Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-07-25

tHo uSAluty OTesS-SWOrU OF tuo COuIou0F
ate MILDLY" His father was an arm,
officer, high in command, and he wa
greeted with such sallies as "Say. EC
when did you change service?" "Dadd
has promoted him to an army staff po
sition." High private in the rea
rank" "How will you fix your rela
tive rank?" Horse marine" ETC., etc
The quizzing of gang of ill fed mid
snipmen was silenced, however, whel
the visitor Informed us that at 2 o'clocl
that day orders had been issued for tn
corps to be armed as infantry and tha
they had been marched to the nava
store house in double quick time ant
supplied with all the accoutrement
with which we found him. Other ru
mors came In that members of the Sc
nlor class and some passed midsbipmeI
had been seen as officers in infantry
marching through the streets and thai
a naval brigade had been formed ant
the iron -elad squadron at Drury's Bluff
lSlad been abandoned.
AN EVENING OF UNCERTAINTY.
There began hustle in and about the
wards, and at sundown the statement
was freely banded around that th'
President and Cabinet had left the city
and that it was to be evacuated at once
Al s O'Clock the writer and two COIN
rades, all enfeebled by weeks of illness
drove in the hospital ambulance to the
quarters of the midshipmen, at the fac
tory, and found it empty. On one OF
the upper floors was the mahogany
table and the silver table service of the
ward room, kept watch over by an old
boatswain's mate, and sitting in solemn
state at the bottom of it, drinking coffes
and eating crackers. was the second
To him we mentioned the
i run0rs. s.~assked where the boys had gone
and requested hrfn-tteas, have ba sailors
transport cur baggage to fise-depot fronl
/ which the school bad started TfSEf% ne
met with ridicule, denied the evaeaasion
of the city and said the s'nlI4s,iee l1i
gone to Chapel Hill. n. G., wnIeh ealc
be the seat of the Naval AcssaemY fez
the rest of the war He added we ought
to return to the hospital and retire and
the next day leave with him and two
other midshipmen, or come Oh to Chap
el Hill when we were well.
| ABANDONING THE CAPITAL
Acting on this we returned and on
the next morning were awakened by
the explosion Of the magazines. Dress
ing rapidly we proceeded to the sur
geon's office and received our discharge
from The hospital, with permission to
leave the city" On going out into the
street it appeared as though the final
day of doom was upon us. Though a
singuiariy clear and beautiful day, the
air was filled with smoke and sparks
and the dark ness of twilight was over
and about the city. Stores were being
broken open and rif1ed dead fnen, shot
down in the attempt to rob, were laying
al intervals, while negroes fought over
barrels of provisions that had been
rolled from burning warehouses. Min
gied with the roar of flames came the
appalling crash Of exploding magazines
and the rumble of falling walls. Rap
idly as possible we forced our way
through the frantic nasses and gained
the Danville railroad bridge only to find
it in flames az different points and no
evidence of trains on the Manchester or
southern side of it. Retracing our steps
we sought eggess from the north side of
the city. On crossing Main street we
noticed two blocks below Us, and ad
vancing on trot, "a regiment Of Federal
cavalry. They overlook us and rode
by without observing us. although we
were gorgeous in full uniform, but
without side arms or accoutrements, save
| small haVeYsacks in which we had stow
ed all the crackers we could get. By
means of locomotive obtained under
compulsion, and with the assistance OF
two army officers, we rode twenty five
miles from Richmond, and then having
no experienced engineer and the steam
being exhausted we abandoned it Oh a
side track and reached the Valley of
Virginia after days of toilsome progress
| on foot.
| THE CONFEDERATE TREASURY.
| Going b,ck now to the departure of
the midshipmen from the warehouse
we trace the connection of the Naval
Academy with the fleeing treasury of
the Coniederacy. For the following
accurate narrative we are indebted to
Midshipman r. Fl. Fleming. then a
jealous and efficient young officer and
now Presbyterian minister of promi
nence in this State!
"We left our quarters at P. M. on
Sunday and proceeded rapidly to the
| Danviile depot. On reaching it we
were formed in line and were addressed
by Captain Loyal, the commandant Of
midshipmen, who told us that we had
been selected by the Secretary because
he believed us to be brave, honest and
discreet young officers and gentlemen
for service of peculiar danger and deli
cacy. That to our guardianship was to
be committed a valuable train, contain
ing the archives of the government,
with its money. We were then marched
into the depot, where our train, in COM
pany with others, was receiving freight
Guards were placed at all entrances and
squad with fixed bayOnets cleared the
building of loafers and citizens. The
train lett the depot at II midnight, and
two midshipmen, with loaded revOivers,
were placed in each car containing the
government boxes, one to sleep while
the other watched. In these cars also
were government clerks with several
ladies, their wives, and their personal
baggage. The next day we reached
| Danville, and on the 5th of April Ad
mirai Semmes with the men of the
James river squadron (the iron. clads
had been blown up on the night of
the 2d) reached that point and were as
signed to its defense Midshipman
Semmes was here detailed to his fathers
staff, and Midshipman Breckenridge ac-
companied his father (the Secretary of
War; as his personal aid. Our train
stood on the track not far from the de-
pot and our encampment was in a grove
near the train.
FLIGHT THROUGH THE CAROLINAs.
"On the 9th of April we left Danville
and reached Greensboro, N. c., about
P. M. the 10th. Then on to Char
lolte, reaching there after dark on the
18th. While here the money was placed
in the Mint and the midshipmen feasted
at the leading hotels On the 18th we
were off for Chester, S. G. Here the
govern nment's specie, papers, Treasury
clerks wives, etc, were placed in wag-
ons for a march across the country to
the railroad at NewbeTry. I saw the
cargo transferred to the wagons, and
there were small square boxes, which
we supposed contained gold Or bullion,
and kegs milling beer kegs, which
we inferred contained silver. The train
was not long one. Mrs Davis and
child, or children, and nurse occupied 8
large ambulance. I do not know
whether she joined US at Greensboro or
Charlotte. We marched to Newberry,
reaching there on the 18th of April,
and the same day took cars for Able.
vile Left Abbeville with wagon train
| on the 18th and reached Washington,
Ga, on the 10TH"
TRANSFER OF THE CHARGE.
1t seems that the middies had play.
fully dubbed the specie boxes "the
things" and the diary continues as fcI. .