Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1881-05-21
MaW II, 1881.
4 sTORr OF THE CIVIL WAR.

After the timC Of which have spoken The
confederate forces burned the house of Gov.
A. W. Bradford, the union governor OF Ma
rvland. situated in Baltimore county. In
retaliation for the destruction of Mr. Ste
y.ns' and Gov Bradlord's property, Seere-
tary Stanton ordered the destruction OF the
residences of Alexander X. Boteler and An
drew Hunter, both members of the conicd-
crate congress from Jefferson county, Va,
and that OF Charles j. Faulkner near Mar
tinsburg, Va Gen. Hunter, then command
ing the forces in the Shenandoah valley,
was charged with the execution OF the order.
Capt. Grey Martindale, of the first New Ik
cavalry. was detailed for the unpleasant ser
vice. but he was a man who never shirkcd
duty. pleasant or disagreeable. 1t was a
beautiful day when he started with hand
full of men to obey his orders.
First the residence Of Andrew Hunter,
near Charlestown, which stood within rifle
shot of where John Brown was hanged, was
left with nothing but the walls to mark the
place where one of the strongest lawyers and
bitterest scccssionists in all Virginia once
lived in ailuencc. He has rebuilt upon the
old walls since the war and Is spending his
last davs within the same walls whose con
tents were once destroyed by war. Mr.
Botclers property, situated near Shepherds
town. in the same county, with all its rare
old books. ncxt crumbled beneath the flames
Ii has. | believe, never been rebuilt. Its
owner is a man of culture, who sat in con-
grcss before the war. Martindale then rode
on to Martinsburg, and thence 20 the beau
tifil estate where the Fau.kners lived, sur
rounded bv ! 400 acres of the finest land
in "the valley" The old roOf-trce WAS
built by Gen. Boyd. Mrs. Faulkner's father,
during or lust after the revolution. 1t Is
surrounded 10y magnificent park, iucloscd
with q stone fence. Nhen The officer rode
IN the cravclcd roadto the house and alight-
cd the place was bright with flowers. He
stepped upon the porch, pulled the old
fashioned knocker, and one Of the ladies OF
the family responded to his summons.
He read the order to her, which said that
in one hour from that moment the property
would be destroyed, and that only the per
sonal effects of the ladies could be removed
This was the course pursued by the conicd-
crates when they Destroyed Gov. BYsdtoiT's 5
property. The officer Withdrew. and III ten
minutes a telegraphic appeal went over tie
wires to Mr.. Lincoln through Col. Ward IL.
Lan,cn, who was horn md raised in this
county tie had left it early in life and
gone to Illinois, where he had become init
mate with Mr.. Lincoln, and was then in
Washington as his marshal Of the District
of Columbia and intimate friend. The peo-
pie of his native county often drew upon
him for favOrs. and rarely were their drafts
dishonored. When the telegram was on Its
way the ladies, Mrs. Faulkner and two
daughters, prepared themselves to leave
their home. and then waited for the dread
moment to arrive. A messenger waited at
the station for an answer to the dispatch
they had sent but the moments iiew and
none came. The clock showed the hour was
within a notch Of being up, and the officer
to apply the torch was already at hand
When the hand of the clock rested upon al
most the last beat the messenger from the
station was seen coming up the graveled road
at breakneck speed. He had dispatch,
and it was from Mr Lincoln, and It direct
ed that the property of Mr.. Faulkner should
not be destroyed.-Philadelphid Press.
The foregoing is incorrect in several par
ticulars. The property Of Hons. Andrew
Hunter, A. r. Boteler and f. l. Lee were
burned by Gen. David Hunter, not in retail
iation for the burning Of Gov. Bradford's
house, but from pure cussedness.' - At
that time Gov. Bradford's property had not
been destroyed, but that later it was by
order of Gen Early in retaliation for the
wanton destruction, BY the same General
David Hunter, of Gov. Letchers house at
Lexington, Virginia, is historical fact.
The writer made an inexcusable blunder
in stating that Alexander r. B0teler and
Andrew Hunter were both members Of the
confederate congress from Jefferson county.
Jefferson was admirably represented By Col.
Boteler but not so highly honored as to
have Boteler and Hunter in congress at one
and the same time.
+ We arc not familiar With the facts con
cerning Mr. Faulkner's home in Martins
burg. We think it not unlikely that thro
the insrumentality of Col. Ward II. Lamor
to whom the people Of his native county
never appealed in vain" Boydville" va