Year: 1861

come to the farther extremity, then pas


around to the head of the swamp beyoD'


(keeping well up so as to avoid the mire) til


you get past tho tall weeds SO you can SCI


out and see where you are. Now you will


have to wade across the shallow water be-


yond the swamp, and then get on tho other


high point of rocks, and keep down the river


till you get past the head Of the big gulch


then bear away through the tall grass Qook.


ing out for rattlesnakes) until you get dowr


right over opposite, and that will bring yov


to where you can see where the river is; no~


bear away to the right, minding the bogs


and the miro, and if you meet with no mis-


hap, you can soon pride yourself with stand


ing on the banks OF the Potomac,


The soil is very poor, and the surface broken
and uneven, and the natives on either side
count it very poor country for agriculture,
but the Virgnians refer you to "up coun.
try" as being the Eden of the world. up
country" with them, means in the direction
of Loudon County. They are also unlike
the people of the North in their manner of
living. have myself-and have often known
the soldiers and other officers to meet the
same experience-as we approached one of
the most comfortable farms and farm-houses.
stopped, and call for something to cat. We
can usually get such as they have, but when
we call for milk for our coffee, they inform
US that they don't keep COW. And this is
true to wonderful extent. Men with hun-
dreds of acres Of land, with any quantity of
what might be tolerable pasturage, and with
large families, don't keep the lawful number,
one COW. But the same persons will have
all eadless number of hogs all running at
large, and jacks and mules in multitudes.-
Potatoes seem not to favor this traitorous
land. | think ii they had good baked pota-
toes to eat occasionally, it would cure them
of their unhealthy, secession notions. do
not mean that there are no potatoes at all
here, for we occasionally see an apology for
potatoes, but hardly know where they come
from. We see no potatoes growing, and they
readily bring one dollar and half bushel,
and farmers 60 to the markets and buy them,
where they have them Tor family use. Hoe
cake and bacon is the principal subsistence of
the masses.


As to dwellings, they are of the cheapest
kind. A painted house is not seen. The best
kind of country houses sometimes are white
washed, as we whitewash our barns and pig
pens. The internal arrangement also, is CAL
culated for anything else but comfort and
convenience And as for school houses and
churches wish you could see them can't
write about them without laughing Per-
haps | ought not to say much of school
houses, for | have never seen but one in all
my rambles in the Old Dominion, but that
one had a very intimate acquaintance with,
having made it my fort on an occasion Of an
expected attack from the " varmints, while
on scout. This school-house stood in
neighborhood where the people claim to be
" some, and considerable more" They would
have taken any lntimation that they were
not Of the E. E. VS., as burning insult
[ know this is SO, for [ had occasion to call
on ono who termed herself q " maiden lady,"
but whom | regarded regular old maid
In the course of conversation | intimated
my surprise at the commonplace and unin-
terestiDg appearance of the country, and
ventured the opinion that perhaps things
thereabouts did not compare favorably with
other parts of Virginia. | know | ought
not to have said this, in view of Southern
pride, but l could not think Of anything else
to say, unless | went to telling her how con-
founded ugly she looked herself so blum
dered in. Well, it would have done you
good to have seen and heard the way | got
'' set up" for my stupidity. She apprised
me in very direct terms, that my judgment
was of very small account; and, what was
worse do really think l had up to this time
created very favorable opinion 10 the mind
Of "Ophelia," and believe she intended to
have invited me to stop 10 tea with her; but
this kicked the whole plan over, and [ had
TO eat " Uncle Sans crackers for supper
hat night.


But to return to the school-house. 1t was
quilt of square timber, laid up the old block
louse fashion, and was about twelve teet
square. The heating apparatus consisted of
| stone chimney laid up on one side of the
structure, 50 that the Fireplace could be
'eached from within, (and here let me say
his is the way most of the dwellings are
quilt in this country.) The windows were
ust large enough for portfolios, and the
benches were exactly like the old-fashioned
settles that our grandfathers used to have
standing in the fireplace after they bought the
lew stove. This institution had the usual
appearance Of being in full blast, and my Gu
.iosity led me to look around among the
,ooks, to soc what kinds were in use. I