| Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. About three miles from Fortress Monroe, on the shores of one of the many branches which ebb and flow through the green meadows of the Virginia coast, there stood at the close of the civil war, a half dozen houses, which, having escaped fire and sword, were still habitable, although it was by no means their rightful owners, who at that time were _their occupants. On the other side of the creek lay the ruins of the burned town of Hampton, and the level shore between the natural barrier of Hampton creek and the protecting guns of Fortress Monroe. |
