University of South Carolina Libraries
li Y E. B. MURKAY ?fe CO. ANDERSON, S. C., THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 21, 1884. VOLUME XX.-NO. 6. O?R WOMEN IN TM WAR. THE FALL OF RICHMOND. A MEMORABLE SUNDAY IN TUE CONFEDERATE CAl'ITAL. yirglnia E. Dade, of Walkington, D. C., in ' CluirUiton Weekly hew?. The Spring of I860 found my younger .sister Fanny and myself living at the corner of Franklin and <-streets, Richmond, Virginu. We were room keeping there, and in the same house lived>twelve ur fifteen other ladies aud a few gentlemen, mostly wounded and dis charged soldiers, or men otherwiso inca pacitated for duty in the field, and who were now serving in tho various Govern ment departments in the city. As "room keeping" is a term and modo of life Which had its origin in the war, some explanation may bo necessary. Richmond WBH SO crowded by the women and children who had sought refuge there when their homes were taken possession of by tho advancing Federal forces, that rents soon became incredibly high, and it was rarely the case thnt a single family, even of largo means, could afford to occuoy a whole house to them selves, and even the mansions of the rich were pointed at with indignation and contempt if they were known to have one unoccupied chamber while RO many homeless refugees were begging for shelter. Consequently a house of aver se rd zo would usually contain frpm two to six families, each occupying one, two or ibv?t? rooms, and eaeh having their own private table, but t?ll using a com mon parlor when the guests to be enter tained were not intimate enough to bu brought to the family room. We had to practice tho closest economy even in the veriest necessaries of life, counting out the potatoes for dinner and the grains of I coffee for breakfast, when wo were so fortunato as to have tho grains to count. My sieder and I always mannged to have a slice of meat apiece once a day, yet, if an unexpected visitor came in the slices would have to be judiciously cut a little thinner to moko them''goaronnd." The necessity for such economy will be readily understood when I quoto from my book of household expenses, March, 1866, ono barrel flour $300, one pound coffee ?40, one pound butter $25, one pound beefsteak $3, ?fcc, &c. At the Bame time wo were paying $80 a pair for shoes and $-1 or $5 apiece.for spool cotton. If owever, out of our very scantiness we sometimes made good jokes. Usually there weald be but ono cook for the entire household, a colored woman who would cook often for five or six different families, and it was wonderful how she would keep tho different lots of provis ions separate, always making for each family a loaf of bread hot for breakfast every morning, and sending up to each the exact quantity of flour or number of j potatoes Bent down to her. I remember though one very ludicrous mistake which occurred in thin connection. I had given out for dinner for my eistor and myself I two slices of ham, two largo sweet po tatoes and a cup of rice ; our dinner was served, and my sister had just helped herself ta ooeof the potatoes and broken it open when a little mulatto girl came 1 running in, in eager baste, exclaiming : "Aunt Chany say how dat Mis' Brown tater you got!" And eure enough on looking at tho smoking tuber, which Fannie was at that moment raising to her mouth, I found that it wa? a red skinned "tater,''' while ali that I bad bought were yellow. However, the mischief was j quickly remedied, the pieces placed together and carried to Mrs. Brown, and in ono which she senf. back I readily recognized, by ita rotund shape, my owb golden "sweet." A MEMORABLE SUNDAY. Sunday was always a day prolific of I startling rumors, owing, I suppose, to personB on that day being idle and prone j to collect in groups at street corners and other convenient places of rendezvous, and any little passing spark of a report of a battle, a retreat, or any other mili tary movement waa soon caught and fanned into a flame, gathering in volume as it flew from street to street. On the memorable Sunday, 2d April, 1865, having been kept from church by the illness of my Bister, about the time I that I supposed the congregations would bo dispersing fror?? their various places of worship I stepped to tba door to inquire from any passing acquaintance the nowa from "the front:" for ail that dav and for many previous the battle had been raging around Petersburg, ard the dis tant roar of artillery hftdTreor." sounding in our eau ibo death-knoll, vo feared, of many of oui loved and loving ones, and what was scarcely lesa dear to us, the fate of the "Southern Confederacy" was banging in the balance. At any moment we might hear either a shout of triumph brought from our victorious army, or trie nows of a defeat which would be the crushing out of our last hope, for on Gen. Lee's success there we all felt de pended tbe life of our young nation. The first person I saw at the door waa a fellow-lodger, Miss Bowers, who came tottering up the steps, pale and agitated, exclaiming: "Ob! have you heard the dreadful news ? Gen. Lee's right flank baa given way : he has been compelled to retreat, and Richmond is to be evacu ated immediately j . While Dr. H?ge was in the midst of his sermon a messenger cama hurriedly into the church, walked up the aisle, banded bim a note, and quickly left.. Dr. H?ge glanced anxious ly over the mysterious naper, bowed bia head for a moment in silence on his desk, tben rising said: 'Brethren, trying scenes are bef?te ns. Gen. Lee has been defeated ; but remember that God is with us in the nora aa well as in the calm. Go quietly to yon? homes, and whatever may be in store for na let us not forget that we are Christian men and women, ! and may the protection and blessing of I the Father, 8on and Holy Ghost be with you all.' Tearfully, for the congregation was composed almost exclusively of women and children, but with a silence that told mon* than words the intensity of their feelings, they ail left the church.".. T . . , Next ca?o-Mm. Potter from 8ti Pant's Church; crying "Oh ! Hiss Lucy, have ! you heard that the city is to be evacuated immediately and tho Yankees will be hera .before morning t Woila we, were in church a horseman dashed tip to toe door, dismounted, and entering went np tho aisle and handed a paper to he President, tfieo spoke in a whisper to ?orne members of the CaMoet who were them and they all arose and went eut.: What can itali mean ? and whet ls ta j become of as poor defenceless women, Dod only knows 1" "Don't be so desponding, Mrs. Porter," ??ld I. "I don't believe they are going to evacuate, for that has been the fais. . forwrt-go afton, it is uothunr but one of oar Sunday rumors." . ''Ah J my. child, tjo ! The calamity hs* Indeed e*m? op?n as at la* ; I feel ?hat it ts in?." i-T1hoo*n * spoke hopoftxily and tried to wok arif i dJoTnot KAleWthe "??or, *l nervous shiver came over me