The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-28

Mr.. Fl. Y. Redfeld, who is one of the
NEST carsfuI and observant correspon..
dents in the country, has just contributed
s q paper to the Philadelphia Weekly
Times, that produces peculiar interest
and Specification between two tlres.
Mr.. Redfeld was during the war
strict non-combatant. He was Quaker.
( Ike in lis love of. peace, and pursued
his inoffensiye business with a mildly
and beaming eye. He was situated on
contested ground; just between the union
and confederate armies. One day he was
surrounded by the yankees, and the next
day his placid and unrufied face beamed
IKE full moon, from the midst OF an
angry rebel host.
it thus happened that Mr.. Red6eld,
vino was clipping piece Of non-explo-
siye calico, or weighing pound of tea,
would observe things closely out of the
tail Of his peaceful eye, had q capital
opportunity of noting the characteristics
of the two armies.
His impressions gained, while engaged
in the bloodlegs business of keeping store
between lines, bic has put into print.
The points that he makes furnish many
reasons for the defeat of the confederate
arms.
&, The first point of difference between
( the armies was the disparity in. equip
ments. The northern soldiers had the
very best of clothing that money could
buy or;the markets of the world furnish.
They had splendid double oyercoats, oil
cloth coverings, and perfect guns and
accoutrements. Their wagons and am
balances were superb, and remarkably
ailapted sfor rough campaigning. Their
zeafalry equipments were magnificent.
No army ever went to the feld better
equipped than the union army.
The confed0rates on the other hand
were shabbily and insuficiently. dressed.
They wore homespun mostly, and it was
of all colors. In one regiment OF cavalry,
Mr.. Redfeld hes seen four or five kinds
of rifles and shot guns, allsorts.o of sad;
dies, some with. rope stirrups, and many
fthem without blankets, in one regi-.
nent. ItNas really laugheble, he says.
The horses Bere poorly led and poorly
groonled, and tho men in q kalf freezing
and half starved condition.
l An even grearer difference was obsery--
able in the supply Of food that was served
to the two armies. The federals always
had full rations Of beet, pork, coffee, salt,
bread and beans. Their articles were of
the best quality, and the regiments pro-
yided with such convenient cooking uten-
sils that they were able to prepare it
appetizingly. They never anfered from
hunger or poor ratioos. !:
The confederates on the other hand
had scanty ard poor eating. They had
virtually no cooking utf lsils, and the
poor food that they hs was miserably
cooked. SIn the, spfsng Of 1878 Mr.. Red
field spent few days III the camp of the
confederate regiment and found that they
had nothing for rations but beef and
-four. There was not even an ounce of
salt. { The bread Was literally nothing
1 but dour and water. It was bsked in
pans and tue beef vas roasted on stick.
Mr.. Red6eld states seriously that the
abundance of coffee was WORTH thousands
of soldiers to, the union side. 1t was
! fine recruiting power in the border
, states. He tells OF q father and two sons
who fought for Q year, or two with the
copfederates. They were then captured
and paroled. One. day the sons went
down to the federal camp, and were
treated to some fine coffee. They be-
came 30 fond Of it that they finally
joinedst the fesierals, Just to be able to get
plenty Of It. The father followed very
soon to get his sons out'of "ths disgrace.
full scfape, y and wound up by yielding
dsis ratriotism captive to the coffee, just
as they had done.
It Is Amazing that the southern armies,
composed for the most part of men used
70. bountiful living and awarm climate,
could have fought and marched, and suf-
fe.ed as they. did for FIVE loBg years amid
tie mountains of Tennessee and Virginia.
Their soldier-lite was heroism, even if
there had been no battles. It,required
more courage and patriotism to suffer,
Z and endure, and starye, than. it did to
fight
One Of the most important differences
that cursobseryant noted vas the disci-
piine that was so much more perfect in
the northern thaa the southern army.
In the fofmere:he discipline was perfect
from theIfirst The officers were supreme
inSthe federal army. They were obeyed
implicitly aud with non questioning
promptnesD. The case was different with
the southerners. q There, was. more indi-
yiduality among these soldiers. Almost
every man had high ideas of personal
iigrity and independence. The most of
them considered themselves the equals,
many of them the superiors, Of their OIL
cers. The most of the companies were
made up in towns or villages in which
all the men we're acquainted with each
other. It thus happened that a lot of
local prejudices and spites were banded
together in each company and carried all
through the war. -..~-,
s-lar.I IRedfcld noticed % great deal Of
etalking back" on the part Of our men To
their officers, and a good many high
strung prixates5a offered to lick the officers
that gave them commands they didn't
like. The standing of the individual
confederate soldier was much higher
.lsoeially speakipg) than that of the
northern. This Of itself made them un-
ruly at first.
"a Mf. sRedfeld says there was much
greater disposition on the part of the
confederates to put all the blame OF a
defeat on their officers than there was on
the other side. In short, the federals
were more like regulars, the confederates
moro ike volunteers [; the one were ma
chines,n the others men,
u Orr obseryars says that one of the
most notable points of difference between
The two armies was the manner in which
the federals "bnmmed" and played tho
yandal, while the southerners didn't-bum
and played the gentleman.
He says the southerners did no stealing.
The rights of property in the country
through which they marched were sacred:
They did not steal. except in unusual
cases, and even chickens might roost in
safety on the edge of their camps. MIR.
Redfeld says that "he is constrained to
confess, Though why he does it under
constraint we can't imagine, that at the