The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-20
CuAaIssros, 18th February, 1862.

upon ue, and all Nature wears q drapery Of
ioveiiness, opr lent In ants that would cool
an August noon.
You can easily imagine, under these cir.
cumstances, the luxu ~ OF a soldiers life on
the Southern coast. No mud knee deep and
rising, as st Manassas; no log huts and India
rubber coats; NO long.top boots and harba.
rous roads; NO nothing which hos made the
camps Of the army Of the Potomac the Col.
gotha Of the volunteers existence. Has the
soldier hero to keep step to the rythna Of
dis thoughts on the solitary midnight beat,
the quiet stars look down upon him from the
deep blue OF the Heavenly dome, and she
o4eezes are as mild rs Italian zephyrs. Is
1t necessary to build entrsnchments, Aig
dinhes, or do sa.h drudsery Of q camp ,ign,
d host Of negroes relieve him Of the task. -
Is he hungry, his servants pre- pare superb re-.
pahts. IL he ragged, the ladies Of the State
supply fresh garments. Is he i'll, score OF
homes and hospitals invite him 10 enter AID
receive tho tender nursiug and watchful
sympathy 70 which noble woman has here
devoted herself. Is any thing required to al-
leviate his wants, add to hts comforts, or
sweeten the bitter p0tlons Of life, he has only
20 utter word ana the measure is full.
AAe oOAuacIS OA tuo &T6nO army now In lf
siila must hot suppose, however, that because
these oiessings are poured out with such
Oounttful hands here, hearts are not be1uuR
aud hands are not worklng tor them. The
laklng in the War-nna 1t is. in truth The
women who are carrying ON this contest and
smoothing The rugged pathway which leads
70 success-is bounded BY no geographical
ilmltS. The man who lights Tor his country
any " here, whether IT be ON ths mou txins OF
Western Virginia, in the forests Of Lhs West,
on the banks OF the Potomac, or on the sea.
beard. occupies the same warm place III their
hearts. Here, sOldiers can receive anything
.ney desire. because they are ut home
Cransp rtation Is GOOD, aud communication
,s uninterrupted. Abroad the case IL To.
versed. AT Wilmington there are now piled
up in the depot two or three car loads OF D0xss
aud packages destined for the army, which
have been detained there tor weeks because OF
a lack of enterprise necessary to forward them
10 tneir destination. How much comfort is
contained In that pile OF parcels, eloq ueut
with the sympathy and memory Of distant
trends Wnat world Of suffering might bs
relieved II railroad officials would only one
day forget the ~ mighty dollar and transmit
these needful articles TO their owuersf
Its my intention on some future occasion
20 oevote chapter to the CONFEDERATION of
hospitsls, aud the efforts Of women. in con.
nection with the sanitary welfare OF the
army. To-day, however, there are other
matters pressing oB1ay pen of equal int
est, ana which. with equal grace. may b.
embodied in the first Of q series Of letters
from this now attractive section Of tho Uon.
federacy.
Few people can visit Uharlsston witho,t
being struck BY the extraordinary oneness Of
sentiment which everywhere exista. WIN
all the drawbacks tbs psople have exne.
rienced-the blockade, the IRE. the dsnonnIs.
ton OF homes, and other misfortunes incl.
dent " the war-there Is nnion Of fortune
and sympathy manifested in every rotation
of life which Indicates that the great heat
OF the public 10 beating in grand accord with
the march OF passing events. Everything
has been reduced to war standard.
While cheerfulness and confldepce 10 writ.
ten on a. faces, the name Of gaiety has been
almost forgotten. An evening party has not
been held since the opening tocsin of the
war. Houses have become factcries. Wo.
now ply the needle and the loom from morn.
ing till night-the tottering grapd,dame and
the little child are alike devoted to the work
OF mercy. The silks and the satins which
were wont 70 De ssen on the daily promenade
spun. while the pleasures of visiting and So
ciability are exchanged for tho tender chari.
ties which now In loving streams at the bed. !.
side Of the sick. ~
The Een are all in arms-svsn the aged.
whom the law has exempted from military
duty, have formed themselves into corpe d
yes,ces, and await the moment Of action
when they may be called upon to defend their
rious points in the State--tome on the coast
and some In the In terror, but all armed.
drilled, and rc"dy for the foe. A few, a very
few from the grand mass arc at their homes
discharged or on fuFlough, but tho first note
Of alarm will carry them into tho ranks Of
the army again, TO do battle wherever dan eeY
calls. Of sick, there are, alas too many -
As In the incipiency Of the army Of the Po-
tomac, meaxles, typh old fever, mumps, ,pneu-
monta, and other camp diseases, have their
victims and moth withetanding the admirable
sanitary regulations Of tho State, the best Of
nursing, good weather, and all the com 1orta-
BILE surroundings with which it 10 sought to
encompass the volun teers, both hospitals and
private houses presen n sad array OF humnni.
ty suffering from tho worst of ellis that flesh
IL heir to-" So much for the social aspect Of
Charleston, and, indeed, Of South Carolina
Physically, tho city wears garb Of mourn.
ing. The fire. and which few weeks ago
passed over the faiTest portion Of the town
has left the ratl Of the serpent behind, and
bright as may be the contrast Afforded else
whore, still the Old thoughs comes back TO-
you that dar hand Of anaicti0n IL lying
heavily - pour dearest friends; that the
rich have been made poor; the associations
clustered around their h0mesteads have been
destroyed, and that the existence Of hun.
dreds Of ndividuals, onea bright with the
bow Of promise, has been set backward at
least Score Of years. a 2
1t IL sad eight to pass through the burned
Aagration. From river 70 river IT. blAckened
mon uments still q. and, marking the savage
tury with which It. swept everything before
1.-THE mssnines@ns @ sdinSs and tns nnmol:
workshop, all alike prostrats before the nery
blasg, AID nought left behind bat irregular
lines of cracked and crumblins walls, chin.
neys, piles OF debris, e r
"Hish towers fair temples, gcodly theatres,
2"e W.S - ST, T".s.I, s.--sS s--~S. ..SC-,"N~-Ss. S..,-s