The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1905-07-21

tatoes, strip and anything else pro-
duced by the farmer. That role of
sole leather. with chickens, eggs and
vegetables, from a small garden fur
nished our living until the close of
the var. Having disposed of most of
my tableware before I left Florida,
generously relative gave me a few
pieces of china, to which added six
tin plates, as bright as new silver, for
which I paid $40 piece. For clothing
for my four growing children was
fortunate enough to procure some
factory thread from a factory near
Greensville, South Carolina, part of
which my cousin, Mrs. William Gold
smith had dyed with indigo, raised on
her plantation, and this had woven
into little blue checks to make suits
for them. 1 had refurnished my own
wardrobe before left Florida, blythe
purchase of goods that had run the
blockade from Cuba.
In October the ladies formed
Soldiers Aid Society, with Mrs. Mar
iah B. Taylor as president. The So
ciety sent several boxes of clothing,
blankets, etc.. to the soldiers. After
we sent all che blankets we could
spare, we cut up our wooden carpets
and sent them on.
Old linen was scraped into lint and
sent to the hospitals. Our pastime in
in those days was knitting socks for
the soldiers. In Cokesbury L was a
member of a society whice sent every
day three or four of its members to
the railroad station with baskets of
provisions to Iced sick or wounded
soldiers going on Through to their
homes, or returning to camps. How
grateful these half-famished men
were for help thus bestowed.
SAW FOUR OF THE ENEMY.
During the four years of the war
saw four of the enemy. These were
wounded men captured on the
east cost of Florida in fight with a
blockader, 1 think and brought to
Ocala till their wounds healed suf-
fieiently for them to be sent on to be
paroled on exchange.
The ladies of Ocala, wishing to obey
the teaching of the Bible, called at
the improvised hospital and carried
them some delicacies-fresh milk,
eggs and fruit, thinking the time
might come when some of our own
loved ones might be wounded prison.
ers.
After the burning of Columbia, we
expected Sherman's army to paas
through Cokesbury, and we buried
our silver and jewels, and secreted
provisions for an emergency, but a
heavy rain, swollen rivers and wash
ed away bridges, with the interven-
ton of General Cheatham's corps,
Confederate States army, below New
bury, caused him to change his
course, SO that we escaped the de-
vastation of his army. Just before
this the Governor of South Carolana
had called on patriotic planters to
send negroes to work on the fortifica-
tions in the lower part of the state.
My uncle, Colonel B. F. Griffin, sent
four of his strong, reliable negro men
to aid in the work. As they were re-
turning home they fell in with Sher-
mans army and were carried into his
presence. He questioned them close
ly to get all the information from
them that would be of some use to
him, and then told them he would
carry them to freedom. They replied
'No, sab, we hab good massa, and
our wives and children are on the
ole plantation, and OATS whar we
want to go, sah." Sherman told
them they might go on and tell their
massa he would be along there in
little while.