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WASHINGTON, D. 0., TJirilSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1S82.
M MHJSHED lT.-NKW SKKIKS.
VOL. II-XO. 1!) -WHOLE NO. 71.
m i i a a h
i wb. x tj ov ime n . a i -t w -v
-
uEThSBURfi CAMPAIGN
X
"nts o i iiiaa
crate 1
and C uN-
ns.
'- stin- I'ot.i'nn- :i- high up as Sir John's
'.'in1. Most of their horses pave out at Sir
John's Km:. Tin remainder of the battery who
-i -1 !.-.!;. tlr-ou;, h in .sine.Il detachments,
ami those wb It no onie in report their horses
is J. .mil,' u i r : i n'li aui ha iii.r been U ft with
nf !-. 1'. ll 11 in --.. ,V'., which waSo'l tltem.
" h i!uT I uri'.il have brought off my guns
-alciv is a ,'!' -.on whbii. of cour-e, I cannot
' I "'-vl
w iM'"m;Ti:ii.
I'lr.iiT AT
c ..jif-Mi-nuo Advance Upon
Marlins I '.jplt, Vii.
.
( M I!VLANI) IIKKJIITS.
t -
V I
I'
t:!ii:i!i 1 think it is doubtful now.
' i'v tbe i'i 1. i t my commanding
: i' it.iinh cniniot be blamed for so
i tin l'-sti n-ie-l with myself I
"!!(. h:r. . prepare-d to lump tin
.ni hazards, as I couhl not 1m worse
-,!'g t'lft !
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I. 11 ' 'I !
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and might save them.
until I have influenced
i.li r of th" command
o nmandiug general
.i I Cue of (he whole) to
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- 1,'pearci'. an
-' , and besan to
Iwrth flanks. We moved o'f ou;. th ii:-t
' . and followed the main body. Tin ir
! f caught as at the Opeqnon re-k. t iht
tiom Winchester, bin with the help of a
ii of the Sixth Maryland regiment and
i Ii -t New York cavalry we repulsed them,
.t we saw no more of them.
V- reached Winchester at 11 p. ro.; we
. ' laced in the Star Fort, a small ietangnlar
i "ork about 200 feet in diameter, and flat
u towards the east and west, standing
r ward of the main fort.
. " ii-iy the next morning one section was or
i tu the northern extremity of the elevated
. il upon which the fort was built.
' '.unit 12 m. a second section was ordered to
"t to General Elliott, commanding First
le. forduty.
.1 p. m. fho rebel hattrries suddenly
1 and a strong attack made on the hills
. -t of Winchester, where battery li,
i r. S. artillery, was captured, and battery
i . -t West Virginia artillery, withdrew to
...in fort, and the two sections of mv bat-
('(, l'
' I ti.,
i 'i i lie
Pom
Afl
uro :
- Mil W.l- .
n ;i.-. rt
in tin' dw-
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1 M'ny ill
1 !ni tlu
in mv on
ii
",lh
' i i!Je. VvnpTiv V. under
uli a -"font in'o liOiidoun
i i!m i-neiin '- i'V'i ments.
k Veil a --iTn ' i'r force
v at iv'irx .'Ii'. which
: lvedi'-."-. ii . .nil. The
ili ! t n ,i w :th the
i:t the ('! t of the re-
liipli lud
! t li. t the I'litniv was
i :i"ii of the V :n In -ier and
"i le.iruf the I uinn forces
.ii:i Vi men i lipatehed a
i Micih :.ite lii.t . to apprise
"..- ilai.rcr.
in skirmished all day
i !.' mail-, leading from the
'll.!!' t' Wlliclll ll I
;' Mi- Sii.iiiiu i-,'-. "unjiany rau into a lartje
t lie- i neiir, '- i.i:ilry near lierryville.
! ' -:!tr oT-.e i. mi wounded and two men
rid tin- eoinp:in itll hai-k to'harhstown
!i ii ti !l...lliun, conte-sting every ineJi of
i-i. ami inllictinsome punishment on its
pursuers.
n the night of the loth of May, lSf33, this :
-om;a!jy. numbering seventy-seven men, had I
ln-en completely surprised by the enemy at '
Cuarlcstown. The Confederate cavalry dis
niuunted outside the town and, passing unob
served in squads through the company's pick
ets and patrols, attacked the men in their
quarters.
