Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-24
Correspondence of The Daily Spy.l
A RAMBLE IN ROANOKE.
CAMP FOSTER, ROANOKE ISLAND,
March 2nd 1852

March End, 1862
little account of ramble in the late re.
bel island of Roanoke, spced with the man
ners and customs of its inhabitants, may not
be unnteresiing to the readers of your paper.
On the afternoon of the last day Ct winter,
pass for six of US, viz; corporal Gates privaes
Lyon, Billings, Hartshorn, Aborn and Earle,
was obtained from Col Upton, and with haver.
sacks well filled with hard crackers, and re-
Jolly c6mpdyc StrRepTg ,q qR9n our belts,
bate ground, our place of landing, &C., and it
was just three weeks to day, since we met
the enemy-and they were ours.
Leisurely and happily we rambled through
the woods, and over sandy roads till we came
toa house nearly covered up with drifts of sand
lying in piles just like snow and all the trees
about the house were nearly imbedded to their
limbs in sand drifts. Our Yankee curiosity led
us to make enquiries within, when we found two
old ladies, over so years of age, with ten
wounded rebels in their charge. The old lady's
name was Mrs Etheridge, and she told us
that she had lived there fifty years.
When they first settled there it was good
farm, but after they cut off the woods, the
sand covered up nearly the whole farm, and
in many places the drifts are more than sixty
feet high, the highest of which we tumbled
in and over as we would in snow. Thus we
wound our way towards the scene of the bat.
tie, calling at the different houses and making
acquaintance with the occupants as we passed,
till nearly dark, when our aim was to find a
place where we could be fed and quartered
for the night
a funny and exciting time we had of it, 20
ing from house to house, listening to tales of
woe and poverty, and OF the treatment the
inhabitants had received at the hands of the
rebels One old lady told us "tat the Geor.
gians had destroyed nearly every thing she
had-ber spinning wheel, her loom, all of her
bedsteads, and had nearly ruined her." She
had hoped that when the Yankees came. they
would leave what she had but she had been
disappointed, Tor they had broken all of her
pots and kettles, and she had only one dinner
pot and one spider left. 81 don't mean you
Yankees with blue coats, said she "but those
ASN-hNdNtN hSfi W tue LOudNeS
with red caps. Wherever we went, we learned
that they were a terror to the inhabitants
stealing everything within their reach, and
killing all the stock on the farms, leaving them
where they shot them.
Thus from house to house we wandered
without success, till at last we were directed
to one Sam Jarvis's, man "well TO do in the
world" for a Roanoke Islander and putting on
my white gloves, was delegated by our par
" to act as spokesman, and thus approached
the island mansion, meeting the said Mr.. Jar
Wis upon the threshold of his door As polite.
ly as was in my power, asked for supper and
lodging for the party, but got grum NO for
answer. The sound Of our voices brought to
the door Mrs. Jarvis, weighing some two hun.
dred pounds, with pipe in mouth, and large
Dutch face, red from spirits working within
We had choice music enough from her Next
came boy about eight years Of age, follow.
ing his mother, her hands just from the dough,
and she exclaming, Harry, come in here.
and if you 20 out again, | will introduce this
pair VI knuckles to your eyebrows" at the
same time shaking her fist in the child's face.
This was Mrs Dowdy"
We then went through the woods, after
dark, to Mr.. Joshua Johnson's, who proved
to be a good Union man, and where our
party we're taken in, and well cared
for. When he decided that we could he &C.
commodated, after consulting with Mrs john
son, who was iD the kitchen, Separate from
the house, as is the style here,) we were inyi.
ted into the house, where we were welcomed
By large open fire aud well sanded floor. In
one corner Of the room was an old fashioned
sidebOard, well filled with dishes, and a cheer
ing sight it was to US. We sat down before
the blazing Ere, and heard the history Of the
family and their experiences Of the summer
while the rebels had possession Of the island
II seems that one Of Ar. Johns0u's sons, with
vile aud three children, had been driven
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