The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-03-20

written by lady Of Meridian. bIissis-
sippi, to her mother in Mobile, and
gives rather a graphic picture of the
behaviour of the Yankees" while ia
the former place;
MERIDuS, Feb %, 1864
Ny DEAK M0rHsR: As one of our
neighbors goes down to Mobile to-mor-
row, viii send you few lines to let
you know how we come out in this ter
riJis raid Ny husband left here at
10 o'clock, A. NJ, as guide 10 Gen. Polk
The Yankees came in at 2. M in full
force. They skirmished little in our
yard, which frightened US very much.
The small portion of our servants went
away with my husband, so no one re-
NAMED with me but Violette Louisa,
Lucinda, my mOtherin-la and three
children.
/ Alter the sNirmishiug stopped, the
mob ran around, going into the houses,
/ breaking open doors, trunks, locks, &c,
tearing up and destroying everything
/ they could Caught all the chickens in
+ the place IN half sn hour begged
/ Tor my things and saved nearly every
thing for while l was talking to the
/ part Of the mob who entered my house,
: | sent mother of 70 look up some OF
the generals, and try to get q guard,
telling them | was being run over.
I Gen. Hurlbut gave Us the guard. Only
hive men entered my house, and de
manded my keys. / took some time to
get them, showing great willingness;
told them hoped they would not take
my clothes. They said, no they only
wanted all arms and gold and silver
had / told them they might have all
Of both they could find, but had none.
They searched the bureau drawers and
trunk before the guard arrived Ono
man ran up the stairs, and took three
sacks Of flour, and three or four blank
/ cts, and was moving of with them Just
/ as the guard came, who made them re-
/ turn the blankets, and pretended TO
/ 90 off for the -four; but that wss never
returned The guard stayed ali night,
Sunday and Monday.
! Gen. Leggett and staff came and
/ asked me for all the house room / could
( give them. l knew il WA only c do
mand, and granted it; so only occu-
/ pied two rooms, and mother kept her
own room ! did my cooking in one Of
I my rooms; as / had already moved into
( tho house all tho cooking utensils, cot
/ fee-mill, in fact even to an axe. ], by
! that means saved them all I met the
1 General and told him that l. three little
1 children and an old mother-in-law,
claimed his protection lie answered,
( L viii take care of YOU madam, A. long
a. / am here ] said, i hear al Me-
ridian is to DO bHrncd down; viii my
house be burned, tOO2' I hope not.
( madam. We then passed a few moro
words, when I took the children back
into my room.
." ] did not sec the General any more
ill the next day, when mot him IN
the passage lie was very pleasant One
Of his officers asked me where my hu5-
band wss told him he left on sun
day He asked if l was q Southerrcr.
replied, yes q genuine Southerner 81
had never been IN a Northern State
He said YOU take everything very
coolly. / said, I Try 70, bat find IL
very hard to do, As am frightened all
The time lie said, you need not BE-
as, you shall not be disturbed.
All Of the children we're questioned
very closely, but got on finely Mary
said Just what sho pleased Told them
she did not like Yankees One Of tho
! captains told her # she would only 90
home with him, She would not be il
eny more war She replied, No; an
a robel, and / 10 not want y 10 with
! the Yankees.
Our store was burned 10 the ground
\ and 50 waS another one Of our now
/ houses. Ny two mich COWS were XIII
/ ed. and every one in the town; and Tor
eight or ten miles around, all cs.tle and
horses. Our horse vas not at bone.
I The printing office and all public
buildings were burned up. and Afr.
Rag7dales Hotel, Cullen Terrilrs and
the Burton House
All the railroad il torn up, bah up
and down, for miles, and al the tiCs
I burned and the iron bent and destroy
ed Oh, such destruction / do nos
believe you or any one would knoa the
place. There not fence in Meridian.
have not one rail left Some Of the
( ladies about town have but ono bed
I left, and but ono or two 1uiits Mr.
/ AcElrOy Cher son is colonel ia Gun.
army has not one thing loft, except
what she and her daughter ran out Of
/ tho house with, OH their backs-iust
one dres4 The soldiers told me. when
/ I asked them the reason she was done
/ So that Mrs. McElroy and daughter
I had insulted an officer and private. tho
I day her house was burned down Rags-
( dale, hor son-in-law, brought her here,
and asked me 20 take care Of them
] went out IN the passage and encoun-
tered the general, and told him what
Ragsdale had asked Of rn0. lie saiG.
il you do, your house will be burned
IN An hour, for ! cannot prevent IL 50
] had to tell them could not take
them.
could not write you Of everything.
If ! were 10 consume the whole day;
but / can tell you that I got on better
than any other lady in Meridian, and I
will say the General and officers who
stayed at my hOuse acted the gentlemen
10 me, but I could not, would not 20
through what ] have again, for al that
il IN Meridian.
Mrs was grossly insulted
( Mr. j. was cursed blue, but YOU must d.
send her folks down there word she j.
still alive. Mr. Taylor, her uncle has
not q second change, nor any Of hi fam
ily did not lose q particle Of cloth.
ing. and only those things that ! have
mentioned Ny grown girl, Nioletls.
got ready to 20. but IS good fortune
would have il, 1 had heard an officer ex-
press himself on slavery, 20 / went %
him and got him % scare u out Of hor.
/ was lucky, 20 many negroes went nom
about here. All Of Ar. AeElmore's,
Ssmmes' and Dr. JOhnston's he had but
two old ones, al are gone
II do not think you havo any idea
bo,g bad the Yankee are. thought
knew but I did not know the half
Tbey took Old Mr.. -s teeth, al her
sro6us and knives. and destroyed all
rrovi,ions and corn they could not use.
90 Two army corps were hero with
Generals sherman HurlhuL McPher!
son, and Leggett Mother has been
sick ever since the Yankees leit. How
glad am that did not get sick No
one need want % 30 with tbs Yankees
even for a few day4 They staid here
from Sunday until Saturday morning,
and il appeared ike a month.
have no time 10 write more VII
write again soon. Love % all
e. Your daughter