| From the Southern Confederacy (Atlanta,
Ga.) |
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| February 9, 1862 |
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| Army Correspondence |
| Of the Savannah Republican |
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| Richmond, Jan. 31, 1862 |
| On my return to this city, I
noticed what appeared to be a large pile of soldiers' boxes at the
depot in Wilmington, N. C. There seemed to be several hundred of them
piled up under a shed. There were several volunteers on the train,
returning from a short visit to their homes -- some of whom were bound
to Norfolk, some to Yorktown, and others to Manassas and Winchester. I
overheard enough of their conversation to learn how it was that so
many boxes belonging to soldiers had been left at Wilmington. |
| Upon the arrival of the train
at Wilmington, which is after midnight, the soldier who has been
working and struggling along the route to get his box through, is
informed that it is impossible for it to go forward then, but that it
will be sent on by the next train -- say the following day. The box
contains such supplies of food and clothing as loving hands at home
have prepared for him. His furlough will soon expire, and his stock of
money is rapidly diminishing. If he remain over in Wilmington, he must
sleep on some friendly door-step, or seek a hotel, where the charges
will be disproportionate to his means. If he go on, the box may be
lost. What then shall he do! He has allowed himself barely time to get
back to camp before the expiration of his leave of absence; so he
decides, like a brave soldier, to continue his journey, and trust to
the railway authorities to forward his luggage. And that is the
last he ever sees of his box. |
| But that is not all.
The railroad companies have agreed to transport soldiers at half
price. Well, a poor fellow, who has just recovered from a wound
received in defence of his country, finds himself able, after several
weeks' confinement, to hobble about upon a pair of crutches. He gets a
furlough to go home to recruit his wasted strength. He succeeds, after
much effort, in reaching the ticket office, and applies for a through
ticket. "You can't have it, sir," says the ticket
officer. "Why not!" inquires the man on crutches. The answer
is, "We don't sell through tickets to soldiers." So the man
on crutches -- the man who has volunteered to serve his country, and
has actually been disabled in its service -- must procure a new ticket
from every road over which he may have to pass. He may have lost an
eye or a limb in battle, or have just got up from a long and
exhausting attack of typhoid fever, and the weather may be inclement
and the hour late at night when he changes cars; still, he must grope
his way through the darkness and rain, and snow, in a strange place,
and thro' bustling crowds of eager men, to the ticket office, or
consent to pay an additional sum for his passage. He may be knocked
off his frail support by a rushing omnibus or a frantic porter; but
what care the railroad officials? He must not only procure a fresh
ticket at every change of cars, but he must have his baggage
re-checked also. |
| Burt a civilian is leaving
Richmond at the same time with the man on crutches, and he, too,
applies for a through ticket; and it is furnished him! Why is
this? Why should a discrimination be made against the soldier? I
cannot inform you. Wherever I have been, with scarcely an exception,
the railroads are so conducted as to give the greatest possible
annoyance to the men to whom they are indebted for their protection.
Through tickets are cheaper than way tickets; and hence, perhaps, the
distinction. An extortioner -- the aider and abettor of the enemy --
may travel from Manassas to Savannah at a cost of $25. The corpse of a
soldier who fell up on the battle field is charged just double that
sum! It was only yesterday that an official of the Virginia Central
Road threatened to have the dead bodies o those heroic sons of
Savannah, who ell at the battle of Manassas, and which were being
carried home for final interment, thrown out of the cars upon the
arrival of the train, unless they were removed immediately. They were
removed; but if they had not been, and the unfeeling monster had
carried out his threat, there is one man in Richmond who would have
been lynched -- that's all. |
| The failure in the connection
of the trains on many of the railroads between Savannah and Augusta,
and this place, is of such frequent occurrence, as to render it a
matter of surprise when the mails get through in due time. The cause
of these failures was freely canvassed both by through and way
passengers, and it was not uncommon to hear men, living along the
line, offer to take bets that we would have to stay over at this or at
that place. They charged some of the railway men with being interested
in the hotels on the way-side; and hence, they said, there was a
failure about every alternate day. There are no large bodies of troops
passing now north or south, and there is no sort of excuse for these
frequent failures. The Columbus, Atlanta and Macon papers reach here
at the same time with the Republican, and sometimes they
anticipate it. The Augusta papers invariably arrive here a day in
advance. This is true also, I believe, of the mail going South. |
| It is hoped that the Railway
Convention, soon to assemble in this place, will take these things
into consideration. |
| ***** |
| P. W. A. |
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