Revelations of a Lincoln spy.
Richmond and Envirens — the Union prisoners and their treatment — Jeff. Davis and Governor Letcher--a continuous camp from Richmond to Nashville, &c.The New York Herald, of the 12th inst., devotes two whole pages to a description of Richmond and its environs, and the various points of interest surrounding it, prefaced with a large map of the ‘"Rebel Capital,"’ as that paper terms it. It appears that its correspondent has been in our midst, and while here, under the disguise of a rampant Southerner, made good use of his time and opportunities to furnish his master, (Bennett.) with a full and distorted history of everything which it was in his power to obtain. Below will be found some extracts from the article;
Richmond and its environs.
Three weeks ago I was in Richmond. How I came to be there, what I was doing, and how I made my way into the light of civilization and freedom, it is no part of my present purpose to state Nor would it be safe or prudent for me to do so, because, the fates willing, it is my intention, as it is an almost absolute necessity for me — to be soon back again within the jurisdiction of Mr. Jefferson Davis. Enough to say that I spent several weeks recently in the Capital of the Confederate States--for here I may say, in passing, that all over the South the pretty little city on the left bank of the James river is spoken of as ‘"the Capital,"’ just as Washington used to be in the United States, and still is in the loyal portion thereof. I was not an idle or uninterested observer of men and things in and about Richmond, and in that section of the South through which I made way ‘"over the border,"’ and if you consider my observations of sufficient interest to deserve a corner in the Herald, they are most willingly at your service. The principal feature that strikes every one who sees Richmond for the first time is its curious topography. From the James river, which, tumbling over its rocky bed, makes a wide bend here, with its convex face to the city, rise, without any regard to uniformity of direction, some half dozen hills, of gravel formation, and of pretty considerable elevation. There has never been any attempt to grade them into level streets, but the city is scattered promiscuously up and on and over them, just as fashion, taste, or business may have happened to dictate. The principal part of the city, however, occupies actually only one of those elevations, and the garden spot of that one is the Capital square, where stands the building of which Jefferson procured the design in France, cut which, however magnificent it may have been deemed in the simple, unostentatious days in which it was built, is certainly not to be lauded now either for its beauty or for its adaptation to the wants of a State Legislature, much less to those of a Congress of Confederate States. Within the same enclosure is the Governor's mansion, where poor John Letcher, badgered and bullied and blackguarded on all sides, resigns himself to his fate, and, if all be true that the Examiner charges, tries to beguile it with jolly living. In the centre of the square is the beautiful equestrian statue of Washington, looking as calm and serene and commanding as if the city which he overlooks was not the centre and hotbed of the foulest treason that ever showed itself in the light of day. The pedestal is designed for eight other statues of distinguished Virginians, but three of which have yet been put in their places. These are Jefferson, Henry, and Mason — not the arrogant, self-conceited blockhead who recently represented the State in the Senate at Washington, and has now gone seeking recognition at London, as the diplomatic representative of secessiondom, but a far purer, wiser, and more patriotic namesake of his. Here also is small statue of Henry Clay.The Union prisoners of war.
Richmond has really but one business the roughfare. That is Main street. Most of the hotels, banks, newspaper offices and stores are located on it. It extends northward into the open country, and southeastward to a suburb called Rocketts. In this latter section of it are situated some of the tobacco warehouses where our Union prisoners are now confined. These are large old brick edifices, of mouldy, dilapidated appearance. Those on the north side are overlooked by the bluffs in which Church Hill here terminates, and which supply gravel for the city, while those on the south side of the street have the James River and Kanawha Canal, and the river itself immediately in their rear. I have often passed by these prison house, and had my feelings lacerated by seeing the condition of the brave men who are suffering here for their loyalty and devotion to the country. It is hard to find out anything relating to the affairs of the Government, and inquisitiveness into public matters is not a safe weakness to indulge in. Observations have therefore to be made quietly, patiently, and on whatever slight data may be casually presented or acquired. My observation leads me to think that there are, on the average, two hundred men confined in each of these warehouses, huddled together, with not much more regard to health than a humane captain of a slaver would show to his freight of emigrants from the Congo river to the Havana. The lower floors are assigned to the officers, the windows being strongly grated; the upper ones are occupied by the rank and file of our men who fell into the rebels' hands at Manassas and elsewhere. The condition of all, officers and men, is pitiable and deplorable to the last degree, and not another day should be lost without our Government adopting some means by which its faithful but unfortunate adherents in Richmond may be rescued from their miseries and restored to the light of freedom and the comforts of home. These men ought not to be sacrificed any longer to a mere diplomatic or political technicality, Humanity, reason, justice, common sense, all appeal in tones that should not be ignored, for a prompt termination to the senseless quibble of which those brave men are the victims. The rebellion can be quelled just as effectually after an exchange of prisoners is effected as before. I believe there are one or two other warehouses and mills in the western part of the city, near the canal basins, where more of our Union prisoners are confined. The bulk, of them, however, have been sent further South.Church Hill and the hospitals.
