, 1861-06-20
FROM .HARPER,s FERRY.
How the" Looked when De-
serted by the Rebels


and the foundry IN the upper end Of the vi
lage were still burning; the soldiers and cltl
zens we're trying to keep the flames from
spreading to the private houses, On the f1rl
promontory in the rear Of tho church, ahou
TWO Thousand Rebels were gathered; on th'
railroad track near the bridge, men we're seer
pomlng grain into the rtyef: About two P
the ruins Of the burnt bridge, and chartered it
and peIsuaaipg Mr. Difey,a . Baltimore report
er, and the telegraph operator to accompany
Us, We made tor "old Vlrginias shore
As out ekitf drew up to the bank on the Vir
ginfa side, wo noticed two large ebony *scon
trabands" hiding behind wn1l as We got ou
and told our fenyman to whit for us there
the man (worth In good times $500 came ou
and eaid, "Yes, he will come right back; mi
and my daughter Joe (worth 412o0) want K
20 over low, and 1t won't take long, only
lew ntnutes!' We made no reply, In they
got, and off vent $4,000 Of Vi1ginia's wealth
to the front street, going through the rear O.
the Wager House, where q wagon load Of hos
pital furniture Was standing. Tho tongue hal
troke, the horses had Just been unhitched ,aui
the wagon left, The Kitchen WIS the most fl
thy placs We ever saW; the stencil was almost
suftocatirg. In the centre Of mas Of p,ssriG
garbqg: Taa an aged negro cooking "corr
to the upper story; the carpets had been t.
ken up and cut into blankets for the troops
no good furniture was left In the house, and
the few inmates had not recovered from the
fright Of the previous day, with the buildings
in flames all around them, and not knowing
Leaving this hotel, which had been Ten'
dezyous Tor the officers, aud where they in
dulged In mea1s, prepared in q hole that iu
Philadelphia, even in the outskirts, would be
indicted as nuisance, ne passed over TO the
government buildings. As We entered, the
flag staff Wes still there, and from the top
doated q narrow strip Of the rag hoisted on
the 18Th Of April by the Rebels, On which were
the arms Of Virsinin- About ten feet Of rope
remain at tho top Of the pole, which Is about
fifty feet high. The flag was torn to shreds by
q ftorm one night about month ago, and, the
rope breaking. they had not ingenuity enough
In The whole twenty thousand to rep.aee It
without cutting down the pole and replanting
1t, which required too much exertion. In the
perfectly fire proof, the contents an old vice
9 few horse shoes, some scraps Of iron, a lot
of overturned benches and straw, were strew.
ed around the building in manner tina.
showed that the F.F.V., had rather rough
sleeping apartments on the cold damp
ground. West Of this, ell ls one heap o1
b1ackened ruins, and the smoke Was etill ris.
the shop was storehouse and "John Brown'a
Ergine Hcuse.h
These buildings could not beburnt without
destroying the town, and were spared. The
two old fashioned hand engines were standing
in the street, and the hose just where they
had been In use the previous day. AL the
fire plugs and various pipes hnd been left run-
ming over the buildings and yard. We stoop-
cd down to unscrew the nozzle Of the fire plug
in front Of "John Browns Engine House,'
when rusty, dirty looking man, who had
been eyeing us closely, said, Ii Mister, you
aln't no right to take that away" WITH con.
siderable astonishment, We turned and asked
him Il he knew what fright" means; and
then telling him we wanted mo interference" !"
We carried of the nozzle, The Engine House
is left by the Virginians just as It wAs when
old John Brown evacuated the place. Sitting
down on the doorstep and gazing around 1t
the distressed and dcsolate condition Of the
yard, O problem arose In our mind, "if John
Brown could hold the town for over two days
with seventeen men, and one Southern man
has since been found to be equal to five North
ern men, end o Southern army Of twenty
thousand held the place, how long could they
have kept possession Of it, with. "Llncoln's
hordes merely threatening an attack? Oh,
ye bInggatts, how your courage oozes out nt
your finger ends, except when shielded by
masked batteries.
Crossing the street, ne found immense piles
Of muEket and rifle barrels, that have been
dug out Of the ruins Of the building fired on
the 18th Of April by the U. 8. ARTILLERY. Ali the
straight barrels had been selected and taken
away. In piles around the yard Eere the iron
works Of the pieces destroyed. We selected
few for mementoes.
just above where the Shenandoah flows into
the Potomac is fine bridge, that must have
eost SIS, COO. This has not been molested,
though two barrels Of tar and some cotton
chow that they we're ready to burn 1t at any
time they saw fit. 6tanding on the track, In
front Of the hotel, WaA engine No. 16j, OF the
Baltimore md Ohio road. This engine was
fired up, ind was to leave on Friday ait.r.
noon, with eight cars Of provisions, and ma:
chinery for the Richmond Armory, and guard
to demolish the track and bridges as they
paeeed, b1t when they came to put the engine
on the road, they found 1t was too heavy for
the track aud they were compelled to leave it.
Orders were then given to throw the provisions
into the river, which consisted Of coffee, sugar
and molasecs, and several Thousand bushels OF
corn and rye tailed three cars aud had never
been bought By them off the railroad. AL
the light machinery Of the five trucks was
consigned to the river and the heavy pieces
left. The trucks with the machinery on were
marked !" Richmond Armory,'' aud the pro-
visions Miller Rifles, Winchester"
One Of the Last glances nc took Was up the
NAE0HAAoAAs az tAG 191V T0lh5S MAA%A HEIt
6sfe at FIVE P. II. The trussel work along the
river on which the cazs run, was fred about
three hundred yards above the hotel, and all
the woodwork consumed west Of that point
The main body Is iron, and rests on stone
piers. It Is yet good, and the wood work On
top can soon be replaced. On the top Of the
hill is the magazine. It remains unharmed,
Eaye being emptied Of its contents.
The town Is almost entirely abandoned. We
did not Sc seoadn in The streets, or looking out
from tcsndoo or door; about thirty or forty
miserable looking men were to be eeen around
the corners doing nothing, and gazing at US In
su1len silence. AL the good houses arc shut
up from top to bottom. The schools, church.
es, and all public buildings are open-tha yilest
and t1lthiest looking dens We ever saw. They
were all used as barracks. The camp ground
Is yacated thoroughly, no article Of any value
Is left about q million buzzsrds and vultures
are lowering around q clump of trees where
they had slaughtered large lot Of beef and
sheep Tor the neKt days provision, and were
forced to leave in such hurry that they could
not cook It and Ind no means to carry It.
The QuarteImaster Of the Rebel army seized
al the horses, wagons, mules, oxen aud cattle
Of al Kinds, fof miles around, took all the pro-
vision, from tho farm houses and gn7e them
ferip, which they consider worthless. Thus
tho whole section of country through which
they are marching is plundeIed, ravished md
destroyed. Their march is worse than though
tic lightning had Wi!hered, by It's stroke, a
path twenty miles wide. The curses heapea
upon their heads are many and deep, and will
give Tent when backed by Federal bayonets.