Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-07-06
VARIETY. !.
The Evacuation Of Harper's Ferry.

..N " GNuNUEa u U o
The Evacuation Of Harper's Ferry.
Perhnps there is no movement Of the South
crn troops, since tho commencement of the
present campaign in Virginia, that has elicit
cd more discussion than tho evucuation of
IIarpor's Ferry by Con. johnson.
The following editorial from the Richmond
Enquirer of Monday, evidently written with
a knowledge of the facts, from authoritative
sources gives, VIC think, highly satisfactory
reasons for what appeared to be rctrogado
movement on the part of our forces:
Wo are now at liberty, on the best au-
thority, to make public the true motives actu-
ating General johnson in what the Northern
and1sonic Of the Southern papers have called
the Evacuation of Ha-pess Ferry The
general, like other military men of education,
had long known that Harpcrs Ferry, in it.
self, is faulty and untcnablc, from the facii-
ty with which it can be turned. It lies rs it
,,wcro in the small ond of funnel the
broader end of which could with great case
be occupied by the enemy. The heads dircc-
ting tho operations of the Yankee forces were
we'll aware of this fact, but forgot that there
were fully as astute heads on our side The
minute and able investigations of Major Viii
ting, chief engineer to General johnson, had
satisfied our leaders of the justness of these
Jews. It was we'll known that General
Scott's plan was to turn Harper's Ferry by
column from Pennsylvania, under Gen. Pat
terson, effect junction near Winchester or
Strasburg with another column of McClean's
army passing through Romney, and cut off
Bcauregard's and Johnson's armics''from each
other. This plan was completely foiled, and
nl>o Al -
we shall explain.
Con or about Thursday, the 10th inst,
General Johnson, having waited at IIarpcrs
Ferry long enough to make the enemy believe
that he intended to contest that position to
the st,-anl learning that they were advan-
cling on Williamsport and Romney, sent
portion of his force to Winchester by rail-
On Friday he continued his movement, sent
back his tent equipage and other heavy bag
gage, his sick, &C., set fire to and burned the
railroad bridge, and such of the public build
ings as could be burned without cndangering
private property, spiked such of the heavy
guns at Harpcr's Ferry as could not be reno
we'd, and on Saturday moved, with his whole
army, marching on foot, in the direction of
Winchester, cncamping about three and a
quarter miles southwest of Charlcstown.-
intended they should take it, as retreat,
commanded by Gen. Cadwalladcr, (who join
cd their forces on Saturday or Sunday morn
ing,) which was moved forward towards Mar
tinsburg.
Gu Sunday morning, however, General
johnson changed his line of march at right
angels, and moved square toward Martins
burg, encamping at Bunker Hill, on the Win
chester and Martinsburg turnpike, twelve
miles from Martinsburg, to offer battle there,
or advance and attack if necessary. This
movement placed tho enemy in "prcdica-
ment." lie had not crossed his whole force,
and if the opposing forces had closed he must
have been beaton in detail. He therefore
acknowledged the corn," turned tail and re-
treated, recrossed the river and evacuated the
valley retiring beyond Hagerstown. A lieu
tenant colonel and another (members of the
9Th Pennsylvania Voluutecrs) were taken
prisoners during the retreat.
A day or two after this, Col. Hill, 18th Vir-
ginia regiment, in command of n part OF the
forces who had " rotrcated" from IIarpcr's
Ferry, and who had been pushed forward to-
wards Romney, as our readers have learned
from our Saturday edition, sent forward to-
wards New Creek, on the Potomac river,
eighteen miles west of Cumberland, four COM
panies of Tennessee and Virginia troops, un-
der COL Vaughan, of Tennessee, who found
the Yankees posted on the Maryland side of
the Potomac. Our brave fellows, in the face
of the enemy, fordcd the stream, waste deep,
drove them off in the utmost confusion, cap
tured two, pieces Of loaded artillery and a
stand Of coors, destroyed the railroad bridge
at that point, and returned to Romncy, ma.
king march of thjrty-six miles and gaining
q brilliant victory within twenty hours.
Our readers will thus see what Gen. John
sons "rctreat from Harpcr's Ferry" has
done. It has thoroughly broken up Gen.
Scott's paper programme, destroyed his whole
western combination, and compelled him to
remodel his whole plan. If our " retreats !"
do thus much, VIC wait with confidence to see
what our advances will do. In tho mean
time, we beg leave to recall to our readers re-
collection the old motto of this paper, Nous
yerrons."
A Gloomy Picture.
The New York Herald in a recent issue
discusses tho fnancia! prospects Of the North
,ern. community at large. They are dark
enough. Road the following:
& 9" The fatc Of the merchants lately engaged
I'M the Southern trade has been sealed by tho
3 recent act of the 80 called Congress at Mont
gonery, which prohibits, under heavy penal
- Mil Az -.