The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-12
.|R||EC0LLECT|ONs
QEbCQ |!
With a Surg cons Pass in 4 Ills
.5i Z ocket listed Scenes Of
Carnage. l8ss
HOW JACKsON;vNAsn ISL COATED ! ED
4 Chickahominy Battlefelds q
They Appeared a Sc, Few !, 2 y''
After the Fighting.

Il 315lley EfAppedIcu! q 1ssCHY A1'aJ ? sS
a After the Fighting.
"a few ~ after the close Of q the Pc Pc
Il ninsula cainpai gn. in 1852, = obtained g
permit to visit the battle leds. had trie t
n several times to o btain this privilege
Al during tie engagements; but NJ had been cen
81 denied 1t ;sland now, in spite of the ms
% tense heat, i detarmlned to put my,
plan into executio ion before some Il nc CIV Y
Il order should forbid II. q NJ 81
55,S wished ito GROSS the Oh icka hoininy at
4 meadow Bridge, and, lthouE ll my pass pass
4 aid not give me the authori ty to do so
Il i determined to make the a temp t. 81 ~ q
y hours ride brought me to the spot, and
Il as my pass was not good at this point,
~ de termined 10 resort to strate BY ~
& the sergeant or the gu ard II q PIP roach l eu
I. me I entered Into conversatl Ion & with
hin, about the news. VI He was a. Geor:-E
dan, and as verdant as the hills Of his
native State We had been conV yer sing
II FOR about five minutes, when II sud denly
told the ffellow3I must push \. he
moved aside and, putting spurs tlt' y %
a my horse, Il went across the bridge with
G the speed OF the wind. ~: 81
Turning to the II git, q short dis lance
q ne yond ,ST soon discovered General I'LL
track. gs} Els advance Il had been through
IS a wheat field and had ileft a broad path
II behind, as smooth as though 1t has been
NJ pressed down with a roller Il Ilere5s g g n y
there. were little u gzag a IA tbs through
III the wheat. III marking the movements rt q
%S the skirmishers. Is
From the crest Of these hills @ n OBJ t.
Fa tanned a fine view Of the Confederate
#sposition5 on the opposite side Of the swamp.
4 The ederalsl had held this posi- ton o.
their line only with a strong picket
force, and numerous shelters OF boards
d and pine boughs indicated the locations
N OF their posts. After leaving the wheat
fields I entered n succession OF abrupt
4 hills and valleys, through which ran q
small brook, fed by q Number OF springs.
M One Of these springs was ins lovely,
nook, and It's waters were cool and sparks;
ling. Just on Its brink lay on unex-
Ii ploded percussion shell which mad neo 2,
( Thrown by a Confederate gun. Shells
II and fragments Of shells lay thickly about
this country. $3 Tho fencing was down,
and the only road that I could follow
was the track left by 1Iill's advance
This soon swept abruptly into the WOODS,
a and finding myself in danger Of losing
my way among the pines. I rode along the
Ne dge%of them, but found that ! had en-
81 tlrely lost tho road soon q most in-
X tolerable stehch convinced me that !
must be ncar,.Alcciinnicsville Following
this novel guide. which grew moro un-
y pleasant every moment, 4 came out IN
d the main road. in sight II OF the vi lage.
Hero I found that the stencil proceeded
from a number OF dead horses lying uIl-
buried In tho woods near the place,
Village Passed Through Two
Fights.
+ The village OF NTechanicsvil|e was a
d quiet. dreamy. sleepy sort Of place. and
Y had been tho scene OF two severn q ghts.
These encounters had almost dest royed
the town. Every house was cut through
by shot and shell, and somo were nearly
X n mass Of ruins. The country around had
desolate appearance, for It had been
\ literally torn to pieces. Ruins OF dwell
lighthouses, stables. and barns, fragments
of broken furniture and agricultural I'M,
PIGMENTS, greeted ME wherever turned.
The fencing was down. and the crops
were destroyed. The little church just
beyond the village was full OF sshot-holes,
and Its walls were defaced with obscene
& and plasphcmous sketches and wrlt ings
.{l in charcoal md g,,npowder. a Nj tit . e.
gS The Notifications were about mile
Y back Of the town, and were very strong.
They were built at the edge OF a wood
OF pines, on the brow OF a hill, Tn front
OF them was a large swamp, crossed by
ii only n narrow road and small Bridge
This bridge was destroyed, and the Con-
federates were forced to advance through
the swamp.
Ellersons MIL about q mile to the left
a of Mechanicsvlle, WAS strongly fortified
and was the scene OF desperate con-
3 fiict In which both armies fought with
stubborn bravery.
Beyond Mechnnicsyie turned down a
{ steep. abrupt hill. The road passes
through a narrow. rugged gorge at this
Y point and suddenly emerges from 1t In
the midst OF n swamp, which Is crossed
IN only one place by ii small wooden
bridga when had been replaced by tho
Confederates. Immediately opposite not
more than five hundred yards distant,
which had Just descended. It was
crowned by thick pine grove. and Just
at the edge OF the trees ] could see a long
red limo marking the position Of works
erected by NfcClellan's men. The sud
denness with which came upon this
powerful and splendldly located line
almost startled me. relned in my horse,
and for some moments gazed at II with
unaffected admiration. Then, pushing
through the swamp and ascending the
IS hill. ] turned into the main work. The
1edoubt had been armed With teld artil-
lery, or Its guns haH been carried off,
for there were mono remaining In It. n
4 few yards back OF the parapet nero
the ruins OF n large captonmsnt; ana
TIM empty cans, Jars. bottles and papers
scattered through the trees gave evil
dence that the Federals had not suffered
& for tho good things Of this life. shot
OF all Kinds and pieces OF shell lay thick
"a tiypr