The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1861-08-20
From the Richmond Examiner.
ACCOUNTS OF THE YANKEE ARMY
IN WASHINGTON.

We have had very full conversation with a
reliable citizen of Virginia one of Mayor Berretts
police-officers in Washington, who lately escaped
from there into our lines in Virginia, through i'm
mnent perils. We have reason to be entirely
assured of the reliability of this information.
Our informant has family in Fairfax county,
and has personal knowledge of the outrages com
mitted by the Lincoln troops in the country along
the Potomac within their lines previous to the
fight at Manassas. These outrages are SO dread
full and hendsh as almost to exceed belief but for
the attestation of evidence that we have every
reason to know to be reliable. The Lincoln forces,
in their advances towards Manassas, obtained as
guides a number of Quakers living in the neigh
borhood Of Accotinc Mills about eight miles from
Alexandra. One OF these, man OF the name of
Stiles, New Jersey Quaker, for the sum of So
per day, engaged to pilot companies of pilla-
gers to every house where plumber might be OBJ
tanned. The house of his own wfes grandfather
was piaged among the rest. There was no place
within the reach of the Yankee scouts but what
was plundered and robbed. A Mr. Haley was
robbed Of all his stock and nine slaves, few of
the latter, negro children, who were inconvenient
to be run off, having been left by the marauders.
Yankee settler, near Alexandria, by the name
of Gordon, piloted six Of the New York Fire
Zouaves to the house of one Of the most respecta-
BILE married ladies in Fairfax county She was
made to prepare dinner for the party; and, after
that had been dispatched, the poor woman, who
was within month Of her confinement, was
violated by two of the ruffians, in the dining
room, and in the presence of her own children.
The wretched victim of this hesh deed was
taken of by the family Of our informant, to
whose house she managed to escape during the
night Houses were stripped of everything-fne
paintings, wearing apparel, &C.; and, for weeks
before the Manassas fight, it was a common occur
L. Ill
Washington city, and divided among the houses
Of ill-fame there. In many of the brothels Of
Washington, the finest silk dresses, pillaged from
families in Virginia, were displayed by their vile
wearers gifts from the plunderers
Our informant was in the city of Washington
at the time the news arrived there of the rout of
the Yankee army at Manassas. The first public
lntinatlon of the event was early Monday morn
ing, as the fugtives commenced to arrive in the
city. During Sunday evening, it had been sup
posed in the streets that the Federal Army had
won decisive and brilliant victory The elation
was extreme. Al each echo of the peals of the
cannon, men were the street leaping up
and exclalming-" There goes another hundred Of
the id rebels" On the Saturday preceding,
whole procession of carriages had passed over the
Long Bridge, freighted with politicians and
women, who reported that they were going
/" flag g-raising" expedition to Manassas Some Of
them protested that they must take leave of "the
Grand Army" at Manassas before it proceeded on
ward to Richmond.
On asking informant Of the scenes he wit
messed on the Monday and succeeding days when
the news of the Yankee rout reached Washington.
he could only reply that it was "a page lost to
history" as no language could describe them.
The first intmation be had OF the Yankee disaster
was about three and half o'clock in the morning,
when he was awakened By the numbering up of
Col. Meigs' carriage in the neighborhood of bis
house. and the shril exclamation of the Irish
driver, that they all nlurthered besides
himself" As the morning advanced, the fugi-
tives commenced pouring in. One of the boats
from Alexandria came near being sunk by the rush
of paHc-strcken soldiers upon its decks Their
panic did not stop with their arrival in Washing
ton They rushed to the depot to continue their
flight from Washington. The Government WIS
compelled to put it under strong guard to keep
off the fugtives who struggled to get on the
Northern trains. Others fed wildly into the
country.
Not few escaped in this manner, compelling
the negroes they met to exchange their clothes
with them for their uniforms. For four or five
days, the wild and terror-stricken excitement pre-
vailed. The advance of the Confederate army on
Washington was, for considerable time hourly
expected. Our informant is certain In his own
mind that the appearance of single Confederate
Regiment on the banks of the Potomac, during
the continuation Of the Yankee panic, would have
scattered the entire forces in Washingtonin in flight
al