The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-07-25
HISTORIC FREDERICKSBURG.
Interesting Letter from Charles Il.
WiSSHer, at One Time Law
Student In NcCOnnellSburg.


Student In NcCOnnellSburg.
While the following is a pri-
vate letter TO the Editor, it con-
tains so much information about
a town at which one of the blood
est battles of the Civil War was
fought, that we take the liberty
Of giving the letter in its entire
ty. More than a score of years
ago, Mr.. Wissner spent several
months as a law student in the
Offices of the late Senator w.
Scott Alexander, dropping
Blackstone and Kent to enlist in
the Spanish American War. But,
here's the letter:
fredericksburg, Va,
June II, 1918.
Ny DEAR MIR. PECK;
| had a happy surprise last
night in receiving a visit from
Mr.. j. C. Maun of your town.
His presence recalled to me some
of the happiest scenes of my life,
and it put into my mind a deter
mination to go back to the old
town for a visit, either at Christ
mas or in the spring. He tells
me that you are still in the news
paper business and | enclose you
some money so that you may en-
roll me among your subscribers.
have been living here in Fred
ericksburg for the last fifteen
years. During all of this time |
have taught school and up until
two years ago have always been
in active connection with some
newspaper in the community.
This town is situated on the r.
e. & P. +. r. and is on the main
highway between the North and
the South. To show you how i'm
portant our location is, | will tell
you that since April 1st, at least
10000 troops have passed thru
this town every week. These
troops were on their way to some
northern port where they en-
barked for France. When call
goes out for drafted men, hour
after hour, allday long and some
times way in the night, trains
bearing these men 60 laundering
thru our city.
| live on the main street,
about three blocks from the sta
ton; and while am debating
this to you, can hear the shouts
of the soldiers, who are on troop
train going north, and an hour
ago | heard shouts from a train
of drafted men going south.
Virginia has become a great
training ground for the Nations
armies. We have in this state,
Camp Lee near Petersburg with
some $4,000 men, a Camp of Ma
rines at Quantico with 20, 600
men and a Camp at Accotink,
forty miles from here which has
80, 600 engineers. Being so near
Quantico we always have a large
number of Marines to spend
their furloughs in our city. On
Saturday nights a n d Sundays
there are always from 1,2OO to
1000 here parading our streets,
courting our girls, and many OF
the latter have married Marines.
There is not a house in town
that has a room to rent that is
not occupied by Marine, Officers
and their wives, and even by en-
listed men and their wives. YOU
can't turn around here without
coming in contact with the uni
form. Were it not for these SOL
diers our streets would be en-
tirely empty of young men. We
have already given to the Ma
riues, Regular Army, Nationa
Guard, and the National Army
over 400 men. If you bear il
| mind that our po 1ulation is abou
5000 you will see that we have
| sent one man in fifteen to th'
! war.
We claim to be the most his
4 toric town in the world. Righ
: across the river some 800 yards
4 from where | am sitting and die
tating this letter to you, is tn
, old home of George Washington
3 where he lived from his fiftI