The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-06-23
RICHMOND.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RUINS

|
stranger just arrived is 1.-THE Ruins"
caused by the great fires of the Sd of
April, when it was evacuated by the
! COnfederates under General Ewell
| It has been asserted that the intention of
Gen. John G. Breckenridge, the Confed-
crate Secretary of War, was to destroy
! the city; but this could not have been
| the case, as preparations were only made
to fire two places-the tobacco ware
houses and the Petersburg bridge.
The warehouses, where some $4,000
coo worth Of government tobacco was
stored, Were situated on Shockoe slip,
near the canal, below Carey street, and
in close proximity to the extensive and
splendid Touring mills of HaXall q
Crenshaw. They covered several acres
of ground and were succession of one
story, slateroofed houses, extending the
length of the square. After General
Grant had broken Lees lines, and it
was ascertained that all was lost, and
the frightened inhabitants had mostly
fled the doomed city, preparations were
made for setting fire to these warehouses
to prevent the tobacco falling into the
| hands of the government. Fine kind
ling wood was prepared on Sunday
night by cutting down and splitting
into pieces the posts that surrounded
the buildings, thus procuring a good
supply of infiammable material for the
incendiary work, which was alike
wicked, foolish and unnecessary. Fires
were lighted with this wood in front of
each opening, and at 6 O'clock in the
morning when the order was given "to
! fire, y the detail to whom the work had
been entrusted carried in the burning
torches and placing them among the
| combustible materials within ut differ
ent points, left the building, the tobacco
and II goodly portion of the fair and
| queenly city to their ill-deserved fate.
What II sacrifice to folly The flames
soon burst forth in wild fury and were
caught up by the strong winds anu
horne to other buildings, sweeping
everything in their destructive course
revealing in fond delight with the poor
/ detenceless victims of their wrath,
/ Soon the new eleven-story mill of Hax-
ali x GreushaW was one sheet of flame,
and az this house lowered far above
those surrounding IL, even AZ saul tow
cred above his agony, the fire was
! blown from its falling roof, and walls
to "ther buildings, and then spreading
! to others, in a few minutes the entire
business portion of the city from 9th to
! 10Th street and from Main to the Basin
was one vast sea of flame, seething
lake of fire. To add to the destruction,
the penitentiary convicts, to the num-
| Der OF nine hundred, had been let loose
upon the city by their guards, and rush
ing pell-mell down Cary and Main
streets, commenced breaking open and
sacling the stores, shops and exchange
offices, which as soon as they had rob-
bed they would set Oh fire-and thus
the city seemed to be turned over to pill
| lage and the flames. But now as the
destroyer is approaching the State
! House, and has already crossed Main
street and burnt several squares on the
upper side, the banners of Weitzers
/ brave men come in sight. The veterans
are on the double-quick and soon reach
the scene; not moment is to be lost.
! The engines are found and the tired and
war~worn soldiers go to work to save
their enemies property with as hearty a
and eXerting themselves for their best
friends. The flames soon succumb, are
subdued-and finally, like the rebellion,
rushed OUT Tut the destruction of
property was immense, and as one gazes
upon the blackened ruins, the thou
sands of crumbling walls and ragged
columns, that stud the many squares
of the burnt district-rude monuments
of a ruder act feeling of sadness comes
over him, and he mentally asks, "could
not this bitter trial have been permitted
to pass from the people of an already
Impoverished and suffering city,"
From the Spotswood to Fifteenth
street on both sides of Main, through to
| the canal, is one mass of ruins, burnt,
broken and crumbling walls; bricks,
mortar, broken granite and bent iron,
with hundreds of safes rendered useless
| by passing through the fiery ordeal
Walk where you will the same picture
is constantly present to your eyes. View
it from whatever point you may, still
| tits broken bricks and mortar--mOrtar
and broken bricks--erect chimneys and
| lettering walls - lettering walls and
erect chimneys, from where the canal
laves the still heated banks to the very
portal of the State House. We know
not how Troy looked, after the victori-
Gus Greeks had reduced the palace of
unfortunate Priam to ashes, nor how
| looked Carthage, nor Babylon, nor Mn
evah, in Il similar situation; but we do
know that the ruins of Richmond pre-
sent very sad and gloomy picture
And the mourners go about, amid these
ruins, and in them view the ruin of
their fondest hopes and aspirations
| These spectral columns, as they look by