e and female, the vilest of the vile were there, but
strict military discipline had kept it down. Now, in one moment, it
was all removed--all restraint was taken off--and you may imagine the
consequences. There were said to be 5,000 deserters in the city, and
you could see the grey jackets here and there sprinkled in the mob
that was roaring down the street. When we reached somewhere between
Twentieth and Twenty-fifth streets--I will not be certain--the flames
swept across Main street so we could not pass. The column turned to
the right, and so got into the street above it. On this (Franklin
street) are many private residences; at the windows we could see the
sad and tearful faces of the kind Virginia women, who had never failed
the soldier in four long years of war and trouble, ready to the last
to give him devoted attendance in his wounds and sickness, and to
share with his necessities the last morsel.

These are strong but not exaggerated expressions. Thousands, yes, tens
of thousands, from the Rio Grande to the Potomac, can bear witness to
the truth of everything I say. And it was a sad thought to every man
that was there that day, that we seemed, as a compensation for all
that they had done for us, to be leaving them to the mercy of the
enemy; but their own General Lee was gone before, and we were but as
the last wave of the receding tide.

After getting round the burning square we turned back towards the
river. The portion of Mayo's, or rather the lesser bridge that crossed
the canal, had taken fire from the large flouring mill near it, and
was burning, but not the main bridge; so we followed the cross street
below the main approach to the bridge, at the foot of which was a
bridge across the canal, forcing our horses through the crowd of
pillagers gathered at this point, greater than at any other--they had
broken into some government stores. A low white man--he seemed a
foreigner--was about to strike a woman over a barrel of flour under my
horse's nose, when a stout negro took her part and threatened to throw
him into the canal. We were the rear regiment at this time. All this
occurred at one of those momentary halts to which the rear of a
marching column is subjected; in another moment we moved on, the crowd
closed in, and we saw no more. After crossing the canal we were
obliged to go over a stone conduit single file.

At last we were on the main bridge, along which were scattered faggots
to facilitate the bur