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While compiling information I came across a wealth of knowledge that I felt should be shared, so that the economy status and general feelings of the time could be felt.
The area before the Bermuda Hundred Campaign was already falling on hard times. Between 1861 and 1864 most of the tress in and around Chesterfield County had been felled twice for use of railroad crossties, firewood and lumber for boxes. This would have left very little wood for the civilians use.
As found in evidence (The Richmond Daily Dispatch) of some of the hardships that plagued the civilians of this County:
April 30, 1864
A family of refugees who came into our lines yesterday from below Madison Court-House, reports that Wickham's brigade were on picket duty on Robertson's river last Fridayevening, having been there for some time. They were poorly mounted and the horses were in poor condition from want of forage. General Stuart is to have a grand review of all his cavalry on Tuesday, at or near Hampton's Cross Roads.
Northern Army in the town of Vienna May 6 1864
The officers of the reconnoitering party ordered another advance, when again a destructive fire was poured in from the houses. There being no other way of smoking out the rebels, orders were issued that the town should be fired. The torch was supplied to a number of houses affording cover for the enemy, whereupon the latter hastily decamped leaving our forces in possession of the place.
The flames, however, spread very rapidly, and there being no means at hand whereby they could be checked, a general conflagration was the result, and in a short time almost the entire town was in ashes.
May, 7 1864
In King William county, the force named burned the dwellings of Col. Hill and Mr. Sanford, and ravished a negro woman, besides committing other outrages of a similar fiendish character
The subject of a mutual Supply Association, is being agitated in Richmond — The following letter from the general agent of the Mobile Supply Association will show how the experiment worked there:
Our Association was organized in the fall of 1862, with a capital of some $20,000, which has been increased to something over $50,000. Our sales have been to consumers only, and at retail. For the quarter ending March 31st, our sales were as follows: Sundries, $225,468.51; Fresh Beef and Pork, $35,550.69. Total amount of sales for the quarter, $261,641.20. Our prices have been on an average from twenty to twenty five per cent, below the usual prices. Our enterprise is considered a success. We have been able to supply the poorer class of our citizens with provisions at greatly reduced prices, and have increased our capital with the small profits we have made. Our sales might have been increased fifty per cent had our agents been able to procure transportation for the goods they could have purchased.
In Gen. Butlers Camp May, 10 1864
"Wishing to establish the most friendly relations between you and this neighborhood, the General invited all venders of supplies to visit our camp and replenish our somewhat scanty commissariat. But to his disgust and horror he finds well-authenticated evidence that a private in the Sixth Regiment has been poisoned by means of strychnine administered in the food brought into the camp by one of these peddlers. I am happy to be informed that the man is now out of danger. This act, of course, will render it necessary for me to cut off all purchases from unauthorized persons.
Mayor Slaughter of Fredericksburg in response to Gen. Lee telegram
Guiney's, May11, 1864.
I came here to obtain information from (Fredericksburg). I hear nothing but the statement that citizens have been arrested as hostages for prisoners we captured there on Sunday
May, 17 1864
The accounts of miscreants (northerners) had all but filled the town, taking possession of houses. The officers gave pretense to “protecting” the house by placing guards around it. This was but an invitation for their men to pillage. They took everything in the ice house, killed chickens, emptied the pantry of all food and drink. Threw down fences stole all mules and horses. Cut up feather beds, destroyed furniture, stole clothes – even those from slaves. The loss of crops, house hold items, clothing and sundries was a hard hit to these people. The atrocities did not stop there, “Suffice it to say that an aged servant woman had to stand, with a drawn sword at her breast, and witness with an anguished heart the repeated defilement of her child, a girl of about seventeen”. This is but one day in the campaign and we can see how the civilians would have felt about the army coming into town. Several other towns in other counties had by this time felt the wrath of the Northern Army through a series of Speare's Calvary raids (Stony Creek having felt the worst of it) and the like.
The area before the Bermuda Hundred Campaign was already falling on hard times. Between 1861 and 1864 most of the tress in and around Chesterfield County had been felled twice for use of railroad crossties, firewood and lumber for boxes. This would have left very little wood for the civilians use.
As found in evidence (The Richmond Daily Dispatch) of some of the hardships that plagued the civilians of this County:
April 30, 1864
A family of refugees who came into our lines yesterday from below Madison Court-House, reports that Wickham's brigade were on picket duty on Robertson's river last Fridayevening, having been there for some time. They were poorly mounted and the horses were in poor condition from want of forage. General Stuart is to have a grand review of all his cavalry on Tuesday, at or near Hampton's Cross Roads.
Northern Army in the town of Vienna May 6 1864
The officers of the reconnoitering party ordered another advance, when again a destructive fire was poured in from the houses. There being no other way of smoking out the rebels, orders were issued that the town should be fired. The torch was supplied to a number of houses affording cover for the enemy, whereupon the latter hastily decamped leaving our forces in possession of the place.
The flames, however, spread very rapidly, and there being no means at hand whereby they could be checked, a general conflagration was the result, and in a short time almost the entire town was in ashes.
May, 7 1864
In King William county, the force named burned the dwellings of Col. Hill and Mr. Sanford, and ravished a negro woman, besides committing other outrages of a similar fiendish character
The subject of a mutual Supply Association, is being agitated in Richmond — The following letter from the general agent of the Mobile Supply Association will show how the experiment worked there:
Our Association was organized in the fall of 1862, with a capital of some $20,000, which has been increased to something over $50,000. Our sales have been to consumers only, and at retail. For the quarter ending March 31st, our sales were as follows: Sundries, $225,468.51; Fresh Beef and Pork, $35,550.69. Total amount of sales for the quarter, $261,641.20. Our prices have been on an average from twenty to twenty five per cent, below the usual prices. Our enterprise is considered a success. We have been able to supply the poorer class of our citizens with provisions at greatly reduced prices, and have increased our capital with the small profits we have made. Our sales might have been increased fifty per cent had our agents been able to procure transportation for the goods they could have purchased.
In Gen. Butlers Camp May, 10 1864
"Wishing to establish the most friendly relations between you and this neighborhood, the General invited all venders of supplies to visit our camp and replenish our somewhat scanty commissariat. But to his disgust and horror he finds well-authenticated evidence that a private in the Sixth Regiment has been poisoned by means of strychnine administered in the food brought into the camp by one of these peddlers. I am happy to be informed that the man is now out of danger. This act, of course, will render it necessary for me to cut off all purchases from unauthorized persons.
Mayor Slaughter of Fredericksburg in response to Gen. Lee telegram
Guiney's, May11, 1864.
I came here to obtain information from (Fredericksburg). I hear nothing but the statement that citizens have been arrested as hostages for prisoners we captured there on Sunday
May, 17 1864
The accounts of miscreants (northerners) had all but filled the town, taking possession of houses. The officers gave pretense to “protecting” the house by placing guards around it. This was but an invitation for their men to pillage. They took everything in the ice house, killed chickens, emptied the pantry of all food and drink. Threw down fences stole all mules and horses. Cut up feather beds, destroyed furniture, stole clothes – even those from slaves. The loss of crops, house hold items, clothing and sundries was a hard hit to these people. The atrocities did not stop there, “Suffice it to say that an aged servant woman had to stand, with a drawn sword at her breast, and witness with an anguished heart the repeated defilement of her child, a girl of about seventeen”. This is but one day in the campaign and we can see how the civilians would have felt about the army coming into town. Several other towns in other counties had by this time felt the wrath of the Northern Army through a series of Speare's Calvary raids (Stony Creek having felt the worst of it) and the like.
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