The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-06-18
Milrey,s Reisn i'm Wincheseer. s. 8

n1ilrey's Reisn In Wincheseek ss
The reign Of Milroy in Winch11t ",
which has rivalled in brutality aud phbsry
that of Butler In New Orleans, 10 noW over
A letter from q lady who was sent ~ him
within our lines, gives some idea Of - Httls.
ness and cruelty Of the Yankee 0raI q
Winchester, and we make some extxoe fteau
it.:
Gen. Milroy and his YANKEES tlibe have
possession, and, as You know, k(e ~ fol
six months. / did not leave viii u1band
when our army left, for il ve14 ht6r. and
my health not good, and did dn0tA yImoyipe
around from place to place q IN p1ld haye
had TO do if ! left home, particularly win
e, as AZ : e s... scoR e pIssss9 T can can
get "over the linee." Every day our enemies
were becoming harder and harder for u.s.
There is only one prayer in Winchester, and
that is, "Oh, God, how long, how long r.
breathed from hearts filled with suffering and
misery. God only knows what the people OF
Winchester have had to bear and suffer from
those iends in human shape.
The town is full of hospitals They have
Taylor's Hotel, York House, Union Hotel, and
when left were turning the people out OF
their homes to make hospitals Of them. DR.. X.
Baldwin and Mr.. Singleton were turned out
the day before came away. The soldiers
have been camped about in town all \. .ater, and
such dirty place you never saw. The church
opposite was taken for a stable, and we had the
horses quartered all around us. The typhoid
fever has at last become 80 bad that it has
grown to an epidemic, and there is scarcely a
family in town but have two or more, and in
some cases the whole family is down, and lust
dependent upon their neighbors for help. All
the servants have gone, and the people have
Just been worked and worried to DEATH A
great many deaths have taken plaes-as many
as eight funerals week among the town peo-
is something.
The Yankees will not allow the people to buy
anything without taking the oath, and we
would rather starve than do that. We could
get nothing either one way or the other, and
just had to live on bread and sometimes had
butter. They would not even allow us to buy
bone Of meat to make soup for the sick
When the C0nfederates came towards Win
chester the Yankees once surrounded with six
hundred of their men about fifty of ours and
did not kill one-sll escaped. Old Milroy was
ripping mad, swore terribly, called the officer
VINO had command and said, "Why is it that
sac hundred Yankees having one hundred rebels
surrounded, let them all escape ?'' The officer
eaid, call can say is the rebels fought acith
daring dravery andthe Yankees like towards"
They put the officer under arrest for forty days
M,lroy never goes out. He had his wife and
four or five childrsn-ugly little red-headed
things-with him. They had Mrs. Loean's
fine house. You heard, suppose, they sen.
Mrs. L. and family over the lines. They took
Instead of coming up the Valley to fight the
men they stopped in Winchester and fought
the women and children. The women were
firm and faithful never would give up one
step When MilrOy's wife first came she had
one little trunk, and when che left she had jiue
very large ones-carried off everything she
could lay her hands on.
They say they viii not leave negro in
town when they leave. They had an old dar-
and said he was "secesh." They put him in
the guard house and kept him for three days
on water. The fourth, day the officer went and
said, "Are you secesh yet? The faithful old
fellow, clapping his hands, said, Bless de
Lord, Massa, Is secesh yet" They then took
him up to the Generals and put very large iron
balls 70 his legs, and set him to splitting wood.
Brother Alex. went by and saw him. It hap
pened that the officer who was guarding him
arrested brother. He was cursing the poor old
negro dreadfully; said he ought to have ball
on his neck and one on both arms The old fell
low went on splitting, saying all the time Bless
de Lord, Massa, any where you can put it. You
can kill de body, but you can't kill de soul,
and when dat gets to heaven it will be secesh
yet" Brother called to the officer and said,
!" HallQa, Grant, is that what you call free
dom 7" Mother and John Godfrey NJ were
standing on the steps laughing and talking
just at the moment some little children were
and making fun of the Yankees, Gen.
CIusara passed by and thought mother and
John were laughing at him with the children,
and took them both up to headquarters, where
they were kept for several hours. So you see
we were not allowed even to laugh.
A lady went to Gen. Milroy and asked for
pass to 70 over the iines He said, Il will give
YOU pass to hell" She told him she did not
know his lines extended that far; she had
often heard it, but now had it from his own
lips.
They would not allow the suffers to sell
thing except to the soldiers The town iS
just full of Yankee women, who act as if they
owned everything in it. They just go to the
finest houses and order furnished rooms for
them. Oh! but it is dreadful The people
are not allowed to move one step out of t0wn-
cannot get mouthful of fresh air. No won.
der there ia such suffering, sickness, and death.
There are very few Union people in town, and
those are the c0mmOnest kind.
TIE 7.30 OR 2 CENTS Per Diem, INTEREST
BEARING 800 CONFEDERATE TREASURY
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