Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-07-14
burning of Alexandria, LOuisi-
ana, by Order OF General
Banks.

Banks.
A correspondent of the ST. Louis Re
publican, writing on the 10th inst, gives
the following particulars Of the burning of
Alexandria, Louisiana, by the troops under
Banks
| The scenes attending the burning Of the
city arc appalling. Women gathering their
helpless babes in their arms, rushing fran
tically through the streets, with. screams
and cries that would have melted the hard
est heart to tears. Little boy, and girls
were running hither and thithcr crying for
their mothers and fathers old men leaning
on staff for support to their trembling
I limbs, were hurrying away from the suffo-
! ting heat Of their burning dwellings and
homes The.fair and beautiful daughters
of the South, whose brothers were in one
army or the other; the fiail and helpless
wives and children of absent husbands and
fathers, were almost in the twinkling Of
AN eye, driven from their burning homes
into the streets, leaving everything behind
but the clothes they then wore.
Owing to the simultaneous burning in
every part Of the city, the people found no
security in the streets, where the heat was
so intense as almost to create suffocatiOn
| Everybody rushed to the rivers edge, being
/ protected there from the heat by the higl
! bank of the river
! The steamboats, living at the landing were
/ subjected to great ANNOYANCE. the heat
I being so great that the decks had to be
| Hooded with water to prevent the boats
/ from taking fire.
Among those who thus crowded the river
bank were the wives, daughters and chill
] L I
/ Union men who had ioined the Federal ar
my since the occupation Of Alexandria. -
/ Their husbands had already haan marched
off toward Simmesnort leaving thrir f,mi.
lies in their old homes Lnt tn tLn tanJa,
mcrcics of the comiadcratcs The fndcrol
torch had now de.trovcd tbeir dwnll;ngs
4 ,bair bousnbold Goods and nmnarni tba ~
morscl Of proyisions and left tLrm storvino
aud destitnte As m;ght Inc cvnnctrd tLnT
desired to go along With the flJrrol ormv
Fl where ,bcir hn n.hndS b,d rona The an,
nlied to Cen Banks with teol.s and rntreat. mt ~t
irs tn he allowed to On aboard tbe trons.
norts They were refused Tbnv heramt
f,antic w;tb oynita,nnnt and r,,o Tbn;,
.nroa,ns ,nJ ,,;toous cr;os ,,a,o Jo,rt .ranj
;n,, VIII tnars s+raa,,,;nr Jarn ~ ~,
nbeols wnn,on a,J ch;iireS, Lonoad '.r, an1
;n'nlns,,a ,i,i Ino.a aad .oIn n osJu I anI
Tho "a nf tba lont, ,Inu;ro,,. -,
j,;ua "o l,t ~ ,iD tho,n "o"ro m.os VIZ ~ ~ ,oua ~
ordns f,,, ~, -, g. 81 ""1 "V poiLnp'Ul!
t, ,'b;t, ,on' - ~ ~ t ahI 'i0' "iib" aIl
ha', L'o,' "'1i' IT, I I,t III .L
itoa 10 ,, VIII i;,h a. G,.oI Wv, ''iuiS
,o,' III ,,t H. 80 ia,i, a,..
tLn, Lorn .,n Snro orn;t of tho ~ ~
d;n9g oonori univ VI WV 00'''''''
Tonlj nn,,tb;rc, ho mona ;nb,,,oo o,t
c,nap Rnt AZ. E mot nj RnuIs fonmC
room an his tronsnorts fnr .;x or snrn,
E ,bo,.ond narrons tbat baJ boan no,horo'
. in from the surrounding country Co,to
t that had been loaded on TRANSPORTS to b
4 ,hipncd through the Ouortcrmastcr 70 Ne,
. Orleans. under Banks order, was throw
| overheard to make room for negroes. Bu
t no room could be found for white wonlc
n and children. whose husbands and brother
4 we're in the federal army, and whose house
f and all had Just been burned by the federa
t torch | cha lcnge the records Of all war
e for acts of such pelfdy and cruelty.
/ Bat ther. is still another chap ec in thi
perfdious military and political campaign
Banks, on arriving at Alexandria, told the
, people that his occupation of the countl,
! was permanent; that he intended to protec
, all who would come forward and take the
oath ofallegiance; while they who would moi
were threatened with banishmcnt and con
fscaton of property. Hundreds came for
ward and took the oath. An election wa,
held and delegates were sent to the Consti
|, tutional Convention then in session at New
Orleans. A recruiting Office was opened
and over thousand men mustered into the
United States service. Quite number Of
prominent citizens of Alexandria took tho
oath, and were promised protection. Theil
houses and other property have now beer
reduced to ashes, and they turned out into
the world with nothing absolutely nothing
l save the amnesty oath They could MOI
|, now go to the confederates and apply fol
charity.
1 They, too, applied to Banks to be allowed
to go aboard the transports and 20 to New
Orleans They were refused in every in
+ stance! Among the applicants was a Mr.
t Parker, lawyer, of feeble health, whC
= had been quite prominent making speeches
f since the Union occupation, in favor o
! emancipation, unconditional Union, anC
, the suppression of the rebellion. Pemis
1 sion to 90 on a transport was refused him
lie could not stay, and hence, feeble as hc
' was, he went aioot withe the army.
| Among the prominent citizens who tool
| the oath was Judge John X. Elgec, of Al
cxandria. Before the return of the army
r from Grand Ecore, Judge Elgee went Il
New Orleans, leaving his family behind
expecting to return. He was not able tt
/ do so before the evacuation of Alexandria
Z Judge Elgee is one of the most accomplish
a ed and able men of the South A laWye