The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-08-18

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sounded like the groans of human be-
ings. 1t is a picture that may be mis-
represented, but cannot be heightened
One young girl was crying; but, meet
ing squad Of the marauders she con.
trollcd her tears, saying: They shan
see me cry!" Old men in the morning
were in their dotage by night, and
many youth became man, a re-
vengeful man, ere the day had closed.
Strong minds wavered in the balance,
and to the loss of worldly possessions
was added tho irreparable loss of rea-
son. Full grown men, forgetful of
themselves, sobbed over the destitu-
tion Of those they loved, and self.sacri-
ficing women strovc to comfort those
of weaker hearts who had lost no more
than themselves. We know of in
stances where persons had saved mon
ey and valuables of others, with which
they had, in tho excitement, been
intrusted, to the exclusion Of their own
In the midst of this awful scene, the
sympathy and encouragement we had all
along received from our loyal friends
of sister State, through the columns
of the Tribune, Times and Indcpend-
ent, arose before us like dense cloud,
and, for the time, we hcsitatcd which
was most our enemy-New York or
Virginia. Three hundred OF the enc
my in our streets, two hundred as
guard outside, three thousand within
supporting distance; this, too, with
two thousand effective United States
cavalry only nine miles off, for hours.
Oh, for one.half of the brave Franklin
County boys, that were then far away
from their homes, fighting the battles
of the Union! We blame no one. Our
loyalty, as strong as every, forbids US;
but there is an awful responsibility
SOMEWHERE.
The usual mode of firing the houses
was, to chop up the furniture with az
es, and pile it upon opened beds, Or in
wardrobes, and then applying light
ed match. Lighted paper, torches,
turpentine- balls, and straw were also
used.
One scoundrel accepted five dollars
from frightened female, to carry her
trunk to a place of safety, uhere he
coolly broke 1t open, and helped himself
to the most valuable part Of the contents.
The officer who was sent to burn Col.
McClurc's property, had received Or
ders to detain his wife to witness the
burning. The officers carried lists in
their hands from which they seemed
to receive exact information as TO the
locality of every mans propery. A
little dead child was enclosed in o
chest and buried by the terrified pa
rents in their garden, for fear it would
be burned in their house.
A lady in delicate health was watch
cd by one of the robbers, and allowed
10 drag her trunk outside of the town;
after which he searched it, and appro-
priatcd the valuablcs it contained
She asked whether that was southern
chivalry, and received for reply -
"Take that back, or I'll blow your
brains out" She did not Ietract, and
did not have her brains blown out. II
was sad to sec ladies escaping from
their houses with nothing but a few
photographs or an album. In many
instances, they rode into the parlors
on horseback, doing all the damage
they could.
About two hundred and sixty hous.
es in the heart of the town We're burn
cd to the ground, the part left compar-
ing with that destroyed as the rind
docs with tho orange, The loss is
moderately estimated at one and a
half million of dollars.
In the evening of that dreadful day,
it was ovorpo Wering to witness the
change in circumstances. One of our
prominent citizens went with his fam
lily to the house of his hostler; anoth-
er to the residence of his negro SER
want. On the next day it was still
more sorrowful sight to see refined Ia.
dies flock to tho church to draw Gov
ernment ration, and receive articles of
secondhand clothing, sent up by tue
spontaneous charity Of persons resi-
ding along the line of the G. V. Rail
Road. 1t was hard to eat the bitter
bread Of charity, but this mortifca-
ton was borne with the same heroism
with which they looked upon the sack
ing and burning Of the dear old town.
To sec tho grey-haired men and wo-
men, the middle-agcd, the youthful,
and childhood, all represented in tho
destitute but accomplishing throng,
was one of tho most solemn sights the
world ever saw. Wyoming and Cham
bersburg will live in tho history of
Pennsylvania, and the infamous names
of Butler and McCausland, will be
handed down to posterity, as the types
of savage batbarity.
About noon these modern savagcs
were compelled to leave, with their
hellish work unfinished, on account of
the approach of Averill. At 3 ?. NJ.
the Union forces advanced through
the town. The citizens cheered the
iadod warriors, but no soldierly huz.
zas camc from their parched and suffo-
Gated throats, as they rode through
smoke and flamS, and the intense heat
Of the smouldering ruins. Ono re-
peatcd exclamation of, "My God P
was all that was heard. and then, Is
thew passed the flagstaff, each one
shouted, "Rcmember Chambersburg y
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