Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1864-1865, 1865-02-16
WINCHESTER, INDIANA THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 49, 1865

ing word was bestowed upon them
| wondered if those gentlemen. wrap
ped up in their broad cloth, ang
those ladies. sweeping along th'
street in their costly silk, needless O
the suffering OF the defenders of the
country, had no sons, brothers ol
friends in the army BY running thC
gauntlet OF s'red tape we finally
succeeded in procuring irorD coffee
from the oommissarv, and that was
issued to the men out of barrels. IN
the street. If, perchance. n few
soldiers would SO far forget their
duty, and step into apuhlic house to
warm their almost frozen limbs, the
doors would Immediately be closed
against them. and the proprietor post
of for the commanding officer TO de
mand protection against the intrusion
of the dirty solder" The Govern
mcnt officials and employees were
impeninent and insolent.
Such was the treatment Of the
soldiers in the metropolis of Ohio.
who had successfully terminated one
Of the hardest campaigns Of the war,
and on their way TO enter upon an
other, perhaps equally hard and
bloody. And | regret TO say that
this was not aH isolated instance
where such gross and palpable want
OF kind treatment and sympathy was
exhibited in passing through the
Stare With the solitary exception
OF GAINESVILLE, the same uniform cold
and heartlcss indifference was mani
tested By the citizens in towns, vii
lagos and country. GAINESVILLE alone
was the exception, and / take great
pleasure in recording the fact. Here
we were met by scores OF ladies.
with hot coffee, and baskets filed
with pies and cakes. Two eating
houses near the depot, had also pre-
pared coffee for eight hundred men;
and one Of them furnished an excel
lent meal for the officers, free Of
charge Such evidence of kindness
and libcrality towards the soldiers is
keenly appreciated and gratefully re-
membered by them. Long life and
pleasant dreams to the people of
and especially TO those
noble and generous hearted ladies'
We arrived at Bellaire on the
evening Of the second day after
leaving Columbus. We crossed the |
Ohio river on ferry-boat,.. and land
ed on the Virginia shore, at Ben
wood. Here we found Capt -.
a. C. s.. and Capt. Goodrich, A. q. |
NJ, two noble specimens Of loyal |
Nirginians. They anticipated our
coming. and had prepared n bounti-
full supply of hot coffee for all orr
men. After feasting upon that excel
lent and indispensable beverage, un-
til all were fully satisfied, the boys
again jumped into the cars, needless
of the piercing cold. All llelong the
road through Virginia and Maryland,
we were greeted by the same hearty
and spontaneous enthusiasm that
greeted rs along the shores Of Ten
ncssee, Illinois, Kentucky and our
own glorious Indiana. / regret that
we were depriSed the privilege of
passing through our noble Indiana.
[ know the feeling that animates the
hearts Of the people there in behalf
of the soldier, from our noble and
generous-hearted Governor, down
to ,he humblcst peasant. We al
feel proud Of Indiana, and her cX-
cellent Governor. who IS every where
known rs the soldier friend.
We arrived ut Washington City
on the evening of the 30th, took our
men to the Soldiers Rest, where they
partook OF refreshments; after which
we marched by the Capitol on our
way to camp Stoneman, on the south
bank of the east branch Of the Pot0-
mac, where we pitched our tents, and
are now in camp: but only tcnporari-
". as | understand. 4 few days hence
NAV find us embarked on the ocean,
with our faces again turned toward
the sunny South. The 23d Corps
will not be left idle long, or be ..bum-
ming in the rear" so long as there
are rebels TO fight.
Respectfully, II. II. NEFF.