The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-06-21
confederate Times"
SOUTH CAROLINA FAMILY DURING THE WAR.

the life of women and children In the 6outnern
States during the war:
making cake we enjoyed hugely inssmuch as |
we had not tasted cake all the time we were away
at school, except on Christmas night.
"What we made was only common ginger CAKE,
TO be sure, for our only material IN the way OF |
sweeteniDq was the sorghum which was then COM
ing into use, of which my mother had few gal
Ions and upon prospective crop OF which she
greatly prided herself; for sugar, even common
brown was at that time ten dollars pound, aud
everybody knows hew little there is in pound OF
sugar. Perhaps, after all, things are pretty evenly
balapced, for don't think anything ever tasted
better than that same Confederate ginger cake
indeed | am sure nothing ever was better
But human nature is progressive, and as soon
as the novelty of the gingercake was over, we
iell TO thinking what else that was good could be
manufactured from the resources at our command.
The housekeepers of the neig hborhood were about
this time much exercised with regard to late in
yention called Cosfederate fruit cake, introduced
by know not whom, but the author of which was
acknowledged by all to be person OF superior
genius. Instead of currents dried blackberrles
were substituted, in which the country abounded,
and Of which my mother, not having been SUM-
GENTLY provident to have astock ready prepared,
| a neighbor more up to the times generously pre-
septed us with small bag full. The other ingre-
dents were dried apples and peaches cut up fine,
and the whole being made after the manner OF
orthodox fruit cake-sorghum again taking the
| place of sugar-was pronounced by all to be
| very good.
"There was another Thing. too, which we used
10 make-thst is, Lucy made it and took great
| pride therein-that was Confederate custard.
THE manufacture of Confederate cake and
| Custard being finally reduced TO a scientific state
OF perfection Lucy talked my mother into the idea
| Of giving little party-these being the principal
| dishes wherewith the company should be RECALLED.
/ Tea and coffee being previously served, the whole
| would, we felt assured, be considereds handsome
| entertainment, even by the most fastidious, and
| 30 il came to pass.
MAKING GLOVES.
| "But it was not altogether in experiments in
/ cookery that we employed ourselves. As may be
| imagined, we wanted various things, and there
being little of the wherewith to supply them, our
mental activity travelled out in various directions,
| and suggested all manner of things we had never
| thought of before. There were gloves, for in
stance; we were obliged to have gloves, and
| what were we to do to get them! A kid glove
was rarity, and only worn by one or two persons
related to lockade-runners, and were, therefore,
| not very popular. SO we thought and thought
about it, and ] don't know which one OF Us hit
| upon the idea but once having been suggested,
| it was Immediately acted upon. In good times
| my mother used to wear silk stockings, and OF
| these departed days some relics remained; among
| others. couple of pairs perfectly new These
could be ripped up, the thread wound upon ball
then doubled, then banked, then died, then twisted
upon a spinning wheel (spinning wheels, may
say. en- pGssdHt, were quite the rage,) then wound
into balls, and finally knit into gloves. This was
willingly gone through with, and brought to
triumphant issue by the production Of two pairs
Of silk gloves, which really did look very pretty
OF this am sure, that Jane looked quite jealous
when she saw them, and compared them with her
own which were cotton. Another device, too,
in regard to gloves was at that time in vogue,
which was to take bits of black silk, the older
the better ravel them entirely out, and mix these
rawlings with cotton, have it spun, doubled and
twisted and then it was ready for knitting, and
4 made gloves which were both soft and warm.
| Ours were particularly co. for my aunt Sophie,
| who lived in the low country, had sent us pound
| or two of Sea Island cotton, which Was FAR su'
perior to that which was grown in the neighbor'
| hood.
"The only objection to these various domestic
manufactures was that one heard too much Of
them. Before the war, in addition to the usual
variety of gossip. and the narration of varied tri
| umphs obtained over storekeepers, (between
whom and elderly ladies there seems to exist an
instructive hostility it used to be the INSIDE
| meanors of Scipio, Caesar, Pompey, Hannibal,
Tom John, Dick and Harry, the various waiting
| men. All these things | used TO listen to dd
nduseGn1, and privately resolved that when gre W
| up / would board; but now 1t was homespun,
homespun, homespun, I'LL | never wanted to hear
| of homespun again; or it was factory yarn and
| salt and provisions, till used TO wish hundred
times that people were not obliged either TO eat,
or, worst of all, wear clothes: Unfortunately
there were no weddings TO talk about-for no.
body got married. The young men we're at the
war; and of course, in their absence weddings
were impossibites; so the only thing to be done
| was to bear them in mind, knit socks aud make
| shirts for them, and remember them in my
prayers.
speaking of topics of conversation reminds
me of how all the neighbors used to talk of theil
crops Of sorghum, which were now in state Of
progress. The year before only few of the more
adventurous spirits had embarked in the enter
prise of its cultivation and the success of theil
efforts was rewarded by the admiration of the
neighbOring planters and farmers, who, after CIV
ing directions for the day, were wont to unite
| themselves in village conclaves upon boxes anc
benches placed for their accommodation, IN shady
} spots during summer, and sunny ones in winter
} and what was more to the purpose, they had the
satisfaction of extorting heavy prices from then
less energetic associates. By these assemblies
| whose fiat was generally conclusivei sorghum haC
long ago been voted success, and crops wer'
J planted by everybody, including even MY brother
| in.law Mr.. Jones, who, when the matter was IN
, decided, ventured not upon an opinion, beinl
afraid to advocate, prophesy or oppose anything
} remembering that he had advocated secession, am
, now things were going badly, especially as thu
expectation was that the men from forty to dftl
. | would be drafted next, which last touched hin
| sensibly therefore, when any doubtful matte
was preached he now made it a rule to look dow
and say nothing, whereupon persons not well &C
. | uuanted with him might suppose him to be think
! | ing deeply. Even he had crop of sorghum, an
q my mother, being woman Of character, had on
too, OF course.
/ "And now, as fall drew on, such time q
l. everybody had getting mills, for everybod
wanted one at the same time, and to make theI
. there were only the usual supply Of country car
! penters-Iot even the usuRl supply, for some ha
I gone to the war. There were good many negr
carpenters, though. At last our mill was don't
and the first day it began to work was day {
u great excitement to all, from my mother down
: the little negroes twho had been sucking suga
J, | cane from morning till night for a week past
u aud now that the mill had begun to work, the
e ali looked forward 10 a taste of molasses
u evening and an indefinite amount of scum in Il
J. meantime, as it should rise from the boiling pc
IS Everybody cOllected-even |, literary and aosen
minded as | an. The cane was put in. the hors'
70 started off, and the mill began TO grind.
- THE SORGHUM MILL.
a. al have put off giving any description OF Il
q | mill, feeling a secret consciousness OF my IN
# bility thereto, for | know nothing Of machiner
J. nor indeed ever expect to. ] remember we
p enough, though, that the first things set up we
d two upright posts connected by a cross beam
W the top. Between these posts were fixed two r
volyinr cylinders side by side, between which