The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-06-09
Suffering in the South.

you may nave loSt money sotbe
surely did lose husbands. sons, broth
ers or relatives of some degree; but
none of you suffered the pangs Of
hunger, as we did"
ST have heard there YVES much pri-
walton, but suppose we could not
realize it from mere description"
"Bless you, no. AS the blockade
grew tighter and tighter it was as
though bandage was being tied
closer and closer around the neck of
each one of us poor jewellers in the
south. That cut off our Iuxuries that
had almost become necessities so
much had they become the cOmpo-
nent parts of our every day meals.
Oh, how | have sighed for cup of
real coffee, after drinking decoctions
of burnt rye or potatoes. And l used
to dream how fragrant cup of real
simon pure tea would be, after sip
ping for months vile decoctions of
sassafras."
1.-THE army in the field also deple-
ted the land and drew away not only
provisions, but the men that might
have replenished the storehouses and
larders by supervising the work in
the fields. The slaves were wonder
fully loyal to their masters house
holds while the masters were away
fighting. They worked faithfully,
but they could not work as under
standingly as when they were direc-
ted by their old employers. So the
field crops were not as large as usual,
And it had always been the curse of
the south that IL devoted so large
share of its energies to raising cotton.
The Egypt of the south, Hyde cOun-
ty, in North Carolina, was as fertile
as ever, and its stalks of corn grew,
as usual. so tall that they would hide
a man on horseback if he penetrated
half dozen rows into their waving
mass but the army of Virginia drew
largely from that granary, leaving
less for the consumption of the people.
II remember that when Sherman's
army came along many persons, once
wealthy and who meyer knew want,
watched till the cavalry horses had
left their feeding troughs and then
went and picked up the grains of
corn the horses had wasted"
"What was the article whose loss
troubled you most ?"
"Salt. 1t grew scarcer and scarcer.
After while we boiled the bags in
which bacon had been shipped and
the coverings of the hams. Then,
after that supply was exhausted, the
ground under the smoke houses was
dug up and mixed with water in
huge caldrons, and roaring fires were
set going. AS the water dubbed up
under the fierce heat, we skinned
the salt from the surface. Doubtless
much sickness was chargeable to the
lack of salt. which could not be pro-
cured for love or money"
Ibid anybody absolutely starve?"
II never saw any statement that
anybody actually died in the south
for lack of food, but many came very
near it, One case that came under
my own observation was particularly
sad. One lady, with her daughter
and two little boys, were left alone
upon farm of $50 acres, the father
being absent with the army. The
confederate currency had become al
most worthless, its purchasing power
being so diminished that / saw $50
900 given for an old horse. This
family had eaten everything there
was on the farm except one old hen
that had escaped the raid of the for
aging soldiers by running under the
barn. A little corn that had been
hidden in the boarding of the barn
had at last given out, and the old
hen was killed and cooked. There
was no salt or pepper with which to
season it, but it was set upon the Ia
BILE for what seemed to be the last
meal the family would ever cal, when
the door was burst open and party
of camp followers swept the fowl
from the table and tore it limb from
limb. A kind-hearted federal officer
came along shortly after and gave
the poor woman some rations. Had
1t not been for his providential APP
pearance she and her little ones must
have starved"
"Then it is probable you would not
like to participate in another war ?"
mo. no. We've had enough of
war, 1t is the most horrid curse that
ever afflicted the earth !"
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