The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-08


lie deprecated the manner in who'll IL;
army treated Southern people, and stateG
TO me that if he had known the Somtt
had to be conquered by such cruelties a,
ne had seen inflicted on defenceless oII II
neI, women ana children, he would new.
eL nave enlisted for the Union. Hi,
Mhoie demeanor indicated his refined
sensitive feeiiugs, which were shocked Al
ti t9e .awiess piundering propensities OF
ms army, which he was powerless to con.
troi; Ihis man was as brave as he wa;
none, 1or he was subsequently killed on
me iazoo River while leading his men
in an assault upon fort. .
Inc next evening my husband return.
ed nome. The joy felt by all in being
,oeether again soon made us forget ouI
marsh treatment. He had been hurrieI !
oeiore the officer at Milliken's Bend. who
insisted that he take the oath. This he
poiiteiy refused to do, at the same time
aeciaring his. allegiance to the South. for
ne had sent his son to the army and all
MS sympathies were with the confedera.
cy;; AS the old man warmed up with his
SUBJECT he Informed the officer that che
would die before he would swallow that
oath" Although treated with Kindness
Dy the commanding officer, he was dis.
missed and sent home on foot, this officer
keeping his horse, which was a fine
spirited animal.
Alter this adventure we decided TO
move further west, although my husband
aisil .ed so much to abandon his nlsnts-
ton, for he knew his dwelling houses
would be burned in his absence. Late
In the spring Of 1893 We determined 10
send the most valuable of our slaves to
iexas, believing implicitly that the
south would be victorious. The bottom
lands of the Mississippi were entirely
covered in water, and to move required a
number of flat boats and skiffs. These
we're built and everything made ready for
the move on the following morning still
the secret had been kept from the
negroes. The night before the contem.
plated move my husband called up his
foreman, Reuben, in whom he had the
greatest confidence, and explained mat.
ters to him, at the same time asking his
assistance in getting the negroes away.
dat is right, Mars Aft" Reuben re-.
piled, II will do nv best for you"
MY husband Informed me of his con.
versation with Reuben, but I could not
sleep, as believed something would 20
wrong before morning, and had ex.
pressed my belief in Reuben's treachery.
accordingly awaited dn2iouslY in the
early morning for the servants to come
and klndle fires, commence house clean.
ing and breakfast. No one came and nv
husband called our waiting girl, but no
reply.
DESERTED BY THEIR SERVANTS.
Eyes, they are gone, and knew it,
said.
"You knew the COW ate the grind
stone," my husband answered, laughing.
ly, hurrying on his clothes.
Going down along the negro quarters
he found them deserted-not a negro was
to be seen anywhere. Returning hurri.
edly to the house he rushed into our
room.
"Wife wife!" he exclaimed, "every
negro is gone to the Yankees"
Woman like, could not resist the
temptation of saying word.
"Who believes now that the COW alto
the grindstone ?"
"Oh wife, out upon that 'grindstone'
What shSll we 6o7''
The pee: man %as greatly distressed,
as he could not bear for any one to even
hint that slaves would leave him, he
being an indulgent, kind master, treating
them as children. I threw my arms
'und him, and told him we could work,
anu still be happy, without the negroes
that it was only question of time, when
they would be free, and that the present
was a good opportunity to begin to learn
to wait upon ourselves.
After Reuben's conversation with my
husband the previous evening, the color.
ed traitor had collected all the negroes
OH the plantation and explained to them
masters move," mt the same time advis.
ing them to take the boats and make all
speed to their "deliverers" Yankees.
Filling the boats with their household
goods, men, women and children, pushed
across the inundated fields to Milliken's
Bend. afterwards learned that most of
them died of disease while living with
their "deliyeEars." Que orphan girl
about eight years of age was sleeping in
the house. My little daughter, being
attached to her, claimed her as her wait.
ing maid and would not allow. her to
remain in the quarters. The negroes left
her in their flight.
After the storm came the calm, and we
busted ourselves about some breakfast.
My husband cut some wood and started
fire in the stove. My daughter, Miss
TfadeIeii, and her grandmother, Mrs.
Traywood, refugees staying with us, and
myself, marched in body to the kitchen,
and, by exercising our combined culinary
knowledge, prepared breakfast, but it
was not worth Dragging about, as we were
hungry, and we ate in silence this our
first meal prepared without the assistance
of any "Aunt Chloe"
THE MIDNIGHT RAID.
Our slaves, after reaching "their
friends" the Yankees, informed them
that "Old Master" had lots of silver and
gold buried under the "big house," and
that "Old Miss" had bushel of silver
ware hid in the house. So much glori-
GUS information aroused their thieving
faculties, and visions of "bezes of gold"
floated through their brains. Accord.
ingly, armed with guns and pistols, o
party of twenty Union soldiers" accom-.
panied by crowd of negroes, stole away
from their camps at night to attack one
old man aud his family and make them
"disgorge" their gold. 1t was past mid.
night and all were sleeping unconscious
of any danger when these "brave men"
noiseiessly surrounded the house, placing
guards at every window that no one
might escape. Three of them stood at
the front door, which they kicked fnri-
ously, yelling at US, "Wake up you
confounded Rebels, and open the door !!
Wake upl or we will kick it down"
Startled out of sleep and frightened be.
yond physical control, hurriedly threw
q wrapper around myself and attempted