1862.] CONFEDERATE WANTS. 301 had depended on Europe and on the Northern States for manufactured articles. They therefore felt greatly the need of such useful things as cloth, leather, and paper. All sorts of ways were devised to supply these. Old-fashioned looms were set up and ladies wove homespun cloths in their homes. Cotton cloths were easily made, but wool was scarce, and the fur of rabbits and other animals was sometimes used instead of it. A lady in South Carolina made very handsome cloths, says a Charleston newspaper, with a warp of cotton and a woof or filling of rabbit's or of coon's fur. Leather is hard to make, requiring skill and time, so the people set about finding substitutes for it. A Savannah newspaper of the time says: "It is only by custom and convenience that we are confined to leather in the making of our shoes. Any substance which will exclude water and which will endure the rubs and thumps given by the foot will do for shoes. A hatter can make an excellent shoe out of the same felt and by the same process which he uses in making hats; using one other mould and some waterproof mixture in the sole to keep out the wet." It then goes on to show how a farmer may make very good shoes out of an old wool hat, and how soft shoes for a lady may be made out of a pair of squirrel-skins. It suggests, too, that a coarse linen called osnaburg may be prepared for upper leathers by boiling it in linseed oil and wax, and then blackening it, and that good soles may be made out of old saddle-skirts, leather machine-belts, or double thicknesses of heavy cloth, with thin pieces of white oak or hickory or of birch bark between them. A factory for making wooden shoes was opened in Raleigh, North Carolina, the soles being made of gum or poplar wood and the uppers of leather. Paper, too, was very difficult to get. As soon as the stock on hand was used up, efforts were made to manufacture it; but only a very poor kind was made at first, the color of which soon changed to a splotchy gray, much like mildewed paper. People had to use for letter-writing common brown paper and wallpaper, and even newspapers were printed on straw paper and paper hangings. Some of the books published in the South during the war are curiosities of literature; but they were considered at the time very creditable specimens of home-made work. They were sold at very high prices, but such was the demand for them that the few booksellers could not keep a suf ficient supply. The general price was $5, Confederate money, a volume. The Confederate Government had then issued so much paper money that a dollar could be exchanged for only ten cents in gold, but as it was the only money to be had it was taken freely by everybody and so was really worth a little more than that. Wood could be bought for $15 a cord, and almost everybody could keep warm. Turkeys were $10 to $12 a piece, so that all but the very poor had their Christmas feast that year; but luxuries were very high and only the wealthiest could afford wines. Home-made liquors, such as apple, peach, and blackberry brandies, sold for $30 a gallon. Fire-crackers, which every Southern boy expected at Christmas, were worth $5 a pack, so many of the children had to go without. That Christmas was an unfortunate one also for the colored people. They had always been accustomed to look forward to the holiday season-the week between Christmas and New Year's as an exceptional time, when they were free to do as they pleased. On Christmas morning it had been their wont to go to Massa's or Missus's house for their "Chris'mus gifs," which had been duly provided in every household, and which were given out with a lavish hand amid the smiles and thanks of Uncle Ned and Aunt Dinah. But this year, for the first time, few presents were made, for Uncle Ned's shoes had to go to the soldiers and Dinah's head handkerchief- the gay striped or plaided handkerchief which the Southern negroes so loved to bind round their hairwas missing, for none could be bought in the Confederacy. Indeed, the Christmas of 1862 was a homemade holiday in the Confederacy, and was enlivened by few of the comforts to NEWSPAPER BOAT. which the people had been accustomed. But worse was in store for them, and in the two following years they learned to look back upon it with something of pleasure, as a time when 1862.] PICKET TALKS. 