Near the summit of the elevation known as Church Hill is a large, old-fashioned brick building known as the alms-house. It has been converted from its original purpose, and now serves as an hospital for our sick and wounded. Sisters of Charity come and go, untiring angels of consolation, and the hearse is kept in constant requisition, so great is the mortality that prevails here.--Many of the private houses in the vicinity are also converted into temporary hospitals. As a general thing the former residents of this part of the city have gone elsewhere since the location of the hospitals here; and now on every tenth house or more you see waving a little dirty, whitish-yellow flag, denoting a lazarette. The Odd Fellows' Hall, on Broad street, is also used as a general hospital. A great deal of sickness prevails in the Confederate army. Some whole regiments have been completely ravaged by small-pox.--Much of the sickness is ascribed to the putrefied state of the atmosphere around Manassas, arising from the unburied bodies of men and horses killed in the battle of Bull Run; and great dissatisfaction was expressed against Beauregard for keeping his army there instead of advancing against Washington. On the most commanding part of Church Hill still stands, in good preservation, too, the church in which Patrick Henry made the famous speech at the commencement of the Revolutionary struggle, where he used that memorable and off-quoted phrase, ‘ "Give me liberty, or give me death."’The James river and Kanawha Canal.
Between this hill and the rickety suburb known as Rocketts there is a large encampment, and I believe there are also batteries here for the defence of the river. I know that there certainly are batteries on the bluffs above and beyond Rocketts. Near here the few steamers and sailing craft that used to trade to Richmond had their mooring places, and here also the James River and Kanawha Canal has its southern outlet into the river.Gov. Letcher and President Davis.
I do not believe that, very friendly or confidential relations exist between John Letcher. as head of the State Government, and Jeff Davis, as head of the rebel Confederacy. The former can, by no proof of his subserviency to the rebel cause, prevail upon the ultra Secession element to place confidence in him.--Besides, he is altogether too Republican in origin and appearance, and too democratic in his tastes, to suit the delicate fastidiousness and the exacting requirements of pure blood, on which the chivalry pride themselves. I will not say that any decidedly hostile feeling is manifested in the relations of the State and Confederate Executives, but I am inclined to believe from what I can gather, that those relations are the reverse of friendly. The citizens and the soldiers treat Letcher with the utmost contempt, while Davis has from them demonstrations, respect, and confidence, that might flatter the vanity of a European despot. When Lavis first came to Richmond, he put up at the Spotswood Hotel, but this residence was too public and too vulgar to suit either his taste or necessities. The citizens, therefore, procured for him and fitted up in the most expensive manner, a very large and beautiful residence, on Marshall street. I believe it is built of white marble. It occupies a large plot of ground, the garden sweeping down, terrace-like, in the direction of that deep gully which separates this part of the city from Church Hill. Here he holds his Court, and is all the time surrounded by military officers and civil dignitaries. He has but recently recovered from a severe attack of intermittent fever, the same from which he was reported to have died.Arsenal, Iron Works, water Works, Fto.
In the western section of the city, on the bank of the James river, is the State Arsenal, a large, substantial building, where arms are being manufactured, Quite close to it are the Tredegar iron works, an extensive concern, which has done nothing since April last except cast cannon and balls for the use of the rebels. The same day that the news of the fall of Fort Sumter reached Richmond the rebel flag was hoisted from the grounds of the Tredegar — not, however, by the proprietors, but by a party composed of several rebel members of the State Convention then in session, one of the editors of the Enquirer, and Colonel Moore, of the First Virginia Militia. This latter gentleman is an Irishman by birth, long resident in Richmond, where he keeps a large hardware establishment on Main street, and is a genial, high-minded, and high-toned man. He was wounded at the battle of Bull Run. On the bluff rising above the Tredegar works stands the penitentiary, surrounded by a high wall, and some distance back of it is the new cemetery. The level space between is used as a camp of instruction. A little higher up the river. just where the grounds of the cemetery come down, are the water-works. The conception of them is very simple, the water from the James river being made by a dam to flow into a basin, from which it is pumped to a reservoir in an elevated part of the city.Business and currency.
