The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-08-03
From the Atlantic Monthly.
Strategy at the Fireside.


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 beer
tanght that slavery was the divinest of al
, 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 be horn and bred under the patri-
archal benignity were the master race oi
this continent; and that one Southern man
could, with perfect ease to himself, and
without any FISK wnutevero of any unp pleas.
ant consequences, whip and put hors dt
combdt any five of the "homeless and ira
ditionless 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
keesp Had not Mr.. Yancey declared that
all tho Yankees were cogaSds2 Had not
Mr.. Walker, Secretary OF State of the new
Confederacy, predicted that the "stars and
bars' would wave over Faneuil Hall i'm n
twelvemonth? Had not the Richmond ma
Pers assured the high-born sons of the
South, who of course included the whole
white population, that it was an utter inn
possibility for the chivalrv to exist under
the same government with the mean, in
tolerable mudsills of the North. 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
no other political Influences than these.
should find herself at the age of seventeen
the most eager of femenine svmpathizers
with Secession! She burned to emulate
Mrs. Greenhow, Belle Boyd. and other en-
terprlsing Amazons who early in the war
distinguished themselves as spies or car
riers for the Rebels. She almost blamed
! herself as recreant, because she read with
n shudder the account of that Southern
damssl who bade her lover bring back, as
the most precious gift he could Law at her
| feet, Yankee scalp. She tried to per-
suade herself that those little mementos.
carved from Yankee bones, which were so
fashionable at one time among the elite of
the "Secesh" aristocracy, would not shock
her own sensitive heart.
Barbara's mother had done much to en-
courage these sentiments in her daughter.
match between Barbara and Colonel Pc
gram of South Carolina was one Of that
mothers pet projects. Mrs. Dinwiddie
was Of lone OF the first families OF Virgin
! ia; in which she was not sinrular. Sba
had been brought mp to regard the Old
Dominion as the lawful dietatress OF the
| Legislation Of the American continent: as
sovereign. not only over her own borders.
but over the Congress and especially the
Treasury Of the United States. The TO-
hacco lands of her father having riyon ont
| through that sa"acious system Of culture
which Slavery applies, and negro-raisinr
for the supply Of the slave market farther
south being in temporary condition Of
paralysis, the lady had so far descended
from her pedestal OF ancestral pride as to
encourage the addresses of Mr.. Daniel Din
widdir, Baltimore merchant. and him
self "of excellent family" though he had
tarnished his hereditary honors by conde-
scending to engage in trade. Two children
were the fruits of the alliance which en-
sued,--our Barbara, and Mr.. Culpepper
Dinwiddie, who became eventually Ma
jor in the Rebel army.
What dies ira ii was for poor Mrs. Din
widdie, that day that Beast Butler" rode
at slow walk through the streets of Bal
tmore, smoking his cigar, and Swaving to
and fro carelessly on his horse! The poor
lady was ready To cuff Mr.. Dinwiddie's
ears, because that worthy citizen sat down
to his mutton and claret that dav at din
ner as coolly as if nothing had happened.
Barbara wept, and sang "Mv MARYLAND
and the Bonnie Blue Flag till she made
herself hoarse. She then glanced at a pho
tograph of Colonel Pegram, and thought
how well he looked the conquering hero.
Sunday came. 1t was blessed satisfac-
ton that at the Church Of st. Fortunatus
all the communicates were friends of the
rebellion. The Reverend Bogus de Bogus
was himself an extremist in his advocacv
of Slavery and the Slave Confederacy.-l
But what was the CONSERVATION of the |
whole assembly, at hearing him, on that
eventful Sabbath, pray for the President
and other authorities Of the United States!
Had he been tampered with by the Beast?
What was the world coming to? How in |
tolerable that the solar system should |
move on as regularly and indiGerently as
if nothing had happened!
The fomenters of Rebellion in the Monu- |
ment City continued hopeful, notwith- |
standing the detection Of the Reverend |
Bogus de Bogus. Mrs. Dnwiddie almost |
worried Dinwiddie's life out, teasing him |
for money with which to buy qunine and |
percussion caps to smuggle into Rebeldom |
Barbara worked till her taper little fore |
hnger looked like nutmeg crater, ma
King shirts and drawers for the "gallant |
Palmetto Tenth" in which certain sprigs !
of aristoeracy from Baltimore had enlist |
ed. The regimentw was ascommanded by that |
splendid fellow, Charlie Pegram.
What was Barbara S despair, on learning |
that all the products of her labors had been |
intercepted by the Beast" and were safe |
ly stored at 'these headquarters"i Mrs. |
Dinwiddie went into Mysteries at the news,
but was suddenly restored, on hearing
Mr.. Dinwiddie enter, and inquire in the |
most cold-blooded manner, "Why isn't |
dinner ready?" Falling upon that mon
ster in human shape, she crushed him so |
far into silence by her Indignation, that he |
was glad to make meal of a few crackers
and glass of ale, and then retire for his
afternoon cigar to the repose Of his count
ing room. ... .-.
The war (the civil, not the domestic, we
meanl went on. Battle succeeded battle,