| From the Richmond Examiner |
| |
| July 23, 1861 |
| |
| Examiner's Correspondence |
| Winchester, July 17th, 1861 |
| |
| I arrived here last night
about 12 o'clock, and found the streets alive with citizens and
soldiers, hanging about, and all alive with the prospects of an
engagement either during the night or today. The hotels, of course, are
full to overflowing; and while strangers, who are interested in the
welfare of friends in the army stationed here are arriving in great
numbers, the citizens are removing their families to places where they
are sure of being safe, in the event of an attack on our forces and
fight waxing warm near the city. |
| ***** |
| As we came from Richmond, I
saw on the {Virginia} Central and the
Orange & Alexandria railroads freight cars marked "B. & O. R. R.," and
along the turnpike from Strasburg to Winchester there are many more.
These are a portion of the spoils taken from the Baltimore & Ohio R. R.
Co., when Harper's Ferry was evacuated; and but for the stupidity of the
officers who caused the destruction of the bridge at Martinsburg, to
these might have been added a large number of fine locomotives. But this
wise commander, instead of removing the engines from the west to the
eastern end of the bridge before destroying the latter, allowed them to
remain, and, by cutting off communication with them, left them in the
hands of the enemy. Our fellow-townsman, Thos. R. Sharp, Esq., has been
engaged in removing the cars and other stores, and has transported
forty-three first rate box cars, for the use of the Virginia railroads,
and is still engaged in prosecuting his useful work. |
| W. Prescott Smith, the
well-known agent of the Baltimore & Ohio R. R., was here yesterday, and
looked at some of the property taken from his company; but his feelings
were too much for his words, and he gave utterance to no regrets. |
| SMike |
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