, 1864-11-15
his wife and children. He will tell you he hat

his wife aud children. He will tell you he had
q good comfortable home in Northern Ala
hama OR Georgia, TIL the rebels took every
thing be had, and he was obliged to flee with
his poverty stricken flock. He may have
savcd wugon-load OF household goods, a cow
and = mule or two, BY secreting them IN tho
woods until favorable time offered for their
eEeape to the Federal lines. They received
rations and transportation from place to place
III at last they find themselves quite beyond
yo1d the notice Of traitors' eyes. =. =
At times we have had numerous families Of
Southern mcn, now enlisted in the Unoin ar
my, who hare been the narked subjects OF
rebel bate. While some are undoubtedly dis
/ !oSa1 at heart, yet thia class especially hod
TO sentiments OF the highest patriotic devo-
tton. They bear In their countenances the
unmistakable evidence Of pure love for the
old flag and the true Union. Not long ago
half dozen fh1nilies Of these 1oyaltsts came
u u and pushed on into the interior Of the State.
They wanted to find n place where the women
and children could get work and make liy-
Ing. The men would return again to their old
1aunts Ghcir homes had all been destroyed by
the rebe1s), and fight there over their ruins for
the Union. They wanted no LEADERS, They
would make no coufidants except their .oWn
trnsty rifles, and thus, In their own way,
would they fight the rebellion.
The number OF these exllcs arriving hero Va
rics as they can got passage here. Sometimes
nearly every boat will bring family or two.
Then fifty or hundred win como at o time
ge's Home, where they remein until they re-
cover Or are called to the spirit world, or
families comprising eight or tea persons, all
haye been removed BY death except one, two
or three children. TIE fate Of these little
cess women On md Children e not g on
seventh nre mcn, ,@nnd the men for the most
part arc broken In health.
AS whole, they arc not so enlerprising as
our lower classes. Yet in the heavy timbered
lands north Of here you may find great many
working for the lumber yards, and even ffty
ping cord wood to support their littlo ones.
Others mike good farm hands, while some Of
tic girls find homes with farmers families
and make good house servants. The well
children are generally sprightly.
With The coming on Of cold weather 1t be-
comes serious a question, "What VII they do
thousand III m or three thousand per s month arriy. %
Ing. Already scores have arrived per week
who had only single dress to cover them and
that very thin and ragged. It would be idle
for me to attempt to give an adequate idea Of
the poverty and distress which these poor
creatures present. That children como with
Even girls Of twelve to fourteen years Of age
have llndcd on the 1eyee with nothing more
than blanket-old, worn and filthy to cover
Dc Doubtless it whrseem to most persons, as
| 1t seems to us here, Who are compelled to Wit
ness these sights, that they should not be
| sent North, nor even allowed to como among
us. But the military authorities at the scys-
! raj posts South become oyerbufthened with
them, where they gather around for protec-
tion or for food 10 sustain their existence.
| What should theydo2 Drive them backagain
| into their desolated country--eorc them to
| return where The officers will know that only
starvation awaits. them? Tho care Of these
people is one to which the Government has
often been called on for some definite action,
yet it scems to be hedged in with many difH-
cu1ties. # pfiTate charity cannot send relief
to them, we know not what their fate must
| he. ~