Lexington

Lexington. "The Wretches Galloped into Town". , On the afternoon of June 11, 1864, a "continuous stream" of Confederate hurried past this spot, retreating through Lexington as Union Gen. David Hunter's army crossed the North River (now the Maury River) and entered the city., Confederate Gen. John C. McCausland's badly outnumbered cavalry had delayed the Federals at Jordan's Point for several hours, but in the early afternoon McCausland began pulling his troops out. The VMI Cadets left first, passing through town "bidding adieu [to] its residents." When Union cavalry was spotted to the west, threatening to cut off his retreat, McCausland ordered the rest of his men to evacuate. Local resident Rose Pendleton watched them hurry passed. "For two hours there was one continuous stream of cavalry," she wrote, "riding at a fast trot.", As the Confederates left, the Federals arrived. "About four o'clock the head of the Yankee column came in sight," wrote Margaret Junkin Preston. Fannie Wilson recalled how "the wretches galloped into the town yelling and whooping like so many savages.", Hunter's men sacked the city, plundering homes, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), and VMI. On June 12, Hunter ordered the Institute and former governor John Letcher's home burned. Hunter left the city on June 14, headed for the vital railroad junction of Lynchburg., [Caption:] , An 1865 image taken at the intersection of Main Street and Washington Street, a block and a half to your right. Can you line up this historic photo with the modern view? Post your photo with #civilwartrails.