and my limbs wero so tremulous and weak that I thought I -mould fall. Asking Mrs. 1 orter to sit with my sick sister, to pre vent any one from breaking the news suddenly to ber before I carno back, I ran down to tho house of a neighbor Mrs. Wright, to ask for a Utile brandy t? give my sister to enable ber to bear the dreadful communication I had to make. On reaching Mrs. Wright's door I found ber running from room to room, wringing her bands, tsaring her hair, and crying "On, my poor child! and her father not here to protect us ! and they say the black wretches are in the very front of Grant's army, and will rush into the city before any decenl while men are here to restrain them ! Oh ! what is to become of us?" M eanwhile lier lovely daughter Lulu, a beautiful girl of sixteen, waa clinging to her mother, aud begging bei -.ot to weep so, for she did not believe that all Yankees were as bad as people said they were, and that may be Gen. Lee would drive them back yet. "Oh ! my child, you don't know what you are talking about, and have little idea what is before us." Finding I could say uothing to comfort her I helped myaelf to tho brandy, and hastening home pave it to my siBter, and then broke tho news to her as gently as I could. LOOKING FOR THE YANKEES. My married sister, Mrs. Carter, with her little daughter Daisy, four years old, and an infant of four weeks was then living a few squares from us, her husband being at tho front with Gen. Lee. Thinking wo could better hear what was before us when we were all together to comfort and strengthen each other, T brought ln.r and her lillie ones around to our room. There we sat all huddled togother in almost breathless suspense; our thoughts one moment being with the absent dear ones, of whose fate we had not, nor could we hopo soon to have, the slightest tidings ; the next filled with terrible forebodings of what might be before us. All through the afternoon friends and neighbors were running in and out, bringing fresh rumors, Borne hopeful, pome despairing. About four o'clock we beard-an oin i nomi "boom," "boom," "boom" like the sound of artil lery nearer than any that we had previ ously heard. For a moment our hearts almost ceased to beat. We thought the enemy must be very close at baud, and as the booming continued various conjec tures were made as to what quarter wo might look for their approach, some thinking tho sound came from one direc tion and some from jost the opposite one. In order to hear more distinctly, Mrs. Porter and I stepped to the door to listen ; bearing it much moro plainly outside, we followed on in the direction whence it seemed to proceed, uutil we reached a neighboring stable, door, when, to our great amusement, we found that it was nothing but the kicking of a horse against his stall, which cer'ainly sounded enough like the distant firing of a can non to deceive any but the moat practic ed ear. Another incident, which gave us tho luxury of a smile even at this gloomy crisis, I must here relate. Seeing tho consternation into which the whole household was thrown by the news that the "Yankees" were coming, our little mulatto made Lettie, while sympathizing with the alarm and distress of ber elders, was somewhat perplexed to understand exactly what the threatened evil was. So, anxiously to get a little light on the mysterious subject, Bbe cropt shyly up to my sido and whispered timidly: "Miss Lucy, what sort o' looking things is Yankees? Does dey have honiB? 'Causo, ef dev due,., I Been one on 'em at de show, ana be bad a tail rke a cow." Her little brain was evidently sadly con fusing Yankees and buffaloes. All through the day the various gen tlemen belonging to the bouse bad been running in to get their haversacks, can teens, blankets, &c, with a view to following the retreating army, and each one would be besieged by the crowd of ladies with eager cries of: "Ob, Mr. A., do you believe they aro going to evacu ate?" or J'Mr.- B., have you any idea where Gen. Lee will make a stand ?" But we would only receive the unsatis factory answer: "We know nothing positively but that we are ordered to pac? up all the public documents as a precau tionary measure." A SAD FAREWELL. Just at nightfall two ooldier friend) whose duties uad detained them in tut city till that moment, came to bid ui good-bye, for they were then hastening to the train which waa awaiting th? President and staff five miles out of tb< city. They asked if they might hav< the privilege of going into the room "t< say good-bye to Miss Fanuie, for we ma] never see her again." "Cortainly," said I, for this waa nt time to regard empty conventionalitiee and I led them to her bedside. It was i scene I can never forget. In their won suits of grey, armed and equipped witt all they could carry for a long and peri loua banishment, looking desperate am determined, bnt with eyes moistened a thoughts of the defenceless women am children they wera leaving behind them these two men entered the chamber o illness which we fesred was eveu shad owed by the death angel's wing. It ha been many weeks since they had see my sister and they were much shocke at her pale and emaciated face. Scare a word was spoken, but each knew fu well the sad forebodings that filled th hearts of the others. One of thei dropped on his knee beside the bed, an taking the little thin white hand in hi he lifted it to his lips and pressed upo it a silent and tearful adieu, and the were gone, to meet us in this life agai nevermore. ? Left to ourselves onr first thought wi that it would be well to sit up all nigl to be ready to meet the first warning < approaching danger, but we finally d< oded that the best preparation for tl morrow, which we felt was to ta one j those days "that try men's souls," won be to gain all the strength and refreal ment we could by a night's sleep, if slot were possible. So feeling we offert our united prayers for Dliine protecth through the darkness of the night, ai the probably still darker scenes awaiti! ns, supplemented by little Daisy's lisbii petition, "Dod bess dear papa, and bit him home safe to mama and nae; ai then wo sought our couches, though \ all remained in one room for moto comfort and protection. I ?JPP?*? ' muTbave been completely exhausted the mental and physical excitement ai fatigu?* of the day ; for as l have bes is often the case with a criminal ott t night before his execution, we soon t into a profound ?1??**,T?