Nebraska advertiser., 1866-07-26
THURSDAY, JULY, 26, 1866


king his last exhibition Of Southern sPir.
it, and twenty four hours thereafter was
subscribing himself 10 some very petty
Fedral officer, ''most respectfully, your
most obedient servent." Here and there,
h1rrying up with the latest news from
the War Department, was Mayor Mayo,
excited, incoherent. chewing tobacco de-
family, but yet full of pluck, having the
melIle of the true Virginia gentleman,
Stern and watchful TO the last in fidelity
10 the city that his ancestors had assisted
in founding and exhibiting, no matter in
what comical aspects, courage that no
man ever doubted. When it was finally
announced by The Mayor that those who
had hoped for dispatch from General
Lee contrary.lo what he had telegraphed
in the morning, had ceased to indulge
such an expectation, and that the evac-
uation of Richmond was foregone con-.
clusion, ii was proposed to maintain order
in the city by two regiments of militia;
TO destroy every drop of liquor in the
warehouses and stores; and to establish a
lpatrol through the night. But the militia
ran through the fingers of their officers;
the patrols could not be found after GER
tain hour; and in sLori while the whole
city was plunged into mad confusion and
indiscribable horrors.
But The horrors OF that night in the
Confederate capital were to be sludiously
yelled from the eyes of the enemy. The
Federal force on the north side Of the
James river consisted of three divisions
under the command Of General Weitzel !,
while General Ewell covered this ap.
proach to the capital with force of about
four thousand strong. The COnfederates
were. silently Withdrawn from WeitzePs
front their rear-gard traversing the city
before daybreak. Weitzel had been In
structed to push on whenever satisfied of
his ability to enter Richmond. During
the WHO'S day that Grant had been en-
gagged in front of Petersburgh, the entire
lines north of the James were per-
fectly quiet. WeilzePs command had or
ders to make as great show as possible.
He fred no gun during the day, but as
darkness came on, he set all his bands Of
music to work upon national airs. The
Confederates We'd with the musical en-
ieriainment; for many hours the night
was filed with melodious strains. But
about midnight complete and absolute
silence fell upon the lines. It was a
dead quiet; a close mask to what was ia
king place in the doomed city; and not
until the morning hours did the direful
blazon in The sky proclaimed to Weitzel
that his hour had come, and that Rich
mond was at his mercy.
There had been but little sleep for the
people of Richmond in the night which
proceeded their great misfortune. 1t wa.
} an extraordinary night; disorder, pill
) lage, shouts, mad reYerly of confusion
In the now dimly-lighled city could be
; seen black masses of people, crowded ar
: ound some object of excitement, besieg.
; ing the commisSary stores, destroying lio
| uor, intent perhaps upon pillage, anC
: swaying 20 and fro In whatever momen-
5 tary passion possessed them. The gut
ters ran with liquor freshet, and the
D fumes filled the air. Some of the strag
q Cling soldiers passing through.the city
easily managed to get hold of quantities
]. of The liquor. Confusion became mort
/; confounded the sidewalks were encum
: bered with broken glasses; stores wer,
5 entered at pleasure and stripped from
e top to bottom yells Of drunken mel
5 shouts Of rowing plllagers, wild cries 0
: distress filed the air, and night mad
J, hideous 81 aE
}; But new horror was to appear upol
( the scene and take possession of the com
}: muniiy. To the rear-guard Of the Con
: federate force on the north side of ih
James river under General Ewell ha
e been left the duty Of blowing up the iro
: clad vessels in the James and destroyin
a the bridge across that river. The Rich
II mond, Virginnia, and an iron ram wer
j. blown TO the winds ; the little shippin
o at the wharves was fired, and the thre
e bridges that spanned the river wer
Is wrapped in flames as soon as the lai
Il troops had tfaVersed them. The woT
Of of destruction might we'll have ende
/. here, But General Eweil, obeying h
n letter Of his instructions, had issued o.
81 aers 10 fire the four principal tobacC
Ii warehouses Of the city; one Of them
he the Shockoe ware house-situzted ne,
he the center Of the city, side BY sit
s. with the Gallego -four mills, just in a p
te sition aud circumstances from which
a confagratiOn might extend TO the who
rs business portion Of Richmond. In va
be Mayor Mayo and committee Of ciIize