The National tribune., 1901-08-29
HARPER'S FERRY.

| Early in the morning, while the sun
was lingering in loving dalliance with the
beautiful Aurora, our regiment was on the
move. The morning was supremely beau
tiful; Il light wind was blowing from The
west, and the clear air, lnpresHated with
the delicious aroma of flowers, gratefully
Saiutcd our nOstrils, and impercepuDiy
seemed to endue us with yigOr, so that
we ali started forward in great spirits,
and with Jokes, songs and merry laughter
gayly went on our way, and reached Har-
pers Ferry about 10 o'clock. As we
emerged from the rayinc-like road which
let us out from Maryland, and left rs on
the Potomac, rushing down before Us, and
its ShalIOwer parts presenting a ruin OF
pontoon trains, which had been destroyed
by the rebels upon their Tapiu and dis
astrous retreat from Maryland.
we bchcld the wreck of an immense
fabric, which had once been splendid
bridge, broken, dismantled and hanging
over the river, in ruins which proclaimed
its former architectural beauty.
The Government iron works on the
Maryland side had also felt the mutilat-
ing hand of the ''chiyairous' invader; but
his hurried retreat prevented the disaS-
trOus cOnsummatiOn he so devOutly
wished; and while one wing of the cX-
teDsivc range of buildings lay in inglOr-
iOus ruin and confusion. the other stood
up, tough, strong and mighty, untouched,
like the tabled Achilles after his enc0un-
ter with Hector.
We looked across the Potomac, which
is here about 200 feet wide, and beheld
the ruins Of Harpers Ferry.
We gazed around. On the Maryland
side there lay heaps of railroad material,
in understandable confusion - SIeepers,
heaps of broken cars, piles of brick and
stone, and every kind of building ma
terial, which the rebels had vainly at
tempted to destroy, but which, owing to
the huge quantities, they had only sue
ceeded in scattering about. Bolivar and
LOudoun flights arose before us in their
statelncsS and grandeur, and painfully
reminded us Of the disgraceful surrender
that had been cOnsummatCd there but
few days before, which had allowed the
dccimated, routed army of Lee to evade
the grasp of the victorious Mcclellan.
a long, dirty, dusty street reached
along close to the margin Of the river,
through which a railroad track was laid;
Il few struggling wooden houses were To-
Gated on one side, and every one of these
shantes boosted Il sign. the burden of
which was, Bred an ri Here To Sell"
the parsmOniOus inhabitants charging the
most cXOTbItant prices for the SlImmcSt
kind of pies, and introducing the pur
chaser TO 4 species of small beer termed
POP" which, when it had ceased to eff
fervescc, left the lumber in its original
This place we thought
might with propriety be termed 1.-THE
edge of Maryland" The hot
monday sun streamed down upon US, as
we sat by the railroad track waiting our
turn to cross over the pontoon bridge
which was laid to the other side. After
with much difficulty, we
reached Harper's Ferry proper; and, los
ing the river from our view, saw the spot
where John Brown, of martyred memory,
made his last stand when hunted by the
militia of the witless Wise.
The house. small wooden building.
was fast falling to pieces: at one end the
remains of an immense chimney could be
seen, which. in its original state, must
have been larger than the dwelling itself.
A broken fence surrounded the ruin
where the gallant Brown, with a few
dcfcd a large number of the
militia of Virginia, but was overcome by
force, and reluctantly compelled
to yield.
merous brick houses, nearly all of which
racks and Provost-Marshals' offices; pat
cnted wooden houses were set up on the
vacant lots, from which suffers peGdled
their shop-wOrn goods, doing {; double
trade, taking in soldiers and greenbacks
at the same time. FurlOuGhed and wound
ed officers and men were staying through
out the town, and we saw many stray
glers belonging to the regiments which
had preceded us. Resumng our march,
we left Harper's Ferry behind us.