The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-07-18
TIE WOUNDED on TIE FIELD.
The Rebels IL PENNSYLVANIA.
CnA~aERsgrcG, July !, 1868


Our mail communications have been en-
t;rely cut of for more than two weeks.
The first MAJ! goes out to day We have
realized to the fullest extent where ie-
norauce is bliss, lis folly 10 be wise We
have seen the advance and retreat OF the
boasted Army OF Rebellion
The army corps or EweIl Hill. Leng
street and Stewart, passed through Cham
bersburg. Our intercourse with them
fully satisfied US of the vide difference be
tween the upper and lower classes OF the
white people in the South. The officers
generally are men of intelligence and re-
TTueIII~TTs, oUiiv ,iIv -.-----L L.. f---.
exceptions, are grossly ignorant and de-
PRAYED They do not comprehend the
issue involved in the war
They answer almost every question 10y
saying, " = are fighting for our rights. ."
They seemed TO feel deeply the Influences
Of Northern society; from the time they
crossed into Pennsylvania until they as-
rived at ChambersDurs, Il distance OF 20
miles they We're missing over 1000 by
desertion An order was issued by Gen
Lee and TO them, for idd!ng any conver
sation with the citizens whatever This,
however, was not observed, and desertion
continued largely. Many voluntarily gave
themselves up TO our citizens, who con
ccaled them, or gave them directions how
to escape their pIckets
That portion Of the array that passed
through Chambersburg numbered $4,000.
Ii was carefully counted by several of our
citizens, some numbering more than that.
and others a few hundred less. General
Earlys division passed about eight miles
TO the right Of Chambersburg, and Gen.
Hills corps passed up through " estmin-
| ister Nd which we believe would swell
| the number Of Lees command 10 $4,000
men.
CONDITION or THE ARMY.
There were we'll armed, most of than
/ having the latest improved arms They
/ nad lis pieces of artillery OF different cali-
bres, and 1000 wagons and ambulances.- -
/ Some Of the regiments were tOlerably well
! clad, but most of them inditierently, and all
( of them filthy in appearance Many were
! bare-footed in most of the regiments, and
many were without hats.
/ The ambulance corps was large, and al
I most every ambulance had either sick ol
/ broken-down soldiers in it. The horses
used were generally those stolen from our
citizens, of which they had great abun
dance.
THEIR CONDUCT.
Many acquisitions were made upon the
| citizens of our town. The first was FOL
ratons of bread and meat for 800 man
which was complied with.
The second was for 800 suits of clothes
including hats and boots, 500 pounds OF
lead, 800 saddles and brides, 800 horse
shoes, and nails sufficient to put them on
all the pistols ana revolvers and rrecus
sion caps in the county, 5000 barrels o
-four, 500 sacks of salt, $4,000 in gold and
silver, and to cap the climax, 25 barrels
of sour kroW
A committee of citizens called upon
Gen Ewel and informed him that to com
ply with this demand was utterly impossi
ble, and that if such would be their requi
sitions, we would ask leave to remove GU,
women and children, and then to burr
the town. The re9uisition was not en-
forced but, as an alternative, the Quar-
terinaster made acquisitions upon our mer
chants and shop keepers, taking from
them whatever was needed III their army
and paying our usual retail prices in Con
federate money.
Under these acquisitions they took dry
goods to the value of several thousanC
dollars; groceries to a great value, hard
ware, -four, salt and drugs, all in large
. GuQlltltlcS. luty tuSSc SooNS II
wagons taken from our farmers, and SEN
them in the direction of Hagerstown
Whether they succeeded in getting them
safely across the Potomac river or not
We have not been enabled to learn.
CONDUCT OF THE PRIvATEs.
Afte the acquisitions of the Quaitermas
ter had been complied with, the private.
, seemed to have license given them to rol
our citizens of what little they had left
They entered the stores and took all the,
could carry, IN many instances takin,
ladies goods, and other things Of no man
ner of use to them. We saw them carr,
away silks and dresses already made fo
, small children.
They filled their canteens with molasses
!. and stood on the streets drinking it, 9th
ers eating raw mackerel out of one hant
and brown sugar out of the other. The.
took hats from the heads of our citizens
: and compelled others to take off thei
/ boots and shoes and give them up
One man was compelled to give his hat
| coat, watch, money, and shoes and stock
) ings. Several were shot for refusing t
, give up all they had Many houses in tn