Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-05

around that we were In the vicinity OF
| Chambersburg. and when It became broad
daylight We were in line of battle on the
| high hills overlooking the doomed city
| The Eighth Regiment was dismounted,
| and started into town, followed by a
| small detachment OF mounted cavalry.
on streets and alleys convergng at what
| was called the Diamond" about the cen
tire of the town. a battery Of four small
pieces occupied an eminence, which occa-
| sionally threw shells over the city. which.
| 1 suppose. was done to intimidate rather
| than harm.
TRIBUTE OR SACRIFICE.
When the men had arrived at the OBJ
toctive point. the citizens and City Coun-
/ eli were summoned before General Nc
! Causland and Adjutant-General Fitzhugh
, read them the order OF General Early.
/ levying q tribute of 100000 in gold, or
10000 In United states currency, for the
burning OF property by The Federal army
in Virginia. This little pamphlet men
TONED above written By Rev. Dr.
| Schnech has this 10 say on this point:
/ Captain Fitzhugh exhibited TO j. w.
! Douglas, ESQ. an attorney Of this place.
[ "a written order. with the name OF Jubal
/ Early to it, directing that Chambersburg
| should be burned in retaliation for the
! burning OF six houses in Virginia by
| Hunter. The burning Of Chambersburg
! was then ordered by one Of the
/ corps commanders Of General Lees
| army. instead of guerilla chief, thus
placing the responsibility squarely upon
| the shoulders of General Lee. We have
I I'm support of this the statement OF Rev.
Mr. Edwards. Episcopal clergyman OF
| Hagerstown. who was taken as a hostage
after Chambersburg had been destroyed.
He was brought 10 General Early's head
quarters at Wilhamsport ana there
/ uaroIcd 70 effect his exchange, General
1 Early there informed him that he had d.
! rected Chambersburg TO be burned in re
! tali9tiOn for the destruction Of property
I'm Virginia by Grant Meade. and Hunter,
and that the account was row square
They seemed 10 think we were testing
| and blufinC. They asked for time TO
consider. which was understood by our
| men 10 gain time so that Averill and
Couch could reach there. An hour was
| granted. at the expiration of which they
/ uhe citizens and Council announced that
] that amount Of money was not in the
town. and they would not pay IT II they
/ could a detail was at once made and
! ordered to fire the town. and In one hour
| the business portion Of the beautiful city
| was blackened. smoking ruins. The main
part Of the town was enveloped in flames
! I'm ten minutes. No notice was given, eX-
ccpt that If the terms Of the order were
not complied with destruction would be
the result This little book or pamphlet,
which I have quoted from before, says:
''No time was given 10 remove women
or children. the sick nor the dead. but the
I work of destruction was at once com
menced They divided into squads and
fired every other house and often every
! house IL there was any prospect or
plumber. They would beat I'm the door
with iron bars or heavy planks. smash
up furniture with an axe. throw OIL or
/ fluid upon if. and ply the match. They
almost Invariably entered every room or
/ each house. rined the drawers OF the
bureau appropriate money, tewelry,
/ watches. and any other valuables, and
would often present pistols TO the heads
+ of inmates and demand money or their
/ lives Few houses escaped ritlng-neaIly
an were pundered Of everything that
. could be carried away. Many families
had the utmost difficulty 10 get out them
/ selves i'm time. Several invalids had 10
be carried out as the red flames licked
their couches."
SAW no ATROCITIES.
Now. was there, and never saw any
Z thing Of the kind, and l am inclined to
, think the author Of this book was draw
I ing decidedly long bow lie
NAV not be as expert and varied at IT a.
7 General Eagan I'm piciuring General Miles
but approaches him gently. l had my
ewes and ears open in the two hours the
| army was there. and I saw nothing ana
| heard nothing Of the atrocities said to
/ have been committed. No doubt wrongs
( and atrocities were committed by some,
| lint no such thing as deliberate, wanton
! Burning was ever practiced by the Con-
| federate army. The burning Of Cham
bersburg was purely n war measure, as
much so as the freeing OF the Saves vi
course we all regretted that it was neces-
sary to burn this city TO teach our enc
I mics a lesson, and every human heart
must have sympathized with those VINO
were so unfortunate as to be located
! there. It was a measure | have never
/ justified.
/ The confederation at its height was one
! Of surpassing grandeur and terror, and
! had the day not been a calm one many
! would have been licked mp by the flames
/ i'm the streets. Tall, black columns OF
smoke rose up to the very skies; around
1t were wrapped long streams Of flames
writing and twisting themselves into a
! thousand fantastic shapes Here and
there gigantic WhrlWinds would lift cloth
, ing and light substances into the air,
and interminglcd with the weird scene
/ could be heard the shrieks OF women and
children Cows, dogs, and cats were
consumed i'm their attempt TO escape. 1t
= was a picture that may be misrepresent-
ed. but cannot be heightened, and must
remain forever indeiibly impressed upon
the mind OF those who witnessed il.
I There were 359 buildings consumed
! and many of them valuable. The court
/ house was estimated to be worth SSlOO'
! Colonel A. X. McClure's residence, S-VOU;
! the German Reform printing establish
| ment. $4,000; a clearinghouse, NOcW. IN
/ all eleven squares were totally destroyed.
! In these houses there were all the house
! hold effects Of these unfortunate citizens
| which included hfty-nine pianos. The
| total loss in everything was estimated 10
| be over n million OF dollars. / have
: seen gentlemen from Chambersburg re-
+ Gently, who tell me that the burned
/ squares have been replaced with hand
/ some new buildings, much superior 10
/ those we destroyed. In the centre of the
I public square has been erected a mOnu-
ment concentrating the burning of the
/ city by the Rebels i'm 1861
COLONEL MCCLURE CAPTURED
THEM.
l may incidentally mention that we had
I orders TO arrest and bring Colonel a. X.
( Mcclure, OF the Philadelphia Times, who
at that time lived in Chambersburg, with
I'm our lines. but his hospitality complete
~ captured those commissioned 20 do so,
and he was never Informed Of the order.
From the time we left the Potomac
until we began 20 retreat from the burn
ing city not a gun was fred by our men.
except the few shells thrown over the
town during It's occupancy by US. Several
Of our men struggled and were killed by
clfizens or soldiers Of the Federal army,