Tlie company made a spirited resistance, but
was finally overjiowered, and one officer (Lieu
tenant McKinleyj aud fifty-five men we.ro
forced to surrender. The lieutenant aud two
i men were wounded. A force of Union cavalry
j sent out from Winchester ,by General Milroy
i to intercept and attack the. enemy overtook
I him at Piedmont Station, in Fauquier county,
' on the afternoon of the lGth, aud recaptured
all of Captain .Summers's men, except one who
was seriously wounded and left iu the enemy's
hands.
I Oh the l."lh Vernon's company was at
Charleston'!! and on the road bevond, covering
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to
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ti
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the ri-trrvit ! n.iiMiii'ifs: of ATilrnv'c .iniwl.
he Star Fort. A heaw fire from three ! 4j. i . . '. ,.
... ..." ... . then endeavoring to effwt thir e.tcane to
Harjer,s Ferry. On the Kith it skirmished
with the enemy's advance, then moving on the
roads from Winchester to the Potomac.
At Charlestowu Captain Vernon's squadron,
consisting of his own aud Captain Summers's
company, was summoned to surrender. To
this demand Captain Vernon naively iesMnded,
" 1 did not come to Charlestown to surrender,
but to fight to the best of my ability, aud 1
propose to do it.M
By skillful maneuvering he succeeded in
extricating his command, and at night fell
back within easy striking distance of the Union
lines at Harper's Ferry.
On the ltth and loth Company C scouted
the country from Kearneyiville to Shepherds
town, Jlailstowii and Harper's Ferry,
COXJKDEKATE ADYANCK I POX MAKTIXSRUKC;.
On Sunday, the 14th, aliout 4 p. m., General
Ilodes, who had been instructed, after dis
lodging the force at Berryvillc.to cut oli't he com
munication between Winchester and the Poto
mac, appeared before Martinsburg, held by
two regiments of infantrj-, Firey's company of
Maryland cavalry and one battery of artillery,
the whole commanded by ColoneJ B. V. Smith,
One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Ohio volun
teers. General Jenkins, commanding tho Confed
erate advance, demanded its surrender of Col
onel Smith, which ho declined doing. An .it
tack was then made, which Colonel Smith
resisted until dark. JJc then began to evacuate
the position. The cavalry aud artillery moved
towards Williamsport aud the infantry towards
Shepherdstown. The enemy followed on the
Williamsport road and succeeded iu capturing
the battery. After crossing the river at Shep
herditown, Colonel Smith marched his infantry
n-s. wnicn we saw Taking position on the
! unge of hills west and northwest of
. ter, opened a pon the two forts. After
' time they directed their fire entirely
i' . Fortunately, knowiug the range
1 .".' ft to 1 .700 yards we were enabled to
'i accuracy, aud drove them from their
. 'ii S'iree times, dismounting at leact two
i'i'1 blowing up at one time a limlier and
caisson. Not one shot was fired without
- ') pendulum Itaussc, and the exact cle-
riven, the officers a:rl myself frequently
nig the gnus. As it became dark their
i-i-d. and we fired the last two shots.
lions having been engaged nearly all
'! i', and one the day before at llerryville
i th route, aud a constant fire being
-ary to prevent them from taking a posi-
ii'l holding it, so as to get exact range by
'i live or six shots, our ammunition (1,200
1- the day before, 2K) rounds per gun ) was
1 to 2 rounds per gun 168 rounds.
v !' .';o p. m. I received notice from Colonel
M Ut n'lds, commanding Third brigade, that
M.ir Fort was exjx-cti'd to he attacked in
n t half hour. The Sixth Maryland regi-
t was placed inside, the Sixty-seventh
ii-j lvania in the rifle-trenches inclosing the
and all arrangements made u us loaded
blister and wc awaited the attack cou-
Tl.i; GCXS SPIKED AUD ABANDONED.
'.' 1 a. m., Monday, June l.",th, I received
ai- '.-il r from Colonel McKeynolds, command
u.p 1 r g.idc, to spike my guns, mount the men
oi t',' horses, and prepare to retire with the
utM..-t silence with the rest of the cimmand of
(jcii' ml Milroy. Not liking this much, I re
qiv -'M1. as commandant of artillery, toJc ppr
u..t. .1 to go to General Milroy and ask per
m -. ..n to take my battery with me. Colonel
M L nolds consented, and I went to the main
fort 1 could not find General Milroy, but was
ti f. rr d to hLsadjuUmt-general, Major Cravens,
who r presented liim, who declared that the
ord. l was most peremptory and must be obeyed
etr.rtly, and that nothing on wheels, or that
could by any possibility make a noise, could be
permitted to go, summing up that tho great
ohjcrt of this movement was the most perfect
silence and secrecy, and that the other guns
were all spiked. 1 immediately returned,
spiked the guns, disabled the carriages, de
stroyed the ammunition, and removed and
destroyed the traces and trace-chains, which
would rattle. 1 then formed the men by twos
aud marched out with the rest of the troops.
