_The following beautiful and touching lines were written during the Civil
War by an officer of the Confederate army, at the time a prisoner on
Johnson Island. A young Georgian, when the war broke out, was engaged to
be married to the most beautiful and brilliant belle of Savannah, but
died in captivity. While he lay dead, a letter came from this young lady
to her late lover. It was a cruel, cold, heartless letter, altogether
different in tone and in manner from any she ever had written to him.
She spoke of brilliant balls she had lately dealt with, unconcealed
rapture upon the innumerable perfections of a certain colonel of General
Wheeler’s staff—of his manly form, his exquisite dancing, his marvelous
conversational powers—closing with these chilling words: “Respectfully,
Virginia.” Hitherto she had ended her letters with: “Your own devoted and
faithful Virginia.” This letter was received at the prison a few hours
after the death of him to whom it was addressed, and replied to by his
comrade as follows:_