Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-01-03

SroRMING OF A CITy.-HoRRLBLE SCENES.
When a city is taken by storm. in military
phrase, and in accordance with the usages OF
war, it is "gioen up to soldiery." What
this means will be apparent from the ~frigllfnl
picture of Badajos. rs il appeared on the night
after ii had been carried by the allies, under
Wellington, April 9th, 1912. Says an Englisl
officer, who participated in the assault =
1t was nearly dusk and the few hours while
I slept had made a fearful change in the con-
dition and temper OF the ~soldiery. In fine morn
ing they were obedieEt to thier officers, and
preserved the semblanre OF INSTRUMENTATION now
they We're IN a state of furious intoxicstion
discipline was forgotten, and the splendid troops
of Yesterday had become a fierce and sanruinary
ra5ble, dead to every touch Of human feeling,
and filled with every drmoniac passion ~tllatcan
brutalize the man. The city was in a terrible
confusion and on every side horrible tokens of
military license met the eyes.
One street, rs | approached the castle, was al
most choked up with broken furniture for the
houses had been Quilted from the cellar to the
garret, the partitions torn down, and even the
beds ripped up and scattered to the winds, in hope
that gold might be found concealed A CON
vent at the end of the strad1 Of tJohn was in
flames, and | saw more than one Wretched nun
in the arms Of Il drunken soldier.
Further on the confusion seemed greater.
Brandy and wine casks were rolled out be
fore the stores some were full, some half
drunk out, but more STAYED in, in mere wan
t~onness, and the liquors running through the
kennel. Many q narrowing scream saluted
the ear ofthe passer by many a female sup
~plication was heard asking in vain for mercy.
How could it be otherwise, when it is remem
bered that twenty thousand furious and Ii
c~entious madmen were loosed upon an i'm
mense population, among which many of the
loveliest women upon earth might be found
All within that devoted city was at the dis
posal Of an Infatuated army. over whom for
the time, control was lost, aided by an infa.
nous collection o fcamp followers, who were,
if possible, more sanguinary and pitiless ever
than those who had survived the storm!
It is useless to dwell upoa a scene from
which the heart ~revolts. Few females in this
beautiful town were saved that night from
insult. The noblest and the beggar-tht
nun, and the wife and daughter of the artisan
youth and age, all were involved in gene
raj ruin. None were respected, and conse
q%uently few escaped. The madness of those
desperate brigands was variously exhibited
some fred through doors and windows
others at church bells many at the wretchet
inhabitants, as they fled into the streets, tt
escape the bayonets of the sayeeges, VIII,
were demolishing their property within doors
while some wretches, as if blood had no
flowed in sufficient torrents already, sho
from the windows their own companions, a
they staggered on below. What chance
have the miserable inha bitants of escapin
death, when more than one officer perishe
by the bullets and bayonets of the very ma
whom a few hours before he had led to til
assault.
This city contained about 10000 inhab
tants. and had twice before, within the spae
of thirteen months, been subjected to tt
horrers, of a siege by the Liberators of Il
Peninsula IF such a fate awaits the inhat
tants of Savastopol, in the event of its ia
may we not pray that the attack upon it nj
not succeed?