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me that the money paid over was all that could be raised, as the banks and moneyed men had run off their funds to Philadelphia.
I believed that he had made an honest effort to raise the money, and I did not, therefore, take any stringent measures to enforce the demand, but left the town indebted to me for the remainder.
The shoes, hats, and socks were issued to the men, who stood very much in need of them.
A portion of the money was subsequently used in buying beef cattle, which could be found much more readily when they were to be paid for than when certificates were to be given, and the residue was paid into the hands of the quartermaster of the army, to be used for public purposes.
No public stores were found.
A few prisoners taken in the hospitals and those captured at Wrightsville by Gordon were paroled.
Some cars found in the town were burned.
There were two large car factories, and two depots and other railroad buildings which I would have destroyed but for the fact that the burning of them would set fire to some private dwellings and perhaps consume a large part of the town, and I therefore determined not to run the risk of entailing so much mischief on non-combatants, notwithstanding the barbarous policy that had been pursued by the enemy in numerous similar cases.
Neither were the hospitals burned or injured in any way. I think the people of York were very well satisfied and much surprised to get out of my hands as well as they did.1 Certainly any Southern town into which the enemy went would have considered itself exceedingly fortunate to
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