The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-31
Horrible Narrative Of the suFerings
at Richmond by a Lady.

The New York lines publishes q long
account Of the condition of affairs al
BY a lady who left there on
the 18th inst The narrator is a lady Of /
high respectabiiiiy, the sister Of a we'll /
known New York lawyer and Judge. 1
She had resided in Richmond for ten /
years, her husband being a merchant
there until he was forced into the rebel !
ranks. Since then she had been vainly
trying to reach the North, and until re-
Gently she could get no pass, being sus-
pected Of loyal sympathies. She says
there were never so many human beings
in Richmond as when she left, but
great proportion of the population were
sick and wounded soldiers. The hos
pistais may DC counted by hundreds. In
common with all The ladies Of the place,
she was accustomed 10 visit the sufferers,
and was thus able to ascertain their con-
dition and numbers. All matters are Sec
ondary 20 the one quesli0R---"How shall
we proloDg our lives until our enemies are
oyercomeY Business matters are hardly
thought Of Famine IS staring t,eal ~ the
ficc, and disease, "a ne form Of sl0O feUer Of
he tlphQid character, Is icast,ng DE amy
and carrying Oh daily scores Of soldiers
and otkes N the ciiy The army in
and about the capital has been for the
| last two months upon half-ratiOns, and a
/ sight of the forms of the half-fed, half
clad soldery is, as she represents il,
| piGable and disgusting spectacle. No
attention whatever has, for months, been
| paid 70 the sanitary condition Of the city.
The habits Of a portion OF the soldiers
are filthy TO the last degree. There has
been for a long time past, a scarcity of
| proYender for the mules and horses, con-
nected with the army. Owing to their
| ill-fed condition, the iamished brutes very
often drop down in their tracks from
sheer exhaustion Wherever then TALL Usey
are permitted TO die and decay. No attempt
is made 10 remOue them - no effort used 10
cleanse tie streets If that loathsone mass Of
decapag animal matter aolich thus rapidly
occ1nulates The aolole atmosphere al and
around the city Is, size says, thick agitt DIS
ease and heavily laden gih DEATH" All the
tobacco warehouses, and many stores are
used as hospitals. After ten o'clock,
every man goes to drill, and many of the
females. Food is very high, no fresh
meat is to be obtained; tea cannot be
bought, while coffee is from four to six
dollars per pound. Tainted pork IS The
only animal food that is oJiaiaable, and flour
alone is tolerably cheap. The citizens,
are apprehensiye, however, that even this
may be cut off.
The lady has often seen JEFF. Davis
For some months be had his beadquar-
tiers directly opposite her residence
across the Greon, Ga narrow parl.) She
has been accustomed TO hear him at his
morning and evening devotion. He is
represented as a man Of many long pray.
ers, which, although they are uttered in
loud voice, she does not think that
Pharisee-hke, he thus worships TO be
seen and heard by men. lie is a promi.
inent member of the Il &copal Church
and, aside from the reasonable cours,
which he has pursued in this rebellion
she regards his daily life as entirely il
accordance with the principles of thu
Christian religion. So far as social hfs 4
. concerned, eUeytking there is dead. No 4liTg
or feshUity Of any kind. No spirit on i,aeli
nation TO enjoy the. o01lpaRionslip of friends
Churches are the only places where PEG
{ pie meet, except il be in the drill room
or around the couch of the dying. Their
are no funerals, except occasionally Of
= the decease of a very wealthy or notet
+ parsonage. As rule the body of tn
deceased is hurriedly rolled in sheet
: thrown into a cart, and driven away b
large field, little out of the city,wher
shallow hUlv has boon previously pre-
= pared for it.
AS to the magnitude of the rebel army
z in and around Richmond, she says sh
can form but little idea. She can onll
describe it rs being large-beyond all he
previous ideas of great army. But sh
= is Quite sure that, unless they take womel
, and negroes, they have raised almost thei
last recruit For days and weeks prio
20 the weeks battle before that city
every man, woman and child there be
} lieved that that was the turning point il
, their fortunes if defeated, then thei
cause was hopelessly lost; if victorious
their independence would be speedily
l. acknowledged, not only by European ma
= tions, but by the North also. This grea
point was constantly pressed upon tn
minds of all in the army and all outsid
of ii. The consequence was, that ever
e one rallied, with the desperate energy 0
dying mon.
The Richmond correspondent Of Tia
Charleston Mercury says that the oliicia
lists show between 1000 and 1900
Coniederates wounded in the late battle
before Richmond, and states that tn
whole number including those taken +
E private houses, will reach 12,500. Gen
r Lee estimates the killed at $500, Il
, these must be added great many disa
, bled by exhaustion, and other causes
making the sum total $1,000 20 10000
The per centage Of deaths, owing to IN
hot weather, has been heavy, some per
sons estimating it at so per cent. Thi
the writer believes to be an exaggeratior
A maa offers, in the Grenada Appea
10 go as a substitute in the regular rebe
army, for $4,000, or in the militia 70
$1,000. A man applies for one, ofIeriu
by way Of compensation a likely negr
boy, and $500.