The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1864-06-10
MY CAVE-LIFE IN VICKS.
BURG.
~ the Vifr Of Confederate onicer.


By the wife Of a Confederate Officer.
During the siege Of Nicllsburg manv
OF the non-c0mbatants remained in the
city, taking shelter during the frequent
bombardments in caves or cellars dug
for that purpose in the clay Of the
banks The little volume whose title
appears above gives some graphic pc
lures of tins strange and perilous life.
II is written BIZ n woman of culture and
refinement who, though southern in
her connections and sympathies, shows
none of the bitterness of the partisan,
but records whatever of generous and
heroic on either side has met her wo-
manly eyes She thus speaks Of the
tomblike places of shelter to which for
many weeks the women and children
were con6ned;--
Caves were the fashion the rage
over besieged Vicksburg. Negroes,
who understood their business, hired
themselves ont to dig them, at from
thirty to fifty dollars according to the
size. Many persons, considering diff
ferent localities unsafe, would sell them
to others, who had been less fortunate,
or less provident; and so great was the
demand for cave workmen, that a new
branch OF industry sprang mp and be-
came popular particularly as the per-
sonal safety Of the workmen WAS Sc
cured, and money withaL
Some families had light bread made
in large quantities, and subsisted on it
with milk provided their cows were
not killed from one milking time to
another). without any more cooking,
until called on to replcnish. Though
most of Us lived ON corn bread and ha-
con, served three times day, the only
luxury Of the meal consisting in its
warmth, l had some flour, and fire.
quently had some hard, tough biscuit
made from it, there beng no soda or
yeast TO be procured. AT this time
we could, also, procure beef. A gem
tleman friend was kind enough to offer
me his camp bed, narrow spring mat
tress, which fitted within the CON
tracted cave very comfortably; anoth-
er had his tent fly stretched over the
mouth Of our residence to shield us
from the sun; and thus l was the re-
cipient OF many fayors, and under OBJ
legations to many gentlemen of the
army for delicate and kind attentions;
and in looking back to my trials at
that time, shall ever remember with
gratitude the kindness with which they
strove to ward off every deprivation.
And SO ! went regularly to work, keep
ing house under ground. Our new hab-
itation was an excavation made in the
earth, and branching six feet from the
entrance, forming Il cave in the shape
of I. In one Of the wings my bed
fitted; the other | used as "a kind Of n
dressing room; IN this the ca tn had
been cut down foot or two below the
floor of the main cave; I could stand
erect here; and when tired of sitting
in other portions of my residence, ]
bowed myself into it, and stood inras-
sively resting at fun hight--one.of the
variations iii the still shell eXpectant
life AS servant cooked for us,
under projection of the hill. Our
quarters were close, indeed; yet I was
more comfortable than | expected /
could have been made under the earth
in that fashion. We were safe at least
from fragments of shell and they
We're flying in all directions; though
no one seemed TO think orr cave any
protection should mortar shell hap
pento falldirectlyon top OF the ground
above us. We had our roof arched
and braced, the supports of the brac-
ing taking up much room in our con-
fined quarters. The earth was about
! five feet thick above, and seemed hard
and compact; Yet, poor NJ, every
time he came in, examined it, fearing
amid some of the shocks it sustained,
that it might crack and fall upon us.
This danger was by no means I'M
aglnary; in various instances these cav
ernous cells collapsed either from the
jar of constant explosions or from then
own weakness, burying their inmates
in premature grave The cave was
but a choice of evils, the peril within
being only less than the peril without
On one occasion servant of the writer
had narrow escape from death:--
Gone night | could scarcely sleep
the explosions were Sc loud and fire.
quent. Before we retired George had