^ ???? waking thonghU rere filled with ?hm of blecWaced, blue coated rufiana, .wi savage yells and gleaming sabres. It!ieW. as ?TW a few moments b passed when we were awaked by the m awful and terrific sound that basie aent the lifeblood curdling tonjhei Tt nnneared to me, in the er.citea etat? 2y PSSS ?nd in the pitchy darko which corned just before dawn, to nothing lesa than "the wieck of mat ?ddttacrushofworldi.?' Fortuno* after there wag a death-like stillness'; not a word waa spoken, though each felt that ' tho others were awake. Even little Daisy only nestled moro closely to her mother's Bide, and seemed intuitively to I feel that this was uo common calamity. The first sound that broke the stillness ! was the ejaculatiou from my eistet : "The death-knell of the Southern Con- 1 ederacy I and all bloodshed and suffer- i ing of our poor soldiers gone for naught 1" i "MAJE COATS" ON TUE STIIEET9. From that time, 4 o'clock a. m., there : was no more bleep for us, for explosion followed explosion in quick succession nil through the day. It seems that the retreating soldiers had put slow-matches to nil tho government storehouses, arse nals, &c, and tho fires was now reaching them one after tho other. About 7 o'clock it reached the armory, where, I am told, there were lying 76,000 bomb shells, and those who have only heard these explodo ono at a timo can form but little conception of thc pandemonium when dozens are bursting at once for hours in succession. One shock was so. violent that wo thought the house had been struck, for tho window-shades wore knocked from their fastenings and fell to the floor with a terrible crash, and poor Fannie, with the supernatural strength of terror, sprang from her bed and fell prostrate and fainting many feet from it, and tho still huming fuso from a shell was picked up in the yard. Our toilets that morning were very busty, and we were just making a feint to eat our ill-cooked breakfast, for poor ?hauy was the mest terrified of the family, and persistently declared her r-eliei that "da judgment daydon? cose," when about a quarter-past 7 Eddie Mills, a boy about 12 years old, came running into thc room exclaiming: "The Yan kees are coming !" I went to the front loor to ascertain if this was really so. it was true indeed ; for there, riding m ?elly up the street and looking cau tiously and inquiringly about them, were two cavalry officers, the first "blue coats" [ had seen, except as prisoners of war, since a happy, light hearted girl, I bad lanced with them at "Old Poiut Com fort" to the music of the military band, little dreaming in my thoughtless glee that the timo would ever come when' I ivould regard those enmo "charming jfBcers" as my own and my country's bitterest foes ; but "times change and we ;hnnge with them." However, these wo looked very harmless, and, a little lurnrised to find that their Babres, instead >f being drawn nnd carried naked nud hreateuing, merol.r bung peacefully in heir scabbards, I lett much relieved, and ook a cheering report to the cager listen ers in the back room. "Very Hoon after we were told that there vas annulier with a gun standing by our Vont steps who, on inquiry, proved to he t guard stationed there by the Union luthorities; for to their credit bc it ipoken, the first act of the Federal com nander on entering the city was to place t guard at every street corner for the protection of person and property. Every few minutes the children of the lousebold were nning in with accounts >f evep'thin" was transpiring, for ittle rr ' .un?on they rather injoy and excitement of ho oe cu" THE C. N FLAMES. About 0 o'clock the terror-stricken ace of Chany appeared at the door, she :rying in dismay, "Oh 1 Miss Luck, de .own hurnin' upi" And so indeed it vas. The first Bight that met my eyes on ?caching the front door was Dr. Reed's Presbyterian) Church, coruer of Sth and franklin streets, enveloped in flames, md in a few minutes the fiery rta ngueB ind lapped up and around the ?:eeplc, vhich they encircled in a serpent-like soil, fascinating my gaze with ita fatal jenn ty, till it swayed, tottered a moment, ind then fell with a terrible crash where t had stood for half a century like a sen inel on the watch tower of Zion, and it teemed to my excited fancy to exclaim pith i's dying wail, like Montcalm at the 'all ot Quebec, "Thank God 1 I will not ive to see the city in the hands of tho i ii erny." Casting my eyes to tho South ind Southeast I beheld the moii sublime ly awful spectacle that it has ever been ny fortune to witness-the whole city io .hat direction seemed one sheet of fire, while dark clouds of smoke hung like a pall over the scene, and rolled in vast volumes to the North and West Every moment the devouring monster seemed ;ominc netre? and nearar to the place where i stood, and where the. old frame buildings offered tempting food for itu ravenous maw; even new it did not ap Bear to be more than two blocks off. .ne frightful feature in the scene, invest ing it with an almost unearthly horror, tvas the death-like silence that prevailed. No cries.of fire, no ringing of fire bells, DO rattling by of engines, not even the shrieks ot women and children, for all seemed dumb with terror, and shrank ?ale and mute into their dwellings, [ow I longed for one loud manly cry of Qre, or one clang of a fire bell to break the dreadful spell. But there was noth ing but the eloquent silence to tell UB that our beautiful city would soon be in ruins, and the voiceless helplessness was tlmoat suffocating. The reason that up to this time no snort had been made to check the pro gress of the fire was that every Confed ?rate male not maimed, halt or blind ex cept those in charge of tho sick, had lo fi the city the evening before, and . the Federals just coming in had not had time to organize a fire department, not knew yet where to find the engines ot any of the appliances for suppressing the fl tune.'?. As soon as possible, however, they went to work and by blasting ana ?ll the means within their reach did their utmost to save the city, aud thanks tc their efforts the fire was kept chiefly within the business quarter; so that comparatively few homes were destroyed though we hsd numerous alarms from the falling of cinders or burning brandi upon'our houao, which did actually'take fire three times, and it was with the ut most difficulty extinguished by tbe little water that women and children conic carry up in pails from the hydrant in th? yard to the skylight in the roof. Little Eddie Mills quite distinguishec himself by the heroism with walch hi kept bis piece on tba roof, with the burn ing coals falling all around him, for wt had stationed bim there with a broom t< keep wet Ute blankets spread over tb shingle roof; and nobly did this yonbj "Casablanca" stand to his post till- thi danger wss past, for he was, he wei knew, the eldest mal? in - a household o twenty-five porsona, and seeming to fee his responsibility, be gallantly refused t be relieved by the various ladies wh offered to take his broom from him. But there was a spice of the Iud ic rou.' too, even ?mid these awful scenes. Th fire at one time seemed rapidly approach log the block where my sister, Mrs. Cai ter, lived, and where her store-room wa pretty well filled for war times with prc visions which her husband bad collecte for their sustenance when he should b absent in the field, ead hts delicate wif .nd