Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-10-15
FROM THE VALLEY OF VA.

|
FROM TIE VALLEY OF VA.
THl LAST ADVANCE AND RErREAr OF TEE INENY-THrIR
OCCUPATION OF HARRuoSBURG-IHITvHsr, RAyAaE AND
WHoLRsALR NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or QUE TROOPS
-JAoKsoz's ClMMAKD AT THE BATTLE or wIsoHrsfER.
HARRIsoSBURs. Va, OOt- 10. d
To the Editor Of the Whig:
Within the past few days We have Witnessed the ad-
vance and the retreat Of immense horde Of Villains
called an army, who came 10 plumber, burn, desolate
aud render if possible uniuhabtabe one Of the farest
and most beautiful sections Of noble old Common
wealth. You, who &" live in the city and who have
never treated yourselves to sight Of this great Valley,
can form no adequate idea Of the ruin and desolston
which marked the track Of the last Yankee Army a. IL
passed up and down this garden spot Of tho Ooneds-
raoy.
Your readers are already aware Of many of the ir-
cdens which developed themselves as Gen. Early slow
ly and calamity retired before the advance OF the SUI
psror numbers of the enemy. After his defeat near
Winchester and aferbeiDg oulAanksd at Fishers Hid,
he could not 90 Otherwise than leave the upper Valley,
for very short time TO the tender merces Of the re.
moseess foe who rapidly pressed his retiring footsteps.
The enemy reached HArrsonourg about IL N. on
Sunday, the % b of September and retired on Thur-
day the OF 0ctober, commencing very early IN the
morning the last of their forces getting out OF town
early in the afternoon. We cannot no" ana 10 TINS COM
municaon refer the numerous robberes OF every de-
scrpton perpetratsd upon defenceess and unprotected
ctzsus of this part Of the Valley. Suffice 1t to say
that they 'toOE" from almost evsry body, whatever
they chose or fAnc!ed. They had regularly organised
parties 10 take horses, cattle, sheep, &o and toese
partiss we're kept constantly 10 motion, bringing In
every day large numbers Of these animals. In many
cses our people had sought protection for their stock
by driving Il into mountainous, out otthowsy rheas
bu. these retreats Were many OF them, sought out ana
III, animals gathered into the vofaeoul NAV OF the
Yankee army. For the period Of their stay In thia
mar, of The Valley portion Of their cavalry was thus
occuped TIE good people thus robbed and Pundersd,
without stint or mercy, thought this very hard; bus
theV knew ret what In sore for them until the or
der 70 "retirs" came. Then commenced scene which
bepgArs description Thy had received orders TO bur-.
and DESTROY vhat they had not dI,sady consumed and
d,shoyed TIE heavens we're 1t up, Across the whole
YAlev, almost from mountain to mountain, With the
rd a,mss which consumed the barns and quiet homes
sf our people. We do not know how many barns ana
private dwellings, we're consumed, and their late happy
i and independent owners lett houseless and without
bread in the open fields; but We know the number Ia
~ large as the fiery path oil the destroyer exa nded
amos: the entire width Of the whole Valley aud from
the upper to the lower end OF the county Tee oss ct
t1ese buildings and their valuable contents Ia OF meal
/ cu'ab o value 10 the Oontederscy.
Il
the Valley. Union sympahisers, or those VINO were
CHARGED with being SUCH Jared no better than the strong
est Tilest "secssh rebels" All who were unfortunate
enough to be the owners Of bsr1s ald mills filed with
gsn were doomed 10 destruction Dy these representa-
YEA of the best government the world ever saw"
Nor did the destruction OF barns, mills aud private
gs satsfy the villains employed in this terrible
work Tney shot down stock oil sill kinds in their tracks
and left Is 20 rot AID purify in the sum- 1t was pain.
fu sight, indeed to such destruction wrought In 20
Il Al. rla 49,. ~. IN
/ upon the path OF an invading Yankee Grnyl
Blu. our recital is too painful, and We pass 10 more
pleasant theme. The Yankees had TO 70 ire. They had
started for Lynch6urg, but dared 20 no farther than
| H4rrsonbuIg When they started, their movements
were hurried by our dashng Confederate csVAlry, led
| by General Rosser. A. one or two points 10 their
tive retreat they handsomely thrashed, so that
they were not permitted to pass altogether unpublished
| frem the scene of their outrayos.
Speaking of our cavalry reminds to repair an act
of uninentional inrsics done to gallant chieftsn,
who has done the ale sryice in this for our
undergraduates. We refer to paragraph published in
the Rockingham Register, and copied iuto the Wig
Sentinel ana perhaps oilers of the redmond dalles,
h,c iUg censure upon Colonel w. L. jackson, Who il
was stated commanded tue cavalry whol unfortunately
gave way ia the fight Winchester, precpils ing
| the disaster to at that point. We in
error In tina. statement Colonel Jackson was not in
he engagement, having been painfully wounded some
time before aud being absent from his command at the
time Of the sht His cavalry too, we are stree il
formed was no. that portion OF line which gave
way Hercc, nei.t er Colonel jackson his cavalry,
t. whom Northern Virginia ia largely indebted Tor in
Dor ant ard auRble service rendered heretofore
responsible for the stamp dc of our cavalry in the fight
| near Winchester.
W. make this correction through the Wdig, because
the enemy has again destroyed our printing press ard
types, and made 1t impossible for promptly to RS
pair, through own piper, IN Injustice done to a
gallant and deserving Confederate officer and hs com
mand We hope that all the papers Nhica copied our
notice OF tho fight Winchester will make this
ton Of error which does injustice 10 the reputation
| of o ! JIokson.
A. the lime cf writing, Thugs again qlie in ths
Valley below ut; bat as old Jubl" is agaia trudging
along after the toe, We may lock or something
stirring. The enemy. We are quite sure, will not at
tempt to occupy the Upper Valley, especially he has
pretty tfscully destroyed the means of sustain ne
| life in it. ]. II. w.
Tax ROCKINGHAM RkesrIR of course, thu Yam