The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-05
DeLon's Rccol'ections Of Social
Life in Old Town in
War Times.
BATTLE AT FRONT ROYAL
AS It Was Seen and Now De-
scribed By Virginia
Boy.

I SCTlDeQ by a virginia
Boy.
There do be men with livers SO mac
Of an old Confederate flag. There are
some SO progressive that they say the
old boys should quit this foolishness: -
that the times have outgrown the useful
ness of reunions of the vets. I am not
writing of you. sir; nor to you. am
writing a line to the old fellow (and
the young GRID who have heads and
hearts big enough to look back at the
past with a smile-of sympathy with its
nonsense. of pity for its pains.
1.-THE Old Town'-as the leaguered cap
6ital was pet-narled by the butternut
heroes who hold 1t for four years against
The men In blue, at Mr.. Mcclellans
house party "crost their chickefl1omnly. y
kept the days hot. until General Grant
invited ''Marse Robert to bigger spread
before Petersburg. But there are ten
thousand grnning and grizzled old Mum
chausens-every one with an Iron cross"
on his apel--whose mouths are watering
now at the June reunion. Every one Is
ready to -t
'.shouder, his crutch and show how fields
are won
and TO lay as low as Brer Rabbit anent
his share in losing any.
But the hot nights in Richmond were
different thing, Many is the grand
daddy of this century who recalls middle
days OF the last one, when he risked ex-
ira duty. '-totin' his saddle, and the
chance of being shot sometimes, to slip
into the old town ter warm" and as
various as the tastes OF the boys were
the sources of caloric Not infrequently.
alas, they were hidden in the dimple OF
the beverage that inebriated SO quickly
that 1t had no time to cheer Some
times. when the trust magnate of the
period had AIRY dollar In script" the
same melted into the .squar plate o.
grub" at the restaurant: topped off with
1ron-c,ad pie that had given an ortriGh
nervous dyspepsia. Right here 1t may
be cited that there was no absolutely
scientific strategist on the Federal side
during the war. Had there been, 1t had
never lasted four years. He would have
captured and analysed our pie; patented
its process and loaded every old suffer
wagon in the North with deaths allur-
Ing copartner'i--that particular pie. Left
In exposed potsxs everywhere. and cap
tured, these lad -done deadlier work than
raids and sieges. The only reason why
there are vets enough left to hold re-
unions today is that there wasn't enough
iron-clad pies to go round One true.
true story of Confederate loss and love
for pie!
when Magrrder's army fell back from
the Peninsula. gallant and jovial Jim
my Pegram Chen A. A. G.. on Ewe!fs
staff; later the most popular travelling
man invading New York ever sent down
ha 1, her ral ILL.,
ed my attention to a pathetic entity In
apparently last stages of collapse. He
was living on the roadside, yellow, con-
torted and faint; a victim to uncooked
corn or horse hoof' water. Pegram bent
ever him. ever sympathetic. and bit
clerical In tone. Cant l do something
for you. poor fellow"
The really i'll soldier turned away,
eroaning; "Lemme lone doan need
no rracts!' The officer stared then
chuckled as he said:
I'm not a chaplain. but TIL do any
thing 10 help YOU"
The others dull eye frightened: "Will |
yer true? Yer swar yer willf' Pegram
nodded assent. Then I doan need no |
prayin' fur; but brother Graves
pie
The hot times the young rollickers of |
better class risked SO much to warm up.
centered in those open doored and genial
homes that sheltered perhaps the pref
tiest-surely the tenderest most heroic
and most constant band OF girls-that
ever whirled IN waltz. backed thor
oughbred cross country. manufactured
impossible clothing. or bound the ban
dages about ghastly wounds, unshrinklna.
Merry were the dances, after picnic, or
riding party. In those fine old homes; al
first smart affairs, later more simple
onea; latest. when the foe and the wolf
had alike come 10 the door. merely the ]
famed STARVATION parties" Ask the first
I'D fellow with a bald mob and peg leg
you meet at a reunion what Richmond
srarvation party was like, AT them.
general and sub and private met on equal
grounds. drank muds2 James River water
FOR all refreshment, and danced with |
queens in homespun
Sometimes. when one younger sinner |
was flush, or had init blockaGer." there |
would come corrollary to the James
water; but always after the starvation
party broke up Johnny Reb was always
a Bayard TO his sweetheart
One eminently distinguished frolic of |
the night warming sci recurs 10 memory.
Paymaster had made his angel visit; the
blockader had been hit hard, and the
party went serenading. IN II were Off
cers, privates and at least one member
OF the Confederate Congress. Later ono
Northern daily: another high In the
church; one became millionaire banker.
one celebrated artist. and the rest
well, you may meet some OF them at
the reunion. When voices grew too thick
for song, the party took the town, Among
diversified sports. they pulled door bells
and bent them down for blocks. Then [