Year: 1874

A Curious Incident OF the War.


From Lippincott's Magazine.


During the greater part of the war ]
lived in Richmond. As calamities in
creased I could not help observing the
growth of something akin to supersti-
tion. In the presence of evils which hu-
man power seemed wholly unable TO
avert, the recurrence of this trace of abb
original fetishism was but natural. Inn
portance was attached to portents, and
people watched the skies with absorbing
interest. 1t was remembered that the
comet of 1861 appeared, from General
Beauregard's headquarters, to hang just
over what was afterwards the field of bat
tie. The Battle Rainbow" which APP
peared day or two before the seven
days fighting around Richmond, was
made the theme of John X. Thorn pson's
verse. An aurora of ghastly luridness
flashed the skies in the direction of
fredericksburg a night or two previous
to the great battle which occurred in
and near that town. A spell Of desper-
! ately bad weather marked the fall of
Donaldson and of Roanoke Island, and
there were not wanting those who be-
lieved that bright skies were auspicious
for the Confederate arms, while lowering
heavens betokened victories for the ban
ners of the Union.


What struck me most was not the con-
tinual reappearance Of the reliable gen
tleman" Of the newspaper reporters, who
was for ever coming "down the Central
Railroad last evening" with pleasing in
telligence for the authorities in Rich
mond, but the almost invariable occur
renee of runlOrs of great victories imme-
diately before signal defeats. A lapse
of ten years has clouded my memory not
a little, but I am now unable to recall
n single Confederate repulse which was
not preceded by this ominous symptom.
| ] am sure it occurred just before Antie-
tam, and again just before Gettysburg,
and it continued until the final catastro-
phe at Appamattox. / can never forget
that at Danville, some twenty-four hours
before the news Of General Lees surren-
der reached rs, report was universally
circulated that the Southern cavalry had
achieved a complete victory over Gener-
al Sheridan's forces, thereby ensuring
General Lees retreat. busted myself
to find the source of this report, and
traced it, as ] then thought, to a trihing
fellow who was creature of a member
of Mr.. Davis Cabinet. Indignant at the
atroc;ous spirit that would deceive the
people at such a time with false hopes, ]
naturally concluded that all previons re-
ports of a similar character had been put
in circulation simply to encourage the
downhearted. Now, am quite unwill-
ing to believe that the Confederate au-
thorities could have been so wicked and
SO silly as to originate and set going a de-
liberate lie for any purpose whatsoever;
but it is certain that such lies were cir
culated by somebody, and, as believe,
for the foolish purpose above indicated.


An incident of wholly different ma
ture still seems to ME curious. Seated
one night with a friend on the steps of a
row of offices on Bank street, facing the
Capitol Square, suddenly there came,
without note Of warning, and appar-
emily not more than thirty feet over
head, the peculiar, rushing, kissing
sound of a shell in rapid motion. Pro-
foundly startled, my friend and myself
sprang to our feet, expecting momentar-
lily to hear the shell explode in the War
Department on Ninth street, at which it
seemed evidently to have been aimed
The sentry at the postof1ice cried out
in alarm; the captain of the guard at the
Capitol ran headlong down the hill to
inquire into the matter, and soldier
who had been asleep on the grass in the
square bounced up in a state of extreme
agitation. There was no explosion


There had been no sound of a gun pre-
vious TO the noise of the shell. The
nearest Federal batteries were so far
away that their shot and shell had rarely
if ever reached Church Hill, and Bank
street was mile farther off The Con-
federate guns, though nearer than the
Federal, could hardly have shot so far


Supposing them to have had the range
Of the famous Swamp Angel" before
Charleston, what earthly motive could
the gunners have had for firing this SOL
itary shell into their own city? Could
it have been an accident? Then a shell
must certainly have been fired. But it
is not certain that shell was fired. Not
only no explosion took place, but no
house was struck, and diligent inquiry
in the upper part of the city failed to
elicit any information whatever about


the shell. 1t could hardly have fallen
in the most densely populated streets
and in the midst of private dwellings,
without attracting a particle Of atten-
ton. After all, was it a shell? No one
saw it: the fuse was not burning. Could
it have passed entirely over the city?
impossible in my opinion. What was
it? The mystery was never solved.



A City Almost Orphaned.