Dec 16 1862 As morning advanced, and the valley cleared we discovered that the whole Federal army had escaped under cover of night and were safely on the north bank again. When the enemys retreat became known to our army, loud yells rent the sky, and must have been plainly audible to Burnsides forces across the river ; but whe- ther these were indicative of rage or pleasure at the retreat I cannot imagine, but fancy they arose from a commixture of both those feelings. It soon became known that a convention had been entered into for the burial of dead, and the valley swarmed with our troops, who were speedily engaged in the work of interment; but when I visited the town, and beheld the sad havoc done there by the Vandals, I almost felt sorry to think I had ever given a cup of water to their wounded and dying. Every house was gutted and robbed ; furniture, bedding, and household goods of every kind were maliciously broken and scattered through the streets ; doors, win- dows, banks, churches, school-houses, all were destroyed or despoiled, while in every dwelling, amid pools of blood, were laid their dead and dying, whose pallid faces, staring eyes, gaping wounds, and frigid limbs, twisted into frightful distortions, met the Southern soldier at every turn in this once pleasant and hospitable town, so wilfully destroyed. The bombardment had done great mischief: houses were tottering to their founda- tions, and everywhere gave proof of the passage of shell and bullet among smoldering ruins ; but it remained for these valiant invaders to give a finishing touch to their barbarism by despoiling and desecrating churches, accumulating filth in the holiest of places, wantonly destroying all that came to hand, and then leaving their dead and wounded to the care of those whose residence or property it once had been. I have read of Goths and Vandals, of Huns and Danes, bnt never could I have conceived of a boastful enemy, laying claims to the highest civilization, capable of exhibiting such low class on the battle-field, or so much petty malice among an unoffending people, as these same hordes of hypocritical Yankees, Such was the destruction of human life, that Federal accounts mention whole divisions which could muster but a few hundreds after the battle. Some regiments were decimated, and others had not more than a company left to answer roll-call I Although they had fitting opportunities to bury part of their dead subsequent, to the battle, that unpleasant office was left to us, for the most part ; and to deceive us as to their retreat, they propped up dead bodies to counterfeit sentinels, in many places, with placards fastened to them, ridiculing and cursing the rebels who buried them.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 17:58:24 +0000
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