A political party would notify people about certain issues for many reasons, one of them (where they would then want to gain interest and support of the public) would that they want to gain political points so they could ensure being re-election.
I think the answer you may be looking for is "People left written records".
Hope this helped!
The crops were all destroyed and long gone. The south had battles on many fields that once grew various types of crops. Men went missing who once tended the fields for the crops to go. Many of them ended up injured or even worse, death. Plantations were left abanded and destroyed. Transportation was gone. Railroad lines had been pulled out or torn apart to prevent the south from moving supplies. Even walking to find a way out was very dangerous for anybody.
