Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-05-22

Tine REBEls At lloxE." are thus dcscrib-
ed by correspondent who accompanied
Stoncman, expedition
In the counties visited there were hut few rel-
els found at home, except the very old and the
very young In ninc days travel ! did not see
fifty able hoiiel men who were not IN some way
connected with the army. Ncarly every branch
Of business is At stand still The shelves in
stores are almost everywhere empty the shop Of
the artisan Is abandoned and in ruins. The pc.-
pie who are To be seen passiyely submit 20 sll
that emanates from Richmond without mur-
muir, they are for the most part simple minded,
aud ignorant Of all that Is trlnspuing in the
great theatre about them. An intelligent looking
man in Columbia laughed heartily - hen told that
Union troops occupied New Orleans-Jeff Davis
would let them know il were such the fact, AMI
could not md a msn who would admit that the
Coufederltcs had ever been beaten in a single
engagement. 1hcsc people 10 not even read the
Richmond paper, AMI about al the information
they 10 obtain !, what Is passed about in
the primitive style from mouth to mouth. be
fore this raid they believed tina; the Union soldiers
were anything hut civilized beings and were >trck-
en- with terror when their approach Vas hertidoL
DISK church,s seen In one day, in only one hal
there been religious services held within sx
months. pue half at least Of the dwelling houses
are uuoccupicd 1nl fast going % decay.
Inc negrues everywhere have an idca-how 1t
E1; into thc.r heals they cauuUt exactly tel, but
Il IS therc-that the Yankee troops were their
friends, Notwithstanding the contrary assertion
# their masters. who from influcy they have
been taught TO obey. They every where crowded
upon cur columns and beggOl to be permitted 90
% along, and not uufrcquently brought one or
-e.f ~. . f.rsn
pointed out where valuable horses were conceal
Ell. gave information a. to the movement Of Con
Tolerate troops, and At several places sat up All
night 10 bake corn cakes for the Yankees, and
Tor which thav asked no remuneration Some
Of them were So overioyed az the sight OF cur
soliicrs that they gave vent to their feelings in
prayer, thanking Jesus t-rvcntlY for sending as.
The same correspondent gives the follow
ing account OF the surprise at Columbia on
the James River when Stoucman's force az
preached
The approach Of the force had been heraliel.
but no one believed it. The man who went 10
the trouble Of riding ten miles to give the in
hahitsnts notice. was almost mohbed by the
people-thev doubted his sanity. q" What
Yankees near Columbia 2" said one citizen at
is impossible, JEFF. Davis would not permit such
an invasion Of the sacred soil. The furnishcr
Of the unwelcome news had dirt thrown at him,
was hooted at, and followed by crowd Of excit-
Ell people, who were threatening him with all
sorts of vengeance, Just as the advance guard Of
Col Windham's force, under Major Beaumont,
dashed into town. There were no soldiers there
A dozen or more citizens succeeded in escaping
across the river, and spreading the astounding
intelligence and soon after squad Of troopers
appeared in the distance on the opposite bank.
The people south Of the river did not believe the
story told by the fugitives. One man rode with
hi. servant down to the river bank to see for
himself The servant seized upon the opportunity
TO ride into our lines. He was not pursued y
planter sent son mounted on valuable horse
o ascertain the news-beleving the force to b.
Stuart's cavalry. The boy asked an or 'er i
the Yankees had been whipped and was tod tii
they hal. He expressed his satisfaction and g 4
bout leaving, when the officer told him he want
ed a horse-his own was jaded. An exchange
was speedily made. The boy was evidently some
what puzzled at this summary pro ,eeding, but
thought il all right no doubt, AS i H1s Stuart's
cavalry, and he rode of TO tell his father the
news A negro vho manifested some joyful emo
ton upon hearing that the Yankees were COM
ing, was severely whipped BY his master just be
low Columbia. few hours before We reached
the spot The negro, upon being released, re-
iterated his former expression, and an attempt
was made to whip him again. But he escaped,
Jumped into the river aud was drowned. The
old negro preacher on the plantation where the
above occurred told me that me that his
master s'curs'd de Yankees cause dey made i'm
loss a fifteen -hundred-dollar niger"