"At the fifth milc-siono from Winchester,
on the Martinsburg road, the column of which
we were the rear except the First New York
cavalry, (the Third brigade formed the rear,)
was attacked in part by the rebels with infan
try and artillery. As my men were totally
unarmed, and many riding the oh" saddles with
out stirrups, I thought the best plan was to
make a da?h through the woods on the right
and left of the rebel line and join at Harper's
Ferry. Forty went to the right with Lieuten
ant Lvans, of the battery, and myself and
reached Harper's Ferry. I turned over, by
ordir of the commanding general there, to the
quartermaster thirty-three horses and equip
ments nearly complete. The balance had given
out ou the road and were forced to be left.
About forty menVent to tho left with Lieuten
ant Alexander, of the battery, and were forced
I to -narjiauu jieijjiiis.
In this affair Captain Firey's company ac
quitted itself with ils accustomed gallantry.
Having skirmished nearly all day with the
enemy's cavalry, it was confronted in the
evening by a heavy force massed on tho Win
chester road to turn the right of the Union
line.
With great impetuosity tho enemy charged
up tho pike, and despite a stubborn resistance
by the company and some infantry (not over
100 in rall), he pushed forward and a running
fight was kept up through tho town, Captain
Firey bravely contesting every inch of the
ground. Taking the Williamsport road, the
company hurried in retreat toward tho river
which was cniascd before midnight.
Next morning, learning that tho enemy
would cross at Dam No. 5, Captain Firey
starled for that point with twenty-live men to
harass him. On tho road he met a small
squad of Confederate cavalry and dashed after
them. He soon rap into a larger forco con
cealed behind a hill and the fences close by. 1 n
this encounter Lieutenant Jacob A. Metz was
killed. The captain was taken prisoner, but
soon after escaped. The rest of tho detach
ment retreated unhurt. From this point the
company kept constant watch of the enemy as
far as Harrisburg, and on his retreat followed
him back to the river, capturing nearly 200
prisoners.
HAKPElt'S FEItr.Y AND MAUYLAND HEIGHTS.
Upon receipt of the first news of tho attack
on Winchester evcrv nronaration was made bv
tho garrison of Maryland Heights and Harper's J
Ferry to give the enemy a warm reception
should he again try the stronghold which he
had onee as -sailed with success.
The fortifications were greatly strengthened,
heavy iftd light artillery advantageously posted,
and strong picket -lines e-tablished. The troops
remained on the alert, performing heavy fa
tigueand guard duty for two weeks, with rainy
days and ntghi-' disagreeably frequent.
But the attack, which wms so confidently ex
pected by the military authorities, did not
occur.
On the 13f.h of June, when Bodes' division
appeared in front of Berry ville. the First and
Seventh Maryland were on Maryland Heights,
and the Fourth and Eighth Maryland, with
Miner's Indiana- battery, under the pergonal
direction of General Keuly, occupied Bolivar
Heights.
With these troops General Konly strength
ened the line of works on Camp Hill, between
the Potomac and the Shenandoah, picketed Lou
doun Heights, and reeonnoitered almost daily
inlo Loudoun couaty and towards and beyond
Charlestowu. Holding this outpost until the
night of June 17th, General Kenly was then
oidered by General Tyler (who had just arrived
and assumed command, relieving General Kel
ley) to abandon Harper's Ferry and r move his
troops to Maryland Heights. At !p. m. the com
mand withdrew from the Virginia side tall the
army stores having been previously removed
from Harper's Fcrry, the Eighth Maryland
being the last regiment to crews.
Before daybreak of the loth the Seventh
was marched about a mile west of its camp on
the Heights, and thrown into line with the
First Maryland and the Sixth New York artil
lery, its left resting on the Sbarp'burg ro.ul.