As to business, it is generally represented as completely ruined, except those branches of trade that are connected with the equipment and supplies of the army. These are flourishing, but the only currency to be had is paper money; and when the war end those who have appeared to drive the most thriving business will probably find themselves rich only in worthless shinplasters. Nevertheless the people do not seel. inclined to look far into the future, and as bank notes, issued in unlimited supply, and without any regard to a corresponding capital, will pass current in trade, there do not appear to be very hard times. Those branches of trade that are connected with articles of luxury, or articles not of the first necessity, are entirely ruined, and many are the empty stores that can be seen in Main street, silent witnesses against the madness of the hour. Still the sidewalk are crowded with pedestrians, and on the whole Richmond may be said to be a gay city.Southern Bombast.
The people are carried away with the flush of the partial successes of the rebels, and more than ever vaunted is the vast superiority of Southerners over Yankees. Oh, how I have longed to see a cheek given to this bravado by a triumph of the National arms, which would bring these people to their senses. I think that one grand battle and a decisive victory in Virginia would burst the bubble, dispel the insanity that has seized upon the popular mind in the South, disorganize their immense army, and lead to a speedy restoration of peace, order, and obedience to law. But every little check that our arms sustain is magnified by these boasters, and is an additional obstacle in the way of peace. Every party of Union soldiers that is paraded through the streets of Richmond on their way to prison appears to these. American gascons incontestable evidence of their great superiority over the men of the North Captivity itself is hard to bear, but the sting is made doubly severe by she taunts of the women and negroes, and by the feeling that every one of those unavoidable incidents of war is taken as a proof of Southern valor.Foundries, arms, and equipments.
The arms in general use among the rebel troops are old United States muskets, altered from flintlocks into percussion, and rifled. There is a factory of small firearms at Richmond, and one at Fayette, North Carolina. in the former they rifle the smooth bores, and also rifle cannon. The Tredegar Iron Works, at Richmond, are said to turn out tight small and four large rifled cannon daily. There are also cannon foundries at Atlanta, Ga., the iron being procured from Dalton, near by; two on the Cumberland river, right in the midst of the iron country; two at Memphis, and one at New Orleans. Powder is manufactured at Little Rock, Ark., where sulphur is found in large quantities. Gun carriages and forges are made at Nashville and at Atlanta, Georgia.Hotels.
The hotels are doing a thriving business, as I said. They have increased their rates for board from twenty-five to fifty per cent.--The Exchange and Ballard's — which constitute really but one establishment — charge two and a half dollars per day, and the Spotswood, which is now the resort of the elite of Southern society, three dollars. The American used to be the headquarters of the Western anti-secession members of the Convention, but now it is among the most pronounced of rebel establishments. Little secession flags fitter from every window, while larger ones are displayed from all the principal buildings in the city. Payments are all made in Virginia and Tennessee currency, and change given in the shape of shinplasters, of one of which, for 25 cents, I give you a copy. [Here follows a very accurate figure representing a twenty-five cent note of the ‘ "Metropolitan Savings Bank,"’ signed W. P. Puling, for President, and Nat. W. Hart, for Cashier.--Eds. Dis]The mails.
There is no deprivation which the people of the South regret and miss more than they do the mail system. But recklessness and an utter disregard of the future rule every where. The Southern mind seems to have resolved itself into this one idea, ‘"After us, the deluge. "’ It was that improvidence and reckless disposition that drove them into this rebellion, and it is the same that will retain them in the hostile attitude which they have assumed. It would be idle and ridiculous to say that the prudent, sensible, conservative men of the South do not deplore the secession movement, and wish in their hearts that it were crushed, never to rise again; but it would be equally foolish for the National Government to calculate to any extent on that sentiment. The war is no longer a matter of sentiment. It has long ago passed that point. It is now a trial of strength between two giants and the one who has most power, most energy, and most endurance, will succeed.Good-Bye to Richmond.
