The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-10-09
RICHMOND In l864-5.
INV Women Lived and Dressed
PERSONAL EEcoLLEcTIoNs.

,'.;oturesGue portion OF virginia deSlg-
ana ii 10 Piedmont. Nowhere has nature
sass a NJ more TO beautify, and art 'ess, than
do no The riTe.., though small stream at
'Ds, ,e noints, in winter swells to blood
s ~ Irauidy-rofling food, to which all the
rsu, ,r r torrents contribute. The Blue
n n!sma overshadows the rolling landscape.
hYs aE.termined to leave the farm in charge
INV Overseer and thus to rid myself Of
o. o. 'r ns,rnetua care, terror and suspense in
the nc pal s. 10 that section. So gave him
e ess nov, and with one Of the very best of
tae ~ ~ servants, "refuged" to Richmond
gogu Grand central point to which all terri
l el or bome.bereft women and children
nsu a beehive swarming and teeming
1u, w ovarrun with workers and drones till
ANU asa honey was all exhausted, and nothing
, .us Init bitter comb and that, after little,
,v to the highest bidder.
p"iIt was fashionable, for the sake of
economy. to om-kPep'-that is, for an
;sJividnal or party to rent room or more,
a ,~ 10 find marketing for themselves, to
live live a. best they could-and that meant on
holf ratio1s. knew lady with three
children e in one room, who had always pre-
,,;on.lv moved at the head of society, who
.sSnrea me that she had not tasted meat
FIR EIGHT weeks. Her fine house and
nyound, in Fredericksburg were destroyed,
and she fed in the night, amid the shell
and cannon balls, for her life.
was fortunate enough to get two COM
sortable rooms, and with a little iron fix
tme before the CRATE. Judy cooked me
MANY a morse of sweet food. / was more
fortanate than most of my neighbors, mas
much as could get from home occasional
Iva box Of hams, fowls, hommy meal and
notatoes and do not let me leave out the
SORGHUM molasses made on the farm, and
which still prefer to sugar-house syrup
Surely God put it into the hearts of the
people to make this very useful article just
before the war, as it became the staple, and
! believe in hundreds Of cases but for it
starvation would have ensued.
Our house in Richmond was large one
and the thirty occupants lived pretty much
BY housekeeping, though there was board in
the central part for transient or permanent
dodgers.
There had been such change in Rich
mond, made by influx of strangers from ev
err section Of the Conlederacy, and the Elk
igencies Of the times, thatit was scarcely re
cornizable. Social equity was in measure
inverted, and law and order went to the
wall. Women, delicate, sensitive and re
fined, had to assume mems duties, and il
every public department held places of higt
tfficial importance, with salaries ranging
from six to twelve hundred dollars and up
wards month, oil struggling not for wealth
to hoard, but for bread to keep the bod.
alive.
When four years of wear and tear hav
exhausted lady's wardrobe, with no good
in the country except few, running a
long intervals the blockade, and at price
too exhorbitant, what can woman do VIII
has the wish, the laudable wish, to loo
we'll through everything, without the mate
rial for its ful6llment? Well, take tw
dresses of different material and color-on
mipus skirt, the other body-insert
quarter of yard of one into the skirt G
the other, make puffings of the lighter colo
at the top of the sleeve, and Of the darke
form the tight fitting part, and notice tn
effect This we did, and though mingle
and mottled, it was still picturesque.
Women's bonnets will wear out; and a
hats were more easily got: hats became tn
style. Every woman learned to plai
straw, and to make her own hat, which sh
decked with rich plume from some oil
stock, or with guinea fowls bright wing
Shoes VIC learned to manufacture, an
every rag-bag was brought into requisitio
to furnish thick poplin pieces or lasting
Stockings we knit, gloves we made
which art ! myself became so expert that
could easily get thirty dollars for each pa
could furnish the merchants.
Crinoline was harder to substitute bu
we cot all right there, for the old stet
bands we could cover with strips of cotto
cloth, and reshape and hang together wit
cord. Nothing was lost.
The greatest tax upon US was the clotl
ing for the servants, which was sometime
supplied by cutting up counterpanes an
blankets. Shoes with wooden soles wef
found to answer.
Invention was the order of the day, an
Confederate buildings and pastries, wit
sorgham molasses personating white suga
were pronounced delicious.
Coffee made from everything under tn
sun, from aeorRs to rye, gave zest to trad
and emulation to speculators--who dealt
''pure coffee mixed with rye"
Rye coffee is good substitute when wa
and blockade shut ont every available II
source. have made and drank 1T on
cold winter evening, clear and strons
when enioyedit with relish, and thanl
ed God orit.
1t was curious sight in those days t
look into drug store, and in place OF tn
usual paraphernalia of bottles, to see
secondhand bridal dress of white SAITH
stretched OF full length in the showcase
with label bearing, For sale $1,000
In the windows Of extensive auction.ho,
seq, whose business had been brisk in oil
erdays, dresses now hung, mingled wit
all articles of q lady's secondhand ware
robe, deposited dress, white eounte
pane, and one hundred and fifty old novel
IN one of these houses for sale.
Books were in great demand, and an il
teresting novel would sell for from $12
S25. n
Servants perambulated the streets wit
immense baskets holding ladies and chi
drens' clothing, sold to buy bread fl
hoaseless refugees. Refugees from Ne
Orleans, Memphis, etc, who had handsou
wardrobes, but no bread, far from HON
with their husbands, fathers and brothe
hghting, deposed of every superfluous arr
Gle OF elegant wear, and learned to wea'
aud wear Virginia CLOTH" This was 6
most put stop to at last BY the want
cotton, but after certain crisis it w
more readily obtained, and accordingly Il
looms which had been silent since tt
smes OF our grandparents, once more ga
,hem cheerful bang bangs about the hous
aoid OF many a thrifty housewife, al
speedily clothed the fair bellies, used
nothing coarser than silk and fine wool
! knew q lovely young woman, MARI.
iof SIX months only, who received a lett
:som her husband in the trenches" tie
ing her that he would be home on certa
a,y TO stay twenty four hours. She got
: htiie gala for him, and each neighb
furnished from some boarded storea fe
sains OF real coffee; one sent her sng;
uSh Nf raol e,,ro, Shn R,od 4bo l;t4