| From The Adams Sentinel
(Gettysburg, Pa.) |
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| June 19, 1861 |
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| Evacuation of Harper's Ferry! |
| The Rebels Frightened! |
| On Friday night, the Rebels at
Harper's Ferry, frightened at the approach of the Federal troops, made
their preparations to evacuate their strong hold there. On Thursday
night, 2,000 troops who were on the Maryland side, crossed over, and
at day-light on Friday morning, the rebel forces departed in a hurry,
leaving in two columns, one toward Manassas Junction, and one toward
Leesburg. Before leaving Harper's Ferry, they destroyed all the
property in the vicinity. The splendid bridge, at the Ferry, was fired
at 4 o'clock, and also blown up. It was nearly destroyed, except the
piers on the Virginia side. The bridge was 1000 feet long, and cost a
large sum of money. The Government Armory buildings, 20 in number, the
Telegraph station buildings, and other railroad works, were burned,
and every thing tangible destroyed. The loss to the Government in
buildings alone must be half a million, and to the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad Company not much less. It has really been a wholesale
destruction. The railroad bridges at Martinsburg and at Shepherdstown
were also destroyed. It is rumored that the town of Harper's Ferry was
also burned; but it lacks confirmation. The rebels, before they set
fire to the Armory, removed all the machinery to Richmond. There were
about 12,000 rebels at the Ferry, as near as can be ascertained. Eight
car loads of provisions were destroyed to prevent their falling into
the hands of the Government troops. A large quantity of fresh meat was
left on the top of a hill, and the buzzards were gathering in flocks.
All the Union men, within a circuit of many miles, were robbed of
their horses, wagons, cattle and slaves. |
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