The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-03-17

| i'o'NAN, S'oA>': U"Niee. PuuiiS uuiiuAicSs
all have been shattered. There are great
holes in the ground where carloads of
earth have been excavated in a twinkling
I GIL,oRE'S TOWN.
The lower half of the city is called
Gilmore's town by the inhabitants. l
have made thorough exploration of Gil
more's town, also of that part of the city
still inhabited.
We visited the old office of the Mercury
in Broad street. A messenger sent by the
"Marsh Angel had preceded us, enter
ing the roof, passing into the chimney.
and exploding within, dumping several
carloads of brick bats, mortar and SCOT
into the editorial room, smashing all the
windows, splintering the doors. 1t was
the room where secession had its incuba-
ton. The leading rebellious spirits once
sat there in their arm chairs and enthron-
ed King Cotton, and demanded homage to
his ma Jesty from all nations. The first
shell sent the Mercury up town to safer
locality, but when Sherman began his
march into the interior the Mercury fled
into the country TO Cheraw.
The Courier office in Bay street. had not
escaped damage. A shell entered through
the roof, went tearing down through the
floors, ripping up the boards, breaking the
timbers, Earring the plaster from the walls.
exploding in the second story, rattling all
the tiles from the roof, bursting out of
the windows, smashing the composing
stone, opening the whole building to the
sunlight. Another shell had dashed the
sidewalk TO pieces and blown a passage
into the cellar, wide enough to admit a
six-hor>e wagon. Near the Com1e. office
was the Union Bank, Farmers and Ex-
change Bank. and Charleston Bank
They were costly buildings, fitted up with
marble mantles. floors of terra Gotta tiles.
counters elaborate with carved work. and
with gorgeous trescoing on the walls
There. five years ago. the merchants OF
the city. the planters of the country, and
slave traders, assembled on exchange.
talked treason. and indul ged in extrava-
CANT day dreams of the future glory OF
Charleston.
! The rooms are silent now The oaken
doors splintered, the freseoing washed
from the walls by the rains which drip
from the shattered roof. the desks are
kindling wood. the highly wrought cor
nice-work has dropped from the ceiling 10
the ground. the tiles are plowed up, the
marble mantleS >hivcrcd. the beautiful
plate glass of the windows lies in mil
lion fragments upon the floor. In short
the banks have broke. They helped on
the rebellion-contributcd of their funds
To inaugurate ii. and invested largely in
the state stock TO place the state on 4 war
footing by Il document which has fallen
into my hands and which lies before me-
notice that the three banks already NAM
ed held on january L. 1862. six hundred
and ten thousand dollars worth of the
seven per cent. state stock. issued under
the act of December. 1861. They would
sell it dog cheap now.
Passing from the banks to the hotel
found a like scene of destruction. The
door of the Mills house was open. The
windows had lost their glazing and Were
boarded up. Sixteen shots have struck
the building. The rooms where secession
had been rampant in the beginning, where
bottles of wine had been drunk over the
fall OF Sumter, echoed only TO our foot
step. The Charleston hotel has several
great holes i'll the walls.
The churches have not escaped. st.
Michael>, the oldest of all has been re-
, peatedly struck. The pavement is thick
with broken glass which has been ratified
from the windows by the explosion of the
. shells. All the churches in the lower por-
tion of the city are wrecks The preach
ers were early imbued with the spirit OF
revolt. Episcopalian. Presbyterian and
Baptist-all preached secession.
Rev. DIR. Porter was pastor of the church
, of the Holy Communion. He was eSpec.
tally bitter against the Yankees. He call
ed upon his people to fight to the bitter
end, till the streets ran with blood-te
perish in the last ditch. But he left
Charleston very suddenly last week. going
, to Cheraw, probably in search of it. Per
haps he will find it, for Sherman is in thai
: vicinity. He turned over his house TO tn,
e care oi' an English lady where we obtain
ed lodgings. In the morning found tn,
old negro cook very jubilant at something
: She was dancing in great glee. laughing
l holding her sides, and making extravagan
demonstrations of Joy.
"What pleases you aunty?" l asked
90, massa, rse tickeled to tink d,
Massa DR.. Porter, who said dat no Yam
,. kee eber set his foot in dis year city, ha,
to cut for his life, and dat a Yankee slep
in his bed last night! Bless de Lord TO
d dat :"
The old woman went off into anothe
fit of ecStacy.
Warehouses, stores, dwellings, alike ar
shaken to pieces. The family residence
=. overlooking the bay or battery, as it
called, are windowless. some even withou
doors. The elaborate center pieces Q
stucco work in the drawing-rooms hav
crumbled; the marble mantles are defac
!, ed bedrooms are filled with bricks: tn
J, white marble steps and mahogony balus
;. tiers are shattered: owls and bats Gu
build their nests in the coming spring-tim
" undisturbed in the desOlate mansions tn
esplanade of the battery, the pleasur
nrnnnd Of the Charlasfonians then. ,la