The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-03-23
CONFEDERATE CAMPFIRE
.,nrER LIFE DURING THE WAR.
s.epiacent Entertainment for the Benefit
of the soldiers and Sailors Monument
fand-Ablc Address by Mr.. Koyah'

... bnt not one has been given IN Rich
.5 that was greater success OF received
moro genuine pleasure than the benefit
~. the private soldiers monument at the
~t..i-e last evening The audience IN quality
,srttv WAS superb Tho entire main
s.. capacity was reserved beforehan
"a when the curtain rose on Con
',,-..e campfire scene a splendid house
su Not only the elite and refinement
s|.e.tv were present but there were no
v..lte in the audience large number Of
'r.-r ladies whose faces are rarely seen in
go. They were those who experienced
h-f.res OF which the scene was an exponent
the, were vividlv reminded OF the suffer
~. sr1 ihe sentiments of that period.
'1l, STAGE was draped with the Stars and
r.-. snd % Confederate camp with tent and
...,os M gray was presented In a lifelike
-..ranl ihe old Confederate Songs were
81. ia way that they have not been heard
,.,e f.c day OF Stuart. Garry Me Back,
sr.rr BoiI.' Annie of the Vale" Bonnie
me ac and other songs were splenddiy
,,-isred by Mcssrs. Frank ". Cunningham.
r-.-a Hotchkiss. Polk Miller. Ashton Starke.
ozone. Cowardin and others. supported by
a. ee.ant chorus.
NIB. KOYALI's ADDRESS.
lowing this Mr.. William L. Royal was
i-t-a.lced TO the audience by Mr.. d. e..
T.Ls-.son in most graceful terms as typi-
.. gr yate soldier OF the Confederate army
4, whose life and "reminiscences be was 10
s.eaA
s.fnr personals incidents. pathetic occur
,.ree, and funny happenings OF which the
hl0wrg meagro synopsis gives but little
,5ea Mr. Royal. SAID IN beginning;
sometimes question IN my own mind
rrether there was any occasion for our war.
shari 20 say, now, what ought 10 have
Son done. Certainly. those O. Us who fought
ro.t knew very little of what we We're night
ur1h.ut j know very wei. that so far as
~e..f was concerned knew very little Of
renat.cr and just went along with the
'-.aa $50 90 apeak. With me. the upper
-.a.t lea was that the Yankees wanted 10
thrash us. and That we didn't intend % be
frl-hei. and were gong 20 fght 1t out with
,lem before We would submit to being
t1fa--ed
Ii It. was necessary that there should be
49, then j insist thar our political leaders
should have made some preparations for it
faf0ra we were thrust into II. yet absolutely
none WA. made. We were fastened into 1t
esabs1uteiy unprepared as was Othello when
g. exclaimed Release me, or naked as 1 am
Iv.. assault thee
We bad literally TO take from the enemy the
arms and ammunition with which We thrash
81 him in hun dred engagements. ] believe
twau.d be safe % say that at the end OF the
vsr rs peg cent of the artillery of the Army
q. Northern Virginia was cannon captured
from the enemy. believe II would be safe 10
cav that 0ne-ha!f OF the ammunition fired by
'f4 Army OF Northern Virginia was captured
r.u the enemy And when that furnished
ir tie Confederate authorities was used. 1t
vss 30 bad that there WAS no counting upon
Ola results.
When my regiment was first formed. which
VI. 10 the spring OF 1917. two companies, II
and O.. had Sharps carbines. The other
gnt companies were given sabTes, ard some
u the men had pistols their own private
property. A number of tie men had double
larreled shot-guns. which they had brought
ir1m home: but even If these were worth
ANYTHING in modern warfare. which they
we're not. they had 10 ammunition for them;
SO that. with the exception of Companies IL
and q and the sh0t-guns and the few pri-
vlte pistols. we had nothing whatever but
sorss and even these We're worthless
IreTenlcr that we were one dav. IN the
ear.v summer Of lSa2. standing IN the road
JUST outside of Richmond. near the Chlcka-
l0muv river. when u cOmrade bantered me
10 see which could cut of the largest twig
w.tla sabre blow. ! struck one rs hard rs
could and my sabre blade broke Oh az the
llt Pretty soon We We're dismOunted and
r.t iu skirmish formation 10 drive the ! an
tees ont az a piece OF woods some TWO or
three hundred yards away. and | marched
through those woods with no weapon but
tlst sabre nit. Fortunately there were no
Yankees there but / have often wondered
what would have done II had encountered
Yankee armed with a Springfield musket.
Twill describe one family as typical Of all,
lll take my own because / know the facts
connected with IL.
Row. what was the sentiment Of this family
t0out the war IL was thatmy brother George
Sll.dv lunteer 40 once, and he did so as prl-
yste lu the Eleventh Nirglniaintantry. and was
ID in the second battle OF Manassas. II
was % subject OF debate whether ! should VOL
unteer before / was seventeen, but as soon as
t.at period arrived all were agreed that /
should 90 too. IN tins describing my family
arl the sentiments prevailing IN 1t have de-
scrbed all the other families. The war came
on and these families came to learn and know
lg sctual experience its dreadful privatiOns
aud distresses. Nv own home was IN a
district always occupied by one army or the
other The county was Genuded of all farm
Ing stock and grain. The negroes all went TO
tie ankees leaving the ladies TO do all the
homework. ] was az home IN the winter OF
l-. aud found my mother and sisters doing
tier own cooking and washing, and the sup
py of food % cook was most precautions.
Now 10 is interesting to inquire whether
tla spirit of the people changed under their
Trials. / can unnesltatingy say that 1t did
lot They bore up under their trials with ut
e finch. They had but one opinion touch
ing the war. which was that 1t should be con-
tlued 20 the end. and they never ques-
toned for moment that We were going 10
VIII .n the end.
In March. 1862 as a boy Of seventeen.
volunteered in Company 4, Ninth Virginia
cavalry. Very few boys Of seventeen failed
O. volunteer IN the spring of 1862. | left
home on an ambline palfrey that had been
my others riding horse, an extra shirt and
q small gourd to darn socks on. IN my de-
ceased fathers old saddle-hags, with great
confidence that one SOutherner could whip
dozen Yankees. and with Astounding conceit
aud plentiful lack of knowledge Of
ts bullets and rough experiences be-
fore me- The greater part Of my
regiment was stationed at Stafford Court
house We stayed there two or thres weeks,
sud there first learned something OF the
DE Of a private in the field. II rained iDces-
sanity al the time, and we bad no tents. We
bad % pend the whole time IN the open air.
ve. 90 the skin. don't see now why II did
L9i kiil u all.
One day was ordered to report at brigade
Head uarters The brigade was then. aud A.
Nas afterwards until he was killed. under
Command of that gallant soldier Colonel
tlamDiss. II tho Thirteenth. ! was born