Watermelons

  About seven miles below Washington on the Potomac lies the ancient city of Alexandria, it was settled in 1748, and called Bellhaven ; in its early days it was a thriving sea port, having a large foreign trade, but the bright prospects of its youth were never ful­filled, and today it is chiefly noted for what " it might have been." To us the city looked sadly dilapidated, and the objects of interest were few ; the Marshall House, where Colonel Ellsworth was murdered, had nothing inviting as to its external appearance, while its inside was disappearing piece by piece, through the industry of relic gatherers. The public buildings, and many private dwellings belonging to absentee secessionists, were occupied as officers' quarters or as hospitals for the sick and wounded. There was one object of interest, however, the old Christ Episcopal church, erected in 1765, and built of imported brick; in this edifice General Washington once worshiped, and was a member of its vestry; his pew, prayer book, cushions, etc., still remained as they were at the time he last attended service. The church was accessible to visitors, though it occupied a somewhat retired spot and was surrounded by a high fence.

Corporal W— Perhaps? Charles B. Worthington

Among the numerous vessels lying at anchor in the stream was a small sloop loaded with watermelons. One of our boys decided that he would like to sample the luscious fruit, and formed a plan, which he was not slow in attempting at night, when all was quiet, and having posted the guard (being corporal of the guard that night), he went up along the shore to where an old dory was moored, this he untied, and, getting in, pushed off, paddling out to the sloop by means of a piece of board. On climbing on board he was surprised to find that all the melons had been placed in the hold, and the hatch down, under which was one end of a rope; this led up to and over the boom, to which a large stone had been attached, hence, if he raised the hatch the stone would drop to the deck and awaken the one in charge of the sloop, who was supposed to be asleep in the cabin. Corporal W— ( believed to have been Corporal Clark B. Worthington) took in the situation at once, and taking hold of the stone cut the rope and placed it quietly upon the deck, he then noiselessly raised the hatch, and selecting some of the largest melons he could find, put them into the dory, and reached the shore in safety. In a short time the melons were transferred to his quarters, and the dory sent adrift down the stream; and as it passed the gun-boats the ^" bang, bang" of the sentries could be heard, they having received no reply to their challenge, as it passed. The corporal little thought who were to eat those melons with their morning pots of coffee, in rolled a train heavily laden with wounded from the battle field of the second Bull Run. The train stopped by the camp of Battery B, and, to the request of the wounded who asked for water or a swallow of coffee it was freely given. No one ever left Battery B hungry, as long as they had any rations to give. The corporal distributed thirteen melons among these sufferers, and their gratitude fully paid him for the trouble he had had in procuring them. Peddlers would flock to the train to sell their eatables, and one poor drummer boy, minus an arm, which had been left on the battlefield, begged for an apple ; but the peddler with a basket of tempting red apples, said, "I sell my apples, I don't give them away." One of the battery men, Ned G——, said, "Oh, give the poor boy one." " Not by a d——n sight," was the reply. Just then something happened, and the peddler sat down in a most unexpected manner: the basket of apples changed hands, and the drummer boy had more than one apple.