. The valley OF
The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
On NisTye's Heights.

on the morning OF December e. 1S62.
the Union forces we're eneamped on the
northern shore OF the Rappahannock,
where their batteries commanded the
heights. and were also IN possession OF
the town, which had been shellcd. on
the heights on the other side OF the town
were the C0utodorAtcS iu q long line.
which extended several miles from Ham
Atou's crossing On the right OF Becks
Island upon tie left Almost IN the cen
trr OF the lire Was Marye's Heights a
Hiil about 80 feet high With a fine man
SION Ct the summit OF its grassy slope.
anI with q stone wall and q sunken road
az ita foot From the wall 20 the river
there stretched "a practically unbrokcn
fiold. and " hen the mist was driven away
by the rays OF the rising sun. the Con-
iedcretes saw a portion OF the Union
Army. under Hancock and French, drawn
mp iu line Of battle.
A. the party stood I'm the smkeu road
last Wednesday morning beginning its
travels over memorable ground. il Was
remarked that the open Held had disap-
pearsd. and that 10 was now the site OF
many pleasant homes. \ considerable