303 they had no thought of being reduced to the straits with which they had then grown sadly familiar. During most of the time when the two armies thus lay with only the river between them, the pickets talked freely with each other while watching along the banks. They also exchanged newspapers and other things, sending them across on little boats with paper sails, and sometimes even made visits. One day a Confederate hailed some Union pickets from across the river: "I say, Yanks, if a fellow goes over there will you let him come back again?" The Union men answered "Yes," and he proceeded to paddle himself across on a log. In reply to a question, he said he belonged to the "Georgia Legion." One of the pickets said, "I met quite a number of your boys at South Mountain." "I suppose so, if you were there," replied the Confederate, his face growing very sad. "We left many of our boys there, among them my poor brother Will. It was a very hot place for a while, and we had to leave it in a hurry.” "That's so, Georgia, your fellows fought well there, but the Keystone boys pressed you hard. By the way, I have a likeness here" (taking it out of his pocket) "that I picked up the next morning. I have carried it ever since. You may know something about it." He handed the picture to the Confederate, who, as soon as he glanced at it, pressed it to his lips, exclaiming, "My mother! my mother!" When he had recovered from his emotion he said that his brother had the picture and must have lost it in the fight. He then asked the name of the Union man who had so kindly given him his mother's picture, saying: "There may be better times soon, and we may know each other better." He took from his pocket a small Bible in which to write the address, when another of the Union men, who had not before said anything, cried out, "Let me see that book! It looks like one I lost at Bull Run!" "There's where I got it, Mr. Yank," said the Confederate, as he handed it to the speaker. The Union man hastily opened it and read on the fly-leaf: "My Christmas gift to Alex. Ella." "Ah!" said he, "if I could only see the giver of that book to-day, there's but one other gift I would want." "What's that, Alex. ?" asked one of his comrades. "The rebellion played out and my discharge in my pocket." Just then a horseman was seen coming and the Confederate paddled himself back across the river, for the Union pickets had been ordered not to talk with those on the other side. But this order was hard to obey, and when there were no officers in sight the men daily called out to each other, cracked jokes, and even met half way to exchange tobacco, coffee, and other soldiers' necessities. "How are you, Rebs?" called out a Union picket one cold morning, as he blew his fingers to keep them warm. "Oh! not very well to-day," was the reply. "We have suffered an awful loss. Jackson has resigned." "Jackson resigned!" cried the astonished Yankee. "Why, how was that?" "They removed his commissary-general* and he wouldn't stand it; so he resigned." "His commissary-general? Who was he?" "Banks," was the answer. The Union picket felt the sarcasm, for it was a common joke among the Confederates that Jackson captured all his supplies from Banks, and he turned away and asked no more questions. A commissary-general is the officer having general charge of providing troops with provisions, clothing, tents, etc. CHAPTER XXVI. BRAGG IN KENTUCKY.-MURFREESBORO. GRANT AND SHERMAN.-GRANT AGAIN IN COMMAND.-SHERMAN'S COTTON MONEY.-GENERAL BRAGG SUCCEEDS BEAUREGARD.-MORGAN'S RAID INTO KENTUCKY.-FOREST IN TENNESSEE.-KIRBY SMITH ENTERS KENTUCKY.-BATTLE OF RICHMOND.-BRAGG CAPTURES UNION TROOPS AT MUMFORDSVILLE.-A LONG WAGON TRAIN.-BUELL MARCHES AGAINST BRAGG. BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE. BRAGG RETREATS INTO TENNESSEE.-ROSECRANS SUCCEEDS BUELL.-BATTLE OF IUKA. VAN DORN ATTACKS CORINTH.-DEFEATED BY ROSECRANS.PEMBERTON SUCCEEDS VAN DORN.-BRAGG AT MURFREESBORO.-PRESIDENT DAVIS'S VISIT. -COWARDLY SOLDIERS.-THE BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO.-BRAGG'S RETREAT. E left General Halleck at Corinth, which place he had entered May 30, 1862, after its evacuation by General Beauregard. General Halleck did not follow Beauregard, who had taken a new position at Tupelo, in Mississippi, but soon scattered his army in various directions. General Sherman, who was then in General Thomas's division, thinks that this army was one of the best we ever had, and that Halleck might easily have marched it to Mobile or to Vicksburg and solved with it the whole question of the war in the Mississippi Valley. He thinks that it was Halleck's plan to make a forward campaign with it, but that he was prevented by interference from Washington. However this may have been, General Pope was called to Washington, General Buell was sent with the army of the Ohio toward Chattanooga, General Thomas being sent with him, and General McClernand was ordered to move toward Memphis. About this time General Grant, who had become tired of his position, asked for thirty days' leave of absence, which was given him. General Sherman, who knew that he was chafing under Halleck's slights, called on him and found him all ready for a start. He asked him why he was going away. "Sherman, you know," replied Grant. "You know that I am in the way here. I have stood it as long as I can, and can endure it no longer." "Where are you going to?" asked Sherman. "St. Louis." "Have you any business there?" "Not a bit." |