Telegram-herald., 1890-06-15

c1l1nel Tayier 4orked had - the
bead 30 lLe A4ngeFs. b1a AoseF sas
sl-l- gaers. el ld-az 4ll Efforts - 1E1 as
hitlng-pl5ce. At se u-erat Grass
gge t-ea & Lse se&Hlal 80 tae sAelza-
aoal valley IL So t-ea .a@- ns -ss-ee
h.s fzn-o1s 1rlar - >ler14n eere - =
ls1ea ,er r1s rrar luls. A8rH t-s
valley an4 lease b in such . eoasiltl4n
that ecoN 81 - gYes kHa Eaar.as so
Live e 1st e.rr7 a-s ra-isus al-l 1ln-7
Tals order. saad tbs susTeon. aas re-
pe-ls-t ~ Las 4orl flr SoTl - the SIR
gs9a la TIE 81 M-rg -art heigl-s uospll--.
" 80 heard fsr4nt give tl-s order ro S1er-
idan- give 10 AserAlly, AS - q cans
from his nlo o4ta. I4s- a. hs sald I- cane
fr0m tne mouta - Grant Eort for word
sone people ia tee >ogta have foollshlY
supposed th2- lhe burning % the valley
~ls Pal sberi14n's doings. It Is
utterly without Foundation in fae-
sheridan a04It not have taken upon
himself the responsibility II such "a
@-- 10 Sas the asE ~ Grant
Preparati0ns we're I'M lmediatelY made
% carry out this terri DE order. wa
one q the burning party l Id
met 4osby three tines Oaee AZ Snick-
ers gap Once abo1t twelve niles
above snickers gap. ahd once near H2lls-
t0sn, y here John Brown ~as hung.
knoN al that too& place al that
tine along tie line Ot march. Il was a
scene that no man Who sax can ever
forget We began a. Harper's Ferry
and ~e burnt the valley clean down 70
Lynehburg The night before the order
from Grant % sheridan actually reach
ed IS, although we were ordered 70 be
ready 70 BEGIN the buraing early next
morning. and knew tha. u VAS on the
nay. the boys got on : grand spree. Some
whisky had goa into camp somehow, and
contrary % orders they had got Aoid Of II
Thai night AZ midnight they burned GOV.
Letcher's nne mansion. IL vas the first
house burned IN the valloY. There
wAs no one in the house. The servants.
negroes. horses and most % the costly
I furniture had gone. but there were still
some things Of value left The people
about the place had taken the warning
given 20 them and preoipitatsly fed
They set fro 20 the stately edihce with
I torches.
The flames "a they rose up 20 the roo.
shed ierco. strange, nocturnal splen-
f dor on the tops Of the tai palmettos,
and threw flying CLEANS Of porten'
light on the ample lawn The Shen-
andoah Rangers, for such we still we're,
then formed circle from part Of their
nun Der about the fated house, and the
"blue devils" danced and shouted and
sung In the yellow light. as they took
hold ot hands, with hoarse wild voices
until. =. last, the splendid old mansion
toppled and crashed down into a mass OF
charred. unsightlY ruins l took no par
In that transac Lion. thank heGvenl The
burning % the valley had begun. Fol
days and days we swept slowly dowr
the trend OF that lovely valley. wav
ing with its white Tuscarora dint corn
every stalk. eighteen feet high, anC
every ear twenty-five inches long anC
twelves inches round. We burned ev
cry kGt, every cabin, every working
mans house, every splendid manor
every tobacco factory. every shop, ever.
building Of any kind from mountain
range 20 mountain range. We burne'
away tho trees, the shrubberies, tn
beautiful landscape gardens and groves
and left that lovely valley charre'
waste OF blighted scenes and blackene'
stumps-
II thete was = single thing overlooke'
by the soldiers on the way down 1t wa
burned on tho way back. The vale.
vas shrouded in gloom. For weeks
black, heavy pail Of smoke hung over
so thick that you could not see the SUI
through IT,
One ot the most pathetic natural re
suits Of the burning OF the valley va
tho varied sound of the birdsongs IL
tho burnt district. Tho nests of thes
birds had all been burned up IN tn
trees and shrubbe-Y where they ha