little ones have nd one to ptovid for Cherri. So, knowing thcao ?torca woul probably be ail that cut united familk would bave to live upon in tbe ?tate of chaos to which we were now reduced, wo determined to remove them, if posible, to our own apartment*, aud Mr?. Carter not being able to bear tbe fatigue, ! un dertook to transfer them. A FORAGING EXPEDITION. Mus'ering nil tho force I could, which consisted of five little children, two whitc8 and throe blacks, ranging in age from six to ten years, the larger ones being busy "totiug" water to tho roof, and encouraging them by tho promise of a lump of sugar to each, a rare luxury in those dava, oil' wo started on our for aging expedition. The lurid glare of the flames in the burning district, with tbo masses of smoke-clouds swelling aud rolling over our heads, the silent and de serted appearance of the streets as wo passed along, and tho novel and remark able aspect of mv little squad of fora gers, as we trudged timidly but resolutely on, presented a sceno worthy of a better pen than mine. On our route we saw sights to make a toper'B heart acho ; for iu tho gutters in severnl places flowed streams of wines, whiskeys and brandies, the boardings of loving mothers and other provident women for tho use of tho soldier boys who might bo brought borne sick or wounded; these wero now poured out into the streets for fear they might fall into the hands of piundeiers, and make them indeed tbe ruffians we so much dreaded. One bottle, however, I rescued for the use of my Bick sister, and kept afterwards bid in a little cuddy to which lhere was no access except by means of a ladder, though all these precautions proved to have been unuecessary, for tho privacy of our homo, or of any other to my knowledge, was never intruded upon. On reachiog with my little band ray sister's deserted house I found tho walls already bot to tho touch from tho closo proximity of the fire, and baste was im perativo, so seizing two hams I placed one upon tbo shoulder of each of my two youngest assistants, then spread a table-cloth upon the floor, into which I threw pell-mell tea, coff?c, sugar, spices, dried apples, black-eyed peas, infants' clothing, shoes, ?tc, &c., which, as it may be supposed, presented a most incongru ous and ludicrous medley on being re opened. ThiB I tied together by the four corners and put on the head of num ber three. Dipping into barrels I filled a pillow-case from tho contents of two of them, which afterwards proved to be equal parts of corn meal and flour. This i handed, with a jug of molasses, to number four. Taking a sheet I filled it with bed and table liuen aud clothing of all descriptions. This hugo bundle I threw on my own back and held it with one hand, while thc other I helped num ber five to drag along a tin can about three feet high and one iii diameter, which contained a few pounds of lard, to which 1 bud ndded a ham or two, several bars of soap, &c, &c. Thus loaded, the procession issued forth. Though fully impressed with the awfulness of tho occasion, and the solem nity of tbo fact that I was making a des perate effort to ward off threatening famine, my pack almost rolled off my shoulders in my convulsions of laughter at our ridiculous appearance when I fancied what Col. -, Capt.-and others with whom I had so recently prom enaded and flirted, and who bad always seemed to imagine that I was not strong enough to bring my own prayer-book borne from church, would think could tboy Bee mo now I But my mirth was Boon checked by the thought that they were at that moment going through ster ner GC?nss ?nd harder trials with our vanquished chieftain. Fancy my cha grin and distress when on reaching home and triumphantly opening my bundles to display my dearly-won treas ures, I found tbe tea, codee, BUgar and spices intermingled in sad confusion, wbilo the meal and flour were well sha ken up together, and the bars of turpen tine soap had slipped down to the very bottom of the lard can ? However, peo ple on the brink of starvation must not oe too choice, and we shall hear from some of these things again. 8EEKINO FEDEBAL. PROTECTION. As nightfall drew near vague foars be gan to creep over UB, for we felt that with the daylight would vanish most of our couragefand again we began to pic ture to ourselves desperadoes, under cover of night, forcing entrance into tbe house. Again our little household was assembled in conclave to devise some means of safety, when in carn?* our next door neighbor, Mrs. Blaine. We all re garded m amazement at her hardihood venturing out, for of course everything like business was suspended, but she soon explained by telling us she bad heard that by going down to the provost m arshal'n o file o wo could get "protection papore," wbich would insure safety to tbe holders of them. "An admirable suggestion," exclaimed we all, "but," thinks I to myself, "we are very much in tho fix of the council of mice, who decided that lt would be an excellent niau to bell the cat, when one old .grandfather among them inquired, 'Who will put tbe bell on ?' " - Everybody thought the protection Stapers onght to be gotten without delay, br the shadows were ominously length ening : but nobody was willing to go tc tbe "City Hall," the very nest of thc dreaded "Yankees," to ask for them. A protracted pause-the case seemed des perate-something must be done, soon il would be too dark to think of venturing out On one hand the idea of making our way into the midst of tbe terrible Yankees, on the other scenes of h orr o i tbat might be in store for a house full ol unprotected women. "I'll go!" said I. "I will be ?ne ol any three who will undertake the daring enterprise." Tbe next volunteer was Mrs. Blaine and Mrs. Mills, emboldened by her ek ample, agreed to make the third. So collecting all the veils from' the assem bled household, we donned three apiece and linking arms together and follow? by the hopes and prayers of all the rest wc Dallied forth. On we went, our fea tures set in grim determination, scarce i word spoken. No human being did wi pass on the streets as ve tb'i F?d?ra soldiers strolling atout, as if enjoy in j the sight of, the city they had so ionj striven in vain to cuter. . Toonr surprise we ?tere treated by these with the great est respect find-courtesy, always giving o the sidewalk and ever checking rud laugh ter whenever we drew near. Still BO drained wore all. my nerves, so agita ting and conflicting nov emotions, au? so different the scene from onr accus tomed ?alka through our beautiful city that I/alt like one walking in, a drear 'arid was startled after passing the come ol Seventh and Grace streets. A rostlin ??uad causing mo to look c round, found wo were treading almost ankl dcepiueomo places through burnt pa ere,'many of them charred and stnoket ton other* the writing still legible, s that wo .could see that they, were pubii documents which had. been destroyed, suppose, to prevent their falling into tl hands of the enemy ; and aa I .now sa them blowing hither and thither in ever direction, I thought them a fit emblem < onr nation's hopes just; ?callcrcd to tl winda. . 