The daily gazette., 1877-12-08
GEN. HUNTER AT LEXINGTON.

HOW WASHING TON CoLLEGEw WAS SPARED
THE BURNING OF LETCHER's HOUSE.
Gen. ]. d. Imboden, in Phila. Weekly
Times.
From Brownsburg General Hunter
proceeded to Lexington, encountering
only such delay as McCausland could eff
feet with single brigade of cavalry. At
Lexington he enlarged upon the burning
operations begun at Staunton. On his
way, and in the surrounding country, he
barnt mills, furnaces, storehouses, grana-
RES and all farming utensils he could
find, beside great amount of fencing
and large quantity of grain. In the
town he burnt the Virginia Military
Institute, and all the professors houses
except the superintendent's, General
Smiths, where he had his headquarters,
and found portion of the family too
sick TO be removed. He had the COM
bustibles collected to burn Washington
College, the recipient of the benefactions
of the Father of his Country by his will;
but yielded to the appeals of the trustees
| and citizens, spared the building, but
| destroyed the philosophical and chemical
apparatus, libraries and furniture. He
burned the mills and some private stores
Towns, an officer in General Hunters
army, took supper with the family of
| Governor John Letcher Mrs. Letcher
having heard threats that her house
! would be burned, spoke of it to Captain
Towns, who said it could not be possible,
and remarked that he would 60 at once
to headquarters and let her know.
| He went, returned in half hour, and
| fold har that ha xUa dirantah hU (Nanarol
Hunter to assure her that the house
would not be destroyed, and she might,
therefore, rest easy. After this she dis
missed her fears, not believing it posi-
BILE that man occupying Hunters posi-
ton would be guilty of wilful and de-
liberate falsehood to lady. 1t, however,
turned out otherwise, for the next morn
ing a half-past 8 o'clock, his assistant
provost marshal, accompanied by por-
tion of his guard, rode up to the door,
and Captain Berry dismounted, rang the
door bell, called for Mrs. 1etcher, and
informed her that General Hunter had
ordered him to burn the house. She re-
piled. "1here must be some mistake"
and requested to see the order. He said
it was verbal. She asked If its execution
could not be delayed till she see Hunter?
He replied: "The order is peremptory,
and you have five minutes to leave the
house." Mrs. Letcher then asked if she
could be allowed to remove her mothers,
her sisters, her own and her children's
clothing. This request being refused,
she left the house. In very short time
they poured camphene on the parlor
hoor and ignited it with match. In the
meantime Miss Lizzie Letcher was try
ing to remove some articles of clothing
from the other end of the house, and
Berry finding these in her arms set fire to
them. The wardrobes and bureaus were
then fred and soon the house was enve-
loped in flames. Governor Letcher's
mother, then seveuty-eight years old,
lived on the adjoining lot. They fired
her stable within forty feet of the dwell
ling, evidently to burn 1t too, but owing
to the acti We exertions of Captains Towns,
who made his men carry water, the house
was saved. While Hunter was in Icing
ton Captain Mathew X. White, residing
near the town, was arrested, taken about
two miles, and, without trial, was shot,
on the allegation that he was BUSH
whacker. During the first year of the
war he commanded The Rockbridge
Cavalry, and was young gentleman of
generous impulses and good character.
The total destruction of private property
in Rockbrldge county by Hunter was es-
timated and published in the local papers
at the time as over 100000. The burn
Ing of the Institute was public calami-
ty, as it was an educational establishment
of great value.