Dr. Minge, who has been at
Westover nearly ever since the arrival of
McClellan's army there has arrived in this city.
He reports that the last of the
Yankee army has left, leaving behind a number of stragglers and deserters.
The ground where they last camped is strewn with cast-off uniforms, broken and injured muskets, crackers, &c. The doctor saw nineteen Yankees throw their muskets in the water and swim a creek in deserting.
With the exception of restriction upon his liberty,
Dr. Minge was well treated by the
general officers with whom he came in contact.--Nearly all of them, particularly
Gens. Kearney and
Fitzjohn Porter, behaved as gentlemen.
The former remarked one day that the
Confederates had one advantage over the
Federal, and that was, if one of their
Generals was killed they had an abundance of good ones to fill his place, which was not the case with their enemies.
He also remarked when he arrived at
Westover, after the seven day's fighting, that by all the rules of war there would be a battle there in six hours, and offered to send Dr. M.'s wife away from there for safety.
All seemed surprised that the
Confederates did not pursue the
Federal army.
When our artillery shelled the camp at
Westover, at night, all in
Mrs. Selden's house retreated into the cellar; but, upon a Yankee officer declaring that if a candle, left burning up stairs, was not put out, he would ‘"blow, the d — d house up,"’
Dr. M. had to go up stairs, through the iron rain, and extinguish the light.
Everything in the vicinity of the late camping ground is utterly destroyed.
Dr. M. was sent for by one of the
Generals to estimate and receive compensation for his property which was seized for the use of the army; but learning that the oath of allegiance was one of the conditions, promptly told the officer that he gave up all, and, more than that, would give up his life, before he would take it.
Desertions were numerous, and one Yankee soldier paid as high as $40 in gold for an old suit of citizens' clothes, in which to pass his picket.
On the first of the four very hot days during the stay of the army, the sick list was 365, and by the fourth day it ran up to 1,068.
The country is literally dotted with Yankee graves, many of them hardly covering the bodies.
From one he saw the nose of a corpse protruding, and from another a pair of legs encased in boots.
Some of the gunboats are still lying off
Westover, and on one of them was a son of
Mrs. James Selden, who is in the U. S. Navy.
The commander of the fleet sent word ashore a day or two since that if he saw parties of more than three or four persons on land, that he would shell the mansion (
Mrs. Selden's) at
Westover.
