New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-15
The Evacuation Of Manassas, and ss"rie"
Of the Coutrabands.
ann Anoiher Corre,poudept.

10Th expected nothing 20 little as to ind mysei'
two DAYS afterward stranded in inaction. The cry
vas all astir with excitement and expectation, 10
streets almost blockaded by slowly.movng trans OF
artillery ana departing soldiers, horsemen spured
and ,plashed hither and tnither through it's muddy
streets: its windows were thronged by spectators,
;,s Long Bridge was mere procession Of troops and
cannon their faces and muzzes turned steadssy and
animously toward Dixie.
Hurried off by the fever Of the occasion, Quilted
the capital under an aspect which shall long re-
member, and which for excitement andin'eres'cono
only have been paraeled by the morning OF tiie
disastrous day Of Bah Run anticipating ni8ht-iide
of twenty or thirty miles III order to over'ake 'le
division repor,ially assigned to me. had been 'ou
that -" Heintzelman's' was moving, and though
might have distrusted the assumed celerty 10 con-
pec,ion with such body Of men, houndereu aho
,plasbed down the dirty mile that es between Penn
svlvania Avenue 10 the Alexandria Ferry nj eood
speed arriving Just in time to ship myself and horse
for the disoya aide Of the Potomac, and to be, hVe
minute. afterward, agreeably undeceived as TO 'he
necessity of such exer.on by d friendly quarter
master.
ALEXANDRIA.
Accordingly, rode leisurely through THAI adnilra'
bic sampe of a third.rate Virginia city, ALEXANDRIA
which loves the Union no better at this hour ts on
the morning Of Ellswor,hs ASSASSINATION, Albeit II
now Obliged to mutter is hate covertly, or ct most
like the supersnnusted ogre Pope in Pilgrims Prog
ress to ,cowl in impotent defiance at the passer-by'
s streets were in their normal aspect of Spring filth,
in ;,s main borougfare great gap of smolderng and
,mokipe ruins indicated the past locality OF batch
l.r1 alto and
Provosts Office there clustered handful OF dlerr
desperately sympathetic in behalf Of dozen newly
captured Rebels within. Making slight detour TO
enjoy the spectacle of the ruined slave.pen Of which
we have heard so much--where certain OF Uncle
4 Sans blue-coated Yankees" were gymnasucally
. dsportng themselves, and laborers at work tearing
{ down the building may it prove symeolical OF the
q result of the warD j gladly left decayed, dpgy,
and depressing Alexandra behind me, and rode out
into the wild country turning my horses head in the
| direction OF Fort Lyon and 4" Heintzelman's."
THE COUNTRY UNDER MILITARY OCCUPATION.
IL was sunset on q moist, dull March day, and .
red glare on the western horizon lii up the land
scspe. Can the readers Of The TRIBUNE imagine
the look of q country under military occupation
will supply a few details
In The first place all the fences are gone-used up
for fre1ood. Many Of the farm-houses dltto-de-
s,roy cd piece neal either for the building ofshanes
b racks or for fuel Then the crops-all indications
of them have disappeared-theIe 10 no more bourne
6ltb md tillsQe" evident than in Gonzales imagin
ary kingdom in the Tempest Trees also and brush
wood are sparse and scanty plenty Of recently
stumps suggesting the past existence Of the former
There il vegetation, no grass, no very accurately
designed roads, only EARTH for tho mott part Just
emerging from its two months condition OF mud-sll
interested cut up and crossed by nnumersble tracks
of men, horses and vehicle,. Suppose country 30
billy az srost TO deierve the title Of mountainous
with attendant declvies and ravines, monstrous
area Of earthwork Notifications, still in progress,
, named Fort Lyon later our Missouri hero) upon
a breezy elevation, its cannon commanding the
vicinity for FIVE or six miles in every drectioni add
hundreds Of white tents most picturesquely situated
on the sumults and sides OF ths surrounding hills
and you have the general aspect Of my present
locality.
HEISTZELHAN's."
The HEADQUARTERS from which write IT, OF ra,,
zretentiops Virginia house Of the modern sort built
Of wood With piazza in front, marble mantlepece'
in the pa-lor, aad unusually spacions rooms. Con-
strusted for aud abandoned by Virginan Of strong
Secession sympatbies, named Beienger NOW resi-
dent In Aexand.a) it, in COMMON with much Of the
surrounding territory has apsed informally into the
possession Of our national Uncle represented by
bis loyal soldiers. They have soiourned here for
something Ike twelve months, enduring both the
Summers heat All the Winters cold; and worse
than either The sbominabIe mud, -hap,odically desg-
ua,ed tire sacred soil Of Virginia. happily, under
- niOlh nd xrird ia "a
Disappearance What it must have Amounted to a
month ago il lie fearful 10 think Of Any number OF
mud -Pybars, iuelusive Of the old original one ad-
dcted to turning up sdjeaively IL the psges of
Thomas Carlyle could certainly have been comfort
ably accommodated within, it.
The two front garlors Of our " Headquarters" are
occupied as offices. That "a the left ~ used by our
General lwho returned from Washington about an
hour after my arrival in cans, with Tic assurance
that we should hardly receive marching orders Tor q
day or two. write IN the o1 er devoted 10 general
official business IL stretches fl, I'm front 20 rear, IS
accommodated with a stove, n7r'i'y desss' camp
stoos, maIs and telegraph app aratus, which fur
uishes ticking accompaniment 70 all that Il occur
ring. Out Of doors the sun shine glorioualy, tho
morning breeze blows fresh and fre,, over the bill
tops, nutterlDg our he"iy-hosteuSlA 7Dfe''N nan
ner in front Of the door, and aordng delicious g1eet
Jog to the sun.browned cheeks witliu. group OF
officers converse on the piazza, oths 10 are busy
enough in-doors horses stand picAeted round, 'n-
tries pace to and fro soldiers come and 80, and every
thing is as CHEEKY as may be--and decidedly unlike
an advance. We hear Of movements Oh the part
Of other divisions but suppose that the evacuation
~ Manassas and the falling back Of the Rebels for