The Washington herald., 1914-06-26

at garden wells. the sight was dis
lquieting
In a few days the city was like a gar
rison town. The army had gone outside.
but officers and orderlies. Invalids. pris-
oners and wagoners, filled the streets.
Everybody was excited. The talk was
all Of the defense.
On the Sunday after Lees arrival.
writes Mrs. Pryor. the Presbyterian min
lister had gathered his little flock in the
church across the street from her home
the congregation was chiefly women
and children-and was reading his OPEN
Ing prayer. beginning with the words,
Almighty Father, we are assembled here
to worship Thee. in the presence OF our
enemies" when hiss filled the church,
like the hiss OF a great serpent and in
an instant a shell burst through the
wall.
There was a rush by the audience, and
the preacher stood alone In his pulpit,
with the shell, happily dormant. lying
harmless before him.
This was the first shell that had struck
In that part of the town, but II was
not long before the screaming, Kissing
proJectiles directed at the military store
houses and other buildings near the rail-
road were daily visitors.
Hospitality Under Fire.
/
in town under fire. the people of
Petersburg from long habit continued to
observe the social amenities Food was
not plenty, but hospitality was not
wanting
The white doors OF the fine old red
/ brick mansions In the better part Of the
town always stood open to the officers
Of Lees army. and those from distant
parts OF the South who could claim kin
I int artr. Nr-fN nF
householders was sure OF a warm wei
come. though the fare at dinner might
consist chiefly Of corn bread and bacon.
| In some Of these houses a little store
OF precious wine, a relic OF better days,
was preserved for special occasions
The diarist Of the Washington Artillery
recalled with pleasure thu hospitality Of
one of his fellow officers, Capt Andrew
Dunn. who delighted TO take as many
good fellows home TO dinner as he could
seat at table.
Dunn was one Of the few gentlemen"
he wrote, who had retained some of his
old wines, and II reminded me OF
Colonial times to see his venerable father,
who always occupied the head Of the
table, raise his straw-stemmed glass Of
Medeira and say. after the fashion of
an OLD Virginia gentleman: The pleasure
Of a glass of wine with you. sir Sir.
your health. you would reply, and toss
of the wine with an air Of such inno-
cence that no one would suppose you
had ever dallied with the beverage called
apple-jack in all your life
True hospitality was not confined to
guests in Petersburg. but was extended
also to many a poor fellow brought
wounded or a prisoner from the front
Mrs. Pryor tells OF five forlorn- looking
Federal soldiers who halted in her yard
and whose woe-begone air so worked
upon her sympathies that she caused her
last pail of meal to be baked into five
little loaves for their refreshment.
Contest of Endurance BcRun.
Outside Petersburg wars grim scenes
were taking on a definiteness of outline
which told that long and bitter contest
OF endurance had begun.
Daily the intrenchments grew in
strength and extended, and the men in
the ranks tried to make themselves COM
Portable in settling down to a tedious
task.
The soldiers Of both armies had built
for themselves shelters of pine boughs
to keep of the burning sun. A great
drouth had parched the country and dried
the brooks, and water was to be obtained
only by digging wells in the hard red
soil. The water from these was not in |
viting, but was found to be not unwhole-
some.
The whole face Of The country was deep |
In powdery dust, and the men in the |
trenches were smeared and caked with IL. |
Wherever troops moved their progress |
was marked by columns and clouds of |
dust.
The houses outside the hostile lines had |
been abandoned by their owners and were |
occupied by Federal officers. Here and !
there was a house that had been shat |
tered by shells. One such was the home |
Of o. P. Hare, on the east OF the city. |
where the fighting had begun on June Is
and had been very heavy on June IS
The soldiers had sacked II in a man
ner described by the historian of a Maine |
regiment: Mr.. o. P. Hare was not at /
home The men acquired some very |
elegant horse-trappings and equipments |
from his establishment His house and |
the adjacent buildings were completely |
rddled with shot and she'll His furniture |
was soon distributed along the works. /
Costly stuffed chairs and sofas of plush |
and damask furnished Yankee soldiers
luxuriant repose, aad a fine rosewood
piano, that had been played upon by a |
shell, was made to do duty as a portion |
Of the works We had thrown UP across |
his gardens"
Tomorrowi Battle OF Kenesaw Noun
tain
IoowHsht n1p \