The Newtown bee., 1908-01-31
The NewtoWn Bee.
 NeWtown, Friday January 3l, 1908.
Our Southern
 Letter. E. l.. JOHNSON, Writes Interestingly Of His Recent Visit to the Southland.
E. l.. JOHNSON,

Tn our last lettef we called attenllOI !. to the siege of Petersburg which was of such long continuance, because oi
 the great strategic importance it oc'
 cupied in protecting the approaches tc
 Richmond, the capital of the Southern Confederacy, the seat of the Confeder. ate government, and the goal for which the Federal army from Mcdowell to Grant were fighting in reponse to the cry, "0n to Richmond" The city of Richmond itself is almost encircled with battle fields, all of great interest to the tourist and the lover of history. Within a radius of twenty miles of Richmond are the battle grounds of Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Mechanics vile, Savage Station, Yellow Tavern, Gaines Mill. Harrison's Landing, Sev- en Pines and Drury's Bluff. The bat tie of Malvern Hill as the last of the "Seven Days Fight" in winch the
 Federals lost over 15,00O men. These
 battles known as the "seven days
 fight" commenced only six miles from Richmond on June 26, 1862, and known as the battle of Mechanicsville by which Nc Clellan was slowly driven from before Richmond, successively to Gaines Mill, Cold Harbor, Savage Station, Frazier's Farm, Malvern Hill and Harrison's Landing, where at last he was under the protection of the gun boats on the James River and the Con- federate army under the command of Gen Robert E. Lee, had saved Rich mond to the Confederacy for the time being, and thus was the war pro- longed. There is National cemetery within two miles of Richmond and an- other one at the "Seven Pines,," the latter of which we visited it being only seven miles from Richmond and is cas- fly reached by trolley. The battlefield is several miles in extent and the Fed eral breastworks may still be seen in many places. The cemetery covers about two acres of ground at point where the onslaught was the fiereest. The grounds are enclosed by a brick wall five feet in height with two en- trance gates which are locked at night. A neat dwelling enclosed within the grounds, is the home of the care keep CT and his family. A flagstaff from which floats the Nations colors, from sunrise to sunset, stands within, the walls, surrounded by one thousand four hundred and eighty-fve soldier dead. A white marble post four inches square and six inches above ground and in some cases a marble slab one foot high marks each grave. A few have name, state and regiment on, but the greater part mark graves of the ''un- known" .@ ON THE BATTLEFIELD WHERE
 THEY FELL, THEY LIE.
 An epitaph placed in raised letters on tablet of bronze occupies cen tral position among the marble mark CTS and answers for one and all as fol- lows: -e~= . On Fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread,
 And glory guards with solemn round, The bivouac of the dead.
 The muffled drums sad roll has beat The soldiers last tattoo No more on life's parade shall meet That brave, and fallen few.
 Rest on embalmed and sainted dead Dear as the blood ye gave
 No impious footsteps here shall tread The herbage of your grave.
 Scattered about the grounds are few native white oaks, that, having escaped the carnage of shot and shell of battle, cast their cooling shade in summers heat, strew the ground in Autumn with a blanket of many colors and stand in their nakedness, as sen- tinels during the dead of winter. Stand ing beside the highway nearby. is a forlorn and silent witness of that Bloody Sunday" June 1, 1862. While in use as temporary hospital, fierce onslaught of the Confederates made it the center of the battle ground, and abandonment was necessary. It still standing with its bullet scared sides, and is known as the "Seven Pines House." This historic place is at the end of the trolley line on the Will liamsburg road from Richmond. In no better way can history be studied than on the ground where history has been made, for, however much we may read. we cannot grasp the facts so well as when we are in the immediate locality where history, as it was made, was written with the pen of blood. The tourist, as well as the historian. finds such places of great interest, where brave men have fought and died In de-