The report was that the enemy had appeared
on the river opposite Sharpsl.urg. This was the
beginning of a long and exciting day. About
sunrise the line was heavily re-enforced, and
during the day the tongue of rumor was busy
with a thousand startling reports, all of which
centred around the one-established fact that
Milroy's command at Winche-ter had been
crushed 1m fire an overwhelming foneof the
enemy on their march to transfer the seat of
wartothe Northern States. Itwaswith especial
regret that the soldiers of the Maryland bri
gade heard that their old comrades of the Sixth
Maryland, under Colonel .lohn W. Horn, and
Alexander's battery had shared in the general
disaster.
A very gratifying incident, and one which
aroused the enthusiasm of the Seventh Mary
land, was the arrival this day of company B,
from Hagerstown. Captain MeKechney had
leen charged with tho collection of Govern
ment property, and had a train of fifteen loaded
wagons and about two hundred horses. By
strcnuous exertions he succeeded in getting all
this property away in safety before, the enemy
crossed over from opposite Williamsport and
occupied Hagerstown.
On the Kith the First and Seventh were re
lieved from their position of the day before,
and moved up to the crest of the Heights.
Here they were joined by tho Fourth and
Eighth regiments from Bolivar Heights, and
the entire brigade threw up timber breast
works and formed abattis.
THE roPITION AT MARYLAND nKTOnTP.
A private letter, written by an ouicer of tho
Seventh Maryland, thus describes the condition
of affairs on the Heights at this time:
"Our position here is impregnable and sup
plies abundant. We are nearly on the summit
of the Heights, overlook the surrounding coun
try for miles, cannot bo taken by surprise, and
cannot be whipped. Our men were never in bet
ter triui for service ; confident and impatient.
Although not actually engaged as yet, we havo
been by no means idle. It would not be proper
to state what has been done towards s rength
ening tho natural defenses of this position.
Suffice it to say that we have done enough in
that way to make it very desirable that wo
should bo attacked here. All we fear is, that
Lee is too old and too cunning a rat to nibhlo
at our cheese."
On the 2.1th of June tho same correspondent
wrote as follows :
"The evidences of a heavy force in front of
us and around us continue to he visible. For
several days post wo have seen trains of wagons
of almost endless length creeping along our
front from left to right, and crossing the Poto
mac at Shcpherdstown, and perhaps Williams
porl. Leo's headquarters aro reported at Ber
ryville, and in that direction, along the base of
the Blue Kidge, we. see heavy columns of dust
and tho smoke of camp-fires. Yesterday a
train of cars arrived from Baltimore, an event
which caused an agreeable excitement. Tho
jfmcrican was in largo demand at fifteen cents
a copy."
On tho 27th of Juno General Hooker ar
rived and directed tho Heights to bo abandoned,
and orders were issued for tho troops to ho
ready to move in light marching order at G a.
m. of tho 23th. It w.as intended by General
Hooker that tho force on tho Heights, in con
junction with tho Twelfth Corps, then in the
vicinity, should march upon the enemy's lino
of communication at Williamsport, destroy his
pontoon bridge at that point, and stop tho enor
mous quantities of provisions, horses and cattle
which wcio steadily flowing from Pennsylva
nia and Maryland into Virginia. But General
Hallcck would not consent to the abandonment
of the Heights, and this order to march was
soon countermanded.
General William H. French, a Regular army
oflicer and a Marylander, was now in command
of tho Heights, having relieved General Tyler
on tho 26'th. His command at this time con
sisted of four brigades, commanded by Generals
Elliott, Morris and Kenly and Colonel Smith.
On the hist day of June, after some previous
preparations, Maryland Heights was, by Gen
eral Meade's orders, evacuated. All immovable
property was rendered useless, tho heavy ord
nance was dismounted, and tho ammunition,
commissary stores, camp equipage, etc., des
troyed. Some property artillery, forage, stores,
etc., was loaded upon canal-boats for shipment
to Washington via tho Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal, under escort of General Elliott's and
Colonel Smith's brigades, which had been
specially assigned to that duty. Tho Sixth
Maryland accompanied this force as a part of
General Elliott's brigade. The remainder of
General French's command, comprising tho
brigades of Generals Kenly and Morris marched
to Frederick City.
During the evacuation of the Heights rain
was pouring in sheets and tho mountain roads
were becoming the beds of torrents. As tho
Maryland brigado moved down tho mountain
it found tho road in front blockaded with
wagons, aud tho march was interrupted at in
tervals of about fivo minutes by halts of fifteen.
the thirty-pounder battery filled the air with
fragments of shell, rock and timber, and hu
man bodies also. Limbs without bodies and
bodies without limbs flew in all directions, and
the wounded and tho dead, horribly mutilated,
were borne away ou stretchers. There were
nine killed and twelve wounded by the acci
dent. Among the number were sonic members
of the Sixth and Eighth Maryland regiments.
