AKMY OPERATIONS. 



61 



the General Post-office, the Treasury building, 

 several churches, and many stores, likewise de- 

 stroyed the offices of the Eichmond Enquirer, 

 Dispatch, and Examiner ; the Virginia Bank, 

 the Farmers' Bank, and the Bank of Richmond. 

 On arriving in the city Gen. Weitzel, through 

 his Adjutant-General, Major D. D. Wheeler, is- 

 sued the following order : 



1 IK.VIXJL'ARTKRS DEPARTMENT ARMY OF THE JAMES, ) 



RICHMOND, VA., April 3, 1865. f 



Major-Gen. Godfrey Weitzel, commanding detach- 

 ment of the Army of the James, announces the oc- 

 cupation of the city of Richmond by the armies of 

 the United States, under command of Lieut. -Gen. 

 Grant. The people of Richmond are assured that 

 we come to restore to them the blessings of peace, 

 prosperity, and freedom, under the flag of the Union. 



The citizens of Richmond are requested to remain 

 for the present quietly within their -houses, and to 

 avoid all public assemblages or meetings in the public 

 streets. An efficient provost-guard will immediately 

 reestablish order and tranquillity within the city. 



Martial law is, for the present, proclaimed. 



Brig.-Gen. George F. Shipley, U. S. volunteers, is 

 hereby appointed Military Governor of Richmond. 



Lieut. -Col. Frederick L. Manning, Provost Marshal 

 General, Army of the James, will act as Provost Mar- 

 shal of Richmond. Commanders of detachments do- 

 ing guard duty in the city will report to him for in- 

 structions. By command of Major-Gen. Weitzel, 

 D. D. WHEELER, Ass't Adj.-Gen. 



Brig.-Gen. G. F. Shepley having been an- 

 nounced as Military Governor of Richmond, 

 issued the following order : 



HEADQUARTERS MILITARY GOVERNOR OP EICHMOND, ) 

 KICHMOND, VA., April 3, 1865. t f 



1. The armies of the rebellion having abandoned 

 their effort to enslave the people of Virginia, have 

 endeavored to destroy by fire the capital, which they 

 could not longer occupy by their afms. LieutCol. 

 Manning, Provost Marshal General of the Army of 

 the James and Provost Marshal of Richmond, will 

 immediately send a sufficient detachment of the pro- 

 vost guard to arrest, if possible, the progress of the 

 flames. The fire department of the city oFRichmond, 

 and all the citizens interested in the preservation of 

 their beautiful city, will immediately report to him 

 for duty, and render every possible assistance in 

 staying the progress of the conflagration. The first 

 duty of the armies of the Union will be to save the 

 city doomed to destruction by the armies of the re- 

 bellion. 



2. No person will leave the city of Richmond with- 

 out a pass from the office of the Provost Marshal. 



3. Any citizen, soldier, or any person whatever, 

 who shall hereafter plunder, destroy, or remove any 

 public or private property, of any description what- 

 ever, will be arrested and summarily punished. 



4. The soldiers of the commaad will abstain from 

 any offensive or insulting words or gestures toward 

 the citizens. 



5. No treasonable or offensive expressions insult- 

 ing to the flag, the cause, or the armies of the Union, 

 will hereafter be allowed. 



6. For an exposition of their rights, duties, and 

 privileges, the citizens of Richmond are respectfully 

 referred to the proclamations of the President of the 

 United States in relation to the existing rebellion. 



7. All persons having in their possession or under 

 their control any property whatever of the so-called 

 Confederate States, or of any officer thereof, or the 

 records or archives of any public officer whatever, 

 will immediately report the same to Col. Manning, 

 Provost Marshal. 



In conclusion, the citizens of Richmond are assured 

 that, with the restoration of the flag of the Union, 

 they may expect the restoration of that peace, pros- 



perity, and happiness which they enjoyed under the 

 Union of which that flag is the glorious symbol. 



G. F. SHEPLEY, Brig.-Gen. U.S. Volunteers, 

 and Military Governor of Richmond. 



General Order No. 2. 



HEADQUARTERS MILITARY GOVERNOR OF EICHMOND, } 

 EICHMOND, VA., April 8, 1865. ) 

 No officer or soldier will enter or search any pri- 

 vate dwelling, or remove any property therefrom, 

 without a written order from the headquarters of the 

 Commanding General, the Military Governor, or the 

 Provost Marshal General. 



Any officer or soldier, with or without such order, 

 entering any private dwelling, will give his name, 

 rank, and regiment. 



Any officer or soldier entering a private dwelling 

 without such authority, or failing to give his name, 

 rank, or regiment, or reporting the same incorrectly, 

 will be liable to immediate and summary punish- 

 ment. GEO. F. SHEPLEY, 



Brig.-Gen. U. S. Volunteers, and Military 

 Governor of Richmond. 



The following details were written by a cor- 

 respondent at the time of the occupation : " The 

 works in front of Richmond, which were wholly 

 evacuated previous to our occupancy of the city 

 to-day under Gen. Weitzel, consist of three 

 strong lines, wholly enveloping it. The outer 

 ones are continuous lines, the inner one consist- 

 ing of a series of strong redoubts and bastion 

 forts. All these works mount upwards of three 

 hundred heavy guns, all of which 'we have 

 taken, and would, when properly garrisoned, 

 form an almost impregnable series of defences. 

 As I rode along these lines they seemed, with 

 the exception of the outer one, to have been 

 most indifferently garrisoned ; and but for the 

 facility with which they could be reSnforced at 

 any time by bringing troops up the Petersburg 

 road and crossing them on pontoons, the lines 

 could have been carried by assault. 



" The route which I pursued on entering the 

 capital was that by the Osborn and Richmond 

 pike, which leads in a nearly north and south 

 direction, and quite parallel to the James River. 

 After passing our picket line, the first work en- 

 countered was Fort Field, forming a part of the 

 exterior line of defence. This work, which is a 

 very strong one in itself, is surrounded by three 

 lines of abatis and one of torpedoes. The torpe- 

 does were carefully removed by the advanced 

 guard of Weitzel. These lines of torpedoes were 

 marked out by small flags for safety to the 

 rebels, which flags they neglected to remove in 

 their hasty flight. The camps were left entire 

 tents standing and furniture within. After 

 passing this line we came upon the second line, 

 which was equally as strong as the first, except- 

 ing as to abatis and torpedoes. The third line 

 is just outside the edge of the town, is situated 

 on high ground, and is well adapted to satisfy 

 the conditions of defence. Each of the detached 

 works forming this line sweep a portion of the 

 line in front of it by its fire, and rendering that 

 front line untenable when reached. These 

 works, like the others, mount heavy guns, many 

 of which were navy guns, probably captured at 

 Norfolk in the early part of the war. Commu- 

 nication between these works and those on the 



