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CHAPTER XLII.

RICHMOND.

SUNDAY IN RICHMOND.-RUMORS OF VICTORY.-GAYETY OF THE CITY.-PRAYER-MEETINGS.— DAVIS RECEIVES LEE'S TELEGRAM.-THE NEWS KEPT SECRET. EVACUATION.- CONFUSION. THE CITY IN THE HANDS OF THE MOB.-PILLAGING THE STORES.-THE TOBACCO WAREHOUSES FIRED.-RAMS BLOWN UP.- BRIDGES BURNED.-THE FIRE SPREADS.-A DREADFUL SCENE.-CAPITOL SQUARE.-THE YANKEES! THE YANKEES!-BURNING RICHMOND SEEN FROM THE SIGNAL-TOWER.-GENERAL WEITZEL ENTERS THE CITY. THE FLAG ON THE CAPITOL.-AN AFRICAN CITY.-BRESS DE LORD! NO MO' WORK!-BLACK CAVALRY. --MARTIAL LAW.-THE RUINS. THE DREAM ENDED.

UNDAY morning of April 2d, 1865, was bright and beau

SUN

us; ness streets were silent, and

few sounds were heard save the solemn tones of the church bells. All the places of worship were open and were filled at the usual hour with their congregations. A Confederate writer tells us that none of the people knew of the terrible battles which had taken place at Petersburg, only twenty-two miles away, in the previous three days. The news had been kept so secret that not even the newspaper offices had received any account of it. Indeed, a rumor prevailed that General Lee had made a night attack on Grant and won a great victory which insured the independence of the Confederacy. It was also reported that Johnston was marching to join Lee, who would be able, with such a reinforcement, to drive Grant from before Petersburg.

Though the war bore heavy on the hearts of the people and a few had even begun to lose hope in the success of the cause, there never had been much fear that Richmond would be taken by the enemy. The thunder of McClellan's guns had been heard almost at their doors, yet he had been driven away, and the general feeling was that so long as Lee and his army remained they were safe from all the forces Grant could bring against them. So most of the people kept up their spirits, and the favorite singer at the theatre sang nightly "Farewell to the Star-Spangled Banner" to as enthusiastic audiences as had greeted it when it was first performed. Alas! they did not

* See Appendix, page 570.

know to what straits their gallant defender had been driven, nor even the number of his half-fed soldiers. The city was never gayer than in the winter before its fall: balls, parties, private theatricals, and other amusements were abundantso much so that the clergymen felt it their duty to preach against it as unseemly with bloodshed and death so near them. Religious people did all they could to aid the ministers, and so it happened that the churches were generally well filled, not only on Sundays, but also on other days, when prayer-meetings were held in them. President Davis himself was a devout attendant at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, of which he was a member.

Mr. Davis was seated in his pew on that pleasant Sunday morning, when, shortly after eleven o'clock, an officer entered, and walking quietly up the aisle handed him a slip of paper. It was General Lee's telegram to the War Department advising that preparations should be made at once for the evacuation of the city. Mr. Davis arose and went silently out of the church. The congregation wondered what could have happened, and there was a brief pause, but no intimation was given of the news. After the services the rector announced that General Ewell, then the commander in Richmond, desired the homeguard to assemble at three o'clock in the afternoon. Even after the churches were dismissed the news was still kept from the people, only the officials and public men being let into the secret. Many a family ate their dinner in peace that day, wholly unconscious that another twenty-four hours would see their loved city in ruins and a hostile army in its streets.

In the course of the afternoon the ill tidings passed from lip to lip, and even those who had expressed the strongest belief in the impregnability of the fortifications and of the ability of General Lee became convinced that the government was about to leave the city. As no one can paint so truly the scenes of that day as an eye-witness, we will give the account in the words of Mr. Pollard, the historian, who was one of the editors of the Richmond Examiner at the time:

"It was late in the afternoon when the signs of evacuation became apparent to the incredulous. Wagons on the streets were being hastily loaded at the departments with boxes, trunks, etc., and driven to the Danville depot. . . . Vehicles

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but the authorities had determined that no public property should fall into the hands of the "Yankees," and he was obliged to obey.

By seven o'clock of Monday morning all the Confederate troops were out of the city, on their way southward, leaving Richmond in flames behind them. The streets were still filled with a riotous throng of men and women, black and white, laden with the plunder of the burning stores and warehouses. Here was a stalwart negro with a bag of coffee or of sugar upon his back; another with a bag crammed with shoes or hats; a third with several pieces of cotton or woollen cloth on his head, or with an armful of ready-made clothing; a woman with a dozen hoop-skirts; and even children with boxes of thread, ribbons, and other small goods. The Babel of their voices was almost drowned in the roar of the flames and the explosion of gunpowder. Capitol Square was crowded with frightened women and children, huddled among piles of furniture and household goods saved from their burning homes. The Confederate rear-guard had scarcely left when a cry of "The Yankees! the Yankees!" arose in Main Street. The mob rushed down the street and into the by-ways as if they feared the coming of an avenger, and necks were craned from windows and balconies to catch a sight of the hated blue-coats.

The reader will remember that while Grant with the main part of his army held the lines south of Petersburg, another force held Bermuda Hundred, and still another held the Union works on the north side of the James River, threatening the fortifications of Richmond. The last was in command of General Godfrey Weitzel. Part of his force had been taken by Grant to aid in the assault on Petersburg, and in order to keep his weakness from becoming known to the enemy he had been ordered to keep up a great show of strength. This he had done so successfully that Longstreet had been deceived and had kept many men in the defences opposite him who might otherwise have gone to help Lee. On Sunday night all the bands were kept playing. The Confederate bands replied, and the air was filled with the music of "Hail, Columbia" and "Dixie," the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag.”

* See Appendix, pages 571 and 572.

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1865.]

WEITZEL'S ADVANCE.

529

But General Weit

At midnight the Union camp was at rest. zel, knowing of Grant's success at Petersburg, suspected that the Confederates would leave during the night, and was up and watching with some of his officers. Toward morning the sound of a heavy explosion was heard. Lieutenant Johnston. De Peyster, one of his aids, went to the top of the signal-tower, a timber building about seventy feet high, from which the steeples of both Richmond and Petersburg could be seen. He saw a great light in the direc

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that

long afterward a Confederate deserter brought news Richmond was being evacuated by its defenders.

At daylight troops were sent toward the city, with orders to move slowly and with caution, for it was known that the ground was filled with torpedoes. Fortunately, the place of each torpedo had been marked by a little red flag to enable the Confederates themselves to guard against them, and they, in the hurry of their flight, had failed to remove them; so they were easily found and taken up by the advance guard. Three lines of earthworks and forts were passed,

SIGNAL-TOWER.

each commanding the one in front of it. Hundreds of cannons, many of them the spoil of the Norfolk Navy-Yard, were mounted upon them. Within the inner line were the tents of the soldiers, with their furniture as they had left it. The roads leading into the city were strewn with weapons and war material. As the suburbs were entered a fearful scene lay before them-the city in a blaze, the air thick with smoke and glowing sparks, and resounding with the crash of falling walls and frequent explosions.

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