Friday 15 August 2014

July 2014-Raid on Richmond


July

Raid on Richmond



To the Subscribers of "The Richmond Examiner '

You may of heard rumors of the treacherous Raid of Federal Cavalry on The Confederate Capital!

Rest assured you will be given the full details of this Yankee Barbarism once our special maps return from the lithographers!

Who were the mysterious guides of the Union raiders?

Why did the militia take so long to assemble?

Did President Davis escape in women's clothing?

Why were reinforcements from the South of the city take so long to arrive?

What part did artillery play in the fight?

Why was General Winder captured?

Why did our soldiers on the east of the City fail to intervene?

How much valuable property in the form of slaves escaped?

The Answer to these and other questions will be answered in a special edition of" The Richmond Examiner"of the Raid On Richmond!

The Examiner March Third 1864 AD.

"We report. You Decide”. RAID ON RICHMOND! Slaves Stolen! POW's Freed! Vital Industry Destroyed! Confederate Confusion! Yankee Barbarism! Blood and Cannon Fire on Our Streets! More evidence of the Davis' Governments' incompetence!

Ass. Editor L. Mack Esq reporting, deputising for Editor Mr J Daniel, Esq who is ill."


A glooming peace this morning brings, The Sun for sorrow will not show his head.’

Well might the Bards words be applied to the unhappy city of Richmond!

In this special edition we give all our readers the facts as we know them. It must be admitted that these early reports may have to be revised, but we believe all the facts should be given to our readers. We pray their indulgence for any mistakes made in haste.

At 8 of the Clock Sunday Morning yesterday a reinforced Brigade of Federal Cavalry under Brig. J. Kilpatrick attacked Richmond, with a large force coming down the Brock Road from the North while a smaller force from the south under Col. Dahlgren liberated Yankee POW's from Belle Isle Prison.

Typically, our lack lustre government had made little preparation for such a crisis. The Federals numbered about 3500, with horse artillery, with troopers from Maine to Michigan, from the slums of New York to the Frontier of Wisconsin.

The Cabinet were actually meeting at the White House when the news broke, and they scrambled and dispersed for safety. There has been a rumour that Mr Davis escaped as he dressed in his wife’s' clothes! We confess we at the Examiner are not great partisans for Mr Davis, but we are partisans for truth!

The Truth is that Mrs Davis handed her husband her own bright coloured shawl to protect him from the rain as he left the White House as in the natural haste he could not find his. The White House slaves almost totally deserted their duties and fled, some to the Yankees! "Ah You Blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!”

It is estimated that 450 slaves deserted comfortable homes, indulgent Masters and light work for the perils of Freedom! Several slaves have taken valuables and cash, one body servant taking his masters best suits! Was there ever baser ingratitude under heaven!

The Federals were met by several men and women of both races to guide them to their targets. If we had a proper government such traitors would have been detected by now!

The Captives at Belle Isle were quickly freed, and they made for the Richmond and Petersburg RW bridge. Our forces from the south tried to intercept these miscreants but were hampered by the lack of soldiers. Federal forces under "Beast" Butler were making what proved to be a feint towards Richmond, and not all forces available could be sent to Richmond. Typical Yankee cunning!

Federal Cavalry flooded our streets, and most citizens kept to their homes. Clerks from the War Department armed themselves and defended their offices as best they could. The Militia were slow to organize many either at Church or just awaking on a wet Sunday morning.

Fierce fighting eventually developed around the Rail road depot at the corner of Marshall and Eight Street. Militia gathered there, and a long fight developed. The Federals, led by the Vandal Chieftain Kilpatrick himself could not break the resistance there and the gallant stand of the militia tied up Yankee forces that could have been used elsewhere.

Forces from the North and West came as quickly as possible, with Federal artillery attacking our cavalry on Jefferson and Canal Streets. After a hard fight our diminished forces had to retreat allowing the Unionists to join their forces and escape with the newly liberated prisoners and slaves!

Nor were the Yankees any respecters of property, private or public! The vital Tredegar Iron works have been totally gutted, with all the arms and steam machinery destroyed! Only via blockade runner from Europe can such machinery be replaced! The Richmond Iron and Steel works have met a similar fate! Why did not a vital installations have a larger guard? Also the Ordnance and Arsenal have been destroyed with many weapons being handed out to the freed POW's.

The Foundry on Cary Street was destroyed, but the Yankees proved too bold here. They were surrounded by Confederate infantry and cut off and out of ammunition they had to surrender. By now, three of the Clock in post meridian, Confederate reinforcements were finally bringing their strength to bear on the raiders.

Around the Capitol Building and at Fourteenth and Broad, artillery was used to blast away at the Federals. The Unionist finally retreated in the rain, taking with them vital documents from our Secret Services offices! This could lead to the arrests and death of many of our brave agents!

After our Militia were finally driven from the Depot and it was burnt by the furious Kilpatrick’s own order, angered by such defiance. Due to the rain and the gallant resistance of our forces the city itself is not much damaged. A Yankee force held the Richmond and Petersburg RW bridge to the end against our forces till they ran out of ammunition. They and other captured raiders are in Belle Isle, but as one of them wittily remarked ”There is plenty of room now!”

Also General Winder was pointed out by a Negro agent of the Federals at his home on Nineteenth Street and abducted at gunpoint. It is feared he will be tried for shortcomings in the Confederate POW department. This from the people who run Point Lookout, Camp Chase and other Bastilles were Confederates suffer from illness and cold and die in want in a Nation that boasts of its' riches! Is there any limit to Yankee hypocrisy?

By five of the Clock, under a heavy rainstorm the last raider escaped. 450 sick prisoners were left behind as well as about three hundred raiders. Another two hundred will be shortly filling dishonourable graves. Confederate casualties are hard to estimate, but at least four to five hundred are dead or seriously wounded. About 2500 prisoners were freed, and no doubt be soon swelling the Federal ranks. A half decent sensible government would not allow these many disasters to happen, but what are we to Fare under Mr Davis?

We will update our readers with any news to hand, and hopefully we will soon have better news to print. ”Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war!” Also any printers, type setters and lithographers seeking good wages and liberal terms please apply to the "Examiner" office. All wages paid in gold or silver coin.














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