Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-01-01
suRNlNe or eIcAMoNo.
The Confaxrafion scenes Described Araiu'
Entry of the Federal Advance.


Apropos Of the burning of Richmond
Va. on Monday. the sd of Aprii. 1872 per-
NIT inc 10 write few lines. wnich. ,nougu
49,; ;rrs;svant and somewhat personal.
NAV ia tolerated as testimony IRON
one who witnessed it. l was nv
mo IN Richmond ia April, 1865. on Gov
ernor street aud also engaged IN mercsn-
tile house on Cary. l was not u the afuy
because had only one leg. About n.
NJ Monday, April 3. 1865 seeing snoc zoe
,yarsbnuse on fire, l went down 10 the
nointl opposite to il, corner OF Thirteenth
and Cary. and witnessed the fruitless et,
forts OF some firenen with an an!lquasou
hand brake engine and q lot OF rotten
hose. TO confine the fire to the warenouse,
whence il deliberately originated ,,oy
orders from the government. The
efforts were painfully in vain, ana the
despairing firemen, with engine, abandon.
ING the locality. left the danes TO do their
work, which spread with great rspidlty 70
near and adjoining property until seVeral
snnares ON the south side of Cary were IN
flames. and. favored with wind, were COM
munlcating themselves to the north sac
and thence through TO Main. both SIDES,
and on to other streets. owners OF stoIes
ON fire permitted the populace 70 enter
and carry off anything they could oeal'
we're looted without consent. Excltemeht
was high, and the hoarse cl.es OF men were
heard above the din and hurry OF the &C
casion.
A DISMAL SCENE.
Seeing from nv position of observation.
on Cary street. that the fire would embrace
a large area of territory, and tnat tns
housr with which was connected would
soon be DESTROYED, I went into the ONCE,
onened the safe. and took out 81 600 IN
Confederate money-my months salary -
charged il on the cash-book, put the pook
back into the safe, locked 1t, and, looklng
around TO see what | could save, TOOK w
a Observation-Disclosures coat, newly
made. and piece OF gray cIotn' and wehe
out. locking the store door. LOOKING up
and down Cary street, about S1S A. Nj,
could not see person or beast. II was
deserted; aud necessarily 40. for the names
were reaching nearly across TO the nortn
side and the houses on that side were rapidly
taking fire: and IL was becoming uncom-
fortably hot TO me while | was locking thc
store door. saw that unless | lett very
oulckly and go up Thirteenth 20 Main l
would not be able 10 escape. ana leaving
Immediately ! walked rapidly up gary up
Thirteenth to Man. where found many
persons standing and sitting WIN thelt
the ground. They were in CONSIDERATION
and distress. Passing on to and up troVer-
nor street soon reached my hosts house,
from the door of which, about a. NJ, 4
saw the advance of the Federal army III
the form of about 100 brilliantly-uii-
formed men, who were mounted on superb
looking horses. They appeared TO be gen
erals with their stats. and proceeded up
Governor and Capitol streets to the Cspl-
toll. from the flagstaff Of which they un-
furled the flag of tho Federal GoVerhmehe'
THE UNHAPPY EVENT.
The sun that morning rose ana shone
through thin veil of unbroken cloud MS
though unwilling to witness with unoo-
structed vision the loss OF people
hopes. His crimson disc TO a poets eye
appeared to be the redness of weeping
the tears which nature shed over the I'M
happy event. And all day long the surglng
sheets of fpme. the billoHs OF smoke, the
noise of shells exploding in the arsenal;
aud the crash Of falling walls continued
and seemed fit requem-a death SOM
commensurate in grandeur with the STATELY
agony in which the soul of the Confederate
capital was passing away.
A COINCIDENCE.
On Friday. April IA. 1865. | left Rich
mond, crossing the pontoon bridge az tue
foot of Seventeenth street into Manches-
ter. where, on Hull street, took the cars
for Petersburg, where arrived about IL
p. Must about the hour that J0hn
Wilkes Booth shot President. Lincoln tha'
night. brought away vivid, impressions
of the events which occurred during the
last days of Richmond as the capital Oh q
nation. ,.,,.,
Which from Minerva's head full panopned
Sprang, and which the startled nations
WIN wonder viewed til 10 defeat IL
Sank 70 rise no more. a. cross tho
Nations sky its tra.lingllight--a
Meteor fash--has loft glory-a name
That cannot dic.
WILLIAM A. KIRKHAM.
PETERSBURG, December 26, 1892.