Martinsburg During the Civil War

 

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Civil War Harper's Weekly, December 3, 1864

This site contains our entire collection of Harper's Weekly newspapers. These papers contain incredible content, and allow the serious student of the war to gain new insights into the key events of the war. The reports were written by eye-witnesses within hours of the events depicted.

(Scroll Down to See Entire Page, or Newspaper Thumbnails below will take you to the page of interest)

 

Martinsburg

Martinsburg

Peace

Prospect of Peace

General Birney

Death of General Birney

Wilmington Blockade

Blockade of Wilmington

Pittsburg Tunnel

Pittsburg Tunnel

Fat Soldiers

Fat Soldiers Cartoon

 

 

Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina

United We Stand

Thanksgiving Day

Martinsburg

Martinsburg, Virginia

 

 

VOL. VIII.—No. 414.]

NEW YORK, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1864.

SINGLE COPIES TEN CENTS.

$ 4.00 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the Year 1864, by Harper & Brothers, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.


EXCHANGE OF
PRISONERS.

IN accordance with a special arrangement recently brought about for the mutual exchange of all the sick and invalid

prisoners on either side; Colonel MULFORD, with fifteen transports laden with rebel prisoners, arrived at Fort Pulaski November 11. The number of rebel prisoners conveyed South in this first installment was 3200.—The transfer of these prisoners took place in the Savannah River, between Savannah and Fort Pulaski. The day after his arrival Capt. HATCH, the Confederate Commissioner, accompanied by the Richmond Ambulance Committee and a number of surgeons, left Savannah in the early morning, taking with him four transports, viz., the Beauregard, General Lee, Swan, and Ida— The convalescents, numbering 2000, were first removed from our transports. Three hundred of the prisoners were very sick, and had suffered greatly on the voyage.

 Our prisoners subject to exchange under this arrangement were to be delivered on the 15th. The whole number to be exchanged is ten thousand, but there will be considerable delay in effecting the transfer, on account of the deficiency of the rebel means of transportation both by land and water. The rest of the rebel prisoners will be delivered at City Point, on the James River, this measure having been adopted for the comfort of those who are so ill that the voyage by sea might prove fatal.

In regard to the exchange the Times correspondent says : "The particularly striking feature of the scene, to my eye, was the grotesque appearance of the rebel steamers, especially the Swan and the

General Lee. Both vessels are great slab-sided, flat-bottomed affairs, like unsightly houses washed from their foundations, having three rudders to guide them, on account of their lightness of draught. A spectator at a distance, without being blessed with a lively imagination, might have supposed these queer specimens of naval architecture to he floating hearses, the illusion being fostered by the funeral - like plumes of Cimmerian smoke which waved from their slender chimneys. But the crowds inside showed uproarious life, instead of death. A merrier set of invalids were never got together than those freed rebels who were crammed on board the steamers, and fringed the low guards of the vessels

with dangling legs, almost dipping into the water through the hilarious carelessness of their owners. They went off up the river, yelling their peculiar mule-like cry which passes for a cheer, with their ill-omened flag waving over them, leaving the proud banner of freedom behind, the love of which, for a time, at least, they have madly rejected."

Little more than a week previous to MULFORD's arrival at Savannah the Island City had gone to that point to make the preliminary arrangements, and had delivered nearly 350 boxes for our prisoners, together with clothing and blankets to the value of $26,000. This was in accordance with the arrangements entered into by General GRANT and General LEE ,

for the benefit both of Federal and Confederate prisoners.

MARTINSBURG.

MARTINSBURG, Virginia, of which town we give sketches on page 781. is the capital of Berkley County, and is situated on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In 1850 this town had a population of over 2000 souls. Its situation has rendered it a peculiarly undesirable place of residence, and especially so during the last few months, when its streets have been tram-pled now by the rough riders of the Confederate cavalry, and then again by the Federal troops of SHERIDAN'S army. Before EARLY'S advance in the summer Martinsburg was all important military depot. It is at present the depot of General SHERIDAN'S army, and is under the military governorship of Brigadier - General SEWARD, son of the Secretary of State.

The principal sketch is a view of the square at

the junction of King and Queen streets, the building with the tower being the Court-house, now used Is the provost marshal's office. Opposite to it is a house belonging to Colonel HOGE, of the rebel army, occupied as head-quarters by General SEWARD. Every street is barricaded, so that the place is quite an incipient fortress, and secure against MOSBY's and IMBODEN'S attacks. The ruins of the depot buildings, and of houses burned in former at-tacks upon the town, give the usual air of desolation seen in border towns.

Martinsburg is several miles in the rear of General SHERIDAN'S army, and is situated about twenty miles northwest of Harper's Ferry.

THE REBEL FLAG OF TRUCE BOAT " BEAUREGARD," WITH SAVANNAH IN THE DISTANCE.—[SKETCHED BY WILLIAM WAUD.]

Swan.   Fort Pulaski.   Beauregard.   Ida.    Livingstone. Geo. Leary.   General Lee.

 THE REBEL FLAG OF TRUCE BOATS COMING DOWN THE SAVANNAH RIVER TO MEET THE FEDERAL TRANSPORTS. [SKETCHED BY WILLIAM WAUD.]

Picture
Rebel Ship Beauregard
Rebel Truce Boats

We acquired this leaf for the purpose of digitally preserving it for your research and enjoyment.  If you would like to acquire the original 140+ year old Harper's Weekly leaf we used to create this page, it is available for a price of $175.  Your purchase allows us to continue to archive more original material. For more information, contact paul@sonofthesouth.net


 

 

  

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