CONFEDERATE MOVEMENTS.
On Monday, June 35, Jenkins' brigado of
Confederate cavalry crossed tho Potomac at
Williamsport without opposition, and immedi
ately moved through Hagerstown to Green
castle, and thence to Chambersburg, arriving
there on Tuesday night. No Union troops
were at either of these places to oppose this
force, and its only hostile acts were the seizure
of horses, cattle, and forage. Goods wcrepwr
chnsni at the stores and paid for in worthless
Confederate scrip. On Tuesday afternoon,
June Hi, a small force of Confederate infantry
crossed the Potomac at Williamsport for the
purpose of guarding the passage until the re
turn of the cavalry expedition. On the 17th,
.! nkins. having already gathered a large num
ber of horses and cattle from the Pennsylvania
farmers, evacuated Chambersburg and retired
to the vicinity of Hagerstown, there to await
the arrival of the main army.
Concerning this mode of replenishing tho
Confederate commissariat, Gen. K. E. Bodes, in
his official report, says:
"As soon as possible after arriving at Wil
liamsport a strong guard was placed over it, and
the necessary instructions were given to ( Jen.
Jr nk ins about obtaining supplies of cattle and
horses. In obedience to orders tho command
remained at Williamsport during the 10th, 17th,
and lth of June, in which time, with the aid
of Gen. Jenkins' cavalry, the commissaries and
quartermasters obtained, in a proper manner,
large supplies in their respective departments.
The pioneers, under Capt. Chichester, were
busy during our rest here trying to destroy
the aqueduct over the Conocochcague. Some
5,000 pounds of leather were bought by Major
Paxton at Williamsport and seat to the rear.
At Hagerstown and Williamsport thirty-five
kegs of powder were purchased nnd sent back.
" I may as well mention here that at Williams
port, Hagerstown, Chambersburg, fcc., largo
quantities of such articles as were suitable for
government use were obtained by purchase or
certificate nnd sent back by Quartermasters
Paxton, Bogers, and ITannan. During the
march into Pennsylvania some 2,0007or 3,000
head of cattle were taken, and either appropri
ated for the command or sent to the rear for the
other divisions. Some 1,200 or 1,500 were thus
pent back. Tho horses wero almost all seized
by the cavalry of Gen. Jenkins, and were rarely
accounted for. My best efforts were mado to
suppress all irregularities, and being very gen
erally and cheerfully seconded by officers and
men, they succeeded satisfactorily. Somo few
cases of fraud and somo (at Greencastle) of vio
lence to property the latter traceable to tho
cavalry wero heard of. A few instances of
forced purchases wore reported but never es
tablished. I believe that ono quartermaster
seized such articles as velvet, Ac, but I could
not find him out. In all cases of purchnso that
came before mo the parties were fully paid and
satisfied."
The bulk of the Confederate army was now
massed in tho vicinity of Charlostown and Ber
ry ville.
The Army of tho Totomac had also been
steadily moving northward from the lino of
tho Rappahannock. Following an interior
line east of the Bine Bidge, it covered Wash
ington on one hand, whilo pressing the encury's
flanks on fho other.
General Lee manouivercd his army with great
skill -and kept his flank so covered with cav
alry that it was almost impossible for General
Hooker to ascertain his location or his move
ments from day to day. Indeed, at ono timo
neither general knew tho exact whereabouts of
his adversary.
Between the 22d and 21th of Juno Gcnoral
Lee advanced his whole army across tho Poto
mac, and pushed forward into Pennsylvania.
His scouts penetrated as far as the line of the
Susquehanna, which was defended by militia
hastily summoned from Pennsylvania, New
York, and New Jersey. Strong foraging par
ties were sent out, and Ewell's corps occupied
Carlisle, York, and tho intervening country.
A forco under General Gordon, sent by Gen
eral Early from York, captured Wrightsville, on
tho Susquehanna, wheroa sharp skirmish for
the possession of tho bridge at that point oc
curred.
Somo Pennsylvania militia, under Colonel
Jacob G. Frick, with Captain McGowan's com
pany of Maryland infantry, retired at7rfss the
river, burning, in their retreat, the splendid
bridge connecting Wrightsvillo and Columbia.
