Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-02-25
Affairs in Tennessee.
From the Thirty-Seyenth Regiment.

From the Thlrty-SeTenth Regiment.
TIE Situation bstore Petersburg Deserters Sto
ries Of Hard TSB,es--1A Great Scarcity Of
Sapphes-7Re Re6ei Peace Commissioners
ApPearanee IF Il. II Stepasns-His partins
tcorts TO Col. Hartman.
NEAR PETERSBURG, Va, jar. &c.
HeSsrS. E,iitors:-It is clear and cold, with
nOrtnerly winds, ground hard as a brick,
noses turning red, white and blue, the smoke
of our camps, when il does not stay below
and get in your eyes, going up to heaven like
the smoke of a furnace, the men all hutted,
the Quartermlster's teams all hauling wood,
and tue Army of the Potomac ut rest.
The incessant picket firing which, up
to very recent period, had been the main
drawback to our peace and happiness, has
almost entirely ceased. Artillery d1els are
tradition of the past, and the pieces of shell
which, at rare intervals, drop into or around
our camp, have taken of late not TO hurting
any one, and only remind us of another kind
of, peace, which We are expecting to happen
most any minute.
A steady dribble of rebel deserters con-
tinues to Stop over their picket line, and
trickle gently and easily into our lines. They
all complain of short ratiOns and want of
clothing and shelter. DisaffectiOn and dis
content prevail throughout the whole army.
They don't feel well" they want to go
home, "efOF they fear the bottom will fall
OUT The fall of Fort Fisher is a terrible
blow A couple of Alabamians who came
over last evening, say that for several months
their ratiOns have consisted of cOrn-meal,
meat preserved in cans, and tobacco; no cot
fee. no sugar; = and these ratiOns, like
snakes tail, or the hopes for the success of the
cause. have, since the closing of Wilmington,
been becoming 4'small by degrees and beau
titully Less tin now two "eOrn dodgers"
abont the size of piece of bread six inches
by three inches, and an inch thick, with
quarter of "a pound of meat, Is considered by
tie Confederate authorities generous ration
for one man a day. This my informant stated
Was owing to. eur holding Cape Fear River,
which he said twas the hole that meated the
whole C6nGedara6y and now we had plugged
1T He aIsurelated lUdicr0us story of
nan who deserted from the Sth Michigan be-
cause he could not get enough TO eat and
Who tried to excite their compassion by "A
pirrous tale of how he had only ten bareback
or one loaf of soft bread, twenty ounces of
fresl meat or twelve o. pork with all the tea
and coffee he could drink, for days ration.
Times in Petersburg he says are hGrdid.-
-Four 3 90 pound, wood 500 cord, peas
S5uu a quart Their teams and horses he
saw are used up, as the forage Is excessively
scarce, having to be hauled $50 miles. The
south Side aud Danville railroads are EN-
poyed in hauling forage and rations for the
cavalry and have hard WORK tn keep them
supplied as tie engines and rolling stock are
badly out of order with 10 means of repair
and that they as well as the rails are about
R0rn ont The canal along which wood il
brought into the city in scOws has been dam
aged by a ireshet, as has also the DanvIlle
railroad and he thought that "times were get
ting hard in Ylrginny SO he reckOned he'd
travel" And be did.
TIE 37th heth still n the front line and it
is waxing big and does picket duty, and there
are added 10 il daily 10y enlistmenr) such as
shall be saved (frOm draftS.) Our only
trouble Is in getting sufficient supply of fuel,
as wood is not so plenty a. IL was, and so We
have To haul a long distance over horrible
roads But we look for better times. Col.
Hartman il now commanding the las Diviz-
ion Of the 9Th Army corps, and by his direc-
tons the South Coast Railroad Is TO be re-
paired and put in running order, which will
furnish US with an unlimited supply of fuel.
the great event of tine week the arri-
val to-day Of a flag Of trace from Gen. Rob
ert Lee, requesting the favor OF pass TO
CITY PointfOr Nessrs Alexander II. Stephens,
of Georgia, r NJ. I. Hunter, of Virginia, and
j. A. Campbell, of Tennessee. RumOr has it
must have it bad, and cry peace when there
i no peace, nor likely 20 be peace Till the
Great Southern Skedaderaey is knocked to
pieces.
To-day we have been an eyewitness OF one
of the strangest and at the same time most
impressive OF the many strange sights OF
this war A flag of truce has been parleying
with the rebels for the last three or four
days, negotiating the admission of MesSrS.
Stephens & Co. within our lines. To-day the
event eliminated. About o'clock p. NJ.
the white flag went down TO the front again,
and soon the breastworks and picket lines
we're thronged with crowd of our boys anx-
ious TO catch glimpse Of the head men OF
-ebeldOm. aea
The scene was an impressive one. In front,
iust oser the woods. that crown the opposite
side OF Gle rayine that separates our main
line from that of the rebels, the setting sun,
looking red and lurid through the smoke of a
thousand camps. hung like a ball OF fire.
The rebel works were crowded by hundreds OF
their men, looming up to almost unnatural
proportions, 80 strongly were they thrown in
to relief by the red glare of the sunset
behind them. In the rear were our
works, with all their May intricacies,
+, of dtlOhes, covered ways, ''zig-zags &c, y
: With the bfistIiug' palisades and abattis in
their front aud a crowd OF bows ia blue be-
hind them quiet and still looking even some
what grave and anxious, and the whole scene
warm aud bright in the reflection of the
rudy glow in the west. And now the white
fig is seen. coming down the hill, the centre
sof a group of some six or seven individuals,
and as they cross the picket line and are
fairly arrived within the lines of the Union
armies the sun drops down behind the hill.
On they come, up the Suffolk and Peters
burg Pike, which stretches across the ravIne
and up the oppOsito bank like a white line.
Colonel Hartman escorts Alexander III. Ste-
pheus, an old thin, carewOrn looking man,
STOPPING, perhaps under tie weight OF years,
but more likely under the weight of mental
anxiety that HIS oppressed him for the last
four wears Well may he look careworn,
good cause has he TO seem bowed by trouble.
Those humble graves scattered thick along
each side of the road as he enters our lines
thuse pinehed, shivering forms he has lett
behind in the rebel lines, these frOwning
forts armed with the most etfectual instTu
.mPnts of destruction the ingenuity OF mar
has been able 10 devise; the fertile fields o
Virginia living devastated and laid waste be
.oEe i.;;s eyes, are all arspeeimen of what hli
aflt5itious aud vain schemes have brought OF
the country.
Mkt TO the rebel Tice-President cam'
Col. Lydig, Assistant Adult mt General gil
COrps. conducting X. NJ. T.-Hunter, of Va
and A. - Campbell, Of Tennessee, and las