The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-04-01

East Tennessee, during the winter Of
1864, VIC stopped, for a short while,
at a place where all the families in
the ncighborhood called upon US for
guards to protect their homes and
premises from the ravagca Of army
foragcrs. Those guards were allowed
board, lodging, washing, etc., with
the families they served, and the fare,
with those families vas SO much bet
ter than camp fare, and the duties Of
the guarding SO much lighter than camp
duties, that such situations were CON
sidcrcd very desirable.
Several men Of our company had al
ready gone out to guard houses in the
%ncighborhood, when a bclated appli-
cant, for a guard, presented himself
one stormy afternoon, with bitter
complaints Of dcpredations by the
soldiers, and asked for the protection
Of a guard. There were many aspir-
ants for such q place in our camp at
hat time, but through some lucky
stroke Of fortune. I got the job and
after a few minutes preparation l
was ready to accompany him home
ward.
We travelled on foot along an old
narrow, unfrequented road, through q
most cruel downpour Of rain that was
constantly dashed literally against US
by violent gusts Of wind, with such
force as to drive the cold water through
our garments and thoroughly drench
our bodies. We arrived about night
f.il and found a most excellent sup
pr on the stable awaiting US. It
seemed that my first duty in my new
position was to be the very agreeable
one, of partaking Of those much need
ed refreshments. Owing tn the hannyy
a%daptedness Of those savory dishes Of
food to the cravings Of my acute ap-
petite, I performed that first duty in
a practical, businesslike manner that
might well have been construed into
%extravagant flattery for the cook.
There we're only three of them in
the family, the man, the wife and q
fourteen-year-old daughter. The man
was small and slender, his gate awk-
ward and shutting. He was slow and
stammering in speech and had q de-
jected, hcn-pecked appearance. The
lady was large and corpulent, gracious
and kind toward friends and neigh
bors, but somewhat spiteful toward
her husband and daughter. She was
diligent and untiring in her domestic
duties, seldom finding time for q mo-
ment's rest. She was an 'incessant
talker and her tongue was probably
the hardest worked member Of her
strenuous body. The range Of her
subjects embraced little more than the
current gossip Of the neighborhood,
but she kept up an inexhaustible
fund of that kind of information which
she dispensed freely to all who came
within the range o. her voice.
The daughter was shy and unap-
proachable, almost to wildness and
she maintained her unsociable atti-
tude toward me throughout my entire
s%ojournment with the family. The
house was a small, ancient looking,
weatherbeaten structure on the bank
of q little stream that flowed through
q ravine'between extended ranges of
hills heavily wooded on one side and a
small clearing on the other that form
ed part of the family farm.
The three small rooms, occupied by
the family contained few articles Of
furniture and that of a very homely
style, which suggested extreme pow
erty, yet they had abundant stores Of
all kinds Of fern products, the farm
was we'll stocked with handsome, we'll
kept domestic animals and the little
barn yard was literally overrun with
poultry. The mistress was an excel
lent cook and the meals she served
were famous among all who had been
permitted to taste them. They had
lost a hog and several fowls since the
army had come into the neighborhood,
and those losses had led to the de.
mand for a guard. For two or tt-ee
days and nights after my arrival no
attempt was made to disturb any Of
the property, but then / was aroused
from my sleep at a late hour ono night
by a furious disturbance among the
fowls at the hen roost, and arising
hastily, I grabbed my gun and rushed
out with the air of one on some i'm
'portant business.
The night was dark and I was afraid
that any promiscuous or reckless
shooting might result injuriously to