The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-08-08

as soon as my wounds had healed
sufficiently to enable me to walk on
crutches. When Sheridan came down
To the university after having routed
the little army OF Early i'm the Valley.
left by the last tram coming from
charlottesville in the direction Of
Richmond, and having moved back
by easy stages rs the enemy adj
Nanccd, l landed i'm Richmond about
the 9TH or 9th Of March. was
homeless and penniless. and people
IN that condition do not usually have
many friends. / was fortunate
enough, however, to have some. and
these L can never forget for their
Kindness to me i'm those trying DAYS
II was necessary for me TO obtain at
once, some kind Of employment to
enable me TO make a living, and so.
on reaching Richmond, 1 applied to
my kinsman, the late Mr.. Robert
Tyler, then Register of the Confeder-
ate Treasury and through his innu-
ence obtained Il ClcrkShiD in the
treasury Department with a salary
which abOutf paid my board. l was
thus employed when the day OF the
evacuation came. j had attended the
First Baptist Church on Sunday. the
I'd OF April, 1865, and after the
church broke up. ! went and sat in
the Capitol Square. I saw the congre-
cation leave 81. Paul's and as some
some Of the ladies were weeping, and
L heard remarks to the effect that
the city would be evacuated that
night.
A Goose About the COnfcdcracy.
L was goose about the success of
the Confederate cause. Up TO that
time no question had ever arisen in
my mind as to its ultimate success
had followed 'Marse Robert" and
the fortunes of the Army of Northern
Virginia through all of it's splendid
victories. and l believed with such de-
tenders and such cause as ours de-
Feat was simply impossible. Feeling
this way about il, what | saw and
heard on the Capitol Square made but
little impression on me. When l went
to dinner that day the rumors OF the
expected evacuation that night had
reached my boarding house: hut ] dis
PEELED these fears by telling the peo-
pie about me that L had heard thou
sands OF alarming rumorS in the army
rom time to time. and had nearly
always found these without any foun-
dation, and that 1 was satisfied the
rumors then being circulated were of
the same baseless character. / was
the only soldier in the house and
since my hearers supposed j knew all
about war, they had confidence in my
judgment Later in the evening" as
the rumorS OF the evacuation became
more general, I began. for the first
time, TO mistrust my own Judgment
ana so L determined to go TO the Con-
federate War Observation-Disclosures 7
knew some of the employees and which
was then located in what was the Me
chanics Institute. on Ninth Street
where RueSer's temporary quarters
now are-to find out, if 1 could. how
Tar the rumors of the evacuation had
any foundation i'm fact. L found. TO
my amazement on reaching that place
that the War Department was. prac-
ticaiIy' In a dismantled condition. and
tnat many of its archives and en-
plONeS had already gone from Rich
mond. l could find no one who could
or would tell me anything that was
AT all satisfactory about the cVacua-
uon; but. of course, the then condi-
uon of the department told its own
story, and l had sense enough TO in
terpret that story TO mean that the
city was already being evacuated.
Was Not Uneasy.
But, l did not believe. for n mo-
ment. that this fact involved the down
tali of the Confederacy. on the con-
trary, | knew that General Joseph E
Johnston had advised the evacuation
OF Richmond ut the time Of the ad-
vance OF Mcclellan in the spring OF
So. We had frequently had discus
sions among the noted strategists CD
IN the HoWitZerS of the question that
the continued defense of Richmond
was @s a milestone about the neck of
Rcneral Lee, and so / thought "NIarso
Robert had at last concluded that
II was best TO give il up. and make a
grand move 10y which the army of
General Grant would he thanked. and
in some way. defeated or copturcd
had not then learned Of the telegram
received 10y President Davis that dav
20 the effect that General Lees lines
had been broken at Five Forks" Rut
II had, / don't think that would
nave affected. in the least, nv conf
aehce IN the ultimate success of the
confederate cause
ON returning from the Confederate
war department to my boarding
mouse ana without telling of what /
hlu seen there. 1 went to bed and silent
as Soundly as l ever did in my life
w men ! was awakened the next morn
ing by the explosions of the magazines
ABOUT the city, the rafting of windows
me cries of fire, etc, / knew at once
what il all meant, and on LOOKING
out on the street | saw a carriage
containing Mayor Joseph MaNo Judge
John y. Meredith, then Judge of the
Clrcult Court, and Judge William H.
lyons then Judge of the Hastings
court OF the city, and n Federal gen
craL whom l afterwards learned was
General Weitzel, with cavalry escort.
passing my door. l understood at
once That this meant the formal sur
render Of the city, and for which 7
was then fully prepared.
saw Some Terrible Sights.
As soon as l could dress, and get
some breakfast l went out on the
streets and beheld n sight which beg
Sars description, and which l will NOT
even attempt to descibe The fire
was raging, as far as the eve could
reach, and in almost every direction
the cutters were flowing with whiskev
ana other liquors, wisely DESTROYED
by orders of the City Council Mobs
both OF whites and nesroeA were
p3rading up and down the streets i'm
%uNahce OF the fires breaking in and
IootlnS stores, whilst some decent
looking people. and some ladies whom
1 knew were either carrying on their
backs or rolling wheeIbarrows. laden
win provisions and other plumber TAX
SH from the looted stores and ware
houses TO say that Richmond was
HelI on earth" during that day
Is me best description can give of it.
determined, if possible. to get out
OF the city, and. to effect this. as /
was very lame, it was necessary for
me TO borrow, beg or steal" a horse
and was prepared TO resort to either
OF these methods the first opportunity
that presented itself. / went TO nv
bOafUlng house and mt on fbo