The daily Chattanooga rebel. [volume] (Griffin, Ga.) 1864-1865, 1864-07-25
Tho llsarai.ra, Of As.xanarla.


writing from Cairo Illinois, gives sscsiptios of
he bnrning Of Aiexaniiria, Ii. by nanhr arsy,
which we h=ye meyer seen in the sSouihesa prints.
Il Utmost interesting.
"When tho gunSoats were all over tho falls. and
the order 30 evacuatc pronuigaied and the ar
nay nearly all on the march, some of .N,r soldiers
both bite ard black, ii by getseraI undessssnd-
Ing Get hre 10 the city in nearly every part almost
simultaneously Tho flames spread rapidly, in
eressed by heavy wind. Most Of the houses were
! os wooden structure, and room deyoured nv the
nanies. alexandria was town of betweea four
and ave Thousand Inhabitants. All that part Of de
ely north OF tho raiirord swept from the face
of the Garth in few hours, not a building bpiuy
/ LETT. Abont ninefcnihs Of the to.n was consnm-
ell, comprising ail the business mart and all ths An.
Residences the lee ffouse" HOTEL tho Court House
| Mi the chnrchcs except the Catholic n number of
livery stables, and the entire front row OF large and
| splendid business houses. The "Ice Uouse, WINS g.
large brick hotel, which mnst have cost enc hun-
tfred thousand dollars. and which was owned nv
Judge Ariai n member Of the late Constitutional
Convention, who voted for immediate and ,fncona
uenai emancipation in Louisiana; which eesven-
ton also sent delegates 20 tho baltimore Couven-
ton. While Judge A. thua serving the adj
min'straiion. the Federal torch was applied 20 his
houses. his law office his private aad law library
aud all his h,uscholl goods and effects All this
property. be il remembered. has been protested FOR
three years by the Confetlcrntes who all the tiue
knew the Judges Union procliv.ies. Hundreds of
other instances might be cited Of Union msu who
The attending the burning of the city are
| appalling. Women gathering their helpleas babes
! in their arms rushing fran,ieally through the
streets with screams NJ cries that vouId hays
| melted the hardest heart tears. Little bows and
girls were running hifL r and thher CRYING for
| their mothers and fathers: old men leaning on
staff for support TO their trembling lisbs,. were
hur ryipR AWAY frvru She >unocarng heat Of their
burning dwellings and homes. The fair and bean
tiful daughters of abe South, whose fathers and
| brothers in one army or thu other; the frai
helm Ici,i 4, ofeIs
naa fathers were. almost in the twinkling Of an eve
driven from their burning homes into the streets
leaving every tting behind hut the clothes they then
wore. Owing tn tho simultaneous burning ia every
part of the city. tive people found no security In ts
streets. where tho heat intense rs siu.oss 10
create suffocaii.n. Everybody rushed the rivers
edge, being projected there from tho heat by the
high bank of the river. The steamboats, lying @.
the landing were sutccic to great annoyance the
heal cia great that the decks had to he flooded
with water to prevent tho boats from taking fire.
Among those who ih crowded tho river bank
were the wives, daughters and children, helpless
and row nil homeless, of the Union men who had
Joined the Federal army snre the occupation of
Alexandria. Their husbands Ind already been
marched al il the trent toward Simmsnort leaving
thsir families in their old homes but TO the teusg
merves Of the ConfelcTaics.
The Federal torch had now destroyed their
dwellings theia household goods and apparel, the
last rnorsei OF provisions and left them starving
aai Destitute. "a might he expected they desire
=. =. "a along with the Federal army, where their
with tears and enresfes to be allowed go aboard
the transports. They were rcfused They became
'ran'ie with excitement and rage. Their s.reau,s
ana R;te"ns cries werc heart-rcsding. Wi,h tears
streaming down their checks womcn and chiilrsn
begged and impiurcd tho boats to take them On
board. The officers Of the boats were DESTROYS do
ing so. but there was che perennPtory order from
Gen. Banks not tn nllow any white citizens to nc
aboard. rush would have been made upon the
boats but there stood the guard with fixed bay
and none conid mount the stage plank excvpt they
horc the special permit of the commanding General
Could any thing be moro inhuman and cruel -.
