The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-23
HEC0LLECTl0Ns'
IA Anrniysrsary Not Fraught With
plansant Memories in vir-
giniA's Capital City.
Monday. April 3, 1865. the CON
fo1Srate Forces Evacuated the
Bsseiged Place.

fo1srate Forces Evacuated the
Bsseiged Place
wv M Federal Fsroos Marched In ant
Took Pessssslon--soeAes Of Wa
Times Recalled.
The most eventual day in tho history Of
aSss R~iohmond-ons Of the most evsntful in the
history Of this country-was Monday. April
1 1S66, whom this confederates evacuated
this city and IL was occupied BY the federal
army, says the Dispatch. OF that city.
Richrnond and Petersburg fell simultsne.
ously, and the surrender Of Appomattox oc-
eurred Dix days later. Thus the four years
NJ ended and slavery was abolished and
10 relation Of the states to the federal
union VA vastly changed.
TWioa during the progress Of that bloody
VA ths two armies lay before Richmond
Tor long periods, and often the city was
threatened by the presence Of the raiders OF
Eths federal army. Onoe n OF these par
1ies reached Ben Green's farm. on the
Westham (Cary strest) turnpike, and was
thsrs met and turned back by the youths Of
ths city, Who had been formed into local
defense companies. At another timo they
came to Wsstbrook, which is now the resi-
dsncs Of Major Lewis dinter. y planted
their gums in the plain which is between
Westbrook and Mr.. Bryan's farm. Lnbur-
mum. Their gums were light fisld-pieces-
horse artillery-and their shots only
reached a. far down the road as the upper
end Of Harvey's old nursery. Being as
sailed ia the rear BY some small bodies of
confederate cavalry men, and confronted BY
! force OF infantrymen, these raiders, too.
drew Of, though had they known 1t n
been sufficiently bold they might have rid
den through our thin lines and rescued all
Of their comrades who were imprisoned on
Belle Isle and in the Libby.
These were more forays. They we're made
~ bodies Of s~plendidly mounted cavalry
men sent ont when 1t was known that Lees
army was in some other section Of the state.
and were intended to devastate the county
and carry of the negroes and the horses,
mules, etc., and the foragers always hoped
sto find Richmond 90 unprotected that they
could ride in and take possession. When
it vas known here that the raiders were
coming the bell in the capitol square tower
was tolled necessarily, n forthwith there
assembled on the squaXe the battalions OF
from the government shops and those COM
posed OF the clerks in the confederate gov
4 rnmeu Offices and also the Virginia mill
tia-the boys between 16 IL and the
men between As and %. All other able
bodied men we're with Lees army. Often
NLE.7 ~ a ~f roo&
danger. these ''local defense troops were
thus assembled at tho tap Of the bell. And
they never failed to go to the from and
hold our line of intrenchments until reg
uiar troops could be despatched BY Lee to
defend the city.
glimpses of war. More protracted and more
%sanguinary was the scene here in the UNI
mer Of 1852, when Johnston FIRST and Lee
afterwards faced Mcclellan in sight OF the
city. The first engagement was at Drewry's
Bluff May 16. On June 20 began the seven
days' battles, after which Mcclellan
Harrison's Landing. In this campaign the
flashing of the guns could always be seen
A{rom our hills. At Mechanicsville the field
OF battle was only about five miles from the
city. The dead and wounded were brought
here from all the fields by thousands.
The siege began with the second battle of
A1uADOAs ~ - Ao SaAo~
the evacuation. This was real war. Now
Grant opposed Lee. The lines of the two
armies stretched from Richmond to Peters
burg, and also covered the TANKS of both
cities.
The federal raiders ''cut' our railroads
and broke our communications in many di-
r~ections. FOOD and clothing grew acarcer
day by day. Recruits for the army were
not to be had. When we lost a man his
place in the trenches remained vacant. Not
30 with the enemy. AS we grew weak they
grew strong. Our despair gave them hope.
At last Grant made a movement which
threatened to break Lees communication
with Lynchburg. and Lee had no other al
tentative than to withdraw from Petersburg
and Richmond. The retreat ended in the
surrender at Appomattox court house.
The confederates, being unwilling that
the victorious army should have as spoils of
wa the tobacco stored in the government
also fred the bridges across the James after
the last of our troops had passed over them.
he wind spread these flames far and wide,
and rhus, roughly stated, a space was burned
out of our business center which extended
northward to Main street, southwark to the
river, eastward to Fourteenth street and
westward to Eighth.
Richmond's cup of misery was now over
flowing. She had to appeal to the enemy
to stay the flames, and this they did. With
the contederacy, her currency went up in
smoke, Bridges. banks, depots, ware
houses. ETC., all we're gone. Worse than all,
the flower of her youth had been sacrificed
upon the battle-ields. and those whom the
fortunes of war spared, -eturned to civil
life to face q new condition Of things. and
TO struggle under loads of old debts. And
yet a vineyard has ripened a vintage above
these cinders," and ''clusters were found
growing on the lava of ill-luck."
And here we are now rebuilt more solidly
and stately than ever. and the war is so far
back of us-though but twenty-seven years
have passed-that these retrospections and
moralizings will be ''news'' to many Of the
present Inhabitants of Richmond.
Little Girls Experience in a Lighthouse
Mr.. and Mrs. Loren Prescott are keepers
of the. government lighthouse at Sand
Beach. Mich, and are blessed with a daugh-
ter, four years old. Last April she was
taken down with measles. followed with a
dreadful cough and turning into a fever.
Doctors at home and in Detroit treated her,
but in vain, she grew worse rapidly until
she was a mere handful of bones" Then
she tried DIR. Kings New Discovery and af-
TOR thu upa ~ two, o,,I n hnlf L~%Aln, xu.,