Evening star., 1925-04-05

victorious host in blue.
For four years Virginia had been
the storm center of battle. Her fields
were ploughed by cannon and the
hoofs of charging cavalry. Her sod
was Redeemed by the blood of friend
and foe. From valley, mountain and
swamp arose continually the smoke
and thunder of ceaseless artillery
And now the Blue and Gray were
locked in death -grapple-which
meant the end.
The I'd day of April was Sun
day. Both armies lay about Peters
hurg. Grant and Sheridan, with their
men, feeling victory in the air, were
beginning to tighten the coils around
the weary followers of Lee.
At dawn on the morning of the
2d Lee saw the 9Th Corps ad-
vance in an assault on his defenses
Onward swept the Blue. pushing
through 1he thin. Gray line till it
captured ForH Gregg and broke out
above its walls the Stars and Stripes
Of the Union. Miles and Sheridan.
Ord and Park. Meade and Gibbon all
entered the contest of the day
A. p. Hill fell mortally wounded On
all sides the Federal forces won slow
" into the the Confederate lines
and it was decided to abandon Peters,
burg. The famous siege of the city
was over and Petersburg fell. And,
when Petersburg fell. so must Rich
mond fall and, so, also the Southern
Confederacy.
In Richmond. on that same Sun
day morning, the people had flocked
tc church ignorant of the tragedy
trensPiring in Petersburg. President
naVis went as usual to his pew in
St. Pauls Church. but hardly had the
service begun when messenger
hassaned in and handed him a wire
from Lee. stating that the Confed-
crate forces were about to abandon
Petersburg.
Davis, accompanied by his cabinet
officers, Immediately left the church
in order to secure the government
archives and hasten them to a place
of safety. Intense excitement at once
was seen in the crowd in the streets,
the news of disaster grew in horror,
and soon a mob surGed through the
principal thoroughfares. Gen. EweN
was ordered to destroy all public
buildings and though Gen. Brecken-
ridge secretary of war. tried to stop
such a useless and terrible catas-
trophe, the order was obeyed.
The first place to be set on fire
was a huge warehouse in which were
stored goods belonging to England
and France. In few moments flames
were leaping up the walls of the
building and licking up the next edi-
fee F'iercely it burnt and rapidly
1t ran from block to block till, within
a few hours all thar section between
Main street and the river, Fifteenth
and Seventh street, was q scene or
burning ruins. Through the city all
day great trains rumbled- Wagons
ratified hastily by, horsemen dashed
to and fro, and as the evening drew
on ruffians began to crowd the
streets. Philiaging and robbing by
men wild with drink added TO the
pandemonium.
y
IN the meantime the flames were
leaping from one building to an
other. Beautiful homes which had
been the pride of old families were
reduced to ashes: Smoke piliowea
over the roof of the houses and
svirled down to the mobs sweeping
aimlessly and in terror through the
streets.
In the walks furniture was piled
and around it would gather a motner
and her crying brood. The hQuor
held by the Government was thrown
out to be cast into the names OUT
the ruffians gathered up the bottles
perate that the. police had dtfficulty
in keeping any semblance OF order.
windows were broken, stores rlned,
All night the anxious city kept awake
and watched it's burning buildings,
It's wild mobs sweeping through It's
main streets and listening for the
sounds of the advancing foe.
The War Department was in ruins,
the banks gone, the offices or the
nj iG
arsenal and government laboratory
which had been found by the flames,
blew up with terrible explosions that
seemed to shake the foundations or
the city High bridges famed into
the sky casting their glowing re-
fections on the river below. From
the explosion at the arsenal there
were hundreds of shells thrown into
the air and the bits fell in an iron
shower in the vicinity of the bridge.
Early on Monday morning the
government depot of stores was
burst open by the mob. The barrels
of whiskey were broken and the
contents rushed down the cutters of
the streets. Men, women and chill
dren surged in and out of the place,
struggling for the hams, bacon,
coffee and other stores that had been
held there. And this was not to be
Richmond for months had been on a
famishing diet, with sugar an un-
known thing, coffee made OF sweet
potatoes and the very necessities OF
life obtaina BILE only in the smallest
quantities Even chloroform, which
was so needed by surgeons to prevent
pain in performing their amputations,
was not to be obtained, for 1t was
contra band of war"
ho do
Union troops could be plainly seen.
Most of the bridges had been de-
stroyed but over one of them passed
the picturesque troop of Gen. Gary
of South Carolina. Possibly this was
the last of the Confederate forces to
leave Richmond. Gen. Gary, hat in
hand saluted an officer standing on
duty there, then, turning in his
saddle as he dashed onto the bridge,
he sang out, "AIl over-good- bye
blow her to he'll" And in, a short
time a section of Mayo's Bridge was
vast mass of flame and smoke.
Gen. WeitZel of the Union Army
had been stationed few miles out
of the city and was now ordered to
enter fallen Richmond. He was the
commander of colored troops, and,
at the head of these, he entered the
city which was still smolderins e
from the fires which had ragged the
day before. The mayor of Richmond,
Col Mayo, accompanied by several
other prominent men, drove to meet
the Union officer, Mai. A. H. Stevens
of the 4th Massachusetts, Cavalry,
who had been designated by Gen.
Weitzel to receive the surrender of
Richmond.
y X x
THE city was now in the possession
of the Federal Army. and its first
work was to put out the fires, stop