The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-07-03
bearing dastardly sergent to take it off
Or ne would, which be did not do, or
either, and there wac glory for me.
A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL euIp

A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL eu1p
Between the Loyaiist and the Sere,
siIniat ,:. q gulf yaWued, social as we'll a,
Poil.icai: Oh, it ranked deep I dom
know as have outgrown it yet, while 70,
twenty years l have been cultiyetjpgl ::
genuine Christian charity for North ani
south and the whole broad world. recor
hiZlng the rights of each as man an5
brother, and the same good God as iudet
ana ruler over all. Yet somehow a bl1s
oress trimmed with red braid and hon
net decked with red and blue roses rile,
me now. illuminate our house when :
Democratic victory comes. but T don,
suck little Union flags out and ali about
Lay all Of these together on the sheIf
uefr heart, and 60 on digging for charity
tii our crops bear fruit, covers up and
hides eternally all of the colors.
Still in the unhappy days of old The
Southern girls held their own and no red
was adl',Aed with blue. They summed
those that did wear the hated color. and
SO the barrels grew. Contempt wa,
shown on ell occasions possible, deareat
friendships ruptured. We atood as foe
70 Toe and wished it known. When
| Beast Butler assumed the command q,
Fortress Monroe he said he'd stop IL
He had UNANIMOUSLY tried 10 sson Il at M
new orleans: He began by compelling
al, heads Of families to take sha oath OF
allegiance to the United States. The
silver item, l should mention, proceeded
this. Ihe order was that ali silver and
plate. had TO be weighed in order 10 be
taxed. All such aa belonged h Confed.
crate officers and soldiers, when found.
was confiscated. Honorable warfare
Meum and Tuum had lost tho SAVIOR of
the. golden rule. Teaspoons were hidden
and dear old priced shotguns Of grand.
fathers, intended 70! the only great.
grandson, had to be hidden by ripping
up the planks in the floor and s,cretinS
them. Up to this time many honorable
men who stayed at home, some honora.
bly, discharged from Confederate service.
old mea and feeble ones, had held aloof
and given up all business, as such could
only be conducted by Loyalists. Even
doctors could not practice without this
oath of allegiance. The order came
from Butler, with only ten days. grace,
or they would be thrown into prison.
The men submitted.
Time rolled by and another "Whereas"
was called forth, because the first order
applied to male members or heads of
families and they were the only ones who
recognized it, for the female portion
were as defiant as ever. No Union
| officer, it was asserted, but vas liable to
their public gibes or silent contempt I
wonder they expected otherwise, since
hot blood and daring spirit fred the
hearts OF our women who had brothers,
sons and husbands on the battlefield.
Shame on the order that Benjamin F.
Butler issued to compel women and girls
from l6 years and upwards to take the
oath of allegiance to the United States,
and to swear they did it, not from COM
pulsion but from love of the Union /! All
were ordered to the courthouse to register
aud at the end of three weeks detailed
men were sent around to every house,
and the heads of families sworn TO facts.
If any in the house of is years and
upward had not complied, notice wss
given that on such day flag of truce
would be sent up the road and the hap.
less ones would be carried ont Of the lines
and left to sink or swim according to
their helplessness. Such war against
women and children i doubt rnarr
signed such an oath without punctillious
misgivings; yet many signed it with
tears and fears, and no towards either.
Weak ones with no alternative, and
where no questions were asked, accepted
the situation and obeyed. But some did
not take the oath and bravely as we'll as
conscientiously went up aud registered
as those declining the oath. To this day
/ do not rue it.
INCIDENTS, GRAVE AND GRAY.
Several strange incidents occurred
during those days. One day an aged
lady, bent with years, her two sons in
the Southern army, came up to ehe pro.
vost:
"Do you wish the Federals to conquer
in this war or the Rebels7" aaSed an
officer.
"Let Gods will be done;e eaid the
good old saint, as she was.
"You go home, old lady" eid the
ofics1 "Ihen gen come dosn Eere and
say you want the Rebels whipPe5, we'll
swear you in, and not till then"
Such coarseness rasping on the delicate
sensitiveness of our Southern ladies', do
you wonder that it rankles yet?
OF course the order included male as
we'll as female, and the boys of B years,
SO an estimable matron appeared before
Gen. E. G. Viells and asked 'sif the boys
of I6 years and upward would be sent
South by flag of truce if they declined
the OATH"
"Madam, do you suppose we intend to
reinforce Lees army7" No madam, we
send thoge to prison until duly excbang'
ed"
Oh, the Spartan mothers sending un.
tried boys away to their duty +! think
the dutiful and honorable boys were
am. .,g those three hundred who left
Norfolk and Portsmouth by running the
blockade and joining the fortunes of the
South already at an ebh. ,-
I must acknowledge was one sof the
favored ones during these stirring times
Horn with the traditional silver spoon
and having never known want, buoyant
with the hopes of my eighteen summers
conscientious In my Methodist faith
with will that some called obstinacy,
dared 90 South to earn my living. In
vain did my guardian, who was my uncle
expostulate. He could not deter me il
he wished, for the GeneraPs orders were
that no compulsion be used. was
reasoned with: "Yout property will be
confscated," they said. I had no val
uation on such, my answer was.l II an
minor" added, "and the Yankees car
not touch it." "But might is right ir
these times of lawlessness," was urged
No answer. Down in my heart fell
that the wealth of Cresus could moi
tempt me to such an enormity, much les
the few thousands upon which I placed
q too little estimate. l, had known nc
privation, OK perhaps I had been more
sordid. But youth and hope go hand II
hand. and aince I would 20, tho satnl