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

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soon became separated, and lost my
little boy, aged about ten, and did not
find him till the next day at Shippens-
burg, whittier he had walked, q dis
tance of twelve miles. The rest Of us
kept upon the edge of the burning
town, and for three or four hours,
watched the progress of the flames.
One of the saddest sights / witness
ed, was the burning of the old Acade-
my. l watched it burn, timber by
timber. Fifteen years of associations
as scholar and teacher were annihilat-
ed in the course of one short hour
My attention was then drawn to the
flagstaff, in the centre Of the public
square, and we all, of our party as we'll
as others. expressed an ardent hope
that it might stand from which the
American flag might wave even, over
the ruins of the town. Atnoon we re-
turned to the uninjured house of q
friend, and spent the night in gazing
upon the ruins of our once happy and
beautiful town.
The conduct of tho rebel soldicry
was barbarous in the extreme, though
there were many honorable excep-
tions. Bundles were fired upon wo-
mems backs, ladies were forced to car.
ry back into the houses articles of
clothing that they had saved from the
flames, drunken wretches danced upon
the furniture and articles of value and
ornament, women's persons were
searched in tho most indecent manner,
oaths and foul language abounded,
aged women were locked in their
rooms, while their houses were on fire,
trunks were riaed after being dragged
by the owners from the ruins, prom
ises of protection were made to be in
stantly broken. Every thing was
done to add to tho terror and confu-
sion of the panic stricken women and
children. Soon the hunger of the lit
tie ones added new horror to the scene.
Families were separated, and distract
cd fathers and mothors could be seen
every where, seeking amid the confu-
sion for those that were missing; and
yet no selfshness was apparent -
Every one was willing to aid and SYM
pathize with his neighbor. No one
complained no one lost hope; stern def
ance of the accursed crew was theprom-
inent feeling. A rebel officer stopped
me, saying: "Sir, cannot little mon
ey be raised to satisfy that-brutc,
McCausland, very little money wo'd
save this end of the town." Ny an
swer was: Iftcn cents would do it,
it would not be forthcoming" Burn
and be -, was the universal senti-
ment, always thought, and often ex-
pressed. One rebel came running to-
wards me wringing his hands, saying:
"Horrible, horrible-I did not think it
could be so bad as this!" Another one
told me that they had received orders
before they entered the town, to burn
every house in it; and yet another in
formed me that their object was to ef-
feet an entrance during the night, and
then burn it. In some cases, the wo-
men attempted to extinguish the fire,
and were always prevented by threats
and personal violence. Some were
thrust from their houses, others were
struck, and in some instances pistols
were drawn upon them. One lady
had bucket of water which she had
brought to extinguish the fire, thrown
in her face. In almost every case, the
sick and the infirm were Kindred from
their homes. There appeared to be q
desire, on the part of these fcnds, to
have some burned, if possible, by dcci-
dent. One rebel who helped lady to
save some of her clothing, was seen
led out of the town hand:cuffed. An
officer who suffered himself to be per-
suaded to save some property. said, as
he left the house that hb refused to fire;
Madam, you have saved your house.
but have cost mo my commission, and
perhaps my life." A negro saved his
life by dressing himself in woman's
clothes, and carrying on his head a
feather bed, thereby hiding his face
and hands. Little children cried to
"go home"-the home that was de-
stroyed, old men wept over the town
in which they had lived for three
quarters of a century, citizens looked
on with dismay upon the destruction
of their lifelong labor and industry
Many fled 10 the cemetry for refuge,
and there, in the midst Of death, was
one little life added to the wretched
throng. The words of our Saviour,
with regard to the forctelling Of the de-
struction of Jerusalem, was forced up
on us, "Let him which ID on the house
top, not como down to take any thing
out of his house; neither let him which
is in the field, return back to take his
clothes. And woe unto them that are
with child, and to them that give suck
in those daysl" The town soon be-
came mass of smoke and flame, which
astcnded straight up to heaven, as if
to call down the vehgcance of God up
on the incendiaries-not breath Of
air was stirring, and there was scarce
ah instance of ono dwelling catching
fire from another, unless adjoining
Here and there, whirlwinds went up
like gigantic corkscrews, carrying pa
per and clothing high into the air, and
miles into the surrounding country,
as if to bear witness to the foul out
rage. saw more than one rebel SOL
dier weeping like child over the des-
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