eet, with the exception of Rev. Dr. Fisher's, Mr.
Reineman's, Lehner's, and Feltman's dwellings, every house, shop, stable,
&c., is gone. This street, as you know, contained more than three-fourths
of all our stores, ware-rooms, and shops of business. Then comes Queen
street, at the intersection of Second street, beginning at Brandt's (now
Brown's) hotel, which was only partially destroyed, sweeping every
building (except Mrs. Brandt's dwelling), on both sides down to the creek,
over two squares, including Dr. Culbertson's, N. Snider's, Barnard
Wolff's, Mr. Wallace's, and other valuable dwellings and stores. Between
eleven and twelve squares of the best part of the town are, therefore, in
ruins, among them houses of many, inhabitants, whom you knew in former
years as among your dearest friends, and in comfortable or affluent
circumstances, many of them now reduced to penury and want.

After I had written the preceding pages, I found a minute and well-written
statement of the subject now in hand in the "Franklin Repository," of this
place, of August 24. I take pleasure in giving the following extracts from
the same, instead of my own, as the matter was evidently prepared with
judgment and care, under the supervision of its editor, Colonel McClure.
He says:

"It seems inexplicable to persons and journals at a distance that General
Couch, a Major-General commanding a department, with his border repeatedly
invaded, should have no troops. The natural inclination is to blame the
commander, for it is reasonable to suppose that he would endeavor to have
an adequate command, and also that ample authority would be given him to
have sufficient force. Just where the blame belongs, we do not choose now
to discuss; but we do know that it was no fault of General Couch that he
was unable to defend Chambersburg. He organized a Provost Guard regiment,
some twelve hundred strong, expressly for duty in his department; the men
were enlisted under a positive assurance, based on the order authorizing
the organization, that they were to be kept on duty in the department.
They were ordered to General Grant after the battles of the Wilderness. He
organized six regiments of one hundred days' men before the advent of
McCausland, and they were ordered to Washington as soon as they were ready
to move. We are assured that Governor Curtin, fully two weeks before the
burning of Chambersburg, formally pledged the State to make provision for
arming, orga