Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-04-12
rnc,aent. OF tho erana Campaign.


Wecopy the following incidents Of Grants
grand campaign sgsins, Richmond from tie
special correspondence Of TIE New York
World:
rETERssuRo.
The srss to enter the city of Petersburg were
the troops Of Gen. Ely, = Michigan regiment
planting The c0lors on the court house The re
bels had been crossing she Apponattox all night
taxing the direction Of Danville, moring appa-
fently in good order They left az six O'Clock
as or troops we're entering ca he opposite side,
after endeavoriug TO destroy the bridge The
citizens we're endeavoring 10 exting1ish the Ere
when our troops came up sni assisted, ADD thus
sayed the bridge
Petersburg presented a wretched appearance
The writer followed into the city few hours At
Ter its occupation, TO fnd almost every house
closed, many Of them shot through by shells.
many Others in ruins The stores were empty
and closed. The streets we're crowded with the
Inhabitants and our soldiers. now streaming in
az all points The inhabitants consisted princi
pslly Of negroes. OF whom there we're vast mum
bors-a few able bodied blacks and great msny
decr.pid and eyed
THE CITIZENS AND sENTIxEST
/, has been nv fortune to enter several cap
tured southern cities in company with our troops,
as we'll as without them, and Petersburg was only
al intensified specimen Of the wretchedness and
dilapidation of the rest. Most OF the houses
were out OF repair; ell progress and order has
been stopped for years Since the investment.
they have had no goods, and hardly any proTiS-
ions The poorer classes were. as usual, glad to
see the union army entering. The negroes
shouted, gesticulated. and ran hither and thither
in crowds ell the day long Mr. Lincoln was DOW
the attraction, then a brass band, ana again some
drunken soldier Some officers aud privates OF
the Goth Michigan had been placed in charge Of
The Express, which issued a small edition in the
evening; but il will require better set OF men
TO DO Justice 70 such IA occasion than VIC saw.
IL was curious 10 observe The few white bearded
old topers, who have been discussing politics for
half life time, talk about the ways Of settling
this quarrel, as IL we were but just in the middle
Of IL They could hardly realize il as possible
that their confederacy was iumbling about their
ears.
vAN9UIsHED CITY
few OF the citizens remained, who are for
the most part glad to receive Is there were
also large proportion OF poor women. princi-
pally Irish. seemingly in the utmost destituiion.
and who were very loud in thei welcome
They said they we're literally starving. A quick
eve might have discovered, also. peering from
behind the closed window shuttets many of the
sive and anxious. rather thar hostile Ard well
may excuse their trepidation. A vsnquished
city in the hands Of an iDhSmed and jubilant sol
diery is, IN merespects, dreadful sight. Some
OF them found liquor sOrneVb here: others found
tobacco: and for one 6ay the streets were liter
ally teeming with the evidence Of spoliatiOn and
| license. We heard of no personal outrage TO
the people; but as We rode out of the city at dark
we pitiea a thousand times the distress of an IN
| protected community who had no rights. nor any
20 protect them
The works around Petersburg are very strong.
and show beaver like industry. combined with
great skill! and daring. On the vest and south
| OF the town the yellow sand has = colossal worm
eaten appearance Each for; has very cOmmo
dious bomb proof and little caves for the gun
| ners. The space intervening between the two
lines, which in some places is not more than two
hundred feet is dotted with little circular pits
with curtain Of earth, in which the pickets on
either side kept up a constBnt nsillade. The
eheraur de frise OF the rebels il OF the old sor,
"a pine log twenty thirty feet long. Into hich
are driven at right singles sharpened stakes about
eight feet long. which. when in single or double
| rows, are a terrible obstruction to charge. II
the city there are caves also. ia imitation of those
| in Vicksburg. In my judgment the defenses
OF Petersburg are not a. strong those of Vicks-
burg. but of course they have been defended by
| a larger army. We captured about thirty heavy
guns, urspiked, in the forts. many of them rAed
aud Of great caliber.
FAMINE AND TRETCHEDNEss.
There was little or nothing to eat in the city
| Tobacco seemed to be the only thing plentiful
But three thousand hogshesds of it bad vanished
in the smoke of the previous day. No other
buildings we're burned than the warehouse, occu
! pying about block. 1t was no, little Singh
lar that the only evidence of trade We discovered
were few old pipes aud tobacco; and at drug
store a pacard in the words. "Ssnd paper and
itch ointment" Petersburg bad long been =
filthy, poverty stricken eneampment.
| The Jarrett House is the principal, in fact the
only hotel in Petersburg, and this long ago ceased
to set table d'hOte, the rooms only being rented
out. Feeling that one might be very joyous and
at the same time very hungry, the fraternity OF
press men succeeded after unheard of bribery,
| in exhuDing some southern bacon. few eggs
| and corn bread, which would have cost thou
sand dollars in the currency, to which was finally
added bottle OF apple brandy, or "spple jack, -
as it is called, which we spread before a few
| guests and made high Bohemian mirth in the
headquarters of General A. P. Hill who had the
day before been killed in the assault As an
evidence of the energy and enterprise Of the
Yankee desire 10 trade, should mention thai |
saw dragged over the breastworks and eheraur de
frise, at an early hour. top buggy, in which
were Baltimore and Washington gentlemen look
4 ing for a business location.
A great many OF the confederate wounded ere
10 the houses and hospitals of Petersburg. and
but few surgeons 10 attend them The railroad
which had been torn up for a few miles, was i'm
Bediately put in repair. and on Thursday il was
expected TO be running into the city. The few
small schooners aud boats which we're at the
docks, were all scuttled. In fact, il was very eV-
deut that the rebels had carried of or DESTROY ed
everything which could be OF any value to us
THE Exit ARD ENTRY
! Some Of Kautz's cavalry first entered the city,
! being mounted. and were met by deputation OF
citizens with Mayor Msyoe, who begged that the
city might be honorubly surrendered, as the re
! treating rebels were more 10 be feared than the
/ open foe. The guidons of the cavalry were
/ placed on the capitol about eight o'clock About
half past six o'clock the last train OF the retreat
ing rebels crossed the Danville railroad bridge as
our troops were sighting the city from the hills
John =. Breckinr.dge. who had remained be
/ hind 10 superintend the work of destruction
Was among the last to leave. His assistants in
/ this work General Eweil and NJ ajor Dick
/ Turner. OF Libby Prison notorieiy Governor
| Smith left half an hour earlier on a canal boat,
the transportation horse vehicles having been er-
hausted.
The laboratory aud the freight depot Of the
/ DanVile road were fred about six o'clock-sev
ers OF the citizens protesting At the time that j;
would cause IN nense loss to private individuals.