The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-12-20
Dressing Under Difficulties.

During General Sheridan's last raid
General Custer and his staff stopped evel
night at the house OF a planter in Flu
wanna county, Virginia. Haughtily
yet courteously, after the fashion Of well
bred people who cannot help themselves
the best in the house was placed at theil
disposal. Among the first Of Custer
requirements was bath, and tube, ant
water, with homemade towels wert
readily forthcoming. Not 30, however
were sponges and Turkish towels. Al
this the general showed some anger
supposing the neglect intentional. When
his servant was informed by the lady Of
the house that her stock of such articles
were exhausted and could not be re-
plenished within the confederates lines,
master and man were intensely disguised,
and Custer expressed his establishment
that civilized people could exist without
them. Sponges were not to be had at
any price in Richmond during the winter
of lS64-5, the few imported to Charles
ton and Wilmington being kept fol
hospital use. The ladies knit bathing
gloves of COARSE cotton yarn in garter
stitch, making a close ribbed surface
which gave the desired friction. The
cargoes brought by the blockade runners
consisted chiefly of munitions of war,
medicines and staple dry goods. Only
occasionally package of fancy goods
was included, and these were soon
exhausted-the demand far exceed
ing the supply. Hairpins, needles,
pins, scissors, combs, etc, brought
fancy prices. In January, 1865, a
common gutta-percha tuck-comb bought
to order in Wilmington, N. c., cost
fifty dollars-equal to one dollar and a
quarter in gold-at which price the pur-
chaser was glad to obtain it, Richmond
and Charleston having been previously
ransacked in vain in search for one. A
great deal of smuggling was carried on
across the border, principally by women
and the stores brought by the suffers in
the federal army were some small com
pensatiou to even the most rebelliout
women for the presence of the army
under whose shadow they came. Quilted
petticoats were the fashion then, as now
and many of them were made to order
for smuggling purposes. In one the fill
ing was skeins of sewing silk, in another
papers of quinine, and 30 on with
everything that could be crowded into
small compass. Ladies came through
the lines under the flag of truce, were
vigorously searched; nevertheless, a great
deal that was contraband Of war came
through with them. A school girl &C.
quaintance of the writer displayed much
ingenuity Oh such an occasion. "I
brought my waterfall cushion full OF
morphine to DIR. -" she said.
The morphine was in tissue paper; over
that laid dark cotton batting, and over
that curled hair in an invisible net.
They made me take down my hair and
shake it out. Miss Kerr carried dis.
patches to to Beauregard in hers, you
knew. l tell you, though, vas scared
when the woman who searched me ran q
hairpin through the cushion. / had dis
patches, too, on thin paper, folded and
sewed into pocket pin-cushion. but as
they we're written with invisible ink,
and / had taken care to soil the cushion.
/ didn't feel frightened about them. 1t
was risk. though, for if they had found
them, l should have been sent to the Old
Capital Prison"