Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-10-31

i; b. Buell., Dem.
Wavne---Wm. r. Wilson, Dem.
Williams, Defiance and Paulding
W. D. Hill, f. G. Denman, Dem.
Wyandot-.-S. NJ. Worth, Dem.
How Women Lived in Richmond
During the Rebellion.
A woman who passed the last
year Of the Rebellion in Richmond,
writes as follows to the Ereniag
Post, of the shifts she and her Con
federatc sisters were put to to get
clothes to wear, food to cat, and
novels to read
"When four years Of war and
tears have exhausted a ladys ward
robe, with no goods in the country
except a few running at long inter
walls the blockade, and at prices too
exorbitant, what can a woman do
who has the wish, the laudable wish,
to look well through everything,
without the material for its fulfill
ment?
I Well. take two dresses Of differ
ent material and color-one minus
skirt, the other 4 body-insert a
quarter of a yard of one into the
skirt of the other, make putiings Of
the lighter color at the top of the
sleeve, and Of the darker form the
tight-ftting part, and notice the ef
feet. This we did, and, although
|mottled, it is still picturesque
Women's bonnets will wear out;
and as hats are more easily got,
hats hncame the style. Every wo-
man learnedto to plait straw, and to
make her own hat, which she deck
ed with rich plume from some old
stock, or with u guinea fowl 5 bright
wing. Shoes we learned to manu-
faeture, and every ragbag was bro't
into requisition to furnish thick
poplin pieces Of lasting. Stockings
we knit, gloves we made--in which
art became so expert that | could
easily get thirty dollars for each
pair | could furnish the merchants,
Crinolne was harder to substitute;
but we got all right there, for the
old steel bands we covered with
stlips ofcottoR cloth, andrcshaped
and hung together with cord No
thing was lost The greatest tax
upon us was the clothing for the
servants, which was sometimes sup
piled by cutting up countelpanes
and blankets. Shoes with the soles
made of wood were found to an
swer.
Invention was the order of the
day, and Confederate pnddings and
pastries, with sorghum molasses
persopating white sugar were pro
nounoed DELICIOUS. Coffee made
from everything under the sun, from
acorns to rye, gave zest to trade
and emulation to speculators-who
dealt in pure coffee mixed with
rye Rye coffee is a good substi- .
tute when war and blockade shut
out every available resource. | .
have made and drank it on a cold
winter evening, clear and strong,
when enjoyed itwith a relish, and
thanked God for it.
1t was curions sight in those
days to look into a drug store, and,
in place of the usual paraphernalia
Of bottles, to see a second hand
bridal dress of white satin, stretch
cd at it's full length in the show
case, with label bearing - For
sale, S20Q0,' In the windows of
extensive auction-houses, whose
business in other days had been
brisk, dresses now hung, mingled
with all articles of ladies second
hand wardrobe. I deposited dress,
white counterpart, and one hundred |
and fifty novels in one of these
houses for sale. Books were IN
great demand, and an interesting
novel would sell from $12 TO $50.
Servants perambulated thc streets
with immense baskets holding la,
dies and chiIdrep's clothing sohl
to buy bread for homeless refugees
Refugees from Memphis, New Or
leans, etc, who had handsome ward
robes, but no bread, far from home,
with their husbands, fathers and
brothers fighting, disposed of every
superfuous article Of elegant wear
''Virginia eloth.' This was almost
put a stop to at last by the want of
cotton, but, after certain crisis, it
was more readily obtained, and &C
cordingly the looms that had
been Silent since the times
of our grand parents, once
more gave their cheerful bsng-
bangs about the household ofmany |
a thrifty housewife, and speedily |
clothed the fair bellies, used to
nothing coarser than silk and fine
lined