Daily national Republican., 1863-07-14
CAPTIVITY IN RnpELDo,r.

We formed ID I'D unpth9 liss Of battle
the next day md night, while the fight ragged
hotly on tho right and centre, where the line
Twas broken. Nowere then thrown forward to
Sunday morning, the Sd. While fighting be.
bind the brssstworks, q rabbit came running
ont Of the british, jnnped into the trenches and
euddled among our legs for safety. The little
fellow ~ee Dsuss sfsig ghAanaA .thaA We were,
which must have been badly Indeed. Well, we
hours fighting, felt me disgust OF iaying
down my nice " Whitney" to Southsru rags-
mufnn. We were taken TO rebel headquarters,
and In few moments Gen. Lee rode up from
the front. He was attended only by . single
orderly. He looked no more ostentatious than
q corporal, and his suit would not cost $50 in
New York. When he raised his hat to the
cheers that greeted him, he did Il with an air
OF abstraction, a. II he scarcely heard then-as
II his thoughts were elsewhere. There 10 no
vanity In Gen. Lee. Everybody and everything
about his line Impressed me with only the idea
Of buslness, stern, unremlttlng business, Lee
p sixty years old, wears full, gray beard, and
has . handsome Grecian face. He is rather
slight In form, with no superhuous flesh, and
looks a. II be might be made of wire. At q
little distance, he resembles the late General
sumner. The faith Of his men In him is un-
bounded ~ ,.. mn .-..,. w.
The Confederate soldier cannot be described,
for no two look alike. Frank Leslie and Har-
per never caricatured. hlm-that cannot be
done. They do not hold their heads up, as our
men are tanght to do, but amble along with o
dogged look. They are a puzzle. i cannot
| understand exactly what their feelings are.
They say nothing, never laugh, and yield abso-
lutte submission to their officers. Whether this
10 the passiyeness Of q great fixed purpose,
which they feel so deeply, or whether they arc
deficient in spirit and Independence, and sub
NIT to q superior will accordingly, / hardly
know. Our army would not hold together
some cause, will fight for thirty years on just
such rations.
Their officers laugh at the idea of ever again
living in the Union. A Georgia major repeat
cd to me the stale declaration that II blank
sheet were offered to write terms of reunion,
they would spit upon 1t. He said they expected
nothing but a long and exhausting wnn-they
were prepared for 1t Tin their hearts, suppose
he meant). He said that at one time they ex-
pected much from Vallandgham, the Woods,
Seymour, &C., but now they had no more re-
spect for them than for the abolitionists, and
wanted nothing more to do with them, for their
reliance on division In the North was gone.
Our conversation consisted mainly of ques-
tions and answers, with. now and then gra.
tuitous opinion thrown in. The major was
anxious to know II the Northern people feel as
the Northern soldiers do. Aftei the ajor had
ridden away, Confederate private stepped up
and asked me this question: "whad do you
'uns come down hacr to fight we 'uns fer7''
In our march we soon left behind those dis.
mantled homcsteads and the picture of desols
tlon which Virginia has sketched on so many
Of her fields In lines Of fire and blood, while the
beautiful plantations, with wide old mansions
smbosomed in ancestral trees, evinced that the
old +. r. V. was not altogether q myth. The
ladies always came down the long lane to turn
up their pretty noses at us at the roadside, while
each gate post was fanked with piccaninnies
One poor lady felt very badly because we wert
not all killed. We were marched to Guinei
Station, and kept until all the prisoners cam,
ip-about 5000. I heard a Confederate sin.
out: swell, Yanks, they say we've got Jo
Hookcr!" sYes," replied lank Penssylva
nlan, "tll allow you've got enough of him.
But few steps from where we lay was bricl
house where Stonewall Jackson was car
. ried; and there on the afternoon Of Sunday, tn
10th, he died. We ewere pushed rapidlyon, SUI
fering much from hunger and thirst, our can
teens having been taken from us. drank from
the wagon ruts in the middle of the road, an,
for several days had no food except -four an,
water. was soon convinced that, at least il
the valley OF Virginia, the injunction of JEFF
Davis to raise produce had been followed
Every available foot ofthe magnificent countr,
through which we passed was teeming witt
the finest looking crops At length, on the 9th
after marching about thirty miles on that day
we entered Richmond, passed though the city
and were locked up in Libby prison.
Our treatment in Richmond was very differ.
ent from that received at tho front. Here wcr,
great number of " feather bed" officers and
soldiers. whose insolence and vanity ! nevei
saw equaled. The streets were crowded to sc,
US pass down 10 prison. Old gentlemen rubbed
their hands and silently smiled; small boy
asked US about the Illinois ape; and young Ia
, dies tossed their heads in exquisite disdan, a
the came time smiling ineifably on some Con
, fcderate uniform. One terrible little man II
=. Richmond at last, have you 20 Eyes," said
big hoosier, "but none o. you d-d hom
guards brought us here" The upstart wa
very busy lighting his cigar Immediately afte
, this remark. 1856 prisoners were crowded int,
. single room of Libby prison; the weathe
was intensely hot, and the stencil and mser
Of the place at first iusupportable. Over 4O
were put into this room on the first day, bu
they could not lie down or breathe, and 100 ha,
to be taken out. The room was about 10 fee
, by ~. We were fed on half rations-at d,
time did the men get enough to satisfy thei
hunger. They would no doubt have given u
. more If they had had 1t.
Tuesday, the 18th, was gloomy day in Ricl
mond. All the dignitaries of Capitol sauar
attended the funeral Of Gen. Jackson. Pres
dent Davis and Vice President Stephens joine
, the procession in n carriage. The hearse bor
four mourning plumes aud was drawn by fol
white horses. AL aags were at half mast, bel
tolled, and minute guns were fired. The gri,
. of the people was intense. The ladies kisse
! Jackson's coffin. No man in tho rebel arm,
excepting Lee, would be missed so much-eve
, President Davis would not be mourned so deel
ly as was Gen. I. J. jackson.
On the 18th we were paroled. marched out
/ prison, and formed In column on Cary stree
\ Here an interesting scene ensued. The prison
d ers were hungry and clnmorous for bread. III
. poor women and boys who peddle on the sire 0
n had filled their baskets and were determined
a sell 10 us, all being eager to get our,greenback
}, An order had been issued that no bread shuu
d be sold to Federal prisoners, and Il lively tin
the brave con !ederatcs had in chasing the lit
3 boys and old women from the street. The pr
II soners hourished their greenbacks and brol
out of the line, the bread boys 1ourishcd the
IS loaves and broke into it, while many a scrr
ir mage occurred between them and the guar
dollar in Federal or three dollars In Confe
A. crate currency would buy small loaf. A jac
knife worth fifty cents brings five or six dolla
le in Richmond, and the morning papers sell f
r. quarter. Yet these prices do not indicate
10 proportionate scarcity of articles. With the
ID style of currency Hour may sell at 4 fly dolla
o. a barrel and yet be plenty.
re Lying in lho James river we saw an untlnis
ed Aerrimac. She was not large, and
IN plating had been put on. We were plac,
IS under cavalry guard and started for CT
Point ria Petersburg. On the 14th, worn o
| with hnnuar and fat tunn xua uu