I have not said that the numerous and extensive flour mills that stand along the James river are in constant work; that flour is but $10 per barrel. which, considering the fifteen per cent discount on paper currency, and the closing of the Southern ports, is not very high; that other provisions are scarce, particularly fresh beef, butter, and bacon; that soldiers rations are very scant and inferior; that the basements of churches are used for the manufacture and storage of military equipments and supplies; that the large cotton factories at Manchester, on the opposite side of the river, are running day and night, making cloth — a sort of linsey-woolsey — for the army; that the ladies are industrious in knitting mittens and socks for the soldiers; that small arms are manufactured at Fayette, N. C; that shoe factories have been established in large numbers all along Main street; that there is no such thing as beer or to he had in the restaurants; that the tariff of other drinks is put up to fifteen cents; that strict discipline is maintained among the soldiers, and drunkenness guarded against by the most stringent regulations; that the style of drill differs from that practised among the Northern troops, by being more slow, steady, and solid — resembling therein the old European style; that to that regularity of movement of Southern cohorts is ascribed by some the repulse of our impetuous soldiers at Bull Run; that it is yet a disputed point whether that victory is to be credited to Johnson or to Beauregard, as also whether Jeff. Davis was on the field at all that day; that there was great dissatisfaction at the failure of the Southern troops to follow up their success by the occupation of. Washington; that they are now fortifying Warrenton junction, some eight or ten miles South west of Anastas; that ammunition was beginning to fall short, (although there are two powder mills at work in the South,) till the arrival of the steamer Bermuda, which ran the blockade at Charleston with a most valuable and immense cargo of supplies and munitions of war; and that it is the settled conviction in the minds of the people that France and England are about to recognize the Confederacy and break the blockade. The Richmond papers often publish extracts from the New York Herald, and I recollect how intense was their astonishment when they found in your journal a full and complete register of their army. No passes are given to any person to go northward, except in some very special cases, and even in those cases an oath has to be taken that no Southern secrets, nothing damaging to the cause of the rebellion will be divulged. I got no pass, took no oath, made my way into the loyal States by my own energy, perseverance and devices, and just so I expect to find myself once more in the regions of secessia, huzzting for Jeff. Davis, loudly maledicting the Federal baboon — as they often call Mr. Lincoln--and inwardly cursing the madness and the devilishness that have got possession of the people of the South.A trip Southward.
There is but one daily train running from Richmond to Nashville, and that one runs very irregularly. The trains are mostly filled with troops. There were a great many sick and disabled soldiers returning to the South. It occurred to me, as the train was crossing a valley — over the Appomattox river, I think — on a trestle work viaduct of about half a mile in length, shaky and insecure, how completely the destruction of that bridge would cut off the connection between Richmond and the South. It is a most important link in the chain of travel, and if broken it would take several months before the chain could be restored. All along the road from Richmond to Lynchburg, and from Lynchburg to Nashville, the hills are covered with encampments. In fact the whole country is one continuous camp of armed men. --The contrast between the South and North in that respect is most remarkable.The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.
The line from Lynchburg to Knoxville rakes the traveler through a most beautiful, fertile, and path rescues region of country. The hold Peaks of Otter loom into view soon after you leave Lynchburg, and keep in sight many hours. Riding through this country, and seeing the neat-kept farm houses and orchards, and general evidences of thrift and prosperity that meet the eye on all sides, you soon forget that you are in a slave State, and might rather fancy yourself riding through the rich agricultural regions of Ohio or Pennsylvania, or Western New York But now this part of the country has lost that peaceful look that so well becomes it. The hill-sides, as I have said, are white with encampments, and here and there you find squads of soldiers, who are used to overawe the Union-loving people of this neighborhood. Every town and hamlet has its companies or regiments of rebel troops, and on every train and wagon team, and by each roadside, a welting conveyance, you see war materials of all descriptions.Strength of the Renst army.
My estimate of the strength of the rebel army, gathered from observation and date within my reach, gives them not less than 350,000 men, who are dissipated about as follows:| Virginia | 170,000 |
| Tennessee and Kentucky | 100,000 |
| Missouri | 50,000 |
| Along the coast | 30,000 |
| Total | 350,000 |
