Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-05
lwr.t..n Tor The Dlspatehl

written FOR the Dlspatch)
The f1rnIr- Of Chambersburg Pa. July
e. 1ul Dog General John Mccauslands
a. Moderate cavalry was unique incl
dent o., the civil war. as it was the first
,r hs Confederates had applied the
f7-.t .n retaliation for similar offences
committed by the Federal army
Do -ated CONSERVATION and Indignation
e. shout the entire North They had
.ten that Colonel Montgomery. Of
Federal army committed such gross
c-4gcs on private citizens in South
C--'ua. on raids made into the State
500 atrocious and unwarrantcd that be
MIS- summarily dismissed from Che army;
Err rick and Sheridan We're barn
. -rsrs and mln-bumers by instinct or
ORDERS. Jackson Miss, was partially de-
s-.ai: one-third Of Alexandria. Va,
Mas burned. and Jacksonville, Fla, near
s. % 5s.troyed by fire from the torch OF
Federal soldiers yet when we asked them
O. take little of their medicine we be-
cam. ueeudiarics and freebooters.
OaIrb ersburg is in Franklin county
T. about fifty or sixty miles from the
1.-1mnc. II was q substantial. we'll
built. and beautifully laid-out town OF
some 6 600 or 5000 people. These people
lad for some time been without any
military protection. but no the time We
were there General Couch was euca mped
CT McrcersDurg. sixteen miles distant
with "a battery and d. force of men. ana
General Averul was eucampcl az Green
castle. ten miles distant with 900 cav
airy. WHY Ola they permit us to burn
ChambershUe? TL.s Us % Q1e toa tnai
Ias never been solved. They had three
mon 10 our One. as our force all told. oid
not exceed 1000 m n
NORTHERN ENPLANATION.
From q little pamphlet published a few
months after the burning written ty
rev y S. schuecl5 ID. D.. quote ths
Tararrauh M explanation:
General Avenu possibly might have
saved Chamicrsburg and / know Gene
Tal Couch exhausted himself 90 get Ayerin
% fall back from Greancaste 90 this
point. 7 DO not say that General Averlu
IS 90 blame for he was under orders from
General Hunter. and not subject Go Gene
Tal Couch. He had large fierce Of the
enemy iu hi- front and until b. is clearly
proved 20 the contrary I must believe
ie did his whole duty. The enemy under
NcCauslaud. Bradley Johnson. and Gil
ll-r. let 10 Dee rocollcctei had at least 5000
cavalry. with artillery. at command. so
being in town. the rest within support
.re distance. Johusou's command occu-
i.l the high cmiuenCe one mile west OF
Gle town with battery. No better posi-
f.n could have been desired. They We're
he'd az the prospect Of plumber and
ge: their horses were fresh and
seek: their men TesOlute and defiant. On
to other hand, Averil and his men had
been worn out and jaded by long ana
heavy marches IN Western Virginia for
uuher OF consecutive weeks. Their
horses Were run down, and many Of them
aly % die So that go Of them could not
o. taken any farther. but were left here
VI recruit il u.s. therefore. only possible.
tarceiy probable, that, even if Ayerlrs
force Of $500 men had been here, a sue
Uessful resistance could have been made
Under these circumstances. But Averill
trd his men were not here until several
hours after the work of destruction was
accomplished. and the enemy. gloating
over h.s vengeful deeds. was miles away
on ths Western turnpike towards Nc
Coluelsburg'
cannot explain why these troops ala
.'t intercept Us. except upon the ground
ihat wo would whip thep If they give us
2 chance. AyeIiils men We're good SOLE
U'pfs, and ga the many encounters We had
with them they proved a match for us
t.l tle reasons stated IN the above para-
Hlh may possibly explain why. bat this
implicit is so full OF glaring falseho0ds
t.' upon general grounds / believe mo-
ting in g. Chambersburg had been
"a twice before McCausland went
ire IN 1SGf-Once by General job STU
s- i'm 1852 and IN 1853 by a portion of
eral Lees army. just prior 10 the bat
g. 1t Gettysburg. The farmers OF Frank
Din and Adams counties had been kept I'm a
.te Of suspense and uncasiness boy Nc
rauslands cavalry. which had made scve-
incursions into that section with re-
iulrkable results. For several weeks pre-
Nous 10 the raid TO Chambcrsburg IT
lad been reported that We had crossed
the Potomac. and We're steering up the
Cumberland valley. am which being un-
true. the farmers afterwards treated these
reports with Indifference. apathy seized
them. and when we did go we found
everybody az home with stock &C.
MCAUSLAND'S REGIMENTS.
McCausland's command consisted OF the
nth, Fourteenth. Sixteenth. and Seven
tenth Virginia Cavalry and Colonel
Il Nrcher's Battalion 10 which had bern
tl for this occasion The Marylanders
a. neral Bradley y. Johnson We left
4 q Vicinity Of MartinsburH on Thursday
ie. and crossed the Potomac about
aeon on Friday July 10Th. a Cherry Run
tlo.t thirty miles from where We started
Harry Gilmcr had asked the privilege
or conducting the advance which was
tra.ted. and when we arrived ON the
banks n the Potomac the Marylanders
were afely on the other side waiting for
Us The river al this point was deep and
vide. and it WAS novel sight to see
i .E acattcred over the river with firm
t'p oa the horses tails, slowly toiing 10
email .siaud I'm The middle Of The stream.
t'm which point Il was forbade. Not
lan or horse was lest in crossing aud
'"' hours sufiiced for the whole command
ii iy land and form. II was generally
.A.Wn Wlero we were going, and when
.tht came on we were twenty miles ffOm
70 foi0mac II was q clear starry
psnl and forty miles had to be made BY
pS"khl orders had been Issued for me
pen 70 avoid boisterous talking or laugh
Pi&' ana 50 wen we're these Instructions
Sirlsd out that we passed through VII
xes ana towns with cur 1900 men ana
ere hoi discovered by the s'cepefs. ON
- sPpieash OF dawn Il was whispered |