The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-22
a Ledy's RecolIectIons.

were OF such nature rs TO embed them
selves too deep in my childish mind 10
ever be efiaced. Although have an
indistinct recollection Of The boys
leaving home To take their part in free
ing our fair sunny South from the vile
oppression Of our Northern foes, yet the /
first realization Of the war in all its hor-
ror dates from the battle of shiloh ia /
northern Mississippi. On the day of the 4
above battle nv mother had taken we
children out on a picnic. During the I
day we could distinctly hear the distant +
thunder Of the cannon, as they dealt I
death to both friend and foe. When +
We return ed to our home we found a note 7
from my father. who was surgeon as well /
"a physician, enclosing telegram from +
the battlefield, bidding him come and
help care Tor the wounded. lie had cot /
ten an engine furnished him. and gone
to their aid The next day we got a
telegram from him. asking all Oft the cit
zens, who could do so, to throw open
their homes for the wounded, that he
would bring four car loads home that
uight. AT seven O'Clock the train came
In bearing its load Of poor sufferers, who
had gone forward to battle, willing TO
4
| All who came to us were strangers, for
our horae boys we're far away, yet many
were the kind hearts that took them.
and cared for them, until they were able
| TO leave for Their own homes. or go for
ward To the front again. among them
who fell il our lot was young North
! Caroliuiau. who has many relatives IN
the City Of Oaks" lie bore no le--
than seventeen bullet holes Il his body,
eight bullets having passed through hlm
| in different parts OF his body, while one
had lodged in his knee, | soon learned
| to love Johnnie tor that is what he
made me call him, aud many All hour
have | spent hy his bed helping him pass
more rapidly than if he was alone, the
long weary hours. 1t was for many
many weeks he was compelled to re-
main with Us after the others had gone;
he became the pet OF the household, and
no matter who Johnnie called they
would stop everything else and 80 to
him. He finally left LIS and have never
seen him since-he died several yeals
ago on his Mississippi plantation.
Later our house was the headquarters
of Captain Lawler, (and | wish | knew
he still livesl who was chief scout IN
that part of the country. He stayed at
nv fathers whenever he was IN town.
and all his men brought and left their
reports there for him. When Lawler
was there his horse was always kept in
readiness for immediate use, for there
WAS large body of yankees on one side
of US at M and another at B on
the other side, and we were liable TO
have raids from either post made on us
at any time. OF course our house was
soon known to contain nothing but
.rjle damned re6els.n and we were treat
ed accordingly. 1t has always been a
wonder to me why our house was not
burned over our heads. but only once was
any such attempt made. One morning
| was told some yankees were coming
In the front gate. Ny mother was very
i'll. and my father was sleeping after a
wakeful night. | was the eldest child.
so | went to the front door To meet
them They asked for my father, and
said if would not tell him to come they
would search the house until they founC
him. His bedroom door opened near
the front door, so / stepped in the room
and locked the door behind me. | wax
ed my father, and he locked the Other
:. door after me 40 as keep them out o
my mothers room while he dressed A:
soon as possible he joined me in the pas
. sage when to my horror, the men tool
a rope. and tied his hands and started
n off with him. lie asked where they inten
: ded to carry him, and was told to tn
i Court House" He made me promise
!, not to tell my mother anything e2cep
= that he had gone down street with them
We were soon cursed with a visit from tn
- "Kansa.-jay-ha -hawkers." the yilcst. an
r. most desperate gang in the whole North
t.. eru army. They went to every hous
in town, and took all the gentlemen a
they did my father and locked them i
the court house, so as to have the We
- men and children completely at the
mercy. 1t wa. terrible on us at home
Tor we did not know what would be don
with the husbands and fathers, and
was terrible on them, knowing that a
Il they held dear, were in the hands
such men as those who held them bouu
and imprisoned. They were kept locke
up all day, and at night when the 80
diers-no they do not deserve the nan
of solders-when the mob left, the doc
were left open. / was left in charge
the house, tor as | said. | was the eldes
80 did all could to quiet my moth
= and the younger children. | could II
~ keep the men from any part of Il
IA house, for when locks resisted them Ak
for were resorted to. to take the place
keys. We had about years provision
In the pantry, and they would emp
10 oil. and molasses in the barrels of tluI
and meal, and then break jars of pI
TIE serves and pickles in also, and stir I
,es. whole together, the meat was cut
pieces and ruined with oil. or in a
other way possible. L played grab vi
one man over what little silver we h
in use, Up stairs concealed in the Va
and under the floor OF our room were Il
q of valuables of all kinds, not only of c
j own, but of many Others persons. The
\ was a dOrmer window in the room, SO
. the little recess the chair board, VIII
D was very broad was taken OF, am
went in, and stored away the dlfiert
~ things. Up in the corner OF this sa
al. room was large pile of bran. VIII
70. was put there, because nothing was S
in the outhouses. When these III
- saw this they Immediately though
Io Io- contained hidden articles. SO as
nal man attempted to feel in it, and wi
,Ss '.e: he stopped down with both hands bur
any in the bran, the impulse to push
'H- forward was too irresistible, so did
r.e:: and he came up with eyes and mo
ana full of bran, and his heart Cf he bad
. full of anger His comrades could
M help laughing at him for a letting cl
plav him such trick, so he lett IN
gust. 1t is strange he did not hurt
in some way. but he took it out in CT
!. n ing me, as vile little rebel-a nam
"a which shall always feel proud. h