The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-03-26
RATES OF CASH ADVERTISING.
Datly. weekly.
The Condition Of Rebel virginia

YORK Tunes, VINO Toue WIN oVAe1 q ~
pafficks command through nine counties
in Virginia. we make the following ex-
tracts. The counties were Spottsylvania,
Caroline Hanover, Gooehland, Henrico,
Louis. New Kent, James City, and York:
IN riding through these counties, the
lstrarexr is painfully impressed with the
SuuCiay-like Siilness that everywhere pre-
walls at The large number of iilapidated
and deserted dwellings, the ruined church
es with windows out and doors ajar, the
abandoned fields and workshops, the neg
lected plantations ana the ragged, detected
and uncouth appearance Of the few people
Who are t. be seen at home, the almost en-
tire absence OF men and boys--every thing
Indicating condition Of affairs which
, nothing bat civil war could produce.
The Peninsula seems to be almost entirely
abandoned by all its former residents, and
given over 10 bushw hackers and roaming
bands of law,ess men. North of Williams
burg bushmen hang upon the tanks and
rear Of any column Of troops that may
pass, 10 pick Up straglers and secure
horsea. and not Nnfrequently, for the sole
purpose OF gratifying morbid spirit OF re-
venge, firing into u column lndlscflmln-
ately, with no hope OF securing any imme-
diate advantage thereby. Occasionally q
poor family IS found ut home, but they
manifest no particular feeling either for or
against the Union cause. Their sons and
brothers, capable Of bearing arms are in
the rebel service, and therefore it is sup
posed their sympaihies are in that direc-
ton.
In the counties visited, there are but n
few tield-hands left of the black class; and IA
respectable resident asserts that ii is his
belief that not one-fourth as much land
will be cultivated this year as there was
last, when the crop was much less than the
year before. January and February is the
time for preparing the ground for sowing
and planting in this part Of the State, but
1t was a rare sight to see piowed field on
the first of March.
At several points white men were seen
working in the tield, and occasionally a
large plowed field could be seen; but as "A
general rule, however, the farms are run
ming over with weeds, the buildings are
out OF repair, fences ore down and the Vir-
ginia wild hog heretofore seldom::seen, ex-
cept in pine forests, oyerruEs the land
Particularly is this the case NUth the man
Orial estates to be seen as you approach the
Pamunkev. .u.
70 There is an abiding faith, both with SOL :
diers and citizens, that the war will end
this year in one way or the other. Your
sanguine secesh, of course, who is general
ly ignorant or stupidity blind as to what is
going on in the outside world. is quite con-
fident that the .'Southern cause" as be
calls II, will triumph; but from what saw
and heard, / do not believe the majority OF
I the people outside Of the army would give
. the turn OF copper to secure the success
Of thar cause. The people generally do not
hesitate to say that they are heartily tired
Of the war-and well they may be. for ev-
cry branch OF industry, except that to aid
the Confederate Government, is at a stand
still families are broken up and scattered
and the whole country is flooded with a
species Of paper money SO nearly worthless
a. is scarcelyto be believed.
This stuff is thrown about careleSsly, and
TO be found everywhere slowed away in
houses As carelessly as prudent Yank ee
house.keeper does paper-rags. For SIC
greenback was offered at one place pile
Of Confederate scrip large enough u fill an
ordinary saddle-bag. In the use Of this
money We had some experience. AT n lit
tie oyster saloon. about six miles from
Richmond, General Davies and a party o1
friends, numbering about eight in all, par
took Of q supper which cost $50. 40 in Con-
: iederate money, and the proprietor readily
took $32 Confederate aud q 81 greenback
for the amount. The fare consisted Of eggs
bacon, honey and bread. obtained a bill
OF items from the gentlemanly owner OF
the place, to adorn the books Of some anti
quarlan society. A few years hence it will
be much more Of curiosity than now.
As to the question Of food. Every fani.
q
hour at house, the occupant was asked il
ne mad any corn, TO which he gave q most
positive negative reply. The proper Of
ncer was not satisfied, aud, by a little
searching, forty or fifty bushels were found
slowed away in the loft Of the house. He
denied also having bacon, and said that
neltner corn nor bacon could be bought fol
love or money; but "the boys somehow
found quite a little pile Of the hog-meat
concealed IN an out-Of-the- way place and
tnis was the experience along the whole
route in the different counties. AT nearly
every occupied house was to be found q lot
OF chickens, and occasionally more or less
turkeys, ducks, geese and brakes, and no,
unffequently small grunters we're to be
seen roaming through the fields at will. II
was quite evident that there was no super.
abundance OF food, but n good supply OF
apple Jack somehow could ALWAYS be oh.
tanned At SIPS per gallon-a price frequent
~ paid. Confederate scrip was floating
about so plentifully that the price of the
liquor made but little difference to the pur-
chaser-$l5O per gallon would have been
paid just as willingly.
Only few cattle were seen on the whole
march. Every thing large enough for beef
has been confiscated for the use of the
army. The same may be said of horses
The few to be seen, except here and there
an exception, are poor in flesh and in spirit.
MOI more than three hundred horses were
obtained, probably throughout the whole
command, all having been pressed into the
rebel service.
Capt. Armstrong, of the Commanding
General's staff, besides his regular duties,
had charge of the distributing Of the Presi-
dents Amnesty Proclamation. Printed in
small pamphlet form, this production was
scattered broad cast everywhere. 1t was
paced IN the hands of the people, left in
thelr houses, churches and shops; slowed
away IN books, and in every conceivable
HOOK anc corner, so that if any large por-
t, .,oh OF lne people are disposed to suppress
tne puplc document emanating from Mr..
n1lnGoin, ~. n which has not been reproduced in
sae nichihond papers, they will hardly be
The negroes every where. as usual. man.
,lested great delight at seeing column Of
iahkees, and acted unreservedly, as tho