The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-11-24
Rirhmunn Qispattb.
THURSDAY MORNING. nov. "a. ,ss
AFFAIRS IN cHARLEsTowN.
"ih'ary Duty-.Visit 10 the Prisoners.
What is to be Done. &c., &c.
[srEcIAL eonREsrospK OF rnK nrsr Arcu j
CuAerrsrowN w Nox .,

What is to be Done. kc., &c.
ESPECIAL coRREspoNDRNe OF TIE prsr Arcu !
CHAgLEsrowN, VA, Nov. 23.
After review last evening, the troops again
went into quarters to prepare for standing
(and kept its promse) to fall all night. The
streets were very slippery, and in many in.
stances the soldiers received dangerous falls
and severe bruises. An idea may be formed Of
| the extent of the picket guard when you know
| that it takes an hour and forty minutes to
| post it, and that some of the sentries are full
| mile from their barracks when on post. About
| 10 O'Clock at night. sentry fired five barrels
| of n revolver at some person who ran across
| the railroad near the depot. The entire mill
| tary force in the place was Immediately un-
| der arms, and kept so for an hour or two upon
| retiring again. the men slept with their arms
| by their sides
VISIT TO THg PRISONERS.
| All day yesterday the recently-arrived SOL
diers were admitted in squads of ten or fifteen
| to see the prisoners. The first room on the
| lower floor contains Brown and Stephens, both
| dressed in black, the former lying on a cot
| near the door, and the other sitting in chair
| near the rear of the apartment. On the en-
! trance OF our party, Brown appeared to have
been lying down, and rose to asitting position
apologzing to us for not standing TO receive us
as he was still little lame from recent acci-
dent.'' He was asked II, now the invasion was
over and had failed, he did not feel any regret
at what he had done, and replied s'upon re-
Election, gentlemen, find nothing to regret ex-
cept my mistake in conducting it. have no
personal animosity to Virginians, but in the
cause of freedom / was Obliged to do what
have done" He seemed to choose subjects up
on which he thought his yisitsrs would like
to converse. On the entrance of squad of
Grays from Richmond, the following conver-
sation ensued, which / give n specimen.
Procn.-You are from Richmond, gentle
menl
A nls,absy.-Yes. sir.
Brown.-You visited New York last spring,
did Won not
4 msnab>r.-Yes, sir.
Bromm-I took much interest in your trip,
and read the published accounts of it with
| pleasure. / was glad 10 hnd ,hat you We're
pleased with your reception at the North
| You went no farther than New York, did
youl
| A rne.nbsr.-No, sir.
| Breun.-I thought you did not. l am glad
| YOU have called on me. / like TO see brave SOL
| diers.
After few more remarks, the conversation
| ended. This may be taken as sample of the
| wav in which Brown "does the agreeable to
the soldiers calling on him. He almost al
ways. however, manages to make the decara-
ton, that Il abhor slavery, gentlemen, in all
| its FORMS" before his visitors leave. de-
/ scription of his personal appearance would OF
| course be superfiuous at this late Gay. may
| say however, that was unable to discover any
of that fierceness in his eyes which has been at
| tributed TO him, or that commanding physical
| appearance that would indicate him as a fl
| leader in daring scheme as that in which
he failed. He seems rather to adopt the per-
| suasive style. 1t is stated that, being asked
by visitors if he did not feel hopeless as to
| rescue now that there were 1900 troops here.
| The old fellow replied with characteristic i'm
! pudence. that he did not know what might
not be done "with 200 good Kansas men"
| | learn that an old gentleman visited Brown
| Yesterday, and recognized him as a member of
| the once famous Murrell's band of robbers. 1t
is said thatsBrown also recognized him.-
| Speaking OF the charge brought by the Herald
| of Freedom that he was common rohher IN
| Kansas, he says he would notice the charge,
| but that the editor of that paper is so low as
| to be beneath his notice.
| Stevens, who is Browns roommate, does
not have anything to say, save in reply to
! questions. He has decidedly the worst face in
| the lot, and voice TO match. 1t was he who
| proposed to kill the prisoners in the engine
| house, when he saw the Charlestown yoinn-
| teers coming down the opposite side of the
| river Cook and Coppie, and HaZlitt, mot yet
| tred,l occupy a room together, mp ST airs. the
| two first being chained hand and foot together.
| Cook was dressed neatly, and was reading a
copy of Byron, which he laid down when the
company entered. His face is 4 hang dog loUk-
| ing one, though little relieved by a fine suit
| Of light hair, thrown back from very good
| forehead. He seemed very willing to converse,
aud dragged his stupid looking companion
| forward with him to meet the soldiers. As
time was getting short very few words We're
passed Coppie is n very ignorant, stupid
looking man. short, low -browed and sallow.-
He did not even return the salutations of the
visitors. The two negroes are contaed in
another room, and securely chained together.
They are both pale, and much more haggard-
looking than their companions. Emperor -
the biackest one, admitted that he had been
very much disappointed in his expectations OF
| a general rising OF the slaves
| TOWN UNDER MARTIAL LAW.
A town in the hands of the military is q
novelty in Virginia, and struck us outsiders,
who did not bear arms. very forcibly. The
day is ushered in by the reveille of the drums,
and along every street upon which barracks
are situated, may be seen companies of men
answering the roll call, the sentinels having
Just been brought in off post. A n hour or two
later. the streets resound with the tread of the
military as they 20 in squads of ten or fifteen
TO the citizens houses, where they are quartered
for breakfast. Then comes parade, and that
being over You see no soldiers under arms,
save few sentinels, pacing slowly 10 and fro
before their respective armorles. 1t 1. now
that you see the men in fatig ne dress prone
nading the streets, smoking making the ac-
quaiutance of soldiers from other parts of the
State pouring in and out of the little post
Office, grouped in little gangs around the cor
ners talking examining new styles OF firearms
and scussing their merits, and posting off &C
the barracks OF the other companies to see
friends there. BY going with these last to the
admitted by. the reserved sentinel,
but we can look through the windows
and see something more OF military life
Within, the picket guard of last night are lay
ing about on their beds of straw, making up
for the lost sleep of last night. Some of them
have made up the loss and are now wide awake
cleaning the muskeis drenched by last nights
rain aud uniforms clogged with last nights
mud Around the stove is gathered a musi-
cal party, willing the time away with songs
aud in The guard-room are two or three officers
comparing notes. which the windo " is too dim
for us TO read, and making arrangements which
the glass is TOO thick for US TO overhear. Then
the members commence returning, to again de-
part in squads for dinner, and we leave. Al
night the real duty of the soldier comes. He
Is then detailed with others of his company to
duty at the picket guard-posts and for hours
we hear the officer of the light marching them
TO their posts and see the CLEAN of their hayo-
/ nets as they pass. And then comes the chal-
Ienpes OF the sentinels and explanations, and
sometimes arrests, and then perhaps a false
alarm, which brings company to its feet
armed in an instant, and then to relapse
back into the restless sleep with musket in
hand. and then we who are not soldiers, can
turn over in our beds and go to sleep, blessing
those men who are willing 10 give up their
rest that We may rest, and their lives that we
may live.
Charlestown Matters.
The Charlestown correspondent OF the Bal.
timore American writes November 2l) as fol.
| lows:
The day proved rather inauspicious, as the
sun failed to shine out, and the air was rather
| cool. At an early hour, however, our streets
| were thronged by the military, and citizens
| from our own and surrounding counties. Ii
having been whispered that there would be q