The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-06-29
A WOMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WAR.
RACY MEMORIES OF CONFED-
lGItATIG TIMES.

The Burning OF Columbia was Visi-
BILE i'm Union County-Ncgrocs BE.
)ieved the Judgment Day Had
Come
1t is hard TO know just how far back
into the realm Of infancy our memories
reach and how much Of'what we rcmcm.
Der is what we have had told us OF that
fatry-land Of the pas My recollcctions
OF the early days Oi the late war are as
dim and shadowy as the hazy sugges-
OF color that the budding trees take on
in the early spring.
My lirst real wartime memory is OF
the eauregard hats, very pretty broad
brimmcd white leghorns trimmed with
white ribbons, anu a fringe of white
lace hanging around the edge Of the
brims, with which one spring, my
mother delighted the hearts OF my eld-
er sister and myself. Then comes a
shadowy vision Of the cadets from the
| Military institute, and the local mill
tary company, marching up and down
our shady streets to the cheers of the
admiring thrOng. Even more vividlv
do | recall being allowed to accompany
the nurse, who was sent with the other
servants to the depot to carry food to
the troops then passing through on the
| trains. And full well remem Der with
though not very eiegantimprovisatio
In which we declared "Jeif Davis to be
Il gentleman, but referred t. "Abc Lin
| coin" In terms more vigorous than po-
! lite: closing with the rather doubtful
asscrti, n that
"Jcn Davis rides milk-whitc steed,
| Abe Lincoln rides mule"
In the early part of 1863, my father. a
well-known citizen Of Charlotte, n. c.,
but native of Englan was called to
that country to take possession OF the
| estate left by his father. Going by way
OF Charleston, S. G., TO secure passports
! from the British consul, he also pro-
cured bills Of exchange on the Bank Of
England, from the Confederate secre-
tary Of the treasury, Mr. Trenholm
Being arrested in New YORK, on suspi-
| cion as spy, these papers caused his
detention Tor two years in Federal
| prison. In the bandagcs on the foot Of
u wounded fellow prisoner who was re-
leased, he concealed a letter TO my
mother, directing her to take her fam
lily of six little children and make her
home with his brother n..aw, in the
town OF Union, S. c.. about sixty miles
from Columbia. So our happy home
was given up, never again TO be rc-en.
tered And in this quiet, little town
we spent the last exciting and eventual
months of the war.
This uncle kept boarding school for
young ladies, in building formerly
,.sed as a hotel, occupying corner
where the main streets OF the village
crossed, and facing on two streets 1t
Is strange fact that all through these
trouble us times this school was sustain
ed, teachers and pupils keeping AT their
work, though with frequent Interrupt
tiOns toward the last. | remember how
the teachers and my young lady cousin.
often entertained the officers Of passing
troops, and one nighta remnant Of Nor
gan's brave band, by singing for them,
The Bonny Blue Flag" "All Ouict
Along the Potomac" and that most
pathetic Of all wartime songs, The
Vacant Chair" Who could hear it
without a tear?
When Suermau'o army entered the
State, headed toward Columbia, it was
thought that our little town could not
escape rs he would certainly move on
TO the nor th"cstern towns. With tcle-
graph wires down, and railroads torn
up, the enemy sometimes travelled
more rapidly than news OF his whore
abouts SO We had stirring times max
| ing ready for the coming Of the van
KEGS"
Rumors had reached us from other
parts of the State Of their pcnchant for
| Jewelry, silver, and all such portable
| property :" 1t hcing stated. with how
Tuch truth never knew, that in the
lower part Of the State, earrings were
torn by then from the ears OF the ladies.
SO, many ingenious devices were resort
! ed to for sec'eting our valuabl IS. The
| large hoopskirts then worn by the ladies
were very serv icabc for this purpose,
| i,l, u, II.
them without weighting down the
wearer. Qlitc number of our young
ladies were transformed into walking
| spoon anG fork racks, One OF the teach
| ers, | remenner, concealed her watch
| in her hair, which was worn in q low
knot coniinad in net, then much in
vogue.
My one treasure, n sO.called. alabas-
ter doll | buried by a sage bush in the
garden to SAY, from the indiscrimina-
ting grasp Of ihe omniveous foe. That
night a heav' rain fell, and next day
when concluded that the yankees
were not coming, anyway, and went to
cxhumc my beloved doll, found 10 my
great grief that the beautiful alabaster
head was utterly dissolved a keener
grief have iever known; for neither
dolls nor moIey were then to be had
SO ] knew it meant an irreparable be
reavement.
But far nDre serious loss befcll my
uncle and brther, who in the dead OF
night when the negroes were supposed
to be asleep, had sunk hogshcad in
the cellar, and in this stored their
china, cutglss, and silver pieces. AZ
ter the surrender, when they thought
it prudent t, uDearth their treasure,
not one artidc remained In the hogs
head, and nt one was ever recovered.
One novelmode Of preparing for the
Coming of he yankees" did not come
, To our nAothr's knowledge until years
| after, fortubely for us. by some uD-
accountable freak OF the child-mind,
) my eldest sister and | conceived the
idea that W would have need of extra
| agility in CITING away from "the yam
\ KEGS" Whit indeiinable horrors the
. very name suggested to our excited
3 childish imginations So In order to
become exprt In escaping the clnVches
OF these masters, we betoOk ourselves
: every afternoon after school to very
/ deep gullynear at hand and exercised
n ourselves y jumping from point to
( point over eally perilous heights; on.
1 ly Il kind povidence saving us from "a
b danger far ,reater than falling into the
n hands OF tb yankees
9 In my uple's household 1t was the
n custom to ave family prayer In the
dining RON, Immediately after the