'V Passing by our own beautiful Capital Square, the tenderness welled up from i my heart and well nigh overliowed in i tears as I thought how dear was that spot to every Virginian, our pride as well as onr joy, how her young men and maid- < ens had loved to stroll through those 1 shaded walks, their merry laughter ri- < vailing in melody the music of the baud which was wont to enliven the scene, or tho old, old story seeming all the sweeter as tho gentle maiden listened to it min gled with the plash of the fountain in thc summer moonlight. Spring had just spread her first fresh carpet of green over tho sward which wo bad deemed almost too sacred to be pressed eveu by tho dainty foot of childhood ; but now with indignation nkiu to disgust we bo heid there groups of negro soldiers, the blackest, it appeared to mo, I had ever seen, looking all tho blacker, I suppose, from contrast with their bright blue uni form. These wero lolling lazily on our beautiful grass, many ol them cooking their dinners there, as we saw by tho iron pot swinging from a tripod and the smoko curling up through tho tender young leaves of the graceful elms, while their mules were browaiug near and profaning tho ?pot with their coarso hoofs, But without trusting ourselves for ono word of com meut, we silently pressed on to thc provost marshal's ollico at tho corner of Capitol and* Eleventh streets. AT Tin: FEDERAL UED4JUARTER8. Here we found the portico and halls densely crowded with soldiers hurrying to und fro, uud to our surprise and relief many other ladies were there, but on tho samo errand as oureolves. Here, aa everywhere else, wo wero treated with thc utmost courtesy, Between two files of soldiers with fixed bayonets to pre sorvo order, we wero politely conducted hy an ofiicer to tho official who WEB busi ly engaged iu making out such papers as we were in quest of. There wo had to await our turn, and meanwhile, turning to an officer writing nt a table, I asked if he would ho kind enough to inform me how long it would be before postal com munication with tho North wo>:ld bo open lo tho public, aa I was very anxious to communicate with friends there. "It will probably be four or five days, but tako your seat hero, Miss," offering me a chair, peu and paper, ' and writs j your letter, and I will not only seo that it is sent immediately, but you shall re ceive tho reply promptly. Tell your correspondent to direct to enro of Major With sincere gratitude I nccepted liJB kind offer, and wroto my letter, which I remember was in theso words: "Fannie is very ill, but we aromor comfortable thau wo could have expected under the circumstances. Write imme diately, care of --." Then handing the pen to my gallant euemy (?) I asked him : "Will you bs kind enough to read that letter and add your address?" He took the letter, hut without reading it wroto his address and sealed it. I have always been sorry that, in the excitement of the moment, I fail ed to take particular note of his nnmo, and only remember that it struck me ai jeing German ; butshould this by chaucs ever meet bis eye he will please hereby accept my grateful acknowledgment of the courtesy and of tho true gentlemanly delicacy with which it was extended-an acknowledgment not the less sincere that it has been eighteen years delayed iu the expression. But should my friend, Ma jor -, never see thie, yet if it over happens to como under the notice of any other Federal officer or Boidier who did ono deed of kindness to any Virginia woman in that her dark hour of need, I beg that he will accept my thanks in ber behalf. Here let me say, aud be it over Bpoken to the honor of the American flag, thnt, so far as I know, the triumphal entry of the Federal army into Rich mond was not disgraced by one deed of insult or oppression to any woman, or indeed to any citizen. All their efforts seem to have been directed toward con ciliotion. and to bringing order out of chaoB, affording protection to person and property, and endeavoring to relievo, as far as possible, the ' want and suffering which they found here ; and I have never heard an opinion contrary to this ex ftressed by a single person who remained n the city ufter tiley came. But to return to the provost marshal's office. In a short time our protection paper was handed us, which forbid any one entering the premises on "pain of death," sad cutherling t?;e gusrd to shoot any person thus trespassing. Seiz ing the precious document we hastened home, feeiu.g much relieved that wo bad succeeded in "belling the' cat," though the sequel lcd us to think there had really been no need for any such pr?cau tion. . Immediately on the occupation of tho city rations were issued by the Federal commander to such as needed them, and few there were who did not. Most per sons had: invested all their available means in Confederate bonds. My suiter and I theo had our little all lying io our t run ka in Confederate "promises to pay," representing ostensibly, many thousands of dollars, but now worthless as. so much waste paper, and our only available cash a silver half-dime, worn for many years as a memento, which we now spent for medicine. In this state of things it is not un rp ri tiing that even ladies reared in casa and luxury now .crowded to the ration office tn get their allotted portion of codfish, fat pork and yellow moal, for this was all lhere was between them and starvation. The scene which the artist Rogers bas perpetuated in marble of "drawing rations" is no fancy sketch,-for I saw the counterpart of it when, with little Lettie to carry the basket, I made my way through the hungry throng with mingled feelings of gratitude and humilia tion to receive our share. Though we knew our army bad been defeated and was retreating we knew not whither, yet hope still flickered in onr hearts, for we thought possibly Gen. Lee might be able to make a stand at some point further South, and our Confederacy yet take a place among tho nations of the earth. OKS. LEE'S SURRENDER. This continued till on the night of Sun day, April 9, we were sitting in our dimly lighted chamber, for the destruction ot .the- gae pi pea in the great confiagratiot had found us unprepared for the emcr gen cy ; and now the only means we bac of producing light was by putting a cot ton string into a cup bf lard, (thanks U my foraging party we still bad lard) ant setting fire toit; bot this dim taper it onr large room only served to make dark ness visible. Tho hour of our evenloj devotions drew nigh, the tiv.)o when ou thoughts were wont to torn with peculia tenderness' ' toward our dear wanderer about whose fate we were still in painfu ausp?ose, We were sitting in silence onr thoughts busy with our loved