Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-02-11
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH.
EXCITEMENT IN RICHMOND
Interesting Account Of Released
Prisoners,
BALTIMORE, Feb. Q.

BALTIMORE, Feb. Q.
A special dispatch from Fortress Mon
roe to the Baltimore American, from
Mr.. q. G. Fulton, who Is at City Point,
,says "Thc rebel flag of truce steamer
S.lultz with Commissioner 0uld and
Capt. Hatch, the truce officer, arrived on
Saturday at City Point. Two citizen
prisoners brought down by the Shultz
Were sent on board of the New York.
They were both Marylanders, one of
them, Mr.. Abriengle, of Frederick, Md,
was captured at Middletown ON the 10th
of June whilst acting as volunteer
assistant to the sanitary commission !;
and the other, George W. Langley, of
Baltimore county, was captured whilst
Z he was driving a wagon of the sanitary
commission near Charlottesville on the
9th of November. They were released
through the interposition of the Rev.
Mr.. Petroken. They brought exciting
news from Richmond which they repre-
sent was in a state of the most feverish
excitement from midnight on Saturday
up to the time they left, Saturday noon.
At midnight on Saturday the bells of the
city were rang, and men were rushing
through the streets, crying, "To arms !"
"To arms" "The Yankees are com
ingw During the remainder of the
night, there was an intense commotion
every where visible. The home guard
was called out and the tramp of armel
men could be heard in all directions.
Cannon were hauled through the streets,
women and children were hurrying to
and fro, and there were all the evidences
of such panic as had seldom been wit
messed in Richmond. On Sunday morn
ing there was no abatement in the ex-
element. The guards Were all marched
out of the city to defences, and the
armed citizens were placed on guard
over the prisoners. Horsemen were
dashing to and fro and the excitement
among the prisoners to know the cause
of all this excitement became intense.
1t was soon learned that large cavalry
and infantry force with artillery, had
made their appearance on the Peninsular
at Bottoms bridge, within 10 miles of
the city, and that Richmond was actu-
ally threatened by the Yankees.
The same hurrying of troops, arming
of citizens, and excitement among the
WOlilcu anu CnlluISHi COutihuCu uuiluS
the morning, and at about 2 o'clock,
when the two released prisoners were
about to leave on the truce boat, the
alarm bells were again rung, with great
fury. The prisoners left in scene of
the greatest tumult and confusion, such
as they never before witnessed in the
city. The rumors that prevailed were
conflicting and wild. 1t was their i'm
preston that from 5000 to 10000 cav
airy would have but little difficulty in
entering the city and liberating the
Union prisoners, destroying the forts and
public property and retiring by the Pc
ninsula, before any sufficient force to re-
sist them could be brought to the aid of
the small garrison left to defend it. For
several days previous to this alarm the
troops in and around the city to the
number of 1900 or 5000, had been sent
off to join Lees army, with great dis
patch, the impression prevailing that
a movement was contemplated by Gen.
Meade. In this they were right, as du-
ring the progress of the excitement ON
Sunday, intelligence was received that
Gen. Meade had crossed the Rapidan on
Monday morning. About 10 o'clock,
courier arrived at City Point, bringing
copies of the morning papers, with the
intelligence that the excitement had
abated, and that it had been ascertained
that the Yankees were falling back from
the Chickahominy, and abandoned the
attack.