The Newtown bee., 1907-11-08
A LETTER From E. l.. John-
 son TO VIEWPOINTS DEAR CHILDREN And Those of The Bees Wider
 Field.
Richmond. Va. October 15. 1907

Richmond, Va., October l5, 1907.
 To Newtown's dear children: will ask you to spend few minutes with me on trip down the James River. We have now been two weeks in and around Richmond. The weather has been fine and although each day has been full to overhowing with historical interest, none has as yet exceeded the deep interest that was excited in us on
 Saturday, October 12, when we went
 with excursionists 5000 in number down
 the James river to Jamestown Island
 and historic old Jamestown.
 Were 1 to go into any one of our
 schools this morning and put the ques-
 tion, "When and where was the first
 English settlement made in America?"
 the answer would come, "In James,
 town, Va, in 1607." So, why should
 not ones blood be stirred at being one of great company to go to that his toric ground 300 years from the time
 when three small sailing vessels first arrived at this point on the river, that they afterward called Jamestown, where they built fort to protect themselves from the attack of savages, and then erected a church in which to worship God, a church building of the simplest and rudest form. It is not my purpose to inject into this letter anything not calculated to interest child life, so will merely say in this connection that this memorable excur- sion was made possible by the unstint- ed zeal and hospitality of the Episcopa- Hans eof Richmond, for the members and attendants on the General Con- vention of the Protestant Episcopal church of the United States, that is holding its trl-ennial three weeks ses- sion in this wonderfully historic city.
 From Richmond four steamers of the Old Dominion line went down for the service and as the little hotilla steamed in single file down the winding river, past historic homes, through country hallowed by the history of three cen turies, it was a most inspiring sight, The James river all the way down is lined on both sides with places of great historic significance in connection with Indian wars, the War of the Revolution and the recent Civil war, of which you are learning something from your his- tory as the years go by. Of some of these places we will write our observa- tions as we pass along, confning our selves entirely to points of particular interests in connection with the Civil war. The history student has learned that Richmond was great strategic point during the Civil War, being the capital of the so called Confederate states and for a long time the war cry was "On to Richmon l" and time and time again were McClellan's forces driven back, and much blood and treas ure was sacrificed before the evacuation of Richmond was accomplished. We have only to move eight miles below Richmond before we pass Drewry's Bluff, where the Confederates built early in the war a fort to defend Rich mond from an invading foe. Here in May, 1862, one year after the war had commenced, a Federal fleet consisting of the iron clad, Monitor, three other iron clads and other a,med vessels made an attack on the fort and aft CT fight of several hours was con- pelled to withdraw and float down stream. Opposite Drewry's Bluff is another bluff where redoubts and rife pits are pointed out, although some what hidden by scrubby growth of 40 years. Fourteen miles down the river we pass through Dutch Gap" made memorable in history from the fact that Gen B. F. Butler undertook to cut