Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-08-19
DEsTRGcTfosO or CHAATBEIfsBURG.
Additional Incfdents--Howthe Southern Part
Of the Town was Saved.
CHANBERsRIRa. Angnst 90, s..

befiAnd Valley, 1T least So far as Rebel cSsyaFy
advances and citizen cavalry retreats are concern
ed Forthe last few weeks vague fear took pos
session Of the citizens thaG our mutual friends,
the Rebels, woHld again pay their res poets 90 the
town ana the denzens thereof. ~ reason was
assigned for their apprehensioHs. but they pre-
sisted in therbelief ofthe approach OF the enemy
A few OF the merchants removed their goods
weeks sinceto places OF safety and subsequent
events have proved, 1t not their t0resig gf az ifAst
their prudence ard wisdom.
On last Friday afternoon the first definite re-
port of the Rebel advance was received. Sc0ays
coming in reported the enemy advancing, yia
MerceFsburg, and hastehing onward At thus In-
tegence the usual stampede OF farmers. contra
bands and stock ensned Horses, lwth ride IS, Il
must be confessedl, wagons, contra5ands filed
the road in confusion fndescrbahle During the
afternoon the citizens were basily engaged IN
packing their yalaables, and storing them away
n the iil-fated houses. The Cumberland Valley
Railroad running extra trans. carried Gown goods
for many of the merchants Friday night the ex
element was at It's height Ayerile baggage
train passed through at rate Of speed that beto-
kened no little danger 1t was now evident chat
the town was given up. General CoW paced
rcstlessly up and DOVE in front OF his hq lse and
in answer to the appeals OF the eltlgee :, stated
that he was unable 20 do anything. have not
am man Al nv isposaI At three o'clock 4. III.
the train which had been fred up all night left
Chambershurq, having on board the Gtneral, his
staff, together with those citizens who were for
tunase enough to know Of his departure az Eve
clock.
The Rebel advance appeared on Aey Engand
Hill, to the west Of ChaDlbersbnrg. Their adj
vance guard was met here by Lieutenant Jnder
hill. with q squad Of thirty Eve men and one gun.
The effect produced upon the Rebels by this httle
band shows what indonitabla bravery and pluck
viii DO. The Rebels aGAyaReed IN perfect abandon
style, yelling, joking and laughing. AZ the first
blizzard from the Lieutenant it was ludicrous
to see their fright and discontinue They led
peI-neil to the main body, and when these agalR
advanced Lieutenant Underhill lall homer 20 hm.)
again opened on them, and actually wit his band
FIJI Of mcn held the whole Rebel colurn, 1000
streng. at bay for one hour, killing and woandihg
several. The Lieutenant only withdrew hrs men
when Il messenger arrived from General Avertai
ordering him to do s0 The Rebels new ualini-
6ered piece and threw several shells over the
town TO many of the citizens the peculiar WhIz
zng of these shells was the first intImation Of the
proximity Of the Rebels. The tirst she stFuek
house IN the western part OF the toxin on an efnl-
nenee and a fine target tor the Rebel caDnOnerS.
4 sick lad in this house hearing the firing Eaa
arisen from his bed end raised the window just
as tl.s time the shot teok ous the sash two feet
aboge his head The shell penetrated into the
next bedroom aad there exploded. That this
was an Intentional shot i attested by Rebel can
nonier who afterwards entering the town. seem
didn't shoot foF thar, he said, I aimed lower
dswn and ID S aaeer, to- as / can handle that
cid long-tonl jest Ike rife The advance into
the t05gu was one of the most 7tefaatized ssfose-
nents imaginable 4 body took possession OF
each street and alley. and regularly advanceG--
The command was sent along the line 70 advance
a certain distance and tAen halt The clear-ring-
ing i6rward echoed from Que end OF the town
to the other Twenty PAGES at time was their
distance, and then again forward ran along the
line simultaneously they came out oR the prln
einal street The sight of those men pouring out
from the streets and alleys not as two years ago,
on a wild charge, but creeping silently forth each
man with his earbIne uusiuag, aud leaning FOR
ward on his horse Ike the wild Cananche, wlll
never be forgotten 5y those who Witnessed 4
The Rebels McCausland and Gilmore led the
column up Market street. The notorious Harry
Gilmore. of 6rnpewder-5rid fame Immediately
rode up opposite the Court House and inquired,
with his peculiar pronunciation, W har the
Aa-a-r ~ lie was informed that the Mayor had
Left town. He then asked To see some prominent
citizens DR.. Richards, and 8essrs, Act}lei.an
and Sharp were standing near by, conyerSing with
their Rebel surgeon, Dr. Budd. formerly friend
of DR. Richards IN Baltimore. Gilmor coming
ap demanded one hundred thousand dollars IN
gold OF its equivalent five hundred thousand in
rreenbacks 60 be delivered TO them lnstanter -
To comply with this demand was, OF course aetu-
ally impossible. Or. Richards informed Grllmor
4
removed from the banks, and that the citizens
could not furnish the amount asked for. The
Rebels then told the gentlemen to consider them
selves under arrest, called guard and cried out
..We'll burn your id town any how, and
aan4 ,F5,f 10 Libby When the guard approach
ed Dr. Richards informed the Rebel brigand that
at one time he thought he (tsIlmor9 was a gentle
man, but now his opinion was somewhat changed,
This evidently hurt the Rebel, he apolegized
for putting them under guard, by saying, that 1t
was their custom with all citizens. The Rebel
surgeon now interfered for them, and addressed
Gilmor
Major, I'll take care of these gentlemen. Gil
NOR, viii you take the responsibility of bringing
these men ta headquarters
i win, If | have to bring them on my back
All right, Doctor,
The chiyalric Major then rode off, DR. Budd
went directly to the Court House TO have the gen
tlemen released from arrest, and returned soon TO
tell them they were free but, said he, they
viii burn your town, and, bending down his head,
he wept like child
THE BURNING or THE TOWN.
The order for the burning Of the town was Civ
en- by General NeCausland at nine 0 clock, and
fifteen minutes afterwards flames were leaping
from the windows Of the houses in the Diamond.
The Rebels, breaking into the drug stores, pro-
cured turpentine and making frebalis. threw
them into the houses lndlseriminately. The men
were sent around in squads, plundering and burn
ing every house they saw ftt to enter Very oft
| en- these men obtained considerable sums Of mon
ey from the weather. citizens to protect their
property Their promises were ample until the
money was in their hands, but after it was reeeiv-
ed they entirely disregaFded them
One of these squads, entering house, gave the
inmates five minutes to remove their effects before
deugng the floor with turpentine and igniting it.
The scene at ten 0 clock was ludescribable, Near
ly the, whole town was one roaring mass of ire
| So intense vas the heat it was impossible even
/ 10 walk through the Damond-ai large open space
in the centre of the town. The flames from either
side Of the streets met each other forming an arch
Of Ere, above which the black smoke rolled in
thick and heavy volumes, obscurne the heavens
I Hoaseless and homeless. women and children fee
ing. and the oaths Of maddened Rebels, eompletes