The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-20 00:00:00

A correspondent of the New York 7imes thus
describes the Federal occupation of Richmond, the
capture of artillery, and the flight of President
Jefferson Davis and the Confederate army :
" Headquarters, Army of the James, Senate-house,
Richmond, April 3 ; via Washington, April 5. .
" The short despatch I sent to the Times bureau
at Washington this morning will have prepared you
for the great fact that Richmond has fallen to the
arms of the United States, not by a bloody siege,
with all its attendant horrors, but by being sur-
rendered. It is a remarkable fact that yesterday
General Robert E. Lee sent a despatch to the War-
office in Richmond, stating that Grant had driven
him one mile and a half, and that he had suffered
severely ; that he had taken a position which he
could not hold, and requested that the city should
be evacuated at 12 o'clock,
midnight. Soon after
midnight Major-General Weitzel was informed of
the fact that the enemy in his front intended to
evacuate their lines. He was well aware beforehand
that they had buried torpedoes in the ground im-
mediately in front of their redoubts, and conse-
quently that any approach toward them in the night
would certainly be attended with great risk. At
the earliest dawn of day he sent forward a strong
skirmishing line toward Fort Gilmore, and so thickly
were the torpedoes buried that the main body could
only march by single file. The precaution adopted
by the rebels to secure the lives of their men in such
treacherous ground proved to be most useful to our
soldiers, and saved many lives. A thin stick was
placed over each torpedo, and a piece of red muslin
attached to it. The second brigade of the third
division of the 24th Army Corps had the honour of

leading the Army of the James into Richmond,
under the command of Brigadier-General Ripley.
Major-General Weitzel and his staff headed the
column: They encountered no opposition what-
ever. Halting at the confines of the town, the
General sent forward Major Stevens and Major
Graves with a small squadron of cavalry to sum-
mon the Mayor to surrender the keys. Mr. Joseph
Mayo received them very civilly, and handed over
the keys of the City-hall at 7 a.m. General
Weitzel entered the city at 8 a.m., and it would be
utterly useless to attempt to describe the enthusi-
astic cheers which greeted him. The white and
coloured population gave him a most hearty wel-
come. The rebels who had left the city scarcely
two hours when he entered set fire to many of the
most important buildings, and at the time I write
they are still burning. All the public buildings that
contained Government stores are burnt. The best
portion of Cary and Main streets is a heap of ashes.
Through the exertions of our men, at once detailed
to assist, the fire is gradually subsiding. As there
were not more than two fire engines available the
only alternative was to pull down adjacent build-
ings. As soon as possible after the arrival of Gene-
ral Weitzel he issued the orders which I send here-
with. The office of headquarters is in the Senate-
house. , The General has taken possession of Mr.
Jefferson Davis's mansion for a residence. General
Delius has taken up his headquarters at Governor
Smith's residence. In the state of confusion which
naturally attaches to the position I cannot pretend
to give you a correct estimate of what we have cap-
tured. The general estimates the guns captured in
position on the fortifications—all, I believe, left un-
injured—at from 450 to 500, many of than of heavy
calibre. The notorious Libby Prison and Castle
Thunder remain untouched. The former is now
tenanted by Confederate prisoners captured by us
this morning, who did not know that their main
army had flown. Mr. Jefferson Davis and family
left Richmond on Wednesday, for Charlotte, North
Carolina, and it is stated on good authority that
they are on their way to Texas. Mr. Davis returned
to Richmond and was in church yesterday, when a
despatch was handed to him from General Lee,
stating that the position of affairs was desperate.
lie left Richmond at once. An immense amount
of tobacco, which was stored in Richmond, has been
destroyed. It was intended to have removed it
away to Lynchburg, and several hundred boxes
were actually in transitu to that place when Sheridan
cut the canal and thus interrupted its removal.
The offices of the Enquirer and the Dispatch news-
papers are burnt. The State Courthouse is de-
stroyed.
