Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-04-26
THE MILITARY AT HARRISBURG
The War Excitement on
the Increase,
Three Thousand Troops IN Harrisburg

4uACC AuOusduu 4IOUES Ii IdTIlSDuTS'
| Special Correspondence of the Phila. Bulletin I
HARRISBURG, April 19-10i clock, p NJ
Without exaggeration, it may be said that
Harrisburg is fairly wild with excitement.-
! The news received by telegraph this after
noon, of the attack made on volunteers,
while passing through the city of Baltimore,
and the subsequent despatch that the Arse
nal at Harpers Ferry had been destroyed by
our troops in order to prevent it from falling
into the hands of the enemy, brought the ex-
citement to pitch that it is difficult to sup
pose any other event in the history of our
struggle can exceed. The telegraph offices
and the office of an afternoon paper was be-
sieged by the public, eagerly seeking for
any additional information that was to be
obtained, while upon the streets and in the
hotels the subject was discussed in the most
vehement manner. Add to this the stir oc-
casioned by each additional arrival of
hundred or more volunteers with the pierc-
ing tones os the fife and the jarring notes of
the drum, and you can easily imagine what
l mean when say the town is wild with
excitement.
Amid all this t;imultuous talking and
fierce gesticulation, the State Government
came in for large share of reproach And
as the war of words waxed high, the excited
crowd inquired why, in view of the condi-
tion of matters and things, the order was
not given by the Governor to send off the
recruits, and strengthen the forces of the
volunteers who have already gone South, in
case of an attack on the City of Washing
ton. Then there was forced upon them the
conviction Of a truth-one which the public
has known all along, bat which in the ex-
citement of the moment they forgot, that
with but few exceptions none of our vol
unteers are armed, and that there are no
arms here with which to furnish them. This
is lamentable fact at the present crisis
There are no arms here, and notwithstand-
ing the repeated dispatches of the State
Department to the proper authorities, none
have arrived yet. This morning the Cover
nor received a telegraph of to-day from
Pittsburg, mot Philadelphia, as the tele-
graph Of to-day makes me say,) that five
thousand stand Of arms were on their wav !;
but up to the present hour of writing, moth
ing had been heard concerning them.
Wishing. to get the latest information, T
stepped up to the Executive Department
few minutes ago, and was there informed
that special despatch had just been re-
eeived stating that 5000 stand of arms left
Pittsburg this evening, and would arrive
here t" morrow morning at an early hour );
also that a thousand arms would arrive from
Philadelphia at the same time. This is
good news to the volunteers here, as many
of them feared that they would be obliged
to leave without being suitably armed,- de-
pending upon supplies at Washington, and
that then, IN the case of an attack being
made upon them at Baltimore, they would
fall easy victims to the violence of mob
AS soon as these arms are received, large
number of troops will be mustered and i'm.
mediately despatched South.
The camp ground to day presented very
animated appearance. The tents all day
long have been hauled from the arsenal, and.
the soldiers have been busily employed in
erecting them, and in making beds of straw.
Stores and cooking utensils have been sup
piled in number, and camp life is commen-
ced in earnest. Besides this, large guam
tity of provisions are being stored away,
and every exertion is made to secure the
comfort of the troops.
AT 0'o'clock, this evening, the number of
soldiers who are encamped amounted to
about 1850 men, while in the town, quar-
tered at the hotels and boarding houses,
there are about thousand more. Camp
orders, regulating the troops, have been is
sued by E. G. Williams, Brigadier General
in command, and the strictest enforcement
of the rules is adhered to. No soldier is al
lowed To be out of his tent after nine o'clock,
and all lights must be extinguished at the
tap Of the drum. Special hours are set apart
for the admission of visitors but an order
from the Governor admits me at all hours,
by which means am enabled to obtain ev-
cry information.