The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-24

| monious and claimed me knowing
well that all Southern women would
| gladly promote the comfort of every
| man in gray.
| In the beginning we thought it
| good plan to study every detail of the
| battles, learning our country's history
as it came hot from the hand of Des-
| tiny, but next weeks paper contradict
| ed last weeks, and we got so shaken
upon history that we have scarcely
| been able to believe any since. Men
| who were big heroes in the first year
| sunk out of sight, their names we'll
| nigh forgotten before the four years
| struggle was over. In the beginning
we never for a moment doubted our
| success. AS is we'll known all the first
victories were on the Southern side.
| When the tide of fortune changed, and
| disaster followed our arms, the Pres
| ident proclaimed days of fasting, hui
| initiation and prayer. We kept them
to the point of abstaining from both
J food and drink. At one time when
| several of our family were in immi-
nent peril my sister Sarah and I
| agreed to abstain from food and drink
I,eVery alternate day until the danger
| was overpast. We held out two weeks.
At the end of that time / was attacked
| with acute Indigestion My digestive
| organs were injured for life. l have
never been able to fast since. We were
| refugees in Mobile when Vicksburg
| fell. No light was lit in our house
| that night and we saw no company.
| Our brother Edward was in the be-
| seged city, and we did not know of
| his safety until two months after the
surrender. Mail communications were
broken up by the raiders.
| We had our house full of refugees
| ourselves in Mobile first, and after
| ward in Macon, Georgia, and Creole
lady and her child followed us to Mo-
| bile. Her husband was shut up In
| Vicksburg. Every morning at break
| fast, she said in her broken English
| Mrs. Mede do you tink Mr.. Thomas
| is dade?" "Oh, no." / always replied,
| IF anything had happened to him it
| would have come out in the morning
| paper because he is an officer. 1t
| went through my heart to hear that
| question day after day during those
| weary weeks, for my own brother not
an officer, might have been dead many
day for aught that l knew. Besides
| it did no good to try to cheer her, so
| 1 bethought me 10 try the effect of
a different answer. Next day when
| she said Mrs. Mede do you tink Mr..
| Thomas is dade?" / said, Eyes, l
| think it Likely he is dead The effect
was remarkable. Il know he is not
dade," she said. HE is an officer, and
| if any ting happened to him. it would
| be in de morning paper!" She never
asked me again if he was dead!
The trains were unlighted for the
| lack of oil and hurried along in abso-
| lutte darkness. 1t was awkward get
| ting on one in the middle of the
night. 1 got on once on dark night
and stood up till my eyes family dis
cerned something white at one end
of a seat l conjectured it was a
woman's dress and asked if l might
sit beside her. A mans voice faint
and suffering answered." Madam, /
would give you the seat, but my leg
was amputated two weeks ago" When
morning daWned and | saw the splen-
did young fellow supported in his
wife'S arms, their two faces full of ST
lent misery, l could have wept.
Coffins of dead soldiers, on their
way home for burial, were piled on
the platforms at many stations await
ing their turn, for transportation was
insufficient even for the living army.
People grew accusomed to the sight,
and sat on them when waiting for
the train. | remember sitting on one
myself when exhausted with standing.
/ did il revently, asking pardon in
my heart of the poor fellow within.
When our paper was exhausted
we wrote letters on leaves of old blank
books, and scraps of old letters, and
turned over envelopes. One of my sis
tiers and l had cloth envelope, her
address on one side, and mine on the
other, and it went backwards and for
wards between us until the war was
over. Ingenious ones made envelopes
of their music covers.
We trimmed our hats with bits of
old silk, the edge turned up with
strip of palmetto, and the hats were
! made of plated palmetto. We made
our own gloves and shoes. Sophy was
ch la
and slippers were really creditable.
A thrilling experience it was when
Long Tom" beloved forth his first
note before Vicksburg. We knew the
dogs of war were unleashed and at
our very heels. At this time my sis
ter Sophy lay lowering between life
and death. The attendant physician
had prohibited any agitation or noise
above all the impending seige of
Vicksburg must not be alluded to in
her hearing. When the sound of that
booming gun broke the stiffness of
the sick chamber we feared it was her
death signal But though she noticed
| it, she was perhaps too i'll to care, for
It produced no harmful effect But
more thrilling time was yet to come. 1t
was when we were told that whole
| company of Gen. Grants camp fol-
lowers were camped on our Tallahala
Creek only half a mile from the house
We heard their reVeIl ana tattoo Tor
a week before we fled away early one
| morning. They rode up to the house,
only two the first time, and Knocked
| politely. When l went to the door
| one of them asked if any of their men
| had been there, do you mean Yam
| KEGS? ?" | asked. Il believe that is what
you call u.s." the young fellow re-
! piled. mo, you are the first" They
rode off and we sisters and cousins,
and refugees, the house was full of
goung girls congratulated each 9TH
| err, we thought all the Northern army
were like that. We were not over our
fluctuations before different sort APP
peared at the door, five of them. They
entered without the polite knock and
proceeded to search the house, and to
| terrify US by loud oaths and vile lam
guage. They found eleven guns in
| the hall belonging to my brothers,
which they at once broke on the trees.
| They found some hundreds of bottles
| of wine which my father had import
| ed from Oporto, and they carried arm
| fuls to the front porch where they
| invited the negroes to Join them. They
were in too great hurry to draw
corks but snapped off the bottle necks.
1 showed tip of the white feath-
er, when my sister Emmy said sis
don't he frigbtanad only cOwaT-dS