A forco also advanced to Oyster Point, within
four miles of Harrisburg, whero somo skir
mishing took place.
To be continued.
TRUTH OF HISTORY,
Oi, !'
could not carry off. Then th
out of the ranks to forag
visited lh houses and r-.t f
ever they fancied. Then t
rt T P T- X 1 AT it 'l'car-u lO lusuic ana a .'
uiuoo i ci vcionm vi raiU uj a nuiiuoiu smash furniture, rip open 1,
grain, meat. etc.. and desrroved wl,.'t
Newspaper.
BURNING OF MARIETTA.
ire, rip ope
dows. and end by ,ux
j.ee invaaca l -in
liberally, and in m i
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Graplric Account of an Event
that Never Took Place.
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THE FIRE AT ATLANTA.
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The Orders Relating to Sher
man's March to the Sea.
WESTERN ARMY POSTS.
General Sheridan's Tour of Inspection Tlirongh the
Indian Country.
Lieutenant-General Sheridan returned last
week to Chicago from a tour of inspection of
Western army posts, accompanied by his stall'
and General C. H. Tompkins, Assistant Quartermaster-General
of tho Army. From Frc
mout, Nebraska, on tho Union Pacific Railroad,
tho part- went overland bj' wagons and relays
to tho camp in Niobrara, formerly in the Indiau
country, but now surrounded by settlements
and ranches of cattle-mon. The ncccssitj' for
this Post has ceased to exist, and it will, in all
probability, be abandoned and its garrison
ordered still farthor West to tho Indian
country.
Returning to Fremont, General Sheridan
and party went west over tho Union Pacific to
Salt Lake City, Utah, south over tho Utah
Southern Railroad, to Milford, Utah, aud thenco
overland to Fort Cameron, garrisoned bj- troops
of the Sixth United States infantry. This is
tho most southern army post in Utah, and dis
tant from Department headquarters at Omaha
nearly 1,-tOO miles. As there is no probability
of trouble arising between tho Mormons and
Gentiles in that section, and all the Indians
in tho vicinity are peaceable, it is more
than probable that tho troops Btatioued
thero will be removed to moro neces
sary points. After an inspection of this
post, the General and party returned to tho
railroad, and, proceeding to Ogden, Utah, took
tho Utah and Northern Railroad (narrow
gaugo) for Blaekfoot, Idaho; thenco they con
tinued tho trip to Fort Hall, Idaho, a small
post near the agency of the Bannock Indians.
As they aro all peaceable and tho post out of
repair, it will bo abandoned and tho garrison
concentrated at some strategic point (in case of
any outbreak of the Indians), which, point has
link vet been determined nnon. be.inir anhinpi-. in
An accidental explosion in tlio magazine of tho approval of tho Secretary of War.
As a specimen of colossal lying, the following
extract from a letter written by " M. Quad " to
the Detroit Free Press is hard to b at. If the
impudence of the writer in attempting to palm
off such a whopper upon the readers of the Free
Frets, knowing that many of them were in
Sherman's army, and, therefore, knew its
fal.sity, has any parallel, it may le found in
the introduction by the editor of the Southern
Historical Society PajHTS, who embalms it in
those veracious chronicles, knowing that there
was not a single statement of fact in the entire
letter The introduction is as follows:
'"M. Quad' has been writing for the Detroit
Free Press a series of very interest iner, and, in
the main, very fair articles on the battles of the
late war. His account of " letting an army
loose, to plunder aud destroy," iso much fairer
and more truthful than we often find from
Northern pens, that wo print it in full.J
"One of the most devilish acts of Sherman's
campaign was the destruction of Marietta, One
of the present editors of the Marietta Journal
was then a boy of fourteen, but ho has a vivid
remembranco of every incident, from the hour
he heard tho cannon-shot which killed Polk
to tho afternoon he stood on the street and saw
the family homestead in ruins, and the Federal
soldiers mocking at tho grief of his poor old
mother. If thero was any excuse for destroy
ing Marietta, then Leo may be blamed for not
burning every building iu every Pennsylvania
town he passed through. The military insti
tute, aud such mills and factories as might be
of benefit to Hood, could expect the torch, but
Sherman was not content with that. The torch
was applied to everything, even to the shanties
occupied by colored people. No advance warn
ing was given. Tho first alarm was followed
by the crackling of flames. Soldiers rode from
house to house, entered without ceremony, and
kindled fires iu garrets and closets, and stood
by to seo that they were not extinguished. In
some, cases a few articles of furniture had been
saved; in others tho women and children
stepped forth bareheaded to make tho ground
their bed and tho sky their roof. If anyone
protested or asked for time, a revolver or
bayonet silenced and drove them out.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES.
