The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-29
OUR WOMEN IN THE WAR.
BOYS AND GIRLS IN THE WAR.
cuJLD's "REMINISCENCES OF SCENES
IN RICHMOND.
Miss SaEn Hunt, Of LynchLWg, Ta., ia Chr.
lesion Weekly News.


, Mss .SgEie Hunt, Of LynchImg, "a, IN Gaqr-
lesion Weekly Neus.
wonder il the grown folk or children
will care to hear child's impression of
"the war;" for am going to commence
when | was wee BARN, just going QUITO
school and learning to read with a yery
childish lisp. We lived in Richmond.
Virginia, afterwards tbeTcapital Of the
"Southern Copfederaey,ps and I would
frequently hear the older members of
the family, seated around the table. ex.
claim, "By all means let us fight under
the Union Flag; South Carolina NAV
secede, but it is clearly poor policy" +
had Just read in peter Parley's Child's
History about the war between the In.
dams and our first settlers, and my hair
fairly "stood on end" when I thought of
the Yankees tying the children up in
bags and knocking their brains out
against a tree. So fully was I persuaded
that we would be thus treated, that in
the midst of the most earnest discussions
going on in the parlor, or dinning. room.
among politicians, would cry out, "Cut
the treeth down cut the treeth down +!
all over Richmond" Just across the
street from us was the beautiful home of
the Van Lews-Uniclists 10 the last
and though they felt differently from liz
on the slavery question, and the elders of
our house argued hotly with them, vet
often has my childish heart been relieved
of its torture by stealing over into the
lovely moon. lit garden, aud having "Miss
Bett," (who after the war was appointed
postmistress of Richmond,) to allay nv
fears with her kind poYtraiture Of the
Yankee heart. Here, at least, was a
haven for US should that dread day arrive
when our beloved city would fall into
the hands of the enemy.
But one spring day in April, 1861, all
Richmond was astir. Schools were brok.
en- up, and knots Of excited men gather.
ed at every street corner. Sumpter had
been fired upon, aud Lincoln had order.
ed the men of Virginia to rush upon
their brethren of the South and pat the
rebellion down. Now "the die was cast"
our lot was Sish theirs, and come veal
or woe, wewould fight for Independence:
How merrily the sun beams danced that
day how proud we children were of the
great preparation for the illumination
that night!-how few rocked of the great
underthrob Of misery, grief and want
Every patriotic citizen had his house
ablaze with thousand lights, and the
dark ones were marked. l remember
distinctly my father taking us TO see the
Exchange Hotel and Ballard House with
the glass balcony, stretching over the
street and connecting the two houses, all
glittering and affecting the crystal lights.
10 us it was d grand spec1acle,E and our
hearts swelled with pride to think we
could say to our tyrants: "Thus far
shalt thou come, and no further"
The excitement permeated the schools,
and those of our number who lived in
the dark houses, or the non. .illuminators,
were dubbed Yankees" "Abolitionists''
and "Black Republicans" and virtually
ostracised. Saturdays We would spend in
the lecture.rooms of the different church.
es we attended, where our mothers and
grown,up zs:EsaES .zcEe hnsE- plying the
needle, and ..e;sss;shf;s,5 ,5Ssout clothes fer the
soldier boys. and -ging in such talk
about the vile usurpurs as would FIRE our
young hearts with indignation. Snatches
of song improvised for the emergency
Maryland, my Maryland" "John
Browns Body" "There's life in the Old
Land Yet,n &c, grew as fan,iliaf agIsI
want to be an Angel" In fact, we had
want to be soldier,
And with the soldiers stand,
a knapsack on my shoulder,
musket In my hand
And there beside JEFF Davis,
So glorious and 80 brave,
: I'll whip the ciissed Yankee -s i
And drive him to his grave. Il
BOYS FIGHTING MIMIC BATTLES.
But what were our boys doing while
The girl were sewing up sand-b bags to
fortify Dewry's Bluff? It seemed the
"Demon Of Destruction" was possessing
the whole land. The boys were keeping
their patriotism warm by playing "Yank"
and "Reb" in Mock battl,s, aad SO sore.
ly did these young .archers wound each
other that steps had to be taken by the
city authorities toward the suppression of
these hostilities. remember being on
Church Hill On one occasion, when the
rowdies from Rock etts, calling themselves
Yankees, came upon our boys who were
unarme1. Immediately our party of
little giusr Aev. to coal-house near,
which happened to be open for replen.
ishing, and filling our little aprons with
the dusky diamonds ran into the midst
OF hot battle, screaming with all the
enthusiasm of our young natures, "Kill
them kill theml ]" We bound L? heads
and Oilled pockets with Ammunition"
TIL our nurses,i noticing our fescapade,
came to carry us to our mammas to be
punished for soiling our dresses.
Our bravery Increased with our Sue
cesSes. No news came but of victory,
TIL one Sabbath morning, we >were all |
seated "reEafently AID calmly at church, |
Rhen-a messenger arrived almost breath.
less upon the scene and handed the |
ministerra notice. he arose and read |
aloud to- the congregation that the-Pdp.
nee was coming up the river. The men
were ordered to Rockets at once, and the |
women requested to make and send car |
ttIridges to them as speedily as possible. |
what scene our parlor presented just
ashort,while; afterwards The men had
an gone of, ,sleavipg only women and
chlfdfetl at, defenceless homes, but no
stern warrior ever stood at his post of
duty with truer heroism than these brave
Women of the South"
We had living With us lovely old
Virginia matron, Mrs. Eliza Carrington,
whose head, GALL silvered o'er," had
passed through. the trying times of 1872.
She'qnietly remarked to the busy crowd
seated round the parlor, that there was
no cause for fear, the British had tried
that trick before and could not get over
the bars. Yet her dear old hands kept
busy fashioning what seemed to US Curl
Gus paflor Observation-Disclosures her
skili 10 this line had come into requisi.
ton the second time. After all her words
proved true; the Yankees gave up that
il!tie game and we were lfh tp Reace aasl}