Mayo's-bridge, the Danville railroadbridge '1
and the foot-passenger bridge over the James,
are all burnt. The powder magazine at Drury Bluff
was destroyed last night, and all the gunboats on the
James burnt. Three powder magazines in the vi-
cinity of Richmond were exploded early this morn-
ing. General Lee and the remains of his army have .
retreated toward Danville, and I have it upon good
authority that they expected to be reinforced by
Hardee and make a stand at that place. It is very
doubtful whether they will succeed in getting there.
A vast amount of suffering has been caused by the
fire. The grounds around the Capitol are covered
with the household effects of families burnt out. It
was an act of useless cruelty on the part of fugitive
rebels, and is loudly denounced by all who remain
here. I omitted to mention that the main column
of the army entered Richmond by the Osborne road.
The other portion moved more to the right and en-
tered by the Newmarket road. That the falling back
of the rebels was precipitated by the tremendous
thrashing General Grant gave them on Sunday is
evidenced by the fact that they left all their tents be-
hind them. Mr. Commissioner Ould in a letter
formally handed over to General Mulford all the
papers in his bureau of exchange of prisoners. All
the Unionprisoners confined in the Libby and Castle
Thunder were sent to Boulware Landing yesterday
and exchanged. - In closing this despatch I am
happy
to be able to state that the fires in the diffe-
rent parts of the city have nearly burnt themselves
out. The city is perfectly quiet, and great credit is
due to Lieutenant-Colonel Manning, the Provost-
Marshal, for the enery and firmness he has displayed
in the execution of the very onerous duties imposed
upon him this most eventful day."
Another letter from Richmond, published in the
New
York Times, gives the following account of
President
Lincoln's visit to the late Confederate
capital :—.

" Headquarters, Army of the James
Richmond, April 4.
gg The most interesting fact to be recorded to-day
is the visit of the President to Richmond. Mr.
Lincoln, accompanied by his young son and Admi-
ral Porter, arrived at the It ocketts at 2 p.m.,
in the
Malvern, and proceeded at once to the mansion of
ex-President Davis, now the head-quarters of
Major-General Weitzel. The arrival of the Presi-
dent soon got noised abroad, and the coloured popu-
lation turned out in great force, and for a time
blockaded the quarters of the President, cheering
vociferously. It was to be expected that a population
that three days since were in slavery should evince a
strong desire to look upon the man whose edict had
struck for ever the manacles from their limbs. A
considerable number of the white population cheered
the President heartily, and but for the order of the
Provost-Marshal, issued yesterday, ordering them
to remain within their homes quietly for a few days,
without doubt there would have been a large addi-
tion to the numbers present. After a short interval
the President held a levee,—General Devins intro-
ducing all the officers present.. The President shook
hands with each and received the hearty congratu-
lations of all. The Presidential party, attended by
Generals Weitzel, Devins, Shepley, and a brilliant
staff of officers, then made a tour round the city,
drove rapidly round the capital, stopping for a few
moments to admire Crawford's magnificent statue
of Washington in the grounds of the Capitol, and
returned to General Weitzel's headquarters at 5 30.
The President and party left Richmond at 6 30

p.m. Admiral Farragui arrived here this morning
on a flying visit, and returned to City Point this
evening down the James. It is very satisfactory to
be able to state that the torpedoes have been re-

moved, and that six of our gunboats are at the pre-
sent time lying off the " Rocketts." The .destruc-
tion of property by the fire yesterday is enormous,
and must amount to tens of millions of dollars. The
dense volumes of smoke and the intense heat ren-
dered it impossible to form an adequate idea of the
extent of the property destroyed yesterday. The
entire business portion of the city is a heap of
smouldering ruins, and nothing but the absence of
wind saved the entire city from destruction. There
is but one feeling of unmitigated disgust expressed
by the residents of this barbarous outrage. It is
positively asserted that Gen. Breckinridge gave the
order that the tobacco and the Government workshops
should be set fire to, and the close proximity of other
valuable property rendered its escape from destruc-
tion almost impossible. The greater portion of the
tobacco destroyed is said to have belonged to France
and England. A regular mail communication be-
tween this and City Point will be established to-
morrow, under the superintendence of Lieut. Parker,
who has been stationed at City Point for some time
in the same capacity. Lieut. Parker has taken pos-
session of the old post office here, which is well
adapted for the purpose. The publication of the.
