A Washington correspondent of the New York Tribune says :
I have just learned the particulars of two interviews which took place on Sunday last between some members of Colonel Hays’ 8th Pennsylvania regiment and the Virginia 43d (rebel) stationed oil the opposite banks of the Potomac at Great Falls. The river is here not more than a hundred yards wide, and the pickets on both sides have occasionally hailed each other. On Sunday the rebels invited some of our men across, stating that if they would leave their arms behind them they would receive hospitable treatment and be allowed to return.
One of the Pennsylvania boys stripped, plunged in, and swam across. He was helped up the rocks by a Virginia Captain, who gave him his overcoat to wear, and proposed that he should take a drink of whiskey. ‘If I drink,’ said the soldier, ‘it must be to Our Country.’ ‘Very good,’ said the rebel officer, ‘I will join you ‘Here’s to Our Country!’ And the men on both sides of the river joined in a hearty cheer. The man remained an hour or two and then swam back, a little nebulous from the number of healths he had been obliged to drink.
In the afternoon several of the rebels returned the visit. They were courteously entertained, and exchanged buttons with our men as souvenirs of the interview.—’We don’t care about the war,’ said they, ‘and don’t want to fight, but can’t help it. You Pennsylvanians are like friends and brothers, and we wish we had those South Carolinians against us instead of you.’ One of the Virginia officers took off his gold sleeve buttons, having no other disposable gift at hand, and received a quarter eagle in return. ‘Good Lord,’said he, ‘it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a piece of money.’ They were all anxious to know the popular sentiment of Pennsylvania and the other Border States in relation to the war, and seemed a good deal depressed at learning the truth. They appeared to be tolerably well clothed and fed, and did not complain of their condition.
Two of the soldiers exchanged letters from their sweethearts. Various exchanges of newspapers, &c., were also made, and in the act our men received a letter from a sister of one of the rebels, without the owner’s knowledge. I had an opportunity of reading the letter this morning, and give you an interesting extract therefrom : “Take” care of your clothes, (the writer says) for I don’t believe there is a yard of stuff for shirts or clothing in the whole county. There is not in the whole county a pound of coffee or sugar. Mrs. — uses honey in her tea. Send some of your money home when you get it”
It appears, from other parts of the letter, that the country has been entirely stripped of cloth, shoes, coffee and sugar, in order that the army may be supplied. With the present enormous prices of those articles in the south, it is difficult to see how these supplies can be kept up much longer.
Lewistown Gazette, Lewistown, PA
This is a really good one!
Thanks! I really like these stories & letters that give a view of the day-to-day of the average soldier. The “Big Histories” generally don’t dive down to these sorts of things (I understand why), but it’s good that we don’t forget they were all human!
I especially liked the supposed reference that the Virginia men would rather fight the South Carolinians than the Pennsylvanians!