The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-01-02
] w HOLE mo-. 677.
Frederick burg After the I,ombardmsnt,

EreueflckepurR Atter the h0mbaromenf.
FIom the correspondence of the New
York journals ws gather tho iolIovinf in.
lsfesUrg particulars Of the operations st
Frsdericksburg;
i have just returned from Frcdsficks.
51rg Last spring. when !, for The ffst
time visited the. tho most Important city In
tho Valley Of the Rappshsonock. I was
struck with its strong resemblupce to the
old villages iu Nss England. whore scafcsly
modern dwelling can DO found, aud every.
thug bears . quiet, cultivated, finished look.
as u Il had closed iis career of enterprise
upen rhis earth and had retired upon a 70.
spectacle competence. But today thie CITY.
onco 50 quiet aud attractive, Is a deserted
ruined. demolished town---a heap of smoul.
der'ug ruius aud falling dweilibgs, which
have tor weeks been teDsniless and fgfss-
Ken. Who would recognize it "a. nieht Z
The heascns are red with the flames OF tho
old mansions the atmosphere 10 full of the
sm0ks from tho smouiderIBg emberp, The
desoiaiIng blasts of war prsyeG AID snuphs
for. nave at last been visited upoc h.r.-s
What she chose rathsr than surrouder, has
been her portion.
1T was singular. in the desoiasion and
awful absence Ut human life in the place to-
day. hog ihe old town clock in tho tower Of
ono Of the city chuFches--truer to lie maker
than mcD sfo--sfruck out the time clearly
aud Rraudis. Not all the shells this side Of
tho Blue Ridge could Effect that clock till ie
got run down, Ss il surely must some day.
Virginia has run dOtoH she may run far.
ther. but fear there are few depths lower
that permit exIsiebce.
Strange indeed ~ouId Is have been, II We
had allowed these brick aud stone tortresses
to roua u standing as monuments over the
graves Of our brave sold .eis. A heap of
smouidering eulbcrS 10 all that remains of
them. Otbors. lees os entatious ia their
sIyio of architecture. are riddIed and torn
with shot aud shoii the furniture broken
aud defnced the bedding ripped and
stripped. :aken into the sireeis aud trodden
under f,ot; elegant ChiDaware and cutiery.
choice libraries OF books. fare works If nrs
are all hesped together IN the streets. aud
are scrambled tor as trophies. TIE old
maDsion of Douglas Gord0n-perhaps the
wcaithi-st citizen III the valley--is now used
as the headquarters OF General Howard, but
before he occupied i:, every room had been
torn with shot. and then all the elegant fur
nHure aud works OF art broken and smashed
by the soldiers. who burst into the house If.
ter having driven tho rebel sbarpsho0tera
IRON behind il. When l entered il, early
tulb 1OruiuE. DoUt6 ltb OCCupettoB W 0o4-
cral Howard. { found tho soldiers OF bis 6ne
division divertiug themselves with tho rich
dresses found in tbs wardfobes soms had
on bOnaets of the fashions Of last year, and
were surveying themselves before mirrors,
which an hour or two afterwards, were
pitched out Of tho window and smashed to
pieces on tho pavement ; others had elegant
scaris bound around their heads In the foFm
OF turbsns, aud shawls around their wassis
after tho fashion Of The Tu.ks
"Whsi saw ip this mansion was repeated
in nearly every one which the flames had
not destroyed
alt is but the truth to say that tho wealthy
citizuns of Fredericksburg possessed some
thing more than wealth, and of much great
or valuc--cul'ure. ] doubt IL there 10 VII.
isRe in New England that possesses more
choice libraries than did fredericksburg the
day before tue bombardmens. You can eco
that tho old orthodox religious element en-
terra into nearly every ons of ihem. Said
u soldier TO mo to-day. raking among a mag
nifcent private library. half covered with
mud ia the street., How intensely religious
these d---d rebels ave. Not only solid
works upon religion and philosophy are
iound among The Ibrarics, but books in
nearly all the modern languages, which
looked ~ if they bad been we'll read aud
appreciated"