Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-05-17
rlonterey And Camp Barlow.


The following contribution IL
the Historical Literature Of High
lanl and Pocahontas counties i
from the pen of Rev. Capt. John
Miller, in command of Miller's
Battery. Chaplain Mcllwain, Of
the 44th Va. Infantry, Col. Scott
commanding, has since attained
marked distinction as alpastor, Sec
rotary of Mission, President OF
Hampton S. dney College, and
when a member of the Virginia
Legislature was an efficient pro-
moter Of qualified suffrage. Capt.
N. is the Capt. Norment, so we'll
remembered by us Of the elderly
citizens of Highland and Pocahon
tas.
The cold autumnal morning at
Monterey. with the distant outline
of mountain ranges sharpl, d'lincd
against the metallic skv, and white
mist still lingering in the bottom
of the valleys, called to mind the
legend which is preserved to US in
the stirring stanza Of Lengfellow;
"Under the walls of Monterey
One morning our buglers were
heard to play,
Victor Galbraith!
In the mists of the morning damp
and grey
These were The words they seemed
to say,
Go forth to thy death! Victor Gal
braith."
Monterey is a small place rather
picturesquely situated in lap OF
the mountains. 1t had been little
more than a den of sickness ever
since the troops entered it.
The Calvary camp has been NOV
to the outskirts Of the village, on a
verdant hillside, with a salubrious
atmosphere and an ample prospect
of wood and mountain.
The weather had been drplora
bly, Rad, but it was fine again. A
horseback ride over theAlleghanles
to camp Barlow, only 20 miles dis
tant, would be delightful. so on
a CLEAR September morning we
were mounted, boot and saddle, and
fairly in motion. The ROAD as it
winds up the first ascent command
a view Of Monterey for miles The
little cluster Of houses and the adj
joining group Of tents re-appear at
every turn in the gorge below. At
12 Meridian we halted and dined at
a place called Hevener's. Every
thing was unusually neat and clean
and the exercise had whetted our
appeiites for the broiled. bacon, cold
light-bread and apple-butter that
was set before us by the cheerful
matron and her buxon daughters.
We soon began to ascend the Allie.
ghanies proper, which are about IA
miles from base. As we neared the
summit, the landscape began to ex-
pand upon the right. A tremend'
Gus gorge ,awned at our feet, Gov
cred with primeval forest. bounded
by an extensive undul"ting ridge
All that was ancient. grim and sol
itary in nature seemed to be be
meath us and beyond US. We were
the identical horsemen referred to
so often by G. y. r. james. We
had not gone very far when a very
different prospect broke upon our
view on the left-a prospect OF
grandeur and loneliness that amply
com pensated us for the hole jour
ney--a prospect, too, that with
ceaseless variations and enlarge
ments continued too laden our
eyes until we reached camp Bar,
tow. The growth Of timber just
here skirting the road, was stunted
and scented to set off most fayora
blythe fairy land that doated in the
hazy atmosphere on the distant
horizon. Immediately beneath u
as we gaztd on he right, on the
left, were two wooded slopes. lux
, uriant in every respect The only
difference was that the farther bill
upon the right was more bare than
its neighbors, AID that upon its ex.
tran,a rerae several tall, isolated