USA > Pennsylvania > Martial deeds of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1 > Part 34
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Mr. McClure owned a beautiful residence about a mile from the town, called Norland. Passing over all the houses on the way this was singled out for destruction, and Captain Smith, son of the Governor of Virginia. was sent to apply the torch. Mrs. McClure had for several days been confined to her bed by severe illness: But her weak and infirm condition could not avail to save the home from destruction. This lady had shown great kindness to sick and wounded soldiers of both armies, care
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which had been acknowledged since their departure in the most grateful manner; but even this service, the evidence of which was exhibited in the missives which had just been received, had no weight, and the mansion and well-stored barns were converted to a mass of ruins.
"The streets," says Mr. John K. Shryock, "were filled with smoke and flame, and almost impassable. After we had reached a temporary shelter, my wife returned to the scene of destruction, as a bird to its nest, and on her way was stopped before a burn- ing house in which a corpse was lying and a little child at the point of death. The dead woman was gotten out with difficulty and buried in the garden without shroud or coffin, and the child was barely rescued and placed in her arms. . . . In some cases women attempted to extinguish the fire, and were prevented by threats and personal violence. Some were thrust from their houses, others were struck, and in some instances pistols were drawn upon them. One lady had a bucket of water, which she had brought to extinguish the fire, thrown in her face. In almost every case the sick and infirm were hindered from leaving their homes. There appeared to be a desire to have some burned if possible by accident. . . . Cows and dogs and cats were burned, and the death cries of the poor dumb brutes sounded like the groans of human beings. It is a picture that may be misrepre- sented but cannot be heightened."
" Never was there so little saved," says the Rev. T. G. Apple, " at an extensive fire. Sixty-nine pianos were consumed. The most sacred family relics, keepsakes, and portraits of deceased friends, old family bibles handed down from past generations, and the many objects imparting a priceless value to a Christian home, and which can never be replaced, were all destroyed. In the dim moonlight we meditated among the ruins; chimney stacks and fragments of walls formed the dreary outline of ruined houses. Not a light was left but the fitful glowing of embers, amid the rubbish that fills the cellars. The silence of the grave reigns where oft we have heard the voice of mirth and music, of prayer and praise. Now and then some one treads heavily along in the middle of the street; for the pavements are blocked up with fallen walls."
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BURNING OF CHAMBERSBURG.
Of the spirit which was preserved under these calamities the Rev. Dr. Schneck says: "In regard to the first, I am enabled to say, that during the whole course of my life, I have not witnessed such an absence of despondent feeling under great trials and sudden reverses of earthly fortune, never such buoyancy and vigor of soul, and even cheerfulness amid accumlated woes and sorrows. as I have during these four weeks of this devastated town ; and I leave you to imagine the many cases of extreme revulsion from independence and affluence to utter helplessness and want. The widow and fatherless, the aged and infirm, suddenly bereft of their earthly all, in very many instances, even of a change of clothing; large and valuable libraries and manuscripts, the ac- cumulations of many years, statuary, paintings, precious and never to be replaced mementoes, more valuable than gold and silver,-gone forever. . . . A highly intelligent and pious woman in a remote part of the county, a few days after the burning. called at the house in which a number of the homeless ones were kindly cared for. The large dining table was surrounded by those who, a few days before, were in possession of all the com- forts and many of the luxuries of life. Pleasant and cheerful conversation passed around the board. The visitor alone seemed sad and out of tune. Tears stood in her eyes as she looked around upon us. 'I am amazed beyond measure at you all,' she said, 'I expected to see nought but tears, hear only lamentations and sighs, and here you are as I have seen and known you in your bright and happy days, calm, serene, and even cheerful !' When one of our number replied, that no tear over the losses sustained had yet been shed by herself, but many tears at the numerous tokens of Christian sympathy and generous aid from far and near to relieve the immediate necessities of the sufferers, she added : 'God be thanked for your words; they flow like precious ointment, deep down into my heart. Oh, what a com- mentary on the promised grace of God.' And we all felt, I am sure, that among the many gifts of our heavenly Father, not the least was
' A cheerful heart, That tastes those gifts with joy.'
