Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-10-01
The Collapse.
THE LAST DAY OF THE CoNFEDERAC,
IN RICHMOND.

AT eleven o'clock in the morning Gen.
Lee wrote dispatch to President Davis
at Richmond, advising him that the ar
my could not hold its position, and that
preparations should be made to evacuate
the capitol that night He might have
added to the dispatch what he remarked
to one of his staff officers, as, with en-
bittered but lofty face, he saw his army
breaking upin the broad sunshine =" 1t
has happened as | told them in Rich
mond the line has been stretched until
it has broken"
No sound of battle-not an echo, not
breath-had yet reached the doomed
city. 1t was a lovely Sabbath day, and
Richmond basked in its beauty, and en-
joyed more than usual remission from the
cares of the week. 1t was day of care
less thoughts. The usual Sunday crowd
lounged near the post office, exchanging
rumors of the war, or the latest deprav-
ed gossip of Richmond society. Ladies
dressed in old inery, in which the fash
ions of many years were mingled, were
satisfied to make display at St. Paul's
about equal to the holiday wardrobe in
better days of the negroes at the African
Church. At the former church worship
ed Mr.. Davis.
He now sat stiff and alone in the
Presidential pew" where no one out
side his family had ever dared to intrude
since Mrs. Davis had ordered the sexton
to remove two ladies who had ventured
there, and who, on turning faces to the
admonition to leave, delivered before the
whole congregation, had proved, to the
dismay and well-deserved modification
of the Presidents wife, to be the daught-
ers of General Lee. In the middle of
! the service a man walked noisily into the
church and handed the President slip
of paper. Mr.. Davis read the paper,
rose, and walked out of the church with
out agitation, but his face and manner
evidently constrained an uneasy whisp-
er ran through the crowd Of worshipers,
and many hastened into the street. The
congregation was soon dismissed. The
rumor had already gained the street that
Richmond was to be evacuated, it was
confirmed to few who penetrated to the
closed doors of the War Department, or
made persistent inquiries at the telegraph
Office but although the government had
no motive now to suppress the sad truth,
| but on the contrary was in duty bound
to inform the people and prepare them
for the exigency, it is remarkable that
no authentic announcement of the in
tended evacuation, no published order OF
the subject, no official notification of any
sort had been made public; and tha
news in which every mans household
was involved was left to wander all day
as q vague rumor in the streets, only t.
be confirmed by the actual, visible act
of the authorities leaving the city. ,s
A little past noon some regiments Q
Longstreet's command, on the north o
James River, were seen marching thro
the city, on their way to reinforce Gene
raj Lee in the battle he was then sup
posed to be making to save or recove
his lines before Petersburg. The soldier
moved with a slouching step, and ono
on their disordered march, it is said
groans were called for Jefferson Davis
Formerly when Confederate soldiers ha'
passed through Richmond, there ha
=, been music, cheers, crowds of shoutin
spectators, throngs of ladies standing O
the balconies of the principal hotels o
Main Street, to wave their adieus, pei
chance to scatter flowers on them, lea:
e to bestow upon them sweet and inspirin
= countenances. Now, as they passed thr,
k the thoroughfare, only few spectator
: looked on sadly or cynically no note I
o music cheered the sullen procession
D. men marching sadly and wearily
IS death, a few blank faces appeared at ii
= windows, and on the balconies of Il
y American Hotel only two or three ladi
|e stood.
10 As the day wore on, it was notice
e that wagons were driven to the doors
}. the departments and to the public stor
q house, many of them branded as COVER
,e ment wagons. many nondescripts-aI
# all moving off towards the Danville
y pot. The accumulation of stores ther
IS and of ticketed boxes. left no doubt tn
,e the city was to be evacuated. Signs
d hurry increased; wagons, NJ longer dri
,e en- in order, tore through the street
ne men seemed suddenly possessed with
a mania to run to their houses, to snat
Ie from them some hasty baggage, and.
10 rush to the nearest exit from the city.
lv less than an hour from the first appes
w ance of the wagon trains on the sire
Al i 4 n