Arrival of Yankee prisoners.
The Central cars brought down yesterday evening about two hundred Yankee prisoners, lately belonging to
Banks's army corps, who were left behind at
Winchester on the hasty evacuation of that place by the
Yankee General a few days since.
Some of the prisoners looked debilitated by confinement in hospitals, but, as a whole, they were better clad and more decent looking men than the generality of persons of their description brought to
Richmond.
They were conducted, after their arrival, to
Belle Isle.
Among the prisoners were several members of the 9th Vermont cavalry.--Several of them with whom we conversed said that when their men quitted
Winchester they did so at a full run, hastily setting fire to their magazine and such houses as they passed in their hasty flight through the city.
Much of the destruction which ensued was due to the malice of the
Yankees, many of whom seemed desirous of doing all the damage they could as they ran off. An intelligent Corporal of the 9th Vt. Regiment said that he and 225 of his companions were captured by three of
Ashby's Cavalry, that they were very willing to surrender, all of them being heartily tired of the war Most of them were three months men, whose terms of service would have expired on the 18th inst. Their pay was very small, and the gratitude of the
Lincoln Government at their exertions in behalf of restoring the
Union still smaller; All with whom we conversed expressed a firm determination not to enter the
Federal army again, the draft to the contrary notwithstanding.