Year: 1866

A correspondent of the Washington
National Republican gives brief descrip.
tion Of the present condition of the ia
nous line of works around the city of
Petersburg. lie says:


Fort Stcadman, The Crater" "Fort
He'll" and ether prominent points on the
memorable lines, are still nearly the same
in appearance that they were just after the
evacuation" OF Petersburg by the Rebel
army. The bcmb.proof and other works,
the construction Of which required the use
OF. wood, are being demolished by the own.
ers OF the land, who were cutting up the
wood for the Petersburg market. And
may here say that nearly all the fuel, in
the shape of wood, burned in this city
comes from the iortfcations 1t is the
best fuel in the market, as it is SO much
better seasoned than any other.


But the most interesting spectacle one
beholds at present along these lines is the
large number of colored persons who make
living in digging and searching for the
lead, bullets and other implements of war
so proiusely scattered about and buried
in these fields OF death,


Did you ever 60 huckleberrying"
way down in Yankeedom, "just in the
nick of the season 2" If so, you can form
good idea OF the view Of the visitor from
the mouth OF the Crater" was at this
point few hours ago-I mean the place
where the mine was exploded. From this
point you obtain, by tar, the best view of
the entire lines East of the city. This
al,


elevated that you can distinctly see the
celebrated L" lookout" of General Butler
at Dutch gap, on the James river, twenty
miles distant.


AS far as the objects are visible we dis.
cern the color d people Of all ages and
both sexes, with spade, hoe, shovel, or
pick, and all busy as bees digging for
" minnics." BY the denser squads of these
people it is easy for the stranger to know
where the " iron hail and leaden rain" fell
thckest. But the darkies" are every
where-somc on the embank ments, and
some in open fields, each with haversack
or small sack slung over the shoulder, and
every now and the a str;'r rlInnie ball or
shell cap, or piece OF shell is transferred
from the earth to the bag of the digger


AS near as could ascertain days work
to good digger was about 81 80 to So.
though many fell short of that The lead
is sold to an cntcrprising junk dealer in
this city, who pays seven cents pound
As about fourteen minnies make a pound,
the anxious digger can, any time during the
day, by counting his balls, learn how he is
prosre sing in his days work. And it you
meet any OF them toward night on their
winding way toward the city, as you
usually may see them in droves, any of
them Will tell you zacly' how much mo,
ney he has made during the day.


am sorry to say that the remains of
the numerous dead who lie buried all over
these fields OF death are often dsntcrred,
and the head boards, placed by careful
comrades, often taken away by the less
scrupulous of these diggers, AS may
have something more to say about the dead
of these fields, | will reserve comments on
this matter for another letter.


While WAS watching the operations of
lead gathering to day, negro boy threw
up in his spade silver pen case and gold
pen. 1t was found at point where one
hundred aud fifteen OF our brave men, un
der Burnside, met with death in the crater
aud were buried in n common crave