The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-07-27

did the direiul blazon in the sky pro
claim to Weitzel that his hour ha,
come, and that Richmond was at at hi
4 mercy. -lt2
There had been but little sleep for th
people of Richmond in the night whicI
/ preceded their great misfortune. 1
was an extraordinary night; disorder
pillage, shouts, mad revelry of confu
sion. In the now dimly lighted city
could be seen black masses of people
crowded around some object of excite
ment, besieging the commissary stores
destroying liquor, intent perhaps OF
pillage, and swaying to and fro in what
ever momentary passion possessed
them. The CUTTERS ran with a liuuol
freshet, and the fumes filled the air
Some of the struggling soldiers passing
through, the city easily managed to ge
hold of quantities of the liquor. Con
fusion became more fconfounded; the
sidewalks we're encumbered with brok
en- glass; stores were entered at pleas
ure and stripped from top TO bottom
| yellsi of drunken men, shouts of rovint
pillagers, wild cries ofdistress filled thu
air, and made night hideous.
But a new horror was to appear upon
the scene and take possession of thu
community! To the rear guard of the
Confederate force on the north side O
the james river under Gen. Ewell hac
been LEFT the Iduty.-ofa blowing up the
iron-clad vessels in the James and de
stroyipg the bridges across the river
The Richmond, Virginia, and an iroI
ram were blown to the winds; the little
shipping at the wharveS was fired, anG
the three bridges that spanned the river
were wrapped in flames as soon as the
last troops had traversed them, The
work of destruction might we'll have
ended here. But Gen. Ewell, obevinC
the letter of his instructions, had issued
orders to fire the four principal tobacco
| warehouses of the city; one of them
the Shockoe warehouse-situated neal
the center of the city, side by side with
the Gallego flour mills, just in posi-.
| ton and circumstances from which q
confagration might extend to the
| whole business portion of Richmond.
In vain Mayor Mayo and a Committee
OF citizens had demonstrated against
this reckless military order. The ware
houses were fired; the flames seized on
the neigboring buildings and soon in
volVed a wide and widening area; the
couiagration PASSED rapidly beyond
control; and in this mad fire, this wild,
unnecessary destruction of their prop
erty, the citizens of Richmond had a
fitting SOuUeniT of the imprudence and
recklessness of the departing Admins
tration.
Morning broke on scene never to be
forgotten. 1t was a strange picture
impossible to describe; the smoke and
glare of fire mingled with the golden
beams of the rising sun. The great
warehouse on the Basin was wrapped
in flames, the fire was reaching to whole
blocks of buildings, and as the smoke
rolled majesticalIy above the horizon,
it FURNISHED the fringe of smoke with
lurid and golden glory. Curious crowds
watched the fire. Its roar sounded in
the ears; it leaped from street to street;
pillagers were busy at their vocation,
and in the hot breath ofthe fire were fig
ures as'of demons contending for prey.
The sun was an hour or more above
the horizons when suddenly there ran
up the whole length of Main street the
cry of yankees ~ "YankeesI" The
upper part of this street was choked
up with crowds of pillagers-men pro-
vided with drays, others rolling barrels
up the street, or bending under heavy
burdens, and intermixed with them
women and children, with smaller lots
of plumber in bags, baskets tubs, buck
cts and tin pals. As the cry of 'FYan-
KEGS" was raised,L this motley cry
crowd tore up the street, cursing,
screaming, trampling upon each other,
alarmed BY an enemy not vet in sight
and madly seeking to extricate them
selves from imaginary dangers. Pres
emily, beyond this crowd, following up
the tangled mass OF plunderers, buE,not
pressing or interfering with them, was
seen u small body of Federal cavalry,
riding steadily along. Forty Massa-
chusetts troopers, dispatched by Gen.
Weitzel to investigate the condition of
affairs, had ridden without hindrarce
into Richmond. At the corner Of Elev-
enth street they broke into a trot for
the public square, and in a few mo-
ments their guidons were planted on
the Capitol, and t1uttered u strange
no -
a few hours thereafter, and Weftzel's
troops were pouring through the streets
of the city. A lady who witnessed the
grand Federal e,ttTee, and has given n
very graphic account OF it, thus des-
cribes u portion of the scene: "Stretch-
ing from the Exchange Hotel to the
slope of Church Hill, down the hill,
through the valley, up the ascent to the
hotel, was the array, with its unbroken
line of blue, fringed with bright
bayonets. Strains of martial mu-
sic, flushed countenances, wav-
ing of swords, betokened the
victorious army. As the line turned at
the Exchange Hotel in the upper street,
the movement was the signal for wild
burst of cheers from each regiment.
Shouts from few negroes were the
only responses. Through thrOngs of
sullen spectators; along the line of fire;
in the midst of the horrors of conflagra-
ton, increased by the explosion of
shells left by the retreating army:
through the vast Rrial auditorium con-
yulsed with The commotion of fright
full Sounds moved the garish procession
OF the grand army, with brave music,
and bright banners, and wild cheers
A regiment of negro cavalry swept by
the hotel. AS they turned the street
corner, they drew their sabres with
savage shouts, and the blood mounted
N woman 20 baa aVst HufRI, ifT,,TnI-
throbs of defiance"
I Meanwhile, the FIRE ragged with nm
checked fury. The entire business part
of the city was on fire; stores, ware
houses manufactures, mills, depoIs
and, bridges-alt, covering acres; the
continuous thunder of exploding shells
sounded in the sea of fire; and inthe
midst of 1t was the long, threatening,
hostile army entering 10 seize its prey.
All during the forenoon, flame and
smoke, and burning brands, and show
ers of blazing sparks filed the air,
spreading still further the destruction,
uutiPit had swept before itevery bank,
every auction store, every insurance
office, nearly every commission house,
and most of the fashionable stores.
The atmosphere was choking; men,
women, and children crowded into the
square OF the. capitol for "a. breath of
pure air but 1T was not to be obtained
even there, and one traversed the green
slopes blinded by the cinders and
struggling for breath. Already piles
of furniture had been collected here,
dragged from the ruins of burning
houses; and in uncouth arrangements,
made with broken tables and bureaus.
were hnddled women and children,
within other home, no other resting
place in Heavens great holloWness,
{ Some tardy attempts were made to
arrest the conf1agration. In the after
rlnnn tlnn riilitn,.ar q I,r,,.iAin