The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-24
OUR WOMEN IN THE WAR.
DEAR AUNT KATE.
AlsroK1 OF A woMAN's DEVOTION
HRS. C. E. Means, of Spartanbarg, S. G., in
Charleston Weekly Ne,os.

Mrs. c. E. Means, of Spartanburg, S. G., in
: Charleston Weekly Ne'Vs.
In this sketch must, to enable the
reader to appreciate the character OF my
heroine, touch momentarily on her lie
before the war, make you acquaintediwith
Aunt Kate and her husband. He was q
man OF uncommon personal beauty, OF
the pure Saxon type, tall, broad:shoulder'
ed, erect. The red blood colored his
cheeks, with girlish roses. The yellow
hair, worn in those days several inches
long, had CLEAN Of gold amid its curls.
The blue eyes were violet in their shin.
ing depths. and the white teeth, even and
strong, filled well-shaped mouth.
With all this beauty there was nothing
feminine about his appearance.
Aunt Kate herself was tall and slender,
"a handsome brunette. In the parlance
of the country neighborhood, "they were
an uncommonly likely couple" She
vas q fine housekeeper; he q good man.
ager, and no earthly Eden was ever more
free from sorrow or sin than their home
when the war came.
The man, of the type Ihave sought to
describe, was of the material OF which
the best soldiers are made. Amongst the
very first volunteers he went forth to tol.
low, for better or worse, the fortunes OF
the Confederscy.
Aunt Kate suffered quietly but very
acutely from the separation, but at once
she identified herself with the work to be
done for the country. Men were to
fight; women were to work. as well as
weep and pray. She gave her personal
attention to the details of plantation
work. She was up by daylight, attended
to the feeding of horses and cattle, RODE
over the fields to see that the work vas
done there as it should be, looked after
the plantation, supplies, sick negroes; IN
short, displayed such energy that the
whole neig ghborhood talked of her extra
Ordinary management.
.s., LETTERS TO. THE ABSENT ONE.
9i,At night, after her little children
fthere were three) were in bed. she wrote
to her husband, filling pages closely writ.
ten, consulting him in regard to every
little matter, yet never relating her
troubles, repeating instead the smart
savings of the children and making jokes
about their quaint old neighbors. AS he
expressed it, when speaking of her let
ters: 80 Kate don't let me get home.sick.
She keeps me posted about everything at
home; even sends me piece OF every
dress she makes for herself or the chill
dren. and then writes me which they've
worn during the day"
There we're no sheep on the plantation
when the war began, but soon she had
gathered fue flock, and watched their
fleece as if it was gold. She raised indi.
90, and when the autumn camo she had
3 splendid suit of warm jeans-spun,
dyed. woven, cut and made by her own
hands. to send to her soldier husband.
She almost seemed to grudge that any
hand but hers should do anything for
him.
Every few weeks box of dainty pro.
visions were sent to him in camp-boiled
hams, roasted turkey, baked chickens,
pies, cakes, preserves and pickles. Even
after the troops were sent to Virginia, all
odds she contrived to send frequent boxes
of edibles, until she had the reputation
of being the best housekeeper OF any
mans wife in the regiment.
His last visit home was just before the
movement Of our troops into Pennsylva-
mia. When he left for few weeks Aunt
Kate seemed entirely crushed. She had
lust taken hold again of her usual daily
routine, when the news OF the battle OF
Gettysburg came, and in the list of miss.
ing of Company K, First Regiment OF
Rifles, was the name OF her husband:
Most of his friends gave up hope and
believed him dead (; she would not think
so. -
WAITING AND WATCHING.
It was wonderful how many ways she
undertook to learn some word OF her
husbands fate. but every effort was fruit.
less. With agonizing interest she read
the papers, watching each proposal made
by the Confederacy for an exchange OF
prisoners. "If only 1 were North" she
would cay, II surely could move Lincoln
for humanity's sake to accede."
The horrors of Andersonville were
stinging grief to the whole South, yet the
cruel policy of war caused the United
States to reject all terms of exchange for
the prisoners of either side.
al last, in December, 1864, Aunt Kate
received letter. The superscription
was scra~l, so broken and tremulous
was the handwriting, but she knew it as
her husbands. With glad cry she
opened and read it. There we're only q
few words: ~ am exchanged; have
been for months at Fort Donaldson.
From the cold, cruelty and starvation
encountered there, | am nearly dead.
Come 20 Savannah 10 meet me. may,
God willing, live to see you once more"
Aunt Kate did not seem to realize what
these words conveyed. To her they only
said he lived, and she would SOON be with
him again.
At once she took her children to her
fathers that they might stay there, whilst
she went on to Savannah. She went
Immediately to the nearest depot, DUE
was told that the Government had taken
possession of the road for the transporta'
ton Of troops and provisions, and no
passage was given to any one. She hired
a conveyance and drove through to 20
lumbia. After encountering many diffi-
culties she succeeded in obtaining an IN
terview with the General in command,
and from him got an order to be allowed
passage on the railroad to Charleston.
Again by personal application, and earn
est supplication, she got pass to SaSan-
nah.
CHASTITY SCENES IN SAVANNAH.
On her arrival in Savannah she en-
couDtered the greatest confusion. Sher'
man had entered the city only e few
days before her. Aunt Kate now had
her qualities of heroism fully tested:
She was aloue in city just conquered
by an invading enemy; confusion was on
all hands; the Confederate bills with
which she had provided herself were no