Documents, Letters, Reminiscences, Etc.
locks, who, to use the expression of a smart
lad in our company, "was standing by the rail-
road flirting apples at we!" The only consola-
tion I have is the assurance that the railroad
runs through the poorest part of Virginia. But
of her mountains and hills, valleys and
streamlets, one can never grow tired of behold-
ing.
I have visited, during my rounds, the
capitol grounds in this city, which have a repu-
tation for elegance and artistic beauty, almost
world-wide. Here is erected the monument to
Washington upon a high hill, or, rather, the
apex of the grounds. It is a bronze statue of the
great Chief, mounted on a pedestal some thirty-
five or forty feet high, and can be seen from
many parts of the city. Upon the front niche of
the monument are the statues of Henry, Mason
and Jefferson. The whole fabric is a most ad-
mirable work of art, and will interest any one
who has an eye for the beautiful. The visitor
can also see the statues of Clay, LaFayette, and
others, and also that of Washington by Stuart,
which is very life-like, and said to be the finest
in the world. The grounds are naturally very
beautiful, the grove of trees throughout pre-
senting a fine appearance. Its natural beauty
has not been very greatly changed by art, though
the situation of the grounds renders them ca-
pable of being made very grand and picturesque.
We are now encamped three and a half
miles from Richmond on the Norfolk railroad,
in a grove of pine trees, very like portions of
eastern Texas. Wood and water are conve-
nient-the latter the best I ever drank. As yet,
we do not know what disposition will be made
of us. It is said that, as we have enlisted for the
war, that we will not be called into service yet,
but kept until the time for which other troops
have enlisted (some over twelve months) has
expired. This is not positive. At present we
occupy our time in drilling. I learn today that
Col. R. T. P. Allen of Bastrop is to be our
Colonel.
It is understood that the Confederate
Government is now sending ordnance from this
place to Maryland for the purpose of driving
the Hessians from that State. A call has been
made for some more artillerymen.
A rumor is current that General
McClellan has been shot and very seriously
wounded in Baltimore. It needs confirmation.
There are fifteen or twenty thousand
troops encamped near Richmond, and the city
is always full of epauletted officers, subordi-
nates and privates.
For the present must close.
Your brother, Ben.
Sketch of Colorado County
Compiled by Laura J. Irvine
Laura J. Irvine's "Sketch of Colorado
County, " which was published in volume 7
(1882) of the small magazine, The American
Sketch Book, was the first known attempt to
systematically chronicle the history of Colorado
County. To compile her history, Irvine came to
the county and interviewed a number of its older
citizens. Unhappily, her method led her into
37
many errors of fact. Though readers would be
well advised to use the information presented
herein judiciously, the article is worth resur-
recting, if only for historigraphic reasons.
The magazine in which it was originally
published would be judged extremely unprofes-
sional by today's standards. It never achieved
anything like a regular publication schedule.
