Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-29
OLD BATTLEFlELDS
Visited by Gen. J. L. Chamberlain,
Names Famous Soldier.

Forty years will make great change
in the appearance of battle-ground, and
nature will efface from sight nearly al
the marks of the strife that took place
but still there will be signs of the greal
battle that was waged. and many of these
signs remain on the battlefield of Peters
burg, from which Gen. Joshua l.. Cham
berlain has just returned.
The old Union warrior had been to New
York to deliver an address before mem
bers of the Loyal Legion and then he had
gone to Scranton and Carbonate where
he met a number of the veterans of the
same brigade which he led at Petersburg
Meeting these veterans put the desire in
his head to visit the scene of former
fierce encounters. so when in Washington
a short time later he decided to pay a visit
to the old Battlefield. In speaking OF
what he saw Gen. Chamberlain said to al
Advertiser reporter, Wednesday morning
The old field of Petersburg, as far a.
the configuration of the country goes
presents much the same appearance as il
did 80 years ago. But the whole battle
ground is overgrOwn with broom-g grass tt
height of three feet. The defences oc-
cuped by the infantry and the rife pits
are marked by a hedge growth fully l;
feet high while the earthworks where III.
heavy guns were mounted are overgrow!
with trees as large as nail kegs and 80 feet
high. This growth of trees and hedge
probably originated in the apple seeds
peach stones and other things dropped
by our soldiers. This was the coalition
of our old works.
1.-The rebel lines in the center were prac-
tlcally the same, though they. too, Were
overgrown with woods. but not so thick
as ours. On the ends the earthworks had
been cut away. and the field made int
farm land where sweet pota toes and pea
nuts are raised. L saw the peanut vines
stacked the way We would stack beans
Everywhere, too. were little depresSions
or hilocks that marked the graves OF
dead soldiers.
ba of
to be very prosperous, much more than
the average Southern town. They do a
thriving business in tobacco sweet po-
tatoes and peanuts; so rich has this little
ey to the larger cities like Richmond
You know. after the nine months
fight at Petersburg, Gen. Grant placed me
in command of all this region, and | be
pie, When they found out who | was
they couldn't seem to do enough for me
and l was shown every attention.
From Petersburg ] followed the Apo
which we had driven Lee to the old An
pomatox courthouse. Here the scene was
quite different from Petersburg 'rhe old
courthouse had been torn or burned
down, the Mclean house where Gen.
Grant and Gen. Lee drew up their treaty
was torn down. and everything appeared
desolate and somber. | found that most
of the Older families had moved away
s'ilu ',io.e ~" HNlHS at AppOmatoX June.
ton had come there only in the last Ii
years. They were not thrifty and thirgs
were going to waste. They did not know
me. but when introduced myself though
they seemed to have no pleasure in per
petuating the old courthouse they treat
ed me as an honored guest
ON the field at the courthouse were n
number of bronze tablets telling where
the different brigades stood, and among
them my own OF six regiments / of
course gathered up many interestine, rai
les at the two backgrounds. and n Pc-
tersburg cut small cane from sassa-
fras bush near where | had been ,vm,nd
ed. Portland Advertiser "''hu-