Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-09-22


Ku-KluX in the South, he assails
Southern women. He claims that
they were enthusiastic over seces-
sion, encouraged rebellion and that
they still hate the Yankee" with
a bitterness almost personally dam
gerOus. The first part of the charge
Is true-the latter an outrageous
Islander. Modern history cannot
name war in which the wives and
mothers and sisters and daughters
of an army were more enthusiastic
and self-sacriticiHg. To the men
of the South, the war WAS the sOlu-
ton of Il political problem. To the
women, ii seemed an attempt OF
the North to conquer and desolate
the country. They firmly and hon.
estly believed that the South had
long been oppressed, and that the
war was to further abridge rights
and liberties. Believing this, il
may be safely asserted that nineteen
out OF every twenty women in the
South were TrOjans in their courage;
Spartans in their fOrtitude, and Ro-
mans in their faith and self-sacrifice.
Husbands and fathers and brothers
were made ready for war and given
woman's blessing, and even had
the Confederate Conscription act
been less stringent, the able bodied
man who shirked military service
could not have lived at home for
the taunts OF women.
History will never detail the self
sacrifice and heroic courage of
Southern women. No matter as To
the right or wrong of the cause
they believed it was right. The
blow fell upon the family house.
hold early and with full force. In
Virginia, seven out of ten families
were without men folks at home
within three months from the first
battle. Father and sons went to-
gether. The wife and mother gave
all she had, and then turned TO face
further anXieties. There were
thousands of women in the Old Do
miniOn who had never laced their
shoes or combed their hair. The
slave was at hand to obey every
nod. These women sent their hus-
bands and sons to the front and then
faced the question of food supply.
In many cases the slaves ran away.
When this occurred, the women
went into the fields and put in such
crops as they could. Where the
slaves remained, the mistress was
forced TO act as her own manager
and overseer, and assume all res
possibility. There are plenty of
federal troopers still living who
found educated and cultured South
ern women welding hoes and hold
ing plOughs in the corn fed within
six months of the opening OF the
war.
1t was the Southern woman more
than the provost marshals who
checked desertiOn and made the
Otfense odious. The Confederate
who left the front without leave,
found no welcome outside of his
own family. He who came home
by authority, and with wound to
attest his bravery in action, was a
hero until duty compelled his re-
turn.
No man ever saw a night so wild
that a Southern woman would not
face il to carry news to Confederate
soldiers. Every woman was a
scout, II spy. If the mother could
not go the daughter was sent. If
there was no daughter, a dispatch
or message was hurried off by ne
gro or signal was made. They
came to accurately estimate the
strength of marching columns, to
identify one make of a gun from
another in the batteries, and where
scouts and spies could not go the
women could. 1t was the women
who saved MOsby again and again.
1t was Il woman who told Gen. Jack
son the exact strength of the federal
force ut Front Royal before he fell
upon ii in carrying out his valley
campaign. 1t was woman who
told Early Just how Sheridan's army
was distributed at Cedar Creek, and
there was scarcely battle on Nir-
ginia's soil with which women had
not something to do as the bearers
of Information. Once enlisted in
the cause they did not know what
despair was. They sent their bed
ding TO the hospitals, their prOvis-
ions to the army and their jewelry
To "A buyer of Confederate arms in
Europe. When the Confederate
government could not furnish ra-
tiOns the Confederate women did.
| have asked hundreds of Con-
federate soldiers how they made a
start after the war, and in nearly
every instance the answer began
with:
"WelI, my wife, you know"
His wife had been the power to
brace him up for the new start in
life. The home was in ashes, the
farm grown up to briers, and the
country Overrun with outlaws, but
the wife's words OF hope and en-
enlargement set the returned SOL
dier to work. With any other
class of women the South would
have built up by the inch instead of
the foot. AS they were enthusiasts
in war, so also are they heroines in
peace. In the real Southern wo-
mans heart there is no hatred OF
NoTtherners. There is not even
distrust or suspicion. In her par
lor may hang portraits through
which Shermun'S men thrust bay
onets, but her pleasantest letters are
mailed to and received from friends
i'm the North. The war as war is
buried and forgotten, or il bitter
memories force themselves TO the
surface there is no heartburning
for vengeance