Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-08-05
The Burning q chambersburg.

letter to the Philadelphia hqaixey, dated at
Chambersburg on Monday, August lst, says.
Their approach to this place was heard Of about
four o'clock on Saturday morning, when a small
force, numbering about sixt-fve men, under
command OF Lieutenant II. s. McLain, United
States Army, with one piece of artillery, took
position on New England Hill short distance
above the town, and commenced firing grape and
canister into their ranks This battery kept the
enemy in check for two hours, while the merchants
and business men at once commenced packing UP
their goods, that before the arrival 0fthe nva-
ders the most valuable portion of the merchandise
had been removed. The little band under Lieu
tenant McLain harassed the invaders and fought
them until they were nearly surrounded.
The battery was withdrawn, and, at o clock
the raiders came into town in scattering squads
under that ferocious and unrelenting freebooter,
McCausland. Formal possession Of .he town wa.
taken, and General McCausland made his head
quarters in the Franklin House After this he
made proclamation to the citizens, demanding
one hundred thousand dollars in gold or I've hun
dred thousand dollars in greenbacks He threat
ened to burn the town if the monty was not OBJ
tanned. This demand, OF eouse, was not complied
with. The Rebel General was evidently aware
that the money could not be raised and he was
sure OF It afiording pretext to execute the pre-
medated plan Tor destroying ChambersbuFg
McCausland then allowed his men To scatter in
squads over the town, to plunder and rayAge the
people, and put the torch To whatever buildings
they thought proper to burn. Their first move
was for the taverns in the town, and here they
drank to excess, and then visited private resden-
ces, and demanded of the occupants certain sums
OF money, threatening to lay their dwellings, in
ashes Some OF the cltizei> saved sheir r,siden-
ces by complying with thetT te.lns; others gave
them to understand that they would suffer Geath
rather than give them money. A guard Of half
dozen men had been detailed by the Rebel Gener
al to visit the residence of Col. Alexander X
Mcclure situated about a mile and half out OF
town They did not know the direct locality OF
Mr.. McClure residence and while proceeding on
their errand they stopped at the house Of Mr. VIM
Eyster, and that gentleman being at home, they
inquired OF him where the property was located.
Having received reply, they visited the splendid
residence, ordered Mrs Mcclure, who was very
sick at the time, out Of the house, stole everything
that was of value, and burned the house They
next proceeded to the barn. which was well filed
with wheat, and this structure shared the same
fate They were not aware that Mr. Mcclure had
several other buildings and barns in the immdiate
nelghbOrhOOd, or they would surely have been de-
stroyed. Mrs. Mcclure although sick, was obj
ged to walk nearly eleven miles. The Colonel had
left the place before the Rebels entered, and had
gone to Harrisburg. His loss viii not fall short
of $4,000
The Government CoInmissary store house, the
Court house, three printing Offices one belonging
to the German Reformed Church. where the Ger
man Reformed Messenger and a German paper
were printed the Office ofthe Franklin Repository
and the office of the Idiiy SPIRIT all hotels, gro
Gerry stores and the principal portion of the town
was, few hours after they commenced their hell
lsh work, one mass OF ruins In all there have
been about two hundred and sixty buildings be-
streyed. At the time of the fire, strong breeze
was prevailing, and the flames spread in every
direction
1t was really heart-rending to see the women,
almost frantic, running to and fro, begging the
yretches to cease the work of destruc-
ton. Children were running in every direction
seeking for their parents, while the women were
crying and hunting for their children who could
not be found. Families were rushing from their
homes, without any thing they could call their own
except the clothing they had upon their backs, to
seek security In the desolated fields around The
town. The appeal Of the old and helpless were
heard above the noise of the confagration and
this only served to elicit the seorn and dersion of
the freebootcrs, who came for the Infamous pur-
pose of laying this once beautiful town in ruins.
Another letter from Chambersburg says:
1t was painful to witness the distress and terror
OF the women and children thus suddenly and rude
~ thrust from their homes, accompanied as it was
with the roaring of the flames and the crashing of
falling walls and tmbers. Our citizens were par
alyzed: but to the filthy horde it was a p,sasent
sight they at our distress and strove to increase
the general terror it was great day for the chiE-
airy. There yeFe many hoporable exceptions to
this brutality and they spoke OF this savage deed
In appropriate language They admitted that the
anks have never been guilty Of such an In
stance of wholesale obstruction of private property
One of them declared that it would damn the
forever.
Several Of them wept at what theey justly term
ed the vandalism of the act and that class Of men
ld all that was in their power TO assist the ladies
and the children and to save some little of their
effects.