Whig newspaper is resumed, under the management
of one of its proprietors, who has always been op-
posed to secession. I enclose the first copy issued of
the reformed journal, which states the circumstances
under which its publication is permitted to be re-
sumed. It is gratifying to state that the city is
perfectly tranquil, and that the general behaviour of
our troops is all that could be desiqd, and has eli-
cited the admiration of the citizens generally."
The following items of interest relative to the
evacuation of Richmond are taken from the first
number of the new series of the Richmond Whig,
which resumed publication on the 4th inst :
"The evacuation of Richmond, commenced in
earnest on Sunday night, closed at daylight on Mon-
day morning with a terrific conflagration, which
was kindled by the Confederate authorities wantonly
and recklessly applying the torch to Shockhoe ware-
house and other buildings, in which was stored a
large quantity of tobacco. The fire spread rapidly,
and it was some time before the fire brigade could be
got to work. A fresh breeze was blowing from the
south, and the fire swept over a great space in an
incredibly short space of time. By noon the flames
had transformed into a desert waste that portion of
the city bounded between Seventh and Fifteenth-
streets, from Main-street to the river, comprising
the main business portion. We can form no estimate
at this moment of the number of houses destroyed,
but, public and private, they will certainly number
600 or 800. At present we cannot do more than
enumerate some of the most prominent buildings
destroyed. These include the Bank of Richmond,
Traders' Bank, Bank of the Commonwealth, Bank
of Virginia, Farmers' Bank, all the banking houses,
the American Hotel, the Columbian Hotel, the En-
quirer building on Twelfth-street, the Despatch office
and job-rooms, corner of Thirteenth and Main-
streets, all that block of buildings known as Dev-
lin's block, the Exanziner office, engine, and ma-
chinery rooms ; the Confederate Post-office Depart-
ment building, the State court-house--a fine old
building situated on Capitol-square, at its
Franklin-street entrance ; the Mechanics' Institute,
vacated by the Confederate States' War Depart-
ment, and all the buildings on that square up to
Eighth-street and back to Main-street ; the Confe-
derate arsenal and laboratory, Seventh-street. At
sunrise on Monday morning Richmond presented a
spectacle that we hope never to witness again. The
last of the Confederate officials had gone—the air
was lurid with the smoke and flame of hundreds of
houses weltering in a sea of fire. The streets were
crowded with' furniture and every description of
wares, dashed down to be trampled in the mud or
burnt up where they lay. All the Government
store-houses were thrown open, and what could not
be got off bythe Government was left to the people,
who, everywhere ahead of the flames, rushed in and
secured immense amounts of bacon, clothing, boots,
&c. Next to the river the destruction of property
has been fearfully complete. The Danville and
"Petersburg Railroad depots and the buildings and
shedding attached thereto, for the distance of half a
mile from the north side of Main-street to the river, ,
and between Eighth and Fifteenth streets, embracing
upwards of 20 blocks, presents one waste of smoking
ruins, blackened walls, and smoking chimneys. After
the surrender of the city and its occupation by Gen.
Weitzel, about 10 o'clock, vigorous efforts were set
on foot to stop the progress of the flames. The
soldiers reinforced the fire brigade and laboured
nobly and with great success. The flames east on
Main-street were checked by the blowing up of the
Traders' Bank about noon. The flames gradually
died out at various points as material failed for them
to feed upon ; but in particular localities the work
of destruction went on until towards 3 or 4 o'clock,
when the mastery of the flames was obtained, and
Richmond was safe from utter desolation. We re-
gret to learn that a serious loss of life resulted from
the blowing up of the powder magazine on the
suburbs early on Monday morning. The shock was
tremendous, jarring every house in the city, extin-
guishing the gas, and breaking a great quantity of
glass in dwellings. It is said that 30 or 40 persons,
residents of the neighbourhood of the magazine, were
either killed or wounded, but at this writing we
have been unable to obtain particulars or names.
