The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-10-02
LEES MISERABLES.
BY JOHN EsTES COOKE.

They called themselves Lee s 'l'ser"-
blcs."
That was grim piece of hamor. was
II not. reader? And the name llad
s ,mewhat curious origin. victor i1u-
COS work, Les Miserdbles, had been trans
lated and published by house IN hicn-
mond; the soldiers. in the great dearell
of reading matter. had seized upon II;
and thus. bv a str tnge chance the tragic
story Of the great French writer, had
become known to the soldiers IN the
trenches. Every where, you might sec
the paunt figures in their tattered jack
cts bending over the dingy pamphlets
aFantine. .|"Cosette," or "Marius, or
s.St. Denis, land the woes Of jean
Valiean," thegold galley slave, found an
echo in the hearts of thesebrave soldiers,
immured In the trenches and fettercd
by duty to their muskets or their cam
non.
SINGULAR fortune of Il writer Hap
nv nj. Hugoi Your fancies crossed
| the ocean, and. transmitted INTO new
| tonoue. vhiled away the drcary hours
of the old soldiers of Lee, at Peters
burg
T6us. that history of .The Wretched,"
was the pabulum OF the South III 1874;
and as the French title had been retain-
ed on the backs OF the pam2hlets, tne
| soldiers, little familiar with the Galilc
pronunciation, called the book, Lees
Mserables!" Then another step was
| .aken. Is was no longer the book, put
| themselves whom they referred to by
! that name. The old veterans of the ar
nv thcnceforth laughed at their miser-
| les, and dubbed themselves grimly LEES
| Miserables ~
| The sobriquct was gloomy. and there
was something tragic in the employ
ment of it; but it was applicable. Like
most popular terms, it expressed the
| exact thought III the mind OF every one
coined the situation into phrase.
Truly, they were srhe Wrctched, -
the soldiers of the army of Northern
Virginia, in the fall and winter of 1854.
They had quarter of IA pound OF rancid
s.Nassau baconr-from New England
for daily ratious of meag. The hand
ful of Hour, or corn-meal, which they
received, was musty. Coffee and sugar
were doled out as a luxury. now and
then only; and the microscopic ration
becqme 4 Jest to those who lookediat 1t,
A little .sgrease" and corn bread-the
grease rancid, and the bread musty-
| these were the food of the army.
their clothes, blankets, and shoe
were no better-evcn worse. only AT
long intervals could the Government
issue new ones to them. Iht's tne ar
NV was in tatters. The old clothes
hing on the men like scarecrows. Their
eray Jackets were in rags, and did not
Keen ont the chilly wind sweeping over
fine frozen fields. Their old blankets
we're in shreds, and gave the Al lit lie
warmth when they wrapped themselves
I'D i'm them, shivering in the long cold
NIGHTS. Tie old shoes, patched and
yawning, had served IN many march
and battle-and now allowed the naked
sole to touch the hard and frosty ground
Happy the man with new blanket
Proud the OosscSsor OF a whole rounda
bout What millionaire or tavorit'
child of fortune passes yonder-the ow
ner of an unpatched pair of shoes?
Such were the rations and clothing o
the army at that epoch:-rancid grease
: musty meal, tattered jackets, and worn
ont shoes. Aud these were the fortu
nate ones Whole divisions often wen
without bread even, for two whole.days
Thousands had no jackets, no blankets
and no shoes. Gaunt forms, in raggct
D old shirts and torn pantaloons only
h cl .Itched the musket. At night the
; huddled together for warmth by the fir
> in the trenches. When they charged
their naked feet left blood-marks on TIL
abatis through which they went at til
enemy.
That is not an exaggeration, reader
These facts are OF record.
And that was a part only. 1t was nc
, only famine and hardship which the
5, underwent, but the incessant combat
and mortal tedium-of the trenches
All the trenches Those words sum
= med up whole volume of suffering
No longer fighting in open field, II
longer Winter-qtlartcrs, with power t
range; no longer freedom, fresh All
heafthtul moyement--the trenches
Here, cooped up and hampered q
every turn, they fought through a
&c those long months of the dark autum
and winter of 1864. They were II
longer men, but machines loading AN
firing the mllsket and the cannon.-
Burrowins IN their holes, and subtel
rauean covered-ways, they crouched !
|, the darkness, rose at the sound of CON
inc battle, manned the breastwof6s. o
trained the caunon-day after day
y. week after week, month alter montl
IS they were there in the trerches at the
ol grim work; and some fiat of Destin
seemed to have chained them there
: batt.e forever At midnight, VS. at nool
they were at their posts In the dark
: ness, dusl1y figures could be seen swim:
y inr the sponge staff, swabbIng the cal
non, driving home the charge. In IL
s, starlight, the moonlight, or the gloo
'h Tit by the red glare those figures, +,
S@nblinr phantoas. were seen marshal