The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1862-07-25
Irhc "Poor White Trash, in Virginia.

A correspondent with Shields
division Of the army, from Washing.
ton to Fredericksburg, gives the fol-.
lowing account Of the poor whites
In Virginia:
They live in the poorest kind Of
log huts, are uHeduca,ed, know
nothing, rent farms for little or moth
ing, and can scarcely pay their rent.
They are gaunt, half starved, dilap,
idated human beings, without re.
ligion, without knowledge, without
morals, and without any comfort
whatever. While tho Grst brigade
stopped to lunch at noon time, Gen
Kimball aud myself straled up TO
one OF these log cabins and entered
into conversation with its inhabit.
ants. The matron oil the hut, was
rather shrewd woman, OF about
forty.five years o, age, and with six
children and one grandchild, aud an
elderly woman whom che had taken
home iD charity, she lived in that
little cabin. with one room not more
than 10 by IL feet in size.
The furniture consisted OF two tot
tering bedsteads, an old table, and
three or four old chairs. Her kitch.
en- utensils could all have been put
in band-box. The hut was filed
with smoke, a condition it is in al
ways when fire blows in the mud
and stick fire place. This woman's
husband and also the husband OF her
boarder are in the rebel army. How
they got there these wives do not
know. The only informstion they
possess is, that their husbands disap.
peared about Christmas, and they
heard they just lined" the army,
and have not heard from them since.
"a great many OF the men have
gone from this section2' | asked.
Laws, yes,' was tho reply. "As
near as ! mought know; thar ain't
more'n twelve in this here neigh.
borhood, and they're old men that
can't work nor do nothing. The
women folks is LEFT to take ker Of
ourselves"
slow do you manage to support
yourselves2"
"Well, we rents, an works, an
its hard scratchin' to keep soul an
body together. Haint had no salt,
nor cofle, 'cept them thar sogers
gave me, since this ere war com.
menced."
"You rent this farm. then?"
"Yes."
"What rent do you psyW
"Fiiteen dollars a year."
"l1ow much land do you have2'
"Jist what | can work around, an
God knows that aint much. II |
hire horse to pluw, it costs q dol
lar, an whar aui to get a dollar to
psyp
"What do you raise?"
Jlst lIttle COrH llkc.
"Ilow DO you raise it without
ploughing"
"lloes it, sir"
"You must have to work very
hardp
Guess does. No nipgers work
as hard rs US poor folks"
you do not say that you are
worse off than the negro slsves?"
"Worse! Guess we is. rm hard
at work every night arter the mig.
gers is gone TO roost, an' that's the
way with all the poor people round
here. We're wuss than niggen--
We gifts no edication, don't kno'
inothin', an has to work ali onr lie
for them that owns this sile. Tha,'s
il, we has children. an they grows
up an they arnt no better an us.
guess we are wuss than the n,ggers. "
And 40 she talked on for half an
hour. She and the "wonen folks"
did not know anything about the
war until their husbands lined tho
sogers," and she was anxious to
know what the "iitin' was all about.
She knew there was a Northern and
Southern army, but appeared to be
puzzled 90 to what Northern and
Southern meant.
Az an illustration OF the morality
OF these people, will state, tho old.
est daughter, O woman Of about 90,
was trotting q baby on her knee.
"Is that your baby" ! asked,
"Yass," she replied.
"And has your husband gone to
the war, tooW
"Lsws, | never done got one YETI
She had to ask her mother before
she could tell the age OF the baby
which was eight months.
Time did not permit me to lool,
further into the condition of these
unfortunate people, but some OF our
cavalry, who secuted of from the
roadside, informed me that their con
diton was Invariably the came
They found some in log cabins
without furniture. Some Of thest
families have lived there on thi,
ridge through three or four genera
itiona. They seldom O beyond thaj,