onet wbea'the st il lo ess of the night was bro ken by 'the boom of a cannon, followo iu quick succession try a number of othe reports. Volumes of surmlsea rapid! chased each otb?r through, bur- braim "WM Ooo; Lee returning to recs pul r the city?" "Was Mosby 'cemlatft ."Wis Ibero a riot going on which the had resorted to the artillery to suppress ? "Was it au outburst of triumph at news of anotber victory over our poor tattered soldier boys." Our hearts quailed at tho thought, when tho door burst open and in rushed Mrs. Brown, the claimant of the red "tater" who, though a nativo of Dli io, hail always professed to bo a South erner in ?ympathy. and as such bad ob tained and held lucrativo clerkship nuder the Confeder?is Qoverumeut ; but :<ti; aow, throwing off the mask which policy had drawn over I HT face, she rushed triumphantly in, clapping hor ttands and shouting: "(Jen. Loo linn sur? rendered! Gen. Lee has surrendered!" And such indeed, aa it proved, was tho sa?se of tho firing we had heard. It was i salute in honor of tho (to them) joyful news just received at headquarters. For some timo not a wora was spoken, ind I scarcely knew which predomina ted, anguish at tho extinction of our country s last hope, or indignation and lisgust at the heartless demonstrations if Joy of this deceitful woman over tho lestruction and despair of her whilom friends. Though wo did not deign to express in words tho contempt, we felt for her duplicity, yet, as a little incidont which occurred a few days after will ihow, it was "deep" if not "loud." Kenny every ono in tho house was sick, Mihor suffering with soro mouth or somo )ther malady caused by tho const .nt uso >f salt food, which was all that any of us md, except Mrs. Brown, who was fur lished by a friend sbo had in the army with luxuries whicli souuded tempting o our half-famished enrs as the fancied rurgle of wntor which aggravates tho lunerings of tho parched traveller in the letert. One day, about dinner time, Bowen cc*?e into our room to ask mr opinion upon a matter of conscience, ibout which she was much exercised. >bo looked pale nod haggard from inxioty and insufficient ana unpalnts >le food, but Mrs. Drown bad just sent o ask her to como up and dino with her in lamb, spring chicken, lettuce, eaunod ruils and other dainties, which the for utiate possessor of greenbacks was able o secure. Miss Bowers wanted to kuow f wo thought it would he right for her o accept this invitation to feast with an itiomy of her bleeding country. While ve wore yet trying to help her decide he contest between tho cravings of hau .or and patriotic devotion the tinkle of ter littlo bill announced her own dinner .nd settled tho mooted question. "I'll ;o to my fat pork and yellow meal," aid abo, and, with a polite "No, thank ou," to Mrs. Browu a call from her oom, Hbe doscended to partake of her linner of rations. Many, n less heroic aerifico to principle hns been sounded ty pout and minstrel. HE ENTItY OF THE VICTORIOUS ARMY. It was a lovoly spring morning, a few lays after the news of Hen. Leo's sur e?der had extinguished the last spark n the smouldering ashes of hope, when he sound of gay music cam cd me to nok out upon the most imposing pageant hat it has ever been my fortnne to lehold-the entrance into the city of a lortion of Gen. Grant's army. Pride orbidding me to allow the invaders to ce me evincing interest in the triumphal ii try of the victorious army into our aptured city, and ye? feminine curiosity repelling me to deviso some means of ritnetfsing tho gorgeous spectacle, I fleeted a compromise between tho two ty climbing to the top of the house and leaping through the balustrade surround? ?g tho skylight ; for here I felt safe from bservation, aa I did not suppose any one rould think of casting glances so nigh, t was indeed a grand sight. As far f?s yo could reach was one unbroken olumn of troops, with their fino horses nd wagons, and equipped in elegant luiforms and accoutrements, which to my yes, accustomed to looking only at our loor, ragged, and oftentimes barefooted >oys, appeared as if newly donned for ome gala day. The effect was beautiful rom tho elevated point from which I iewed it ; for I could see them winding iver Church Hill tn the far distance, and hen dowd into the valley and up over ihockoe Hill ; their bayonets brightly ;leaming in the morning sun, tho tatars nd Stripes in countless numoera waving n the Weeze, ano this enlivened by nnumerabie - bands of music at short ntervals, which seemed in their choice if tunes to be amiably tryingto harmon? zc the spirit of "Dixie" with that of 'Yankee .Doodle ;" for first would come he stirring- strains of "Hail Columbia," /hilo the next band that passed would iring a ?ear from our poor Btricken hearts iv the loved tones of "Dixie ;" next 'Star Spangled Banner," "Mocking Mrd," "The Union Forever" and "Bon de Blue Flag," would each in turn sag* ;e it thoughts of the. two sections lately .rrayed in deadly conflict, bnt which it rould cow be the policy of that army tb reid again into one. My predominant beling, aa I beheld their grand procera? on, was admiration - for the courage of luruwn brave little army, and the sen iment arose almost to reverence when I effected that in the fa co of such a foe, vi th unlimited resources at his bSck, hey had held out through fonr long 'earn 'of discouragement, and not only vi th insuflicibney of food, clothing, and auditions of war themselves, but with he consciousness, in some cases, that heir wives'And children .were lacking he necessaries of life, and in others thal hey v. ero homeless refugees. Ont triking) feature'in that scene was thc act that al! the doors and windows ID be fronts of tbe houses were closed, and sot one white citizen was to be seen, brough cracks and crevices I Will'not renture to say. A WONDERFUL EHTBRPRI8B. Returning to onr room and seeing rn* nvalid sister languishing for want o :om forts which w ned then no means ol iroviding for her it occurred to me tba ve might make a little money by cellini ?atables to the passing soldiers; bu ?here to get the materials to make then iras the question. However, summotdni mr little dark-skinned maid, Letti':, t* he conference, her quick wit suggester ? plan. We went to work and out of th provisions secured by my foraging part ire made some delicacies (?) pies. To b iure the dried apples were a little flavore with tea.end the scaly particles in tb pastry betrayed the presence of meal while in the lard there was evidently soupcon of soap, bnt we bad alway beard, and oar own observation bm ihown us, that soldiers are not very dalt ty. So giving Lettie a basket full of th tempting looking plates she hopefully c< off. Seating herself on the cirbstoc she pressingly offered her inviting wan to the passers-by, telling them that th? were made by "nice white ladies, en not by niggers ;" but, eyeing them cur ously for a moment, they would pass 01 