The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-04-01

vidual soldier until either q receipt appeared
for its transfer TO prison officials or IL was
found in the safe wrapped in small rolls OF
paper marked with the name and regiment
OF the soldier. The commission, on the
conclusion Of It's laboIs, reported that they
not only found no ground for charges
against the accused, but that they
found the accounts OF prisoners kept
as carefully and scrupulously as could
have been done II they had been
In charge Of one Of our own officers.
On this finding General Terry. who had
then succeeded TO the command. ordered
the immediate release OF the parties, and
that they be furnished with copies Of the
findings OF the commission. completely ex-
! onerating them from the charges that had
been supposed 10 exist against them. have
yentured TO give this extended outline Of
this case in simple justice to the gentlemen
involved ana for the information OF those
prisoners who have never heard the result
OF the investigation.
RICHMOND PEOPLE.
= In Richmond the people behaved
with becoming reserve and dignity; they
! did not affect a cOrdiality they did not feel,
nor, on the other hand, did they exhibit
any feeling OF resentment or dislike. In
my own experience | never saw or felt the
slightest intimation OF rudenoss or attemptt d
insult. and heard Of but very few cases
/ that could be construed rs approaching
either. When brought into immediate
! official contact with the people |
/ found them reasonable, courteous, and
desirouS of submitting 10 or cooperating
with every measure necessary 10 good gov
ernment. | rode through the State for sew
cral weeks. accompanied only 'ya mounted
/ orderly. aud never failed TO receive the ira-
di,lonal hospitality Of Virginia. | never
! hc>itated 10 apply for shelter, and II was
always cordially given, aud dullnc the
whole trip did not hear an unpleasant word.
have been so frequently questioned IN
regard 10 the feelings Of the people and their
attitude toward Federal soldiers and north
crn people that there appears TO me to be
an almost morbid senSitiveness IN regard 10
/ ii. | have always replied that these p,o-
ple were human beings, with human hearts
and human impulses. and that they felt and
behaved just a. imagine YOU or | would
have done under similar circumstances.
There was OF course social reserve, and II
would either have been hypc crisy or dis
credit to human nature if there had not
been. Probably there would have been So
ci4l reserve and ill-ftellng in Boston II 1t
had been occupied by a Confederate AMY
and Confederate officers had sat in the
State-House and City Hall administering
the government; probably very few
would have been invited to visit the fami'
lies OF her stricken citizens or adj
mitted TO the intimacy Of their treside> ;
possibly some spirited young Boston Ia
dies would have crossed the street 10
avoid passing under Confederate flag or TO
show their contempt for some di>hin@ on
federate officer. such things are OF human
nature, and il is poor fool who fails "a
a,cribe them to their proper cause or tru>'
10 time 10 cradiclte their haIshnes>. Preiu'
dicCs Weld more quickly TO proper appre'
citation of their causes than TO denuncia'ion
or counter preiudices.
Subsequent to the period Of which am
writing The growth Of good feeling. whcl
WIS beginning TO be very evident, wa
checked bv political reconstruction. But
even during that period Virginia suffered
less, her people were more practical, anC
the State emerged from the ordeal IN better
condition than any OF her sister states.