" In regard to the feeling of revenge, so natural to the human
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heart, I have been gratifyingly disappointed. Among the heaviest sufferers, by far the largest proportion have not only expressed themselves decidedly opposed to the spirit of retaliation, but have used their best efforts to dissuade our soldiers from carrying their threats into execution when an opportunity should offer. They have gone farther, and have drawn up a petition in which they earnestly implore the Government in Washington to prevent to the utmost anything of the kind on the part of our army. They believe it to be morally wrong, no matter what may be the provocation from the other side, and have always condemned the destruction of private property by our troops in the South, when- ever isolated instances of the kind were reported. They believe, moreover, with our wise and judicious Governor, that retaliation, ' can do no good to our own people, but a great deal of harm.'"
The leading journals of New York city were loud in their denunciation of the people of Chambersburg, because they did not rise and beat back the foe. But how senseless was this fault- finding will be apparent when we consider that the force actually surrounding the town was 3100 mounted men, accompanied by two batteries, and there were in addition two other columns within supporting distance amounting at least to 5000 more; that the advance guard stole upon the force at Mercersburg, and cut the wires before intelligence of their coming could be sent forward; and that the few officials and guards at Chambersburg had hardly time to gather up government property and get it away before the enemy were within the town, holding complete sway. There were not men enough in the town, nor the whole county together, had they been armed and thoroughly drilled, to have made any head against these veteran troops, well furnished with artillery, which were engaged in this raid. There were barely one hundred and fifty Government soldiers under General Couch's command, and consequently he was powerless. General Averell, with two or three thousand cavalry, was ten miles away, and might possibly have interposed, together with such help as he could have extemporised, a sufficient resistance to have saved the town, had he previously known the enemy's purpose. But he was himself expecting an attack, and was bracing himself to receive it, well knowing that he was inferior in numbers to the
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foe, and that his command was broken down with hard service in the recent disastrous campaign in West Virginia. The large wagon train of Hunter's army, which had been sent back from the Potomac, had passed through Chambersburg on the afternoon of the 29th. With this train was a strong guard which, if it could have remained at the town, might also have afforded some protection, and with Averell's command would for a time at least have been more than a match for the advanced column of the enemy. But these, as well as Averell's troops, were under the command of General Hunter, and over them General Couch had no authority. So that to no party could any blame be reasonably attributed. We can now see how, if the purpose of the foe had been known in advance, Averell and the train guard, and the soldiers of Couch, and the citizens, might have been gathered up and moulded into a force sufficient to have protected the town for the moment, yet even then not to have made headway against the combined forces of the enemy. But McCausland came as a thief in the night, and his work in two hours was done. Averell reached the town at three P. M. of the 30th ; but the foe had then been gone five hours.
The city of New York, whence these diatribes came which were levelled against the people of Chambersburg, had throughout the war been the seat and hiding place of a most turbulent and dangerous class, and it had been necessary to call veteran soldiers from the front in large bodies to hold it in subjection. If, then. that great and populous city could not control the disaffected class in its own midst, with how poor a grace could it point the finger of reproach to the people of a defenceless town for not beating back a powerful body of veteran enemy, when suddenly attacked ?
