The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-01

from the pen of Wesley Bradshaw.
Esq, and makes a fitting companion
to 'tWaShingtOn'S vision, which
sketch, written by the same author, at
the commencement of our National
difficulties, was widely copied by the
press, and commended by Hon. Ed
ward Everett, as Teaching a highly
important lesson to every true lover
Of his country"
Two o'clock of the third night after
General McClellan's arrival in Wash
ington to take command of the
/ United States Army, found that just
! Nv celebrated soldier pouring over
several maps and reports of scouts.
AS the hour came tolling through the
night, together with the dull rumbl-
ing of wagon and artillery wheels, the
wearied hero, pushing from him MS
maps and reports, leaned his Tore
head on his folded arms upon the
table before him, and fell into sleep
30 deep that even the occasional
booming of the heavy guns, being
placed in position on the entrench-
ments, but was insufficient to disturb
1t.
<"I could not have slumbered more
than ten minutes" said the General.
narrated the strange narrative, when
] thought the door of my room, which
] had carefully locked, was suddenly
thrown open and someone strobe up
to me and laying a hand on my shoul-
der said in a slow solemn voice
General Mcclellan, do you sleep at
YOUR post? Rouse you, or ere 1t can
be prevented, the foe will be in Wash
ington!"
Never before in my life have
heard a voice possessing the COM
manding and even terrible tones OF
1.-THE one that addressed to me these
ords And the sensation that pass
ed through me, as it fell upon my
ears, and coweringly shrahk into
myself at the thought of my own neg
ligence, I can only compare to the
whistling, shrieking sweep of storm
of grape shot, discharged directly
through my brain. I could not move,
however, although I tried hard to
raise my head from the table. AS a
sense Of my willingness, and yet help
lessness to make an answer to the I'M
known intruder. oppressed me, | once
more heard the same low, solemn
voice repeat:
General Mcclellan. do you sleep
at your post 2"
There was a popularity about it at
this time. It seemed as though I,
mere atom of water was suspended
in the center of an infinite space, and
that the voice came from a hollow
distance all around me-. AS the last
word was uttered, / regained, by some
felt and yet unknown power, my vo-
lition, and with this change, the
CD, ~ cIov NV
brain ceased, and a strange but new
one seized my heart, one as If a, huge
rough icic1e was being sawed back
and forth through and through me.
started up, or rather I should say
I thought I started up. for whether /
was awake or asleep / am unable to
decide. My first thought was about
my maps. and before my eyelids had
half opened, my hand was grasping
them. But this was all. The table
was still before me and the maps all
crumpled in my fighting clutch, were
still before me, but everything else
has disappeared. The furniture was
gone, the walls of the apartment were
gone, the ceiling was not to be seen.
All I saw was the tableau I am about
to describe to you.
My gaze was turned southwark and
there spread out before me was a liv-,
ing map; yes, living map; that is
the only expression I can think of as
BETTING the scene. In one grand
coup d'oei1 my eye took in the whole
expanse Of country as far south as the
Gulf of Mexico and from the Atlantic
ocean on the east to the Mississippi
river westwardly.
Before. fully fixing my attention
upon the immense scene, however, I
thought of the mysterious visitant
whose voice I had heard, but mo-
ment previous and I looked toward
him.-An apparition stood to my left.
somewhat in front, at a distance of
about six feet from me. I sought for
his features, hoping to recognize him.
Bot was disappointed, for the statue
like figure was naught but vapor.
cloud, having only the general out
lines of man. This troubled me and
was turning the matter over in my
mind, when the shadowy visitor said
in the same slow, solemn tones as be-
fore: General Mcclellan, your time
is short. Look to the southwark" 1
felt unable to resist the command
even had I wished to DO so, and again,
therefore. my eyes were cast on the
living map. Out on the Atlantic, 7
saw the various vessels Of the block
aiding squadron. looming up with the
mos. perfect distinctness in the bright
moorshine that illuminated every
thing with strong but mellow light.
saw Charleston harbor and its forts
with their pacing sentinels and their
sullen-looking lbarbette guns. My eyes
followed the ocean line all the way
round into the Gulf, to New Orleans
and thence up the Mississippi Fort
Pickens and in fact every fertilization
along this water-boundary I beheld
with as much distinctness as you, sir.
see that corporals guard passing
there. The sight filled me with de-
1ightful surprise; but it would be ut
terly impossible for me to describe
the ecstatic amazement that followed,
as within the limits 1 mention, my
eyes took in, in minute but lightning
like detail, every mountain range,
every hill, every valley, every forest,
every meadow, every river, every city,
men, every sentinel, every earthwork
every cannon, and I may say, dispens-
ing with further detail, every living
and every dead thing, no matter what
it's bulk or height.
My blood seemed to stop IN it's.
channels with joy as / thought that
the knowledge and thereby advan-
tages thus given to me would insure a
speedy and happy termination to the
war.-And this one idea was engross-
ing my mind when that same slow
solemn voice said. General McC1e1-