Natchitoches spectator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1867-18??, 1868-01-23
Sheridan,s Barbarity

The names of Phil. Sheridan and At
tilla viii be linked in an infamous dnal-
ism, by the man who will pen IA trne
chronicle of these events. During that
fearful raid stood in the streets OF. a
small village and witnessed circle OF
flame as it blazed up around me. Dwell
lings, churches, barns, mills, grain
stacks, all burning at once while Icould
fancy that the wall of the homeless and
wretched inhabitants rung in my ears.
Tt may be we'll, just here. to detail the
facts Connected with an incident which
caused great howl of indignation at
the North, at that time. iif ~ 9h8ai 80
While Sheridan's headquarters were
notwithstanding, one of his staff, Lieut..
Meigs of the Typographical Engineers,
an accomplished gentleman and a brave
officer, started OH a reconnaissance, Tor
the purpose of preparing % map OF the
Country. He was warned that 1T was
dangerous, as Confederate scouts were
hanging upon the skirts of the army,
but disregarding this, he started with
two erderlies, and proceeded about three
miles when he fell in with four Confed-
crate soldiers, three privates and re.
liable scout, who had been sent ont by
Gen. Early, with directions to ascertain
the movements and strength of the Fed.
eral army, and by all means to avoid all
skirmishes. The "rebs' retreated when
Meigs and his men approached, bnt
Meigs pushed after them, ordering them
to surrender, and at length fred, break
ing the arm of the scout, who believed
himself to be mortaliy wounded, and
wheeling in his saddle returned the shot
and killed his assailant. One of the OF
derlies was wounded or captured, and
the other returned to HarrisOnburg tC
mt of his off av.,s
death A thousand such incidents Oc
CURED during the four years war--a fail
| les itimate combat between the opposing
parties. And vet the Northern papers
rang the charges upon this ''infamous
murder!'' Gen. Sheridan pronounced il
| a murder He raved in his tent, foam
| .Gg al the mouth with all the real or as
sumed fury of a tragedy-hero, crying
1 ssThe wretches, the fiends; how shall
! avenge my poor murdered boy! Poo
boy!" And in his great wrath ordered
not that the "murlerers" should b'
bounded down and punished-no! bu
in addition to the burning which theI
! filed all the heavens with smoke, ant
was laying low some of the finest struc
| lures in the valley-seventy odd mill
were burning in the country at tba
very hour!-he directed that the who'll
country in circnit of five miles arOunt
the spot where Meigs fell, should be Mt
/ terly devastated. And the order wa
obeyed almost literally. The citizen
of q village of 300 Inhabitants within
this radius, driven from their dwellings
old men and maidens and young chil
tlren, with little food, forced into the ho
} sun, or 20 the shelter of the woods, plea,
for a little delay until deput;ttion coul
visit the Infatuated conqueror and be
seech him to remember that they wer
not the guilty parties, and to urge hir
} TO spare their homes. In his great mag
J nanimity and mercy he granted thes
J prayers, and after a day and night spen
in open air, expecting momentarily t
) see the torch applied to the houses, til
8 villagers were allowed to return to thei
dwellings, with much of their furnitur
injured, p good deal of it stolen an
/ most of their possessions carried off b
i the soldiers. ti.it" $3.50
With this exception, the order wa
5 executed. t't aI r