Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-02-14
i,ssFEBRU,ARY,I 4 A, 1, 1867,
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BurniBg Of CliaInbe tShure, Penn,
|od---EnrIyis Statement i'm Relation
D. stOH.o0 .8BEs6i ,idrHJui sfi8 10l ahlai
tFrom Cen. JubaI a, Eirly's LAST Year Of the
" Gr'if'SNTri7 W .rWar.0i ilJ1Tli ~ lf
While at Martihsburg it was ascertained
beyond all doubt that Hunter had been
again indulging In his sfayofite mode OF
warfare, and af6ef his return to. the Valley
while we were near Washington, among
other ,0utrages, the private residences OF
MIR, Andrew Hunter, amembeF of the ViT-
ginia Senate Mr. Iexander II. Boteler,
an ex-metibef OF the Confederate as wellaS
the United States Congress, andi Edmund
T.. Lee, distant relative OF GEN. Lee, all
in Jefferson county, with their contents,
had been burned by his orders, only time
enough being given 70 get ,tlt Out Of i,llt the
A ndmber Of towns in the South, aswelI
as private conptry houses, had been burned
by the Federal tf00ps and theaceouhts. had
been heralded forth in,souie of the N0rth-
ern papers in termsfiof exuiJaS.on, and
gloated over by their roadersl while they
were received bjJ-, Hthers with apathy!hI
now came to the conclusion that we Ssd
stood this mode of warfare long enough,
and that 1t was time TO open the;eyes Of the
! 'people of the North to its enOrmity by an
example in the way of retaliation. ~ 9I90
p! / did not select the cases mentioned as
having more merit or greater claims for
retaliation than others, but because they
had occurred within the limits of the
country covered by my command, and
were brought more Immediately to my at
tention. / had often seen delicate ladies,
who had been plundered, insulted and rem
dered desolate by the acts Of our most
atrocious enemies, and while they did not
call for 1t, yet, in the augulshed expression
of their features while narrating their mis-
fortunes, there was mute appeal to every
manly sentiment of my bosom for retri-
button, which could no longer withstand.
The town of Chambersburg, III Pennsyl-
vania, was selected as the one in which re-
taliation should be made, and McCansland
was ordered to proceed with his brigade,
and that of johnson and battery OF
artillery, to that place, and demand Of the
municipal authorities the sum of 100000
| in gold, or $500,000 in United States cur
rency, as compensation for tile destruc-
tiof ofthe honses named and their contents;
and In default of payment, to lay the town
in ashes, in retaliatiOn for the burning of
those houses and others in Virginia, as
well as for the towns which had been burn
ed In other Southern States. Awritten de-
mand to the effect was sent to the munic-
ipaI authorities, and they were informed
what would be the result of afailure or re-
fusal to comply with it. ~ It
desired to give the people of Chambers
burg an opportunity of saving their town
by making compensation for part of the
injury done, and hoped that the payment of
such q sum would have the desired effect,
and open the eyes of the people of other
towns at the North to the necessity of urg-
ing upon their Government the adoption of
different policy. MeCausland was also
directed to proceed from Chambersburg to-
wards the Cumberland in Maryland; and
levy contributions in money upon that and
other towns able to bear them, ana If pos
sible to destroy the machinery at the coal
pits near Cumberland, and the machine
shops, depots and bridges on the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad as far as practicable.
On the 29th of July, McCausland crossed
the Potomac near Clear Spring, above
Williamsport, and j moved with Rodes'
and Ramsear's divisions and Vaughn's
cavalry to the latter place, with Imboden
demonstrating with his and Jackson's
cavalry toward Harpers Ferry, in order TO
withdraw attention from McCausland.
BreckiDridge remained at Martinsburg,
duu luO uCobiuCOtOll VI Vic
road. Vaughn drove a force Of cavalry
from WilIiamsport, and went into Hagers-
town, where he captured and destroyed
train of cars loaded with supplies. One Of
Rodes' brigades was crossed over at Will
Transport, and subsequently Withdrawn.
On the Both, McCausland being well under
way, moved back to Martinsburg, and on
the 3lst the whole infantry force was NOV
ed to Bunker Hill, where we remained on
the 1st, I'd and Sd of August. ir1 'Ht
On the Sd Of August McCausland reached
Chambersburg, and made the depland as
directed, reading TO such of the authorities
as presented themselves, the paper sent by
me. The demand was not complied with,
the people stating they were not afraid of
having their town burned, and that Fed
eral force was approaching. The policy
pursued by our army on former occasions
had been so lenient that they did not sup
pose the threat was in earnest this time,
and they hoped for speedy relief. ai
McCausland, however, proceeded to carry
out his orders, and the greater part of the
town was laid in ashes. For this act
alone am responsible, as the officers en-
gagged in it were simply executing my
orders, and had no discretion left them.
Notwithstanding the lapse of time which
has occurred, and the result Of the war,
am perfectly satisfied with my conduct on
the occasion, and see no reason to regret it..