Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-07-25
The 'PoOF white Trash" in virginia


A correspondent with Shields division 0
the army, from Washington to Fredericks
burg, gives the following account of the poo
whites in Virginia
They live IN the poorest kind of log huts
are uEeducated, know nothing, rent farms fol
little or nothing, and can scarcely pay theii
rent. They are gaunt, half starved, dilapidat-
ed human beings. without religion, without
knowledge, without morals, aud without any
comfort whatever. While the first brigade
stopped 10 lunch al noon time, General Kim
ball and myself strolled up to one of these log
cabins aE;l entered into conversation with its
inhabitants. 1'hs ration Of the hut was
rather a shrewd woman, of about forty-f1e
years Of age, and with six children and one
graudebid, and elderly woman whom she
Leall.e- charity. she lived 10 that
little cabin, wilh one room not more than 10
by - feet in size.
The furniture consisted of two tcttering
bedsteads, an old table, and three or four old
chairs. Her kitchen utensils could all have
been but in band-box. The hut was filed
with smoke. q condition it IS in always when
FIRE blows in the mud and stick fire place
This womans husband and also the husband
Of her boarder are in the rebel army. How they
got there these wives do not know. The only
information they possess is, that their hus-
baris disappeared about Christmas, and they
Lelrd they just lined" tile army, and have
not heard from them since.
a great many of the men have gone from
this section - asked.
Laws, yes" was the reply. 'As near as
mought know. thar amt more'n twelve in
his here neighbolhood, and they're old men
that can't walk nor 60 nothing The woman
folks is left to take ker of our selves"
Glow do you manage to support your
selves p
We'll, We rents, an works, an its hard
serat chin to keep soul and body together--
Haint had no salt, norcoffte. 'cept what them
thar sogers gave me, since this ere war
commenced
You rent tLis farm, then ?"
Eyes"
"What rent DO you pay ?"
"Filteen dollars year p
How much land do you have p
Jist what l can work around, an God
knows that aint much. If 1 hire a horse 10
Plow, it costs dollar; an whar am to get
Il dollar to pay 2"
"W hat do yoI raise p
-Jist little corn like"
'How do you raise it without plowing "a
Hoes il, sir"
You must have 10 work very hard ?"
Guess | does. No uiggers work as hard
as Us poor folks
You do not say that you are worse of
than The negro slaves ?"
Worse! Guess we is. I'm hard at work
every night after the niggers is gone to roost,
an that's the way with ull the poor people
round here. We're wuss than niggers. We
gifts no cdication, don't kno' nothin'. an has to
work all oHr life for them that owns this sie.
That's it. We has children an they grows
up an they arnt no better an US. l guess we
are worse than the niggers'
And so she talked on for half an hour She
and the women folks did not know anything
about the war until their husbands lined the
sogers," and she was anxious to know what
HE -'ftin" vas all about. She knew there
was Northern and Southern army, but ap-
peared to be puzzled as to what y Northern and
SoulLern meant
Time did not permit me TO look further into
the condition OF these unfortunate people, but
some of our cavalry, who secuted off from the
roadside, informed me that their condition was
invariably the same. They found some in log
cabins without furniture. Some Of these
families have lived there ON his ridge through
three or four generations. They seldom so
beyond their own neighborhood, and know
nothing beyond that except what travellers tell
them. The woman with whom 1 convcrSed
told me that she generally got about twenty
bushels OF corn TO an acre Of ground. Snc
was cultiyating six acres, which would produce
i crop Of I2O bushels ont of which she must
get 3 dollars TO pay her lard rent.