The Portland daily press., 1898-04-16
WAR TIME SUFFERING.
The Experiences of the Confederate
Capital.
(Richmond Dispatch

(Richmond Dispatch
Richmond, Va. March "a. 1885,
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
In discussion tonight with an old Rich
mond gentleman who is violently opposed
to war with Spain-he may have Spanish
blood in his veins-he declared, in the
presence of other gentlemen, that during
our civil war ne saw as much suffering
in Richomnd as he has seen described in
Cuba, and that many women and chill,
dren, starved to death in Richmond dur
ing that time. 1 denied the statement,
because I was in position to know that it
was not true that any one starved to
deathssin Richmond, SO far as was known.
Kindly in your Sunday edition. give
this your attention, for the benefit of
those who heard the statement.
Truly yours,
r. +. W.
So far as we know, there were no
deaths here during the war from starya-
ton, but the suffering of the poor people
must have been very great. At times it
was necessary for the city government to
make extraordinary appropriations for
the support of soldiers families and the
other outdoor poor. The Confederacy,
too, upon occasions, sold to the people
provisions..at cost price, in order to stave
of starvation. 1t must be remembered
that Richmond had not only her own
population to provide for, but the thou
sands of others who were called refugees
and who had fed from their homes upon
the approach of the Federal army. When
ever cavalry raids were made in the
vicinity of Richmond, the refugees were
largely increased in number, many of the
farmers DESERVING their homes and bring
ing here their families, slaves, horses and
and often very scarce. The dependence of
the masses was chiefly upon corn meal,
bacon and pork, sorghum, black-eyed
peas. and rice. Sorghum was made
from cane grown in this section of Vir-
ginia and North Carolina and was re-
garded as very poor substitute for the
New Orleans and Porto Rico molasses
that we had hitherto been used to. The
meat, in considerable part, was what was
known as Nassau pork, but which is be-
loved to have been raised in Ohio and H.
ltnois and exported to England, whence
it was transported to Nassau and thence
pat upon blockade runner for Washing
ten, N. G.
AS for dried peas, tons of them were
consumed, where now hundred weights
ars used. Coffee being 5 great rarity,
parched peas, parohed meal, parohed pota-
TOYS, and parched grain Of various sorts
were used as substitutes, but OF all the
necesaries of life the dearest and scarcest
for several years was salt, the price of
this having risen at one time, accordin g
to our recollection, to $50 per pound. In
tbs later years of the war Stuart & Pal
mgr developed salt mine in Southwest
Virginia, and each city and county had
sontract with them for salt supplies,
which were sold to those who could pay
for them and given away to those who
could not
The scarcity and dearness of food in
Richmond led to the famous demonstra-
ton here, known as the bread riot.
On that occasion mob, consisting chiefly
OF women, but known to have been led by
men, assembled and looted great many
/
causing of course intense excitement and
commotion in the city. By order of the
Governor, the Public Guard was called
out to dispense the mob. This display OF
arms, together with speeches that were
made at various points by the President,
Mayor and Governor quelled the commo-
tion. A great deal has been written on
this subject since the war, but at the
time Richmond newspapers contained
very brief accounts of the occurrence, it
not being thought desirable to let the
soldiers know that their families were in
the straits which the organization OF this
mob would indicate. But the result OF
1t was that after this demonstrat1on-no
m after whether led by worthy or I'M
worthy persons; no matter whether just
lied by the existing condition OF things
or not better arrangements were made
for feeding the poorer classes OF our com.
munity.
Without a question, there must have
been very much suffering in Richmond,
but if it ever reached point where star
walton ensued, we have no recollection or
record of it. There was this difference
between the people in Richmond and the
reconcentrados in the Cuban towns. Our
refugees were people who fled from their
homes before the army invasion and de-
vastation: In many cases their dwell
| lings had been fired by the enemy, and
they took fight without either food or
clothing. The people of Richmond gave
them such welcome as they could, but
they were in no condition to extend a
generous hospitality. We have often
thought that the refugees must have had
a particularly hard time, and that there
was no class of our population whose
sufferings and patriotism more entitled
| them to credit than they.
| Now, the reconoentrados are not people
who fed into the arms of the Spanish,
but who were dragged into the Spanish
towns for fear that they, by remaining
upon their farms and culitvating theii
lands, would become spies and commits
sar1ats OF the insurgents. In the one case
the country people fled to friends; in the
other case they were dragged into the for
titled towns of their enemies, held there
as prisoners, and told to get their fooe
supplies wherever they could.