Governor Curtin, on the 1st day of August, issued his proclama- tion calling together the Legislature, which convened on the 9th of that month, to take measures for the state defence. In his message to that body, on this occasion, his Excellency referred in just terms of rebuke to the sentiment which had been so ruth- lessly displayed. "How could an agricultural people, in an open country, be expected to rise suddenly, and beat back hostile forces which had defeated organized veteran armies of the Govern-
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ment ? It is of course, expected that the inhabitants of an in- vaded country will do what is in their power to resist the invaders; and the facts hereafter stated will show, I think, that the people of the counties have not failed in this duty. If Pennsylvania, by reason of her geographical position, has required to be defended by the national forces, it has only been against a common enemy; it has never been necessary to weaken the army in the field, by sending heavy detachments of veterans to save her cities from being devastated by small bands of ruffians, com- posed of their own inhabitants, nor have her people been dis- posed to sneer at the great masses of law-abiding citizens in any other state who have required such protection. Yet when a brutal enemy, pursuing a defeated body of Union forces, crosses our border and burns a defenceless town, the horrid barbarity, instead of firing the hearts of all the people of our common country, is actually in some quarters made the occasion of mocks and jibes at the unfortunate sufferers, thousands of whom have been rendered homeless; and these heartless scoffs proceed from the very men who, when the state authorities, forseeing the danger, were taking precautionary measures, ridiculed the idea of there being any danger, sneered at the exertions made for the purpose of meeting it, and succeeded, to some extent, in thwart- ing their efforts to raise forces. These men are themselves morally responsible for the calamity over which they now chuckle and rub their hands. It might have been hoped-nay, we had a right to expect-that the people of the loyal states, engaged in a common effort to preserve their Government and all that is dear to a freeman, would have forgotten, at least for the time, their wretched local jealousies, and sympathized with all their loyal fellow citizens, wherever resident within the borders of our common country. It should be remembered that the original source of the present rebellion was in such jealousies, encouraged for wicked purposes by unscrupulous politicians. The men who for any purpose now continue to encourage them, ought to be held as public enemies-enemies of our Union, our peace -- and should be treated as such. Common feelings, com- mon sympathies, are the necessary foundations of a common free government."
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MESSAGE OF GOVERNOR CURTIN.
After reciting the history of previous invasions of the state and the measures taken for its defence, he recommended the raising of a special corps for the protection of the border. Ile says: "I also recommend that the Governor be authorized to form, either by the acceptance of volunteers or by draft, in such parts of the state as he may deem expedient, a special corps of militia, to consist in due proportions of cavalry, artillery, and infantry, to be kept up to the full number of fifteen regiments, to be styled Minute Men, who shall be sworn and mustered into the service of the state for three years; who shall assemble for drill at such times and places as he may direct; who shall be clothed, armed, and cquipped by the state, and paid when assembled for drill or called into service; and who shall at all times be liable to be called into immediate service for the defence of the state, independently of the remainder of the term enlisted for. 'As this force would be subjected to sudden calls, the larger part of it should be organized in the counties adjoining our exposed border, and as the people of those counties have more personal interest in their protection, the recommendation is made to authorize the Governor to designate the parts of the state in which it shall be raised, and save the time and expense of transporting troops from remote parts of the state, and the subsistence and pay in going to and from the border. A body of men so organized will, it is believed, be effective to prevent raids and incursions."
In compliance with the recommendations of the Governor, the Legislature promptly passed acts of the 22d and the 25th of August, providing for the organization to be known as the State Guard, to consist of fifteen regiments. Lemuel Todd was appoin- ted Inspector General, under whose immediate agency the corps was to be organized. An order was issued on the 30th by the Governor calling for volunteers, to form three regiments of infantry, two squadrons of cavalry, and four batteries of field artillery, as the first portion of this corps. "Although strenuous efforts were made," says General Todd in his annual report, "to recruit the force in nearly every county of the Commonwealth, the attempt proved a total failure, attributable to inherent defects in the law, and the then pending United States draft." The acts
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provided that if volunteering failed to bring out the requisite strength, a draft should be resorted to, and the assessors were re- quired to make a careful enrolment of the arms-bearing popula- tion. An order was issued by the Governor directing such an enumeration to be made. Much time was consumed in this labor, and in hearing appeals for exemptions.
