The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-15

though it was towards the field of battle !;
and when I put my foot on the high
piazza-lo ! the bare flagstaff greeted my
delighted eyes.
The lady of the house was seated on
the piazza apparently calmly sewing,
(she was one of the women who helped
to bear the burdens Of the world, but l
had no time for visit to our good friend
that day.
~ must run back" said, Everybody
is frightened nearly to death over our
way, and cousin -- is almost crazy"
That was the promptest errand l ever
did, and probably among the most accep-
table in its results. .ai
..: THE SLY OLD WARRIORS.
So passed that eventful day, at that
time doubtless the most anxious that
Fayetteville had seen in that generation.
Some simple souls imagined the war was
over. One old lady remarked that she
had seen one war, and hoped never to see
another. But the provoking part to US
females was to hear, as we discussed the
day with our returned braves in the
evening, how it had come out that the
heads on both sides had had private
consultation beforehand, and the terms
of the surrender had been agreed upon
and papers signed in a very friendly
manner. The parade of the day had
been mere comedy to set things right
at Washington, but of course the rank
and file were kept in ignorance of this
fact till after all was over. .-.. --.i,
Lieut.. James DeLagnal took his men
at once to Washington and handed them
over to the department.. The other two
lieutensnts belonging to the company
had never been to Fayetteville. They
sided with the Union, and we heard that
this company was among the regular
troops who bore the brunt of the first
battle of Manassas, and that it was
almost annihilated on that field. De.
Lagnal was offered a commission as cap
tain but declined the honor, and resign
ing his commission joined the Southern
army in Virginia. he behaved with
great gallantry at the fatal conflict on
Rich Mountain, and was long supposed
to have been left among the slain. He
dropped out of my record after that, but
I believe be survived the war.
I we'll remember how his eagle eye
and soldier.like bearing were admired
by our school girls, while Major Robert
Anderson commanded much less OF our
attention. The Major, as be appeared
in church with his wife, dressed in a
neat business suit, was stout, comfor.
table looking gentleman who would be
taken for a substantial merchant or bank
officer than soldier. But appearances
deceive. The Major was given com.
mand of the Fourth North Carolina
Regiment, and proved himself in the
field not only soldier, but man. Ac'
customed to the discipline of the regular
army he was strict with his men; he
required every one to do his duty, at the
same time be was equally careful to see
to their comfort in every way possible,
and made sure that they got their share
of everything that was going. When he
was promoted to the rank of brigadier.
general they never had another colonel
who took such good care of his men:
When he died of lock-jaw from a wound
in the foot received at Sharpsburg, the
Southern Cause never lost a braVer
soldier nor one that was more faithful to
his duty in every respect.
After the Arsenal was off our minds
for time, We returned to the serious
work of finishing the equipment of our
men for the terrible work before them,
although the most experienced among us
scarcely realized how terrible it was to
be, nor the privations they would be
called upon to endure in the field, or
those we would have to bear at home.
The schoolgirl were wild /; no use was it
to mention books to them; it was their
plain duty to sew for the soldiers, and
sew they did, though I must fear some
of the work might have been criticised
by particular persons. There were dress
parade suits and fatigue suits to be made,
as we'll as undertaking suitable to camp
life-tents, baversacks, canteens to be
covered, in fact every part of the outfit,
except the knapsacks, was made by the
voluntary labor of the women. They
assembled in bees from house to house,
where the most experienced ladies could
oversee the difficult parts of the work,
such as the making of coats which could
not be trusted to novices. And when
our two first companies left US, we felt
that they were as we'll provided for as
soldiers could expect to be, and us girls
were proud to feel that we had done our
part az we'll as school girls could be ex.
pected to.
THE REAL WAR BEGINS.
These companies represented in the
main our best educated and well-to.do
classes. They were among the first to
arrive in Raleigh and were both put into
the 1st North Carolina Regiment. 1t
was fortunate for Fayetteville that this
regiment was sworn in for Six months
only, as our companies returned home at
the end of that time, and the men were
scattered among other regiments mostly
as officers. Though the town lost heavily
of her SONS during the war, the loss was
probably less than it would have been it
SO large a number had remained in q
single regiment throughout the war.
But woman's work WAS by no means
done when these two companies had left
us. Other companies were formed more
slowly, and there was plenty of work to
be done. We became palmer in our
notions, however, as materials began to
be less plenty, and were content to send
the others off without feathers in their
hats or parade suits, and acquisitions had
to be made on our family supplies OF
blankets aud carpets to supply this need
full article, as well as to respond to calls
made on the part of destitute companies
abroad and many families in moderate
circumstances gave blankets they could
have used at home without having too
many. I never nestled under my blank
cts of cold or rainy winter night but
my last thought was for our soldiers
under the blue star-spangled roof of
heaven, or the dark and pitiless rain
clouds. All through the terrible strug.
gle the women of Fayetteville were ever
ready to respond to any call on their