till one of tho soldier?, hungrier I su? pose than the rest, ventured to ioho on and placing the price in; Lcttio'a han he broke tho pie, .end put a piece in his mouth, when, giving poor Lettie 1 inquirios: look, he asked, iradi you .ei white ladle? made thrao?" "Vee 1" sa she, with pride in her young mistrei skill, but he, evidently confirmed by tb fact in his suspicion that en attempt bi been made ti> poison him, hastily eject eferv crumb from his mouth and burri on, thinking, doubtless, that th tao Bout ern women must Indeed be th? "ahede ?B" bo bad beard they were, and not lis tening to Lettie's cager explanation tbat tbe ingrediente were all clean, but had gotten slightly mixed. After Bitting several hours longer, with no further RUC cess, Bbc became discouraged and return ed home with ouly Ave cents to show for her day's work. We could not afford to waste BO much food, consequently the whole family bod to make our aupper that night off tho meal pies; but BO sick did I br como in about an hour after eating them, that there is no telling what tho.result might havo been had not nature provided her own remedy. Tho rest of tbe family fared little better. At all events, even fivo cents waa better than no money at all, BO the next morn ing Lettie took it, and provided with a little basket, went to market for the first time since the evacuation. Sho returned with a half a peck of "greens" which made our fat pork much more palatable, and though I have frequently sinco dined at Delmonico'*, I uever enjoyed his choiceat salads, or most delicate bis cuit* glares moro than wo did our first mess of greens. However, soon after au officer of the United States Sani tary Commission called, presenting a letter of introduction from friends in the North, and placed at the disposal of my self and sisters any dainty or luxury in their possession, that might aid in re storing us to health, and from that timo till definite arrangement wero made for us by our friends not a day passed that wo were not the r?cipients of nome kind at tentions at their bands. ON I,Y JIKM01UE8 LEFT. lu about two weeks our male relatives j began lo return io tuon uo;u?tj one by ono as they wero paroled. Things began to readjust themselves, and now, in 1884, ' tho war is already spoken of aa some ..ling in tho long ago ; feelings of sec tional animosity aro gradually softening, "Dixie" or "Yankee Doodle" is liatoned to with almost equal plefeaure beside the picturesque Hudson or tho historio 1 James; prattling children, in whose volns j is mingled tho blood of Federal and Con federate, liat?n with cager faces to tales 1 of daring and deed? of heroism, whether 1 tho brave heart of the hero beat under 1 a "jacket of grey" or the "army blue," and all imito in placing floral tributes i upon tho mounds which cover tho mortal I pad of those who fell in the- path of '. what they believed to bo duty, and whoso i spirits have now met in that land which l knows no North, no South, no East, no i Weat. God heston the happy time when nil evidences of the devastations of that j war will have passed away, and when our ; country will onco more nave cauro to j rejoice that uot only peace, but unity \ and prosperity, reign throughout her ; borders. j Polygamous Economies. I The private homo routine of a polvga- ' ?nous family is a matter upon which so much curiosity is constantly expressed by ay acquaintances that I ventnre to iay here what little I know; but the ' reader nm nt remember that less than ten per cent, of tho voting Mormon popula- ' ion of Utah are polygamists. Tho p -.iyqomint, as a rule, bas accu- ' nutated some property and owns a house 1 j o foro he takes a second and successive } stives, though sometimes he begins by 1 Harrying two or three at once. AU of ihres marriages, however, except the i Brat, aro made secretly by. thc Church, < ind no record of them is accessible. In the city, at least, it ia seldom that 1 Lue different wives share the same quar- ' it J. In the country this is not BO un? i Bommon, bc* the natural unpleasantness follows in jost casos. The general ( method is to have a large house, the j main part of which, perhaps, is occupied ., by the first wife anti wings or additions , by the successive candidates for marital < Donors. These large, straggling, hotel- < like houses are common lu Salt Lake i Ri tv, and mark a difference between it and a town of small houses like Oheyene ( and moat other Western village-- In many cases, however, the husband sets up bis .wives in different bornes, either aide by side or in different parla of the city. In any 'base each bas her own kitchen garden, eto. I nave in minda wealthy dignitary of the Church whom , you might easily have mistaken for the ! late Peter Cooper, and who in possessed of seven wives. Each of theso women { bas somo farming and garden ground of ber own, and all are greatly devoted to rearing bees. With the help of their ' grown children they each raise a large ' amount of produce and honey annually. Tho husband acta as their agent. He . Iii vc.i their swarms ol bees and charges them for it ; be rendent special aid when called upon and is paid for it ; he Bells their crops and honey when it is reddy nu d credits each wife with her due share. Most of them live in suites of apart ments under the roof of his great bouso in town, but tho first wife has a beautiful i farm of her own a little out of the' city, to which she and her children have re tired, to end their days in peaceful inde pendence. ..t> The way in which thin old gentleman has always arranged his dotnestio life ie reported to be thus: He had certain rooms in his house where he kept hie bed,, bis-wardrobe, his books, and saw any . visitors who called noon him. Herc ho WAS a bacholor and here be stayed every other day and night.. On alter nate days and nights be was the guest of one or another of his wives, in regular rotation, devoting the one,. day (io -bis case fortnightly), which was hiera diligent ly to ber society. Of course this routine . was not invariable, but for the most part it was regularly followed.