The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-07-01
REBECCA.
THE INVASION OF THE YANKEEs
Interesting "reminiscences Of Plunds,i,
BIue-COats-No. II Of Our Series,
Ohslow Co.. N. G..

44CSESbt44B 0em4A4SSAOeS V4 EIUQdeFM
Blue-COats-No. II Of Our Series.
Dear Aunt Jennie: I will attemh
to write you on the old times in Il.
South. I was a little child when ts
war began, and will first tell you what
I imagined the Yankees were. l wOud
hear people talk of the Yankees, and
our people going to fight them.
thought them to be something like an
alligator, killing and eating the pec!
pie; had no idea that they were men
until they came.
We all had to spin and weave what
we wore. Spun cotton cost $50
bunch, therefore we had to spin boa
warp and filing. Sister and I called
our spinning wheels our spin-ano. WI
put it in the place of a piano, and
tell you, girls, we could make them
sing. I have often spun from sixteen
to eighteen ounces of wool a day. but
mother did the carding; have spun 5
ounces Of cotton a day and gone fish
ing. I appreciated a new homespul
dress then more than the girls do theiI
cashemeres these days, and a gray
mixed dress looked really nice.
We would weave pieces for our bon
net fronts out of split reeds and SOM
of them out of oat straws. I though
the oat straws made the prettiest bon
net. One young lady friend was mar
ried during the war; her dress wal
homespun, and I guess she felt a
grand in it as she would in silk.
The great horror of it all was when
the war was over and the coming Of
the Yankees. They camped about S1
miles from us and we lived near a mil
which attracted their attention. One
might look out and see from fifty to
hundred coming at any time, and when
I would see them coming [ would bel
gin to cry and shake with a nervous
chill.
Just imagine how you would feel to
see a body of men coming from all Oh
rections with swords and bowie knives
and pistols all belted round their bod
les, coming with all the speed then
mules and horses could bring then!
They wouldn't think Of opening a gaze
would they slacken their speed, buy
stick their spurs and make their horses
leap over the fence and ride right ap
to the door. Then they would throw
down their lines, jump off their horses
and right in the house they would 81
and searching every trunA
and bureau and closet and taking anu
destroying everything as they went
One asked father if he had a gun
Father told him he did and was ordeF
ed to get it. He told them it was l
the house; they could get it if tnS'
wanted it. He began to curse tatns,
and drew out his sword. Father t0u
him they could kill him, but couldn
scare him. You can imagine our 1eai''
and it didn't take mother long to gS'
the gun for them and the soldier OrOA'
it in two or threeapieces over the pan
ister.
The house and yard were aLmO'1
black or blue with them that day'
there were about one hundred and d
ty there at n time. That day tnS'
did S more harm than any other; the,
went with their carts, carried on ~
our corn and wheat from our barn
went to our smoke-house and took Ipg
asst piece of meat except a piece th'I
1ad been cut, caught all the chicken
hey could find, hunted the nests u.
eggs. At last they found three neI
hat were setting and would nav
latched the next week. They took 'nI
Eggs from under them though motn7
them to let them alone as tn0'
would soon hatch.
One Yankee came to the house ~
ordered us to get him some III