The daily gazette., 1877-08-03
A BATTLE-SCARRED TOWN
WHAT A WOMAN SAW OF THE FIGHT
ING IN AND AROUND WINCHESTER,

WHAT A WOMAN SAW OF THE FIGHT
ING IN AND AROUND WINCHESTER,
VA.
The following extracts are taken from a
contribution in the Philadelphia Weekly
Times from the pen of Mss Mary Tucker
Magin, q niece OF Hon. John Randolph
Tucker, OF Virginia {;
mo non-com batants saw more of the
shifting panorama of the civil war in the
United States than did the citizens Of Win
chester, in the Valley of Virginia. Held as
an outpost by the Contederates the first
year, 1t afterwards served as a shuttlecock
between the gray and the blue battledore.
1t thus changed hands eighty-tour times,
and when the game was over the shuttle
cock was denuded of feathers, velvet and
tinsel-a poor, useless, ruined thing. The
best houses in the town had served as hos
itals, barracks and even stables. lady
after the war, upon taking possession OF a
house newly painted aud repaired. was iu-
formed by her neighbOrs that they had
many time seen the heads of cavalry horses
at the windows from which the children OF
the family now gszed. 1t Is needless to say
that her relish for her new home was slighI-
ly disturbed, as one docs not ike the idea
of living in stable, il it is newly painted.
"Of course, in common with the rest
of Virginia, the town was almost a unit
in its enthusiastic loyalty to the Southern
cause. and such being the case suffered
accordingly. Jackson and Ashby were
peculiarly the valley heroes; their ap-
proach was the signal for wild joy, their
retreat for bitter tears. 1t seems wonder.
! full, in looking back, that ordinary phy.
siques could so long have stood the Sc
we're strain upon their powers the ex.
element of battle followed by the occu.
patton by the enemy of weeks and even
months, during which time communica.-
ton was utterly cut off with friends; the
terrible depression thus caused to be OBJ
liberated by another season of excite
ment and exultation; this constituted the
war life at an outpost. Nor was it with
| out its effect. There never was a time in
the history of the town when so many
young girls and old people died. 1t took
I very little disease to result fatally the
| system sank almost Immediately; and
yet with all the terIors of that time there
was charm in the life which was sc
much more and so much less than life
ever was before or ever will be again
! We would none of us part with our wal
experience, bitter as it was; when hone
nj despair followed each oGher as the
minutes in one hour when the issues OF
each day were so imml lnent, containing
In them often, more than the general
measure of joy and sorrow which is the
! ordinary allotment of life time.
"a bare narration of facts would hard.
ly be credited. 1 have seen the town
change. masters four times in one day
/ First battle, followed by triumphal
occupation by one party for few hours,
the first greeting of long absent friends
interrupted by another battle, followed
by the gloom of defeat, and while our
tears yet flowed, another battle, another
scene of joy, and SO on through the day.
| One never knew what an hour would
bring forth. Too often we would wake
up In the morning to find di fferent flag
fioating over the town from that which
blessed our vision when we retired to
rest. Sometimes this change was quietly
made, one army retiring before the otheI
without disturbing the umbering citi
zens. But far more often was our resi-
rudely disturbed by the booming of the
cannon, or the more terrible crashing OF
musketry at our very doors, and oul
startled vision has opened upon the glare
of burning buildings; or we would be
stunned by the explosion of monster
magazine, while the crashing window
glass or the falling mortar attested toe
surely the reality of the danger, and we
thanked God for one more miraculou.
escape from sudden death. This was in.
variably precursor of an evacuation O.
the town before the Confederates en-
tered