The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-11


THIS writer has r-cently enjoyed to
the utmost "A long-hoped for trip to
the battleIicids At Gettysburg. SharpS-
burg ard in the Shenandoah Valley OF
Virginia, and. while our antiCipatiOnS
were very great. yet they were all
fully realized. OF course We will not
attempt to give the details of such a
trip bat A brief description may in
tereSt our readers. The Journey was
made in an automobile from WASH
ington. II. G.. To G-tteysDurg, SharpS-
burr. Wiil,arnsport. Winchester, StraS-
burg, New Market. I.uray. thence back
to Winchester ard returnin to wash
ipstou via Harper's Ferry and Fred
ericiS. The distance travelled was near
" live hundred miles in four days. so
that no time was lost either in travel
ing or IN sightseeing. Nothing what
ever happened TO mar the pleasure or
the Journey. The weather was az ia
vorable az could have been desired,
there having been onfy one shower or
rain and that was on the last after
noon of the trip between Frederick
and Washington, and even thar dld
not interfere with the comfort or
progress OF the journey.
such a hurried trip could have been
possible only in an automobile, Wnlcn
AT tunes rushed along at the rate OF
forty-hvs' miles an hour over a smooth
turnpike road. The roads Travelled
in Maryland and Pennsylvania were
free To travellers, but on the turn
pixies IN Virginia heavy tolls were
charged. twenty-five cents every nVe
miles for an automobile. These tolls
were collected every five miles by
some old man or woman by the road
sldc and a long pole was placed across
the road at each of those places,
which could be lowered or raised as
occasion demanded. The turnpike in
the Shenandoah Valley is owned by
the state and a the former
o~us-thjrl md the latter two-thirdS in
tprest. The collection of these tolls re-
minded this writer or the toll gates
that used - be on the plank-roads
l"adtn. out from Fayetteville nearly
sixty years ago. Our party consisted
u the editor III the Record Capt. w
/. London. n. NJ. London adm Lieut.
j. i. london. of tne t.. 5. 5. May
flower, who owned and drove the auto
mobile in which the trip was SO pleas
antly made.
Leave WASHINGTON.
our party left Washington about
O'clock i'll the morning and arrived a
Gettysburg 81 miles distant) at
o'clock. Most of the road was in fine
condition. although parts of it remind
ed us of our Chatham roads. bein:
quite hiily but not SO rocky. Tn
country along the road between Wash
iugton and Gettysburg was rolling an'
undulating, and on each side wer
terttl. and we'll cultivated farms, wit
magnificent fields of corn. AlthOugl
all the wheat had been cut yet som
had not yet been hauled out of tn
fields. and the large and numerOu
shocks Indicated a heavy yield an
bountiful harvest. throughout GU
entire four days journey the farm
along the road were splendid. bein
highly cultivated and very productiv'
raising chiefly corn and wheat. a
though so much farther north tina
our section yet the corn seemed to /
more advanced in growth than it w;
here. Hay also seemed to be a pril
cipai crop. and We saw many Wagon
hauling it from the field and ii
loads were 50 much larger than tho
hauled here. The teams pulling nea
ly al the wagons were large horse
but few mules.
The first place visited at Getty
burg, after dinner, was the Office
the United States government cor
miSsionrrS twho have charge Of +
bsttieieldb. and to whom we had
letter Of from the Sc
rotary Of War. kindly obtained for
by o J~osephus Daniels. the Seer
tary of the Navy. In their office is
very large map on which is identifi
every place and object of interest
the battlefield and which gives a We
clear understanding and explanati
of the movements Of the contendi
armies in that great battle. AT
leaving that office "A guide was {
tanned. Mr.. II. w. Long. who was fu
informed As to all the details of
three-dayS' battle and could tell
regiments composing every brigade
both the Union and Confederate
mics. The first point visited was
monument erected to Gen. Reyno
OF the Union army on the spot VIII
he was killed. 1t was near this pl
whore the battle began and where
Twenty sixth North Carolina Re
Bert lost 80 heavily. When there
could but think of the many gall
sons of Chatham county in that re
ment who We're there shot. Next
visited that part Of the battlef
where Daniels North Carolina
gade ought 81 bravely and lost
heavily. and of especial interest
the railroad cut in which so m
Union soldiers were then captul
nl.D ffYHf.,p ~, fhA 60.