, 1865-04-20
IN NICHHl0ND.


RICHMOND, Ad-s ApF1l II, Aoo1'
Editors Chicago Tribune:
I can say with the opening line Of Mrs.
Howe's splendid war hymn
"Mine eyes have seen the glory Of tne coming q
the Lord"
They saw it along the tortuous course OF the
James. as We passed this morning from City
Point, winding to the right and to the left,
amid deserted rebel forts fro"ning from the
bluffs, Tith cannons all In place, and swept
by rebel rams and iron-claas, blown to pieces
by their builders, and threaded our way BE-
tween the to1pedoss that stnl remain, mark
ed out by 1ittle flags, while Others lay harm
lessly on tue bank and sped through all the
ohstructieas that lately filled the channels
They SAN 1t even more plainly, as stepped
from the steamer to the shore, and walked
mile and half along Main street, In mot
ley crowd Of whites and negroes, soldiers anu
civilians, seeing the blue uniform everY"here,
aurnounted now with white lace and then
With black one, and behold the stars and
stripes floating from Libby Prison, the State
House and other public buildings. They saw
It II the blackened ruins testified as mute
witnesses to the 1etributivs justice Of God,
n DESTROYING millions Of property In the reb"
ei capital by The set Of rebel comnarders..
They saw it In the beautiful public square,
where, as sung to myself the nnti-ala7erJ
,]nhn brown song at the foot Of the statue Of
Washington, there went bY me happy throngs
Of feed men and women, and there 1led up
10 the State House long row OF rebels, TO
take the cath Of allegiance to tho United
| Statee.
have lived to see and visit Richmond as
| free cf,y, aud no words can describe the tu-
| mult Of nv thoughts md the flood OF my
feelings, as ,trod its guilty streets. ] want
| I'd 10 shout h2tle1uiah at every step Oh, tue
smiling faces Of the negroes, and the gloomy
looks Of tho spb]ugated rebels. Who eand
~ friend Of mine called on his wife's rela-
| tiTes in this city, and he said the house Was
| IKE a funeral. The rooms were darkened
| and tlcy sat lumi1i2ted and 6ulltn. They
| idol1zed Lee, hut wished JEFF. uaVls had been
hung, and cursed Breckin1idgc for having
fired the city. =, ;.,
Few houses seemed closed, though many
stores are. and the streets are filled With
tircDgs Of people, principally soldiers, col
o,cd people, and the poor going With basRcts
Ia obtain provisions from the unlon store.
houses. The burnt district embraces perhaps
ope-righth Of the city, but that is the entire
busincss section. Imagine all South Water
and Lake streets In Chicago mass Of smoul
dcripp rims, and you have Richmond as 1t is
The remainder Of the city is common place
In the poorer portion, though solidly built O.
brick, and quite bcaatitul IN the part belong
i ipg to the wealthier citizens, though no
comparing in the splendor and cost Of th'
buildings With Northern cities Of any size.
lam here bestowiDg attention upon on
| Sanitary Commission interests In the army
They make little noise in the newspapers, be
: cause the machinery Is 50 perfect that al
: moves on quietly and still, and the Eas
-anount done is done a. q matter Of COURSE
Without spasms Of action or feeling, sud b
+ admirablc 6ysten. Perhaps tho public ha
wondered that the Sanitary Commission ho
{ not filed the newspapers with appeals atte
}. the late victorious battles. The explanatlo
Is simple and eminently satisfactory.
/. The need Of supplies was very srnal
Fewer than usual were killed and wounde
in these wopdrous conflicts. Ten thousau
viii cover our entire loss, many Of whom
o but eighty wounded.
Il .. The Government were prepared as nev
before, with all The needed medical app
70 5. The Sanitary Commission had bel
r. maEsfnr supplies at City Point for tE
Of months. ADEQUATE to all demands for suppl
ac me ntary aid. So thoroughly prepared y'as
for the emergency, that 1t has not neeoea
Il. T. send for any thing or any man.
at These facts have learned both At Wa:
iugton and at City Point, and the msdls
| authorities corroborate the statement. :.
or has a hundred men at work in the field at tt
al general point. Ten Sanitary wagons are nj
he with the pursuing forces, beyond Petersbu
ill., and Others entered That city and Richmo
et- with our army. It will be seen, thereto
gh that there was no occasion 1oE appeal 70
account Of the battles that have crushed
.ch Confederacy,. and tho Sanitary Commiss
M hss conscienttously ref1ained from fa
~. aj.rm. Nothing has gra1itled me more tt
" to find that so perfect was Its anticipation
"a nil wants, that nothing remained to be dt
w ~ afterward, when, in fact, it would have b
we called in during the afternoon to
1er ,oons Of the Christian Commission. near
..y eay public squa'c, and found lively distribut
gly q nsTsPatts ,5e Phaets % 10 lie black children,