The National tribune., 1901-02-28

and Trent Rivers and the railroad are
/ about the only things that appeared nat
ural.
The hill on which We were cncamped i.
hill no more. ! remember that we uSeC
I to look over the heads OF the Massachu
! sets boys down 10 the River NCIlSc; hut
! the hills have been removed, the hollow:
| filled up, the old sand road done away
with. and thc streets laid ont in squares
and there was nothing familiar at all. The
CampGround was covered with houses anC
factories. Even the Castor House had
been in the hands of the carpenters, and
had put oil new suit of clothes. and there
was no resemblance whatever TO war-tim,
appearance.
The Episcopal church had been partly
destroyed by fire and rebuilt. So that it did
not look natural; the Catholic church was
entirely rebuilt, and even the little Negro
church, where some of the boys used to
attend on Sundays, and when the cOllec-
tiOn was taken up throw pennies upon the
heads of the women underneath, had been
demolished. | remember on one occasion
the preacher wanted to take up q collec-
ton for the benefit of a brother who had
been burned out and lost everything. The
preacher said the brother had not money
enough left to buy ''chaw of tcrbackcr." "
| visited the National Cemetery, and |
thought 1 could stand beside the graves
Of my old comrades. | could find the
graves of only four who were killed at the
battle of Newbern. The graves of the rest
of my friends were all marked I'm
known" Such is fame, to be buried in a
strange land and graves marked I'm
known" How this could have happened L
cannot understand, as in our little ceme-
terry, near the regimental camp, at the
burial of every comrade We placed a
wooden headmark; but these must have
been removed, either carelessly or purpose
ly, and now my comrades and intimate
friends are sleeping in graves with little
headstOne that shows only a number. |
was so disguised to find myself stranger
in n strange place that | Immediately de-
cided to leave on the first train, which
proved to be a mixed freight. While at
Newbern ! stopped at the Carolina Inn"
and there ! met several boys who were ION
the other side" but they were kind to me.
No animosity whatever was shown.
/ started for Kingston, and here, thought
l, in that sleepy-hOllow, there will certain
ly be no change. / believed ] could go to
the very spot where | stood in battle on
the 14th of December, 1862; but here
again came the ravages of prosperity.
Kingston is no longer a ecpy-hollow. Sew
eral stores and factories were in the pro-
cess of erection. The old wooden bridge
across the Ncuse has been replaced by an
iron one; so across the river / went and up
the hill to Miss Alce's" church, and here
again found a change. The old church had
been burned, the roads had been cut
through, changed and altered. The lands
are clear where woods once grew, and
trees are growing on the clear lands of 40
years ago. / could find nothing familiar
here except the swamp and the brook, and
could not for the life of me tell where l
stood. At point between the roads l
recognized that q house once stood, but
was there no longer. On inquiring of an
old colOred man, he told me that it had
been removed. / went down the road half
or three-quarters of q mile, intending to
find the place where l was patient in the
field hospital, but the house was gone, and
| was sick and tired of hunting up things
Of the past, ancient history, gone forever.
/ had very pleasant time, indeed, on
my trip. / spent couple days in Wash
ingtOn, and am now home again and at
work.--W. l.. BLACKMAN, Go. B, 10th
Conn.
[COmrade Blackman served three years
with his regiment. He is now certified
public accountant and President of the AL
entOwn Business College, Allentown, Pa. ]