-Harper's mag' atine. uT - If there in any virtue in a rabbit foot Grover Cleveland will bethe next president of the United States. About a month ago it occurred to the editor of the Eufaula, Ala., Daily Mail that only, ono thing was needed to make the Dem ocratic campaign an assured success.' Under the (expiration bf tho moment ho advertised Tor a rabbit foot, and inn few days received ono from Atlanta with thw statement that it was the left hindfool of a graveyard rabbit shot on the. grave ot Jesse James at St. Joseph, Mo. A local jeweler mounted the rabbit foot in Rolid silver, With the inscription : "To our next president, a talisman of victory." The trinket was then expressed 1? Gov ernor Clevoland with a history of the: rabbit foot and ile traditions. Governor Cleveland ia a level-headed man, and tho very day he received th ?J gift of his Ennuin friend* h? sat down and wrote n handsome, letter of acknowledgment, iu which he aoid : "I thank you for thu gift, and am ready to confess that Bitch, a thing, with such a history, ought to ac complish groat resolta." A letter from Eufaula to the Now Orleans Tirncs-Ikm ocr?t says tba'' when tho iou the rn negroes become aware of tho fact that Governor Cleveland "totea a rabbit foot," thoy will vote for bim in spite ? of persuasion, threats and bribes;,. Tho. average sou th ora darkey heida the rabbit foot In su preme reverencio, as possessing a mysteri ous power for good to its owner and evil ?lo-h? enc mies, . ' : \l ''^J^Uafa linot' i'ballbllity; ?rora exist oily" while they art? popular. < AU Sorts of Para ?rapta, - Kentucky mado 20,000,000 bushels of wheat thia reason, 3,000,000 bushels more than any previous crop. - Three thousand gallons of black berry wioe waa manufactured ia Ander? eonviilo, Tenn., this season. - It is charged that the Republican managers are colonizing West Virginia with negroes from Washington. - It is said that Mr. Beecher controls 5,000 Brooklyn votes, and that all of them will bo cast for Cleveland. - Smalls, the congressman from the black district, favors the nomination of a State ticket and a fight a l along the line in this State. - Orango peel is now said to be col lected, dried in ovons, and sold for kind ling Ares. It burns readily and with great fierceness, and is safer than kero sene. - Of the thrco hunddrcd voters com prising tho Cleveland and Hendricks Club that was organized at Whitewater, Wis., tho other day, eighty-five hitherto acted with tho Republican party. - Tho Washington monument, at Washington city, is now complote, ready for the roof, which will be 65 feet high, making tho monumeut 555 feet high, and tue highest work of man in th world. - Tho friends of Col. J. H. Evins will bo pleased to learn that he is im proving very much at Waukesha, Wis ?onsin. His conditicu ia so much better that Mrs. Evins returned to her homo in ^nartanburg last week. - Miss Woodrow, ?aughtor of Dr. James Woodrow, of Columbia S. C., a most estimable and accomplished young lady, has gono all the way to China to marry a young man, who is a successful missionary in that distant country, - An Ohio farmer washes his apple trees overy Spring and Fall with a strong lye that will float an egg, and finds it to bo a sure death to tho borers. He claims that ho bas not loa? a tree since begin ning (bia practico, although he had lost l?verai previously. - Twelvo thousand head of cattle, tho largest consignment under the con trol of one man ever sent over tho San Francisco Road from Missouri, wero -.hip pc ti recently. It required twenty three trains of twenty-ooo cars each to consign the lot to market. - Dr. Wilson, au English physician, bas been counting the hain of a man's bond. On a square1 inch of scalp- he found 1,066 hairs, and from measurements estimates that the entire head must havo 127,920. He' thinks that some heads night have 150,000 hairs. - The mortality of the globe, as given by a continental ' journal, which . has mado the computation, is as followB : Per minute, 67 ; per diem, 97,700,. and per annum, 85,639,836. wheres?., the births are 36.792,000 per annum; '100,000 ?*?r'rUHt? nna 70 per minute. - A corduroy road has been discover id in Lincolnshire, England, at a depth >f .seven feet below the surface. It lies jouonth a Roman road, and is therefore much older than 1000 years. Geologists tay that its timbers, which are of oak, ivere laid down 10,000 years ago.- ' - Gen. Grant has contracted with the managers of the Century to contribute to their.: periodical twenty articles on the principal battleB of the war, for which bo is td receive? tho snug sum of $10,000. rbis is Rood, hone?!:, legitimate' wr-rk, md the Goneral should be encouraged. - North Carolina has received 01,000, )00 (rom perBons who have invested in ber minorai lands since she made her lisplsy of mineral resources at the fair it Boston.last fall. North , Carolina ex pended $17,000 for the exhibit, and as a retnrn for her sagacity has received $1, 500,000. , j - Alas'that th? sear rights of women mould ho on alow ot- recognition. In Macon, Ga., a wife hos lust been fined $2 for disciplining her husband with ? bed slat, the Justice regarding it probably os a caso of malicious injury to furniture. In London only a few-days earlier a magistrate sent a young woman to orison for thrashing her husband who- hod com plained about tho coffee. - A revolution in the match-making indastry may be expected. The Russian Department of Commerce and, Manufac tures has recently awarded a patent to the inventor of a means of so impregna ting wood with a liquid that, when dried, it lights with a slight friction, and can be used several times over, thua securing, according' to the inventor, kn economy of at least seventy-five per cent. - ' -- An Improved locomotivo construct ed at the shops of the Lehigh Valley Railroad under the supervision of Mr. George S. Strong, it, ie claimed, will draw u train on tho New York division at the rate of eighty miles on hour. The engine weighs 100,000 pounds, and will develop a power of 1,'iOO or 1,500 horse power. The boiler is of otc cl, and will stand a pressure of 10Q pounda to tho square inch. .., . - The revision of tho Old Te: tani o nt, which, it was' hoped, weald be ont this year, will probably net make its appear ance before early in 1885. The eigh'ty fifth and lost session of the English Be* vision Committee iir.u been baldy fest months mast interVene before the com plete work can be given to the public. Nothing ts positively known of any changea mada in the old version, the re visers on both ??des of the Atlantic hav ing Sept their pledge of secrecy. - The Hew York World, says that bot we eu tho prohibition ticket drawing from the Republicans and the German des?rticas from the same party there is a fighting chance for tho Democrats in Kansas. . Hayes*, majority was -1-1.000 : bid * majority over tho Republicana of 8,000, tho Greenback;.Voto being 21,000. The Democratic ?nd greenback vote has steadily increased since 1876 and the Bepobllcanrstekdily dlm?n^h?d. *'Ji -i- ?'pwm?uent Republican fourier is authority -for tho' ?talement that- ?Mr. Btaloe bas promised a donation of ?500, 000 to the campaign fund, to be paid on the iftof September.. The same hews naper saya, t fiat wealthy friendo of GOD. Logan h?vo narced to odd 9100,000 on his behalf. Mr. Beuj. Franklin Jones, grand old par ty out of tho u n for tu u Mo plight in which it now-finda Itself. ii w-j-?Dr. Hatton hos -st young 'draghlcr, -^^^^Ih^^Qttt i^b^e^^^b^ desliad ;^b* |s$i^^ or ima liions, They can't ?ride cmn-fash ion nnd Iwffwse about at flighty very - well alono. Put they can m*i*e better-jeer* : Minty for being educated itt medicine, and female diseases it 'seems that they 'could handle better than mon docto?, o ?