The tri-weekly herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-05-23
From the Richmond Whig.1

4. ~ ..rs 1 p . Z.
Enough we have twice before dwelt upon the
! subject Of the evaeuatiol of Ricbiuond, and the
subsequent dreadful condagration, it is an ex.
| faustless theme, and so long as we can furnish
new facts in connection with it, We do not fear
wearying orr readers. = Il
+ For n month past the Confederates have been
evacuat ng the city withalI the speed and means
! they could command, but somehow the people
refused 70 believe that the removal meant eYacu-
|, alton, and ell declared that the measures were
+ only precautionary. Matters went on in this
manner nnti! last Sunday, the Confederatss bur-
frying away every species Of property, the people
biiadIy refusing to believe that the city was to-
be given up, and clinging to their Confederate
sinplasters as if they were things of worth. =
Sunday morning General Lee telegraphed to
| Davis, giving an account ofthe general attack
upon his lines, stating that the lines had been
pierced in many places and that unless he could
| re-esta5lish them, Richmond must be given up
that night. His tone was; for tie FIRST time since
| the war, despondeut He said his men we're not
| coming up 10 their work. 81
AT; II O'clock that morning he telegraphed
that all efforts to establish his lines had been
utterly unsuccessful, Immediately began among
/ the officials in Richnond a scuPry and panic.
Sill the majority of the people were in the dark,
and refusing to believe their eyes, SO remained,
many of them, till night. The gold and silver
/! coin belonging to the Louisiana banks, and re-
Gently appropriated by the Confederate Congress,
was run down to the Danyille train in hot haste.
1 So also was tile specie Of the Richmond banks.
Then the programme for the departure of the
officials were arranged. A number Of trains
/ we're to leave during the evening; still there was
nor room for all who thought it desirable 10 get
I away Davis was to depart at seven o'clock in
/ the evening. Breckenridge elected to go off on
horseback, with the iastof tie army, on Monday
I morning s ~
/ Atthe reqnest of the Mayor, meeting of the
+ CcGneil was held on Sunday evening, at four
! o'clock TO consult as to what was best to be done
! under the circumstances. Governor Smith, being
! invited to attend this meeting, almost convinced
I the Council that the Confederate arms had been
victorious at Petersburg, and that Richmond was
not to be evacuated. He, however, managed to
I! become better informed some hours afterwards,
/ and ran of on horseback during the night
The Council, after much discussion, passed
resolution appointing committees for each of the
three wards, who should, when the fact thai. tie
citv was about to DC abandoned should be ascer-
tanned, proceed to destroy all The alcoholic.
/ LIQUORS in si4eir respective wards, giving the
4 Councils recent TOR the same. to be paid for
! hereafter. The object of the stepis Obvious
to prevent disorder resulting from the intoxicso.
lion Of the troops of ether army, and of,the
Eeyi!, disposed among the citizens. The order OF
/ the Council was only partially executed; but
] there j. no doubt that much evil was arrested.
After dark the Council had another conference,
asS this time being assured by the Secretary of
War that the Confederate pickets would be with
drawn from the R;chmoHd front at three o'clock
Monday morning, and that it was calculated that
:! the city would rs evacuated about night, it was
/ determined that committee Of prominent citi-
I .zens sshon!d attend the ,ltayor with a flag Of
/ truce to the intermediate line OF Notifications,
and that there he might hand over the cityA to
! the General commanding the Array of the James.
Judge Lyons 5Edge Meredith and several mem.
hers Of the Council attended the Mayor.
= INCIDENTS OF TIE EVACUATION.
4 Sunday RloFnips, April ., broke upon Rich
mond calmly and pleasantly, and without any,
thing portentous in evrRts irtlp1eGntely trars-
jpiring. There were rninors OF evacuation, but
! very tex supposed thai she event was upon us
hand Fl hand. The church i:tlis rang as usual,
~ith nothing of s:sful in ifeir tong, and woc-
shipparf #ere Is prompt znd 8evuat as was ther
! LyonL Hst hS sle nor- Of oSsSn nervous pecpia'