"When night fell. Marietta was no more;
threo or four half-burned dwellings and tho
smoking heaps of ashes alono remained of ono
of the handsomest towns in the South. Tho
pcoplo had not only been doprived of their
homes, but of clothing and provisions as well.
Next morning tho hungry children wero
prowling around tho Federal camps in search
of bits and bones, aud the women had nothing.
Sherman should havo been there to gaze on tho
picture and to hear what was said by Federal
soldiers who had wives and children at home,
and who had tho hearts of men beneath the
discipline of tho soldier.
" Thero was not tho shadow of an oxcuso for
burning Marietta, and Sherman's excuses are
becoming fewer each year."
Further on, referring to tho burning of At
lanta, he says:
" When Sherman issued his proclamation to
tho effect that all the inhabitants must leavo
Atlanta, tho people were appalled. Tho city
was over-crowded with refugees from Dal ton,
Re.-aca, Marietta and tho country between.
Many of them had come barehanded and with
out means. If they left Atlanta, whero could
they go to, and how subsist? That was a mat
ter which did not worry Sherman in tho least.
"Tho only excuse urged by the Federal com
mander was that, with the city held by his
troops, tho inhabitants would have no means of
subsistence. If they starved outside the city
limits, he would not be worried. Tho real mo
tive that guided his actions appeared later,
when men wero detailed to deliberately burn
the city to tho ground. Sherman's own book
settles this question. In it the author writes:
'Wo then deliberately destroyed Atlanta.' It
was deliberate; tho intention was to burn,
every building, and only a few escaped."
Till; FACTS IN THE CASE.
Mariotta was not burned. All the public
buildings and most of the stores and dwellings
which wero thero before tho war aro still stand
ing.
In point of fact, the order to destroy tho depot,
rouiid-houso and machine shops of tho Georgia
Central Railroad at Atlanta was executed to tho
letter by Colonel O. M. Poe, chief engineer of
tho army. Tho firo extended to tho adjacont
storehouses, but not a church or dwelling-house
or private building, other than those mentioned,
was fired, although some took fire from tho burn
ing depot. Less than one-tenth of the build
ings in Atlanta wero destroyed by fire. Many
of tho houses were entered after Sherman's
army left the city by the inhabitants of tho
surrounding country and sacked of their con
tents. Tho soul of " M. Quad " is harrowed by tho
story of tho inabitants along the lino of Sher
man's march to tho sea. He refers to it as fol
lows, contrasting it with Lee's invasion of
Pennsylvania:
THE WHANGDOODLE MOURNETII.
But these were preparatory lessons. When
Sherman cut loose from Atlanta everybody had
license to throw oft all restraints and make
Georgia drain tho bitter cup.
"In the first place, Sherman intended to sub
sist on the country. Details wero made from
every regiment to forago. The quartermasters
and commissaries took in all live stock, hay
and houses, but win t ? is The n -t
suit to a woman, r burning of i
It cannot bo shown that th. .!
they could not n ii. '... In -,,-,
guarded farms ao rigidly ti.at i
taken for fire-wooil
' The Federal w h . wants to
was to lit ense an "'my to ;
should mount ;i 1. one at Atl.n.
Sherm.in's route f .- : fty nub -.
storir- iron- th 1 1 j . " wotne-i f
him ashamed of the I' mwhii ii u i -ed over
as he went into lut'V. !. n the army h 1 i
passed, nothing was I. ,'t but a t nil of d. -o!,tr, -u
and despair. No ho ise is. pfd robber v. i
woman escaped insnlr no building escatif i) l,n
fire-brand, except by - ime .tnii::e interpo-itmn.
War may license an army t -'i-Lst on tv
enemy. but civil :.ed warfare- -to.-., h live U k,
forage and provisions. It doc- r.o- enter :,
houses of tho sick and helples and rob t' o
women of finger-rings and .i:ty off tie r
clothing."
Now, in the first place, the arry was not
licensed to become vandals. The order of
General Sherman was explicit upon this 3u ,
ject. It was as follows :
"Special Field Orders, No. 120.