In the meantime a new military character had come upon the scene, destined to eclipse by the boldness of his achievements all previous conduct of affairs in the Valley, and to render a force for the defence of the border unnecessary. On the 2d of August, General Philip II. Sheridan was sent to Washington, and a few days after was put in command of the Middle Department in- cluding that of West Virginia, Washington, and the Susque- hanna, and an ample force of all arms was given him. He soon initiated a campaign of unexampled brilliance, and so thoroughly beat the enemy in repeated encounters, and laid waste the fertile region whence the rebel supplies had heretofore been largely drawn, as to make it untenable even for a defensive army. No force being needed in Pennsylvania, further attempts to recruit the contemplated corps were abandoned.
The work of recruiting the national army, however, was vigorously pushed, a record of the number furnished by cach locality was kept in the Provost Marshal General's office at Washington, where all recruits were accredited, and when calls were made for additional troops, each township and village was allowed the opportunity of filling its share by volunteers. If not able to do so, then the draft was resorted to.
The campaign for the spring of 1865 opened early, and with great activity along the whole front. Indeed, the army of Sher- man had not stopped to go into winter-quarters, but in its march to the sea and its subsequent campaign through the Carolinas had been kept in almost constant activity. Sheridan having pushed from the valley upon the James River canal which he destroyed, and the railroads leading to the rebel capital, marched for Grant's army before Petersburg, which he reached on the 27th of March. This was the signal for the general advance, of which Sheridan took the lead. Leaving only the Ninth corps before Petersburg, the remaining corps followed the cavalry by the left
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FINAL TRIUMPH-DEATH OF THE PRESIDENT.
flank. At first, it was a movement for the destruction of the two railroads by which the rebel army was fed; but as the Union commander warmed to the work, and saw the success of his encounters with the enemy, he changed his plan, and instead of confining himself to cutting off supplies and hemming in the foe, he wrote to Sheridan : "I now feel like ending the matter, if it is possible to do so, before going back. I do not want you, therefore, to cut loose and go after the enemy's roads at present. In the morning push round the enemy, and get on his right rear. We will act altogether as one army here, until it is seen what can be done with the enemy."
That was all the order that a soldier like Sheridan needed, and on the 9th of April the army of Northern Virginia surrendered. The tidings of this triumph were every where received with great joy. Not long after, the army opposed to Sherman likewise capitulated. But in the meantime, when every household was filled with rejoicing, and while preparations were in progress for public demonstration, a great sorrow fell upon the whole nation. Mr. Lincoln, who had borne the burden of a great war, who had at times been so depressed with the ill fortune of the cause he upheld as to count life as of no value, who, having finally seen his purposes consummated, was about to sit down in peace and quiet to heal the wounds which war had inflicted, and during the evening of his official term to enjoy the fruits of the triumph, while, surrounded by his family and friends, he was wit- nessing the personation of the play, Our American Cousin, was assassinated by an obscure actor, Wilkes Booth, who stealing unobserved from behind, and coming upon the President un- awares, shot him down. His sad fate touched every heart, and he was mourned more sincerely the civilized world over, and especially among his own people, than any American, or it may not be too much to say than any human being, ever was. Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson very justly remarked on the occasion : " We meet under the gloom of a calamity which darkens down over the minds of good men in all civilized society, as the fearful tidings travel over sea, over land from country to country, like the shadow of an uncalculated eclipse over the planet. Old as history is, and manifold as are its tragedies, I doubt if any death
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has caused so much pain to mankind, as this has caused or will cause on its announcement." After impressive services at the executive mansion and beneath the great dome of the capitol, the mourning cortege started with the body of the dead Presi- dent for his home amid the prairies, and it was determined to return by the same route by which he had travelled to the cap- ital a little more than four years before. Officers of the army and navy, representatives of the many departments of the Govern- ment, and of the national Congress, were of the sorrowing train. General E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant General of the army, as the representative of the War Department, had charge of the ceremonies in the cities through which it passed. In reply to the telegram of General Townsend indicating the intention to pass through Harrisburg, and to remain there from eight o'clock P. M. of Friday to twelve, noon, of Saturday, Governor Curtin returned the following answer : "I propose to take charge of the remains at the line of the state, and to accompany them till they leave it. I will meet them at the border. At Harrisburg they will be placed in the capitol. All military and civil honors will be shown." The greeting of the Governors of Maryland and Pennsylvania was cordial as the latter joined the train. Every- where as the cortege passed, crowds were gathered, and attested, by uncovered heads and subdued expression, their deep sorrow. Flags were displayed draped in mourning, and many were the emblems of grief. At York, a company of ladies asked permis- sion to lay a wreath of flowers upon the bier. This having been granted, six of their number entered the funeral car, and amid the tolling of bells and the strains of solemn music deposited the flowers upon the coffin, the witnesses to this touching mark of affection being moved to tears.
