Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1865-11-25
TALES AND SKETCHES.
STRATEGY AT THE FlRESIDE.
A Charming Story Of the War. .,

Was it the fault of poor Barbara Dinwid.
die, that, when Sumter fell, and the gallant
Anderson saw with anguish the old flag
pulled down, she was the most desperate
little Rebel in all Dixie BY no means
At school, at home, at church, she had been
taught that Slavery was the divinest of all
divine institutions; that all those outside
! barbarians, known as Yankees, who ques.
toned its justice, its policy, its eternal fit
! ness, were worse than infdels; that those
| favored individuals whose felicity it had
been to he born md bred under its patri.
nrchal bcnignity were the master race Of
| this continent; and that one Southern man
could, with perfect ease 10 himself, and
without any risk whatever of any unpleas
ant consequences, whip and put hors de com
bat any five of the "homeless and tradition.
less race" that could be brought against
| him.
Had not Mr.. Jefferson Davis so styled
them ? and had he not said that he would
rather herd with hyenas than with Yam.
kcesa Had not Mr.. Yanccy declared that
| all .he Yankees were towards Had not
Mr.. Walker, Secretary of State of the new
! Conrederacy, predicted that the "sraIs and
bars" would wave over Faneuil Hall in a
twelvemonthi I Had not the Richmond
papers assured the high-born sons of tae
South, who of course included the whole
white population, that it was an utter i'm
possibility for the chivalry TO exist under
the same government with the mean, in
tolerable mudsills of the Nortb2 The won
der was. that the aforesaid chivalry could
live under the same sun, breathe the same
atmosphere, with such miscreants.
Was it then, surprising that poor little
Barbara, receiving in her narrow sphere nc
other political influences than these, should
find herself at the age Of seventeen the most
cage. OF feminine sympathizers with Seces
sion She burned to emulate Mrs. Green
how, Belle Boyd, and other cnterprisine
Amazons who early in the war distinguish
ed themselves as spies or carriers Tor the
Rebels. She almost blamed herself as re
creant, because she read with shudder tn,
account of the Southern damsel who badt
her lover bring back, as the most p-eciou.
gift he could lay at her feet, Yankee scalp
She tried to persuade herself that those lit
tie mementos, carved from Yankee bones
which were so fashionable at one tim,
among ,he elite of the "Secesh" aristocracy
would not shock her own sensitive heart
Barbara's mother had done much 10 en-
, courage these sentiments in her daughter
: A match between Barbara and Colone
PcSIam OF South Carolina was on of tina
: mothers pet projects Mrs. Dinwiddie wa
of zone OF the first families of Virginia: il
which she Was not singular. She had beel
brought up to regard th, Old Dominion a
6 the lawful dictatress Of Nhe legislation q
" the American continent; as spvereign, nc
,. only over her own borders, bA over tn
Congress, and especially the Treasnry of tn
United States. The tobaccolauds If he
father having given out through that Tag,
cious system Of culture which Slavery Z,
plies, and neero.raising for the supply
;he slave-market further south being in
temporary condition o! paralysis, the Lac
10 had SO far descended from her pedestal
:. ancestral pride as to encourage the addres
is es of Mr.. Daniel Dinwiddie, a Baltimo
4 merchant, and himself of excellent family
y though he had tarnished his heredjtal
is honpu by condescending to. engage In trad
Two, children were the fruits Of the allian'
V which ensQed,-our Barbara. and Mr.. Gu
pepper Dinwiddle, who became eventual
major 10 thu rebel sTmy