The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-11-20
fa0m FaEbEaICKseURe.
frnox ouR OWN CORRESPONDENT. !
Fsspsalok.nu.a. Nov. 10. laca.

FkSoERioksBUA6, Nov. ID, 1868.
Here amid the ruins and debris Of ,his once
pleasant city, Inhabited by contented aud happy
people, who were surrounded by all the eomforts
and iuxudes which wealth and afiauence could
anord, snatch momeas Of passing time 10 send
afew stray items, which may serve 10 interest,"
some Of the numerous readers Of the Dispasch. OF
the numbPfless accounts Of devastation and ruin
here which have been published, none have con
vey"d the slightest idea Of what has been the loss,
and the extremity TO which the inhabitants OF
this city have been reduced, by the ruthless hand
Of the tRcarnate' demons who turned loose the
tornado Of shell aud shot on the unsuspectimg In
habitanis at a silent hour of night, while they
We're wrapped in unconscious slumbers, iiiti''
dreaming when they retired IN their couches tn.
before the morning sun broke one third of the
City would be a smOaderng mass Of ruins, aud
the remainder of the houses penetrated and torn
by the nunheress shot and she'll which was rained
on that devoted spot. Terrible as was this oFden'
some seventy hve or one hundred persons re-
mained In the city, secretiny themselves In the
cellars while the upper pans Of their dwellings wcse
torn and shattered by the shell which went crash
the city, and can safely state, without contradic
iiDn. that there Il scarce a house to be OBJ
| served which has not been struck with from
| one to twenty shot OF shell; In many In
| inside, the entire interior, together with the
furniture wesid be torn end shattered IN Fragments.
Alter oil the Inhabitants but the few left had been
driven out of the city, and The b0mbardment
| the fendish outrage which WIS being enacted -
The entire horde Of Yankee devils were fet loose
and entered the city, and such scene of devasia-
| ton and punder has never been e4uailed IN the
| records Of histOry-even IN the most bafbaiOus
| ages. Every house was broken open, entered, and
gutted from cellar 70 garret, furniture Of every de-
scripton, and the fx.nres, gsther with goods IN
the stores, were either carried off or smashed I"
pieces and left lying on the floors and In the streets
| These matters are not mentioned az items of
! late news, but I'm order to be recorded
faithfully and imp1rtinlly, rs matter of history.
The details Of this barbarous and heli-deserving
transaction, related by eye witnesses, affect
ing Ia the extreme and the condition Of the sufer
| ers Il enough TO awaken the sympathies of the
most caiious and uncOncerned, aud volume
night be written on the subject, which would serve
to hand down postcrity, and 10 illustrate 10 the
world the deeds Of our kind and loving brothers J
of tho civilized and highly enlightened North.
| Of the present condition of the city much might
| be said The inhabitants are gradually returning
| to their devastated homes, and continue 10 gain i
precarous existence and support as best they can.
Grass and weeds now grow In the streets, and In
many places come up through The crevices in the
pavement In the most frequened part Of :he city.
TO day saw a WAGNER unloading hay and pack
ing Ii in of the largest fancy stores In the place,
Just In the centre of town. This instance ia IN
illustration Of the present mode Of life. As to bus
ness there is literally nothing doing. The inhab
EaDts calm, stOical, or Indifferent. and secm
IL await events with as much unt oncern If mere
ordinary events were transpiring.
The Government is now doing what should have
been done In June last, viz: gathering up axes,
picks, spades, stoves, pipes, oyercoa,s, blankets,
SC, which were left by the Yankees on their evac
ua,ion of Stafford. Immediately after the cyaeu
alton more than 100000 axes, picks shoveis, L c ),
might have been secured to the government, bnt
no attention being paid to these necessary ARTICLES
at the time they were gathered up by citizens and
have been run off to Richmond and other points
and sold Ia immense quantities.
OF the present military situation here little may
be said. will state, however, that Gen. Lee Is
wide awake to the responsibilities of his station,
and that from movements going on he seems 10 be
as well aware Of the intention of the enemy IA
they are themselves. 1t is thought ty some that
another battle may be fought not many miles from
this MACE but from authentic Information received
such contingency is hardly probah e. o. X.
P.s.-since wr!iinc the above learn that por-
tion of Rosser's cavalry brigade CLOSED the Kappa
hammock at Gcrmana and captured &c Yankees,
broke up their camp, and scattered them generally.
They also captured the coIors of Pennsylvania
regiment