It was raining heavily when at eight o'clock the train arrived at Harrisburg, but, notwithstanding this, dense crowds filled all the streets and the capitol grounds as the funeral car, escorted by cavalry, infantry, and artillery, passed along. Upon a cata- falco erected in front of the Speaker's stand in the Hall of the House of Representatives, richly draped with sable stuffs, and caught by silver stars, the casket which held all that was mortal of Abraham Lincoln was deposited. The face was exposed to
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view, and presented the expression which it bore in life, though changed in huc; the lips firmly set but half smiling, and the whole indicating the energy which had characterized the living man. As soon as the doors were thrown open a constant stream of citizens, who had waited patiently for hours under a drenching rain, commenced passing through the hall on either side of the dead, which continued until midnight, when the building was closed. At dawn the concourse again began to move, and con- tinued until the time of departure at midday, thousands being unable to gain admission. A delegation of ladies bore a beautiful floral offering to the capitol, and laid it upon the bier. At Lan- caster a similar offering was made. At Philadelphia, after having been escorted by an imposing display of the military through the city, the body was deposited in Independence Hall, where it lay in state during Sunday. At dawn, the avenues through the Hall were opened, and in two lines the sorrowing people moved through, taking the last look at the remains of the Martyr. "Be- fore daylight lines were formed east and west of the Hall, guards being posted at Fifth and Seventh streets, preventing the passage of all except those in lines. By ten o'clock these lines extended from the Schuylkill to the Delaware river." It was estimated that not less than 100,000 persons passed through. Seventy-five vet- erans who had each lost a leg in the service came in a body and hobbled past his dead corpse, as did also 150 sick and wounded soldiers brought from the hospitals in ambulances. It was a touching spectacle, and no one beheld it unmoved. Flowers, the most rare and beautiful, wrought in every variety which the hand of affection could devise, were placed upon and about the remains with that loving and tender regard which the near- est of earthly ties can excite.
At four o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 24th, under imposing escort, the body was moved to the train which took it to New York. Never was a scene so grand seen in the me- tropolis. The military with trailing arms, the upturned, sorrow- ing faces of the multitude, the long, sad train which followed. the whole city, as it were, turned out to pay the tribute of grief, presented the spectacle of a people lamenting a common parent. Thus onward, through all its way to the final resting place in
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the rural cemetery at Springfield, near his former home, there was the outpouring of sorrow and demonstrations of bereave- ment. His deeds and his utterances had enshrined him in the popular heart.
"Such was he, our martyr chief, Whom late the nation he had led, With ashes on her head, Wept with the passion of an angry grief. Nature, they say, doth dote, And cannot make a man Save on some worn-out plan, Repeating us by rote :
For him her Old World mould aside she threw, And, choosing sweet clay from the breast Of the unexhausted West, With stuff untainted shaped a hero new,
Wise, steadfast in the strength of God, and true. How beautiful to see
Once more a shepherd of mankind indeed,
Who loved his charge, but never loved to lead; One whose meek flock the people joyed to be, Not lured by any cheat of birth, But by his clear-grained human worth,
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