Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-10-24
An Inside View of Lees Army.
Nakedness and Starvation I'M
pending.

4 correspondent of the Savannah Re !
publican, who is with Lees army, writes
from Winchester, Va, on the 10th ult., I
that he was not at all prepared for the
hardships that army had experienced
since it left the Rappahannock, and that I,
he could recall no parallel instance in
history, except Napoleon's disastrous
retreat from Moscow, where an army
had done, more marching and fighting,
under such great disadvantages, than
Lees. During a whole month the
army had but four day S rest. One-ftth
Of the men were bare footed, one-half
in rags, and the whole half talnis he'd
The country through which they were
passing was desoiatcd, and the transpor
tarion was insufficient to keep the army
supplied, and when provision trains ar
rived the men seldom had time to cook,
and many of them had left their cook
ing utensils behind. 1t was not unusual
to see company of starving men have
a barrel of -four distributed to them,
which they could not make into bread
No army on this continent, continues
the writer, has ever suffered so much as
the army Of Northern Virginia within
the last three months. But their past
trials are hardly worth naming in com
parison with the sufferings in store for
the winter, unless the people of the Con-
federate States everywhere and in what
ever circumstances come to its lmme
diate relief lie says 1.-the men must
have clothing and shoes this winter
They must have something to cover
themselves when sleeping, and to pro-
tect themselves from the driving sleet
and snow storms when on duty. This
must be done though friends at home
should have to wear cotton and sit by
the fire. 1t is 1T necessary to counsel
violent measures; but 1t is not expected
that any person will be permitted to ac-
cuInuIate leather and cloth for purposes
of speculation. alt was hoped that We
III ght obtain winter supplies in Mary
land. This hope was born after the
army left Richmond, and has now mis-
erabiy perished. The Government is
unajle to furnish the supplies, for they
are not to be bad in this country. If
it had exercised "a little foresight last
spring ana summer when vessels were
running the blockade, with cargoes of
calico, linen and other articles of like
importan ce, partial supply, at least, OF
hats, blankets, shoes and WOODEN goods
might have been obtained from Eng land.
But foresight is u quality of the mind
that is seldom put in practice in these
days.
But whatever may be done by the
people should be done immediate y
Not one moment can be lost that will
not be marked, as by the second hand
! of watch, with the pangs of a sufferer.
Already the hills and valleys in this
high latitude have been visited By frost,
and the nights are uncomfortably cool
to the man who sleeps upon the ground
If the army of Virginia could march
through the South just as it is-rayged
and almost barefooted and hatless-
many OF the men limping along, and
not quite well o. their wounds and sick
ness, yet cheerful and not willing to
abandon their places in the ranks
their clothes riddled with balls, and
their banners covered with the smok c
and dust Of battle, and shot into tatters,
many of them inscribed with "Wil
liamsburg, Seven Pines, ''Gaines
Mill, "Garnetts Farm" "s'Front Royal,
.Mc Dowell," +" Cedar Run and other
| victorious hclds-if this army Of vete-
rau1; thus clad and shod, with tattered
uniforms and banners, could march fl ON
richmond to the Mississippi, it would
iproduce a sensation hat has no palalle
in history since Peter the Hermit LED
his swelling hosts across Europe to the
rescue of the Holy Sepulcher.
[ do not write to create an alarm, OF
to produce sensation, but to arouse
the people to a sense of the true condi-
tion of the army. [ have yet to learn
that anything is to be gained by sup
pressing the truth, and leaving the
army to suffer Ii | must withhold
the truth when the necessities Of the
service require it to be spoken, [ am
quite ready to return home.