But this is no, all. Gen. Banks found room on hin
transports for six or seven thousand negroes thar
had beea gathered in from the surrounding eoun.
try?
Cotton iaai had been loaded on transports to 6o
shipped through the Qua-termastcr TO New Orleans
under Banks order, thrown oyerboar,l TO mn ke
room for negroes. but no room could DO found for
white women and children. whose husbands and
brothers were in the Federal army, and whose hou.
SEES aud all had just been burned by the Federal
torch challenge the records of nil wars for act,
of snch perfdy and cruelty.
But there is still another chapter in this perfdi.
Gus military and political campaign. Banks on mr..
irving at Alexandria. told the people that his occu.
patton OF The country was permanent. That he in
tcndci To protect IA: who would come forward and
inhe the oath of allegiance: while those who would
no, were threatened with banishmcnt and conffsca-
ito of property An election held and dele.
gates were sent to the Constitutional Convention
'hen-n session at New Orleans Essrujs9s Is; &C;
ars into the United STATE. service Quits
the oath, and were promised. protection. Their
houses ard pther property have NIL been re-
diced to ashss and they turned out into the worii
with nethingAabsolutely nothing. save the amnes-
ty oath! They could not sow go the ConFeder-
ates and apply for charity. They, too applied to
Gen. Banks to he allowed to GO aboard the traus-
ports and ito go to New orlsans They fused IN
every instance! Among those who applied vas q
Mr. Parker, lawyer of feeble health. who had
been quite prominent making speeches since the
Union occupation. in favor of the emancipation,
fIo a.
rebellion. Permission to go transport was re-
fused him. lie could not stay, and hence feeble
ns he WAS, no went on afoot with the army. Among
the prominent citizens who took the oath was Judge
John h. Eigee, of Alexandria.
Before the return of the army from Grand Ecore,
Judge Elgcc went Ito New Orleans, leaving his
family behind, expecting to return. He was not
able to do 20 before the evacuation of Aiexaidr
Judge Elgce'6 one OF the most accomplished and
able men or the South. lawyer by profession be
occnPed,a prominent position, both politically and
social, AMI hnd immense influence. So great
stress placed naon his taking the oath, that
one of.onr bands sercnadcd him ct his residence
and Gen Grover ard Gen. Banks henored him IN
every way possible. Durrg my stay in Aisxan-'
dria, had OCCASION call upon the Judge at mis-
residence and at his Office, (which both In tie
same builiin,) On business. His Inv arad literary
library occupied three large rooms-betag az dns .
collection of books AZ saw, His rsaidsnee
richly ard tashsfully furni. hed-e sngie paint
ing coss twelve hundre 1 dollars. In. his abssnee
the Goyc,Tmsnt he had to support, and
pfOtectt0ns
soldiers to apply the torch 10 his DWELLING and nvn
his family into the streets. His fine resiaeaec. with
all its costly furniture, his hooks. papers, and bis
emo paintings. were burned up. II may be that
many IF the last nai.ed articles will yet find their
way to the North having been reseusa froa, the
flames by pilferers and aad shicvss for ahere arson
Is resnrtcd to, II is generally 10 cover thief.
ana, elected with Hahn. by General Blacks orders,
was not spared. Vie had beca Union man ffosn
the beginning. Ee bad splendid residence in
Alexandria wall rio IN had h:nh
owa aud his sons family resided. His son was
ahseat Ia Neg orleiEE attending tha
Contention, of which no was n nasaber, aad in
which he voted for abolition and all tho ultra nea-
s1res But that did not secure his-iamily the pro-
sec'iea of the .devesnmenf. All was barBed.-s
ihohsands OF people, men, and children,
wer an few short hours, driven from, camtcrfa BILE
homes into the streets. Their shelter their proyi-
sens. their bctla were AZ consumed In thsir ex-
sremity. whi:h our own cuipalilisy had Brought
ABOUT. the commanding Ges,eral turned Sis hack