The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-07-19

with crowds of pillagcrs---men provided
with drays, others rolling barrels up the
street, or bending under heavy burdens,
and iutermixcd with them women and
children with smaller lots Of plumber in
bags, baskets, tubs, buckets, and tin
pans. AS the cry OF yankees was
raised, this molly crowd tore up the
street, cursiug, screaming, tramplig up-
on each other, alarmed by an enemy not
yet in sight, and madly seeking TO ex-
tricates themselves from imaginary dan
gers Presently, beyond this crowd,
following up the tangled mass Of plum
dcrcrs, but not pressing or interfering
with them, was seen small body OF
Federal cavalry, riding steadily along.
Forty Massachusetts, troopers, dcs-
patched by Gen FWcitEcl, TO investigate
| the condition Of Affairs, had ridden with
out ltt or bindrnnce into Richmond, AT
the corner Of Eleventh street they,br0ke
into a trot for the public square, and in
few moments theirguidous we're plant
cd on the Capitol, aud Auttcredastrangc
spectacle in the early morning light
A few hours thereafter, and Weiizcl' 5
troops were pouring through thc streets
Of the city \ lady, who witnessed the
| grand Federal e1ifrcc. and has given a
very graphic account Of il, thus des-
cribesa portion of the scene Stretch
ing from the Exchange Hotel to the
slopes Of Church Hill, down the bill,
! through the valley, up the ascent tothe
hotel. was the array, with its unbroken
/ linc Of blue, iripged with bright bayou-
eta. Strains Of martial music, flashed
eonn,enauccs, waving Of swords, bcio.
kcned the victorious army. As the line
turned at the Exchange Hotel into iife
upper street. the movement was The sig.
ual for a Wild burst of cheers from onrh
regiment. Shouts from a icw negroes
were the only rcspousas. Through
ihropgs Of rullon spectators along The
line Of fire 10 the midst nf tbO horrors
Of couaagratiqn, increased by the cNflo.
sion ol shcll- left by the retreatlug ar
Nmy through curtains Of smoke; iHru
tie vast aerial auditorium coueuiscd
with the cUmmotiou Of lfigh.lul sounds.
moved thcgarish procession ct the grand
army, viii, brave music aud bright hau-
ncrs and Wild cheers 4 regiment Of
negro cavalry swcp, by the hotel As
thcy turned tbc street corner thcy drew
their sabrca with savage shouts, aud The
blood mounted even 10 my woman r
heart with quick ihrobs of dcGhncc
Meanwhile the fire rsgci with uu-
checked fury The entire business rart
oi the city was ou IRE stores ware.
houses. manufactures. n5lis. doyyts aud
buducs--all, covering aeTcs the con.
tiuuuus thunder Of exploding SHELLS
sounded IN ,he sea Of IRE; and in Che
m,dst of 1t waa the long. threatening
hoaIllc army entering to EcJzc lls prey
All during tho forenoon, fame and
smoke and burning brands aud showers
of blazing parks filled the air, spread.
ing still further the destruction until lt
had swept before il every bank, every
auction store. every iuturancc' chcr.
nearly every CONJUNCTION house. aua
most pl the fashionable stores. The at-
musphrrc was choking mcu, women
aud children crowded into lhr rYuaIc Of
the Capitol for breath of pure air but
il was not 10 BE- obtained eEcn thgc
aud ono traycrscd the gsean slopes hllu
dcd by ciudrrs and struggling for
breath Already Pile, Of furniture had
been collected heFc, dragged from the
ruins gl burning houses aud uunenuih
arrangements, made with broken tables
aud bureaus. were huadled women uud
children. with no other home, with no
other resting place in Heavens great
hullowncss.
Some tardy attempts were made TO
arrest the coufagrauouj ia the after
noon the military authorities organized
the crowds OF negroes as fire corps
but the few stuam-cugincs that played
upon the namcs were not sufficient 10
check their progress ltwas late 10 The
evening when the fire had burned itself
out. 1t had consumed the most impor
taut Inrt Of Richmond. Commencing
at the Shockuc warehouse, the fire ia.
dated front and rear. audou two wings
burning down Main street, half way be-
tween Fourteenth aud Fifteenth streets,
aud back TO the river, through Cary
and all the intermediate streets West
ward on Main, lbe lFa was stayed al
Ninth street sweeping back to the river,
On the north side of Main, the flames
were stayed between Thirteenth aud
Fourteenth streets. From this poInt
the flames ragged on the north side Of
Main up to Eight street and back to
Bank street The pencil Of the survey
or could not have marked out more dis
tinctly the business portion Of the city
The evening breezes had turned the
course Of the fire aud as these still
continued, heavy mist-clouds hung upon
the horizon, or streamed upwards IN the
varying current ofthe winds. As night
came on, there was painful reaction at
ter the days terrible excitement a
strange quiet fell upon the blackencd ci-
ty and its scenes of obstruction. II was
the quiet of great desolation Groups
of women and children crawled under
shelters Of broken furniture in the Cap
itol square hundreds of homeless per
sons laid down to sleep in the shadows
of the ruins of Richmond; and worn
out by excitement, exhausted as by the
spasm of great battle, men watched
for the morrow with the dull sense that
the work Of years had been ruined, and
that all that they possessed on earth had
been swept away
While Richmond was filed with hor
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