"1. The army will forage liberally on the
country during the march. To this end, e i. i
brigade commander will organize a good ani
sufficient foraging party, under the command
of one or more discreet officers, who will gather,
near the routo traveled, corn or forage of any
kind, meat of any kind, vegetables, corn-meal,
or whatever is needed by the command, aim
ing at all times to keep in the wagons at least;
ten days' provisions for his command, and three
days' forage. Soldiers must not enter the
dwellings of the inhabitants, or commit any
trespass; but, during a halt or camp, they aaay
be permitted to gather turnips, potatoes and
other vegetables, and to drive in stock in sight
of their camp. To regular foraging parties
must be intrusted the gathering of provisions
and forago at any distance from the road
traveled.
' 5. To Corps commanders alone is intrusted
the power to destroy mills, houses, cotton-gias,
etc. ; and for them this general principle is laid
down: In districts and neighborhoods whero
the army is unmolested, no destruction of such
property should be permitted; but should
guerrillas or bui-hwhackers molest our march,
or should the inliabitantsburn bridged, obstruct
roads, or otherwise manifest local hostility,
then army commanders should order and en
force a devastation more or less relentless, ac
cording to the measure of such host i lit v.
" 6. As for horses, mules, wagons, etc., be
longing to tho inhabitants, the cavalry and
artillery may appropriate freely and withoor
limit; discriminating, however, between the
rich, who are usually hostile, and the poor and
industrious, usually neutral or friend ly. Forag
ing parties may also take mules or horses to
replace tho jaded animals of their trains, or fo
serve as pack mules for the regiments or brigades.
In all foraging, of whatever kind, the parties
engaged will refrain from abusive or threaten
ing language, and may, whero the officer in,
command thinks proper, give written, certifi
cates of tho facts, but no receipts; and they
will endeavor to leave with each family a rea
sonable portion for their maintenance."
GOVERNOR RROWN RESPONSIBLE.
In the second place, tho march to the sea
would have been robbed of all its terrors to tho
people of Georgia if Governor Brown had ac
cceded to the proposal of General Sherman to
withdraw tho Georgia troops from the Confed
erato army. On page 117 of his Memoir
General Sherman says:
" Ono day, two citizens, Messrs. Hill and Nol
ton, camo into our lines at Decatur, and wera
sent to my headquarters. They represented
themselves as former members of Congress and
particular friends of my brother, John Sher
man ; that Mr. Hill had a son killed in tho
rebel army as it fell back before us somewhera
near Cassvillo, and they wanted to obtain tho
body, having learned from a comrade where it
was buried. I gave them permission to go by
rail to tho rear, with a noto to the command
ing officer, Goner.il John E. Smith, at Carters
ville, requiring him to furnish them an escort
and an ambulanco for that purpose. I invited
them to take dinner with our mess, and wo
naturally ran into a general conversation about
politics and tho devastation and ruin caused by
the war. They had seen a part of tho country
over which the army had passed, and could
easily apply its measure of desolation to thi
remainder of tho Stato if necessity should com,
pel us to go ahead.
"Mr. Hill resided at Madison, on the main
road to Augusta, and seemed to realizo fully
the danger; said that further resistance on tho
part of the South was madness; that he hoped
Governor Brown, of Georgia, would so proclaim
it, and withdraw his people from tho rebellion,
in pursu-ncc of what was known as the policy
of 'separate Stato action.' I told him, if ha
saw Governor Brown, to describe to him fully
what he had seen, and to say that if ho re
mained inert, I would be compelled to go
ahead, devastating the Stato in its whole length
and breadth; that thero was no adequate
forco to stop us, etc.; but if ho would issno
his proclamation withdrawing his Stato troops
from tho armies of the confederacy, I would
sparo tho State, and in our passago across it
confine tho troops to tho main roads, and
would, moreover, pay for all tho corn and food
wo needed. I also told Mr. Hill that he might,
in my name, invito Governor Brown to visit
Atlanta; that I would give him a safeguard,
and that if ho wanted to make a speech, I
would gnaranteo him as full and respectable an
audience as any he had ever spoken to. I be
lieve that Mr. Hill, after reaching his honia
at Madison, went to Milledgcville, the capital
of tho State, and delivered the message to
Governor Brown.
"I havo not tho least doubt that Governor
Brown at that time seriously entertained tho
proposition, but ho hardly felt ready to act,
and simply gave a furlough to tho militia and
called a special session of tho Legislature, to
meet at Milledgcville, to take into considera
tion the critical condition of affairs iu the
State."
Mr. Edison's patents now number 396 ; moro
than were oyer before granted to one man.
