Incidents of the occupation of Hagerstown.
July 7.
--During the stay of the confederates in town, the boys ranging from twelve to sixteen reaped quite a harvest by confiscating all the revolvers that were left in the holsters upon the backs of officers' horses, which they (the boys) were holding.
Our informant was shown some sixty revolvers thus captured, and the Union boys are making good use of them.
Business has been suspended for nearly three weeks at Hagerstown, and the streets are continually crowded with men, women, and children.
The Union men congregate in front of the Hagerstown Bank — at times numbering hundreds — all bearing a cheerful look and discussing the prospects of the war. On the other hand, the secesh make their headquarters at the Washington House, immediately opposite the Bank, where they can be heard vowing vengeance upon the loyal portion of the community.
A pleasing incident occurred during Ewell's stay in town.
The Fourth North-Carolina, Colonel Grimes, was encamped in the public square, doing provost duty.
Attached to this regiment was an excellent brass band, and on the first evening of their arrival they enlivened the town by playing rebel airs.
At last they struck up “Dixie;” immediately some twenty young ladies, headed by Miss McCameron and Miss Emma Wantz, joined in singing the “Star-Spangled banner,” which soon drowned the rebel horns.
This created intense feeling, and the Union boys sent up shout after shout.
Another incident, worthy of note, occurred after a portion of the rebel army had passed into Pennsylvania.
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Four Union prisoners, captured near Carlisle, were brought into town under guard, when the two young ladies above named stepped into the street and presented each prisoner with a bouquet, tied with red, white, and blue.
In passing through Maryland the rebel army lost large numbers by desertion, the most of them being Virginians and North-Carolinians, while some few were Northern men and foreigners.
When the Union cavalry entered the town several rebel soldiers came in and gave themselves up.
After the passage of Longstreet's corps every thing remained quiet until Sunday, when, about six o'clock in the evening, thirteen cavalrymen belonging to a New-York regiment made a dash into town, and, with the assistance of the Union boys of the town, who ran to the confederate hospital and seized the muskets there stored, they succeeded in capturing quite a number of prisoners, among them a rebel mail-carrier and his mail.
Chaplain Dabney Ball, (formerly pastor of Wesley Chapel in Washington,) who was in town, made his escape by jumping from his horse and taking to the fields.
His horse was secured by a smart little fellow named Richard Boward, who rode the horse to Frederick, and handed it over to the military.
Again, on Monday last, twenty men of the Fifth regulars made a dash into town and captured eleven stragglers, two carbines, four muskets, and four horses.
This command took breakfast at the Washington House, kept by Harry Yingling, a well-known rebel sympathizer, and who has been taking rebel scrip from the confederates for bills contracted.
It was suggested to the officer in charge that he should pay his bill with the same kind of money, and the “gray-backs” being furnished him by a citizen, he paid Harry off in his own coin.
And again, on Tuesday morning, our men made another dash, and captured eleven prisoners and two horses.
The rebels, hearing of this, came over in force from Williamsport, but our men had made their escape with their prisoners.