The fire made sad havoc with the saloons, and none
of any account remained. We enumerate Henry
Smith's, Cary and Virginia streets, Charles Hunt's,
' Our House,' Tom Griffin's, Congress Hall,'
' The Place,' The Chicamauga,' and a score of
others. The burning of the saloons is very distress-
ing, as hundreds of people rendered homeless by
the fire will be unable to obtain food. Of course
we cannot be expected at this time to enter into an
estimate of the losses, but they are immense, and
will amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.
When it was made known on Sunday morning that
the evacuation of Richmond was a foregone conclu-
sion the City Council held a meeting, and, in secret
session, passed an order for the destruction of all
the liquor in the city. Accordingly, about the hour
of midnight, the work commenced, under the direc-
tion of committees of citizens in all the wards.
Hundreds of barrels of liquor were rolled into the
streets and the heads knocked in. The gutters ran
with a liquor freshet, and the fumes impregnated
the air. Fine cases of bottled liquors were tossed
into the street from third storey windows, and
wrecked into a thousand pieces. As the work pro-
gressed some straggling Confederate soldiers, re-
treating through the city, managed to get hold of a
quantity of liquor. From that moment law and
order ceased to exist ; chaos came, and a pandemo-
nium reigned. Drunk with vile liquor, the soldiers
—said to belong to Garey's cavalry—roamed from
store to store on Main-street; followed by a reckless
crowd drunk as they. With the butts of their mus-
kets they dashed in the plate-glass of the store doors,
and, entering, made a wreck of everything with the
celerity of magic. Jewellery stores, clothing stores,
boot and hat stores, and confectionery stores were
objects of special attraction to these pillagers, who,
be it remembered, were not Federal soldiers, but Con-
federate stragglers. The following are some of the
stores thus robbed :—Jennet's jewellery store, Mit-
chell and Tyler's jewellery store, Semon's trim. -
ming store, Antoni's confectionery store, Pizzim's
confectionery store, and numbers of others
—all on Main - street. About daylight on Mon-
day morning the city was shaken to its
foundations by the explosion proceeding
the blowing up of the Confederate ironclads from
river. The Patrick Henry was in flames a.
buildings
t ilin the
Rocketts,i
and. the Navy-yard and all the public gs
therein situated were in process of destruction. Se-
veral of the smaller vessels were burnt havinghe city
wharves. At 6 o'clock, the evacuation been
completed as far as the Confederate army was con-
cerned, fire was set to Mayo's-bridge and the Dan-
ville Railroad bridge, and these structures were

soon in flames and fell into the river. The most
wanton and unnecessary part of the general burn-
ing was the destruction of the immense flouring
mills of Messrs. Haxall and Crenshaw, on the basin
bank. The Haxall Mills were the largest and most
extensive of any on this continent."
The New York Times of the Bth inst., comment-
ing upon the rout of General Lee's army, says :
" There can be no doubt from the statements offi-
cially made by the officers immediately in command,
that the army of General Lee, so long the bul-
wark of the Confederacy, is virtually crushed, and
that he can neither have men nor guns enough to
effect anything more brilliant than a rabble rout.
We had yesterday a telegraphic report that Lee and
all the army had surrendered. This was prema-
ture ; but the event is one which seems hourly ex-
pected by those whose position giye them the best
opportunities of knowing the circumstances and
prospects. It would be a graceful mode for himto
close up a disgraceful week. He was disastrously
defeated on Sunday, abandoned Richmond on Mon-
day, spent Tuesday and Wednesday in flight, was
routed on Thursday, was at his wits' end what to do
on Friday, which difficulty he can solve by sur-
rendering to-day. Fearful havoc has been made
among Lee's leading officers, as well as among their
subordinates and the rank and file of the army. His
most trusted lieutenants in all the operations of the
last two years have been A. P. Hill, Ewell, Long-
street, and Early—Hill was killed on Sunday last,
Ewell is a prisoner in our hands, Early is a fugitive
in the mountains, and Longetreet seems to have
been worth very little since he was wounded in the
Wilderness last year. It is a fact, moreover, that
the past year or two seems to have developed no
officers in subordinate positions able to take the
places of these notable rebel chiefs. Capable officers
and leaders have been becoming more plentiful on
the Union side, while among the rebels they have
almost disappeared."