Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-09-30
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Letter from General Leroy,

Letter from General Leroy.
Baltimore, Md, Sept. %, 1908.
We are pleasantly located at the
hotel Condor and having a real good
time. Yesterday we went to Fort
McHenry and saw that very thor
oughly This is the fort the British
tried all night to take, and Francis
Key watched the night long and
saw our flag still flying in the morn
ing and wrote the Star Spangled Ban
ner while under The inspiration the
nights dreadful pressure had made
upon him.
We left Chicago on time on a
special train on the Big -Four Rail
Road, with very merry party
aboard and it was not long before
we were all we'll acquainted. We
talked and enjoyed the scenery along
the route until reaching Indian
apolis where fine dinner awaited
us at the Hotel Grand. You may
realize how we'll we appreciated it
when you learn that we held our
train a whole hour and spent it all
at the table. Darkness soon set in.
and by the time Cincinnati was
reached we were all a bed and asleep.
Six o'clock in the morning called us
all up, we were rolling along the.
banks of the New river. To say
that this river resembles the Mis-
souri, puts it mildly. It's much
muddier and at least three shades
darker than the Missouri. Wewere'
among the mountains Of West Vir-
ginia and the scenery was simply
grand We crossed the river three
or four times but kept climbing
higher up all the time, passing
through tunnel after tunnel, finally
reaching; the highest point in the
Allegheny Mountains. Everyone
looked, no books, no games, very lit
tie talk, simply EXPLANATIONS of de-
light, as one beautiful scene after
another came in view. We passed
through a tunnel around corner of
the mountain and scene beautiful
beyond the telling passed before our
vision. One unanimous exclamation
of delight came from each one,
when suddenly an old soldier said
Shenandoah Valley-we actually
held our breath; then someone said
'and Sheridon fifty miles away" .
Then the stories of the struggle Of
1865 began to be told and we all
listened, and Hooked at Culpeper
Court House.
Something about ono of our en-
gines gave out and we left the cars.
Here was fought one of those ter
ribly bloody battles and the Nation
al Cemetery marks the resting place
of both the Blue and the Gray.
just as night settled down upon us,
we stopped to let a train pass us
and we jumped off to rest ourselves
by walking and saw on the depot
the words Manassas Junction
What recollections these words
brought to our minds, back, back
to 1861 when the news flashed
acrosssthe country that the battle Of
Bulls Run had been fought and the
Union army defeated. A gentleman
came and asked permission to ride
to Washington with us and we
found on conversing with him that
| he owned the farm where the heav-
lest Of the fighting was done, and he
Igave us each an apple picked that
day from trees grown on the old
battle field.
4 Soon we reached Washington and
at once ION to Baltimore which
H place we reached tired but not {
4 dissatisfied or disappointed one ii
the entire train load. We were me-
at the depot by friends and tn.
A Militant brothers of Maryland ane
soon were in our respective place,
and slumbering peacefully.
1 AT the opening exercises severa
eloquent addresses were made and
a fine band played between the ad.
] dresses. After the 4th or 9Th the
band played Iowa when suddenly
from all parts of the house the en-
thusiastic sons and daughters of oul
beautiful State commenced clappine
| their hands, there was nothing like
it until the Governor Of Maryland
spoke; then the band played Dixie
and the Southerners kept well up t.
us. At the close the band played
"The Star Spangled Banner" ane
all joined and made the building
fairly tremble.
Il Baltimore is one of the cleanes
cities I have been in for some time
and seemingly has as much hustl,
and hurry as Chicago; not bit lik'
the old (before the war; city at all
1t has one Of the finest street ca
systems in the world.
Today work in the Sovereign
Grand Lodge begins in earnest. w,
have a trip down the river and ba,
ahead besides several others, 81
can't tell when we will, reach home
Respectfully,
NJ. F. LERoy
ONE THUG WAS KILLED