The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-08-21
r rHE FEnERAL HEpouARTERs.

the utmost courtesy. Between tWO Hles
of soldiers with fixed hayonets to pre-.
serve order, we we're politely conducted
by an officer to the official who was busi-
ly engaged in making out such papers as
we were in quest Of There we had to
await our turn, and meanwhile, turning
to an officer writing at table, l asked if
be would be kind enough to inform me
how long it would be before postal COM
munication with the North would be
open to the public, as | was very anxious
to communicate with friends there.
"It will probably be four or five days.
but take your seat here, Miss" offering
me a chair, pen and paper, ''and write
your letter, and / will not only see that
it is sent Immediately, but you shall re-
ceive the reply promptly. Tell your
correspondent to direct to care of Major
-"
With sincere gratitude accepted his
kind offer, and wrote my letter, which |
remember was in these words:
"Fannie is very i'll, but we are more
comfortable than we could have expected
under the circumstances. Write imme
diately, care of -"
Then handing the pen to my gallant
enemy (?) I asked him: "Will you be
kind enough to read that letter and add
your address?" He look the letter, but
without reading it wrote his address and
sealed it. I have always been sorry that,
in the excitement of the moment, fail.
ed to take particular note of his name,
and only remember that it struck me as
being German; but should this by chance
ever meet his eye he will please hereby
accept my grateful acknowledgment of
the courtesy and of the true gentlemanly
delicacy with which it was extended-an
acknowledgment not the less sincere that
it has been eighteen years delayed i'll the
expression. But should my friend, Ma
jor -, never see this, yet if it ever
happens to come under the notice of any
other Federal officer or soldier who did
one deed of kindness to any Virginia
woman in that her dark hour of need, I
beg that he will accept my thanks in her
behalf. Here let me say, and be it ever
spoken to the honor of the American
flag, that, so far as I know, the triumphal
entry of the Federal army into Rich
mond was not disgraced by one deed of
insult or oppression to any woman, or
indeed to any citizen. All their efforts
seem to have been directed toward con
ciliation, and to bringing order out Of
chaos, afording protection to person and
property, and eDdeayoring to relieve, as
far as possible, the want and suffering
which they found here; and l have never
heard an opinion contrary to this ex.
pressed by single person who remained
in the city after they came.
But to return to the provost marshais
cfhce. In q short time our protection
paper was handed us, which forbid any
enc entering the premises on pain of
DEATH" and authorizing the guard to
shoot any person thus trespassiug. Seiz.
ing the precious document we FASTENED
home, feeling much relieved that we had
succeeded in "belling the cat" though
the sequel led us to think there had
really been no need for any such precau'
ton.
Immediately on the occupation of the
city rations were issued by the Federal
commander to such as needed them, and
few there were who did not. Most per-
sons had invested all their available
means in Confederate bonds. My sister
and then had our little all lying in our
trunks in Confederate promises to pay,"
representing ostensibly many thousands
of dollars, but now worthless as so much
waste paper, and our only available cash
silver half. dime, worn for many years
az memento, which we now spent for
medicine. In this state of things it is
not surprising that even ladies reared in
ease and luxury DOW crowded to the
ration Office to get their allotted portion
of Goldfish, fat pork and yellow L,oal, for
this was all there was between them and
starvation. The scene which the artist
Rogers has perpetuated in marble OF
"drawing rations" is no fancy sketch, for
I saw the counterpart of it when, with
little Lettie to carry the basket, l made
my way through the hungry throng with
mingled feelings of gratitude and humilia'
ton to receive our share. Though we
knew our army had been defeated and
was retreating we knew not whittier,
yet hope still tlickered in our hearts, for
we thought possibly Gen. Lee might be
able to make stand at some point
further South, and our Confederacy yet
take place among the nations of the
earth.
GEN. LEES SURRENDER.
This continued till on the mig ght of Sun.
day, April 8, we were sitting in our dimly
lighted chamber, for the destruction OF
the gaspipes in the great conhagration
had found us unprepared for the emer:
gency and now the only means we had
Of producing light was by putting cot
ton string into cup of lard, thanks to
my foraging party we still had lard) and
setting fire to it; but this dim taper in
our large room only served to make dark
ness visible. The hour of our evening
devotions drew nigh, the time when our
thoughts were wont to turn with peculiar
tenderness toward our dear wanderers
about whose fate we were still in palnfr
suspense. We were sitting in silence
onr thoughts busy with our loved ones
when the stiffness of the night was bro
ken by the boom of a cannon, FOLLOWED
in quick succession by number OF othel
reports. Volumes of surmises rapidly
chased each other through our brains
"Was Gen. Lee returning to recapturt
the city ?" "Was Mosby coming 2
nyVou thorn riot pninp on which they