Telegram-herald., 1890-03-13
HARD TIMES N THE coNFsoeRAcY

Striking FteEars 81 tie E1hasste1 CoEs1i-
sissa sf ths frsoPs.
Il bis book. Rise and Fall u The Con
.etsrzts GOyeTaLnsnt," Mr.. DAVIS makes tas
EaSexns8- thai owing - a surplus Of cash
lagsed from preTsOas appropriations and on
RaGd Ia ths fAA Ok looa, ~ sPpEoyrlatioas
we're deemed nscessaTy ~ carry ta~ treasury
0ysr until the spEiag Of 1888 The matter Of
Aek Of supplies was investigated during
sae winter, and Ia secrsE szz-t-n " con-
Irsss at Richmond the following exhibit
wss made u the condsioa OF Lees sao-
nstence department: ''rhG. there is not
sleat enough in the Southern ConfedeFacy
Tor the armies IN the dad That there
: not in Virginia meat and bTsad euongh for
the armies within her limits That the sup
ply OF bread for those armies ~ DO obtained
trom other places depends absolutely upon
kseplng open ths railroad connections OF the
south.
That the meat must 10 obtained from
abroad through seaport That the trans
portation is not now adequate. from what
aver cause, 20 meet tho necessary demands OF
the service.
THAT the supply Of meat 10 Lees army Is
precarious, and Il the army fall back from
Richmond and Petersburg there Is every
probability that IL viii cease altogether"
The hard times I'm tho Confederocy were
known 20 every Union soldier ys6o came In
contact with the enemy on the Petersburg
lines. There was regular communication be-
tween the opposing pickets, and there was an
epidemic Of desertlons from the Confaderate
ranks, which alone would have encouraged
the Union TROOPS 20 bolieve that the bottom
was dropping out Of the Confederacy. The
stories which these men told Of the state Of
Affairs In Dixie more than confirmed the sus-
picions that were awakened by their action
| In desertlng their colors Their stories briefly
were that the whole population OF the south
had given up al hope OF success and wanted
the end 10 come soon; that only the leaders
who feared for their heads were holding
out; that the friends Of the soldiers in
the field encouraged them 70 desert,
and that al of them would desert
as soon as opportunity offered, except prop
erty owners; that the property of deserters
was conhscated and their families turned
/ adrift; that men who remained in the ranks
| would not fight any more, and that all Of the
| firing. or nearly all on the picket line was
| done under the orders and direction of the
! officers. and they IN some cases handled the
/ guns themselves; that many soldiers when
! compelled 10 shoot were careful not TO hit the
target. They laid great stress upon the fact
/ that the southerners would not fight again.
! Circumstances might compel them To remain
IN the ranks, but nothing could induce them
70 do battle with their old time ardor. The
condition Of the n1on who came into the
Union camps as deserters attested the truth
of au that was told over the lines of the for
/ lorn aspect OF things IN Lees camps A de-
/ serterAs first act on finding himself in the
! hands Of the enemy was 20 appeal for food
/ Occasionally they were too modest to throw
themselves boldly upon the mercy of an an
/ tagonIst, but tnsr famished faces, and their
/ hungry eyes, wandering wistfully TO the
/ camp chests and sometimes resting upon
/ refuse bone, led their captors TO offer food
the moment they had secured their prisoners
1 Often these men were barefoot and some of
them had worn their trousers legs of haH
way up TO the knees. Such absolute distress
among so large a number Of men is seldom
witnessed And this was not confined to the
! men who came in as deserserS Every night
! Confederates came 10 the Union camps, wad-
ing through swamps and risking their lives
where the pickets' bCl.ts few, in order to
get bread anu 1aeSs =. their generous
foernen kindly gave s~s Of an abundance
! George L Kilmer.